Games of Thrones 1x01 review

[ishtar79]

I haven't read the books in a while, so I'm attempting a reread as I watch, but I'll keep book spoilers off the tv show reviews. Having said that, I was impressed by how faithful to the books the show was. It remains to be seen if this accuracy will work in the long-term, and whether they'll do the next books as well.


No complaint in terms of sets: the show did a brilliant job of bringing Martin's world to life, and Winterfell in particular was exactly like I'd imagined.

The characters are all aged up, but I suppose that was inevitable for a TV version to work. Bran's role is too complex to be carried by a seven-year-old and filming some of Daenarys' scenes with a forteen-year-old would have been...odd, to say the least. Still, the adult characters were significantly older than in the books, so it took me a while to adjust.

Since there were about a billion characters (for those unfamiliar with the books, trust me, this won't seem as big an exageration later on), I'm dividing my comments by houses/locations.

The Wall: That opening scene was basically the stuff nightmares were made of. And I see we're in for a long season of the camera lingering lovingly on severed heads and disemboweled bodies. Lovely.

The Starks: So far my onscreen favourites are the same as my book favourites. Sean Bean was, of course, awesome as Ned Stark, but given that he's Sean freakin Bean, no surprises there. But seriously, he brought such gravitas, depth and thoughtfulness to the role, and I may never tire of him saying “winter is coming”.

I'm still neutral on Catelyn, but that could be due to the fact that her role at this stage seems to be to look at turns supportive and worried (with bonus glaring at Jon Snow).

Sansa didn't have that much to do in this one, but she wasn't really on my radar in the opening chapters of Game Of Thrones either. I suspect the actress will be more than up to the challenges thrown her way later though.

ARYA! <333333 I have no comments there, she was simply perfection.

I pretty much wanted to hug little Bran in every scene he was in, and the actor did a great job at conveying so much in the scenes he was in. My heart pretty much stopped his daredevilish climbing, even before that final scene.

Jon was 200% more watchable once he lost that sad little attempt at a beard. His budding manpain might get old fast, so I hope they use his bastardangst sparingly. I couldn't help but squee when he found Ghost (even though those pups were the least direwolfy-looking things ever).

Robb was...there, I suppose. Heh, this is exactly like the books for me!

The Lannisters:
Tyrion was just fantastic, there are no two ways about it. He's one of the characters I'd really hoped they got right, and the actor did a brilliant job at conveying the intelligence, self-deprecation and deviousness in the few scenes he had. Also, for some reason the scene with him, Jamie and the assorted prostitutes was a lot less gross than it could have been, partly because of the actor playing it in a very “kid in candystore” way.

Mad props to whoever cast Lena Hadey as Cersei. I never found book!Cersei sympathetic in the least because of....well, you know, but I couldn't help but admire her flair. Lena's Cersei is still the HBIC with a double dose of EVIL, but I couldn't help but be drawn to her POV at times.

The actor playing Jamie is not as pretty as I imagined book!Jamie, but he more than made up for it by oozing charm and embodying the essence of obnoxious, immoral prick.

Joffrey was every bit the repulsive little shit I imagined him as. I still can't get over Sansa making eyes at him-seriously, Sansa, “handsome”? Do you need glasses girl?

The Targaryens: When I saw the trailers, I wasn't too impressed with the white blond hair/darker eyebrows combo Daenarys had going, but it's not as bad as it looked at first glance. I always had trouble warming up to Daenarys in the books, but the actress brought a vulnerability to the role that made her infinitely more relatable.

Major props to them making Viserys as disturbing and loathsome as he was in the books. The actor was rocking the perfect combination of sleazy with an undertone of manic violence, and the scene were he was feeling up his sister like a piece of meat was perfectly shudder-inducing.

So actor playing Drogo is apparently the draw for many SGA fans. He's ...pleasantly strapping, isn't he? Also, for a supposedly primitive people, the Dothraki sure seem to love their dental hygiene and eyeshadow.

