Game of Thrones on HBO: non-book thread (1 Viewer)

[shadyridr]

Joffrey is a sick ####.

And is cersei no longer in kings landing? :(

 

[shadyridr]

sword swallower through and through

that old lady is ####in awesome

 

[The Ref]

Just a small point of order here.... and for all I know this is covered in the books. We got a wall made of solid ice 700 feet tall. And right on the other side of the wall we got green as far as the eye can see.

How is it that this thing don't melt?

 

[The Ref]

sword swallower through and through

Easy the line of the night, littlefingers "The Climb" speech be damned.

 

[The Captain]

Littlefinger is a scary SOB

 

[KarmaPolice]

Meh episode. It is to be expected as we have a lot of set up for the 2nd half of the season. Old lady and littlefinger still kick ### though.

 

[KarmaPolice]

Littlefinger is a scary SOB

 

[belljr]

so explain to me the ship sailing and cersei crying

 

[shadyridr]

so explain to me the ship sailing and cersei crying

you mean sansa. That was loras leaving, who she thought she was gonna marry

 

[belljr]

so explain to me the ship sailing and cersei crying

you mean sansa. That was loras leaving, who she thought she was gonna marry

sansa yes my bad

 

[Ilov80s]

so explain to me the ship sailing and cersei crying

you mean sansa. That was loras leaving, who she thought she was gonna marry

That makes sense, but didn't the ship sailing away have a bird on the flag like Littlefinger's sigil.

 

[TLEF316]

so explain to me the ship sailing and cersei crying

you mean sansa. That was loras leaving, who she thought she was gonna marry

I actually think it was littlefinger leaving (which now makes her sad, since the only reason she didn't go with him is because she thought she was going to marry Loras).

The ship had his sigil on it.

 

[KarmaPolice]

so explain to me the ship sailing and cersei crying

you mean sansa. That was loras leaving, who she thought she was gonna marry

That makes sense, but didn't the ship sailing away have a bird on the flag like Littlefinger's sigil.

It was littlefinger. She was upset because he offered to take her away.

 

[Brady Marino]

Joffrey is a sick ####.

This. I liked that whore. :(

 

[Ilov80s]

This episode seemed to lose a lot of the momentum built up in the last couple weeks. The Theon stuff is just weird. We really have time to spend in this show to just watch Theon tortured and lied to?

 

[shadyridr]

so explain to me the ship sailing and cersei crying

you mean sansa. That was loras leaving, who she thought she was gonna marry

That makes sense, but didn't the ship sailing away have a bird on the flag like Littlefinger's sigil.

It was littlefinger. She was upset because he offered to take her away.

oh i had no clue

 

[shadyridr]

This episode seemed to lose a lot of the momentum built up in the last couple weeks. The Theon stuff is just weird. We really have time to spend in this show to just watch Theon tortured and lied to?

there are so many ####in characters its insane. So that was the guy who got beheaded in the last episode son? And his brother was killed by jamie? Whats with all the theatrics? This whole time we figured he was one of robb starks men.

 

[bonesman]

This episode seemed to lose a lot of the momentum built up in the last couple weeks. The Theon stuff is just weird. We really have time to spend in this show to just watch Theon tortured and lied to?

I thought it was kind of a weak ep too, but the ******* of Bolton stuff was my favorite. Great character.

 

[TLEF316]

Yeah, not sure why they're wasting a scene with Theon every week. We get it. He's captured and being tortured. Unless something changes, use the time for something else.

 

[Maurile Tremblay]

Just a small point of order here.... and for all I know this is covered in the books. We got a wall made of solid ice 700 feet tall. And right on the other side of the wall we got green as far as the eye can see.

How is it that this thing don't melt?

Add it to the list (along with people the entering the minds animals and controling their actions).

 

[bonesman]

This episode seemed to lose a lot of the momentum built up in the last couple weeks. The Theon stuff is just weird. We really have time to spend in this show to just watch Theon tortured and lied to?

there are so many ####in characters its insane. So that was the guy who got beheaded in the last episode son? And his brother was killed by jamie? Whats with all the theatrics? This whole time we figured he was one of robb starks men.

