If you’re bored and looking for another coronavirus distraction, you could do worse than binge watch Fauda on Netflix. An Israeli TV series following an elite Israeli special forces unit, Fauda is rich with action, intrigue, and cultural and social depth.
The show, which aired on Israel’s Yes network, certainly earned its name.
“Fauda” means “chaos” in Hebrew. And with three seasons now online, there’s much to look forward to. The series centers on the exploits of Doron, a late-career special operator, and his small team. Akin to famed Israeli undercover units such as the Yamam and Unit 217, Doron’s crew is responsible for dressing, acting, and operating as Palestinians so as to go undercover and get close to their terrorist targets. Fauda’s superb cinematics, background score, and the skill of its actors build viewer tension across each episode.
Fauda’s writers also deserve great credit here.
Because this show isn’t some simple shoot-the-baddie waltz.
While Fauda is ultimately about a counterterrorism team doing a very difficult and dangerous job, it shines a light on the human experience of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. We see the family consequences of deployments in harm’s way. And the writers show a genuine commitment to offering the Palestinian side of the equation. While we see few friends of Israel in the West Bank and Gaza, we experience the Catch-22 calculations that many Palestinians face. Do they cooperate with Israel in order to lead somewhat prosperous lives? Or do they fight Israel in the cause of Hamas’s Islamic liberation movement?
More often than not, and as is accurate in reality, these civilians simply try to get by, making hard choices that sometimes pay off and sometimes do not.
The same is true of Doron’s unit. Obviously well trained in small-unit movement and combat tactics, the actors’ proficiency stands in stark contrast with similar American shows. They clear corners first, for example. But if they’re skilled and aggressive, Doron and company are also only human. They make mistakes. Sometimes deadly mistakes. And they do just as much battle with the Israeli security bureaucracy as they do with the enemy. Sometimes, they lose.
Still, there is a theme of quiet patriotism here. Reflecting Israel’s survival as a nation, Doron’s team is relentless in pursuing its mission. The show encapsulates the personal toll this ambition inflicts, but it pushes us to respect why the team’s real-life counterparts do what they do. To keep their families, country, and each other as safe as best they can.
While Netflix has dubbed Fauda for English audiences, you’re better off changing the settings and watching with the original Hebrew dialogue and English subtitles. That way, you’ll get the inferences. But watch you most certainly should.
