A Game of Thrones: Musings

I just finished re-reading the last few chapters of George R.R. Martin's "A Game of Thrones." Back when I declared this book as "read" over at my Goodreads account, I must confess that I just skimmed through the last parts because I figured I wouldn't miss much since I watched the series. I have never been so wrong. :))

I was absolutely amazed by how much imagery the book had as I plowed through the last chapters. Even the smallest of details, like a twig snapping or a sword dropping to the floor or Summer licking his wounds after fighting with Shaggydog, added to the overall intensity or subtlety of a certain situation. It made me feel like I was there - a tree, a wolf, a brick on the wall, a Gold Cloak, a Dothraki, a servant...you name it. I was there, and I was everywhere.

The characterizations are also somewhat different. In the book, Cersei is colder and more evil, Catelyn has a personality of a rock (I can't seem to sympathize with her here than in the TV series), and Tywin has a stronger aura of authority that it actually scares me.

I am not saying that the HBO series sucks. I've been following it religiously for the past two seasons, and now that it's on its third, I am quite excited to see what will happen. I'm also curious to see the changes they've made to the story. This is, after all, an adaptation - you can't expect them to follow everything to the letter. There were parts in the TV series that were not in the book; they added those maybe just to make things more interesting and exciting.

Photo from www.beyondhollywood.com

Though the HBO adaptation provides excellent visuals, they're nothing compared to what I see in my head. Why? Because it's in my head, and it's mine and mine alone. :)

Speaking of Game of Thrones, I think the 3rd episode's out. Must. Watch. Now.

Day 14 (Couch Patatas)

My last entry was four months ago. Yes, work has taken over my life. O_o

But after this particularly hellish semester, I think it's about time I step back and take a day off. It's kind of a challenge for me not to think about work, but I'll try my best not to let it disrupt my "petix" day today. Gotta find ways to distract myself, like continuing the 30-Day Blog Challenge I started last August. :))

A TV show you're currently addicted to.

Before work and the Internet took over my life, I was a couch potato. Or a bed potato, to be precise. I used to have my own television and I'd stay in my room and watch whatever is on for most of the day especially after I discovered the crime show channels. Yes, I love crime/police/forensic procedurals. Ever since I first laid eyes on CSI, I was hooked. I remember spending every waking moment in front of the TV, watching and discovering all those shows like Law and Order, Cold Case, CSI, etc., and even going as far as downloading all of the episodes of all the seasons (which really killed our bandwidth). I don't get to watch that much anymore and I am really left behind with what's going on with my favorite shows, so now I'm trying to make up for lost time.

My staples are Law and Order SVU, CSI New York, and Bones. But because I don't want this entry to be too long, I'm going to talk about two shows I recently discovered instead - Castle and Game of Thrones.

Castle - The show has a common theme - a cop and a civilian partner up and take down the bad guys. Richard Castle (Firefly's Nathan Fillion) is a critically-acclaimed murder mystery author who found his inspiration for his next story in Det. Kate Beckett (Stana Katic), a no-nonsense homicide detective. It's the classic partnership - he's charming, she's hot, and their dynamic has us all asking "will they or won't they", especially since the tension between them is pretty obvious. Like Bones, I love how humor is peppered throughout an episode despite the show's serious nature - kinda shows that there's always a silver lining to everything. It's informative, it's witty and funny, and it teaches us a thing or two about people. And of course, who could resist Castle and Beckett's swordplay?

Game of Thrones - Based on a series of novels by Georgre R. R. Martin, the show is set in a medieval era and is filled with lies, deception, death, sex, and a whole lot of naked people. It's dark and heavy, and though it does have some funny moments, even those tend to be sardonic. The story also relies heavily on dialogue, which means you have to really pay attention or you won't understand what the hell is going on. This is a bit of a problem for me, since I admit I sometimes have the attention span of a 12-year-old. Still, the drama surrounding the characters (and there are A LOT of characters) is intriguing enough for me to finish an episode and start the next one. And the sword fighting and archery are really cool.

Oh, and did I mention that there were a lot of naked people in this show?

Dear Elliot Stabler

You've been in SVU for 12 long years, and we've all seen you catch pervs and rapists, get shot, grill suspects in interrogation, get stabbed with a pen, make out with Dani Beck, struggle with your marriage, go undercover numerous times, turn women to lifeless goo with your blue eyes, bare your chest (much to your female fans' delight), and constantly flirt with Olivia Benson without even trying. I admit that you're not one of my favorites at first, but your stubbornness and temper grew on me and you're a staple in the 1-6 that I can't imagine not seeing your manly man figure walking down the hall with your partner. I am sad to hear that I won't see you next season. I will miss the badass-ness you bring to the show, and of course, it won't be the same without that yummy tension between you and Benson. I do not want to see you go, but such is life. The best of luck to you.

Ampogi-pogi, syet.

And to the producers, he BETTER have a graceful exit. Don't go killing him off or something, or I will be really pissed.

Love,
KG