Game of Thrones ep 4 (the clueless about the books POV)

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I watched ep 4 earlier today and absolutely loved it. Spoilers behind cut.



It's got to the stage now where my reviews are likely to turn into a series of gushing platitudes about how good this show is, so I'll try my best to inject some criticism into what I say, or at least a leavening of humour. But it really is that good!

That said, did they have to linger quite so long over the horrible death at the tournament? I think the message of 'this is a nasty, dark world. People die all the time in horrible, violent ways' got through to me with the first gout of blood the dying man spit up. Also, the story Littlefinger told Sansa about the two brothers was nasty in the extreme. Well done, those extras, for looking all sober because of the death and pretending not to listen. They did an awful lot better than the extras in the Nightwatch scenes, whose sword fighting practice was even worse than poor old Sam's. Am smitten with him (in a motherly way), and relieved that shadowkat67 informs me he won't die a horrible death any time soon. I feared the worst after the Nightwatch captain's grisly story (he really knows how to rally the troops, doesn't he?). I also like that Sam is a bit of a rebel in his own quiet way, and that the others in Jon's group have fallen in line and grudgingly made Sam one of their own. Wonder how long that will last?

I see the white direwolf finally turned up again awfully conveniently. Where's it been hiding?

Elsewhere, Arya continues to be awesome, poor Sansa is becoming more sympathetic, and Lord Stark is slowly getting the message that everyone at Kingslanding basically hates each other and is plotting against everyone else. I'd long since decided that horrid prince Joffrey had to be the incestuous son of the queen and her brother, but the stimying of Jon Arryn's plot to bring that out into the open has to be one of the most convoluted pieces of palace intrigue ever. It reminds a bit of the evil machinations of Catherine de Medici in La Reine Margot.

Elsewhere, elsewhere, my favourite character of all, Tyrion Lannister, is in a spot of bother, since Lady Catelynn thinks Littlefinger would never lie to her and therefore Tyrion must be behind the plot to kill Bran. I think that if Lady Catelynn stopped to think for five minutes she'd realise how silly this is. What would be Tyrion's motivation, beyond 'Lannisters are evil and enjoy defenestrating small boys'? I hope she finds out she's wrong next week, but sadly feel it's more likely she'll frustratingly go on being unable to see the truth and hate Tyrion for ever. :( And everyone ought to like him, because he's cool.

More wonderful character stuff, with great scenes for Ned and Arya, Jon and Sam, Tyrion and just about everyone but especially Bran, and Viserys and that girl who used to be in Hollyoaks. I liked the dragon story. Speaking of Viserys, the Dothraki storyline continues to be the least satisfying. I'm now feeling like stuff is missing, because Daenyrys is talking about herself and Khal Drogo in such a way as to make it seem like she now finds their relationship pretty satisfying. Yet he continues to say nothing at all, in fact hardly features as a character. I suppose it was like that in the book? I remember someone (flake_sake?) telling me that we pretty much see the Dothraki culture entirely from an outsider's (Daenyrys's) POV. But anyway, I did enjoy her standing up to her brother, though since I can't quite believe in her exaggerated respect (up to now) for his position, I can't quite believe in his shocked reaction when the worm finally turns. But he's horrid anyway, so who cares?

It's all so nasty and intriguing and beautiful to look at. And the characters are great. More soon please.

Comments

[flake-sake.livejournal.com]

:) I enjoyed it a lot too, I hope I'll get to write a review too.

Sam is a pretty interesting character, I'm glad he showed up.

The palace intrigue is pretty awesome and I love Arya in full waterdancer mode. And yes, Catelyn can be really dense about how murder plots work.

I think the Daenerys plot really works better in the books because you see her grow. Drogo is not exactly a fleshed out character in the books but they do really like each other and Dany emerges herself in the Dothraki culture. It's reality to her as opposed to Viserys mad dreams and she finds out that she's much better than her brother in actual reality. By Dothraki values he's a joke and Dany sees it more every day.

I find Viserys in the books a bit hard to understand, he's clearly meant to be an asshole, but different from Jeoff, where you can see where it's coming from, it is hard to believe that Viserys never had his head set straight before.

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I hope I'll get to write a review too.

I hope so as well. I like reading your reviews.

