THAT WASN'T VERY LADYLIKE: Reintroductions having been made, last night's Game of Thrones dived right into the plot. Stannis's pair of first moves -- one marshal, the other romantic -- seem ill-advised and uncomfortable; Theon's corresponding moves are received even more humiliatingly. Tyrion's first move is astute and satisfying. Dany can't move at all. The Night's Watch sends out a call for men, but it looks like most of what they're getting is political traitors, children, and criminals so foul that they have to travel in a cage, plus two children of murdered noblemen. Sam and Jon just can't follow orders. All that plus some sexposition apparently designed to be more stomach-churning than titillating.
Missing in action: Joffrey, Sansa, Robb, Caitlin, Jaime, and Renly.
I'm glad they decided to only focus on half the plot arcs. Episode 201 was scattered, although perhaps necessarily. One of my favorite scenes in the second book is Tyrion outmanuvering Janos Slynt so well -- and threatening his children -- that Slynt ends up capitulating in his exile. So I was a little disappointed, but this worked pretty well. I think as a matter of television, it probably helps to make Bronn commander of the City Watch as it gives him something to do except wandering around following Tyrion.
ReplyDeleteYou're right that I missed the longer scene where Tyrion traps Slynt, but it would have been like a quarter of the show. The way the show is flying by, you don't get a sense of how quickly Slynt rose from functionary to Kingsguard to Lord, and how long he stayed in that position. It's also too bad that they didn't make a big deal of pointing out that he was promised Harrenhall. Harrenhall is just a recurring joke, but I wish they would tell it.
ReplyDeleteJaqen H'ghar is the first character (or maybe the second, after Loras Tyrell) that I think is miscast. I pictured him a bit older and sinister-looking. Yara (formerly Asha) isn't what I expected (thought she was tall and slim with dark hair in the books), but she seemed to fit the part nonetheless.
I'll say one thing, as a non-reader-of-the-books: Theon's sister sure will do a lot for a joke. (Or to embarrass someone.)
ReplyDeleteI think I can identify approximately 25% of the cast by name. Who the hell are all these people?
ReplyDeleteI think this is a sign that you have a good husband. Because, if you didn't, he'd be hitting pause every 5 minutes, saying things like "Oh, that's _____. His great-grandfather was ____, and that guy ____. Then, during the War That Nobody Remembers, his grandfather _______." And so on and so on and so on.
ReplyDelete(It also seems, based on The Wire, that Isaac just has an extremely good head for zeroing in on the names of characters, even when they're minor characters or when their names are only spoken once or twice.)
No, I definitely am that guy. It took us about 90 minutes to get through the episode, largely because I had to tell all about how Davos Seaworth smuggled food into Storm's End so that Stannis and the Baratheons could survive the Lannisters' blockade, and then Stannis chopped off his fingers anyway for being a smuggler (because Stannis is a dick), and then there were several minutes of "which one is Stannis"/"he's not in this scene"/"then who is that guy"/"that's the smuggler"/"then who is the black guy"/"that is the other smuggler"/"what other smuggler"/"he's more like a financier"/"and the young guy is the hand"/"no Stannis's hand is the guy with no fingers"/"that's funny, but all of these guys have all their fingers"/[spirited disagreement]." And then another pause-digression to cover Theon Greyjoy and the politics of having a ward, etc.
ReplyDeleteThere are no minor characters in the Wire. There are only major characters whose stories are on screen for fewer moments.
I don't know which comment that I like better.
ReplyDeleteMy husband got so tired of asking me who all these people were during season 1 that he started reading the books. In related news, he tested the newly-established wireless capabilities of our printer by printing a map of Westeros.
Saddest of all? I've read the books, but it was so long ago I turn to the other people in the room who've also read the books and am all, "Now which Br--n character is this? Brienne? Bronn? Bran? Brynden? Brian? Bronwyn? Brackgammon? Branmuffin?"
ReplyDeleteThis is one of the few shows that has universal appeal across age, gender and background. Today I will be spending a little bit of time filling in the gaps for people who haven't read the books or are not that interested in retaining character information from season to season. I am trying to think of a series which my parents, their friends my sisters and work colleagues have all loved as much as GoT.
ReplyDeleteAs long as you keep track of Podrick and Hot Pie the rest should fall into place.
ReplyDeletePhew -- maybe that means David Simon will do his Ziggy spin-off after all.
ReplyDeleteJenn: He should have gone to see The Little Mermaid with his brother instead. ;)
ReplyDeleteThe characters in the books have trouble keeping track of Podrick and Hot Pie -- why should we be any different?
ReplyDeleteIsaac has to hit pause every 5 seconds throughout every episode to cheerfully explain (again) pretty much everything. THAT'S the sign of a good husband.
ReplyDeleteIt took me all of season one to figure out which one was Sansa and which one was Cersei.
ReplyDeleteOK. I've read the damn book twice, but can't remember. Who in the book was made commader of the City Watch? No recollection of that.
ReplyDeleteI do think they did a great job here of making the much-commenetd upon nudity very character-driven. The Theon sex scene did a great deal to elucidate his character in very specific ways--had he had that same conversation with the ship captain's daughter above deck gazing at Pyke as they approached we woldn't have learned as much about who Theon is as we did.
In the book, Tyrion made Jacelyn Bywater commander of the City Watch. http://awoiaf.westeros.org/index.php/Jacelyn_Bywater (Spoilers ahead in that link if you haven't read).
ReplyDeleteMy question re: "Yara": as this comment thread has pointed out, there are a ton of characters and names and similar names in this show - why did Benioff & Weiss decide that "Asha" was too similar to "Osha" (from season 1) and therefore had to be changed? I mean, why is THAT the thing they decided was too confusing to keep?
ReplyDeleteAs for miscasting, I actually thought Ser Dontos was older and fatter than I imagined. Yes, he's no one's ideal image of a knight, but he was indeed a knight before Sansa/Joffrey made him a fool...I just didn't believe he'd already look like a clown before he was made one.
The series has been picked up for season 3, which means that viewers will need to start learning the various members of the Tyrell family, and maybe the Martells as well. And then, over in Essos...
ReplyDelete