Game of Thrones TV Thread **HBO-Purists ONLY**

[Penneywize]

Seriously, I may be a bit biased because I'm such a fantasy buff, but I find this the best series (including movies and any sort of other media) that I have seen.

I was saying that after the second season started. I remember having an argument with a book reader friend of mine, along with anotehr guy who'd only seen the show. The hypothetical was: if you had to permanently erase from your memory (and, implicitly, you could never watch / read the show/movie/book ever again) which would you choose, Game of Thrones, or the Lord of the Rings trilogy?

I told them I would choose to 'delete' LoTR; it wasn't even close. Game of Thrones wins big time. Just the simple fact that there really isn't any sort of "black and white"; every house, every character is some shade of grey, imperfect. Some worse than others, granted. In LoTR, you have a clear-cut good-vs-evil dynamic. You know who's going to win. There is never really any doubt. You can enjoy the fight scenes, sure. But there's no real intrigue.

The other two pricks said they would choose to get rid of Game of Thrones. Yes, that includes the book reader. I told them they should get over the fond memories they have of LoTR from their teens or childhood or whatever. It's really not that great of a story. If you're reading this and you don't agree with me, give it another watch.

At any rate; I got what I expected out of this last episode. With the plot advancing so quickly in Ep. 9, you had to think they were going to take one episode to "wrap up loose ends" and set up the next season.

One thing I dislike, and continue to dislike, is how the show runners like to skip important scenes where Tyrion breaks news to Sansa.

[bigspenda73]

Fairly obvious she knew before he came in the room, she had been crying.

[Penneywize]

Fairly obvious she knew before he came in the room, she had been crying.

Yeah, well, you get what I mean

[a500lbgorilla]

I'd delete GoT because I prefer distinct, evil, towering bad guys and scrappy can-do good guys who don't slowly bleed to death before your eyes.

Just a preference though.

[jackvance]

Very easy pick of GoT for me. And I've told everyone who wants to hear that LoTR are the best movies ever and it even holds special meaning to me because I read the books when I was 12. But it also has a lot of flaws, and GoT's character all feel so real because they are all shades of grey, like Penney explained it all very well.

[wufwugy]

The only explanation I have for why Shae exists is that she starred in GRRM's favorite porn. She needs to fucking go. Nobody likes a third wheel, especially here

Hate the Nights Watch and kinda hate Jon Snow. The celibacy and oath thing is such a creative drain and was probably made up back when people still liked the Catholic Church

Not sure if Arya summoned Jaqen. Thought he said to give the coin to any man from Braavos when saying the phrase

All the Tyrion stuff was really great. Joffrey really doesn't have the power, and if he ever thinks he does, Tywin can just point out that the crown is swamped in debt, much of which is owed to Tywin. I forget how much debt Robert had, but I'm positive Tywin told Littlefinger to rack up the debt so Tywin can be the true ruler

Yara telling Balon off went how I'd hoped. I just didn't know if she had the power to do it or cared enough about her brother. Apparently, she's the true leader of the Iron Islands. Balon had a look of fear when she said "and I've made my decision"

It may get interesting if Osha and Rickon make it to the Umbers' stronghold, as he may be the heir to Winterfell

[jackvance]

The only explanation I have for why Shae exists is that she starred in GRRM's favorite porn.

A porn actrice? That explains her lacking acting skills then..

[boost]

Pretty subpar episode. A series with only 10 hours to tell its story needs not to have episodes where almost nothing of actual consequence happens.

You're lost. A ton happened. Things being setup is something happening.

Arya killed her first man. And it's a lock that she hands over the coin and speaks the words to the first Bravossi she stumbles upon.

Developments in the Tyrion, Sansa, Shae triangle.

Yara is en route to save Theon with the most elite group of men on the Iron Islands.

Tywin treated the shit out of Joffrey. We've been waiting an entire season for this.

The only redeeming thing about your post is an omission: you didn't complain that it was a lackluster "finale", since this isn't the finale, e09 was. People who can't grasp that are the absolute worst.

shit dont look like a hood, but the matted top and puffy ear waves of a long-haired individual

Yeah, like I said, you're terrible at viewing small low resolution .gifs.

