KINGS
 

Anybody else catch the premiere last week? Second episode is tomorrow, 7 central.

The only reason I checked it out is because PSN Store has the pilot episode available for free (in HD). I went in with zero expectations (haven't heard about the show at all until yesterday) and liked it quite a bit.

You can watch the two part pilot on their website as well:

NBC Video Rewind

This a thread dedicated to World's King? :thumbsup:

Seriously, it was ok. Looks like more soap opera bullpucky, but I'll tune in again til I can see one way or the other.

I don't think World's King would ever have a t.v. show of his own. He's too busy these days killing hookers and stuffing them in his closet.

I enjoyed the pilot episode last week as well, and I had no idea that I was watching a new series until 30 minutes before it ended, as it was promoting next week's follow-up. I thought I was watching some obscure movie on network television, since I rarely have time to watch NBC on Sundays, so I had no idea.

The only thing that kinda offset my mind was that in the show, every time they brought up the topic of the butterflies and its relation to the kingship, I couldn't help but think of the other "The Monarch":

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3165/...40599cfb_m.jpg

I also tuned in with zero expectations and was pleasantly surprised. It'd be just another prime-time soap opera except it seems to have a dose of realistic politics. The the OC meets a less complex West Wing.

I'll tune in tomorrow, though considering the abysmal ratings for the series premier it may be one of the last episodes.

Having been the king of a medium sized nation, I have to say that this show glorified the monarchy and was less realistic than I had hoped for. It's not quite as slick as they portray it.

Haven't watched the show, but my interest has been piqued.

Just stopped in to give kudos to Jet for "The Monarch" reference. :thumbsup:

You did this before the homoerotic photography? I look forward to your memoirs.

I have many finished works just waiting for publication. I need a fact-checker if you're interested.;)

Watched the second episode today on NBC. I definitely like it. It would suck if they cancel it. It has some real potential.

I liked it for the most part. It could use a little more plot and a little less melodrama, but I'll keep my fingers crossed that (like most pilots) it'll get better before it gets worse.

That's what I, too, thought of the other short-lived series "Journeyman", also run on NBC. It took me about six months to realize that the show was not renewed, and it had been cancelled. Abit off-topic there.


Back to the show: I wonder who portrays the part of the princess, and what's so tantalizing about this 'vow' she's made?


--> Ah. Allison Miller as Michelle Benjamin

http://picfor.me/img/2009/03/30/2062...ee9c8e12_h.jpg
(hopefully I uploaded it correctly)

I watched it on Hulu. I enjoyed it.

I heard Kings referenced a few times, and mostly positively, so I gave it a shot and watched the first couple episodes on Hulu. I was pleasantly surprised! It's not perfect, but it's pretty darn good for a network TV show!

I'm a sucker for modern re-tellings of classic stories, and for the most part I think they're doing a good job with the King David story here. There are certainly moments and actors/characters that are a bit over the top, but it hasn't been enough to ruin it for me.

One nit to pick: Spoiler: I just watched the second episode, and there's no way you're going to convince me that the people at the Veteran's Affairs office (including David's mother) don't recognize the princess. That was just totally unbelievable.

Unfortunately, I don't think most network TV viewers are interested in a show that's not another NCIS/CSI/Numb3rs/Criminal Minds clone, and certainly not one that involves an alternate existence where modern times are met with absolute monarchies and fictional kingdoms. The ratings seem to support this so far, and I won't be surprised if this show doesn't make it past one season.

io9 has had some decent reviews of the show, including both praise and well-deserved criticism.

I TiVo'd the first 4 episodes, mainly 'cause I'll watch anything with Susanna Thompson in it (or thought I could). Also, there's nothing else worth watching on Sundays.

I deleted them all about halfway thru the second episode. I thought the storylines were stupid; and cared for none of the caricatures, er . . . characters.

