The Newsroom "Pilot"

          Aaron Sorkin, writer and creator of The West Wing, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, and writer for The Social Network, has created another masterpiece called The Newsroom.  Sorkin has written an unbelievable script with immensely complex characters that makes The Newsroom a highly compelling television show.

          I can easily say that the pilot episode of The Newsroom was practically flawless. The purpose of the pilot episode is to make viewers want to watch more of the show.  This means, that the pilot episode must be stunning and highly captivating.  I have seen many shows succeed and fail when it comes to a compelling pilot episode and I have realized the two keys to success. The most important part to a pilot episode is the first few minutes because that is when it is easiest to change the channel. The Newsroom, created not only an impecable first scene, but one of my favorite scenes in all of television. If that scene were moved a few minutes later in the show, I don't believe I would have finished the episode. The second most important part of a pilot episode is the ending. It seems obvious that these would be the two most important parts, but Sorkin did a phenomenal job at connecting the ending with the beginning, while creating enough questions and drama that make the viewer want to continue into episode two. 

          While I only seen one episode of The West Wing, I can easily say that The Newsroom has a lot in common with the political drama. Both shows are focused on dialogue, which is extremely hard to due because the dialogue has to be interesting enough to keep the viewers attention. One way that Sorkin effectively creates tension with dialogue is with the 'walk and talk'.  Made famous by Thomas Schlamme in Sports Night and The West Wing, the 'walk and talk' is where a few characters will have a conversation and are joined by other characters to show how busy the characters are. 

          Not only is The Newsroom incredibly well written, but it also doesn't have too many political affiliations.  If it was about a liberal news team, the conservatives would be less inclined to watch, and vice versa. The show focuses on 'doing what is right' which should satisfy most people.

          With a phenomenal pilot episode, and immaculate writing thanks to creator and writer Aaron Sorkin, I can see The Newsroom becoming incredibly popular.

          

Game of Thrones Pilot Episode

          Set in the mythical land of Westeros, seven families fight for control of the Iron Throne as threats arise from the snow covered region of the North and the barbarians from the East. 

          The story, based on the A Song of Fire and Ice novels written by George R. R. Martin, is extremely interesting and original. Based on what I have read in the past, fantasy novels are usually very similar because there is some noble quest, a king or princess in danger, and strange mythical beasts. Within the first 5 minutes of the pilot episode, we are introduced to some of these mythical beasts. These White Walkers have been known to be extinct for thousands of years which is why their arrival is so intense. This scene is incredibly unique because it added a mixed the genre of horror into the fantasy based television show.

          The second thing about Game of Thrones that immediately grabbed my attention was the opening title sequence. The mythical land of Westeros is shown like a traditional map. The camera moves to and from various several cities and towns from above. As the camera moves in closer, we see that these towns are rising from nothing, into their current state much like a robot or Transformer. This provides the viewer with an quick overview of the land and setting. Much of the landscape is small and not very detailed, much like a map would be. Finally, the camera moves up and focuses on the sun which has several metal rings rotating around it, one of which says Game of Thrones. While these rings aren’t really rotating around the sun, they add an intriguing effect. The visual effects are mind blowing and have already won an Emmy for Outstanding Main Title Design.  

          Based on the first episode alone, the characters do not have any unique traits that make them stand out. Lord Eddard Stark, played by Sean Bean, is probably the most interesting character. Father of 5 and one bastard child, he is the Lord of the Northern Kingdom. He and his family live in the peaceful town of Winterfell. The most attractive quality about Lord Eddard Stark is his loyalty to his family. He never takes the easy way out with his family and always will fix a matter himself because it is his duty (as the father and Lord) to do so.

          I should have expected that this HBO show would have questionable content but I thought it wouldn’t because it falls in the fantasy genre. I knew there would be blood and violence but did not anticipate the nudity and language. There were probably about 5 scenes with nudity in them. Some of these were more graphic than others but almost all of them were unnecessary to the basic plot of the story.  Probably the worst instance of this were when a teenage prince takes the clothes off of his sister to convince her to flaunt her body more. While this treads on the line of incest, it could have easily been removed from the story without notice. Various sex scenes within brothels and barbarian camps showed female nudity and would have been a bit harder to avoid, but still could have been done

          Along with excessive nudity, the language was surprising. There were a 2 or 3 instances where characters used “fuck” in a sexually explicit way. Minor curse words were also used which wasn’t surprising.

          Based on the explicit content of the show, I probably shouldn’t advise anyone to watch Game of Thrones. Dead animals, full beheadings, guts, and gore are all shown within the first episode. I only expect the violent content to get worse over the course of the season. This being said, if you are over 18 years old, I think you would be able to handle the violence and the language.

          The nudity is a bit over the tip and could easily be cut down. Personally, I hate nudity in TV shows and movies because I think it is a distraction from the plot. Also, it is only used to reel men into watching the show. The nudity is the only reason why I wouldn’t recommend the show to someone, but I feel that the positive elements of the show (the characters, setting, plot, and themes) outweigh the nudity.

          While Game of Thrones has its share of explicit material, it is constantly winning awards and is becoming quite popular. After the first 5 minutes, I can easily say that I became addicted and didn’t expect my addiction to stop any time soon.