Sunday, April 28, 2013

Tough choices

The consistent theme of this episode is the difficult choices facing almost all of the characters, from small ones like deciding to get laid for the first time to huge ones like deciding to execute one of your foremost bannermen; from choices with impact in the next few minutes to those that took place almost two decades before. This was an ideal theme for the first halfway point of the season, as it functions as the end of the bridge presented in episode four and we now launch out into the aftereffects that will determine the rest of the road(s). The end of one of those roads was, of course, very heavily foreshadowed and book readers are probably equally anticipating and dreading the moment... but we'll get to that when it happens.

Yunkai made its appearance in the opening credits for the first time. I believe it's also the first time that a city has appeared without the characters actually reaching it. Dany's location was marked by Vaes Dothrak no matter how far away from that place they were for much of season 1, but ordinarily we've only seen a new locale when someone has shown up at the door. Again, great touches by the producers in showing the extent of Valyrian culture throughout the Slaver's Bay communities, as we saw the harpy of Astapor now matched by that of Yunkai, simply with different wings.

The fight scene was everything I'd hoped for and presented the first of those tough choices; always happening when you're letting some god make decisions that affect the real world ("for good people to do bad things takes religion" and all that.) Arya's anguish was evident and only furthered when Gendry later informs her that he's staying with the Brotherhood. One thing that occurred to me as they focused upon Arya's observing the duel was whether she was so intent out of her desire to see her preferred outcome or if she was actually watching (and critiquing) the swordplay, hearkening back to her training with Syrio. It's what I was doing... But when you've sworn a vow to kill someone, that will usually override the finer points.

However, making a promise or a vow is often easy. Maintaining it is the trick. That was never more obvious than in the two most poignant scenes of the episode, involving Jon with Ygritte and Jaime with Brienne (The two most poignant scenes also involved naked people, allowing the Interwebs to continue to serve their main functions: Twitter and pr0n.)

A vow of celibacy is easy to declare, but priests throughout the ages are a testament as to how difficult it is to keep. In the case of being a young man who's already disappointed with the outcome of his life to date and is confronted with a blazing hot redhead dropping her kit, it's basically impossible for any human and there are few more human characters in the story than one Jon Snow. The interesting thing about that union is the fact that Ygritte is still technically the enemy for a member of the Watch attempting to be the inside man. On the other hand, Jon has been discarded by the Southerners simply because of the conditions of his birth. In a way, he's as much a Wildling as any of the people he's supposedly working against. But it's certainly something that has to wander through his mind as soon as the blood flows back from one head to the other and it's something that plays out in the books fairly prominently in the character's thoughts. It will be interesting to see how Kit Harrington plays it.

But the best scene by far and one which should earn Nikolai Coster-Waldau much award consideration is Jaime's soliloquy in the bathtub about the choices he made 17 years ago that earned him the scorn of an entire continent for being an oathbreaker. The Kingsguard are obligated to serve for life and to follow every command of the king. As the only member of the guard privy to Aerys' mad ramblings about vengeance and arson, Jaime was placed in a unique situation. By any common assessment of ethics, the choice was to stop the deaths of thousands (and his own father.) This is the same assessment made at Nuremberg, in which claiming that one was simply following orders was deemed insufficient. Drawing the contrast with Ned Stark, who is widely considered one of the few "good guys" in the story but whom also saw things in a very black-and-white perspective, is the key element to Jaime's confession. He was judged by one of the heroes of the revolt and was tarred with the actions of his family (the sack of Kings' Landing and the murder of the Targaryen children), despite the fact that his choices saved not only Lannisters but thousands of smallfolk.

Just as interesting is Robb's struggle with those same ethics that his father handed down to him and which put him in as difficult a situation as his father often faced: Justice says that Rickard Karstark needed to die for betraying his king. Strategy says that you shouldn't alienate half your army. What's different about Robb's moment is that he had multiple advisers (unlike his father), from his intelligent wife to his impulsive uncle, telling him to do the 'right' thing for the war and not for rules that people will tend to abandon in wartime. Ned Stark, of course, never would have.

