By Kim
In a hurry? Read the recaplet for a nutshell description! Finished? Click here to close.It's Judgment Day, where citizens of Gilboa present their legal cases, and ten are chosen for a final judgment by the king. Meanwhile, Ethan Shepherd is found guilty on all counts in his trial for treason, and David vows to fix it with the king, though his family still disowns him. Meanwhile, Jack is calling the shots in the Ministry of Information, while Katrina Ghent is the public figurehead as set up in the episode.
As Judgment Day One begins, Jack urges David to present his brother's case during Judgment Day, because one of the ten cases has dropped out. What David doesn't know is that his competition for becoming the tenth case is Michelle's health care issues. At David's behest, Michelle withdraws her case to clear the path for Ethan's case. Katrina Ghent (under Jack's direction) rules that Michelle's case is the one that will be heard, and then Jack tells David that his brother will probably get the death penalty unless Ethan recants, which of course Ethan refuses to do. The day, Ethan does get the death penalty.
The formerly exiled Andrew (Macaulay Culkin) and his father William join the king and his family, plus Katrina Ghent, for dinner. And Andrew secretly steals one of the queen's shoes. WTF?
Michelle begs Jack for help with the Judgment Day situation, and she realizes that Jack has set up David's whole situation, and thinks it's because he's jealous of David's success. Jack explains that he's more concerned that Michelle and David will get married and inherit the crown while he gets nothing. Michelle takes word to David that Katrina (i.e. Jack) wants him to denounce the king on the Port Prosperity issue in return for leniency in Ethan's sentence. David decides he can't do it, and later the king secretly tells him that Ethan won't be killed and will only have to serve six months if he can keep his mouth shut. Michelle goes to visit David and admits that she has feelings for him, but she's promised to someone else. She doesn't tell him who it is, though. And also, Jack is so despondent that his big scheming didn't work out that he has an assignation with his bodyguard, even though he promised his parents he wouldn't do that anymore.
Discuss this episode in our forums, then see what vlogger Sean Crespo thinks of Manhatt-- er, Gilboa in No Prior Knowledge!
Want more? The full recap starts right below!Previously on Kings: Silas awarded Katrina Ghent a Ministry position in name only, and assigned Jack to be the man behind the woman. Silas's bastard child got sick, and he made a deal with God that he would stop seeing his mistress if the child got better, which he did. David's brother Ethan committed treason over Silas's plan to give Port Prosperity back to Gath, and the ensuing trial estranged David from his family, because he chose his King over his family, which is just what Silas wanted.
Silas and his mistress are getting it on. I thought he gave her up? What the what? Oh, it turns out that it's Silas's fantasy, and he's actually doing it with his wife, Rose. She's none the wiser, and seems satisfied and convinced that Silas is ready for something called Judgment Day.
What's Judgment Day, you ask? Considering the Biblical roots of this show, I kind of thought it would be full of hellfire and brimstone, but not really. A handy news reporter explains that people who feel that justice was not done in their court cases can appeal to the king in hopes that their verdict will be reversed. There are thousands of applicants, and they are all waiting in the capitol building to find out if their cases were one of the ten chosen for Silas to consider. Jack and Michelle look down upon the people waiting, and Jack warns Michelle that her health care case probably won't be chosen. Apparently the Ministry of Information, Jack's new department, is the one that chooses the cases. Michelle doesn't believe that Jack actually let Katrina Ghent have any say in what was chosen, but Jack claims that's the case. This is the beginning of Jack trying to play Silas's game in this episode, and we'll soon see the results.
A horn blows and Silas appears on a balcony over his loyal subjects to give a speech about Judgment Day that includes a lot of "whereas." Silas blathers on about justice served, and the people are like, "Would you just tell us which cases got chosen?" Silas claims he will use Divine Wisdom to adjudicate, and then Snivelling Aide finally starts reading off the list of cases that will be heard as the people cheer. One of the cases involves Reverend Samuels, and he looks pissed. After the tenth case is announced, the people not chosen rip up their papers and scowl. Silas announces that Judgment Day will begin the morning.