Game of Thrones: Season 1

There is a Great Wall of ice, under-maintained, which protects the 7 kingdoms from unspeakable horrors to the north. Below the wall there are 7 kingdoms vying to possess a throne usurped by a wrongful heir in a setting as authentically medieval as it is cruel and power mad. And across the Narrow Sea, the heirs of the last rightful king gather an army of barbarians to bring them home. Let the Game begin!This TV series, which has been more successful for HBO internationally than The Sopranos: The Complete Series, is based upon the cycle of books in A Song of Ice and Fire. The TV series takes its name from the first book, and each season is planned to represent one book from the cycle of 7 total (two yet unwritten). Unlike a TV series like The Sopranos, this means you may already know what to expect when you sit down to watch. If TV is your first look at this story, you're missing much - my analogy is watching a sports game without knowing the players by jersey number. You will still enjoy the game but your viewing will be casual. The books are ripping good so I recommend them as well.The novels in this cycle: A Game of Thrones: A Song of Ice and Fire: Book One, A Clash of Kings [Book #2 A Song of Ice and Fire] (HARDCOVER), A Storm of Swords (A Song of Ice and Fire, Book 3) By George R. R. Martin, A Feast for Crows. Book 4 of Ice and Fire and A Dance with Dragons: A Song of Ice and Fire: Book Five have all been praised as a realistic character-driven fantasy story.The biggest problem the TV series has is with recording the passage of time. Each episode goes over events without a set period of time delineated. Time varies from scene to scene and episode to episode. Ravens can fly only so fast, of course. Perhaps this matters most to people who have not read the book. As the novel has been serialized for TV, the typical plodding minutiae of follow-along soap opera is removed. (This series makes the case for the old 26-episode per season schedule from TV's Golden Age.) Another limitation to the medium is the TV budget, averaging to a whopping $6 million per episode. That's not much money, however, for epic cinematic storytelling. So, do not expect to trade soap opera pacing for lots of The Lord of the Rings: The Motion Picture Trilogy (Platinum Series Special Extended Edition) set piece battle sequences. (George R. R. Martin, the story's author, has been contracted by HBO to write the season 2 episode with the big battle so that may underline the limitations that even the author will have to struggle with for TV.)And those are the two main negatives in my review of content. The story is epic, sweeping, exciting and intellectual. It is to fantasy writing what The Great Gatsby is to the American novel, and the TV series faithfully translates the work from one medium to the other within its given limitations.I had the privilege to view the first two episodes in a cinema recently and I noticed things on the big silver screen I had not on the idiot box. The cinematography is brilliant. The writing bears repeatedly scrutiny as much is packed between the lines and within the lines than what is typical for TV. The writing is laser superb. I also think the episodes I viewed were extended cuts, which I will be looking for along with the many extras released on the Internet, in the official DVD release.Episode # - Title - Internet Run Time (in minutes) opening to closing credits:01 - Winter is Coming - 61.3502 - The Kingsroad - 55.1503 - Lord Snow - 57.1204 - Cripples, Bastards and Broken Things - 55.3605 - The Wolf and The Lion - 54.1406 - A Golden Crown - 52.3407 - You Win or You Die - 57.5608 - The Pointy End (scripted by the novelist) - 58.0809 - Baelor - 56.1410 - Fire And Blood - 52.35On the topic of gratuitous sex and nudity, I did not find any. However, by watching this series, the uninitiated viewer will learn that women do not leap from bed clinging to bed sheets and men's genitalia bounce when running. You won't see any labia. One character operates a franchise of whorehouses where the women are not Julia Roberts but more like skilled factory girls. There is the use of the word fcuk, and it is very The Oxford English Dictionary (20 Volume Set) (Vols 1-20) usage correct. No one fades to unconscious black at a pure kiss before bedding time. Now, while I think that has more artistic merit than brutish demonstrations, I do think the brutish demonstrations serve their place here. It sets a tone that our civilized mores have robbed from us.In the mid-15th century, girls younger than 10 were married off; impregnated by 13; and old maids by 16. The act of copulation was to please men and male Gods. The man was rare who was concerned with whether the woman had her climax before he was finished. Women were chattel who could not possess property or power. Oaths were contracts of blood. Lawyers wielded axes... All this stuff that we have forgotten is definitely alive in this series as an accurate reflection of its time. Now, all that medieval framework laid, I must say the women are far from helpless furniture and the characters shine brighter among the darkness of their time.So it comes down to what you want to focus on while watching; and Parental Guidance is not so much a suggestion as it is an opportunity for parents with this series.Your mileage may vary, of course. But for those who expect Cyrano de Bergerac courtly love making, I recommend the purchase of Ivanhoe instead of Game of Thrones. Sir Walter Scott's novel Ivanhoe was another inspiration for the author after all.