Sometimes those difficult choices extend to script writers and actors, too. As I've mentioned before, I'm not particularly thrilled with Stephen Dillane's depiction of Stannis this season. While he becomes surly and even more irascible after the defeat at Blackwater in the books, he remains implacable Stannis. Dillane is showing the anguish of the character in dealing with his wife and daughter locked in the tower at Dragonstone, which certainly humanizes Stannis and probably enables more people to relate to him... but the point of the character is that he's essentially not human and lives life by being driven by his goals. (This is the same reason the V for Vendetta film failed; the cipher isn't supposed to have individual motivations.) But, of course, playing Stannis from the books wouldn't allow Dillane to do much, even though his performance as Thomas Jefferson in John Adams was rather diffident and that was what made it really brilliant. In that same vein, in the best moment in the series for Michael McElhatton as Roose Bolton, he again simply doesn't convey the eerieness that makes the character what he is. I'm still hoping for a Leech Lord scene, but honestly wouldn't be surprised if they simply did away with that aspect at this point.

And while Davos looked way too good for a man who'd been confined to a cell on what is essentially a volcanic island, it has to be said that the scene of Shireen attempting to teach him how to read was really sweet. Daenerys' material this week was a bit of an afterthought, except to again carry the theme of difficult choices in the discussion between Mormont and Selmy about whom was the real loyal servant and whom was the past traitor and so on. Dany's object lesson in what names mean was more of a learning exercise in leadership than anything else and continues her development as a queen while taking a moment to introduce Grey Worm.

But we come right back around to theme in the final scene, when Tywin lays the law down to the kids as to how he's going to reorganize Westeros for the supremacy of the family and the security of the kingdom. Charles Dance kills it in this scene and Cersei is once again switched from queen to pawn before she can even think of a defense. So, now the choice for both her and Tyrion becomes: Do I do what daddy said or risk his wrath?

Lines of the week:

"What happens to your eagle after I kill you? Does he drift away like a kite with its strings cut or does he just flop on the ground?" Jon with a decent question about wargs while trying to show his false(?) loyalty.

"You swore some vows. I want you to break'em."
"We shouldn't."
"We should."
Jon and Ygritte, doing what comes naturally, unhindered by this whole "civilization" thing.

"There will be pain."
"I'll scream."
"Quite a bit of pain."
"I'll scream loudly."
Jaime, the bitter warrior, and Qyburn, the fallen maester, discussing the reality of medieval medicine.

"The people crave more than just food. They crave distractions." Olenna Tyrell, with Tyrion, in a great dialogue scene (reminiscent of Tyrion's encounters with Varys) as she spells out the facts of keeping the peasants under control; a philosophy (bread and circuses) as old as the Romans. This was quickly followed with: "I was told you were drunk and totally debauched. You can imagine my disappointment at finding nothing but a browbeaten bookkeeper." The smallfolk aren't the only people in need of distractions... As expected, Olenna is the best new character of the season.

"This one was the watcher. Hang him last so he can watch the others." Robb doing it Solomon-style.

"There's the look. I've seen it for 17 years. You all despise me. Kingslayer. Oathbreaker." This was the opening to Jaime's fantastic speech. The ending moment was even better when Brienne, seeming to understand and sympathize, still cries out for help for "The Kingslayer!" and he responds: "Jaime. My name's Jaime."

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

I'm trying to like Defiance

It's not like I need more TV to watch, given that I'm already watching GoT, Mad Men, and Veep and just finished watching the latest seasons of Walking Dead and Archer. As with most forms of entertainment, most TV is crap and I'm not particularly interested in sitting in front of a different screen for hours at a time. But it'd be nice to find a decent SF show out there that didn't make me pine for Firefly and I was kinda hoping that Defiance would be it.

