I thought the first episode was pretty damn good. Like some other folks mentioned some scenes were rushed, but overall it was awesome.
I kinda want a direwolf pup now...those little guys were way cute.
I watched the show with a couple of newbies, and I had to do some explaining here and there, but when Jaime shoved Bran out the window and nonchalantly delivered the "The things I do for Love." line they were both gasping and shocked. They're hooked. So am I.
You want infectious enthusiasm? Watch this hilarious youtube review by a 100% newbie who was blown away!Originally Posted by 3rdI
It's 20 minutes long (LOL!) but the best parts are the first 30 seconds, and the 8:00-9:00 section.
It's really funny. I highly recommend watching this...
I saw it last night. Good start, and I really think they made the right casting choices. I haven't re-read the book prior to the show, so I probably missed some of the secondary characters - I will especially look for Hodor in my next viewing. And yes, the Dothraki wedding seems like the weakest and most badly acted part of the pilot. Like others mentioned here, the story feels rushed, they couldn't really fit in one hour all the nuances and depth of the novel. I am very curious how someone who has not read the books and knows nothing about characters motivations and background has reacted. Are the reviews and blogs after the show in the same vein as the ones from last week?
best part of the show for me was the production values : captured me from the first view of the Wall and the deep snow in the forest, the rich castle interiors and lived in clothes. Favorite scene for now is Ned cleaning his sword beneath the white tree. I was also curious about the opening credits, and the map thingie was ok but also rushed: I couldn't get into the scene before they switched to a different point, and the heraldry beside the names was really small.
From the blogs/tweets/comments, it seems as though the majority of people really enjoyed it. It also seems as though a lot of non-readers enjoyed it. Some have said they were a little overwhelmed by how much their was to digest, but it looks like the final scene with Bran really shocked a lot of people and hooked them enough to keep watching for now.
I just re-watched it, this time with my brother who was 100% newbie. I gave him a brief 2-minute rundown of who the Starks were, showed him a map (from this VERY AWESOME HBO VIEWER'S GUIDE, check it out!), and he had very little trouble following along. He asked me a few questions for clarification, but really liked it.
My brother also seemed to think it was quite funny. He thought Viserys was hilarious (I never realized his character could be funny, but it works!). My bro couldn't believe that Viserys was marrying his sister off to "some tribal lord!" LOL! He also couldn't get over how creepy Joffrey was (he thought Joff was an ugly girl at first, LOL! When I told him it's the prince, he couldn't believe it. "That's the prince the girl wants to marry??? Hahaha!").
It actually seemed like my brother most enjoyed the Pentos storyline, and I really loved it too. It's very entertaining, and feels straight out of the books to me (Viserys' dialogue FEELS just like the book to me).
First of all I just have to say that the people in charge of the casting did an AMAZING job! They couldn't have picked better actors to portrait Ned, Tyrion, Robert, Cerssei, Jon and Bran etc... It's going to be incredibly interesting to see how well they have cast Gregor Clegane and Stannis=)
The series looks awesome so far an after talking to 4-5 of my friends who havn't read the books they agree with me even if they had to watch the first episode twice to get all the names/houses and various subtle undercurrents that take place.
I just have to give my wife kudos for her incredible female intuition/insight (or whatever=). She hasn't read the books, she hasn't heard me talking of them at all. Yet, after the first show she told me: "Joffrey is the love child between Cersei and Jaime isn't he"? She also loves the series and we are both agonizing over the 1 week wait until the next episode airs.
The only gripe I had with the series was the dothraki wedding that seemed WAYYYYY over the top. The sex-simulation dance, the ensuing fights etc all seemed so contrieved. Allthough Khal Drogo was awesome since his menacing presence alone was enough for him to dominate every scene he partook in, he didn't even need dialogue=)
This series is already a classic in my book and I'll be the first in line to buy the complete DVD collection once it comes out (and all the juicy extra material!!!).
Fun fact: Here in sweden they will show the first 2 episodes on Cinema the third of may and the tickets have sold faster than tickets to a metallica concert!
By the way. I have a theory I'd like to put out there. Sean Bean as we all know is amazing as Ned Stark don't you guys think they have put in flash-back scenes from the war 9 years ago and before? The whole series is dominated by an incredibly detailed background story featuring the Targaryens and the major houses. It just seems that the series would benifit from having the viewers get a better understanding on the political turmoil that started even before the Targaryens were overthrown. Maybe it's just me getting my hopes up but I'm gonna be so sad when Sean Bean leaves the series.
