The Biggest Reveal In Mrs. Davis Shakes The Reality Of The Entire Show
This post contains spoilers for the first three episodes of "Mrs. Davis."
There's something so enticing about the world of "Mrs. Davis," the new Peacock series that follows a snarky and adventurous nun named Simone (Betty Gilpin, for the win) in her attempt to cap a world-controlling AI platform at its metaphorical knees. There's almost a surrealist element to the sci-fi nature of the series, and its entanglement with religion — Christianity in particular — serves to elevate that tone, even questioning the reality of the show as a whole.
In fact, Simone's dedication to God is a key factor in the show's major reveal, which comes at the end of episode 2. In case you need a refresher, Simone tells Wiley (Jake McDorman) — her childhood best friend-turned-cowboy with whom she has become entangled again on her quest — that the first time she prayed was when he got on the bull for the first time. She asked Jesus to save his life ... and that was the first time she entered the restaurant where she met Jay (Andy McQueen). Are you seeing the correlation here?
Who Jay really is
Yep, you guessed it: Jay is actually Jesus, and it's confirmed by Simone herself as the pair reminisce about when they agreed to marry. Jay asks her what she said when he proposed to her, to which she replies, "I said yes, Jesus." The show subtly hinted at this historically accurate depiction of nunhood in the lead-up to this moment, when Simone and her Mother Superior (played by Margo Martindale) have a late-night drink alone together on her birthday. She admitted to Mother that she was secretly with a man, but that there was no sex in their relationship: a major hint if I've ever heard one, especially considering the obvious love Simone and Jay have for one another.
For a bit of cultural background, it used to be acceptable, and largely adopted, that nuns consider themselves "married" to Jesus or the church itself, but the concept is definitely controversial in the year of our lord 2023. That said, the show appears to be literalizing that strong bond in a way that feels to be really representative of how Jay functions in Simone's life as well as the world's connection to Mrs. Davis, the overarching AI program of the series. Jay is always there when Simone needs him, and it seems as though she is able to get back to the restaurant to consult him no matter where or when the need for advice emerges. When you think about it, Jay (or Jesus) is, in a lot of ways, in direct competition with the man-made Mrs. Davis, who seeks to replace and become the religious center of human life. Mrs. Davis is gunning for God's seat, and is already doing a good job snatching it from him.
The true nature of the restaurant
Jay's reveal also opens a whole can of worms when reconsidering his interactions with Simone, as well as the true nature of the restaurant itself. Is Simone simply just praying in the real world whenever she enters the restaurant, a place where she can have a meeting with Jesus? It would make a ton of sense, knowing what we know post-reveal, for that to be the case. The ease with which she transitions out of the present moment and into the restaurant is a dead giveaway, but overall, the restaurant is a great visual representation of the religious space folks save for prayer in their lives.
Remember the back room, with the secret unseen owner whom Simone has yet to meet? It's possible that owner is actually God himself, and who knows when Simone will be "worthy" enough (or something akin to that) to come face to face with him. If anything, that will come toward the end of the season, if not in the final moments. Maybe he'll thank her for getting Mrs. Davis to turn off. It would make sense, and it would probably serve as a really poignant moment as well. The reveal of Jay's true identity has clearly opened up a world of possibilities in an already-vast and inventive series. There is so much to uncover about this mysterious portion of Simone's existence, and it will be interesting to see how her faith — and in the literal sense, Jay himself — stands up to the power of Mrs. Davis.
The first four episodes of "Mrs. Davis" are available now to stream on Peacock, with the remaining four airing weekly.