Game of Thrones [The TV Show Only; Please No Spoilers Based Upon the Books]

Awesome.

But I tend to agree regarding Dorne... Though the Dornish scenery can be pleasant.

Though it isn't like that whole nonsensical Bran storyline that we have been gracefully spared from for a season but which I fear shall return.

I love this series just as much as I enjoyed the books. But in the opening scene last night with Sansa and Theon, what happened to the dogs???

My best explanation is that they ran off. They were tracking dogs, not hunting dogs. So when their handlers came under attack, they took off.

For whatever reason, a show that has had no problem with killing off kids, teens, pregnant women, etc. has a problem with Brienne swiping a couple of dogs with her sword.

Pretty much nothing episode that went around the horn to catch us up on each character. I get a little worried when, if I figure right, there are 29 episodes left and winter still hasn't come. However I trust the showrunners more than Martin to wrap this up satisfactory.

How did the sand snakes get on the Prince's boat when they were on the dock when it left?

quote:

Originally posted by jburman82:
How did the sand snakes get on the Prince's boat when they were on the dock when it left?

Best not to think about anything concerning Dorne on the show. It is all idiotic and here's hoping they now just ignore it for the rest of the season.

quote:

Originally posted by jburman82:
How did the sand snakes get on the Prince's boat when they were on the dock when it left?

They used a Waverunner...

Excellent episode last night - no Dorne - amen.

quote:

Originally posted by Jcocktosten:
Excellent episode last night - no Dorne - amen.

Overall a good episode.

SPOILERS BELOW


Bye, bye, Balon. Good riddance.

Bye, bye, Roose. You deserved a slower, more agonizing death. I hope that Walder Frey doesn't die so quickly.

Hello, Jon Snow. We all knew it was coming, but it still was nice to see.

Spoilers below:



Well, that was quick!

I never opened up this thread previously, but finished book 1 and have book 2 to start tonight. Look forward to watching season 1 and think I have wife swayed to watch as well.

Well that was fucking great. Besides the kicking ending there were many great scenes. I think the only weak one was Jonathon Pryce's speech, as much as we love to hate him, went on a little too long.

I've meant to mention this seasons ago but I'd like to point out that the interior of the court at Meereen is heavy influenced by Frank Lloyd Wright's 1920's Los Angeles houses. Except for the one room with the pyramidal roof, there's particularly a lot of the Ennis Brown house in set design.

One of my favorite scene is where Sansa and Jon see each other, Jon goes downstairs and he hugs his half sister (or cousin.. Duh!).

I never realized how much of the show was filmed in and near Sevilla until our visit here.

quote:

Originally posted by wine+art:
I never realized how much of the show was filmed in and near Sevilla until our visit here.

Water Garden scenes in Dorne were filmed at the Alcazar I believe (wish we could forget them but the scenery was nice)

Tower of Joy was filmed in Guadalajara

Hodor...

quote:

Originally posted by Rothko:
Hodor...

If you haven't seen the most recent episode, then a SPOILER warning.......



And now his watch has ended.

reading the books, i always suspected hodor was something to do with that.

but the explanation i thought was real lame. (but really fun at the same time)

time paradoxes has no place in fantasy worlds not containing merlin.

SPOILERS!


It's funny, I thought Bran was going to get caught up in a time paradox this episode, but I didn't think it would be that.

Quite an episode. IMO - show is firing on all cylinders this season

i wonder if g martin is going to do one of those.. "and then bran wakes up and realizes it's all a dream"

quote:

Originally posted by g-man:
i wonder if g martin is going to do one of those.. "and then bran wakes up and realizes it's all a dream"

I think we can safely say no -

quote:

Originally posted by Jcocktosten:

quote:

Originally posted by g-man:
i wonder if g martin is going to do one of those.. "and then bran wakes up and realizes it's all a dream"

I think we can safely say no -

Well, that's because the Series finale will end up with Ned Stark waking up from a nightmare, then convincing King Robert to plan a massacre of all the Lannisters in King's Landing and then launch an offensive against Casterly Rock to kill as many Lannisters as they can and bring their gold back to the crown.

quote:

Originally posted by g-man:
time paradoxes has no place in fantasy worlds not containing merlin.

I don't look at this as time travel; he doesn't really travel in time, but can see and influence things in the past.

Absolutely superb episode. GoT is one of the true treasures of new golden age of television. If it only had the scene between Sansa and Littlefinger it would have been one of the great shows of the series.

It is such an accomplishment for the two writers/producers I can't actually think of anything else that comes close except perhaps in film with The Lord of The Rings. One of my early fears was there would be no way they could keep such a large cast working for so many years and in so many different locations, and yet its been magnificent. Also their extending beyond Martin's work and creating new places and ideas really deserves all the credit they can get.

quote:

Originally posted by The Old Man:

quote:

Originally posted by g-man:
time paradoxes has no place in fantasy worlds not containing merlin.

I don't look at this as time travel; he doesn't really travel in time, but can see and influence things in the past.

yea, but that still causes a time rift and potentially leading to a paradox

quote:

Originally posted by g-man:

quote:

Originally posted by The Old Man:

quote:

Originally posted by g-man:
time paradoxes has no place in fantasy worlds not containing merlin.

