This is
an odd post. Well, first of all, it’s a
post. That’s weird enough from me these
days. Second, I’m pre-writing this, to
copy and paste in my blog. It will still
be largely unedited, but not perfectly so.
As you
probably know, I’m a Game of Thrones
fan. I like the show. Full Disclosure: I’ve only read the first book. I hate waiting for new seasons of shows, but
I despise waiting for new books. He has
his reasons, but George R.R. Martin takes a long time to write, and I don’t
want to get invested in books that I’ll have to wait years to read. Also, the books and the episodes are
different enough in plot, storyline, names, dates, ages, ranges, timelines,
datelines, ley lines, and probably everything else. They’re similar enough to only be confusing.
This isn’t
going to be an entirely popular post.
Then again, I doubt mine really are all that often. Being a fan turns me off from everyone who
doesn’t like the show. Everything else
about the post will turn me off from the fans.
Shrug. I write these things for
me.
So, I’m
watching the episodes again, in anticipation of another season. I’ll finish late, which means I’ll watch the
episodes late. That’s me. I’m so far behind, I’m reading news from four
months ago. Why should television be any
different?
As I was
saying, I was watching the episodes again, and I’ve got a complaint. I have the same complaint about the first
book as well. The first book seemed like
it was written in search of a story.
George R.R. Martin wrote television episodes for other shows in the past
– maybe that’s the reason for it. The
first book was written like a TV series.
Generic (and less generic) plot hooks are left dangling left and right,
some never to be brought up again.
Overdramatic scenes are overdramatic, simply for the sake of drama. People grow, which is the nature of people. These characters flesh out more than they
grow.
I’m
learning to appreciate character deaths more, but many of these character
deaths serve little purpose, except as plot contrivances to create season highs
and lows.
Y’know,
I don’t mind all that to a point. It’s
just that Game of Thrones takes it up
to level fourteen so much that it’s become a trope by itself. I’m writing this post after seeing yet
another, “I Promise” on the screen that you know will end unfulfilled, as the
character saying it, or the characters they’re saying it to, die
tragically. Wouldn’t be such a big
thing, but this character was instantly developed, over the course of twenty
minutes, to be a tragic death.
I admit,
the show has a lot to live up to. It has
to constantly upgrade tensions, outrages, action scenes, and special
effects. Its worst enemy is itself, but
the highs come too often, too fast, with too little story behind them.
Speaking
of story, I also dislike the digression into backstory as often as it
does. Sometimes it works well, too often
it is inserted clumsily, leading to clunky exposition. Sometimes, when a character is angry and
chomping at the bit, answering yes or no is more appropriate than extolling
about the time your father taught you a lesson about taking a spear to court. Blah blah blah.
None of
this makes the show unwatchable, in my opinion.
It’s enough to make ones eyes roll pretty hard though.
- Jim
My prediction for the series now is that Petyr Baelish either is, or becomes a follower of The Great Other.
My prediction for the series now is that Petyr Baelish either is, or becomes a follower of The Great Other.
