A Clash of Kings - Part 1

Much like what I’ve been doing with the episodes of the Game of Thrones TV series, instead of a conventional review to this book, I’m going to talk about a few things/characters that especially piqued my interest. If you are looking for a general review, you’ll have to look somewhere else. A Clash of Kings, to me, is just as stunningly amazing as the previous book in its series. Thus it would be impossible for me to do a spoiler-free general review without it being one long sequence of endless gushing. On that note, do not read this if you have not yet read the book!

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The Wavering of Theon Greyjoy

Theon Greyjoy is one of those characters who you just love to hate. Before rereading the books this time around, I remembered him as being one of the most frustrating characters to read about because I could recall always wishing I could punch him in the face. In the first book, we learn that he has lived with the Starks for most of his life, though he spent a part of his youth with his family, the Greyjoys, on the tough and merciless island keep of Pyke. In essence, he is the Starks’ political prisoner, punishment for the Greyjoys’ rebellion in the time before the events of the series. As a consequence, he never feels fully attached to the Starks, even though he is treated with the utmost courtesy and raised by Ned Stark as if he were one of his own children.

In A Clash of Kings, he is sent back to his windswept Viking-like archipelago of a home in order to try and call his original family to arms to support the Starks in the upcoming war. Instead, he finds that the Greyjoys wish instead to rebel once again and to raid and destroy the holdings of the Starks. Being the duplicitous little ass that he is, Theon seizes the moment to try and garner glory for himself, traitorously leading his own stealthy operation to seize Winterfell itself, capital city of the Starks. In the process, he shows the cruel rapaciousness the Greyjoys are known for, raping and butchering as many people as need be to hold the peace.

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This background story that I just recounted shows how easy it is to loathe this character. I may as well add that Theon’s ego is off the charts, that his self-worth is so gargantuan that it leads him to make absurdly retarded blunders, and that his sexist nature is grating to the extreme. However, despite all of this negativity, I found myself very interested by a facet of his character that I had not noticed before: his conflicted loyalties.

Perhaps “loyalties” isn’t the correct word, as he clearly aligns himself with the Greyjoys. But it is definitely clear that Theon Greyjoy is in constant inner conflict. For here is a man who has no true home and no true people to call his own. Theon spends much of his time in the novel seeking that acceptance and approval. His is a neverending battle; he has to repeatedly question whether he is to act like the Greyjoys or the Starks; his choice is between the way of the Ironborn: rape, raids, and strength through fear, or the way of the Northmen: to be resolute, stern, and yet maintaining a quiet honor.

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Thus does Theon become a tragic and thus sympathetic character in my eyes. Nowhere is this more clear than in how he treats his hostages at Winterfell. Theon rages about how they don’t understand that he has treated them as best as he can; he notes that any killings that have happened have been the bare minimum necessary to placate his men. However, this effort is doomed to failure. His captives view him with the loathing reserved for a traitor while his own men view him as a softie brought up in a weak foreign land. Theon seeks to satisfy his bloodthirsty family through bold acts of butchery while simultaneously attempting to treat his former people well.

Consequently, I found myself saddened when Theon’s plans fell apart and he lost more and more control, over the situation and of himself. While his maelstrom of insecurities aren’t a huge part of the series and have little relevance in the long run, I found him to be a well written character with more depth than his surface level savagery would suggest. I, for one, can only imagine how awful it would feel to feel loathed, homeless, and unable to completely align myself with one family or another. Theon Greyjoy demonstrates the nadir of what makes us human; through him we see what it is to be presented with a situation so conflicting that it brings one to confused despair. And I thought I’d make note of that here in an effort to defend the character and to point out that there is greater complexity to him than one might think.

Game of Thrones (TV) - Lord Snow

Arrogance Personified - Jaime Lannister

Next to Arya, my favorite casting thus far has been Jaime Lannister, incestuous brother of Cersei Lannister, Queen of Westeros. In the book, Jaime is the embodiment of confidence, favored son of the richest House of the realm. He is infamous for betraying the previous King (Aerys II) and personally killing him. Thus, among most everyone, he is known as the Kingslayer, a title that also speaks to his personal view on authority and the “game of thrones” mentality. Fact of the matter is that he could care less; Jaime’s opinion is that the whole world can burn so long as he can spend time with his sister.

