I don't really think Ned Stark measures on anything close to the same scale as Wild Bill Hickock or Julius Caesar, seeing as they were actual historical figures that most people have heard of.
Game of Thrones 1.9 - "Baelor" - Rate and discuss
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And neither of them were presented as the lead character in the way Ned Stark was. Go check the pilot episodes to all three shows: Deadwood is about Bullock and Swearengen, Rome is about Vorenus and Pullo, Game of Thrones is about Ned Stark.
Some people have raised the question online if something like this has really happened on American TV before - the intentional, predeterminated slaying of your lead character in the first season. I'm sure someone can come up with an example of that happening but my mind is blank.
I don't see how you can say that. Jon, Dany and Tyrion all get as much if not more screentime than Ned.
Checkmate
Commodore
Ned's just the "star" of one part of the story, and as it turns out he's simply the fuel for that overall story rather than the actual star.
Killing him off is great, too. It means those unfamiliar with the books won't know who's a safe character or not. Risks are actually going to be risks. Cliffhangers are actually going to be cliffhangers. It's going to be awesome.
Killing him off is great, too. It means those unfamiliar with the books won't know who's a safe character or not. Risks are actually going to be risks. Cliffhangers are actually going to be cliffhangers. It's going to be awesome.
Firstly, I singled out the pilot episode of each series. Ned is very central to that episode, although it's true that he gets scaled down particularly after he's been captured.
Secondly, This presentation desginates Ned as our lead. It's quite clear in the pilot and in the episodes that follow that he is the lead of an ensemble - like McNulty on the Wire - and not the central focus of the show the way Tony Soprano of the Sopranos was.
Thirdly, Ned's been present in every episode so far. I can't say the same for Tyrion, Jon or Dany, who have sat episodes out on occasion. The Jon and Dany arcs are also comparatively peripheral to the show's main thrust in King's Landing, which - until episode seven - has Ned acting as the protagonist trying to unravel the mystery of Jon Arryn's death.
If that doesn't make Ned the lead character I don't know what does, and I don't know who was our lead this past season.
Correction you only assumed he was the lead but in fact he's basically the McGuffan.
Where to start with this.
Hm.
I've read the four A Song of Ice and Fire novels currently published. I knew Ned Stark was going to die before I started watching this adaption. So I can't exactly have been fooled, at least not fooled twice.
A McGuffin is something the characters are very interested in but is less relevant to us, the audience. It's a favourite device of Alfred Hitchcock, who in one case - North by Northwest - had the MacGuffin be the glibly defined 'government secrets'. A good Star Trek example of a MacGuffin is the Genesis Device from Wrath of Khan.
Ned Stark is not a MacGuffin. He is a character which the audience is supposed to be interested in and less of a plot point to move around. You could probably make the case for Jon Arryn being a MacGuffin but that's neither here nor there.
Finally, that Ned Stark dies now doesn't invalidate the idea he has been the show's lead. It simply puts that in the past tense. Jeffrey Sinclair was the lead for Babylon 5's first season, that he bowed out at the end of that year doesn't make that statement any less true.
It's true that Ned was the closest thing this show's had to a lead character. I've actually wondered who they might have "take over" for Ned as the new lead in Season Two. And who will get top billing? Nobody else in the cast really commands top billing honors like Sean Bean did.
^ I would guess Dinklage, given how much Tyrion does during ACOK (iirc).
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Cheers,
-CM-
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Effin' Lannisters.
I agree with you that he is not a 'MacGuffin'.
But what Ned Stark is, however, is a sly bit of misdirection by GRRM (& now HBO). He is clearly presented as the main protagonist (even more so in the show and its marketing), but his execution at this early stage in the story calls into question if he really is the central protagonist over the entire story - and clearly he is not. (being dead)
Just as Bran's fall really kicks the AGOT novel (and season 1) into gear, Ned's execution serves as the launching point of what happens next in the following books. (which I shall not spoil)
Yes, people, please watch the spoilers!!! Just mentioning that a certain character is alive in season 2 could be considered a spoiler, now that Ned's execution has showed that "noone is safe". Don't undermine that.
The series is almost wall-to-wall uncanny in how well it's cast. Arya Stark, for example, feels like she's just wandered out of the books. I've joked and observed about this in other threads - a problem for the good performances is their sheer multitude.
And Emilia Clarke is one of that solid multitude - very good in the role. She's a little internal and passive in the early episodes but that's also true of the character. She can be quite convincingly strong when called for. Daenerys is easily one of my favourite characters and I'm pretty satisfied.
But what Ned Stark is, however, is a sly bit of misdirection by GRRM (& now HBO). He is clearly presented as the main protagonist (even more so in the show and its marketing), but his execution at this early stage in the story calls into question if he really is the central protagonist over the entire story - and clearly he is not. (being dead)
I agree with this entirely. Hell, the misdirection works precisely because of how Ned's worked as a protagonist.
I've seen people have compared Ned to Leto Atreides, and I can really see where they're going with that - the father needs to die so the family can grow.
Emilia Clarke certainly has a nice body...
Even dude from Stargate Atlantis is pretty good in his role.
I like Peter Dinklage, but the fake accent is a little overdone at times. But Tyrion is still my favorite character whether it's the book or the show we're talking about.
Even dude from Stargate Atlantis is pretty good in his role.
I like Peter Dinklage, but the fake accent is a little overdone at times. But Tyrion is still my favorite character whether it's the book or the show we're talking about.