Why haven't any of you doll fuckers started a Game of Thrones topic?

[Tron]

Ahh if only the game was done by CD Projket Redtek or Fromsoftware instead

 

[Castor Troy]

Mother of Gawd! This last episode was amazing!
The harbor explosion scene might have been the best special effects scene I've ever seen from a tv show.
The battle looked amazing. Definitely ranks up there as one of the show's best.
Also, I'm going to ignore sleep and watch the episode again.

 

[Taiso]

That game review is 100% correct.

As for last night's episode, it was incredible.

Except for Davos, Tyrion and Sansa, those characters are all despicable people but I was totally gripped by the episode. And I read the book so I knew how it ended beforehand but I was still enthralled.

It was easy to get caught up in the battle and really get behind Stannis because of his battlefield prowess until you remember he'd be a very shitty king.

Lena Heady was great in the episode as Cercei.

Fun fact: the pryomancer ws played by Roy Dotrice, who reads the series in unabridged format for the audio versions. He was originally supposed to play Grand Maester Pycelle, but he had another acting commitment at the time of casting and couldn't be involved. Julian Glover is an awesome Pycelle, so it's all good, but it's great to see Roy Dotrice get a role in this.

EDIT: I like Tomin too. And Shae's okay.

 

[evil wasabi]

Mother of Gawd! This last episode was amazing!
The harbor explosion scene might have been the best special effects scene I've ever seen from a tv show.
The battle looked amazing. Definitely ranks up there as one of the show's best.
Also, I'm going to ignore sleep and watch the episode again.

Yeah, it was a great episode, and when they set off the wildfire, it was definitely a holy shit moment. I'm sure that Michael Bay was pissed the fuck off that someone else came up with a great way to utilize an explosion without compromising the rest of the story. I was wondering though, why did Tyrion get attacked by his own guard?

 

[Castor Troy]

I was wondering though, why did Tyrion get attacked by his own guard?

I'm pretty sure that was the guy who's been torturing Sansa. Tyrion demoted him for killing all those kids.
What I'm wondering is if he attacked Tyrion because he had a good opportunity at revenge, or if he was told to by Joffrey or Cersei. Hopefully that'll be answered next week.

---Edit---
"Tyrion demoted him for killing all those kids." - Ignore that. That was some other guy.

 

[evil wasabi]

I'm pretty sure that was the guy who's been torturing Sansa. Tyrion demoted him for killing all those kids.
What I'm wondering is if he attacked Tyrion because he had a good opportunity at revenge, or if he was told to by Joffrey or Cersei. Hopefully that'll be answered next week.

Is next week the finale? I imagine HBO just blew the budget for the rest of the season.

 

[Taiso]

Yeah, it was a great episode, and when they set off the wildfire, it was definitely a holy shit moment. I'm sure that Michael Bay was pissed the fuck off that someone else came up with a great way to utilize an explosion without compromising the rest of the story. I was wondering though, why did Tyrion get attacked by his own guard?

If it sticks to the books, and pretty much just about everything has (more or less) to this point in the TV show:

Spoiler:

You should eventually find out Cercei put him up to it because with Tyrion around, she doesn't have any real power and she hates him for a number of reasons. Sending Marsella away, taking Pycelle off the Small Council, sending whores to Geoffrey, killing their mother when he was born and generally undermining and belittling her, combined with her current power trip, have all just added up over time.

And yes, next week's the season finale.

 

[evil wasabi]

If it sticks to the books, and pretty much just about everything has (more or less) to this point in the TV show:

Spoiler:

You should eventually find out Cercei put him up to it because with Tyrion around, she doesn't have any real power and she hates him for a number of reasons. Sending Marsella away, taking Pycelle off the Small Council, sending whores to Geoffrey, killing their mother when he was born and generally undermining and belittling her, combined with her current power trip, have all just added up over time.

And yes, next week's the season finale.

I see. They didn't make it clear on the show, but I guess that's ok. Shows suck when they beat you over the head with information on what's happening.

Sucks that the season is about over. This show is really picking up.

 

[Taiso]

My guess is that a lot of that will come out at a later point, as there are more reveals and the characters start to put the pieces of the puzzle together and figure it all out. The book presaged it a lot differently because you were actually inside the characters' heads.

