HBO: Game of Thrones

[YRBB]

Oh, I have a feeling there will be a lot of reprecussions from Cat's actions... and they are all posed to be delicious. If anything, Tyrion might be willing to forgive the error but I think Jaime and Cersei might see this as a perfect opportunity to go against the Starks.

[Juliajms]

I hope so. This show makes me wish for Sunday. BTW, Robert is a jerk for making Jaime listen while he screws his whores and I feel sorry for Lancel. So maybe Tyrion isn't the only good Lannister.

[classicmoment]

Never thought that I would love this far more than Borgias but it's happening......

Wish I had read the books

[Juliajms]

Well, it's not too late to read the books. It would help in keeping all the names straight, that is for sure.

[classicmoment]

lol I have so many books to read it's not even funny. I will add this to my itinerary for the summer. Right now I'm pretty swamped between work and school. TV's just the easier break when I get a chance........

[YRBB]

Me, too. That was what DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES used to do for me but not for a long time now.

As for the books... I've been very torn as to whether I should read the books or not. I have read very positive comments about them and I usually feel that the book is better, no matter how great the TV show/movie based on a book turns out to be. However, the show is just so good that there's great meritt in not knowing what's going to happen next and discover each twist and plot as it unravels. Reading the book would, I guess, solidify my knowledge of that world etc, but it would make the TV journey less of a discovering experience.... I might just watch the first season, then read the book and, if it's that good that I need the next, I may just read the lot of them! But, then, that's when the comparisons to the books start, "oh my God that didn't happen in the book!!!!!!!!!" etc... But I'm pretty relaxed on book adaptations, so who knows? [/rant]

Edited May 13, 2011 by YRBB

[Juliajms]

I have read the books, but I am "pretending" that I have not on the boards and on social media, so as not to spoil the experience for others. Some things are actually a bit different, so this is almost like an alternate universe, sort of like "Fringe" if you watch that. LOL!

I don't regret having read the books, but it definitely colors how I see this version of the world. If I could do it all over again I would probably read each book after the season it depicts airs. The books are incredibly good. There is a lot of emotional depth in the books that the show just doesn't have the time to get into.

Here is a viewer's guide that HBO has put out explaining the various Houses:

http://viewers-guide.hbo.com/game-of-thrones/#!/guide/houses/

Edited May 13, 2011 by Juliajms

[YRBB]

Thanks! I think that's what I'll do. When the season's over, I'll read the book. It'll give me something to keep me occupied until all the way to next April when I assume Season 2 will start.

Btw--New episode tonight! I can't believe we're already half-way through the first season! What are the chances they increase the episode order for Season 2, maybe to 12 episodes? I'm probably dreaming, the show's really expensive to produce so...

[Juliajms]

They've already announced that season two will also be 10 episodes, but I think season 3 will either have to be more episodes or a split season. "A Storm Of Swords" is a huge book. It might just be best if they go ahead and do two 10 episode seasons from it, if the series is doing well. It took GRRM 5 years to write the 5th book in the series and the last thing we want is for HBO to catch up to him. That could lead to bad things, imo.

[YRBB]

Awesomeness. There's not much more to say.

Lysa was such a shock. Disgusting, demented, and so much fun. Tyrion keeps finding himself in worse and worse situations!

I was very pleasantly surprised with Loras and Renly. Maybe they hinted at them and I forgot, but it wasn't until the beginning of this episode that I realized they were doing a gay couple. And that shaving scene sure did set that in stone. Sansa sure knows how to pick them.

Arya is love. Not much more to say there. "Good" to see Bran still suffering because of his paralysis.

The guy that plays Theon... didn't like his looks at all last episode but, damn, did his one scene do wonders for him Amazingly sexy body, if I may say so. Was very surprised with the full frontal even though no-one looks like that right after ejaculating. Just saying.

The scene between Cersei and Robert was very, very touching. Suddenly, Robert's behavior makes a lot of sense and the actor made it very heartbreaking. It also humanized Cersei a bit, with her admission that she once did feel something for Robert. Then, she asks if there was ever a moment that they truly had something and Robert tells her no. LH is one fantastic actress.

The ending was yet another great one. Absolutely can't wait for next week! Halfway through, it doesn't feel like it's enough!

[YRBB]

I see... I kind of expected it would be 10 episodes anyway. Didn't GRRM himself make some comments about how he would suggest Books 3 and 4 would better be suited to 2 seasons each? It was in regards to HBO catching up with the books (he is obviously not planning to rush them out in order to provide plots for the show). I agree, it's way better if they use the source material for each season, I don't wanna think how bad it could be if they started making that stuff up by themselves.

[Juliajms]

I know. That was awful. Cat looked as shocked and horrified and Tyrion.

I don't think they've given us many hints that Renly was gay, except maybe that he loves spending money on clothes. Loras and Renly aren't the only homosexual characters, but I can't remember at what point the other characters show up.

The course of events have merged in my mind because there are so many thousands of pages.

I just want to scream at Ned to get the hell out of King's Landing. What was he thinking when he went to that brothel tonight? Does it matter how many dark haired bastards the king has fathered with blond women? No, it doesn't! Get your daughters and go back to WinterFell.

I bet he did say that about the third book. The fourth one is another matter. They are going to have to come up with some sort of plan to both merge and split book 4 and 5, I would think. Some of the major characters do not appear in book four at all. It was a big mess at the time that pissed a lot of fans off. GRRM claimed that the book was too big to publish at the time and he really had the whole thing written, but he had to split it up. 5 years later and the "second half" has yet to be published. It will be this July though. So how HBO is going to handle that, I have no idea.

[Juliajms]

Link to GRRM's "Not a Blog" with some thought's on people's reactions to Lady's death:

http://grrm.livejournal.com/216015.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

[Lucid]

Loved last nights episode, so much going on, when The Mountain cut off his horse's head, holy hell my jaw dropped to the floor, you just know Peta's gonna be all over that

I can't even comment on Lysa and Robin, just OMG, I kept thinking that poor actor.

Arya does rock, she is the best, I hope she gets the Iron throne in the end

Cersei and Robert had a great scene, and Ned, my poor poor Ned, is it wrong to ope the series writers deviate from the books on Ned? I know they probably won't

[classicmoment]

Yes very welll written scene this one to me. It said enough to establish the true character dynamics but put more intrigue into the character fo Cersei for me, who revolts me as the layers are being peeled back but somehow I'm trying to see where she's coming from