TV Review: GAME OF THRONES - Episode 9 (Baelor)

So here we are, the penultimate episode of GAME OF THRONES.

There's just one episode left in this massive fantasy series the onscreen action and excitement is slowly being ratcheted to a fever pitch.

With casting for a second season already underway it’s comforting to know that my emotional investment of the past year won’t be for naught.

But first we should get our recappitude on so everybody is on the same page.

As always, spoilers abound, so if you don’t wanna know…DON’T READ!

Ned continues to waste away in a jail cell, visited only by Varys who tries to convince the stubborn lord to recant his statement about the validity of Joffrey's claim to the throne, if not to protect his own neck but to save the lives of his daughters.

Ned’s son Robb continues to lead Stark forces south towards King’s Landing in order to secure his father’s freedom. Hemmed in by a pair of Lannister armies and the Trident river, Catelyn Stark negotiates passage across the river with the crotchety Lord Frey by promising Robb’s hand in marriage to one of Frey’s many daughters.

At the army of Tywin Lannister, Tyrion passes a sleepless night playing drinking games and recounting the story of his brief marriage to his new paramour as well as his bodyguard, Bronn. Placed in the army’s vanguard Tyrion doesn’t think much of his chances for surviving the upcoming battle with Robb’s forces.

The next day, with Robb’s army seemingly on their doorstep, Tyrion rallies the hill people of the Vale to battle but is himself knocked unconscious by a wayward club before the two forces can meet. When he awakes Bronn informs him that the battle only involved a small portion of Robb’s army and that the bulk of his forces are still uncounted for.

Later it is revealed that Robb chose to fight Jamie Lannister’s forces instead, winning the encounter and capturing the former Kingsguard in the process.

Across the ocean Khal Drogo is revealed to be in near death, his sword wound from the last episode festering and weakening him. Unable to lead his people his wife Daenerys attempts to rule in his name. However the horse people are reluctant to take order from a woman, even their Khaleesi, and it is clear that as Drogo’s health fades his subjects are becoming increasingly rebellious.

Desperate to save her husband Daenerys implores the witch, Mirri Maz Duur, to save the Khal’s life using whatever means necessary. Mirri agrees, telling Daenerys that she can save her husband using blood magic but also warning that the cure might be worse than death itself. In a gruesome display, Mirri sacrifices the Khal’s horse and orders everyone out of his sickroom.

Finally, at King’s Landing, Ned agrees to recant his statement. Paraded in front of an angry crowd he confesses to treason and begs for mercy. Despite the counsel of his mother and others to strip Ned of his titles and send him to the Wall, Joffrey denies the Lord of Winterfell mercy and demands his head instead.

This show only gets better the further into its run we get. If we’re splitting hairs here I would have liked to have seen some of the Stark\Lannister fight scenes actually make it to the screen. With a show that purports to dream as large as this one does limiting the battle sequences to epilogue status only ultimately doesn’t feel very satisfying.

I suspect that budget got in the way (doesn’t it always). But considering how much the second book\season deals with the ongoing War of the Five Kings I’m hoping they’ll free up enough dollars to allow a little more action to hit the screen next time.

As the series progresses the clear standout performer for me is Peter Dinklage. Seriously, this guy is getting all the best bits to work with. While most of the cast is reduced to grim and frowny, Dinklage has seemingly portrayed the entire range of human emotion. His presence defines every scene and practically demands the audience’s attention at all times.

It's no secret that my interest in this show has waxed and waned over the course of the season. While clearly a high quality production I think I was a little let down by the fact that being overly familiar with the books meant that there were no real surprises for me to react too. However as the show continued to find its own voice I found myself more consistently being drawn in to the story and its inhabitants. In the end I think I was successfully able to put my reluctance aside and appreciate GAME OF THRONES on its own merits.

Now with THRONES and a disappointingly mediocre season of DOCTOR WHO wrapped for the year my biggest problem will be figuring out what to watch next. Any suggestions?

TV Review: Game Of Thrones Episode 8 (The Pointy End)

 

“What do we say to the god of death?” ~Syrio Forel

“Not today.” ~Arya Stark

What is there to say about the 8^th episode of HBO’s GAME OF THRONES titled THE POINTY END? Wow, where to start. This episode is amazing top to bottom. I suppose it helps that this one was written by the author himself George R. R. Martin who knows what to put in and what to leave out. Except it seemed like he covered an excessive amount of ground in this one!

Let’s begin with what we got to see.

-Syrio Forel’s defense of Arya and fight against the Lannister guardsmen, and his “last stand” against the nasty Ser Meryn Trant.

-Arya’s escape from Kings Landing after grabbing Needle and running a dirty stable boy through.