== My Original Review to be Deleted After I Complete My Review of the DVDs ==First, it needs to be said that the DVD has not yet been packaged or released. So if you are reading these reviews on the DVD set now, even before they're released, you're reading about something else. When it is released, I will give my opinion on the package so you can make an informed decision about the product. If you're a fan of the series, undoubtedly like myself you have already decided to buy it even if the DVDs are pressed cardboard and sold in flimsy sleeves. So this review will be for the rest of those people merely interested and looking for a good purchase experience.The novels in this series, A Game of Thrones: A Song of Ice and Fire: Book One, A Clash of Kings [Book #2 A Song of Ice and Fire] (HARDCOVER), A Storm of Swords (A Song of Ice and Fire, Book 3) By George R. R. Martin, A Feast for Crows. Book 4 of Ice and Fire and A Dance with Dragons: A Song of Ice and Fire: Book Five have all been praised as a realistic character-driven fantasy story favourably compared with the actual historical event of England's War of the Roses.You don't need to attend conventions and dress as an Elf to thoroughly enjoy this story and get caught up. But to be sure, some of these characters are driven by the most feral ambitions and base passions. How much sex, violence and betrayal you can stomach is served up by the characters who practice it - not audience expectations. These are not 21st century emos. These are authentic period characters.So far I can only comment on the running time of each show televised thus far in the hope that HBO will release the DVD without edits and with the many extras that are already available on the InterWebz. I have been watching these shows on the Web and have not owned a television since before HBO was available, so I cannot comment if these shows run with commercial interrupts. (They do not on the Web.)Here are the shows, by title, and with their Internet run times:Episode # - Title - Run Time (in minutes) opening to closing credits.01 - Winter is Coming - 61.3502 - The Kingsroad - 55.1503 - Lord Snow - 57.1204 - Cripples, Bastards and Broken Things - 55.3605 - The Wolf and The Lion - 54.1406 - A Golden Crown - 52.3407 - You Win or You Die - 57.5608 - The Pointy End (scripted by the novelist) - 58.0809 - Baelor - unaired at this time10 - Fire And Blood - unaired at this timeI will check the run times when I receive my pre-ordered DVD set. I not only expect the run times to match but I also expect to have the extras already available on the Web, including commentary, and, perhaps, even a glimpse at season 2 in packaging that is stylish, protective and enduring.I fully intend to write a review on the packaging of this series when it's released. HBO starts out with a 5-star rating at this point based upon the strength of its series ability to engage me.If you have not read the novel it is based on, and if you like good reads, do yourself a favour and buy it A Game of Thrones: A Song of Ice and Fire: Book One. If you are a fan of the book and have not seen the series, then do so! But expect TV not a novel. The adaptation is good, in my opinion, but it is an adaptation of the novel not the story you were watching in your mind's eye.

IF YOU'VE NEVER READ GAME OF THRONES.....Should you watch the show or read the book first? (no real spoilers)First - just to note (in case you didn't know), Game of Thrones is based on a book series called "A Song of Ice and Fire" by George R.R. Martin. There are five so far (the first written in 1996, the most recent written in 2011), and he's planning to write at least two more (at the time of this review - 1/4/12). "A Game of Thrones" is the first installment of the series. HBO decided they liked the name "Game of Thrones" rather than "A Song of Ice and Fire" (I can see why - sounds less fantasy and more mainstream) and so that's the name of the whole series. Each season is based on one novel. So the first season was based on "A Game of Thrones" and the second season will be based on the second book, "A Clash of Kings," and so on. Well, it may not be in exact perfect book order, and it will be interesting to see what they do in books 4 and 5, which have overlapping storylines. Plus, aCoK is really too long to have in one season...the second season will air in April, 2012.Anyway, back to the original question. Show or book first?This is a really difficult question. For most books turned into show/movie, you'll want to read the book first, because it is usually superior to the adaptation. However, we are talking about HBO here, so be prepared for a VERY good show. Are there differences from the book? Yes, but in general it stays true to the storyline and all differences are done artistically and were approved by the author, George R.R. Martin.NUMBER OF CHARACTERS - There are a LOT of characters in this story. Because the show has to be condensed somewhat from a 800 page novel to 10 hours of airtime, it can get really confusing to know who is who while watching the show. It can get confusing in the book as well, but things are usually more detailed for you in the book so it is easier to reference. However, it always help to put a face to a name, so that's a plus for the show. But once again, sometimes there will be a really long part in the book that will be eliminated entirely from the show, and the absence can throw you off a little. The book definitely has more backstory, and you'll probably be able to more accurately identify characters when watching the show after.NEW SCENES FOR THE SHOW - Since we can't just look into