He's the ******* of Bolton, Ramsay Snow. As he said, he was lying about being a Karstark.

 

[culdeus]

Just a small point of order here.... and for all I know this is covered in the books. We got a wall made of solid ice 700 feet tall. And right on the other side of the wall we got green as far as the eye can see. How is it that this thing don't melt?

Ancient magic stuff. Weakest ep of the season. Used huge time on the weakest plot lines while barely advancing anything. Probably cost next to nothing to shoot so they had that going for it

 

[culdeus]

Also where do I get French sleeves in westeros? Is that at nordstroms?

Edit to add

Rip. ros.

 

[Raider Nation]

We're in a really satisfying stretch of season 3, as "The Climb" continues the recent trend of both show-stopping action with the sequence where Jon Snow and company scale the Wall, while also providing a greater sense of continuity between stops on our usual tour through Westeros. The latter seems such a little thing, but having Jojen talk about his dream of Jon Snow immediately before we head north of the Wall — or having Osha try to school Meera about rabbit skinning immediately after fellow wildling Gilly tells Sam how to properly tend his fire — goes a long way towards making the narrative feel much less fragmented than it actually is.It helps that we're in a fairly rich part of the story. Bran and company are still on a long hike, and at the moment Theon seems to be getting tortured only for torture's sake, but the other parts of the narrative are in very interesting places right now. The scheming at King's Landing continues to delight (or, in the case of Ros's death by crossbow, disgust), particularly once Olenna and Tywin are placed in a room together, and the eponymous climb provides not only thrilling action (including some very literal cliff-hanging), but a major moment for the Jon Snow/Ygritte relationship.Their kiss atop the wall is in many ways a more impressive scene than the earlier ascent. Like the burning of Astapor a few weeks ago, it's a "Game of Thrones" scene that upfront gives us the scope that the series so often can only allude to. And the quality of the visual effects depicting the views on each side of the wall are less important than the meaning of those views to Ygritte. She not only gets to see the green plains of Westeros for the first time, but gets to see the entire world she's spent her life down in the middle of; if she hasn't suddenly become an astronaut, this is the closest she's going to come. And being there when Ygritte gets those two views — coming not long after Orell cut their rope to save his own skin — seems to affirm the vow Jon Snow made near the episode's beginning: to be loyal to her above all others, even if it means him betraying the Night's Watch (or her betraying Mance). Lovers from different worlds coming together despite their differences is a story as old as there have been stories, but that sequence atop the ice really gave new life to the old cliche. And for the first time since perhaps the end of season 1, I genuinely care what Jon Snow is going to do next.And Ygritte's bluntness about how little their leaders care about them echoed throughout an episode that dealt often with the notion that the world functions on (to borrow a Napoleon line by way of "Deadwood") a series of lies agreed upon by those in power.Tywin lives up to his reputation for Olenna in a way that Tyrion unfortunately didn't last week, and these two clever wily senior citizens spend their first meeting negotiating ways to consolidate their power and quiet public rumblings of scandal involving their descendants. The only difference is that Olenna is open and unapologetic about her grandson being "a sword swallower through and through," while Tywin bristles at any mention of Cersei and Jaime's liaisons (even if it's out of pragmatism; if Joffrey isn't Robert's son, then he's not the king).Elsewhere, Varys and Littlefinger candidly discuss the lies necessary for the formation of any empire — though Littlefinger remains the more cynical of the pair, insisting that everything is a lie, save the climb to power. Tyrion figures out that it was Joffrey, and not Cersei, who tried to have him killed during Stannis' siege, because the imp committed the cardinal sin of calling Joffrey out for the monster he is, rather than bowing and scraping to him the way the rest of the kingdom does.When Melisandre comes to claim Gendry — presumably as the source of the "king's blood" she'll need to give Stannis his new "son" — Arya and Gendry both call out the Brotherhood Without Banners for failing to practice what they preach. And speaking of preaching, Melisandre — who in Stannis' company has presented herself as the all-seeing, all-knowing representative of the Lord of Light — turns out to be in the dark and somewhat outclassed by the drunken Thoros of Myr, who has a resurrection gift she believed to be impossible. And Beric in turn suggests another of Melisandre's beliefs is a lie when he explains that "There is no other side" when you die, but simply darkness.And if there's no world beyond this one, and this world is largely built on the lies of the powerful, then life is very grim indeed for so many of the people of this series — which makes it even more understandable why Ygritte would value her own survival over the grand plans of other men.Some other thoughts:* Given how characters on this show can disappear for weeks at a time, I'm reluctant to predict an over/under on when Osha and Meera are going to throw down, but it seems to be coming.* The Theon scenes remain among the most frustrating of the season because he remains in the dark about who his captors are and why they're torturing him — and, therefore, how connected this is to any of the 70 other plots of the moment. Perhaps when his chief tormentor stops lying and explains what's going on, Theon's circumstance becomes more interesting, but right now, it's just us watching Alfie Allen yell and plead a lot.* Jaime's circumstances seem on the verge of yet another major shift, as Bolton offers to send him back to King's Landing simply to escape the wrath of Tywin when he learns of his son's mutilation. I will be very disappointed if the Jaime/Brienne team-up truly ends with her helping him to cut his steak. (Also, I now imagine Jaime asking the royal armorer to affix a fork to his stump.)* After Melisandre's conversation with Arya, do we need to start keeping track of everyone's eye color so we can tell whom she's destined to kill?* Alas, poor Ros. We knew her, but then Littlefinger gave her to Joffrey to torture and kill as punishment for her betrayal.* Walder Frey turns out to be more open to forgiving Robb than we might have expected — with a lot of help from Uncle Edmure — which means his plan to take Casterly Rock may not be a pipe dream, after all.

