Game of Thrones...
Apr. 21st, 2019 10:34 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
shadowkatFinally got caught up on GoT. And the second episode was really good, much better than the first. After the first episode, I was rooting for the White Walkers to take out over half the cast. Honestly, when an army of dead is coming for you -- it hardly matters who is sitting on the Iron Throne. Apparently only Jon Snow got this?
But the second really delivered and made me care about everyone again. Also gave some definitive closure to a few things.
I'm less critical of the television series than some -- mainly because I read the books. And the television series improves on them. The books ended with Jon's death, Jamie's imminent death, Cersei's imminent demise, Tyrion's imminent death, Brienne's death, and well...the continued life of Stannis and others that I could really do without. The reason GRR Martin hasn't come out with another book is he wrote himself into a corner with Dance of Dragons. The television series corrected his mistake and wrote itself out of the corner he'd written the story into.
Unless you've read the books (which I don't recommend), you won't get that. Okay, no, I take that back I do recommend that you read the books, if only for the innovative narrative approach Martin utilizes that not many have attempted and how, for the most part, he pulls off to startling effect. He basically goes into the points of view of over a thousand different characters of varying walks of life. Outdoing people like Tolkien, Dickens, and Hugo in the process. To see how he pulls it off -- is worth reading it. It's not an easy thing to do. And he keeps the continuity of the plot throughout, while staying real. Reading the books taught me how to play with point of view, why going for pure reality is deathly dull and not to do it. (We do not need to know all the mundane details of the journey. And it is frustrating when it doesn't move the plot forward and just stagnates it.) The books are far more realistic than the television series, albeit less satisfying. Characters you desperately want to meet up? Never do. Which in reality they wouldn't. Brienne dies before she ever really finds Sansa or Ayra. She fails. It got to the point in the books, that whenever a character went off on a quest to meet up with another one, I'd think -- don't bother. Seriously save yourself a trip. You'll never meet up with them. Makes it extremely frustrating to read. I mean you're reading this character's journey and they never reach their goal. And often not even their destination. Example of how hyper-realism doesn't work that well in fiction. Trust me, if you think the television series plot arcs are a tad contrived, try reading the opposite first -- it will make you appreciated the contrivances.
Reading fiction that is deeply flawed in places can often be more educational as a writer than reading brilliant stuff. Because it shows you what doesn't work.
This episode... finally has an adult Bran confront a very different Jamie Lannister. And what Bran states is interesting -- "If you hadn't done what you did, you wouldn't be the man you are today and neither would I. You did what you did to protect your family." He's moved past it. "I don't care about it any longer. It happened. And I didn't tell them, because you wouldn't be able to fight for us if they tore you apart."
Bran unlike his sisters realizes that there are more important things than power.
I kept wanting to smack Sansa. Also, for that matter, Danerys. Both of which are out of their depth when it comes to the White Walkers.
Loved the bits with Brienne, and the group around the fire. Any scene with Tyrion and Jamie was entertaining. So too was just about any scene with the Hound, Brienne,
the Giant Slayer, Davos, and Ayra. And Jon Snow has grown on me. I don't find the actor at all attractive -- but I do like the character. Ian Glenn and Jamie Lannister are more my type. I do like his relationship with Danerys, and the fact that he was finally honest with her about what he learned regarding her brother and his parentage. She is right -- he doesn't really have proof. Although the fact that her dragons befriended him should be truth enough. I don't see why they can't be together though...look at Jamie and Cersei. There's actually more distance between them than most of Danerys family members.
But the second really delivered and made me care about everyone again. Also gave some definitive closure to a few things.
I'm less critical of the television series than some -- mainly because I read the books. And the television series improves on them. The books ended with Jon's death, Jamie's imminent death, Cersei's imminent demise, Tyrion's imminent death, Brienne's death, and well...the continued life of Stannis and others that I could really do without. The reason GRR Martin hasn't come out with another book is he wrote himself into a corner with Dance of Dragons. The television series corrected his mistake and wrote itself out of the corner he'd written the story into.