I nominate this for best episode of the series yet. It had so many things that pushed my buttons. Arya and the Hound, they go so well together. The casual 'this is what I do' face the hound makes when he slaughters those people, priceless. Then Arya summoning Jaqen!! Can't wait to see how that turns out.

She didn't summon him. He's a super bad ass magical assassin, but he's not a genie. It's a little more complicated than rubbing the coin and speaking the words. She has to actually give it to a Bravossi man and speak the words. It's like a secret handshake that turns the coin into Jaqen's calling card.

If I'm wrong and he just appears in a puff of smoke after she hands over the coin and speaks the words, I'm gonna quit watching the show.

Tywin taming Geoffrey like he said he would was nice, and then the Tywin-Tyrion moment. I also liked the Tyrion and Sansa dialogue where Sansa proposes the prank. I think she can learn to appreciate him, because he is one of the few people that is honerable like her father was. Shae better take the advice given by Varys and leave.

Yeah, Tywin shutting Joffrey the fuck down was great. What was even better was Joffrey not getting it through his head, and everyone's reaction as he went off at the mouth. Really, I can't decide who was best, everyone's facial reaction was so amazing.

Sansa mirroring Cat, learning to love the husband she didn't intend to marry seems like a pretty cool arc.

The Red Lady is a big mystery to me, in one way she seems omnipotent, she has magic and it seems to work, she went and fetched Stannis' nephew, but she also has her own flawed motives. It's difficult to predict to what degree she is in control of things. But I like her role. She adheres to the Red God, who has obvious power, or atleast his servants do. This puts some unknown power into play.

I wouldn't mind if they never really get too deep into the source of the LoL follower's powers, or anyone's powers for that matter. Remember how cool the force was? Remember how lame it was once they tried to explain it in Episode I? Remember how cool it became when you purged any memory of the prequels from your mind?

Theon being bullied by Bolton's bastard. I love how his sister immediately marched out to go rescue him. Pretty much what I hoped would happen. Those two are going to be doing great things in the future while the father fades away in importance, you can tell by the flow of the story.

Bullied? Bullied!?

I agree though, these unconventional characters, in unconventional match ups makes for some phenomenal story telling. Yara, the queen of pirates, ruling alongside her eunuch brother-- I'm all for that.

And finally Daenarys grasping her power, I'm a sucker for those kinds of powerful moments. The only thing that is a bit off about Danni and her quest is that the freeing of the slaves and the great importance she puts on this matter isn't really well grounded in her past. As in, why would she be so fervent about freeing slaves, and why does it matter so much? I can understand, but it isn't really motivated in the series all that much. But all in all great setup for a powerful player in the game of thrones that they'll soon be all hearing about.

She was sold into slavery. Seems pretty clear to me.

I was saying that after the second season started. I remember having an argument with a book reader friend of mine, along with anotehr guy who'd only seen the show. The hypothetical was: if you had to permanently erase from your memory (and, implicitly, you could never watch / read the show/movie/book ever again) which would you choose, Game of Thrones, or the Lord of the Rings trilogy?

I told them I would choose to 'delete' LoTR; it wasn't even close. Game of Thrones wins big time. Just the simple fact that there really isn't any sort of "black and white"; every house, every character is some shade of grey, imperfect. Some worse than others, granted. In LoTR, you have a clear-cut good-vs-evil dynamic. You know who's going to win. There is never really any doubt. You can enjoy the fight scenes, sure. But there's no real intrigue.

The other two pricks said they would choose to get rid of Game of Thrones. Yes, that includes the book reader. I told them they should get over the fond memories they have of LoTR from their teens or childhood or whatever. It's really not that great of a story. If you're reading this and you don't agree with me, give it another watch.

At any rate; I got what I expected out of this last episode. With the plot advancing so quickly in Ep. 9, you had to think they were going to take one episode to "wrap up loose ends" and set up the next season.

One thing I dislike, and continue to dislike, is how the show runners like to skip important scenes where Tyrion breaks news to Sansa.

Your friends are imbeciles.

I'd delete GoT because I prefer distinct, evil, towering bad guys and scrappy can-do good guys who don't slowly bleed to death before your eyes.

Just a preference though.

You, my friend, are an imbecile.