 

[The Ref]

Just a small point of order here.... and for all I know this is covered in the books. We got a wall made of solid ice 700 feet tall. And right on the other side of the wall we got green as far as the eye can see.

How is it that this thing don't melt?

Add it to the list (along with people the entering the minds animals and controling their actions).

I get it. It's a fantasy book. Not everything needs to be explained.... but the wall of ice where it stops snowing...

 

[Maurile Tremblay]

Just a small point of order here.... and for all I know this is covered in the books. We got a wall made of solid ice 700 feet tall. And right on the other side of the wall we got green as far as the eye can see.

How is it that this thing don't melt?

Add it to the list (along with people the entering the minds animals and controling their actions).

I get it. It's a fantasy book. Not everything needs to be explained.... but the wall of ice where it stops snowing...

I was giving a serious answer.

 

[FreeBaGeL]

I thought it was a fine episode, right in line with last week's. Good ending.

 

[Chadstroma]

Great scene with the Queen of Thorns and Lord Tywin. Someone in the realm who can actually hold their own in the same room as him and not be afraid and it is an old woman.

 

[Barry]

we lost the hottest chick on the show. Melisandre is now ranked #1

 

[rascal]

George R.R. Martin himself wrote next week's episode.

 

[Officer Pete Malloy]

George R.R. Martin himself wrote next week's episode.

Not to discuss the books here but that doesn't mean it will be good.

 

[rascal]

George R.R. Martin himself wrote next week's episode.

Not to discuss the books here but that doesn't mean it will be good.

We shall see. But I'd prefer he was focusing on finishing all of the books.

 

[bonesman]

George R.R. Martin himself wrote next week's episode.

Does that mean we won't get to watch it for a few years still?

 

[dparker713]

we lost the hottest chick on the show. Melisandre is now ranked #1

Ros was hot, but she wasn't even the hottest redhead on the show. Great #### though.

