'The truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth' - Weekly Reflection 26th January 2025

Have you been one of the over seven million people watching the latest series of ‘The Traitors?’

It has certainly been a phenomenon at a time when fewer people watch live TV preferring instead to watch on livestream.

It has also sparked a discussion, not least amongst Christians, around the question of whether we should be watching the show or not.

If you want a flavour of this discussion then follow this link for one very informative and interesting comment 

https://www.premierchristianity.com/culture/should-christians-feel-guilty-about-watching-the-traitors/18814.article?dm_i=16DQ,8U2HG,NEK0AW,10RQ9J,1

Interestingly the previous series last year had a confessed Christian and in the latest series, the Rev Lisa Coupland, a Church of England Vicar from Cornwall was a contestant.  Her overriding comment was that ‘any good murder mystery always has a vicar.’

I watched it (with my wife) and found it to be compelling viewing.

However, questions remain, and they are legitimate. The whole show is predicated on lying and hiding true identity.  Therefore, is this an acceptable TV watch for Christians?

A question I am left with (and I am left with a huge number of questions) is why has this show proved to be so compelling?  The contestants are lying as they seek to win an ever-increasing amount of money from the prize pot.  The whole show has a bit of macabre feel to it, bordering occasionaly on the pagan and maybe even the occult.

I am still trying to process why I found it so entertaining and a compulsive watch.  (The compulsive’ aspect is easy, they always left you with a cliff hanger!)

What I did need to do after the final episode was to watch what was called, ‘Traitors Uncloaked.’ I have also found it helpful to listen to other interviews with the participants.  This is a Game, and people are playing a game and part of the game is to see if you can hide your identity, which involves lying.

Part of the game also includes ‘Missions’ where the players must complete task and work together to gain ‘gold’ that increases the prize pot. There are moments of real self-sacrifice, there are plot twist and turns, dilemmas to face, friendships formed.

What we also get to see at the end is the real identity of the players. We also get to see how they all come out as friends and all talk about the fun, joy and challenge the show has brought to them, even if they had not won the prize pot. 

I think it does give a good snapshot on the complexity of humans; their mixed motives, their dreams and their desires and what they will do to achieve them.  This is all done with no one getting hurt, damaged or injured.  It is played out in front of us with all the participants having knowingly volunteered to take part. 

If there is a danger it might be for those who are unable to separate fact from fiction, those for whom life becomes blurred. For those who seek to live out their fantasy often with real harm done to others.

Having said all of that, I do hear and seek to heed the word of Philippians 4.8

“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.”

I would argue within all the various machinations of The Traitors there are moments of truth, acts of love, things that are admirable and praiseworthy. 

What we can do amongst all that’s going on is to see if we can discern those attributes.

Learning how to be skilled in discerning such attributes amid very messy and complicated lives with which are surrounded, and of which we are part, is surely something worth exploring.  

I am not trying to persuade you that it is fine to watch The Traitors. That is up to you to decide.  I am trying to open up some questions and maybe some ways to think about this show, which we need to remind ourselves again, was a compelling watch for over seven million people. We need to be aware what is happening around us and what people are engaging with in our society today. In this way The Traitors holds up a helpful mirror.  We could of course always retreat into our self-righteous silos and appear to be taking an apparent noble stand against all that appears nasty and brutish in our world.   However, I think the story of the incarnation tells us a different story!