I like the intuitive way the show presents the info for you. It's a good and proper way to tell an existing story in an alternate fashion, IMO.

I've read the books twice and the show still grips me. I'm a bit of a purist, so it really speaks to the show's strength that they find a different way to portray the events and it all remains so compelling. I still can't believe an entire hour has passed after watching an episode.

 

[HeartlessNinny]

I don't have much to add here other than to say that that episode was indeed kick ass.

I haven't read the books -- I've been deliberately waiting so the show would be fresh to me. I'd say last episode was proof that it's all been worth it, to me at least. The holy shit factor was pretty much a 10/10, even though I knew Tyrion had a plan for that wild fire.

 

[Comrade Porn King Mikhail]

The finale was amazing. Obviously not having read the books yet I had no idea what would be happening. The cliffhanger delivered and made me sad at the realization that we must wait another 10 months for more.

 

[Taiso]

Tyrion became Wolverine this year.

Or Sawyer.

Or insert whatever overexposed character you want to choose who steals necessary screen time from other characters that need more screen time.

Tyrion's a great character, to be sure, but I felt some characters got really short shrift this season.

And I don't think Tyrion was quite as magnetic in this season as he was in the first one as a result.

Still enjoyed the season but I felt it wasn't as tight as the first one.

The final sequence with Sam, Gren and Dolorus Ed was probably my favorite scene in the entire series so far.

Also, I realized this about half way through the third book and it's holding true in the TV show as well:

Sansa is in a good percentage of my favorite scenes.

 

[RBjakeSpecial]

Still enjoyed the season but I felt it wasn't as tight as the first one..

I agree 100 percent. I liked it, but can't help comparing it to the books. There were some major changes and things that had to be scaled back (thinking about the events in the mage's tower) and it kind of shows. Also some of the over the top violence and things doesn't seem entirely necessary, might have been cooler to hint at some of the stuff.

I'll still wind up buying the bluray box set and watching it again. I love Game of Thrones.

 

[Comrade Porn King Mikhail]

Tyrion's a great character, to be sure, but I felt some characters got really short shrift this season.

Not spoiling the book material, how much time was dedicated to Tyrion in the first two novels? It seems that with Dinklage being made the front runner on the show following his Emmy, they revised some of the scenes to showcase him more than other current mainstays. I thought both Robb Stark and Daenarys were fairly stagnant in their scenes compared to what they could have generated with more screen time.

Also, perhaps someone who has read the books can answer this with no spoilers, the only season ending scene that made no sense to me:

Spoiler:

Winterell is burning and empty as the Stark kids leave. Was it burned by Greyjoy and his twenty men upon departure? What happened to the 500 men following the bastard son of one of Robb Stark's bannermen? Where are all the regular women/children/old men that lived in and around Winterfell? If this is something to be touched on in Season 3 please feel free to let me know and not answer. Thanks!

 

[Taiso]

Not spoiling the book material, how much time was dedicated to Tyrion in the first two novels? It seems that with Dinklage being made the front runner on the show following his Emmy, they revised some of the scenes to showcase him more than other current mainstays. I thought both Robb Stark and Daenarys were fairly stagnant in their scenes compared to what they could have generated with more screen time.

Tyrion had a significant role in the second book, but it felt to me like the other two major characters of that book, Jon and Daenerys, had their time shorted. In truth, Daenerys didn't do a whole lot in the book in terms of action. But a lot of her time was spent maturing and turning into a leader of her people, so a lot of it was introspection and getting inside the skin of the character. Still, these passages devoted to her were important in establishing her presence as a major player in the world events and to remove that presence was not really necessary. Jon is a bit more active in the north and has more complicated conversations with some of the characters that lead to greater subtext to communicate, author to reader, that Jon is doing important shit. Ghost is also present for most of what Jon does in the second book, and as a fan of the books, that is the part that frustrates me the most: Jon and Ghost have a close relationship and in the TV show, Ghost just ups and all but abandons him to take a shit in the snow (or whatever) and never comes back. I was sure he'd come back to take a part in the duel with Qhorin.

My guesses for the reasons they shot it the way they did, purely guesswork:

Tyrion is popular with audiences.

Daenerys' arc in the second book is hard to communicate on a TV screen without making it seem like it would drag or feel completely like filler.

It's too expensive to shoot in icy wastes for long periods of time.

