I read all five books in the Song of Ice and Fire
series, and yes, I am guilty of offering deals to the devil in exchange for
Book 6. I am a fan. I haven’t been one for as long as other people, but I am a
fan. A dedicated one. I’ve discussed theories much more complicated than R+L=J
and have spent countless hours trying to figure out what the future holds for
my favorite characters.
Surprisingly enough, that doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy
the TV show.
I say surprising, because if there is one thing I can
admit about myself, it’s that I AM a snob. I have had a problem with almost
every literary adaptation of a book I have loved, and the few exceptions to the
rule (Lord of the Rings comes to mind) are usually reserved for the books I
didn’t love so much. If I love the book, I must certainly won’t love the
movie/show. Especially if they change things.
Enter Game of Thrones.
I’ve got no explanation for you. I really don’t. The
TV show has done some things that have made me throw the appropriate book at
the screen. (The Jamie/Cersei “rape” ….UGH), but, in general, they’ve done
right by the characters I like, and have actually made me enjoy characters I
despised or were bored by.
DANERYS, I’M LOOKING AT YOU.
That is, until the whole Sansa thing.
I couldn’t even watch. It wasn’t a shocking
development. We all figured it was coming. But I swear, in a TV show where
violence and nudity are a common thing, this time, I couldn’t even watch. I was
horrified. Disgusted.
AND I DON’T EVEN LIKE SANSA.
Violence for the sake of violence
is not my cup of tea. Violence against females for the sake of making them
stronger is abhorrent.
And yet…I can’t stop watching. I won’t stop watching.
You have every right to do so, if you want. I won’t begrudge
you your right. (I repeat, it WAS awful). But…as much as we may pretend to
understand the reasons …we have only read the books. The TV show is clearly a
different beast. And no, they don’t always
make the right choices. But, this is another one of my flaws, one I recognize,
and have discussed a length.
I’m a writer, you see. I like to give other writers
the benefit of the doubt. I like to think that there’s a reason for whatever is
going on. I usually finish every book I read, even if I want to rip the pages
out, because…well, because I never feel like I can properly criticize if I don’t
have the full story.
So, yes, I will watch. Maybe they’ll convince me this
wasn’t just raping a woman for the shock value. Maybe it wasn’t more violence
in an already violent show just because violence sells. Maybe there’s a reason
that serves the story.
I hope so. And it’s okay if you’re not a masochist as
I am. What happened to Sansa wasn’t pretty. It wasn’t fun. IT WASN’T EVEN IN
THE BOOK.
But, hey, it could
still make for a damn good story.
