I love the books, and wondered whether anyone was watching the HBO series.
yes completely agreed...too many stories at the same time. way too many.I've just finished catching up on all 5 episodes... Well, there are things that I like, and also things that I don't like.
I think the biggest problem I have with the series at the moment is the way they cut up the story into lots of different bits. I understand the difficulty of keeping up with all the different storylines going on at the same time, and I know that if they decided not to show certain characters for an episode or two, the fans of said characters would complain, but... I really have the feeling that the choice they have made is the worst choice.
In my opinion, showing little pieces of each story just kills the rhythm, and the various scenes lose a lot of intensity. I don't know if it's just me, but I cannot really get engrossed in a story if it keeps switching from one plot to another. I like the tension to build up, I don't like to have it taken away from me again and again.
I think they should have bigger "bits" of each story at a time, even if they have to leave out some of the storylines for one episode or two. The Theon storyline, for instance, is pretty useless. In the books, no one knows what's happening to Theon, and no one really cares, for that matter. We don't need to see this now.
What I really liked was, obviously, Daenerys. Her story can be a little boring sometimes (especially when it is cut into small bits and nothing really happens...) but when it gets epic, it really DOES get epic.
That scene with the dragon reminded me of the season 1 finale, which is, I believe, still my favourite scene in the entire series so far. I love the actress as well, she is just perfect.
I also rather appreciate the Jaime and Brienne storyline. I was a little disappointed at the scene when Jaime loses his hand (it happened so quickly and the episode just ended there, rather abruptly, instead of being an "OMG!" moment it was more like "er WTF?!"). But otherwise, I love these two characters, and I think the actors really deliver. The bath scene and Jaime's explanation about the Mad King's death is one of my favourite moments.
One thing that keeps pissing me off is the portrayal of Loras Tyrell.
Apparently some people are rejoicing because it is already huge for an American series to show openly gay characters, but, really, in my opinion, it's not much of a progress to show gay guys if that means you automatically have to turn he and Renly into walking stereotypes (even altering their characters to turn them into wealklings and make them more "effeminate" as they did with Renly, and as they are also doing with Loras to a lesser extent). It's not much of a progress either if a character like Loras Tyrell, who is rather important, is almost reduced to being nothing else but the "gay guy", as if filling that function made him unfit to be anything else.
I mean, both Loras and Renly are supposed to be rather badass at jousting and fighting. They are no weaklings, neither of them. Sure, they are a bit ridiculous because they are vain, arrogant pretty boys, but they are STILL pretty badass. Loras in particular is an excellent fighter (at least in tournaments). But you never really see that in the series.
I was waiting for them to finally show this aspect of Loras, and when we saw him sword fighting, I thought "finally!" Except that about 2 seconds later, they simply turned this scene into another reminder of "HEY Loras is the gay guy!" and this had to turn into a "seducing the squire" scene which led to a completely pointless scene of gay sex.
I am perfectly fine with the idea of showing Renly and Loras as gay, since it's pretty obvious from the books that they are both gay, but why couldn't they just simply be great knights, charismatic people with real fighting ability and class, AND also be gay? I just don't see the need to change their characters, actually, to me, this decision is not a good thing for the representation of gay people (since they seem unable to see gay people as something other than the stereotypical image) and it is not a good thing for the characters either (since they are reduced to only this dimension).