Game of Thrones ☆☆☆☆☆

There be Spoilers in this review, so if you haven't watched either season yet I'd recommend not reading this.


I didn't think I would ever watch Game of Thrones. It seemed too violent or too much like the long epic fantasy styles I really dislike. And then my sister kept going on about it, telling me how much she loved it. So, when she gave me a copy of the first season, I thought "okay fine, I'll watch it!"

That was two weeks ago. I've now watched both seasons....

In my defence, they are only 10 episodes a season. And VERY addictive.

Game of Thrones is based on the George R. R. Martin books A Song of Ice and Fire. I haven't read the novels because like I said at the start, long epic fantasy isn't really my cup of tea. I do love fantasy books, but I have tried to read the violent and serious ones and simply failed to be absorbed. Maybe its something to do with my imagination, although even while forcing my way through The Sword of Shannara (Terry Brooks) there were moments that captured my interest briefly, but I maybe confusing it with Terry Pratchett as I seem to remember dragons somewhere...ah well.

I don't have any interest in reading the books now as, having watched the first two seasons, I would only be annoyed at any character or plot changes. Plus the sheer level of violence in the television series guarantees I would not be able to read such grotesque imagery. I am a genuine wuss when it comes to the description of guts being spilt.

So onto the actual television show.

The plot follows the families Stark (Wolf), Lannister (Lion), Targaryen (Dragons), Greyjoy of the Iron Sea, and Baratheon (Stag). The Starks are from the North, Lannisters of the South, the Targaryens are outcasts across the sea with only two left of the Dragon dynasty, Greyjoys live as defeated subjects in a place called Pike in the Iron Sea, with the Baratheons as the rulers of the Seven kingdoms.

The Starks are based in Winterfell, the closest stronghold to the Wall which keeps out the Wildlings of the further (true) North. They are led by Ned Stark (Sean Bean) and his family which includes his bastard son (their words not mine!) Jon Snow, a boy Ned fathered while on campaign with his closest friend, Robert Baratheon who is now King of all the lands.

At the beginning of the first season Robert is King, he is married to Cersei Lannister, has three children by his wife (so he thinks) and many more bastards from his drunken conquests. Ned Stark lives happily with his wife Cat, five legitimate children plus poor Jon, who has the love and respect of his father but not of his father's wife.
The two Targaryens are brother and sister Viserys and Daenerys, the last of the Dragon rulers. They are stunning with their white hair and cut glass features, but Viserys is power hungry and arrogant, making a fatal mistake as he sells his sweet and scared sister to a savage Dothraki tribe as a wife for the leader, in exchange for an army to take across the sea and claim back the throne his family lost.

You don't get to meet the Greyjoy family until the second season, though the son, Theon, is present throughout as he has grown up in Winterfell with the Starks as a continuing prisoner of war from his fathers defeat to Ned Stark. The Greyjoys pretty much live up to their name, living in the harsh coastal islands where everything is pretty much grey. Theon is a slightly repulsive character you almost want to die because he keeps messing up so often. He is played by Alfie Allen, son of Keith and brother of Lily, which makes him the subject of Lily's ode to her brother 'Alfie'. Its nice to see he is taking after his father in the acting stakes.

The Lannisters are the catalyst of this story. The incestuous relationship between Cersei and Jamie, who are twins, results in the death of 'the hand of the King', aka his adviser. He had discovered the children of Robert and Cersei are actually Jamie's as they all have pretty blond locks, whereas all Roberts bastards have dark hair. The death of his adviser prompts Robert to travel from Kings Landing to Winterfell to 'ask' Ned to become his next hand. This is no good for Robert, Ned, or the rest of the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros.

Robert is played by Mark Addy, who after so many years being the side-kick type character now gets to be King of all and does it rather well. It is unfortunate he dies so early on but alas, that is how a plot progresses. His wife Cersei is played with cold malice by Lena Heady, probably most recognisable from 300. Jamie, the actual father of the current King Joffrey, took me a long time to recognise, but the slight accent gave it away that he is not an Englishman. Jamie is portrayed by Danish actor Nikolaj Coster-Waldau who is in perhaps one of my favourite rom-coms Wimbledon (come on, its a film where a Brit ACTUALLY wins Wimbledon whats not to love?!).
Jamie and Cersei are just disturbing. Not only because they are twins and have sex, but because they properly love each other, to the point where in the very first episode when caught shagging by one of Starks sons Jamie pushes said child out of the window. That moment was so shocking it made me determined to watch the rest, as surely the child had not lived but the twins MUST get their come-uppance.

Luckily Bran did survive, which was great because child murder was not the way to get me hooked. They do very well with the child being disabled, bringing in a wonderful half-wit half giant who carries Bran around. There is no question of the child being left to die, which is an advantage to his high birth.
Possibly one of my favourite actors of all time, at least most definitely in the top ten, gets to show the advantages of being born into a noble family despite physical disability, and that is Peter Dinklage. If you have no idea who this man is then I urge you to watch the Station Agent right now, go on, go!
I'll assume you do know as you've gotten this far in this, well, its half review half description so far. He plays Tyrion Lannister, younger brother of the incestuous twins and quite obviously a Dwarf.

