HBO's Game of Thrones - Page 23

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Originally Posted by DamnDirtyApe 

Robb is a dick to Theon (I think thats his name...the non-Stark kid banging the red head hooker), and both he and Bran are shits to the old woman looking after Bran. Jon has been a dick, but you are right in the fact he seems to learn his lesson from it. Sansa is Sansa. All these kids seem to take after their mother, more than Ned. Lady Stark is HORRIBLE to Jon, as I'm thinking of his good bye scene with Bran while he was in his coma. Even Arya has her little snotty moments, but she's too damn awesome to hold it against her. Ned isn't afraid to throw his weight around, but only seems to do so when necessary or he feels his family is threatened. I don't think the kids are demons by any means, but they all seem fairly arrogant.

 Robb was mean to Tyrion because he suspected that he had something to do with Bran's assassination attempt, so of course he was not going to be pleasant toward him. Jon (being a bastard child and all) naturally act like he has a grudge against other people, but he has became alot better since then. Sansa...well, she was taught to become a fair lady who aspired to marry to the most powerful man in the kingdom and to bore him lots of sons, and Joffrey (despite his dickish personality) is the heir of the throne, so combine that with her age you get someone like Sansa. Bran is young and became a cripple, who once aspired to become a Kingsguard, so of course he'll be sulking and in foul mood. I don't think any of their children, except for maybe Sansa, is intolerable.

Quote:

Originally Posted by HarleyQuinn22 

I cannot stop talking about Vissy getting crowned, forgive me.

 

I watched it again for the umpteenth time, and I was struck by how unafraid Dany was.  She was startled when he first draws the sword, but from that moment on, she's completely calm.  Even when he's got the sword to her belly and is directly threatening her unborn child, she's totally stoic.  That's not fear in her eyes when she's looking at Vissy.  She knew he was a dead man the moment that the sword came out, and she knows damn well that there is no way that she's going to come to harm with Drogo sitting right there.

 

I love love love love love that the women on this show are so badass.  Even the sex slave girl showed some gumption by stepping in to shield Dany from the sword until Dany gently pushed her out of harm's way.  I really cannot convey enough just how much I appreciate watching a show where I can root for a woman for reason other than her wardrobe.  Fuck yes.

I just can't get this scene out of my mind either. I read the books so I knew what was coming, and I literally covered my eyes with a pillow and wasn't going to watch, but my husband yelled, "Don't you dare! WATCH IT."

Fucking Vissy's terror when he realized what was going to happen, I almost felt a little sorry for the bastard. My god, my head hurts just thinking about it.

The actress who plays Dany is a goddamn treasure, and I find myself smiling whenever she's on the scene. Her face is so expressive, and you can tell what she's thinking and how she's feeling even if she's not saying anything. She's badass to the core, and a part of me wants to see her set the entire world on fire--but then the scene changes, and I find myself rooting for a Stark, for Tyrion, etc.

LOYALTIES ARE SO DIVIDED ON THIS SHOW. I don't even know who to root for. I just know who I'm rooting against. For now anyway.

Quote:

Originally Posted by CocoaSugarbaker 

I just can't get this scene out of my mind either. I read the books so I knew what was coming, and I literally covered my eyes with a pillow and wasn't going to watch, but my husband yelled, "Don't you dare! WATCH IT."

Fucking Vissy's terror when he realized what was going to happen, I almost felt a little sorry for the bastard. My god, my head hurts just thinking about it.

 

The actress who plays Dany is a goddamn treasure, and I find myself smiling whenever she's on the scene. Her face is so expressive, and you can tell what she's thinking and how she's feeling even if she's not saying anything. She's badass to the core, and a part of me wants to see her set the entire world on fire--but then the scene changes, and I find myself rooting for a Stark, for Tyrion, etc.

 

LOYALTIES ARE SO DIVIDED ON THIS SHOW. I don't even know who to root for. I just know who I'm rooting against. For now anyway.

 

 Yeah, same here. However, for now at least I found myself rooting for the Starks, as I found King Robert to be a fool, and the Lannisters (except for Tyrion) to be rich & spoiled. I have become more attached to Dany however, and I wonder what her reaction will be when she discovered that her closest confidente turns out to be a mole. Her journey will be extremely interesting to see.

Quote:

Originally Posted by DamnDirtyApe 

And I wonder who has Tyrion's back.....if anybody?
 

