Game of Thrones: Season 1- Review

"When you play a game of thrones you win or you die."

Over the course of the last decade I've felt that modern live-action television has simply failed to grab or hold my attention for very long, if ever. Either the concept of the shows were not that appealing to me, had lousy production values, or suffered an untimely cancellation once it finally started getting into rhythm. TV programming that managed to persist on though was trite reality-shows, painfully mediocre sitcoms, or franchises that had long outlived their welcome in my eyes. It seemed to me that almost all the creativity and vision that once made the format so great had apparently died with the coming of the new millennium.

Granted, there were some excellent shows that came across the air-waves from time to time (such as Firefly, or Deadwood) but nothing that I would say consistently garnered my interest over an extended period. I had almost given up hope on seeing the show that would manage to fill the gaping void in my nerd-heart. Then came Game of Thrones...

I will admit that I've come fairly late to the Game of Thrones party as it were. It wasn't until around March of 2012 (one year after the show's premier) that I had finally gotten around to watching what so many had been talking about both online and offline. Praises of the highest caliber were laid upon this work, with some critics going so far as to tout it as one of the greatest television shows ever made. In all honesty I can't even begin to articulate how much I agree, and how much I adore this show!

There is little personal knowledge I have in way of the novel series it is based upon (so frankly I don't know how accurate the show is or isn't to its source material) but in no way do I think it hindered my ability to enjoy the story at large. It felt as if the series' writers David Benioff (Troy) and D. B. Weiss (Lucky Wander Boy) were reaching right into my mind and bringing forth the mature, hard-edge, intellectual, fantasy series that I had always been dreaming about. Epic is a term that I think has been tossed around a bit too much in the modern day, but it is the only word I could think of if I had to sum up Game of Thrones in a single word. Without a doubt Game of Thrones has quickly become one of my current favorite television shows, and if it can keep up the performance, could perhaps be one of my all-time favorites!

"Winter is coming..."

Based on the epic fantasy novel series A Song of Ice and Fire by George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones chronicles the violent dynastic conflicts of a post-magical medieval world. Creatures such as Dragons, and the dangerous undead known as White Walkers have long since been absent from civilization, becoming that of myth, along with the very notion of magic itself. Seasons last up to several years at a time (particularly summers and winters lasting the longest) with the story beginning at the end of a fairly lengthy ten year summer. The nobility of the Seven Kingdoms on the continent of Westeros are fighting a silent, bloody, and cruel battle for control of one thing; the Iron Throne. Forged from hundreds of swords, the one who sits on the Iron Throne holds outstanding political power over all of Westeros. At the same time the threat of an ancient magical evil begins forming past The Wall in the Northern lands that could stand to destroy everyone if it is unleashed. While across the sea in the neighboring continent of Essos, the last scion of a thought-to-be-dead dynasty has begun leveling their sights onto the Iron Throne, amassing powerful forces as well.

To be frank, there is much more to Game of Thrones than the painfully brief synopsis I just wrote, but I wish not spoil it for those who've yet to be exposed. All I will say is that this isn't a show about good vs. evil. This is a show that taps into the deeper aspects of the human condition, putting them on display for all the audience to see. A tale built around the rhetorical nature/concepts of things such as honor, love, loyalty, and power itself. Numerous characters (all with differing complex personalities, perspectives, and motives) paint such an elaborately beautiful, yet melancholic image of humanity that one must simply witness it to understand it. With an almost insane number of named characters, not one comes off as a truly heroic paragon of purity, nor as an entirely villainous avatar of evil. They are just people, and it is we the viewers who are left to make the decision of which ones are justified in their actions.

The gritty and yet very subtle approach taken towards the cast's portrayal paid off too, as I've found myself torn between characters several times, wondering which one I should be rooting for. The depth and complexity of everyone in the plot has, impressively enough, rendered me profoundly attached to a large portion of the characters. It is not very often when a show has practically left me dumbfounded on which characters I would say are actually my favorite. Fundamentally almost every character in Game of Thrones is interesting in one way or another, with their own respective developmental arcs practically being good enough to be full-length mini-series in their own rights. The writing is so solid on dialogue exchanges essentially every conversation has some great, instantly quotable line. It has been all sorts of incredibly stimulating fun for me to just go through the show and see how my perspective and opinion changed towards the characters as they grew. With such a subjective aspect in place for the narrative though, any further description into Game of Throne's finer details would only be a disservice to those who've yet to get the experience.

None of these feelings would be possible either had it not been for Game of Throne's stellar casting. The actors certainly delivered when it came to manifesting the immensely crucial human elements required to make this show work on screen. Within the first few minutes of starting I was immediately engaged by the spectacular performances that were brought in front of the camera. At no point did I see any of the actors as someone there just filling a role, regardless of how minor their part may seem. With a literal all-star cast, everyone embodied their characters to the utmost degree, which allowed me to become even more engrossed in the character conflicts.

"Death is so terribly final, while life is full of possibilities."