I'd argue that Robb isn't stagnant at all, and in fact you are seeing the cracks in his armor, all self made by the perception he has of his father.

Simple, honest, honorable, but not above breaking his vows for passion's sake.

Robb is walking in his father's footsteps and trying to be the same guy.

Only problem is that I don't believe Ned ever broke his vows because:

Spoiler:

Jon is probably the son of Rhaegar Targaryen and Leanna Stark, and Ned was lying about it to Robert, and the world, to protect the child from the Usurper and his supporters. Just a guess, but there's a lot to back it up.

Also, perhaps someone who has read the books can answer this with no spoilers, the only season ending scene that made no sense to me:

Spoiler:

Winterell is burning and empty as the Stark kids leave. Was it burned by Greyjoy and his twenty men upon departure? What happened to the 500 men following the bastard son of one of Robb Stark's bannermen? Where are all the regular women/children/old men that lived in and around Winterfell? If this is something to be touched on in Season 3 please feel free to let me know and not answer. Thanks!

It's a bit hard to explain the book's version without spoiling it.

 

[Comrade Porn King Mikhail]

I wish I had the time to read the books ASAP

I barely manage to get in an arc of the Preacher and Walking Dead every week catching up before the WF Issue 100 event.

 

[Lee Gray]

I went to collectormania in Milton Keynes last week and they had some of the cast there, Roxanne Mckee, Finn Jones, Josef Altin, Lena Headey, Natalie Tena and Jason Moama.....I have not seen the Show though so dont really know of them.

 

[evil wasabi]

Spoiler:

Jon is probably the son of Rhaegar Targaryen and Leanna Stark, and Ned was lying about it to Robert, and the world, to protect the child from the Usurper and his supporters. Just a guess, but there's a lot to back it up.

WHOA. That would really have pissed off the Red Viper. But I'm going to say no. He lacks the trademark looks of a Targaryen. Neither the hair nor the eyes. And Rhaegar was a pretty big guy. The only common link I see is that both are popular with common people, but Rhaegar was popular with everyone. I was interested in the stories that Barristan Selmy would tell, but didn't really put a lot of thought into them. It does make sense.

 

[Taiso]

WHOA. That would really have pissed off the Red Viper. But I'm going to say no. He lacks the trademark looks of a Targaryen. Neither the hair nor the eyes. And Rhaegar was a pretty big guy. The only common link I see is that both are popular with common people, but Rhaegar was popular with everyone. I was interested in the stories that Barristan Selmy would tell, but didn't really put a lot of thought into them. It does make sense.

Spoiler:

What if the Stark traits were dominant when the two families mixed?

 

[evil wasabi]

Spoiler:

What if the Stark traits were dominant when the two families mixed?

Thought about it, I don't know. It does explain the kidnapping. I don't know the logistics of everything that happened. Was Ned at the wall when Robert killed Rhaegar?

 

[Taiso]

Thought about it, I don't know. It does explain the kidnapping. I don't know the logistics of everything that happened. Was Ned at the wall when Robert killed Rhaegar?

From the Game of Thrones Database on my Kindle Fire. Spoilers abound, so I'll hide 'em.

Spoiler:

The entry on Lyanna gives us a lot of info:

"Eddard's only sister, Lyanna died at the end of Robert's Rebellion.

Lyanna was betrothed to Robert Baratheon, who was infatuated with her. Lyanna was not as ardent in her love for Robert, and was fully aware of his philandering ways. However, Prince Rhaegar Targaryen crowned her Queen of Love and Beauty after winning the Harrenhall tourney, passing over his wife, the Dornish princess Elia, in her favor. The exactr nature of her relationship with Rhaegar is not presently clear, but shortly therafter she and Rhaegar disappeared together, which her fiancee Robert and older brother Brandon treated as a non-consensual abduction. Their anger over the event led to Brandon;s execution by the king and Robert's Rebellion.

