HBO's Game of Thrones

Is anyone watching this on Sunday evenings on HBO?
It's sort of like The Wire meets Rome.
Good stuff in my opinion. It's loosely influenced by The War of The Roses.

Game of Thrones

I watch parts of it from time to time - only minutes at a time. But so much of it is disgusting, especially parts of the dialogue. Gratuitous? For sure.

I don't get HBO (we canceled it after The Sopranos went off the air).

Yup. Much of the dialogue is taken direct from the book. Martin didn't hold back.


That's too bad. Perhaps when it comes out on Blu-Ray/DVD you can take a look. This series has real potential I think.

How can you cancel HBO...they got Bill Maher. BILL FUCKING MAHER. My favorite liberal.

We have it here, i have taped the first four episodes and still not got round to watching them yet......

It's great stuff Yogi. I believe that Sean Bean and Lena Headley are using their true accents.

Arya

I haven't see it, but now I will!

Families that are a bit too close, attempted murder of a child, actual murder of a child, clashes over proper gender roles, adultery, machinations for war, domestic abuse, revenge carried out under the banner of law, murder investigations in which the entire court had a motive-and that's just in the first four episodes...

Cersei Lannister

Tyrion Lannister

Petyr Balelish aka Carcetti

Ned Stark

Arya Stark

GRRM and Joe Abercrombie talk about Game of Thrones.

Quotes from a GoT message board

"I mentioned this last week but The Mountain reminds me of Luca Brasi from the Godfather book, not the movie. In the movie, he's a silly comic relief character. In the book, he's a monster who has committed unspeakable crimes. He's so bad that he's the only man Don Corleone fears and vice versa"

This king takes it very personally when he learns people have tried to murder his pregnant Queen..

Yes, that was the best part of that episode!

I've been practicing that speech ever since I saw it.

I was waiting for him to say " The Drogo will take you down Know Your Role Boulevard to the corner of Jabroni Drive and check you directly into the Smackdown Hotel!"


It's funny though. Before the assassination attempt he wasn't really feeling the idea of launching an invasion. But now it's on. Don't mess with a man's wife..

Here's a comment from an erudite friend:

Th guy who plays Drogo has looked like a candidate for WWE from the very first episode, but this week he did a rant that rivaled anything Superstar Billy Graham did in the 70's. The actor who plays Drogo is Hawaiian-Caucasian and scored the role of Conan in the upcoming re-make of "Conan the Barbarian" . After offing Danerys' obnoxious brother in a most satifsying manner last week, Drogo amazingly topped himself this week.

He sure did do a great job. I've read the book and I like the casting for Drogo.

I wasn't sorry to see Viserys go. It was pretty funny in a sick way to me. Drogo shed no blood; he gave Viserys a splendid golden crown which men trembled to behold.

Just watched that episode last night, the thunk he made as he hit the ground was excellent........

Viserys never got the message that he wasn't running things. Too bad for him. I think just about everyone involved in this series is doing a great job, especially the younger actors.

The latest episode was kinda confusing. But Drogo stole it again.

How so? I'll explain it if I can..

I just saw the first episode On Demand. It was very good and I am going to watch the second one in a few minutes.

Just caught all 8 episodes up to date. I am hooked - this really rocks!

Season Finale is this Sunday.

After last weeks twist...I can't wait till Sunday's Season Finale.

If that is what they do a week eailer, what are they going to leave us with?
Great show!

It's going to be real, I can say that much.

This is a really great show. I went into this skeptical and on the fence. If you haven't seen this yet you are missing out on something extraordinary. If you want to get into this and you have HBO on demand, I suggest you watch the mini 3 - 7 minute extras detailing characters, scenes, etc...This will set the table for a great feast!

just got done watching the nine episodes, and wow! can't wait for the final episode, and i hope their is either a big battle or at least something really big to end the first season on.

That was good. I hope that next season they splurge a little and use CGI for the direwolves. They are supposed to be much larger, as big as ponies upon adulthood.
I liked the ending and hope the show wins some awards.

Yes, but you have to wait to next spring!

And you don't even get a full season worth of shows
anymore. Great show, but who wants to wait so long for so little.

Kind of gets your goat up.

I already can't wait for little king prick, gets his just do. To do that to her was just wrong. She should wait one night and slit his throad.

so, who will be the 'main' star for season 2?

Well if the series stays true to the books, there won't really be one. It's an ensemble of characters all with some interesting back stories. They have 5-6 major roles that haven't been introduced yet.

Lilo, how many books are there again?

and the first one is named?

thats what i heard, but HBO made ned stark the 'star' in their promotions of the show for season 1. will HBO back another 'star' for season 2 promotion or go another route?

The first book is titled A Game of Thrones.
Martin has said he intends to write seven books in the series.
Currently there are four books published ,with book #5 due to be available in hardcover on July 12.
In order the series so far is

A Game of Thrones
A Clash of Kings
A Storm of Swords
A Feast for Crows
A Dance With Dragons

Martin is not a very fast writer and has a number of other interests and things to do besides completing this series. This has led to long gaps between the publication of each new novel. Because of his age (he's in his early sixties) this has led some of his fans to worry that he will kick the bucket before completing the story.

I can't find the link now but either in The Atlantic or Entertainment Weekly the producers were asked that question and of course played it very close to the vest. So who can say?

