Today’s Rhapsody is the Russian Rhapsody by Enri Lolashvili performed by Yuri Bashmet.
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I confess. This was the episode of Game of Thrones I was absolutely dreading.
Based on the formula of the first two seasons, the climax of the season would be in the ninth episode and then the final episode would involve the denouement, cleaning up loose ends while putting pieces in place for the next season. So based on this the first season had the execution of Ned Stark and the beginning of the War of Five Kings and the second season involved the Battle of Blackwater Bay.
Now predicting what the climax for Season Three was a bit tricky as the third book, A Storm of Swords, is being split into two seasons and the way story elements were being shuffled around and tweaked it was a bit difficult to predict where they would make the split. But as far as a dramatic climax around the halfway point was concerned the Red Wedding was the most logical choice.
This was a fact I was not looking forward to. Of all the parts of A Song of Ice and Fire the Red Wedding is the bit I like the least. I’m not saying it’s bad. On the contrary it’s a piece of nearly operatic epic tragedy that turns everything in the book upside down and makes things much more interesting… but that doesn’t mean I have to like it. (In fact having been forewarned about it by a spoiler I glossed through it as quickly as possible when reading the book.)
Having said that it was a good episode which did a very good adaptation of that scene in the book.
In other words it was like watching a terrible tragic train wreck.
Can’t wait to see how they close the season.
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A friend sent me a picture of my new bike which I just had to share. (The words on the sign are his little embellishment. )
This picture was taken in Georgetown right next to the Seattle Design Center, the place the Graphic Artists Guild holds it’s monthly workshops. It is also a nice way of showing just how well I’m doing with my new bike. While faster than my old one I still get passed by people on racing bikes as if I’m not moving but what does it matter as it laughs at hills I used to map extensive routes to go around. It also makes it feel like I’m not exerting myself as much as I used to so it’s easy to get to almost anywhere in Seattle in almost the same amount of time that a bus would.
Of course there are a few times I think I should take the bus anyway. Which brings us back to this picture. No matter how much I rest, eat and hydrate beforehand the 30 mile round trip to Georgetown still leaves me punchy and stupid.
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I try, really I do, but I keep failing the Bechdel test.
For those who don’t know the Bechdel test also known as the Bechdel-Wallace Test, is a sort of litmus test for female presence in fictional media. The test is named for Alison Bechdel, creator of the comic strip Dykes To Watch Out For, who made it known to the world with this strip
. What it gets down to is the film, play, book, comic, etc… has to fit the following criteria.
- It includes at least two women (preferably named characters),
- who have at least one conversation,
- about something other than a man or men.
An alarmingly small number of works pass this test which is of course is Ms. Bechdel’s point.
Anyway I usually have the first two covered; it’s easy when more than half of the cast is female but number three… I keep slipping.
After all even when the topic of this conversation is “what do we do about this idiot” it still doesn’t count.
(note: in hindsight it occurred to me that most of recent scenes with Nancy and her sister count but I have a bad feeling that’s a fluke.)
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