We interrupt this steady flow of new Game of Thrones videos and previews for a bit of site related news. We are excited to announce that Pearson Moore, known for his rich, insightful analysis of Game of Thrones and LOST, will be contributing weekly essays on each of the Season Two episodes here at WinterIsComing.net.
“It is an honour, and a tremendous and humbling responsibility, to be asked to offer my essays on the foremost Game of Thrones site on the Internet,” Pearson said. “Winter Is Coming has been the premier source of Game of Thrones information since long before the series began. I will work hard to earn the respect of fans who have come to expect only the best from Phil and his crew.”
For those unfamiliar with Pearson’s work, check out his companion book on the first season of Game of Thrones, which is available at Amazon in both ebook
Winter Is Coming: I’m excited to get Pearson’s thoughts on the episodes of season two. I’m hopeful it will spawn some interesting and in-depth conversation about the underlying themes of each week’s episode. Welcome to WiCnet, Pearson!
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47 Comments
I’m really looking forward to this new content. It will no doubt help satisfy my nerdy, academic leanings. XD
Welcome aboad!
Steve WestenraQuote Reply
While I’m glad to hear of this, I wonder what has become of The Daily Raven? Have I missed some announcement?
Maester TcostQuote Reply
Yay Canada! We have more canucks now reping this site!
The North remembers…
loco_73Quote Reply
I remember reading his Lost entries. He is a champion.
Ted furthmanQuote Reply
Has Pearson read the books? Because that paper back would be even more interesting to read if he hasn’t.
I love non-reader speculation. I am waiting for the Completely Unspoiled Speculation forum on http://www.televisionwithoutpity.com to come back to life soon. A great forum that is well controlled by the moderators to keep out any trolls, unlike Youtube and IMDB.
Joshua TaylorQuote Reply
“Our Blades are Sharp”? He has to be a Northern house right?
dizzy_34Quote Reply
Unrelated: http://www.scifinow.co.uk/interviews/game-of-thrones-season-2-jeyne-westerling-is-different-from-the-book/
VirtusQuote Reply
Sounds like a good addition, i look forward to his musings :-D But to add to Maester Tcost, what has happened to the Daily Raven, is Simone taking a break? I found her quite insightful! xx
you-know-nothingQuote Reply
So wait, just to be clear here…I can make money just writing about TV shows I like and selling them?
AdrianQuote Reply
Welcome aboard to Pearson. I have his book on my kindle and had previously read some of his Lost articles. He will be a great asset to the site.
Owen ParkerQuote Reply
The Daily Raven hasn’t gone anywhere. There should be a new episode this week, I believe. We’ve got some cool stuff in store for TDR fans.
Winter Is ComingQuote Reply
Winter Is Coming,
Yay, Thanks WiC xx
you-know-nothingQuote Reply
Nice addition to the site, never read his articles though. Can somebody tell me how he felt about the ending of Lost? I’d feel pretty miffed if I’ve written dozens of essays on a show searching for ‘deeper meanings’ and then to find out the tv-writers really didn’t know what the hell they were doing and just made it all up as they were going.
KnurkQuote Reply
I must agree with Pearson, this is the best GoT web site. Yall keep up the good work!
bigswergQuote Reply
Winter Is Coming,
Good news. Thank you.
Knurk,
I was a little less interested in reading analysis of Lost myself at that point so I’m afraid I never looked for one!
Owen ParkerQuote Reply
Sounds good, I’m often in need of a bit of aftercare following an ep, and this would be great in amongst the review scouring. alao delving a bit deeper into the material sounds awesome.
Tessa LeonieQuote Reply
Another Canuck. The North represent!
XenkanMonkQuote Reply
Ugh, this could have been written by the Press Release department of Monsanto.
Restore The DayQuote Reply
Why do you say that?
Winter Is ComingQuote Reply
Steve Westenra,
Steve,
Thank you for welcoming me. I look forward to your comments!
