Note: All 10 episodes of Amazon’s Hand of God: Season 1 will be available to stream for Prime members starting Friday, September 4. Even though this is a review of the entire first season, I’m going to avoid spoilers here and save all the juicy details for the spoiler-filled discussion, going live mid-day Friday!
Exactly one year ago today, I reviewed the Hand of God pilot, which at the time was vying for a full series pickup at Amazon Studios. The first episode showed great promise, with stars Ron Perlman (Sons of Anarchy) and Dana Delany (Body of Proof) captivating the screen. Granted, the first hour was somewhat sluggish, but creator-EP Ben Watkins (Burn Notice) and director-EP Marc Forster (World War Z) hooked me with a unique premise and the beginnings of a good mystery. Apparently, they hooked everyone else too, because the project was given a full-season order — and I’m glad it did, because later episodes proved this wasn’t just a good show but a great one, albeit with some of the same issues that plagued the series premiere.
If you didn’t catch the pilot when it first dropped, the conceit is this: Perlman plays the influential Judge Pernell Harris, who finds himself in the midst of a mental breakdown. The series opens with Pernell standing in a public fountain, naked, and speaking in tongues. Soon, we learn he’s become a born-again Christian and has donated $50,000 to a suspicious start-up preacher, Paul Curtis (Julian Morris), and his partner Alicia Hopkins (Elizabeth McLaughlin).
Why the emotional collapse? Well, Pernell’s son PJ (Johnny Ferro) has been in a coma for several weeks after attempting to take his own life, the result of being forced to watch his wife Jocelyn (Alona Tal) get raped by an unknown criminal. (Thankfully, we’re spared from ever having to watch this scene take place.) Clinally, PJ is pronounced dead, but Pernell refuses to pull the plug once he starts hearing PJ “speak” to him from beyond his comatose state. This spurs Pernell to seek justice for his son, believing himself to be on a holy mission from God to track down the rapist and get to the bottom of things — which, as it turns out, is tied to a much larger conspiracy.
Julian Morris, Ron Perlman and Elizabeth McLaughlin in Hand of God
Even though he’s already played sinful characters in things like Hellboy, Sons of Anarchy and Pacific Rim, Perlman channels an altogether different beast in Hand of God. Here, the actor delivers one of his best performances yet (if not the best), and he plays Pernell with equal parts intimidation and vulnerability. As the honorable judge sinks himself deeper and deeper into the mystery surrounding his son, he also places more faith and trust in his self-made mission, which is not only harmful to him but those around him.
Smartly, Hand of God tows a fine line between faith and reason, and for awhile it’s unclear if Pernell’s “visions” are given to him by God or merely derive from his own twisted subconscious. Obviously, the religious aspect plays a big part in the story, and the series handles the subject with care all the way through to the end. Trying to determine what’s real and what isn’t through Pernell’s eyes offers a compelling watch, and Perlman gives it just enough gravitas with his deep, even God-like, voice.
Perlman on Why He Chose Hand of God After Sons
Further enabling Pernell’s delusions is Keith “KD” Dennison (Raising Hope’s Garret Dillahunt), a former convict-turned-lackey for Pernell. As the Benaiah to Pernell’s Solomon, KD is fiercely loyal but, ultimately, dangerous. Not only does his character constantly ramp up the stakes, but Dillahunt himself brings a strange sort of sympathy to the halfwitted KD, who has his own demons to wrestle with as the show goes on.
But that’s just one side of the story. There’s also Pernell’s wife Crystal (Delany), who doesn’t have much to do in the early episodes but eventually finds herself torn between being the submissive “Judge’s wife” and the strong, independent woman she is. In fact, without giving too much away, Crystal’s journey might be the most interesting on the show, and Delany is an absolute powerhouse where it counts.
Andre Royo and Dana Delany in Hand of God
Andre Royo (The Wire) plays Mayor Robert “Bobo” Boston, who’s main job is to keep Pernell focused on a pivotal land-grab deal that could make or break the city. While Bobo, too, has some great moments — including his own potent storyline in the latter half of the season — it’s hard not to get tired of his constant badgering for signatures and contracts (although there’s probably a fun drinking game to be had in the number of times he says “concrete pour”). Regardless, Royo is another standout performer and gives Hand of God some much-needed levity.
Unfortunately, not all the storylines are winners: the series spends a lot of time with Paul and Alicia, the perceived antagonists of the show, and not for the better; Pernell has an ongoing affair with a high-class call girl, Tessie Graham (Emayatzy Corinealdi), who weirdly gets her own subplot that basically leads nowhere; and then there’s Jocelyn, whose arc is somewhat important, but a game-changing moment leaves her character adrift in the story. As a result, the series meanders at times and probably would have been better off with eight episodes instead of 10. Luckily, these distractions only account for some of the show and, when marathoned, are easily ignored — and the main characters are strong enough that Hand of God is definitely worth the watch overall.