Comments

[cesy]

I was surprised by the eyeshadow on Drogo.

I didn't really develop any sympathy for Jaime or Cersei until the later books, when you start to understand their past a bit more and how they ended up the way they are.

[ishtar79]

The eyeshadow was made of lulz.

And I agree with you on Jamie and Cersei-I definitely wasn't feeling sympathetic towards them from the outset, but that's the beauty of the series. Martin gives you everybody's POV, even some of the "bad" characters.

[olympia-m.livejournal.com]

Also, Jason Momoa is extraordinarily handsome in RL. I know, actors are supposed to be good-looking, but he's something else!!!

(random comment was random *G*)

[ishtar79.livejournal.com]

When did you see him IRL? *iz jeluz*

"Random comment" my ass, you just wanted to BRAG (and who could blame you). :P

[olympia-m.livejournal.com]

I saw him IRL the only time I went to a con 1-2 years ago (and, I think I just wanted to share, rather than brag; I haven't told anyone that - even though I've mentioned going to that con...)

[ishtar79.livejournal.com]

I know, I was just teasing. ;)

[mimine.livejournal.com]

AAAAAAAAH!!!!! I hate you!!!!!

I will never see Jason Momoa. *sniffle*

[olympia-m.livejournal.com]

come on, you don't know that!

[heather.livejournal.com]

Jason Momoa is PRETERNATURALLY ATTRACTIVE OK. Probably the only thing that doesn't annoy my about how the Dothraki have been translated to screen is the fact that Jason is there being Jason.

Everyone's so well cast though. I actually adore Catelyn in the books and I can't wait to see more of her on the show, and I completely agree that Cersei is 100% more compelling on-screen. Lena is a goddess.

I think Robb is a little weak in the books as well as on the show, but other than that I really genuinely enjoyed everyone, even the deeply creepy Viserys. I'm disappointed that Dany/Drogo's wedding night was explicitly less consensual than it was in the book, and I think that messes up Dany's arc quite a bit. But that's my main quibble, everything else was pretty great.

[ishtar79.livejournal.com]

I've seen some photoshoots of him, and preternaturally attractive sounds about right. I'm just the type of person who gets extra lulz whenever somebody is groomed to a Hollywood standard right smack in the middle of a historical saga or other circumstances where it's unlikely-like the female characters who wake up in full makeup. :P

Seriously though, the portrayal of the Dothraki was just like "WHAT?". I remember the wedding ceremony being intense in the books, but that was some shit right out of Spartacus: Blood and Sand onscreen. And WTF was up with the Fear Factor cuisine?

The nonconsensual wedding scene totally screwed up the very basis of the two characters' dynamic. I can only hope they somehow fix it next episode via flashback, because the storyline will make NO SENSE otherwise.

Viserys was surprisingly watchable. I mean, he's still the Creepiest Creep this side of Creeponia, but unlike the books, I didn't find his scenes impossible to suffer through.

[sistermagpie.livejournal.com]

Agree with pretty much everything here, maybe especially Arya. That little girl has the best face. I can't get over it. And OMG, Joffrey is SOOOO repulsive. I suspect that's what Draco Malfoy looks like in JKR's head. But perfect for Joffrey.

[ishtar79.livejournal.com]

Arya is perfection-the look, characterisation, acting, EVERYTHING.

I suspect that's what Draco Malfoy looks like in JKR's head.

But not in OURS! :)

But yeah, such a horrid little ass. I get violent urges whenever he's onscreen, and he hasn't DONE anything yet.

[embers-log.livejournal.com]

um... can you explain to me the appeal of this world where men are men and women bend over and take it?
I don't think I get it.
But then I dislike 'Man Men' too.

