I am the blood of the dragon

               Having just watched the season four opener for Game of Thrones I’m in the mood to explore it further. Since season four just started I’ll use a review that focuses on season one. Though almost everyone I know enjoys the series, whether they’ve read the books or not, I do know one or two people who just “can’t get into it”. But I found a rather scathing review on metacritic.com from a user who calls himself, or herself, Kragen1970.

               Kragen attacks the characters as stereotypes with “no flavor”. In season one admittedly we see less character development than is ideal, but to take an 800+ page novel with seven different points of view and cram it into ten hours is a feat in itself. In fact the TV series has to cut some minor plotlines and characters to fit in the allotted time. The characters themselves are highly three dimensional and portrayed very well by all the actors. In the single season we see Catelyn Stark as a fiercely protective mother, a grieving woman who nearly goes mad with it, a strong character who doesn’t hesitate to take action and one who’s morals lead her to do the right thing despite her personal reluctance. Part of the appeal of the characters is that they act according certain roles but this does not equate to being stereotypes. Joffrey goes from being a spoiled prince to a cruel and unpredictable tyrant. Ned Stark who is so completely governed by his ideas of honor and duty, finally breaks and gives in to confessing a crime he did not commit. These are clear examples of true character development, both in the well thought out initial beliefs and personalities of each character and in the way they must change and adapt in order to survive.

               Another grievance Kragen has is the plotline that follows Daenerys Targaryen. Kragen calls it boring and predictable as well as unnecessary to the rest of the story. I find it hard to believe that anyone can find a young woman walking into a funeral pyre boring. I find it impossible to call her survival and the hatching of three dragons predictable, even though I read the books. Nothing in the book or the first season of the series gives audiences any reason to believe she could survive. No past tales of other Targaryen’s surviving fire are mentioned and in fact the scene in which Daenerys survives is never fully explained.

Kragen also states the series is entirely predictable and riddled with unnecessary foreshadowing. As with all stories whether written or filmed an author must include some hints to future events. This foreshadowing makes plotlines believable to audiences. An unexpected event with no foreshadowing can cause audiences to misunderstand the reasons for the event. The survival of Daenerys from the funeral flames is one such event that has sparked debate and some confusion on why and how this happened. If an author wishes audiences to understand an event in a specific manner he or she must guide audiences in a direction and foreshadowing is a way to do this. In my opinion The Game of Thrones is able to find balance of surprise and predictability which makes the series a success.