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Apr. 24th, 2011 10:54 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
shadowkatThe second episode of Game of Thrones was much much better than the first. And they are moving rapidly through the book. In some respects it works better - the jumping from points of views, which in the book often felt jarring, you'd be in one, there'd be a cliff-hanger, and suddenly you are in another for about 30 pages. Here it's faster. Less plodding through intricate and textured description. We don't need descriptions of each character, their clothing, etc.
And the casting is pitch-perfect. I don't care what anyone else says - Lena Headley is perfect as Cersei...she has the right blend. Of course I loved Headley long before SCC, seen her in a lot of films and tv shows over the years. Excellent actress - she disappears into her roles with a quiet grace, embodying each character with fierce strength.
Also Ayra - the little girl playing Ayra is blowing me away. There's not a false note here.
Peter Dinklage as Tyrion is inspired, and more or less how I envisioned him. He's amongst my favorite characters. And whoever they found to play Prince Joffrey? He's exactly what I envisioned and just as repulsively beautiful - Prince Viserys twin.
I think the fast pace is a good idea - because in some respects it plays out like a Shakespearean Tragedy of epic proportions. Think MacBeth meets Hamlet with more than a touch of Richard the III, and you'll know what I mean. Dwell too long, and things get unbelievably grim and a bit plodding - which is sort of my problem with The Killing - it's too slow, although different genre, different rules, so not fair to compare them. We've been through this before - comparing two different genres gets dicey, because their aims are so different.
Anyhow...no time to do a lengthy review. Just extremely pleased with this show. It's right up there with the Good Wife and Justified in the quality department. Direction, writing, acting, production value are all working for me. Along with pacing.
Do wonder if it works as well for people who haven't read the books? I don't remember Game of Thrones all that well, if anything the series is bringing the books back to me. I read Game five years ago. Example - I forgot most of Catelynn's arc (mostly because the character grated so much on my nerves in the books that I kept scanning, here - I find I like her a lot better). So I can't tell you precisely what is different between the two. It feels fairly faithful, just a bit faster paced and I think they combined some things and left other things out? Focusing on the important bits. There's a few side stories...that may have gotten dropped. Martin is incredibly thorough with his world-building. I kid you not about the amount of detail in these books. It may help watching this - to know exactly where each character is headed more or less. Makes certain bits, ironically amusing. And other's far less painful.
And the casting is pitch-perfect. I don't care what anyone else says - Lena Headley is perfect as Cersei...she has the right blend. Of course I loved Headley long before SCC, seen her in a lot of films and tv shows over the years. Excellent actress - she disappears into her roles with a quiet grace, embodying each character with fierce strength.
Also Ayra - the little girl playing Ayra is blowing me away. There's not a false note here.
Peter Dinklage as Tyrion is inspired, and more or less how I envisioned him. He's amongst my favorite characters. And whoever they found to play Prince Joffrey? He's exactly what I envisioned and just as repulsively beautiful - Prince Viserys twin.
I think the fast pace is a good idea - because in some respects it plays out like a Shakespearean Tragedy of epic proportions. Think MacBeth meets Hamlet with more than a touch of Richard the III, and you'll know what I mean. Dwell too long, and things get unbelievably grim and a bit plodding - which is sort of my problem with The Killing - it's too slow, although different genre, different rules, so not fair to compare them. We've been through this before - comparing two different genres gets dicey, because their aims are so different.
Anyhow...no time to do a lengthy review. Just extremely pleased with this show. It's right up there with the Good Wife and Justified in the quality department. Direction, writing, acting, production value are all working for me. Along with pacing.
Do wonder if it works as well for people who haven't read the books? I don't remember Game of Thrones all that well, if anything the series is bringing the books back to me. I read Game five years ago. Example - I forgot most of Catelynn's arc (mostly because the character grated so much on my nerves in the books that I kept scanning, here - I find I like her a lot better). So I can't tell you precisely what is different between the two. It feels fairly faithful, just a bit faster paced and I think they combined some things and left other things out? Focusing on the important bits. There's a few side stories...that may have gotten dropped. Martin is incredibly thorough with his world-building. I kid you not about the amount of detail in these books. It may help watching this - to know exactly where each character is headed more or less. Makes certain bits, ironically amusing. And other's far less painful.
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Date: 2011-04-25 03:29 pm (UTC)I didn't really enjoy the first episode but this second one was pretty awesome.
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Date: 2011-04-25 05:04 pm (UTC)Never decide on a tv series by it's pilot episode is my motto.
(Which apparently everyone including the networks ignores - since read in the paper this morning that Paul Reiser's new show was canceled after just two episodes.)
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Date: 2011-04-25 05:31 pm (UTC)sigh
Re: Game of Thrones: I have too much to read right now, so I wasn't planning to try this any time soon... but I was willing to spoil myself with the show since it is available on my computer...
I am well aware that the experiences of books & shows are completely different...
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Date: 2011-04-25 06:36 pm (UTC)Just as well it is cancelled if this is what it was going to be like.
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Date: 2011-04-25 07:03 pm (UTC)But that could of course change. (doubt it from the interviews, they appear to want to do a faithful adaptation.)
Recommend the series over the books for you. Reading each book - took me three to four months. They are about 800-1115 pages each, small print. With 20 to 30 points of view (ie. each chapter in a different pov).
I always got bogged down in the middle of them...yes, yes, enough already with each and every characters personal background and struggles. Let's get on with it! For example, Ayra spends two-three chapters raging at Sandor Cleghan and Sansa.
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Date: 2011-04-27 12:53 am (UTC)And Glee is totally awesome tonight (they really have some great productions numbers tonight).
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Date: 2011-04-27 01:40 am (UTC)You're right about tonight's Glee - after a slew of lack-lustre episodes, this is actually a really good episode, good performances, and a good cast-wide theme.
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Date: 2011-04-27 02:13 am (UTC)And yeah, I just set up to record 'In Plain Sight' and while I was at it I deleted my series recording of 'The Killing'... it is well written and well acted... and beautifully filmed... so why don't I care about any of the characters? Not one of them seems really layered or interesting, I certainly don't identify with any of them.
OTOH I am totally in love with several of the characters (and all the wolves) in 'Game of Thrones' - after only two episodes I'm in love! LOL