Since AMC began its tear, other cable networks have clearly been trying to step up their respective games with original series that are more "edgy". That's all well and good, as I think that productions like Watchmen (comic, not movie) and Pulp Fiction (movie, not comic) that had transformative effects on their respective industries were good things overall, even if it took a couple years of everyone trying to ape them before their real impact was felt. Game of Thrones has obviously legitimized fantasy in the television arena and it'd be great to see something do the same for science fiction. However, I'm getting the feeling that Defiance will not be that thing.

First off, while a great deal of money has obviously been poured into set design and concept development, not nearly as much has gone into recruiting solid writers. 7 alien races have come to Earth in now-demolished arks that occasionally fragment into the atmosphere? OK. Cool. One of those alien races seems to be a mindless force of destruction with no motivation other than being evil with the tactical acumen of a hamster? Yeah, not OK. Lead actor Grant Bowler seems to have some ethical texture and a history to explain it? Cool. Everyone else is a cipher that speaks in exclamations or exposition? Yeah, not cool. Graham Greene is no superstar, but I've seen the guy do good work when he's given decent material (Dances with Wolves, Thunderheart, Maverick.) What he's given in Defiance makes him look like the most short-sighted man at the LASIK festival.

I watched the pilot and I was ready to be patient. Most SF pilots are an exercise in vomiting info while providing enough laser blasts for the easily amused. But having just watched the second episode, I can feel my patience already wearing thin. We've had 144 minutes of screen time and 1/10 of that has already been taken up by demonstrating to us that the female Castithan (Stahma Tarr, played by Jaime Murray) is clearly the schemer behind her husband's aggression and will doubtlessly be the single most malevolent force with a brain that the rest of the cast encounters. Yes. We get it. We could have had one scene of her machinations, rather than 5. One more and I'll start feeling concussed. Meanwhile, we still know very little about why the Votans (An invading alien race starting with the letter 'V'? Seriously?) even arrived here or what encouraged them to reface the planet once they did. I don't mind being kept in the dark to a certain degree and letting the story build, but give me something more interesting to watch than people plotting about how the story is going to get much more intriguing later in the season.

What fuels some of my concern is the fact that the show is coordinated with a video game and that a good chunk of the development budget obviously went into said game. Consequently, just like the Star Wars prequels which were developed with merchandizing in mind (such as games), Defiance often feels like a video game, i.e. less plot than an Aesop's fable but plenty of linear tasks for the characters (players?) to carry out.

What made Firefly work was a cast of genuine characters with human motivations and real speech patterns. Defiance has about 1 of those people so far and if I can't find another by the end of episode 3, I'm turning it off.

Sunday, April 21, 2013

Here's to fine endings

Through much of this episode, I wasn't feeling it. Most series have those moments somewhere in the season where it's clearly a "bridge" episode; keeping storylines aloft as they build to their various climaxes and needing details explained or character development to take place. And Now His Watch Has Ended had much of that feel as we saw Margaery continue her manipulation of Joffrey and we had yet another Bran dream put forth and Varys continued to scheme and plot.

None of that is bad, of course, and when one is attempting to tell a story that currently stands at over 4200 pages, you need those moments if you're going to convey the richness of the world and the plot and its players. One could argue that part of the downside of the first half of the episode was the large portion of it that was made up of scenes that don't exist in said pages. At no point did Theon ever bemoan the fact that he'd made the wrong choice and claim that his "real father lost his head in Kings Landing."

I don't particularly mind the extra material, especially in the case of Theon, who's become a much stronger and more interesting character with it added. But it is a case of adding material to a story that really needs no such help and that certainly contributes to the feeling of nothing truly moving forward this week until the second half of the episode and, especially, the final scene, which was transcendent.

