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shadowkatWent online, read briefly about politics, got pissed, decided to drink chamomile tea and watch the end of the continental cake episode of S5 (S1 in the US) Great British Bake Off and episode one of S7 Game of Thrones instead. Comforting and oddly cathartic.
Horrible sinus tension head-ache all day long. Possibly due to lack of sleep the night before due to horrible gas pains, in turn due to, god knows what. Frustrated at work, so been working on my mystery sci-fi novel about a society controlled by competing corporations.
So..Game of Thrones at least in Season 7 is weirdly comforting.
It's so far off book at this stage that I'm beginning to wonder if GRR Martin has chosen to just let the television series finish the story, and give up entirely. Can't say I'd blame him. The television series is a lot better in some respects. (Less meandering, more cathartic action.) I think Martin wrote himself into a corner, not that he'll ever admit it.
Anyhow, not sure anyone else is still watching it or saw the first episode yet? My co-workers and the folks on FB are all ahead of me. So, I'm being careful not to get spoiled.
1. Ayra killed the Freys. (In the books Caitlin the Zombie Queen does it. But the television series chose to do away with that plot thread.) I rather enjoyed watching Ayra Stark do it.
She's rather clever about it. First she makes Walder Frey unknowingly eat his boys in meat pies, then she slices his throat. That was at the end of last season. At the beginning of this season, using the gifts or magic tricks she picked up from the Faceless Men, she disguizes herself as Lord Frey and poisons everyone in the room. All the men who killed her family.
And does it after she reminds them of what they did to the Starks.
2. Jon Snow against Sansa Stark's wishes, chooses to forgive the bannermen who fought alongside Ramnsey Bolton, and allow their family's to pledge loyalty to him and keep their homes. Unlike Sansa, Jon is worried about the White Walkers. Both Little Finger and Sansa are still fighting the Game of Thrones. Jon could care less, he's seen a far bigger problem. I can't wait for Little Finger and Sansa to come face to face with the White Walkers. They both think Cersei and the Boltons were the worst thing ever.
3. Ah, Jorah appears to have made it Samwell Tyrel's Maester Hold. At least I think that is Sir Jorah with the grey sickness. He asks Samwell is the dragon queen has returned yet. Sam's figured out that the dragon glass is under Dragon Stone. And sends a raven to inform Jon.
4. Meanwhile, the Hound sees the white walker army in the fire while sitting with Lord Bareys and the Fire messiah. (Hmmm...did Meliandra die last year or just disappear along with Stannis, who'd been killed? Note GRR Martin didn't kill Stannis off. He killed off Jon Snow. Although not clear if Jon Snow's death in the books was permanent. I'm rather glad it isn't in the television series since the character had finally grown on me.)
5. Cersei is crazy enough to think she can win this thing. Jaime is a bit more skeptical. They are staring at a large map of Westeros being painted on the floor and she's asking his advice. He's telling her that they have no real allies, except possibly for Euron Greyjoy, who is hardly trustworthy and wants to wed her. (Great two traitorous crazy people.) And are surrounded by enemies. At this point, they'll be lucky to survive, ruling sounds a bit far-fetched. (I rather like Jaime. Cersei is more likable here than in the books. In the books, she grated on my ever living nerve. I give Lena Headly a lot of credit for making her palatable.)
6. Brienne and the red-headed/bearded head of the Wildings have a nice little flirtation going. I actually think this may be the only romantic ship that I'm favoring at the moment. There's less mysticism in the television series. In the books, this guy could turn into a eagle and other animals. Sort of like Bran does. As does Jon Snow. They are sort of skin-walkers in the books, but not here, which is interesting.
7. Bran...decides to return to the wall to warn everyone about on-coming hoard. (Eh, they sort of already know, Bran. And hopefully reunite with his family, which appears to be further south at the moment. Jon's right they need an army manning that wall. Although part of me is rooting for the Walker to storm King's Landing.)
10. Daneyrs and company arrive at Dragonstone. The television series unlike the books makes the wise choice not to make us follow these people for years as they wander about. In the books, we'd have to watch their entire journey on the sea. Watch Ayra slowly travel back to Westerous. Etc. While jumping in and out of million different perspectives -- that was book 4 and 5 in a nutshell. Here, we get to jump over all of that boring crap and get the point. Far less frustrating, and far more emotionally satisfying. If they tried the books approach they'd have lost the audience early on.
