Something has happened to me lately. I'm finding it harder to sit through movies these days, many times I find my self switching a film off after 30 minutes and doing something else. Sometimes I go an look at stuff online, other times I work through the stacks of books by my bed that I keep meaning to read. More often than not though I'll put on something else, a TV show.
Something happened to TV a while back. I first noticed it with the West Wing but I guess the Sopranos is an equally valid point. TV shows stopped being weekly and episodic and moved to be more like mini sagas, sweeping stories in which every previous week builds on the previous towards some kind of (hopefully) fulfilling conclusion. TV had gone beyond the 'monster of the week' frame developed by Star Trek and X-Files and on to something altogether (for me) satisfying.
I don't know if it's the short hour long or 40 minute blocks that keep me coming back for me, or the fact that a lot of these stories are so much more complex and have far greater casts of characters than films. I do know however that I don't miss the 'spectacle' that budgets of many millions buys mainstream Hollywood fare, instead I like the focus on character and subtle plotting that comes with a reduced budget (although I imagine a lot of TV budgets are starting to rival Hollywood at this point).
The only precondition for me is being able to watch the thing back-to-back. I tried to follow the West Wing on broadcast TV when in was on but unfortunately my life just doesn't work like that; I can't guarantee to be in the same place weekly. It has to be said that broadcast TV has been entirely respectful of my time, constantly rescheduling shows in favour of cramming something else in they think will bring in more advertising. Since DVD box sets became available to rent and buy, bypassing the broadcasters, I only watch TV shows in long stretches.
As TV is accounting for more and more of my viewing I thought about expanding the blog to cover TV shows. Most of the other blogs out there consider TV shows on an episodic basis (see the awesome Bad Ass Digest), so when my Blu-Ray copy of Game of Thrones Season One arrived that's what I thought I'd do, but to be honest it's not the way I watch TV shows, probably not the way you do either, so here it is: a review of Game of Thrones Season One as an entire work.
For those of you not familiar with George RR Martin's books (and I recommend that you read them) the action is set in a world of Lords and castles, all with their own interests and rivalries, all of them held together by a King (Mark Addy). As with the books this is an ensemble piece, so rather than focus in on any one protagonist we jump between stories as they intertwine and different characters come into each other's orbits.
Spoilers are an issue here because there are a number of twist and turns in the plot that I don't want to ruin, but the first episode sets the tone, revealing that the King's Hand (like deputy King) has died in (suspicious) circumstances and the King wants his old friend the gruff Lord Stark (Sean-Mother-Fucking-Bean) to step into the role. In the North the men of the Knight's Watch defend the Wall, a massive structure designed to keep out, what is hinted to be, the supernatural on the other side. Meanwhile across the Narrow Sea the remnants of the prior dynasty slowly manoeuvre to raise an army and take back what they see as theirs.
The emphasis on they see above is warranted because one of the great things about this story is that everyone has an angle and none of the conflicts between them has a clear and unambiguous solution. this is a world of grey, not black and white. The result is torn loyalties for the viewer; it's hard to pick a side because they are all equally right (or wrong). There are a few unabashed bad guys, look out for 'The Mountain' and 'The Dragon' in particular, but in the main things are just not that simple.
Part of this complexity comes from the level of back story they were able to fit in here. Although this is reduced compared to the book every character has a series of life events behind them that have taken them to this particular juncture. John Carter helmer Andrew Stanton argues that there is no character you can't learn to love if you just listen to their story. Whilst you might not love everyone of the characters, you can at least get where they are coming from.
The other stand out for me was the writing. There's a kind of dark flippancy to some of the characters that for me is unrivalled. Unquestioningly the best of these lines goes to Peter Dinklage, who is worth the price of the box set all by himself. Tyrion Lannister is undoubtedly tragic but he has a kind of cynical optimism played note perfect by Dinklage.
On the negative side I'd argue that there is little that lets the series down. The fantasy setting is a little twee to begin with which might grate with some. This isn't a problem with the show so much as the audience; both sci fi and fantasy suffer from a certain level of incredulity by their nature. As Harrison Ford said 'You can write this shit George but you can't say it'. If you can get past any initial feelings of WTF then you'll be rewarded with a rich and engaging lore.
I have friends who have found the whole thing a little dense 'there are too many characters and they all have funny names'. This might be a fair criticism, there are times when you have to work at it and having read the book or a second viewing might help you pick up the bits you miss here and there. Even if you do miss the odd point the first time the major developments are unlikely to pass you by. In truth, the idea of something so dense it requires a second viewing is one of the things that is pushing TV shows to the forefront of my viewing habits.