Something else that may have contributed was the heavy presence of Varys. Conleth Hill has been brilliant at presenting the character and, even in scenes when he's had lengthy dialogue, has kept a very light touch. He's been honest with Tyrion but still kept his real motivations something of a mystery, as appropriate for the Master of Whispers. But in this episode, he was effectively wearing his heart on his sleeve in his moments with Tyrion, Ros, and Olenna Tyrell and that's just... wrong. It's not as if Varys doesn't get outfoxed occasionally, even in the books, but he's always light on his feet when it happens. Here he simply wasn't and I don't think it was Hill so much as the script that was written for him. It was too earnest and too direct and that was most obvious in the exchange with the Queen of Thorns.

Of course, everyone is supposed to be verbally disarmed by Olenna. She's a political master and a cynic, which is why she's one of my favorites; as is Sandor Clegane, for at least the cynic part. Both Diana Rigg and Rory McCann had brilliant moments this week and I'm looking forward to more. Also on that performance list is the ever-redoubtable Charles Dance, who can simply ignore one of his needy children ("You're still here...") and put on a gripping show. Furthermore, Coster-Waldau continues to do great things with Jaime. The absolute malaise and the properly fumbling swordplay with his left hand (just competent enough to wield it, but not enough to win with it) were excellent. Margaery's sly glance back to Cersei as she encouraged Joffrey to greet the crowd was another shining moment. Natalie Dormer has been better in that role than I ever expected.

But it's the final three scenes that make everything else work. Mormont's death and the fight amongst the Night's Watch is handled with the right amount of anguish and confusion. The former's almost-literal deathgrip on Rast as he begins to spit up blood was great and the return of Beric Dondarrion and the Hound's bitter dialogue in the cave has me really anticipating a scene that in the book I found to be far less interesting. And, of course, the climax.

What more can one say? It played out almost exactly as it did in the book and it was fantastic from the opening. I was waiting for "dracarys" through the whole thing, but there were a dozen phenomenal elements to it; from Emilia Clarke's very self-assured performance to the obviously outraged dragon shrieks as she walked away. I found myself actively wondering if they had hired the same group to create Valyrian as a language as they had with Dothraki, since the words flowed so naturally from Clarke as she made the revelation about her "mother tongue." Credit to Ramin Djawadi for the ending music for the second week in a row, as well, as it perfectly conveyed the ominous nature of the Dragon Queen finally obtaining her completely loyal army and is, of course, the perfect counterweight to the discussion that Olenna and Cersei had in the Great Sept about how the incompetent men around them are completely in control of everything, including them in most cases.

Lines of the night:

"I feel the need for actual revenge." - Tyrion weighing in with the obvious. I was a bit put off by this whole scene. Varys has been willing to be open with Tyrion, but not THAT open.

"No more climbing!" - Catelyn with her lone moment, bemoaning the second trigger to this whole mess (the first being the death of Jon Arryn.)

"Prodigies in odd places, indeed." - Varys agreeing with the odd nature of Podrick's subtle conquest of the bordello.

"I don't distrust you because you're a woman. I distrust you because you're not as smart as you think you are." - Tywin with the smackdown. How frustrating must it be for Cersei to hear the same words from her father that she's heard from Tyrion?

"What happens when the non-existent bumps up against the decrepit?" - Theoretical physics from the wisest old woman in Westeros.

"Never knew Bannon could smell so good." - Dolorous Edd strangely making the best of a bad situation.

"You're fighting for ghosts." - The Hound, still tearing down the foundations of anyone and everyone's beliefs in the system, no matter how unusual or genuinely altruistic.

Nice attention to detail on the Unsullied, as well. While their helmets don't match my vision of their very prominent spike (and because they have a very Roman cast to them), the fact that their shields are very Greek/Eastern in style tends to conform to GRRM's general geography (in which Westeros is the fight between Lancaster and York and things east are, well, Eastern.) Of course, every time I see one of their steely gazes behind those faceplates, all I can think of is this guy:

Win the Internets if you can tell me who that is without Googling the pic address. Nerd.

Sunday, April 14, 2013

"Always the artists."

