If you follow my reviews, then you know that I was not a fan of The History Channel’s The Bible or Son of God, but because I am a completist, and mom enjoyed them, I decided to watch A.D. The Bible Continues. I almost watched all twelve episodes in one sitting. I loved loved loved it!
First, A.D. The Bible Continues fired the previous cast, which included one of the producers, Roma Downey, and sports a whole new cast of really good actors who can actually act. I didn’t initially recognize Greta Scacchi as Mary, but no wonder Downey had to lay herself off. It really was no contest. These actors really did a lot of character development long before the script signaled what was in store for the characters and imbued a lot of emotion and relatability in well-known characters, even characters who are normally considered to be villains. James Callis, best known for his role as Baltar in Battlestar Galactica, plays a growly Herod who is just hateful and tired of everyone’s stupidity and relishes throwing idiots under the bus. He really has fun with the role.
Second A.D. The Bible Continues creates a dynamic and interesting story as treacherous as Game of Thrones. I’m not sure how A.D. The Bible Continues managed to create tension and suspense with as well known a story as Acts, but the single season television series did. A.D. The Bible Continues follows several storylines and how the different factions interact with each other. Pilate and his wife’s household struggle to please their bosses in Rome, dominate the occupied land while simultaneously maintaining the peace with those they dominate who are willing to work with them: Herod and the High Priest all while maintaining their relationship with each other. Caiaphas, the High Priest, played by Richard Coyle, is depicted sympathetically as a man who really does love and worship God, but is torn with the desire to protect his faith against the apostate followers of Jesus, who are at times valuable, peaceful allies against Rome in preserving the sanctity of the Temple, to protect his people from the cruel and capricious Romans yet Caiaphas is willing to work with Pilate against the Jewish zealots who use violence and will incur harsher rule from Rome. Caiaphas basically is depicted as having the worse job ever. The followers of Jesus led by Peter, played by Adam Levy, are torn between wanting to protect themselves and those they love, preaching the Gospel and being really angry at those who have persecuted them, including Caiaphas and Paul, whom they either briefly or completely reconcile with. There are at least two terrific scenes between Caiaphas and Peter as they recite scripture side by side. Just when Caiaphas thinks that he could really like someone like Peter, Peter brings up Jesus and gets this look on his face as if to say, “Not today, pal, you still played a part in killing my best friend, and I am never going to stop being into Jesus!” I really appreciated that A.D. The Bible Continues recognized that Rome really didn’t like Jesus’ followers because of how it made slaves and women basically expect to act and be treated as human beings and made popular culture amends by treating Mary Magdalene as a powerful disciple in the group.I really loved the scene where Mary calls Peter on his male gender role stoic BS and demands that he mourns openly, which he does. A.D. The Bible Continues takes every opportunity to deal with the idea of privilege, state brutality, gender and oppression effectively.
Third, I really liked the use of special effects, which A.D. The Bible Continues usually busted out in the last fifteen minutes and usually involved fire or wind. It may have been predictable, but I found it judiciously used, powerful and convincing.
A.D. The Bible Continues wasn’t perfect. I didn’t think Stephen was portrayed convincingly-he was known to be a good steward who didn’t distinguish between Jew and Gentile, not a fame whore. Paul was portrayed more like a crazed brute than an intellectual. Also in a cast of mostly Europeans, including Irish actors such as Richard Coyle, the actor who played Paul was just super Irish and huge whereas Paul is described as not being terribly impressive by those who met him. The actor’s depiction of Paul’s enthusiasm and drivenness were better suited in scenes that offset these traits with Barnabas and Ananias, who are patiently exhausted and silently terrified by their former persecutor/new friend’s intensity.
I’m sorry that NBC did not renew A.D. The Bible Continues. I don’t get it. People went gaga over the craptacular History Channel’s The Bible and Son of Man, but when Roma Downey and Simon Burnett finally make something interesting, they don’t get positive reenforcement. If they finally get to make a second season, I hope that they don’t take NBC’s feedback as a signal to return to their mediocre origins and keep the cast and writers from A.D. The Bible Continues.