 

Well, Jaime did just assault Ned Stark in the streets over his brother, and seemed genuinely pissed off about it, not just posturing. And apparently The Mountain's act of brigandry was a message from his masters to Catelyn's house (if the load of fish was read correctly). So, it looks like the Lannisters are looking after their own.

I watched ep. 6 again, and only just realized that Catelyn doesn't say a word the entire time. But she does such an amazing job with only her face, conveying how much the situation has spun out of her control.

Interesting to see how Dany is coming across onscreen.  I find myself very much enjoying the horde/Dany scenes.  In print I found Dany completely boring and as blank as her stares in the first ep, no matter how exciting or important the event happening, and I couldn't wait to get back to a chapter from some other character's viewpoint.

Quote:

Originally Posted by CocoaSugarbaker 

I just can't get this scene out of my mind either. I read the books so I knew what was coming, and I literally covered my eyes with a pillow and wasn't going to watch, but my husband yelled, "Don't you dare! WATCH IT."

Fucking Vissy's terror when he realized what was going to happen, I almost felt a little sorry for the bastard. My god, my head hurts just thinking about it.

 

The actress who plays Dany is a goddamn treasure, and I find myself smiling whenever she's on the scene. Her face is so expressive, and you can tell what she's thinking and how she's feeling even if she's not saying anything. She's badass to the core, and a part of me wants to see her set the entire world on fire--but then the scene changes, and I find myself rooting for a Stark, for Tyrion, etc.

 

LOYALTIES ARE SO DIVIDED ON THIS SHOW. I don't even know who to root for. I just know who I'm rooting against. For now anyway.

 

I was sad that Drogo had to lose his pretty belt.  I didn't feel sorry for Vissy for a second.  The guy just threatened to kill his sister and her child, and yet he was standing there cheesing like he'd done absolutely nothing wrong.  Not even a hint of remorse on his face.  I wish he'd come back to life so he could get crowned all over again, the little shit.

I saw an interview with Emilia Clarke, who plays Dany, and I was stunned by how she looks without the blond wig on.  It's like looking at a completely different person.

And I am rooting so hard for Tyrion to get an Emmy it's ridiculous.

Quote:

Originally Posted by HarleyQuinn22 

And I am rooting so hard for Tyrion to get an Emmy it's ridiculous.

Not that big on awards stuff in the first place, but while I love what he's doing, I do fear that Dinklage's... um... "unique" stature (and the fact that he gets so many of the one-liners) is causing him to overshadow a remarkable overall cast. But I suppose someone usually has to carry the banner for the group.

Even allowing for that, I'd love to see Dinklage win (hell, I'd have given him at least a Golden Globe nom for The Station Agent)... unless GOT and Justified are considered to be the same category (i.e., regular series or mini-series); if that's the case, I might have to swing my vote to the too-long-overlooked Walt Goggins.

But top to bottom, the acting in this series just amazes, particularly given how much of it, of necessity, is done in small chunks and brief scenes.

I'll cop to feeling sorry for Viserys, one, for the simple fact that getting molten gold poured over your head is just a horrific fucking way to go and a terrible thing to wish on even your worst enemy, and two, because some people just might know what it's like to be a somewhat insecure asshole not always in control of their own emotions, not that I'm one of those people....not at all.

That said, he practically begged for something terrible to happen to him.

I felt some sympathy for his situation.  He probably wasn't born an entitled pompous asshole (none of them were), but circumstance and weaning raised them to expect certain treatment (and certain gender roles).  Nature vs. nurture and all that.

My discussion with my wife was about the endgame.  What did he expect would happen when he put a sword to his sister's belly.  He had been witness to the events that we had.  Only a fool would expect a different outcome.  But he was a victim of his circumstances, so to speak.  He did not expect 1) to be touched by an unworthy (which was everyone to him) or 2) that his sister had more value than he did.  He was bred an idiot, not born one.

It harkens back to the trial by combat.  Tyrion Lannister's very logic played out.  A Lannister always pays his debts.  The mercenary knew that, and knew he could probably easily beat an honorable court-bound (as opposed to war-bound) knight.  I would not trifle with an old mercenary, not were I a young knight.  One of the joys of the show is that we see these engagements and conflicts with clear eyes, and many of the characters do not.

I think I fell in love with the show in the great 5th episode, but the 6th episode made it a relationship.  I had hoped the show would be good, but it's blown those expectations out of the water.

