A Briefing With Michael: Game Of Thrones

Showing posts with label Game Of Thrones. Show all posts

Game Of Thrones 1.1

First episode was okay. Not sure, yet, if I’ll go back for more. Music was terrific.

Show ends best-ever season with another strong entry bringing resolution to many ongoing elements. It was the most event-filled season, yet it never ever felt rushed or badly-thought-out. In fact, it always seemed like the constant developments were the result of carefully-laid plans (by the writers).

3 highlights this week:

Cersei/High Sparrow arc reaches a perfect climax, and the stage is set for Cersei/Jaime conflict in the upcoming final season.
Arya was badass.
Great scene between Daenerys and Tyrion.

10/10

Game Of Thrones 6.9

Magnificent. Not just visually, but also in terms of emotional power.

The episode belonged to Sansa and Daenerys. Both had powerful character-defining moments. And Yara had a great scene, too. Sansa has been transformed this season. Finally, she’s someone we can root for.
The writers clever show that Jon is far from the leader he needs to be, moving forward.
Shireen’s storyline made a surprising (and welcome) return to the fore, as Davos found somethat clued him in to her final fate. Excellent. Will enjoy waiting for that storyline to come to fruition. Next episode/season?
Fantastic performance from Iwan Rheon. As ever.

10/10

Game Of Thrones 6.8

Another highly satisfying episode in what is definitely the show’s best season so far. Scenes for the Hound and (eventually) Arya were the best. But it was a strong episode for character scenes for everybody who was featured. 10/10

Game Of Thrones 6.7

Two beloved characters return and Ian McShane gets some good scenes. The show is definitely having it’s best season:

Characters have been killed off, so some storylines are now gone and the overall pace is faster.
Characters have met up and joined forces, so some storylines are now combined and the overall pace is faster.

10/10

Game Of Thrones 6.6

It slowed a lot in the middle, but big developments for Arya, Tommen and Jaime kept it enjoyable.
The High Sparrow twist was clever and rewarding. Not at all where I thought this storyline was going.
Nice to see some old faces return.
Arya’s freefall to the darkside has caused me to like the character less as the seasons have progressed. Seems like the worm turns here. Good.

9/10

Game Of Thrones 6.5

Ania Bukstein.

The final third overshadowed everything else, but right from scene one this was one of the best episodes. The Daenerys/Joran scene alone was a highlight of the series so far. The Sansa/Littlefinger scene not far behind.
This has been an impressive season, notably for moving the big storylines along in almost every episode. Bodes well for the future (only 18 episodes left now).
Great ending. Rewarding to see something come together so well.

10/10

Game Of Thrones 6.4

Excellent. Not just story arc developments, but story arc developments that are deeply satisfying to see.

Brothers and sisters reuniting was a theme.
Old enemies joining forces was a theme, too.
Mostly, it was just an episode where many of the characters we love were clever and/or awesome.

10/10

Game Of Thrones 6.3

Not as much development as previous episode, but that would be expecting too much. You can’t have major leaps forward on a constant basis. At least with this installment we get visits with most main characters and all are very interesting. Some make it clear that changes are (probably/hopefully) coming soon.

Best bits?

The trips back in time are proving to a highlight.
Really enjoyed the Varys and Tyrion scenes. Not so much for their story arc advancement, but simply for the great performances from both actors.
Jonathan Pryce is probably the best actor on the show now.
The Jon Snow / Arya Stark / Daenerys Targaryen sequences played out in very, very, very predictable fashion. Enjoyable to watch, yes, but the show probably needs to move on - rapidly - in these storylines.

9/10

Game Of Thrones 6.2

Unlike last week, this week the show actually moved stories forward. Several stories. Quite a bit, too. Nice.
Two of the most powerful characters in the world, politically speaking, were murdered. Killed off. Bang. Just like that. Neither of these were major characters in the show, but it’s going to be interesting to see what Ramsay does next…
Tyrion freed the dragons. Cool decision. For the character. For the show.
Jon Snow returned. The wait… was just about the right length.
Bran returned. The wait… was just about the right length.

10/10

Game Of Thrones 6.1

Some questions are answered. The storylines break down as follows:

Sansa - Progress in this storyline with characters (finally!) joining forces. And a pretty good battle, too. Best sequence of the episode.
Cersei - No progress, really, but some nice character work. Events in Dorne take a bloody turn. Not really invested in what happens there, to be honest.
Tyrion - Lots of talking. Little else.
Daenerys - Predictable developments.
Arya - Predictable developments.
Jon Snow - Tension in this storyline, but everything is moving so slo-o-o-o-owly…