“Insurrection”: Kings Review

WARNING SPOILERS AHEAD!

I’m torn between last night’s King’s episode entitled ‘Insurrection’, torn because I expected such an episode once King Silas decided to sign over Port Prosperity over to Gath in the show’s second episode. It wasn’t so much that the premise was inherently basic (citizens are unhappy at the king’s decision so they revolt) but  the complete passivity of Silas in this episode made his character appear flippant in the eyes of its viewers.

In order to appease Gath’s leaders into signing a peace treaty, Silas signs over Port Prosperity and a fraction of his land, which includes David’s family home on that land. When the upheaval begins at the port, Silas dispatches David to show his people that he supports the king’s decision (a decision David obviously objects to but bites his tongue nonetheless) in an attempt to diffuse the situation.

So what does the king do throughout the entire episode? Well, first he outright denies the event as nothing more than a petty demonstration that will eventually burn itself out. Throughout the episode he is accosted by his aides who tell him to act swiftly against the rioters but he refuses to do so. Instead, that afternoon he decides to go fly fishing as a way to clear his head from the situation entirely.


It is only when the King’s daughter Michelle enters the port in a futile attempt to diffuse the situation that it becomes personal, since David’s brother Eric is among the demonstrators barricaded in the warehouse. As you might expect the episode ends in a firefight with Michelle, David, and Eric all surviving, but the damage is clear. David’s family by episode’s end has disowned him permanently from their lives as he choose to side with Silas.

I don’t know but I thought that Michelle intervening into the standoff at the port was just a really dumb decision. Her character is smart enough to know that she can be used as a hostage, and this plot point was likely added to build the suspense factor to an otherwise fledging episode. By the end of the episode we also discover that the King was apprised of a possible insurrection for weeks and Silas dispatched David there knowing that he’d fail. It’s obvious that the King is preparing David for something, whether it is to become the future King (as the biblical story goes) it’s not for sure.

But what was interesting in this episode was the role that the media plays. When Jack receives media control from his uncle he immediately switches the newscasts and newspapers to make it appear as though the public is against the king’s decision. Although Jack’s media control is eventually taken away we never know what the opinion of the public actually is, and it’s clear in this kingdom nothing the televisions or printed word produces can be taken at face value.

Opinions of this episode will likely vary but for me there were enough inconsistencies to make me lose interest, despite being such an action packed episode. Hopefully, next week’s episode will pick up the slack somewhat.

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