SF/F Commentary

As I mentioned in my review of Episode Four, the narrative of HBO’s A Game of Thrones has been slowly threatening to come unhinged.  Scenes have been added that I feel detract from the most important characters, leaving a small void in their stories.  “The Wolf and the Lion,” unfortunately, does more of the same, but to even worse degrees. Episode Five is, thus far, the only poor episode this season.  While there is much to love about the episode (Arya chasing cats; more of the tournament; more of Eddard Stark and the mysteries of King’s Landing; the Eyrie (sort of); and many sword battles and gruesome deaths), its greatest flaws lie in its addition of scenes which have no direct bearing on the story-lines that matter.  I’ll only talk at length about the worst of them, but there are easily fifteen minutes of unnecessary nonsense in this episode, all of which take away from some of the more interesting aspects of this stretch of A Game of Thrones.  The Eyrie, for example, gets crapped on, with less than five minutes spent showing it from inside and out.  It’s even incorrectly designed, with the Eyrie itself sticking out like a giant turd in a desolate landscape, whereas the novel makes clear it’s meant to be a series of towers built along the side of a mountain.  And it’s supposed to be impenetrable.  Yet what we’re shown is a rotten egg that doesn’t look like it could withstand a siege for more than a few hours. Similar changes are made in the final confrontation of the episode between Eddard and Jaime, which, to me, seemed to suck the life out of a scene that could have been more emotional, terrifying, and dark (the filmmakers opted for a macho action sequence).  But these are minor compared to the excess minutes spent on nonsense (though I have to admit that the dialogue between the King and Queen is growing on me). Isn’t he adorable when he’s scared? One of the most pointless scenes is practically an HBO hallmark (i.e., the gay scene):  Ser Loras (Finn Jones) shaving Lord Renly’s (Gethin Anthony) chest while they discuss his potential as a King.  This scene is, of course, concluded with a blowjob.  It’s a gay scene which makes Priscilla: Queen of the Desert practically as straight as a Rambo movie.  If Renly’s homosexuality had been established as relevant earlier in the series, I might be able to see the importance of chest shaving, but nothing of the sort has been established.  In fact, Renly has been, up until this point, a minor character, his importance resting solely on the fact that he’s the brother of the King.  The fact that he’s gay is implied in the novel, but that implication has nothing to do with the mysteries occupying the Starks in the series.  As such, this scene feels more like a throwaway or an attempt to exoticize homosexual behavior.  Sadly, most of “The Wolf” reduces characters to sex objects (Theon’s penis waves to and fro like a pendulum here), but nothing more so grievous than its treatment of gay characters.  Renly and Loras aren’t on the screen being gay together because their homosexual relationship is relevant or important; they are there because they are gay, and their gayness displayed on screen makes them objects of visual spectacle.  To me, this is a grievous offense, and almost unforgivable. You can almost see the crazy behind this boy… But “The Wolf” doesn’t stop there.  While the cast is still strong, with some still iffy choices, the addition of Lino Facioli (Robin Arryn) is perhaps the worst mistake the producers have made.  Lino flubs his lines and overacts in a way that makes the other child actors look like they have already given their Oscar winning performances.  No actor thus far this season has managed to destroy an entire scene, and nearly an entire episode, as quickly and surely as Lino.  This is despite the fact that Kate Dickie as Lysa Arryn is shockingly good as the mentally deranged mother of Robin (and sister to Catelyn Stark).  All the creepiness brought to the screen by Dickie is sucked away the moment Lino goes on his miniature tirade.  The sad thing is that the shortened scenes in the Eyrie might have actually saved the series from losing me as a viewer entirely — a small mercy, if you will. At least the interiors are cool. Thankfully, I won’t stop watching A Game of Thrones.  I think it’s a fantastic series thus far, and one poor episode this far into the series isn’t enough to yank me out.  If this had been the first episode, I might have stopped watching, but there are four great episodes that precede it.  All I hope for now is that Episode Six doesn’t fall into the same trap.  I want the quality to go back up.   We’ll find out what happens tonight.  If you haven’t started the series yet, don’t use this review as a basis for whether you should watch.  The show isn’t perfect, but every episode before the fifth are worth watching, and the overall quality of the series is high.  Every show has a bad episode.  Fans of Doctor Who know this far too well.   A Game of Thrones can be forgiven for now… I would kiss this man… Directing: 2/5 Cast: 2/5 Writing: 1/5 Visuals:  2/5 Adaptation: 1/5 Overall: 1.6/5 (More reviews:  Episode One; Episode Two; Episode Three; Episode Four; Episode Six; Episode Seven; and Episodes Eight through Ten.) For Carr, because I know you love him so!

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