With season four now over it is now time to review it and then it will be almost a whole year before I can review Game of Thrones again. Been busy lately so it has taken me longer to write this up than I thought but I hope you enjoy.
The War of the Five Kings is all but over; the North is now under the control of Rose Bolton and his bastard son Ramsey now that the Stark House is destroyed and the Lannisters are now more powerful than ever with the wedding with the Tyrells is drawing closer and an alliance with the Martells of Dorne. Meanwhile the men of the Nights Watch must face the threat of a large Wilding army intent of heading south through the Wall while beyond it Bran Stark is still searching for the mysterious three eyes Raven. Across the Narrow Sea Daenerys Targaryen is sacking slaves cites and now has her sites on the largest one; Meereen.
Like the previous season it is based on the events in a Storm of Swords however it focuses on the events of the later half of the book. Also as I have mentioned before Storm of Sword is one of my favourite entries to the Song of Ice and Fire saga so I was really looking forward to watching the conclusion of it in the TV series and I was not disappointed. Some of the most famous scenes from book the book has been adapted well here like the Purple Wedding, The Mountain vs The Viper and the Battle for the Wall.
Before I go into these events and others I just want to say that we have some great casting this season with the stand out being Pedro Pascal as Oberyn Martell; the second prince of Dorne and one of the most famous fighters in the world. He did a really great job as being one of the most rash and impulsive characters in the book who was always a fan favourite. Two I would like to mention are Michiel Huisman as Daario Naharis and Dean - Charles Chapman as Tommen Baratheon mostly because they are recasts. Even though recasts usually bug me in films and TV series I really did not mind now because again we just got some major acting talent in this show and these two don't disappoint, especially the recast of Tommen because I did not like him in the book because he is just a whiny kid but I am glad they made him a bit older now.
Now one of the most major events of this season was the Purple Wedding in episode two which ended with the death of Joffrey Baratheon. I bet fans of the show and book were delighted world wide now that the most sadist character ever created has finally got his and I agree that there is no character who deserves to die more. But I think we should give a round of applause to Jack Gleeson who did a perfect job of bringing one of the most evil fictional characters to life so well to screen. The tone and scenes was really done well (such as Joffrey being an ass to his uncle as always) and the poisoning looked so brutal that the Purple Wedding will be as iconic as the Red Wedding.
Next is The Mountain vs The Viper and what I think what makes this really stand out is how imposing The Mountain (Hafpor Julius Bjornsson) really is, I mean have you seen the SIZE of the guy! He was like the Terminator, the guy just did not stop and he just can't die, which sadly Oberyn learned the hard way. The entire fight was done so well like Oberyn with his more graceful spear control or The Mountain with his more brutal sword play. Also I was not expecting the death of Oberyn to be so graphic in the series like it was in the book; his head literally exploded and we got to see it up close. So props to these two they have given us the best one on one fight of the whole series,
Lastly is the Battle of the Wall which was in episode nine like mostly all major events in the series, the entire episode was given over to it and for such a big battle they could do no less. I am glad they introduced the cannibal Thenns this season because they played a major role in the battle and I thought they would have been introduced last season. The whole battle was just epic, it was a pincer attack on the Nights Watch one both sides of the wall and it really looked like the Wildings could have won. We got plenty of fighting and giant action and I was surprised with how well and how much scenes with the giants we had. This was just has good as the Battle of the Blackwater in season two and I like how we have two battles going on at the same time. In the book the attack on Castle Black by the Thenns and other Wildings happened a few days before the Wilding army came from the North but I like this pincer attack better. Also I also liked the original subplot of the Nights Watch mutinies in Craster's Keep, I liked it because it made a lot of sense that Jon and the Nights Watch had to deal with them because they don't in the books and just assume they get killed by the Wrights. They do but was a bit of a gamble just to assume they were going to die and not get capture by Mance.
Besides from those major events we got more like Theon's which is once again expanded here in the series, he is now Reek and even though he is not has mutilated as he is in the book I do still feel really sorry for the guy. Also they included some events from the Dance of Dragons books and we get a lot more interaction between Roose and Ramsey.
