Review of NBC's Kings - a Retelling of David
Starring Ian McShane, Christopher Egan and The Bible
Mar 26, 2009
Although Kings hasn't generated as much buzz as NBC had hoped, the reviewers are puzzled by the storyline. They seem vaguely familiar with a story about David the underdog standing up to Goliath the giant but don't understand the stories origins. is 1 Samuel through Psalms. It seems that our critics have skipped that great college class The Bible As Literature. Or in this case, The Bible as TV.
Kings
David (Christopher Egan) is anointed by Rev. Samuels (Eamonn Walker) but if you haven’t read your Bible you would assume that he was wiping a smudge of oil off his forehead after David raises the Rev's car from the dead. The king is the marvelous Ian McShane (Deadwood) as Silas Benjamin. If you had been reading your 1 Samuel, you’d know that King Saul was from the tribe of Benjamin. And David was a shepherd so of course his name is David Shepherd and he fights Goliath. O yeah, that story!
Goliath is a tank in Gath
But now Goliath is a tank, the New York city skyline has been CGI enhanced and the New York City Public Library has never looked better. Set in a mythic modern time by writer Michael Green (Heroes), the war wages between Gilboa and Gath. Yep, the same Gath that is cited as the enemy of Israel in the actual David vs. Goliath tale. The modern setting is interesting as are the divergences from the original story. The only thing is that those who read the real story kinda know how it ends. But the telling of this soap opera is getting a first class treatment from NBC so it deserves a chance. Twelve episodes have been shot and if ratings pick up, it could stay.
The thing that has puzzled some scholars of the Bible version was how Jonathan seemed to be totally cool with David being king even though as Saul’s son, he is the one who should be the next king. Well, Kings gives us the chance to explore a different side of the story in much the same way that The Red Tent retold the story of Isaac, Jacob, Leah and Rachel. What if any rivalry between Jonathan AKA Jack (Sebastian Stan) and David was glossed over in the same way that the politics behind the decision to spare Agag (Brian Cox), the leader of Gath might have been?
Even in the Bible, the story of David is a soap opera
This being a retold soap opera, there must be at a couple of romantic interests and David has his with Michelle (Allison Miller) the king’s daughter. Michal is no minor character as Saul’s daughter or in the re-told story. Count on plenty of other romances and liaisons as well. And Wes Studi as the commanding general is inspired – so to speak.
This is not so much a sci-fi Battlestar Galactica version of the Bible but as a great drinking game for seminarians. Every time the Bible story is alluded to, the first one to catch it gets the shot. But then you have to open the game up to all Bible imagery since there is just so darn much of it. Don't miss the cross as the T in the "Don’t Go" sign in the second episode. And what about the dove that seems to resurrect. Or did the dove/ pigeon actually save David’s life?
You have to love it when people are talking about the story of David and Goliath.
Or David and Saul. Or David and Michal, And there is so much to the David soap opera that NBC could keep the show on for years. David and Bathsheba should make for two seasons at least. Just don’t kill off Saul/Silas/ Ian McShane. He is so credible as the manipulative king that David/ Christopher Egan needs him to work off of. Just remember that the show is Kings, not King.
 |
