Endo wrote:
I really like the show and prefer it to Vikings (also good).
However, I think the show in general is a bit constrained on where the story can go. Comparing to a show like Game of Thrones which the huge part of the draw and tension is people not having any idea where the story is going or end up.
While Uhtred is a fiction character, the world and historical events in which he exists, is not. So there is really only so much they can do and take with the story arch.
We basically have to assume that the Uhtred in this show will never get Beddanburg, because historically it does not happen.
Obviously the folks who read the books also know where the story goes. I don't, I haven't read them, so only assuming the above.
Thus, they really have to do more with the personal plot lines on a smaller scale in Season 4 to keep people interested.
There is only so many seasons where you can rinse/repeat the story lines. I thought S3 was kind of a repeat basically of S2. Some really sketchy plot devices to rip Uhtred of his land, his love interest, and set Alfred against him (all yet again). I'm assuming all this will continue in future seasons.
I thought the Danes were kind of neutered and ineffectual in S3, they kind of ceased to be a real threat to me, as a viewer. So even that tension was not there to lean on.
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Not to drift off topic, but I had problems with the last season of Game of Thrones. I think 8 episodes was too little time. By trying to cram an entire season into 8 episodes, the season became too "plotty" and breathless. It felt very mechanical and inorganic as the writers had to move the characters from point A to point B, to point C in a very brief amount of time. All that speeding up left a lot less time for character development.
The real strength of Game of Thrones is the writer's ability to balance big plot-driven moments with smaller character moments, and I think that balance has been off the last two seasons. I really enjoyed seasons 1 through 5, when it was more about mortals and less about monsters and mysticism.