THIS VIDEO CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR SEASONS 1-7 OF GAME OF THRONES. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.
In this video I explore the HBO series Game of Thrones as an adaptation; a once faithful adaptation that has since gone far beyond the novels it is based on (A Song of Ice and Fire). I will consider the show’s strength and weaknesses, and how its digression from the source material and distance from George R.R. Martin may have had a negative impact on the story.
How close of an adaptation is it at this point? And how fair is it that the popular television series will finish the story before the original author does?
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Footage Used:
Game of Thrones (2011-)
The Wizard of Oz (1939)
To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)
Bladerunner (1982)
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (2001)
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (2011)
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
Game of Thrones soundtrack by Ramin Djawadi:
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The only part of Season 6 that felt like game of thrones was Hodor. Everything else was …. Jamei should have been killed by Arya along with the Freys. In season 7 Euron should have usurped Cersei.Dany should still be in Mereen and Jon would journey to Mereen to invite her to assist in the Fight against the night king. Drogon the wanderer should have flown to the north during the battle of Bastered and set ablaze the Boltons when they surrounded Jon and his Wildlings. After turning the tide of the war he will fly away. I dont like the Sansa proping they did with Jon's victory and coronation which gives Sansa right to undermine Jon turning the scared little girl into what I dont recognize.
Great analysis. I don't feel as disappointed as most people I've seen react negatively to S7, perhaps because GoT has always felt like an adaptation to me, in the litteral sense of the word. When I think of the characters in the book I still picture the same image my own mind shaped for them instead of the people in the show, and that goes for the places and the story itself as well. The show is brilliant, it deserves all the praise it got and stands on its own, and much better than even some of the most acomplished fantasy or period themed films in recent years. The added time a tv show allows the story and the plot already helps it in feeling more substantial than some 2.5 hour movie. And yet I do see the cracks here and there. I do see the rushing through the story, and this is obviously because the tv writers need to build the story without the nuance and artistry of the creator. All the filler GRRM puts in the books is not in fact filler, it's what links plot points together and gives context and motivation to the characters to take action. When all you're given are the major events of a plot, that's all you have to work with. And what's lacking in the show is exactly that juicy "filler".
I've written my own stories and completely get what authors like GRRM say about the writing process: often the characters will lead you through the text as you write it, and those llittle moments of reflection, realization and reaction make them feel grounded, and do so for the story as well.
I'll enjoy S8, I'm sure, but more than the show I definitely want the books. There is a lot that was left behind for the show to be viable and I want those ends recovered and tied together.
I think it is the best adaptation of a book series we have ever seen on tv because it has stayed true to the source material until it there wasn't anymore material available. GRRM has still been in contact with D&D when questions were asked and did supple them with an outline for seasons 6, 7 and final season 8. The ways for the story to get to these conclusions in the final 3 seasons will be different but the final outcome will be the same. I applaud D&D on their efforts and have completely enjoyed watching this journey for all 7 seasons and the last one upcoming.