Episode 3 marks the first real intensity of the season, both in the course of its events and the ending. As Storm of Swords is considered by most readers to be the book that keeps throwing you new curveballs, it's a good sign to see one of the first of them get delivered only 3 episodes in, even if I didn't expect it so soon.

Riverrun finally makes the opening credit sequence and it was interesting to see a long-distance shot of House Frey as the camera swept north to Winterfell. I'd like to see them do the same for places like the Dreadfort (as the camera sweeps away from Castle Black, for example), if they can. They might as well exploit the brilliant opening as much as possible. I don't normally watch the credits that closely, but it struck me today that the three top names on the list are the three Lannister siblings. Funny how things work out sometimes.

We also get our first look at Brynden Tully, the Blackfish, in this episode. He was one of those side characters that book fans have been demanding almost since the series began, since he didn't appear in the House Arryn scenes as he does in the book. I've never felt a particular attachment to the character, so I wouldn't have been distraught if he was left out. However, he was given even more weight than in the books when Edmure is shown to miss the traditional funeral shot out of incompetence and the Blackfish takes over in frustration, rather than Edmure missing because of his grief and Brynden completing the ritual as an act of kindness. This incompetence is reinforced when the incident of Edmure spoiling Robb's plans is played out as in the book. So, again, adaptation and, perhaps, a more interesting angle on certain characters while still getting the story where it needs to go. (OTOH, the Blackfish is in, but Strong Belwas is definitely out. I understand why, but that doesn't alleviate the lameness.)

As an aside from the episode's dark foretelling and momentous events, the small council scene with the moving of the chairs was hilarious. You can see both the sibling rivalry and Tywin's outright disgust at having to deal with the drama. It was yet another high point in Dinklage's droll portrayal of the Imp. One odd point was Aidan Gillen's incredibly raspy voice.

And speaking of long awaited elements:

Obviously, the Brotherhood's version was more traditional but it has to be said: Best. Ending. Credit. Music. Ever!

The other part of the very brief look at Arya's adventures is the departure of Hot Pie. Again, like the Blackfish, I've never been enamored of the character in the way that so many fans seemingly are. Hot Pie is a detail that makes the world seem alive but there are thousands of such details. At the very least for those mourning his departure, he's not dead.

This episode was about the reinforcement of themes, as well. Tyrion becomes Master of Coin because he's responsible and a good organizer, no matter his claims to the contrary, and it's convenient for him to constantly be pushed in directions that he doesn't want but his father does. Likewise, Catelyn is called upon yet again to be strong for her children, regardless of her own grief and needs, when Brynden implores her to consider Robb before herself (and Bran and Rickon, for that matter.)

The most notable example of this is with Daenerys and her insistence that warfare be accomplished in the cleanest manner possible. As I've mentioned before, it's an ethical snarl that left A Dance with Dragons in stasis for several months while GRRM attempted to sort it out. It will be interesting to see non-reader audience reaction to that approach as her closest advisers (Mormont and Selmy) both attempt to coax her into doing things in the time-honored manner: Damn the casualties. Full slaughter ahead. That said, the Astapor material was, by far, the best segment of the episode. Amelia Clarke really, firmly, finally stepped into the leadership role just as Daenerys did in the books. Her withering look at Iain Glen when he stepped forward in surprise about her offering a dragon for the Unsullied was fantastic. That said, I anticipated that they would have finished the transaction by now.

Running a close second for best segment of the episode was Podrick gettin' some, courtesy the Master of Coin. Given that it was a Bronn scene, there were several great one-liners... but almost the entire scene was one great line after another. Interestingly, the contrast in relationships between Tyrion and Littlefinger and Tyrion and Varys was brought into high relief here. The former is cagey and adversarial. The latter is wary, but warm.

