Kings Episode 1.07 The Sabbath Queen

At King Silas Benjamin's birthday party, his guests present him with gifts. Hansen is nervous at the open access to the king, and wants to pre-screen everything since Silas received death threats this morning. However, Silas refuses to duck at the sound of every quacking loon. Queen Rose asks him to reconsider inviting Andrew, William's son, but he won't. At home, William gets word that Silas hasn't changed his mind just as Andrew appears, dressed for the party. William pretends he suddenly doesn't want to go, but Andrew figures out that he's not invited. In support of his son, William stays home as well.

Jack brings Lucinda Wolfson, his stunning new girlfriend to the party as the press broadcasts it live. She's nervous in front of the press, especially when meeting Rose and Silas. Meanwhile, Michelle finds David and asks why he's being distant with her. He says because she's promised to someone else.

Silas toasts to the city of Shiloh and thanks everyone for coming. Behind him, a light show dances against the sky, impressing the guests. Just as Silas steps to blow out the candle on his giant cake, the entire city of Shiloh loses power. William, also affected by the blackout at home, wishes Silas a happy birthday. Thomasina says everything is down, including communications. Hansen assures them that none of their enemies are claiming responsibility for it. Rose can't believe this happened on Silas' birthday and is more concerned with the humiliation factor. They'd asked the citizens of Shiloh to watch the skies, only to have them go dark.

Michelle invites David outside to stroll among the darkened streets. Michelle sees it as permission to steal away for the night, as no one can track them. Meanwhile, security tells Silas that PFC Chris Beals, who issued the death threats over Port Prosperity, was just seen outside Altar Mansion. The service pursued him, but Beals, who was armed, escaped. Even worse, they report that Michelle is gone, last seen going toward the river where Beal is reported to have run. At that, Silas hears a woman say his name, then music. He asks if anyone else hears it, but he's the only one.

The music prompts a memory -- years, ago, Silas leads a council meeting when Shiloh was still being built. The ministers give him the dire casualty reports from the war with Gath and contemplate the consequences of retaliation. Silas is concerned, but not about the war. He can only think about Michelle, who is sick in the hospital. He asks about her. When told she's the same as before, meaning not well, he abruptly leaves the meeting. Rose sees, and tells Chancellor Scholar that she can see Silas isn't himself. Michelle's illness has left him unable.

Another flashback: at the same hospital where Michelle is being treated, Jessie, David's mother, updates her sons on their father's condition after being injured in the war. She tells them it's bad, but he can hear them if they talk to him. David bows his head just as Silas walks by, going to see Michelle. Neither sees the other. The doctor gives Silas a grim prognosis for Michelle, but Silas won't accept it. He brings her a gift, the book "A Sabbath Queen," which he reads aloud at her bedside. Back in the present, stirred by the memory, Silas demands for every living body at the party to look for Michelle.

At the pier, Michelle and David slow dance at an impromptu acoustic concert. They almost kiss, but Michelle worries someone will see. David reminds her she's a girl in the dark who can do whatever she wants. Meanwhile, Jack glibly looks for Michelle. He sits on a stoop where a woman offers him a beer. She asks if he's the prince. He asks if she's going to freak out on him. She doesn't, just says that in the dark you can be anyone you want. Lucinda calls for Jack. The woman sees he's not answering her. When Lucinda runs over to the stoop, Jack's gone. His new friend doesn't give him up.

Silas is reaching a breaking point, loading a gun and yelling at everyone around him that they need to find Michelle. Thomasina assures him they're all looking for her. Silas hears the music again and becomes spooked. "Oh you don't dare. You don't come," he says to no one. Rose is very concerned by his erratic behavior. Silas goes up to the library, where he sees a book has been removed from the shelf. He hears his name again, followed by a thud. He shines a flashlight toward noise and sees "The Sabbath Queen" on the floor. He opens it, but the last pages have been torn out.

Another flashback: Silas reads "The Sabbath Queen" to Michelle again. He never reads her the end of the story to give her something to look forward to. To live for. He hears the music. Michelle wants the truth. Does she have time to wait for the end? Silas says that the doctors say no, he says otherwise. Michelle asks him to pray with her. He falls asleep, only to be awoken by the alarms when she crashes. Silas runs out into the hallway, screaming for a doctor. He turns around and sees an apparition of a woman. She opens her mouth, emitting the music, then vanishes.

