House of David (2025) s1e06

This post is part of a series looking at Amazon Prime's show House of David (2025). I'm trying to post them as soon as possible after the show airs, so keep checking back. There are a few spoilers in in what follows.

Good news for House of David fans this week: Amazon Prime have confirmed that the show will be given a second series, according to a Facebook post on the show's official page. I'm pleased about this. It seems fairly clear now that the present season is only going to get to just after David slays Goliath. That means there's an awful lot of the story of David's life still to go (not to mention the fact that with the title being House of David it could go on into the reigns of Solomon right through to Zedekiah. I suspect it won't last that long. Nevertheless, it's could to have at least one more season.

Episode 6, Giants Awakened starts right back in Genesis 6:1-4 with the account of the Nephilim and how giants came to be on the earth. These scenes are narrated and shot in a different style to the rest of the programme, more similar in feel to the narrated opening of episode 1 and return the show to that more mythical fantasy genre-feel that the show launched with. It's apt, I suppose as this episode is going to be primarily about how come Goliath came to be on that battlefield in the Valley of Elah.

But before we get too far into that we switch to Saul's court again. He's even more troubled now, so much so that David has played his harp until his fingers are bleeding. This is presented as an insight into Saul's character (and to an extent it is) but it also gives us a glimpse into David's soul as well. He's far tougher, more determined and steely than he looks, particularly when he believes he's undertaking what he thinks his god is calling him to do. Saul however is concerned partly because he's mistaking David for Jonathan. For a while he talks to David as if he knows he's going to be king, only for his mix-up to gradually become clear. David's also having issues controlling his feelings for Mychal, not least after she tells him she knows about him being illegitimate, but he has now also declared his love for her. He keeps putting himself at risk like this so eventually he leaves the palace and returns home. Surprisingly Jesse is pleased to see him.

Jonathan has his own issues. His warnings to his father about the possibility of giants fall on deaf ears and then Saul's sorceress tells him he will never be king, so he decides to try and track down Samuel. Jonathan eventually finds him camping out on Mount Sinai with his wife. The two fight intially, as Samuel fails to recognise the heir to the throne -- the veteran doing a remarkable job fighting with such a seasoned warrior. Jonathan also has the vision of the deaths of he and his father, that Saul has had already. Samuel confirms that he has anointed another, "a king whose reign will know no end" a reference not only to DAvid, but also to Jesus.

But back to Goliath. King Achish makes a formal offer to Goliath and his brothers to join him which looks set to go ahead until Goliath's mother refuses his terms. When Achish says he can enable them to live like Kimgs, she responds "Kings? They are already gods!" Terms are refused and Goliath has to quit chucking Achish's soldiers around for fun and go back to their cave.

Goliath though is not happy with the decision. Then Deog the Edomite (Ashraf Barhom) stabs Goliath's mother leaving his Hebrew-style dagger in her chest and saying he's from the House of Saul, leaving her just enough breath to be able to pass that information onto her distraught son. He decides to throw his lot in the Philistines and soon their army is marching towards the Valley of Elah for a showdown, while Goliath casually kills a handful of unfortunate camping Hebrews en route.

This episode felt a little slow, and didn't cover much actual biblical material. That's not really a complaint, more of an observation. This episode has certainly set things up nicely for the double-episode season finale.