Game of Thrones ep 1
Jun. 26th, 2011 08:16 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
shapinglightI had a little time to myself today so I started a rewatch of Game of Thrones. These will be occasional posts, as I only have time to watch TV occasionally, but anyway...
Not surprisingly, now the season is over, I noticed an awful lot more going on. More behind cut, with spoilers for the whole show.
For one thing, this time I wasn't completely bewildered by the appearance of yet another bloke with a beard (there are an awful lot of them), and all the silly names (I'm sorry, but the names are silly. They're such a muddle and don't appear to make any sense linguistically), so was able to pay attention to all the nuances.
I was very struck this time by the conversation between Jaime and Cersei on the balcony when they're watching Jon Arryn's lying in state. The way it came across to me is that neither of them knew who had killed him. I could be wrong about Cersei, I know, but I'm pretty certain about Jaime. He doesn't know.
I suppose book readers could at this point be rolling their eyes at my cluelessness, but that's how the scene played to me.
Also, because I was watching for it this time, I did see that the scene between Jaime and Tyrion in the brothel (the only Ros scene I don't dislike) shows there's great affection between the two brothers. I think the first time I watched it, I was just so bewildered as to who was who I couldn't really take it in. I also noticed more the way that scene sort of degenerates at the end, when Jaime ushers the entire troupe of whores into the room. It was all the giggling, which sounded to me like it belonged in a silly 1960s movie, where bikini-clad women drape themselves all over James Bond, or Our Man Flint, or whoever. Oh well.
What else did I notice? Well, one thing which I completely missed before because I had no idea it was significant was Dany sitting down in the scalding water during the bathing scene, while the maid protests it's too hot, and being completely unaffected. That was a big, stonking pointer to the fact that she's not quite 'normal'. I also decided that the actor playing Viserys was very good indeed. He portrayed a spiteful, not very intelligent man, who is totally out of his depth all the time and takes his resentments out on his sister just brilliantly. He's utterly hateful. Really got what he means this time when he said to Dany, "You don't want to wake the dragon, do you?" and she stares at him like a frightened rabbit and says "No."
The Dothraki scenes continue to be problematic, but I do believe the show made the right choice in depicting Dany's wedding night as more or less a rape. I just don't see how it would have worked any other way. As for Jason Momoa as Khal Drogo, I discovered he wasn't quite as inexpressive as I'd thought the first time. It's not in his face, but his hands - how he touches Dany. I think he did a good job of showing that by Khal Drogo's lights, what he was doing was perfectly acceptable, that by his standards he's even being quite forebearing and thinks he's shown Dany quite enough appreciation by giving her the gift of the horse (a beautiful creature that matches her hair) and taking her to a beautiful, private setting before basically raping her. Unpleasant as it is, that does seem to me to be the way such a person would behave. How would he know any different, given what we later learn about the Dothraki lifestyle? It also serves to point out - as if the Viserys scene hadn't already made it pretty plain - how powerless Dany is at this point. She goes along with her brother's wishes, even though she's scared and doesn't want to, because she feels she has no choice, and I realise now that her deciding that isn't good enough is all tied in with the dragons' eggs. Obvious really, though it wasn't when I watched it the first time.
Other things: I love all the 'it's grim oop north' stuff Ned has going on. He really is a fish out of water in Kingslanding, isn't he? Way, way out of his depth. Far more so than Robert, though Robert doesn't fit in that well either. Also, in this ep, Robert is basically bluff, fat bloke, who seems quite likeable. It's in the next episode you see his nasty side.
I think everyone does a great job of setting up their characters in this first episode. It's quite brilliantly done, in fact. Prince Joffrey doesn't even have to say anything. You just have to look at him and you know he'll be a right little s**t. However, first place has to go to Cersei and that pained lop-sided smile of hers. It's like she's wearing a mask that keeps slipping just a little bit.
The prologue beyond the Wall and the final scene when Jaime pushes Bran out of the window are just brilliant, the first creepy as hell, the second if not exactly unexpected (it's pretty well set up that Bran's climbing will get him in trouble), still very shocking.
