I had heard about George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire book series for years but never got around to reading it. When they announced the HBO show I was excited because I had a lot of friends who read the books.
But when I actually started watching the show, I actually found it frustrating to watch. There were too many characters with too much backstory that seemed to go unexplained. I felt like the show was moving at a breakneck pace and wasn't catering to the non-book readers at all. By the end of the fourth episode, I gave up. It was too confusing. I couldn't keep track of it all and I felt like the show was moving too fast.
Sometime later, a friend urged me to give it another chance. He lent me the blu-ray of season one and told me to watch the special features that went into the background of the show. After watching that, it clicked with me. I re-watched the first four episodes and loved them a lot more. After that I was hooked. I quickly got caught up with the series and found myself eagerly awaiting season 3.
I started reading the books around that time and only just recently finished book 5. I have to say that the books are even better than the show! While the show is great for its fast paced plot, great acting and stunning visuals, the books take a little more time to flesh out the characters, go into the backstory, and spend a little more time with exposition.
The main problem I have with the show is that it's too fast paced. You have to really pay close attention because if you miss one line of dialog, it's easy to get lost. This was why I gave up when I initially watched it. The show would benefit from the use of flashbacks and a longer season (13 episodes seems perfect). Or maybe just take a bit more time for character dialog to allow for more exposition. I know some people might complain that there's "too much talking" already, but I'm not one of those people who needs action all the time in my shows and movies.
That being said, once you understand what's going on, the show is excellent and highly addictive. It's the best ongoing show on television right now. Definitely watch it, and if you get lost, take a break, watch some of the History of Westeros featurettes from the blu-ray (also on youtube) and try again. It's definitely worth it.
But when I actually started watching the show, I actually found it frustrating to watch. There were too many characters with too much backstory that seemed to go unexplained. I felt like the show was moving at a breakneck pace and wasn't catering to the non-book readers at all. By the end of the fourth episode, I gave up. It was too confusing. I couldn't keep track of it all and I felt like the show was moving too fast.
Sometime later, a friend urged me to give it another chance. He lent me the blu-ray of season one and told me to watch the special features that went into the background of the show. After watching that, it clicked with me. I re-watched the first four episodes and loved them a lot more. After that I was hooked. I quickly got caught up with the series and found myself eagerly awaiting season 3.
I started reading the books around that time and only just recently finished book 5. I have to say that the books are even better than the show! While the show is great for its fast paced plot, great acting and stunning visuals, the books take a little more time to flesh out the characters, go into the backstory, and spend a little more time with exposition.
The main problem I have with the show is that it's too fast paced. You have to really pay close attention because if you miss one line of dialog, it's easy to get lost. This was why I gave up when I initially watched it. The show would benefit from the use of flashbacks and a longer season (13 episodes seems perfect). Or maybe just take a bit more time for character dialog to allow for more exposition. I know some people might complain that there's "too much talking" already, but I'm not one of those people who needs action all the time in my shows and movies.
That being said, once you understand what's going on, the show is excellent and highly addictive. It's the best ongoing show on television right now. Definitely watch it, and if you get lost, take a break, watch some of the History of Westeros featurettes from the blu-ray (also on youtube) and try again. It's definitely worth it.