HBO: Game of Thrones

[DRW50]

I know it's a part of this world, but I wish all the torture scenes didn't have to be oncamera. I just end up skipping them. I was most uneasy with the scene of Joffrey having Ros beat the other whore. There was some scene in the previous episode where, when Tyrion had had his guards walk in on her when she was with Julian Glover's character, he gave her some money to say sorry. And yet in the next episode he has her sent to Joffrey when he knows Joffrey likes beating women?

It just makes me think that for all his feeling of not being the same as the rest of his family, he really isn't very different at all.

I ragged on the guy who played Renly before but in these season 2 episodes I think he's done a good job at playing Renly - a troubled man who is in way over his head and, truthfully, probably should not have been king.

Loras seems like a brat, but he does have chemistry with Renly.

I was happy to finally get to see Brienne. And Tulisa. Robb and Tulisa had chemistry from the first scene. That's good casting.

I must say that Arya and Arya's story just don't do much for me at all.

Cersei's rage over her daughter being essentially pimped out the way she was - such a powerful scene. Incredible acting. Cersei is dead inside and I often feel that she only livens up when she can make others feel as bad as she does, but she does love her children, in spite of everything.

[DRW50]

Theon giving in to what his father wanted him to be was sad, but Alfie Allen sold the hell out of it. The baptism scene was so beautifully filmed. And with such a sense of foreboding.

[Vee]

It's not that Tyrion wanted the girls hurt. Tyrion believed that he could calm Joffrey down and bring him into line by getting him laid like a typical uptight virgin kid. He was wrong - Joffrey went wild on the girls because violence is what arouses him.

[DRW50]

I don't think he would have necessarily wanted them hurt, but someone as smart as Tyrion should have known what would happen.

[DRW50]

I have to say that so far I've been enjoying Dany's story this season quite a bit. I'm sure when we get to "where are my dragons" I may be more annoyed, but the current story (Dany as proud ruler of a very, very, very fragile kingdom, Dany + Jorah 4 life) works well for me.

[ThePrinceOfSunspear]

Your take on Renly is interesting. I've always felt that GRRM was wrong to kill off the character....he honestly was everything a King should be. Noble, fair, wise, and prudent. He wasn't fat like Robert and he wasn't going to be wasting money on unnecessary tourneys or chasing women instead of tending to affairs of state.

His death still makes me sad even now and not just because he was a the only major gay character. I think the only problem he had was that he was a little too arrogant and a bit naive when it came to Stannis. Then again there's no way he could have know that his brother had sold his soul to this demon sorceress.

[Taoboi]

dd

[YRBB]

Oh, that is too beautiful.

[Vee]

That's why he (and many others) died.

I think Renly was a decent enough fellow and would've been a good administrator but he was a kid in many ways. He wanted what he wanted, he had the flash and pomp but he didn't have the iron will or the wisdom. His Hand and Small Council would've run most of the show.

[DRW50]

I think within 5-10 years he could have been a good king. As he was at this point he was just a little too weak mentally and not sure enough of himself. I do think he had his moments, and he could have been a great king with time. He had the temperament, which Stannis does not. If Stannis becomes ruler then I have a feeling Melissandre is going to turn all of the kingdom into her own personal magic kit.

[rhinohide]

Priceless.

[DRW50]

When I first started watching the show and every commentary (and it is just about every commentary) had every single actor, director, producer and writer on said commentary praise Jack Gleeson effusively and take pains to tell people what a kind and sweet man he is, I thought, well, I get it, but this is overkill.

Now that I'm into season 2, I 100% understand. Joffrey is just an out of control monster in ways I rarely see on TV. I guess he doesn't get even heavier fan anger because aside from Ned Stark, Joffrey doesn't seem to target fan favorites, but I can still understand why TPTB are scared for Gleeson. I have respect for him for even leaving his home, really.

If you ever get to listen to any commentaries, try to listen to the ones with the kids who play Sansa, Arya, and Bran. They're a lot of fun. My favorite part is how they deal with the opening credits (in the first they tried to "sing" the theme, in the second they tried to rap to it...Sansa rapping is a trip).

Edited March 26, 2014 by DRW50

[YRBB]

Great article on the show

http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2014/mar/22/game-of-thrones-whats-not-to-love

Joffrey's evilness knows no bounds. You are absolutely correct that the guy is a hero for even daring to show his face in public with such a character!

Those commentaries sound amazing. You're making me want to get the DVDs just for that.

[Vee]

I'm curious to see DRW's reaction to the next few episodes, but also to the end of Episode 4(?) of Season 2, with Melisandre. When she and Davos went into that cave and she did her, uh, bit, my jaw dropped to the floor. I thought Melisandre was largely a con artist and exploitative zealot up to that point, but she's obviously something much more complicated. The jury is still out on her true nature for me, even after Season 3. So much of that is on the strength of the writing, and of Carice Van Houten's incredible performance. I first saw her in Robocop and Basic Instinct director Paul Verhoeven's fantastic WWII thriller Black Book, and before GOT I also saw her playing another mysterious witch opposite Sean Bean in the underrated medieval supernatural thriller Black Death - which I think is still on Netflix streaming.

[quartermainefan]

I love Joffrey. He is horrible and there is not a single redeeming quality to him, but that is his charm. It takes a lot of work to literally be the meanest character on all of TV and I can't think of a single character who has Joffrey beat. His grandfather and mother are no picnics, but Joffrey's sadistic glee at being mean sends him across the finish line. And no character on any other show comes to mind that has him beat either. Meanest of all time perhaps.