-Robb calls the Stark Bannermen with the intent on marching south, cutting through Jaime Lannister’s host in the hpes to reach Kings Landing and freeing his father.

-Catelyn, having lost Tyrion, received a letter from Sansa who says to come south and bend the knee to Joffrey, and her insane sister Lysa Arryn who won’t budge troops from the Eyrie, heads north instead to meet up with Robb on his way south.

-GreyWind (Robb’s Direwolf) takes two of GreatJon Umber’s fingers and he LAUGHS IT OFF!

-Varys visits Ned in the dungeon twice and talks to him about various things.

-Sansa is convinced by Cersei to write to Robb and ask him to come to Kings Landing and bend the knee to Joffrey.

-Tyrion and Bronn meet the men from the mountain clans, Shagga son of Dolf, Timmett son of Timmett, and Chella (ugly as sin Chella), brings them to his fathers host, where Tywin says if they fight for him they will get everything they desire and more.

-At the Wall two dead Ranger’s who died north of the Wall are brought into Castle Black for eventual burial.

-Jon Snow, while having been confined to his quarters by the Lord Commander for attacking drill sergeant Alliser Thorne, ends up on the receiving end of an attack by one of the dead Ranger’s who has risen zombie-like with blue eyes intent on killing the Lord Commander and Jon. Jon draws his sword but the blade has no effect, so instead he grabs a lantern burns the cursed thing.

-Daenerys going against Dothraki custom tells the Khal’s horde that they can no longer rape women of the enemy after a victory. The Khal backs her up and ends up in a fight with a raider who he quickly dispatched and takes a wound on the chest.

-Lastly, King Joffrey tells commander of the Kingsguard Ser Barristan Selmy that he is to retire (for not having defended his father well enough) and Barristan begrudgingly does so but not till after he’s pulled his steel and told the rest of the men that he could cut through them like cake. After that Sansa comes forward and pleads that Joffrey show mercy to her father, to which he agrees provided Ned bend the knee and proclaim him the rightful king.

Phew. That is A LOT for one episode, and I don’t know about you but for me it literally FLEW by. Everything fit here. There were no jarring moments or anything to take me out of the narrative. In fact the flow of how the scenes happened was quite deftly handled.

The acting of course was once again pretty much amazing across the board. I think this episode let’s Syrio Forel (Miltos Yorelemou) really shine. I mean this is one of his best scenes in the book and Yorelemou plays it absolutely gracefully. Loved every drop of that scene and since it was one of my top five scenes in the book it certainly is here as well. I also think that Richard Madden who plays Robb Stark really got to shine here as he totally takes command of the Banners and proves that he can lead them. Newcomer to the show Clive Mantel who plays The GreatJon Umber absolutely nails the role as to how I saw him in the books. Lastly I once again am mesmerized by Charles Dance (Tywin Lannister) as he brings such a depth of evil mastery to the role, even when he is one upped by scene-stealer Jerome Flynn (Bronn) “You wouldn’t know it.”.

All in all, it really was an amazingly progressive episode and the pieces are fast moving into place for the last two episodes of the season, and the culmination of the story from the first book. What more can I say? Everything in this episode was great. The acting, the dialogue, the sets, the tension. I have zero complaints in fact.

Oh and if you didn’t melt with emotion when Arya was running down the stairs with her wooden sword repeating “Not today. Not today. Not today.” As she had to leave Syrio to his fate, then you are cold and dead inside.

I think it’s going to be really great to get to see the battle of Whispering Wood in the next episode, and some of the other things that transpire of course.  I think the main thing I will have to worry about now is that I know how the 1^st book ends and I KNOW my gf is going to really want to know what happens next, but she’ll have to wait till 2012 to find out…unless I can convince her to read the second book.

TV Review: GAME OF THRONES - Episode 7 (You Win or You Die)

You know how you can tell you’re watching something on HBO?

Ten minute, not at all gratuitous, lesbian sex scene as backdrop for speechy monologue. That’s how.

If naked women isn’t your thing, don’t worry, there’s some brief wangitude later on in the episode. Just in case you should ever forget you’re watching adult and edgy cable entertainment.

Now, to the recapatorium.

Tywin Lannister lectures his son Jamie about the importance of the family name and freeing his brother Tyrion from control of the Starks, unaware that Tyrion has already managed to secure his freedom all by himself.

At King’s Landing Littlefinger coaches his new hire, the highly desirable Roz, in the ways of pleasure (see above) when he decides to speechify and reveal how he prefers clandestine political manoeuvrings over more direct forms of confrontation.

