Review: Game of Thrones
(This review is not going to be super spoilery, but I am going to talk about some of the events of the series and how they are handled in the books vs. the TV series.)
It is an odd experience watching the Game of Thrones TV show having read the Saga of Ice and Fire books which it is based on. Especially, sitting next to my wife who has not read them. This made the Red Wedding episode one of the most fun, since I sat there just watching my wife and not the show.
Due to sickness we did not watch the season finale until last night. One thing that struck me was how many of the scenes did not hit the right note for me. I think we can all agree that the Cersei/Jamie scene at Joffrey’s funeral was not handled very well. And for me in this last episode the scene with Tyrion and his father really hit a sour note.
Now, I am not one of those who feels like they need to go back and re-read all of the books before each season. But, I do remember that whole scene and the build up to the confrontation being one of the center points of that book, it carried some real power. In that last episode it just fizzled.
Now, there are somethings the TV series has really done much better than the books, e.g. Daenerys and the Khal for one thing was handled much better than in the book. But, some of the faults of the book become even more apparent in the TV series, such as Daenerys being stuck waiting for book after book, until the plot is ready for her to come to the Seven Kingdoms.
I guess the thing that stuck me the most was how much of a challenge the writers have taking such a huge work and turning it into a coherent TV series. With some many characters and so much going on, it is surprising they don’t hit more sour notes for more people more often. I am actually impressed with how well they service the plot and characters, and keep it all interesting for everyone who has not read the books.
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