The TV show, that is. I’ve not read the books, which is why I’ve been putting off watching the show for fourteen months. I always prefer to read the original before watching the adaptation, but I finally gave in.
And ohmygoditsawesome. Why?
Sean Bean
Sean “Sharpe/Boromir/Trevelyan from Goldeneye/Pride of Sheffield” Bean is one of our (Britain’s) great actors. He’s the classic working man’s actor – no fuss, no airs, it’s just a job that he works hard at and is bloody good at too. From the first episode he seems a perfect fit as Lord Stark.
I hope Eddard doesn’t die somewhere down the line, but I’m aware of George R. R. R. R. R.’s predilection for offing his characters. Perhaps the ‘Save Sean Bean’ campaign can keep him alive:
Peter Dinklage
I love this guy in everything he’s been in. I was so happy when he came on screen. Tyrion seems a great, complex character already:
“All dwarfs are bastards in their father’s eyes.”
Ouch.
Direwolf Cubs
So cute!
Incest Surprisingly Meets Expectations
Because every article I’ve read about the series has mentioned it about twelve times, I was expecting kinky brother-sister action once every fifteen minutes… and that pretty much happened.
I predict it’ll only take about three more episodes before I start saying “Incest again? Really, George?”.
Any (spoiler-free, please) thoughts, readers? What do you love about GoT? What have I got to look forward to?
DAN HARRIS: 10% SCI, 90% FI 
Thing is though, in A Game of Thrones the book, the incest is only onscreen once and it’s told from the PoV of a young boy who doesn’t understand what he’s looking at. From then onward, it’s hinted at, but not actually said. I haven’t seen A Game of Thrones the show yet, but from what I understand, they added a hell of a lot more sex then there is in the books. In the books, it’s there, but it’s not center-stage, so most of the incest stuff that’s on there isn’t because of GRRM, it’s HBO.
That said, I wasn’t able to get past the first book, though I own the first four. It’s just…too bloody depressing to read. It’s not just GRRM’s habit of offing random characters. It’s also the fact that he obliterates all hope for an interesting or positive end to the characters’ stories about halfway through, and I usually end up finishing his books just to see someone I don’t like die horribly, not because I cheer for his main characters.
I’ve really been meaning to watch the series. I’ve been told it’s absolutely brilliant.
That makes sense – HBO are pretty well known for unnecessarily adding sex to their programmes. It’s like they feel the need to constantly remind people “You’re not watching one of the major networks – and here are some breasts to prove it!” True Blood’s the same.
But nevertheless, they make awesome programmes (The Sopranos, The Wire, Boardwalk Empire, now GoT) so I don’t complain too much 🙂
Oh, I agree. Though I haven’t gotten around to watching the third season of TrueBlood, I’d read the first four books a few years ago, and I have to say, they did brilliantly turning what I considered a somewhat mediocre storyline into a great one with the tv show. Haven’t seen too many of the other shows mostly because my satellite company tacks an extra $30 onto the bill for HBO/STARZ. I haven’t got around to buying/renting the dvds yet for The Sopranos, but it’s on my list.
Nevermind. Big mistake. There was more sex in the books than I remember (was reading over some discussions about it and had my memory refreshed). Apparently, from book two onward, every other chapter is a sex scene of some sort, and quite a few of those are rape. *shudder*
Bleurgh. Oh well, I’ll watch it until it gets too much I suppose.
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