And, in third place, had to be the endlessly fascinating Jaime and his on-again, off-again relationship with Brienne. Coster-Waldau is bringing great things to the character and turning him into every inch the Jaime that he eventually becomes by Dance. On the one hand (heh), it was interesting to hear him essentially relay the same information about his upbringing and education that Tywin had mused upon to Arya last season. On the other hand (Ha. I'll stop. Really.), I wonder if that much dialogue was really necessary to get the point across. After all, to Jaime it's all offhand (Hee. For real this time.) blather as he deals with inferiors... a point driven home soon enough and one carried by the appearance of the Brotherhood this season and Daenerys' quest: most people are worth less than livestock to the upper crust (as Craster so deftly observes, since he's upper crust where he is.) But the answer to that is Mao Zedong philosophy writ large: Whosoever gots the blades, gots the power. In contrast to the Unsullied material, I didn't expect Jaime to meet this point in his life so soon in the season and it has interesting repercussions for the actor, at least. All of last season was spent sitting in the mud. Now he's doomed to spend the rest of this one (and the now-greenlit season 4) wearing a prosthetic. He deserves a hand for the effort...

The downsides? Only a couple. The throwaway scene with Talisa was weird. We already know she's a nurse who helps both sides and we already know that the Lannister men consider Robb to be relatively supernatural. Why was this here, except to troll the readers who can't stand her? All it did was highlight the fact that Jeyne Westerling is a non-entity in the books and Talisa likely should have been, as well. We had a scene that essentially did nothing but remind us that she's a speaking role. By the same token, the beach scene with Stannis and Melisandre was just off. The former expressing actual lust and the latter expressing seeming tenderness? WTF? And, finally, Melisandre leaving? Is this how they're going to get Davos out of the dungeon? But Stannis did that regardless of his attempt to kill Melisandre. That was Stannis making his own decisions as the character is wont to do. I'm not sure what this is or why it was necessary.

Lines of the episode:

"It comforts me to know that, even in the darkest days of war, in most places in the world, absolutely nothing is happening." - Brynden Tully with the sage advice so common to his character.

"I'd have turned you all away if I wasn't a godly man." - Craster again proving that it's all about perspective. Incidentally, there was fantastic pace and atmosphere for this scene, especially when Sam steps outside the main hall/shack. Good on Benioff for his first directing credit.

"Rhaegar fought valiantly. Rhaegar fought nobly. Rhaegar died." - Jorah Mormont's Sherman moment. I still think they blew an opportunity to tease a bit more of the Targaryen lore into the show when they failed to show Rhaegar during the House of the Undying visions scene last season.

"There are no masters in the grave, your grace." - Missandei with the hard truth. Right after this, she's the second character to invoke the trademark phrase "Valar morghulis." Daenerys' response is all Eowyn up in here: "All men must die. But we are not men."

"Unless Lord Twatbeard made it all up." - Bronn, on accounting.

"One of four women in the world who can perform a proper Meerenese Knot." - Tyrion trying to encourage Pod and making reference to the Daenerys quandary. Nicely done by Benioff and Weiss here. I'm dying to see someone perform the Knot. If it's anything like the basket thing in Bangkok, it must be quite the thrill. Bronn's "Pace yourself, lad!" as they exit was solid, as well.

"You little bastard!" - A nameless Dreadfort man with the peek...

"If you get in trouble, all you have to do is say 'My father.'" - The Bolton Vargo Hoat replacement highlighting one of Jaime's weaknesses: his inability to separate himself from the man who made him.

But the line of the episode goes to Mance Rayder, both for its humor and delivery in the face of another ominous foreshadowing scene, which is why it got the title: "Always the artists..." Actors, writers, and directors all.

Sunday, April 7, 2013

"We don't get to choose who we love."

First and foremost, one has to say that it's mildly disturbing watching Isaac Hempstead-Wright grow so quickly (relative to TV time, of course.) Last season he still looked 10 and sounded it. Now he sounds and looks like the 14-year-old that he is. Given that the producers have aged all of the child characters from their book counterparts in order to ease the task of filming, it's not as jarring as it would be if they were attempting a note for note production, but it's still a little odd.

