Any hardcore Game of Thrones/Song of Ice and Fire fans?

[PennLady]

Myrcella is her name I believe. Tommen's sister. Her stuff (of course I know you know) comes into play more later.

Thanks. True. There is far more to come from Dorne; that'll be a neat thing for them to introduce. Bringing a whole new family in, practically, with a raft of characters.

Without revealing too much, this happens to Cersei. While she thinks she's being clever and moving ever closer to what she wants, she only manages to dig a hole for herself.

True. Cersei never seems to quite grasp how much people and tides have turned against her and her family. To be fair, she's not alone in such things.

Dany makes the most progress toward her goal I think, bit she realizes the steep prices she constantly has to pay. Most of her dreams and goals turn sour somewhat, or at least aren't what she thought they would be. Being a ruler for instance, and her dragons, and her closest advisers.

Dany may run into some of the same problems as the Starks in a sense. Trying to do the right thing may stymie or delay her plans. She at least realizes when she needs to change her plans and goals even if she doesn't always do it the right way. She's an idealist in some ways, for example the way she's trying to eliminate slavery, but she will get more pragmatic, I think. She may not like it, but she will.

Of course none of the Starks lives have gone how they envisioned. Certainly not Rob or Eddard's, and all Bran wanted to do was fucking climb and that was screwed up for him right away.

The Starks have found -- as Jaime Lannister did, in a more direct fashion -- that your name doesn't always help you, no matter how old or respected your House is. Arya, perhaps, is the one who might recognize and adapt to that best; Cat probably would have, too, but...

 

[Cruel2BKind]

Have you found the next episode on facebook yet?

 

[PennLady]

Have you found the next episode on facebook yet?

Not yet, but I'm checking! The site is happyplace.com. I've noticed it tends to go up on Tuesday evenings, so perhaps they're on the West Coast (I'm East). Or maybe they have lives and day jobs.

I did find this at USA Today, though: http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/tv/2013/06/04/game-of-thrones-christianity/2389553/

It's about whether Christians should watch GoT; I think the basic answer is that it's up to the individual, but I have to admit, such a question never occurred to me. OTOH, although I was raised Christian (Catholic), I never thought that way, so it wouldn't occur to me.

ETA: An analysis of why the Red Wedding had such an impact, from The AV Club, with some links in the article. http://www.avclub.com/articles/why-game-of-thrones-red-wedding-packs-such-an-emot,98566/

 

[PennLady]

Facebook!

http://www.happyplace.com/24297/game-of-thrones-facebook-recap-season-3-episode-9

 

[NekoParks]

Not yet, but I'm checking! The site is happyplace.com. I've noticed it tends to go up on Tuesday evenings, so perhaps they're on the West Coast (I'm East). Or maybe they have lives and day jobs.

I did find this at USA Today, though: http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/tv/2013/06/04/game-of-thrones-christianity/2389553/

It's about whether Christians should watch GoT; I think the basic answer is that it's up to the individual, but I have to admit, such a question never occurred to me. OTOH, although I was raised Christian (Catholic), I never thought that way, so it wouldn't occur to me.

ETA: An analysis of why the Red Wedding had such an impact, from The AV Club, with some links in the article. http://www.avclub.com/articles/why-game-of-thrones-red-wedding-packs-such-an-emot,98566/

Thank you for posting these links. I really enjoyed the AV article.

I was shocked by the Red Wedding scene too. Then again, one of the reasons why I love cable TV opposed to network TV is that the producers, writers and directors don't play it safe with the plots and characters. I want to be surprised, intrigued, and even shocked by the plot twists of the shows I watch. Martin's world is brutal but no more so than the real world (Boston bombings/Bangladesh factory collapse/West, Texas/Sandy Hook/Moore, OK/ NOLA almost any day of the week). The Greeks and Romans depicted many brutal, bloody and horrifically violent scenes in their theater. Frankly, I want to be challenged by the shows I watch and not have my intelligence insulted by a "happy ending" that makes no sense plot wise. One of my favorite playwrights Eugene O'Neal wrote at the end of Mourning Becomes Electra: "I hope there's a Hell for the good somewhere". Martin is drawing upon of a rich literary tradition regarding the ironical satisfaction of a hard-won survival.

 

[Cruel2BKind]

Facebook!

http://www.happyplace.com/24297/game-of-thrones-facebook-recap-season-3-episode-9

"Millions of viewers who didn't read the book, unfriended those who read the book"

lol.

Thanks pennlady, that brightened my day.

 

[PennLady]

"Millions of viewers who didn't read the book, unfriended those who read the book"

lol.

Thanks pennlady, that brightened my day.

Happy to help. If you go to Doonesbury (Doonesbury.com, I think), they have a small selection of some reaction tweets that cracked me up.

 

[NekoParks]

"Millions of viewers who didn't read the book, unfriended those who read the book"

lol.

Thanks pennlady, that brightened my day.

Another reason to NOT be on FB....LOL...

Happy to help. If you go to Doonesbury (Doonesbury.com, I think), they have a small selection of some reaction tweets that cracked me up.