HQ22, have you watched Deadwood?  After a similarly "slow" (-burn) start, it got going.  About 8 episodes in, I realized that I was more invested in the women than the men.  Which wasn't to say that the men weren't interesting and well-acted, because they were.  But seeing that world through the eyes of the "lesser" gender was very, very potent.  I think the same applies here.  That is the draw to Cersei, Arya, and Dany.

And I say that as a reformed old-school chauvinist.

I didn't find it all that difficult to sympathize with Viserys, although he didn't handle his setbacks well at any point.  His anger stemmed from being literally promised the world throughout his upbringing, being told over and over that he was special, and having nothing to show for it when he grows up.   So he feels simultaneously cheated and ashamed that he failed to live up to his birthright, despite not being able to figure out how exactly he failed.   I wouldn't think that would be too difficult for pretty much any American to identify with that frustration at this point. 

In any case, that's one less distractingly horrible-looking wig to deal with.

"You have no HONOUR"

Nodding down a hole in the floor which leads to a several hundred foot drop. 

"He did"

Love this show so much, and count me in for feeling a tiny ratchet of sympathy just before he got crowned. He was such a pitiful and pitiable character that it almost seemed cruel to off him like that, despite how much of a loathsome bastard he was. 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Schwartz 

I didn't find it all that difficult to sympathize with Viserys, although he didn't handle his setbacks well at any point.  His anger stemmed from being literally promised the world throughout his upbringing, being told over and over that he was special, and having nothing to show for it when he grows up.   So he feels simultaneously cheated and ashamed that he failed to live up to his birthright, despite not being able to figure out how exactly he failed.   I wouldn't think that would be too difficult for pretty much any American to identify with that frustration at this point. 

 

In any case, that's one less distractingly horrible-looking wig to deal with.

Am I the only one who sees similarities between Viserys and Joffrey? Both are youngsters who have this sense of entitlement and treat other people like a load of crap. But Joffrey has it alot better by comparison.
 

They actually did an excellent job with Viserys on the show. He's much more of a comical loser in the book, and a bit rapey too. Just a complete tool, with no bathtub sex or moments of self-realization, but a handful of creepy brother nipple tweaks. Molten gold death is awesome in both mediums though.

I actually thought the actor sold the whole "that's all I wanted" moment really well, so much so that I actually felt a bit sorry for him even though he's been an objectional tosswad throughout.  He really let the underlying insecurity shine through and it was a great character moment for him and Dany.

She's also really stepped up to the plate, and it's nice that they've given her more acting chances to show the growth of the character rather than have her strike out at Viserys.  It's been stated above but the look in her eyes, and the calm resolution as she knows what's going to happen was fantastic.  And her final line killed (can't remember it exactly but something along the lines of "Dragons can't be destroyed by fire") and showed her own mental elevation above her whiny brother.

Don't forget that Viserys' father was batshit insane, he wasn't just an ass, he had his father's blood.

Any sympathy I had for him went bye bye once his golden coated dome hit the floor with a metallic THUD....that was awesome.

Quote:

Originally Posted by First Class 782 

 

HQ22, have you watched Deadwood?  After a similarly "slow" (-burn) start, it got going.  About 8 episodes in, I realized that I was more invested in the women than the men.  Which wasn't to say that the men weren't interesting and well-acted, because they were.  But seeing that world through the eyes of the "lesser" gender was very, very potent.  I think the same applies here.  That is the draw to Cersei, Arya, and Dany.

 

And I say that as a reformed old-school chauvinist.

My dad's been on me for ages to watch Deadwood.  I'm going to, I swear.
 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Andy Bain 

I actually thought the actor sold the whole "that's all I wanted" moment really well, so much so that I actually felt a bit sorry for him even though he's been an objectional tosswad throughout.  He really let the underlying insecurity shine through and it was a great character moment for him and Dany.

 

She's also really stepped up to the plate, and it's nice that they've given her more acting chances to show the growth of the character rather than have her strike out at Viserys.  It's been stated above but the look in her eyes, and the calm resolution as she knows what's going to happen was fantastic.  And her final line killed (can't remember it exactly but something along the lines of "Dragons can't be destroyed by fire") and showed her own mental elevation above her whiny brother.

 

 

He sold it well, but it only made me think "you prick" rather than "poor baby".

"He was no dragon.  Fire cannot kill a dragon."

HBO would be smart to sell Team "Insert Name" t-shirts for this show.  I'd buy three Team Dany shirts.
 

vfx stuff

http://www.awn.com/articles/article/playing-game-thrones

edit: there are spoilers at the end of this article, sorry

Quote:

Originally Posted by Joseph P. Brenner 

vfx stuff

 

http://www.awn.com/articles/article/playing-game-thrones

Warning, BIG SPOILERS for non-book readers.

