Picking up where we left off:
I look forward to more animation by he daugther about the family, and must disclose that she will be more fully developed in future episodes when she meets a 14-year-old geek who can help her make her animating dreams come true.
Like Jake, who has mentioned this in a comment, I have to point out that it is really unusual for a bishop to be at a church two Sundays in a row without being the preacher. Bishops in the real world visit a different parish each week or have hell to pay. This seems a dramatic convenience.
Having lived through a relative’s long senility, I can say that “Daniel” gets this right–maybe more right than it gets anything else to this point. This is god in some ways, but in other ways, points out how far the show strays from what actually happens in families confronted with some of the issues it raises.
Other weird stuff:
No way a presiding bishop comes to choir practice, even if he is introducing his niece to a gay guy who is obviously more attracted to her brother.
While it is possbile that a church in an obviously affluent area would think the best thing it could do with its money is build a school in its own neighborhood (maybe for the underprivilged kids we haven’t seen yet, but who are hiding out there somewhere), I think such an expenditure is highly–almost ridiculously–unlikely.
On top of everything else going on, do we really need the bishop to be sleeping with the presiding bishop? Okay, we are all flawed, but are all our flaws so narratively convenient?
Good stuff: Daniel did well with the couple in some ways, but told them way too much.
He sticks up for his adopted son, but maybe too much.
I am waiting for the pace to slow down so I can see some of these very good actors act.
I got swept along.
Conclusion: I dunno, my hope for the show is in a) Aidan Quinn getting more screen time; b) more material about people with real problems (Alzheimers, poverty, etc.,) than family problems (oops, I slept with her, but meant to sleep wth him); c) a portrayal of Jesus that is more or less like what we have seen so far.
Please pitch in.