Mrs. Davis (Season 1), Episodes 1, 2, 3 & 4: From a show titled “Mrs. Davis,” your primary expectation would probably be a lead female character of the same name, no matter what genre it falls in. Well, not in the case if one of the co-showrunner is someone like Damon Lindelof. If you are a TV aficionado, then the man doesn’t require any introduction. With the genre-defining Pop culture phenomenon Lost, understated (and still underappreciated) rapture-themed drama The Leftovers, and a very unique, avant-garde take on the iconic Watchmen comic book series, Lindelof has shown his penchant for a kind of “food for thought” inducing, impactful storytelling.
Mrs. Davis is not different either, in that context. But what sets it apart from Lindelof’s previous works is probably the influence of his co-showrunner Tara Hernandez, known for her work in “The Big Bang Theory” aka one of the most popular sitcoms of our generation.
The outcome is a very original, absolutely bonkers and really silly story of a nun taking on an Siri-like Artificial Intelligence, which is hilarious for the most part, sometimes frustrating, but often rewarding as well. Not to mention it is confusing as hell, but in a good way.
Now, here is the thing. You are here (presumably) after watching the first four episodes, which have just premiered. And you are looking for answers. But the thing is, I am going to disappoint you. Because truth to be told, Lindelof and Hernandez have left us in a pretty confusing place after episode four, and while I have certain theories in head, I can’t really provide you sound explanation. I am hoping Lindelof would follow the Leftovers/Watchmen way of properly explaining everything by the end instead of leaving several things up to your own interpretation, like Lost by the end. But even if that doesn’t happen, this Peacock series is still going to be some experience.
For now, let us look into what happens in the first four episodes and take a crack at making some sense of it. Is there any, though?
Mrs. Davis (Season 1), Episodes 1, 2, 3 & 4 Recap:
Before the real deal begins, we are in Paris, and the year is 1307. A mutiny led by vicious, religious-minded soldiers against a Templar is going on. The group of soldiers enters a convent full of nuns in search of something called “The Holy Grail” (gonna refer this as THG from now) and the Templar. That doesn’t go well for the soldiers as the nuns soon take out their blades and start chopping the men’s heads. Both sides lose members, but some of the nuns survive. An elderly nun called Ermengard asks a younger, red-haired nun to save TGH at all cost by taking it across the sea, i.e, America.
Back to present days now, after getting stranded in an island for ten years, a scientist (interestingly) named Mr. Schrodinger, along with his cat Pablo gets rescued after successfully launching a flair rocket. He is shocked to find out that the world is being run by Artificial Intelligence, which has apparently wiped off all the famines, wars, and every little bad thing. People are very happy and wholesome now.
But of course, not everybody.
I am going to try to talk about the events in a chronological order from this point, rather than following the show’s narrative; to make things simpler.
Life was not so Magical
2001, Reno, Nevada. Little Lizzie is amused by a magician and his wife/assistant at a magic show, and so are her parents. But here’s the twist: the magicians are her real parents and it’s all rigged for the show. Her father might be the mighty magic man on stage. However, behind the curtain, it’s her genius mother Celeste who runs the things, from developing new acts and everything. Celeste has a closet where nobody is supposed to enter but Lizzie still does despite the “consequence” warning. Subsequently, she ends up at the hospital with an arrow in her stomach. Lizzie survives but this only creates more difference between her parents who are already not on good terms. Lizzie also meets Wiley, a little cowboy at the bed adjacent to her. Sparks fly and the two become friends, and eventually, lovers.
Meanwhile, Riley’s cowboy inheritance turns out to be not-hard-earned as it turns out to be pretty much set up by his family. All his trophies, rodeo show glory turning out to be fake upsets the young man, who was supposed to give it all away anyway. Other than eighty five thousand dollars with which he planned to go away with his girlfriend Elizabeth aka Lizzie, for a quiet life in an Alaskan cabin. However, after discovering the truth about his life, Wiley feels compelled to prove his manhood by signing up for a perilous riding of an enraged bull within an arena challenge. Lizzie is obviously shocked and doesn’t want him to do it but Wiley is adamant and goes ahead anyway.
