HBO: Game of Thrones

[EricMontreal22]

I don't quite fully agree. As Martin has said in some interviews, the ages are meant to fit more with what they would be around the time of the War of the Roses. People lived shorter lives, they grew up (in many ways) quicker, so in a way a modern viewer seeing the show now still perceives the characters more or less to be the ages they are meant to be in the novel... If that makes ANY sense, LOL. I do get your point and am not fully contradicting it, but I think you hgave to age them all at least 3-5 years mentally to fit our modern sense of how old someone would be when they would be expected to marry off (especially in royalty), have sex, etc. I did get some sense that Snow not having sex was a bit of a deal in the books--remember in the first one he can't perform with Ros--or at least turns her down which is supposed to show us early on a sense of his character.

Anyway I'm having a terrific time with the season so far--it's been a while (it seems a long while--at least 5 years anyway) since I read the second novel so many things are actually things I had forgotten. My only worry is we only have four episodes remaining now... And it is starting to feel ever so slightly unwieldy with stories dropped for full episodes etc. Martin and one of the showrunners Benioff said tyhat starting next season there would be greater differences from the novels, and really I think that might be necessary as the books themselves got so much more dense and complex.

Like while reading the books, I do have sympathy for his situation--that's what helps save him as a character. But he really is a stupid idiot...

I liked the New Yorker review of the series this week. I think her points about the sexploitation, as it's called, are fair (she's both for and against it and I agree with her points) and it's interesting how she places the show in the context of cable drama in general: http://www.newyorker...currentPage=all

Edited May 9, 2012 by EricMontreal22

[EricMontreal22]

Yes he knows who she is--I'm not sure if we ever saw them in the same scene in Season 1, though I think we might have, but he definitely kept tabs on the Starks--as with everyone else--when she had to go with Ned to King's Landing.

[EricMontreal22]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvfDqF0-2yg

[Juliajms]

We did. She asked him why he was called Little Finger and was reprimanded by her Septa for rudeness, but he explained the origins of the nickname to her.

[Ann_SS]

Another good episode. Someone please chop off Theon's head. What an ass!

Seriously, they wasted so much time with Jon Snow and that girl. They should have had him meet up with her people half-way through.

The action at city got real. I loved the new King and his alliance with the sorcerer. I gasped when "they" killed off the council. Damn.

I can't believe that Tywinn does not suspect who Arya might be after their conversations. I missed my seriously hot Jaqen.

I am worried for Tyrion. He should know better than to care for that crazy bitchy sister of his. Poor Sansa. I felt for her when she was desperate to hide the bloody sheets.

[YRBB]

I hate Theon although I do find his journey fascinating. His desperate attempt to gain respect and power just digs him deeper and deeper.

I am still amazed at how great the Arya/Tywin scenes are. I love how he keeps thinking he's figured her out and she keeps evading him--unless he knows and is just playing with her.

The scene with the creepy corpsy guy was completely shocking and riveting. I have no idea how Dany will get out of this.

Sansa continues to evoke a lot of sympathy. It's great how she was a total, hateful bitch in Season 1 and how you really feel for her now.

[quartermainefan]

This was my favorite episode all year. Jaime is maybe my favorite Lannister and we so rarely get to see him. When we do though he always gets the most interesting scenes. He is easily the most self-aware and wise of all the Lannister kids, and while he is the cruelest you still wind up understanding why he does the things he does. His poor cousin, I felt sorry for him.

[Ann_SS]

What a great episode! I really enjoyed that even though no one major got butchered.

Gawd Theon. I actually went "aww" when his sister subtly confessed to loving him. He still had time to save himself, but his ego won't let him listen to her wisdom.

I love Tyrion so much. His fear and quick recovery when he realized that the poor woman beaten was not Shanae. Cersei is such a bitch. The city is on the brink and she is playing petty games. Oh Tyrion don't love that woman. I loved his conversation with Varys and their snarking at Joffrey's threats to Stannis. Two clever men who respect each other discussing politics and survival. Varys' warning about Dany is very correct. Hopefully, Tyrion takes the warning as seriously as it was meant.

Ahh, my Jon Snow. At least, he is still alive. He needs to smarten up though.

Robb and that girl. RME. Oh well, men think with their... I loved his anger at his mother though. He was right. Is there anyone that Jaime won't alienate. Why the hell does he have to be an ass all the time?

Good to see my beloved Jaqen again. Arya was a real pain naming him, but he is helping them escape so that is good.

So Osha doubled back to Winterfell with the boys and Hodor. Thinking about it, there really wasn't much else she could do. Two young boys, one paralyzed. How could they possibly survive out there in the wild?

Next week looks damn good.

Edited May 21, 2012 by Ann_SS

[quartermainefan]

I love Jaime. He is the only Lannister that is aware how ridiculous it all is, but he goes along anyway. I am not sure how I would rank the Lannisters on their meanness. Clearly Joffrey is the meanest of the bunch, but then I think comes Jaime. Tywin and Cersei are mean but we have been given glimpses to their human side whereas with Jaime he is always on, always saying something to get a result. Tyrion is the nicest of the bunch clearly.

This girl will probably be Robb's undoing. If a great story has a romance then the romance should end tragically or come back to bite the lovers. I can see one of these two dying. I am sore of bored with Dany and her dragons. Of all the characters this year she got the short end of the stick. Nothing really has happened with her, she entered a city and they stole her dragons. That took 8 episodes where it could have been done in three.

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[Juliajms]

I think juggling these stories has to be very hard. The writer's have to keep some characters in a sort of stasis, so that they are in the right position when the various story threads meet up again. The books are so good and so detailed, that it's just an epic effort on the part of anyone to try to translate it to the screen. There are a lot of flaws, but I don't think I could ask it to be any better than it is. Not when there are only 10 hours in a season and the books are nearly 1,000 pages each.

Dany's story is particularly difficult, i think. So is Arya's. I think they did Cat an injustice by not letting a raven escape with news of the boy's "death". Thinking she had already lost two of her children was a much better motivation to betray Robb ,imo.

I don't entirely like the direction they are going with Jamie. He's barely showing a glimmer of honor under the sarcasm. However he has shown a bit. For example, when he wouldn't kill Ned because it wasn't clean and his hatred or the mad king.

[Ann_SS]

I completely agree. I see some of the book fans complaining, but there is so much story in the books, it is impossible to include most of it so they writers have to pick their spots.

The one complaint that I have is that I don't think that TPTB have given enough info on the Targaryens for the tv viewers to make the link between Jon Snow and Dany so the different stories feel far more disconnected than they should be. I hope this is addressed in the next episode when Dany visits the House of the Undying.

I agree. They should have shown how her despair over the boys' "death" lead her to free Jaime.

Edited May 22, 2012 by Ann_SS

[quartermainefan]

Ann, I didn't know there even was a link between Jon Snow and Dany until now.

[Ann_SS]

Well, maybe there isn't in the tv series. However, if I have spoiled anything, I am sorry about that.

[Juliajms]

I don't think you have spoiled anything. Not really. The series is called a song of ice and fire. Sure, lots of book fans think that refers to Jon and Dany, but even in the books we don't know for sure. Plus what clues exist in the book, also exist in season 1 for the most part. We know how honorable Ned is, we know that Robert was adamant about killing every Targeryen. We know Rheagar raped Lyanna.

Edited May 23, 2012 by Juliajms

[quartermainefan]

I think I have to stay away from this thread. Now I not only know they are connected, but that they are brother and sister most likely.