Game of Thrones: episode 1
Apr. 19th, 2011 07:02 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
lizbeeI've been pretty excited for this since ... let's see, first I heard of the series was when Lena Headey was cast as Cersei. Then I started reading the books, and got really excited. It's one of those series where I don't get fannish per se, because there is exactly as much of the things I love as I need, and therefore very little to fix. (Not that the books aren't without issues! A warning for people who are unfamiliar with the series and thinking of picking it up, either in novel or TV format: they are pretty full of the rapin' and the orientalisin' and the graphic violenc...in'. And I don't know what George R. R. Martin has against the human nipple, but ... yeah, anyway.)
In short, at least half of the House o'Squid has been hanging out for this.suburbannoir went into a full spoiler black-out and refused to even watch trailers. I watched everything, up to the point where the promotional stuff got too much and I decided I could wait.
I'm also re-reading the books right now, so events and characters are pretty fresh in my mind.
In terms of reaction, the least spoilery thing I can say is, yes, that was mostly good. I can't even imagine what a person who isn't familiar with the books would make of it (though I, for one, appreciated not getting a full biography of every single character in the opening scene).piecesofalice was unspoiled, and aside from an aversion to the strummy-strummy Renaissance faire score, seemed to enjoy it. She also spotted that SPOILER and SPOILER are SPOILERING EACH OTHER well before the SHOCKING FINAL SCENE, so well done her.
With spoilers, I mention the following faults:
- It's really hard to tell Robb and Jon apart. They have different haircolours, but that's not really obvious in most scenes. Mostly I told them apart by the way Jon is emo and Robb is dull.
- I couldn't tell if Peter Dinklage's accent was bad, or if it was just that Tyrian was drunk in all of his scenes.
- Despite the many, many boobies on display, Lady Catelyn was not naked when Maester Luwin brought Lysa's letter. No middle-aged mother-of-five nudity for us!
- Too bad if you were watching for Alfie Allen? I caught glimpses of him here and there, but that was it. Oh well, it's not as though Theon Greyjoy has any fans. BRING ON ASHA, PLS!
- This is probably silly, but the final scene, "Things I do for love," *bunt child out of window*, was nothing at all how I imagined it, and was ... not very dramatic. I think they should have kept Bran's POV for that.
This is the actual, serious problem: Dany's deflowering scene follows the book, only it ends before she actually consents to, y'know, the deflowering. So the audience is left going, "What, her new barbarian husband raped her?"
I've seen a screencap that looked like it might be from, y'know, the actual consummation. (Oh, HBO.) So I am hoping that we will revisit that scene next week, and this is just an awkward fake-out that was meant to mislead the audience about Khal Drogo's personality. If not ... well, that's a pretty serious diversion in characterisation from the books, and basically undermines everything that Dany does from here on out. Not to mention that, if a fandom develops that has not read the books, and does not regard the books as canon, then I guess we're going to have a whole lot of fans who look somewhat askance at Drogo fans.
(Because I am a cynic, I predict that if such a fandom does develop, they will write a lot of hawt Robb/Theon slash, and find lots of reasons that the more interesting characters are actually no good at all, none of which are related to the fact that most of the interesting characters are women.)
Things that I liked:
- LENA HEADEY! I had guessed that television would be good to Cersei's character, and it is.
- Jaime was also unexpectedly likeable, and also hot. For, you know, a sisterfucker.
- I was sorry to lose Jennifer Ehle as Catelyn (judging from the timing, I'm guessing she quit to do The King's Speech?) but I really like Michelle Fairley.
- Actually, I'm either positive to neutral towards the entire cast at this point.
- Khal Drogo's guyliner was very nifty.
- Viserys was a hilarious impotent manchild. The only reason I'm not eagerly anticipating his death is that I want Theon's death more.
- I'm pretty eh on the opening credits, but I recognised Winterfell's godswood purely from where it was in relation to the castle.
The Bechdel test:
- Sansa and Septa Mordane have a conversation about Sansa's sewing.
- The conversations between Catelyn and Cersei, and Cersei and Sansa were both great. I love the way Catelyn communicates with her children with just a look.