Tyrion has a great affection for those either physically or mentally disabled, having been the butt of jokes his entire life he makes life easier for those disadvataged. I decided I really liked him in the first episode, not because its Peter Dinklage and seriously the man can act better than most of the idiots in Hollywood, but because of this great attitude he has. He has been dealt cards by fate which made him, in other mens eyes, no better than a cripple and yet because he is a Lannister he was not killed at birth, instead has money to take as many women to his bed as possible and drink more than his short stature can hold.
When he comes back from the Wall, after seeing Jon Snow begin his new life with the Black Watch (those who keep the rest of the lands safe from Wildlings and other, stranger beings), Tyrion gives the newly crippled (their words not mine) boy a design to make a saddle for a horse he can ride without use of his legs.
*sigh*

Another of my favourites is Daenerys, not only because she has dragons which are possibly the coolest (or, hottest?) thing in fantasy, but because she finds herself and becomes a strong Khaleesi aka Queen of the Dothraki tribe she has been married into. She also falls in love with her strong, fearless warrior husband and you know, sod it I'm a romantic at heart and I loved that. The mutual love and respect is ultimately his undoing really. Daenerys becomes this wise and beautiful Queen who is also fearless and a little scary, especially when she sets other people on fire...

Of the 'baddies' Joffrey is the worst. He is a seventeen year old poser king, has a terrible temper and enjoys watching pain. He is the result of Jamie and Cersei's 'love', engaged to the elder Stark girl and given a kingdom that is being fought for by many hands. I'm positive Jack Gleeson is a normal human being so all credit for his performance as the boy king and making him so repugnant. Sansa Stark, played by newcomer Sophie Turner, suffers for her 'love' of Joffrey. 

The Stark family, I think, are designed to be peoples favourites and when you cast Sean Bean as the head of the family its pretty much going to go that way. Even when playing psychotic serial killers part of me still goes "awww its Sean Bean". I was already informed that Beany was not going to last till season two, but I was glad that he at least made it to episode ten.
Kit Harington who plays Jon Snow is a newcomer to screen acting, or at least this is what IMDB would have me believe, but he seems to embody the slightly bitter but still loyal young man. He needs to smile more, but that may just be because I think he looks lovely when he smiles, it may not be quite fitting with his character. I greatly enjoyed toward the end of season two his dealings with Wildling Ygritte, a young lady people may recognise from the first series of Downton Abbey. I am envisaging he will join the Wildling's in their quest for freedom against the South, or at least join battle against the White Walkers.

The eldest Stark, Robb, gains leadership of Winterfell upon his father's death and grows into 'the king in the North'. Like many Scotsmen before him, Richard Madden has an impeccable English accent, not only that its a regional accent. He is another favourite of mine, with his own romantic storyline which is sweet but will most likely result in further wars and death. Too often my favourite characters are killed off (Charlie in Lost, Wash in Serenity) and I really hope Robb is not doomed as I'll be quite upset.
However unlike Lost I will not refuse to continue watching if Robb does pass on, his family and the rest of the characters are too intriguing. Arya, the younger female Stark, is a wonderful piece of casting and is played by newcomer Maisie Williams. She is the tomboy favourite of her father, given sword fighting lessons instead of sewing, and surviving with the help of a few mysterious men away from Kings Landing where her sister is kept by Cersei and Joffrey.
Of those helping Arya, one is Joe Dempsie, who played my favourite character in any Skins series. It is so good to see him (and Hannah Murray also of Skins fame) in an internationally acclaimed series, as I always thought he was the better actor in Skins despite working with Nicholas Hoult (About a Boy).

In fact Game of Thrones has been rather good to British actors. I was so happy when I finally worked out that Jerome Flynn (of Robson and Jerome fame) was the one spouting expletives and slicing men in half for the Lannisters. You'd be hard pressed not to recognise one face from British drama, even if its simply "Ned Stark's wife looks an awful lot like Hermione Granger's Mum".

I actually cannot find fault with the acting. The material is quite peverse at times and there is a LOT of nudity and sex, but everyone seems to be fulfilling their roles. Of course those who have read the books may heartily disagree with this statement.
I am enjoying the supernatural elements to the story. The Direwolves who were rescued as pups and given to all the Stark children (including Jon) seem to be the best pet a child could have as their loyalty moves them to kill those who attack their - owners? Not quite right but near enough. I hope to see a lot more of them.
The dragons are simply awesome. I love dragons and it always upsets me when they are misused in bad films *cough*Dragonheart*cough*Eragon*. Daenerys' relationship with the beasts is also quite new to me. She is their mother and will only ever be their mother, remaining true to her dead husband and son by refusing to take another man.

The final supernatural element are the White Walkers, a new take on the Zombie. I say a new take, they are still dead men risen from the grave so to speak, but these are armed and organised with dead horses carrying them to a new war. I look forward to what will happen next, but am also incredibly apprehensive. They are from the wild North of snow and beautiful mountains, but the snow is their friend and the final scene shows that many men have died in the wilderness to be reborn into this most frightening of armies.

Winter is definitely coming.