kingsreview

posts about #kingsreview more →
Kings' Son Goes On A Big Gay Shopping Spree
Ian McShane Has A Promising Reign In Kings

Your version of Internet Explorer is not supported. Please upgrade to the most recent version in order to view comments.

Dsmvwl Admin Promote to frontpage Approve user Ban user ×

Meredith Woerner
03/23/09

In reply to Kings' Son Goes On A Big Gay Shopping Spree
Maybe I need to be more blunt as some of you have been commenting (and I added this up top as well). Yes I knew this was an evil plot hatched by the brother-in-law, it was obvious and terrible and made me gag. It was as obvious as the previously mentioned movies with it's mallet-over-the-head subtlety. Plus it was tonally terrible in comparison to the rest of the show, Zoolander out of place silly and obvious.
Reply

Meredith Woerner was starred Meredith Woerner was unstarred

Cozmic
03/23/09

In reply to Kings' Son Goes On A Big Gay Shopping Spree
The whole spending spree thing wasn't a lets go spend daddy's money cause he made me mad thing, it was a lets show how foolish dad is when the card is denied, did you miss the part of the pilot where the brother-in-law was speaking to the kid? It seemed obvious to me that the whole trip was a calculated move, he knew the card would be denied, hence the little quip about hoping there was nothing wrong with the treasury (in front of the cameras), so he gets to embarrass dad, make him look broke, and while one might assume the whole gifts thing was to make those soldier buds of his tighter with him (He'll need a loyal cadre for the coup I can only assume he's already plotting), getting a hair's breadth away from giving them all that stuff, only to take it away, makes those guys potential resentment of the king (and thus, loyalty to the son) even greater. I really felt this part of the plot wasn't really all that subtle, how did you miss that?
Reply

Cozmic was starred Cozmic was unstarred

Meredith Woerner
03/23/09

@Cozmic: I didn't it was so obvious and awful.
Reply

Meredith Woerner was starred Meredith Woerner was unstarred

Grey_Area
03/24/09

@Meredith Woerner: I just wonder how Jonathan, excuse me, Jack comes around to being all buddy-buddy with David and making covenant with him (chikka chicka bow bow, according to some biblical scholars). And how will the Witch of Endor be presented? Even knowing some of the source material I really am looking forward to seeing the story played out.

It's getting canceled, isn't it?
Reply

Grey_Area was starred Grey_Area was unstarred

Meredith Woerner
03/24/09

@Grey_Area: I hope not, at least not before they get all biblical on each other.
Reply

Meredith Woerner was starred Meredith Woerner was unstarred

Plague
03/23/09

In reply to Kings' Son Goes On A Big Gay Shopping Spree
This show is delicious- like a ripe, juicy plum.
Reply

Plague was starred Plague was unstarred

YalenaKhavaran
03/23/09

In reply to Kings' Son Goes On A Big Gay Shopping Spree
I'm pretty sure the shopping spree was intended to show Jack building his cabal of supporters. He's building his faction, just as his uncle suggested.

In addition, the publicity from his card, tied to the royal treasury, being declined was another hit to his father's credibility. It was a lot more than just a "Big Gay Shopping Spree."
Reply

YalenaKhavaran was starred YalenaKhavaran was unstarred

♥AntiSocialSocialite♥
03/23/09

@YalenaKhavaran: I agree - it was a plot device, not a shopping spree for the sake of a shopping spree AND it was shown for maybe 5 minutes of the entire hour, but I enjoy Meredith's (hilarious) hyperbole... a straightforward recap isn't as fun to read.
Reply

Evil Tortie's Mom: R.O.A.C.H.
03/23/09

In reply to Kings' Son Goes On A Big Gay Shopping Spree
This show is gorgeous, and McShane sells it all, and I will watch it and love it till the mouth-breathing masses make it go away.

"My wife has an army that ours combined could not defeat."

"I'm the only one that tells you the truth."