This point of view is an oddly appealing one, which is one of the reasons why he is one of my favorite characters in the entire series. Where everyone else holds themselves to the standards and rules set by tradition and duty, Jaime strides through it all with a devil-may-care attitude. Where others do their best to seek influence and manipulate world events, Jaime just straight up doesn’t give a damn. This carefree manner is matched by legendary skill with the blade and a self-assured arrogance that can’t be topped by any other character in the entire series.

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In the TV series, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau has managed to capture this personality perfectly. Although Jaime’s unique golden plate armor didn’t seem to make it in, he remains the most distinctive among the Kingsguard and, so far, the closest we have to a villain among the cast. But, as is also captured in the books, Jaime’s magnetic personality prevents us from hating him completely. And this is very necessary considering the character development he gets later in the series.

My only kinda-sorta criticism is that I don’t feel like Jaime’s character was quite as antagonistic in the books as he is in the TV series. Jaime making fun of Jon Snow’s choice to join the Night’s Watch for no particular reason comes to mind. As well as Jaime’s continual confrontational attitude with Eddard Stark. From what I remember, book-Jaime only challenged Ned once Tyrion was captured. By contrast, TV-Jaime seems like he’s looking for a fight with Ned with every conversation. In the end, this sort of change to Jaime’s character is largely irrelevant and doesn’t affect much, but I thought I’d make a note of it.

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The King’s Small Council

This is the first episode to feature the King’s Small Council, the group of advisers and policy-makers who are essentially the government of Westeros when the king is busy. We see a great deal of them this episode as Ned Stark arrives at King’s Landing and gets used to his position as King’s Hand, which makes him effective chairman of the Small Council. Given their importance, the Small Council is populated by some of the most interesting characters of the entire series, which fueled my curiosity as I watched and compared their performances to the descriptions in the books.

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First off, Petyr “Littlefinger” Baelish. So far, I think I like Littlefinger’s casting (Aidan Gillen). Visually, he looks comparable to the description of the character within the book. And he appears to embody all that is manipulative and tricky, particularly seen in his interactions with Ned Stark and Varys. I would say that the only thing so far that I wish they had spent more time on is giving some background on his long unrequited love for Catelyn Stark. I say this because, so far, his affection for her seems pretty unbelievable; the problem is that the audience is merely told that Petyr loves her; you can’t really tell that from just watching (he appears to treat her pretty much the same as everyone else, just marginally more polite). Hopefully they treat this aspect of his character with more depth later.

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Second, Varys the Eunuch. Varys is, like Littlefinger, visually cast well (Conleth Hill) and his character seems perfectly recognized. But I noticed that Varys’ character also has a piece missing; we aren’t told why everyone often seems disgusted and barely tolerant of his presence. In the books, this is because Varys acts the sniveling eunuch, which the other characters find distasteful and dishonorable. In the TV show, instead we see this polite and slightly eccentric bald guy get continually blown off and rudely treated for no understandable reason. Again, hopefully they point out why this is happening later.

Lastly, Grand Maester Pycelle and Renly Baratheon. These two get less attention this episode, so all I can say is that I expected Pycelle to be fatter and Renly to look more kingly (as he is often described as the spitting image of King Robert at his best). But I won’t judge them on looks alone and I look forward to seeing how their characters are treated later in the series.

And, finally, my favorite scene this episode...

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X-Men: First Class (Revisited)

Written by Joe the Revelator



I wrote this after watching the new X-Men installment on opening night at the theater, and sincerely meant to post it the next day. I was, however, delayed long enough to see a more in-depth and fulfilling review pop up on the Inquisitive Loon. So here a second look, as well as my own gut reactions.


