HBO's Game of Thrones (Season 1: 2011; Season 2: 2012)
I have heard of the television series Game of Thrones late last year. With so much raves and recommendations about it, both on the cyberspace and real life word-of-mouth, I finally decided to give it a try. It's only the second US-based show that I've seen in its entirety, and after finishing the two seasons in a little over a week, I cannot wait for the next.
Lord Jon Arryn, the Hand of the King, died of a mysterious illness and the King, Robert Baratheon (Mark Addy), sought the service of his friend and fellow warrior, Lord Eddard Stark of Winterfell (Sean Bean) to serve as the new Hand. Despite placing his family at risk in the face of unknown enemies, among the other dangers it posed, Lord Stark journeyed from the northern winter walls to the humid and lavish lands in the south,to the seat of the Seven Kingdoms. On the journey and upon arriving at Kingslanding, Stark tried to keep holding the realm together while discovering the mysteries and deceit that plagued the court and the kingdom. Meanwhile in the lands far from Kingslanding, from the free city of Pentos where the children of the ousted and slewn King Aerys Targaryen continued to live (and plot to reclaim the Iron Throne), to the wild winter lands north of the Wall, dark forces within and without continue to hasten, putting the whole of the realm and beyond in peril.
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| (c) 2011-2012/ HBO/ George R. R. Martin/ David Benioff D.B. Weiss/ Game of Thrones partners |
Based on the book series A Song of Ice and Fire by George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (which is also the title of the first book in the series) is a complex medieval story set in a host of kingdoms, cities and holdings, islands, and desert wastelands as vividly imagined as they were different from one another. The story spurred forward with various characters as distinct as the lands they came from--from kings (and false kings) to knights and sellswords, from ladies and princesses to bastards and savage war lords.
This series constantly reminds me of JRR Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings with its vastness and depth of scope. And while risking that such complexities and intricate details would make viewers lose interest, Game of Thrones achieves the exact opposite, making them hang on with the story, with its brilliantly acted characters, befitting use (and creation) of language, breathtaking sceneries and costumes, and complicated plots and subplots.
What totally pulled me in, I guess, is the visual aspect of the show. I had to pause and stare at many a frame and mutter to myself, "Look at that! Just look at that." From lush royal gardens and deary winterlands to gritty tribal camps and sunny bustling city isles, Game of Thrones is nothing short of a spectacle, an epic brought to life. Added to these visual treats is the brilliant musical score to accompany the pulse-racing cavalry battles and sorties, the haphazard tribal dances of the Dothraki, the (faux) serenity of the capital city.
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| (c) 2011-2012/ HBO/ George R. R. Martin/ David Benioff D.B. Weiss/ Game of Thrones partners |
The series also tends to be a tad risqué in my opinion. I am not sure of the standards in late-night American television, but a few sex scenes are very much a part of this series. Although I could assume that the purpose of these is to appeal to a relatively male (and perhaps more mature) audience, quite a number of backstories and character developments happen during these scenes.
And perhaps what makes the whole franchise so immensely appealing and interesting is the ability of the creators to maim the pre-conceived notions of good and evil. The characters have no defined roles as protagonists or villains. Instead they are humans with family backgrounds, ideals, loyalties, honor (or lack thereof), ambitions and desires. Each one is capable of riddles and banters and threats and deception and willpower to fight their way through. Their actions, lives, and even deaths, are so deftly established in the events that transpired, it would be quite hard to have a permanent view of a character throughout.
Immensely inventive, dazzling, and intriguing, Game of Thrones makes for a sumptuous high fantasy treat.
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