After the sack of King's Landing, Eddard and six companions went to retrieve Lyanna at a building Rhaegar had named the 'tower of joy'. They fought three Kingsguard knights there, including the legendary Gerold Hightower and Arthur Dayne; all were slain by Eddard and Howland Reed. After defeating her guardians, Eddard found Lyanna dying in a "bed of blood" and clutching a withered wreath of blue roses. She forced him to make a promise to her, the nature of which is unknown to the reader, but which haunted Eddard for the rest of his life in the series {Eddard reflects on what she said in this regard, on her deathbed: "Promise me, Ned";) thereafter she died. She was buried at Winterfell, in the ancestray crypts of House Stark, where Robert would still come to pay his respects, fifteen years later. {Ironically, Robert was far more faithful to her in death than she expected him to be in life.}

Lyanna was described by those who knew her as a spirited young woman, and more than a little wild; she was an excellent equestrian, and according to a roman a clef told to her nephew Bran by Meera Reed had some amount of skill with a sword as well. She was said to exhibit the ty[pical Stark coloring, and was regarded as beautifyl. Comparisons are made between her and Arya, both in appearance and temperament (a shock to Arya, who does not consider herself attractive.)"

Part of Ned's profile:

"Ned was present, along with Howland Reed, at a tower on the Dornish border known as the "tower of joy" when his sister Lyanna died there, an incident surrounded in mystery that haunted Ned ever after.

Once the conflict had ended and Robert had taken the throne, Ned returned home, bringing with him a bastard son, Joh, about whose orgins he refused to speak, even to his own wife; he quickly silenced rumors that the boy's mother was the Dornish noblewoman Ashara Dayne."

So, from all that we can ascertain:

Rhaegar "kidnapped" Lyanna, a woman he publicly named the Queen of Love and Beauty at a tournament, even over his wife which would have been customary.

Robert was sacking King's Landing, or maybe fighting Rhaegar at the Trident, while Ned and two other warriors went WAAAY south, all the way to Dorne, to rescue Lyanna.

Robert claims the throne and Ned returns to Winterfell with Jon Snow, a child whose mother he will not talk about and whose origins are simply 'he's my bastard.'

Theory: He promised Lyanna he would never let Robert learn of the child she had with Rhaegar because she loved Rhaegar and that child was the only thing left of their love. Robert would have murdered Jon, and been within his rights as king to do so, if he would have discovered. Lyannba, being a willful and spirited woman, went south with Rhaegar, and was not 'kdnapped'. With all the time it takes to wage a war, win a throne and just plain travel around such a vast landscape, it's entirely believable she got pregnant and popped out Jon in the time it took them to find where she was and get to her. She died in labor and Ned and his pals hid the whole thing in mystery because it's just a sad fucking story and they respected Ned as a warrior, a lord and a man. He can't even lie to Robert about Jon because Ned's a terrible liar and Robert grew up with Ned at the Vale (both were Jon Arryn's wards) so he'd see through honorable Ned's bad lies. So he just doesn't talk about it.

That's the theory. It's very solid, and is likely the truth.

 

[evil wasabi]

Seems legit. I just read storm and going to read Feast soon, so I'll probably learn a lot more (from Barristan, since he's one of two people that know anything anymore)

 

[Taiso]

Seems legit. I just read storm and going to read Feast soon, so I'll probably learn a lot more (from Barristan, since he's one of two people that know anything anymore)

Glad to hear you're reading them.

When it drops to 20 or 30 bucks, buy the PS3 RPG that just came out. It is sort of a poor man's Dragon Age and couldn't be recommended on the basis of graphics or gameplay (all of which are in the D+ to C range), but the story was imagined by Martin and actually weaves through the events of the first novel very well. Once it gets going, it's a gripping narrative with two main characters that are both very compelling to follow. Like the books, there are very real consequences; your actions and choices come endgame and, like the books, you'll probably have this feeling that no one's safe from the choices you make, villain or hero.

 

[evil wasabi]

Glad to hear you're reading them.

When it drops to 20 or 30 bucks, buy the PS3 RPG that just came out. It is sort of a poor man's Dragon Age and couldn't be recommended on the basis of graphics or gameplay (all of which are in the D+ to C range), but the story was imagined by Martin and actually weaves through the events of the first novel very well. Once it gets going, it's a gripping narrative with two main characters that are both very compelling to follow. Like the books, there are very real consequences; your actions and choices come endgame and, like the books, you'll probably have this feeling that no one's safe from the choices you make, villain or hero.

My coworker mentioned it yesterday and said the same thing. Sounded meh at first, but interest piqued hearing that you can play as a Night Watch.

 

[RabbitTroop]

This drove my dog crazy.