Kings!!

So I have decided to make an official push to keep Kings on the air. I'm not sure how official it can be seeing as I have absolutely no clout whatsoever, but this is a show that I think needs to be allowed to develop for awhile longer.

For those of you that haven't watched it (which, given the ratings, would be a large majority) the story is set in the fictional kingdom of Shiloh. King Silas rules by divine right (bestowed upon him by a crown of butterflies, allegedly) and the country is currently at war with Gaff. Or Gath, I'm not entirely sure, since the sound on my TV sucks. The basic plot of the first two hours is that some soldiers get captured, and this young soldier goes to rescue them, and in the process becomes a national hero.

What's great about this show though is that the basic plot is by far not the only plot. Subplots include an illegitimate heir to the thrown, a crown prince with a secret, and a plot by the King's Brother-in-law to stay in power whatever the cost. Each plot is interwoven together, and I think the actors are doing a great job with the material they are given. I especially thought Jack did a great job with his storyline. *Spoiler Warning* I knew there was a gay character in the series that was unveiled in an "interesting" way, so I was kind of looking for it, but even if I hadn't been there is very little doubt after the first scene of Jack in the club where he stands. I think he and Ian McShane did a terrific job on the steps. You could see in his eyes this terror and hatred and agony when the King tells him what he knows. A lot of people are claiming Jack is this stereotypical character, and I don't believe he is. He's clearly fucked up in the head given his position and feelings, and it is expected that that would drive him to act out, but I don't think he's going to be the stereotypical villain. That title goes to the brother-in-law.

And Ian McShane did a terrific job the whole episode. That man can give a look that stops you in your tracks. See: when that chancellor stood up before his King.

Which leads me to my only complaint with this series: Some of the story elements are not handled with the most subtlety. The scene in the first ten minutes, when the religious guy (priest? cleric?) shows up at the David's farm and seemingly anoints him. That was just a little weird for me. And I don't even want to get started on the final scene of the second hour. I know they are trying to drive home a point that David is actually the destined King, but I would have appreciated something a little subtler that was left open to interpretation. I'm willing to forgive some of these things as necessary to set up the series. Like, they had to beat you over the head with the fact that David is destined so that they can be more subtle with his arc later on.

Also, I found a few of the plot points to be slightly obvious (namely who was responsible for the ambush. As soon as Jack came back and said "We had support" I knew where that story was headed). Again I'm willing to forgive some of these things as they set the stage. If they continue though, I'll get a little annoyed.

I think really, I came away from the episode not knocked off my feet with how amazing it was (a la Alias) but very, very intrigued to see where it goes next. My crusade to save the show is driven more by the fact that I don't want it to be cancelled prematurely. I hate when something new and original and entertaining gets dumped in favor of Extreme Makeover Home Edition and the Simpsons. Personally I think NBC should scrap Heroes and play Kings in its timeslot. The fantasy/sci-fi angle would match up sort of well with Chuck, and honestly Heroes is past its prime, but that's a whole other post waiting to happen.

In short, PLEASE WATCH.