Fire and Blood

House Targaryen feature from HBO. Link from Youtube.

Leather pantsing incoming, people. Viserys is soooooo pretty, he is not really evil! That big nasty Robert stole his kingdom from him!

Not the scene I would have opened the trailer with, I don’t think it establishes Viserys’ character at all and Daenerys barely speaks at all.

We see the producer writers yet again sharing their vision. Family and the depths you will sink to as a means to protect them are things I think sum up this series. It is good to see that the producers yet again have hit the nail on the head.

Captain McAwesome Beard tells  us once more about how the seven kingdoms used to actually be seven kingdoms. There is a dragon with three heads, and the children have been exiled.

In the past the Targaryen dynasty conquered Westeros with the aid of dragons. But now there are no dragons left and the last two Targaryens are banished from the seven kingdoms.

There are brief comments from the people playing Viserys (the fantastic Harry Lloyd) and Daenerys (Emilia Clarke) on the nature of their banishment.

Daenerys seems to get only a little screen time. I don’t really have much to say about the actress, she is pretty enough and seems to be a good enough actress to portray both the vulnerability and the confidence the Daenerys shows throughout the series. The problem is that Daenerys is not a particularly compelling character when weighed up against others in the series, and I hope that the actress isn’t wasted on this necessary but limiting role.

Briefly mentioned is Illyrio Mopatis, the merchant prince played by Roger Allam. He is not focused on much but I feel I need to mention the casting issues here. Firstly the man is described as being quite smart, and instead we have a scruffy beard. He is also described as being so fat he needs three strong men to help him stand. This man does not look as though he needs one strong man to help him stand. I am not suggesting that Roger Allam needed a McDonalds diet for six months but a pillow up the shirt might have been appropriate!

Illyiro segways nicely into Khal Drogo who is portrayed wonderfully by Jason Momoa (soon to be known to all due to his Conan the Barbarian remake). Mr. Momoa looks awesome as Drogo, portraying the savagery of the character well, but also the tenderness that he possesses. As well as aging Daenerys up they seemed to have aged Drogo down, bringing them closer together in age and making their marriage and inevitable sex scenes more filmable. Daenerys’ feelings about the Dothraki are explained well also. At first they are bestial monsters and so alien to her, but soon se becomes knowledgeable and appreciative of their ways.

Harry Lloyd explains now some of his motivations behind Viserys and now I worry. In the books Viserys is pathetic and evil. Because the story is shown through Daenerys’ eyes, he at first seems quite intimidating; this begins to fall away as she becomes less scared of him. It is a wonderful piece of writing, but I am not sure how well it will translate to the screen.

Not only that, but Harry Lloyd is a good looking young fella. Just like it happened to Draco Malfoy in the Harry Potter series, fan girls are going to line up to make excuses for his terrible behaviour. He really is one of the few characters in the books who is irredeemably evil, if a little pathetic and ineffective. If this doesn’t come across as powerfully as it needs to then Viserys might just end up as a terrified little boy that these fan girls feel they need to take care of.

All in all the Targaryens look pretty cool. The white hair looks ridiculous, but to be honest, I can’t see a way that it would look good. At the minute they look like elves from Lord of the Rings, and it suitable indicates their magical heritage. I think my concerns about Viserys will prove to be founded; people seem to have a hard time accepting pretty male villains. I feel that the performances that Mr. Lloyd will bring will more than make up for it in the long run (anyone who doubts his ability to play a creepy monster, watch the Dr. Who episode “Family of Blood”). Emilia Clarke looks as though she will be a delight to watch and I can already feel a man crush developing on Jason Momoa.

I feel that the Daenerys chapters sometimes yank me away from the plot in the seven kingdoms when I am reading the books, but the scenery and people make it seem as though I will be looking forward to them here. Long live the Dragons, may they reign supreme!

Hear me Roar.

The House Lannister feature from the HBO website. Link from youtube.

This is the business. Jaime is my favourite character in the books. When the series starts people will hate me for that, but bear with him, honestly.

We open with some material that isn’t in the books, an aspect from the past of the twin’s life that sets up their characters. Jaime is not afraid of much and Cersei will sell anyone down the river for approval.

