Category Archives: Game Of Thrones

Game of Thrones – 5×01: The Wars To Come

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‘The future is shit, just like the past’ says our favourite imp before throwing up his wine all over his host’s lovely outdoor patio. So begins Season 5 of Game of Thrones. And yes, the world has gone to shit, but that’s a pretty constant state in Westeros. With Tywin dead, there is absolutely no political stability in the seven kingdoms. I mean, when Stannis has the most power in the kingdoms, then you know things have gone sour. But there’s still hope. After all, Tyrion takes another swig. Death by wine is a long, slow process and before he dies he may be able to influence a changing of the tides. Continue reading →

Game of Thrones: 4×07 – 4×08

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4×07 – Mockingbird

Nestled between ‘The Laws of Gods and Men’ and ‘The Mountain and The Viper’ is this curious little episode; a quiet interlude from the intense filibustering that proceeds it and the bloodshed that follows. It’s an episode intended to establish and re-establish the goals of our characters and set them on their intended path for the rest of the season. As such, without the distraction of epic battles and shocking plot twists (for the most part), one’s enjoyment of this episode is dependent on how much you relish spending time with each subset of character pairings.

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Game of Thrones: 4×05 – 4×06

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thrones_612x380-600x372 So I’ve decided to simply post 2 mini-reviews every fortnight for Game of Thrones. I know I called them mini-reviews last time and they were each about as long as a Song of Fire and Ice book, but this time I’m going try to be…dear God…..succinct (yeah, you’re right, it won’t happen). Continue reading →

Games of Thrones: 4×03 – 4×04

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I noted in my review of Mad Men’s season 7 premiere that compared to Mad Men, shows like Breaking Bad and Game of Thrones are less thematically driven and more story oriented. This generalisation does something of a diservice to the way Benioff and Weiss shape the individual chapters of their Game of Thrones saga. Undoubtedly Mad Men doesn’t have the same narrative drive and sprawling scope of Game of Thrones, but neither is Game of Thrones simply a series that moves characters from A to B (very slowly) in order to fulfil the endgame of a complicated narrative structure. In the moments between the beheadings and wedding ceremonies, Game of Thrones episodes are cleverly composed to create, if not thematic unity, then at least a sense of cohesion that stops the show from becoming a series of disparate vignettes that just happen to take place in the same universe.

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Game of Thrones: 4×02 – The Lion and the Rose

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I’m not a religious man, nor am I especially blasphemous, but the only thing I could say after ‘The Lion and the Rose’ cut to black was:

“Jesus Christ”

Say what you will about Game of Thrones’ sometimes ponderous storylines, but the show is a journey, and if you stick with it, it will reward you and punish in unexpected ways as all great works of fiction should.

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Game of Thrones: 4×01 – Two Swords

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I could spend 500 words explaining the phenomenon of Game of Thrones and how pervasively it has entered the cultural zeitgeist and how the hubbub over the #redwedding forced the few who weren’t watching (including myself) to rush through a catch up, but I’d be repeating every second article written in the last week, so let’s talk season 4.

As per usual I will separate my comments and impressions by characters:

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Game of Thrones Catch-Up: Season 2 Review

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*Spoilers ahead. Although I’ve seen the first three seasons in their entirety I try to avoid any spoilers from beyond season 2. But if you’re super risk averse, I’d avoid reading this until you’ve completed season 3*

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I ploughed through Game of Thrones‘ second season in roughly 5 days. I’ve realised that this is a good way for me to watch the show. The faster I watch, the less time I have to build things up in my head, the less disappointed I feel when certain plotlines don’t go anywhere or progress fast enough for my liking. For all the moaning that the show is all table setting that I did in my review of season 1, I do very much enjoy GoT. Purely from a production standpoint, the series represents the pinnacle in TV craftsmanship and polish, and the storytelling choices are often quite bold and outside of what is expected in TV, as per its source material. My main issue with season 1 was its lack of pay off.

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Game Of Thrones Catch Up: Season 1 Review

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*SPOILERS for the entirety of season 1, but not beyond*

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Ok I’m going to be completely honest: Game of Thrones is a beautifully shot and designed show that is smartly written, with many bold storytelling twists and turns that successfully juggle an improbably large cast of characters all of whom are finely cast and embodied. But ultimately it creates a world that I’m not sure I’m completely invested in. In fact, I watched the season finale a good week or two ago and I’ve felt no great urge to continue (I will of course, it’s just not a top priority)

There are a number of reasons for this lack of devotion and because I’m lazy, I shall list them in point form. {Ok I realised all my below arguments are exactly the same and stem for my impatience and the desire for more resolution. But please continue, because I believe some of my points are almost valid}

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Game Of Thrones Catch-Up: Winter Is Coming

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*There is very little in the way of spoilers here and I currently have no knowledge of events beyond Season 1, episode 4.

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First off, can someone please change the show’s title to ‘Games of Thrones’ because that is how I always see it in my head and it ain’t changing anytime soon.

Anywho (greatest segue ever) it is clear that Game of Thrones has become a cultural phenomenon over the last 3 years. On top of being the most illegally downloaded television program in Australia, my Facebook newsfeed becomes a smorgasbord of people moaning about detested or annoying characters or posting horrified memes when a beloved character dies. Sometimes I’m inclined to take the pretentious route and ignore super popular shows just to be different and contrarian (as I’ve done with shows like Suits), but I also have a fear of missing out on significant moments and movements in popular culture and Game of Thrones with its legions of fans, HBO cred and critical acclaim gave me a massive FOMO pop-culture hard on (a phrase I swear I’ll never repeat).

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