Written by: Kevin Berge
No matter how times I see it, that throne still looks like a real bad idea to me. (Image Courtesy of: gameofthronesseason6stream.com)
Quick Take: The first season of Game of Thrones is a grounded fantasy experience in which the heart of the story is the struggle for power and the true impact of a dark, political world on everyone that lives in that environment. With absolutely engaging performances and a faithful and beautifully created adaptation, the first season is the taste of a world with life and true consequences.
***This is a spoiler free review of the first season of Game of Thrones. It will not directly focus on events that occur within the context of this story. However, there will be allusions as well as quotations used throughout that could affect a new viewers experience if they have not seen the show yet. If you have not seen the first season of GOT, only continue if you are unsure of whether the show is right for you.***
“When you play the game of thrones, you win or you die. There is no middle ground.” These words are an introduction, a warning and invitation to the viewer, uttered late in the first season's run. By establishing this ground, George R.R. Martin, the author of the book series the series is based on, gives his reader's one last chance to back out.
This is not your typical fantasy experience. There are no good guys on a quest to stop the bad guys. Everyone is just another character trying to get back in a world that beats everyone down because they're all a part of the game: the game of thrones. With this initial warning, I add one more: never get attached to anyone.
Certainly, there are morally right and wrong characters, but there are also politically right and wrong characters, often caught within the conflict of morality vs. success. More often than not, those who fall to the wayside are those not willing to make sacrifices in their morality. The typically "good" fall, and those with foresight thrive.
As a fantasy lover myself, I came into the first book with expectations and was quickly blown away. I did not know what to make of all that I was experiencing, and the series begins quite faithful to that wide, unique vision. This is a story filled to the brim with violence and sex to the point of getting under my skin.
For any and all viewers, you will know by the end of the first season if you are willing to stick with this for the long haul because, as good as it is, this is not the kind of story that will appeal to everyone. It is not for the faint of heart nor the righteously moral. Nothing is left sacred.
“When you play the game of thrones, you win or you die. There is no middle ground.” These words are an introduction, a warning and invitation to the viewer, uttered late in the first season's run. By establishing this ground, George R.R. Martin, the author of the book series the series is based on, gives his reader's one last chance to back out.
This is not your typical fantasy experience. There are no good guys on a quest to stop the bad guys. Everyone is just another character trying to get back in a world that beats everyone down because they're all a part of the game: the game of thrones. With this initial warning, I add one more: never get attached to anyone.
Certainly, there are morally right and wrong characters, but there are also politically right and wrong characters, often caught within the conflict of morality vs. success. More often than not, those who fall to the wayside are those not willing to make sacrifices in their morality. The typically "good" fall, and those with foresight thrive.
As a fantasy lover myself, I came into the first book with expectations and was quickly blown away. I did not know what to make of all that I was experiencing, and the series begins quite faithful to that wide, unique vision. This is a story filled to the brim with violence and sex to the point of getting under my skin.
For any and all viewers, you will know by the end of the first season if you are willing to stick with this for the long haul because, as good as it is, this is not the kind of story that will appeal to everyone. It is not for the faint of heart nor the righteously moral. Nothing is left sacred.
Don't worry, Jon, it's not about the size now but the size he'll be when he grows up. This is true of all questions on size. (Image Courtesy of: techinsider.io)
The primary cast of Game of Thrones are all excellently chosen. Sean Bean leads the group as the head of the Stark Family, Eddard. His children, Robb (Richard Madden), Arya (Maisie Williams), Sansa (Sophie Turner), and his bastard Jon Snow (Kit Harrington), were the most important casting decisions of the series, and all are perfect in roles that have made each one of them stars.
The primary opposing force in the story, the Lannister family, are equally well cast with more accredited actors. Cersei (Lena Headey), Jaime (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau), Tyrion (Peter Dinklage), and Tywin (Charles Dance) are all instrumental parts of the story and somewhat the villains to begin with.
This is such a large cast of characters that it can become hard to track at times, but the last group that needs to be mentioned for the first season are those a world away, involved with the last Targaryens. Daenerys (Emilia Clarke) and Viserys (Harry Lloyd) are the final remaining members of an illustrious family protected by a marriage pact with the Dothraki Khal Drogo (Jason Mamoa).