Unless you've read the books (which I don't recommend), you won't get that. Okay, no, I take that back I do recommend that you read the books, if only for the innovative narrative approach Martin utilizes that not many have attempted and how, for the most part, he pulls off to startling effect. He basically goes into the points of view of over a thousand different characters of varying walks of life. Outdoing people like Tolkien, Dickens, and Hugo in the process. To see how he pulls it off -- is worth reading it. It's not an easy thing to do. And he keeps the continuity of the plot throughout, while staying real. Reading the books taught me how to play with point of view, why going for pure reality is deathly dull and not to do it. (We do not need to know all the mundane details of the journey. And it is frustrating when it doesn't move the plot forward and just stagnates it.) The books are far more realistic than the television series, albeit less satisfying. Characters you desperately want to meet up? Never do. Which in reality they wouldn't. Brienne dies before she ever really finds Sansa or Ayra. She fails. It got to the point in the books, that whenever a character went off on a quest to meet up with another one, I'd think -- don't bother. Seriously save yourself a trip. You'll never meet up with them. Makes it extremely frustrating to read. I mean you're reading this character's journey and they never reach their goal. And often not even their destination. Example of how hyper-realism doesn't work that well in fiction. Trust me, if you think the television series plot arcs are a tad contrived, try reading the opposite first -- it will make you appreciated the contrivances.
Reading fiction that is deeply flawed in places can often be more educational as a writer than reading brilliant stuff. Because it shows you what doesn't work.
This episode... finally has an adult Bran confront a very different Jamie Lannister. And what Bran states is interesting -- "If you hadn't done what you did, you wouldn't be the man you are today and neither would I. You did what you did to protect your family." He's moved past it. "I don't care about it any longer. It happened. And I didn't tell them, because you wouldn't be able to fight for us if they tore you apart."
Bran unlike his sisters realizes that there are more important things than power.
I kept wanting to smack Sansa. Also, for that matter, Danerys. Both of which are out of their depth when it comes to the White Walkers.
Loved the bits with Brienne, and the group around the fire. Any scene with Tyrion and Jamie was entertaining. So too was just about any scene with the Hound, Brienne,
the Giant Slayer, Davos, and Ayra. And Jon Snow has grown on me. I don't find the actor at all attractive -- but I do like the character. Ian Glenn and Jamie Lannister are more my type. I do like his relationship with Danerys, and the fact that he was finally honest with her about what he learned regarding her brother and his parentage. She is right -- he doesn't really have proof. Although the fact that her dragons befriended him should be truth enough. I don't see why they can't be together though...look at Jamie and Cersei. There's actually more distance between them than most of Danerys family members.
no subject
Date: 2019-04-22 09:23 am (UTC)Brienne dies before she ever really finds Sansa or Ayra. She fails.
She didn't actually die in the books though. Brienne was being hung and then when she saw Pod hanging beside her, she yelled 'sword' at the last minute which meant she agreed to bring Jaime to Lady Stoneheart and have him killed in exchange for her and Pod and Hyle to live. The last time we see her in the books she pops up in Jaime's tent, telling him that she knows where Arya is and he leaves with her to help her on her quest.
Brienne's presumably leading Jaime into Lady Stoneheart's trap, but I personally think there's a good chance things won't go as planned and both Brienne and Jaime will survive the encounter with Lady Stoneheart. I also think it's likely that in future books Brienne would've eventually crossed paths with at least one of the Stark sisters since the showrunners have repeatedly said that they're trying to keep to GRRM's outline at least on the broad strokes. But GRRM will probably never finish the rest of the series so we'll never know what all was originally planned by him and what was show-only unless the showrunners or he himself lets us know after the series finale.
