The Red Tent
Her name is Dinah. In the Bible her life is only hinted at during a brief, violent detour within the more familiar chapters about her father Jacob, and his dozen sons in the book of Genesis. Told through Dinah's eloquent voice, this sweeping miniseries reveals the traditions and turmoil of ancient womanhood. Dinah's tale begins with the story of her mothers: Leah, Rachel, Zilpah, and Bilhah, the four wives of Jacob. They all love Dinah and give her gifts that are to sustain her through a hardworking youth, a calling to midwifery, and a new home in a foreign land. Dinah tells us of the world of the red tent, the place where women were sequestered during their cycles of birthing, menses, and illness; of her initiations into the religious and sexual practices of her tribe; of Jacob's courtships of his four wives; of the mystery and wonder of caravans, farmers, shepherds, and slaves; of love and death in the city of Shechem; of her half-brother Joseph's rise in Egypt, and, of course, her rape and its bloody consequences.
- Metascore57
- 2014-2014
- 1 season
- Lifetime Television
- Drama, Documentary
Her name is Dinah. In the Bible her life is only hinted at during a brief, violent detour within the more familiar chapters about her father Jacob, and his dozen sons in the book of Genesis. Told through Dinah's eloquent voice, this sweeping miniseries reveals the traditions and turmoil of ancient womanhood. Dinah's tale begins with the story of her mothers: Leah, Rachel, Zilpah, and Bilhah, the four wives of Jacob. They all love Dinah and give her gifts that are to sustain her through a hardworking youth, a calling to midwifery, and a new home in a foreign land. Dinah tells us of the world of the red tent, the place where women were sequestered during their cycles of birthing, menses, and illness; of her initiations into the religious and sexual practices of her tribe; of Jacob's courtships of his four wives; of the mystery and wonder of caravans, farmers, shepherds, and slaves; of love and death in the city of Shechem; of her half-brother Joseph's rise in Egypt, and, of course, her rape and its bloody consequences.
Season 1 Episode Guide
2 Episodes 2014
Episode 1
Part 1
Sun, Dec 7, 2014 87 mins
Dinah, daughter of Old Testament patriarch Jacob and his wife Leah tells the story of her mother and three stepmothers. As a youngster Jacob comes to work as a shepherd for brutish uncle Laban and is to marry his older daughter Rachel, but she is nervous and gets Leah to take her place. Whilst not unhappy with the switch Jacob uses it to force Laban to give him Rachel and her sisters Bilhah and Zilpah as further wives, a mutually satisfactory arrangement. Jacob has twelve sons, Joseph being his best beloved, as well as Dinah but, angry at Laban's exploitation of them, takes them away to start their own sheep farm, making his peace with his brother Esau on the way.
Episode 2
Part 2
Mon, Dec 8, 2014 87 mins
Following his sons' slaughter of Dinah's husband and father-in-law a horrified Jacob insists the family moves away quickly but the pregnant Dinah, blaming Jacob's arrogance for the murders, remains and is taken to Thebes in Egypt by queen Re-Nefer, where her brother is Pharaoh. Here Dinah gives birth to a son Re-Mose but the queen demands she never tells him she is his mother, acting only as his nursemaid. Meanwhile, their fortunes failing, Joseph's jealous elder brothers make money by selling Joseph to Egyptian slavers, news of which reaches Dinah. As the years pass Re-Mose is sent to school whilst Dinah gains a great reputation as a midwife but on his return the dying Re-Nefer, hoping to make atonement, tells him of his true maternity - which only turns him against Dinah.