[Renton]

Eh you're right. As a book reader I'm annoyed at what they choose to shorten or omit with the blanket reasoning of "only ten episodes brah" only to turn around with episodes like this one, which while not of no consequence, could contain more events of consequence than they do. I think some of the concluding chapter stuff could have been handled last episode which might have allowed the major events (red wedding, jon's battle, etc) to breath easier.

[jackvance]

She didn't summon him. He's a super bad ass magical assassin, but he's not a genie. It's a little more complicated than rubbing the coin and speaking the words. She has to actually give it to a Bravossi man and speak the words. It's like a secret handshake that turns the coin into Jaqen's calling card.

If I'm wrong and he just appears in a puff of smoke after she hands over the coin and speaks the words, I'm gonna quit watching the show.

This is not the kind of summoning I was talking about. Think "the king summons his councelors". It's probably more accurate to say she put the first steps towards summoning him. We can be sure he won't appear in a puff of smoke though, GoT isn't that kind of show.

She was sold into slavery. Seems pretty clear to me.

Sure but her prime motivations, and the things she talked about with the people around her, have been about retaking the throne which she has the noble right to. It was probably kept from us to make the Unsullied scenes more powerful, but I find it slightly annoying that she's being so concerned with freeing slaves and treating them fairly now, as this gives me the impression she might not join the game for the throne for quite a while because she's on a sidequest now.


Also I 100% agree with what you say about being in the dark about what magic can do. My critical mind of course wants to know but I will gladly agree it is better this way, there is no need to detract focus by going into specifics and the mystery that surrounds this topic is great.

[a500lbgorilla]

For a question that can be answered capriciously, you judge way too easily boost.

[jackvance]

Yeah, Tywin shutting Joffrey the fuck down was great. What was even better was Joffrey not getting it through his head, and everyone's reaction as he went off at the mouth. Really, I can't decide who was best, everyone's facial reaction was so amazing.

I'm already sounding too fanboy for my own liking, but I have to say that the acting in GoT for the most part has been absolutely stellar. Some exceptions like Shae and Talisa, but most of them are really selling their role. I read on wikipedia that the child actors especially are getting a lot of praise. Totally agree, Arya=godly, Joffrey sells really that he's despicable, etc.

Eh you're right. As a book reader I'm annoyed at what they choose to shorten or omit with the blanket reasoning of "only ten episodes brah" only to turn around with episodes like this one, which while not of no consequence, could contain more events of consequence than they do. I think some of the concluding chapter stuff could have been handled last episode which might have allowed the major events (red wedding, jon's battle, etc) to breath easier.

It worked well though, everyone I know that watches it is raving about the show atm.

[Fielmann]

I feel Jeoffrey's part was written in an inconsistent way this season. His scene with Margaery and the crossbow was awesome. We later saw him being more popular with the crowds and enjoying it. You would think that, with his fiancee's help, he would start sporting some more positive character traits. There was also his throne-room scene with Tywin where he was actually talking quite sensibly, especially if you forget the intonations and concentrate only on the words.
But then there was the ugly killing of Ros and the complete meltdown in the final episode. Especially the latter was disappointing. It makes it seem that Jeoffrey gets no character development of his own, and instead only behaves in a way that is best for showcasing the dealings of other characters.

[bikes]

TALISA WE MISJUDGED YOU ALL ALONG =(((((((((((((((((((((((

SO SORRY =(

[boost]

For a question that can be answered capriciously, you judge way too easily boost.

dealwithit.jpg

This is not the kind of summoning I was talking about. Think "the king summons his councelors". It's probably more accurate to say she put the first steps towards summoning him. We can be sure he won't appear in a puff of smoke though, GoT isn't that kind of show.

Gotcha. Either way, she didn't take the first step in summoning him even. The coin is like a calling card. She has to give it to a Bravossi man and speak the words. She did the latter, but not the former.

Sure but her prime motivations, and the things she talked about with the people around her, have been about retaking the throne which she has the noble right to. It was probably kept from us to make the Unsullied scenes more powerful, but I find it slightly annoying that she's being so concerned with freeing slaves and treating them fairly now, as this gives me the impression she might not join the game for the throne for quite a while because she's on a sidequest now.

Also I 100% agree with what you say about being in the dark about what magic can do. My critical mind of course wants to know but I will gladly agree it is better this way, there is no need to detract focus by going into specifics and the mystery that surrounds this topic is great.

