HBO: A Game of Thrones (ASOIAF)

[Karalysia]

I'm starting to lose interest in this. The last two episodes just haven't kept my attention. I'm half-way through the book which I like, but the show just doesn't seem to be doing it for me.

 

[Leoreth]

Episode 3 didn't have much to offer, true.

I'm currently fearing the format isn't suited for the multiple narrative srings that begin to unfold. The first episodes were better because we had everyone (except Daenerys) on one place, while as of now we have

1. Jon on the Wall
2. Bran at Winterfell
3. Eddard + daughters in King's Landing
4. Catelyn traveling
5. The Daenerys B-Plot

While the POV chapter format works well with this (increasing tension by changing location and perspective), in a TV format it seems to delay the progress of all parallel strings and thus the story as a whole. Maybe it would've been better to focus on one or two locations per episode instead, e.g. a "Daenerys episode" that advances her story by a meaningful amount. While many storylines converge in King's Landing, others, like Bran's, Jon's and Cat's and Tyrion's are almost completely separated from the rest for a considerable time.

Let's see how they'll handle it in the future.

 

[rehan123]

Do not believe any of those negative reviews. I honestly cannot understand why some reviewers have given this such a low rating.

 

[Supr49er]

Really good episode last night.

 

[Leoreth]

I agree, but I could understand if people who're new to the story find it dragging. There's still so much exposition going on.

But with the consequences of the last scene, tension will surely pick up in the next episodes.

 

[jammerculture]

IMO the show has been very good although the last couple of episodes have been during a slower part of the story and hence less exciting. i still maintain that in a few episodes there will be a moment that will be the most talked about event in tv history. People freaked out about Lady......

For those of you wondering about the Dothraki language etc, the producers of the show have taken great pains to mix familiar elements from our history in a way to create something new. So the Dothraki, for example are a mix of all horse warriors from our past, little bits of Huns, Mongols, turks etc. Even in the seven kingdoms they didn't want things to be the same old medieval england-esque feel that most fantasy has, so they wanted to mix eastern and western medieval dress, architecture etc. i think they have done an incredible job and I can't wait to see some of the different elements introduced such as the Dorn, Highgarden etc. Last nights episode seeing Gregor was awesome. Their is so much of this story that I thought they would leave out due to time and space but so far they seem to be including everything. Not sure how theyt are going to make it happen but after these first few episodes I have faith that they will do it justice.


All you SOIAF fans that haven't read Malazan Book of the Fallen need to get out and get those books, I have about two hundred pages of The Crippled God left and it is by far the greatest work of fantasy I have ever read (and I've read alot!)

Leoreth, where you been. The kids miss you. You really gonna let the turk chase you out of your own thread?

 

[PeteAtoms]

The introduction of the fat guy at the northern wall place was a little weird to me, and I don't really see where it's going to lead. Maybe to some cannibalism nomnomnom.

Was the jousting death an accident? I mean, do they use blunted lances or not?

I also need to rewatch the last (maybe 2) episode to understand why the last scene w/ the dwarf happened. I don't get where that came from.

 

[Singularity]

The introduction of the fat guy at the northern wall place was a little weird to me, and I don't really see where it's going to lead. Maybe to some cannibalism nomnomnom.

Was the jousting death an accident? I mean, do they use blunted lances or not?

I also need to rewatch the last (maybe 2) episode to understand why the last scene w/ the dwarf happened. I don't get where that came from.

I guess most people reading this thread has watched all the episodes, but I'll add a spoiler tag just to be sure:

Spoiler :

It serves as a setup for the integrity and authority of Jon Snow and to show just what a merciless place the wall is. In my mind it's a way for the viewer to see what would happen if a random person in our world was recruited to serve at the wall.

The jousting death will be explained at a later point. Remember that the knight who was killed was involved in the suspicious death of the last Hand of the king.

Littlefinger revealed that the dagger used in the assassination attempt in Winterfell used to belong to Tyrion Lannister. Which makes him a prime suspect for Catelyn Stark.

 

[jammerculture]

Keep in mind that this story is around four thousand pages and counting. There is a lot of plot lines that are started in the first book and season that will not be resolved until a much (much) later date. As well, there is a ton of back story that has not even been touched on except for a few conversations in passing. i am not sure how or when they are going to get into some of this stuff. Just be patient, and enjoy the ride.

 

[Singularity]

All you SOIAF fans that haven't read Malazan Book of the Fallen need to get out and get those books, I have about two hundred pages of The Crippled God left and it is by far the greatest work of fantasy I have ever read (and I've read alot!)

MBotF has been my most satisfying read in the fantasy genre as well. Steven Erikson have played on all my emotional strings, and the best part of it is that he delivers books regularly like an atomic clock(without them feeling like a rushed product). No danger of him dying of natural causes before he's done with it When I look back at the road that he made me take I feel that I never jumped an unnatural gap or missed a large chunk of the trip, it's solid from A to Z.

