Aiya Iluvatar:

Micky and I were in Sewanee for her EFM Mentor's training this weekend, so I didn't get to see The Book of Daniel when it aired. Luckily, due to the magic of TiVo, I watched it last night.

Obviously, this show is going to raise a lot of hackles. Briefly, the premise is that Daniel Webster (Interesting choice of name) is an Episcopal Priest with a dysfunctional family. He takes painkillers, his wife drinks (whether she's an alcoholic remains to be seen), he has lost a son to leukemia, he has a son who is gay, a daughter who has been arrested for selling pot to support her artistic endeavors, and an adopted Chinese son who "gets around." The Bishop is his father, his mother has Alzheimer's, and the female assistant bishop (who seems to hang around his church all the time) is sleeping with the Bishop. Did I mention that his brother-in-law was the church treasurer and has been found dead with 3.5 million dollars missing that was supposed to support a parish school? Most interesting of all, Daniel sees and talks to Jesus on a regular basis. "I talk to everybody, few listen." is what Jesus says of that.

It's over the top, and I think that's exactly what its intended to be. It is high farce - I think if anyone takes it seriously they have an underdeveloped sense of the absurd. It strikes me as a cross between the short lived drama Nothing Sacred and Desperate Housewives. Nothing Sacred was equally fast paced, trying to get in every issue facing the Roman Catholic Church in the life of one parish. It was more serious, so you have to add in the high camp of Desperate Housewives to get the feel.

There are some ecclesial inaccuracies. Bishops, even assistant bishops, don't usually hang around one parish and give sermon critiques. It's actually hard to figure out what her job is, considering she doesn't preach or celebrate at Daniel's church.

All in all, I enjoyed it. It's still a little rough, but it's a pilot after all. I especially like the portrayal of Jesus. He often shows up when Daniel reaches for the painkillers. "Could you be more judgmental?" asks Daniel at one point. "Yes, I could." replies Jesus. At another point, after Daniel has bumbled through a marriage counseling session and the couple has decided to remain unmarried, Jesus gives him a sarcastic "thumbs up." Jesus is portrayed interestingly - not in normal TV ways like a hippie or as an angry judge, but in a way that I find rather complimentary to the Gospels. The other positive character is the gay son, who seems the best adjusted of the bunch. Daniel's preaching is not to my liking, but then again, the character is under a lot of pressure!

I'm interested to see where this series goes, and if it lasts. I already like it more than 7th Heaven, which is like watching a train wreck when it comes to healthy boundaries. (Once, I saw Eric Camden promise a parishioner to ask his daughter to go to the prom with the parishioner's son. Put a five in the therapy jar!) The lead writer on this show wrote for Titus, which was a show I thought was very clever. Some of its serious moments are very poignant.

As for it's impact on the Episcopal Church, I'm really not too worried. Who is it we are worried about? Episcopalians and other Christians are already members of their churches, and will either understand the farce or not, but will stick with their church. I am intrigued as to how this series might affect "seekers" - those who are looking for a spirituality but are not currently deeply involved in a church. I suspect that this show might actually result in some people coming to our doors. The deep, flawed humanity of Daniel, his family and his church, while cheesing off some (too serious) Christians, might be attractive to people who are suspicious of the institutional church.

Maybe, maybe not. I'm willing to keep watching and see what happens.