Are they costume dramas, or are they lack-of-costumes dramas? You decide.

[amanuensis1]

Game of Thrones is the series on everyone's lips/blogs/etc., and I'm loving it, but I'm also loving Camelot on Starz. I adore what they're doing in twisting the legend about. Parentage, the love triangle, the sword in the stone...their take on Excalibur and the Lady of the Lake in last week's episode had my jaw in my lap and my heart wrung in an invisible fist. Anyone else enjoying this and want to babble?

I know that all cable series have to be full of nudity and copulation to prove themselves these days, but I don't need that, honest. I just need a good story told well. I do like drama, though, and does it feel like nudity = drama to you, in all these bosom/bottom/boinking series that are showing up all over late-prime-time premium cable? Maybe that's it. (Mind you, Eva Green's breasts are never going to be superfluous. In any universe.)

In other b/b/b cable series, I've given up on The Borgias after 4 eps. It's not bad, it's just not as interesting to me as the other things I'm watching now, and my time is limited. Sorry, Jeremy Irons, it wasn't your fault.

Comments

[crescent-moony.livejournal.com]

I saw a commercial for Camelot at the movie theatre (oddly enough) and I really want to see it... though I haz no cable, so I'm afraid I can't contribute much to a conversation, right now. ^^; Still, it's nice to hear it really is worth watching! :3

[amanuensis1.livejournal.com]

I like a good twist on a classic when it's done this well; I have my theories on what else they might twist about, but I won't spoil you for anything just yet!

[lady_songsmith]

Interesting. I'm having the reverse reaction to Camelot/Borgias; I'm in love love love capslocky-babble love with the Borgias, while Camelot I can't quite decide if I like enough to keep watching (and yet I do). The gratuitous nudity is one of the things turning me off about it; the nudity in the Borgias has so far felt at least moderately relevant to the plot, whereas in Camelot they get naked seemingly on a quota-per-episode basis (I refer you to the Morgan-wolf scene as example one).

But, yes, the twist on the Lady of the Lake was positively heartwrenching. This week's episode, though, made me not like Merlin much. I waffle a LOT where Merlin is concerned. Sometimes he's quite badass and I love him other times I really want to throw things at the screen.

I'm not sure how I feel on the love triangle twist. In the first place, it reflects very badly on both Arthur and Gwen's moral character, as opposed to the legend's political-union vs true-love theme, where they married with, presumably, honorable intentions and only later did Lancelot come between them. Here we have Gwen marrying on a basis of lies, and I really don't care for that at all. In the second place, they haven't given us any reason for Arthur and Gwen to be in love. It's entirely teenage hormones and base lust, and this is not the sort of thing on which the fall of mythic empires should be based, 'gritty reality' version or not. This latest episode ("Justice") took a step toward correcting that, but a very teeny step, and as we're already supposed to think there's a great romance brewing -- bah. Next week we'll probably get some outright adultery to judge by the summary and I'm not looking forward to that.

Game of Thrones I haven't gotten into at all. I started the books last summer based on many, many recs, but gave up at the end of the first one when, after hundreds of pages of investment, GRRM killed off the only character he'd actually managed to make me give a damn about. Sorry, but I can read thousands of other War of the Roses versions where I actually like the characters involved. Life is too short to slog through thousands of pages of gruesome character torment for its own sake. So I haven't even bothered with the show, which means I'm missing a great deal of the f-list squee. Oh well.

[amanuensis1.livejournal.com]

Part of the reason I like Camelot so well is because I'm so familiar with Arthurian legend and there's the delight of seeing familiar things played out on the screen AND seeing them played out in unexpected ways, here. And Game of Thrones has a similar advantage except without the twists; I get to see the story I love adapted to screen. I'm sorry you didn't enjoy the books and that you have to endure all the squee now!

So possibly I can't love The Borgias enough because I have a far more superfical knowledge of Italian history? Hm, well, it's probably not that simple because I love uncovering stories about which I know nothing, too.

Re: the love triangle, I've always had the never-been-in-that-situation, easy-to-judge-from, righteous-prig's position of disliking Guinevere for betraying her husband. I find it interesting to watch this twist on it. I'm not happy that I judge her like that; some versions make it easier for me to be less judgmental. (Camelot 3000, interestingly, is one.)

[elizardbits.livejournal.com]

SIGH. I so badly wanted to adore the Borgias, but I too am feeling a bit of ennui about it. I will keep watching in case it gets amazingly awesome (my usual tv downfall) but I am not terribly optimistic.

I'm still not entirely sure how I feel about Camelot - it got off to a fantastic start but 01) they killed off hotass James Purefoy and 02) I do not approve of the lack of a Lancelot and the replacement with the admittedly delightful Leontes.