Another story that I think was really good was Sansa's story in the Eyrie; I know there are a lot of people who dislike the character of Sansa but I think her character has really improved because of the influence of Littlefinger. For example when she lied to the nobles of the Eyrie regarding her aunts death, you got to admit she had them all in the palm of her hand. Also the death of Lysa Arryn was done just like in the book and like Joffery I am not sorry about her death because she was one crazy b***h.
Two other story lines that are still really good from last season is Daenerys and Arya and the Hound, they are still a continuation from season three and they were both still strong. However when Arya left the Hound and the final scene of the season was her leaving on a boat for the East, that was so epic. The music and the whole feel of the scene was just really well done, I am really good that the final scene was about her and Daenerys was not just shoved in there.
Another story line that was expanded was on two of my favourite characters; Stannis and Davos. In this season we see them travel to Braavos to convince the Iron Bank to fund Stannis's army, this was not in the book, in the book they just sort of go straight away to the Wall so I really liked this. Davos really does have a silver tongue when it comes to winning people over like those bankers and the statue of the Titan of Braavos was badass.
Two story lines that did not garb my attention as much as the others was Bran's journey in the North and Brienne and Pod's travels through the Riverlands. Don't get me wrong I did really like them but I just preferred the others and maybe that is because they did not spend as much time on them as the other, especially Bran's. However I did really like what happened to them in the final episode; Brienne vs the Hound was a great fight that was almost as good The Mountain vs The Viper and Bran's group encountering the dead was awesome, really sad about Jojen's death however.
Finally the story in King Landing was as great as ever we get see the trial of Tyrion for the murder of Joffery, we see Jamie trying to change himself (and not just trying to fight left handed) and we see the epicness that is Tywin Lannister who is the most powerful man in the Seven Kingdoms. His death was again a perfect adaption from the book and it is a shame Charles Dance is not going to be in the show now because he owned the role of Tywin. Glad that Tyrion killed Shae because if I am honest she just annoyed me in the end and it was a touching moment between the Lannister brothers when Jamie freed Tyrion.
Overall this season had a great balance of everything from action to great dialogue, actually I think there was more action in this than any other season especially in the tenth episode which is usually a cool down from episode nine. This season did a great job of adapting some great iconic moments from the books and I loved all the original stuff as well. I think I am going to give this a perfect score because I think this is probably the best season of Game of Thrones so far.
SCORE : 10/10
Now that this season is finished I guess there won't be another review for almost a year so if I do anything else for Game of Thrones it will be prediction's for the next season. I have read all the books but maybe I can give my opinion on what the events should be included in it.
Showing posts with label WEDDING. Show all posts
Showing posts with label WEDDING. Show all posts
Friday, 27 June 2014
Monday, 19 May 2014
TV Series Review: Game of Thrones Season Three
With the fourth season over half way done I thought I should finally get the review of season three out of the way. As always there are spoilers but its been ages since this has aired so I assume everyone has watched it by now.
This season takes place almost immediately after the events of season two; Stannis has been defeated, the Stark house is in ruins and the Lannisters are more powerful than ever before thanks to the union between their house and the Tyrells, the only other house that could have matched them.
In King's Landing Tyrion Lannister has lost his position as Hand of the King to his father and most of the other power had despite leading the garrison against the enemy, Joffrey Baratheon is to wed Margaery Tyrell and there are many on both sides who agree and disagree with this.
In the Riverlands Robb Stark has broken his marriage contract with the Freys and his army falls apart around him, Jamie Lannister is being escorted home by Brienne of Tarth through the war torn land and Arya Stark has escaped her captors only to fall in to the hands of the Brotherhood without Banners.
In the North Theon Greyjoy is being tortured by an unknown sadist (though it was obvious for those who read the books), Bran and his group run in to the Reed siblings who wish to help them and Jon Snow has infiltrated Mance Rayder's army in an effort to learn their plans.
Meanwhile in Dragonstone Stannis Baratheon is a broken man from his defeat on the Blackwater but becomes more obsessed with the Lord of Light while his loyal companion Davos Seaworth sees only evil in the religion.
Finally Daenerys Targaryen has decided that she must have an army in order to win the Iron Throne and sets sail for slavers bay to by the Unsullied, the most disciplined soldiers in all the world.