 

[mad sweeney]

This episode seemed to lose a lot of the momentum built up in the last couple weeks. The Theon stuff is just weird. We really have time to spend in this show to just watch Theon tortured and lied to?

there are so many ####in characters its insane. So that was the guy who got beheaded in the last episode son? And his brother was killed by jamie? Whats with all the theatrics? This whole time we figured he was one of robb starks men.

He said he was a liar... Doesn't the giant X he's tied to look familiar?

 

[mad sweeney]

Just a small point of order here.... and for all I know this is covered in the books. We got a wall made of solid ice 700 feet tall. And right on the other side of the wall we got green as far as the eye can see.

How is it that this thing don't melt?

Old magic, the First Men, the Old Gods.

 

[mad sweeney]

Meh episode. It is to be expected as we have a lot of set up for the 2nd half of the season. Old lady and littlefinger still kick ### though.

I think these are the best of the series. It seems like so little is happening but I'm enthralled the entire time. Littlefinger's speech about climbing the ladder of chaos ought to give you chills. A very well done scene that quite literally painted the picture of what's happening. I'd argue that this season is among the best "set up" episodes of any series and if it doesn't make you craving the next episode...

 

[Good Posting Judge]

I think Carcetti tripped on one of his lines near the end there.

 

[mad sweeney]

This episode seemed to lose a lot of the momentum built up in the last couple weeks. The Theon stuff is just weird. We really have time to spend in this show to just watch Theon tortured and lied to?

The budget for GOT is expanding each season. The ratings are great, the merchandise sales are great, it's getting a lot of buzz, but even shows like House and 24 ended up getting canceled, despite stellar ratings, because of cost. The key for GOT to survive as a budget buster is to be Award worthy and an Award contender. Which is why, IMHO, Mad Men is trying to hard to cover certain issues like race relations and the black movement while the shows main characters are all written into a corner or written into a rut. Critical buzz is cache for the network and it attracts top talent to the network and has it's own "dollar value" to the HBO brand. The show needs more than Dinklage to carry the Awards part of the show. The show is starting to separate on who can really generate an award or not. Sansa Stark - Like watching paint dry.Jon Snow - Maybe the worst actor on the show. The writers might keep Rose Leslie around because she is phenomenonal and carries every scene they have together.Cersei Lannister - Mail It In EvilRobb Stark - Eye Candy For Women OnlyDany Targaryen - It's like watching Emmitt Smith play Scrabble with Kevin Garnett.Stannis - ServicableLittlefinger - Functional but horribly miscast in this show.Kat Stark - Can't seem to get over the hump between smug and self righteous, no matter what she does in a scene. Somehow was able to pull off both smug and self righteous in a scene where her crippled son in a coma was about to be murdered. How do you pull that off? Alfie Allen/Theon - Steals every scene he is in. Absolutely every scene. His story has a built in tragedy/redemption arc within it as well. His role was probably the hardest to play in the 2nd season, you want to pity him and hate him but it's impossible to look away. The actress who plays his sisters, Gemma Whelan, is great too, that was just one brutal scene when she tells him not to die so far from home. Maisie Williams/Arya - For a child actor, against veteran actors and against such a well written script, she bring weight to everything she does. She's outclassing veteran actors. Diana Rigg will also probably get a nomination, but she's gotten a lot of juicy material and juicy lines. Don't get me wrong, there is some stellar acting all the way around this show, but Allen and Williams are being showcased because HBO wants them to get an Emmy nod, which builds the show's esteem and makes it's budget easier to swallow. Jack Gleeson/Joffrey does a great job to make you hate him, but he's only able to hit that one note but he can hit it over and over again. NO AWARDS + HIGH BUDGET + DESPITE GOOD RATINGS = CANCELLED SHOW

Tons of wrong. It takes some serious effort to put that much thought into something and miss so much. Your whole argument falls apart when you compare it to network TV shows, especially one that are the traditional 20-24 episodes long. Its HBO. Its 10 episodes a season. Theres no comparison. Some of your complaints about characters are because you don't lie the characters. That's the way they're supposed to be. I'm not saying there aren't any stinkers, some of the cast suck. No comment on the Theon scenes but the reason there's a lot of Arya is because SHE'S ONE OF THE MAINEST MAIN CHARACTERS. Oh yeah, btw, shows already renewed for season 3.

