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Maashadar

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Everything posted by Maashadar

  1. 7/10 Dissapointed but still a fan. Pros -The drama between Jorah and Dany continues. Well acted, and heart-rending. -Tyrion has finally met up with Dany. Yay? - more in Cons -Arya is on the fast-track to being a faceless man. There's some interesting commentary on the ethics of what is, essentially, life insurance for sailors. We get to see Arya taking on a new role, though mostly in a montage-esque form. -Sansa finds out Bran and Rickon are alive. Maybe Reek(Theon) is beginning to soften and give ground. Perhaps there's hope of him being an eventual ally to Sansa. Sophie manages to get a little more aggressive this time, we actually start to see a little more emotion out of her than the usual slack jaw and parted lips. I say Sophie, because I believe that Sansa - as I know her from the books - would have freaked the fuck out over being handed to Ramsey and raped. Lets hope we see more strength and sharp wit out of Sophie in the future, rather than lines simply recited whilst thinking about her twitter feed. -Stuff at the wall is moving along. Not how the books went... but it's fine. Nice drama building with Jon's squire. -Epic fucking battle. I'm only listing this in the pros because it was an epic battle, and amazing. For my take on the implications for the series and the lore, see cons. Cons -Tyrion might be drinking more than normal but he hasn't shown the audience just how low his self esteem goes. Oh sure he might complain about his family, but his dignity doesn't really begin to desert him the way it does in the books. I can understand why the showmakers chose not to make their Emmy-winner be a 'circus-freak', but that reeks somewhat of cowardice to me. Tyrion is my favorite character, and following him across the narrow sea in the books was a painful experience for me. I found myself embarassed for him, and ashamed of myself for feeling that way. Ultimately I could only appreciate the stark realism of the depths of shame and self-loathing a person is capable of, and the sense of hope that lingers when we know that a person is fundamentally bigger than their shortcomings or, more importantly, those imposed upon them by society. And what about the wit, the sarcasm? How, in any way, was Tyrion and Dany's meeting satisfying? Tyrion basically recited his and Dany's resumes, and then used the drama between Dany and Jorah as a springboard onto her small council. This was not a confluence of personality, rather than a convenient joining of plot devices - a slightly epic job interview. When Dinklage isn't voicing the words of Martin, his lines fall flat - no offense to PD, DBW, or DB, but Martin IS Tyrion. The strength, the frailty, the self-loathing, the escapism, the brilliance, the facade - it's all Martin. Who can capture that better than GRRM himself. I hope the showmakers and Dinklage figure out the magic formula, as they tread new ground. -Maisie's failure to breathe life into Arya continues. She's gotten by this far on good writing, coaching, and a solidly thought-out character. What will become of her once there are no more books to consult? I guess we'll see, next episode. -Epic fucking battle. Too fucking epic. Trying too hard. Too evil dead. Relied too heavily on effects and jarring surprises or transitions. Ultimately didn't do much for the series or lore, except re-emphasize the fact that there's an Army of Dar... dead out there and that dragonglass and valyrian steel can kill white walkers. The Thenn's fight was weak. IMHO the series has gone too far in exposing the audience to the white walkers rather than keeping them as a more subtle element to be brought out in the final chapters of the grand story. They've always been there, since the prologue of book one, but I feel like it's GRRM's intention for the readers to get so caught up in the affairs of the south that they almost forget the impending doom in the north. I would have liked to have seen more of this time used to flesh out Arya's story, even though Maisie's acting makes me grind my teeth. Overall, I feel like the show is finally venturing out into its own storyline, trying - and failing a bit - to capture the ethos of Martin's world. They still have the gratuitous HBO sex and violence, the political intrigue, and the drama; but it all feels a bit tired and unoriginal suddenly. I feel like the show is beginning to coast in the tracks that it has established over the last five years, and we can look forward to a less-than-satisfying finish with perhaps a couple of almost-predictable and derivative twists and kill-offs.
