Tag: Game of Thrones

Quote of the Week: Finally, the Truth Out of a “Professional” Critic


Typical Critic"Critics don't like to admit this, because it makes us seem as herdlike [sic] as civilian TV watchers, but sometimes we decide which shows to take seriously based on on where they air.  Track records mean a lot, and certain channels (HBO, AMC, FX,… Showtime) do have a reputation for arty boldness…

Critics and viewers alike tend to assume works that are mainly interested in laughs, excitement, and beauty are inherently less substantive than shows that rip the scabs off life and leave you feeling wrung out or disturbed.  That assumption partly explains why so few comedies have won the Oscar for Best Picture.  It surely explains why Cary Grant, the most altogether enjoyable leading man in film history, never won an Academy Award for acting:  He gave us pleasure no matter what the story and situation and made it look easy."

                                                    Matt Zoller Seitz

                                                    TV Reviewer for New York magazine

The Frustrated CFO Commentary:

Well, thank you, Mr. Seitz for admitting that "professional" critics (as in those who, for one or another reason, get paid for expressing their opinions in various media) are phonies working off of some preconceived standards instead of assessing the actual quality of the creations they are compensated to review.  No wonder, the quality of their work is just as low as that of the majority of people.

And, what a snob: "as herdlike as civilian TV watchers!"  Aren't you writing for those TV watchers?  So, why are you insulting them?  Or you write just for your own ego-massaging purposes?  And what are you, may I ask, a military TV watcher? 

And the funny part is you still got it all confused, Mr. Unintelligent Snob:  The actual "herd" goes altogether for the Kardashians and the Real Housewives.  If the narrow slew of snooty hipsters, unable to appreciate art and entertainment on their merit and, therefore, resort to selecting what they watch and consume based on the hype generated by the hipster-catering PR, is a "herd" for "critics" like you, I have no fucking clue, what you, people, are  doing in popular media.  Definitely not promoting the open-mindedness. 

These, so-called, taste-makers are the reason, why the quality entertainment like (forgive me for the "old" references) My So-Called Life, Firefly, and, more recently, Prime Suspect get cancelled.  These shows fall in the cracks between the preferences of the masses  and the critically acclaimed (most of them, but not all, deservingly so) dramas.

I pride myself on approaching all arts with an open mind and without prejudice.  And that includes the TV series.  I don't care that The Good Wife airs on CBS and Grimm on NBC.  They proved to be quality entertainment with unexpected layers, and I will continue watching them along with Game of Thrones,  American Horror Story, and Homeland.

Hell, I even gave Breaking Bad a fair chance: diligently watched 5 first episodes of it – only to find out that the critics who go nuts about it apparently smoke the very meth that Walter White cooks.            

The Late Robb Stark, CEO of House Stark


Robb-Stark Let me say first that I mourn the death of Robb and Catelyn Stark just like the rest of the Game of Thrones fandom.  Yet, the sadness doesn't cloud my judgement; it doesn't prevent me from fully grasping the ironclad logic of good storytelling.  I am fully aware that the tragic events of the Red Wedding were not written for the sake of shock and gore.  They were consequences of the characters' actions and motivations, consistent with the specific circumstances and forces at play.  They had a lot to do with matters of executive responsibility, obligations of power,  burdens of leadership, i.e. with the "weight of the crown."  As the Bard said, "Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown." (Henry IV, Part 2, Act 3, scene 1, 31).       

To those who read CFO Techniques I would like to offer my apologies for using the analogy from The King's Speech here again.  It's just that the Brits, who's been living under monarchy for over 1500 years, understand this royal-duty business better than anybody.  (Also, they seem to speak the same language as the Seven Kingdoms' folks.)  So, in the movie, Prince Albert (Colin Firth) tells King George V (Michael Gambon), "Father, we are not a family, we are a firm." And the king replies, "We are the oldest, most successful corporation in the world and sitting on thrones is our business."

Yes, ruling a nation is a family business, and that makes a king the Chief Executive Officer of his land and his people.  And in this position, just as it is in any company, he is responsible for

  • strategic development – expansion, contraction, restructuring, hostile takeovers,
  • foreign policies  – establishing or severing connections with external parties, forming partnerships and alliances,
  • tactical decisions – laws, decrees, rules, governing appointments, organizational infrastructure,
  • fiscal adequacy – financing day-to-day operations and all those strategic moves,
  • economic balance – most important for prevention of revolts, backstabbing moves of dissatisfied courtiers, and the fleeting of labor,
  • human relations – the adoration and support of one's subjects doesn't hurt.    

In fact, in George R. R. Martin's world, a king's enterprising is very entrepreneurial, very hands-on.  Nothing like the make-believe leadership we see in the dangerously large governing bodies of contemporary conglomerates/countries.  In the Seven Kingdoms, a true leader cannot be a mere token sitting on a throne (in King's Landing they have Joffrey for that, while Tywin rules).  A ruler's job requires a lot of personal involvement and micromanagement: from weaving intricate intrigues to beheading those you condemned; from charging in front of your troops to skinning a damn large deer – the one with the executive power cannot avoid rolling up the sleeves and getting his/her hands dirty.  