Keep in mind that this story is around four thousand pages and counting. There is a lot of plot lines that are started in the first book and season that will not be resolved until a much (much) later date. As well, there is a ton of back story that has not even been touched on except for a few conversations in passing. i am not sure how or when they are going to get into some of this stuff. Just be patient, and enjoy the ride.

Yes, though I think there are some gaps in the story that will be bridged at different points to make a more easily flowing televised story(the average viewer has a reasonably limited attention span). GRRM is a very experienced screenwriter, so he's penning some of the episodes himself, as well as understanding that it has to be morphed somewhat to better fit the TV formula.

 

[Thoughtful Thug]

Just watched all of the 4 episodes after feeling let-down by how horrible Camelot and Borgias started to be. I had great anticipation for those two shows and now given up on them.

I have one question, I haven't read the book. My favorite character is the Dwarf. Do anyone know what is going to happen to him? *please insert a spoiler* In episode 4, he was arrested by the Lady Stark in some Tavern/whorehouse for suspicion of his involvement of pushing down the young boy from the tower and causing him to be a cripple.

 

[GoodSarmatian]

They have already managed to compress a lot of things with scenes that weren't there in the books: Balon Greyjoys rebellion was summarised in two short dialogues, the story of the mountain and the hound was originally told to Sansa much later (and not by Littlefinger either) etc.
I didn't really like it that Littlefinger told her so early why Sandor has a burned face and that it's already established that he hates his brother.

 

[GoodSarmatian]

I have one question, I haven't read the book. My favorite character is the Dwarf. Do anyone know what is going to happen to him? *please insert a spoiler* In episode 4, he was arrested by the Lady Stark in some Tavern/whorehouse for suspicion of his involvement of pushing down the young boy from the tower and causing him to be a cripple.

First let me tell you that Martin has shocked the readers a couple of times by unexpectedly kiling off important an popular characters (and also important and unpopular characters).

Now for the spoiler:

Spoiler :

The dwarf ...*drumroll*...lives.

 

[Thoughtful Thug]

That's cool. I can't help to think that his role is to be the character that foment trouble to every other main characters in the overall story, and at the same time remain only a spectator of their demise or triumph from whatever adversity that they may bring themselves into.

 

[NovaKart]

The dwarf is actually the only one of the Lannisters who seems to have a bit of a moral fiber. He's just the kind of person that says whatever he wants without worrying about offending people.

Spoiler :

If I remember right Catelyn takes him to her sister's castle. And her sister still breastfeeds her son even though he's way old for it, wonder if they're going to show that.

 

[GoodSarmatian]

That's cool. I can't help to think that his role is to be the character that foment trouble to every other main characters in the overall story, and at the same time remain only a spectator of their demise or triumph from whatever adversity that they may bring themselves into.

Oh, don't worry.
He will be part of many schemes. Sometimes directing them, sometimes being on the receiving end or an unwitting pawn. Just like many other characters.

The dwarf is actually the only one of the Lannisters who seems to have a bit of a moral fiber.

Nah, there are other decent Lannisters like Tywinns brother whose name I forgot.

 

[Leifmk]

Was the jousting death an accident? I mean, do they use blunted lances or not?

They do use blunted lances but accidents sometimes happen anyway; safety equipment does fail from time to time resulting in injury or death, much like in modern contact sports. Of course, some of those times, safety equipment might have been deliberately made to fail.

 

[North King]

As a general rule, such a thing is common enough to pass for an accident even if it's not. A blunted lance is still a gigantic piece of wood and metal imparting a ton of force on a very small point.

 

[GoodSarmatian]

As a general rule, such a thing is common enough to pass for an accident even if it's not. A blunted lance is still a gigantic piece of wood and metal imparting a ton of force on a very small point.

And in this case the very small point was the throat where the armor is weakest.
From what the reader and probably the viewer already knows about Gregor Clegane, the guy doesn't really need a reason or incentive to intentionally kill someone in a tournament. He's just casually cruel.

 

[Scratch]

This last episode was still somewhat exposition heavy, but that's okay, I think. There's just a lot of story that has to be told.

I didn't like the change of how we learn Sandor Clegane, the Hound, got the scars on his face. Having the story told by Littlefinger to Sansa was not nearly as fearsome as it was done in the book, by having the Hound tell it to Sansa. Also having it told that way helps to add to the fearsomeness of Gregor Clegane, which is a bit of a shame because the television will not be able to show Gregor Clegane's physical presence like it was in the books, a man of up near 8 feet tall.

We've also lost some of the characterization that went on with Jon Snow and Samwell Tarly, as things got shrunk down some and we didn't get to know so well why Jon Snow went to Tarly's defense and we also haven't gotten to see how Jon had begun to take on a leadership sort of role with some of the other recruits.

So we're going to lose some of the depth of the books, but overall I'm still enjoying the rendition.