A Game of Thrones Kind of Day
So yesterday took forever. Why couldn't it just be nine o'clock already, so that I could be in the company of my fellow geeks in NYC, watching the premiere of Game of Thrones on HBO? Well, actually, I didn't want it to be nine o'clock. I wanted it to be 4:45. Why over four hours earlier? Well, this was when my train left for the city. Why so early? Because I was determined to seize the Iron Throne. You see, I've never considered myself a sucker for marketing, but I do consider myself a sucker for GRRM's A Song of Ice and Fire, mostly just the written word and the (then) forthcoming HBO series, but a sucker nonetheless.
But I had to give a lot of props to HBO--their marketing campaign for Game of Thrones was unique, creative, and just honest-to-gosh good fun. I didn't think it was possible, but they did indeed manage to up my excitement for the series. So when the Game of Thrones food truck was dispensing free Westeros deliciousness in NYC for a whole week as prepared by Tom Colicchio from Top Chef, I was massively bummed that I missed every last meal, due to me getting sick for the first time in over a year.
Then I saw those Game of Thrones rickshaws, and I said, "Damn, I'm never going to be in the right place at the right to try those." More disappointment.
But then a ray of hope:
Game of Thrones had brought the Iron Throne to NYC in the week following up to the premiere, and you could "seize" it if you were so inclined. The last day of this promotion was Sunday, up until seven o'clock. Seven was when I was supposed to arrive at my Game of Thrones viewing party, so I decided to make a day of it and get into the city a few hours earlier. So from Penn Station I took a nice twenty block walk in the lovely weather to make up for the jog I had skipped earlier, and to help heighten my anticipation of the festivities.
I think I picked the perfect time for this marketing event. I had to wait on line for all of two minutes. I suspect most of the hardcore fans in and around NYC had already taken part in this, and were busy getting ready at this point for their own GoT viewing parties. So in short order I had seized the Iron Throne and had my picture taken to document the occasion:
For the record, I was even happier than I appear in this picture. HBO had a whole mini fleet of I-Pads, allowing you to enter your email and have the photo sent to you for free. So there I was, happy as a clam, and things only got better from there. I was about to leave the scene, but imagine my surprise when I noticed two Game of Thrones rickshaws in the area as well. I could take a free ride!
Awesomeness!
So I strolled over to one of the rickshaws, and the driver happened to be engaged in conversation with someone. He stopped when he noticed me standing there, but before I got in he gave the expected spiel at these free promotions, i.e. "Make sure you watch the Game of Thrones premiere, tonight at nine o'clock."
So without thinking about it, I said, "Oh, you don't have to tell me. I've been a fan since '96, I have a first edition hardcover of the first book, signed by George Martin himself."
Well, it turns out it's a good thing I said that as opposed to just nodding my head and taking the ride. The other person there, the one the rickshaw driver had been talking to, said to me, "So you're a big fan? Would you like to do an interview for my website? I run OMFGeek.com."
I said sure, and at that point I figured it couldn't hurt to mention I was the editor at Realms of Fantasy Magazine. Jeff Koening--CEO of the site--had heard of RoF, and made the gracious offer to let me plug the magazine during the interview. So I took advantage of this generosity, as he filmed the interview live via his IPad.
The interview itself was fairly brief, and the questions pretty simple, asking me such things as "Who's your favorite character from the books?" and "What House would you be a part of if you had your choice?" But the last question actually surprised me a little bit, because he asked me if I had read a certain infamous article by the NY Times regarding fantasy and how women as a whole relate to this literature.
I don't remember my entire answer, but the beginning of my reply was something along the lines of the following: "Yeah, I read it. It's a bunch of nonsense."
I don't think the video has been posted yet, but we exchanged cards, so I imagine Jeff will be dropping me a line when it's live. I'll be sure to link to it when he does.
From there, it was off to take my GoT rickshaw to the subway stop, but not before Jeff kindly took a picture of me on the rickshaw:
Again, don't be misled by how happy I look here--I was even happier.
Come the end of my charming rickshaw ride, I hied it to the subway, and then to my friend's place, where the geek posse convened at around seven or so in anticipation of the Game of Thrones premiere. Much pizza and discussion of Game of Thrones was had, along with other subjects of interest to geeks. Good times.
Finally, it was time for the main course (and no, I don't mean the pizza). We were all pretty excited, but I think it's safe to say I was the most excited of all, and I think everyone else would agree. I really do worship these books.
