Just Sayin'

So, I used to think that I was really weird because, for some reason, I am constantly confusing Downton Abbey and Game of Thrones . But it turns out that it's not just me! (I still think I'm really weird, but for different reasons). It turns out that people have written whole articles about why Downton Abbey and Game of Thrones are basically the same show; there's even an Abbey of Thrones tumblr page ! Like, no one's beheading Mrs. Patmore over a salty pudding and the Iron Bank of Bravos is not going to repossess Downton because Lord Grantham lost the family fortune. Compared to Game of Thrones , the dinners and garden parties of Downton seem pretty insignificant, but what makes them both so compelling as shows is that the characters take their own lives seriously. To the characters on Downtown Abbey, a cricket match is just as important as a battle. Make of that what you will, but the point is that the characters are absorbed in their own world, which means t...

After the massacre that was season three of Downton Abbey, season four was refreshingly cheerful. I'll admit that after Sybil and Matthew, two of my favorite characters, died, I was concerned that the show would fall apart. But, I have to say it's nice to see that season four has returned to some of the great Downton traditions: Edith's guy problems, Thomas schemes, and Mary's never ending parade of suitors. Downton has the unique gift of turning a show that is completely uneventful into something absolutley riveting. Downton Abbey is back to doing it Pride and Prejudice style. I mean, It just isn't the same show if Mary doesn't get proposed to at least once a season. That's not to say I wasn't upset about what happened to Matthew. But, on TV you can't linger on grief too much. The actor left the show, but the series must go on. Fortunately, Downton has a strong ensemble cast, so the lose of one character doesn't ruin the show. I'll admit...

I feel very sorry for the Starks So, a long time ago when I was first starting to read the A Song of Ice and Fire books, I was trying to convince my friend to read it and one of the first things she asked me about it was if there were any love stories. I had to stop and think about that for a minute because there are like thousands of character arcs, but, in the end, I had to tell her 'no'. I mean, I guess that you could argue that Catelyn and Ned Stark have a bit of a 'love story', but by the time A Game of Thrones opens, the exciting parts of their love story are over. The Starks are happily married with five children which, while one of the happiest stories in A Song of Ice and Fire, isn't particularly interesting. Personally, I would love it if George R.R. Martin wrote a prequel to a Song of Ice and Fire about Robert's Rebellion and how Ned and Catelyn fell in love (that book would also answer a lot of other pressing questions), but I don't t...

So, I just finished re watching season three of Game of Thrones and I have to say that Daenerys Targaryn just killed it this season. Like, seriously, it was the season of Dany. While everyone else is either being attacked by White Walkers or flayed alive, she's over in Essos taking over the world. I mean, at this point in the series, if you think that Dany is going to be murdered or drop off the face of the earth (cough, cough Gendry, cough, cough, Nymeria), you have to accept that you're pretty much wrong. I love Dany in the books, but, thus far, I wasn't super impressed with her in the TV show. This season really changed that. The producers really went out of their way to make her completely awesome this season; they really gave the character a chance to prove herself as a leader. She shows brilliant strategy in Astapor (she really is much smarter than anybody gives her credit for). She steps into the role of queen so easily and she never doubts herself; she is a nat...