This season is based on the first half of the Storm of Swords books which are all two of my favourites in the Song of Ice and Fire series and just like the last two seasons it adapts from its source material almost perfectly. This season also includes some of my most favourite events from the books such as the infamous Red Wedding and the burning of Astapor but also includes some original stuff which is really great. I will now go in to detail about all the highlights of this season and say what was good and what was bad in my opinion.
Firstly there is the Brotherhood without Banners, a group of Robin Hoods basically and who capture Arya near the start of the series. Now in the books if I am honest I really, really hated this group mostly because it just seemed to drag on with them going to different places and not advancing the plot, it just felt like filler and I didn't care for much for their members like Lem and Tom O Sevens (They just annoyed me). However I did like them here in the series because they narrowed down the main members to only three, Beric Dondarrion, Thoros of Myr and Anguy and they cut out a lot of their pointless travelling. Thoros of Myr was the standout of the lot as a drunken red priest who has found his faith again, Paul Kaye did a really convincing job of it; he was funny when he was drunk, serious when he had to be and his conversation of Melisandre was one of the best from the season. It was original for the series but I was really glad they added it in because we have not had two red priests confronting each other in the books yet. Also the fight between Beric and the Hound was done just as I imagined from the books as well so I enjoyed all the scenes with Arya and the Brotherhood.
Next what an interesting change from the book was the scenes with Theon Greyjoy and his torturer Ramsey Snow in the North. Those who read the books would know that after Theon's defeat at Winterfell we don't see him for ages and when we do he is already in his new persona of Reek we don't see any of the torture. So this was also a great addition to the series and again some great casting with Iwan Rheon as the psychopathic Ramsey.
Also in the North we finally get the introduction of the Reed siblings Jojen and Meera who should have been at Winterfell during the last season. However they were added in to the plot now quite nicely and we also get more of an understanding of Bran's powers (Which again should have happened during the last season if the Reed siblings were there).
Finally in the North is the events that happen beyond the wall and I have to say there are a few disappointments here. My disappointment with beyond the wall actually started during the very first scene of episode one when they skipped over the undead army vs the Night Watch entirely and after the huge set up they had at the end of season two. Then there was the character of Mance Rayder, while Ciarán Hinds did a good job as him he is quite different than he was in the book. A lot more serious and quiet and he does not even sing! However there were still a lot of great parts; the climb up the wall, the fight between Jon and the wildings, rebellion at Crasters and all the scenes with Sam were great.
Something else I was let down on was during the story with Daenerys across the Narrow Sea. Don't get me wrong when she gets her Unsullied and defeats Astapor and Yunaki those parts were all badass, just like in the book, but it was the re - introduction of Barristan Selmy. While I am glad to see him again because he is one of my favourite characters I did not like that they removed to part from the book were he hid his identity as a man called Astran Whitebeard for a time and was accompanied by a former pit fighter named Strong Belwas. Strong Belwas is gone entirely and while Barristan saves Daenerys like in the book he reveals himself straight away. The subplot of Astran Whitebeard and Strong Belwas, while not crucial was something I was looking forward to.
However something that was absolutely perfect was the journey of Jamie and Brienne through the Riverlands. Some of the best scenes throughout the entire season is with these two, they have such great chemistry together and the way they keep talking back to each other is so amusing. Also when Jamie loses his hand you can really see the character change in him and you even feel like even someone like him can redeem himself and change for the better despite what he has done before.
Before moving to the Red Wedding on I just want to say that something that really annoyed me the most in this season was the death of original character Ros played by Esmé Bianco. I really liked this original character she was so sexy during her nude and sex scenes from season one and during season two when she became more of a business woman of one of Little Finger's brothels she can still be a great character. Esmé Bianco is such a good actress and even though her death portrays more of Joffrey's cruelty it is such a same she had to go because she really fit in to the world of a Game of Thrones.
