Kings Review (Insurrection)
Insurrection (1x05 or 1x04?)
David: His surprise at his family losing their land to Gath kind of surprised me because I assumed, among all his joy at seeing peace, he would have realized what giving away Port Prosperity meant. But then I realized David and his family don't actually live in Port Prosperity, so that made his delayed reaction less 'oh David, you are so dumb' for me. An alternate take I had on this was David was gung ho for giving away PP when it didn't affect him, and maybe this is just a way to show how David needs to grow in order to be king, which I guess can work as a part of David's character, showing him not to be that virtuous, which would be a nice change with being virtuous not being equated to being sexually pure.(Maybe I'm attributing more depth than necessary ;)
He looked very good down there on the ground looking hurt and with a bit of blood on him. Chris Egan shows pain well. David turning a phrase well during that scene with the rebels gives a hint to the David of the Bible. Maybe by the end of the season, he'll be a little closer. (One can hope)
My favorite scene with David was the confrontation with his brother. They behaved like siblings to me and I enjoyed how they called each other out on their motives.
(Aside: The role of Divine Power/God in Kings intrigues me. Ethan was quick to say his cause was just in the eyes of God and the people would fall behind him, even though he doesn't believe in God, according to David. Saul, too, pulls out the God card to sway the people, but he also addresses Him, so that implies a level of belief/relationship. Uncle William (who needs to GTFO) blatantly said he doesn't believe. Samuels is seen as God's prophet so he has a definite weight with the people, and he's seen receiving signs. Both sides want Samuels because his presence implies God's support.)
The ending scene between David and Silas gave me hope that David will slowly stop so acting so in awe and 'gosh, aww shucks' about everything, and better adapt to his surroundings. Though it will be interesting to see how David reacts to being cut off from his family: does he draw closer to The Benjamins? If he did then they could start building the David+Michelle better (because they really need to) and the eventual friendship with Jack and show the relationship between David and Silas.Would he go on a bender?
Michelle: Last week I was slightly celebrating Michelle using what power she had to further her own agenda. A spine was starting to show; now if only they could give her a brain. I can't say this is all the actress' fault either; it seems to me that the writers use Michelle as more of a function than a character at times. Like they still haven't fleshed her out enough. I want the moment when she turns against David (if they follow the original storyline) to mean something, but as of now, the David/Michelle relationship hasn't shown much besides David telling her to stay in her place (OMG). (Things said under high emotion usually have some truth in them, especially in tv-land, so no takebacks David!)
I don't know how I feel about Michelle always needing to be saved. Oh wait, it irks me.
I loved the father-daughter moment of Silas and Michelle; and seeing her and Jack interact. The fact that the show isn't failing to show the relationship among the families is good too.
Jack:
Jack's self-awareness gives him an edge: people underestimate him, and he uses that to his advantage. Him having a more prominent role in the government makes him a more crucial player, and I like that. Though I do have to wonder how will Silas actually treat him; it's not like he treats Michelle that well when she deals with him on that level (EDIT: I just realized what the job thing really is, so Jack actually won't be on the board as much as he is the supposed power behind Katrina, which most likely will not work out well.).
Seeing Jack out of his party atmosphere worked for me too; the writers are really trying to present him as a fully realized character, and I think they are succeeding. Sebastian Stahn kills that role and I really hope he gets some acknowledgment for that. Jack's role could easily be worse if the wrong actor was playing him, but Sebastian handles the dialogue and the character extremely well. He even can be in a scene with Ian McShane and come out looking good--which not everyone in this cast can do. There was no Joseph tonight; but he has to show up later at some time eventually. I know there were some concerns about Jack being the stereotypical 'gay villain' but I don't see that; I see him as a person with flaws and triumphs. (Well that is my stance right now; the writers could pull something from nowhere and make me sad...)
Rose: Not much Rose tonight but the scene with her and Silas was awesome. She is so the power behind the throne. Her suggesting Silas visit his mistress was full of win. I can't wait to see what else she does.
Other Characters/Developments--
The expansion of the women roles is nice for the show; makes it a fuller show for me. Two weeks ago I thought about wanting more women on the board to see some women with power and now Katrina has shown up. Leslie Bibb looks amazing and that scene with her and Thomasina was well played and kind of hot. Apparently there is a cap/pic of her and Jack kissing, it doesn't concern me that much because Jack is gay and I could see them both trying to play each other for more power. (there is also that bit of biblical canon that has Jonathan with a son, so who knows, it could happen later for Jack too--maybe)
But I do like her character because she has her own agenda and she held her own pretty well with Ian McShane; and I can't wait to see her on the board. It's not so much about Silas and her as it is about seeing him deal with a woman in a different place than his wife/daughter/assistant . I don't think he would have reacted the same way if that had been a man asking for a position on the board and trying to buy one.
Thomasina rocked tonight and she got more backstory, so I hope they continue with that. Her confrontation with Silas was acted out so well and was one of my favorite scenes of the night. The contrast between her interaction with the Queen and her behavior with Silas was cool to see.
The Abner betrayal was such a surprise for me; and it was a good surprise too. Layers are building in this universe without feeling extremely melodramatic.
I still like the series and I am very interested to see where it goes and how much it sticks to the biblical version of things.
