'Messiah' Episode 6: Payam Golshiri walks on water with his followers at his heels and social media watching
This article contains spoilers for 'Messiah' Season 1
The previous episode showed an unholy twist in the behavior of the Messiah (Al-Masih) with him shooting a dog. With the trailer leading people to speculate that he is actually Al-Massih al-Dajjal or the false Messiah, one begins to wonder when the character in the series solidifies this statement.
With the CIA and FBI involved, every move of the Messiah is being watched, although he pays no heed to this considering he can disappear from barred cells. Is he the Anti-Christ, or were the masses wrong?
This episode, titled 'We Will Not All Sleep', begins with a flashback to Jibril's mother, who had passed away during the violent strife in Syria. She shows up in a vision to Jibril, who is at the Israeli border keeping faith in the man he followed from Syria through a desert with thousand others.
Even though he hears his mother's voice, his Imam (Messiah) brings him a prayer mat — with a gun inside it. That's how the episode begins this intriguing ride.
Tensions escalate in Dilley, Texas, and rumors running about how the "man" had shot a gun puts forces on high alert sending people away. 'Who's going to stop this guy?' ask the people, with 'false god' written on the side of Feliz Iguero's chapel.
With Eva suspecting that the Messiah chose Texas because it is legal to access guns and the masses of people faithful to the bible, Q gives her name to run on. Payam Golshiri aka Al-Masih has a brother, Adar Golshiri, in Tehran and Q is going to meet him.
Felix believes that Payam came to him and as a minister, he can't turn him away, he takes the people in Texas. His family along with Payam leave the small town of Dilley behind.
"Follow us", he says. Is this the start of a crusade like his wife Anna tells him? The media reports Al-Masih is leading his followers, but in truth, it is Felix, the cops, including CIA agent Eva and FBI agent Will, who are actually following him.
The series hints at the Waco tragedy of 1993 that most say was a "Holy War" between the FBI and members of the Branch Davidian religious group. Felix passes by this place while he leads people Eastbound — we are yet to know if it has a dire significance to the prominent religious attributes now.
Rebecca, who was told by the Messiah that he was in Texas for her, takes pictures of the leader — allowing for social propaganda to continue with the girl posting on Instagram. What's the angle? More followers? Rebecca sure hit 42,000.
The modern twist of how we as current-day technology-driven robots would accept or deny the possibility of the "second coming" is depicted here. While some join the bandwagon of likes on social media, the faithful and religious will follow their path to fulfill their "destiny".
Meanwhile, Jibril who seems to have dreamt of the prayer mat and gun wakes up to the sadness around him at the border.
The crisis at the border, the news reports, was worsening with Arab leaders and the UN getting involved. He continues to have visions of his mother, who feeds the starving boy until he looks up to see his Imam all over again — the food tastes like "destiny", he is told.
With Rebecca's picture giving out the location of Felix and his followers, Washington DC's residents take a second look at their Muslim peers.
Eva finds out interesting details while digging into Payam Golshiri, the name Oscar Wallace, whose words the Messiah had imitated in the previous episode during his interrogation with Eva.
He went to Williams College for Political Science at the same time Oscar Wallace was lecturing there in 2008 — a year after Wallace had hacked the stock exchange and defected to Russia.
Eva is adamant that this is the international terrorist protege part of the puzzle they finally have in hand —making it a job for the CIA with the DCPD and FBI still on high alert as well.
The end of the episode ironically has the Messiah leading the troupe to DC's grounds, his followers on his heels. With miracles being part of the showdown from the start, the Lincoln memorial sees a vast crowd witnessing the Messiah walking on water.
"You are the judged, you are the chosen," he preaches. Meanwhile, Jibril strips at the border, walks towards Israel and the barrel of a gun, leading the people into the Holy Land.
A calm character, needless to say, is this his agenda as Eva would call it, or is this his holy calling? All episodes of Season 1 of 'Messiah' are now streaming on Netflix.