Shane Ryan and Josh Jackson review Game of Thrones each week in a series of letters.
Josh,
There’s no reason to mince words at the start—that was an absolutely fantastic opening episode. It began with two swords, it ended with two swords, and in between it was a near-perfect re-entry into the world of Westeros (and beyond).
Honestly, my gut reaction after finishing that hour of television is just to marvel at the strength of the casting. You can’t beat George R.R. Martin’s plot, of course, but at the heart of both the Song of Ice and Fire books and the Game of Thrones television series is character. The personalities, with their ambitions and angers and resentments, are the reason why Martin’s books feel more like reading a particularly enthralling history textbook rather than a work of fiction in the fantasy genre.
(Personal aside—I love these books so much that I thought maybe I could get over a lifetime of indifference to fantasy—Lord of the Rings excluded—and tried to read a couple well-received modern trilogies in Joe Abercrombie’s First Law series and Patrick Rothfuss’ Kingkiller Chronicles. Both felt like semi-guilty pleasures, and both left me cold in the end. It proved what I’d suspected all along, which is that Martin is more like a very creative biographer transcribing the events of a real world nobody else has learned about yet. And I mean that as the highest compliment.)
It may sound like a bit of banal analysis (banalysis?) to say that the success of the TV adaptation depended on how well Martin’s excellent characterization could be translated to a visual medium, because, duh, of course it did. I only bring it up because “Two Swords” reinforced how unbelievably friggin’ successful they were. I mean, is there a bad actor in the bunch? A bad character? The success rate is ridiculous, right?
Let me put it this way: The only scenes I found a little bit boring were the ones WITH VIOLENT DRAGONS AND DEAD CHILDREN USED AS MILE MARKERS. That’s it. The parts with Daenerys were the only times I sort of caught myself wishing we could move on to the next scene. And, since we’re here, I kind of suspect it’ll be that way for the entire season…how long can we tour the nether regions of the world watching her win battles with dragons, right? Also, I know it’s early to be making any final judgments, but my initial reaction is that I don’t really like the new Daario Naharis as much. He’s more of a clever charmer type, whereas the former Daario captured the dangerous vibe of the guy in the book. I’m willing to have my mind changed on that, though.
But let’s accentuate the positive! Starting with the end, I still maintain that the character combination of Sandor Clegane and Arya Stark may be as good as it gets. We’re starting to see the fondness grow between the two, and after the bar fight, how cool was it that they cut to a shot of Arya following the Hound on her own horse? Also, we got our first real taste of Arya the killer. There’s so much anger in her right now that she enjoys the tension before a fight, and she really, really enjoys the moment of revenge. That smile was a little bit eerie, right? I get the feeling the cute, plucky Arya we know and love died with Robb Stark at the Red Wedding.
My other favorite combination? Tywin Lannister with anyone else in his family. The early scene between him and Jamie was so compelling, even if there was nothing really at stake the way there is when Tywin and Tyrion square off. Charles Dance plays the old lion perfectly, to the point that you could sense the love he has for Jamie even as he maintains his stern, cold disposition. Jamie knows it, too; unlike Tyrion, he knows he can defy his old man and get away with it. He even knew he’d get to keep the Valyrian steel sword.
NEW CHARACTER ALERT! Oberyn Martell, the Red Viper himself, is on the scene, and he’s awfully forward about threatening an entire family when he’s in their city. There’s probably a certain amount of safety guaranteed by the fact that the Lannisters want a truce, and killing the other side’s prince would be a bad way to start the negotiations, but still, my man, use some caution. I loved his scenes, though, and I think Pedro Pascal was a perfect choice. Also, hurray for another character with really wide-ranging sexual appetites. Is there any vanilla sex to be had in Westeros, Josh?
I could go on, but I’ll leave you with one more casting choice that deserves more praise: Jack Gleeson as Joffrey. He’s such a hatable little so-and-so that we’re all rooting for his death, but I have to say, the dude drops some ZINGERS on members of his own family. Last year he dissed Tywin by calling him out for basically waiting out the war while Robert Baratheon did the hard work, and in last night’s episode, I laughed out loud when he looked Jamie in the eye and said, “somebody forgot to write down all your great deeds!” The look of mock concern, like there’s actually something missing on the page, is just priceless. Look, I know he likes to shoot prostitutes with a bow and arrow, and I’m on record against that, but we have to give him his insult props. So glad to see he’s back at the top of his game in season four.
Okay, I’ll send it your way to respond and catch everything I’ve forgotten. One last question: Would you read a 1,000-page novel about Ser Arthur Dayne, “The Sword of the Morning”? I know I would. What an amazing nickname.
-Shane
Shane,
I mentioned in the podcast that between reading the books and watching the show, it was hard to remember where in the world of Westeros we left off last season, but it didn’t take long to get dropped right into the engrossing plot. And you’re right that it’s the characters that make it so interesting.
