HBO's Game of Thrones (NON-SPOILER THREAD)

[Loerwyn]

That was a comparatively uneventful episode, although it wasn't lesser by any means (Assuming we don't factor in Tyrion).

I didn't expect the end, if I'm honest. It's quite interesting to see where it'll go, but again, I think Ned has dug his own grave. He played his cards too early, and to the wrong people. His honour-bound methods are his weakness, because the game of thrones just doesn't allow for it. I, like many others, did actually spoil it for myself by seeing the blurb for the second book, so I know what'll ultimately happen although the more I watch the show, the less of a shock it'll be. Martin's world doesn't allow room for good guys.

I think Jon parallels Fitz from Hobb's Farseer Trilogy, especially in today's episode. He doesn't think anything's fair, and he's in such a position simply because he's the bastard get of someone higher up. Yes, he's more privileged and lucky due to it, but he knows little else so of course it's going to be "unfair" to him. It just strikes me that Jon, after what I assume to be months at the Wall, hasn't woken up and realised that he's had things no-one else has had. It took the larger bloke spelling it out for him to realise that he's just been given a boon, not a punishment. It's hard to tell how long, though, because the timey-wimey line is all wibbly-wobbly.

And that psuedo-lesbian scene was yawn. Oh yay, creepy guy talking to two girls having really bad porn film sex.

Edit: Post 3000. Eeeeek.

[sdelu]

That was a comparatively uneventful episode, although it wasn't lesser by any means (Assuming we don't factor in Tyrion).

I didn't expect the end, if I'm honest. It's quite interesting to see where it'll go, but again, I think Ned has dug his own grave. He played his cards too early, and to the wrong people. His honour-bound methods are his weakness, because the game of thrones just doesn't allow for it. I, like many others, did actually spoil it for myself by seeing the blurb for the second book, so I know what'll ultimately happen although the more I watch the show, the less of a shock it'll be. Martin's world doesn't allow room for good guys.

I think Jon parallels Fitz from Hobb's Farseer Trilogy, especially in today's episode. He doesn't think anything's fair, and he's in such a position simply because he's the bastard get of someone higher up. Yes, he's more privileged and lucky due to it, but he knows little else so of course it's going to be "unfair" to him. It just strikes me that Jon, after what I assume to be months at the Wall, hasn't woken up and realised that he's had things no-one else has had. It took the larger bloke spelling it out for him to realise that he's just been given a boon, not a punishment. It's hard to tell how long, though, because the timey-wimey line is all wibbly-wobbly.

And that psuedo-lesbian scene was yawn. Oh yay, creepy guy talking to two girls having really bad porn film sex.

Edit: Post 3000. Eeeeek.

It's a shame you spoiled it for yourself. I remember reading that scene and the feeling of my stomach just dropping... probably could evoke the same reaction in the show, seeing as the characters all have real "people" attached to them and not just people in my head.


As for Jon and the storyline, well, in the book Jon's 14 or so (and had had a rougher time at Winterfell than the show makes it seem, thanks to Catelyn being a huge jerk to him), so I think his reaction makes even more sense in that context. In the show he's 17 and probably should be a bit more mature after all his schooling at the wall, but I'm glad they kept the scene in anyway. He still has a bit of growing up to do, definitely. Unlike Fitz (who really did have a pretty unfair life, I thought), he does do so eventually.

[Loerwyn]

It's a shame you spoiled it for yourself. I remember reading that scene and the feeling of my stomach just dropping... probably could evoke the same reaction in the show, seeing as the characters all have real "people" attached to them and not just people in my head.

Or it's Harper Voyager's fault for doing spoilerific blurbs for every book.

As for Jon and the storyline, well, in the book Jon's 14 or so (and had had a rougher time at Winterfell than the show makes it seem, thanks to Catelyn being a huge jerk to him), so I think his reaction makes even more sense in that context. In the show he's 17 and probably should be a bit more mature after all his schooling at the wall, but I'm glad they kept the scene in anyway. He still has a bit of growing up to do, definitely. Unlike Fitz (who really did have a pretty unfair life, I thought), he does do so eventually.

