The Movie Journal

Game of Thrones: Season 1, Episode 10 "Fire and Blood" June 19, 2011 SPOILERS AHEAD! If you think nothing could top “Baelor” as the best Game of Thrones episode, you might want to consider after watching the finale, “Fire and Blood.” After delivering the shocking goods to end the last episode, this finale moves at a brisk pace allowing many satisfying plot points to happen. Definitely keep your eyes peeled open because you do not want to miss a thing. Considering Ned’s abrupt execution, this episode has an emotional and rather angry feel to it. The Starks will definitely not go down without a fight. But seeing the lifeless head of Ned’s during the cold open was certainly an emotional stab. If there were any complaints one was to have, many of the plot points were not concluded. Instead, many of the pieces are put in place for what promises to be an action-packed, higher-budgeted second season. The Starks are in shock after Ned’s death. Sansa (Sophie Turner at...

Game of Thrones: Season 1, Episode 9 "Baelor" June 12, 2011 SPOILERS AHEAD! Without a doubt, “Baelor” is the best episode of this season so far. The ending is an absolute shocker, and one of the best endings you will ever see. My feelings for Joffrey, the snivel brat king, took a deep dive. When a character makes you so angry through his actions, that means you have quite the memorable character. You gotta feel for poor Ned. He was an honest, trustworthy man who kept his code to the end. As the sword was about to take off his neck, through King Joffrey’s orders, I was shocked by such a powerful moment. While Ned and the Starks were the important part of the episode, the centerpiece belonged to Tyrion. Peter Dinklage created many Emmy-worthy performances and he has many of them here at use. We learn a little more about his tragic backstory and his doomed first marriage, but he remains as funny and snarky as ever. He even gets to suffer a war wound, much to ...

Game of Thrones: Season 1, Episode 8, "The Pointy End" June 05, 2011 This episode has the Lannisters asserting their power over the Starks. Ned Stark is rotting away in the dungeons, with the eunuch Varys as his only visitor. As least Varys keeps Ned in the loop and brings him bread and water in the process. It’s not much better for the Stark girls. Arya is practicing with Sylvio when the Red Keep comes for her, but Sylvio forces her to run. Sansa is placed under arrest. Her engagement for Joffrey is still on and she still claims she loves him. However, she pleads for the release of his father. Joffrey promises her that he will not be killed if he admits he is the true king, and Cersei forces her to write a letter to her brother Robb to declare fealty of the new king. This episode is the first time we really see Robb in action. Robb gathers a huge army and sits at the head with the goal to attack the Lannisters. Robb sets free a Lannister guard and tells him to ...

Game of Thrones: Season 1, Episode 7 "You Win or You Die" May 29, 2011 In Game of Throne’s seventh episode, “You Win or You Die,” things got real….and they got real fast! With two episodes left, there is plenty of political turmoil with the land of Westeros at the brink of a civil war. There is, of course, threat of invasion from the Dothraki-given the events that occurred in this episode. This fast-paced episode has it all. Action, betrayal, character development, humor, and even the death of a popular character. The acting remains as great as usual, although this episode does lack the charm of both Tyrion and Arya-two of my favorite characters. Still, you are in for a treat with this magnificent episode. King Robert is gravely injured on his boar hunt, as he recklessly charged a boar. He will not live much longer given the extent of his injuries. On this deathbed, he names Ned Lord Regent of the Seven Kingdoms until his son, Joffrey comes of age. Cersei, turni...

Game of Thrones: Season 1, Episode 6 "A Golden Crown" May 22, 2011 “A Golden Crown” is another great hour of television and it features Game of Thrones at it best. There is plenty of dialogue to digest, but there are some cool action scenes and some rather squeamish imagery, in part, due to the customs of the Dothraki. If I were you, I would advise against eating anything before watching this episode, especially if you cannot stand the sight of blood. This episode is also quite humorous thanks to the lovely quips from Tyrion. The main focus here is across the Narrow Sea with Khal Drogo and Daenerys. It is amazing to see how quickly Daenerys goes from sobbing little girl to steely queen. I guess that little girl wouldn’t have the heart to eat a horse’s heart, a delightfully gross sequence. Of course, Viserys is the snobbish kingly wannabe and in his next confrontation with his sister, it proves to be his last as Viserys meets his doom by molten gold being poured ...