I imagine a lot of viewers have had a similar reaction, but it's kind of like watching Romeo & Juliet and saying it's cliche. It is cliche now, yes, but it helped create the cliche.

At times it does bug me how nearly perfect the character of David is... except that's exactly what he's supposed to be in this story. The biblical David, before he became king, was a relatively innocent farm boy. After all, in the story world of the bible and of Kings, there is a god, and David is right with him. Maybe we're no longer able to appreciate stories that are less grounded in reality, I don't know, but I don't mind it. I understand why others may not though. It's a shame, because if the show were to stick around for a little while we might get to see David become less pure and more of a womanizer.

I read on AICN (unofficial source) that Kings was probably canceled.

It was something like, "Now that Kings was most likely canceled, Ian McShane needs to try out for the role of the Sheriff of Nottingham in Ridley Scott's new Robin Hood movie."

Anybody heard about it being canceled?

It's as good as gone. After 4 episodes, they moved it to Saturdays which is where TV shows go to die. Nothing official though.

It's a shame, because it had plenty of potential, and a big reason for its low ratings is that NBC did a terrible, terrible, terrible job promoting it. The showrunner even had about 5 years of plot arc planned out (which is easy considering it's the retelling of a specific biblical tale).

It took me two weeks to realize this sad fact. GathDammit! It's "Journeyman" all over again! :mad:


Here's the official:

April 07, 2009

Oh, and just in, it's been completely yanked off now:

April 21, 2009

I can fill you in on what happens for the rest of the season. King Silas gets in some political shit, David does something brave but incredibly stupid and naive but somehow prevails and earns a look of approval from the king, Prince Jack tries to get some power but gets owned (then is gay a little), Princess Michelle is really, really serious about universal health care (foreshadowing for either a sickness or a disaster) and wants to jump David's bones but for her secret (she's destined for a nunnery), and William Cross is sneaky. Also, things about religion and/or God peppered in to taste. Oh, and I'm sure one or two more things with Gath and Port Prosperity. And $100 says that David's dad died in unusual circumstances, if he's dead at all.

Eventually David becomes King, but because he's so idealistic he's borderline retarded he'll screw it up.

They should've aired it on HBO or Showtime, so we couldv'e seen some nekkid Bathsheba goodness. ;) But seriously, it's a shame. And with such a strong Jewish presence in TV/Movies and specifically NBC, I figured this show was golden.

It's pretty easy to know what will happen in general terms considering it's based off a known story ;) And actually, King Silas will eventually get back to disliking David and try to kill him some more, Jack and David will eventually become friends, David will go into exile to avoid Silas' attempts at his life, he will also eventually marry Michelle, and with 5 years or so planned out, they probably planned on getting into David being king, which he will screw up not because he's idealistic but because he turns into a philanderer with all that power.

Anyway, sometimes it doesn't matter if you know what happens. It's still interesting to watch.

---------- Post added at 02:28 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:25 PM ----------

If they had bothered to market it, it would have been golden. Kings was originally supposed to air on Thursdays at 10PM ET, but NBC's scheduling was taken over by a new person recently and she doesn't like Kings, so she moved it to Sundays and the rest is history.

Last night's episode was really entertaining. On the one hand, you have Princess Michelle really growing into her caretaker roll in a personal way, risking her own life. Queen Rose finally demonstrated that she was a human being in basically saying, "If it means saving my children, kill my brother... kill anyone you need." It was nice to see her facade crack around the edges a bit. S

ilas had to make the hard choice about General Linus after recognizing the *sign* of a candle blowing out (I'm glad our justice system employs deductive reasoning, though).

The most important story, though, was Jack's life being saved by David, who had to kill for the first time. I knew it was a matter of time before Jack finally came around and couldn't be jealous of the almost too pure David, and this was a very good vehicle for that change.

The scene where Silas greeted and embraced both Jack and David as his sons was really intriguing. I suspect it's paving the way (more directly than previous situations) for David's positioning as Silas' eventual successor. I only hope we get to see King David before the series ends this July.