Ok...another terrific site that I've saved on my desktop...read the tweets...hysterical lack of perspective...nice to begin the day with a huge laugh...almost snorted my morning coffee out my nose...

 

[PennLady]

Ok...another terrific site that I've saved on my desktop...read the tweets...hysterical lack of perspective...nice to begin the day with a huge laugh...almost snorted my morning coffee out my nose...

Careful, snarfing coffee is probably an affront to someone somewhere in Westeros.

I understand how startling this can be. It had me gaping while reading the book, and if I hadn't known, I'm sure I would have guessed something bad was going to happen, but not this bad. Still and all, it's television, people, and fiction. Dive in for a while, then be relieved that it's not real.

 

[TheeGoatPig]

To all of the people complaining their favorite characters are all dead:

Tyrion and Dynerries are not dead. Stop complaining.

 

[PennLady]

To all of the people complaining their favorite characters are all dead:

Tyrion and Dynerries are not dead. Stop complaining.

Not to mention Arya and Jon Snow. Plenty of people still around to... do stuff.

 

[Centauri1]

Question with where we are at in the Story on Tv (HBO) where is it in the book series?

I didn't want to start reading the books until the series was over...didn't want to ruin anything or too many spoilers.

 

[PennLady]

Question with where we are at in the Story on Tv (HBO) where is it in the book series?

I didn't want to start reading the books until the series was over...didn't want to ruin anything or too many spoilers.

The series has so far covered books one and two and roughly the first half of book three. I think if you read one and two, you won't have any spoilers for this season or the next, although there will probably be some foreshadowing and intimations here and there.

Although the series has been pretty faithful to the source, it hasn't been taken word for word. Some characters have been created for the show in place of others -- for example, Robb married someone different in the books -- and other things have been left out. So while there would be some spoilers if you read the books, you wouldn't necessarily know everything.

I've read all the books to date and I have found that knowing what's coming puts an interesting spin. It adds to the suspense as you wonder just when and how things will play out.

 

[Centauri1]

Thank you. You have shed some light on the subject and helped me want to purchase the first series.

 

[Cruel2BKind]

Thank you. You have shed some light on the subject and helped me want to purchase the first series.

Game of Thrones is one of the very few franchises where I would suggest watching the series before getting to the books.

The first half of the first book introduces so many characters, and it's nice to have an idea of what they look like and what they're doing to give you some perspective.

Fair warning. They 'aged up' everyone in the show. Partially because it would be hard to believe 13 year olds fighting wars and mothering dragons, and partially because a couple of the characters get their tits out a lot in the show. It's a bit of a culture shock to have to deal with Robb being 15, Danaerys being 13, Arya being 9, etc.

 

[PennLady]

Game of Thrones is one of the very few franchises where I would suggest watching the series before getting to the books.

The first half of the first book introduces so many characters, and it's nice to have an idea of what they look like and what they're doing to give you some perspective.

Fair warning. They 'aged up' everyone in the show. Partially because it would be hard to believe 13 year olds fighting wars and mothering dragons, and partially because a couple of the characters get their tits out a lot in the show. It's a bit of a culture shock to have to deal with Robb being 15, Danaerys being 13, Arya being 9, etc.

Some people don't like having a pre-determined look for characters, though. I admit, I think it's easier to keep track as well when you see them, but I didn't find it that difficult in the book. In fact, for the more supporting characters, like the Boltons, Karstarks, etc., it was easier in the books because their names were mentioned more frequently. I had little or no idea in the series, for example, which of Robb's bannermen were supposed to be who. And when I did know who they were, it was a lot more because of the recaps I read than the show itself.

I didn't mind the aging-up and generally thought it worked better for television. I know that in the times GRRM is basing the story on, marriage at age 13 or even a bit younger was not unusual. However, it would be hard to accept, I think, a 15yo leading an army as Robb was doing. That's one thing I think that can work in a book but not visually. But that's just me.

 

[SecondCircle]

As far as watching the series first, it's not such a bad idea. I don't think it's that necessary, but the first season and the first book are pretty much spot on. They don't change much in the first season, though of course there's a lot more detail in the books.

That may be the only reason I could see to read the books first. As I've said, a lot of things I had to explain to my wife and friends of why something is such a big deal or what exactly is going on, because they haven't read the books. Not saying my having read them makes me dome kind of expert on Westeros, but there's so much you pick up from reading the books about customs and cultures of the noble houses, as well as who's who and what's what.

That tray of food thing from the last episode when Cat and Rob and everyone ate in the Frey house is a good example. One could certainly assume what that was about by the context of dialogue, but reading from Cat's POV (who was already wary and suspicious of old man Frey's intentions) you get a CLEAR sense of the importance of eating under their roof. She believes it will protect them, or at least make her feel at ease. I had to kinda spell that out for my buddy when he had a WTF moment with all that.

So go either way really, both the show and the books are top notch. Both versions are interesting and highly addictive.

But if you're reading Martin's work, be prepared for stuff like Ned Stark and the Red Wedding.

 

[SecondCircle]

If I can add something, (and from last season), I was a tad disappointed at the way they handled the whole Quorin Halfhand thing with Jon's story.