Despite my love for the entire ensemble, I feel special mention must go to Peter Dinklage for his role of Tyrion Lannister. Perhaps the closest character I have to a favorite here, it was Mr. Dinklage's strong captivating performance throughout the entirety of season one that endeared him so much to me. Seeing the enormous range of emotional breadth that Dinklage injects into Tyrion truly is something to behold, and the awards that he has received for his work are certainly well earned.  While I do feel that all the other actors do a superb job with their characters, they all still fundamentally fall into some kind of basic archetype befitting a story such as this. Dinklage though is simply sublime with his portrayal of Tyrion. Seeing how quickly the character can build into a new emotional state, all while making it look/feel natural, puts him in a league all of his own, with everyone else fighting for second. Tyrion Lannister is (as far as I'm concerned) perhaps one of the most nuanced, complex, and three dimensionally humanized characters in Game of Thrones; if not the last ten years on television.

Without going into too much character detail Tyrion is the dejected son of the noble Lannister clan, regarded by his relatives as nothing more than the embarrassing, whoring, and drunkard blemish to the family name. In actuality Tyrion is an incredibly clever and resourceful man who (due to his lack of physical size) has had to rely almost entirely upon his status/knowledge/wit/charisma to survive. A lesser man would probably have been long dead, but his ability to speak/appeal to other individual's humanity (for better or for worse) has permitted him to thrive in the harsh political climate of Westeros. Watching Tyrion's development from the show's premiere to its finale was one of the most compelling aspects to season one for me.

While the world of Games of Thrones is an amazing (and very interesting) backdrop for all of the events taking place, it really is nice to see that the characters are the ones always at the center stage keeping viewers coming back for more. Granted, I do think of a story's environment as the silent unnamed character, but it should be the main cast that hold the the focus for most of the story's duration. Through the use of careful hands, the world of Game of Thrones is steadily revealed to the audience, with every location feeling like it has some degree of a storied history etched into its walls. At no point did I feel that the development of the setting distracted from any the current events unfolding in the plot. The pace at which the reveals about the setting are done with a steady and digestible influx of information making things feel more alive because of it. There have been very few shows I've seen that have managed to pull off this technique as well as Game of Thrones has done. All too often I have seen fantasy and sci-fi properties get so wrapped up in the creation of their worlds that it seemed like the characters were merely playing second fiddle to their own story.

Almost no expense was spared for Game of Throne's obviously large production values. This is easily one of the best looking live action television series that I think I've ever seen, and kudos goes to the staff and artists for making it real. The comparisons to Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings trilogy that have been made by critics are not unfounded, as Game of Thrones could certainly stand to be mistaken at a glance for actually being a movie. There are some minor visual short-cuts that are taken due to it being a television program, but even still Game of Thrones could potentially stand against even some of the higher budgeted films out there today. The combination of practical effects, studio sets, and on-location filming have all coalesced into what is a fairly grounded show in the realm of plausible reality. Green screen/digital effects are used sparingly, only being done for when they're crucial to maintaining the show's illusions, or when they simply can't be rendered practically. Many of the sprawling vistas displayed actually exist, while large set pieces like The Wall were built with great attention to detail. Costume work is top-notch with evocative and iconic designs that seamlessly gel with one another. Armor work is perhaps were costuming shines the most with characters being depicted wearing realistic, but still very appealing looking plated armor.

Game of Thrones is filled with shots like this.

Cinematography for the show set the bar high, with excellent camera work and lighting consistent throughout the entirety of season one. Shots are lined up with steady and long focused takes, allowing the audience to really soak in all the drama. A strong emphasis was placed on color and shadows to help better create the atmosphere of the the differing locales to a masterful effect. Areas such as King's Landing have large swaths of vibrant/warm color palettes, creating a sense of richness and awe. While the northern kingdom of Winterfell, with its muted colors and greys makes it not only look cold, but almost feel cold. Taking all of these factors into account, Game of Thrones creates a massively tangible world that is easy for viewers to believe in, while still different enough from our own so that we can accept the more fantastical elements when they begin to show up.

For all of my praise, Game of Thrones is not without its faults, as nothing in life is perfect. Despite its very sizable budget it is still a TV show, and thus is limited in what it can and cannot show to the audience. As a quick example near the end of the season a large battle between two armies looms on the horizon, with much time going into developing how massive and brutal the coming fight will be. Characters that I've come to know and care for by this point are about to clash head-on, with death seeming almost imminent for some of them Then right as it is about to start the show cuts away to another scene with other characters not associated with the fight, only coming back to the battle after it is done. Now I do understand why a decision like this has to be made, as war scenes are not exactly inexpensive to do. It conserves production costs to ensure that the creators can continue to finance the show, and it is a very common practice to do this sort of thing in film. Still for me, it is a tad annoying to have such a dedicated amount of time used to build up a fight we don't even get to see.

"I am the mother of dragons."