Every new episode, I get more upset that this show won't last more than one season.

The good news is that it will tie up most threads, so I'm trying to think of it like a British show - it's not uncommon for a show to be made over there with only one 13 episode season in mind. If I can convince myself no one ever intended to go past one season, maybe I'll be less annoyed.

Anyway, each episode is better than the last. I've never watched Deadwood... never really been interested, but Ian McShane has changed that. Deadwood is officially on my list. (Yay, yet another show for me to get into that got canceled before it's time.)

---------- Post added at 03:41 AM ---------- Previous post was at 03:39 AM ----------

Yes, but we also don't live in a world where there is freqent intercession by a higher power ;)

I agree, I was kinda freaking out last night, especially toward the end. This thing is headed toward a great series ender.

Really? I've missed the past two week's episodes, I think (unless they decided not to run a new episode on July 4th weekend).

The last episode I recall fully is the one where the power outage takes hold, and the embodiment of "death" appears to Silas. it was a good episode because it provided more backstory about the Princess' vow, and why she made it in the first place. I caught some of the follow-up episode where David loses the camera in which he shot the Princess "personally", but I didn't finish it up. For some reason, that scenario brought the idea about in my mind that perhaps this series is better off cancelled, if this is how the writers stir up drama in the kingdom.

I suppose I need to hit Hulu for some catching up, because I don't know if NBC online even wants to recognize this show as still airing, so i might or might not find streaming episodes hosted there.

Get thee over to Hulu.

Yeah I'm there now, and I was stunned to see in the starting recaps to Ep. 8 that Silas stabbed Wes Studi. When did this happen?! Must've either been in the beginning of the last episode, or somewhere within the story of "Brotherhood". I must admit, I always seem to forget around midweek that Kings is still on the air, and I somehow uncannily remember all over again the night a new episode premieres, although I'm always around 15 minutes too late in recalling this.

It happened at the end of the episode where Jack and David go into Gath. I forget if that's Brotherhood, though I think so.

That was great. Episode 8, "Pilgrimage" was by far the best episode of Kings I have seen in the past five months.

Onward to Episode 9! (and afterwards, a replay of episode 6, since I missed the most critical part of the story there.)

Yeah, I really enjoyed Pilgrimage quite a bit. After watching such a great budding relationship between David and Silas for most of the episode, the ending was pretty painful. In the best way.

Damn me and my tastes in tv shows. I just started watching Kings from the beginning this week and now I get two more eps before it goes off the air forever. Awesome.

It's really pretty good.

We should totally send this thread to the head of NBC and force him to recognize that 'Kings' is a class-A series that did not get a fair shake at succeeding because it was poorly-marketed, and therefore, received too small of an audience. It's not because the scipt, plot, and/or acting are anything close to lackluster; just the opposite, this show could go onto winning many accolades this upcoming awards season, and they'll finally realize their mstake at letting this perfect wine of a show die on the vine.


The one minor detail I'd omit though, is my responses in this thread, because I yet again forgot to remind myself to watch the show this Saturday, so I'll probably be watching tonight's episode sometime Tuesday morning on Hulu. It's probably due to less-enthused fans like me who miss the premiere episodes that caused the failure of the show :shy:

"Neither you nor he nor any vagrant opinion will interrupt - now you've got me doing it!"

That line alone is better than 75% of the shows on TV. Too bad we only get one more episode.

Since we've been treated to a season finale in the stead of a series finale, I propose we create a new season in text. Next week, I'll post in here season 2, episode one of Kings: "Valley of the Shadow". If anyone's interested in contributing, please pm me or email me (Willravel@gmail.com).

Or you could just read the bible story ;)

On one hand, I'm totally pissed that the series has ended Spoiler: without David as king.

On the other hand, the season ended exactly as it should have, Spoiler: leaving the second season (which, of course, will unfortunately not happen) to tell the story of David in exile.

