13 And Samuel said to Saul, Thou hast done foolishly: thou hast not kept the commandment of the Lord thy God, which he commanded thee: for now would the Lord have established thy kingdom upon Israel for ever.
14 But now thy kingdom shall not continue: the Lord hath sought him a man after his own heart, and the Lord hath commanded him to be captain over his people, because thou hast not kept that which the Lord commanded thee. – 1 Samuel: 13-14
Amazon Prime’s House of David is a sprawling epic tale detailing the life of David who went on to become the second king of Israel. David was a man whom God called a man after his own heart, and it was from his lineage that the Lord promised the Messiah would come that was in the form of Jesus Christ.
HOUSE OF DAVID Official Trailer (2025)
Last week we reviewed episode 4, The Song of Moses, which ended on a cliffhanger. I strongly suggest you go back and read that review to avoid any more spoilers! While I found episode 4 a bit slow compared to the previous episodes, I hoped that this week’s The Wolf and the Lion would return to the towering level of quality I’d come to expect from this series.
***Spoilers Ahead***
Episode 5: The Wolf and the Lion
The politics and intrigue ramp up in The Wolf and the Lion. When Saul’s loyal general Abner visits Adriel, the leader of the tribe of Judah, the largest tribe in Israel, he is asked if the prophet Samuel had visited his lands. Adriel will only give that information if it comes with certain assurances. When Abner relays that information to Queen Ahinoam, he suggests a show of force. Yet, the Baal sorceress Besai suggests they use love instead.
While the Queen prepares for the visit from Judah, David spends time learning how to read the ancient texts with Mychal. I appreciate how the show is willing to show David and Mychal getting to know each other. There is actual chemistry there between the two and the scenes of them together are entertaining to watch.
The Queen interrupts them and scolds David. She reminds him he’s there to sooth the King and forbids him to be alone with Mychal again. There is a funny scene that follows when David says to the young boy Rueben, who survived the village attack in the first episode, that he was supposed to be the lookout and the boy just shrugs.
Saul’s madness is growing as he searches for his scepter. Besai says her potion will calm him down in time, but she would be more effective using her sorcery. Yet, the Queen forbids it. When Mychal arrives, both Saul and the Queen say they have something to tell her.
The rest of the episode takes place at the banquet. Adriel arrives with his sons as David and the other musicians play. Saul announces that the houses of Benjamin and Judah, the wolf and the lion, should unite and offers Mychal to one of his sons.
Of course, David is shocked. Eliab is still on guard and notices that David is watching intently as Adriel’s sons do their best to impress her with valiant stories. What’s interesting is that Joab, David’s cousin, is also jealous of the announcement, and you are reminded that he too has designs on Mychal. When Abner watches David chase after Mychal, he notifies the cousin who is not too happy. David does his best to talk Mychal out of marrying but she says it is her duty as princess. There is fantastic tension when Eliab gets angry and violently restrains David when he has the notion to tell Mychal that he is the anointed king to keep her from marrying.
In the meantime, Mirab, Mychal’s sister, talks and flirts with Jordan, one of Adriel’s sons. While David comes to his senses and returns to play for the guests, Adriel tries to negotiate a council seat from Saul. Yet, the Queen can see Saul’s madness is slowly returning as he sweats and grips the throne. Saul is seeing visions of Agag, the cannibal king from the first episode, who whispers against Judah in his ears is a very creepy voice. David’s song quells Saul’s madness, but you get the feeling the Queen is barely holding things together.
David tries to use his cunning to talk Saul out of giving Mychal away, and says she will marry him, which makes Saul laugh. Yet, Saul noticed how close Mirab and Jordan had become during the banquet and announces they would form the union instead. Later in the episode, Saul tells Mirab that he chose her instead because he hadn’t seen her that happy since she was a child. Again, you get the dichotomy of Saul and see glimpses of why God chose him as king.
Mychal is relieved and gets some air and David sneaks out to meet her again and the two talk while secretly holding hands. When a door opens, David scrambles away, but it later assaulted by Joab. Joab hangs him over a railing and tells David that he won’t be the first thrown from the high walls by besmirching the Kings house and warns David to stay away from Mychal. In his Neo from the Matrix moment, David stops struggling and dares Joab to try and toss him over. He is finally starting to believe in his destiny as the anointed King of Israel. But even as David’s faith grows, the Queen finds Mychal and warns her against him, saying he’s a bastard from house Jesse and is shunned even by his own family.
As the banquet comes to a close, Saul toasts the union of the two houses by giving Adriel a sacred text that he reads but is stricken full on by the madness. Tension rises as Agag practically shouts in Saul’s ear about the coming treason. Saul interrupts the reading and accuses Adriel and Judah of trying to steal his throne. Saul even assaults his wife, who tries to calm him down as he calls off the union and storms away.
Dark forces are circling the royal family. As Saul is in a deep, troubled sleep, Besai whispers to the queen that her sorcery could cure Saul, but again, the Queen says that is against the law. Besai says the law needs to change, and we see the Queen steal Saul’s ring.
Saul awakens and finds David wandering the halls. He tells David he knows his family will feel he had made a terrible mistake but said he could feel the throne slipping through his fingers. Heavy is the head that wears the crown, and he invites David to sit on the throne to see what it feels like. David declines and says that the throne is only for the anointed. Yet, when Saul departs, David secretly sits on the throne and is seen by Mychal.
To answer my own question, if The Wolf and the Lion could return to form, the answer is an emphatic “yes.” The palace intrigue in this bottle episode is phenomenal. There is an underlying tension throughout the episode as Saul’s madness from losing the Holy Spirit seems to be scratching to emerge.
The connection between David and Mychal feels genuine and Saul’s descent into madness by seeing Agag is frightening. But there is also the exhilaration of David finally beginning to accept his destiny as he sits on the stone with a stiff spine.
Although this episode has no action or battle scenes, there is that feeling of palpable danger felt in The Wolf and the Lion that puts this series back on track to greatness.
****
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****
English (US) · 