 

[EYLive]

Whatever, Tim. Whatever. Emmy's... :fart:

 

[Raider Nation]

I think Carcetti tripped on one of his lines near the end there.

He's lost without Norman's guidance.

 

[mad sweeney]

I think Carcetti tripped on one of his lines near the end there.

He's lost without Norman's guidance.

Lets keep The Wire references in spoilers please.

 

[NIU Kicker]

This episode seemed to lose a lot of the momentum built up in the last couple weeks. The Theon stuff is just weird. We really have time to spend in this show to just watch Theon tortured and lied to?

The budget for GOT is expanding each season. The ratings are great, the merchandise sales are great, it's getting a lot of buzz, but even shows like House and 24 ended up getting canceled, despite stellar ratings, because of cost. The key for GOT to survive as a budget buster is to be Award worthy and an Award contender. Which is why, IMHO, Mad Men is trying to hard to cover certain issues like race relations and the black movement while the shows main characters are all written into a corner or written into a rut. Critical buzz is cache for the network and it attracts top talent to the network and has it's own "dollar value" to the HBO brand. The show needs more than Dinklage to carry the Awards part of the show. The show is starting to separate on who can really generate an award or not. Sansa Stark - Like watching paint dry.Jon Snow - Maybe the worst actor on the show. The writers might keep Rose Leslie around because she is phenomenonal and carries every scene they have together.Cersei Lannister - Mail It In EvilRobb Stark - Eye Candy For Women OnlyDany Targaryen - It's like watching Emmitt Smith play Scrabble with Kevin Garnett.Stannis - ServicableLittlefinger - Functional but horribly miscast in this show.Kat Stark - Can't seem to get over the hump between smug and self righteous, no matter what she does in a scene. Somehow was able to pull off both smug and self righteous in a scene where her crippled son in a coma was about to be murdered. How do you pull that off? Alfie Allen/Theon - Steals every scene he is in. Absolutely every scene. His story has a built in tragedy/redemption arc within it as well. His role was probably the hardest to play in the 2nd season, you want to pity him and hate him but it's impossible to look away. The actress who plays his sisters, Gemma Whelan, is great too, that was just one brutal scene when she tells him not to die so far from home. Maisie Williams/Arya - For a child actor, against veteran actors and against such a well written script, she bring weight to everything she does. She's outclassing veteran actors. Diana Rigg will also probably get a nomination, but she's gotten a lot of juicy material and juicy lines. Don't get me wrong, there is some stellar acting all the way around this show, but Allen and Williams are being showcased because HBO wants them to get an Emmy nod, which builds the show's esteem and makes it's budget easier to swallow. Jack Gleeson/Joffrey does a great job to make you hate him, but he's only able to hit that one note but he can hit it over and over again. NO AWARDS + HIGH BUDGET + DESPITE GOOD RATINGS = CANCELLED SHOW

I'm not in the business, but is think what HBO cares about is number of subscribers and number ofDVD sales.

 

[Ilov80s]

George R.R. Martin himself wrote next week's episode.

Not to discuss the books here but that doesn't mean it will be good.

He has only written two episodes so far, Baelor where Ned got chopped and Blackwater. They are the two most memorable episodes of the first two seasons. There is legit reason to be excited for next week.

 

[culdeus]

Nobody gives a #### about Emmys. Even less relevant than Grammys if that's even possible.

 

[shadyridr]

At calling Alfie Allen the best actor on the show

"Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo"

Where's my Emmy?

 

[Sinn Fein]

Nobody gives a #### about Emmys. Even less relevant than Grammys if that's even possible.