She still is going to go take the throne. Why are the two initiatives mutually exclusive in your mind?

I feel Jeoffrey's part was written in an inconsistent way this season. His scene with Margaery and the crossbow was awesome. We later saw him being more popular with the crowds and enjoying it. You would think that, with his fiancee's help, he would start sporting some more positive character traits. There was also his throne-room scene with Tywin where he was actually talking quite sensibly, especially if you forget the intonations and concentrate only on the words.
But then there was the ugly killing of Ros and the complete meltdown in the final episode. Especially the latter was disappointing. It makes it seem that Jeoffrey gets no character development of his own, and instead only behaves in a way that is best for showcasing the dealings of other characters.

Yeah, I feel like something was lost here in the adaptation. I bet we get more scenes of him publicly being a good king-- at least in so much as standing on balconies and waving and other such nonsense, but we still have him becoming more sadistic behind the walls of the palace. This would be a really interesting aspect to follow, the duality motif or whatever, maybe we'll get some of it next season?

[wufwugy]

I see no problem with the portrayal of Joffrey and would argue that its the show's best acting performance.

He can wave to crowds without caring much about it. That scene was mainly about Marg manipulating him. It also showed his naivete in that he didn't realize that crowds aren't always trying to kill him. But this experience doesn't have to alter him

His sadism has been consistent. Sometimes he's brutal about it, sometimes he's giddy

His convo with Tywin was a fantastic character builder. It showed him in a more realistic light instead of being single-minded. It's not strange for him to want some intel, want to make some decisions, and be right about some things

[boost]

Yeah, I didn't say the actors portrayal of the character has been bad, nor do I imagine Fielmann meant to say as much. I think the character is amazing, and I don't see character growth as a necessity for all characters-- I bet it's actually a trap that a lot of better than average writers fall into. However I do feel like the Tyrells got squeezed out of the end of the season, and so the way they influenced and related to other characters got squeezed out as well. Marg's ability to manipulate Joffrey was established, but that's it.

Like I said, I think he can be the crowd waving king and the behind the palace doors sadistic king at the same time. But that's not really what we were shown. We saw him get all giddy about the crowd, and then the rest of the season he's just being his same old evil self. With unlimited screen time, would it have been both, or was that Joffrey scene simply a vehicle for other character's exposition and interaction? ***Bookreaders: I don't want the actual answer to this.***

[Stacks]

She still is going to go take the throne.

Given how well things have been going for her, I'm almost expecting something traumatic to happen within her storyline. She's gaining new followers and being loved wherever she goes, I'd be surprised if GRR doesn't throw a major wrench into that soon. Potentially losing one or more of her dragons, or running up against the 'powerful friends' that the one guy mentioned and losing a sizable portion of her army. She seems to be the only one that has everything going in her favor currently.

[wufwugy]

Would be sick as fuck if Dany was just the biggest cocktease in fiction history. What I mean is if 8 seasons of GoT are prepping how the walkers will destroy everything and only the dragons can stop them and Dany finally has this huge army and finally starts crossing the Narrow Sea and is going to save the world from the evil monsters of winter, but then a giant fucking asteroid lands square on her ships and sinks every one of them, dragons, Dany, and all. Couple that with Tyrion accidentally poisoning Sansa and Joffrey catching and beheading Arya, and we got the best story of all time

[Penneywize]

LOL I think that'd be a massive troll more than anything, Wuf.

EDIT: besides, didn't you hear? Bran and company are going to "stop" the white walkers and their armies of undead.

[wufwugy]

The only explanation I have for why Shae exists is that she starred in GRRM's favorite porn. She needs to fucking go. Nobody likes a third wheel, especially here

Just call me wufstrodamus

http://grrm.livejournal.com/155522.html

[boost]

Wait.. that can't be real...

[Penneywize]

Seriously can't be real...

Also you're only wufstradamus if you predicted that shit before it happened. If true, this leaves you as mildly-insightful-wugy.

[BennyLaRue]

lol, wufopotamus.

[Penneywize]

Apparently GRRM hates spoilers as much as the next guy. Fuck you, book readers who spoil things for people.

I'm glad that you many of you enjoyed last night's teaser on HBO. I did too.

