Games of Thrones 1x04 review
May. 9th, 2011 05:18 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ishtar79 -Just when you think Tyrion couldn't possibly get any more awesome, he does something like gift Bran the designs for that custom-made saddle. It made off Robb come off as even more of a petulant child playing dress-up in daddy's clothes.
And yes, I realize that Tyrion is far from a 100% white hat. Nobody really is, on this show. But his tender spot for “bastards, cripples and broken things” seems to be one of his more genuine character traits. The thing that makes him the Lannister family's proverbial butt monkey is the very thing makes him better than them-not just because he's capable of some measure of empathy, but because it's what forced him to become that much more clever, cunning and interesting than his pretty, pretty siblings.
-Aw, poor Sam. Another perfectly cast character.
-GHOST! <3333333333
-They keep coming up with creative ways to dump exposition, don't they? Tyrion snarking at Theon, the creepy scene with Viserys and the slave girl, Sansa and her Septa in the Iron Throne room. I'm not quite sure how effective those are, in terms of viewers unfamiliar with the books keeping up with all that history.
-Speaking of Sansa, the bloom's definitely come off the rose. She's definitely wise to the reality of her situation, as was heartbreakingly illustrated through her fears about the gender of her future (many, ick) children.
-Arya's enthusiasm about her water dancing lessons was completely charming, even as her joy was dampened by Ned's reminder of her predetermined role in this society. I do like that Ned keeps the sugar-coating to a minimum. Both Arya and Sansa are aware of their fate (or at least seem to be at this point), but where Sansa is wearily resigned, Arya intends to fight it every step of the way.
-God, I'd forgotten how heartbreaking Sam's story was in the books. His lot in life is as shitty as that of the female characters, theredshirts commoners, Tyrion and Bran, and pretty much everybody who isn't a physically strong male character of noble blood.
-The episode page on imdb is not complete, but Robert's bastard was Will from Merlin aka Chris from Skins, right?
-So who else literally cheered at Dani's Crowning Moment of Awesome? Four episodes in, and she's already miles away from the quietly terrified girl in the pilot. When Viserys attacked her, I half-expected the rider from the previous episode or even Khal to rescue her, but of course this was so much better.
Mind you, as great it is to see Dani embrace her new power, it's not really hers, since it derives from her status as wife of the Khal and mother of the Khal's son (because we all know that if the baby is born female, that power becomes irrelevant). Yet she's still infinitely more respected and less abused than she was as Viserys' unmarried sister, so her new role does offer her some measure of relative control. No wonder she's come around to feeling positive about Drogo-and the Dothraki.
-Speaking of the indirect pathways to power women had to use, that final scene with Catelyn and Tyrion is a great example. What's more, Catelyn handled gaining/comfirming the loyalty of everyone in the room so masterfully and subtly, that even Tyrion (Tyrion!) didn't see it coming until it was too late.
-Cersei's threat to Ned, on the other hand, was the opposite of subtle. Maybe she thought subtlety would be lost of a Stark.
I doesn't seem like Ned realizes the gravity of making an enemy out of Cersei (beyond the abstract “all non-Lannisters are her enemies” thing).
And yes, I realize that Tyrion is far from a 100% white hat. Nobody really is, on this show. But his tender spot for “bastards, cripples and broken things” seems to be one of his more genuine character traits. The thing that makes him the Lannister family's proverbial butt monkey is the very thing makes him better than them-not just because he's capable of some measure of empathy, but because it's what forced him to become that much more clever, cunning and interesting than his pretty, pretty siblings.
-Aw, poor Sam. Another perfectly cast character.
-GHOST! <3333333333
-They keep coming up with creative ways to dump exposition, don't they? Tyrion snarking at Theon, the creepy scene with Viserys and the slave girl, Sansa and her Septa in the Iron Throne room. I'm not quite sure how effective those are, in terms of viewers unfamiliar with the books keeping up with all that history.
-Speaking of Sansa, the bloom's definitely come off the rose. She's definitely wise to the reality of her situation, as was heartbreakingly illustrated through her fears about the gender of her future (many, ick) children.
-Arya's enthusiasm about her water dancing lessons was completely charming, even as her joy was dampened by Ned's reminder of her predetermined role in this society. I do like that Ned keeps the sugar-coating to a minimum. Both Arya and Sansa are aware of their fate (or at least seem to be at this point), but where Sansa is wearily resigned, Arya intends to fight it every step of the way.
-God, I'd forgotten how heartbreaking Sam's story was in the books. His lot in life is as shitty as that of the female characters, the
-The episode page on imdb is not complete, but Robert's bastard was Will from Merlin aka Chris from Skins, right?
-So who else literally cheered at Dani's Crowning Moment of Awesome? Four episodes in, and she's already miles away from the quietly terrified girl in the pilot. When Viserys attacked her, I half-expected the rider from the previous episode or even Khal to rescue her, but of course this was so much better.
Mind you, as great it is to see Dani embrace her new power, it's not really hers, since it derives from her status as wife of the Khal and mother of the Khal's son (because we all know that if the baby is born female, that power becomes irrelevant). Yet she's still infinitely more respected and less abused than she was as Viserys' unmarried sister, so her new role does offer her some measure of relative control. No wonder she's come around to feeling positive about Drogo-and the Dothraki.
-Speaking of the indirect pathways to power women had to use, that final scene with Catelyn and Tyrion is a great example. What's more, Catelyn handled gaining/comfirming the loyalty of everyone in the room so masterfully and subtly, that even Tyrion (Tyrion!) didn't see it coming until it was too late.
-Cersei's threat to Ned, on the other hand, was the opposite of subtle. Maybe she thought subtlety would be lost of a Stark.
I doesn't seem like Ned realizes the gravity of making an enemy out of Cersei (beyond the abstract “all non-Lannisters are her enemies” thing).