"Winter Song" and "Kings"
Hey, guys and gals! Not so long time this time but still, long time no see. And yes, you read the title right - I finally have good news on the “Winter Song” front! So I’ll include that first, but also I’m giving a life update and reviewing the new NBC drama “Kings” that premiered tonight that I (thankfully) decided to take a chance on and watch.
I. Winter Song - I have finished the next chapter! It is done and waiting on my desktop for a quick edit and then it will be posted by the end of tomorrow. I am SO sorry that it’s taken me this long, but as I’ve stated before, I’ve had writer’s block like you wouldn’t believe! In any case, I’ve already drafted part of the next chapter, so we should hopefully be back on regular update basis by the end of the week - because, yes, we are reaching the end of the story.
So, tomorrow afternoon (or evening) be looking for the link to the long-awaited “Winter Song, Chapter 27: Running Up That Hill!”
II. Life! - There’s not so much that’s news on this front. I’ve been helping internet campaigns to boost “Dollhouse” on the ratings front (I don’t know if I helped with this, but the last episode “True Believer” went up more than 1 million viewers from the last episode, which is a goodly sized jump). I’ve been writing more of my own personal stuff, as well.
I talked to my grandmother for her birthday, which was nice; she lives in Florida and we don’t get to talk much, so it was fun catching up with her. She’s quite the character (she’s had it in the seventies for weeks now; I’m SO jealous) and I miss seeing her. Hopefully I’ll be getting out there for spring break.
III. “Kings” - Alright, here’s the skinny on the new flick. “Kings” is essentially a modern-day retelling of the Biblical story of David & Goliath, as well as David’s relationship with King Silas and all the political intrigues that followed. It’s set not so much in the future as in an alternate version of Earth, sort of like how in “The Lord of the Rings,” Middle-Earth was an alternate history of our world. It’s an odd concept, but it worked surprisingly well.
Ian McShane of “Deadwood” fame masterfully played the venerable King Silas, while relative newcomer Christopher Egan (and yes, his smile is really that adorable) plays the role of David Shepherd (get the pun?).
David is a soldier who risks his life to rescue a group of soldiers who had been taken captive by the enemy - David’s battalion is held off by a series of virtually unstoppable tanks named - you guessed it - “Goliaths.” David’s kingdom has a strict non-negotiation policy, so David takes matters into his own hands. After returning the troops home he successfully faces down a Goliath, which makes him a hero. When he finds out that one of the soldiers he saved was the king’s son, David is sent to the capitol a national hero.
“Kings” plays much like a modern-day episode of “The Tudors,” only without Showtime’s penchant for nudity. The political plotting and intrigues are set amidst a modern metropolis, which make them more compelling. While I wasn’t entirely sold on Egan’s performance as David, McShane overpowered every scene he was featured in as the King, more than living up to his Golden Globe win.
Things get more complicated when David is elevated into the court’s intrigues, which jilts the King’s son Jack. Jack, it seems, is living the party life but has a very serious mind and is politically ambitious. He and his father have a very well-acted scene in which his father reveals that he knows that Jack is, in fact, gay, and that he thinks Jack is a disgrace to the kingdom. This leads Jack to join his scheming uncle in his schemes of deposing his father.
On top of all of this, the King’s idealistic daughter Michelle has begun a romance with David, which the King and Queen are not happy about.
“Kings” is a little odd, and it has a few missteps, such as when David faces down a line of Goliaths on his own - the speech was good, but it was shot very oddly and it sort of lost me. The grandiose aspirations of the pilot episode “Goliath” fall somewhat short of where it could have been - the acting does need to improve from Egan, particularly. McShane is amazing, yes; and Sebastian Stan, who plays Jack, played his part very well, but there weren’t many above-average performances here.
In the end, though, I feel quite positively about “Kings;” much more positive than I felt about “Dollhouse’s” somewhat muddled pilot episode - and, as much as I like “Dollhouse,” that should tell you something! In any case, I’ll definitely be tuning in next week. For those of you interested, “Kings” airs on NBC Sunday nights at eight o’clock, and it will run for twelve more episodes after its pilot.
See you tomorrow!