GoT 2.1 - First Thoughts

[shadowkat]

Game of Thrones 2.1? Sooo bloody good! Rather happy they kept the Game of Thrones titles - I like it better than the other titles. Best thing I've seen all week. I kept rewinding to rewatch and re-hear the dialogue. They don't mince words and no missed dialogue. Also much better than the book!



(I did not like Clash of Kings, rather forgettable. They are wisely threading Storm into it.) Also, I've seen the actress who plays Melisandra before. And whoever they cast as Davros is more compelling than in the books - he put me to sleep in the books (actually he seems to put everyone to sleep in the books), but here the actor is compelling. I adore Joras Mormount - Daenrys Taragryn's advisor and confidant.

Little bit in love with him in the tv series, which is odd, because in the books he did nothing for me. And oh Peter Dinklage...your Tyrion is pitch perfect, as is Ian Glen's Joffrey. Everyone is good in this. Best tv series on at the moment. Not a dull moment.
Almost as if they got an editor to prune Martin's text which tends to get a bit overgrown in places.

Here's the problem with gardener's like George RR Martin, Stephen King, Anne Rice, and Joss Whedon (also for that matter Charles Dickens and William Shakespeare) - they require editorial support - leave them to their own devices and they wander all over the place.
And the garden gets so thick with foilage...you can't find the bloody orchids. These are people who work better with constraints, even though they hate them...because much happier if they can grow at will. Martin became a novelist because he hated the constraints of television, and believed his books could never be adapted for tv. Whedon went into comic books - because he loved the fact that he could do whatever he wanted without constraints.
Anne Rice loves the fact no one edits her novels any longer. And King's barely are edited.
Shakespeare's later plays Titus Adronicus Hamlet...begin to wander. [ETA: As is pointed out in the comments, Titus Adronicus was actually an early play. Also, should be noted that actually all of Shakespeare's plays wandered...that's why people who perform them are always cutting huge junks out with the exception of the purists, who just do it in its entirety. A recent example, okay not that recent, is Kenneth Branagh's Hamlet - which he chose to do in its entirety...and it clocked in at nearly 4 hours? Maybe longer, felt longer. Thanks to beer_good and selenak for the correction on Titus Adronicus.] Dickens got paid by the word...and stretched his prose to insane lengths. Fans loved it...all those hidden nicks and crannies. But I don't know, there's something to be said for lean and net, Elmore Leonard, plot tight, no mincing of words. Sometimes you need to hire a landscape architect to see the trees and garden, not just an over-grown hedge. The Game of Thrones series seems to prove this to me....I find it far better paced and far more enjoyable.

Although knowing what's going to happen next makes certain scenes ironically funny.
Feel like telling the characters, I hate to say this, but your creator is laughing at you,
and having a sadistically good time doing it.

Once Upon a Time wouldn't tape, had to reboot the bloody DVR, so only caught the tail end. Methinks, I need to watch it tomorrow on my ipad. Annoying.

Comments

[wildtiger7.livejournal.com]

I was never a fan of Jorah in the books, but on TV he's great. It's totally the actor's fault.

I wish someone would edit Martin. "No restraints" does NOT equal "better", it often means worse. I've had editors tell me to cut things that I liked, and I did it and they were right - it just wasn't necessary.

[shadowkat67.livejournal.com]

Agreed. On both.

The same actor who plays Jorah in GoT was also playing Sir Richard in Downton Abbey (who was briefly engaged to Lady Mary) and he managed to make that character more appealing than the romantic interest. Dang good actor.

My difficulty with best-selling writers is their editors decide to stop editing their works and just go on vacation. You can tell. Game was tighter than Feast was, which is saying something. Also...Martin has this annoying habit of adding twenty new character points of view to each new book. So, just when you get a handle on the plot and all the characters in the other books, there's a whole new crop that you have to remember and keep track of.
He's a mad gardener. He just keeps adding plants and doesn't appear to know when to stop. LOL!

[embers-log.livejournal.com]

I had a really hard time watching GoT tonight on my new much slower and more inconvenient internet connection... I wonder if I should get HBO?
(I thought I could wait and see GoT Season 2 at a later date, but I'm feeling deprived)

Anyway, loved it! I need to do some Tyrion fan art!

