Grading the Cast of Game of Thrones, Part 2

Without further ado, a continuation of our grading of the cast of Game of Thrones.

Peter Dinklage as Tyrion Lannister
Grade: A+

Comments: We’ve been fans of Peter Dinklage since The Station Agent, so we figured he’d be awesome as Tyrion. And he is.

Charles Dance as Tywin Lannister
Grade: A-

Comments: Dance’s portrayal of Tywin Lannister left me ice cold. Which is good because he’s a frigid old bastard.

Nikolai Coster-Waldau as Jaime Lannister
Grade: A+

Comments: We were worried that no one would be able to do Jaime Lannister, one of the most complex characters in the series, justice. Coster-Waldau melds Tywin’s coldness and Tyrions charming wit perfectly.

Lena Headey as Queen Cersei Lannister
Grade: C

Comments: Cersei Lannister is the role we’re most disappointed with after season 1. More than anyone else, Headey seems to be leaning towards the Lord of the Rings stoicism that takes all the dirty crazy fun out of George R. R. Martin’s series. Still, Headey will have a chance to redeem herself in future seasons, we think.

Jack Gleeson as Prince Joffrey Baratheon
Grade: A-

Comments: Gleeson gets a minus because he’s another one that’s so hate-able, he’s hard to like.

Mark Addy as King Robert Baratheon
Grade: A

Comments: Addy nailed the boozing, whoring King Baratheon and delivered and few laughs along the way.

Aiden Gillen as Petyr Baelish
Grade: A+

Comments: Gillen is another familiar face (The Wire) that delivered the effing goods. Baelish is a much more believable sociopath than the evil wizards of your average fantasy tale. Gillen is convincing as both the charming manipulator and as the snaky creep underneath.

Conleth Hill as Lord Varys
Grade: A-

Comments: Hill is exactly as we imagined Lord Varys, but the nature of his role means he doesn’t get any of the juicy scenes.

Rory McCann as Sandor “The Hound” Clegane
Grade: B+

Comments: Again, McCann fits the part but The Hound didn’t get much screen time in season 1. We’re hoping for more in future seasons.

Jerome Flynn as Bronn the Sellsword
Grade: A

Comments: Flynn is one of a few to have elevated his role, in our opinion. Bronn isn’t particularly memorable in the books, but his scenes with Tyrion were some of the high points of season 1.

Sibel Kekilli as Shae the whore
Grade: B

Comments: I don’t recall Shae being quite so sassy in the books, so I’m not sure if that’s Kekilli’s own spin on the role or something that was in the script. Either way, her screen time was limited so we’ll leave her with decent marks until season 2.

Jason Momoa as Khal Drogo
Grade: A-

Comments: I had my doubts, since Momoa is a Stargate alum. He only had a few lines, but he brought an intimidating on-screen presence that brought the Khal Drogo from the books to life.

Emilia Clarke as Daenerys Targaryen
Grade: A

Comments: In season 1, Daenerys makes a transition from a shaky, vulnerable girl to khaleesi. Clarke was so shaky early on that I was worried, but in the end it totally worked.

Harry Lloyd as Viserys Targaryen
Grade: A+

Comments: It’s almost too bad that Viserys is such a short-lived character, because Harry Lloyd rocked so hard. But Viserys is such a prick we wouldn’t want him around any longer than necessary.

Ian McElhinney as Barristan Selmy
Grade: A

Comments: When I read the books, I had a hard time imagining an aging knight who was still sort of a bad ass. McElhinney showed me what one looked like.

Grading the Cast of Game of Thrones, Part 1

With the first season of Game of Thrones over and another two weeks before the fifth book, A Dance with Dragons, comes out we’re not quite sure what the hell to do with ourselves.

In an attempt to stave off withdrawal, we decided to grade the cast of Game of Thrones. As a whole, the cast gets an A, but it wouldn’t be much of an article if we gave every actor an A. Any criticism below is sheer nitpickery.

Sean Bean as Lord Eddard Stark
Grade: B+

Comments: Ned is such an understated character that it was hard for Bean to really blow us away, which some of the other cast members did.

Michelle Fairley as Catelyn Stark
Grade: C

Comments: Much criticized on the ‘net for looking older than superfans preferred, our gripe is less about age and more that Fairley’s performance was a little on the melodramatic side. She plays every scene like it’s Life. Or. Death., which means the real life or death scenes just kinda blend in with the rest.

Richard Madden as Robb Stark
Grade: B

Comments: Madden did a solid job handling Robb Stark’s transition from carefree kid to head of the Stark clan.

Sophie Turner as Sansa Stark
Grade: A-

Comments: Turner was one we weren’t quite sure about at the start of the season, but she’d won us over by the time Joffrey forced her to look at Ned’s head on a stick.