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Pearson MooreQuote Reply
loco_73,
The North does indeed remember. Now, if I could just get my memory to adhere to that expectation, I’d be in much better shape as a writer!
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Pearson MooreQuote Reply
Glad to have you on board, looking forward to reading your thoughts!
Hear Me RoarQuote Reply
XenkanMonk,
Canucks stand guard! I hail from Ottawa, the Winterfell of Canada…that would make Toronto King’s Landing?
Joshua TaylorQuote Reply
Ted furthman,
You are too kind. Game of Thrones is one of those rare television creations that demands diligent and nimble attention, but rewards us with such depth and nuance of significance as to exceed our most ambitious expectations. It is a thrill and a rare treat to watch the story unfold.
Pearson MooreQuote Reply
Joshua Taylor,
Thank you for welcoming me to the site! Unfortunately, I have read the novels. As I understand, though, even those of us who think ourselves well versed in GRRM’s world are in for some unexpected twists and turns in this second season, which apparently will reach far into material drawn from Book Three (SoS) to tell its tale. We will become witness to an order of events, character interactions, and entirely new characters never portrayed in the novels. But even those who think themselves experts really don’t know the overall plot trajectory or the significance of specific characters. Those who have read my Season One essays know I am an unapologetic champion for Bran Stark, but he could end up being mercilessly killed on Page One of Book Six, thus squashing my expectation that his influence will prove instrumental in finally securing the Iron Throne. Only GRRM knows for certain, and this is one of the enduring sources of excitement for all, regardless of whether we’ve read the novels. I look forward to a surprising season!
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Pearson MooreQuote Reply
Wouldn’t Iqaluit be Winterfell? :p I think Ottawa is Dragonstone, but yeah, Toronto definitely King’s Landing.
XenkanMonkQuote Reply
Pearson Moore,
Hi Mr. Pearson welcome aboard!!!
I’m curious about your reviews. Unfortunately I don’t remember reading them last year. This one I’ll be reading them.
And the House Wiknett keeps growing!
Jéssica De Freitas MacielQuote Reply
dizzy_34,
Our blades are definitely sharp–you can’t play good hockey without sharp blades!
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Pearson MooreQuote Reply
Adrian,
Definitely! Anyone can do it. I took the long route: bachelor’s degree in language arts, on-the-job training in journalism, five years of structured study in creative writing, a four-year certificate in textual analysis, and after all that I end up giving away most of my writing for free–nearly 800 hours of work every year without pay–but only if I pledge to stay up all night after an episode airs so that fans can read an essay the next day. I think it’s like anything else: You gotta love it, ’cause the pay stinks, but the enjoyment factor is unmatched. The real draw, for me, is the ASoIaF fan community. I get to interact with fascinating people who truly enjoy the world GRRM has created. Even if I did end up supporting myself on my GoT essays (I don’t even come close), the best part of all of this would remain the interaction with interesting fans, and the privilege of being asked to share my impressions of an episode with others who are equally intrigued by what the actors, writers, and production crew have presented for us. It is an honour, a privilege, and a real treat. I can’t wait for the series to begin its second season!
Pearson MooreQuote Reply
Owen Parker,
Thank you for your kind words. I believe GoT gives us even more to think about than Lost. Between the novels and the television series we are able to interpolate the real core of GRRM’s thought about the world of Westeros and Essos, but only after considerable effort–an effort that is certainly worthy and itself pleasurable and rewarding.
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Pearson MooreQuote Reply
Wow this site is really getting bloated with garbage.
Steven ScottQuote Reply
Strange, that people write several essays about a television series which was written and produced by people who openly acknowledged to have no clue whatsoever about their own product. Who wrote a colossal clusterfuck of a plot without a plan, without a goal and without any other reason than to produce addictive, serialised entertainment about which people could ‘speculate’ or even ‘philosophise’ (Mwahaha) however they want – simply because there is no point to it and thus all points made are equally… pointless.