I have such mixed feelings about this finale! It was excellent, but left me wanting o much more!

Pssh, there's no William Cross in the Bible. And very little about Jack... errr Johnathan. I've already outlined the second season and I'm finishing up the first act of the first episode of season 2.

Why should the network get to decide when a good story gets to end?

I'd be totally in favor of this moving to the NBC-affiliate, USA Network.

The likelihood of this happening is less than 15% in my mind, but you got to have hope, and a lobbyist's mentality.
Haha.. I just got the funny. That was probably my next best favorite episode, besides "Pilgrimmage".

I know I've seen the actor who plays 'William Cross' in other popular works, but my mind is not doing well retrieving any of those other instances. He is a great foil in the series, through and through.

Far less than 15%. There's no way the affiliate networks could afford a show that costs $4 million an episode.

Now that I've had time to sleep on it..... GAH! I'm so annoyed that it got canceled like that!

Now you know how I felt when they just pulled the rug from under yet another promising NBC series, Journeyman.

Damn, that had some really good potential, and it had one of the most memorable season (series) finales in recent memory.

Curse NBC and their snootiness. They took away my Moon Bloodgood too suddenly (though they do have her filling some kind of 'righteous foil' in the series Burn Notice now).

The mistake was two fold: not advertising during the Superbowl and not advertising to the religious folk. Everything after that was inevitable. Not enough people saw the pilot, which meant not much buzz, which meant steadily decreasing numbers, which meant moving it to Saturday, which meant even lower numbers.

Heh, two-fold is generous... they made many more mistakes than that.

That's because the person who took over NBCs programming didn't support the series in the first place, so she's happy to see it go. Mistake isn't really the proper word, because I'm sure she knew exactly what would happen to the show.

The only reason they even bothered to air all the episodes is because they cost so much, otherwise I'm sure she would have been happy to just cancel it after the first few before they moved it to summer.

---------- Post added at 03:24 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:05 PM ----------

EDIT!!...

Appropriately for this series, I am pretty sure the following is not true, but I will believe it because it makes me feel good, and I will act on it because it reinforces that belief which makes me feel good.... and maybe, through divine providence (or, rather, a mixture of coincidence and the results of human action), Kings will be saved!

Why Did NBC's 'Kings' Fail? (Or Not) - Idol Chatter

IMDb :: Boards :: "Kings" (2009) :: KINGS HAS A CHANCE AT SURVIVAL

Since IMDb requires registration, here are the relevant comments...

The most interesting of all...So.

I am not normally one to advocate for a TV show... there aren't many shows worth it. Kings is worth it. The original Star Trek was brought back by a rather small letter campaign. We live in different times, and TV (and especially Kings) is much more expensive now, but let's try. E-mail NBC. CALL NBC. Send snail-mail letters to NBC. Post in NBC forums. Buy the DVDs. Finally, show Kings to friends and family and have them watch on Hulu (where NBC can see every view), and when they finish have them write e-mails, send letters, and call. Each of us has a responsibility to do all of these things... not just because we enjoy Kings, and not just because actors like Ian McShane deserve to continue with a job, but also because it is our duty as television viewers to promote the betterment of the medium!

If that's not enough hyperbole to get you into action, I don't know what is. Write/call/watch/buy away!

---------- Post added at 03:30 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:24 PM ----------

ANOTHER EDIT...

A comment on the beliefnet blog suggests including a butterfly in the letters to NBC. I like it! Can we start an official butterfly campaign?

Yes, the most important thing to be done is to buy the DVD. If it can save Family Guy and Futurama, it can save Kings.

http://www.nbc.com/Footer/Contact_Us/?__status=1

Is anyone interested in reading what I suppose would be fanfic?

You completed it?

This week was mainly mapping out the main plots of the second season and where I might want to go in the third season. I think I've got something coherant and challenging, but it's very much rough around the edges.

