When it first started, I thought Game of Thrones was just going to be a little diversion to ease my Spartacus with-drawl symptoms. How wrong could I have been; Game of Thrones has been a towering show. An unmitigated triumph.
From start to finish it hasn't let up on the tension, excitement, and plot twists. Which culminated in last week's uber shocker. I, for one, just didn't see that coming. You can imagine, all those who have read the books, smugly waiting for that to smack us on the chin. And was I the only person who had a restless night after? I think not. I won't give it away, in case you are backed on your planner, but I'm sure you probably know.
And, has any show ever juggled so many diverse story-lines so successfully? I can't think of one. No character was left behind or ignored, even the minor ones seemed to shine. The largely British cast were excellent. And we even got Wilko Johnson as an executioner, what more could you want!
When the BBC tries this kind of venture we end up with Merlin and Robin Hood, where everyone looks like they have just wandered out of the Student Union bar. British television couldn't do Game of Thrones, the levels of storytelling and sophistication are way beyond their capacity. Let's face it, they were laughably trying to pass The Shadow Line off as their answer to The Wire. So how many light years are they away from Game of Thrones?
Last night's finale set up season two perfectly, and I get the feeling A Clash of Kings will enjoy a spike in book sales this week. The last scene was stunning and, as the screen went black, it made me wish there was some sort of sorcery that could conjure up a season two box set right there and then.
Over
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