a game of thrones: episode 1

[verbicide]

I've loved so many HBO shows, it's almost puzzling that I haven't sucked it up and ordered it before now. In a way, I'm sort of glad I hadn't. Because it allowed me to enjoy things like Rome, Deadwood, The Wire, etc --in uninterrupted gluttony. This whole watching week-by-fucking-week is going to be brutal!

I never read the series. I'd bought the first book and was going to read it when I read that GRRM mercilessly slaughtered primary characters left and right. As much as I can applaud that in theory (because why should only irrelevant characters die, right?) I hated the idea of getting close to a character and then poof--dead.

I had started on Leigh's re-read, since I hadn't planned on being able to watch AGoT for like a year or more when the dvds would come out. But now I think I will put a halt to that. No better way to ruin the cinematic adaptation than having the written characters too fresh in your mind.



However, I am really glad I read the first chapter of the book, because no way would I have seen freaking ZOMBIES in the series. My reading of epic fantasy is pretty limited to LotR and WoT, but still --ZOMBIES? I don't expect this type of supernatural in my fantasy series. So, that was unexpected and intriguing. And I was glad to be forewarned.

Also, I would very much like to have a Dire Wolf puppy, please. I'm sure they grow to be horrific or something (if Final Fantasy can be used as any measure), but how cute were they??

As for the first episode itself--hurray for anything that brings Sean Bean to my screen. Considering the plethora of characters and family lines and family dynamics, I thought the episode did a good job introducing everyone and their relationship. (And their hat color. Lannister = BLACK HAT. Except for maybe Tyrion. Peter Dinklage is awesome in everything he does, isn't he?)

Especially with the widespread warning about the body count of major characters in the story, I saw poor Bran's death coming from the minute he was warned about climbing. But it was still horrifying to see how easy Jaime sits with murdering children. Also--how many creepy brother-sister incest stories/overtones can one have in an episode? The Targaryen siblings were pretty disturbing, and I'm looking forward to seeing more on the back story of how they lost their kingdom to King Robert and killed his would-be-bride.

Anyhow. This waiting totally sucks, but I'm excited to have HBO. (Catching up now on True Blood S3 and hope to see season 1 of Boardwalk Empire soon!)

Comments

[muffet.livejournal.com]

Probably some spoilers here.













I really really hope they don't kill it like Terry Goodkind's series was mutilated. I'm hoping because it's HBO, the production quality will be higher. Of course not subscribing to HBO, I'm going to have to wait but I read fantasy series. . .I'm patient for my fantasy fixes. . .how long has WoT taken? ;)

I have read all the books and it's one of the most brutal series I've ever read but if you can get past his killing characters left right and centre, it is really interesting. He changed the fantasy genre.

My husband doesn't like fantasy because he says once you've read Tolkien, you've read them all since they're all based on that paradigm. And I agree with him except in this series. We're just not sure who the hero is. You think you know and bam. . .he changes it or does he? Even GRRM says he doesn't know who will die when he writes a book. He himself is often surprised at who dies and he feels grief when they die.

I definately have a love/hate relationship with the series because it's not like any other fantasy you've read. The first few books really set the scene but I think future books will see a stronger fantasy element return. We really haven't seen what's behind the Wall. . . I think when he's done with the series a re-read will definately be in order as the shock value will be less and I can really take notice of other action in the series. It's a fascinating series.

[verbicide.livejournal.com]

I have to admit, I have a high level of faith in HBO. Hopefully they won't let us all down!

I think most series definitely benefit from re-reads, especially after the finale. Not really comparable, but I know that I always had to re-read Harry Potter books because I devoured them so quickly the first time, just wanting to know the plot points. The nuances really come out later, when you're less freaked out about what's going on!

[rolypolypony.livejournal.com]

We, of course, got rid of HBO just in time to miss this ;P Stupid cellphones! (um, as that remark will make no sense to anyone but me - in order to make the INSANE COST of the cellphone plans easier to bear, we decided we'd rework our Comcast package to make it a bit lower so we didn't have two $160 bills a month. So we dropped HBO and went to a lower internet speed. The latter I don't care about, but the former kills me!) Ah well - I'll be able to indulge in thr gluttony when the dvd is out, like we did for Rome and Deadwood and True Blood!!

[verbicide.livejournal.com]

ARGH!!! I'm so sorry! (Feel free to not answer this, but why did you guys get cell phones? Don't you hate them? And if for emergencies--why not just get burner phones??)

AHHH I want you to be watching, dammit :)

But yeah, the gluttony way, if delayed satisfaction, is at least multiple-y orgasmic. Ahem.

[rolypolypony.livejournal.com]

I DO hate them! Ugh. We got them because 1)DH's commute is 1.5 hours now that his company moved and we haven't, so it's good for him to keep in touch during that and let me know if he'll be later or what, and 2)after the move, we'll both have longer drives, so, again, it'll be good to be able to keep the other person apprised of delays.

Ugh. But I DO hate having them.

[verbicide.livejournal.com]

That is a bummer, and I'm sorry you're stuck with them! You'll have fun with the dvds come out--that's for sure!!

[rolypolypony.livejournal.com]

Indeed! :) It sounds like it'll end up being a good series!

[verbicide.livejournal.com]

I hope so! Though I may end up reading the books in tandem. I don't have so much patience, AS WE ALL KNOW! *grin*

[richboye.livejournal.com]

Without giving away too much, I'd just say that your quick recap contains many assumptions that don't actually bear out.

One of these days, I'd love to have a discussion with you and Leigh about this series and the novels... there are myriad subtle but important tweaks that I'd be interested in discussing.

[verbicide.livejournal.com]

I really appreciate the spoiler-caution. And it'll be very interesting to find this stuff out as it unfolds.

I think that would be one hell of a fun meetup.

[pinkminx.livejournal.com]

Is this vaguely spoilery? I think not, but maybe.

This might just be one of these in retrospect brain blips, but I found the deaths were pretty... not predictable, but reasonable, at least within the constraints of that particular universe and story. I remember yelling "WHAT, YOU SHITTING ME?" at the first book once (not so much with the latter installations, I'd gotten more used to the casual everyday brutality by then) but on closer thought that plotline ended exactly as it should have. The violence is horrible and the deaths of many of the cast are annoying/saddening/satisfying as fuck, depending on how you feel about the characters, but I don't think they're senseless or just there for the shock value.

I love those books so, so much.

[verbicide.livejournal.com]

I didn't think it was spoilery.

And it's actually really good to hear. For what it's worth, I figured GRRM was killing characters for a really good reason, and like I said--I applaud its ...realism?

I'm starting to feel like I don't have the patience of a gnat, so maybe I will plow ahead with Leigh's online read-a-long.

Hope you guys get this soon!! Be very curious to hear your reactions to the show since you know the books so well!

[pinkminx.livejournal.com]

I'm a bit torn on seeing the series, actually-- I know it'll be like crack anyway, so maybe it'd make more sense to wait until the first season is out on DVD. Then again, OH GOD MUST SEE!!! At least I don't have to avoid spoilers. (Although I understood they changed a few smaller things, the gist remains the same.)

[verbicide.livejournal.com]

I hear you. When the episode ended and I realized I'd have to wait a week, my brain exploded. But something to look forward to weekly = how I'm trying to console myself.

[muffet.livejournal.com]

I think I was trying to say the same thing without revealing too much :) That's why I want to re-read the series once it's complete so that I can better explore the nuances in the book. I also didn't want to ruin the quick re-cap with too much information because that's one of the pains/joys of this series. It's a wierd journey that goes where you think it will and then goes somewhere else that you didn't think it would and/or vice versa, often in the same story arc.