Coworkers regarding the books...
Me: I read the books..
Coworkers: Oh, you're one of the book people!
ME: Uhm book people??
Coworkers: My boyfriend read them but he had the excuse of being in prison (I'm like wait, what?) Or my husband did it before he married me...they were bored.
Me: I just happen to like to read.
Coworkers: How'd you keep track of all of those points of view. Or the characters? I'd need a chart or something.
Me: Well the books sort of come with one...
Anyhow...the sets on this thing are wonderful. Dragonstone was wickedly cool.
Horrible sinus tension head-ache all day long. Possibly due to lack of sleep the night before due to horrible gas pains, in turn due to, god knows what. Frustrated at work, so been working on my mystery sci-fi novel about a society controlled by competing corporations.
So..Game of Thrones at least in Season 7 is weirdly comforting.
It's so far off book at this stage that I'm beginning to wonder if GRR Martin has chosen to just let the television series finish the story, and give up entirely. Can't say I'd blame him. The television series is a lot better in some respects. (Less meandering, more cathartic action.) I think Martin wrote himself into a corner, not that he'll ever admit it.
Anyhow, not sure anyone else is still watching it or saw the first episode yet? My co-workers and the folks on FB are all ahead of me. So, I'm being careful not to get spoiled.
1. Ayra killed the Freys. (In the books Caitlin the Zombie Queen does it. But the television series chose to do away with that plot thread.) I rather enjoyed watching Ayra Stark do it.
She's rather clever about it. First she makes Walder Frey unknowingly eat his boys in meat pies, then she slices his throat. That was at the end of last season. At the beginning of this season, using the gifts or magic tricks she picked up from the Faceless Men, she disguizes herself as Lord Frey and poisons everyone in the room. All the men who killed her family.
And does it after she reminds them of what they did to the Starks.
2. Jon Snow against Sansa Stark's wishes, chooses to forgive the bannermen who fought alongside Ramnsey Bolton, and allow their family's to pledge loyalty to him and keep their homes. Unlike Sansa, Jon is worried about the White Walkers. Both Little Finger and Sansa are still fighting the Game of Thrones. Jon could care less, he's seen a far bigger problem. I can't wait for Little Finger and Sansa to come face to face with the White Walkers. They both think Cersei and the Boltons were the worst thing ever.
3. Ah, Jorah appears to have made it Samwell Tyrel's Maester Hold. At least I think that is Sir Jorah with the grey sickness. He asks Samwell is the dragon queen has returned yet. Sam's figured out that the dragon glass is under Dragon Stone. And sends a raven to inform Jon.
4. Meanwhile, the Hound sees the white walker army in the fire while sitting with Lord Bareys and the Fire messiah. (Hmmm...did Meliandra die last year or just disappear along with Stannis, who'd been killed? Note GRR Martin didn't kill Stannis off. He killed off Jon Snow. Although not clear if Jon Snow's death in the books was permanent. I'm rather glad it isn't in the television series since the character had finally grown on me.)
5. Cersei is crazy enough to think she can win this thing. Jaime is a bit more skeptical. They are staring at a large map of Westeros being painted on the floor and she's asking his advice. He's telling her that they have no real allies, except possibly for Euron Greyjoy, who is hardly trustworthy and wants to wed her. (Great two traitorous crazy people.) And are surrounded by enemies. At this point, they'll be lucky to survive, ruling sounds a bit far-fetched. (I rather like Jaime. Cersei is more likable here than in the books. In the books, she grated on my ever living nerve. I give Lena Headly a lot of credit for making her palatable.)
6. Brienne and the red-headed/bearded head of the Wildings have a nice little flirtation going. I actually think this may be the only romantic ship that I'm favoring at the moment. There's less mysticism in the television series. In the books, this guy could turn into a eagle and other animals. Sort of like Bran does. As does Jon Snow. They are sort of skin-walkers in the books, but not here, which is interesting.
7. Bran...decides to return to the wall to warn everyone about on-coming hoard. (Eh, they sort of already know, Bran. And hopefully reunite with his family, which appears to be further south at the moment. Jon's right they need an army manning that wall. Although part of me is rooting for the Walker to storm King's Landing.)
