Rating the New Epics

Now that I have had a chance to view a few episodes of the April epics, I would give Camelot at C, The Borgias a B, and Game of Thrones an A. 

In the case of Starz' Camelot, the pining of young Arthur for Guinevere is already a little tiring when he should be building a kingdom. So far the show is more like a Dark Age version of Dawson's Creek.  I will continue to watch in the hopes that loftier goals appear on the horizon.  Merlin really needs to give the kid a good talking to.

Showtime's The Borgias is playing out as an interesting piece of history, though it reminds me a bit too much of The Tudors.  Both The Borgias and The Tudors begin with a murder in the Vatican,  display a tenuous grasp of historical events, and play a high-power actor in the role of a pope (Peter O'Toole as Pope Paul III in the case of The Tudors).  That said, I am enjoying the cast of characters, particularly the restless young Cesare Borgia, played by Francois Arnaud. 

I give the highest rating to HBO's Game of Thrones.  While I was not familiar with the story prior to the start of the series, I find myself immediately caught up in the trials and tribulations of the Stark family (see the New York Times for some good back story on the show).  The general tenor the show is pretty stark, no pun intended, since "Winter is Coming" and things are already pretty bleak within the kingdom in the summertime.  With suspected murder in the capitol city, Lord Stark may be the only one to prop up the king and restore some sense of stability.  I have started reading George R.R. Martin's Songs of Ice and Fire to learn a little more about the history of the kingdom, which has already provided with with insights that make my experience of the HBO program all the more enriching. 

Heather Havrilesky's article in the New York Times sums up the darkness of Games of Thrones: 

And then, of course, there is the looming threat of winter. Apparently seasons can last a decade in these parts, and winter will usher in around-the-clock darkness and invasions by the deadly creatures who live north of that aforementioned gigantic wall of ice. Even commoners in “Game of Thrones” tend to distinguish between people born during the summer and those who are old enough to recall the terrors of the last winter, echoing what was once said of Vietnam and World War II. With the dark season approaching, everyone in Westeros — even decadent King Baratheon — is growing more anxious and depressed about what the future might hold for them. 

All of which is very somber — and a little odd, when you think about it. Even with countless horrors on the way, wouldn’t there be at least one unshakable optimist in the bunch? Isn’t that how we, in the real world, get through life? Irrational optimism in the face of looming bleakness? Yet in this brand of fantasy, grim-faced nihilism isn’t just a default philosophy; it’s a foundational religion. 

The  situation of Lord Stark and his family may be less than hopeful, but I am optimistic that HBO has found itself a winner.  Season two has already been approved.