For what it's worth, the showrunners did say in a recent interview that for the endings of all of the main characters - Jon, Dany, Cersei, Tyrion, Jaime, Sansa, Arya, and Bran - they intended to stay true to what GRRM had planned for them in his outline. So I think some of the storylines that seemed to have diverged from the books, may actually have caught up later with some element of the show's version later on down the line. Like, for instance, Jon was never meant to stay dead dead in the books either. I don't know if he would've been resurrected in the exact same way he was on the show, but it would've happened somehow.
no subject
Date: 2019-04-22 01:57 pm (UTC)Interesting, I read it differently. I read it as Lady Stoneheart turned Brienne into something like herself, along with POD. And she was going to bring Jamie to his death.
no subject
Date: 2019-04-23 01:20 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2019-04-23 01:31 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2019-04-23 01:44 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2019-04-23 02:29 am (UTC)I'm glad the television writers dropped this story-arc, it did not work. I remember being confused and annoyed during it. And I think it's one of the corners GRRM wrote himself into. Stoneheart made no sense.
That was my assumption; I guess we'll find out if there's ever a 6th book.
I'll be surprised if there is a sixth book. I think GRRM is in his 70s now, and busy working on a prequel series for HBO. I think he got bored of the current story arc.
no subject
Date: 2019-04-22 09:36 am (UTC)Agree that this was a neat episode. Really looking forward to next week when things should really blow up.
no subject
Date: 2019-04-22 01:59 pm (UTC)Agreed. GRRM is not a tight writer. And I'm relieved they are wrapping it up finally.
Next week's episode looks great.
no subject
Date: 2019-04-22 04:49 pm (UTC)Book ending: RIGHT? I had a LOT of friends be like, "No, just kidding, don't try to finish reading the books, JUST DON'T DO IT" because it was just so ridiculous. Maybe the books will bring Jon back from the dead, too? Who the fuck knows.
Episode one: OH MY GOD THE IN-FIGHTING. Even Sansa doesn't fucking get it. Or Arya! I think it's pretty much Jon, who's like, "HEY, HI, WE WILL ALL DIE, CARE ABOUT THAT UNCOMFORTABLE FUCKING CHAIR LATER," Sam, who's like, "Because we MIGHT ALL DIE, I'm going to tell Jon this thing, but not because it's, you know, supposed to make a difference on whether we MIGHT ALL DIE," and Bran, who's like, "THE WORLD IS BIGGER THAN JUST US, and also Jon gets the least information ever guys, help him out, but also THEY HAVE YOUR DRAGON, SRSLY, STOP BEING DUMB."
But also: Bran waiting for Jaime to show up was effing perfect. Just. EFFING PERFECT. I will watch yesterday's episode when I get home tonight, but until then: EFFING PERFECT.
no subject
Date: 2019-04-22 10:44 pm (UTC)Exactly. At the end of the fifth book, I thought okay - is it just me or has the writer written himself into a serious corner? And we're never going to get a freaking sequel. (I was right. We're not. He's given up and written a Encyclopedic Prequel instead -- I kid you not, it is an Encyclopedia and a Prequel. He outdoes Tolkien and Rowling. And now he's doing a prequel series on HBO. I feel sorry for the book fans.)
Episode one: OH MY GOD THE IN-FIGHTING. Even Sansa doesn't fucking get it. Or Arya! I think it's pretty much Jon, who's like, "HEY, HI, WE WILL ALL DIE, CARE ABOUT THAT UNCOMFORTABLE FUCKING CHAIR LATER,"
Yep. By the end of episode one, I was rooting for the White Walkers to take out half of Winterfell. Sansa and Ayra seriously need to come face to face with a White Walker.
But, I will state that episode 2 is satisfying in this regard. And I no longer wanted everyone but Jon and a handful of others to die. LOL!
Bran waiting for Jaime to show up was effing perfect. Just. EFFING PERFECT. I will watch yesterday's episode when I get home tonight, but until then: EFFING PERFECT.
Their conversation in Episode 2 is even better. I'm not positive, but I think you'll love it. I found it VERY satisfying.
no subject
Date: 2019-04-23 03:31 pm (UTC)It was definitely very satisfying. ♥