As to the premiere itself ...it was everything I could have hoped for. The casting, the acting, the overall mood, the production values in sets and costumes, the direction, and especially the faithfulness to the books left me thoroughly pleased. The opening credits were also very inventive. The kids played their roles wonderfully, which is worth noting, because, well, they're kids and they're so essential to this series. But I was happy with all of the performances. Sean Bean as Eddard and Peter Dinklage as Tyrion were both perfect. I understand why these were the first two people to be cast in their roles.
Was it perfect?
Well, there is always room to nitpick. (SPOILER-Y ALERT) The look for some of these characters isn't quite what it is in the books, but it's nothing worth getting in a twist over. I would've preferred that the North be covered in snow as it is in the books, but I understand that for various reasons it's easier if HBO just makes the snowy lands be beyond the Wall (and maybe near it?) for the time being. I guess the biggest deviation from the books is how the first sex scene between Dany and Khal Drogo concludes. It's much more intimate in the books, and it would've been nice if they could have mirrored that. However, if you've read the books, you know how much information and how many characters the first episode of the series needed to convey in the space of an hour. I don't think they really had enough running time to capture that scene the way it's done in the books. So given that, I was cool with how they handled it. I was also happy to see they ended the first episode exactly how I predicted.
So really, whatever complaints I could voice as a big fan of these books are minimal indeed. Fans of the books should all be over the moon right now (along with GRRM). Most of the ones that aren't probably expected every last detail to be EXACTLY like the books, which is impossible when translating books to another medium. But wow, overall the producers are making a rather concerted effort to adhere to the source materials. It is a rare instance where Hollywood understood that deviating from the books and trying to make significant changes to "improve" the source material would be a grave mistake.
Anyway, I liked it enough that I watched it again when I got home, and had it on a third time as background noise while I took care of other stuff. I wouldn't be surprised if I watched it again tonight. It really was a masterful opening. So between my reaction, everyone else at the viewing, and that of the Internet at large, at this point it's safe to say that most fans of the books are well pleased, which is the first hurdle that HBO needed to clear. Had they failed here, they would never hear the end of it. Martin's fan base is too loyal to tolerate these books being turned into trash. I personally wasn't worried on this front, because HBO puts out a superior product, but I'm sure there are some fans out there breathing a big sigh of relief.
So the next and bigger question is: how will this show go over with people who haven't read the books? Well, the geek posse had a semi-litmus test last night. One among us had not read the books, and wasn't really a fan of epic fantasy. She was able to follow the premiere, and overall she liked it, even if it's not her thing. However, while not a fan of epics, she is a fan of speculative literature. Still, this might be an indicator this show should appeal to most folks with geeky proclivities, and not just the fans of the books.
Good news, but it doesn't answer the largest question of all, the biggest hurdle there is: what about the HBO core audience who aren't geeks? Will they like it? I can guarantee that after one episode all the geeks are hoping so. This show needs non-geek support too if it's to thrive, and if HBO is forced to pull the plug on this down the road as it did with Deadwood and Rome, I think the geeks would lose it. The Internet would riot, and the Save Game of Thrones campaign would begin in earnest.
Well, I've perused twitter and Facebook some, and you can tell based on the comments which people haven't read the books yet. For the most part, the comments early on seem positive. That ending really shocked a lot of people, which is why I'm so happy the producers understood the first episode had to end where it did. I also understand why HBO is flooding their networks this week the first episode. It's not just so people will watch it--it's so people will have the option of re-watching it. Fans of the books followed the first episode without a problem. People not familiar with the books are being asked to follow a lot of characters, histories, and plot lines, without Martin's skillful narrative voice to drop us into the story of his world. They do have the advantage of faces though. I think most people new to the series have a general understanding of who's who. That's all they need early on. The rest will come with time, as the story unfolds and they become more attached to this army of characters. But with that said, it may help some folks who are new to this world to re-watch this episode during the course of the week. For those who know the books, this is a bonus. For those who don't, a second viewing should help clarify details they missed the first time, and also help keep everything straight in their heads going into episode two. Do they have to watch it again? No. And they shouldn't have to either. Nor do I think that all of them will need to. If they did, the show wouldn't last. You can't expect everyone to watch the first episode twice. But there are a lot of details in this story, and just as readers of the books discover new nuggets in rereads of this series, so too will the viewers pick up on things the second time around. So HBO flooding the airwaves this first week is very wise for a whole variety of reasons. I imagine more than a few people will watch this first episode a second time, just to make sure they have everything straight going into episode two. And if they want to watch it again, it means they're already hooked. They just don't know it yet. But we do, oh readers of the books. We do. ;)
So in conclusion, yes, I think HBO has another hit on its hands, and yes, I do think this series is going to last. And if not ...pity the universe when it meets my rage.
