May 2011

Something about three-eyed crows creeps me out.  But I suppose that’s the point of the opening of episode four:  creepiness.  In a way, “Cripples” mirrors “Winter is Coming” with its opening scene, presenting something which feels and appears like a strange nightmare, but which doesn’t have a direct tie to the episode at hand (at least, not one which is available to a cursory viewer).  The impact of this scene will likely be felt later, much as the introduction to “Winter is Coming” will reverberate through future episodes. “Cripples” is a curious episode, split, for the most part, between the mystery that has occupied the Starks throughout the series and Jon Snow’s travails at the Wall.  The most interesting remains the first, while the latter acts as a kind of (dark) comedic relief with the introduction of the pathetic Samwell Tarly (played by John Bradley, who may very well be the most perfect actor for this role).   Jon Snow’s narrative is not as compelling as that of the Starks, but not because Snow is uninteresting or the Wall is boring.  Quite the contrary.  The problem with Jon’s narrative is that what we’ve been expecting to happen hasn’t happened yet, whereas some movement has been occurring in the Stark’s search for truth.  Most of Jon’s narrative is about character growth.  We see Jon rising above his lesser status, growing as a leader and a man, and navigating the very different world of the Wall.  But the terror we saw in “Winter is Coming” hasn’t hit Jon’s world yet.  “Yet” is the crucial word.  But we have Samwell Tarly, who is as craven and pathetic as readers of the series could have hoped.  Even the added scenes with Sam are welcome in “Cripples.”  Perhaps this is because he fits into the title of the episode, but I think it’s more because Sam shows us who Jon Snow will become even while Jon struggles to earn the respect he feels he deserves from those above his stature. But the Starks are where the clearest danger lies.  As much as Jon’s superiors bear down upon him, their threats feel somewhat empty.  We’re not worried that Jon will end up dead in the morning — poisoned, stabbed, killed in battle, or what have you.  Not yet.  But we are worried about the Starks, who are in a dangerous place and playing a very dangerous game.  The cliffhanger at the end of “Cripples” only makes this danger clearer.  For me, this is the most interesting part so far in the series.  I want to know what’s going to happen to the Starks:  Will they find out the truth and bring it to the King?  Will they die trying?  Will Eddard be the next Hand to die under mysterious conditions?  It’s for this reason that I’ve begun reading ahead in the book.  I can’t wait a week to find out.  I need the answers, and if not for the fact that HBO’s A Game of Thrones is so good at making many of its characters loathsome human beings, I might not be reading at all. Despite my fascination with the Starks, “Cripples” has trouble relaying their narrative.  The episode tries to lead us into its ending, but it never quite gels.  There’s a mild disconnect between Catelyn, Eddard, and the children.  They all receive some screen time in “Cripples,” but the progression they each are supposed to suggest isn’t quite there.  The ending is a surprise for those who haven’t read the book, but that surprise lacked some of the impact it deserved, despite the fact that “Cripples” is the catalyst for all the major events that follow.  I still enjoyed the episode, but it certainly was missing something (an emotional charge or something resembling a more linear plot). My other problem with “Cripples” is that it is an episode which includes, as in episode three, additional scenes which serve little purpose other than to remind us of things we already know.  Viserys, for example, is shown in a bathtub with the woman he purchased to teach Daenerys the “womanly arts.”  They have a long discussion about the dragons of the Red Keep, and then Viserys grows angry and reminds us of his arrogance, foul attitude, and general lowly nature.  But we already knew this, and a scene later in the episode reveals that same nature, making the bathtub scene redundant.  If they intended to add depth to his character, all they succeeded in doing was make him more the awful person we thought he was.  Perhaps the writers want us to feel less for Viserys, but I think most viewers loathed his very existence in “Winter is Coming” when he sold his sister off to Khal Drogo in order to get an army and take back the Seven Kingdoms.  (There is another scene involving the King, but I think my point has been made.) I don’t particularly care for filler scenes, nor do I care for any scene which draws me away from the characters I care about.  To be honest, I would much rather spend more time with Arya, who gets very little attention in “Cripples,” than with Viserys or King Baratheon (unless Eddard is a part of the latter).  Without the aforementioned scenes, the writers could have spent more time showing Eddard’s investigations or even the tournament scene, which would have added some entertainment to a very stark (no pun intended) narrative.  There’s much more that could have been done, but instead we are gifted with a broken record.  I’ve made similar complaints about previous episodes. But, again, I am glad that these scenes are short and that most of “Cripples” is spend focusing on the important aspects of the story.  Even with these flaws, the show is still a damn fine one.  There are few adaptations that I have enjoyed as much as I am enjoying A Game of Thrones.  All I can hope for is that the quality of the series remains