Ludwig VanQuote Reply
I love reading a hard-worked essay, and I’m surprised I missed the companion book for Season 1 (also I’m probably the last human being on world not to have seen Lost), I’ll definitely check it out. Passionate Bran supporter, you say? Me likey. Cheers and welcome aboard, Mr. Moore!
MachaQuote Reply
Knurk,
Thank you for the question! My feelings about the Lost finale are well publicised and widely known in the Lost community. Certainly you can still read my reactions to the finale at SL-Lost (http://www.sl-lost.com/2010/05/25/so-you-could-find-one-another-cultural-perfections-in-lost-617-618-the-end-by-pearson-moore/) or at my Lost website (http://pearsonmoore-gets-lost.com/Lost617to618.aspx). In a nutshell, I did not like or understand the finale on first viewing. I know I was not alone in my immediate reaction. I know, too, I was not the only fan to believe Locke would be physically resurrected–see, for example, the excellent finale trailer by Black Box (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rz1yHmUW05Y) in which the final image of the montage is Locke Rising. However, it is equally true that I did not like or understand many Lost episodes on first viewing. Lost is not something intended for viewing, though. It rewards committed participation, not objective observation. So on second viewing, when I was finally willing to surrender my notion of how the series had to end, I finally understood, appreciated, and saw playing out nothing less than a masterpiece. The end tied almost all of the mythological elements together, while leaving enormous room for our continued participation. That is, Lost invites us to continue to work at discovering its greater meaning. Many of us feel that Lost is neither meaningless nor does it believe that any meaning we might wish to attach will have validity equal to the meaning anyone else might claim for the series. This shared feeling among many of us was precisely the motivation behind our latest anthology, LOST Thought, published just a few days ago. If you remain interested in Lost, I urge you to continue or renew your involvement in our community. I believe you will find a depth to Lost that invites vigorous study, debate, and enjoyment.
Pearson MooreQuote Reply
XenkanMonk,
Winter seems to have passed us by this year, my friend. I think it will be all the more refreshing, then, to immerse ourselves in a world where Winter Is Coming, and the North Remembers. I was particularly pleased that scenes north of the Wall were not done on a soundstage in Belfast or London, but in the barren wilds of Iceland. Nice!
Pearson MooreQuote Reply
The essays will be a good read after watching each episode, along with watching Larry Williams’ video reviews.
@Pearson Moore: what other shows do you like besides GoT and Lost? What other shows you would have like to do an analysis but didn’t get the chance? The Wire? Breaking Bad? Rubicon?
TimQuote Reply
Nice addition, WiC! I’m looking forward to this.
LangkardQuote Reply
lol, I think ABC begs to differ. I applaud your effort to make something of the mess the writers made. They presented the show as a mystery and promised us answers, giving us an idea there was some masterplan to all of this, instead we ended up with these: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=luXl7AnGpKw
KnurkQuote Reply
Tim,
Tim,
Thanks for the question about television shows. I’m currently watching Awake and The Walking Dead. I will be watching Mad Men when it begins its 5th season later this month. I’m offering weekly commentary on Awake at another website, and I will probably continue to write on Mad Men from time to time. Shows I wish I had analysed? The West Wing comes to mind. I know Breaking Bad has significant subtext and fascinating motifs, but I’ve had a hard time getting into it. Actually I’m thinking of a series of essays on movies. After watching Taking Chance I read a dozen or so reviews that I believe really missed the mark. Taking Chance I think is closest in substance to Saving Private Ryan, and if anything communicates the essential themes in a quieter and yet more profound manner. Saving Private Ryan wasn’t about saving Private Ryan, it was about the profound paradox of a single human life carrying more value than a dozen human lives. This is logical contradiction, yet this strange little koan contains within itself a truth firmly anchored at the core of who we are. Saving Private Ryan was about saving US, a film about the maintenance of human dignity. And of course that idea was at the heart of Taking Chance. I look for opportunities like this to discuss popular ideas in ways others have not thought to address. My hope is that I provide in my essays a place for reflection, debate, and further research and thought.