But I had to give a lot of props to HBO--their marketing campaign for Game of Thrones was unique, creative, and just honest-to-gosh good fun. I didn't think it was possible, but they did indeed manage to up my excitement for the series. So when the Game of Thrones food truck was dispensing free Westeros deliciousness in NYC for a whole week as prepared by Tom Colicchio from Top Chef, I was massively bummed that I missed every last meal, due to me getting sick for the first time in over a year.
Then I saw those Game of Thrones rickshaws, and I said, "Damn, I'm never going to be in the right place at the right to try those." More disappointment.
But then a ray of hope:
Game of Thrones had brought the Iron Throne to NYC in the week following up to the premiere, and you could "seize" it if you were so inclined. The last day of this promotion was Sunday, up until seven o'clock. Seven was when I was supposed to arrive at my Game of Thrones viewing party, so I decided to make a day of it and get into the city a few hours earlier. So from Penn Station I took a nice twenty block walk in the lovely weather to make up for the jog I had skipped earlier, and to help heighten my anticipation of the festivities.
I think I picked the perfect time for this marketing event. I had to wait on line for all of two minutes. I suspect most of the hardcore fans in and around NYC had already taken part in this, and were busy getting ready at this point for their own GoT viewing parties. So in short order I had seized the Iron Throne and had my picture taken to document the occasion:
For the record, I was even happier than I appear in this picture. HBO had a whole mini fleet of I-Pads, allowing you to enter your email and have the photo sent to you for free. So there I was, happy as a clam, and things only got better from there. I was about to leave the scene, but imagine my surprise when I noticed two Game of Thrones rickshaws in the area as well. I could take a free ride!
Awesomeness!
So I strolled over to one of the rickshaws, and the driver happened to be engaged in conversation with someone. He stopped when he noticed me standing there, but before I got in he gave the expected spiel at these free promotions, i.e. "Make sure you watch the Game of Thrones premiere, tonight at nine o'clock."
So without thinking about it, I said, "Oh, you don't have to tell me. I've been a fan since '96, I have a first edition hardcover of the first book, signed by George Martin himself."
Well, it turns out it's a good thing I said that as opposed to just nodding my head and taking the ride. The other person there, the one the rickshaw driver had been talking to, said to me, "So you're a big fan? Would you like to do an interview for my website? I run OMFGeek.com."
I said sure, and at that point I figured it couldn't hurt to mention I was the editor at Realms of Fantasy Magazine. Jeff Koening--CEO of the site--had heard of RoF, and made the gracious offer to let me plug the magazine during the interview. So I took advantage of this generosity, as he filmed the interview live via his IPad.
The interview itself was fairly brief, and the questions pretty simple, asking me such things as "Who's your favorite character from the books?" and "What House would you be a part of if you had your choice?" But the last question actually surprised me a little bit, because he asked me if I had read a certain infamous article by the NY Times regarding fantasy and how women as a whole relate to this literature.
I don't remember my entire answer, but the beginning of my reply was something along the lines of the following: "Yeah, I read it. It's a bunch of nonsense."
I don't think the video has been posted yet, but we exchanged cards, so I imagine Jeff will be dropping me a line when it's live. I'll be sure to link to it when he does.
From there, it was off to take my GoT rickshaw to the subway stop, but not before Jeff kindly took a picture of me on the rickshaw:
Again, don't be misled by how happy I look here--I was even happier.
Come the end of my charming rickshaw ride, I hied it to the subway, and then to my friend's place, where the geek posse convened at around seven or so in anticipation of the Game of Thrones premiere. Much pizza and discussion of Game of Thrones was had, along with other subjects of interest to geeks. Good times.
Finally, it was time for the main course (and no, I don't mean the pizza). We were all pretty excited, but I think it's safe to say I was the most excited of all, and I think everyone else would agree. I really do worship these books.
As to the premiere itself ...it was everything I could have hoped for. The casting, the acting, the overall mood, the production values in sets and costumes, the direction, and especially the faithfulness to the books left me thoroughly pleased. The opening credits were also very inventive. The kids played their roles wonderfully, which is worth noting, because, well, they're kids and they're so essential to this series. But I was happy with all of the performances. Sean Bean as Eddard and Peter Dinklage as Tyrion were both perfect. I understand why these were the first two people to be cast in their roles.
