Game of Thrones - Episode 3.02 - "Dark Wings, Dark Words"

courtesy of HBO

     Much of the problem with reviewing certain cable shows on an episode by episode basis is in the very nature of their structure.  Episodes do not necessarily have a beginning, middle and end in the traditional standalone television episode sense so much as their seasons as a whole tell one huge beginning, middle and end.  Such is the case with Game of Thrones, which is still in the very beginning stages of setting up the action of this third season.  The storylines in "Dark Wings, Dark Words" could have worked very well if HBO decided to blend all of the storylines from both episodes into one two-hour season premiere event but instead they end up feeling less important compared to the ones featured in "Valar Dohaeris".  We finally get our fill of Bran, Arya, Jaime and Brienne while honing in on who is quickly becoming the MVP of the season thus far, Natalie Dormer as Margaery Tyrell.

Mad Men - Episode 6.01/02 - "The Doorway"

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     "You know, we sold actual death for 25 years with Lucky Strike. You know how we did it? By ignoring it."

     This particular line encapsulates the themes covered not only in the season six premiere of Mad Men but also in the series as a whole.  As the period drama returns to its penultimate season we have reached the year 1968, a time when the previously benign attempts at social revolution had reached a fever pitch.  The characters we've followed since 1960 have grown older, seeing the world they once owned slip from their fingertips before they even knew it.  Season Five was largely about what it means to grow older and facing the latter half of your life, especially for the male characters, and this theme has continued into "The Doorway", a two-hour masterstroke that sees Don, Betty and Roger facing an era that may not be suited for them.

Game of Thrones - Episode 3.01 - "Valar Dohaeris"

courtesy of HBO

Quick Note: I have only read the first book in George R. R. Martin's series A Song of Ice and Fire and therefore have no knowledge of what's to come in future episodes.  I have read no spoilers and any predictions I make that come true are pure coincidence.

     The technical prowess of Game of Thrones is truly unmatched for the television medium.  If combined together, each 10-episode season could be a theatrical film that would rank up there with the latest blockbusters.  The amount of detail that goes into the various elements of the show (dragons, sweeping landscapes, undead creatures, epic battles) is astounding; it's no wonder the show cleaned up at the Creative Arts Emmys last year.  When this level of production matches the intricate, fantastical story and world George R.R. Martin has created, there is truly no greater experience on television.  "Valar Dohaeris" mostly had this intrinsic mixture of elements but the amount of storylines packed into this episode without a greater overall theme to tie them together create a slightly unsatisfying sense of chaos.     

In this episode we travel to five different locations: Beyond the Wall, King's Landing, Dragonstone, Harrenhal, and Across the Narrow Sea.

~*Beyond the Wall*~

     We pick up exactly where we left off at the end of Season 2 with Sam running away from a fleet of White Walkers.  He is facing certain death until Mormont and the Night Watch come and free him, chastising him for not sending a raven of warning.  This is an engaging opening scene but I can't imagine that it sets the stage for what's to come.  Season 1's White Walker attack introduced us to the brutality of this world and Season 2 showed us the monstrous King Joffrey enjoying a fight to the death in front of him, signaling the impending war.  What we have here doesn't feel like a new beginning.  If anything though, this may be an indication that the White Walkers and others beyond the Wall will play a much bigger role in this season than the first two.  The idea of a more animalistic threat being out there just beyond the trivial fight for power between warring families has been fascinating since the start of the series so it should be interesting to see the looming threat become more and more of a reality.  

     Some miles away, Jon Snow is still under the capture of the Wildlings and ultimately wins the trust of their king, Mance Rayder (played by scenery-chewing Ciarán Hinds).  I'm intrigued to watch the level of trust unfold with this relationship over the course of the season, considering the initial hesitation on both sides.  Snow may very well be playing a long con here but it's tough to imagine him keeping up the charade for too long.