the minds of the characters as in the book, there are a lot of invented scenes between characters in the show. This isn't a bad thing, but it's just to give you more of an idea of who these people are and what is going on in their minds. There is also a (sort-of) made-up character for the show, the prostitute Ros. At first I thought she was added in there for just eye candy or something and found that sort of annoying, but ultimately I think she is just an outlet for us to get into the minds of characters since it's a show and not a book. Also, her interactions with Greyjoy display (in my opinion) his disgusting personality, and since he's a much more important character in book 2 than 1 (his personality and backstory are almost non-existent in Book 1, they just hint at it), Ros was a way to kind of ease his character into the second season.DIFFERENCES - Like I said, the show is generally true to the book. However, if you read the book first, you may get super annoyed with some of the differences when watching the show. One of the major differences is ages. Everyone is a lot older in the show (the children, especially), and people are generally a lot different and better looking. That's not really an issue though, or else the show would seem odd and creepy. An example is Dany, a 13 year old in the book, is in frequent nude and sex scenes. In the show, I think they say she is 17 (but the actress is actually 24). It would also seem silly if Robb (14ish in the book) was actually 14 in the show, with him playing the type of role he has. My major gripe was a few storyline differences that I didn't think were necessary at all for the show, but I'm a nitpicker. An example is the major absence of direwolves in the show. They're there, but are much more prevalent in the book! I love the direwolves and think they are very symbolic, and wish HBO did more with them. Maybe next season.DO YOU LIKE TO READ? - That's probably the best way to decide. The book is BIG. Around 800 pages. It's similar in size to a Harry Potter book, and in my opinion, even more captivating. But it's a LOT of material, and you have to really pay attention due to the number of characters and intertwining story lines. If reading isn't your strong suit, the show may be better at breaking it down for you. If you are interested in reading all of the books, that's about 5,000 pages to trek through. For comparison - if you read the Harry Potter books, all 7 books in the series are roughly the same number of pages as the first FOUR books of A Song of Ice and Fire.YOU CAN'T GO WRONGIf you are an HBO fan, you know that HBO doesn't produce garbage. This show is a masterpiece - one of my favorite shows in a long, long time. It reminds me of a mix of Lord of the Rings and the Sopranos, with it's edgy, unforgiving attitude and a splash, but not too much, of fantasy. People aren't casting spells with wands like Harry Potter or anything. The fantasy aspect is very, very subtle. Actually, way more subtle than I expected. It's very reminiscent of medieval times. The acting is superb and like most HBO shows, there aren't a lot of big names. Sean Bean and Peter Dinklage are probably the most well-known. The scenery and the show itself is drop dead gorgeous, however, maybe due to budget constraints, the show feels quite a bit "smaller" than the book. Feasts, castles, celebrations, cities....all seem smaller in the show.I think all changes in the show were done very well and nothing butchered the book. Although nothing can compare to the books for me, I think aids it in really bringing it to life. Plus, Martin was along for the ride of the writing and making of the show, so you know he'll try not to let writers deviate too much from the heart of the story.My two major recommendations are:#1 - watch show, read book, re-watch show: this is better if it's hard for you to get into books or just really want to see it first. Then you can read the book, and think, "Hmm...I never remember seeing this person," and low and behold, when you watch it the second time around, that character IS there. It really puts the pieces together. However, prepare to be confused. This is normal. The show has many, many major characters, and it can be really difficult to keep track. I know several people who only watched the show and didn't read the book who can't point out Varys. If you read the book, you damn well know who that is! The show and the book alike both start out a little bit slow....but trust me, they both quickly turn into something quite thrilling and action-packed. Just wait until Season 2.#2 - read the book, then watch the show: the only downside to this is that you may sometimes be disappointed if things don't live up to your idea of the books standards. You might find yourself saying things like, "WHAT! That's not how they consummated!" and nitpick. However, you'll understand MUCH more of of what is happening in the show with your book knowledge.Also, this book was right up HBO's lane. HBO likes to make gritty, real, intense and often unforgivingly brutal shows. There aren't any good or bad guys, and when you think you found one....well, take a closer look. Sick of fantasy books where things are too black and white (too good vs. evilish) or where the big characters are never killed off no matter how many deadly situations they are in? Sick of books just not being REAL? Well, Game of Thrones, the book and the movie, are a fantasy lover's dream. Whether or book or show first, watch and read them both to really appreciate the art of Game of Thrones and the Song of Ice and Fire and series.