Glancing over some of the comments, however, has made me realize that I need to make a change as to what's allowed and what's not allowed on this Not A Blog.

Up to now, I've pretty much shrugged off spoilers. Even the most recent book came out years ago, after all -- as some of you delight in reminding me -- and the vast majority of the folks who come here have read all four of the published series to date. So I figured that a passing reference to a character who dies in the first book, a plot twist in the second, a wedding in the third, etc was No Big Deal.

But that's about to change. Already, just on the basis of the teaser, we're starting to hear from people who have never read the books, but may be intrigued enough to go try them, based on what they've seen on the tube. As more and longer trailers appear, their numbers are only going to rise. And when the series actually begins to air in 2011, whole lots of them may find their way here.

Therefore, as of today, NO REVEALS WILL BE ALLOWED in any comments here. No, not even to things that happen in book one. A GAME OF THRONES may have been published in 1996, but if you haven't read it yet, it will be all new to you. I don't want new readers to have their first experience of the story spoiled by someone's offhand comment.

My assistant Ty reviews all the comments here, and decides what gets unscreened and what gets deleted. Henceforth any spoiler or plot reveal, no matter how offhand or minor, is going to mean your comment won't be posted. I realize that most such are perfectly innocent, of course... but I want to protect those who are coming to the story for the first time.

Thanks for your understanding.

[bikes]

Apparently GRRM hates spoilers as much as the next guy. Fuck you, book readers who spoil things for people.

WHAT THE FUCK DID THEY THINK WOULD GET POSTED ON GRRMS OWN DAMN WEBSITE. MY HEAD JUST EXPLODED ON HOW RETARDED PEOPLE ARE. HOLY FUCK.

[Renton]

WHAT THE FUCK DID THEY THINK WOULD GET POSTED ON GRRMS OWN DAMN WEBSITE. MY HEAD JUST EXPLODED ON HOW RETARDED PEOPLE ARE. HOLY FUCK.

What's gotten into you? Have you been eating cheese?

[a500lbgorilla]

Apparently GRRM hates spoilers as much as the next guy. Fuck you, book readers who spoil things for people.

What if our spoilers don't actually happen in the books?

Cersei stabs Jamie, btw.

It's spoiling that it won't happen even though it's not a spoiler. But as all statements are either spoilers or not spoilers, what is left for us to say?

What you really want is for book readers to not exist, just like Hitler with the Jews...

[Penneywize]

WHAT THE FUCK DID THEY THINK WOULD GET POSTED ON GRRMS OWN DAMN WEBSITE. MY HEAD JUST EXPLODED ON HOW RETARDED PEOPLE ARE. HOLY FUCK.

Yes, reading comments on the GRRM blog is just plain stupid unless you're a book reader yourself. I veered away from them. Though, if I had not seen season 3 I might have considered GRRM's post itself a spoiler. That's when I decided to stop reading it.

What if our spoilers don't actually happen in the books?

Cersei stabs Jamie, btw.

It's spoiling that it won't happen even though it's not a spoiler. But as all statements are either spoilers or not spoilers, what is left for us to say?

What you really want is for book readers to not exist, just like Hitler with the Jews...

Yeah, that, or maybe you all could just not say anything about them or not discuss anything in a medium which isn't explicitly meant for ASOIAF; examples:

Bad:
- Mechwarrior Online matches
- Imgur / Reddit comments on GoT-related funny pics
- In the HBO-purists only thread on Flop Turn River

Good:
- In a cave, far from any show-watchers

[wufwugy]

honestly, from what i know about the differences between the book and show, i think there is value in what bookreaders have to say

for example, apparently robb didnt suck in the book. but for some reason grrm was too busy jacking off to shae that he let weiss and benioff make important changes that ruined him.

[a500lbgorilla]

Yeah, that, or maybe you all could just not say anything about them or not discuss anything in a medium which isn't explicitly meant for ASOIAF; examples:

Bad:
- Mechwarrior Online matches
- Imgur / Reddit comments on GoT-related funny pics
- In the HBO-purists only thread on Flop Turn River

Good:
- In a cave, far from any show-watchers

If only :P

Cersei might not stab Jamie, btw. Jamie does love stabbing Cersei though amirite?!

