By Alex Vidiani
Elm Staff Writer
Game of Thrones
This show, now on the verge of entering its second season, is quite honestly one of the most gripping stories I’ve seen on the screen. Take everything that made “The Lord of the Rings” enjoyable to watch, like fantastic action, epic scenery and sets, and a fairly believable world (disregarding the more fantastic elements, of course), and combine that with a seriously intricate plot and some truly well developed characters and you get “Game of Thrones.” I found myself unable to stop watching it, sleep be damned, and finished the entire 10-hour season in a single night. It is utterly gripping with its suspense and intrigue, something that I have not experienced since “Lost” ended.
The plot revolves around seven families of nobles in a land called Westeros, and their fight for control of the throne. Three families in particular take the spotlight: the Lannisters, a cunning, vain, and utterly ruthless bunch, the Starks, a practical and honorable family living in the bitter north; and the Targaryens, a disgraced lineage banished to the desert lands across the sea. Every member of these families has their own role in the story, and none of them are boring or wasted. In fact, it is difficult to decide which character you want to see appear on-screen next. Thankfully each one gets just enough attention that you leave each scene more or less satisfied, and yet still eager to witness the other characters.
Sherlock
Sherlock Holmes has made his forays in Hollywood, to a fair amount of success thanks to Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law, but BBC’s modern-day interpretation far surpasses Hollywood. First of all, the modern aspect of this new, improved version provides a breath of fresh air from the tried but true Victorian Sherlocks of old. It is all very crisp and clean, high-tech, without verging on the unbelievable. In some ways, it mirrors the mishaps of Sean and Gus in USA’s “Psych,” adding humor, albeit very dark humor, and lightheartedness to otherwise grim situations.
On this note, I’d like to make another note, that over the course of the (so far) six episodes, the number and magnitude of emotions elicited is just amazing. Some scenes you might find yourself laughing hysterically at the absurdity of Sherlock and John’s relationship, then the next scene you feel genuine anxiety at what could happen next. And on one particular episode, watching it at night with the lights off, it feels like you stumbled into a psychological horror movie (you’ll know which episode I’m talking about when you reach it). The writing is just phenomenal, from the witty banter between Sherlock and John to the breakdown of Sherlock’s deductions.
Dr. John Watson, played by the ever-lovable Martin Freeman, acts as a sort of middleman for the audience, as Sherlock is in no way relatable in his incorrigible pretentiousness and vanity, as well as genius.
I really cannot recommend either of these enough, whether you’re a fan of mild fantasy, fantastically choreographed action, truly in-depth political intrigue, or just a plain-old good story in the case of “Game of Thrones,” or the wonderful character development, absurdity, and wittiness of Sherlock. The only bad thing about either of them is that there are not enough episodes, but hopefully that will change soon.