I thought that too, good pickup. If I remember right, he was more gentle in the book at first. But overall the spirit of it was right so no real complaints.

I just loved how they ended the first episode, with the fall followed by darkness. Also, as expected, the casting was spot on up and down the cast.

It was well done, but I wouldn't expect anything less from HBO. My worries about Mark Addy were completely wrong, he was great. My only gripe was the music. It just seemed so generic and blah.

Mark me as one of the segment that loves maps. Not surprisingly, I loved the opening titles. I think it gave viewers who were unfamiliar with the world a good overview of the basic layout of Westeros: Winterfell in the north, the Wall even further north, King's Landing in the south, and Pentos across the Narrow Sea in the east. That's pretty much all you really need to know at this point.

If that's true, I think it's a great idea. As events start to unfold, I can see how it might be difficult for viewers to keep track of where characters are at.

Plus, showing maps is more productive than just showing an animation or tapestries or something else for the opening titles.

The Hound's helmet was badass, but from the scene towards the end where he's talking to a hungover Tyrion, it looked like his face wasn't horribly disfigured enough. I can't wait to see how they portray his brother, though.

I love all shows with midgets.

Two of my friends were seriously into all movies and shows with midgets and made a list of them.

Time Bandits and Twin Peaks were two of their favorites.

I convinced my wife to watch this with me last night... she's hooked (thankfully!).

She was not prepared for the the last scene After spending most of the episode saying "He's going to fall, isn't he?" every time we saw Bran and being told that he never falls, she was quite blown away.

Loved that the core of the Jon Snow/Tyrion first meeting was retained. The dwarfs/bastards lines is one of my favorites ...

And I liked the standoff between Ned and Jaime. I think Bean is really nailing Ned Stark.

Finally... Theon Greyjoy is just as despicable and annoying in on-screen portrayal as he was always in my mind. Someone wipe that sneer off his face, please?

Did they ever identify him as Theon?

That's one thing I think unfamiliar viewers will have trouble with: keeping up with everyone. Maester Luwin, for example, was onscreen a time or two before they named him.

Agreed - there's certainly no handholding, or pandering to people unfamiliar with the books. Had I not recently re-read that part of aGoT, I would have struggled with some characters at times myself (Theon being a perfect example - he was never named, I don't believe). Will be interesting to see how the unfamiliar crowd feels about the show.

I loved it. I agree on the consummation scene - it felt like they dehumanized Drogo even more than he already is. Perhaps that's to create a more drastic change through the series, but I didn't care for that scene. Jon feels a little old for the character, but doesn't really bother me.

Also, the Hound's helmet didn't do much for me - I thought it looked really cheesy. Maybe I just need a better look at it, but I had something more fierce in my head...

This was a great review in the state's paper. He says he used his press kit's "handout" while viewing to keep everything straight

http://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2...ing--20110417/
THE TV COLUMN: HBO’s Game of Thrones is an intoxicating tale
By Michael Storey


HBO’s new fantasy series Game of Thrones stars Sean Bean as Lord Eddard Stark. The adventure debuts at 8 p.m. today.

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LITTLE ROCK — Author George R.R. Martin tapped deeply into our yearning for quality medieval fantasy escapism when he published the first volume of his “A Song of Ice and Fire” novels in 1996.

There are now four books in the epic series (the fifth’s due in July) and the first, A Game of Thrones, has been masterfully crafted into a lavish HBO series.

Game of Thrones debuts at 8 p.m. today. There will be 10 episodes. It may be fantasy, but it has the feel of historical fiction. I recommend the series as appointment television.

Game of Thrones features stellar acting from a gifted cast. They capture the complex nuances for which Martin is known.

“I prefer to make my characters gray,” Martin, a co-executive producer for the series, told HBO. “Even the greatest heroes have weaknesses and moments of frailty. And even the blackest villains are capable of acts of humanity and compassion. People are complicated.”

Also, since Martin keeps the magical elements to a minimum in the books, viewers can concentrate on the characters and not their mystical powers.

“Game of Thrones is an epic fantasy with a conflict for power at its core,” Martin said. “But it is more than just politics. There are questions of loyalty, lust, sexual obsession, desire, defiance and history. In this world, when you play the game of thrones, you win or you die. Honor and mercy have no place in the game.”

Obligatory parental warning: No hobbits here. HBO is a premium cable channel and this series is rated for adults. Just as the book gets graphic on occasion, so does the series.

Game of Thrones contains gory death scenes, bawdy tavern wenches, coarse language and lusty sexual encounters. None of this is gratuitous, but the camera may linger a bit longer on these scenes than some viewers think necessary.

That said, I’ve previewed the first six hours of Game of Thrones and was so enthralled, I immediately began reading the books. There is no higher praise from a guy who watches television for a living.

I’ve spoken with a couple of folks who have read the books and seen the first few episodes and their quibbles were few.

Martin noted, “Changes to the text are inevitable, but fans are going to see the story that I told come alive in a different medium. I hope viewers experience something similar to what I experienced when I saw Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings.”

Viewers unfamiliar with the books may have some difficulty at first getting all the characters and their relationships sorted out. My press kit came with handy fold-out family trees to which I referred frequently.

Stick with it. Once all the many characters are introduced, it’ll all fall into place. Meanwhile, here’s some background to help you along.

The action takes place long ago and far away on the fictional continent of Westeros. It’s a land “where summers span decades and winters can last a lifetime.”

Trouble is roiling just beneath the surface of Westeros - from the scheming families in exile and in the south to the frozen north, with its towering ancient wall of ice that protects the realm fromthe darkness beyond.

This is a deadly game. He who wins the Iron Throne wins control of the Seven Kingdoms.

Series regulars in the large ensemble include Sean Bean as Lord Eddard “Ned” Stark, Mark Addy as King Robert Baratheon, Lena Headeyas Queen Cersei Lannister, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau as the queen’s twin (and lover) Ser Jaime Lannister, Peter Dinklage as their brothel-loving dwarf brother Tyrion Lannister, and Emilia Clarke as the comely young Daenerys Targaryen.

There are 20 other actors listed as regulars. You might want to keep a pad handy and create your own family trees.

In tonight’s episode, “Winter is Coming,” King Robert journeys north to ask Lord Eddard to come to Kings Landing to be his “Hand” (basically, chief of staff) following the untimely death of his previous right-hand man.

Meanwhile, across the Narrow Sea, exiled Viserys Targaryen (Harry Lloyd) plans to marry off his nubile sister Daenerys in hopes of creating an alliance that will win him back his ancient throne on Westeros.

The series opens with dark and unfathomable things happening beyond the Wall at the northern edge of the Kingdoms.

Winter is coming ... The TV Column appears Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday. E-mail:

mstorey@arkansasonline.com

This article was published April 17, 2011 at 4:52 a.m.

Theon was never mentioned by name, but it was fairly obvious which one he was.

I think it is brilliant that they aren't constantly reminding people who everyone is. It takes a huge weight off of the setup of everything to allow names and relationships to be collected organically instead.

Anyone else feel cheated when Theon didn't punt the head after the beheading? heh

Without giving out spoilers, I was surprised at just how weird everything seemed. It's been so long since I've read the first book that seeing everything that way almost looked foreign. It's like knowing a huge disaster is coming and going back in time to the day before and walking around.

Ok, I know she's underage technically, but Daenerys (sp?) is now my #1 hottest tv character ever now. HNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNG