This week marked the bittersweet return of Kings. I’m happy to have it back on TV, even if it’s just so that NBC can burn off the last seven episodes of this under appreciated (and woefully under watched) show. At this point, I’m just changing my way of thinking, considering this a long miniseries, and enjoying what is left of it.
With only seven episodes remaining, some storylines were already beginning to wrap up in this week’s episode.
In previous episodes we saw that Abner, King Silas’s general, was in league with William to betray and bring down the king. That betrayal came to a head this week as a mission behind enemy lines exposed a traitor in Gilboa. That David seems to always stir up trouble, and in this episode he discovered that Gilboa was supplying weapons to a guerrilla force in Gath. Abner tried to set up William, the Queen’s brother, but Silas laid the blame with the general. Then he laid his knife in his belly. There were definitely some shades of Al Swearingen there.
Ian McShane is a fabulous actor, and I really hope that he finds a regular gig on a show that is both worthy of his talents, and successful. Let’s face it, this guy deserves better than Hot Rod. He was amazing in Deadwood, and he continues to impress in Kings. I don’t think I’ve seen anyone able to handle to dense dialogue that is featured in both shows better than McShane.
The other focus of this episode was on the King’s children. What can I say about Michele? It was just a stupid move by her to enter the quarantined area of the hospital. I get that she is a super sympathetic person whose heart lies with helping people, but come on. Is she really that big of a martyr that she would expose herself to the plague just to comfort a little boy? I guess the answer is yes, but I was slightly annoyed.
Jack, meanwhile, continued his tour of rage and jealousy when it came to David. I really like the Jack character; I think he’s complex and interesting. I’m eager to see how the relationship between he and David evolves now that David saved his life (again). In the Bible story of King David, Jack and David are best friends. I wonder if the show is going to show their relationship become more friendly, or if they will remain uncomfortable rivals. Only six episodes left to find out….
Clacked by Bob Degon
on Jun 14, 2009 @ 14:05 EST5EDT
It’s not a long miniseries, it is a miniseries.
It’s a series of episodes, one a week for 13 weeks that tell a story, that’s a miniseries. I don’t know when or why people started counting 4 hour TV movies as miniseries.
I love this show – and shook my fist at the TV and cried “Damn you NBC.” Similar to what I did but toward ABC after watching the last Pushing Daisies episode.
The dialogue has the same cadence and syntax for all the characters. Something that helps to show that the characters are living in a different “world” than ours.
Love this show.
Agreed that the dialogue is one of the more brilliant turns of the show. And it highlights that the King’s dispatch of Abner is both expected and proper in this universe.
Was Michele’s motivation only to comfort the dying child? It seemed she was gambling that his twelve hour communicability period had passed and her possible exposure would force the King’s hand, making the crisis both personal and urgent. Whether she intended it or not, her action had that effect.
And while I’ve always loved the King and Queen, this episode was the first time I’ve really liked Jack, as he left his pettiness and weaseling back in Shiloh.
I had to laugh at the bar code and butterfly being left on the Gilboan M4s, presumably for the Gath military to find. Since both Abner and Cross wanted war, which one of them actually provided the arms in this case?
Agreed that this will be a killer mini-series.