Posted on 05/19/2013 12:57:25 PM PDT by OddLane
We’re only halfway through the season, and it’s only May, but it’s already hard for me to imagine any show topping Game of Thrones on my 2013 year-end best-of list. There are more innovative and original series, but none that satisfies on so many levels, or that juggles so much plot and so many characters with the appearance of ease.
Since HBO’s blockbuster adaptation of George R.R. Martin’s fiction debuted in 2011, many have lodged complaints about the show’s racial stereotypes and simplistic sexual dynamics—and rightly so; Thrones was a problematic series and still is, despite course corrections that suggest showrunners David Benioff and D. B. Weiss heard their critics. Beyond that, however, the show doesn’t get enough credit. Nearly a decade after Peter Jackson won Oscars for a film series about wizards and hobbits, fantasy is still seen as disreputable nerd bait rather than a legitimate mainstream genre.
That should change this year, and if it doesn’t, fans can cry foul.
(Excerpt) Read more at vulture.com ...
Well, I have read the books and I will say that they are the best books I’ve ever read, the main reason for that being character depth.
In the books, the homosexual relationship of Renly and Ser Loras was at best vaguely hinted at with no direct reference to gay sex whatsoever.
In the HBO series, it has been translated to showing gay sex on screen which is hard to stomach to say the least.
If I am not mistaken, it’s been 3 scenes so far, two between Renly and Loras and a third between Loras and a newly invented character that was never in the book. This new character seems to have been invented for the sole purpose of showing yet more gay sex, which is really annoying.
I would highly recommend reading the books before even considering watching the series, because while the series is good, the books are a masterpiece. It’s not an easy read though, it’s 5,000+ pages of a long, slow developing scenario, but the first thing I did when I got to the end was start over at the beginning. It’s that good.
What I really love about watching the series is seeing certain scenes that came to have a lot of meaning to me acted out on screen so well. Furthermore, the characters in the book are developed so extensively that it is thrilling to see them come to life via some of the most perfectly selected actors and actresses that I have ever seen.
Sadly, someone involved in this project wants to desensitize people to seeing gay sex, but it isn’t going to work with me, that’s for sure.
Theon Greyjoy as McCain is PERFECT! :D
And now I know why I like Ygritte so much!
I’m disappointed with season two so far.
You need to read the books.
They are following Danaery’s character in the book very closely.
Remember, she was sold as a slave to Khal Drogo by her own brother for the price of a crown.
I like the determination of the character Arya Stark, Tyrion the imp is rather hilarious, and The Hound is sympathetic (Especially if you have read the books).
“...a bunch of a**holes battling for supremacy...”
Kinda like real life.
I bet it took more than a second to post that.
You know nothing, Chris 37. ;-)
One more thing... the author took ten years to complete the 5th book and the convoluted story is nowhere near done. Given how far along the HBO series is and how quickly they are moving through the books, the series will be over before the author completes the story in book form. I see this creating a massive problem, unless the author forgets writing the books because they take him so long, and concentrates his efforts to completing the story via the HBO series and then he goes back and spends another 20 years penning the novels... Unless he dies and leaves the book series unfinished and incomplete.
Lol. Thanks, I needed that.
The last couple of shows have been more boring than entertaining. But I’ll still watch. What I resent is that they had to filth up the series by putting in gay scenes. I switch to something else until those are over.
The evil master flambe was well worth waiting for. I became interested in the series when Daenerys survived the fire. At that point I had to go back and start watching all the shows from season one. Then I got all the books and read them through number 5. I am eagerly awaiting books 6 and 7. Bet hell, who knows how long it will take for THEM to come out. And the best words of advice I have seen so far is that fans shouldn’t get overly attached to any given character. Of course, I won’t elaborate and spoil something.
Daenyrs = Henry Tudor.
He was referred to as “The Dragon” and his standard was that of a dragon.
What I worry about is that Martin - who is not the healthiest of men - will croak before he finishes the series (especially since it takes him years to come out with new volumes). I don’t want him to pull a Robert Jordan on us (although Brandon Sanderson apparently did a good job continuing that series with Jordan’s notes).
Only if you’re too dumb to understand it.
There are so many possibilities on how this can go now in books 6 and 7. I wonder if Martin has at least a general idea written down on how he is going to proceed.
I’m with you. Very entertaining.
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