They Got Game

I justy rewatched the first season of Game Of Thrones and it's even better than I remembered.  Of course, it maye have helped that I was able to view the entire season in less than a week so the plot really moved.  But it's an impressive show.

The scope is impressive, of course--the large cast, the sets, the scenery, the costumes.  But I've been bored by epic fantasy before.  I usually am.  It's the character who make it work.  What they do and, just as much, what they say.  It's tricky to write dialogue for olden times, since it can seem too arch and literary on one end, or slangy and modern on another.  The people here speak a slightly heightened speech, but witty and smart without sounding archaic.

Watching the show while knowing where it's going clarified a lot, and revealed a solid guiding intelligence.  Character is destiny.  Everyone has their reasons for acting as they do.  Even if it leads them to disaster you can see why they did what they did.  They're not stupid--they're often working at the top of their intellect.  But that's not always enough.

Even though this is the fantasy genre, my least favorite parts are still the more fantastic elements.  I prefer the strategizing and the intrigue, the reality of which is weakened by zombies, dragons, etc. Still, it's a well-done series overall and I'm certainly looking forward to season 2.  (But I won't read the books.  It's still not my kind of thing on the page.)