In a mutated nutshell:

If you're unfamiliar with the X-Men series, here's the gist: Human beings spontaneously begin to evolve new survival traits all across the globe. Nothing so benign as webbed toes or darker skin pigments, but things like laser eyes and invincibility, things that would make the real Darwin groan in disbelief. One such mutant, a telepath named Charles Xavier, opens a school dedicated to educating and disciplining the fire-starting whipper-snappers, and thus we have the X-Men.

The most striking part of X-Men First Class when comparing it to the prior X-Men movies, is how underpowered the characters seem. The term "First Class" strictly refers to the sequential order of Professor X's student body, and not the classification or rank of mutants. The powers of the "First Class" students consist of the abilities to spit acid, bounce energy hula-hoops from their bodies, grow blue fur, and scream really loud. It seems Magnito got all the powers.

The villains, on the other hand, are on steroids. Kevin Bacon's character has the ability to absorb energy and spit it back out at people, including but not limited to explosions, radiation, and heat. He's teamed up with Azazel, a ruthless, demonic version of Nightcrawler, and Emma Frost, the telepath with diamond skin. To my disappointment none of the villains are explained in any depth.


Nazi's did it.

Much of the movie rides on Magnito's (Erik Lencher's) shoulders for the emotional driving points. We see the birth of a supervillain as an SS psychiatrist questions the Jewish boy Erik about his abilities to twist metal, and when he can't supply an adequate answer, his mother is shot with a Luger. It's here that Erik reenacts a more compelling version of Darth Vader's awakening (NOOooooo!), crushing everything in the office made of metal, including the SS guard's helmets while they're still attached to the heads.

The rest of First Class is watching the young professor Xavier try to convince the now-adult Magnito not to be so angry all the time, and shooting disapproving looks at the other child mutants. The ham-fisted theme of accepting who you are crops up again and again, and although this attitude is practically the soul of X-Men comics, it's unnaturally injected into every corner of the movie, frequently breaking the stride.


One bullet to sum it up:

First Class is a fabulous introduction to the series, and it strikes a chord of nostalgia for the cold war era and comicbook revisionist history. As far as prequels are concerned, First Class achieves what it sets out to accomplish. It's lighter and more friendly than the X-Men trilogy, which focused on the brooding Wolverine and boiling racial tensions.

If I had the ability to melt plastic with my mind, I'd rid the world of X-Men III (aka; I'm the Juggernaut, bitch) and shoehorn X-Men First Class in as the start of the series, with a heavily modified Wolverine movie for an end-cap, a version wherein Deadpool isn't thrown into a blender with the powers of every other mutant on earth.

It Sucked and Then I Cried (2009)

by DionysusPsyche

When you out to accomplish a first time task, a variety of options present itself. You can "watch and learn," learn by doing, or read a how-to book. There's the action itself--"furniture building," for example--then a series of sub genres. Maybe you don't want to just make furniture, you want to make authentic looking antique furniture or you want to rebuild antique furniture. In this day and age, people have endless options, so when I bought a hair dryer, I didn't buy a black, beige, or gray one but a bright pink one. Why? Because it was an option. Also, so I could find it around all the other colors in the bath room that blend together when I'm not wearing glasses.

Heather Armstrong's book It Sucked and Then I Cried: How I Had a Baby, a Breakdown, and a Much Needed Margarita chronicles the life of the creator of dooce.com as she battles from going from newly married to pregnant to new mom. Of course, there are lots of books about babies and postpartum out there. I mean, isn't that what Brooke Shields and Tom Cruise fought about publicly? Yeah, yeah, heard it. Also, Armstrong checks herself into a mental institution temporarily.

Wait, what?

Armstrong and her husband, Jon, moved just after their marriage, to be closer to both their families. She leads us through the first year and a half of change but not in a boring "I heart babies" t-shirt way. In a guffawing, gasp-inducing, and amusing way. Armstrong speaks out about her difficulty battling with her already problematic depression. Off depression medication in order to conceive and carry, Armstrong is a bought of emotional roller coaster, anxiety, and morning sickness. Yet her humor fails to fade and is often at its best when Armstrong herself is at her weakest.