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Pearson MooreQuote Reply
What’s with the Trolls on this particular board? Now they are criticising the content on site? I guess we’ve finally hit the mainstream?
As for Lost, that’s a subject best left alone I think. There is no way to defend that show to someone who was let down and no way to offend someone who loved it. I loved Lost as a whole, but I find it a flawed masterpiece. I also think that in a perfect world (or alternate world) Fringe is deserving as much acclaim as Lost but sadly this is not the case. If Lost was GoT related it would be the Gate to end all Gates!
Joshua TaylorQuote Reply
Knurk,
Give this video a try: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ndMv52l6x7w
There are many blogs and videos similar to this one. Virtually all of the mythological questions were answered, most of them unambiguously. Some require a bit of research and nonlinear merging of scenes across seasons, but very few have resisted determined efforts to derive satisfying answers. Now, if the mythological questions were the only ones having value to a discussion of LOST, we could move on right now. But LOST really did open up entire tracks and trails and avenues of new discussion, and many of those discussions are only just beginning. For instance, must one be dedicated to a particular other (“Constant”) in order to “move on” to the next level of existence? I believe LOST may be saying something very close to this, and any such statement ought to cause nothing short of outrage and impassioned debate because this would tend to decrease the importance of individual autonomy. We are Lost, like the survivors of Flight 815, but are we perhaps also Jacob and at the same time his evil twin? Does the structure of LOST point toward the assumption or entrenching of universal truths, or does the series assert a kind of “if it feels good do it” approach to life, where there are no truths but only subjective, individual beliefs? Is LOST purely a social construct, or does it proclaim a reality felt by all? There are dozens of such questions, and even people who have zealously researched the series and the questions it raises can find themselves supporting diametrically opposed positions on any of these questions.
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Pearson MooreQuote Reply
I’m sorry Pearson but some of this answers are a biiit ridiculous ;)
And I’m pretty sure the writers /creators of lost didn’t even think about answering most of the questions, it feels like some clever viewers have dedicated tons of hours trying to puzzle toguether an explanation for something that didn’t really have one…as Knurk says, Lost writers went along making things up and some people has managed to find an answer to everything, but really, many of the answers (and I guess some of the questions are a bit laughable)
I really liked Lost a lot, and I hated the ending, but I didn’t care at all about the fact that they didn’t answer many of the things…I just don’t believe in life after death
Also, if a show needs a video like that to clarify all the things that went on in it…well, that is not good storytelling, in my opinion
And we all know George agrees with that ;)
PS: But I look forward to reading you essays on the second season of GoT!
Pau SorianoQuote Reply
Hear Me Roar,
Thank you!
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Pearson MooreQuote Reply
thanks for the video, though it almost touches none of the questions posed in the video I posted haha. As Joshua said, the Lost-ending will be a never-ending debate, but to me it’s pretty obvious the writers were just making it all up as they were going. The answers that were given in hindsight were… weak and far-fetched. You can dig really really deep and find meaning in all that stuff, but then I remind myself: those writers just came up with some cool plottwists and ‘invented’ an explanation for it afterwards. Oh look: purgatory. Blergh!
Now I give you the real ending to Lost: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xmaykBtOpcM&feature=related
KnurkQuote Reply
Macha,
Are you perchance Macha of “Descant Descending” fame? If so, I’m thrilled to see you here on WiC and look very forward to your views on ASoIaF.
Oh yes, Welcome Pearson! I really enjoyed your Season 1 essays and know your posts will be very much appreciated here.
Hodor’s HoneyQuote Reply
Thank you for your warm welcome!
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Pearson MooreQuote Reply
Pearson Moore,
welcome, ser
Jenish KachhadiaQuote Reply