Aaaaaand... here we go with our second oddball. Look at him walking in the glorious footsteps of Matthos Seaworth. Just look at him.
So yeah, it might be a bit unfair to Carter to include him in these rankings, given that he only had one ‘real’ scene to act, but hey, it’s a great scene and there’s ton of material in there, so he’s in. Now, Slynt’s a bit of an odd case, as there’s nothing really wrong with how he went about with the character. He’s a turncloak, plain and simple, and his various scenes throughout the two seasons convey that well.
Here’s the problem, though: he’s thoroughly average. Completely forgettable. The guy went about and betrayed Ned Stark to an incestuous brat just so he could get a promotion. You’re supposed to despise him! Did you hate him? I sure didn’t – at least not in the series! He’s just there. And the guy did murder a baby and torture a poor blacksmith. Do I lack empathy or something?
I like to believe I don’t, and since I usually agree with myself, I’m going to pin this partly on the writing, partly on Carter’s acting, which is really run-of-the-mill. You can see he’s tense, a bit arrogant, a bit defensive (good), but there’s really nothing more than that. In the books (a dreadful way to start a sentence, I know, but sometimes it must be done), the guy’s a completely unlovable bastard. He’s incredibly arrogant, a bit stupid and is just so proud with himself that he doesn’t see Tyrion’s trap springing around him until it’s way too late. A really vivid character – I hate him, but enjoy seeing him there. This is something that Carter is just not doing, and he did have the material to convey at least some of it.
Off to the Wall he goes.
Best scene: Duh.
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When you have nothing to say, quote yourself ~ Solfadore