I started the draft of Kings 2x01 last Saturday, but I'm still filling in holes on the plot and my third act is still just an outline. If things don't get too hectic tomorrow, I could have it by maybe around 6 p.m. Eastern, 9 p.m. Pacific (which is, oddly enough, the original timeslot). I'm still interested in getting a few more brains on this.

Kings 2x01: "The Valley of the Shadow"

It was an unusually warm evening in Gath. Winter showers were giving way to the first days of Spring. The barricades in the road were rusted by the difficult winter. David leaned against one for a moment to catch his breath. It felt cold and moist, bringing back memories of working on the farm. How long ago that seemed now. He shook off the nostalgia. There wasn't much time to rest.

The road he traveled could, at any moment, be overrun with Gilboan military, desperately searching for the man who physically accosted their beloved king. His beloved king? He moved on, heading away from the only home he'd ever known.

The road seemed abandoned, but it seemed prudent to stay on paths beside the road just in case there was need to hide. Boredom kept pulling David to thoughts that made him feel sick. Michele was left behind. His mother was left behind. Chaos was left behind. And the reverend...

"David Shepherd, son of Jesse, son of Judah, know this: you were chosen to be the new king." The words rang in his soul, deeper than anything ever said or saw. David was given God's favor, but found himself even deeper in doubt than ever before.

The unwelcome preoccupations in David's mind had managed to allow the time to pass quickly. In no time, he had covered many miles, and was now well past the border. It had occurred to David that he had no place in the strange land, but he continued on. Soon thoughts of Michele and life in Shiloh were replaced by thoughts of the road ahead. Was he looking for a sign? Had he missed one? Were the signs really real?

A shape appeared over the hill ahead of him. He quickly moved to the side of the road and moved into a thicket. The shape soon became a military transport. Then another. And another. As each transport passed, David watched as Gath troops were being moved toward the border. Gath was much more militaristic than Gilboa had become. It wasn't uncommon for Gath to be refereed to more as a military than a government in some circles in Shiloh. Once the troops had passed, David started back toward the road.

Suddenly there was a hissing sound. David froze. He had unknowingly stepped very near an asp, a snake that carried with it dangerous venom. He slowly moved his hand to his back and retrieved his gun. He stopped. What if the Gath soldiers hear the gunshot? They were still in sight, maybe 3/4 a mile down the road. He slowly drew the weapon, aimed and prepared to fire.

He moved his index finger to the trigger and started to squeeze when he saw a shadow above him. He looked up to see a single sparrow fly down and land on the head of the snake. The snake relaxed and the sparrow jumped off and landed next to it. The asp slowly slithered away and David holstered his gun, taking a deep sigh of relief.

The sparrow looked further down the road for a moment and then took flight moving further north, along David's path.

Just up the road was a small tavern. David managed to get a hold of some Gath currency on his way out of Shiloh. He pulled it from his pocket and counted it. "Only fifteen Bah," he said out loud. It was maybe enough for a warm meal and one night's stay at a cheap motel in Gilboa, but in Gath it could sustain him for maybe a week. He pulled up his collar and walked in, hoping against all odds that no one would recognize him.


"We've had a dark night in our fair Gilboa. My enemies... our enemies had their hands at our throats, but you did not waver. On this spot four months ago I asked for your trust, but you gave me more. You gave me your faith. Your faith and the favor of God himself drove me from the brink of death, back into my role as your king. I must ask you for further faith now, as I put our nation back on its path. The path of righteousness. I am forever humbled by the honor of serving you."

Silas looked over the crowd, over the armed riot police surrounding them. The crowd was unusually small, but that was to be expected after such a tumultuous time. They thought he was dead.
"Have faith, Gilboa. Have faith in your king."


