I started reading A Song of Ice and Fire years ago, when the first book was translated. I remember hauling ass through all the books that had been released up to that point (no more than now) over the next few months. Gritty low-fantasy with some nice world-building and several cool characters. I got used to the whole thing being set in a crapsack world where people died for the lamest of reasons. Hells, I even got used to the fact that this was a tale far more grimdark than anything I’d read before. So when news started coming that there could, if the stars were right and the moon shone upon a single specific rose on a clouded night, be a tv series about the books, I was sceptical (also, Chrome doesn’t recognize that as a word) at first. And then more info got out. HBO would make it, the same company that made Rome and The Sopranos. Martin would be tied to the production rather heavily. The trailers. The final cast list. I didn’t really put much effort into following the news, but I picked up a few snippets from here and there. And then they said that the series will be going into production. I’ll be damned if there wasn’t an incredulous smile on my face when I read that. And yesterday, roughly a year after the announcement, the pilot aired. And I just finished watching it. So, a few thoughts.
It shows that it was made by HBO. There’s tits and blood aplenty, the actors and direction are competent, a lot of effort has been put into the sets, the costumes and the very feel of the show. In the end, I got so into it that I didn’t even notice the hour passing. And when it was over, I was left wanting more.
The characters and the actors are, largely, well chosen. Sean Bean really sells Ned Stark’s cold, northern nature. Peter Dinklage does a similarly great job as The Imp, once again sealing the character as one of my favorites. Viserys is still the antithesis of a good brother. Just looking at Joffrey Baratheon makes me want to give him a sandwich. A five-knuckle one, right across the chops. Repeatedly. Jaime Lannister, while not being the unearthly beautiful prettyboy as he was in the books, is still plenty charming. We’ll see how he does as the series progresses. Jon Snow struck me as slightly off at first, but as the episode went on, I started liking his actor more and more. Jason Momoa as Khal Drogo might strike some as a strange choice, but my confidence in him as a good actor grew a lot as I was watching Stargate Atlantis. Still, too bad the guy didn’t say much beyond “No” during the entire episode. And last but not least, Arya. Arya’s actress, while young, can really pull off the little tomboy.
Interestingly, there are no casting choices that leave me scratching my head too much. Lena Headey as Cersei did strike me as off in the trailers, but while watching the episode, it was all good. No real feeling on Theon Greyjoy, mostly because he didn’t get much say this time around. The rest were similarly so-so, nothing exceptionally bad nor good.
Now, the visuals. Man, that first look at the Wall was awesome. A sheer wall of ice, as far as the eye can see. And the three rangers walking away from it are but specks of black on a white background. Winterfell, fittingly enough, is a fortress through and through. Still, lots of conveniently jutting stones and ledges for Bran to grab on to when he’s climbing. Pentos didn’t get to show itself off much this time around, but I’m certainly looking forward to seeing more of it. I do, however, have one gripe. The White Walkers. I expected them to look more like translucent shimmering crystal and glass than brownish-gray decaying corpses.
All in all, The Man Who Writes approves most heartily of this series. I am certainly looking forward to the next episode and, if the gods would hear my song, I hope to see many more seasons. Friends, I am sure I don’t need to tell you that if you’ve read and liked A Song of Ice and Fire, then you should give this series a chance. I do believe it is worth that much (and more) and if you like it, then that’s just all the better.
Update like… fifteen minutes after posting
Game of Thrones is already HBO’s best-selling series. It’s fetching international per-episode revenue that tops The Sopranos by roughly 50%. So things look good for the show. Let’s hope they continue to.
