And so we've come to it, the endgame of what will likely be a series famous for its cancellation. Michael Green's ambitious, frequently excellent Kings comes to a close with a tense, two-part finale, the first half of which aired just tonight. Kings is by no means a perfect show. I've definitely had my qualms with its pacing and its difficulty balancing plot progression with pristine detail. Luckily, none of those or any of the other admittedly few problems with the show popped up in "The New King (part one)".

The cliffhanger from last week was a bit misleading. It looked like there was going to be a coup right then and there, but this episode opened a day after David's trial and there definitely weren't any guns going off. Instead, Silas is preparing for the official handover of Port Prosperity to Gath, David has been disappeared to the same prison as the delightful Vesper Abadon, and Jack is in hiding.

I'm glad we got to spend some more time with ex-king Abadon before the series ended. Brian Cox has so much fun in the role and he's such an interesting character, I would have been happy to see him in more episodes than just the bookends. He gets to have parallel conversations with Silas and then later David. To Silas he offers the advice "It's better to be feared than loved", a final revenge intended to poison Silas's mind and turn him into a tyrant. To David, he says the exact opposite.

There was never any question that William Cross is a villain. His character deepened over the course of the series, but the monster in him was always just waiting for the right moment to come out. In an episode loaded with great lines, Cross has some of the best. In his explanation to eerie son Andrew, William talks about how he "was born fluent" in the language of politics, sneering with the same breath about the relative illiteracy of "General Benjamin". Because we're the viewers, afforded a certain amount of omniscience, we've been privy to the master strokes of his plan to take the throne. Too bad Jack doesn't watch NBC.

At the handover ceremony, an assassin planted there by Cross puts one, non-lethal bullet in Jack and two potentially fatal ones in Silas. At the same time, David is rescued from the firing squad at the last second by Cross's contingent in the military.

In a wonderful bit of staging, the king's court becomes the scene of a de facto hostage situation as Cross reveals that Jack is just the figurehead to legitimize his rule. The military and the media are both under Cross's control. The hard facts of money and guns are a cold splash of water after so many weeks of divine ordination and flowery speeches.

With Michelle's help, David escapes the palace and makes his way to the one place Silas has left to go, his country house with his second family. After reading him the riot act, David brings Silas out of his understandable funk, setting the stage for the last episode of the series.

Best Moment: Honestly, there are too many to choose from, so I'll just list my favorite scenes. Abadon talking to David through the wall, Rose's conversation with Reverend Samuels, and Silas saying to his (secret) son, "Come here, puppy. Remember when I told you about working for the king? I am the king."

Biggest Shock: The entire freaking episode.

Episode Rating: 5/5- The best we can hope for is that Kings goes out in style. So far, so good.