I don't look at this as time travel; he doesn't really travel in time, but can see and influence things in the past.

yea, but that still causes a time rift and potentially leading to a paradox

Or because it already happened in the past was it predetermined to happen in the future. Did Bran really change anything? Or did this have to happen since it already happened when Hodor was a boy?

quote:

Originally posted by jburman82:

quote:

Originally posted by g-man:

quote:

Originally posted by The Old Man:

quote:

Originally posted by g-man:
time paradoxes has no place in fantasy worlds not containing merlin.

I don't look at this as time travel; he doesn't really travel in time, but can see and influence things in the past.

yea, but that still causes a time rift and potentially leading to a paradox

Or because it already happened in the past was it predetermined to happen in the future. Did Bran really change anything? Or did this have to happen since it already happened when Hodor was a boy?

YES!!

From a poster on dvdtalk.com:

quote:

The girl was screaming into Bran's ear
He can hear it in the dream
He warged Hodor in the dream, connected to Hodor in the cave, into dragging him out of the cave
He began to lose control as they left Hodor at the door
The girl was screaming "Hold the door!"
Bran could hear it while still warging Hodor in the dream
It was the only thing they needed him to do
It was his last purpose
As Hodor died, his last thought was "Hold the door"
Which was connected, through warging, into his own self in the dream
As he died, his last thought was imprinted so hard into the dream of himself, that it took over entirely.
Hodor's last purpose went into his past and became his only purpose.
His only purpose from then on was to make it to that point and hold the door

I don't know if anyone's interested, but I'd like to mention two games based on AGoT. One of my hobbies is boardgaming. The new world of boardgaming is very different from the "roll and move" games, like Monopoly, from our childhood. They are often very thematic and there is a complexity of play. I am linking to the number one board game website--boardgamegeek.com--so if you wish you can see what the games look like.

The first one is A Game of Thrones: The Card Game (Second Edition). This card game features characters, places and events with card art based on the books. (Though sometimes the look does acknowledge the TV show. It can be played one on one or in a multiplayer format. There is a base set, but the way these games are played is by buying monthly chapter packs to build the best challenge deck you can. These "factions" game be one of the major houses, or even the Knight's Watch. There are also tournaments all over the world. This is not an easy game, I'd give it a complexity rating of 7. A one on one game can usually be played in under an hour.

And even harder game, perhaps a rating of 8, is A Game of Thrones: The Board Game (Second Edition). In this game each player is a faction who is trying to control territory in Westeros. It is best played with 6 and can run about 4 hours. To play you'd really need a full complement of players who are willing to put in that much time. Also it will take about half a dozen times before you really even start to understand the various strategies. However, it is an evocative game that relies on making alliances with other players and them backstabbing them at the right time (Very Game of Throneish.)

Often when an property like a TV show is turned into a game it's almost always a failure--and there are a number of not so good games based on the show--even a not so terrible version of Risk. However, the company that makes both of the games I mentioned, Fantasy Flight Games, has done an excellent job. They also make my favorite boardgame, Battlestar Galatica, which manages to bring out the paranoia of the show (Who's a Cylon, who's a human?) so that you actually feel it during the game.

Oh yeah, this is probably the best boardgame based on wine making, Viticulture.

Pretty good episode last night. Need to watch it again. A lot happened, and I was a little distracted.

PH

quote:

Originally posted by PurpleHaze:
Pretty good episode last night. Need to watch it again. A lot happened, and I was a little distracted.

PH

If it was not so infrequently you would not be so distracted!

I thought Sundays episode was the weakest of the season by a large amount.

quote:

Originally posted by Jcocktosten:
I thought Sundays episode was the weakest of the season by a large amount.

I actually agree. But still, it is like complaining about being served DRC Echezeaux.

quote:

Originally posted by Jcocktosten:
I thought Sundays episode was the weakest of the season by a large amount.

Agreed

quote:

Originally posted by winetarelli:

quote:

Originally posted by Jcocktosten:
I thought Sundays episode was the weakest of the season by a large amount.

I actually agree. But still, it is like complaining about being served DRC Echezeaux.

good for prepping the decanter to put some real wine in =)

quote:

Originally posted by Jcocktosten:
I thought Sundays episode was the weakest of the season by a large amount.

I don't believe there's been a weak episode. Just one or two that aren't great--only very good.

quote:

Originally posted by The Old Man:

quote:

Originally posted by Jcocktosten:
I thought Sundays episode was the weakest of the season by a large amount.

I don't believe there's been a weak episode. Just one or two that aren't great--only very good.

It was still pretty good but still b least favorite of this season - which would still put it towards the top of last season which was the worst . . . my main quibbles are:

A. While I enjoyed the King's Landing action, how is it that Cersei, Jaime et al., had no idea what again where Tommen was? It makes no sense whatsoever - Jaime is LC of the Kingsguard yet all of his men have secretly shuttled Tommen to the HS and now have new armour with the 7 pointed star on it? Really?

B. I generally am bored with Dany (in books and show) and the final scene was simply a repeat of what we have seen time and again -

C. The Tarly, Sam and Gilly scenes were entertaining but went on for too long IMO

D. The Arya and Bran scenes were awesome.

I enjoyed the episode. Agree with jc on the Cersei/Jaime/Tommen point.

Is it just me, or is Gilly getting better looking?

PH

quote:

Originally posted by PurpleHaze:


Is it just me, or is Gilly getting better looking?

PH

She cleans up ok, but as far as wildlings go, she's still no Ygritte