David: His surprise at his family losing their land to Gath kind of surprised me because I assumed, among all his joy at seeing peace, he would have realized what giving away Port Prosperity meant. But then I realized David and his family don't actually live in Port Prosperity, so that made his delayed reaction less 'oh David, you are so dumb' for me. An alternate take I had on this was David was gung ho for giving away PP when it didn't affect him, and maybe this is just a way to show how David needs to grow in order to be king, which I guess can work as a part of David's character, showing him not to be that virtuous, which would be a nice change with being virtuous not being equated to being sexually pure.(Maybe I'm attributing more depth than necessary ;)
He looked very good down there on the ground looking hurt and with a bit of blood on him. Chris Egan shows pain well. David turning a phrase well during that scene with the rebels gives a hint to the David of the Bible. Maybe by the end of the season, he'll be a little closer. (One can hope)
My favorite scene with David was the confrontation with his brother. They behaved like siblings to me and I enjoyed how they called each other out on their motives.
(Aside: The role of Divine Power/God in Kings intrigues me. Ethan was quick to say his cause was just in the eyes of God and the people would fall behind him, even though he doesn't believe in God, according to David. Saul, too, pulls out the God card to sway the people, but he also addresses Him, so that implies a level of belief/relationship. Uncle William (who needs to GTFO) blatantly said he doesn't believe. Samuels is seen as God's prophet so he has a definite weight with the people, and he's seen receiving signs. Both sides want Samuels because his presence implies God's support.)
The ending scene between David and Silas gave me hope that David will slowly stop so acting so in awe and 'gosh, aww shucks' about everything, and better adapt to his surroundings. Though it will be interesting to see how David reacts to being cut off from his family: does he draw closer to The Benjamins? If he did then they could start building the David+Michelle better (because they really need to) and the eventual friendship with Jack and show the relationship between David and Silas.Would he go on a bender?
Michelle: Last week I was slightly celebrating Michelle using what power she had to further her own agenda. A spine was starting to show; now if only they could give her a brain. I can't say this is all the actress' fault either; it seems to me that the writers use Michelle as more of a function than a character at times. Like they still haven't fleshed her out enough. I want the moment when she turns against David (if they follow the original storyline) to mean something, but as of now, the David/Michelle relationship hasn't shown much besides David telling her to stay in her place (OMG). (Things said under high emotion usually have some truth in them, especially in tv-land, so no takebacks David!)
I don't know how I feel about Michelle always needing to be saved. Oh wait, it irks me.
I loved the father-daughter moment of Silas and Michelle; and seeing her and Jack interact. The fact that the show isn't failing to show the relationship among the families is good too.
Jack:
Jack's self-awareness gives him an edge: people underestimate him, and he uses that to his advantage. Him having a more prominent role in the government makes him a more crucial player, and I like that. Though I do have to wonder how will Silas actually treat him; it's not like he treats Michelle that well when she deals with him on that level (EDIT: I just realized what the job thing really is, so Jack actually won't be on the board as much as he is the supposed power behind Katrina, which most likely will not work out well.).
Seeing Jack out of his party atmosphere worked for me too; the writers are really trying to present him as a fully realized character, and I think they are succeeding. Sebastian Stahn kills that role and I really hope he gets some acknowledgment for that. Jack's role could easily be worse if the wrong actor was playing him, but Sebastian handles the dialogue and the character extremely well. He even can be in a scene with Ian McShane and come out looking good--which not everyone in this cast can do. There was no Joseph tonight; but he has to show up later at some time eventually. I know there were some concerns about Jack being the stereotypical 'gay villain' but I don't see that; I see him as a person with flaws and triumphs. (Well that is my stance right now; the writers could pull something from nowhere and make me sad...)
Rose: Not much Rose tonight but the scene with her and Silas was awesome. She is so the power behind the throne. Her suggesting Silas visit his mistress was full of win. I can't wait to see what else she does.
Other Characters/Developments--
The expansion of the women roles is nice for the show; makes it a fuller show for me. Two weeks ago I thought about wanting more women on the board to see some women with power and now Katrina has shown up. Leslie Bibb looks amazing and that scene with her and Thomasina was well played and kind of hot. Apparently there is a cap/pic of her and Jack kissing, it doesn't concern me that much because Jack is gay and I could see them both trying to play each other for more power. (there is also that bit of biblical canon that has Jonathan with a son, so who knows, it could happen later for Jack too--maybe)
But I do like her character because she has her own agenda and she held her own pretty well with Ian McShane; and I can't wait to see her on the board. It's not so much about Silas and her as it is about seeing him deal with a woman in a different place than his wife/daughter/assistant . I don't think he would have reacted the same way if that had been a man asking for a position on the board and trying to buy one.
Thomasina rocked tonight and she got more backstory, so I hope they continue with that. Her confrontation with Silas was acted out so well and was one of my favorite scenes of the night. The contrast between her interaction with the Queen and her behavior with Silas was cool to see.
The Abner betrayal was such a surprise for me; and it was a good surprise too. Layers are building in this universe without feeling extremely melodramatic.
I still like the series and I am very interested to see where it goes and how much it sticks to the biblical version of things.