Meanwhile Ned Stark and Cersi Lannister continue their endless struggle for power, with Ned threatening to tell the King about her indiscretions with her brother unless she takes her children and leaves the capital. Its political one-upmanship with each character convinced they have the upper hand but seemingly unwilling to make any overt moves against the other.

Ned is summoned to the King’s chambers where it is revealed that Robert was accidently gored while hunting a bore. Ordering all his retainers out of his bedroom Robert gets Ned to draw up a will where he proclaims his friend to be the Regent and Protector of the Realm after he dies.

Across the Narrow Sea Khal Drogo, leader of the Dothraki, seems reluctant to invade Westeros. He has a change of heart when a traveling wine merchant makes a failed attempt to poison Daenerys and instead vows that one day his son will sit on the iron chair of his mother’s father.
At the Wall Jon Snow’s class of recruits finally graduate to full Brothers of the Watch. However, Jon is upset when he discovers he has been made a Steward instead of a Ranger. Samwell Tarly points out that Jon is being groomed for command and that his appointment as Steward is actually a boon.

Finally, with Robert’s health failing, various factions within the capital scheme and plot to grab the king’s power for themselves. Renly, the king’s younger brother, offers to join forces with Ned to claim the throne for himself. Littlefinger implores Ned to let Prince Jofferey ascend to the throne, with the knowledge that they can use his questionable parentage against him in order to control his actions. However Ned is determined that the throne go to the rightful heir, Robert’s older brother Stannis. Ned strikes a deal with Littlefinger to use the City Watch to reinforce his soldiers as his own household guard has been depleted.

It’s great to see that this week’s episode fully embraces what I was touching on in my review last week, the need use the books as a referential touchstone for the series instead of a detailed roadmap to be slavishly followed.

The writers have clearly figured out that they’ve been handed a veritable goldmine and are plundering the characters and their relationships for all they’re worth.

Which is why viewers are being treated to all these great two handers where Sean Bean alternates between looking confused and looking grim. The difference between the two expressions, slightly more forehead wrinkles on the former.

I kid.

No seriously, the actors in this show are getting fantastic opportunities to chew the scenery with other. It’s gripping, high drama stuff and as the show becomes more confident in its footing my knowledge of the books becomes increasingly irrelevant, as new scenes are being slotted in to up the drama quotient.

And that’s been my biggest hang-up with this show. Knowing what happens next is robbing me of any opportunity to be surprised by the Machiavellian twists and turns that GAME OF THRONES constantly tosses out.

As the show continues and its narrative momentum builds I’m getting more and more caught up in the story it’s telling. By standing on its own two feet, the whole thing feels fresh and new again.

I can dig it.

TV Review: GAME OF THRONES - Episode 6 (A Golden Crown)

With the start of Sunday's episode HBO's sprawling fantasy series officially passes the halfway mark of its first season.

Which means its now fair game to take a critical look at the series as a whole instead of just examining it on an episode by episode basis.

But first some recappery.

Ned Stark awakes after his ill fated encounter with Jamie Lannister to find that he has been press ganged into serving the king again.

Stark's role as the King's Hand becomes more complicated when Robert decides to leave King's Landing for an extended hunting trip. Forced to sit on the Iron Throne and temporarily rule in his stead, Stark find himself turning up the heat in the capital when he denounces Gregor Clegane as a brigand and summons Tywin Lannister to court to answer for the actions of his bannerman.

Meanwhile in the North Ned's son Bran is troubled by a series of disturbing dreams. During the day he finds relief by riding through the grounds of Winterfell in a modified saddle based on a design by Tyrion Lannister. Bran's ride is interrupted when he is attacked by a group of wildlings fleeing South.

In the Vale Tyrion remains a prisoner of Catelyn Stark's sister and her sheltered son. Trapped in an open air cell in the uninpregnable sky fortress he stands accused of the murder of Jon Arryn, the former King's Hand, as well as the attempted murder of Bran Stark. In order to delay his execution Tyrion demands the right to Trial by Combat.

Finally Daenerys continues to work at being accepted by her adopted people. To prove herself worthy of carrying Kahl Dorgo’s son she forces herself to eat a raw horse heart.

Mindful of his sister’s growing popularity, and recognizing that his own dreams of reclaiming his familial throne are fading away, Viserys attempts to steal Daenerys petrified dragons eggs to fund an army of his own. When he is stopped by his sister’s retainer he bursts into the Dothraki celebration and threatens Daenerys and her unborn child.

Drogo promises to give Viserys the crown he deserves and pours a cauldron of molten gold over his head, killing him.

GAME OF THRONES is well past the stage where it needs to set the scene for the audience. The question of “who are these people” and “how do these people relate each other” have long been answered.