Back in the present, Jack finds his ex-lover Joseph sitting on his stoop. At first, Joseph is afraid. The last time they saw each other, Jack broke up with him and had him thrown out of a club. He's stunned when Jack kisses him right there on the street. The lights are out, and like David and Michelle, they can enjoy it as a couple for the first time in public. They walk in the city, holding hands. Michelle brings David to the country house, where she shows him a painting that used to scare her. And, where she had her first kiss. They re-enact the moment, except now it's the way Michelle would have wanted it.

Rose, secretly acting for her incapacitated husband, relays "Silas's wishes" to have the transformer from Pella brought to one outside Shiloh. Hansen says they traced the source of the blackout to a single plant that had a switchboard malfunction. Rose is disturbed to learn that the plant is owned by CrossGen. She recalls the day that Michelle's organs failed. Though they were told Michelle wasn't going to recover, Silas refused to stop reading "The Sabbath Queen" at her bedside. Rose watches, finally breaks, but pulls it together when Chancellor Scroller arrives wanting a decision from Silas. Attack or retreat? Rose realizes she'll have to give the court "Silas's order."

The doctor councils Silas to tell Michelle that it's okay to go. Silas goes to her bedside and hears the music again. A voice says, "Finish the book." It's the Angel of Death, who says she enjoys watching Silas suffer more than most. He begs her to save Michelle. She offers Silas a deal, that he must step aside and give his crown to the better man when he comes along. Silas accepts and seals it in blood on the last pages of "The Sabbath Queen." "You'll wish I'd taken her," she says.

Rose finds William and Andrew enjoying caviar outside the CrossGen headquarters. "Look, a party everyone is invited to," William says, noting everyone outside. Rose accuses him of causing the blackout because Andrew wasn't invited to Silas' birthday party. William doesn't deny it, and says if they want to keep Andrew out in the cold, get used to living in the dark. She demands that he turn the lights back on. However, William refuses, saying they need to learn a lesson.

Flashback to court, where the council is frantic that they haven't heard Silas's decision on whether or not to go to war. Rose arrives with "Silas'" decision. She reads it as if for the first time. The decision -- to launch an attack on Gath at sunrise. They will cut Gath off from the sea and ruin its war machine. "So writes our king," Chancellor Scholar says.

At the country estate, David and Michelle spend a cozy night in front of the fire after making love. He takes her picture. At first she tells him to give it back. However, when David looks at the photo and marvels at how beautiful she looks, she tells him to take another one. She removes his shirt that she's wearing and tells him to keep shooting.

In the library, Silas hears a noise and breathing. The Angel of Death appears, holding up the page from "The Sabbath Queen" with Silas' bloody print on it. A reminder of his deal. Meanwhile, David presses Michelle to tell him whom she's promised to. She says it's not to a man, but to God. She promised to do His work if he let her live. Flashback: Michelle is recovering. She makes Silas promise to remind her of her vow to God if she strays. He's reluctant, but promises.

In the palace, just after Silas hears her voice again, Ivan finds him and alerts him that someone is in the house. He tells him to stay put as he clears the north wing. Seconds later, Silas hears gunshots and finds Ivan dead. He goes after the perpetrator and challenges them to come for him. Someone steps out of the dark, and Silas opens fire.

In Joseph's apartment, Jack and Joseph lay in each other's arms as the lights come on. Rose and her security are outside when the power returns to cheers. Andrew calls Rose and tells her that he turned the power back on, logging in as his father, who will be furious with him when he finds out. Rose coldly says that she'd rather live in the dark than owe him a thing, then hangs up. Silas sees he killed PFC Beals. Jack dresses to leave, Joseph asks if it was real. Jack says he's the only real thing he's ever touched. David tells Michelle he loves her. Despite the lights being on, they kiss.

Jack and Lucinda return to the palace, followed soon by Michelle and David. Michelle tells her relieved father that she wanted to go see the city with a friend who wouldn't let her go alone. "And a gentleman," Michelle adds. Silas thanks David, then sees the book with the last pages and bloody handprint on a side table. Silas visits Helen, who is surprised to see him. She thought he bargained her away. "If I die, I die with you," Silas says.

In a flashback, Rose remembers the day Michelle rallied, coined a miracle by doctors. Silas hears music and asks if Rose hears it too. She does, and he goes to find the source. Scholar arrives and learns that Silas is once again Silas. Rose says he'll be well rewarded for his service. Realizing he's being dismissed, he asks why. Rose says he saw the king break with greatness. Silas finds David playing piano in an empty room. David is surprised to see his king stands. Silas asks the name of the piece. David doesn't know. It's something his father, who just died, taught him. Silas asks him to continue. As he plays, Silas holds back tears.