Also Robert Bartheons ascension was pretty intense, I had to explain to my wife that one of the reasons he's king now was becuase he was a fearsome and respected warrior when he was younger as right now he just comes of like a fat, pompous, dimwitted puppet who is controlled by his wife=) Would be fun to see some flashback scenes of Robert and Ned kicking ass during the war!
Dany's actress is of age, just made to look younger. Like all those 20 and 30-somethings playing high school kids. xD It's like on something like Titanic, I'm sure that Rose girl was meant to be 17 or something, but I always picture her as in her 20s because she looked it. Would you feel weird looking at her ass?I only have one problem. How old is the chick that plays Dany? Part of me wants to say....DAMN she has a nice body....but if she isn't 18 I would feel awful for saying it. In the books she is much younger. But I assume with legalities and such the woman playing Dany has got to be at least 18. She certainly looks older than she is in the books.
Also, here in England, the age of concent is 16 and I think 16 would fit for naivity too so I'll go with that. I always find it funny how people are all 'Oh man she better be 18!' and 'Oh man she better be 21!' It just shows what society and boundries do to people's minds. As you said yourself, obviously an attractive girl, yet your mind is confused. They can't always be realistic in some elements, we've moved on. But anyways, that's a whole other philosophical debate.
Never seen Spartacus, have you? :P
I think digital is just like that now.
Also - the credits just feel completely mismatched to the show for me. I feel like they're introducing some steampunk adventure kids show rather than GOT. It's not that they're poor or anything. But I suppose something that is so dividing is better than something no one cares about. x)
ASoIaF is probably my favorite series and book two and book three are one of my favorite books of all time. I watched the first episode yesterday evening with my girl who's just as big a fan as I am. She also did a reread of the first three books recently and loved them immensly even though she feared they wouldn't be as good as the first time around when she read them quite a few years ago now.
I really wanted to rave about it, but I can't. It's good, though I wanted it to be great. So yes, I have to say I'm disappointed...disappointed by the high standards that love for the written series set for me. Maybe it would feel different, if I didn't know what's going to happen and suspension would hold me tighter than it did, but I just might have felt lost with all the exposition being lain down and by the background of the story I wouldn't be acquainted with. I missed moments, when a simple line in a dialogue, or a short silence for that matter, rise goosebumps on your skin. I missed that hook that leaves you wanting more.
I like the artistic idea for the intro, but it feels like the cogs and the wheels were a bit off key with the general atmosphere and setting. I didn't really care for the music, which means that while I don't think it's bad at all, but it also doesn't make me want to buy the original sound track.
Scenery is...faithful to the books, which is a good thing for the most part. I especially savoured The Wall and the short panorama shorts of King's Landing. The scene in heartwood was also eerie. I hoped Winterfell would be more imposing and forbidding. What it turned out to be is more of a rowdy village-fort, but I guess there's some gritty appeal to that as well.
Arya, Brann, Cersei, and King Robert to an extent, but especially Tyrion were brilliant. Both child actors felt like transformed from the books, but we have to agree that it's much easier to portray a tom-girl and a dreamy-boy with little to no dialogue than a full grown person with conflicting emotions and motivations. When I saw Cersei on previews I was dismayed, I visualised her differently (her looks go towards classical beauty, but I always pictured her more like a blonde pornstar -- without oversized body attributes ofc -- something akin to early Jenna Jameson or Krystal Steal, but with downplayed wantoness), but she transforms the b**** from the books (pardon my french) into a more complex character. This gives the "evil" Lannisters more human face and makes for a more believable antagonism between the two houses. I don't think many people are aware how ugly Tyrion should be, with dwindling strands of hair, mismatching eyes and a look of an older man while in his twenties, but for what is worth, Dinklage's preformance is indeed stellar. King Robert was the other person I was dismayed over considering only the previews. The actor seemed more inclined towards "milder" roles, but I must say he plays the raucous king pretty damn well. I also relished the brief appearances of Jorah Mormont and Benjen Stark.
Performance from Viserys and Caitlin was also enjoyable. Visery's conveyed the ambition and impetuousness from its literary inspiration well, but I missed the streak of Targaryen madness running through him. Cat is shown more as a caring mother than a woman obsessed with the well-being of her litter, which is also great, given the fact that her obsessions dismayed many fans and casual readers of teh series. Jamie was ok, but there was something about the final scene that disappointed me. I expected it to be more jarring, but it got a lukewarm response from me, I wasn't really shocked.