But if there’s one criticism that can be levelled against the series at this point it’s that it seems overly dependent on the source material to drive the story forward.

At time GAMES feels a bit like you’re watching a 21st century version of MASTERPIECE THEATRE. There’s a distinct Britishness about the whole thing, European acting talents growling and emoting in front of elaborate period set pieces.

It feels like there is an absence, a blindness that permeates the show when it comes to respecting the tropes of modern television. The show eschews the deep character examinations of modern cable dramas in favour of moving pieces around because that’s how the story was laid out in the books.

Instead characters are delivered to the audience fully formed with clearly realized motivations and goals and not much in the way internal turmoil.

Part of the reason for this flatness is that much of the character internal monologuing in the books has gone up in smoke in the transition between mediums and the writers are continuing to struggle when it comes to reinserting the excised material back into the show.

One of my favourite scenes to date came during last week’s episode when Cersei and Robert were rehashing their relationship against the history of the Seven Kingdoms. The scene, not found in the books, explicitly examined the tension between the couple, but the subtext and internal conflicts that were at play really sold the moment.

It was a great example of being true to the aims of the source material but still respecting the demands of television at the same time.

The longer GAME OF THRONES exists as a separate entity the more it’s going to have to establish its own personality outside of the books.

No matter how great the show is, if it continues to be hampered by rigid faithfulness to the original material it will be robbed of the creativity and vitality it needs to truly succeed.

TV Review: Game Of Thrones - Episode 5 (The Wolf and The Lion)

And so the pieces start moving.

Sunday’s 5^th episode of GAME OF THRONES on HBO, titled THE WOLF AND THE LION, was basically a chess match coming to a head in which all the pieces that had previously been laid delicately into place, started firing around the board at high speeds.

The action ramped WAY up in this one from minute one. The dialogue sequences (those from the book and those not from the book) are so telling and well acted at this point that I have a hard time deciding which of those scenes is my favourite. The gore factor jumps within minutes, not to be outdone the creepy and crazy factor jumps as well, and all the while one of your favourite characters begins to make poor decisions that while altruistic and honorable, will ultimately have you yelling at the screen “Just go Ned! Run!!”

I honestly would have trouble trying to break this down into a proper review, so I thought I’d go with point form awesome. What say you?

-Maester Luwin going about lessons with a bored Bran while Theon Greyjoy practices archery was really well executed, and I think I need to add that Issac Hempsted-Wright is absolutely firing on the same acting cylinders that fellow child actor Maisie Williams (Arya Stark) is. This kid can act, and brings the perfect balance of bored kid and son of a lord to the scene. The added discussion of fleshing out the Greyjoy rebellion a bit more was nice to see as well.

-Varys is all over this episode, discussing with Ned that the fate of the king might be the same as Jon Arryn if he’s not careful. Facing off against Littlefinger in the Iron Throne room about who knows more about the other, and finally his secreted discussion with Magister Illyrio in the bowels of the Red Keep about Khal Drogo and Daenerys and how things will be affected. I think the Conleth Hill who is playing Varys is really nailing the eunuch now.

-Speaking of Littlefinger, He has a brief “I’m still a creep whispering to Sansa at the Tourney” moment at the beginning, but later on he has some really good scenes, especially the last scene with Ned and Jaime outside the brothel.

-The fight in the Mountains of the Moon with Cat, Tyrion and Bronn and the other bannermen was well executed and acted. The action was palpable and visceral. Tyrion’s defense of himself (saying of the assassination attempt on Bran that Cat accused him of) “What sort of idiot arms an assassin with his own blade?” was perfect and Cat had a moment of doubt. I loved that moment especially because if you really think about it…the events later on in Kings Landing between Ned and Jaime are her fault, and for something that Tyrion didn’t even do. It actually puts my feelings about Catelyn as a character into “stark” (pun!) relief. I feel she’s a great strong woman and mother, but on the other hand I feel she spends a lot of time making really dumb decisions, and that’s not just confined to just this stuff, she continues to make bad decisions.

-This leads into the scene at the Eyrie where Cat finds her sister Lysa (widowed wife of murdered Hand of the King, Jon Arryn) gone right round the bend crazy, like full-on batshit. As she scolds Cat for bringing a cursed Lannister to her impregnable castle in the mountains, she also has a breast out and is breast feeding her son Robert, a boy of eight…yup…I’ll let the creep factor of that settle in for a second…ready to move on? Excellent! Lysa, prompted by her sickly son Robert (“I want to see him fly mommy!”) puts Tyrion in one of her sky cells, a cell with no wall on one side open to the thousands of feet drop off the mountain…much to Tyrion’s chagrin. Kate Dickie who plays Lysa was perfect in the few minutes she was on screen and every bit the woman I recall Lysa being in the books. And of course Peter Dinklage continues to prove why he should win an Emmy for his role, his delivery is impeccable!

