Ep 1. Episode 1

Messiah is a new drama series on Netflix that explores the story of a mysterious man who gains a massive following across the world. The show takes on the broad theme of religion and faith, portraying how people can be blinded by their beliefs, and how individuals can use that to manipulate people.

Messiah Season 1 Episode 1 begins with a captivating scene of a boy removing bombs from a space shuttle that made its final descent back to Earth. Meanwhile, in the Iranian desert, a young man steps out of nowhere and defies the laws of nature. Al-Masih (Mehdi Dehbi), as he is called, quickly garners a massive following of people who believe he is the Messiah.

Back in the United States, Agentic Ramon (Mehdi Dehbi) is speaking to prisoners in Damascus, Syria. Meanwhile, in Texas, Eva Geller (Michelle Monaghan) is an experienced CIA agent in tracking terrorists. She finds out about Al-Masih's claims, who has now arrived at the Syrian-Israeli border. Eva's boss, Geller, sends her to investigate the man's identity and his intentions.

As Eva arrives on the scene, an infuriating traffic jam caused by a caravan of Syrian refugees surrounds her vehicle. As she is trying to make her way over to the checkpoint where Al-Masih is delivering one of his esteemed speeches, a boy tries to move his goat across the road and accidentally knocks Eva's car's mirror.

Eva meets Al-Masih, who manifests himself as a savior that has arrived precisely in the Holy Land that Christians, Jews, and Muslims all share. His arrival is greeted with a storm that seems to resemble the weather phenomenon mentioned in the Bible. Al-Masih tells Eva that he is here to save the world, and before staging a miracle, Israeli commandos take him into custody.

That is where things start to unravel. As Eva pieces together what happened, she is quickly hit with a sinister and distressing discovery that leads her to seek answers from a confidant. Meanwhile, an undercover Islamic State agent prepares to execute an attack that is staged for the arrival of Al-Masih, who is stuck in a federal prison somewhere near the D.C. area.

Throughout the episode, we get a unique sense of who Al-Masih is. His Arabic-speaking skills hint that he has knowledge of the region. His physical features that lend themselves to various ethnicities and religions and he claims to have no knowledge of his past. Al-Masih tells us he is the firstborn of a family of Palestine farmers, emphasizing that he comes with no political agenda. But that's where things don't add up, as he catches the attention of Israel and the United States.

By the end of the episode, the CIA Agent is left to wonder if Al-Masih is a newfound savior or a sinister con artist. Is he the messiah people around the world have been waiting for, or is he just another imposter using religion as a means to gain power and control the masses?

Overall, Messiah Season 1 Episode 1 sets a profound tone around religion and faith that is sure to keep viewers engaged as the truth of Al-Masih's identity unfolds in future episodes. It's an exciting show that gives insight into how human beings perceive divinity and how far they would go to protect their faith.