Looking forward to watching more. Some time.
Not surprisingly, now the season is over, I noticed an awful lot more going on. More behind cut, with spoilers for the whole show.
For one thing, this time I wasn't completely bewildered by the appearance of yet another bloke with a beard (there are an awful lot of them), and all the silly names (I'm sorry, but the names are silly. They're such a muddle and don't appear to make any sense linguistically), so was able to pay attention to all the nuances.
I was very struck this time by the conversation between Jaime and Cersei on the balcony when they're watching Jon Arryn's lying in state. The way it came across to me is that neither of them knew who had killed him. I could be wrong about Cersei, I know, but I'm pretty certain about Jaime. He doesn't know.
I suppose book readers could at this point be rolling their eyes at my cluelessness, but that's how the scene played to me.
Also, because I was watching for it this time, I did see that the scene between Jaime and Tyrion in the brothel (the only Ros scene I don't dislike) shows there's great affection between the two brothers. I think the first time I watched it, I was just so bewildered as to who was who I couldn't really take it in. I also noticed more the way that scene sort of degenerates at the end, when Jaime ushers the entire troupe of whores into the room. It was all the giggling, which sounded to me like it belonged in a silly 1960s movie, where bikini-clad women drape themselves all over James Bond, or Our Man Flint, or whoever. Oh well.
What else did I notice? Well, one thing which I completely missed before because I had no idea it was significant was Dany sitting down in the scalding water during the bathing scene, while the maid protests it's too hot, and being completely unaffected. That was a big, stonking pointer to the fact that she's not quite 'normal'. I also decided that the actor playing Viserys was very good indeed. He portrayed a spiteful, not very intelligent man, who is totally out of his depth all the time and takes his resentments out on his sister just brilliantly. He's utterly hateful. Really got what he means this time when he said to Dany, "You don't want to wake the dragon, do you?" and she stares at him like a frightened rabbit and says "No."
The Dothraki scenes continue to be problematic, but I do believe the show made the right choice in depicting Dany's wedding night as more or less a rape. I just don't see how it would have worked any other way. As for Jason Momoa as Khal Drogo, I discovered he wasn't quite as inexpressive as I'd thought the first time. It's not in his face, but his hands - how he touches Dany. I think he did a good job of showing that by Khal Drogo's lights, what he was doing was perfectly acceptable, that by his standards he's even being quite forebearing and thinks he's shown Dany quite enough appreciation by giving her the gift of the horse (a beautiful creature that matches her hair) and taking her to a beautiful, private setting before basically raping her. Unpleasant as it is, that does seem to me to be the way such a person would behave. How would he know any different, given what we later learn about the Dothraki lifestyle? It also serves to point out - as if the Viserys scene hadn't already made it pretty plain - how powerless Dany is at this point. She goes along with her brother's wishes, even though she's scared and doesn't want to, because she feels she has no choice, and I realise now that her deciding that isn't good enough is all tied in with the dragons' eggs. Obvious really, though it wasn't when I watched it the first time.
Other things: I love all the 'it's grim oop north' stuff Ned has going on. He really is a fish out of water in Kingslanding, isn't he? Way, way out of his depth. Far more so than Robert, though Robert doesn't fit in that well either. Also, in this ep, Robert is basically bluff, fat bloke, who seems quite likeable. It's in the next episode you see his nasty side.
I think everyone does a great job of setting up their characters in this first episode. It's quite brilliantly done, in fact. Prince Joffrey doesn't even have to say anything. You just have to look at him and you know he'll be a right little s**t. However, first place has to go to Cersei and that pained lop-sided smile of hers. It's like she's wearing a mask that keeps slipping just a little bit.
The prologue beyond the Wall and the final scene when Jaime pushes Bran out of the window are just brilliant, the first creepy as hell, the second if not exactly unexpected (it's pretty well set up that Bran's climbing will get him in trouble), still very shocking.
Looking forward to watching more. Some time.