“Lord Snow” is not a relief episode.  “Winter is Coming” and “The Kingsroad” were episodes devoted to producing tension, introducing all the major conflicts that would drive the series and tossing in a number of cliffhangers and “holy crap” moments to keep the audience glued to the screen.  Instead, “Lord Snow” is an episode that draws that tension out, like pouring lemon juice into a wound.  Now, things must move at a more measured pace.  We may know the answers to what is going on, but the Starks are only speculating — they must find their way to the truth and navigate the slimy world of kings and queens, lords, and court politics.  At the Wall, Jon Snow must come to terms with his disillusionment about the Wall and the Night’s Watch.  And across the Narrow Sea, Daenerys has begun to discover herself, testing her authority. For the most part, “Lord Snow” is an effective episode.  The title obvious comes from Jon Snow’s name, even though the episode is barely devoted to him (he seems to get the most screen time this time around, but a great deal of attention is also paid to Daenerys, Eddard Stark and his children (go Arya!), and to Catelyn Stark).  Since pacing has been one of the few aspects I have focused on when reviewing each episode, I think it’s important to note that “Lord Snow” doesn’t add much to the plot, but does move seamlessly between the various characters to give a sense that there is a progression.  That progression is focused on the characters rather than on the plot.  We see characters grow and become new people, setting the stage for what will come in future episodes (if you’ve read the book, then you know a lot of what happens in episode three is foreshadowing).  Some of these changes are expected, and some are ones I had been hoping for (Viserys, for example). There are also a number of additions to the cast:  Lord Baelish (Aiden Gillen), Varys (Conleth Hill), Renly Baratheon (Gethin Anthony), Alliser Thorne (Owen Teale), and others.  I’ve been pleased with the cast so far in the series, although I remain iffy about Aiden Gillen and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (Jaime Lanniser).  It’s not that they aren’t good actors; rather, I feel like their accents are off somehow.  It might be a good thing that I am hesitant about them, though, as both of their characters are meant to illicit negative feelings.  And, of course, there is Miltos Yerolemou (Syrio Forel), who is absolutely perfect for his role — his accent is spot on, his attitude is just as I pictured him, and he’s amusing on screen.  We’ll see more of these characters as the series progresses and hopefully my feelings about them will continue to improve. One of the things I’ve been incredibly pleased about with this series is the cast of child actors.  “Lord Snow” lets them shine, giving them the opportunity to do more than run around being child-like (climbing, running, laughing, and so on).  Child actors are difficult to pick.  More often than not, the wrong actors are chosen for the role.  HBO has avoided that dilemma.  Maisie Williams (Arya Stark) is brilliant, though a little rough around the edges at times — her final scene with Syrio is wonderful, though.  Isaac Hempstead-Wright (Bran Stark) doesn’t have much face time, but still delivers his lines with enough emotion to make you wonder what is going on inside his character’s head (not good things, I assure you).  Even Jack Gleeson (Prince Joffrey) fulfills his role as a stuck-up prince with ease. The more I see of these actors, the more I feel that they are the right choices and look forward to seeing them on the screen. I only have one complaint about “Lord Snow,” which is that it has too many scenes that I feel distract the viewer from the story and the characters who matter.  Towards the middle of the episode, King Baratheon spends several minutes telling war stories with Ser Barristan Selmy and Jaime Lannister.  While I understand that the filmmakers are trying to add depth to Baratheon’s character, the scene seemed like it was thrown in the middle to fill time rather than to contribute anything to the overarching narrative.  We know Baratheon is rude, impulsive, and a drunk (a.k.a. a total asshole).  That much has already been established.  This scene only reinforces that point, hinting that maybe there is something more to be seen — a something which never materializes.   A similar scene involves the Queen and Jaime Lannister discussing the events in the previous episode, which only reminds us again that they are involved and that they have a “close” relationship.  While I understand why this scene exists, it draws too much attention away from the Starks, who are central, and the problems they are attempting to resolve.  The more time we are given with these characters, the more answers are given to us, and the fewer surprises we are offered when the Starks figure out what is going on.  A Game of Thrones is partly a medieval mystery, full of backstabbing, lies, secrets, and half-truths.  Giving away those truths to the audience by providing scenes where characters admit guilt draws tension away from the mystery Eddard and Catelyn Stark are so adamant to uncover. That said, “Lord Snow” is a decent episode.  It is well constructed and the scenery and sets continue to be wonderful.  The Wall is the largest addition, and it is as dark and dank and rundown as I expected it to be.  The folks behind HBO have really chosen some great locations for A Game of Thrones.  Hopefully this will continue to be true as new places are added to the story. I should also note before closing out that one of my favorite scenes this episode is the closing scene — Arya and Syrio clashing wooden swords together as she receives her first lesson.  I loved