Sam is a pretty interesting character, I'm glad he showed up

Was there any doubt about it? Am taking this to mean he's not that important in the book. Have they left anyone out yet?

It's reality to her as opposed to Viserys mad dreams and she finds out that she's much better than her brother in actual reality. By Dothraki values he's a joke and Dany sees it more every day.

They managed to include some of that in this episode. I think it's because it's so bitty, and because, as BGF says below, the plot doesn't meld with the other plots yet, that it's so unsatisfying.

Re: Viserys - I'd just assumed he was a bit mad.

[flake-sake.livejournal.com]

Sam is important, gets his own chapters even, I just could not remember that he shows up so early in the books.

They left several people out (or very little) but no one you'd really miss.

The Dany plot is separate. I figure it will come together with the others now in the 5th book, but it'll take a while to get there with the show. In the books the Dany chapters are very interesting though. You'll see what I mean towards the end of the season.

[shapinglight]

Blimey, so she gets a separate storyline all the way through? Bet those dragon eggs are involved. I'd always thought they had to come to something.

As for Sam, I'm delighted he'll be important, though hope he won't remain quite as hopeless as he currently is.

[flake-sake.livejournal.com]

:)

No, not hopeless at all.

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:) I thought not. No one could.

[shipperx.livejournal.com]

Samwell is the character I sort of refered to as sort of Wesley-ish. Not scruffy Wesley (Obviously). He's no warrior, but he's bright and interested in books and learning things, which is a skill in its own right.

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Hooray! I'm looking forward to seeing him develop. Will the actor concerned at some point have to lose loads of weight, or will he be allowed to stay as he is (not that he should, very unhealthy, but still..)

[beer-good-foamy.livejournal.com]

Elsewhere, elsewhere, my favourite character of all, Tyrion Lannister, is in a spot of bother, since Lady Catelynn thinks Littlefinger would never lie to her and therefore Tyrion must be behind the plot to kill Bran. I think that if Lady Catelynn stopped to think for five minutes she'd realise how silly this is.

Maybe, but then we wouldn't have gottne that scene of her winning over an entire inn who, 30 seconds earlier, were fawning over Lord Lannister. Right or wrong, that was beautifully played.

The Dothraki plot seems a bit shoehorned in - so far it's unconnected to the rest of the story, and they need to build it up to a point where it does start interacting with the other plotlines, but the timing feels a bit off. And I agree that the Daenyrys/Drogo storyline went from rape to affection awfully fast. I do like Daenyrys gradually making the best of her situation and grasping every bit of power she can get her hands on to make herself anything but a pawn - though at the same time, her belief that the people back home pray for her brother to return still paints her (and him) as pretty naive.

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Maybe, but then we wouldn't have gottne that scene of her winning over an entire inn who, 30 seconds earlier, were fawning over Lord Lannister. Right or wrong, that was beautifully played.

I agree it was an excellent scene. Great stuff. In fact, they all were, though I didn't realise quite what was going on in the Ned/Cersei confrontation until I read shadowkat67's review.

And I agree that the Daenyrys/Drogo storyline went from rape to affection awfully fast

Yes, it would probably have helped if they'd exchanged one of the Dany/Wossisname the Exile exposition scenes for one or two domestic scenes of Dany and Drogo, ie. playing the Dothraki equivalent of chess, or whatever. A bit more scene-setting, in fact, to make her volte face more believable, because it does seem to go a little beyond a woman making the best of a very bad lot.

though at the same time, her belief that the people back home pray for her brother to return still paints her (and him) as pretty naive.

I agree. In fact, I find her naivety altogether unbelievable when it comes to her brother. He's such an arse, and it's so easy to see right through him.

[shipperx.livejournal.com]

From the books (where we get a lot of Dany's inner dialog), I think it's largely because Dany grew up so isolated. Her only constant has been her brother. Her brother has been parent to her all these years, the only family she has or has ever known. Of course, he views her only as chattal and an object, but to her, he has been her world. It's only after she's more or less sold off to Drogo that she begins to step outside that role enough to get any perspective on Viserys.

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I see. Perhaps they didn't show that well enough. It was clear in episode 1 that she was very subservient to her brother, but not so clear why.