D.B. Weiss is up now talking about his vision for the series; fortunately it is similar to David Benioff’s so the series should not have thematic errors from one episode to the next.

Next George is back with that sensual lustrous beard.  Some discussion is given to the wealth that the Lannister’s possess, because there is a lot of it.

King’s Landing is looking every bit the opulent pit that it is. It is so easy to imagine this richly appointed palace with the starving masses screaming in squalor outside.

The Lannister lion is gold on a red field, the same heraldic device as house Gryffindor from the Harry Potter books. I was delighted when I read that and I am glad to see they have not changed it for fear of plagiarism.

Cersei’s marriage was arranged, but she loved Robert in the beginning. I am not too sure about this. Ultimately it comes down to Lena Headey’s interpretation of her feelings. I am concerned that she may try and make Cersei too sympathetic, too likable and not the heartless would-be manipulator she really is.

Let’s talk about Lena Headey for a moment. She is pretty enough I suppose, but not blonde which is a big thing. Although the costume department have given wigs where needed they come out more strawberry blonde than shining gold. The scenes they show suggest that she is the sort of person who would slaughter a child to get what she wants, but Headey’s words do not seem to reflect that. I will have to see her in the series of course, but making Cersei sympathetic in this way is one thing that could really hurt the character.

Before we start on Jaime I am going to have to talk about Nikolaj Coster Waldu. He is a gorgeous man who looks like a heroic knight. That aspect of Jaime he has down perfectly. He doesn’t look like Lena Heady’s twin however. Oh well, short of having Tilda Swinton play both twins I suppose that would have been difficult. Jaime is also supposed to have long hair. Not that I mind I suppose, Nikolaj’s hair looks okay.

Now that is out of the way I want to talk about what they have done with Jaime. I love Jaime, I could write entire essays on Jaime. When the series is over and I need content for this blog you might well be subjected to such things! From what I have seen so far Jaime seems to be the character that has had the most new stuff added. This is probably because he isn’t really in very much of the first book that the series is based on. In the book he comes across as an evil heartless bastard until we see him for more than a paragraph when he begins the path to becoming an incredibly sympathetic character. Some of the new stuff seems to be about humanising him, and I am all for that. Make him the character that he is in the first series and we can have the wonderful debates from this series that I have had from the books.

Peter Dinklage is far too pretty to be Tyrion Lannister. I will say that right now. Tyrion is supposed to be hideous and deformed a wretched little imp of a man. Dinklage’s Tyrion seems to be suave and charming where the Tyrion in the books is witty and cunning. I’m not crazy about the accent either. That being said Mr. Dinklage seems to have the character down to a tee, and was GRRM’s first choice for the role, so I am looking forward to seeing what he does with it.

A Lannister always pays his debts. It is said with such power. Although I am less happy with the Lannisters than the Starks from what I have seen so far, I am looking forward to them more because I prefer the characters. So bring on the Villains I say. They are so much better than the goody good heroes. When winter has come and gone we will still hear the lion’s roar.

Winter is Coming

The House Stark featurette from the HBO website. Link from youtube.



Right then... First things first... Eddard of house Stork? Fortunately this seems to be a one off, but it does make me cringe every time I hear it.

Despite that though I think this is an excellent scene to open the Stark Feature with. It shows some of the coldness and harshness of the North, whilst still reflecting some of Eddard's tenderness in the mournful way he condemns the prisoner.

Next David Benioff talks about what he thinks the series is about. I am not sure that it really helps us understand the family, but it does show the angle he approached the series from as both a writer and a producer.

Next we see the man himself, the elusive George R R Martin. The rumours that he does not really exist and is actually just Raymond E Feist in disguise are finally debunked!

Just look at that beard! I know I am supposed to be reviewing the series, but in all honesty, as a facial hair enthusiast myself, I have to say that is an amazing beard. I almost feel like making a blog just for that beard, and how beards of other fantasy authors can just not compare (I'm looking at you again Feist!)

Mr Martin gives us some detail on the place that the Starks live in, which is not so useful to me, but to newcomers to the series is probably invaluable. I mean, if we hadn't been told that it snows in the North then we might have thought that the Starks had a terrible drug problem. Thank the lord the Mr Martin was here to put us straight.

