‘Drops of God’ Recap: ‘A Father’ & ‘Sky, Earth, Humans’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Caution: This article contains spoilers for the Series Premiere of ‘Drops of God’.
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One particular belief that a great deal of people hold to in this world, is that time… heals all wounds, and it makes as to why so many hold to that. Simply because… the pain of those wounds, does indeed fade as the days and months, and eventually, years roll along. Making it seem as though someday said pain will be nothing more than a distant memory. But there comes a point in our lives, which arrives sooner than we’d expect, where we come to learn that particular mantra is nothing more than outright nonsense. For time doesn’t heal a thing, it just dulls one’s senses regarding that pain before a triggering moment makes it explode. Which puts us at quite the crossroads for certain.
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Where we must decide if we want to try and run and hide from our pain again, or finally confront it head on and resolve it and grow and neither choice is easy. Because we know, echoes will exist when old wounds are re-opened and confronting the past and our pain is a difficult and scary venture. But those that want to be more and become more and be free of it all, will do the latter and what that process looks like is top of mind today, simply because it serves as the focus of a new series on Apple TV+ entitled, Drops of God. And it just so happens, that the two-hour series premiere of this saga, ‘A Father’ and ‘Sky, Earth, Humans’ wastes little time in getting down that exploration. Courtesy of a flashback that establishes that our main character, a woman named Camille Léger, suffered through some tough trauma as a kid. 

The kind that revolves around her father, Alexandre. A true master of wines that rose to the top of its world via his knowledge, palate, and amazing collection of the rarest of wines. And well, his desire for his daughter to know wine as well as he, brought forth suffering and eventually… a rift between father and daughter. One that left Camille in a unique place mentally when she arrived in adulthood. For despite carving her own path out as a writer, she remains lost in many ways and detached from anyone and anything. Largely because… of that mantra. For she adores the idea that time will eventually guide her to her own next chapter when its healing ways reach their zenith. But a phone call from a dying and almost forgotten father will challenge that mantra like never before. Which brings forth a powerful pair of tales that deeply explore the power of trauma and why we must confront it.

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Because Camille’s arrival in Tokyo, and the sudden death of her father before they can speak again puts her in that powerful place mentally that we all encounter when the façade of the mantra fades away. Which in turn allows for us to see firsthand how devastating it can be to follow that mantra and how hard it is reconcile the trauma we buried deep down. Giving rise to a somber hour of storytelling that takes us on an emotional rollercoaster ride. One where Camille struggles to keep her sanity and emotions in check over losing a father and where… she slowly comes to realize that flying back to France and trying to bury this all again is simply impossible. Especially upon receiving a message from her father on an old friend’s phone that pleads with her to give him a second chance and herself one for that matter, and that… is when this series truly shines. 
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For this is when the story deeply explores what the process looks like to confront our pain and what it offers us there is a masterclass in such matters. For it cleanly points out that we must embrace what happened fully and acknowledge that pain and then gently begin to address and explore the impact it had upon our lives. And only then, can we start to heal and reconcile the why behind those moments and how it does this… is through a fascinating competition. For Alexandre’s will demands that Camille and a young protégé of Alexandre’s named, Issei Tomine, pass several wine related tests to inherit the vast Léger fortune so they can live a life of comfort, with good wine, and going this route… allows for the message to never be heavy or overwhelming. It just immerses us in the process, and immediately allows for us to understand the kind of person Camille is and why we should be rooting for her.

All of which makes… for a uniquely engaging story. One that uses a unique and refreshing plot to explore very real-world problems. Complete with moments that we can relate to because we’ve experienced them or will experience them down the line. Plus, it also doesn’t hurt that Issei’s journey is equally as fascinating since he is pushing to win this for vastly different reasons than Camille. For while she wants to use this to heal, he wants nothing more than fortune, and glory and respect. Plus, we would be foolish to not point out that the acting is top notch in this tale. For Fleur Geffrier and Tomohisa Yamashia are simply electric as Camille and Issei, respectively, and well, their engaging performances and all these elements leave us eager to continue this incredible journey. To see who will win as they battle it out for the greatest prize of all… peace within. Until next time.

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