So here it goes, this is not the glorious praise that has been heaped upon the show this last season. With reports showing the greatest market share of viewers of any season.
The reality is, in terms of how television is measured in terms of success this is an overwhelming success. Over 8 million average viewers per episode, fantastic numbers every single episode, the lowest rated episode in season 5 was still higher in terms of viewership than any episode in the first two season and most of the episodes in season 3.
The critics also seemed to love the season as a whole.
Game of Thrones: Critical reception by episode
- Season 5 (2015): Percentage of positive reviews tracked by the website Rotten Tomatoes[58]
Again a dip at season 6 but overall they are almost 100% satisfied with the show.
I agree with all of this, I loved the show. I would sit in my chair turn off my phone and do nothing else eat a good meal and drink Krakken Black Rum and Dr. Pepper. This was my ritual, no parents, no roomates, no girlfriend or job could detour me on Sunday night.
Until Season 5.
A little bit of back ground before I get into the why I am worried about what I am worried about. I have worked in and around major film and television shows in both LA and Chicago since 2005. So 10 years. No I am not the biggest name in the business or am a foremost expert above all others. That said, when certain things stand out to me on a show, that I have been in love with. I pay attention, I have to. If I am working a show and the previous season was garbage I know that the second season needs to do things differently or I won't have a job in the third season.
Game of Thrones Season #5: List of Red flags and concerns about the turn the show is taking. Yes, I know that compared to the books there is a litany of things that are not lined up. The issue now, is that this is having an exponential affect on the show...more on that later.
Red Flag #1: Emilia Clarke is going to kill the series....
Because she: refuses to get naked anymore. No, I don't care for the reason you think...she is dictating terms creatively now. In the final scene of Episode 509 the dragon is supposed to burn off her clothes. When it does this it also burns the people in the arena killing some of her companions and metaphorically burning away Emilila's current life and responsibility, ties to the current world(paradigm) etc.
1a. She has a no nudity clause in her contract. Which means the writers/producers had to rework that entire scene from the book no matter what to work around her contract. Of course she didn't always have this clause it only happened after the popularity of the show went up after season one and she got to renegotiate her contract the people at CAA know their craft. Which is fine, except that now not only does the price of the show go up, but everyone else will want to change their contracts as well. That's not to say that there are not other reasons they rewrote that, but before they even begin that is a consideration. Nudity, is about a state of vulnerability, and it creates instant sympathy and identity at some visceral level with the audience. This, is now gone, unless she changers her mind. This amazing character, who is unafraid to be shown, is now playing princess...and it's lost something.
1b. This whole season, her character had the least amount of dynamic change in terms situation. She is the queen with a stable relationship and unruly subjects (yawn). The Kalesie version of Danni would have killed the troublemakers without question. Her decision to hesitate and listen to the people around her almost had no real conflict or substance. It just was sub par. No, not a bad performance, or bad direction. Writing was even ok. But it was not at previous levels of GOT.
1c. The character did not live up to any of the previous seasons in any respect.
1d. This is kind of attached to point 1a. Emilia Clark is not getting paid on season #5 what she was making on season #1. If her agents are worth anything they are saying, "Look at her pull to the show, the people naming there kids after her...." and then getting her more money. Which makes the other actors on the show(their agents) do the same. This is all expected and deserved. The question is, is the budget of each season increasing to match what the actors are asking for (Mr. Richard Pleppler, let's not pull a Breaking Bad) and for what the show demands creatively? It maybe this that is responsible for the problems in Episode 509 and 510.
I would like to not that Lena Headley performed her nude scene(first one in this show) amazingly, with no words conveyed volumes. Emilia Clark had some opportunities to do the same in terms of what her character had to do, and was 50/50. Which is rare for her, she is a very good actress.
So maybe it's not totally Emilia's fault. I will concede that, that maybe this is a bigger problem. Maybe it goes deeper. This season for her had some red flags, concerns that show that something is happening and that special (grit factor, real factor) on the show has slipped just a little, at the best.