Quote:

Originally Posted by HarleyQuinn22 

HBO would be smart to sell Team "Insert Name" t-shirts for this show.  I'd buy three Team Dany shirts.

 

 

They do have matching "Khal" and "Khaleesi" mens/womens shirts, though. 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Joseph P. Brenner 

vfx stuff

 

http://www.awn.com/articles/article/playing-game-thrones

there is a MASSIVE spoiler at the end of that article so if you've not read the books tread softly, because you may tread on your dreams (sorry).

(as pointed out by Hyperspace above as I was typing this!)

     Quote:

Originally Posted by Jeb 

Not that big on awards stuff in the first place, but while I love what he's doing, I do fear that Dinklage's... um... "unique" stature (and the fact that he gets so many of the one-liners) is causing him to overshadow a remarkable overall cast. But I suppose someone usually has to carry the banner for the group.

 

Even allowing for that, I'd love to see Dinklage win (hell, I'd have given him at least a Golden Globe nom for The Station Agent)... unless GOT and Justified are considered to be the same category (i.e., regular series or mini-series); if that's the case, I might have to swing my vote to the too-long-overlooked Walt Goggins.

 

But top to bottom, the acting in this series just amazes, particularly given how much of it, of necessity, is done in small chunks and brief scenes.

Some spoilerage below (since this isn't the "For Those Who've Read The Books" thread):

I'm actually rooting for Mark Addy, of all the cast, for a "Supporting Actor" nom. He's doing an absolute insanely-stellar job this season, and to me, he's turned in the best performance of the entire show.

[Double-post.]

[Double-post.]

[Sorry...quadruple-post. Was editing, and must've hit the wrong button, or something.]

Yeah Addys getting over-looked thanks to a cast that really is wall to wall stellar, but you're right, he's balancing so many elements in King Robert; the great warrior gone to seed, the honorable man beaten down by political intrigue, the broken hearted man still lamenting his true love while having to suffer through and antagonistic and loveless marrage, the firey personality that is quick to anger but just as quick to cool. 

Addy's Robert is fantastic. It's by far the best thing I've seen him do. It's just a shame he's doing it surrounded by the likes of Bean, Dinklage, Gillen, Emilia Clarke and Michelle Fairley.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hyperspace 

They do have matching "Khal" and "Khaleesi" mens/womens shirts, though. 

 

...and the rest!

 

Who doesn't want their very own 'I Made The Eight' t-shirt?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Joseph P. Brenner 

vfx stuff

 

http://www.awn.com/articles/article/playing-game-thrones

 

edit: there are spoilers at the end of this article, sorry

Cool article overall.

In regards to that spoiler and Scottie's concerns:

My initial thought is

Spike, if you find it all reassuring, I'm not much of a fantasy guy.  My enjoyment of the genre is limited to Tolkien, A Song of Ice and Fire and Lynch's Locke Lamorra books.  That being said, with regards to your spoiler, trust me: it's not that bad. 

They've only been telegraphed from episode 1.

Kind of interesting for me to see so much support for the Dany actress all of the sudden.  I mean, is it just me, or doesn't she look like she's out of her goddamned mind?  I mean, that's cool.  She's got these scary dragon dreams and her makeup-wearing-rapey husband is making her eat massive horse hearts.  Crazy is good.  But the acting accolades are a bit surprising to me.

Anyway, absolutely adored this episode.  We actually were forced to watch it in two sittings, and so much happened it felt like we were graced with two awesome episodes.  It was incredibly tempting to register for the HBO Go thingamabob (though, I guess if it's down, there wouldn't have been much point.)  In the end, we decided to delay the gratification.  My main reason for doing so, though, was so I wouldn't have to endure the torturous two weeks without a new episode that would follow. 

I continue to be shocked by how quickly things move on this show.  Elements that I expect to be season-long arcs find resolution suddenly and violently.  Ned has thrown down the gauntlet.  Viserys is dead.  Holy hell.  I honestly expected Viserys to be a player for the entire SERIES, not just the season.  I guess, in the end, I was giving him far too much credit.  He wasn't even intelligent enough to make himself scarce after the tide had turned against him.

I think the biggest Aha! moment for me this episode was Jon Aeryn's quest to find all the bastards.  Clearly, he'd put two and two together from the book, just as Ned did.  But by finding ALL of Robert's bastards, and EVERY ONE of them having black (dark) hair...  Well, that's a much better argument for the incest than just ancient history.  Hence, "The seed is strong."