The occasional Bible-speak ought to be jarring, but isn't.
Reply

♥AntiSocialSocialite♥
03/23/09

In reply to Kings' Son Goes On A Big Gay Shopping Spree
another thought - they should have done more worldbuilding prior to the premier, some HARDCORE viral marketing like they did for True Blood to make the prospect of an American (for all intents and purposes) monarchy seem realistic. Before True Blood came out there were vampire/human dating sites, Fellowship of the Sun PSA, Vampire Rights Petitions, etc etc (it's all listed here):

[promomami.blogspot.com]

There are a few halfassed sites up with maps of Shiloh, gossip sites featuring the shows characters, and a Gilboa news site, but none are fleshed out or interactive - see here:

[www.unnreports.com]

[www.200meters.com]

[www.courthistorian.com]

and some weird posters around NYC and LA (because no one in say... THE BIBLE BELT would be interested in a show like this).

Bad job NBC - this could have been AWESOME.
Reply

♥AntiSocialSocialite♥
03/23/09

In reply to Kings' Son Goes On A Big Gay Shopping Spree
Favorite part of Kings - when the dialogue gets old-timey with absolutely no warning, ie:

"We are King and shall do what is right in mine eye"

&

the queens weird speech to her daughter about desire for comfort trumping "desire proper".

weird, hackneyed, forced, a bit out of place when the rest of the show is written completely informally - but I like the show a lot so far.
Reply

se7a7n7
03/23/09

In reply to Kings' Son Goes On A Big Gay Shopping Spree
I watched the pilot with some good expectations, however I just didn't like it.

Too much predictability, made me groan and roll my eyes too much.

Not enough information about the things I want to know, like where they are located, what is their history, etc...

Watching this reminded me of how I felt when I watched "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip" (throws up in mouth a little)

I'd be surprised if this makes it through the first season.
Reply

se7a7n7 was starred se7a7n7 was unstarred

Meredith Woerner
03/23/09

@se7a7n7: good call with the Studio 60 comparison.
Reply

Meredith Woerner was starred Meredith Woerner was unstarred

Alexis
03/23/09

In reply to Kings' Son Goes On A Big Gay Shopping Spree
I get all the criticisms of this show, I really do, but I *love* the over-done-ness of it all. It has a classic, Shakespearean way of storytelling that you don't see in modern tv. Now, of course, there's a reason why we don't see this (the ratings of last week are a bright neon sign) but I still eat it up. Every actor chews the scenery so damn bad, but I love it. I'm glad you pointed out just how beautiful this show is. I feel like every angled shot is simply stunning. I guess I should enjoy the countdown to its premature series finale.

Also, it's eerie how similar that Zoolander clip is to the other wonderfully homoerotic shopping spree scene.
Reply

Alexis was starred Alexis was unstarred

NerD: Blattella
03/23/09

In reply to Kings' Son Goes On A Big Gay Shopping Spree
Ok, so this is a sunday night show? Cause I'll need to Tivo it.

This is sounding better, and I really do want more Ian Mcshane in my life. In a strictly platonic sense, of course.
Reply

NerD: Blattella was starred NerD: Blattella was unstarred

bitgod
03/17/09

In reply to Ian McShane Has A Promising Reign In Kings
yeah, the crown of butterflies at the end was biggest pill for me to swallow. I could deal with the war stuff as more allegory than reality. I liked the inclusion of the 2 guards, I'm sure they'll be popping up frequently.
Reply

bitgod was starred bitgod was unstarred

Meredith Woerner
03/17/09

@bitgod: I loved them. I hope they come back.
Reply

Meredith Woerner was starred Meredith Woerner was unstarred

♥AntiSocialSocialite♥
03/16/09

In reply to Ian McShane Has A Promising Reign In Kings
I enjoyed the premier - and Chris Egan (David) is a pretty good actor, not to mention SWOON WORTHY!!!