"Another inconvenient side effect of having a six-pound critter fighting for space in my belly was being constantly reunited with the taste and texture of things I'd just eaten. Everything caused heartburn, including water, ice cubes, and air. If I ate a handful of Tums, I'd burp Tums for the next three hours...Chuck was constantly smelling my breath and licking my face, searching for bits of the burrito I'd eaten last week. I could never have comprehended how magical it was to be a ripe pregnant woman, belly widening inches per day, grumpy and irritable from sleep deprivation, burping acidic salsa into my dog's face. Don't ever let anyone ever tell you that this isn't an exquisitely beautiful experience." (p. 62) 

The novel is not What to Expect When You're Expecting, and more than occasionally reads more like a horror novel. It is insightful and incredibly useful for those wishing to gain expertise or find sympathy. However, her wacky narrative on the ride of peril awaiting all parents and to-be parents is more along the lines of Go the F*@# to Sleep, a bedtime story for adults.

Armstrong is an ex-Mormon living in Utah, which alone makes the book fun (although, occasionally over the top). Devout Mormons will probably not be fans as the author throws in snippets of examples of what makes Utah it's own special place. Armstrong is also a blue sheep in a red state which makes for even more giggles, although her more often than not jibes are directed towards Salt Lake in general. Dog lovers will also enjoy this book as Armstrong's dog, Chuck, makes many the cameo and always elicits a laugh.

The author's use of examples and voice are also shouts of accolades for the book. She compares her dilation when about to go into labor in terms of the sizes of donuts and her husband's constant support throughout the whole thing. During her breathing exercises in lamaze class, Armstrong scares the other expectant mothers by jokingly asking when they can start drinking again, thus endearing her to women who feel a little bit unlike their June Cleaver counterparts.

In addition to being funny (if David Sedaris, Augusten Burroughs, or Chuck Klosterman were married women), Armstrong spends a good deal of time speaking openly about the pain of postpartum depression and loving your family despite a crippling dark cloud around you. She speaks about the guilt induced by books and other mothers about breast feeding and the worry that somehow she isn't good enough.

Conclusion

I would recommend this book to any woman who someday would like to be a mother or just after having a child or even someone trying to understand a pregnant friend. Most of the excerpts from the book are usually are prefaced by the phrase "no one ever told me about this," and like I said, might potentially be too terrifying to read for a currently pregnant woman (and especially a to-be father).

Game of Thrones (TV) - The Kingsroad

In this episode, I noticed the something interesting about the opening credits. First off, they are jaw-droppingly epic. It takes you on a crazy tour of Westeros, the continent on which much of Game of Thrones is set, and you watch as the architecture of various cities grow and assemble before you. Second, the music is insanely awesome. While maybe slightly repetitive, it definitely embodies the ancient and heroic grandeur that comes with the series. Lastly, and I just noticed it this episode, but the cities that are focused on actually change! It looks like they alter to focus on wherever we spend good parts of the episode on. For example, wherein the first episode we have Pentos, the merchant city where Daenarys starts her journey, in the second we have Vaes Dothrak, the city of the horselords where Khal Drogo takes her. Sure, this is a relatively minor thing to point out, but I thought it was pretty sweet. Most starting credits stay the same. And, of course, with my affection for strategic games, history, and geography, I couldn't help but get nerdily excited.

Now, for my favorite moment of the episode...

That's right. I'm so glad that they carried over Tyrion treating Joffrey like this. Somebody has to, given how much of a little prick Joffrey is. And, I feel kind of bad saying it, but they cast Joffrey perfectly because he just looks like the kind of arrogant kid you want to slap. Poor kid. But perfect for the character.

Not Quite So Bitchy - Cersei Lannister

This episode got me to thinking about Cersei Lannister and the actress who plays her, as this character is feeling quite different from that of the books. In the books, Cersei Lannister is, in her purest essence, queen bitch of the realm. Certainly, she is in a loveless marriage with the King but, to a certain extent, she desires that position for the power and influence that it brings her. More than perhaps any other character, Cersei is motivated first and foremost by power, retaining that which she has and getting more of it. It is through her that Robert is antagonized and persuaded to grant more and more authority to the Lannister household, despite any reservations he might have. This desire of hers dominates her character and makes her act like a total bitch to anyone who might affect it, causing her to brusquely dismiss or attack anyone who gets in her way. Her incestuous relationship with her brother, which results in her bringing forth the idea of killing a child to preserve its secrecy, only cements her as one of the closest characters to a villain in the entire series.

