Game of Thrones - Episode 4 -Quick Impressions

[shadowkat]

I continue to be blown away by the intricacy of this adaptation. And how well they are compressing the detailed multiple narratives of the books. But I feel an overwhelming desire to warn people that if you have serious issues with violent character deaths? You might want to stop now. George RR Martin makes Joss Whedon, JJ Abrahams and Kevin Williamson look like wimps when it comes to torturing and killing characters. I'm guessing from interviews and from reading the books, as well as watching the series - that Martin was a bit fed up with the romanticization and glamorization of the medieval period in fantasy novels. Knight's were chivarlous. Jousting cool. Etc. When in reality this time period as it exists both in fantasy novels and in reality - was brutal. They didn't call it the dark ages for nothing. Men ruled, women fought for survival. Because power was based purely on physical prowess and cunning. Martin also commented very heavily on the "code of honor" or the concept of honor found in Arthurian legends. The whole idea that killing in any form was honorable. The story is a fascinating depiction of what power is and what it does to people...and how one's sense of honor and moral code can get corrupted. Particularly those who believe they are right. I see things here that I didn't realize in the books...maybe because the books are so dense.

It is hard talking about this, because I am so spoiled - and part of me really wishes I wasn't. Trust me when I tell you that every single character in this story has a completely amazing and unpredictable arc. This is the most character driven fantasy novel series that I've ever read.



* Love, love, love Ayra. Particularly her exchange with her father.

Ned: You will be a lady with high lord, and many children, ruling over his house, while he protects you.

Ayra: No, I won't. Never. That's not who I am. Not what I want.

And the actress playing her is fiercely beautiful.

* The stories - there are three. My favorite is the one delivered by the excellent Aiden Gillian as Lord Littlefinger - about both his own name and the Hound and the Mountain. He got his name from being "too little" and "home being the Finger Lakes". Again the theme of someone physically "Weak" being overtaken and controlled by someone physically strong or bigger than theme. A major theme through the story - the physically weak struggling to survive and/or wield power amongst the physically strong who overpower them. Littlefinger - we've heard twice now is weaker physically. He lost Catelynn, because Brandon was physically stronger than him as is Ned. He's telling the tale to Sansa who is physically weaker and weaker in position. Then he tells the tale of the Hound and the Mountain. The Mountain who while still a boy, held his younger brother's face on burning coals until it melted just because the Hound was playing with his favorite toy.

*The other tale is the one Vicersy tells about the Dragons and his family. That they rode to power on the backs of Dragons, conguering Westeros for their own, from Valeria. During this tale - we see Vicerys lucid and insane. He has power. And we see the power-play between the girl he bought and him.
How she attempts to wield her power and he reasserts his.

*Oh, the mysteries. The Death of Jon Arryn and the attempt on Bran. The poor Starks are barking up the right trees, but not quite the right ones. The two mysteries are interconnected. And they are great. I love them. Against all warnings, Ned decides to wander down his mentor Jon Arryn's path, without knowing all the information. Littlefinger warns him that everyone has their spies, but Ned sees Littlefinger, the Spyder, and the Queen as weak - they are "physically" weaker than he is.
And they don't have Robert's favor, as he does. So he doesn't really pay attention. Except to trust Littlefinger and thank him. I love this exchange:

Ned: Thank you. I was wrong to mistrust you.
Littlefinger: On the contrary, that was the thing you were right about. (To give him credit, Littlefinger never lies to Ned - he lets him know upfront that he doesn't like him and why.)

Ned asks for the book on the ruling families, then goes off to see Robert's bastard son and asks about the boy's mother - who was blond. He discovers as Aryn did that Robert's seed is strong - which means in genetic terms that Robert's bloodline is dominant. All his children would look like him physically, dark hair, dark eyes. (Note the wording - seed is strong. Again power. Strong vs. weak. Physical power. That's the reason Martin chose fantasy and medieval times as the setting for his tale - it's a better venue to discuss this sort of power dichotomy.)

What he realizes is Cersei's greatest fear. Cersei even comes to him and warns him to back off. We can start again, she states. Be friendly. No need to be enemies. Then she accuses him of being little more than a solider, a follower. What she means, of course, is that he is unable to make the tough choices.

By now, we should realize what Ned has begun to - Joffrey is not Robert's son. (He's Jamie's.)
But is that why Jon Arryn died? And how did he die? By poison? A woman's choice of death - requires no physical strength.

* Jaime's exchange with Ned's guard - with more backstory, we learn more about the Greyjoy's who the Lannister's despise and why.

*Tyrion - oh, all the scenes with Tyrion are perfect. I love Tyrion. And his interaction with Rob and Theon Greyjoy is right on target. Great lines. Also love his scene with Catelynn, when he begins to realize she's trapping him.

Finally, Lord Snow and Samwell Tarwell - their odd friendship.

Off to bed with a smile.

Overall rating? A- (mostly because I still find the Danerys scenes a little on the campy side, I had issues with them in the first book too.)



[There may be Book spoilers in the comments but we are being incredibly vague.]

Comments

[shapinglight]

I just watched it and absolutely loved it too. I had been thinking that Joffrey had to be the son of Jaime and Cersei, but I wouldn't have understood the connection between Ned's revelation about the boy at the forge and the death of Jon Arryn without reading this. Had been puzzled by that scene between Ned and Cersei. Didn't see the point of it. :)

I enjoyed Jon Snow's friendship with Sam. Am a bit worried Sam will die horribly, but still...