10. Daneyrs and company arrive at Dragonstone. The television series unlike the books makes the wise choice not to make us follow these people for years as they wander about. In the books, we'd have to watch their entire journey on the sea. Watch Ayra slowly travel back to Westerous. Etc. While jumping in and out of million different perspectives -- that was book 4 and 5 in a nutshell. Here, we get to jump over all of that boring crap and get the point. Far less frustrating, and far more emotionally satisfying. If they tried the books approach they'd have lost the audience early on.
Coworkers regarding the books...
Me: I read the books..
Coworkers: Oh, you're one of the book people!
ME: Uhm book people??
Coworkers: My boyfriend read them but he had the excuse of being in prison (I'm like wait, what?) Or my husband did it before he married me...they were bored.
Me: I just happen to like to read.
Coworkers: How'd you keep track of all of those points of view. Or the characters? I'd need a chart or something.
Me: Well the books sort of come with one...
Anyhow...the sets on this thing are wonderful. Dragonstone was wickedly cool.
no subject
Date: 2017-08-09 05:05 am (UTC)I've started a couple of times, but I see what you mean about making us follow people as they wander. That's one reason why it keeps getting put back down.
no subject
Date: 2017-08-09 12:24 pm (UTC)As I told my co-worker, whose husband read them, I wouldn't necessarily recommend reading the books. Her husband apparently told her the same thing.
The first three are good, for the most part. Although insanely frustrating in places. Ned Stark is a little less stupid in the books, but not by much. And I found Caitlyn and Cersei to be grating for different reasons. Jamie and Tyrion actually have the best development and arc in the books, and are the most interesting character. Of the books, the only one worth reading is Book 3, which contains most of Jamie's arc, the Red Wedding, and Tywin and Joffrey Lannister's deaths.
Everything else is rather plodding and convoluted.
no subject
Date: 2017-08-09 01:52 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2017-08-09 02:31 pm (UTC)Particularly considering they have a much shorter period of time to tell the story and wrap up all the plot threads. (About 8-10 episodes this season and six-seven for the last season, as opposed to two more eight hundred page novels.)
I've admittedly lost track of some of the secondary characters, so didn't notice.
The plot is moving quickly -- a bit too quickly sometimes, as the characters seem to teleport rather than travel
LOL! Ah...similar to soap operas or the television serial 24? In soaps the speed in which characters can arrive at a destination seems to be entirely depended on whatever plot point the writers are working with, and not the actual distance or ability to get from point A to B. For example, a character who has to get from the upstairs to the downstairs of a building sometimes will take two to three episodes to get there, while a character who is in another country or continent will take as long as the next commercial break to pop up. 24? Apparently it took only the space of commercial break to get across LA. Which, yes, commercial breaks seem long, but they aren't that long.
no subject
Date: 2017-08-09 02:41 pm (UTC)As for episodes, it's even tighter than you say: 7 episodes this season and 7 more next. It's going to move quickly. That annoys me at some points, but still better than the tedium of books 4 and 5.
no subject
Date: 2017-08-09 03:59 pm (UTC)As for episodes, it's even tighter than you say: 7 episodes this season and 7 more next. It's going to move quickly. That annoys me at some points, but still better than the tedium of books 4 and 5.
Ah. I knew it was shorter for the last season, but not for this one as well. Next year they apparently plan on making up for the limited number of episodes by having each episode be two hours in length. (Sounds similar to what the network did with Breaking Bad and BSG, which was to split the last season into two seasons with fewer episodes for each...)
It hopefully will result in tighter writing and plotting. S5 seemed to meander a bit as did S6. And the books really did meander...
What Martin tended to do with the books is lose interest in a character, kill them off or sideline them, and develop a brand new subsidiary character making them a main pov character. Much to the reader's general annoyance.
Will state that from a character centric perspective, he did go into greater depth regarding his characters and their motivations than most writers tend to, and was more interested in looking through a much broader range of perspectives. Which I for one, found to be admirable, very few writers care to take the time to do that. He's worth reading from a character development standpoint. But he's not a good plotter. And I really think the television writers worked to fix some of the mistakes Martin made in books 3-6, which wrote him into a corner. (The Caitlynn Zombie bit, I think was a mistake in the books and overkill. What they've chosen to do with Brienne and Jamie instead works better and ties the story together better. Although, I think Martin's story was probably more realistic...odds are few of these characters would achieve their goals in that world or meet up.)