As Silas walked from the podium to the sound of uninspired applause, he caught site of his queen. Rose had looked ill for weeks, ever since the trial of David Shepherd. Silas brushed it off as stress before, but caught himself wondering if there wasn't something she was hiding from him. He continued on. Forsythe was babbling in his ear about this and that, how Crossgen's takeover of UNN meant that getting his speeches broadcast would become more and more difficult.

"Tell them if they want to operate in my country, they'll allow the people to hear what it is I have to say. I'll hear nothing else of it."

Thomasina rounded the corner and caught the king's eye. "We've not been able to locate Cross or Shepherd, Sir, I..."

"We don't discuss that in the open." Nothing else needed to be said. Thaomsina looked down, trying more than anything not to judge her king. He was a great man, I owe him my life, she thought. The ideas seemed to become more and more shallow as time went on.

Forsythe continued on, "The new energy initiative is draining the DoE accounts. We're going to need another seventy to eighty million from the reserves to cover the cost of completing the geothermal plant. Also..." he hesitated, "there's a riot at the solar array building site."

Silas stopped in his tracks, fire burning in his eyes. "Damn them," he said under his breath. "Damn them for forcing me to do this." He ordered the second infantry unit to quell the riot, temporarily cooling his temper.


The royal residence had always seemed a cold place to Jack, but in tandem with his living under guard without the freedom to leave, to love, it was seeming more and more like a dungeon. The freezing stone floors of his room meant staying mostly in bed or at his desk for over a week now, with no end in sight. His ambitions at king had nearly lead to patricide, and then to becoming a puppet boy-king. It all seemed so stupid now. He should have done it on his own. He should have stood for himself and loved his country more purely, purely like David. He should have stood up for Joseph instead of forsaking him.

Joseph, Jack thought. Joseph, I need you. Just then the door opened. Lucinda was smiling meekly at the guards, a clear sign that she still felt subservient in her role as fiancee to the prince. She walked in quickly, nervously, but warmed as soon as her eyes met Jacks'. Jack's torture wouldn't be complete without feeling love he could never hope to reciprocate.

"I'm here for anything you need," she said with absolute truth in her voice. Jack was finding her more and more difficult to simply pity. Not only did she have her uses—she'd snuck him an unlisted mobile phone—but she was making strides in becoming more articulate, more intelligent even. She continued, "I've not been able to figure out a way to get you a computer, but I swear I'll figure something out. I don't want you to feel alone." She kissed him on the cheek.

"Don't... don't take any unnecessary risks. My father wouldn't have any reason not to make you disappear should you be discovered. I'll be fine with the TV and the..." he gestured to his pocket, which housed the phone. "Just sit with me a while."

They both moved over to the window sill, the only truly warm place in the room, and sat. The people below, walking through the courtyard with such purpose, seemed a million miles away from Jack. Lucinda put her arm around Jack's stomach from behind him and leaned her head against his back.

So this is hopelessness, Jack thought. His eyes wandered aimlessly across the grass to the trees. He thought he'd seen a familiar face for a second, so he focused. There was a figure behind an oak tree. Jack squinted and leaned forward. The figure moved out from behind the tree and Jack stopped breathing.

Joseph....


Joseph's appearance struck Jack to his very core. He managed to catch his breath before passing out. Lucinda noticed the change, "Are you okay? You seem jumpy all of a sudden."

Jack couldn't respond. Joseph, perhaps the love of Jack's life, assassinated by the king, was standing in the middle of the courtyard not fifteen feet from the kitchen where Silas was having lunch. He felt frantic, he had to do something, but he was detained. He rubbed his eyes or a moment and Joseph was gone.

"I... I just need to be left alone for a while," was enough to get Lucinda out of the room. Jack turned away from the window and walked toward his bed.

How the hell is this possible... Joseph... Jack felt as it he was having a breakdown. Just as the door closed behind Lucinda, a shadow fell across the room, over Jack. Jack clenched his fists, trying to will his way back to reality. A hand took Jack's fist in it, and softened it, interlocking fingers.

