Game of Thrones
I mean it. Spoilers for both the book and the series.
I just can't turn off that part of my brain that obsessively catalogs all the little details that have been changed from the book to the series. I also can't really see things from a newcomer's point of view. Which makes it kind of difficult for me to disentangle the two or maybe to see why certain things should be the way they are, but I'll try.
I really quite like the series, let's get that out of the way. Some of the performances and castings are perfect, the sets have uniformly impressed me, and the story is done well enough to preserve most of the things I like about the books. It gets a little hairier when things have been changed.
Let's take the Lannister story. I actually quite like what the screenwriters have added to Cersei's back-story and how they've fleshed out the (non) relationship between her and Robert and her motherly advice to her son. She always felt quite one-dimensional to me, especially after her disastrous performance in A Feast for Crows. The actress does her justice, with just the right amount of sneer and plotting. Jaime is great and Tyrion is just perfect. He is a Lannister to his boots, but tells the truth unflinchingly and with a lot of sympathy. He also has some of the funniest lines.
But the Targaryen story-line severely disappoints. First of all, the wedding scene disgusted me with its portrayal of people of color. I mean, really? They may be nomadic tribes people, but HBO didn't have to make them quite such a caricature. Secondly, Dany is almost entirely lacking the inner fire that I found so appealing in the books. It may be that it's more difficult to portray the kind of growth that she goes through on the screen, since much of it is in her perceptions and thoughts, but the series does her a disservice. She is constantly robbed of agency (the decision to make Viserys walk should have come from her and was one of the defining moments of her becoming someone strong and interesting). Her relationship with Khal Drogo does not evolve slowly from a sale to a partnership but reads more like Stockholm's syndrome. Even when she finally got to smack her annoying brother in the face, she referred to herself as a wife (with Khal Drogo's son in her belly no less) - in the book she does not mention this (a small distinction, but an important one).
Another woman who changes a bit in my estimation is Catelyn, who was always a polarizing character with good reason. In the series, she pleads with Ned not to go, but in the book she is the one who persuades him that he must go to King's Landing. She has her moments of Awesome; in particular, the actress does a brilliant job with the scene in the inn where she yoinks Tyreon off to who knows where, but she is nevertheless changed somewhat. The Stark children have been great so far (I'm including Jon Snow in this, wink wink nudge nudge), and Bran and Arya have really gotten to shine. I wish I didn't know what was to come, almost.
Really, I am enjoying the series a great deal. But! There is always a but. Perhaps I am getting very old and need the kids to get off my lawn, but HBO has really layered on the gratuitous sex and violence (I mind the sex part less though rape can still go away). There is way too much lingering on the blood spurting from wounds, heads being cut off, etc. Sure, this is a bloody and violent time. Sure, people like violence. But I shouldn't be so disgusted with this series. I freaking love these books and they are not lacking in dark descriptions. The visual effect is just too much, it's too visceral (pardon the pun). I don't need this much gore to know that this is a violent and dark time, really.
I think the actors are doing a great job inhabiting these characters and bringing them to life. Even if they don't match my inner vision, they generally nail the performances enough for me not to care. I will continue to watch and enjoy, and I will read the next book in one giant gulp (and I am almost sure I will love it (all of my favorite characters will be in it)). I hope you have been enjoying it too. What do you think of the series so far?