Why is it so important, Non-Readers vs. Reader, plot vs. verse?

K_user

Reading a book is a very personal thing. What we see, understand, remember and sympathise with, is what makes it worth it. And I understand that the “A Song of Ice and Fire” books have been a large part of people’s lives for a very long time. Mine included.

However GOT the TV series is not the books, it’s a story based on the books. Closely based, but still based.

I’ve often been surprised with peoples general reactions to the show - on other sites not this one - hence my "bravery" with this thread! :P Some online hardcore fans have been really cutting at times. Others have been very annoyed with deviations from core text. That characters have been dropped, changed, adjusted, or dumbed down.

While some of the non-readers have made comments on the confusing number of characters, back stories, inter-winding plot lines.

However I come at this show from a completely different perspective. I know the books, they are fantastic. I have watched the show and its probably the best TV series I have watched in a long time.

In my opinion this is a “golden” time for Fantasy book readers. Lets enjoy it. This is a TV show, based on “nerd” books, that has taken the world by storm. It’s a hit. Millions of people are avid fans that would never considered watching a program about dragons and magic.

When was the last time a studio shelled out 10 million per episode on this type of story? When was the last time we’ve seen so many great actors playing fairly minor rolls?

Fantasy shows are usually low budget, terrible graphics, bad acting, poor storyline, and only shown on specific channels, or late at night on standard channels.

If the numbers watching GOT drops a few %, then the studio will start cutting budget, moving the schedule around and halting advertising. Some of the cast will leave and the replacements won’t be as good. The knock on effect will have the show cancelled long before the story gets wrapped up. And that would be a shame. Remember Firefly?

Today I saw some online fans saying “meh” when discussing the events of episode 9. And I find that very frustrating. Others talking about how Cat didn’t claw at her face when Rob was killed. Why is such a minor detail so important? Surely the story, the actors, carrying that moment is far more important than some tiny detail that matters little in the long run.

As I said, I understand how personal readers, and why, of the book take all of this. But is the exact line and verse really important if the show is that good?

K_user

*This rant is probably from the built up frustrations from last nights show!

Duckworth_Luas

I can't believe they dropped Butterbumps, he was my favourite character!

Hardcore book fans remind me of those guys you see at music festivals. A band with an upward career trajectory comes on stage and they start shouting out obscure song titles.

mewso

Let people rant. Whats the problem? Do you think a studio spending $10 million per episode are going to stop filming because a book reader bemoans the lack of a scene. People moan and complain and they can do it all the way to the end for all I care. Most of us who might have niggles about certain things still fully support and love the show. Some don't but hey like I said they 'aint gonna be responsible for ending the show so good luck to them.

username123

Some people just cant enjoy something for what it is and have to continually find fault with it, maybe because they like moaning, because they had unrealistic expectations of what they were about to watch, because they dont understand that a tv show is an adaption of a book and not a faithful recreation of every element of the story.

Mostly I think its just people moaning for the sake of it. No one forces them to watch, if they are so outraged or unmoved, they could just switch it off. Maybe they are those who try to provoke an online reaction also, by going against the grain they might have more people commenting on what they say - a kind of online attention seeking perhaps?

Gbear

Having a gander over at "A Forum of Ice and Fire" for threads discussing the show from a book perspective, you do get the impression that a lot of them are too invested in the books and that anything that diverges from the canon is seen as automatically bad.

Of course, as we saw with Tywin/Arya scenes last season, that clearly isn't always the case.

I think that the show is open to criticism just the same as anything else. For example, the changes made to Robb and Cat in season 2 and the start of 3 - releasing Jamie and marrying Talisa without the excuse of grief over Bran and Rickon being dead - were negative not because they didn't agree with the books per se, but because the way the books did it was better.

If it was an original series and there were no books, it still would've been better if their judgement had been clouded by their home being destroyed and brothers/sons killed.

Saying (I'm paraphrasing here) "shut up and enjoy it" doesn't really give the show the respect it deserves. The most respect I think that you can give something is to care so much that you want to examine how it could be bettered.
I think that the majority of people who have watched GoT have really been taken with it. Even the moaners must surely get something out of it.

username123

Gbear wrote: »

......that anything that diverges from the canon is seen as automatically bad.

Yeah, this book purist attitude is silly imo - we are not watching a perfect recreation of the books. We are watching an adaptation.

Gbear wrote: »

I think that the show is open to criticism just the same as anything else.

I agree with this, but would add, open to criticism on its own merits.

But you will have some people who cant enjoy something simply because it doesnt live up to their experience of the books. I would argue that it was never meant to.