And that is it for their relationship.
Meet Simone and (again) Wiley
We are back to the year 2023, although an alternative version of it. Lizzie is now a nun, calling herself Simone, who exposes magicians scamming people. She receives her assignments from an unseen, mysterious man in a restaurant, which is delivered to her by the restaurant owner/chef Jay- a very pleasant young man. There is clear indication of something going on between Jay and Simone.
Simone is pretty much content with her current life in the convent she lives. But there is one big issue. She can’t stand the AI that has taken over the world. Apparently the AI is somehow responsible for her father’s death and all Simone wants is to take revenge on “it”.
Soon Simone loses her convent as the land it is on get sold and the nuns are reinstated in different places. Clearly an attempt by the AI to get to Simone. This makes Simone losing her pretty great life in a jiffy. To make matter ever worse, she gets kidnapped by a German group of people who are looking for THG. However, she does manage to get away thanks to her now-ex Wiley. He is currently involved with an underground activist group called “The Resistance”.
Led by an over-the-top, shirt tearing, burner phone snapping man called JQ with a strange Australian accent, the group’s motto is to destroy the AI, same as Simone. While a team-up between the two parties seems natural enough, it does not happen instantly. Simone goes to the restaurant instead to find the next assignment, which Jay hesitates to give her, but effectively turns out to be ending the AI. Jay is visibly concerned for Simone and thinks she should be careful and worried. Simone, however, shows no sign of fear at all and eventually decides to give the A.I a visit.
The all powerful AI communicates through various people, who voluntarily let her/it use them. There is a catch, some people receive a sort of magical wings from the AI as a reward (wings that can only be seen through mobile phone screens when pointed towards a person who has actually received it). The meeting destination between Simone and AI is the kindergarten where Simone used to go and the current representative is a very soft spoken kindergarten teacher.
Simone realizes the AI trying to use her vulnerability in this way stands firm on her ground and curtly asks what it wants from her. The answer is the AI wants Simone to perform one little quest for her, locating THG and destroying it. In return Simone can ask for anything other than reversion of a death. Finding this opportunity, Simone asks the AI to shut her down completely if she manages to finish the task. The AI agrees and a deal is made. Upon asking what should Simone call the AI, she responds to Mrs. Davis.
Post this, Simone dupes Wiley and resistance, meets Jay who gives her an essential tip regarding finding THG.
A wacky trip to Europe
I am gonna come to that in a while. But let us talk about the “holy shit” twist in the tale first. Jay happens to be Simone’s husband. If you’re wondering how on earth a nun having a husband makes sense then here comes a bigger bomb. Jay happens to be Jesus. Yes, literally, physically and metaphorically- this charming dude is the real deal, JESUS FKN CHRIST.
But how did Simone find him?
Well, the day Wiley decided to prove he is man enough for whatever, Lizzie prayed to Jesus to save him. When she closed her eyes, she reached the restaurant and voila, he was there. And then he fed her falafel, and she fell in love. But he wouldn’t do anything without the marital label. So Lizzie goes to the convent and asks character actress Margo Martindale if she could marry her to Jesus. The elderly nun was enthusiastic enough to come up with a sure why not?
Back to the present- Simone and Wiley are on a train outside London. The reason for their European trip is following a bald man, associated with a redhead woman named Clara. According to Jay, Clara is the person who has been in the position of THG. Simone comes across an older lady in the train, through whom Mrs Davis delivers a package for her traveling companion, aka, Riley.
Keeping up with the show’s tradition of introducing surprising twists every two minutes, Simone finds out her mother is in the train. After a torrid confrontation, she finds out that her mom is under the belief that her dad is still alive and well, and Lizzy only took nunhood for aiding him. Needless to say that is the reason for her following Simone all the way to London. Simone and Wiley come across another person in the train, a mysterious priest played by Tom Wlaschiha aka the legendary Jaqen H’ghar in a bit of absolutely perfect casting.
Anyway, upon reaching London, Simone and Wiley go to an Excalibur fair where they spot the bald man and Clara together. While Simone follows Clara who shortly leaves; Wiley signs up for a “hold the sword” contest until the last person remains who would be crowned one true King, in order to get close to the bald man. Following Clara, Simon finds out she has checked into a hotel under the name Mathilda.