This was the info dump episode for viewers, introducing no fewer than half a dozen new characters, among them several mentioned in the first two seasons, such as Thoros of Myr and the Brotherhood without Banners and Roose Bolton's bastard son, Ramsay. But we also finally got to meet Meera and Jojen Reed and Olenna Tyrell, the Queen of Thorns. There will once again be a round of wailing about possibly losing people who have only watched the TV series but let's be honest: if you've made it this far, keeping in mind all of the online resources, HBO and otherwise, you're not going to be dismayed by a few more people running around Westeros whose names you have to remember. It doesn't hurt that many of those introduced in this episode are some of the best characters in the story to begin with.

I'm beginning to wonder if it's a running joke among the producers to have Roose Bolton interrupt every scene between Robb and Talisa. But the presence of Bolton brings up my one mild complaint about the set designers: the banners. Now, heraldry is a complex issue. Most flags of European powers and families were hellishly complicated if the family had been in existence for any length of time. However, the purpose of having an identifying flag was so that it could be seen on the field of battle and armies could tell each other apart, both for the purpose of organizing one's own army and threatening the opponent's. With that in mind, there was no point in having an elaborate design on a battle flag that would be difficult to perceive from hundreds of yards away. However, several of the banners in the last couple seasons have been... less than I expected. Renly's version of the Baratheon stag was almost comical and the Bolton flayed man is rather less baroque than I imagined (or that presented by a literal reading of the books where the pink is presented as quite the contrast to the most menacing house in the North.) /end tangent.

The scenes with Jaime and Brienne are every bit as entertaining as they are in the books, presenting the great contrast between cynical reality and faithful aspiration to the idea that both figures are supposed to represent under the fatuous rules of the society they inhabit. That dynamic will never cease to be entertaining, even if the respective actors weren't already excellent in their roles. Their second scene reinforces their capabilities, as well, demonstrating Jaime's ability to fight while manacled and Brienne's skill at defending herself while also only neutralizing him. It's the veracity provided by these scenes that tends to transport the viewer into the world that Martin has created, especially when you can't afford a Battle of Blackwater every episode. And, again, it highlights how these two outsiders are still so bound by the people around them, as the quote that titles this post lays so very clear.

One of the aforementioned brilliant characters is Olenna Tyrell, played by Diana Rigg. Rigg nails this performance. The Queen of Thorns is a multifaceted character in the books and quite similar to Tyrion, in that she easily views the world apart from the fanciful notions that most of the noble class holds so dear (or pretends to) and she's not afraid to declare that vision, loudly and often. Rigg scores a half dozen of the best lines of the episode, but the crowner is probably: "Loras is young and good at knocking men off horses with a stick. That does not make him wise."

Of course, the introduction of the Brotherhood finally brings the aspect of class consciousness into stark (heh) relief in the story and I'm mildly dreading the number of reviewers that will attempt to draw parallels to modern society. It's not to say that GRRM didn't intend to draw some of those parallels, as they existed in medieval society and continue to exist today. But it's a simple-minded comparison, much as I might like to see the series inspire the revolution that so needs to happen...

In fact, for as much as this is the info dump episode, there's very little exposition (and absolutely no sexposition.) Instead, almost all the information is provided by personal interaction between two characters: Catelyn speaking of her cursing the infant Jon to Talisa, Robb and Rickard Karstark arguing about their march to Riverrun, Jojen elaborating upon wargs to Bran and, most prominently, Margaery attempting to ingratiate herself with Joffrey. This latter scene is one of the best performances of this or any other season. Jack Gleeson is the nervous boy attempting to impress a girl at the same time as he flaunts his sadistic nature. Meanwhile, Natalie Dormer lines herself up as the queen with one or two simple lines: "Would you like to watch me?" and the brilliant "The subtleties of politics are often lost on me."

Completely aside from the content of the episode, I have to go into my twice- or thrice-yearly exclamation not just about the cast, in general, but about Maisie Williams in specific.

She's astounding, from facial expressions to interaction with others. She's a treat to watch every time she's on camera.