Once the show gets it's footing, I'm sure it's going to be awesome :: the first episode was a bit dense with plot, but I think it's looking good so far!
Reply

Evil Tortie's Mom: R.O.A.C.H.
03/16/09

In reply to Ian McShane Has A Promising Reign In Kings
I liked it a lot. It was beautifully shot, esp. in wide-screen, and McShane plays it perfectly. The younger actors are competent, which is such a relief, and the older ones are so very good.

The touch of the guy at the King's side, writing history the way the King wants it, is a nice little side piece.

And I hope the fundies who might have been tricked into watching it b/c of the Biblical basis got their heads properly smacked at the God-chosen King saying that 1) you're born gay and 2) evolution is how God works.
Reply

Alexis
03/16/09

@Evil Tortie's Mom:

Oh, I *loved* those lines. It really puts a different spin on the "ordained by God" angle they have going. Based on those lines (and other actions) Silas is obviously a man of reason, but he believes whole-heartedly that he was chosen by God to lead his country. I hope they really explore this contrast.
Reply

Alexis was starred Alexis was unstarred

itsgene
03/16/09

In reply to Ian McShane Has A Promising Reign In Kings
Ah, just what we need: another entertaining program where the sole gay person is denigrated as being unfit to rule and is written as the lurking, dark villain of the piece. Yay!
Reply

itsgene was starred itsgene was unstarred

Alexis
03/16/09

@itsgene:

I really don't think that's the case here. Normally I'm all about jumping on crappy stereotypes in film/tv but this just ain't it. For one, the character isn't solely defined by his sexuality, like many "evil gay" stereotypes are. His storyline isn't centered around him being gay, but his issues with possibly getting his squadron captured. The gay thing is definitely an obstacle for him to obtain the throne, but it's something that's actually a lot easier to cover up than his actions in the war. Personally, I think he's just a fuck-up that happens to be gay.
Reply

Alexis was starred Alexis was unstarred

♥AntiSocialSocialite♥
03/16/09

@itsgene: I actually like the way they handled the 'GAY' scene with the father and son because the father said that his son couldn't be 'what God made him' if he wanted to be king :: not perfect (because gays can't be kings???), but at least they acknowledged that he was born that way. I'll take it.
Reply

Adah
03/16/09

@Evlsushi: David and Jonathan ended up being lovers, in the original Biblical tale (in a a Patroclus/Achilles way, where the text never says, "Oy! They're gay!", so people can still argue about it). If it's truly a retelling of David, I can't imagine them ignoring that plot point. If they wanted to play safe to the religious crowd, they'd at least make them very good friends. That being the case, I can't see him being the evil gay guy for the entire series.
Reply

Adah was starred Adah was unstarred

limber
03/16/09

@itsgene: Dammit, I just didn't see Jack in that light. He's a capable soldier, he's got at least a touch of the folks' PR capabilities (he knows the gay thing's a problem and is at least trying to hide it), and now he's got God's literal gift breathing down his neck.

As he says, he's a good commander and has the respect of the armed forces, and is willing to put in the work (he wants to get back on the line. So it's less that the gay kid's unworthy, more that he's definitely worthy, and being disqualified because gay monarchs aren't acceptable. Which I think is different than the gayness making him inherently unfit, ability-wise.
Reply

limber was starred limber was unstarred

Alexis
03/16/09

@Adah: Yeah, I thought about that part of the story too. Here's hoping they stay true to the Bible.
Reply

Alexis was starred Alexis was unstarred

Rasselas
03/16/09

In reply to Ian McShane Has A Promising Reign In Kings
And David is practically Jesus....

Season 3: Theologians and Biblical archaeologists fight about this for 22 hours. Blows are exchanged.
Reply

Rasselas was starred Rasselas was unstarred

Earlier discussions Other discussions Show all discussions Show featured discussions only Start a new discussion

#kingsreview

io9

SUBSCRIBE TO io9

Kings' Son Goes On A Big Gay Shopping Spree

Ian McShane Has A Promising Reign In Kings

Login

Reset Password

Register

Submit Your Comment