[boost]

honestly, from what i know about the differences between the book and show, i think there is value in what bookreaders have to say

for example, apparently robb didnt suck in the book. but for some reason grrm was too busy jacking off to shae that he let weiss and benioff make important changes that ruined him.

I don't follow. I don't agree that Robb sucked, but if you think he did suck on the show, what is gained by knowing he didn't suck in the books? I could see why it would be of interest to someone, but those people should chat with a book reader they trust in private. In the public TV only thread, this shouldn't be a topic of discussion-- why this is not readily clear to everyone is beyond me.

[jackvance]

I don't think Robb was that bad. The actor is a bit lacking though that's the problem, he didn't come off as serious as needed.

[Penneywize]

So, who here is going to give in and read the books over the next FUCKING YEAR as we wait for more seasons of this awesomeness

I ... I might ... do it... Fuck, right? I just don't know. I can't fathom the show being nearly as fun to watch if I was certain of how everything would turn out. So the question becomes, are the books THAT much better, that the production value, quality of acting, supreme adaptation, as well as the anticipation that comes with waiting for each episode every week, pale in comparison to just how good the books are?

I also have to weigh this against the possibility that I'm going to be spoiled on some incredibly major thing at some point anyway, which is, given the pervasiveness of book readers these days, not a trivially small chance.

fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck such a hard decision.

[JKDS]

Penny, you could always just read books 1 & 2. You shouldnt be spoiled by anything incredibly serious by doing so, but obviously you'd still be as susceptible to future spoilers from the other books in threads / wikis / etc.

If you want to keep the show being suspenseful, you can still read the books so long as you DONT read book 3. That book didnt all fit into season 3, so there will be major spoilers there.

Still, the books are dense. That turns some ppl off anyway.

And also, if you find you cant stop at book 3...the old bastard takes years to write each book. We've been waiting for book 6 for ages now. Thats something to consider as well. You'd also become one of us and have to tiptoe around all the show watchers ):<

[bikes]

Dear any show watchers who read decide to read the books. I highly recommend you stay out of the other thread because it has spoilers up to the winds of winter

[Renton]

So, who here is going to give in and read the books over the next FUCKING YEAR as we wait for more seasons of this awesomeness

I ... I might ... do it... Fuck, right? I just don't know. I can't fathom the show being nearly as fun to watch if I was certain of how everything would turn out. So the question becomes, are the books THAT much better, that the production value, quality of acting, supreme adaptation, as well as the anticipation that comes with waiting for each episode every week, pale in comparison to just how good the books are?

I also have to weigh this against the possibility that I'm going to be spoiled on some incredibly major thing at some point anyway, which is, given the pervasiveness of book readers these days, not a trivially small chance.

fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck such a hard decision.

This is anywhere from not at all a spoiler if you are a normal human to ruin-your-entire-experience-of-the-show spoiler if you are boost, so I'll spoiler tag it.

Spoiler: Show

The books are way way better for a lot of reasons but the main one is that the show eschews almost any notion of explaining what has happened before the present. The books, however, delve incredibly deeply into past events. The books have a way of filling in info that has already happened as they progress, so in a way time moves in both directions. Robert's Rebellion, for example, is fleshed out greatly in the novels, to the point where there are internet resources about it that rival the like for real events like the American Civil War.

That the show doesn't effectively convey this information is probably for the best. It would be impossible unless there was like twice as much airtime. This weakness does make the series much less epic in scope than the books.

[Penneywize]

Renton, that's not spoilery at all.

(what follows is my response to his non-spoilery spoiler-tag bit so skip if you wish)

I had always assumed that to be the case; just based on conversations between the characters on the show you can tell there is this consistent, richly detailed background... A good example I guess of where this becomes obvious in the show is the story of Ned Stark's sister and the love Robert Baratheon had for her. It just doesn't seem to have been fully coherent in the show; I suppose this factoid exists to build Robert's character and explain his distaste for Cersei, and perhaps to bring him closer to Ned. Which is all well and good. It doesn't come off badly, but you can tell there's more to it that we just didn't get to see on TV.

[Penneywize]

I'm thinking of taking JKDS's advice and reading books 1 and 2 only. Then I'll become some kind of hybrid show-watcher book-reader that doesn't spoil anything for anyone, and rests well on moral high ground.