Game of Thrones: Season 1, Episode 5 "The Wolf and the Lion" May 15, 2011 The fifth episode of Game of Throne’s first season may be my favorite one yet! The tension is mounting thanks to the sharp script, exhilarating action sequences, great direction from Brian Kirk, and fantastic acting all-around (with Sean Bean and Mark Addy sharing the MVP award for the episode). The episode really kicks it into high-gear and there were some choices that surprised me considering this is only the fifth episode. For example, I did not expect Ned Stark to step down from his Hand of the King role so soon. I was expecting some kind of action in this regard later in the season, but not too soon. Mark Addy has some fantastic monologues, one with Ned and one with his wife, Cersei. Both monologues show just how vulnerable the king’s character is. I was most interested in his conversation with Cersei. They admitted their hate….and their love to each other that lasted for seventeen years. I...

Game of Thrones: Season 1, Episode 4 "Cripples, Bastards, and Broken Things" May 08, 2011 “Cripples, Bastards, and Broken Things” is another worthy episode in the early goings of Game of Thrones. It is an episode mainly filled with exposition and stories, and that is what intrigued me. Many episodes that has nothing but stories tend to get crushed under such weight, but not here. Each actor is capable of telling these history-based stories in their own way. The history is fiction of course, but I couldn’t have been more enthralled listening about how past events shaped the current world of Westeros. I am sure some people may be bored, but I can promise that learning about dragons or hearing stories about cannibalism is far from boring. Such stories have a poetic feel to them. For example, let’s talk about Visery’s dialogue. He was telling his whore, Doreah about how his father made him memorize the names of the old dragons and would give him sweets if he memorized the...

Game of Thrones: Season 1, Episode 3 "Lord Snow" May 01, 2011 “Lord Snow” is the Game of Thrones episode where most people agree that it finally came into its own. The characters we met in the first two episodes are further fleshed out and we meet some new characters who will play major roles throughout the series. We also visit King’s Landing for the first time as we take our first look at the sunny capital of Westeros. What interests me, from the first three episodes, is how character-driven these episodes are. One would expect lots of action or sword-fighting from such a grand fantasy epic, but there has been limited action so far. The characters drive the plot and that is a relief because now we get to know who these characters are. The main theme here is political intrigue and I really like how the politics shape the events of Westeros and what is to come. Jon Snow takes the honor of the titular character. As we know from the first few episodes, he will be ...

Game of Thrones: Season 1, Episode 2 "The Kingsroad" April 24, 2011 After the rather tragic ending of Game of Thrones series premiere, we are right back at it with “The Kingsroad.” In terms of character development, this episode does a better job showing us the dimensions of these characters and getting us to care about them. We learn more about the relationship between Ned Stark and his wife, Cat and their history together. We learn just how manipulative and evil the Lannisters can be. The back half of this episode will drive that point home. One of my chief complaints about the first episode was that Daenarys Targaryen was not developed enough. The show does start to develop her character here and her dragon eggs that were given to her as a wedding gift is going to be of some significance. The atmosphere of this episode is tense, and that might be too kind of a word. The characters are brooding and in general, a sad bunch. Considering the events of the first episode, ...

Game of Thrones: Season 1, Episode 1 "Winter Is Coming" April 17, 2011 Oh my! What an incredible beginning to what will become my favorite television series to date. Based on the insanely popular Song of Ice and Fire fantasy series by George Martin, David Benioff and D.B Weiss undertook a massive mission to bring this series to the small screen. It could have been an epic failure, but instead this was a big win for HBO and all the audiences worldwide. This series has so much to dissect, so much meaning it brings to the screen. Every episode in this series tells an individual story while focusing on a main arc and that is ripe for quality characterization. One thing I noticed right away is the look of the series. I never watched the series in HD, but I can still see how immense the production value is. The producers really care for their new baby and that includes giving the series the best look possible. I loved the cinematic presentation with the lavish product...