By contrast, I haven't really got this impression from Lena Headey's performance as said Queen. Lena is able to look regal and beautiful (necessary for the role), but there have been very few moments so far that have made me look at her character and want to strangle her. It is almost as if she is incapable of portraying a domineering bitch. A good example would be the end of the first episode. In the book, unless my memory is failing me, Cersei actively gives the impression that Bran needs to be killed in order to preserve the secret of her incest with Jaime. In the TV show, she looks panicked and uncertain and says only that, “He saw us!” while not appearing to know what to do about it, leading one to believe that it was Jaime's idea to toss the boy out the window. And then the scene where she tells Catelyn how much she wants her son to recover, in the next episode?

This sort of inability to act dominating also shined through to me when Cersei suggests that one of the direwolves die for biting her son. Instead of coming off savagely proud and happy that her will is being carried out (as happens in the book), she politely and quietly states that the direwolf must die and then merely looks on as the Starks spaz out, leading one to almost believe that she is just doing as a queen must in this scenario. Perhaps it is nitpicky, but I just don't feel it matching up with the book's portrayal of her.

The Great and The Questionable - Arya Stark and Jon Snow

Arya, however, has matched up perfectly, actress to character. Lovable, young, yet roguish, and proud... Arya is embodied perfectly in the little actress Maisie Williams. Every scene with her makes me extremely excited as to the awesomeness I know will come in the future, when Arya is left to fend for herself with her family scattered.

Jon Snow I am still on the fence about. Part of it is that I'm still too hung up on his looks; in the book, Jon Snow is one of the only Stark children to have the “rugged looks of the North” whereas, in the TV show, Kit Harington looks like he should be in some southern Italian royal guard. Again, I feel kind of bad judging on looks, but he just doesn't seem to match up with the description in the books, instead coming off looking like some member of the Renaissance era Venetian nobility.

There's also the peculiar matter of how his trip to the Wall and “taking the black” has been handled. That is, it has barely been truly touched upon. The TV show has done a fair job of explaining how those who go to the Wall are the dregs of society, but it hasn't done a good job of showing how permanent and important a decision it is to become one of the Night's Watch. The nasty ramifications of being Ned Stark's bastard are also merely skimmed over; we are led to believe in the TV show that Jon is going to the Wall simply because Catelyn doesn't like him, when the truth is more that, as a bastard, he doesn't have a future. Hopefully they will touch more on this later, as Jon being a bastard is an important facet of how he defines himself as a character.

Game of Thrones (2011)

by DionysusPsyche

"Winter is Coming"

(Note: This is an alternate viewpoint from one of the writers who saw the show before reading the show.)

The television show Game of Thrones has effectively swept the nation by storm. First, it's on HBO, which makes it both exclusive (to audiences who are lucky enough to get cable). Secondly, it's special inasmuch as HBO has certain abilities that non-cable shows would never be able to get away with. Even the credits are awesome, because they change each time, based on what kingdoms will be most represented in the episode, and then the cast members have symbols reflecting their households in the series.

Thankfully to the credit of the book series, it was not turned into a movie. Instead, it was picked up by HBO. Two exceptional things that this television show has accomplished is that it has gotten people who aren't into the Song of Fire and Ice series by George R.R. Martin to start reading it, and it further drives followers of the series to get excited about something on tv.

Jokingly referred to as “the Sopranos of Middle Earth,” this show is filmed in Ireland (another plus for the HBO—larger budget!). The filming schedule is hectic, and Martin is a co-creator on the show which helps do the book series justice instead of just taking the name and using it as a license to do what the creators wanted. 

The writers even mentioned at Comic Con that the special features for the show would not include deleted scenes, because on account of the hurried filming, there really weren't any.

Another tidbit? The series hired a language specialist to develop a language for one of the nomadic groups, the Dothraki, represented in the series.

