Came to 'Game of Thrones' fairly late in the game and due to being so busy the binge-watching was gradual. Have found myself truly loving the show, very quickly becoming one of my favourites. It totally lives up to the hype and not only does it do the brilliant source material justice (a rarity in television) it is on its own merits one of the finest, most addictive and consistently compelling shows in recent years and quality-wise it puts a lot of films in recent years to shame.
'Game of Thrones' first season continues to keep going from strength to strength. There is not a bad episode in the season and to me "The Pointy End" is one of its best. Not sure about it being THE best though, for such a lot going on and being so rich in story and character occasionally it was a little too busy and could have had more time to breathe. A couple of the side characters are given short shrift somewhat too. Otherwise, "The Pointy End" is a wonderful episode.
Already great characters like Tyrion and Arya are given plenty to do and have all of what makes them such good characters in the first place. Seeing Robb get the spotlight and mature was also a great strength, and any episode that makes Sansa interesting and sympathetic is deserving of a medal. The ending is a nail-biter and makes one want to see how the season ends, Syrio Forel's confrontation with the Lannisters is another highlight. Author George R. R. Martin's involvement is a large part to "The Ponty End's" success, before this episode he hadn't written a teleplay in a decade but he writes as if this big gap didn't happen.
Visually, "The Pointy End" looks amazing. The scenery is throughout spectacular, the sets are hugely atmospheric and beautiful on the eyes with a real meticulous eye for detail and the costumes suit the characters to a tee. The make-up is beautifully done. The visual effects are some of the best of any television programme and are not overused or abused, the scale, the detail and how they actually have character and soul are better than those in a lot of the big-budget blockbusters. As well the cinematography and editing, which are cinematic quality as well.
One cannot talk about "The Pointy End" without mentioning the thematically, orchestrally and atmospherically multi-layered music scoring and the unforgettable main theme. Again, worthy of a high-budget fantasy/action/drama film.
It is hard not to be bowled over by the quality of the writing, outstanding isn't a strong enough adjective to describe how good the writing is once again. It always has a natural flow, is layered and thought-provoking and demonstrates a wide range of emotions such as suspenseful tension, poignant pathos and witty humour. As well as being one of the most thematically rich ones of Season 1, the story is paced beautifully, structured with such nuance and attention to coherence, a high emotional level and is done with intelligence, passion and sensitivity.
Helped by the superb character and multi-layered writing throughout (some of the richest of Season 1 in fact), the acting is hard to find fault. Peter Dinklage, Sophie Turner and Richard Madden are particularly strong, Dinklage has always been a high-point of 'Game of Thrones' while the other two really allow their respective characters to grow.
In short, an on point episode with almost everything executed wonderfully. 9/10 Bethany Cox
'Game of Thrones' first season continues to keep going from strength to strength. There is not a bad episode in the season and to me "The Pointy End" is one of its best. Not sure about it being THE best though, for such a lot going on and being so rich in story and character occasionally it was a little too busy and could have had more time to breathe. A couple of the side characters are given short shrift somewhat too. Otherwise, "The Pointy End" is a wonderful episode.
Already great characters like Tyrion and Arya are given plenty to do and have all of what makes them such good characters in the first place. Seeing Robb get the spotlight and mature was also a great strength, and any episode that makes Sansa interesting and sympathetic is deserving of a medal. The ending is a nail-biter and makes one want to see how the season ends, Syrio Forel's confrontation with the Lannisters is another highlight. Author George R. R. Martin's involvement is a large part to "The Ponty End's" success, before this episode he hadn't written a teleplay in a decade but he writes as if this big gap didn't happen.
Visually, "The Pointy End" looks amazing. The scenery is throughout spectacular, the sets are hugely atmospheric and beautiful on the eyes with a real meticulous eye for detail and the costumes suit the characters to a tee. The make-up is beautifully done. The visual effects are some of the best of any television programme and are not overused or abused, the scale, the detail and how they actually have character and soul are better than those in a lot of the big-budget blockbusters. As well the cinematography and editing, which are cinematic quality as well.
One cannot talk about "The Pointy End" without mentioning the thematically, orchestrally and atmospherically multi-layered music scoring and the unforgettable main theme. Again, worthy of a high-budget fantasy/action/drama film.
It is hard not to be bowled over by the quality of the writing, outstanding isn't a strong enough adjective to describe how good the writing is once again. It always has a natural flow, is layered and thought-provoking and demonstrates a wide range of emotions such as suspenseful tension, poignant pathos and witty humour. As well as being one of the most thematically rich ones of Season 1, the story is paced beautifully, structured with such nuance and attention to coherence, a high emotional level and is done with intelligence, passion and sensitivity.
Helped by the superb character and multi-layered writing throughout (some of the richest of Season 1 in fact), the acting is hard to find fault. Peter Dinklage, Sophie Turner and Richard Madden are particularly strong, Dinklage has always been a high-point of 'Game of Thrones' while the other two really allow their respective characters to grow.
In short, an on point episode with almost everything executed wonderfully. 9/10 Bethany Cox