To be fair, I think HBO does care about Emmys - not to the extent that GG thinks, but HBO has the reputation for airing top quality programming - a notch above over-the-air networks. One measure of the quality of programming is the number of Emmy nominations/wins. It is also great publicity to attract new subscribers. It seems that HBO has led the networks in nominations and awards several times recently - and that leads to more subscribers and, to a lesser extent, the pick of the litter when it comes to getting these types of shows.

Now, with Games of Thrones, it has a built-in audience that is somewhat emmy-proof, because they liked the books, or the genre - but it needs to sustain mainstream audiences if it wants to continue long-term. Having read the books, I am not sure mainstream audiences will be as enthusiastic in Seasons 4 and 5 as they were in Season 1, but you can probably say that about a lot of shows.

 

[Brady Marino]

we lost the hottest chick on the show. Melisandre is now ranked #1

She was top 3 for sure. :tips40forpoorRos:

Melisandre probably moves to the top 5 though to join Margaery, Dany, Ygritte (moved up in my rankings after last week), and Robb's wife (who lost some hotness from last season for some reason).

 

[Tom Hagen]

This episode seemed to lose a lot of the momentum built up in the last couple weeks. The Theon stuff is just weird. We really have time to spend in this show to just watch Theon tortured and lied to?

The budget for GOT is expanding each season. The ratings are great, the merchandise sales are great, it's getting a lot of buzz, but even shows like House and 24 ended up getting canceled, despite stellar ratings, because of cost.

The key for GOT to survive as a budget buster is to be Award worthy and an Award contender. Which is why, IMHO, Mad Men is trying to hard to cover certain issues like race relations and the black movement while the shows main characters are all written into a corner or written into a rut. Critical buzz is cache for the network and it attracts top talent to the network and has it's own "dollar value" to the HBO brand. The show needs more than Dinklage to carry the Awards part of the show.

The show is starting to separate on who can really generate an award or not.

Sansa Stark - Like watching paint dry.

Jon Snow - Maybe the worst actor on the show. The writers might keep Rose Leslie around because she is phenomenonal and carries every scene they have together.

Cersei Lannister - Mail It In Evil

Robb Stark - Eye Candy For Women Only

Dany Targaryen - It's like watching Emmitt Smith play Scrabble with Kevin Garnett.

Stannis - Servicable

Littlefinger - Functional but horribly miscast in this show.

Kat Stark - Can't seem to get over the hump between smug and self righteous, no matter what she does in a scene. Somehow was able to pull off both smug and self righteous in a scene where her crippled son in a coma was about to be murdered. How do you pull that off?

Alfie Allen/Theon - Steals every scene he is in. Absolutely every scene. His story has a built in tragedy/redemption arc within it as well. His role was probably the hardest to play in the 2nd season, you want to pity him and hate him but it's impossible to look away. The actress who plays his sisters, Gemma Whelan, is great too, that was just one brutal scene when she tells him not to die so far from home.

Maisie Williams/Arya - For a child actor, against veteran actors and against such a well written script, she bring weight to everything she does. She's outclassing veteran actors.

Diana Rigg will also probably get a nomination, but she's gotten a lot of juicy material and juicy lines.

Don't get me wrong, there is some stellar acting all the way around this show, but Allen and Williams are being showcased because HBO wants them to get an Emmy nod, which builds the show's esteem and makes it's budget easier to swallow.

Jack Gleeson/Joffrey does a great job to make you hate him, but he's only able to hit that one note but he can hit it over and over again.

NO AWARDS + HIGH BUDGET + DESPITE GOOD RATINGS = CANCELLED SHOW

Emmy awards are irrelevant as long as viewer and criticical praise is still there. HBO gave the Wire 5 seasons even though the ratings were terrible and it never got any Emmy recognition (which is a travesty). HBO execs have a history of rewarding quality TV. They even gave Treme 4 seasons and I'm pretty sure there are only like 5 of us watching it.

 

[culdeus]

That being said it feels like we are consolidating storylines. Ros is dead, looks like greyjoy is done, Dany is on ice for a bit, little finger and no nuts said goodbye for the season also.

Last 4 should be pretty focused on stark/lannister stuff only. Maybe.