Game of Thrones

It can’t quite compete with Lord of the Rings in terms of grandeur, but otherwise the Game is a good watch. Fine actors (powerhouse Sean Bean and taciturn Jason Momoa are the best in my mind), quality production design (HBO style) and the story is starting out promisingly, but a little slowly. Let’s see what it holds in store... A dragon hatching. A serial that is the real fantasy that all us fans were dreaming of. Intrigues, battles, dead bodies. It mainly relies on superbly written characters who luckily are also excellently cast. My favorites Bean and Momoa were awesome for the whole season, but not just them. Dwarfish Peter Dinklage grew on me, the way he steals every scene with supreme confidence. I also really liked Daenerys, and Emilia Clarke, who plays her, gives an impressive performance (ehem) and has absolutely no problem swapping roles (ehem, ehem). The final scene was totally chilling in her delivery. I look forward to what comes next. Season two: In terms of quality, this is going up and up. Too bad that some of the now main actors are rather dull (Stark’s son - the one with the army, Stark’s non-son, a fisherman or something) and their sub-stories slow down the action. Peter Dinklage easily dominates this season too, and grampa Lanister with Stark’s young daughter (I must try to remember their names) and Jaqen (the assassin) really spiced up this season. And then my sunshine in the night, Daenerys and her dragons. I found those three little guys (I call them Huey, Dewey and Louie) really entertaining, mainly at the end. So bring on another season... Season three: Better and better. One small problem is that some of my favorite characters are just running on the spot (Daenerys and the army of corpses in the second half look like they’re stuck in first gear with the handbrake on) and the storylines are very hard to follow, especially when you have to wait a week for each new episode. The wedding scene maybe is one of the high points, but honestly I considered something like that was unavoidable (nothing interesting could happen with that character anymore) and I think it was essential for the growth of the series for Martin to make his move. Also I relished in the torturing of Grey and I was really pleased about Daenerys buying the Unsullied and the red dragon’s tricks. I look forward to them growing up, those little tinkers. :) Season four: It starts with perhaps the most pleasant death of the entire series so far. The story moves on some. And despite countless surprising twists, it head for the most powerful finale yet. The dwarf’s fate is a central theme of the season and Peter Dinklage literally shines. The brotherly scenes are some of the best of the series. Jon Snow finally begins to show his real colors and Bran’s storyline begins to gain momentum. Arya sailing away made for a nice ending to the season, but damn, a year is too long. (04/18/2011)

Too rushed and with a bungled screenplay. It goes to show how just important the amount of time that Martin devotes to it is. The parts where the creators have to catch up with parts that have already appeared in the books are so painfully obvious that I regret not reading the books instead. The final threats of freedom are crossed with the ridiculing of democracy and the news of the eventual imposition of the status quo is the only realistic conclusion. A satisfying end of a road still under construction. (05/20/2019)

Notre Dame is in flames and everybody is watching Game of Thrones. Sam drops spoilers and you can smell the money in the special effects in an absolutely superfluous fly-past. As an intro, it’s ok, but you can see that the creators are fumbling around for something to say. But the finale got me wanting to see more. (04/15/2019)

In the end, a fairly satisfying, very literary ending. About balance and the importance of stories. You can tell that Martin has already thought up the ending and is just writing down the paths that lead there and, as the screenwriters have found out for themselves, its no easy task. When he finishes writing it, I’ll read it. (05/20/2019)