Summary
Drops of God opens with a fascinating setup and some stunning imagery. This is a perfectly paced, intriguing introduction to two distinct worlds and one unusual premise.
We recap the Apple TV+ series Drops of God Season 1 Episode 1, “A Father,” which contains spoilers.
Apple TV+ joins forces with France Television and Hulu Japan for Drops of God, an adaptation of the Japanese manga series from Tadashi Agi about wine.
In the first installment, “A Father,” viewers are introduced to the two main characters, from two different countries and two distinct cultures, who meet for what has to be the world’s strangest will reading.
Drops of God Season 1 Episode 1 Recap
The first protagonist is Camille Leger, a famous writer who lives in Paris. She hasn’t spoken with her father, Alexandre, in eleven years, but this particular night he phones her out of the blue. He is dying and doesn’t have long left; he wants Camille to travel to Tokyo to meet with him before it is too late.
Camille hesitates to leave at such short notice, feeling a strong hostility towards him after all these years. They clearly have a traumatic history, but audiences are only provided with one scene to back this up. Twenty years earlier, Camille was blindfolded for a taste test, where her father acted quite aggressively and persistently as he trained her palate up.
Back in the present, Camille tells her mother, Marianne, that she is only going to Tokyo for some answers. Alexandre has provided her with transport and a plane ticket on a private jet to help sweeten the deal.
Who is Issei Tomine?
While Camille flies to Tokyo, we are introduced to the second protagonist, Japanese wine expert Issei Tomine. He meets with a woman called Sayaka at a swanky bar. Their parents have set them up, but both individuals are less than enthused with one another. Sayaka even calls Issei a sniffer dog when he talks about his profession.
Issei is informed that his oenology (the study of wines) teacher, Mr. Leger, has just died. He tells his parents about the date and the professor’s passing. Issei’s mother doesn’t support her son’s wine obsession and is rude toward the grieving man.
As Camille lands in Tokyo, she is met by Alexandre’s friend Luca, who passes on the news of her father’s passing. They drive to Alexandre’s home, stopping off at Luca’s restaurant for food on the way. Here it is revealed that Camille doesn’t drink alcohol, which surprises Luca.
He calls Alexandre a genius and then updates her on tomorrow’s plans. They will attend a will reading, the funeral, and cremation.
Camille spends the night in her father’s home and then attends the will reading the next day. She is introduced to Alexandre’s lawyer, Francois Talion, and then to Issei, her father’s student. Francois says that Issei was Alexandre’s protege and a spiritual son of sorts.
What are the terms of Alexandre’s will?
The will is divided into two parts, Alexandre’s house in Tokyo, which is worth 7 million dollars, and his wine collection, which is estimated at 148 million dollars. The entire estate will go to either Camille or Issei. To win the inheritance, they must battle each other over three rounds of tests.
They are offered a glass of wine each for the first test. Francois states that they have a month to figure out the details of the wine, the grape, the estate, and vintage. Camille refuses to participate, believing this to be a bad joke, but Issei smells and then tastes the wine regardless.
Camille is forced to drink it, else she must forfeit the inheritance. As she drinks, Camille gasps and then proceeds to smash the glass with her hand. Consuming the wine causes her to have a nosebleed, and she then storms out of the building embarrassed.
The press follows Camille as she marches over to Luca’s van, feeling humiliated and tricked by her dead father. Luca defends Alexandre, stating that her dad didn’t know she was teetotal. They head straight to Alexandre’s funeral.
The guests say their goodbyes to Alexandre via an open casket, and then he is cremated. Luca shows Camille her father’s wine collection, which he refers to as his temple. All the drinks have been given funny or personal names. There is even one that says ‘to drink with Camille when she turns 18’. This causes Camille to finally break down and cry.
Drops of God Season 1 Episode 1 Ending Explained
Before she leaves, Luca plays Camille a message from her father while he was in hospital. He understands that he was a terrible parent but hopes this test will help Camille to get to know him better. Alexandre wants Camille to train for the test with a man called Philippe to refine her palate and her sense of smell, ready for the battle.
Alexandre talks of the vineyard, where they used to vacation. We are then shown a young Camille enjoying the blindfold tests from her youth. She actually loved these times spent with her father. Something tragic tore these two apart, but we have yet to find out the specific reasons why.
What did you think of the Apple TV+ Series Drops of God Season 1 Episode 1? Comment below.
