Game Of Thrones – Season One

HBO’s original TV programming is always one notch above the other channels (Showtime is really the only direct rival). From the mobster drama The Sopranos to the sword-and-sandal epic Rome to the Southern soap opera True Blood, HBO seems to always find a way to successfully blend violence, profanity and sex into a mixture of light comedy and high drama. The cable channel's drama shows are always performed by a uniformly perfect cast and they are written by a team of people who are able to find some sort of consistent rhythm within sprawling tales of passion, betrayal, greed and lust.

Now we can add Game of Thrones to the list. After only two episodes, Game has already aligned itself with the best of HBO’s programming. The show hits on similar themes explored in its predecessors but finds a unique twist. A basic synopsis of the series would be that several royal families are rivaling each other for the Iron Throne, basically the one throne to rule them all.

Unfortunately, I don’t think I can give you a more detailed synopsis. That’s because, the plot itself is really hard to follow. This is especially true now because we don’t have the luxury of subtitles, which will come with the DVD. Characters’ first and last names kind of sound the same and keeping track of who is who and who has allegiance to whom is rather difficult.

Surprisingly, this does not really take away from the viewing experience itself. That this is true is a credit to the actors and the directors. They keep the individual scenes alive enough that we can enjoy them. And I believe that once a few more episodes air, the world of the show will become much clearer and the entire plot will be easy to follow.

Like I said before, the cast is exceptional. Standouts include Sean Bean (the Lord of the Rings trilogy), Lena Headey (300), Mark Addy (TV’s Still Standing), Peter Dinklage (The Station Agent) and newcomer Emilia Clarke. In such a large cast, it would be easy for any actor to get lost in the proceedings, but these five actors really outshine the others.

If you like this sort of television puzzle, then you should definitely check out Game. It is dramatic and hard-hitting; it takes risks and almost all of them pay off. I think this series can only get more fascinating and more gripping — and hopefully easier to understand.