Daenerys and Eddard were up to their roles, but without stellar moments. Sean Bean is comfortable in his Boromir role - a caring, noble and honorable protagonist who is pained and riven with conflicting emotions - but he doesn't exceed it in any notable way, at least not in the first episode. Assaults on Dany's dignity and her coping with it were portraied rather well, but I believe that flashes of her future self should be glimpsed at, even in introduction scenes. Her blonde wig was terrible though, they might have given her purple eye-lenses as well. It couldn't be more terrible than the wig that's for sure.
Jon is, sad to say, unremarkable. As is Robb, but given how little screen time he gets, it's not to be condamned.
Now to the bad, or rather, to the things that bothered me.
The Dothraki were undercooked, plain and simple. The kitchen sink feel that many describe as favorable only applies to Westeros, the scenes beyond The Narrow Sea are anything but. The lack of "grit" is stark in comparison to what we see elswhere, but it doesn't add to the mystique of the place, to the contrary, it takes all of it away. The costumes looked like something from the shop, the ceremony looked like a parade gone bad, or a dance preformance with tasteless coreography. The fight to the death felt very out of place in the cheesy setting and under the staring eye of a taciturn Khal Drogo. The problem is, Khal Drogo didn't seem so much as a taciturn savage, full of bridled power and charisma, but more as a depilated jock, trying hard to remember the lines he was supposed to utter. The pre-sex scene between Khal Drogo and Dany seems totally forced and it feels like he's more uncomfortable doing the undressing than us watching it.
I'm no prude and enjoy the view of naked female breasts as any other. We have a fair share of these in episode one, as well as glimpses of coitus. I'm not sure if the amount of times (quantity) that these two subjects pop up on the screen that bothered me, I was more put off at the forced nature of it. It just didn't feel natural to the flow of the narrative. There's a big amount of sexual content in the books, but reading the book makes them feel spaced out comfortably. Now if you cram all the boobs from the first third of book one into a single episode of TV series I might cringe a bit, especially if there's so much actual story to be told.
Despite my reservations, I think the story is being set up well and we can hope that the future episodes heighten the complexity, the drama and the immersion of the audience. I know I'm willing to give my best, I hope you're as well.
Last edited by thrinidir; April 19th, 2011 at 05:01 AM.
Two points, one;
I don't actually mind that Drogo was rough with Dany. I would have liked maybe more of a play on the Silver being given to her and Drogo watching, expecting her to ride fearlessly. These are HORSE people, it's their thing, it would have been such a shameful thing if his new bride was afraid to ride free and that could have been a great scene, and convayed a lot about a Khalessi not just being a sex toy as Viserys is expecting, as well as the Dothraki.
But anyways, as far as the sex scene - someone mentioned that it was supposed to be the moment when Dany realizes she doesn't have to be a slave, and their is hope. Well, I think it's too early for that. We didn't see much suffering from her. All the viewers know is that she was in some large, beautiful house with servants and a creepy brother. We don't learn her backstory with the house with the red door, and lemon trees, and her brother's anger and her hopeless life. Simmilliarly, we don't learn enough of Drogo for him to break down and show his Queen a gentle side yet, it would have felt so contrived. She needs a bit more pain. I think she will have enough tmie to blossom when she learns to not be ashamed of having sex in the open in frnot of everyone, riding faster than Drogo's men, and having her brother dragged behind her.
The only thing about the wedding was how small it felt. It felt like one square patch and that was it. I also didn't get why the Dothraki were so close to the sea, including Dany and Drogo on the night? Didn't they go to a pool in a forest, or something? The Dothraki are supposed to fear the sea?
Two;
Appearances. Not bothered, at all. All I have to think is that they will be consulting Martin and he knows how he wants his characters to look. If something felt so wrong I'm sure he would say. You have to compare acting ability and rangeto looks, as well, so not everything can be perfect. Given a few months I'll likely think of the book characters as these people like I did with Harry Potter and countless other adaptions. Plus, this is the only ting keeping me going in regards to Sandor... Martin must have a plan.
I also agree that Cat came off as a more caring mother and Cersei is not how many expected, yet just as much of a bitch. She seems like another woman compared to reckless, cruel Cersei who will grow to make so many poor decissions. But I seem to remember her being calmer at the beggining of the series. I also found it sweet how Jaime had no intention of knocking Bra from the window at first, and secured him, and settled him, and Cersei kept pushing. I loved that, but I love Jaime... hehe.
I can't help thinking that this series is also a chance for Martin to really convay what he wanted his characters to be for the one's who haven't come off well with some fans. That's not many, granted, but people such as Catelyn - she seems more subtle, still the typical boring, nagging wife and caring mother, but... I do find something I like about her as apose to the books, especailly in her chamber scene with Ned. Maybe Martin wanted Cersei to be more like this, and felt Jon needed a good kick up the ass with some definable emotion (anger? resentment?).
One last thing.
The Godswood scene was perfect, and I mean perfect. To me, anyway. Adaptions do not get that close, that was spooky. It reminded me of this piece of art I love.
http://www.fantasy-fan.org/files/Mar..._Ned_Stark.jpg
Fair and fair but as for this:
I was responding to 3rdI's comments. I agree that I thought the tonal change was probably not for the best but we'll see where they go.
Luya I couldn't agree more about the godswood, and that piece of art was my wallpaper for about 3 or 4 years
I like the opening credits, I've never really seen an opening done like that before. I like that the embossing on the "sun" thing kind of tells the pre-story in archetypes too. The True Blood opening is my favourite one on HBO (especially in terms of establishing a feel to series) but I don't think that sort of an assault of the weirdness of the setting you're looking at would have worked here as well as the spelling out of where things are does for this series. I don't get a steampunk vibe from it either it's not particularly industrial looking it just has some clockwork aspects to it. The "sun" thing looks mechanical in the way that Joe Abercrombie does his mix of magic and artifice in The First Law.
Last edited by saintjon; April 19th, 2011 at 06:31 AM.
thrindir: How can you NOT love Sean Bean as Ned? He portraits the character flawlessly. Every scene he is in he virtually dominates, was it only me who got the shivers when Jaime and Ned bantered at the feast? God that scene was good. I can understand that some hardcore fans are a little dissapointed here and there since the books are awesome but you have to keep in mind what an incredibly tough job it has to be to cast the right people for each role, write a believable script and then maintain faithfullness to the books. In my humble opinion they have done a superb job and I can't for the life of me criticise the small misstakes I've seen so far.
This series has held all my closest friends (7 of them all non-fantasy readers) in silent awe. They even DEMANDED that we rewatched it immediately after the viewing. No other series has sparked such an interest in them and we watch alot of Tv together (24, prisonbreak, firefly, lost, Heroes). Well done HBO, well done!
Had a chance to watch it a second time last night with my wife. She has read the first book so was familiar with the story - anyway she loved the first episode!She can be a bit of a critic so I was happy. I enjoyed it even more on the second viewing, was able to settle in without wondering how they would be doing things.
Personally, I thought the nudity in the first episode was appropriate. Tyrion with the whores was perfect. And the Dothraki tribes people - Kind of what I was expecting. Maybe with Dany there was a disproportionate amount but at this point in the story she is not supposed to be seen as much more then a sexual pawn to secure an army. I thought the actress was amazing - my wife agreed. She says so much with her eyes and exppressions. She is going to be amazing. I also thought Khal was rather gentle with her when you compare what was going on at the festivities and how women were being treated. Just my thoughts.
Cheers
Last edited by Daddy Darth; April 19th, 2011 at 07:26 AM.
I thought the first episode was awesome. The prologue, Viserys's creepiness, Tyrion and Jon's conversation, Bran's fall... these were some of my favorite moments, though there were many more. I subscribed to HBO just for this show, and have already watched episode 1 twice - and will probably watch it a third time before Sunday and episode 2.
Yeah, there were some things like the consummation of Dany and Drogo's marriage that were a bit off, but I suppose they wanted to draw out her character arc a bit more and therefore chose to dwell a bit longer on Dany the frightened girl before beginning the transformation into Dany the queen that culminates at the end of the first book/season.
Tyrion is my favorite character in the series, and I am not surprised that Peter Dinklage looks like he will do the Imp justice. I was a bit worried about Michelle Fairley as Catelyn Stark, but I was really impressed by her performance. I was also uncertain about Emilia Clarke as Dany, but so far, so good.
I loved the opening credits. Not only were they cool looking, but they were informative for those who are unfamiliar with Westeros. It reminds me of the discussion we had a few months back about putting maps in epic fantasy novels. It's only fitting that an epic fantasy series would have a map in the opening credits
I imagine we'll probably get another scene where Drogo tries to take Dany in similar fashion and she resists. Remember, the series is in no way bound to follow the books word for word, and in fact would be foolish to even try. And judging by what I saw in this first episode, the creators "get" the story enough that I'm good with whatever changes they decide to make to create good television as opposed to a visual guided tour of the books.
As for the credits, I really got the sense we were supposed to be looking at an elaborate board game with numerous pieces, the literal Game of Thrones the series is about.
I wondered then, and I continue to wonder now, if this was a reason (or even the reason) why the first Dany bowed out. I have no clue what the general feeling is amongst actresses when it comes to nudity, but it would certainly make me think twice about taking a role.
I agree with you 100% on all the breasts, Kat.
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