Game of Thrones Season 1

This is not a typical review but more my thoughts on the first season of HBO’s fantasy drama Game of Thrones.  When I first heard about Game of Thrones, I was excited. I don’t know why, but I was.  All I had seen were a few teaser images and I was already drooling. It was a dark, epic drama set in medieval times with gore, nudity and super natural elements. That sounds like every nerd’s dream. Everyone on the internet was talking about how epic and remarkable this new show was going to be. People’s minds were already half made up. I was pumped.
The problem with being swept up in the hype for a new show is that it becomes very hard to judge it from a rational perspective, particularly when the show only lasts ten episodes. So, as someone who was swept up by the hype himself, I decided to re watch the first season after all the giddiness had died down.  Note: I haven’t read any of the books so there will be no book spoilers. 

Let me start off by saying during my first run through of Game of Thrones I was blown away. I’m a sucker for the genre and couldn’t stop telling my friends just how awesome this show was.  Did my opinion change after a second watch? It did. Game of Thrones is still a good show in my mind, but it will never be in the upper echelons of dramas on television due to its flaws.

:(

The main flaw with the show is the characters. Take away all the eye candy - the expansive sets, costumes, musical score, gore and nudity and just focus on the most important element of any drama worth its salt - the characters. With a few exceptions, I find them all monotonous, boring and predictable. The reality is they are all your run of the mill stereotypes and not a hint of conflict or complexity. You have the Starks, noble family loving people who will always do the right thing. The Lannisters, the counter weight to the Starks, evil and will do anything for power. The line between good and evil could not be any clearer. These two factions remain the centre of show and I would have preferred it if thing weren’t so black and white. Complex, conflicted characters make for great television (Tony Soprano, Walter White, Vic Mackey, John Locke) and sadly they are few and far between in this show. There is no character development, simply because it seems that all the characters have already reached the end of their arc. Think about it, with the exception of Daenerys, none of the characters on the show really grew or changed in any meaningful way. Why not delve deeper into how Joffrey’s such an evil little boy or further explore the reasons behind the Jamie – Cersei romance?

Little shit

The characters are merely vessels for the story when it should always be the other way around. The characters should be the ones driving the story forward, not vice versa. Of course, like I said they are some exceptions such as Tyrion, Varys, Bailesh and Arya. The main one being Tyrion who appears to have some sort of deal with the writers where he gets to be the only one saying anything witty or funny on the show. Apart from having all the best lines, what makes Tyrion so compelling and likeable is that we still don’t know where he stands with regards to good versus evil. He’s yet to properly pick a side which makes him one of the rare complicated characters on the show. Yes officially he is a Lannister and hand of the King. However his ambiguous moral compass, complicated daddy issues and fondness of smacking Joffrey around makes us wonder what path he will take. The same can be said for Varys and Baelish whose political scheming was always enjoyable to watch. Again, their intentions are not perfectly clear, which is what makes them so intriguing.

"An all white constituency? Where do I sign up for mayor?"

Another note of disappointment, for me personally, remains how season one had no real definitive ending. Perhaps I was foolish for expecting things to be wrapped up nicely. After sitting through shows like Lost and Battlestar Galactica which were full of exciting build up and terrible pay offs, I hope Game of Throne’s doesn’t go down a similar path where it teases its audience too much. I was not expecting some sort of Guy Ritchie style blood bath where all the storylines gloriously come together at the end, but having some of the storylines resolved or come together would have been preferable. Season two will presumably bring with it more storylines so the writers need to be careful they don’t find themselves spinning too many plates. Of course, ultimately, they remain at the mercy of the books here.

Scene stealer and Joffrey beater

While Game of Thrones still remains a thoroughly entertaining show, it isn’t as intelligent or brilliant as it could have been. Season two will be a very important indicator as to where this show is heading i.e. a good show or a great show. I can understand how something of this scale is bound to be slow moving, so hopefully season one was more about setting the groundwork for the rest of the show. However, if season two offers more of the same, I’ll be resigned to watching this show thinking of what could have been.