Film Canon: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

     If you've seen the new banner I've uploaded, you'll notice a plethora of television series and movies.  They are quite simply my favorite films and shows of all time, those that have a special place in my heart and those that represent the best of the best in either medium.  I will be starting a Film Canon series on this blog that will feature particularly outstanding pieces of film or television that I highly recommend any student of these mediums to watch and appreciate.  The first featured film also happens to be my favorite film of all time: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind by director Michel Gondry.

House of Cards - Episode 1.06 - "Chapter 6"

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     I don't know how it happens but it seems that whenever I complain about one aspect of House of Cards in a review, the problem is fixed in the next episode.  Such is the case with "Chapter 6", which sees Frank stumble for the first time since the series began.  Squaring off against teacher's union lobbyist Marty Spinella on CNN, he gets caught up in a bizarre vowel speech pattern after Spinella gets his wife involved in the debate.  This is one of the only moments when we see Frank in a vulnerable state, unsure of how to proceed.  This is a great moment on its own, the kind of moment I was hoping for, but upon reflection it doesn't make any logical sense.  We've seen at various points in every episode that Frank is a masterful improviser, a man who can quickly adapt to and dominate a conversation.  To see him idiotically stumble over his words seems out of character; the series never explicitly tells us why it happened.  Was it because Spinella got too personal?  In "Chapter 5" we saw how he reacted after Spinella forced Claire's gala out of the hotel so I guess we're supposed to believe that he will do anything to protect his wife and gets angry and flustered when she is threatened.  Regardless of character consistency, the moment is all but forgotten about (after the 24-hour news cycle gets ahold of it) and we are back to Frank dominating everyone and everything around him.  The episode is framed around a brick that gets thrown into Frank and Claire's window at their house.  The teachers strike is an ongoing event and Frank has been getting the blame for not compromising with the union so Frank goes to the media and places the blame on Spinelli and company.

House of Cards - Episode 1.05 - "Chapter 5"

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     This has turned into quite a ridiculous show.  That was my main thought as the credits rolled at the end of "Chapter 5", an episode that featured a comically early-2000's-style "chill" office, a group of protestors standing outside a fundraiser for the sole reason that there are Congressmen in attendance and an absurdly over-the-top teacher lobbyist who makes Rush Limbaugh look like Maya Angelou.  I'm conflicted as to how I should feel about each of these elements because the show seems to want us to take them all quite seriously while also reveling in its own preposterousness.  Thus far the show has masqueraded as the archetypal HBO drama with a morally ambiguous lead character and a sprawling cast that has numerous important conversations and conflicts with each other in small rooms.  There is a great show in here somewhere but too often it gets so caught up in its own web that it sacrifices logic and realism for stylish dramatic gravitas and "TV realism".  

House of Cards - Episode 1.04 - "Chapter 4"

courtesy of paidcontent.org

     I think I have to readjust my expectations for this show.  Thus far in the series we've seen the moral complexities of Frank, Claire, Zoe and Peter and how each of their lives is marred by self-interested ambition, regardless of those around them.  In "Chapter 4" we  see each of these characters continue to play their respective chess pieces in the game of Washington, D.C. despite some very evident cracks beginning to form for some.  Unfortunately we've already reached the well-trodden ground of extra-marital affairs for both Frank and Claire in the same episode.  Claire invites her photographer friend Adam to visit and the two get dinner and a hotel room.  Though she eventually hesitates and resists his affection, she clearly had strong feelings for this man at one time.  And why shouldn't she?  He's almost the exact opposite of Frank, a free-spirit photographer who isn't in the limelight.  Aside from this affair, we see her unhappiness in various forms.  When SanCorps tells her that they will double their donation to the Clear Water Initiative, she understands why (bargaining tool with Frank) but struggles with the knowledge that she must turn it down.  Later we discover that she is dealing with menopause; as she sticks her head into her refrigerator, her unhappiness is painful.  Painfully obvious, that is.  We've seen the long-suffering wife trope in countless critically-acclaimed cable dramas (The Sopranos, Breaking Bad, Mad Men, Six Feet Under, etc.) so Claire's struggle isn't as sympathetic as it should be.  Robin Wright is a good actress who has the commanding presence of a strong, independent business woman but the material she's been given does not equal her talent.