Whether you’re religious or just a medieval fan, Of Kings and Prophets is sure to satisfy both needs.
1,000 years before Christ, Saul (Ray Winstone), King of the Israelites planned to unite the twelve tribes of Israel in order to defeat the Philistine army. To achieve this, he and his wife, Queen Anohim (Simone Kessell) gave their daughter Merav’s (Jeanine Mason) hand in marriage to Mattiyahu (Matt Whelan), a son of Juda. All seemed well at first but uniting the tribes would prove extremely challenging. Saul would soon face opposition, betrayal from those closest to him, and an unlikely opponent on his path to peace.
After returning home from a bloody and exhausting battle, Saul prepared for his daughter’s wedding to Mattiyahu. The celebration was soon cut short as Saul was informed by Mattiyahu’s father that before their children were to be wed, Saul must have the blessing of the prophet, Samuel (Mohammed Bakri). That did not stop the lovers from having forbidden trysts though. While meeting with Samuel, Saul receives some unexpected and unfortunate news: Samuel will not give his blessing until Saul and his army slay the Amalekites, another one of Israel’s enemies. At first, Saul questions this command but ultimately decides to see it through.
Meanwhile, in Bethlehem, a young shepherd named David (Olly Rix) set off to pay his father’s debt due to their sheep being killed by a lion. He tried to explain this to the debt collector in Gibeah but Anohim ordered him to be flogged as punishment. David then suggested that if he kill the lion, his family’s debts would be paid, to which the Queen agreed. Later that night, David tracked the lion to its cave, slayed it with his sling, and brought it to the palace. Anohim was so impressed by his feat that she decided to make him Saul’s personal harp player.
Saul continued to feel uneasy about Samuel’s order, especially that he did not possess the necessary weapons for battle. He later hatched a scheme to have Mattiyahu go before King Achish (Nathaniel Parker) of the Philistine army and ask for a shipment of weapons, only to divert them to Gibeah. The exchanged quickly turned deadly as Achish knew of Mattiyahu’s upcoming nuptials to Merav and stabbed him through the heart. When Saul and his men rode out to the desert, they saw Mattiyahu’s body being dragged by a horse, leaving the King saddened and with a deep feeling of guilt. Alas, RIP Mattiyahu. You and Merav made a handsome couple.
Things only grew worse for Saul as things went on. For one, Samuel was displeased at the fact that Saul decided to keep the Amalekite king alive instead of killing him with the rest. Saul explained the reason for his actions were that he wanted all of Israel to know how their enemies would be treated. Samuel did not care for Saul’s explanation, saying that he disobeyed the word of God, and because of that he would be taken from the throne. Soon after, the people began to question Saul’s rule, leading his son, Ishbaal (James Floyd) to order Samuel be killed. Samuel being a prophet and all, saw this coming of course, and was able to avoid death at the last second.
“If he [God] cannot be questioned, what is his purpose?” - Saul
It seemed that the only person Saul could confide in was his his mistress (Christina Chong), a palace servant. When we say he told her everything, he told her everything. If the show were set in modern times, we know he would’ve given her complete access to his bank account and his social security number while he was at it. Tsk tsk tsk. She may have looked sweet but she was a snake in the grass. In secret, she was actually meeting with Achish and planning to betray Saul! For whatever reason, she really hates him and wants to see the look on his face when he’s no longer sitting on the throne. See, Saul? These girls ain’t loyal.
Even the twelve tribes wanted no part of him because of Samuel’s prediction. Only from the persuasion of Anohim did they finally pledge their allegiance and a royal banquet was thrown in their honor. As David played his harp, the son of one of the tribal leaders approached him and asked how he was able to slay the lion. The boy then gave him a piece of silver which David immediately recognized as Philistine. Yep, the tribal leader was in cahoots with Achish as well! And the mistress knew all about it! This information burdened David so much, he felt compelled to inform Saul, even though his cousin Joab (David Walmsley) warned him to stay out of royal affairs.
Saul then felt David was the only one he could trust, not knowing of his mistresses’ actions. He decided to put the tribal leader to death, along with his son and daughter, which devastated David. When the dust settled, David decided to return home to Bethlehem, feeling uneasy about Saul’s decision. He wished that he would never know the responsibilities of being king but his wish would not be answered, at least for the time being. When he arrived home, he noticed Samuel sitting at his dinner table along with his father. Samuel said that he dreamed about David and that he was destined to become the next king. He then anointed his head with oil as the screen faded to black.
Conclusion/Final verdict: Of Kings and Prophets is a captivating biblical drama that’s filled with heart.
We began rooting for David since the moment he first appeared on screen. Olly Rix does a fantastic job in making him so charismatic and innocent. Not to mention, he’s easy on the eyes. We also enjoyed the great on-screen chemistry he shares with Walmsey and Maisie Richardson-Sellers who plays Saul’s other daughter, Michal. Their characters would make a really cute couple; it’s so frustrating that Anohim possibly ruined any chance of that happening by summoning him in the dead of night and forcing herself on him, despite his protests. Let’s hope Michal never finds out about that, yeah?
Saul has our sympathy. He reminds us of Ned Stark from Game of Thrones in that he cares more about his family (and the Lord) than sitting on the throne. We really admire that about him. Whether or not Ray Winstone is religious in real life, he does a wonderful job submerging himself in the character and delivering his lines in a heartfelt manner. Most kings, whether fictional or not do end up becoming tyrants and it’s possible Saul will too as the series progresses, especially with the slaughtering of innocent women and children, but we can’t loathe him just yet. If he continues down that road however, it will be very easy for us to do so.
Huge compliments to Of Kings and Prophets’ cinematographer and casting director! The opening credits as well as the images in both Samuel and David’s dreams are incredibly breathtaking and lifelike. It’s almost as if we were experiencing it in the theaters in IMAX 3D! Bravo to the casting director for actually taking the time to choose actors that look like they are from Israel or have Israeli blood in them, with the exceptions of a few. With the entertainment industry’s casting these days, it’s refreshing that they got it right this time. Don’t let the fact that this series is a biblical drama dissuade you from giving it a chance. It has a good plot and great characters and we are very much look forward to seeing how it all plays out.
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