Now finally on to the Red Wedding, one of the most iconic moments in written history and now one of the most iconic television history! It was so brutal, they held nothing back in terms of the violence during this scene and I'm glad they didn't or it wouldn't have that much of an impact. Compared to the book it may have felt a bit short but that is mostly because most of the background characters who are killed have names and bigger roles in the book and spent more time with their deaths. However something I did not expect was the such brutal murder of Robb's wife; she was stabbed right in her pregnant stomach whole Robb looked on, talk about no mercy. And of course we get the death of Robb at the hands of Rose Bolton and Catelyn by the Freys and I really liked the chilling music of Rain's of Castamere playing in the background while everything was going on. So ends Robbs rebellion against the Lannisters, someone should have told the wolves that "a lion still has claws and mine are long and sharp my lord, as long and sharp as yours".
Very quickly just want to mention some great new additions to the cast; I have already mentioned Ramsey, Mance, the Reeds and the Brotherhood but we also have Anton Lesser as Qyburn (Can't wait for this character to have a bigger role later, those who read the book know what I mean), Clive Russell as Bryden Tully, Tobias Menzies as Edmure Tully, Diana Rigg as Olenna Tyrell (a match even for Tywin) and Kristofer Hivju as Tormund Giantsbane (perfect casting there).
Overall this season was probably the best one in the Game of Thrones series so far (though the currently airing fourth season is doing really good so far), while it did not have a big battle like in season two I think the introduction of Unsullied and the Red Wedding are just as great. The only let downs were the death of the character Ros and the removal of the Astran Whitebeard subplot but I admit they are only small inconveniences in an otherwise perfect season.
SCORE: 9.5/10
This season takes place almost immediately after the events of season two; Stannis has been defeated, the Stark house is in ruins and the Lannisters are more powerful than ever before thanks to the union between their house and the Tyrells, the only other house that could have matched them.
In King's Landing Tyrion Lannister has lost his position as Hand of the King to his father and most of the other power had despite leading the garrison against the enemy, Joffrey Baratheon is to wed Margaery Tyrell and there are many on both sides who agree and disagree with this.
In the Riverlands Robb Stark has broken his marriage contract with the Freys and his army falls apart around him, Jamie Lannister is being escorted home by Brienne of Tarth through the war torn land and Arya Stark has escaped her captors only to fall in to the hands of the Brotherhood without Banners.
In the North Theon Greyjoy is being tortured by an unknown sadist (though it was obvious for those who read the books), Bran and his group run in to the Reed siblings who wish to help them and Jon Snow has infiltrated Mance Rayder's army in an effort to learn their plans.
Meanwhile in Dragonstone Stannis Baratheon is a broken man from his defeat on the Blackwater but becomes more obsessed with the Lord of Light while his loyal companion Davos Seaworth sees only evil in the religion.
Finally Daenerys Targaryen has decided that she must have an army in order to win the Iron Throne and sets sail for slavers bay to by the Unsullied, the most disciplined soldiers in all the world.
This season is based on the first half of the Storm of Swords books which are all two of my favourites in the Song of Ice and Fire series and just like the last two seasons it adapts from its source material almost perfectly. This season also includes some of my most favourite events from the books such as the infamous Red Wedding and the burning of Astapor but also includes some original stuff which is really great. I will now go in to detail about all the highlights of this season and say what was good and what was bad in my opinion.
Firstly there is the Brotherhood without Banners, a group of Robin Hoods basically and who capture Arya near the start of the series. Now in the books if I am honest I really, really hated this group mostly because it just seemed to drag on with them going to different places and not advancing the plot, it just felt like filler and I didn't care for much for their members like Lem and Tom O Sevens (They just annoyed me). However I did like them here in the series because they narrowed down the main members to only three, Beric Dondarrion, Thoros of Myr and Anguy and they cut out a lot of their pointless travelling. Thoros of Myr was the standout of the lot as a drunken red priest who has found his faith again, Paul Kaye did a really convincing job of it; he was funny when he was drunk, serious when he had to be and his conversation of Melisandre was one of the best from the season. It was original for the series but I was really glad they added it in because we have not had two red priests confronting each other in the books yet. Also the fight between Beric and the Hound was done just as I imagined from the books as well so I enjoyed all the scenes with Arya and the Brotherhood.