I’m a little in awe of that feat considering that there are several dozen folks to keep up with in this epic tale—and just as many good actors—even after so many have been killed off. Last night alone we had particularly memorable moments from Tywin and Jamie, Tyrion and the Red Viper, Brienne and Olenna Tyrell, and best of all Arya and the Hound. That last pair has been delightful in every bloody scene, and I get a little giddy whenever they pop up onscreen.
Arya is now merciless. Think about her last year. She’s watched her father been beheaded by a cruel boy king. She had to kill a boy to escape King’s Landing. She’s seen new friends killed by cruel men, watched her brother’s whole army betrayed and slaughtered. She’s gone to sleep night after night reciting all the people she wants to see dead. She has no fear—when The Hound wasn’t interested in killing five men to get food, she manipulated the situation to ensure that her friend’s killer didn’t get passed over—or was it all just for her sword? And what a great exchange when she first saw he was carrying Needle: “Plenty of people name their swords.” “Plenty of cunts.” Where her story goes from here is by far my favorite part of the books.
And we haven’t even talked about Jon Snow, yet. His impatience and impertinence before the Night’s Watch council reveals a new side of the bastard Stark. We’re seeing the boy grow into his own.
Even bratty Sansa Stark was compelling on screen last night—dropping a great line of her own in her grief: “I no longer pray; it’s the only place I can go where people don’t try to talk to me.” And Tyrion’s compassion stands in contrast to all the cruel events happening around him. The imp remains our best window into this foreign world.
Like you, these books are the first old-school fantasy novels I’ve read in a very long time. I’m bummed to hear you haven’t really been able to duplicate the joys of this series. But I don’t want to give up there. Readers, what else should we be trying? Because yes, I’d read a 1,000-page novel about Ser Arthur Dayne at this point, unless it came out before the next installment of Game of Thrones, in which case I’d be tempted to send Arya Stark and Needle to deal with George R.R. Martin.
So we’ve now met the Red Viper and a few of his retainers. But there are more Dornishmen and women we haven’t yet seen, including Arianne Martell, one of the best characters in A Dance With Dragons. I’m curious who’ll be cast in that role.
I’m on vacation right now, so I’ll leave it to you with one more question: I love Daenarys, Emilia Clarke has done a fabulous job in her portrayal, and dragons are just cool. So why is it that the scenes in the Free Cities haven’t been as enjoyable as those in Westeros? Where has that faltered?
—Josh
Josh,
I knew I was going to leave out someone big in the first email, but I can’t believe it was Jon Snow! I think you and I have talked before about Kit Harrington, and how sometimes he seems a little bit like a whiner, but last night was, to my mind, his first real badass moment. You just know a couple of those Night’s Watchmen wanted him executed, but he came in aggressive, essentially told them they didn’t understand the world like he did and walked out alive. And Harrington was convincing! That was the maybe the greatest development of the entire episode, because Jon Snow is such an important character and even though Harrington had to play him as someone a little bit overwhelmed up until now, I was worried that he wouldn’t be able to flip the switch when the time came. I was wrong.
To your point about the sheer number of storylines the show has to cover, think about the characters we didn’t see last night: Bran Stark, Littlefinger, Lord Varys…I’m probably (definitely) forgetting more. But those are three of my favorites, and as for the latter duo, I can’t wait until their first scene together, which will hopefully come next week. I need the sly one-upsmanship, Josh! I need the subtle plotting! The layers upon layers of intrigue!
So, why are Dany’s scenes just kinda bleh? I have a couple theories. First, Westeros is just so intriguing, and even a little claustrophobic. You constantly get this sense of tension, like the walls are coming in and one wrong move can doom a character to death. Also, we know from experience that literally anyone can die at any moment. Unfortunately, in terms of the main characters, Daenerys is basically by herself. Sure, she has her retainers, but we never really know the enemies until she encounters them. So is she really vulnerable? I would argue not, at least until she returns to the seven kingdoms. Second, her story has entered a sort of holding pattern. While enemies square off in Westeros and the plot is continually unfolding, Dany and her dragons and her unsullied are basically just ransacking new cities on repeat. It’s sort of interesting, but it’s nothing like watching Arya and the Hound, or the ongoing Lannister saga. It just feels like she’s traversing an empty expanse, dispatching enemies we don’t care about and never meeting another main character. Interaction is the key to the drama, and we’re getting none with Dany. Plus, let’s be real: Emilia Clarke is doing a fine job, but Daenerys is sort of a one-note character at this point. She made the transition to badass, but like her physical journey, it doesn’t feel like there’s many new places to go until she’s called upon to display some diplomacy or subtlety.
Last thing: I want that statue of Joffrey with the crossbow for my backyard, Josh. I want it now. ALL HAIL GLORIOUS JOFFREY KING OF WESTEROS!
Enjoy your vacation, and as always, we make a final request of the universe: Please don’t die, George R.R. Martin.
-Shane