Much has been said and written about the first Game of Thrones episode. Viewer numbers of the first episode were very good and most reviews have been quite positive. Some reviews however, were rather negative.
I have decided to wait with writing a review till after the second episode to be able to better form my opinion.
Having seen all the trailers and previews out there, most of the first episode was already known to me. I was somewhat surprised that the episode started beyond the wall but it did set a the stage for the episodes and seasons to come and created an exciting and tense start of the first season.
Positive elements
Game of Thrones clearly has it positive elements. First of all, it looks great: the settings created, the landscaped, the computer-generated elements, and the costumes all are visually stunning. You immediately see that there are no amateurs at play here.
Secondly, the acting is really good. Both the young (inexperienced) and the older actors put in an excellent performance which is especially important for such a character driven series.
Lastly, viewer numbers are good and HBO has ordered a second season. With enough viewers and the backing of the studio, Game of Thrones will have time to develop and find its place.
Less positive elements
A lot of time was spent on introducing all the characters and their personalities, which is understandable given the sheer amount of characters involved in the series. This was done well but I am still afraid that viewers unknown to the books will have had a hard time with the first episode. For me, having read all the Ice & Fire books so far, it resulted in a feeling of being a bit overwhelmed as well.
A second point, but this may be personal, is that the sex and nudity in especially the first episode were a bit over the top. I got the impression a lot of it was included in the episode just to make it more interesting instead of it being really needed for the story. On the other hand, George R.R. Martin never shied away from a bit of flesh in his novels.
Conclusion
I can be short in my conclusion: I liked the first two episode of Game of Thrones but they left me not completely satisfied. Somehow, the series has not yet been able to truly grip my full attention. I will continue to watch the series and I hope that it will become better by the episode, resulting in it being the best fantasy TV series ever.
The last point I want to make is with the story of A Song of Ice & Fire being so good and complex, the TV series may take its time to find the perfect combination of complexity and accessibility but it the end I am confident it will result in something great.
Tags: A Song of Ice & Fire, Game of Thrones
