‘Mrs. Davis’ Series Premiere Recap

Written by John Edward Betancourt

MRS. DAVIS -- "Mother of Mercy: The Call of the Horse" Episode 101 -- Pictured: (l-r) Betty Gilpin as Simone, Jake McDorman as Wiley -- (Photo by: Colleen Hayes/Peacock)

Caution: This article contains spoilers for the Series Premiere of ‘Mrs. Davis’. Which consists of the following episodes: ‘Mother of Mercy: The Call of the Horse’, ‘Zwei Sie Piel mit Seitung Sie Wirtschaftung’, ‘A Baby with Wings, A Sad Boy with Wings and a Great Helmet’, and ‘Beautiful Things That Come with Madness’.
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We live in quite the interesting time when it comes to the concept of faith. In fact, it is safe to say we are having a crisis when it comes to faith. For there are some that believe that faith is everything the world needs in this moment to cure its current ails, and that it should take precedent over everything and guide our principles and our government. While there are others who believe that faith has run its course, and that it should be abandoned, and mankind should turn its attention… or its faith… to other elements that can benefit us. Such as technology and science and everything that has kept the human race rolling and safe for quite some time now.
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But of course, neither side is making any progress when it comes to their side winning over the majority and that’s brought forth… the crisis in question. Since it is just constant back and forth between both sides, with no end in sight and it has everyone feeling stuck and wondering what tomorrow is going to look like and well… perhaps the time has come for us to think less about this battle and more about where each side is coming from. Because at this point, they are both likely losing sight of what they actually want to accomplish, and may not even understand what they are actually putting their faith in. Which means perhaps the time has come to stop the nonsense and pause and really ponder upon the nature of faith and what it really means to us and what we want faith in a higher being or technology to accomplish for us outside of domination from one side or the other. Which is why a brand-new series on Peacock is of note.

For Mrs. Davis is a show that made its debut yesterday, that examines our relationship with faith. Not to sway folks to one side or the other… but to really understand it, to understand why people flock to one side or the other of the argument and dig in. So that perhaps we can finally find common ground and forge a way forward that makes sense for everyone, and this show accomplishes such an exploration, through its incredibly original plot. For in this tale, we are introduced to a nun named Simone. Who wants nothing more than the purity of faith after living a life that has seen impurity surrounding her. But that is no easy task, for the world she lives in, is controlled by a powerful artificial intelligence algorithm known as Mrs. Davis, and the faith people put in this machine bothers Simone to no end. To the point where she is tasked with bringing it down and well, that takes her and the audience on a powerful journey… regarding the nature of faith.

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MRS. DAVIS -- "Beautiful Things That Come with Madness" Episode 104 -- Pictured: (l-r) Andy McQueen as Jay, Betty Gilpin as Simone -- (Photo by: Elizabeth Morris/PEACOCK)

In fact, the four-episode premiere of this show… does an amazing job of explaining, what brings people to have faith in science and technology or to have faith in a Lord above and what we learn about this is fascinating. Because… in many ways, our drive to believe in something more is mired in similar wants and needs. For people flock to technology because they want it to make their lives easier and offer them a peace of mind regarding their daily duties and their health, or whatever technology and science are offering. Whereas those who follow a deity, are looking for the head honcho above to guide them and make their lives easier through that guidance and give them peace of mind regarding what is to come in their lives. Which is a fascinating parallel to see come to life here through Simone and Wiley’s respective journeys, since it gives us incredible perspective on faith, and the wonder of this examination doesn’t end there.
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Since this epic, super-sized premiere takes the time to also explore… the problems that accompany following both sides. Since Mrs. Davis is clearly too powerful for her own good and has indeed made humanity lose some of its luster and its magic by making everyone so comfortable and so joyous and religion, as we already know, comes with a lot of baggage. The kind that forces folks to do some strange things in the name of the Lord Almighty, to the point where history is mired with poor decisions made by people in the hopes of pleasing God. Which means, that this story at its core, has a bigger question to ask. In that, if common ground cannot be found and both sides are supremely imperfect and cause as much harm as they do good… what then should we put our faith into? Is it nature? Commerce? Perhaps Excalibattle?

Well therein lies the true brilliance in this four-episode premiere. In that, it doesn’t answer that question. Instead, it carefully sets up that exploration by diving deep into what makes these characters tick and what drove them to faith. For we cannot understand what we should put our faith in without understanding what drives people to what could be considered… the wrong kind of faith. Which makes for four engaging stories, the kind that leave us eager to gain the answers to those burning questions… and make us smile along the way. Because there is a lot of comedy to be found in this tale, so that the depth is never overwhelming and so this story is engaging and truly… it will be interesting to see what other big moments and grand explorations await us, as we continue to answer the call that Mrs. Davis has put forth. Until next time.

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