-Gethin Anthony and Finn Jones, as Renly Baratheon and Loras Tyrell respectively, have the responsibility of revealing something to the audience of the show that fans of the book series had to speculate on till book four, and that is that they have an illicit gay relationship with one another, and Tyrell spends a bit of time convincing Renly that even though he’s 4^th in line, he should be king. What’s interesting here is that I feel that this scene (not in the books obviously) is a great addition because it will give far more weight to later happenings in this season and especially in season 2 including other people with feelings towards the king’s younger brother (I’m looking at you Brienne of Tarth!).

-Now the meat. Ned VS Jaime. Gods this scene was perfect. I actually sat down after watching it and re-read just that scene in the book to see how accurate it is and it’s not only accurate (dialogue and all), but the additions and live interpretations of the things that happen are welcome and exciting! Ned allows his need to uncover every rock concerning Jon Arryn’s death to overcome good sense, and stupidly goes to talk to the last person Arryn spoke to instead of grabbing his girls and leaving to go north…even though you want to scream at him to just leave. This of course results in Jaime Lannister having the time to hear of his brother’s capture by Lady Stark and confront Ned, Jory Cassel and two other Stark guardsmen outside the brothel. This is the scene where the Starks and the Lannisters REALLY go to war. This is the opening salvo. Jaime wants his brother back and Ned wants justice for Bran (whilst protecting his wife’s decision by taking responsibility for it) and so the standoff begins, but it doesn’t last long. After Littlefinger heads off to find the City Guard, Ned and Jaime have a few short words, then all hell breaks loose. This scene is nice because it gives Jory Cassel a death that is only touched on in the books. The chapter in the book is from Ned’s perspective so he doesn’t see what happens to Jory (and only cradles his dead body after the fact), but here Ned and (we as audience) get to see it…and it also has the added weight of Jory’s conversation with Jaime in the last episode. An excellent scene and homage to the subject matter all told. A really good swordfight between two excellent swordsmen. Nice to see Ice (Ned's Valyrian steel greatsword) in action other than being used as a tool for beheading.

Lastly, Robert and Cersei have a chat that wasn’t in the books, and it actually comes out as one of the best of the quieter scenes in the episode. There is this grudging respect that borders all the words they exchange, and even a touch of humor, but deep down they know what they are to one another. To Robert, Cersei is the key to her fathers money and therefore ability to rule the kingdom, and to Cersei Robert is a means to an end for her family and her desire for the throne.  You can tell all this in the conversation, and even know that at the basest level they are being as honest as they can be with one another about those goals and reasons. It’s also nice to have Cersei finally ask about Lyanna Stark and Robert’s feelings for her…to which Robert is more honest than he’s ever been, and so is Cersei in her response. It’s a quiet scene in which I kept expecting the King to get riled and he doesn’t. He stays calm and the restraint on his personality is well achieved. I think this is Mark Addy’s best work as Robert Baratheon in fact as the emotion is very surface and real.

Indeed and easily the best episode of the season so far, and having read the book I am aware that things will only ratchet up from here. I can’t wait for the next episode!

TV Review: HBO's Game Of Thrones Episode 4 (Cripples, Bastards & Broken Things)

 

Ah, now things are settling into a nice rhythm and groove. It’s not as if the actors playing the various parts haven’t been good till now, but having been a fan of these books for like fifteen years, I needed them to settle into their parts completely. I think Daenerys and Catelyn especially take their roles to new levels in this episode.

Titled “Cripples, Bastards and Broken Things”, the 4^th episode of HBO’s GAME OF THRONES starts to set the bigger machinations of the first book into play, and it’s nice to see that at only episode 4 of 10,  things seem ready to ramp up to level ten as of episode 5. 

The production is again, gorgeous across the board. With the series still staying fairly close to the book, the writing is well done and everything that needs to be represented is. 

Bran. Here we start to see one of the larger plot arcs, and that would be Bran's dreams and most especially the 3-eyed crow, show up...those who haven't read the books, this will make more sense down the line, trust me. Bran being a fave character in the books, it's nice to see this attention to his character being paid early on. Also, Hodor! Hodor, Bran's large stablehand friend (and /transport/carrier) who is simple (and only ever says "Hodor" to varying degrees) shows up in a part that I am sure is hard to play, and it is done justice to the books.

Dany starts to show her true character arc, one in which she is NOT to be messed with, and with the collected might of Khal Drogo’s Bloodriders (his bodyguards, and therefore hers as well) and that of Ser Jorah Mormont, her nasty brother Viserys finally starts to see that he is Dragon of nothing.

