The Moral of Kings: No Queens Allowed

The series finale of Kings aired last night. If you have episodes taking up valuable DVR space--or are dutifully waiting for a DVD release--beware spoilers below.

For the handful of us who persevered to the bitter end, it was most bitter for the viewer whose sympathies were engaged by Sebastian Stan's Jack. It would seem that all of the other major characters were granted some measure of redemption, some chance at future happiness. Not so, poor Jack.

Some background: Jack is the king's son, heir to the throne of Shiloh. He is a soldier, respected by his company of men. He is petty, blithe, venal, rageful, jealous, and gay.

Guess which one of those attributes is a problem for father and country? The king makes it clear that Jack can not be what he is and be his son or future king. Interestingly, there is no codifying his nature as something transient or correctable. His father never suggests Jack will need to get over his gayness, just that he will have to deny it forever.

This slim distinction actually represents a kind of quantum leap. Usually in these morality plays the heteronormative character is rather adamant about denying or pathologizing any queer proclivities. The fact that both his parents know and accept his true desires and glibly expect their son to repress himself always is, to my mind, more chilling than simple denial. They are consciously unkind.

But wait, there's more. After Jack has the temerity to stand up to his father, to believe he can lead as himself and not as a fraudulent clone of his dad, that dancing ledge is also made to crumble. When his rebellion is quashed, Jack is isolated from all, save one.

The series concludes with him in captivity with his fake fiancée. It is his evil father's order that he will produce an heir that is less disappointing than himself.

Boy, kinda makes you long for the days when the two guys on Thirtysomething just couldn't touch each other in bed.

Kings was a sometimes nifty, mostly turgid and pretentious show where nobody got off easy. Sort of a modern feudal Sopranos. But no character suffered as much as Jack, and no one deserved some meager serving of grace as much either. The fact that none will ever be offered may not be due to homophobia on the part of its creators, but it might be indicative of something more unfortunate, still.

Because while the show's fictional characters may have been the ones to treat Jack's homosexuality as a crime, it was their real-life writers who meted out his (now everlasting) punishment. In a show full of portentous messages and allegories, the one we divine from Jack's depiction is this: If you're gay, your country might let you fight, but you'll always lose the war.