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Game of Thrones, HBO series

Catching this illegally. The books remain my favorite series but I'm happy with the series so far and love the titles. Changes are necessary and fun to watch. A lot of subtlety from the books is lost, including some good foreshadowing, but that can be nicely compensated for with lots of gracious nudity (also in the books though).

The titles are also incredible.
 
KoshFan said:
Most recent one was pretty heavy on exposition -- and the best one yet. Plot's kicking into gear.
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Funny- I would describe it as "Most recent one was pretty heavy on exposition -- and the worst one yet." Because, spoken exposition is rough to sit through. Blah blah, there was this war, blah blah, there was another war, blah blah. I know it has to happen but this episode felt like eating the vegetables because you have to before you can enjoy the steak.

And on top of all that they made a point to bring in the Grejoy backstory way more than in the book. I wonder if that's gonna result in moving some of the events in the later books up a little earlier.

Then that weird awkward bathtub sex/more exposition scene. I am not enjoying the sex stuff at all in this show, it's really clumsy and childish.

John Snow stuff was good- he's my favorite character in the book and on the show. And you finally got some Ghost!
 
I'm hoping Renly gets less petulant, I didn't get that from him in the books.

Just finished "A Feast of Crows" ... oh dear.
 
Most recent one:

The good:
- Less characters makes for a better flowing, more engaging narrative.
- That conversation between the king and queen. "What's holding it all together" "Our marriage" Don't think it was even in the book (it looks like they're adding more and more original non-book bits each episode).
- The Eyrie, especially the prison. Sure it looked just like I imagined it, but I imagined it pretty good.

The bad:
- The sensationalism is getting absurd. Whores! Homos! Necrophelia! Bleh.
 
The gay stuff was broadly hinted at in the book, so I'm fine with making it exlicit -- especially as it's not really playing to any stereotypes. Sure Loras looks good, but he's also a pretty dangerous fighter.

The whore flashing Jory was a bit unnecessary, other than to give Jory something to do right before he got offed.
 
Gay stuff is all there in the second book. I'm also loving how they are adding extra sex and using it as additional expo / filler.

Good idea!

Jory was referred to lovingly by other characters, even if he did not do much himself. Sansa had a crush on him. It was a different way of getting the impact of his death across. The Kingslayer is just as much of a git as he was in the book.

Even on crappy download the CGI is first rate for the locations. Looking forward to the blu-ray set.
 
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Hey, was anyone else bothered in tonight's episode by....leaving spoiler space...
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...Joffrey looking so distraught as Robert lay dying? In the book, he was so nonplussed by his father's death that when someone (can't recall who) told him he was sorry for his loss some weeks later, Joffrey said, "Loss? What loss?" And had to be reminded that his father had died.

Also, as Jon and Samwell were making their vows, I'm sure I wasn't the only one who started saying, "We walk in the dark places no others will enter...we stand on the bridge and no one may pass...we live for the One; we die for the One." :-D
 
The Night's Watch vows aren't succinct, but they are pretty impressive. Much like Khal Drogo's speech.

Good point about Joffrey, I hadn't thought about that, though the incident you're referring to is indeed some time later, and this was in the moment.
 
I don't remember Joffrey's reaction to Robert's death in the book (jeez, and I just read the dern thing like 3 weeks ago.... I'm losing my memory in my old age) but if it is a change, I like it, for two reasons:

1) As part of the whole "everyone is a flawed human, even the villains" approach of the story. Joffrey is a little shit and he's only going to get worse, but at least for one moment you can sympathize and see how he's just a product of his environment.

2) He's emotionally volatile, and thus easy to manipulate.

The one character I am really not liking on the show compared to the book is Littlefinger. I can't believe I'm going to complain about girl-on-girl action, but that scene was just clumsy and silly. The whole exposition + sex thing they seem to be doing like every episode is cornier and cornier. The only time this every worked was on Al Swearingen's blowjob scenes in Deadwood, but that's because the scripts were amazing and they were delivered by Ian f'n McShane.

On the other hand I am loving Cersei (more than some other viewers- it seems at least on the interwebs that fan reaction is mixed). Just the right mix of wounded viper ice-bitch sad lady thing.

Finally, Daddy Lanister! Appropriately bad-ass actor and performance. That is not opinion, that is fact! And he was butchering a stag...

Khal Drogo- his rant-vow was absurdly over-the-top but I dug it. His body language reminded me of those Siva Tau and Haka war dances from the Pacific Islands that Simoan athletes incorporate into their pre-match warm-ups and became popular on some football teams, and sure enough I interneted some info and the actor is Simoan and brought that to the table.

I'm not 100% clear on Daenyrys' bodyguard/knight whatever he is. He was scheming with the eunich, then was pardoned, then saved her life. A change of mind? Was he going to actually kill her at first? Is this different than the book?
 