Meanwhile at the Wall, Jon Snow meets one of my favourite characters from the books, namely one Samwell Tarly. John Bradley-West plays the character of fat craven Sam with such an amazing sense of depth that I was rather stunned by his performance and I think he stole the show. His beatings at the hands of the crueler recruits of the Night’s Watch and then Jon, Pip, and Grenn’s later defense of him (including our first look at Jon’s now bigger albino direwolf Ghost) is spot on perfect. The piece that totally steals the show is his response to Jon asking him about being a craven and why he would take the Black in such a case. There is a raw, thick emotion to his voice as he relates the story of his father’s (Randyll, Lord of House Tarly in the South) threat that he go to the wall and join the Night's Watch or Randyll would have him killed in an “accident”…as according to his father he is not FIT to inherit the Tarly lands. That scene is so well done on Bradley-West’s part that I was sold on him as Samwell completely. Sam is such an amazingly realistic character, and one that as the general public we can immediately identify...simply because he's not special, he can't do anything to become special, and in the end he is as everyday as it gets. To me this is why he hits home with us.

Tyrion, on his way south from the Wall stops in Winterfell and gets a cold welcome from Robb (Lord Stark while his father is away), but he then proceeds to help Bran cope with being a cripple by giving him a saddle design that will allow him to ride a horse. This is so key, because up till this point Catelyn and others have made him suspect (especially last week when Littlefinger mentioned he lost the dagger that nearly took Bran’s life to the imp in a wager) in the attempted assassination on Bran. This starts to show that while Tyrion is as ruthless as his brother and sister, there is something in him that causes him to be honorable as well. It was nice to see that show up, and once again Dinklage owns every scene he is in. This point is even more illustrated later on in the episode when Catelyn and Rodrick Cassel are at the inn and she calls the bannermen of her father’s house to her aid in accusing Tyrion of organizing the assassination attempt and taking him prisoner. I like that because it’s one of those things that really shows Catelyn for what she is, a mother who will do anything at her wits end. Tyrion is clearly innocent of the charge since he is the smartest of the Lannister brood and would never do something so plainly stupid as hire a common thug for the job. If he had organized it, he’d have hired a Faceless Man of Braavos (assassin culture across the narrow sea) and Bran would be dead. No, he didn’t do it, and finally we start to see that to be the case. Tyrion also has a quick scene with Theon Greyjoy, ward of Ned Stark. It’s a nice little scene that explains the backstory of Balon Greyjoy’s  (Theon’s father) rebellion when Robert was first on the throne, how that rebellion was subsequently put down and Theon taken as a ward/captive for Balon’s good behavior. Since the Greyjoys take a much bigger role in the story down the road, this was a nice little preliminary setup piece that I quite liked.

The Tourney. Ah, this is great scene. Why? Because it is paid little attention to. Ned doesn’t want the Tourney to happen at all, and so the first part of it (the rest will show in the next episode) is treated almost as an afterthought. I liked that. Here we have the last remnant of Jon Arryn’s time as Hand (in the form of his squire-turned-knight Ser Hugh) taken out. Thus do we get our first look at Gregor Clegane (the Hound’s brother), otherwise called the Mountain That Rides and he is absolutely huge and quite menacing. We get our first real death, and it’s a gory one (kudos to HBO for not skimping on the gore).  Then there's King Robert (who in the books I actually had more respect for) who continues to prove that in his old age he is a fat, drunk, whoring, piss poor king making bad judgments. It clearly illustrates that Robert’s best time is in the past when he was a young warrior and he stood for something righteous and just. It continues to reveal that he is not even a shadow of that person anymore and Ned clearly sees it.  Robert has literally beggared the realm to Lord Tywin Lannister (Cersei, Jamie and Tyrion’s father) paying for excesses.

It should be noted that there are a number of scene’s that aren’t in the book within this episode. They are small scenes, and I don’t feel like they detract from the story at all. One with Arya speaking with Ned about her future is actually very poignant and simply adds to her character plotline. There is one between Jaime and Jory Cassel that is excellent at demonstrating not only Roberts’ treatment of his Queen (whether it is deserved or not), but also shows how when talking about war, battles and glory Jamie is jovial and forthcoming, but the minute he is not speaking of such things he goes right back to being the arrogant, incestuous Kingslayer. Nice character building for Jaime there.