  2. 7/10 Dissapointed but still a fan. Pros -The drama between Jorah and Dany continues. Well acted, and heart-rending. -Tyrion has finally met up with Dany. Yay? - more in Cons -Arya is on the fast-track to being a faceless man. There's some interesting commentary on the ethics of what is, essentially, life insurance for sailors. We get to see Arya taking on a new role, though mostly in a montage-esque form. -Sansa finds out Bran and Rickon are alive. Maybe Reek(Theon) is beginning to soften and give ground. Perhaps there's hope of him being an eventual ally to Sansa. Sophie manages to get a little more aggressive this time, we actually start to see a little more emotion out of her than the usual slack jaw and parted lips. I say Sophie, because I believe that Sansa - as I know her from the books - would have freaked the fuck out over being handed to Ramsey and raped. Lets hope we see more strength and sharp wit out of Sophie in the future, rather than lines simply recited whilst thinking about her twitter feed. -Stuff at the wall is moving along. Not how the books went... but it's fine. Nice drama building with Jon's squire. -Epic fucking battle. I'm only listing this in the pros because it was an epic battle, and amazing. For my take on the implications for the series and the lore, see cons. Cons -Tyrion might be drinking more than normal but he hasn't shown the audience just how low his self esteem goes. Oh sure he might complain about his family, but his dignity doesn't really begin to desert him the way it does in the books. I can understand why the showmakers chose not to make their Emmy-winner be a 'circus-freak', but that reeks somewhat of cowardice to me. Tyrion is my favorite character, and following him across the narrow sea in the books was a painful experience for me. I found myself embarassed for him, and ashamed of myself for feeling that way. Ultimately I could only appreciate the stark realism of the depths of shame and self-loathing a person is capable of, and the sense of hope that lingers when we know that a person is fundamentally bigger than their shortcomings or, more importantly, those imposed upon them by society. And what about the wit, the sarcasm? How, in any way, was Tyrion and Dany's meeting satisfying? Tyrion basically recited his and Dany's resumes, and then used the drama between Dany and Jorah as a springboard onto her small council. This was not a confluence of personality, rather than a convenient joining of plot devices - a slightly epic job interview. When Dinklage isn't voicing the words of Martin, his lines fall flat - no offense to PD, DBW, or DB, but Martin IS Tyrion. The strength, the frailty, the self-loathing, the escapism, the brilliance, the facade - it's all Martin. Who can capture that better than GRRM himself. I hope the showmakers and Dinklage figure out the magic formula, as they tread new ground. -Maisie's failure to breathe life into Arya continues. She's gotten by this far on good writing, coaching, and a solidly thought-out character. What will become of her once there are no more books to consult? I guess we'll see, next episode. -Epic fucking battle. Too fucking epic. Trying too hard. Too evil dead. Relied too heavily on effects and jarring surprises or transitions. Ultimately didn't do much for the series or lore, except re-emphasize the fact that there's an Army of Dar... dead out there and that dragonglass and valyrian steel can kill white walkers. The Thenn's fight was weak. IMHO the series has gone too far in exposing the audience to the white walkers rather than keeping them as a more subtle element to be brought out in the final chapters of the grand story. They've always been there, since the prologue of book one, but I feel like it's GRRM's intention for the readers to get so caught up in the affairs of the south that they almost forget the impending doom in the north. I would have liked to have seen more of this time used to flesh out Arya's story, even though Maisie's acting makes me grind my teeth. Overall, I feel like the show is finally venturing out into its own storyline, trying - and failing a bit - to capture the ethos of Martin's world. They still have the gratuitous HBO sex and violence, the political intrigue, and the drama; but it all feels a bit tired and unoriginal suddenly. I feel like the show is beginning to coast in the tracks that it has established over the last five years, and we can look forward to a less-than-satisfying finish with perhaps a couple of almost-predictable and derivative twists and kill-offs.
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