Love it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ScottieFerguson 

Warning: Spoiler! (Click to show)

Perhaps I'm overreacting, and I realize that there are other supernatural creatures on the show.  However, I can rationalize the white walkers as just a particularly creepy northern, cannibalistic tribe (weird blue eyes notwithstanding), and so far the dire wolves have pretty much been portrayed as regular old wolves.  Sure, dragons existed in the past in this world (just like dinosaurs in ours) but to suddenly have fossilized eggs hatching... feels like a stretch to me.  Guess I'm just dreading scenes of warrior Dany and her Dothraki hoard now riding dragons, instead of horses.

Then you'll be glad to know that:

Quote:

Originally Posted by Spike Marshall 

My initial thought is

 

Warning: Spoiler! (Click to show)

 

FUCK DRAGONS

 

Really, that's one of the reasons I don't read fantasy. Can't stand the things. I'll stick with this, largely because I'm so invested in Bronn as a character, but having crappy CGI reptiles lounging all over the place is going to make me seriously consider fastforwarding Dany's sections.

 

 

 

 

Because it seemed like a cool series where the fantasy elements would be taking a back seat to the human drama.  Sorry that I'm disappointed the fantasy seems to be ramping up somewhat.

I didn't mean it as a criticism, I was just making a sweeping statement. I assure you the fantasy elements do very much take a backseat to the human drama. But there are fantasy elements. If you're not bothered by the Walkers I doubt you'll be bothered by anything that's coming.

For the record, I'm a guy who likes fantasy in principle but often finds it to be cliched and boring in practice, and I tend to have little patience for the various tropes either. But it's all about execution, and Martin executes it well. And a lot of the tropes are in aSoIaF so that Martin can subvert them, rather than use them as a crutch.

I'll admit that I have more patience for

Good to hear, and like I said, I'm enjoying the series, and probably overreacting somewhat.  I'm not a big fan of fantasy (outside of a few select properties) and when I read that dragons would literally be showing up, it prompted something of a knee jerk response.  I'm sure they know what they're doing on the show end of things, but it gives me some pause about the source material, and makes me question whether I want to continue watching.

For the record, the books are very good too. It's not like the show has been making a silk purse out of a sow's ear. I think the show is, on occasion, better than the books, though right now I'd rank the books a little higher--though the show does have the potential to surpass its source material. But you don't need to worry that this is some kind of Robert Jordan thing that the showrunners are working overtime to breathe life into. It's not even like LOTR, where the movie turned a lot of characters who were essentially cyphers into real human beings. The characterization in the books is really strong, and the plot is nice and twisty. The show is a faithful reflection of the books so far.

Anyway, I'm sure you're going to give it a chance, and I don't think you'll be disappointed.

By the way, if you are enjoying GoT, and Sean Bean in particular, his latest middle ages film Black Death was just released on Blu, and it is a considerably better movie than the profile of its release would lead you to believe. Also, it's reminiscent of Thrones in a number of ways: it's medieval fantasy that's not too insistent on the fantasy part, it's got excellent characters, Bean is supremely well used, and it gets a hell of a lot out of its small budget. In fact, if the year ended today, it would be an easy pick for my favorite film of 2011. Do check it out, as it deserves a bigger audience.

Seconded on Black Death. I've seen it three times now, and everyone I've shown it to digs it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Prankster 

For the record, I'm a guy who likes fantasy in principle but often finds it to be cliched and boring in practice, and I tend to have little patience for the various tropes either. But it's all about execution, and Martin executes it well. And a lot of the tropes are in aSoIaF so that Martin can subvert them, rather than use them as a crutch.

 

I'll admit that I have more patience for

Warning: Spoiler! (Click to show)

dragons than I do for stuff like orcs or elves. I think it's because dragons have been part of human folkore and myth since forever, in all different forms, whereas that other stuff was more or less created by Tolkien and is continually being ripped off by lesser writers, which I find annoying.

 

Re: the hidden bit - What a load of fuckballs.

...uh HUH.

Wow, this page is kind of unreadable. Literally.

Everyone having this weird grey problem with the quote feature should drop a short note in the BUGS thread.

I think they had this problem early after the crossover, and then fixed it. I never encountered it before, but now I'm getting it in IE9 and Chrome.

I wasn't referring to the quotes, actually.

Yeah, there is a thread for spoilers. I'm getting the white quotes too though.