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Kingdom, Ep. 1.07, “Animator/Annihilator” finds everyone lacking a clear goal

At the very least, Kingdom uses the questionable decisions made last week to its benefit during “Animator/Annihilator”, leveraging the Keith cliffhanger and the Joanna situation into more believable character moments, which is what it does best. The episode still feels incredibly disjointed and aimless, but watching the characters struggle through issues that have been building throughout the season offers focus on an individual level if not a broader one. Even so, there isn’t enough of a cornerstone in each of the existing plots to make either the escalation of conflicts or the resolution of issues feel momentous. Ryan’s struggles on the road to being ready for a fight is only as interesting as his most recent breakdown thus far, and his manic episode in the gym isn’t all that interesting or new until Alvey comes along. Christina’s motivations are still murky and so are Lisa’s true feelings about her, leaving that whole love triangle all but ineffective. It’s a problem that will hopefully resolve itself before the season finishes, but right now all the stories are up in the air in a way that doesn’t give a clear idea of who to root for.

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Kingdom, Ep. 1.01, “Set Yourself on Fire”: Come on down to Navy Street

Kingdom is a different beast for the land of pay cable shows. Byron Balasco — he of such procedurals as Without a Trace, Detroit 1-8-7, and FlashForward — wrote the script on spec. DirecTV’s third scripted series ever (not counting their role as savior of Friday Night Lights) and only the third show out of Endemol Studios, the show is very much a mix of experience and newer hands both behind the camera and in front of it. Balasco’s expertise in the world of MMA is sketchy at best, and before now he was better know as an executive producer or co-producer than a show runner. Even after taking all of this into account, the pilot is a more cohesive look at the damaged and problematic Kulinas and their extended Navy Street Gym family than it has any right to be.

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