Don't know how to feel about this show. I've watched the first 4 episodes now and I didn't laugh at all. It's either too dull or just not my kind of humor... I'll keep watching for a few more episodes.
This is a show that has unexpectedly touched me at times. The sincerity and quaint nature of each character and to their relationships matches the enduring spirit of those charged to pursue their faith or bring new life into the world. A subject that could easily be cheesy and procedural actually wraps you up into its world through every complicated birth and to the light at the end of every tragedy. The word "hope" underlies this world's reality. It's a hope that can be found for each and every character. This is not something many shows take the time or care to do. Even with the losing of the main characters or settings you still feel like you're returning home, to a familiar and inviting sensibility that smooths out any one character's rougher edge. It tactfully navigates history and cultural sensibilities while allowing relationships to be complicated but not overwrought. This show feels like art. If you're willing to dive in you can discover how it helps support you instead of the mania of "fandom" we currently employ to keep every shoddy mockery alive and rebooted past their expiration. Could this show have gone that direction? Had it done anything less than create a masterful setting and tone, absolutely. Finding myself drawn to complete it in the face of 200 other shows I'll watch this year I believe speaks to the value and power of its perspective.