“You Can't Just Walk into Mordor!”

Watching this television show without reading the first book, or at least the first half, is a little bit like going to your first day of swim class and being expected to hold your head under water or swim the entire pool. Not only is it overwhelming, but it's ridiculously confusing. I luckily had someone next to me who has read four out of five of the series. That's like the same amount of dentists that recommend Trident, so I had an accomplice on hand who I could use as my personal questions guide as we were watching the series.

It's the characters you have to worry about. I'm not saying it's impossible to watch the show without reading the books, but I'm merely stating that it will be troublesome to follow. I am almost finished with the first book, and even after watching the show, I had to have my husband clarify some of the characters. With names and titles are so similar it's not difficult to become befuddled.

“The Book is Sooooooo Much Better”

This elicits an eye roll when people say this to me. My conclusion is that watching before I read not only piques my interest but rarely leaves me dissappointed. I'm not ashamed to admit the fact that although I enjoy books, I could watch tv before I could read, and (as one can guess by looking at my posts from this blog) at heart I'm a “television” person. Don't get me wrong, I love reading, but I enjoy more tv than I do books.

Yet when it comes to picking a medium for this series, it's similar to picking which of your identical twin children you love more. On the outside they look the same, and they are eerily similar. Yet, each one offers wonderful variant qualities. Each has its strengths.

The book has more time to reveal the characters—their strengths, weaknesses, dreams, rivalries, etc. This makes you feel more involved in the characters and more sympathetic to each. Although I have a hard time picking favorite characters in the book—I can easily assess my least favorites although not for their lack of rich interior. The show makes the divide in favorites a little easier—who doesn't love Sean Bean, right?

The show is more intense and enthralling than the book, but as far as books go, it is a an easy and enjoyable read. I have had a hard time putting it down since I started reading it, but I had an even harder time going even short periods of time without watching the television show. The show has all the best moments crammed into it, although it gives less time to explain the why despite the fact that each episode is an hour long. The show also is a crash course in the novel, letting you know which parts you can skip over, but the novel is better at introducing the characters and getting you accustomed to them in their own unique ways.


What they both do equally well is set the stage as act 2, introducing both the past, the current state of affairs, and the future of Westeros. In the tv show, the Lord and King's children act haughty and worthy, often lashing out at those around them because of status. At first, I was bothered by this, especially in the case of the tv show, but when I read the book, it made me see that any children of status and wealth would in fact, view themselves as better than those around them and capable, even if they weren't.

If you've watched the show first, you might be riddled with questions if you haven't read the book.

Team Stark!

Characters vs. Actors

(My disclaimer is that I've only read one book so this opinion may flucuate in the future.)

Tyrion is one of the characters who I feel is almost identically represented in each, but that is partially because he has some of the most superior lines. Peter Dinklage is finally in something mainstream where he can get credit for without it being a bit role, and I love that.

Ned Stark is another, perhaps because he carries such hero status by being relatable as the begrudged man—heavy with responsibility. Sean Bean only takes on stoic or villanous roles, and it's very poetic that he plays Lord Stark who is even mentioned in the book by being over-the-top somber.

Robert Baratheon is that loud drunk who is always yelling at people, although in the book his character is much more multi-faceted and heartbreaking. In the book, you can see more of the man he used to be, whereas in the show, he's mostly just the reluctant king. Mark Addy, most famous for his show Still Standing, gets to play King Robert.

Lena Headley literally brings chills down the backs of her audience as Cersei Lannister, and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau could not look or act more like Prince Charming (Shrek) while in his role of Jaime Lannister. Maisie Williams shows us all the defiant and innocence of Arya, and Petyr Baelish, aka Littlefinger, is as cunning as he is clever.

I don't think I can criticize any of the actors of being unable to adequately portray their parts, and I could probably write a whole review of acculades for all the actors in the series. As for whether or not their casting accurately reflects and does their book self justice? That's probably more of a question for our head writer of The Inquisitive Loon.

