Game of Thrones (TV and Books)

Synopsis

Follow the Stark family and others major players, as they work to survive in a world that doesn't want them to be around. From Jon in the Nights Watch, Aria and the faceless men, and Sansa as the growing force in the game.

Review

I wanted to put a pretty large preface on this review as it will cover both the books and the TV show. I know that people who read the book are PISSED at the way it ended and I will be leaving out Season 7 and 8 as the books have not reached the end.

So lets talk about the similarities of the books and the TV show and in the beginning, it is almost IDENTICAL and all the major parts of the book are in the TV show. Season 1 is book 1 and Season 2 is Book 2 with the exception of the First 2 episodes of Season 3 which belong to the second book. Done and done. Season 3 and Season 4 is covered in Book 3. Then you have a off the rails mixture of the next set of books for the next set of seasons. It really does kind of mix together.

Book 4 is where the deviation really starts and it makes sense. In the earlier books, most of the "Magic" is fairly limited to the dragons and some of the Ice King. In book 3 is when they really amp up the magic in the books. People not dying, the first men, the children of the forest, and so on that don't add to the overall story, but does give some additional flavor to the book, but may be too much for the casual viewer, which is the important part. We have to remember that this show was designed for viewers who hadn't read the books. When the last season was coming out, I worked with a couple people who had read the books and their venom for the show was so much that it honestly turned me off of reading the books further (I had read the first 2/3 books when on a deployment when the show first aired). Watching the show as a story "Virgin," I honestly really enjoyed it, even the last season, but again I won't be speaking of the last season in this review and won't until the last book comes out.

The story is wonderful. Very full, rich, and deep of background (See the story about G. R. R. Martin hiring someone to keep family trees together) and that really adds to this feeling of being there. The descriptions of the politics and the back and forth is so twisty and turning that some of the scenes are still talked about as the biggest surprises around, for instance: The Red Wedding, Death of Sean Bean, and others.

As for the acting, we should all really applaud the growth of these kids and their work. As the seasons go on, you can see the skills these kids obtained. Also, lets look at the adults specifically Peter Dinklage and Sean Bean. Stellar acting and just dept of character. My least favorite character is Catelyn Stark played by Michelle Fairley. Her character really doesn't add anything to the story. I honestly think that her acting is partly to blame as its single threaded and tonal throughout.

My Rating

I enjoyed this show and the books are really good. The characters/cast just dove into these characters that even when I watch other shows such as The Rig and I still think of their characters in this show. It is a solid 8 even considering the filler episodes.

Parental Rating

So my mom is out hands down due to nudity and violence. My dad is out because it isn't his thing, but based on the rating system I have given him, the language is consistent, but minimal as far as intensity. It is much more conversational. Violence is there but mostly spiritic for intensity. However, due to the consistency of both of these items, I do believe my dad would reject this show. So rejected by both.

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