There aren't many shows on Apple TV Plus that are critically 100% rated on Rotten Tomatoes, not even the brilliant Slow Horses, but Drops of God is one of them.
I must confess the stylish French-Japanese eight-part drama, set in the world of wine, of all places, had utterly passed me by when it was originally released in 2023.
But looking at the widespread acclaim it received, I thought it was something I had to add to my watchlist. And well, it's a masterpiece!
Drops of God follows Camille, a French woman whose estranged father, Alexandre Léger, dies in Tokyo, leaving behind the most prized collection of wine in the world.
But when the will is read out, Camille learns that before she can claim her vast inheritance, she must beat Alexandre’s protégé, Issei Tomine, in three fiendish wine-tasting tests. The first of these is to taste a mysterious red wine and identify which wine it is.
The action switches between Japan and France, with Camille (Fleur Geffrier) having to go on a crash course in wine tasting. Her passionate, bordering on obsessive, father, to the horror of her mother, taught Camille to explore wines as a little girl in his vast cellar, which eventually saw her being rushed to the hospital.
The odds are stacked against Camille, who’s so traumatized by her childhood experiences with wine that she can’t even drink a drop without suffering shocking nosebleeds. How can she possibly win a wine tasting competition when she can’t even drink alcohol?
Like any great drama, the characters draw you in. Issei (Tomohisa Yamashita) seems like an unsympathetic wine connoisseur robot who's about to steal Camille’s rightful inheritance. But then you learn of Issei’s brutal treatment at the hands of his own family, and he becomes a much more complex character than you first imagined.
His mother, Honoka, initially feels like a one-dimensional bully, but when we go back to meet her younger self, we learn why she’s become the way she is and why she is so vicious to her son.
TV at its finest
How can a series about wine be enthralling, you might wonder? Well, trust me when I say it will grab you from episode one and have you rapidly binge-watch it as you follow Camille's incredible journey.
The series is beautifully shot and acted, especially the two leads who put in epic performances. It also feels so different from anything else you might watch. The one drama it reminded me of was Netflix's The Queen's Gambit, which also follows a young woman battling the odds to show she's a world expert in her field. But Drops of God is bolder and has more depth than The Queen's Gambit.
There's also a string of great twists, and every character is carefully used in the plot, which all comes together perfectly in the final episode. You might be wondering what the expression Drops of God refers to, and that is a question also answered in a surprising way.
If nothing else, you will pick up a lot of wine knowledge! It’s like the ultimate wine tasting course, and I honestly had no idea you could find so many flavours in wine.
If you enjoy Drops of God, then there’s great news because a second season is on the way. Hopefully, we won’t have too long to wait to find out what's next for Camille.
Drops of God is on Apple TV Plus now. Here's our list of the best Apple TV Plus shows, which will guide you towards some of What to Watch's favorites.
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