Criticisms

Playing Favorites

In the tv show, there are clear favorites. Since time is limited as is budget, the main characters are the ones who get all the face time (see Tyrian). On account of the fact that a lot of the lines are taken directly from the novels, it is even more cramped for space as opposed to the head writers who just dole out episodes to certain writers on staff.

When we're lucky, the squires and non-royalty get their moments as well. Ser Barristan, one of the knights of King Robert's court has an excellent cameo that occurs late in season one. A good example of someone I love not getting enough face time is Hodor, one of the servants of Lord Stark's residence. I am hoping that they will come out with a medieval sitcom on the BBC called Hodor! and that part of my new life reading the series can be satiated.

He Said What?

There are also some scenes in the first year of the series that didn't occur in the book. While the book creates and sets the tone and gives one the feel for the kingdoms, some dialogue is added (Varys and Littlefinger come to mind) to the episodes to give the audience better building of characters, their relationships, and their history.

99 Problems, but...

I've discussed this in other reviews as well. Sometimes the reasons behind certain people taking stances or opinions on something has little background to explain why. For example, in the show, Catelyn Stark is unhappy that Ned Stark is going south to King's Landing, and that's it. We're never really told why. In the book, she goes back and forth on the matter before she comes to the conclusion that he shouldn't go, and her reasons are explained. Because he has a son out of wedlock, because she doesn't trust the Lannisters, because she loves him and wants him where he belongs. In the show, we're led to believe...that she just really loves her husband? That it's dangerous? She doesn't say. Even the reasons why Jon leaves to take the black on The Wall aren't really apparent. We're just led to believe that it's something he's decided.

Daenerys

Show Girls Goes Medieval on Your Tube

One annoyance I've had is the galore of nudity. Yes, we get it, you're on HBO. While I'm in no way opposed to the human form (I do have my particular grimaces to certain types), the females literally come out on top. Scenes that would involve nudity in the first book typically don't, and vice versa. The nudity is so rampant that it distracts from the story itself.

The content speaks for itself, and I understand how audiences might be more drawn to a show on cable if there's frequent flesh. The majority of the time, I feel that if it had ¾ less sex than it does, the audience would enjoy it just as much if not more. Those that don't could feel free to watch porn, because they probably do anyway.

Conclusion

Whether you're reading the series or watching the show, you should hopefully have a fantastic time doing so. There's a lot of exciting moments whether you're into the specifics of diplomacy or time pieces or tv drama at its best.

If Game of Thrones peaks your fancy, you might try reading the books before you step into the show. If you have no interest in reading the book before you jump into the show, then please have a consultant on hand or read some breakdown of who's who before you watch the show and maybe take notes as you go. I know that sounds very fourth grade, but you'll thank me. I wouldn't want anyone to lose interest in either the book or the show, but especially not both. Hodor.

Game of Thrones (TV) - Winter is Coming

Time for that challenge of challenges. I've made the decision to watch the first season of Game of Thrones and, after each episode, assess how it did from the perspective of one who has just read the original book. These 'reviews' may be long or they may be short. But I'm allowing for the possibility that they will deviate from my usual format of writing for this blog.

Winter is Coming

Now I went into this series extremely wary. I was afraid that I would either: 1. Really, really like it and then cloister myself away in my room to watch it endlessly until I ran out of episodes. 2. Be horribly disappointed, burst into tears, and then cloister myself away in my room to read the books as a sort of comfort food. Either way, I was afraid of becoming a rabid, unshaven hermit whose life would revolve around the Game of Thrones, one way or another.

Thankfully, neither scenario happened. I'm not insanely addicted to it... yet. And I'm not disappointed. So far it is embodying my own mental vision of the book rather nicely, which is extraordinarily rare for any book-to-TV/movie adaptation. I think at this point I'll go into what I like and then didn't like about this episode, in terms of its relevance to the book.

