Critic At Large: Game Of Thrones (HBO Series)

A few thoughts after watching the first episode of HBO’s Game of Thrones:

• It was faithful to the book without being slavish or plodding. The openings scenes set near the towering Wall were brilliantly executed, establishing the same tone of foreboding that permeates the book. The rest of the episode mirrored the brisk pace of the book’s opening chapters. I’m curious about to see how the series will adapt a plot that sprouts a lot more branches as the story progresses.
• Peter Dinklage (as the lecherous and height-challenged Tyrion) and Emilia Clarke (as the exiled princess Daenerys) are the most compelling presences in the first episode, particularly Clarke. She brings a devastating pathos to her performance, making us both pity and admire a young woman who is forced into a terrifying situation. And I’m eager to see more of Tyrion.
• The sets and costumes are stunning, as do the few examples of CGI scattered throughout the episode. This is the kind of television that simply demands to be watched more than once to admire the little flourishes on the suits of armor or the soaring buttresses of Winterfell.
• Middle Earth looks like a Bible camp compared to the land of Westeros, a fact that HBO is only too happy to illustrate for us. This series is probably going to annoy the puritans who can’t countenance even a hint of sex in their sword-and-sorcery epics.
• The episode ended on a perfect cliffhanger that should keep the uninitiated interested enough to tune in next week.
• It would be a shame if we don’t get a second season. This is great stuff.