Was it perfect?
Well, there is always room to nitpick. (SPOILER-Y ALERT) The look for some of these characters isn't quite what it is in the books, but it's nothing worth getting in a twist over. I would've preferred that the North be covered in snow as it is in the books, but I understand that for various reasons it's easier if HBO just makes the snowy lands be beyond the Wall (and maybe near it?) for the time being. I guess the biggest deviation from the books is how the first sex scene between Dany and Khal Drogo concludes. It's much more intimate in the books, and it would've been nice if they could have mirrored that. However, if you've read the books, you know how much information and how many characters the first episode of the series needed to convey in the space of an hour. I don't think they really had enough running time to capture that scene the way it's done in the books. So given that, I was cool with how they handled it. I was also happy to see they ended the first episode exactly how I predicted.
So really, whatever complaints I could voice as a big fan of these books are minimal indeed. Fans of the books should all be over the moon right now (along with GRRM). Most of the ones that aren't probably expected every last detail to be EXACTLY like the books, which is impossible when translating books to another medium. But wow, overall the producers are making a rather concerted effort to adhere to the source materials. It is a rare instance where Hollywood understood that deviating from the books and trying to make significant changes to "improve" the source material would be a grave mistake.
Anyway, I liked it enough that I watched it again when I got home, and had it on a third time as background noise while I took care of other stuff. I wouldn't be surprised if I watched it again tonight. It really was a masterful opening. So between my reaction, everyone else at the viewing, and that of the Internet at large, at this point it's safe to say that most fans of the books are well pleased, which is the first hurdle that HBO needed to clear. Had they failed here, they would never hear the end of it. Martin's fan base is too loyal to tolerate these books being turned into trash. I personally wasn't worried on this front, because HBO puts out a superior product, but I'm sure there are some fans out there breathing a big sigh of relief.
So the next and bigger question is: how will this show go over with people who haven't read the books? Well, the geek posse had a semi-litmus test last night. One among us had not read the books, and wasn't really a fan of epic fantasy. She was able to follow the premiere, and overall she liked it, even if it's not her thing. However, while not a fan of epics, she is a fan of speculative literature. Still, this might be an indicator this show should appeal to most folks with geeky proclivities, and not just the fans of the books.
Good news, but it doesn't answer the largest question of all, the biggest hurdle there is: what about the HBO core audience who aren't geeks? Will they like it? I can guarantee that after one episode all the geeks are hoping so. This show needs non-geek support too if it's to thrive, and if HBO is forced to pull the plug on this down the road as it did with Deadwood and Rome, I think the geeks would lose it. The Internet would riot, and the Save Game of Thrones campaign would begin in earnest.
Well, I've perused twitter and Facebook some, and you can tell based on the comments which people haven't read the books yet. For the most part, the comments early on seem positive. That ending really shocked a lot of people, which is why I'm so happy the producers understood the first episode had to end where it did. I also understand why HBO is flooding their networks this week the first episode. It's not just so people will watch it--it's so people will have the option of re-watching it. Fans of the books followed the first episode without a problem. People not familiar with the books are being asked to follow a lot of characters, histories, and plot lines, without Martin's skillful narrative voice to drop us into the story of his world. They do have the advantage of faces though. I think most people new to the series have a general understanding of who's who. That's all they need early on. The rest will come with time, as the story unfolds and they become more attached to this army of characters. But with that said, it may help some folks who are new to this world to re-watch this episode during the course of the week. For those who know the books, this is a bonus. For those who don't, a second viewing should help clarify details they missed the first time, and also help keep everything straight in their heads going into episode two. Do they have to watch it again? No. And they shouldn't have to either. Nor do I think that all of them will need to. If they did, the show wouldn't last. You can't expect everyone to watch the first episode twice. But there are a lot of details in this story, and just as readers of the books discover new nuggets in rereads of this series, so too will the viewers pick up on things the second time around. So HBO flooding the airwaves this first week is very wise for a whole variety of reasons. I imagine more than a few people will watch this first episode a second time, just to make sure they have everything straight going into episode two. And if they want to watch it again, it means they're already hooked. They just don't know it yet. But we do, oh readers of the books. We do. ;)
So in conclusion, yes, I think HBO has another hit on its hands, and yes, I do think this series is going to last. And if not ...pity the universe when it meets my rage.