EricMontreal22

I ALMOST wish I had watched this current "season," but, as enjoyably horrendously awful as I kinda found the show, I simply didn't have the time--I appreciate the thread to sorta keep track of it. I noticed that the promos for the series have gone from the very early ones--where they seemed to be trying to pretend this was a deep, Oprah-bookclub-approved, literary drama about heavy social themes, to the last one I randomly saw on TV which made it clear it was all about the camp. Vintage Tyler Perry dialogue for this show!

COMPLETELY agreed. I apparently spoke too soon, because in today's episode it was revealed he was playing Marcus... Sigh.

I believe we are about ten episodes behind in Canada, but I have been sick this weekend and caught up on several weeks of Corrie (we aso got the Tina special.) There is so much that's a mess on the show right now. But one thing that the show often was good at in the past was playing out story beats--to use one glaring example right now is Todd and Marcus. Why has Marcus decided he's in LOVE with Todd? I've seen nothing remotely romantic or appealing about the way Todd has pursued Marcus, and while I could buy that Marcus finds him attractive on some level, the fact that now they are meant to be in love just bewilders me.

Right--I agree, but compared to the books (and I have mostly made my way through the third and--I know, awful of me, into bits of the fourth) this is the smartest way they could approach that material. In the past few years I have never shown all that much respect to the showrunners, but I think it's *masterful* how they are approaching such unwieldy books. There's a reason so many "fans" hated a certain book which never even showed favorite characters--and, for good or bad, there's no way an adaptation can benefit by taking that same approach.

REALLY? You won't be offended by it? I do agree the scene was not handled as well as it could have. It felt thrown in to keep up momentum with the story--which makes sense, but still it wasn't that well executed (I did think Ramsey and Theon's bath scene was appropriately creepy and managed to suggest how much he was in control of Theon very well something which, granted, wouldn't have worked without the rescue scene. I suppose they onlyhave so many minutes to tell each story.) One critic--prob AV club--pointed out that lately the show seems to be one half an "update" on what's going on outside of King's Landing and then the rest centered on the intrigue there. I' not always satisfied by that, but, overall, I think it's a capable way to structure the way they're re-fitting the two novels they're covering right now.

Yeah that woulda amounted to stunt casting, which the show has avoided (even if Robson and Jerome fans may disagree .) I really like the actress who plays her. There's been talk about Rome having some sort of wrap up season--yet again. I doubt it will happen, but... I love Fairley and she could ALMOST make me watch 24. Almost.

I don't think you've given any spoilers at all--I've appreciated that. But I do feel like we're watching a different show--I certainly don't see a show that consists only of random plots that go nowhere nor have rhyme or reason, quite the opposite.

I apologize if I sounded like I was ganging up on you. As I've mentioned I did read the first couple of books before the show started--I was a fan. Obviously not on the level you are. I do think I've become much better than I once was at accepting that any good adaptation is gonna make changes--even changes I dislike (but then again I just posted a bitchy comment on a different format about how bland and uninspired the *trailer* alone of Constantine, the NBC adaptation of one of my favorite comics, looks so maybe I'm just a hypocrite. Or maybe I just won't watch if I dislike it as much as the trailer.) You also bring a lot of great comics to this thread, and I always read your posts. Where you utterly lose me though is comments like that Shae should not be so important on the show simply because she isn't in the books--I would think anyone still watching would move on from that point by this season, and due to the fact that the character HAS become important on the show for a long time now, it's now a moot point. Similarly "The Small Council meeting is infuriating.....they don't know ANY of this information about Dany, Mormont, or even Selmy. Only until the epilogue of the FIFTH book. Jesus Christ" Except *in the show* they do. And they gave a perfectly plausible reason as to why and how. Your complaint comes off--to me--as just complaining for the sake of complaining because I don't see you giving any reason why it's infuriating except that they shouldn't have done so until they film the epilogue of the fifth book. Why?

HOW did it though? I admit I'm not a big "Show Shae" fan, but they clearly used her partly to show and dramatize things that in the books we understood because chapters of the books were written from Tyrion's POV. It was a clever dramatic way of getting around that. I do not see how any of this "completely" destroys the "book story." That makes it sound like the tv show makes zero sense as its own story now. In fact, I'm pretty sure it'll do quite the opposite.

Exactly--and they have to keep things moving on the TV show while not making it even MORE complex the way it is in the books--it makes sense, IMHO, that the little birds, etc, would have informed them about Danni, etc (it also helps tie her oh so isolated story somewhat into the other action which is more important on a TV show than in the books--although MANY book fans complained about the progress of her story as well.)

