'Kings' Redux

I’m still trying to process my thoughts on the now-completed first (and most likely only) season of Kings. In the meantime, here are Eve Tushnet’s thoughts about the show:

On the plus side:

There’s a scene with ridiculous dialogue, but I loved it anyway, because what at first appear to be noir conventions are completely overturned. A city rainstorm, which ordinarily would be treated as isolation and abandonment by justice (cf. the beautiful series finale of Veronica Mars) is instead treated as if the country and the genre were still agricultural–rain is providence. I’m actually more impressed by this than by the many times the dialogue has spoken from within a monarchist worldview, since it’s harder to think in alien metaphors than to think in alien lines.

On the minus side:

Neither Jonathan nor David appear especially devout. In fact, they’re two of the least devout main characters–only Rose and her brother appear less concerned with God!–which is just weird. And, as I’ve said from the beginning, this change makes the story vastly less interesting than the Biblical canon. This final episode showed Jack moving closer to his father in his view of God (which would still be a far cry from the devotion of the Biblical characters), but still, what is God in this series other than celestial election returns?

Overall:

. . . this show is doing such an unusual, risky thing. And I’m interested! They know how to build suspense. They give me something to think about, even when I can’t stand their choices.