The last scene I should talk about is Littlefinger’s story about brothers The Hound and The Mountain (Sandor and Gregor Clegane) and their loathing of each other, including the revelation that Gregor is actually responsible for the Hound’s face being burned and melted. Now, in the books The Hound himself tells Sansa this story, but I can understand why they chose to let Littlefinger tell it (you'll see) and I’m not bothered by him doing so at all. My issue is that after Ser Hugh & Gregor’s joust ends, the crowd just kind of sits there in hushed whispers not really talking…giving Littlefinger five minutes of utter quiet in which to tell his story. It comes off as odd to be honest. I’d much rather if the silence was for us the audience alone, like it muffles as he tells Sansa the story, and then un-muffles and you hear the crowd again after he finishes. It would have made more sense really. The way it was done makes the scene stand out like a sore thumb sadly. That said, it is a great piece of exposition so i am not that upset.

Overall another great episode and it really sets the stage for the 5^th episode, which is where all the action starts to go down and the pieces that have been laid out thus far begin to really move. I really think the best scene in the whole of episode 4 is the one between Jon Snow and Samwell on the Wall though.

In the next episode: Look for the Tourney to continue and The Mountain That Rides will take on Knight of the Flowers, Loras Tyrell...who is an interesting character in his own right.

 

TV Review: GAME OF THRONES – Episode 3 (Lord Snow)

Let’s turn things down a bit, shall we?

King Robert’s (Mark Addy) party finally arrives home at King’s Landing. Not wasting any time, Eddard Stark (Sean Bean) dives into the administration of Robert’s kingdom only to discover that the crown is destitute and its ruler disengaged from the affairs of state. The strain of Stark’s new position is also taking a toll on his family. His two daughters, Sansa (Sophie Turner) and Arya (Maisie Williams), are having difficulty adjusting to their new circumstances and take their frustrations out on their father and each other.

Meanwhile, at the Wall, Jon Snow (Kit Harrington) realizes that his noble upbringing alienates him just as much from his new ‘brothers’ as it did among his old family. As he strains to distinguish himself among the Night’s Watch Snow continues to come to terms with the fact that he has willingly signed up for a lifetime of thankless servitude and rough living.

Finally, across the sea Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke) is becoming more comfortable with her role as khaleesi of the nomadic Dothraki. But as she matures from a frightened girl to a confident queen it provokes frequent and violent clashes with her impatient brother.

George R.R. Martin structured his A SONG OF FIRE AND ICE series much like a tapestry. Rather than create a single narrative, built from the viewpoints of its supporting characters, he instead created dozens of smaller, more personal story lines. In the books, point-of-view chapters are devoted to the narratives of individual characters. These plotlines don’t serve the needs of a single unifying story, they are simply the personal narratives of a few key individuals. It is only when these separate narratives are woven together is the reader able to get a sense of the bigger picture. This non-traditional structure puts an emphasis on character over story, and that’s just fine.

So why all this blathering on about character? Well it has a lot to do with the fact that Episode 3 of HBO’s hit series, GAME OF THRONES, was a very character driven episode.

Providing a distinct counterpoint to the slightly more flashy previous offerings, episode 3 is all about grafting back story and plot exposition onto a series of intimate two hander conversations.

Director Brian Kirk wisely chooses to lock his camera down and let the talent do what they do best, act.

By now we’ve seen that Sean Bean manages to do more a single arched eyebrow and a barked curse than most actors could achieve with a florid soliloquy. Or that Peter Dinklage is spot-on with his impish and impudent Tyrion Lannister.

But surprisingly the supporting actors in the series have managed to step up there game as well.

There’s a remarkably restrained scene between Addy’s King Robert and his brother-in-law, Jamie Lannister (Nikolaj Waldau). Addy’s portrayal of a drunken blowhard eschews easy clichés and instead manages to paint a portrait of a deeper and more complex individual. And Waldau is sarcastic, disrespectful and arrogant in turn without ever losing that all important veneer of respectful deference that defines his position.

Maisie Williams inhabits the role of Arya Stark as if she were made for the role, demonstrating that she is more than just a petulant tomboy but a courageous young woman yearning to do what is right, rather than what is convenient.

And I am constantly impressed by how Lena Heady has managed to turn her one note role in the series premiere into a nuanced character more driven and pragmatic than truly evil.

It’s a little strange that only three episodes in GAME OF THRONES would already be taking a breather. But I think ultimately it’s an opportunity well used. Given the complexity and density of the character and social relationships of the production, a little time spent on fleshing out the universe can only benefit the audience.

As the show goes on I find its willingness to uncouple itself from slavishness to the original source material refreshing. A GAME OF THRONES is beginning to find its feet and take advantage of all the potential offered to it by its new medium.

While the more action oriented might have found last night’s episode dull, I choose to look on it as setting the stage for the blood and gore yet to come. Last night's episode was all about the power of subtlety and nuance, a strong episode for a show that continues to impress.

