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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
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no subject
Date: 2014-04-30 02:25 am (UTC)Yeah, I can see why you quit for that one. They killed him off to push forward three other story-arcs - that was the reason, and to really hurt the protagonists. Since both protagonists were indirectly responsible for his death. As was his father. And for shock effect. But I agree, it was a dumb move. Plus, the only African-American character in the main cast - so racist casting choice.
no subject
Date: 2014-04-30 03:20 am (UTC)But really, even aside of how racist it is to kill the only black character in the main cast. There's the part that families are only allowed to have one child.
As such, they'll never get back the plot potential of the tension Wells had, being the son of the Chancellor. Even if there's a new chancellor, none of the kids are going to have the same issues with them, that they do with Wells.
I mean, if they wanted to go for shock effect, they could have killed Jasper or Finn. People still would have reacted to it. but both of those are replaceable since they just play basic tropes. Hell, Monty could replace Jasper plotwise and Finn wasn't even in the book, while Wells was one of the four pov protagonists in the book. they could have just used Raven as a replacement for Finn and use Finn's death to give her an emotional arc.
But nope, can't go killing pretty white boys to give the women and poc characters some angst, now can they?
no subject
Date: 2014-04-30 10:02 pm (UTC)I was admittedly confused as to why you were upset until it happened. Why would you be upset about Finn or Jasper dying? I was convinced they were going to kill off Finn - because that's what I would have done. It would have opened up lots of storylines, and set the heroine up for a romantic love triangle between Bellamy and Wells, which works a whole lot better thematically and plot wise.
Wells? They went for the shock value. Should have seen it coming, when they did the flashbacks and the explanation regarding who actually turned her father in. It was clearly set up to put the heroine at odds with her mom, and continue the bonding between the heroine and Finn and Bellamy.
But it was so cliche. And the Carter/Finn/Raven triangle is cliche and silly as well.
So I agree - stupid move on the writers part. I'd have killed off Finn.
Same shock value, plus lots of angst - since Octavia, Carter and Raven cared about him. But no, they go for the token POC, dumb.
I'm sticking with it - because I like Carter, Raven, Octavia, and Abby Griffin. It's a rare thing when I like female characters in a tv show like this. Bellamy is growing on me....I've gone from wanting him dead or punched in the face, to seeing a potential hook-up with Carter.
So...that's progress.
Finn bores me. The actor isn't very good. Pretty, but dull.
The best male character was actually Wells...dang it.