shannon_a

I started reading A Song of Ice and Fire in the late '90s. Not when it came out, but after I'd been hearing good things about it for a few years. I'm pretty sure I brought A Clash of Kings with me on my first trip to Hawaii in 2001, reading it during long, lazy days at the Waikomo Streams Villa. I read A Storm of Swords in 2004, and after that I was caught up and eagerly awaiting the next book through the decade and a half of disappointment that followed.

Now, about 20 years after my first read of A Game of Thrones, the story is over, at least through the "Game of Thrones" TV show. But at this point I think that's the only ending we'll ever get, because I years ago lost faith that George R.R. Martin will ever finish this series. I think he'll get The Winds of WInter published some day (but not until after we move), but I don't believe he'll ever write A Dream of Spring, and even if he did, I'm sure he'd decide there was at least one more book required. (But you know, George, I hope you write like the wind, though I'd just have to decide whether to read the new books then, when I thought the last two were increasingly horrible because of their total loss of focus.)

So, about the ending we got ...

[SPOILERS FOR THE FINALE OF GAME OF THRONES FROM HERE ON OUT]

It's been exciting in the last one and two half seasons to see material going beyond the books, but I do have to agree with the many critics that producers D+D weren't able to maintain the quality. And there's an obvious reason for that: George R.R. Martin was effectively the coauthor of the first five seasons, and D+D were a man down without him. Beforehand they were able to look at the intricately detailed, very internal points-of-view in Martin's books and then cut that down to the bone to produce TV scripts. When they passed the books, D+D still were able to produce their tight scripts, but the fact that they weren't considering all those internal thoughts was obvious. The show lost some of its veracity because we could no longer believe everything that the characters did. And the pacing was, yes, awful. I think D+D were maybe at the halfway point of the story at the end of season five, as they prepared to move away from Martin's books, but instead of five more seasons, we got one and two halves. And it showed. The whole show went into fast motion.

But the shrieks, the moans, and the rending of clothes that have followed the last few shows of this season? The insulting "fans" so angry with the show that they want the whole last season rewritten by "competent writers"? That I don't agree with.

I think the part of the problem is that the internet engenders a real sense of entitlement. People feel like they own their entertainment in a way they never have before. Great for fandom? Quite possibly. But everyone's feeling that their entertainment should exactly match the story they want told because of their individual fanon? Not so great. There's no way to tell 25 million different Game of Thrones stories, not would I want that if it was possible, because it would destroy our ability to enjoy stories together.

But I also think part of the problem is that people just refuse to accept the story that's actually being told.

[NO, SERIOUSLY, WE'RE STARTING WITH THE SPOILERS HERE. AND NOT JUST FOR GAME OF THRONES, BUT LOST AND BATTLESTAR GALACTICA TOO.]

For years now, people have been talking about the two TV shows that totally failed to stick their landing: Lost and Battlestar Galactica. And for Lost, I totally agree: Lost very deliberately told a very specific story from the finale of season 5 to the penultimate episode of season 6: a fission bomb went off in 1977 fracturing the timeline, and so two parallel stories were then told, one in the future we'd known, one in a future where the island was destroyed. But then in the last episode, the Lost producers decided to totally surprise viewers by going in a different direction than the one that had been foreshadowed. It was all a religious experience, after the protagonists' time on the island. And viewers were justifiably pissed off, because that wasn't the story they'd been telling: it made no sense. (I actually found the finale hauntingly beautiful, but for some other show.)

But I 100% disagree with the assessment of the Battlestar Galactica finale, because it was the opposite situation. The show had spent four years telling people that it was an examination of religion and spirituality, then in the finale episode it went full-in with some angels. And people flipped out because they didn't want that dirty religion in their science-fiction show. But, it had been there they whole time, people just refused to see it. (And I feel like the focus was continuing in the wonderful Caprica prequel, which moved on to the questions of "what is life" and "what is sentience", but sadly that one was cancelled too soon.)

So you won't be surprised to hear that I just shake my head at the people who flipped out at the last few episodes of Game of Thrones.

Yes, it was hurried. Yes, D+D didn't backfill as much of the character work as they could have. Yes, it was clearly hurt by not have Martin's novels as a foundation. Yes, the Battle of Winterfell was quite dark (but even before season 8, Game of Thrones was always the show that Kimberly and I watched late at night, so that glare from our windows didn't make the show hard to see).