Later that night, she discovers that Mathilda aka Clara is involved in some weird cult thing beside the water-body and they have what you can consider THG. And guess what, it’s just a big fancy looking bowl. An unfortunate alternation between Simone and Clara results in Clara accidentally hitting her head into a rock and Simone fleeing in a hurry.
Meanwhile, the contest gets pretty intense and Wiley’s inner demon of not being able to prove himself in anything comes out and takes over him. Desperate to win the contest, Wiley finally learns about “Simone and Jesus” which breaks his heart further. He does end up simultaneously fainting after a lightning strike courtesy of Jesus himself, as well as winning the contest. He is taken to the hospital in an ambulance in front of Simone where the two are still being loggerheads. But Simone soon finds out that Wiley has been kidnapped and guess who’s behind it? It is the mysterious priest after all.
Mrs. Davis (Season 1), Episode 4 Ending Explained:
Leaving Wiley in the hand of his own fate, Simone continues her own quest and reaches the hospital, posing as a nun from the local church only to find out that Clara has mysteriously died (I highly doubt that though).
Why did Simone refuse to fulfill Jay’s side quest?
In the middle of everything, Jay suddenly asks Simone to do something for him. The task is simple enough: to go to Rome, buy a special cake from a very particular bakery, go to the Vatican, and deliver the cake to Pope.
After bit of initial hesitation, Simone agrees and reaches the bakery. But upon hearing the cake is for the Pope, the baker, a middle-aged woman asks for one million dollar failing which she wouldn’t make the desired cake. Simone asks the money from the Resistance first, who are too busy in the rescue operation of Wiley and refuse to pay the money. Seeing no other option, she seeks the help of Mrs Davis, who promptly deliver the money through people just giving it away, in cash.
With the cash coming, the baker makes “the king cake” (yes, that’s what it is called) for Simone. The woman reveals that the reason she can’t stand Pope and the Vatican is because she wanted to be Pope but never had a chance because she is a woman. She also refers Simone as someone’s errand girl which Simone declines. But eventually she realizes that she is indeed an errand girl, of Jesus. A really angry and frustrated Simone eats the cake all by herself, then confronts Jay/Jesus upon reaching the restaurant. Simone gets absolutely mad upon realizing Clara also used to be the same as her, who probably failed to deliver the same cake.
What happens to Wiley?
Being hold inside a prison by the mysterious priest who calls himself Heinz Zigler, Wiley is questioned about his shoes (this is the same shoe that Simon receives in the train for her traveling companion). He also meets a man on the cell opposite to him who claims to be the real Pope, holding a grievance against Jesus for ignoring him.
While Wiley keeps wondering if Mrs Davis is behind all these, the Pope somehow manages to knock the priest out. By using his rope-throwing skill, Wiley delivers the key to the Pope who frees both Wiley and himself. The priest soon wakes up and chases the two of them. But Wiley and the Pope get away and end up at the Vatican itself, implying they were right under Vatican’s nose after all. The fake Pope is shocked to find out the real Pope is alive and well.
When Simon wakes up at the Vatican hospital (a result of too much cake eating) she first wonders if she is dead. After ensuring she is alive and well, Wiley confesses that it was him and the resistance who threw the Germans at her, not Mrs Davis. Wiley and the Pope show Simone a tape.
And the tape is what we see at the beginning of the very first episode, back in Paris 1307. Moreover, the woman who survives happens to be none other than Clara. Most essentially, the entire thing is a commercial (made by the priest) for shoes, yes the same one Wiley is wearing. Also, Schrodinger’s cat is also there.
As Simon echoes our reaction and screams “What the….” the screen turns into back.
What does it mean, really?
At this point, it can mean anything. Or also nothing. The entire thing might turn out to be a big joke, or a metaphor for something. At the age of ChatGPT and Microsoft AI going crazy, Mrs Davis seems extremely relevant, despite its intentionally silly and whimsical premise. And despite all the confusion around, Simone/Lizzy is a pulpy enough lead heroine to root for.