History of the World

One thing I was worried might not make it into the TV series was how powerful and prevalent the influence of the past has on the 'present day' of Westeros. In the books, much of what gives the world of Game of Thrones such power and intensity is reference to events and people of the past. The ancient majesty of the Wall and the keeps that support it are a good example; though those keeps have fallen into disrepair, it is clear that there was once a time where they stood tall and proud. The character of King Robert Baratheon often finds himself missing adventures of the past, where he and other heroes rose up to strike down a mad king. Though he is long dead, Rhaegar Targaryen becomes quite the complex man in our eyes, all supported by the musings and meanderings of other characters throughout the series, dreaming of a distant past where everything seemed grander and the enemies more clearly defined. Ser Arthur Dayne, the Sword of the Morning. Ser Barristan the Bold. Ser Gerold Hightower, the White Bull. Through George RR Martin's writing, we come to see these characters as idealized legends. And, through reading of them, we come to fall in love ourselves with this golden era where characters were always heroic and when people weren't butchering each other over the most ridiculous reasons.

Anyways, I worried that, due to time limitations, the series would focus entirely on the present day and sweep all the other older stories under the rug. But, thankfully, this was averted. In this very first episode, we see Robert reminiscing of the past and of his long-held love for Ned's sister, Lyanna. We see Viserys psychologically prop himself up with memories of when the Targaryens ruled the world. I'm quite glad that they made sure to include these as, with Robert especially, many characters are entirely defined by what occurred in that more heroic era. And it is rewarding in growing both our love for the characters and understanding of the world of Westeros.

Why the Change?

Now most of the changes that they have made so far in the TV show have been totally fine. Some scenes exist that weren't in the book (Jaime visiting Tyrion in the whorehouse is one), but the vast majority of them thus far are great and help to add depth to characters. However, two particular instances have made me raise my eyebrow.

"But I don't want you to go!" - Catelyn

The first is Catelyn. In the book, she is an active supporter of getting Ned to accept the King's honor and become the Hand, moving to King's Landing. Through Ned's acceptance, Catelyn believed that they would secure the safety of their House and also put Ned in a prime position to figure out how Jon Arryn died. It is arguable that, without Catelyn's needling, Ned would never have left Winterfell. Thus her involvement is pretty crucial.

But in the TV series, for some reason they have changed it so that Catelyn is on the side of getting Ned to stay. She wants him to avoid going to King's Landing, for his own safety. Strangely, their roles become reversed as, when they get notice of Jon's assassination, this makes Ned actually want to go to King's Landing, in order to protect Robert.

In the end, this doesn't appear to matter, as TV Ned's decision fits with his character as well as the original version, but I wonder at Catelyn's change in motivation. When Ned dies, a significant part of book Catelyn's character is wracked with guilt over how she pushed him to go. She spends a good part of Clash of Kings dealing with that guilt and growing beyond it. Thus I wonder if this particular change might make Catelyn a less varied and interesting character later. It bears watching.

More Savage – Khal Drogo

Now this change actually irritated me. I speak specifically of the scene where Drogo and Daenarys make love for the first time. The book and TV versions have a pretty huge difference that, I believe, impacts Drogo's character quite negatively.

In the book, up to the point of this scene we are led to believe that Drogo is pretty much the epitome of barbarism and the spitting image of a dirty, Mongolian conqueror. Thus we feel for Daenarys as she is put into a situation where she is forced to marry this apparent savage who, we assume, will have no qualms in raping her if she doesn't give in. Which makes their lovemaking scene incredibly touching. We see as Drogo quietly and gently seems to ask permission every step of the way, even though they have no way of actually communicating with each other besides body language. When the act itself comes, Drogo asks permission of her before going through with it, showing us that, despite his savage exterior, Drogo is capable of compassion. It helps us to understand that maybe this arranged marriage actually has hope and that they are better matched than we thought.

By contrast, while we see a little bit of caring as TV Drogo wipes Dany's initial tears away, this swiftly changes into him 'seizing the moment' and having his way with Dany despite her obvious discomfort and crying. While future episodes might make up for this somehow, I find it hard to think of how it can considering how touching the scene was in the book, and how crucial I feel it is for Drogo's otherwise savage character. It is only through book Drogo's time alone with Dany that we see that this man is capable of good. So I'm concerned that TV's take on Drogo might have screwed that important aspect of his character up.