Bidding farewell to Battlestar Galactica and extending a royal welcome to Kings

When it was announced over a year ago that Battlestar Galactica‘s fourth season would also be its last, I was both thrilled and terrified.  Thrilled because the show came dangerously close to losing its direction at several points during its junior year and, as Lost had already proven, setting an endpoint is a great way to get a series back on track.  And that’s exactly what happened—despite a few dud episodes here and there (as well as one major creative mistake, namely the laborious and illogical twist involving the true parentage of Tyrol’s son Nicky) Battlestar‘s fourth year has mostly been terrific, as everyone involved with the show—from the writers, to the actors, to the special effects guys—have challenged themselves to outdo what they’ve done before.

And I’d argue that this final run of episodes may be the most daring (though not the most successful) arc the powers that be have attempted yet.  A feeling of despair has always loomed large over the series—how could it not when the premise of the show involves the extinction of the human race?—but in the past, it’s been held at bay by hope: hope in finding Earth, hope in the leadership of President Roslin (Mary McDonnell) and Admiral Adama (Edward James Olmos), and hope in humanity’s basic decency.  With the revelation that the home they had been searching for all along was actually a bombed-out husk, those hopes vanished and despair ran amok.  Over the past nine episodes, many characters have died (at their own hand and the hands of others), others have mutinied and even the strongest of them—that would be the steely Adama—have broken down.  In other words, it’s been a rough few weeks for the folks aboard the Galactica and those of us watching their exploits at home.  Series mastermind Ronald D. Moore could be accused of wallowing too much in emotional pain, but I admire how he’s remained committed to this unavoidably grim vision of humanity’s last days.

Which brings me to why I was terrified of tonight’s two-hour finale.  After four years and some 80-odd hours of television, would Moore be able to craft an ending that would answer many of the show’s long-standing questions, send our favorite characters off in style and provide all the fireworks we expect from the final confrontation between the humans and the Cylons?  In short, would he stick the landing?  Or would he pull a David Chase and pass a non-ending off as an ending.  (For the record, I still admire the ballsiness of The Sopranos finale, but I can’t call it a satisfying ending.)

Having seen the last episode, which airs tonight at 9pm on Sci Fi, I can reassure those folks still scarred by memories of The Sopranos‘ abrupt cut to black that there’s no such finale interruptus in BSG‘s farewell.  This series does have an end—quite a few, in fact.  I’m bound by an embargo (as well as common decency) from providing any spoilers, but I will say that I expect the episode to provide plenty of fodder for discussion.  I don’t expect there to be much disagreement about the awesomeness of the first hour, which finds Adama leading a desperate charge deep into Cylon territory to rescue Hera, the half-human, half-Cylon offspring of Athena (Grace Park) and Helo (Tahmoh Penikett).  This is the pedal-to-the-metal battle royale that’s been brewing for four seasons now and, man, is it worth the wait.  The action is spectacularly choreographed and the intensity never lets up.  Best of all, this sequences offers a sight that warmed my geek-loving heart: numerous shots of the new BSG‘s redesigned robotic Cylons kicking the crap out of the Cylon models from the original ’70s series.  If these moments don’t make you stand up and cheer, than you better get your sci-fi nerd credentials checked.

And then, at the height of this gonzo free-for-all, the show literally makes a jump that completely changes the mood and tone of everything we’ve experienced so far.  What happens in the course of the remaining hour will undoubtedly divide BSG fans.  It’s been a few day since I’ve experienced it and I’m still sorting out my feelings.  Overall, I’m pleased with how the show draws to a close; there are some beautiful moments in the final act and, more importantly, this feels like the right ending for the crew of the Galactica.  At the same time though, the writing and pacing aren’t as smooth as they perhaps should be.  There’s a clunkiness to the proceedings that’s distracting at times and detracts from the emotional power of the where Moore takes the story.  In the past, BSG‘s grand thematic ambitions have led it to overreach dramatically and I think that happens here to a certain degree.  But the more I think about it, the more I like how the show signs off from the airwaves.  Sure it’s a little messy, but you’ll definitely be talking and thinking about it long after it ends.

We won’t be seeing another BSG anytime soon, but I’d like to make a quick plea for folks to start tuning into Kings (Sundays at 8pm), NBC’s hugely entertaining fantasy series, which premiered to low ratings last Sunday and is in desperate need of a viewership bump if its going to stick around.  Set in an alternate America that’s ruled by Silas (the magnificent Ian McShane), Kings is a 21st century re-telling of the famous biblical story of King David.  In this version, David is a young farm kid who becomes a war hero when he faces off against a Goliath—a massive enemy tank—and wins.  Brought to the capitol, he is initially taken under Silas’ wing, but the older man recoils when he witnesses a miracle that makes it clear that David will one day replace him as King.  That’s where the premiere ended last week and this Sunday’s episode picks up with lots more intrigue, as David is forced to go to extreme lengths to preserve the peace treaty his actions helped bring about, while unwittingly being targeted for an assassin’s bullet.  Rich in detail and filled with terrific performances, Kings is shaping up to be a solid replacement for Battlestar.  Here’s hoping a bigger audience discovers this unique, addictive series.

