This weekend has been all about TV; on Saturday night we had the return of the Doctor but also the high fantasy epic Game of Thrones. I can’t remember the last time I looked forward to two hours of awesome television.
The return of the Last of the Time Lords is always fun, particularly with three dozen pop culture references to social networking and, the monster of London, the Shard which seems to have exploded into every British person’s consciousness since it opened earlier in the year. I love Clara; she’s spunky and reminds me of a lot of the Seventh Doctor’s beloved companion, Ace. I loved the concept of baddies in the Wi-Fi, of an anti-grav motorbike and that the TARDIS actually has a garage, something which is a lot more functional than that damn – and much mentioned – swimming pool.
The episode was a strong start with little nods to what makes the franchise so beloved: the Great Intelligence, Amelia Williams and, of course, Clara’s catchphrase and the title was a nice little twist too. Good family fun and a great start to the weekend.
Ah Game of Thrones. With all its nudity, sex, violence and backbiting families it has a special place in my heart and I’ve managed to get several of my friends equally addicted. I’m evil that way. I loved this episode: there were dragons chargrilling fish in the air, Unsullied soldiers losing their nipples, an unlikely survivor of Blackwater and no sign of Arya. The series is really in high gear now, with the initial setup complete and destinies set out. I loved seeing the new clockwork locations pop up and it was so nice, after the Red Wastes, to see blue water and a boat, even if it was full of puking Dothraki.
Also CGI dragons! Bigger, non-baby dragons! Awwww.
Back in King’s Landing, I feel for Sansa, the ever-gorgeous Bronn and for Tyrion. The latter in particular has fallen from heights unknown and gets a dressing down from his unhappy father and, even after his efforts in the battle, Tywin just can’t forgive his son for the ‘murder’ of his wife, no matter what feats he manages to accomplish in battle.
Joffrey, on the other had is still an [expletive deleted], but he’s also landed himself a new wife-to-be in the form of Anne Boleyn. This takes a little bit for the spoilt brat-king to digest and it’s clear it not going to be a happy marriage, especially for Joffrey, who is basically a child in a king’s blonde body with all the tantrums which comes with it.
I feel bad in wishing he would die but, in the end, that seems to happen to everyone so I shall be patient. Tim
The only problem for me, with the return of both these series, is the knowledge that in seven and nine episodes, it will be time to wait until next year for everything to start again!
I love Game of Thrones, but this opening episode felt a bit slow to me. It felt like all that really happened was that a bunch of character were trotted in front of us so we could remember how much we liked the previous episodes, but nothing much really happened.