"No, no, damn it, I'm not going insane. I need to get out..."
"I'm here, Jack. I'm here"

Tears running down his face, Jack turned to see before him a face he never thought he'd see again. "How...? How is it possible?"

Jack moved to embrace Joseph, but found nothing there. He stood staring blankly.

A voice called out to him, "I'm here, but I'm not here like I was before. But I am, as always, here for you. I love you."

An aberration moved from a shadow and took the shape of Joseph, and he sat down at the foot of the bed.

"Time was stolen from us, Jack. Time was stolen and now your life is being stolen. Even in death I can't allow this to go on. I had to come back, to help you. I swear to God, Jack, I will help you."

Jack stood, dumbfounded. Is this madness, or has a prayer actually been answered?


David managed to make his way to a back booth without anyone making eye contact. He wondered what everyone would be thinking of him; tattered, muddy jeans and old shoes, face covered in sweat.

The waitress stopped by, not looking up from her notepad, "Ready to order?"

"I'll have the chicken sandwich with a soda and a plain salad, no dressing," he handed over the menu, still looking down.

"We're out of the chicken. Would you like the bacon?"

David's eyes raised up to meet hers without thinking. Pork had been banned from Gilboa for decades after a breakout of flu. David thought back to how his mother had explained the situation, "Back then we didn't have a federal health agency or a centralized medical system. If you got sick, the best most people had was a local doctor, and very few of the doctors had the means to treat something like the boar flu. The king decreed that never again would such an unclean animal meet the lips of one of his citizens." The meat always carried with it a stigma much more powerful than the risk of a simple disease, though. It was a way people differentiated themselves from people outside of Gilboa. It was a way for the Gilboans to feel superior. Looking back, David felt very childish for going along with it. It started him thinking about other ways that he had been taught to feel somehow superior when the waitress cleared her throat.

"The bacon sounds just fine," he replied.

The tavern wasn't really much to look at, it was a shack by Gilboan standards. People were mostly eating quietly, and there were a few families in the front. He wondered how common a warm meal was in the South of Gath. As David scanned the room he spotted a cabinet grand piano sitting against the back wall, covered in the cup stains and nicks of a thousand patrons. It struck David that the piano seemed out of place there, as if he'd stepped into an old pioneer movie and at any minute some rough cattle ranchers would come through the door and order up hard drinks.

The waitress came around the corner and put the plate in front of David. He found himself intoxicated with the smell. The waitress grinned for a second and moved on, "Enjoy."

He did. It was the most delicious thing David had ever eaten in his life, even putting the cuisine of the king's own chefs to shame. The bacon was crunchy, salty, and very flavorful. He ate every last crumb off the plate and sat back for a moment, allowing himself a brief respite from thoughts of where he would go in Gath or what he had left behind in Gilboa. For a few short minutes, David felt a simple pleasure.

As he was getting up to leave, he left a big tip and started thinking of times ahead. He was making his way toward the door when the waitress stopped him. "I saw you eyeing the piano earlier. That poor old thing hasn't been properly used in years. If you can play, I'd give you that sandwich on the house."

David did feel the pull to the piano, the same pull he'd felt months ago on the night when he met Michele. She felt so far away, it seemed that if he were to just play one piece she'd be a little bit closer. There's no way anyone would recognize me, he rationalized. One piece wouldn't hurt. "Okay."

His hands meet the keys. They were warm, the wood of the keys long exposed. He tested a key... the sound wasn't bad. Had someone kept it in tune? Without thinking, his fingers were in place, his hands falling on D flat major chord. The arpeggiations flowed, just as they had the night he met Michelle, as the notes of Liszt's "Un Sospiro" flowed from behind the piano. The noise and talking in the tavern quickly silenced, the people of Gath listened silently.

David hadn't felt peace for a very long time. The world became so simple when playing the piano; just enough concentration was supplied to play the piece, the rest reserved to enjoy the beautiful melodies. The complexities of politics, morality, religion were replaced by crescendos and, inevitably, decrescendos. As his hands met the last notes, a memory spoke to David from the past: "You're not supposed to be playing that." He looked up, but saw no princess in a flowing red dress.

The people in the tavern exploded into applause. The cook came out from the back, wiping off his hands with a tattered towel, and took David's hand, "That was marvelous, son!" Shouts of "Encore!" came from the people. He smiled, I have to move on, but I don't even know where I'm going, he bargained with himself. David indulged in another piece, "Pavane" by Ravel.

"It's been a long time since anyone's turned this place into a concert hall," the cook said as he sat down David and handed him another bacon sandwich, wrapped up for the road. "Consider this my way of saying thank you. Good luck, David."


Ground troops quickly and silently made their way from helicopters to the site of the solar array. Before them was a group of builders and other manual laborers, contracted from the Port of Prosperity to build a new source of energy for a country they would soon only neighbor.

A young man, not even 18, stood in front of the crowd and screamed, "This is MY land! These are being built with MY hands! Not only does Silas give away our homes, but now he doesn't even honor paying us for our work! How can I feed my family once we're a part of Gath if I'm not paid?" Just as he turned there was a sound like a whisper from behind the tree lines and he fell lifeless to the ground. A woman screamed just as more whispers started from all around the group of workers as they scrambled to flee. As movement from the crowd stopped, the troops advanced from their secure positions to make sure there were no survivors. Their job had been done.

A crew showed up and started picking up the bodies and putting them in trucks to be disposed of. The dirt was swept over, covering the blood. All evidence that there had ever been a disturbance was erased.

After seven hours of not moving a muscle, Derek, the photographer that had responded to a tip, moved his cramped arms and put his camera away. As he slowly made his way away from the array site, he sobbed silently.


David's hands were shaking, so he clasped them together, acting as if they were cold. There's no way he heard the cook correctly. It must have been a mistake.

The cook smiled, "Look, it's okay, kid. I'm pretty sure everyone in this place knows exactly who you are. You're among friends here."

David looked unconvinced, and terrified.

"My son is 17 years old last week. He's trying to get into a good school up north, but he was going to be drafted into the military. He would have been serving on the front lines, he probably would have been killed. The thought of him alone, on his own, freezing in a ditch somewhere... You saved him. You saved him along with ten thousand other sons, brothers, and fathers. Didn't you hear about the petition?"

David was in shock, "No... petition...?"

"About 2 months ago there was a petition making the rounds. Rumor has it, the thing started right here in the South, but by the time everything was said and done, it had 2 millions signatures, nearly a third of the entire population. It was a petition to name you a national hero of Gath, David. It even made it to the Senate before the military stepped in and quashed it." The cook leaned in, "As long as you avoid the military, you're going to find friends in the people of Gath. You were a real godsend. We're not going to forget that." With that, he gave David a warm pat on the back and went back to the kitchen. David turned to see his waitress standing there. She gave him a big hug. Slowly all of the people stood and greeted David, shaking his hand and even giving him money. He left the tavern with a renewed sense of hope.

David closed his eyes and whispered, "Thank you. I'll.... I'll never doubt you again."

From beside him, David heard Reverend Samuels reply, "He knows."


*note: no, Joseph is not a cylon.

Thoughts?

Is anyone interested in more of these?

Much better than other fan fiction I've seen... I'm just not a fan of fan fiction :) I like how you threw the opening sequence in there ;)

Wow, I haven't been keeping up with the show since they moved the time slots. So is it worth going back to it and finishing up the season? I liked what I saw, but I couldn't watch it at the new time and it eventually was forgotten by me.

I'd check it out on Hulu. I believe the entire series is there. Then, after watching, call/e-mail/write NBC!

I just watched this entire first season. It was good suspense. Far too slow moving though.