When I initially began watching HBO’s adaptation of A Game of Thrones, I was very interested, but not blown away.  That feeling fell to the wayside with “The Kingsroad” (and, as I remarked in my review of “Winter is Coming,” much of what I had issues with seemed to dim upon a second viewing). The second episode of A Game of Thrones is one of the most emotional, which is probably why my feeling about the series changed.  The rocky relationships hinted at in “Winter is Coming” are drawn out in full, given the full emotional impact we’ve been waiting for.  Michelle Fairley (Catelyn Stark) is superb here, her eyes and face speaking volumes and filling the void where her limited lines cannot.  Emilia Clarke, who I have already praised in my review of episode one, is once again superb, and Sean Bean, though less present here than in “Winter is Coming,” is strong as ever.  Kit Harrington (Jon Snow) is equally as praiseworthy in “The Kingsroad,” fast becoming one of my favorite actors in the series, and Peter Dinklage fulfills his role as Tyrion Lannister as if it were always meant for him — Tyrion remains one of my favorite characters in the TV adaptation. All this is perhaps helped by the fact that episode two is about deepening our understanding of who these characters are.  Catelyn Stark is more than just a wife and mother; Jon Snow is a boy tormented by his half-blood birth; Eddard Stark is apprehensive about his part in the management of the Kingdom and not the man he once was when he and King Baratheon forged the kingdom; and Daenerys is a woman coming into her womanhood in a society she barely understands.  These attempts to deepen the audience’s understanding of the show’s characters is well received.  Most of these characters are people we expect to stay with as the series progresses (and when the next book is adapted; whether all this turns out to be true is up to speculation, I suppose, as I haven’t read A Clash of Kings yet).  Personally, I appreciate fantasy stories which delve into the characters rather than relying solely on the visual spectacle of fantasy.  A Game of Thrones seems well suited to the medium. Unlike “Winter is Coming,” the pacing in “The Kingsroad” is fierce and fluid.  This is despite the fact that the second episode has now split to four different viewpoints in four separate locations (Jon and Tyrion at the Wall; Catelyn and her sons in Winterfell; Eddard, his daughters, and the King on their way to King’s Landing; and Daenerys across the narrow sea — some of these were already present in “Winter is Coming”).  The writing is almost seamless, with a perfect progression from start to finish and plenty of tension.  I would say that “The Kingsroad” is the best episode of the series, except that I haven’t seen the entire series yet (this review comes out the week prior to the release of the sixth episode).  Regardless, if you aren’t hooked by “Winter is Coming,” then “The Kingsroad” should do the trick.  Even upon re-watching, the episode remains strong. If I have to criticize the episode, however, then I’ll have to point to the visuals, which sometimes appear somewhat lackluster when CG is involved.  The costumes and locations are decent enough, though sparsely built as in “Winter is Coming,” but there are moments where we see cities in the distance which are clearly drawn onto an existing landscape.  I understand that A Game of Thrones is a television show, and, as such, doesn’t have quite the budget of something like Avatar.  Perhaps for this reason anyone can ignore the average CG found in the series.  Since it’s used quite sparingly anyway, I don’t see it as a major issue, but it is noticeable.  Unlike other cable networks (like Syfy), HBO isn’t going overboard with its use of CG.  They’ve focused on the characters, much as Martin has done in his novel.  I think that much can be appreciated even if the CG isn’t the greatest quality. But at this point I’m nitpicking rather than sending anything resembling legitimate criticism at A Game of Thrones.  “The Kingsroad” is simply a stunning episode.  I kept wondering what would happen next, who was going to hurt who, and whether characters I thought would die were going to live.  “The Kingsroad” is pretty much what turned me into a permanent viewer of the show.  I’ll usually give a series three episodes to hook me.  A Game of Thrones technically did it with the first episode, but the second sealed the deal.  And if that isn’t high praise for a show, I don’t know what is. Stay tuned for my review of episode three!  Coming…tomorrow! Directing: 5/5 Cast: 5/5 Writing: 4.5/5 Visuals: 4.5/5 Adaptation: 5/5 Overall: 4.8/5 (More reviews:  Episode One; Episode Three; Episode Four; Episode Five; Episode Six; Episode Seven; and Episodes Eight through Ten.) ————————————————————— P.S.:  If it hasn’t already become clear, I am avoiding spoiling the series by providing a plot synopsis of each episode.  I would hate to read an episode-by-episode review and have everything spelled out for me.  If you’ve read the book, you already know the story being shown; but if you haven’t, then a plot synopsis could ruin everything.  I will do no such thing and will keep my reviews focused on my general impressions of the episodes, with plot elements brought into the discussion only when I feel they are relevant.