Friday 10 May 2013

Game of Thrones: Season 1 (2011) - ★★★★★

Director: Timothy Van Patten, Brian Kirk, David Minahan, Alan Taylor
Writers: David Benioff (Creator), D.B Weiss (Creator), George R.R. Martin (Novel)
Stars: Sean Bean, Mark Addy, Peter Dinklage, Lena Headey, Emilia Clarke, Michelle Fairley, Maisie Williams, Kit Harrington, Sophie Turner, Alfie Allen, Iain Glen, Jack Gleeson, Aiden Gillen, Richard Madden, Isaac Hempstead Wright, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Rory McCann, Conleth Hill, John Bradley, Donald Sumpter

I haven't reviewed any TV shows for a long time, so I've decided to talk about one of my all time favourites, Game of Thrones! The reason I've added practically every actor in the cast to this review is because all of them are brilliant and memorable in their own way. From the main character to the smallest of peasants, this show is just breathtaking. It's like Lord of the Rings meets Harry Potter, set in medieval times. My father doesn't like TV Shows or movies, but when he saw Game of Thrones he said "This is the greatest show of all time." I agree, it's definitely up there with the best.


If I talked about every aspect of this show, my review would span about five pages long. So I'm just going to get straight to the point. Everything about Game of Thrones is perfect. It's adapted from the amazing novels by George R.R. Martin, who many have called today's J.R.R Tolkien. I tried to read the books (I love reading by the way), but I just couldn't get into them. So in the end I decided to sit down and watch the show, which blew me away from the very first episode.

The casting is exceptional, with Sean Bean playing the lead character Eddard (Ned) Stark. Without a doubt, this is the role he'll always be remembered for. He's had an incredible career (I loved him in Sharpe) but this is his career defining moment. Mark Addy (one of the funniest actors of all time) plays the drunk and adoringly funny King Robert Baratheon. Together they made the season soar to great heights. I always looked forward to their scenes, which to me were the most entertaining.

Peter Dinklage will forever be remembered as the funny and extremely witty dwarf,  Tyrion Lannister. He brings an air of intelligence and sophistication to the show, as well as some pretty trashy jokes and hilarious one-liners. Every scene he shares with his wicked sister Cersei (Lena Headey) is pure gold.

Emilia Clarke plays the amazing Daenerys Targaryn, who's one of the only survivors of a family descended from Dragons. The way her character developed and evolved was such a joy to watch. Her story, in my opinion, is by far the most interesting.

It's called Game of Thrones because of the predominant theme of spies, betrayal, strategy and war. So many of the characters want The Iron Throne (to rule the Seven Kingdoms). So many desire knowledge, strength, power and revenge. It's a show that constantly makes you think and question the characters feelings, motives and agenda. There are so many different stories that intertwine, it's just a thrill to sit back and watch the drama unfurl.

So yes, I loved Game of Thrones. I watched this show before it became a huge phenomenon, so I had no idea what to expect. Man, did the quality of the show shock me. It's almost as good as a film in terms of acting, dialogue, set production, cinematography and music. I think my Dad was right. Could this be the greatest show ever made? Sound off in the comments.

Note: If there is one thing I'd change, it's that there are way too many unnecessary sex scenes. I'm not a prudent old person who thinks it's wrong all the time, but it just doesn't look right in this show. HBO has a history of filling their shows full of sex (True Blood, Mad Men), I just wish they'd leave Game of Thrones alone.


5 comments:

  1. I love this show! My husband and I never miss it. I enjoy this movie-like series (Bravo HBO)

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  2. ''HBO has a history of filling their shows full of sex (True Blood, Mad Men), I just wish they'd leave Game of Thrones alone. '' Really? Read the books. its made to be like the books. those scenes are in the book.

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    1. I have read the first two books and I'm well aware of the sex content in them. My comment was more suited for my season 2 review, because there were some really explicit scenes that weren't in the book. I'm not going to go into too much detail, but it mostly involved Littlefinger's prostitute's teaching each other how to pleasure a man. You gotta admit, that was really unnecessary.

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  3. I think this is a fantastic show. I had not even heard of the books until the show debuted. After a few episodes I picked them up figuring I would read them at some point. After a cliffhanger fourth or fifth episode I picked up the first book and started reading to find out what was going to happen.

    In regards to the two prostitutes and Littlefinger scene in season 1 - you are in good company in believing it to be superfluous to the show. I'm surprised how many people have missed the point of it. While it does show skin, it's real purpose is to let us know exactly who Littlefinger is. His instructions to the prostitutes are that men will know the women are not REALLY interested in them, but that those men want to believe that they are special. That there is something about them that wins over this prostitute and makes her like being with him. Littlefinger is describing himself and Ned Stark. Stark knows that Littlefinger is not to be trusted. Littlefinger even tells him that himself. But Stark's downfall is that he believes that his own goodness and honor have won over Littlefinger despite the man's history. Stark wants to believe that he is somehow special and has reached a part of Littlefinger that other men have not. And Littlefinger encourages this belief in Stark to his own advantage - just like the best prostitutes do with their clients.

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    1. That's an interesting thought. It certainly adds a new dimension to the scene in season 1. What about a scene in S2, where Littlefinger isn't even there? Where these two girls are completely naked and we see them do everything to each other (except penetration). I didn't see any symbolism or double-meanings in that scene. All I saw was a prostitute teaching two other prostitutes how to have sex, which didn't really do anything but reveal the disgusting world of prostitution.

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