Red Flag #2: Story, story, story
This season has the greatest despairity between people that should be dead/or doing (in the books) that are still alive.
It also takes the largest creative licence with the GOT universe in general.
2a. The people that are staying that should be out of the story because they are popular. Danairis Targerian (she gets picked up by the dragon and sits on an island and is lost.)
REEK- he's dead guys, he doesn't help Sansa. Kind of a producing for content choice.
In fact the girl that is raped by Ramsey is a double for Sansa in the books, placed by Lord Balish as a ruse. Her rape scene was a gimmic, a risk, and the ratings showed what people thought of that. People reacted more negatively in ratings to that than the "Red Wedding".
Breeann of Tarth, is also very dead along with her squire making her Lady Stonehart seems like a mistake.
These are all major deaths, and these big characters now have to have new reasons to exist and have to stay relevant which means interactions with other main characters that are not apart of the original story.
2b. The mountain is not a white walker in gold armor. He is more like a Ring Wraith in Pure white Armor which would be cheaper to do and waaaaaaay cooler. Katelyn Stark comes back from the dead, as a kind of White walker with a purpose, so no, not a cheap zombie. Much more like a Lych Queen. They got rid of that, after nobody in the target demographics of this show knows about Lych Kings or Queens...(nobody plays World of Warcraft...nobody at all).
2c. The Dragons....really, she randomly makes a huge jump with them and locking them up is waaaaaaay too extreme that fast.
2d. The Dragon at the end of 509, possibly the most anticlimactic moment in the show....he's hurt by spears!?!?! These are the creatures that will turn the tide of any war???? "She has dragons...." the army decimating #1 reason everyone is scared of the phrase "mother of dragons".
The biggest one of these beasts, which is almost killed by a bunch of angry rich people in robes lobbing spears. It's basically a whiny VW with teeth and an exhaust problem...it should have been the USS Ronald Reagan. A perfect machine of war...
It's the size of a griffon. Keep in mind, the movie "Dragonheart" which did terribly in theaters had a dragon that would kill all three of her dragons single handed, oh and did take on a castle and win in that movie. This is important because this dragon in Dragonheart is only 3x times bigger, not as big as Smaug, who is probably 10x bigger (approximately).
20 people almost killed this thing, and in the book it's bigger than the arena. So we have Smaug who's wings are a "Hurricane" and killed and entire people, and then two more cities for kicks. Then Drogon the dragon (yes the name is super stupid, sorry George) who can't defend it's self against the no "wind lance" having, stick-throwing-gold-shower-people.
2e. Danariys is now reconnected with the mighty horse people.....not in any book....RED FLAG CENTRAL
Red Flag #3: This is more about a fear than anything I can prove. If this is happening it may not really have consequences until season #7. This is because Season #6 is already shot and the mistakes have already been made so it may be gradual because they shot it the same time as Season#5.
3a. George R. R. Martin does not have the time he requires as a novelist to write and re-write his novels because of the press, and being involved with the shows. This last book has been joked about in terms of it's completion a lot, and for more than a couple years. He probably wrote notes and outlines for he first five or six seasons and had a rough idea of how he would do things in season #7. Now it's upon us and he may only have another year to write it.
If you have ever tried to write a high fantasy fiction novel with this level of complexity then you know that time is definatley the commodity you need, besides air that is.
3b. Producers are changing up how loose ends are sown up using Hollywood stand bys in terms of character instead of doing what is right for the character and the GOT universe in general, a bad case of blurred lines.
Conclusions:
I love this show, still, this is fear talking. The greatest single Fantasy story on the screen besides the one that started it Lord of the Rings/The Hobbit. (Sorry Tom Cruise Legend doesn't count.)
Please let Danni find her balls and feed that baby dragon so it can actually be a size that makes sense.
Please let Emilia be encouraged by Lena and get honest and naked again. The mountain looks ridiculous, Bree cannot be Lady stone heart.
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