![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
shadowkatSo, finally got around to watching all of last week's Game of Thrones. Decided that it is best to keep three things in mind while watching this series, okay four:
1. Outside of the Dany scenes, shot in the desert, everything is filmed quite dark, so it pays to watch the series at night with the lights off.
2. Watch it early in the evening not late at night and not after an intensive mind-numbing day at work, or a stressful one for that matter, you are likely to fall asleep. Light and frothy cotton candy tv, it's not. It has a lot of characters to follow and track, which can be head-ache inducing if you have a difficult and mentally exhausting job which requires a lot of tracking of information.
3. At this point, any and all comparisons to the books upon which it is based are sort of futile. Somewhere around the tail-end of S3, the television writers decided to skew left, while the books skewed right. It's actually better if you haven't read them or forgot most of it.
4. Frigging violent series written mainly by heterosexual and somewhat war obsessed men. It's going to be grim and violent. And in this case even more than the books were, because hello, visual. This is not a fun fantasy series with unicorns and fairies or quippy jokes.
That said? I came to the realization while watching it, and reading comments elsewhere about it, that the characters I like in the tv series aren't necessarily the same one's I liked in the books. For example? My favorite characters in the books were Jamie, Ayra, Tyrion, and Samwell. I think that was it. Sansa was beginning to grow on me. As was Dany. But barely. In the television series - my favorite characters are Tyrion, Dany, Brienne, Samwell, Ayra, the Hound, Bronn,
the two younger guys - Daario and Dany's advisor who was also on Downton Abbey, and the Onion King (he's interesting here - not so much in the books.).
I find Jamie interesting in the tv series, but not quite as likeable - he's darker and nastier here. It's subtle, but I picked up on it. Not everyone did. We read and watch and think very differently - so not all that surprising. Why folks can't wrap their minds around that continues to bewilder me.
* The recasting of Daario (I think that's his name, no clue, too many frigging characters, I can barely remember the names of my co-workers and the people at my church as it is) was inspired. I rather like the actor and he's hilarious. Casting really is everything. He's more likable here than in the books.
Loved the Dany scenes in this episode. Co-worker was right - it gets better once we get away from Cersei, the Boltons and Stannis.
* I'll give Lena Headly credit for making Cersei somewhat sympathetic here. Apparently they had troubles filming that controversial rape scene - because Jack Gleeson kept making faces and cracking everyone up. I do however find it disturbing that the director/writer and actor didn't view it as an obvious rape scene. Ah, sorry to break this to you - but it is a rape scene. Nothing was ambiguous about it.
That one I can't wrap my mind around. Maybe Cersei's "no, no, no" was in reality, Lena Headley going "no, stop" making me laugh Jack, "stop, no" can't stop laughing...?
Well the scene did not succeed in making Cersei more sympathetic. Felt gratutituous to me. I didn't see the point of it. It doesn't tell me anything new about either character - except they are at odds, which I sort of already knew. In an already violent story, why add more? Seems like overkill. Plus a really nifty way of pissing off more viewers - considering the ratings already dropped, kudos.
* Loved the Tyrion scenes. That actor, Peter Dinklage, is actually more attractive and more charismatic than the Nick C-W, who plays Jamie. I'm actually considering watching X-Men Days of Future Past - just for Peter Dinklage. Tyrion self-lessly tries to convince Podric to leave him. I also like his response to Podric's question, did he do it.
Tyrion: Gods no. Although the world is admittedly better off without Joffrey in it. I had nothing to do with his untimely demise. And if I had, I'd like to think I'd plan it in such a way that I'm not caught gawking at him like a fool.
He figures out that it wasn't Sansa or for that matter Cersei - since Cersei loved her children. And he apparently has no character witnesses - they won't allow Bronn near him. And the other witness they are calling against him. With Oberyn serving as a judge. He's wondering if it was his father - who stands to gain a lot by Joffrey's death. (I'm pretty sure it was the Queen of Thorns. But can't remember exactly. I do remember the reveal on who set up the assassination attempt on Bran and framed Tyrion for it - but the tv series has played that slightly differently, so that reveal probably won't happen?)
And asks for his brother. The Jamie/Tyrion relationship is amongst my favorites in the series to date.
*Ayra and the Hound (did this happen in the books? Can't remember.) They have an interesting relationship. And appear to be bonding on some level. Both are bitter, in different ways. He's yet another violent teacher.
Overall better in the second half. Still meandered a bit. Kept wanting to tell the writers to get on with it. Felt the same way reading the books. They need to tighten things up a bit.
Also saw Nashville on the On Record - which was a concert episode, where the actors discussed performing the songs with the songwriters. Was rather interesting and the songs were great. Learned during it that the actors playing Gunnar and Scarlet are British and use American accents in the show. Which heightened my respect for both.
On the fence about continuing with Arrow, The Tomorrow People and
Resurrection [ETA: Gave up on Resurrection, my attention kept wandering during it. It's hard to care about anyone. Everyone walks around as if they are really stoned. No emoting. Just a bewildered stoned look. The zombies on the Walking Dead have more animation.] - no one appears to be watching them on flist, not that that would influence me. Also wondering about Turn [ETA: not a good sign when you can't follow the pilot or care.] and The 100 [ETA: so far so good...and it hits my story kinks really hard.] - has anybody watched these? Are they worth watching? Should I just delete? My DVR is getting full of unwatched tv shows that I have no time for, but want to try. It's pathetic. Currently recording 28. Granted several of them aren't on at the moment...so there is that.
1. Outside of the Dany scenes, shot in the desert, everything is filmed quite dark, so it pays to watch the series at night with the lights off.