Can another book reader confirm that reading these two books will spoil abso nothing on the show? I still want to be able to post in this thread without being accused of 'knowing too much'.

Yes/no with a vague explanation is fine, but please don't go into specifics.

[jackvance]

No don't give in to the dark side penney.

[boost]

From what I understand you will know too much to just post and not think about it. For example, foreshadowing that is visual in the show would be in print in the book. Visual foreshadowing can easily be missed as it's often vague and or abstract. So, not being a bookreader, I get the impression that there are more details about this or that, or the foreshadowing may be easier to pick up here or there, etc-- so you won't spoil yourself, but you would have to be careful speculating in this thread. There are probably very few instances where this would actually be an issue, but.. yeah.. it's a TV show only thread, so speculating with knowledge from the first chapter of the first book would technically be against the spirit of the thread.

renton, I'm really not all that sensitive about book info, however I think it's a slippery slope. Sure we have a pretty solid group here who have no intention of ruining the show, but in wanders someone new to the forums and sees that book stuff is being tossed around itt, and drops a bomb. Hell, even dranger kinda did that. If I recall, the title of the thread was different back then, the spirit of the thread was the same, but people did post inert book info, making for an environment where it would be easy to slip up. We pretty much have two options for this thread: we can trust everyone's judgement, or we can make a hard line of no book knowledge. Which one do you feel is the safer bet to avoid having your FTR friends spoiled?

And no matter how much you mock me and call me oversensitive (even though I think it was a good natured jab), the title of the thread remains what it is, you are still the one crossing the line by posting book info, and that's that.

[bikes]

ahh fond memories of boost and deanglow informing me if i spoiled anything i wouldn't wake up due to my throat being slit. Good Times.

[boost]

ha, if GoT ever comes up irl, I make the same threat.

Generally I just try to avoid discussion of the show irl. People can be insanely dense when it comes to grasping the gravity of spoiling.

[jackvance]

I found out a bunch of my less close friends are huge GoT fans, it's actually pretty great to talk about when you have so many thoughts about it. I only don't talk about it with my one bookreader friend. This one girl described it to me as "the show has absolutely everything I love, except cats". I was curious how other people managed to consume a show so complex, and this guy friend showed me the ipad app he used that portrays all the bloodlines and which is updated every episode. And while we were talking about the show, a friend of his comes by with a hard disk to copy season 3 - his gf had sent him over because she wanted to watch the last season now that it had finished, before they they left on vacation in 5 days.

I just feel kinda proud inside they got it so incredibly right with a fantasy show, which has always been my genre, that it reaches such a broad audience. And this in a time where there are so few shows in the medieval fantasy genre (or "high fantasy" as I think it is called) that I was totally hooked on a mediocre one like Legend of the Seeker and even resorted to watching crap like Xena and Hercules.

[boost]

The app you're talking about, if it's what I'm thinking of (sounds like it), I found a mild spoiler in it. Ramsey was listed by name (we hadn't heard him called Ramsey yet) and he was listed as Bolton's bastard. I had already worked that out, as most thinking people had, but that worried me enough to not go back.

[ChipEaterMan]

Hodor Ringtone for Iphone and Android

http://www.mylittlegeek.com/hodor-ringtone.php

[bikes]

Hodor Ringtone for Iphone and Android

http://www.mylittlegeek.com/hodor-ringtone.php

just stahp. pls.

[wufwugy]

[Pascal]

hodor hodor hodor

[wufwugy]

I think the scene with Arya killing that dude then Hound gatting some fools is my all time favorite in the history of film/television. That storyline will also probably be my favorite if it goes in the right direction. I'm not head over heels with Arya, but I am head over heels with Hound, and if Arya turns into a stone cold killer with his help, I'll wet my pants

If Arya and Hound part ways, I will lose some interest in Arya though. It's because Hound is kinda just the best

[wufwugy]

Hound's audition tape is awesome. Apparently, he's reading from the book, but it's a monologue from s1 that the show already covered and chose to do differently

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TIWX2fPx-5k

[ChipEaterMan]

Hound's audition tape is awesome. Apparently, he's reading from the book, but it's a monologue from s1 that the show already covered and chose to do differently