[amanuensis1.livejournal.com]

*imdb's James Purefoy* Oh, that was him? He did turn a terrific performance.

Actually I like what they've done with renaming Lancelot (assuming that's how they're playing it) because it let us get the shocker of what role Leontes was assuming at the end of the premiere, and that was nifty IMHO. Also I like that Leontes--strong, hottie, noble--is going to play such a significant part in the story after all.

[ariadneelda.livejournal.com]

I'm glad we both love Game of Thrones because it looks like we've had kind of opposite reactions to Camelot and The Borgias. :) I got hooked on The Borgias from the first episode, though I thought I might not as I'm not that big on that particular historical setting. But I really enjoy all the intrigue and scheming and corruption. Camelot, OTOH, I expected to fall in love with, and I did love the premiere, but I've found I'm becoming less and less interested with every episode? Not going to stop watching, though! I really love Joseph Fiennes's Merlin and Eva Green's Morgan. And maybe my reaction to each show has something to do with the fact that I watched 5 episodes of The Borgias in a row and Camelot as it aired. I've found it's easier for me to get hooked when I watch several episodes in a row than just one ep every week.

As for the nudity and sex, I'm shallow and never mind it, even if it's gratuitous. ;) Though a well told story and an interesting plot will always attract me more than sex in a show!

[amanuensis1.livejournal.com]

Well-told story + interesting plot = I'm there, baby. Nudity and sex make for a nice bonus as long as it isn't "Oh christ here we go with the 'let's prove this is cable' plot-bog-down boinking AGAIN," which sounds funny coming from me BUT IT CAN HAPPEN.

Morgana and Merlin are my favorite characters too but I'm liking Arthur a lot more than I thought I would! Ditto Kay. When has Kay ever been made into an important character before this? I love that.

[ariadneelda.livejournal.com]

So I just watched the latest episode, "Justice", and what do you know, I actually loved this one! Perhaps Camelot is one of those shows that take me half a season to warm up to. :)

And Arthur, since you mentioned him, I liked him at first, found him rather annoying in ep 4 with his Guinevere!angst, and loved him in ep 5. :) For the first time I could really see the king he's supposed to become!

[amanuensis1.livejournal.com]

Yes, when he's not angsting over Guinevere I like Arthur quite a lot! (One more episode on my DVR to watch now, yay!)

[themostepotente.livejournal.com]

I've tried watching the Borgias several times now, and it's just not holding my interest.

I don't have Starz, but I have a feeling I'd love Camelot.

[amanuensis1.livejournal.com]

Camelot is twisty and violent and vehement. Just the way I like my costume dramas.

[kennahijja.livejournal.com]

Ok, considering how much I keep hearing about them, I should probably try to find Game of Thrones (and the Borgias) on something that streams :). To be honest, I'm a bit scared of the former, because I love the books quite a lot...

[amanuensis1.livejournal.com]

I understand the fear of seeing something I love translated to a different medium--being afraid it not only won't measure up, but might even kill a little of the joy I have for the original. Well, I guess it's up to you to decide! I think it's doing a delightful job, myself.

[chaeche.livejournal.com]

I just started watching Game of Thrones last night and I like it so far. I have not seen Camelot though.

[amanuensis1.livejournal.com]

Are you a fan of the (ASoIaF) books? I'm interested in everyone's reactions.

[amorettea.livejournal.com]

I'm cheap and poor so I only have basic cable and, at that, have trouble fitting in what I want to watch. I suspect I am better off not becoming attached to another show. I haven't read Game of Thrones. Book is too damn big for my wrists. And as for electronic versions, see the first sentence.

[amanuensis1.livejournal.com]

Sometimes I wish everyone would STOP MAKING MOVIES AND BOOKS AND TV SHOWS FOR SIX MONTHS, so I could catch up on older things. But even that wouldn't be enough time!

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[hereantigonie.livejournal.com]

I really like Game of Thrones so far. Tiberion (sp? am I even close to this character's name?), the um...shortest...Lanister (once again, I clearly need to look this up) is my favorite. His quote about "the world not forgetting what you are" is so true.

Obviously, I have not read the books or I would be more familiar with names and spelling. I am considering going to get the first book. A group of us normally pass around books, but no one has gotten this series yet. No cheap (aka free) thrills in that department. Since I don't have premium cable, I at least get to watch the show online on the sly ;). I would be happy to provide the link if anyone is interested.

I have not watched Camelot yet, but I will look into it. I normally enjoy Arthurian legends.

[amanuensis1.livejournal.com]

Don't worry about name spellings! Too many of them to worry about them. Your favorite character's my favorite character too, as the show presents him. They've made him seem quite dashing, but he deserves it.