Game of Thrones – Season One Recap

Let’s try and stay spoiler-free for those that will grab it on DVD later on.

So, there has been sex, death, betrayal and a more death.

All things considered, this has probably been one of the best adaptation of a book onto screen. My gut says this is in no small part due to the author, George R. R. Martin, coming from a TV background before he wrote the books. He’s also directly involved in the production and has, himself, written at least one episode of the series.

I found this season to be well written, well acted, and just a blast to watch.

But enough about my opinions, what did you think?

7 replies on “Game of Thrones – Season One Recap”

  1. It’s a fantastic show!

    While I’m enjoying much of the view, especially of Emelia Clarke, Some of the scenes seem a little too gratuitous, if that’s possible.
    I have to wonder what the kid who plays the Queen of the Vale’s son is thinking during his scenes.
    Arya is the breakout character. You just know she is going to become more important as the series progresses. Her sister Sansa may just yet turn out to be a Stark after all, if she gets an opportunity.
    After a very long hiatus from reading fantasy fiction (the last being the Book of Swords series and the Chronicles of Amber) this series makes me want to read the novel it springs from. They have it at Costco. I’m going now…

    • Get the books. You won’t be disappointed in the least. Yes, Arya has big things coming. Sansa is a little disappointing in the series, since you’re not seeing as much of the disillusionment that you get in the books. Yes, she’s a brat and a snob, but it’s through her eyes that we see just how much a disconnect there is between “classical fantasy” and this world.

      The violence is pretty intense, but much of it (like Gregor Clegane’s horse and Viserys’ “crowning”) are right out of the book. It serves to show the less physical characters how out of their depth they are and how important it is for them to live by their wits.

      And I think we all agree the actor playing Robert Arryn is going to need some serious therapy after this show is over (or ongoing during production).

  2. IMDB calls the character ‘Robin Arryn’, but yes, that kid is going to have a hard time adjusting back to the real world.

    Again, a fantastic show, and anyone who enjoyed ‘Rome’, ‘Spartacus’ and ‘Deadwood’ will love this show.

  3. The last 5 episodes have taken a lot of liberties in presenting the story, much more than the first half of the season, but they’ve stuck to the overall plots well. Obviously their budget had a lot to do with some of the decisions but I have to admit to being dissapointed with some of the results.

    The one that really irked me was downplaying Tyrion’s role in the battle against Bolton; making it look as if he was knocked out for the whole battle was a disservice to his character. It makes me wonder how they will treat the eventual battle at King’s Landing and the Blackwater Bay.

    All my criticisms are minor though. The show is fantastic. I hope they can keep it up.

    • Agree on the downplaying; that was a fairly important part of a character’s development that got dropped there. They actually managed to get away with not showing any of the big battles in the book and just leaving it up to the viewer infer what was going on, which is quite impressive in itself.

      I wasn’t expecting a WETA Digital / Lord of the Rings style CGI extravaganza, but I was expecting something, even if only a few tight crops of individual combat with lots of background to give the appearance of a huge battle between thousands of combatants. Hopefully the critical success of S1 will mean a sufficient budget for the second season’s big scenes, done right the Battle of the Blackwater in 1080p on a big screen should be spectacular.

      • Well, knock on wood, they’ll get a bigger budget for the next season. All things considered, they went pretty gaga on the sets and costumes this year and did a great job of it. Next year, they won’t have to spend as much and the money can be put to use elsewhere.

        We hope.

Comments are closed.