The Sopranos Series Finale

'Game of Thrones': Season One Finale Review and Recap

With the finale, episode ten, of "Game of Thrones" in the books, we can finally offer a cautious verdict on the inaugural year of the (hopefully long) series. It was good. At times, it was very, very good. Though, of course, it took some time for non-readers of the series to figure out the tone of the show and the proper way to enjoy the ride. Along those lines, the first few episodes were a bit rocky, as names and houses were thrown at an audience with very little chance of retention. Thankfully, by episode five, the show had found its footing and anyone still around as the credits rolled on tonight's finale is likely hooked for life. I'm not sure if this will spur a new wave of readers to the series prior to season two in spring of 2012, though I certainly hope it will.

On more than one occasion this season I found myself cornered by non-readers demanding to know just what they'd gotten themselves into. "Game of Thrones" is addictive and ambitious, and we're fortunate a channel exists (HBO) where $50m can be gambled on a narrative series worthy of Tolkien.

The show most name-checked as a comparison for "Game of Thrones" this season was "The Wire", though "Sopranos" was a close second. I agree with the stamp, as brutality and ruthlessness are apparent in all three, but I'd opine an even more similar pedigree can be found with "Battlestar Galactica", if only based on the complexity of the rooting interests involved. "The Wire" certainly made you "cheer" for the "bad" guy and see the hypocrisy of the "good" guy, but characters largely stayed true to their characterizations (and character flaws) to the bitter end. Admittedly, "BSG" had some of that, but also offered complex choices and unclear ethical decisions, precisely as "Game of Thrones" does, twisting and turning audience allegiance into a pretzel.

This is a series that doesn't obey the rules of the "heroic journey," instead opting to place to viewer in logical pickles that cause emotional tension. How would you handle your husband being executed and your daughter being held as captive? Most shows make a habit of presenting clear foils, so you know where you stand, but "Game of Thrones" continually throws you off kilter by providing narrative balance. Not everyone is all bad, and not everyone is all good, so as the series continues you'll eventually accept the characters with a clear understanding of their flaws.

True Blood Success Statistics | Ndafender

  TrueBlood Is an American television drama series created and produced by Alan Ball, who also created Six Feet Under. True Blood is based on ‘The Southern Vampire Mysteries’ series of novels by Charlaine Harris, and details the co-existence of vampires and humans in Bon Temps, a fictional small Louisiana town. The series centers on Sookie Stackhouse (Anna Paquin), a telepathic waitress at a bar, who falls in love with vampire Bill Compton (Stephen Moyer).

  The show is broadcast on the premium cable network HBO in the United States. It is produced by HBO in association with Ball’s production company, Your Face Goes Here Entertainment.

  The first season premiered on September 7, 2008. It received critical acclaim and won several awards, including one Golden Globe and an Emmy. The show’s second 12-episode season premiered on June 14, 2009, and the third season on June 13, 2010. On June 21, 2010, HBO renewed True Blood for a fourth season, to debut in summer 2011.

  Critical reception of True Blood has generally been favorable, despite the fact that initial impressions were mixed. The NewYork Post critic wrote of the opening episodes: “If HBO’s new vampire show is any indication, there would still be countless deaths – especially among vampire hunters and the viewers who love them – because everyone would be dying of boredom. And so it is with HBO’s new series from death-obsessed Alan Ball, creator of the legendary Six Feet Under, whose new show True Blood, won’t so much make your blood run cold as it will leave you cold.”

  Whereas USA Today concluded: “Sexy, witty and unabashedly peculiar, True Blood is a blood-drenched Southern Gothic romantic parable set in a world where vampires are out and about and campaigning for equal rights. Part mystery, part fantasy, part comedy, and all wildly imaginative exaggeration, TrueBlood proves that there’s still vibrant life or death left in the ‘star-crossed cute lovers’ paradigm. You just have to know where to stake your romantic claim.”

  By the end of the first season, TrueBlood had a score of 64, indicating generally favorable reviews, on Metacritic, an aggregator of critical responses. The second season received a more favorable score of 74 on Metacritic. As of the third season, True Blood’s rating on Metacritic has risen to 79.

  The first episode of TrueBlood debuted at a very modest 1.44 million viewers compared to the network’s past drama premiers such as Big Love which premiered at 4.56 million, and John from Cincinnati which debuted at 3.4 million. However, by late November 2008, 6.8 million a week were watching: this figure included repeat and on-demand viewings. The season finale’s viewership was 2.4 million.

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