Spoiler post for GoT Week 7
SPOILERS below if you aren't up to date on the series or the novel GAME OF THRONES
The King Is Dead (Original title of post until I realized what a huge spoiler it would be for some.
The minute the character of Robert Barantheon, King of the Iron Throne, was introduced in GAME OF THRONES (I'm talking the novel here), I knew he would die. After all, his death would result in a terrible complication, but little did I know how many complications there would be. What surprised me was how long the story proceeded before he actually dies; I felt the same way watching the series. There's a sense of building, building, building, and once Robert dies, now all hell can break loose. So this episode ends right on that explosion as politics blow up in Ned's face and he is totally betrayed. Ooh, how I love to hate Cersei! And Littlefinger! Is Renly a wimp or simply smarter than Ned?
I've mentioned on Facebook that I am also reading a blog series by Remy Verhoeve, who posted an essay as he read GoT for the tenth time. It cost me about $3 on Kindle but I don't recommend spending the money. Still, it is helpful to jog my memory rather than trying to reread the book. Between this companion piece and watching the HBO version, I am learning just how much I have missed even after two reads. A major plot point that I do not know how I could have missed: That Khal Drogo decided to invade Westeros, and even that Danaerys was pushing for it to happen. Did I skim her parts in both reads? Possibly, because I liked her story far better in Book 2, and had a tendency to go quickly past her and Jon Snow, in order to get back to Ned, Bran, or Catelyn, but most of all, Tyrion. Tyrion's scenes in the book and in the series, always seem the liveliest and most engaging. Poor Ned. While his scenes were great, his character is tragic as he plunges down the abyss, all because he is so determined to do the honorable thing.
I broached the subject of rewatching GoT episodes with my husband, because he is obviously at sea every week. I wish I had been more disciplined and waited to watch it several episodes at a time. I think he'd be more engaged that way. So we'll see if going through it a second time will make it work for him. Poor guy, I admire that he's trying for my sake.
The King Is Dead (Original title of post until I realized what a huge spoiler it would be for some.
The minute the character of Robert Barantheon, King of the Iron Throne, was introduced in GAME OF THRONES (I'm talking the novel here), I knew he would die. After all, his death would result in a terrible complication, but little did I know how many complications there would be. What surprised me was how long the story proceeded before he actually dies; I felt the same way watching the series. There's a sense of building, building, building, and once Robert dies, now all hell can break loose. So this episode ends right on that explosion as politics blow up in Ned's face and he is totally betrayed. Ooh, how I love to hate Cersei! And Littlefinger! Is Renly a wimp or simply smarter than Ned?
I've mentioned on Facebook that I am also reading a blog series by Remy Verhoeve, who posted an essay as he read GoT for the tenth time. It cost me about $3 on Kindle but I don't recommend spending the money. Still, it is helpful to jog my memory rather than trying to reread the book. Between this companion piece and watching the HBO version, I am learning just how much I have missed even after two reads. A major plot point that I do not know how I could have missed: That Khal Drogo decided to invade Westeros, and even that Danaerys was pushing for it to happen. Did I skim her parts in both reads? Possibly, because I liked her story far better in Book 2, and had a tendency to go quickly past her and Jon Snow, in order to get back to Ned, Bran, or Catelyn, but most of all, Tyrion. Tyrion's scenes in the book and in the series, always seem the liveliest and most engaging. Poor Ned. While his scenes were great, his character is tragic as he plunges down the abyss, all because he is so determined to do the honorable thing.
I broached the subject of rewatching GoT episodes with my husband, because he is obviously at sea every week. I wish I had been more disciplined and waited to watch it several episodes at a time. I think he'd be more engaged that way. So we'll see if going through it a second time will make it work for him. Poor guy, I admire that he's trying for my sake.