ishtar79

 I haven’t posted about the first episodes, but as a reader of the series, the most important thing about this season is that we are in uncharted territory. Yes, George R.R. Martin has told the show creators some of the salient future plot points, but there will be significant divergence in plots and possibly a different take on storytelling/characters/motivations, all of which will be reflected on what we get. Not necessarily in a bad way, just…different.

( Oathbreaker )

 

Finally saw the Game of Thrones season premiere

( Some initial thoughts, no real book spoilers )

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IS IT APRIL 2012 YET?

-In the latest “one too many shows I'm getting addicted to” news, I'm enjoying the hell out of Once Upon A Time. The fairytale premise could have easily gone a bit too precious/cheesy, but the plots are tight, the acting fantastic, and I find myself caring about every single character. For those unaware of the premise, each episode features two parallel stories: one in “our” world and one in the fairytale realm, and not only am I finding myself engaged in both equally, but I'm also interested enough in each and every single character and not having any “oh no, an X-centric episode” moments yet. I really love the way the updated take on the fairytales (Most. Kickass. Snow White. Yet.), the fact that the show features several interesting female characters (and complicated relationships among them) and the the gradual way the pieces of the story are revealed. The real standouts on the show are Jennifer Morrison as an unexpectedly likeable protagonist (I wasn't much of a fan of her in House and HIMYM, but as Emma, she hits the right balance of cynism and more humanizing moments), Ginnifer Goodwin as the aforementionned kickass Snow White, the Queen/Evil Watch as a truly fantastic villain and Robert Carlyle at his most delightfully creepy and charismatic Rumplestilskin. Hell, the show is so good, I'm not even annoyed at the obligatory (for the genre) child character.

-Community's Christmas Episode/Epic Takedown of Glee was possibly The Best Thing Ever. I've lost count of the times I've rewatched Troy and Abed's rap number (which actually works as a legit song) and Annie's cringeworthy “sexy” Christmas tune (which really works for an entirely different reason).

-I realise it's been ages since I've made a rec, and I have a ton of older stuff across several fandoms to share, but for now, two recent things:

Iron by obsessive24 This is pretty much the Game Of Thrones vid I've been waiting for since the show began. With a focus on the Starks (mainly Ned), it does a beautiful job of both exploring the tragedy of the the show so far skillfully aluding to the larger picture and things yet to come in the books. The editing is as flawless as you'd expect from obsessive24, and the song seems to have been written for Ned Stark.

 Blame it on the Rhine by snegurochka_lee Harry/Pansy, Draco/Hermione It's been a while since I read a HP fic, but this is just the kind of thing that can draw me back in. The Harry/Pansy was hilarious, emotionally effective and searchingly hot, the side Draco/Hermione obvious to everyone but Harry, but what really made the fic for me was the use of famous works of art (complete with images and Harry and Pansy's wildly different takes on them).

-I really have no thoughts, one way or the other, about Bin Laden dying. The reactions to his death are another matter entirely. The reaction posts on my flist have been perfectly reasonable and I completely sympathize with having positive feelings about his death (I'm against the death penalty, war and assassinations on the institutionalized/legal level, but as a person, I can be as vengeful as the next) , but some of the things I've read online since the announcement have seemed naïve, full of posturing and at times downright ghoulish.

-I still haven't gotten around to watching the DW double premiere, but given by the explosion of squee I've been witnessing, I take it it's good?


( Spoilers would look marvelous decorating spikes )

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.

( fucking bulls and hunting whores...or is it the other way around? )