Monday, May 11, 2015

game of thrones ... off book and firing on all cylinders

Many loyal readers and viewers of Game of Thrones have been nervous about the show going off book, but the episodes of this season just keep getting better and better.

Stannis is not only become likable, but interesting. I'm still in shock over that. I actually felt hopeful and impressed as I watched his army ride south towards Winterfell. He had a lovely short scene with Sam, reminding him and us, that winter and the army of the dead are coming. And he seems to be becoming a father figure, or at least mentor, to Jon Snow. Whether you think Stannis deserves to rule in Westeros or not, at least he hasn't turned a blind eye towards the white walkers, like so many others have in the story. But note to Jon: keep an eye on that kid that you made your steward. He has an, "Et tu, Brute?" look about him.

Hey, that thing up in the sky - is it a bird ...

Even clever Tyrion pooh-poohed their existence. But in last night's episode "Kill the Boy" he had his supernatural doubts shaken and stirred. First, with delight, as he saw his first honest-to-God dragon in flight. Now we know where Drogon goes ... And then, in horror, when the Stone Men attacked the boat Jorah and he were traveling in, through the waters of the deserted land of Valyria. I had a feeling that Jorah was going to have a stony encounter, another change, but a welcome one, from the books.

For all of the speculation and despair that some fans have expressed towards this "new" material, I have to say that I really love what they're doing. As Polonius says in Hamlet, "Brevity is the soul of wit," and Game of Thrones Benioff and Weiss and their writers have streamlined some very long book passages and multiple, potentially extraneous, characters into some great television sequences that even Maester George R. R. Martin would surely approve. They even got things moving in Meereen with Daenerys. Life in Winterfell is all new and twisted and exciting. I can't wait to see where they go next. As Maester Aemon counseled Jon Snow at The Wall, "Kill the boy," and become the man. Game of Thrones is killing the text and becoming ... Well, we'll just have to wait and see, won't we?

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