The final point I'd make is that the story is incomplete. I was talking about fulfilling conclusions above so I guess that this is a bit of a bait and switch. In truth the series of books this is based on isn't even finished yet so finishing out the entire thing is likely to take HBO the best part of a decade, that is IF they finish the whole thing. This is the flip side of my argument for TV being a more attractive format, on average you're going to have wait much longer for the finished product and there is a risk that the creators will abandon something part way through. Still I think this is a risk worth taking when the pay off is potentially this epic. GoT S1 is well worth your money.
imdb: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0944947/
Opening Credits to Game of Thrones
Something happened to TV a while back. I first noticed it with the West Wing but I guess the Sopranos is an equally valid point. TV shows stopped being weekly and episodic and moved to be more like mini sagas, sweeping stories in which every previous week builds on the previous towards some kind of (hopefully) fulfilling conclusion. TV had gone beyond the 'monster of the week' frame developed by Star Trek and X-Files and on to something altogether (for me) satisfying.
I don't know if it's the short hour long or 40 minute blocks that keep me coming back for me, or the fact that a lot of these stories are so much more complex and have far greater casts of characters than films. I do know however that I don't miss the 'spectacle' that budgets of many millions buys mainstream Hollywood fare, instead I like the focus on character and subtle plotting that comes with a reduced budget (although I imagine a lot of TV budgets are starting to rival Hollywood at this point).
The only precondition for me is being able to watch the thing back-to-back. I tried to follow the West Wing on broadcast TV when in was on but unfortunately my life just doesn't work like that; I can't guarantee to be in the same place weekly. It has to be said that broadcast TV has been entirely respectful of my time, constantly rescheduling shows in favour of cramming something else in they think will bring in more advertising. Since DVD box sets became available to rent and buy, bypassing the broadcasters, I only watch TV shows in long stretches.
As TV is accounting for more and more of my viewing I thought about expanding the blog to cover TV shows. Most of the other blogs out there consider TV shows on an episodic basis (see the awesome Bad Ass Digest), so when my Blu-Ray copy of Game of Thrones Season One arrived that's what I thought I'd do, but to be honest it's not the way I watch TV shows, probably not the way you do either, so here it is: a review of Game of Thrones Season One as an entire work.
For those of you not familiar with George RR Martin's books (and I recommend that you read them) the action is set in a world of Lords and castles, all with their own interests and rivalries, all of them held together by a King (Mark Addy). As with the books this is an ensemble piece, so rather than focus in on any one protagonist we jump between stories as they intertwine and different characters come into each other's orbits.
Spoilers are an issue here because there are a number of twist and turns in the plot that I don't want to ruin, but the first episode sets the tone, revealing that the King's Hand (like deputy King) has died in (suspicious) circumstances and the King wants his old friend the gruff Lord Stark (Sean-Mother-Fucking-Bean) to step into the role. In the North the men of the Knight's Watch defend the Wall, a massive structure designed to keep out, what is hinted to be, the supernatural on the other side. Meanwhile across the Narrow Sea the remnants of the prior dynasty slowly manoeuvre to raise an army and take back what they see as theirs.
The emphasis on they see above is warranted because one of the great things about this story is that everyone has an angle and none of the conflicts between them has a clear and unambiguous solution. this is a world of grey, not black and white. The result is torn loyalties for the viewer; it's hard to pick a side because they are all equally right (or wrong). There are a few unabashed bad guys, look out for 'The Mountain' and 'The Dragon' in particular, but in the main things are just not that simple.
Part of this complexity comes from the level of back story they were able to fit in here. Although this is reduced compared to the book every character has a series of life events behind them that have taken them to this particular juncture. John Carter helmer Andrew Stanton argues that there is no character you can't learn to love if you just listen to their story. Whilst you might not love everyone of the characters, you can at least get where they are coming from.
The other stand out for me was the writing. There's a kind of dark flippancy to some of the characters that for me is unrivalled. Unquestioningly the best of these lines goes to Peter Dinklage, who is worth the price of the box set all by himself. Tyrion Lannister is undoubtedly tragic but he has a kind of cynical optimism played note perfect by Dinklage.
On the negative side I'd argue that there is little that lets the series down. The fantasy setting is a little twee to begin with which might grate with some. This isn't a problem with the show so much as the audience; both sci fi and fantasy suffer from a certain level of incredulity by their nature. As Harrison Ford said 'You can write this shit George but you can't say it'. If you can get past any initial feelings of WTF then you'll be rewarded with a rich and engaging lore.
I have friends who have found the whole thing a little dense 'there are too many characters and they all have funny names'. This might be a fair criticism, there are times when you have to work at it and having read the book or a second viewing might help you pick up the bits you miss here and there. Even if you do miss the odd point the first time the major developments are unlikely to pass you by. In truth, the idea of something so dense it requires a second viewing is one of the things that is pushing TV shows to the forefront of my viewing habits.
The final point I'd make is that the story is incomplete. I was talking about fulfilling conclusions above so I guess that this is a bit of a bait and switch. In truth the series of books this is based on isn't even finished yet so finishing out the entire thing is likely to take HBO the best part of a decade, that is IF they finish the whole thing. This is the flip side of my argument for TV being a more attractive format, on average you're going to have wait much longer for the finished product and there is a risk that the creators will abandon something part way through. Still I think this is a risk worth taking when the pay off is potentially this epic. GoT S1 is well worth your money.
imdb: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0944947/
Opening Credits to Game of Thrones
NB: One of the cool things about the show is how the credits change depending on where the action takes place.
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