2. Watch it early in the evening not late at night and not after an intensive mind-numbing day at work, or a stressful one for that matter, you are likely to fall asleep. Light and frothy cotton candy tv, it's not. It has a lot of characters to follow and track, which can be head-ache inducing if you have a difficult and mentally exhausting job which requires a lot of tracking of information.
3. At this point, any and all comparisons to the books upon which it is based are sort of futile. Somewhere around the tail-end of S3, the television writers decided to skew left, while the books skewed right. It's actually better if you haven't read them or forgot most of it.
4. Frigging violent series written mainly by heterosexual and somewhat war obsessed men. It's going to be grim and violent. And in this case even more than the books were, because hello, visual. This is not a fun fantasy series with unicorns and fairies or quippy jokes.
That said? I came to the realization while watching it, and reading comments elsewhere about it, that the characters I like in the tv series aren't necessarily the same one's I liked in the books. For example? My favorite characters in the books were Jamie, Ayra, Tyrion, and Samwell. I think that was it. Sansa was beginning to grow on me. As was Dany. But barely. In the television series - my favorite characters are Tyrion, Dany, Brienne, Samwell, Ayra, the Hound, Bronn,
the two younger guys - Daario and Dany's advisor who was also on Downton Abbey, and the Onion King (he's interesting here - not so much in the books.).
I find Jamie interesting in the tv series, but not quite as likeable - he's darker and nastier here. It's subtle, but I picked up on it. Not everyone did. We read and watch and think very differently - so not all that surprising. Why folks can't wrap their minds around that continues to bewilder me.
* The recasting of Daario (I think that's his name, no clue, too many frigging characters, I can barely remember the names of my co-workers and the people at my church as it is) was inspired. I rather like the actor and he's hilarious. Casting really is everything. He's more likable here than in the books.
Loved the Dany scenes in this episode. Co-worker was right - it gets better once we get away from Cersei, the Boltons and Stannis.
* I'll give Lena Headly credit for making Cersei somewhat sympathetic here. Apparently they had troubles filming that controversial rape scene - because Jack Gleeson kept making faces and cracking everyone up. I do however find it disturbing that the director/writer and actor didn't view it as an obvious rape scene. Ah, sorry to break this to you - but it is a rape scene. Nothing was ambiguous about it.
That one I can't wrap my mind around. Maybe Cersei's "no, no, no" was in reality, Lena Headley going "no, stop" making me laugh Jack, "stop, no" can't stop laughing...?
Well the scene did not succeed in making Cersei more sympathetic. Felt gratutituous to me. I didn't see the point of it. It doesn't tell me anything new about either character - except they are at odds, which I sort of already knew. In an already violent story, why add more? Seems like overkill. Plus a really nifty way of pissing off more viewers - considering the ratings already dropped, kudos.
* Loved the Tyrion scenes. That actor, Peter Dinklage, is actually more attractive and more charismatic than the Nick C-W, who plays Jamie. I'm actually considering watching X-Men Days of Future Past - just for Peter Dinklage. Tyrion self-lessly tries to convince Podric to leave him. I also like his response to Podric's question, did he do it.
Tyrion: Gods no. Although the world is admittedly better off without Joffrey in it. I had nothing to do with his untimely demise. And if I had, I'd like to think I'd plan it in such a way that I'm not caught gawking at him like a fool.
He figures out that it wasn't Sansa or for that matter Cersei - since Cersei loved her children. And he apparently has no character witnesses - they won't allow Bronn near him. And the other witness they are calling against him. With Oberyn serving as a judge. He's wondering if it was his father - who stands to gain a lot by Joffrey's death. (I'm pretty sure it was the Queen of Thorns. But can't remember exactly. I do remember the reveal on who set up the assassination attempt on Bran and framed Tyrion for it - but the tv series has played that slightly differently, so that reveal probably won't happen?)
And asks for his brother. The Jamie/Tyrion relationship is amongst my favorites in the series to date.
*Ayra and the Hound (did this happen in the books? Can't remember.) They have an interesting relationship. And appear to be bonding on some level. Both are bitter, in different ways. He's yet another violent teacher.
Overall better in the second half. Still meandered a bit. Kept wanting to tell the writers to get on with it. Felt the same way reading the books. They need to tighten things up a bit.
Also saw Nashville on the On Record - which was a concert episode, where the actors discussed performing the songs with the songwriters. Was rather interesting and the songs were great. Learned during it that the actors playing Gunnar and Scarlet are British and use American accents in the show. Which heightened my respect for both.
On the fence about continuing with Arrow, The Tomorrow People and
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2014-04-27 09:36 pm (UTC)Probably should have skimmed most of the Onion King, Theon, Jon Snow, and Cersei chapters.
no subject
Date: 2014-04-27 09:43 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-04-27 09:53 pm (UTC)A lot of people thought the Theon story was funny - personally, I don't see it, but that's just me.
no subject
Date: 2014-04-27 09:56 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-04-27 10:47 pm (UTC)They explained it to me - but I just didn't get it.
Pathetic, yes. Funny, no. Of course I never hated Theon. The character annoyed me, but I didn't hate the character. Then again, I didn't love the Starks either.
no subject
Date: 2014-04-27 10:50 pm (UTC)Yeah, Theon does become pathetic. Let's face it: no matter what his sins, nobody deserves what he got. That said, I find it pretty hard to sympathize with him after he killed the 2 little boys.
no subject
Date: 2014-04-27 11:15 pm (UTC)He didn't just kill two boys - he hung and burned them alive to cover his ass.
But no one deserves what Ramsey Snow did to him. Except maybe Ramsey Snow.
no subject
Date: 2014-04-27 11:19 pm (UTC)We're in complete agreement on Theon.