Susan Rhymer

I'm relieved that they didn't attempt a literal translation to screen, 15 seasons wouldn't be enough to convey all that material. So far, I'm happy with the choices the writers made to omit/combine storylines to keep the story moving forward. That said, seriously. Production values. Clean, crisp clothes? Each person having their own accent? Fleece-lined shawls? Did they get their wardrobe from Pendleton, LL Bean or Duluth Trading? You could almost see the labels from here. Costuming. Get your clothes from a secondhand shop, throw them on the ground, stomp on them, and then they'll look like they were on the road for a few days being exhausted, hungry and rattled. Until then, the actors look like they could shoot a Neutragena commercial after being in the saddle for a week. It takes me out of the narrative (obviously). What I do appreciate is that the female characters are not all white, skinny, model types waking up with their makeup on. The women are strong, and beautiful for all of that. Rosamund Pike wakes up being able to grace a magazine cover, but the lighting/makeup makes her look very real and no less compelling. I do enjoy the diversity in the actors, though the attempt at meshing gender fluidity with the narrative (the dragon reborn can be a woman) is a little jarring. There are other ways to weave that into the storyline, this felt like a box checking exercise. Overall, it obviously has great material to work with and unlike other series in similar genre, the books are actually completed before they started shooting. Looking forward to seeing what they do with it next.