fire cannot kill a dragon
So hey, you all might have heard or otherwise noticed that HBO is adapting the first book of George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series for television, right?
I watched it last night, and by and large was utterly thrilled with the rich beauty of the scenery and cinematography, the special effects (OMG did you see the Wall?!) the true-to-the-page nuanced characters, and the overall setup of the world and the complex sociopolitical dynamics therein. (I was also not at all shy about announcing this on Twitter! Apologies to all those of you whose feed I spammed!)
Today I checked out a few reviews online (mostly by way of LJ), and realized that anyone who had seen the episode but not read the books might in fact be giving me the side-eye right now over a couple of specific things that I didn't notice in the same way because of my familiarity with the source material.
The first issue has to do with race, ethnicity, and culture, specifically with respect to the Dothraki. I am not even going to try to claim that there are not reasons for concern; what I will say is that this is the very beginning of the story and if it follows the book narrative, I am much, much less worried than I would otherwise be. Rumors I've heard and interviews I have read lead me to believe this may be the case. I'm willing to wait and see.
The second has to do with issues of consent. Here the problem is that a narrative adapted out of original context to another form sometimes tells a different story. Unfortunately, I think that happened here, and not in a good way.
As you may have guessed, I'm talking about the wedding-night sex scene between Daenerys Targaryen and Khal Drogo. The way the scene played out on screen, it's pretty obvious that Daenerys's tearful lack of resistance was at best coerced consent. That's sexual assault; not to put too fine a point on it, that's rape.
And what makes me want to tear my hair out is that in the book, it was exactly the opposite.
In the book, not only does Drogo take time and make a clear effort to make sure that Daenerys is both not pressured and feeling comfortable with the situation that night, he specifically asks if she's willing to proceed. Dany answers "Yes" -- by which I mean the actual spoken word "yes," not any implication or assumption dependent on mere lack of objection, and then immediately follows up her verbal consent by action showcasing her agreement as she reaches for him to encourage physical contact.
ARGH. The change makes no sense, and is definitely and significantly for the worse. Why do it? Why?
I don't expect an answer, of course. Instead I'll just be over here banging my head on the desk and desperately hoping that they won't be making another mistake like that.
In conclusion - with the exception of the above behind the cut, I loved the episode, and am looking forward to more of the series.
Dear HBO: please don't screw it up.
This entry was originally posted at http://silveraspen.dreamwidth.org/254352.html and mirrored to LJ. Please comment where you wish! (There are
comments currently posted at Dreamwidth.)
I watched it last night, and by and large was utterly thrilled with the rich beauty of the scenery and cinematography, the special effects (OMG did you see the Wall?!) the true-to-the-page nuanced characters, and the overall setup of the world and the complex sociopolitical dynamics therein. (I was also not at all shy about announcing this on Twitter! Apologies to all those of you whose feed I spammed!)
Today I checked out a few reviews online (mostly by way of LJ), and realized that anyone who had seen the episode but not read the books might in fact be giving me the side-eye right now over a couple of specific things that I didn't notice in the same way because of my familiarity with the source material.
The first issue has to do with race, ethnicity, and culture, specifically with respect to the Dothraki. I am not even going to try to claim that there are not reasons for concern; what I will say is that this is the very beginning of the story and if it follows the book narrative, I am much, much less worried than I would otherwise be. Rumors I've heard and interviews I have read lead me to believe this may be the case. I'm willing to wait and see.
The second has to do with issues of consent. Here the problem is that a narrative adapted out of original context to another form sometimes tells a different story. Unfortunately, I think that happened here, and not in a good way.
As you may have guessed, I'm talking about the wedding-night sex scene between Daenerys Targaryen and Khal Drogo. The way the scene played out on screen, it's pretty obvious that Daenerys's tearful lack of resistance was at best coerced consent. That's sexual assault; not to put too fine a point on it, that's rape.
And what makes me want to tear my hair out is that in the book, it was exactly the opposite.
In the book, not only does Drogo take time and make a clear effort to make sure that Daenerys is both not pressured and feeling comfortable with the situation that night, he specifically asks if she's willing to proceed. Dany answers "Yes" -- by which I mean the actual spoken word "yes," not any implication or assumption dependent on mere lack of objection, and then immediately follows up her verbal consent by action showcasing her agreement as she reaches for him to encourage physical contact.
ARGH. The change makes no sense, and is definitely and significantly for the worse. Why do it? Why?
I don't expect an answer, of course. Instead I'll just be over here banging my head on the desk and desperately hoping that they won't be making another mistake like that.
In conclusion - with the exception of the above behind the cut, I loved the episode, and am looking forward to more of the series.
Dear HBO: please don't screw it up.
This entry was originally posted at http://silveraspen.dreamwidth.org/254352.html and mirrored to LJ. Please comment where you wish! (There are
comments currently posted at Dreamwidth.)