Maisie Williams as Arya Stark
Grade: A+

Comments: Williams had big shoes to fill, playing one of our favorite characters from the books. She didn’t disappoint.

Isaac Hempstead-Wright as Bran Stark
Grade: B

Comments: It seemed like we didn’t spend as much time with Bran in the show as in the book, but Hempstead-Wright did well with the screen time he had.

Kit Harington as Jon Snow
Grade: C

Comments: We’re still on the fence about Harington. He’s not bad, but Jon Snow is another favorite character, and we’re left wanting more from him. If he could stop making that confused doofus face so often, it might help.

John Bradley as Samwell Tarly
Grade: A-

Comments: Bradley was excellent for the most part, but there were a few moments that bordered on cartoon sheepishness. He was definitely entertaining, though.

Alfie Allen as Theon Greyjoy
Grade: B-

Comments: We hate Theon so much that we refuse to give him more than a B minus. It actually could be great acting since we’re not supposed to like Theon, but we’ll have to wait and see how things go next season.

Natalia Tena Osha the Wildling
Grade: A

Comments: What separates Game of Thrones from other fantasy (i.e. Lord of the Rings) is the lack of prim and proper. There are no pristine fairy castles in GoT. Even the good guys are kinda dirty and scruffy. Tena’s performance as Osha exemplified that grit and color well.

James Cosmo as Commander Jeor Mormont
Grade: A

Comments: Cosmo is pretty much exactly how we imagined Commander Mormont. Stern. Stern, but fair.

Iain Glen as Jorah Mormont
Grade: A+

Comments: Whether it’s the nature of the character or Glen’s own presence, Jorah Mormont stands out as Daenerys’ wise adviser.

Kate Dickie as Lysa Arryn
Grade: A

Comments: As creepy in the show as she is in the books, Dickie’s protrayal of Lysa Arryn is perfect crazy mommy, fake boob and all.

 

Lino Facioli as Robin Arryn
Grade: A

Comments: Congratulations parents of Lino Facioli, your kid freaks me out. I guess that’s a good thing, considering the role.

 

Inside HBO’s Game of Thrones

First Game of Thrones Teaser from HBO

A Storm of Stars: Casting HBO’s “Game of Thrones” Part 2

We’re constantly getting new (and in some cases improved) Game of Thrones casting ideas. (Check the original here.) Some are from shows we’re watching now, and some are awesome suggestions from our readers. Here are a few:

True Blood Most Watched HBO show since Sopranos Finale

The “True Blood” ratings are in, and they are huge. The Nielsen numbers show “True Blood” at 3.7 million viewers, which doesn’t account for DVR or time-shifted viewers – HBO estimates those bring the total to 5.1 million. It’s up 50% from the 2.4 million that watched last year’s season finale. It’s also the best showing for an HBO show since “The Sopranos” finale brought in over 11.9 million a couple years ago.

Even more good news – “True Blood” DVDs are currently number one on Amazon in DVD sales and on sale for $24.99.

This is huge for HBO, a network that looked on the brink of dropping way off after shows like “The Sopranos,” “Deadwood,” “The Wire,” and “Six Feet Under” ended their runs and replacements, like “John from Cincinnati,” failed to connect with an audience. It looks like Fantasy might be their new go to genre with the success of “True Blood” and George R. R. Martin’s anticipated “Game of Thrones” around the corner.

Channel Surfing: Thrones casting, the Late Night Ratings War, and a new face for Tara

Here comes TV news at Twitter speed:

Showtime announced that Viola Davis signed on for a significant guest spot on season 2 of “United States of Tara.” The network also renewed its brand new Edie Falco series, “Nurse Jackie,” based on the strength of the ratings and critical response of its debut episode.

Letterman beat Conan in the ratings on Tuesday night, which seemed a surprise considering the hype O’Brien got over his “Tonight Show” entrance.  Conan moved back on top last night.

Maurissa Tancharoen annouced via her twitter account that two former “Reaper” writers/producers have joined the “Dollhouse” team – Michell Fazekas and Tara Butters. The news doesn’t come as a huge surprise as the pair had inked a 2 year deal with Fox a while back.

George R.R. Martin said on his livejournal that Cyanide Studios have bought the rights to make next gen console and PC games based on his “Song of Ice and Fire” series. He also said that casting is underway in London, Ireland and LA for HBO’s “Game of Thrones.”   (Check out our Thrones dream cast here if you missed it.)

Zoë Green will write the George Clooney produced Sci-Fi Channel project, “The Diamond Age.” According to the Variety report, Green has forthcoming Rob Reiner and Stan Lee projects.  “The Diamond Age” will be based on the Hugo winning Neal Stephenson novel of the same name.

Sticking with Scifi, “Battlestar Galactica – The Plan” will air in November.

In HBO land, the season 2 premier of “True Blood: The Complete First Season (HBO Series)” dominates the headlines. Sunday, June 14, at 9 pm.