Most importantly, the king must take personal responsibility for doing the right thing by his nation.  He'd better have his priorities straight: the crown is so heavy because the burden of authority calls for selflessness and sacrifices.  Those few business owners that earned my personal respect over the years concentrated all their efforts on the prosperity and success of their companies.  They were acutely aware that business is nothing if not a continuous struggle for survival. 

So, what about Robb Stark?  How did he do as a CEO?  Not very well, I'm afraid.  He was like one of those young rich boys, who inherited his father's business too early due to an untimely death – full of great potential, brilliant ideas, and… illusions.  The childish sense of invincibility has not yet evaporated from his body.  He thought he could break and rebuild the word any way he wanted.  And so, he went and violated the millenia-old custom of building political alliances through marriages: he broke off his engagement with Lord Walder Frey's daughter.  His Love was above any rules.  How beautiful! 

How cheeky and irresponsible!  It was an unforgivable insult to House Frey.  It was disrespectful to the memory of his father who made an arrangement and himself inherited Catelyn as a bride after his older brother's death.  And, as far as the well-being of his land, his subjects, and his mission are concerned, it was plain reckless.  In the business environment, this would be the equivalent of breaking contractual obligations with your commercial partners or violating the terms of your financing agreements.  Actions of this kind result in companies loosing their reputation, market share, procurement resources, creditability, funding, and eventually going bankrupt, i.e. die.

As many young entrepreneurs, Robb Stark was a person of extremes: he was quick to break rules practically written in stone, yet many of his actions were marred by poor, hesitant decision-making.   Whether due to inexperience or a lack of talent for long-term strategic thinking (his military campaign proved him to be a good tactician), he was never quite sure what was the right thing to do.  It's bizarre, really: sometimes he neither followed the solid logic presented to him by his advisers, nor did he go with his own gut.  The foolish execution of Lord Rickard Karstark, which resulted in a loss of a huge chunk of allied troops is an obvious example.

I've been forever writing and talking about psycho-profiling as a key management skill.  One simply cannot succeed without it.  Robb's inability to read people and their motivations might be the main reason for his downfall.  What made him think that old Lord Frey will forgive the insult and tolerate Robb's wife being shoved into his face in his own home?  How could he forget that you cannot trust anybody and must always be on alert for betrayal?  If we think rationally about it, the probability of retaliation was very high.

In contrast, there is a reason why a few smart people reluctantly realize that Tyrion Lannister is King's Landing's only hope.  Not only that he is sharp, brave, incisive, and fair, but he also understands that if one wants that family business of ruling kingdoms to be successful, he must be ready to forsake a thing or two, including personal happiness.

It's great to find out that I'm not the only one who saw the parallels between the demise of Robb Stark and the small-business leadership.  The article below was prompted by TypePad as a related post.

Related articles

Cutthroat Leadership Lessons from Game of Thrones

Non-American Realism of “Game of Thrones”


CatelyneI'll admit it: in some of my posts I take a long-winded way to get to the point (hey, usually I have my reasons).  But there is no need for that in this case, so let me go straight to it: When it comes to the machinery of Life, the HBO fantasy series Games of Thrones and it's literary source, George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire, are the most realistic creative products in American pop culture today.

I am not going to speculate about Mr. Martin's title for his epic's last installment, A Dream of Spring.  But I agree with a very smart person who, after watching Robb and Catelyn Stark betrayed and butchered in The Rains of Castamere episode, said: "This man will not cuddle us with nice, happy story turns we so eagerly hope for."  

No, he will not.  The series will not cater to the general public's expectations that amid a gruesome fight for power and mere survival our "favorite" characters will remain untouched and unsullied.  Moreover, the author and the show's creators will turn your emotions upside down: one minute you hate the incestual Jaime Lannister, who pushed little Bran out of the window, and the next minute you don't know what to do with your pity for his sword hand – they might as well have castrated him.  And who knew that the actual castration of the despicable and ungrateful Theon would leave you so unsettled?  

This is not your average mass entertainment fare, and the American audience is not quite prepared for it.  This is a type of authenticity cinephiles expect from French New Wave, Italian Neorealism, Cinema Novo, and Russian movies – genres specifically designed to show the naked inhumanity and unfairness of life. (The same smart person once said, "It was a Russian comedy.  I cried all the way through it.")    

George Martin's stories may take place in imaginary lands, but they are populated with very real personalities, who act like people we meet every day - power-hungry egomaniacs, cruel sadists, wealth-obsessed careerists, amoral traitors, and dishonest schemers.  This is a fantasy that reaches the ultimate height of mythology and becomes a metaphor for Life. 

Pop culture plays a crucial role in the formation of people's mentality.  And it's incredible that the popularity of the show is increasing from season to season.  Over 5 million people watched their hero Rob slaughtered on June 2nd - a drop in the ocean, of course, as far as our vast nation is concerned.  Still, if Game of Thrones wakes them up to the reality and they stop looking at the world through the pink glasses of "hopeful" Hollywood movies, it would be a grand artistic achievement.

Brace yourself, my fellow humans, Winter is coming.