Game of Thrones: Season One

THIS REVIEW CONTAINS MAJOR SPOILERS

“When you play the game of thrones, you win or you die. There is no middle ground,” Cersei Lannister spits at Ned Stark in HBO’s adaptation of George R.R Martin’s epic. Truer words were never spoken. I suppose I must congratulate HBO on actually pulling it off. The sheer volume of Martin’s first instalment is enough to dissuade any producer from taking on such a burden, yet David Benioff and D.B Weiss have ruthlessly plucked chapter one of A Song of Ice and Fire and turned it into Game of Thrones. To the untrained eye, Thrones is fantasy, yet this is a presumption that needs to be cast aside. Benioff’s and Weiss’ adaptation is a tale of politics and power play, set in Westeros, a quasi-medieval world that visually resembles our own history. As such, there are hints of realism here. This could be, dragons and pet dire-wolves aside, a historical drama depicting the feud between three families that revolves around the Iron Throne. 

It’s impossible to sum Game of Thrones up into a coherent paragraph that’s a viable length for a blog. I will, however, have a go. It’s all about power. Having it, wanting it, in some cases even lusting over it. Three feuding families, the Lannisters, the Starks and to a lesser extent, the Targaryen’s, fight for the Iron Throne, the one thing that will give them the power they desire so much. Game of Thrones truly is devastating; the advantages of such power are highlighted to a degree by King Robert Baratheon in, of course, the most crass way possible. “I just want to drink myself to an early grave and f**k girls,” he says, or something to that extent. Yet the repercussions of such power is when Game of Thrones really gets going. Families are torn apart by dividend loyalties, tyrants become rulers and dark secrets lurk around every corner. This isn’t just about the magic. This is fantastical opera that rivals even that of J.R.R Tolkein’s Lord of the Rings trilogy. Martin has created an entire universe. Major players of the game of thrones are scattered thousands of miles. Race, religion, sanctions; they’re all here in what has to be one of the most disturbing series to hit our screens this year. 

There’s no real resolution to Game of Thrones’ first season. After all, this is only the first piece of the puzzle. The map during the opening credits (well done Ramin Djawadi on the theme music, by the way) only alludes to the mass expanse of Westeros. There are, I feel, a whole host of places waiting to be explored. (Notice how the opening sequence changes depending on where the action of the episode takes place). One thing I must comment on is the closeness to the book. I’m astounded Benioff and Weiss have managed to stick to the original text with such detail. The ten hour adaptation gives Game of Thrones a little more room to breath. Had this been a two hour film, Martin’s genius text would have been massacred.

Game of Thrones succeeds because of character. It’s the one thing that drives the plot and it’s the better off for it. If anything, Game of Thrones is centred around humanity with all its perfections and, of course, its imperfections. There are no heroes or villains; the Starks, I suppose, are the ones we are meant to root for, yet even they possess dark motivation that blows any morality out of the water. We perceive the Lannisters as the ‘villains’ yet Cersei, the King’s wife, is purely motivated to do the things she does in order to hide her affair from the husband that never truly loved her. Acts of desperation can be misconstrued as acts if bitterness and revenge, but in Westeros, it is every man (and woman) for himself.

Sean Bean is fantastic as Ned Stark, and I won’t waste my time writing about the legend that is Peter Dinklage (Tyrion Lannister), who emerges as the fan favourite. For me, however, it is Emilia Clarke as Daenerys Targaryen who really shines. Exiled as a young girl, after a coup on behalf of Robert Baratheon sees her sadistic father overthrown, Daenerys is thrust into an arranged marriage by her brother who yearns for his rightful place on the Iron throne. Clarke, a relative unknown, is simply superb in her subtleness. For her, the events of Game of Thrones are a journey that sees her grow into a ‘Khaleesi’, or Queen, in her own right. Many have overlooked the Targaryen plotline. If you have, I implore that you go back and take another look. Clarke could well emerge as the star of Game of Thrones and rightly so. If anything, I’m rooting for her to get the throne. It will be interesting to see how she develops during the second series, which will, of course, be an adaptation of Martin’s A Clash of Kings. 

Visually, Game of Thrones is incredible. Weiss and Benioff really use medieval Europe as their inspiration, avoiding the fantasy clichés that dominate most pictures. The effects really are astounding. Every second counts. High sweeping scenes of Westeros (which is actually Northern Ireland and Malta) seem to relish in the beauty of such scenery. Winterfell, Lord Stark’s home, is the epitome of bleakness. At times, there is a translucency to the backdrop of this place, a cold, hard outlook that represents the harsh winter, a stark (pun intended) contrast to the rich and warm colours of the Baratheon household. Game of Thrones’ cinematography is stunning in detail. Maybe some of it is lost on a television screen. This is where my interest is piqued as to what the visual would be on a cinema projector.  

Needless to say, Game of Thrones’ first season has been both shocking and rewarding. It’ll be interesting to see how an adaptation of the second book goes down. Producers have already confirmed that the very long Storm of Swords (which will be Game of Thrones’ third season) will depart from the book, a move that  has been given a negative response from fans. If you felt as if Game of Thrones was lacking in pace (I don’t know why you would!) and only picked up towards its finale, stick with it. Yes, you may think you’ve seen the biggest shock the show can offer (end of episode nine, anyone?) but there is plenty more where that came from. *Cough* Red Wedding *Cough*. Fans of the book will know what I mean. Fans of the television show will have to wait. One thing is certain, however. Season two is going to be one hell of a ride. I, for one, cannot wait until play resumes.