'Game of Thrones' Series 8

This is a full review of the first episode of Series 8. Remember, the internet is dark and full of spoilers.
Game of Thrones is a hard thing for me to review, or even take notes on, as I’m so always so totally engrossed in the action; every word, every look, every tiny moment. I’m not the sort of person who insists on absolute silence for watching TV, but if I miss one single word on GoT I feel short-changed if I don’t rewind and watch the scene again. In my nearly four years of writing for Dead Pixel Test, I don’t think I’ve ever properly reviewed an episode. So I if descend into gibbering girlish squeals of excitement instead of actual words and phrases, please excuse me.
Khals and Khaleesis we are back! And this is what we’ve all been waiting for! Series 8 – the beginning of the end; winter is here. Even the credits were exciting, and seeing the dependable ancient Wall broken in two made me gasp. The opening sequence has always been a fantastic tabletop version of the changing landscapes of the Seven Kingdoms but now we’re seeing much more of the insides of the palaces and strongholds we’ve come to love. It was absolutely stunning, culminating in a view of the throne room in the Red Keep and, to be honest, quite a cute and dinky Iron Throne.
There’s a massive reunion up at Winterfell, with anyone who is anyone arriving to join up with the biggest army the world has ever seen. As we see a young boy dash through the crowd and climb to a vantage point, and Arya wait in the crowds it was direct nod to the first ever episode as the citizens of Winterfell waited for King Robert, the Lannisters and all that emotional incestual baggage to arrive. But this time everything is somber and dark. Jon Snow, Daenerys, their entourage and the thousands of Dothraki and Unsullied are not here to drink, hunt and fuck, like the royal houses before them, but to wage war on the army of the undead. It’s so good to see our favourite characters again, weary but ready for a fight. The sweetest reunion was without doubt Jon and Arya, so different now and parted for so long, but still easily the Starks who like each other the best.
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Christmas Telly Round-Up 2018

It’s New Years Day and I’m feeling charitable so this blog is brought to you in a whisper, with a cold flannel (for your forehead) and a bacon sandwich (for your mouth… if you need instructions on how to eat a sandwich, maybe don’t get out of bed yet). Read my round-up of the best Christmas telly and figure out what you want to watch on catch-up to keep the festive feelings flowing, and I’ll pop to the shops for paracetamol. Alright?

Click and Collect – BBC 1

Dev and Andy off to save Christmas

A classic tale of mismatched neighbours Andrew (Stephen Merchant, playing exactly the sort of person he always does) and Dev (Asim Chaudhry) from Bedford on a 9 hour mission to save Christmas and buy the must-have toy (Sparklehoof the Unicorn Princess) for Andrew’s daughter. Dev is the lonely chubby one, separated from his family at Christmas, and Andrew is the awkward angry intellectual, successful but bad tempered with a family who loves him for some unseen qualities. Dev teaches Andrew to be a happier man and a better father, and despite themselves they’ll be best buddies for life. Basically it’s Planes, Trains and Automobiles or Jingle All The Way for the small screen. It looks lovely with cosy camera angles suited to our suburban action heros. There’s great pacing throughout with real tension and subversive moments of mischief. Neither lead performance is all that over-the-top and their situation, while silly, seems entirely probable. An unexpected gem.

Click through for more shows

'The Last Dragonslayer'

The Last Dragonslayer on Sky 1 was a proper Christmas treat and should have been on everyone’s list to watch instead of the Doctor Who christmas episode, shown at the same time. In this reviewer’s opinion Doctor Who has been limping along since the unfortunate Peter Capaldi took over. The sooner we see new showrunner Chris Chibnall’s work in 2017 the better, although it’d take a miracle to lure me back. Anyway I digress…
This much more satisfying slice of fantasy was served up by novelist Jasper Fforde. I’ve read quite a few of Fforde’s weird postmodern literary stories but never realised he’d branched out into young adult fiction. Happy to report that while retaining his own odd identity (more on that later) this shared elements with classic YA stuff like the Harry Potter series, Rincewind’s adventures in the Discworld and the magnificent His Dark Materials trilogy by Philip Pullman.
This is a full review, so if you want to avoid spoilers go watch it now and come back later.
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I Have Been Watching… Game of Thrones (spoiler free!)

In which guest blogger Susie Sue tells us about her love for a dark and brutal drama, and shows off her holiday snaps!
 
Last summer I was lucky enough to go to the beautiful city of Seville in southern Spain. I visited the Alcázar,  better known as the seat of House Martell.

Alcazar
Sunspear, aka Seville

I mention this mainly to show off but also because there was nearly an hour wait to get in and also airport style security when you did get through. It was that popular.
With the new season of Game of Thrones  (Sky Atlantic, 9pm Mondays – or before that if you have Sky Go or Now etc) upon us I have asked myself why – why? – is such a brutal show so appealing to me – to us? 
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'The Last Kingdom' – Seeing the Future

Exciting times for history fans! The Last Kingdom (BBC2)  starts this week (22 october at 9pm). Expect fighting frightening Vikings, blood and gore, and defending the shores of the British Isles. Expect important and resonant themes of immigration and colonisation. Expect rugged men looking rugged astride horses against rugged landscapes. And expect Bernard Cornwell’s books (this show is based on his series The Saxon Story) to be stacked sky-high in Waterstones.
But don’t expect dragons. Or magic. And it seems there’s slim chance of sex or nudity. If we’ve learned anything this week it’s been that writer Bernard Cornwell is not a fan of Game of Thrones. His work in based in history, so while the costumes, weapons and landscape look epic and lavish, there’s zero fantasy elements.
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