Click here to read about Battlestar Galactica‘s night at the United Nations

Click here to read GIANT’s interview with Galactica star Grace Park

Click here to read GIANT’s interview with Kings star Eamonn Walker

If you were a follower of HBO’s groundbreaking series Oz, then you remember Eamonn Walker. The British-born actor dazzled viewers for six years as Kareem Said, the radical Muslim activist who did his best to follow his own strict code of ethics…even though he often fell short. Walker plays another man of faith on NBC’s new drama, Kings, which premieres its two-hour pilot on Sunday at 8pm.

Taking place in an alternate universe where countries are still ruled by royalty, the series follows the exploits of one royal family, led by Walker’s fellow Englishman, Ian McShane. It’s a bold, creative series that makes excellent use of its talented ensemble. And if it becomes the hit it deserves to be, Walker could find himself with a whole new group of fans.

GIANT: So I have to admit that I was initially a little nervous when I sat down to watch Kings.  NBC’s ad department hasn’t done a great job selling it.
Eamonn Walker: Well, this is an alternate universe, so you can’t really draw on anything because there isn’t anything like it.  It’s very difficult to explain what it is.  The people that advertise it work in a different department from the people that write it.  Maybe they need to talk more often! [Laughs]

GIANT: They definitely do, because now that I’ve seen it, I’m completely hooked on the show and can’t wait to see what happens next.
Walker: So you’re an addict!  You’ve made my day.  The only thing I really want for audiences is to remain open and go on this journey with us.  We had a great and exciting time making this show.  If you open your heart to it, it will take you on an amazing journey.

GIANT: Your role on the show is fascinating, because you’re the one deeply religious man in a kingdom that’s more atheistic.
Walker: My character, Samuals, is based very closely on Samual from the Old Testament.  My reading of the Bible was that he was this old man and I knew I wasn’t going to play that.  So I focused on the friendship he has with the show’s version of David (played by Christopher Egan) and King Silas (Ian McShane), our version of Saul.  For me that was my springboard for who this man was.  He was a man-he had a direct line to God, but he was a man.  And in our story, that makes him very conflicted.

GIANT: It’s interesting that you’re so often cast as men of faith, from Kareem Said to Reverend Samuals.
Walker: I think its just coincidence.  In terms Kareem, that character came from working with [Oz creator] Tom Fontana on a very close level, as well as going up to 116th Street and forming an understanding about Islam and African-American society, because that wasn’t my background.  It was all research-trying to find a balance between the script and what was reality.  Kings is slightly different.  This is an alternate universe and Samuels is much more of a man of faith than Kareem was.  Kareem often stated that he had faith, but when his faith got pushed, it would buckle.  With this man, there’s no doubt in his mind.  Everyday he has conversations with God and in the show’s universe, conversations with God are very real.

GIANT: You had been a working actor in England for many years prior to Oz, but that show was definitely your breakthrough role here in America.  What was the transition between countries like?
Walker: It was very scary move across the Atlantic.  I didn’t know how it was going to be different — I only knew I was going to continue to work with the philosophy I had built up.  Luckily, I landed on Oz with Tom Fontana and all those wonderful actors.  Once the work started, I wasn’t thinking about the differences between England and America-I was just trying to get the character right.

GIANT: In a way, you were fortunate that your first American show was on a cable network since that model is closer to British television in terms of creative freedom.
Walker: American network TV sometimes has its hands tied by rules and regulations and at that time, HBO was the spearhead for change.  There were no regulations on cable — we could do everything and we had a writer like Tom Fontana who was brave and creative and willing to push taboo subjects without pushing messages into your head about what you should be thinking.  I think we changed American television.

GIANT: Funnily enough, you followed up Oz with a role on a conventional network TV procedural called Justice.
Walker: Yes, I did note the difference that I was on a more normal kind of track with that show.  I loved the experience of working with [Justice producer] Jerry Bruckheimer and all of that, but sitting around and asking the questions and letting other people act, made me go “I can do that!”  Towards the end of the show, they said “He wants to act, so give him something to act,” so I was lucky in that respect.

GIANT: You had a small role in last year’s Cadillac Records as well, playing legendary R&B singer Howlin’ Wolf.
Walker: I loved that character!  It was pretty scary having to do my own singing, because I don’t sing.  I mean, I sing to myself, but I don’t sing for other people to hear.  But working with Jeffrey Wright [who plays Muddy Waters] and Adrien Brody [who plays Leonard Chess] was fantastic.  I wanted to do way more with that character.  I still play the harmonica now.  Whenever I get a bit low, I pull out the harmonica and I’ve got two or three tunes I can play and am getting more all the time.  It’s a wonderful instrument.

GIANT: Is there are role you haven’t played yet that you’re eager to take on next?
Walker: When I was a young actor, because of my size, the role I thought was going to come was Othello.  So unbeknownst to anyone, I rehearsed and practiced for years before it actually arrived.  I’ve played Othello twice now.  There’s loads of characters I’d love to play, but that’s not where I come from primarily.  The best way to describe it is that I have a kind of spider-sense-when I read a script and I tingle, I want to do it.  Most of the time, I’m looking for the creative juices to flow and if I can feel someone else’s juices flowing through a piece of writing, I get really excited about it.  Over the summer, I shot this series in England called Moses Jones.  It’s about people who live in that country under asylum.  If they go home they’re more or less dead, but in England they’re not allowed to work or own anything and they’ve got to survive while they’re papers get sorted out, which can take 12 years.  That was the kind of script that made me go, “Wow.”

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