But ...

D+D produced the finale that George R.R. Martin promised when he published the first words of A Game of Thrones 23 years ago.

I remain flabbergasted that people are so angry about Dany's heel-turn, because I spent the whole season waiting for that heel-turn. D+D were beating the drum so hard to suggest that it was coming that I was getting a headache. All of season 8, we heard that Dany was only balanced by her advisors, who reined in her worst instincts, and then we saw them stripped away one by one. And that's to say nothing of her arrogant reaction to discovering that she wasn't the actual heir to the iron throne. But, the foreshadowing of her heel-turn was there for seasons before that, and for books before that. Her atrocities and poor governance of Meereen was right there for all of us to see, but we choose not to look because she was murdering and torturing "bad" people, because we all know that the lost prince(ss) who is raised as a farm boy of course comes back to claim his/her throne.

But I think the real issue is that many people watched seven seasons of Game of Thrones and managed to never understand that it was deconstructive fantasy. That it was purposefully breaking down classic fantasy tropes. There was no way that the lost princess was going to ascend to her throne after the obvious ruler (Ned) was beheaded after the other obvious ruler (Robb) was similarly killed. It wasn't going to happen after the son who learned the magic ways was crippled for life in a way that not even magic could resolve. Game of Thrones just wasn't that story, and it never was going to be, but I think there were a lot of people who were tricked by the fancy CGI work, by the attractive armies marching and dragons flying. It looked like the next Lord of the Rings, but it never was.

So I'm certain people will be bitching over the last episode, over the fact that after eight seasons of fighting, the rulers talked to choose a new king. That they picked someone who never wanted the job (but apparently knew he'd get it).

But that's the show that Game of Thrones always was, one that subverted fantasy expectations, that tried to break the form apart to show there was another way.

I liked the last episode quite a bit. It was the one episode of the last few seasons that I thought nailed the pacing and the character work. It was the one episode where Martin's lack wasn't as obvious. Oh, perhaps it was the smallest bit sappy as we got to see everyone's future lives unfolding at the end, but in general it was the finale that the first five seasons deserved.

Here's my fear: that George R.R. Martin will see the whining about Dany's heel turn, and shy away from it in the books. But like I said, I have no faith that he'll get there.

Had the Wiedlins up here on Sunday for a typical birth day get together. We had dinner at La Med, then cake at home. There was much enjoyable talk with all the relatives. Kind birthday checks were also offered. As usual, I took the birth day gifting as a chance to get stuff I wanted but which might have been a bit more expensive than I'd usually put for. So, I got About Time 1 (so I can read about the early Dalek stories, which I'm currently reading novelizations of) and Songs of the Dying Earth and Moorcock's non-fiction collection London Peculiar and a few other things. I've still got about half the money to spend and am going to see if anything strikes me 'specially in the next week or so.

Since then, it's been back to work, except with much cake, as we had the remaining half of the delicious chocolate cake that the Wiedlins brought, plus the remaining super-rich cakes Kimberly and I had gotten at Berkeley Bowl. Whew.

Among the stuff I've been reading lately is A Game of Throne by George R.R. Martin. It's my third read, I think. I'm amazed how damned good the book is. Martin writes each chapter like a little short story with a beginning, middle, and end. Each chapter also gives us a strong moment of revelation or change, usually encoded right at the end of the chapter. The craft is just superb. I dunno how the same person who has written OK Wild Cards stories and nothing else that I know of super note is also writing some of the best-crafted fantasy out there.

Tomorrow: the birthday celebrations continue, as it's Kimberly's actual birthday. Delicious food is planned. At one of my top 3 restaurants. Stay tuned.

I've just finished reading A Storm of Swords. In fact, as it happens, I've just finished reading all three books in A Song of Fire and Ice through, a task which took many weeks, and which I don't expect to repeat, no matter how good they were.

Unfortunately, it'll probably be a year before book 4 is out, and I'd guess 5-10 years before the serious is complete. I'm unlikely to remember what was going on by the time I pick up the next book. Thus, I've decided to write myself a synopsis of where everyone was at the end of Book III as a memory aide. As you'd expect, this post will entirely be spoilers, with a bit of analysis.

( Spoiler Summary for A Storm of Swords )