The drinking game:
The series is ripe for it, only you'd be paralytic before the halfway point. However, if you're game, drink when:
- Someone says, "Winter is coming."
- Direwolves are present.
- Ned and the King are a bit homoerotic.
- A character has sexual tension with a close relative.
- Tyrion shags a prostitute.
In conclusion, because A Softer World remixes are my God now:
In short, at least half of the House o'Squid has been hanging out for this.
suburbannoir went into a full spoiler black-out and refused to even watch trailers. I watched everything, up to the point where the promotional stuff got too much and I decided I could wait. I'm also re-reading the books right now, so events and characters are pretty fresh in my mind.
In terms of reaction, the least spoilery thing I can say is, yes, that was mostly good. I can't even imagine what a person who isn't familiar with the books would make of it (though I, for one, appreciated not getting a full biography of every single character in the opening scene).
piecesofalice was unspoiled, and aside from an aversion to the strummy-strummy Renaissance faire score, seemed to enjoy it. She also spotted that SPOILER and SPOILER are SPOILERING EACH OTHER well before the SHOCKING FINAL SCENE, so well done her. With spoilers, I mention the following faults:
- It's really hard to tell Robb and Jon apart. They have different haircolours, but that's not really obvious in most scenes. Mostly I told them apart by the way Jon is emo and Robb is dull.
- I couldn't tell if Peter Dinklage's accent was bad, or if it was just that Tyrian was drunk in all of his scenes.
- Despite the many, many boobies on display, Lady Catelyn was not naked when Maester Luwin brought Lysa's letter. No middle-aged mother-of-five nudity for us!
- Too bad if you were watching for Alfie Allen? I caught glimpses of him here and there, but that was it. Oh well, it's not as though Theon Greyjoy has any fans. BRING ON ASHA, PLS!
- This is probably silly, but the final scene, "Things I do for love," *bunt child out of window*, was nothing at all how I imagined it, and was ... not very dramatic. I think they should have kept Bran's POV for that.
This is the actual, serious problem: Dany's deflowering scene follows the book, only it ends before she actually consents to, y'know, the deflowering. So the audience is left going, "What, her new barbarian husband raped her?"
I've seen a screencap that looked like it might be from, y'know, the actual consummation. (Oh, HBO.) So I am hoping that we will revisit that scene next week, and this is just an awkward fake-out that was meant to mislead the audience about Khal Drogo's personality. If not ... well, that's a pretty serious diversion in characterisation from the books, and basically undermines everything that Dany does from here on out. Not to mention that, if a fandom develops that has not read the books, and does not regard the books as canon, then I guess we're going to have a whole lot of fans who look somewhat askance at Drogo fans.
(Because I am a cynic, I predict that if such a fandom does develop, they will write a lot of hawt Robb/Theon slash, and find lots of reasons that the more interesting characters are actually no good at all, none of which are related to the fact that most of the interesting characters are women.)
Things that I liked:
- LENA HEADEY! I had guessed that television would be good to Cersei's character, and it is.
- Jaime was also unexpectedly likeable, and also hot. For, you know, a sisterfucker.
- I was sorry to lose Jennifer Ehle as Catelyn (judging from the timing, I'm guessing she quit to do The King's Speech?) but I really like Michelle Fairley.
- Actually, I'm either positive to neutral towards the entire cast at this point.
- Khal Drogo's guyliner was very nifty.
- Viserys was a hilarious impotent manchild. The only reason I'm not eagerly anticipating his death is that I want Theon's death more.
- I'm pretty eh on the opening credits, but I recognised Winterfell's godswood purely from where it was in relation to the castle.
The Bechdel test:
- Sansa and Septa Mordane have a conversation about Sansa's sewing.
- The conversations between Catelyn and Cersei, and Cersei and Sansa were both great. I love the way Catelyn communicates with her children with just a look.
The drinking game:
The series is ripe for it, only you'd be paralytic before the halfway point. However, if you're game, drink when:
- Someone says, "Winter is coming."
- Direwolves are present.
- Ned and the King are a bit homoerotic.
- A character has sexual tension with a close relative.
- Tyrion shags a prostitute.
In conclusion, because A Softer World remixes are my God now:
