So I've been watching the fifth season, and I need to know if I'm too biased because of being a book reader, or if non book readers would agree with me too.
Firstly, I'd like to apologise for my poor english/grammar. Secondly, I'd like to point out there are spoilers from this point on, but I've tried to keep them vague.
Game of thrones is dumb. It's rated fantasticaly and far too many people are raving about it... and yet it is dumb. (the books, in contrast, do far fewer dumb things) from the top of my head:
Things I'l give the series credit for:
Varys is spot on. Brienne is quite tolerable. Joffery was excellently played. Darvos is pretty accurate. I'l also give the series points for skipping over something I didn't like in the books... nah, I probably won't. Most of that struck me as being likely to be well done if they were converted. But I can kinda understand skipping over the battle of the blackwater for budget reasons.
Firstly, I'd like to apologise for my poor english/grammar. Secondly, I'd like to point out there are spoilers from this point on, but I've tried to keep them vague.
Game of thrones is dumb. It's rated fantasticaly and far too many people are raving about it... and yet it is dumb. (the books, in contrast, do far fewer dumb things) from the top of my head:
Adding simple cliche's (I've got this one key to this vault filled with all the treasure...)
Logic unfriendly costume design (poor lanister soldiers in plate armour, uniform-like wildlings etc.)
Many massively coincidental meetings. (Why is brienne meeting everyone?)
really, really dumb character descisions. Pointing primarily to dany (who is somehow praised for her imbecility) , but Arya fairs far worse here than she does in the books.
-That one rape scene.
The inconsistency of arya. In the first episode, she's a master archer. Later in the series, she's a total novice. In the first series she learns acrobatics, stealth and swordplay from syrio... and forgets most of it immediately, to fuck up later. She also entirely fucks up her three names for jaquen (it was more reasonable in the books, where she wasn't the cupbearer of important names)
-people revealing their master plans.
-Jon snow sidequests. Now.Now including special-ops Jamie lanister and Bron.
-Littlefinger. Written and acted poorly.
-Random whores.
and, for book readers:
- magic in the tv series is overt and obvious. In the books it's subtle. In the tv series I just want to slap brienne. 'nah girl, don't tell him it was a shadow, tell him it was a smoke monster brought fourth by foul sorcery, There's a witch with stanis. They'll believe it.' (plus, shouldn't the warlocks have infinite power or something, how'd they fail to kill someone with that kind of magic?)
-The weird skipping over characters and storylines (which is now replayed in additional superfluous ones that the writers added in to slow down the series)
-all those missing flashback
-all that warging stuff. where's it gone?
-The removal of the fabulous (but not unrealistic) outfits of people in essos. be it that one boob dress in quarth, the wonderful colours of the bravosi and pentoshi
-Removal of riverrun
-Brienne meeting everyone.
- The lack of flashbacks
-Arya should be an artful badass. Yes, the tv version has arya do some severe things... but she's nowhere near the level of book arya. (also, if I'm not mistaken in mentioning it; arya is supposed to be a girl who begins plain and then succeeds in puberty monumentally. I sadly don't see it happening with this actor) I'm aware that book arya might be seen as some kind of psychotic mary sue, but she was damn great to read about.
- Kindly man has a familiar face. what the fuck?
- Rob's alternative wife. there are differences here that might be important.
-
- The darker side of tyrion. I like TV tyrion, but the problem is here is that he's too likeable. It's hard to see how anyone would think of him as a monster. It's not just down to the fact that peter dinklage makes dwarves sexy, it's more down to the lack of his lamentation (and when he does lament, it's open and really too lightly done, even if on heavy topic)
-Why did that important character die in s5e5 I can forgive reed, but what the fuck!
-Where the hell is strong belwas (the greatest character ever). I know he's not important to the plot, but he is important to all of humanity.
Logic unfriendly costume design (poor lanister soldiers in plate armour, uniform-like wildlings etc.)
Many massively coincidental meetings. (Why is brienne meeting everyone?)
really, really dumb character descisions. Pointing primarily to dany (who is somehow praised for her imbecility) , but Arya fairs far worse here than she does in the books.
-That one rape scene.
The inconsistency of arya. In the first episode, she's a master archer. Later in the series, she's a total novice. In the first series she learns acrobatics, stealth and swordplay from syrio... and forgets most of it immediately, to fuck up later. She also entirely fucks up her three names for jaquen (it was more reasonable in the books, where she wasn't the cupbearer of important names)
-people revealing their master plans.
-Jon snow sidequests. Now.Now including special-ops Jamie lanister and Bron.
-Littlefinger. Written and acted poorly.
-Random whores.
and, for book readers:
- magic in the tv series is overt and obvious. In the books it's subtle. In the tv series I just want to slap brienne. 'nah girl, don't tell him it was a shadow, tell him it was a smoke monster brought fourth by foul sorcery, There's a witch with stanis. They'll believe it.' (plus, shouldn't the warlocks have infinite power or something, how'd they fail to kill someone with that kind of magic?)
-The weird skipping over characters and storylines (which is now replayed in additional superfluous ones that the writers added in to slow down the series)
-all those missing flashback
-all that warging stuff. where's it gone?
-The removal of the fabulous (but not unrealistic) outfits of people in essos. be it that one boob dress in quarth, the wonderful colours of the bravosi and pentoshi
-Removal of riverrun
-Brienne meeting everyone.
- The lack of flashbacks
-Arya should be an artful badass. Yes, the tv version has arya do some severe things... but she's nowhere near the level of book arya. (also, if I'm not mistaken in mentioning it; arya is supposed to be a girl who begins plain and then succeeds in puberty monumentally. I sadly don't see it happening with this actor) I'm aware that book arya might be seen as some kind of psychotic mary sue, but she was damn great to read about.
- Kindly man has a familiar face. what the fuck?
- Rob's alternative wife. there are differences here that might be important.
-
- The darker side of tyrion. I like TV tyrion, but the problem is here is that he's too likeable. It's hard to see how anyone would think of him as a monster. It's not just down to the fact that peter dinklage makes dwarves sexy, it's more down to the lack of his lamentation (and when he does lament, it's open and really too lightly done, even if on heavy topic)
-Why did that important character die in s5e5 I can forgive reed, but what the fuck!
-Where the hell is strong belwas (the greatest character ever). I know he's not important to the plot, but he is important to all of humanity.
Things I'l give the series credit for:
Varys is spot on. Brienne is quite tolerable. Joffery was excellently played. Darvos is pretty accurate. I'l also give the series points for skipping over something I didn't like in the books... nah, I probably won't. Most of that struck me as being likely to be well done if they were converted. But I can kinda understand skipping over the battle of the blackwater for budget reasons.