The primary standouts for the cast in this first season are Bean as the struggling, righteous Ned Stark, Dinklage who is absolutely gold in the role he was made to play of the dwarf Tyrion, and Clarke who plays a character slowing finding her strength and her authority.
As the dynamics change though, so do the spotlights for particular actors in the series. One of the primary focuses of Game of Thrones as a series is character growth, the expectation that events change characters in noticeable ways. While many die along the way, those who survive evolve and learn from this death to become more interesting people.
The primary opposing force in the story, the Lannister family, are equally well cast with more accredited actors. Cersei (Lena Headey), Jaime (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau), Tyrion (Peter Dinklage), and Tywin (Charles Dance) are all instrumental parts of the story and somewhat the villains to begin with.
This is such a large cast of characters that it can become hard to track at times, but the last group that needs to be mentioned for the first season are those a world away, involved with the last Targaryens. Daenerys (Emilia Clarke) and Viserys (Harry Lloyd) are the final remaining members of an illustrious family protected by a marriage pact with the Dothraki Khal Drogo (Jason Mamoa).
The primary standouts for the cast in this first season are Bean as the struggling, righteous Ned Stark, Dinklage who is absolutely gold in the role he was made to play of the dwarf Tyrion, and Clarke who plays a character slowing finding her strength and her authority.
As the dynamics change though, so do the spotlights for particular actors in the series. One of the primary focuses of Game of Thrones as a series is character growth, the expectation that events change characters in noticeable ways. While many die along the way, those who survive evolve and learn from this death to become more interesting people.
Robert Baratheon, ruler of the Seven KIngdom. What he lacks in brain power, he makes up for in being quite good with the ladies... well except his own wife. (Image Courtesy of: hbo.com)
This series was first brought to my attention when I was gifted the first book just before the series began to air on HBO. The series titled A Song of Ice and Fire from George R.R. Martin includes five expansive novels with two more yet to released written with a dense sense of detail. The TV series carries through that writing and in-depth detail.
This may be due to GRRM's involvement with the project, but it also comes down to strong screenwriting adaptations primarily by David Benioff and D.B. Weiss who collaboratively wrote eight of the ten episodes with Bryan Cogman writing the fourth and Martin himself writing the eighth.
With four directors involved with the first season (Tim Van Patten (1-2), Brian Kirk (3-5), Daniel Minahan (6-8), and Alan Taylor (9-10)), the series changes a bit with each change, but there is always a clear sense of the series and its intention. There is humor. There is horror. There is action. Ultimately, this first season is about characters finding out the hard way the truth of the world they live in.
The show is consistently quality for its run, helped by a condensed 10 episode format for each season that never lets the focus waver despite so many different characters being focused upon. That said, the ninth episode is the only one that stands out among the best of the series.
Where this first season falters a bit is that it largely is involved with characters without much depth. Without the events that shape each character through the series, most of the characters feel unexciting at this stage. There are certain moments that the characters have that help them stand out, but very few are truly memorable.
This first season is about world building with more political intrigue than actual threat and violence as the story promises in its continued escalation. Only Ned and Daenerys clearly evolve and get moments to shine in this first season of the show, but the series certainly leaves a strong lasting impression.
This may be due to GRRM's involvement with the project, but it also comes down to strong screenwriting adaptations primarily by David Benioff and D.B. Weiss who collaboratively wrote eight of the ten episodes with Bryan Cogman writing the fourth and Martin himself writing the eighth.
With four directors involved with the first season (Tim Van Patten (1-2), Brian Kirk (3-5), Daniel Minahan (6-8), and Alan Taylor (9-10)), the series changes a bit with each change, but there is always a clear sense of the series and its intention. There is humor. There is horror. There is action. Ultimately, this first season is about characters finding out the hard way the truth of the world they live in.
The show is consistently quality for its run, helped by a condensed 10 episode format for each season that never lets the focus waver despite so many different characters being focused upon. That said, the ninth episode is the only one that stands out among the best of the series.
Where this first season falters a bit is that it largely is involved with characters without much depth. Without the events that shape each character through the series, most of the characters feel unexciting at this stage. There are certain moments that the characters have that help them stand out, but very few are truly memorable.
This first season is about world building with more political intrigue than actual threat and violence as the story promises in its continued escalation. Only Ned and Daenerys clearly evolve and get moments to shine in this first season of the show, but the series certainly leaves a strong lasting impression.