[selenak.livejournal.com]

I agree about editors and the benefits of same for everyone named, but: Titus Andronicus was Shakespeare's first tragedy. Very much still influenced by Christopher Marlowe, complete with Marlovian supervillain.

[shadowkat67.livejournal.com]

Thanks. My memory is regrettably bad. For some reason I thought the Complete Works of Shakespeare book I'd read listed the works chronologically not alphabetically.

You're write about Marlowe. Although I can't remember if Marlow is necessarily tighter plot-wise. The last Marlow I remember is Jew of Malta, but I read and saw that back in the 1980s.

[beer-good-foamy.livejournal.com]

I'm guessing Melisandra is the priestess in red who's developed an immunity to iocane powder? I liked her. Sometimes I wish GoT characters would wear nametags; there's an awful lot of beards and dresses. I liked Stannis, too; there was a lot of unabashed power play in this episode. Good to see Littlefinger properly scared.

Shakespeare's later plays Titus Adronicus...begin to wander.

I thought Titus Andronicus was one of Shakespeare's earliest plays? I might be wrong. It's definitely one of his bloodiest. Have you seen Julie Taymor's film version? Incredibly brutal. And not entirely dissimilar to GoT.

Furthermore, I think Joffrey should get slapped in every episode.

[shapinglight]

there's an awful lot of beards and dresses.

Hee! If you write a review, you should call it this. And I second the slapping motion.

[shadowkat67.livejournal.com]

I thought Titus Andronicus was one of Shakespeare's earliest plays? I might be wrong. It's definitely one of his bloodiest. Have you seen Julie Taymor's film version? Incredibly brutal. And not entirely dissimilar to GoT.

You're right about Titus. Selenak corrected me as well. I changed it. I don't know why I picked Titus, it's actually tighter than Hamlet. Hamlet is a far better example. Unless you've seen Kenneth Brannagh's version - you probably haven't seen all of it.

I did actually see Taymor's version - in the movie theater with my brother when it was first released. Excellent film. The image that stays with me is of the raped and brutalized sister in the bare tree swamp. It does remind me a lot of GoT.

I still need to see the film Corianulous.

Furthermore, I think Joffrey should get slapped in every episode.

I was surprised he got slapped in this one. He never did in the books. Or not that I can remember...I think Tyrion was the only one.

If he got slapped more often...he'd probably be a nicer guy. Barratheon was a horrific father, regardless of whether or not Joffrey was really his, Barratheon thought he was.

I'm guessing Melisandra is the priestess in red who's developed an immunity to iocane powder? I liked her. Sometimes I wish GoT characters would wear nametags; there's an awful lot of beards and dresses.

Yep. Melissandra is the priestess/soceress that has bewitched Stannis. The actress is great and not at all what I expected. She's annoying in the books. But than so was Stannis and Davros. Here, actually, interesting.

The guy whose point of view we were in - in that scene, the older guy, who wasn't killed by the iocane powder and tried to talk the guy who was attempting to poison her out of it - is the Onion King - Davros, a former pirate who is loyal to Stannis and a friend/confidante of Stannis. He is important - he's actually a pov character through three books. Not a fan favorite though - puts us all to sleep..because he waxes on poetically for pages and pages about the sea, sailing, war, losing his sons - it's like leaping from a suspenseful fantasy to well The Old and the Sea. Reminded me a little of King Lear. I think he might work better in the tv series.

Yes, name tags would be nice. Martin's books have literally a cast of thousands. He adds twenty new "pov" characters per book, and about 1000 supporting characters. To the point that even though you get names...you almost need a chart to keep track - which is supplied in the back of the book. Martin can give Dickens and Shakespeare a run for their money.

I should write a full-fledged review, just had no time last night.

[beer-good-foamy.livejournal.com]

Unless you've seen Kenneth Brannagh's version - you probably haven't seen all of it.

I've both read and seen all of it. :) Hamlet is one of my all-time favourite works of literature, but yeah, there's a reason most directors trim it a bit. Shakespeare wrote for his times, and while a lot of it still has relevance, not everything does.

I still need to see the film Corianulous.

I can really recommend it. Excellent update - it's Shakespeare informed by the Arab spring and Occupy movements - plus, Vanessa Redgrave is absolutely incredible. Another thing Martin and Shakespeare have in common: good roles for women over 40.