[ishtar79.livejournal.com]

Well, like Mad Men, the world is terribly sexist, but this is where our opinions diverge, because I hardly think the female characters on both shows "bend over and take it". Game of Thrones/A Song of Ice And Fire in particular has some especially strong female characters. I don't know if you've read the books, but Cersei is many things (power hungry, amoral, twisted), but weak and passive is hardly one of them. Arya is a strong character from the outset, and even more stereotypically feminine and submissive characters like Sansa are taken in interesting directions.

[embers-log.livejournal.com]

thanks... I haven't read the books, and I've only watched the first episode... and found it a little hard to take.
I'm also getting tired of the The Borgias, although I think a few of the worms are about to turn on that one.

I wasn't meaning to actually give a bad review, I was really wanting to know what you felt the attraction is. Because clearly these books are hugely popular. I would have asked shadowkat67 but she often loves stuff for the soap opera story line that I can't get into at all.

[countouttheday.livejournal.com]

I hope you don't mind my jumping in, but I think part of the appeal is that it's a terrible world where men are sometimes men and sometimes have their heads chopped off for no good reason and women are expected to be passive, but the majority of the female characters are women who are not passive. There are many strong female characters, and they present a number of different ways of gaining power in a world that tries not to allow them to have it. Some, like Catelyn or The Queen of Thorns (though you don't meet her until the third book) do it within the constraints of traditional feminine roles, but most of them do it. Then there are characters like Cersei, Arya, or Brienne who just don't fit in as well as more accepted warrior characters like Asha or Ygritte.

The sexism in the world is not appealing, but the various ways in which female characters subvert that is.

[embers-log.livejournal.com]

thanks, I was actually sitting here kicking myself; thinking I shouldn't have even posted.... It is just that everyone online has been raving about these books so much, so I expected to love the show. And instead I just felt that I must be missing something that everyone else was seeing. I guess you had to read the books... huh?
LOL

[countouttheday.livejournal.com]

Nah, it seems like a pretty understandable reaction to me if you hadn't read the books. It's hard for me to imagine the perspective of someone seeing it who hadn't, and how things would come off since I've read them way too many times, but you've pointed out that early on most of the women do come off as passive or even victimized. If you manage to stick with it, that definitely opens up some over time. The way Danaerys is being bought and sold and used was definitely hard to watch, but much easier knowing where her story is headed.

[embers-log.livejournal.com]

It particularly doesn't help that Danaery's situation reminded me way too much of what happened to Lucrezia in the last episode of 'The Borgias'! I was feeling like I need to avoid shows which are too focused on 'the man's world'.

I also may be feeling over sensitive because I had recently heard about a cousin's rape... I'm feeling overly sensitive, which is not the way to approach shows like this. So I really shouldn't have posted, I'm not viewing it from a board enough perspective right now.

Thank you for your help though, I appreciate it!

[aegflota.livejournal.com]

I am dreading the inevitable Cersei-bashing, to be honest. Especially as the people doing it always seem happy to overlook Jaime's flaws.

I liked Tyrion! (And the actor's better looking than Jaime, o irony)

The actor playing Viserys did a fantastically horrible job as well.

I really didn't like what they did to Drogo and Dany's wedding night, though. There's already enough unpleasantness in the books, they didn't need to ADD to it.

[ishtar79.livejournal.com]

Yeah, fandom's double standard when it comes to male and female characters, let me tell you how much I LOVE it. /sarcasm>

The actor playing Viserys definitely is a revelation. He's just...awesomely slimy.

And I agree that the books were rapey enough as they were, why add more rape?

[anaid-rabbit.livejournal.com]

I thought Lena Hadley was perfect as Cersei. She brought something more human, more vulnerable to the character than we ever get to glimpse in the books where I think she`s pretty much a caricature.

And, yes, I agree most of the casting was spot on, specially Tyrion and Viserys whose actors`s performances really stood out for me.

[ishtar79.livejournal.com]

I agree Lena definitely humanizes Cersei. I'm very happy with everybody's casting.