The only grace to this flaw is that Game of Thrones is not necessarily a story about huge war scenes, but rather the events that take place between them. The moments leading into the battle as well as after are still emotional, intense, and (ironically enough) gratifying, even if it is just talking. This is a character driven drama first and foremost, so those looking for high-octane action in every episode may want to look elsewhere. That isn't to say that the show doesn't have violence. In fact, it has it in spades! There are several sequences where people take swords and shields to the body with very nasty results. None of it is done to an egregious effect, but if you're squeamish at the sight of gore this show likely isn't for you, There is also quite a bit of sex/nudity on display, but again none of it is done in poor taste. The sexual content is more so used (much like the violence) as a means to further the image of the world the characters inhabit, more than it is to titillate viewers. Still, some do see it as nothing more than Lord of the Rings with boobs, and I can't say that they're entirely wrong in that perception. There are times when it almost seems like the show relishes in its adult flavor.

Being first in what is slated to be (hopefully) lasting several seasons also means that there were characters that tragically did not get much focus this installment. In my opinion I don't exactly consider this a flaw, but I do understand how it can be a slight downer to see a character you like get little in the way of development. So some of the fan favorite characters don't get their time to shine until later episodes in later seasons. For what is done in the first season I can say that the makers did an excellent job establishing most of the cast for future stories. If some of them can live that long, as Game of Thrones has a plot that is rather unforgiving. The fan-made slogan of "Anyone can die." means that every character is fundamentally in the lottery for possibly being killed. I do understand how for some this can be a flaw too, as it can be hard for one to invest themselves with characters that may be mere seconds away from death. Though I honestly think it makes things feel all the more real. 

Special mention must go the absolutely amazing title sequence. This is perhaps one of the coolest openers I've seen for a show in quite some time, and I'm a bit of a stickler when it comes to opening credits. I feel that in many ways a show's elevator-speech/pitch to get new viewers is in fact their opening credits. The need to get across key components of the show as quickly as possible and generate enough interest to keep viewers from changing the channel is essential. Of course once the show has you, the intro serves just as well to get already established viewers excited for the current episode. For Game of Thrones, composer Ramin Djawadi crafted an incredibly somber/tone setting (yet surprisingly catchy) main theme, coupled with jaw-droppingly beautiful visuals. Yes I will concede that the argument can be made that the opening sequence does nothing more than show off a CG map... But it is one hell of an elaborate CG map! We get to see tiny mechanical versions of all the different locations throughout the story literally build up, and it gives off a strong sense of scale and majesty for every episode that is about to start. It is hard to describe in text, so all I can really say is that you've got to see it for yourself. The rest of the show's soundtrack is equally as good to the opener, with the closing tunes being some of the standout pieces.

It is also interesting to note that George R. R. Martin was approached at one point in the past about having A Song of Ice and Fire adapted into a film trilogy. As cool as this sounds, I'm actually glad that Mr. Martin turned down the offer, and instead chose to go for an uncensored HBO television series. To my understanding by fans who've read the novels, and even by Martin's own words himself, this story is simply too big for a film trilogy. The continuous nature of the narrative relies on consistently lengthy installments that allow the characters and the plot to breath and move at a smooth pace. Had this tale been adapted as a movie, then several aspects that are key to making the story work would either have to be compromised or cut all together. The more adult content would have more than likely been removed so as to make the product more marketable to a wider audience, and a good portion of the cast would get reduced roles. While some may feel that this would have distilled the novels down into a more digestible form, after seeing how good this show has been, I can't help but feel that a film trilogy would have ended up just being a gamble at best.
 

"Most men would rather deny a hard truth than face it."

All in all I can't sing my praises of this show enough. Barring one or two factors, this series (so far) is fundamentally perfect. The creators set out make a dark, mature, and intensely character driven fantasy series. We got exactly that! Any negatives that I could think to level against Game of Thrones is either a matter of personal tastes, or just out right negligible. The characters are deep, the story is engaging, the production is top notch, and each episode runs at a gratifying one hour length. In closing all I can really say is that if you're of age to watch Game of Thrones, and this review has gotten you interested, then you need to do it... Like right now! Seriously! Seasons one and two are out on DVD/Blu-Ray right now! This show is worth its weight in gold, and is one of the only series out there that I've seen as being totally worth its hype. It is not often that we get a show of this caliber on television, let alone one with such an uncompromising vision. So any support given only furthers to show networks out there that we viewers want more quality programming like this!

Positive Factors

• Deep, thought provoking, and engrossing characters/plot.
• Instantly quotable conversations.
• Stellar performances from practically every actor in the show!
• Peter Dinklage as Tyrion Lannister. Enough said.
• Setting is very lively without overcoming the focus of the story.
• Top-notch production values on pretty much everything. This could hold up easily against most movies.
• Adult content (sex/violence) is handled with a great deal of tact and grace, only adding to the flavor of the show.
• A character dying doesn't feel done for shock value. Knowing anyone can die makes for more intense scenes.
• Jaw-dropping, and absolutely beautiful opening sequence.
• Solid soundtrack with episode closers being exceptionally good.
• Excellent pacing brought on by the very gratifying one hour long episodes.

Negative Factors

• It sucks to have all that build up for a war scene we don't get to see.
• Adult content may turn off some viewers. Could be seen as just Lord of the Rings with more blood and boobs!
• Your favorite characters may not get a lot of screen time, or may even die, whichever one comes first.

Final Rating: !!!AWESOMESAUCE!!!