[shadowkat67.livejournal.com]

Am a bit worried Sam will die horribly, but still

I can set your mind at ease there at least. ;-)

[shapinglight]

Oh thank you! What a relief. He's an idiot, but sort of sweet.

[shadowkat67.livejournal.com]

Sam eventually becomes one of my favorite characters.

[shadowkat67.livejournal.com]

Had been puzzled by that scene between Ned and Cersei. Didn't see the point of it. :)

Yep, it makes more sense when you realize what Ned has found out and that Cersei knows he's figured it out. Remember in the first episode - she's worrying that Jon Aryn told Robert what he'd found out - and Jamie states, no, most likely not, since they'd all be dead if that had been the case.

Here, Ned, ignoring the danger, hunts down and uncovers the same information. (Why Robert hasn't figured it out, I've no clue. Always wondered about that in the books. Proof Robert is a bit of an idiot.) And Cersei figuring out what he's done - warns him not to do anything about it, to let it go.

[shapinglight]

And Cersei figuring out what he's done - warns him not to do anything about it, to let it go.

Which he pretty much tells her he's not going to do, silly man.

[shadowkat67.livejournal.com]

LOL! Ned is so arrogant. The series starts out with him chopping off someone's head - someone who tried to warn about the wights, and was clearly terrified, but Ned, instead of listening to the poor soul - did his duty and chopped off his head for running away.

He keeps making that same mistake. Which is what Cersei calls him on. "You've never really been a leader have you. You are a solider. A follower. Good at taking orders. Your brother was the leader..."

And it's so clear - that he just doesn't think it through. He blindly follows his old friend Robert, takes his daughters with him, leaves his sons behind, and sends his bastard son off to the Wall with barely a blink.

Then, all advice to the contrary, he - not some spy or trusted associate, but Ned himself goes to seek out information regarding Robert's offspring - even after he's been more or less told that's probably what got his mentor killed.

[reginaspina.livejournal.com]

Why Robert hasn't figured it out

Because unlike Ned Stark, Robert doesn't really give a crap about his bastard kids and never sees them again, so it's not going to occur to him that all his bastards look like him, and his legitimate children don't.

[shadowkat67.livejournal.com]

Robert tends to be singularly focused - vengeance against the Tarrgyns (which I can't remember how to spell - doing this quickly from work so no time to look up) and whining about a job he never wanted and got saddled with. He was basically just your average dumb, whoring/drinking warrior dude (think Falstaff to King Henry the V, except Falstaff becomes King instead of the other way around) who was in love with his best-bud's warrior sis. Warrior sis got killed, and Rob got stuck with being King, when he was clearly not suited for it.

[reginaspina.livejournal.com]

I have to say that I just utterly dislike Robert and Ned's loyalty and affection for him make me think less of Ned (and are more evidence of Ned's horrible judgment of character). But of course, in the books, I realize in the books that we see him mostly from Ned's perspective and Ned romanticizes the past just as much as anyone else does. Of course he sees the Robert of their teenaged years (and I don't deny that that Robert was definitely a good warrior, but not much else!) but that was also the time when his brother, sister and father were still alive, and I suspect that it was generally a happier time for Ned, and he associates Robert with that time.

Because generally, I just loathe the man - it's one thing to be a feckless knight, but like it or not he IS the King. And "getting stuck" with being King doesn't mean he gets a pass to abdicate doing ANYTHING constructive. Blech! (Sorry, I'm surprised by the vehemence of my reaction myself, although I think Mark Addy is doing a tremendous job in the role.)

I also think Robert uses Lyanna as an excuse for his bad behaviour now, but BOOKSPOILERS: he had bastards from before he was King, at least one from when he was engaged to Lyanna, so there's no reason to think he would have stopped. I have no idea what Lyanna's reaction to that would have been but from what we

[shadowkat67.livejournal.com]

No disagreement here. Feel much the same way. Robert is loathsome both here and in the books, although I'll state he's actually more likable here, as is Ned and Catelynn (I did not like Ned or Catelynn that much in the books - in part because of their support of Robert.)

Ned's fatal flaw is his romantic view of both honor and duty - which Martin really examines in depth and
critiques in Storm of Swords - when we finally see what happened and how Robert got the throne through Lannister eyes.

Ned has a very romantic view of war and death. He sees what he wants to see. He's not a realist, and that's his greatest failing, he's a romantic.

And Ned as we find out later is culpable in Robert becoming King, in giving Robert power and through Robert, the Lannisters. Because Ned didn't want the Iron throne.

[shadowkat67.livejournal.com]

I'm admittedly a bit biased, after reading Storm, I'm a bit enamored of Jamie and Tyrion. LOL!

[embers-log.livejournal.com]

My connection crashed while I was responding before (I hate when that happens).

I am loving this, not (definitely not) because of the theme of a brutal world where strong men rule, but instead because the story seems to focus on the weak and disenfranchised and how they manage to get some power too....

Thank you for not spoiling, although I did decide to read all reviews on my flist and not worry about spoilers (I just always enjoy a surprise, so I do prefer to not get spoiled). It must be a temptation since you know where the book were going!

[shadowkat67.livejournal.com]

but instead because the story seems to focus on the weak and disenfranchised and how they manage to get some power too

You are going to love this series. Because without spoiling, it's a heck of a lot more than "some" power.

It must be a temptation since you know where the book were going!

The hardest part is figuring out what are spoilers and what aren't. Took me a while to figure out that revealing the whole kid thing is not a spoiler. It's not. That's what Ned figures out and it's why Cersei whose spies are watching him, which both his head guardsman and Littlefinger warn him about, visits.