Speaking for those that have read, we know Quorin specifically chose Jon to go with him, and that they had this sort of bonding. The hawk (warg) was tracking their little detail forever, and one by one the Night's Watchmen that were with Jon and Halfhand stayed behind to buy them time to escape and get back to the rest of the crows. No little thing indeed.

Quorin himself was feared and revered among all, including the wildlings, which is why it was such a big thing when Rattle shirt saw that he not only killed one of his own, but the greatest ranger in the north.

The deed itself was undersold I think. Jon and Halfhand were the final two trying to escape back to the Fist of the First Men, when Quorin basically stopped and said, "look you know they're gonna catch us right?" At which point he tasked Jon with going "undercover", break his vows to keep his vows so to speak. It was a big deal. Jon said he wouldn't.

When Rattleshirt and company found them, Quorin basically sprung the deal on Jon, and fought him to the death.

Now they changed the sequence and all of that, and I felt like they didn't do Quorin justice. Like when you hear about the Great Oz and its just that dude behind the curtain. Nor did it capture the importance of what Jon had to do. They nailed Ygrid (probably murdered that spelling) and Jon's conflict of loyalty to the watch and love, but I hated how they handled the Halfhand. It just seemed rushed and shallow.

Is this just me?

 

[Cruel2BKind]

If I can add something, (and from last season), I was a tad disappointed at the way they handled the whole Quorin Halfhand thing with Jon's story.

Speaking for those that have read, we know Quorin specifically chose Jon to go with him, and that they had this sort of bonding. The hawk (warg) was tracking their little detail forever, and one by one the Night's Watchmen that were with Jon and Halfhand stayed behind to buy them time to escape and get back to the rest of the crows. No little thing indeed.

Quorin himself was feared and revered among all, including the wildlings, which is why it was such a big thing when Rattle shirt saw that he not only killed one of his own, but the greatest ranger in the north.

The deed itself was undersold I think. Jon and Halfhand were the final two trying to escape back to the Fist of the First Men, when Quorin basically stopped and said, "look you know they're gonna catch us right?" At which point he tasked Jon with going "undercover", break his vows to keep his vows so to speak. It was a big deal. Jon said he wouldn't.

When Rattleshirt and company found them, Quorin basically sprung the deal on Jon, and fought him to the death.

Now they changed the sequence and all of that, and I felt like they didn't do Quorin justice. Like when you hear about the Great Oz and its just that dude behind the curtain. Nor did it capture the importance of what Jon had to do. They nailed Ygrid (probably murdered that spelling) and Jon's conflict of loyalty to the watch and love, but I hated how they handled the Halfhand. It just seemed rushed and shallow.

Is this just me?

I agree with you totally. I kinda had no idea why they were ranging north in the first place, and why jon and the others (I didn't even know halfhand's name and why he was important at the time) split off from the group. It really does help to have both, and then go back to whichever one you saw first after consuming the other half.

Now that I've read the books, I want to watch the series again to see how they handled everything. I'm actually re-reading the books, and the whole plotline with beric dorrandan (or however his last name goes) becoming the lightning lord makes a lot more sense. When I was watching the show, it was just like "Where the fuck did this guy come from?" And when I read the books for the first time, I kind of forgot about how ned stark sent Beric and Thoros out to stop the mountain, so when I was reading the books, I was also like "Where the fuck did this guy come from?"

And it's Ygritte. You didn't screw up too badly.

 

[PennLady]

More twitter reactions. Couldn't help myself.

http://io9.com/the-100-best-tweets-about-last-nights-game-of-thrones-511003444

And because we all need a little comic relief after such a traumatic episode: http://www.buzzfeed.com/daves4/steps-to-get-over-your-game-of-thrones-sadness

Seriously, I think this was worse than Buffy's "The Body."

 

[PennLady]

Interview with Jaime Lannister, aka Nikolaj Coster-Waldau

http://www.avclub.com/articles/nikolaj-costerwaldau-aka-jaime-lannister-talks-his,98673/

And a little funny, courtesy of The Princess Bride: http://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat...cess_bride_mashup_is_perfect_watch_video.html

 

[soflabbwlvr]

George R.R. Martin on Conan reacts to fan reaction. Click. Also, in the links that pop up after the first video he talks about the show, the books, and progress toward the conclusion.

 

[PennLady]

George R.R. Martin on Conan reacts to fan reaction. Click. Also, in the links that pop up after the first video he talks about the show, the books, and progress toward the conclusion.

That was great. I'm never sure about laughing in the vicinity of Hitler, but that was good.

 

[PennLady]

A CNN article that's sort of an interview with Nikolaj Coster-Waldau about the finale. No spoilers, but interesting perspectives. Perhaps the Starks weren't so nice after all.

http://www.cnn.com/2013/06/07/showbiz/game-of-thrones-finale/index.html?hpt=hp_t3

 

[Ironiclaconic]

Did Theon lose his bits in the books?

It's implied. There is a line where Theon refers to "that other thing" being cut off, and he shows curiously little interest in sex in book five.