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TIWX2fPx-5k

He scared the shit out of me at minute 0:57

[wufwugy]

ah yeah sorry, should have said that happens. if ur volume is loud, it can scare

[d0zer]

I think the scene with Arya killing that dude then Hound gatting some fools is my all time favorite in the history of film/television. That storyline will also probably be my favorite if it goes in the right direction. I'm not head over heels with Arya, but I am head over heels with Hound, and if Arya turns into a stone cold killer with his help, I'll wet my pants

Mostly agree, tho I'd rather see Arya turn into more of a calculated killer as opposed to an indiscriminate killer. I'm hoping this first kill of her's will be looked back upon as youthful passion by her older, more measured killer-self.

[wufwugy]

Yeah I'm not interested at all in her being an indiscriminate killer. She won't though. The first one is a guy bragging about what he did to her brother's body

[wufwugy]

As the GoT story likes hiding who some of the major characters are until later, I think Blackfish needs to become a player. They writers could make him a super badass whose integral in fucking shit up, and we would all look back at how stellar a job they did with his introduction with the bow n arrow funeral scene and his verbal smackings of Edmond. Not to mention the fact that Bolton seemed quite displeased that Blackfish escaped. Also that name rules

So yeah, here's to rooting for Blackfish landing on the short list of best characters. He'll never beat out Hound though

[boost]

Yeah, Blackfish is the shit, and with the screen time he's been given and the writers having spared him, seems like a lock that we'll be seeing a good bit more of him.

[ChipEaterMan]

As the GoT story likes hiding who some of the major characters are until later, I think Blackfish needs to become a player. They writers could make him a super badass whose integral in fucking shit up, and we would all look back at how stellar a job they did with his introduction with the bow n arrow funeral scene and his verbal smackings of Edmond. Not to mention the fact that Bolton seemed quite displeased that Blackfish escaped. Also that name rules

So yeah, here's to rooting for Blackfish landing on the short list of best characters. He'll never beat out Hound though

[jackvance]

See, I knew I could rely on cem to post a picture of this guy.

[wufwugy]

inb4 JV admits he couldn't remember who Blackfish is

Here's another pic of Blackfish for you to help recognize him in the future

[bikes]

quitting hating on davos

[d0zer]

I fucking love davos and I'm so glad that the fire bitch didn't sex him to death for letting what's his dick go. Even though I do want more smoke monsters.

[ChipEaterMan]

[jackvance]

Ha I knew who he was, but I wanted to make a post like "I'll just wait for cem to post a picture", but I didn't, then I check later and he posted a picture. Maybe you can understand my reaction

The arrow scene with him was cool, but I'm not a fan atm. He could indeed become a real player in the future though.

Davos on the other hand is awesome. Not just in some scenes either, every time he is on the screen. I really like how he is a strong counter-weight to the magical aspect of the Red Lady, with a sober opinion about the downsides of getting involved with blood magic.

[wufwugy]

Pretty sure Baylon and Joffrey will die by Red God. Was rewatching the Jaqen scenes, and he had an interesting declaration: "A girl owes one more name. The Red God demands it. Give the man a name.... A minute, an hour, a month. Death is certain, but time is not."

The Red Priestess gave three names to the Red God. One is dead. For the other two, death is certain, time is not.

[bikes]

who the fuck is that in your avatar?

[wufwugy]

chael sonnen

[boost]

Wait, that's not Bas Rutten?

[bikes]

they recast tommen. sad times.

[wufwugy]

Wait, that's not Bas Rutten?

Nope. Gangster from the Mean Streets

[boost]

Dude, that is 100% not Chael Sonnen. Not because I'm some MMA scholar, but I'm sure it's Rutten and googling Sonnen returns 100% pictures with him having hair on his head. Also, the chin and brows (rest is hard to tell because of the extreme expression) don't match.

[wufwugy]

You dare defy Chael the Alpha Male the P stands for International Man of Mystery Sonnen?

[boost]

I do not know what level you are on, but it is most certainly much higher or much lower than the level I am on. I concede.

[wufwugy]

It's Dana White, hoss. Bas is a good guess though

http://www.mixedmartialarts.com/news...oshopped-again

[Penneywize]

Unfortunately none of those shops were as good as the original