GKarsEye said:
The one character I am really not liking on the show compared to the book is Littlefinger. I can't believe I'm going to complain about girl-on-girl action, but that scene was just clumsy and silly.
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HA, just for that hilarious line (you made me literally LOL!), but yeah, I do agree with you. It was one of those super-awkward "I'm giving you exposition now!" scenes that have to be handled really carefully by a really expert actor, otherwise they come off as just plain clunky.

On the other hand I am loving Cersei (more than some other viewers- it seems at least on the interwebs that fan reaction is mixed). Just the right mix of wounded viper ice-bitch sad lady thing.
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Really? The intertubes are not liking Leana Headey? Surprising! I'm loving her, and think she is letter-perfect in the role.

Khal Drogo- his rant-vow was absurdly over-the-top but I dug it. His body language reminded me of those Siva Tau and Haka war dances from the Pacific Islands that Simoan athletes incorporate into their pre-match warm-ups and became popular on some football teams, and sure enough I interneted some info and the actor is Simoan and brought that to the table.
Hrm. I thought Jason Momoa was (native) Hawaiian. Samoan?

I'm not 100% clear on Daenyrys' bodyguard/knight whatever he is. He was scheming with the eunich, then was pardoned, then saved her life. A change of mind? Was he going to actually kill her at first? Is this different than the book?
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That's Ser Jorah Mormont. His father is the Lord Commander of the Night's Watch. I have no idea where they are going with him. I'm at the very end of book two as of this moment, and I don't recognize that pardon from anywhere in two books yet. I'm waiting to see where they go with this. I'm actually *doubly* anxious about the next episode because I saw the current episode last week, as a special deal on HBO's mobile app, so I feel like I've been waiting *forever* to talk about this one, and that it's a looooong break between new episodes. I almost wish they hadn't done that, even though I got two full new hours last week! :-D
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Hrm. I thought Jason Momoa was (native) Hawaiian. Samoan?
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You're right, Hawaii.
In my defense, Hawaiian athletes do those war dances. In fact, I'm pretty sure the University of Hawaii football team is who made it popular across the U.S. So much so that it was done by the fictional Dillon, Texas Panthers in Friday Night Lights.

And before non-Americans jump down my throat, yes I know rugby did it first, because I saw the New Zealand team do it in Invictus.
 
Fantas;y is always rely a bit too much on the obviously good and obviously evil. It can give the story a bit of a stereotypical feel.

I don't find the characters very interesting, I admit. The actions and reactions are really predictable. I am impressed with some of the cast, and there is some very good acting in it.
 
GKarsEye said:
I'm not 100% clear on Daenyrys' bodyguard/knight whatever he is. He was scheming with the eunich, then was pardoned, then saved her life. A change of mind? Was he going to actually kill her at first? Is this different than the book?
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The show's made it more explicit, but yeah, Jorah had a change of heart. Somebody pointed out that this means two generations of Mormonts have picked promising young people and staked the future on them.
 
Did it say in the book that Daenyrys' bodyguard is the son of the guy in charge of the Nightwatch, or was I just supposed to be observant enough to notice the last name? Because, in my defense, there are like a billion names.

What in particular made him change his mind in book and/or movie? Did I miss/forget that? I remember while reading the book thinking "why is this guy so dutifully following her around?"
 
I haven't gotten to any change of heart in the books yet, so I can't help you there. I do think we've heard both Mormont's names on the show, and didn't the Old Bear (the Lord Commander) tell someone something about his disappointment about his son already? Or was it another character who mentioned it? I know for sure we've heard Jorah talk about why he left Westeros, and I think either Varys or Littlefinger said something to Ned like "He's a slaver, not a traitor, small difference." This was in response to Ned pooh-poohing the info coming from Ser Jorah as not reliable.
 
GKarsEye said:
Did it say in the book that Daenyrys' bodyguard is the son of the guy in charge of the Nightwatch, or was I just supposed to be observant enough to notice the last name? Because, in my defense, there are like a billion names.

What in particular made him change his mind in book and/or movie? Did I miss/forget that? I remember while reading the book thinking "why is this guy so dutifully following her around?"
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It may not be stated outright in the books that the Lord Commander is Jorah's father, but it is in the appendices. Darn useful things, those, since they're basically huge lists of names and how the names connect.

As to what made Jorah change his mind... also may not be stated outright, and certainly not in book one. But the show makes the case that he's totally in love with her (Viserys says it, and Jorah doesn't deny it), and that's born out by the books later on.
 
No, it's definitely stated explicitly in the books, because I haven't read the appendices yet and I know I've read about it.

And, I believe it's early in book two where we learn about Jorah's wife and how Danaerys resembles her.
 
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