SF/F Commentary

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.

I’ve been cautiously anticipating the HBO adaptation of George R. R. Martin’s A Game of Thrones for a while.  My ex and one of my friends tried to get me to read the first book in the series, but for whatever reason I couldn’t get into it.  That negative experience, however, didn’t shake my anticipation, in part because HBO had previously adapted two historical products (Band of Brothers and The Pacific), both of which became two of my favorite TV shows of all time (granted, those shows are based on real-world events).  Needless to say:  HBO has a track record of producing good stuff. Episode One (“Winter is Coming”) has the toughest job of any episode in the series.  It not only has to set the foundations for the tone of the entire series, but it also has to establish the relevant characters, plot points, and so on which will remain central to the progression of the story.  “Winter is Coming” does so in expert fashion, opening with a creepy prologue in the woods beyond the Wall — a scene that is relatively faithful to the book. If any scene in the first episode were to tell you that HBO was serious about A Game of Thrones, it would be these opening moments.  The White Walkers are terrifying, slipping through the woods beyond the Wall with an ease that reminds one of an horror movie (a good horror movie).  The music, too, highlights the tension, and the scenes following the credits further establish the tone of HBO’s adaptation.  Justice is delivered to deserters with apprehension written on Eddard Stark’s face, direwolves are discovered in the woods — an omen for a dark time to come — the Hand of the King is dead and the Lannisters are plotting, and children of dead kings are rising to retake the thrown that was once theirs.  This is no light-hearted fantasy, to which fans of the books can well attest; HBO is taking the source material seriously for what it is:  a sprawling, epic fantasy, deeply political, bloody, and medieval. The show’s heavy budget, of course, makes it easier to establish the tone of the series, since it allows for well-crafted sets and beautiful visuals.  As important as it is for any show to have good acting, a solid story, and so on, it is just as important for a fantasy production like A Game of Thrones to be visually arresting.  It is perhaps prudent that the series is being adapted now rather than ten years ago.  Budgets are understandably larger, HBO is more firmly established as a producer of quality television programs, and the technology is (more or less) adequate to the task of producing visuals which television budgetary constraints typically cannot produce using real sets.  For the most part, “Winter is Coming” functions well within what financial constraints still exist and exceeds where such constraints are less relevant.  The costumes are gritty or extravagant enough to feel real within the world being set up and the castles and cityscapes (or townscapes, perhaps) are well designed and used sparsely, but still give a sense that Westeros and its outlying regions are real places.  This coupled with the tone makes it easier, I think, for a fantasy fan such as myself to suspend disbelief. The perfect setting of tone is also enhanced by an excellent cast, all of which, thus far, are well chosen for their roles.  There are no poor choices here, whether members of the Stark family, the Lannisters, or even the last of the Targaryen’s.  Sean Bean (Eddard Stark) and Emilia Clarke (Daenerys Targaryen), however, are the standouts here.  Both give performances that are emotionally charged and, for lack of a better word, “deep.”  It’s not just how they deliver their lines — fluidly and with precision — but more particularly in how one can see the emotions, history, and thoughts painted on their faces and buried in their body language.  Other actors pull this off too, sometimes out of necessity, but it is only Bean and Clarke, in my opinion, who do so continuously by giving performances that will hopefully be given recognition when the awards season rolls around. Having lofted high praise at the production values of the show, however, I do want to point out the only significant issue I had with “Winter is Coming.”  Pacing.  The episode shifts forward in time quite unexpectedly, often with the direwolves as the only barometer for determining how much time has passed.  The direwolves, however, are poor barometers, particularly since Catelyn Stark reminds us that they grow ever so fast, but never explains what that means.  How fast?  Twice as fast as normal dogs?  Three times as fast?  How long has it been since the announcement of the King’s pending arrival in the previous scene to his actual arrival?  A day?  A week?  A month?  I have no doubt that many viewers don’t care about these details, but I found myself being jarred from the story, which is never a good thing.  That said, the pacing seems less a problem now than it was weeks ago.  Perhaps this is so because I’ve come to love the series, having stuck with it through the second episode (which I think is one of the strongest of the series thus far), but I also think this is because I have seen “Winter is Coming” again and begun reading A Game of Thrones. One of the final points that needs being made is to do with the issue of adaptation.  The writers must constantly work to maintain the delicate balance between being faithful to the source material and trying to adapt it to a visual medium.  “Winter is Coming” is relatively faithful to the book in part because the beginning of the book doesn’t require much in the way of fiddling.  Other sections of A Game of Thrones will certainly require more trimming and narrative manipulation, but the first chunk which forms “Winter is Coming” is