This is how I saw the scene, too. (Although I was confused by all the cuts on his body immediately after--was that a part of the sex?) Maybe it was overkill (not that the show never does overkill)--we get it by now, but the scene sorta thematically made sense to me--cutting it with the other scene, etc, and I didn't think much of it one way or the other until reading some negative reactions. It's funny, I watched a bunch of episodes of Vicious the not very good old school gay comedy throwback sitcom with Ian McKellen and Jerek Jacobi as a bitchy older gay couple--and it took me a while to recognize the actor playing Ramsey as their nice younger neighbour...

I know, right? It's like Ron Carlivati is writing those scenes... Considering how massive Westeros seems to be, these people often seem to just happen to miss each other. Jojen doesn't have a brother (that we know of)

Oh, I actually read that at some point...

OK I have no idea who you mean... lol I don't know, kill Supergirl and Bug-Eyed Man and Selena Kyle. OK I have no idea who you mean... lol I don't know, kill Supergirl and Bug-Eyed Man and Selena Kyle.

Thank God Martin is a writer and not a spoken word artist or author *yawn* I said previously that Michele was one of my fave directors for this show. What I don't get about directing the show is they must have a hard time with what to order (probably why directors tend to do back to back episodes) given the fact they'd have to travel between Ireland, Morocco, Iceland, etc...

I must have some stupid friends, because a number of people didn't even really pay attention to what that revelation meant. I liked how it was done in a low key manner (as have some other revelations this season in particular.)

I felt she was acknowledging that--it wasn't so specific.

And new Daario, and ex Nashville Michiel Huisman apparently is so popular he's as of this last episode on Orphan Black (which is a bit surprising since for legal reasons they usually go for Canadian actors first.)

I thought that scene was brilliant. Michelle MacLaren, who is becoming one of my fave episode directors, also staged it wonderfully. For me it was all about how \ they’re both playing a game and, crucially, both know they’re playing a game. But they also obviously love this part of the game on some level that it seems almost like the only bit of joy they can hold on to, so they both agree to play it. If that makes ANY sense. Ron Carlivati should read the comments about creators not obsessing over the internet. As for *that* scene, I'm not really sure how at this point they can make any comment that will make anyone happy. Yeah, they screwed up by a not knowing it would gt such a strong reaction, and by publicly not even being on the same page, but... I know these past two episodes with their huge deviations from the books have made the book nazis mad, but storywise most of the changes make a lot of sense. Bran's story was pretty dull in the books, but to show more of it and add detail has helped. (While Danny's new plan makes a lot of sense, I admit that it does make me think we'll see random scenes of her doing nothing there until the final season 7 or whenever... meh.) Oh and boo to the season being half over.

And Robson and Jerome are THE THE worse. I mean I liked the Stock/Aitken acts (which was when they left Waterman and their music became even more cheezy--Niki French who was actually a hit here, Scooch, etc) but Robson and Jerome were horrible covers for middle aged moms. The show they were pulled from, Soldier Soldier was a hit here in Canada, so I was mildly aware of them, though their songs weren't played here. AND he was blond--it is funny given the role he plays on the show. Some random, but less surprising UK actors popped up and it took me a while to recognize them, like the girl from Downton Abbey and the girl from Skins. (Well, and the guy from Skins, but I recognized him straight away.) A s for the Dothraki--didn't they just mention them? I'm always hopeless at keeping track with all of that...

You were biased from the moment the earlier guy came on screen But a 16 year old queen? Wouldn't she, even in Westboros prefer a smarmy looking boyband guy than someone who looks like he's from Mumford and Sons? I just find the casting weird. Apparently it was NOT due to people disliking the previous guy--but he got the lead in Transporter 4 or whatever number they're at, so asked to be let go. So I would have thought they could find someone with the right look than budget Eric Bana. With all of the characters on this show and the fact that minor characters, like Daario have minutes on screen and confusing names that sound like other names, distinctive looks are important. I don't see it myself, but apparently many people actually thought the new Daario looked like a slightly younger variation of Bronn.

That's exactly what I was trying to say, only better said. It's just the physical type (and I think the fact, which you may not agree with that the new guy looks, frankly, older than the other one) that makes him less distinctive to the men she already has serving her, etc.

I think he's been written out of Nashville for good--like many characters on that show he seemed to justbe a stop gap to fill story while they still get to the ultimate pairings. It's funny how apparently so many people didn't realize he was a recast of an old character. Maybe I only did because I knew the recast was coming. I know many didn't like the previous Daario, but I thought he fit the role a lot better--the pretty boy, much closer to Daenarys' age who is arrogant and despite herself she sorta is attracted to. It makes sense given how young she is. My problem with the recast--and he's probably a better actor--is frankly he LOOKS nearly as old as the other guys who have pursued her.

Yeah, but do you think Cersei is gonna let that happen? (Oh and hi again, everyone!)

He wasn't bumped to contract, so... Yeah, I think TV just has not handled the fact that a drama can be 30 minutes...