At the heart of Kings is a question of just how good our ostensible protagonist actually is. David Shepherd, like his biblical counterpart, doesn't quite fall on one side of the good/evil continuum. Though he's earnest and holds nobility in high regard, at least intellectually, the connection between his heart and mind is a tenuous one at best. Burdened with his reputation as a giant-killer, the truth behind David is that his supposed moments of courage are actually just attempts to avoid something he fears more deeply.

I haven't been a big fan of the David and Michelle romance plot, mostly just because it's been a time-wasting soap opera that feels like a weak attempt to drag a younger audience to this now-dead show. In the past two episodes, though, that subplot has taken on a new depth. Rather than be a story about the good guy getting the girl, it's a meditation on broken promises and the failure of honor in the face of passion. For a show like Kings, lofty concepts like that are becoming.

This episode splits its time evenly between Silas's annual "pilgrimage" to his recently re-embraced second family and the dramas of the court he leaves behind. Taking David with him to meet his lover and their son, Silas puts more trust in David than he does in anyone else in his life. This only makes the betrayal of David's secret romance sting all the more. As Silas and David tend the garden, a quiet metaphor in itself, they share a number of important moments that all point to one thing: David inheriting Silas's crown, whether either of them want it or not.

Back in Shiloh, two scandals inconveniently hit the royal family at the same time. William Cross, at Queen Rose's request, breaks into David's apartment and steals his possessions, including the camera bearing the intimate photos of Princess Michelle. Longing to make his father proud and also to attack the Benjamins, Andrew Cross steals the camera and leaks it Katrina Ghent. This was the first time we really got to spend a decent amount of time with Andrew. Macaulay Culkin lends the role an unsettling air, a sort of quietly vindictive boyishness that suggests an ocean of darkness just below the surface.

To make matters worse for the royal family, Jack's lover has killed himself, but not before recording an incriminating confession of love and sending it to every major news outlet in Shiloh. Queen Rose gets her hand on a copy and promptly orders all mail in the city to be delivered to the palace so she can nip the controversy in the bud. Unfortunately, Katrina Ghent gets her hands on the video first.

Katrina Ghent could be a lot more interesting than she actually is. She's conniving and vengeful, but her motivations are murky. She entered the series trying to simply salvage her tarnished public image, but now she's transformed into an all-out enemy of the royal family for no particular reason. I don't quite buy that a series of comparatively minor slights would drive her to destroy whole lives at the risk of her own, but I guess this show needs more drama-generators.

Long story short, neither controversy makes it to the public, but Ghent leverages this to get Jack on her side. In a single season, Jack has been manipulated into betraying both of his parents, just in case anyone had any doubts that he's basically disqualified for the crown. At least he gets to be somewhat noble in this episode, saving his sister even though she comes out and reveals her secret romance to Silas anyway. With all of this new drama, things are certainly going to be awkward at the palace for the remainder of the series.

Best Moment: Silas staring into the fire at the end. Though Kings makes him out to be a harsh, intense man most of the time, the truth is that Silas is a person of deep emotions. The hurt on his face knowing that David betrayed his confidence a mere moment after Silas granted it to him was just heartbreaking.

Biggest Shock: This episode was all shocks, wasn't it? I guess I'll just take this time to mention the one shock I didn't have time for in the article. David gets named Silas's new advisor. He's now basically one step away from the crown.

Episode Rating: 4.5/5- The controversy plot, while interesting and portentious, was a tad bit contrived. Otherwise this was a great episode. It was nice to get a break from the overt mysticism, as much as I like that part of the show. Silas and David gardening was an especially powerful element, made even more powerful by its versimilitude. The metaphor is clear: If the garden is the kingdom, there is no way it can survive if both Silas and David try to tend it.