Next what an interesting change from the book was the scenes with Theon Greyjoy and his torturer Ramsey Snow in the North. Those who read the books would know that after Theon's defeat at Winterfell we don't see him for ages and when we do he is already in his new persona of Reek we don't see any of the torture. So this was also a great addition to the series and again some great casting with Iwan Rheon as the psychopathic Ramsey.
Also in the North we finally get the introduction of the Reed siblings Jojen and Meera who should have been at Winterfell during the last season. However they were added in to the plot now quite nicely and we also get more of an understanding of Bran's powers (Which again should have happened during the last season if the Reed siblings were there).
Finally in the North is the events that happen beyond the wall and I have to say there are a few disappointments here. My disappointment with beyond the wall actually started during the very first scene of episode one when they skipped over the undead army vs the Night Watch entirely and after the huge set up they had at the end of season two. Then there was the character of Mance Rayder, while Ciarán Hinds did a good job as him he is quite different than he was in the book. A lot more serious and quiet and he does not even sing! However there were still a lot of great parts; the climb up the wall, the fight between Jon and the wildings, rebellion at Crasters and all the scenes with Sam were great.
Something else I was let down on was during the story with Daenerys across the Narrow Sea. Don't get me wrong when she gets her Unsullied and defeats Astapor and Yunaki those parts were all badass, just like in the book, but it was the re - introduction of Barristan Selmy. While I am glad to see him again because he is one of my favourite characters I did not like that they removed to part from the book were he hid his identity as a man called Astran Whitebeard for a time and was accompanied by a former pit fighter named Strong Belwas. Strong Belwas is gone entirely and while Barristan saves Daenerys like in the book he reveals himself straight away. The subplot of Astran Whitebeard and Strong Belwas, while not crucial was something I was looking forward to.
However something that was absolutely perfect was the journey of Jamie and Brienne through the Riverlands. Some of the best scenes throughout the entire season is with these two, they have such great chemistry together and the way they keep talking back to each other is so amusing. Also when Jamie loses his hand you can really see the character change in him and you even feel like even someone like him can redeem himself and change for the better despite what he has done before.
Before moving to the Red Wedding on I just want to say that something that really annoyed me the most in this season was the death of original character Ros played by Esmé Bianco. I really liked this original character she was so sexy during her nude and sex scenes from season one and during season two when she became more of a business woman of one of Little Finger's brothels she can still be a great character. Esmé Bianco is such a good actress and even though her death portrays more of Joffrey's cruelty it is such a same she had to go because she really fit in to the world of a Game of Thrones.
Now finally on to the Red Wedding, one of the most iconic moments in written history and now one of the most iconic television history! It was so brutal, they held nothing back in terms of the violence during this scene and I'm glad they didn't or it wouldn't have that much of an impact. Compared to the book it may have felt a bit short but that is mostly because most of the background characters who are killed have names and bigger roles in the book and spent more time with their deaths. However something I did not expect was the such brutal murder of Robb's wife; she was stabbed right in her pregnant stomach whole Robb looked on, talk about no mercy. And of course we get the death of Robb at the hands of Rose Bolton and Catelyn by the Freys and I really liked the chilling music of Rain's of Castamere playing in the background while everything was going on. So ends Robbs rebellion against the Lannisters, someone should have told the wolves that "a lion still has claws and mine are long and sharp my lord, as long and sharp as yours".
Very quickly just want to mention some great new additions to the cast; I have already mentioned Ramsey, Mance, the Reeds and the Brotherhood but we also have Anton Lesser as Qyburn (Can't wait for this character to have a bigger role later, those who read the book know what I mean), Clive Russell as Bryden Tully, Tobias Menzies as Edmure Tully, Diana Rigg as Olenna Tyrell (a match even for Tywin) and Kristofer Hivju as Tormund Giantsbane (perfect casting there).
Overall this season was probably the best one in the Game of Thrones series so far (though the currently airing fourth season is doing really good so far), while it did not have a big battle like in season two I think the introduction of Unsullied and the Red Wedding are just as great. The only let downs were the death of the character Ros and the removal of the Astran Whitebeard subplot but I admit they are only small inconveniences in an otherwise perfect season.
SCORE: 9.5/10
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