14 and 17? Wow. I'd have said that in the show, he's closer to my age (The grand ol' age of roughly 21-and-a-half). All Jon ever seems to do is whine and moan, have a revelation and become more mature... Only to backtrack and do it all over again. A few episodes ago (Was it the scene where he was nearly beaten until Tyrion rescued him? I think it might have been) we had a very similar situation where it was spelled out for him and he accepted it, and even changed to the point of helping the big guy whose name I don't know, because he didn't have it as hard as he did. Yet again, he's gone back to a self-centered whiny brat with a stick up his backside and the silver spoon taken from his mouth.

Jon's not had it easy, I think I'd be silly to say he has, but compared to the other recruits? He's privileged, educated, well brought up and mature. All he's done is act like a big spoilt brat, though.

[Loerwyn]

Fairly good episode, I reckon. Nice to see the larger guy come into his own, too, rather than just being the butt of jokes.

I don't really have a lot to say as the episode was rather self-explanatory. I do have a question, though:
Why was the big possibly-half-giant-man walking around with his gentleman's area out? I'm guessing he had a bath or something?

Oh, and Joffrey still makes me want to throw up. "Come forward, my lady" actually elicited an "Ew!" from me.

[Palfrey]

No expository sex scenes, praise be!

[Evil Agent]

By far the best episode yet... probably because the script was written by the author himself (GRRM will write one script per season). It felt more true to the book than any other episode so far.

[Loerwyn]

Tyrion's comment about how he'd like to die was good!

Oh, that also reminds me. I didn't quite buy him winning over the tribal people. It wasn't Peter Dinklage's fault, more a fault of the scene itself.

[Spears&Buckler]

I don't really have a lot to say as the episode was rather self-explanatory. I do have a question, though:
Why was the big possibly-half-giant-man walking around with his gentleman's area out? I'm guessing he had a bath or something?

If I remember correctly, Hodor likes to swim in a pond in the godswood there.

[Evil Agent]

Tyrion's comment about how he'd like to die was good!

One of my all time favourite lines from the book.

[KatG]

The problem with the Hill People scene is that you don't have all the background stuff. Tyrion offers them the chance to take the Vale, which is kind of like offering the British Celts the opportunity to burn all the Romans out of Britain. And since the Lannisters have that rep with the coin and the paying of debts, plus a known large army, the Hill People take him up on the offer provisionally. Once they know who he is, they do a lot of bargaining.

[Loerwyn]

I can understand that, Kat, it just didn't come off as too convincing. I'm sure the actors tried their best with it, but it still seemed a little forced.

[KatG]

I can understand that, Kat, it just didn't come off as too convincing. I'm sure the actors tried their best with it, but it still seemed a little forced.

Well they were kind of the comic relief in the episode.

[Loerwyn]

The jokes were brilliant, again, I'm not disputing that. I'm not actually criticising anything except the direction of that scene. To me, it wasn't a convincing scene. When you compare it to the other scenes in the show, it seemed - bar Tyrion's comments - to be one of the weaker ones.

[Loerwyn]

They sure liked the blood this episode, and the death, but I suppose they had to make up for last week's episode.

Tyrion getting knocked out of the fight was quite funny, and it didn't actually seem that ridiculous. I don't know if he'd truly have been out for that long, but it was a good way to keep him in the fray without truly ruining his character. I think that set of armour he had was pretty cool, too.

As for Daenerys, I'm guessing she's going into early labour? It can't have been nine months since she first lay with Drogo, can it? And falling over just happened to get her into labour? Huh.

I'm... At a loss as to Ned's death, though. It didn't impact me as much as I'd hoped, partially due to me being an idiot and accidentally spoiling it for myself, but something about the way the scene was done just didn't work for me. Joffrey was a misogynistic brat, Ned gave in and died a potentially honourless death (I was hoping he'd blurt out the truth, but maybe he didn't to protect his family), and I just didn't think it was the most powerful scene.

I felt sorry for that pigeon, though. It did nothing wrong.

[End Of Disc One]

I'm... At a loss as to Ned's death, though. It didn't impact me as much as I'd hoped, partially due to me being an idiot and accidentally spoiling it for myself, but something about the way the scene was done just didn't work for me. Joffrey was a misogynistic brat, Ned gave in and died a potentially honourless death (I was hoping he'd blurt out the truth, but maybe he didn't to protect his family), and I just didn't think it was the most powerful scene.

That's odd, I knew it was coming and my heart was pounding so hard. I thought the scene was incredibly powerful. A lot more so than it was in the book.