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shapinglightI 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![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
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.
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.