The shots of Winterfell are looking powerful. They really have evoked the strength of such an ancient place. Even the inside shots look intimidating and haunted. Kings Landing, by contrast, looks warm, but still unfriendly.

Next we see Sean Bean as Ned Stark. I can honestly not think of a more perfect casting for this character. His relatively big name can carry alot of weight as the main character of the series, and his northern English demeanor is perfect for the Starks of Winterfell. Coupled with this, I don't think I have ever seen Sean Bean act badly, even when he has been in bad films. They are still often worth a watch just because of the power that he brings.

Mr Bean discusses the Stark words (it has always bothered me a little that they do not say motto, but I suppose it is just another setting detail) and the importance they have in the story. Winter is Coming, I cannot think of any three words that could describe the story so well (other than "Shit gets Real" perhaps).

Next is discussed the symbolism of the Stark Direwolf. It is worth noting that whilst Direwolves did exist in prehistoric times, the Wolves described in the books are much larger. This might not be the case in the series though as it might be difficult to aquire pony sized dogs... perhaps a husky great dane cross, but I don't think the bastard offspring of Whitefang and Scooby-Doo would look right. The type of dog actually used was a Northern Inuit Dog, with Siberian Husky pups as the pups.

A bit more on Ned and his relationship with the King. I love the chemistry between these two actors, as well as the fact they picked Yorkshiremen to play them both. Perhaps those from the Vale have Yorkshire accents? It isn't the first time Mark Addy (who plays Robert) and Sean Bean have been in a show together, but I am unsure if they have shared screentime in the past. I am looking forward to it.

Talking on Ned's honour leads nicely into his family, his wife Catelyn Stark, played by Michelle Fairely. I approve of this casting as well. Michelle's down to earth good looks give her the natural beauty that I imagined Catelyn to have, although her face is slightly sharper than what I imagined it to be. Her real test is in the acting though, and she seems to understand what the character is about. Family, Duty, Honour, The house words of her old family.

Richard Madden looks great as Robb, and that Scottish accent serves wonderfully. He also has a look of Ms Fairley about him as well which suits the character.

Sophie Turner's Sansa Stark is next, again looking wonderful, she does look as though she could be a young Catelyn, and like Michelle Fairley, seems to understand her character. We also get a glimpse of her with Joffery Baratheon, and it looks as though there is chemistry there.

Massie Williams looks more feminine than I imagined Arya to be, but a lot of Arya's tomboyishness comes from her own perception anyway. Interestingly they have preserved the fact that she is left handed, although the actress is right handed. My only quibble would be that she looks like the other children, when Arya is described as standing out, being like her father whereas the rest take after their mother.

Isaac Hempstead-Wright's Bran is dealt with quickly explaining his position as the youngest of the active children.

The youngest child, Rickon is glossed over very quickly. In the books he has little personality, being a ferocious toddler and not much else. With the three year age up I am interested to see how his personality will change.

Next we come to Jon Snow, Ned's Bastard son. Kit Harrington looks the part, if a little similar to Richard Madden. Mr. Harrington does seem to understand a lot of the strain on his character, if anyone has been filled in on secrets about his character it is likely to be him. Jon Snow also seems to be the character who has had the most new material written for him. Ned never speaks with Jon about his mother in the book.

Finally we come to the last of the Stark family. Benjen Stark, first ranger of the Night's Watch. The fact that Kit Harrington tells us what the watch is gives us clues as to where the character is going, as do the scenes where Jon talks to Benjen. Joseph Mawle, who plays Benjen also looks enough like Sean Bean to be believable as his brother.

Ultimately I think the Stark family are really well cast, and will play their roles really well. The North has been powerfully evoked and reflects brilliantly on the adaptation. Winter is Coming, and I wish it would hurry up!

You win or die.

I set this blog up to review the coming series Game of Thrones on HBO in America and Sky Atlantic HD in my good old United Kingdom.

I was not going to start the Blog until the series aired, but it occured to me this morning that there is plenty of material to review already.

So soon I will start reporting on the trailers and previews for this series, this series that looks amazing!

Mat A