Game of Thrones comes to a satisfying conclusion with “The Winds of Winter” from director Miguel Sapochnik. Once again he puts focus on framing and makes stylistic choices we rarely if ever see in this show including locked-down shots and montages. This helps elevate an already quality set of narrative moments as Thrones moves into its final stretch. […]
Stark Contrast: Episode 17 “The Broken Man”
This week J and I split on “The Broken Man.” It’s a great episode in many ways, but J lays out some of the same criticisms we discussed for “Blood of my Blood” — repetition, slow plots and hanging threads. I counter that it’s well-written and well-shot (thank cinematographer P.J. Dillon), much like the excellent […]
Stark Contrast: Episode 16 “Blood of My Blood”
The sixth episode of this season of Game of Thrones didn’t quite manage to top the highs of last week. Still, a healthy dose of reveals managed to keep “Blood of My Blood” afloat. My complaints about editing aside, this was hardly the worst episode of the season and maintains the much higher quality standard we’ve […]
Stark Contrast: Episode 14 “Book of the Stranger”
After the high of last week’s excellent Game of Thrones episode, we were bound for some disappointment. Fortunately it took the form of “Book of the Stranger,” a mediocre but hardly terrible episode that felt like treading (and retreading) water more than anything else. J and I delve into what makes this such a strange and […]
Stark Contrast: Episode 13 “Oathbreaker”
One of the biggest problems with Game of Thrones has always been its shackled approach to its source material. While the series has diverged from the books at points, it was never quite ready to shift around the narrative for the sake of better television. This was especially clear in earlier seasons which stuck to about one […]
Stark Contrast: Episode 12 “Home”
Game of Thrones has never been shy about its twists, but this week was particularly eventful. The second episode of Season Six continues the momentum of the premiere as it veers back and forth between leftover over plots about the Iron Islands to uncharted territory with Bran, Arya and the Night’s Watch. The good news is that […]
Stark Contrast: Episode 11 “The Red Woman”
Game of Thrones is back, which means so is our annual podcast, “Stark Contrast.” Remember the gimmick here: J has read the books, and I haven’t. This usually translates into him mocking me for not anticipating major deaths and events, but I savor the victories when the show goes in a wildly different direction that […]