Lines of the week (in addition to basically everything Olenna says):

"She was told to! That's what intelligent women do - what they're told." Joffrey giving Cersei the what for. Do you laugh when one contemptible person gets the upper hand on another with an utterly contemptible thought?

"He's too old."
"They never see it that way." Shae's lessons in life, as real in our world as they are in theirs.

"Tarly, I forbid you to die." James Cosmo, ever reliable. However, they were a bit let down by the sunlight in this scene. It was too nice outside for the grim nature of what was happening. If they could have filmed it during the snow that blanketed the scenes with Mance and Jon, it would have been more convincing.

And this week's winner: "Is there an idiot in any village who trusts Littlefinger?" Tyrion; still champion.

The final thought was one of mild dismay: No Daenerys this week... which means still no answer about Strong Belwas! Lame... And I said nothing about the totally new scenes with Theon, but it rhymes with (see you next) "week"...

Friday, April 5, 2013

History and culture

The Fab Five, an ESPN documentary about the Michigan Wolverines basketball team of the same name, is playing again tonight on ESPN2. It was first released in 2011 and is the highest-rated ESPN film ever made. That alone might be sufficient for ESPN to be willing to show it again; especially during tournament season. But it is, of course, being rebroadcast tonight because Michigan is back in the Final Four of the men's tournament for the first time since the Fab Five's second season at Michigan.

When I it was first released, I loved it. It was a great trip down memory lane to a time when I was a couple years out of  Michigan (we had won the title with Rice, Vaught, Robinson, Mills, and Co. in my junior year) and it took time to tell the side of the story that few people focus on relative to that team, but which has come into sharp relief in the past two decades with the evergrowing pile of money that has subsumed college sports and phenomena like the Ed O'Bannon lawsuit. It also mentions the cultural impact that the team had and continues to have on the college game and America's perception of it, in which young, black men "dared" to be themselves rather than the public's self-centered idea of what they "should" be.

On the arrogant Michigan fan side, I enjoy the fact that the current team has reawakened the national following that Michigan sports often enjoys. After all, ESPN isn't broadcasting material about Louisville or Syracuse or Wichita St. because there really isn't any. Michigan has the largest living alumni base in the world and a fanbase many times larger. If there's any way to get advertisers to respond, you troll for that audience. However, it's also nice to know that there's still a certain cachet amongst Michigan athletics that creates that kind of furor. After all, the current team is also replete with starting freshmen and has become one of the more stylish of the tournament contenders because of the brilliant play of its point guard, Trey Burke, and its starting (freshman) center, Mitch McGary. The team plays exciting basketball and the larger fanbase of the game itself tends to respond to that.

Winning games in remarkable fashion doesn't hurt that cause any, either.

On the other hand, I find myself unable to watch the entire documentary because the memories it brings up are quite painful ones, as a fan. The excitement of the initial Fab Five run took a heavy hit when the team was hammered by Duke in the first title game and the missed opportunity of the second, when we were the vastly superior team to North Carolina, makes it that much worse. Combine that with the aftereffects of that team, which doomed the basketball program to a decade of mediocrity or worse from 1998 to 2008 and the shine comes off pretty quickly. To its credit, the documentary both doesn't shy away from that topic and also dares to ask questions about the presumed conclusive nature of much of it (Mitch Albom questioning the thousands of dollars allegedly given to Webber when his family lived quite modestly was the most salient point.)

But the most interesting aspect of the current team is that, while the Fab Five had enormous impact on the cosmetic culture of the game, the current team is silently providing veracity to a perception about B1G basketball. Simply as a fan of the game, it's enlivening to me to see the team that plays the furthest thing from the glorified rugby that is Big 10 conference play be the sole representative for the conference in the tourney's final rounds. Separated from B1G officiating, much of the conference often flames out in the first weekend. Michigan, on the other hand, has never looked better this season.

Here's hoping for a different end to this trip to the finals.