TV Review: GAME OF THRONES – Episode 1 (Winter is Coming)

If you’re like me, or the hundreds of other fans pulled in by the fantasy series A SONG OF FIRE AND ICE, then you were watching the premiere of its small screen adaption, GAME OF THRONES, last night. Based on the works of acclaimed writer George R.R. Martin the show deals with the labyrinthine and Machiavellian manoeuvrings of the fictional realm of the Seven Kingdoms.

Jon Arryn, the Hand of the King is dead. Without his presence Robert Baratheon (Mark Addy), leader of the Seven Kingdoms, has no one he trusts to help him rule. In desperation he turns to Eddard Stark (Sean Bean), Warden of the North and an old comrade at arms. Baratheon, along with his Queen, Cersei Lannister (Lena Heady), and much of his court, travels to the northern reaches of his realm in order to persuade Stark to join him.

Initially reluctant to leave behind his home and his family; Eddard is finally persuaded to accept the position when he receives a letter from Arryn’s wife, Lysa, claiming that her husband’s death was the result of the Queen’s political machinations.

Last night’s episode was all about setting the table for Things to Come. After giving viewers a little taste of the mysterious threat that will come to define this series, events were mostly confined to introducing characters, establishing the complicated relationships that govern them and giving the audience a bit of back story to help provide them with a grounding in the politics of the Seven Kingdoms.

The problem I have with this series is that I lack the objectivity to do a proper review. As a devotee of the books I’ve been quietly salivating in a corner, for awhile now, waiting for this thing to make it to the screen. And the truth of it is no matter how well they’ve adapted the original source material its never quite going to be able to live up to the world I’ve constructed in my mind.

So yes, after the title sequence ran and the novelty of the thing began to wear off there was a little bit of a letdown with the final product, call it PHANTOM MENACE syndrome if you want. And even when it was apparent that the producers had managed to put a quality program on the screen I still couldn’t tell you if it was any good.

I mean, it seemed good. The acting for the most part was compelling, if a tad restrained. (It never hurts anything to put Sean Bean on screen for an hour and let him chew the scenery.) And Peter Dinklage and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau were excellent as the devious and lecherous brothers Lannister. But as the cold and calculating Cersei Lannister Lena Heady came off as flat and shrewish and rest of the extended cast did little to distinguish themselves from one another.

Visually the entire series is quite fetching. It’s sometimes hard to believe that HBO, a company that redefined itself in the modern age on the back of the grimy and gritty SOPRANOS, would branch out into genre work. But they’ve managed to create a rich and detailed setting that would stand up against any fantasy series out there.

The writing was strong as well. I can’t recall any off phrases and for the most part the dialogue seemed to be quite in tune with the feel of the books. But once again I found myself pulled out of the show, mentally comparing the adaptation to the original.

What had been kept in?
What had been taken out?
Had they moved some scenes around, and why?

I was more concerned with the architecture supporting the show then I was window dressing I was supposed to be enjoying. Whenever a new character popped up onscreen I’d run-through what I knew of their timeline and what was in store for them. After awhile it started to feel like watching a movie when someone has given away the twist ending. It was pretty clear that there wasn’t going to be any surprises for me here and that was disappointing.

It was too bad and entirely my fault.

While I was able to appreciate GAME OF THRONES on its technical and artistic merits it lacked the one element that would have really drawn me in as a viewer, not knowing what happens next.* Anyone I’ve spoken with, who has read the books first, really seemed to enjoy it.

But I’d be curious to get the POV of someone who hasn’t been exposed to the books to see what they think. Because let’s face it, GAME OF THRONES isn’t really meant for the hardcore devotee. Unless they do a total hatchet job we’re almost certain to tune in. HBO hopes to sell this thing to the casual viewer, because that’s the only place where they’ll be able to make up the necessary viewership numbers to keep the show on the air.

So what are their thoughts?
*AMC’s adaptation of THE WALKING DEAD was so fast and loose that I never knew what to expect, which was great because it allowed the whole show to stay fresh and new for me. On the other hand, I still wanted the producers to hit certain key touchstones of the comic. So I’m a hypocrite when I need to be.

Game Of Thrones: Maisie Williams

A little behind the scenes GAME OF THRONES goodness to help you through a cold winter day.

Only three months left until the series premiere.

Trailer: Game of Thrones

A new GAME OF THRONES teaser trailer and this is easily the best one yet.

This trailer is built around short vignettes, that convey the essence of the character, rather than recycling footage from the show itself. An approach that whets my appetite better than anything they've tried so far.

A shame that I have to wait until April to see the finished product.