Judging by some people's reactions I think that folks will pick a favorite character and root for him/her. I hope that happens anyway.

thanks for the info lilo. but, yea i wonder what would happen if the series makes it through five seasons, but the sixth book hasn't been released yet. would HBO wait till the sixth is at least finished to be published, make up their own story, or end the series their.

Well, word on the street is that HBO has insisted that Martin sign a contract that includes
So they're not worried..

HBO will hire Mark Winegardner to write the last book if Martin dies.

In which case we will no doubt find out that Ned Stark was gay and the true King of Westeros comes from the House of Cleveland...

LOL, Lilo - In the words of Furio; "Atsa gooda one!"

i thought winegardner was sleeping with the fishes...i guess geoff is slipping.

Gwendoline Christie will play Brienne in season 2. Brienne is a pretty important character. However IMO Christie is tall enough (6-3) to play Brienne, but is NOWHERE NEAR ugly enough.

Brienne in the books has a moral center pretty close to that of Ned Stark. She believes in doing good and keeping her word. But she is also described as bigger than most men and uglier than just about any other women. Her father can't get her married off because not only is she remarkably ugly but she also refuses to marry any man who can't beat her in the joust or melee. And no one was ever able to or willing to do that. I thought the character should be played by someone who looked like Courtney Love or the wrestler Chyna..UGLY. But the author likes the decision so it's all good.

Brienne Cast









Stephen Dillane will play Stannis.
Stannis' essence is a firm belief in the letter of the law. Also resentment. He has tons of resentments and can quote chapter and verse of either the law or the appropriate traditions to back up whatever point he is arguing.

Unfortunately as his younger and more flamboyant brother Renly points out he has the personality of a lobster. Stannis is honestly confused and hurt as to why he is not liked by more people and this confusion just makes him hold on to his resentments more.

Stannis does try to do the right thing most of the time even at great cost to himself. But he generally lacks mercy and is somewhat more pragmatic than the highminded Ned.

He's married to an ugly, but loyal wife and has no sons. If Stannis likes you (and he doesn't like many people) you will know that. And if he doesn't like you he'll let you know that too. I like Dillane for this role.

Stannis and Melisandre Casting

i really need to get the first book read, so i can move onto the second book...just a guess is stannis the brother of the ex king robert?

You got it. Stannis is as he sees it, the rightful King. He takes an exceedingly dim view of any other claimants, whether they be the secessionist "King in the North" Robb Stark, Stannis' own younger brother Renly, Joffrey, or other people yet to be introduced.

Who was the guy who was the king's hand and had the letter he from the king that he presented in court that that kid's mother tore up? Someone told me he was killed. Is that true?

Yes. Ned Stark was the Hand and does not survive the first season (book).

2012 Game of Thrones Calendar
I am getting this. I won't use it at work b/c the depictions of Melisandre and Danerys are bit provocative for my workplace but otherwise I like it, especially the depictions of Jon Snow and Arya.

damn i love the artwork, but seeing 'the hound' in it surprises me since i just got done reading the first book...is this another back story that hasn't been told yet or is this in the future? (either way what book should i expect to read that part)

It's in the future, Bam. It's mostly in books two and three.

Game of Thrones writers discuss season two and look back at season one

HBO’s gripping drama Game of Thrones, based on George R.R. Martin’s bestselling fantasy-novel series A Song of Ice and Fire, has permeated the public consciousness, drawing new audiences to the brutal Seven Kingdoms of Westeros, a land where summers can last for decades and where the threat of winter (and worse) always looms large. The show also did the seemingly impossible in winning over passionate adherents of Martin’s sweeping novels—the most recent of which was released in July—obsessively adapted by writers/executive producers David Benioff and D. B. “Dan” Weiss. After a first season that captivated 8.3 million average gross viewers, Game of Thrones scored an impressive 13 Emmy Award nominations (PDF), including nods for best drama and, for Peter Dinklage, best supporting actor.


The Daily Beast caught up with Benioff and Weiss—currently working around the clock on the second season of Game of Thrones, set to air in 2012—to discuss the Emmy nominations, Emilia Clarke’s snub, “sexposition,” casting for season two, and what’s coming up next season on the addictive and shocking fantasy drama....

Looks Good There are some minor spoilers discussed within.
Game of Thrones Season Two New Cast Members

It took me a few months, but I've been watching it On-Demand, and will continue to do so... halfway thru... BUT it's nothing compared to Spartacus (violence/language) so I'm somewhat let down lol....

Hmm. Interesting. Maybe I will need to watch Spartacus.

But there were a few people complaining of what they called Game of Thrones' "sexposition" scenes. I don't know if Spartacus had similar complaints. It is an adult series and if anything is toned down from the books a tad.

Finished Game of Thrones tonight -- wow, quite a number of assholes and disturbing characters on that show! Can't wait for next season...!

And yes, Lilo, definitely check out Starz' Spartacus series from the beginning!

The only thing letting down Game of Thrones is the complete absence of trolls,goblins and spooky wizards.....

You just can't take such a show seriously.......

Some of that stuff will ever so slowly be introduced in season 2. And if it makes it to seasons 4 or more it will be a minor part of some character's storyline, though it's still mostly off-screen.

Awesome.........

Genre shows don't win Emmys. This isn't hyperbole so much as it’s an unfortunate trend. When you glance at the list of winners over the history of the awards, it becomes obvious that the Emmys love a prestige show with a glossy finish.

But this year that may change.

The latest longshot trying to buck this trend is "Game of Thrones" -- HBO's epic fantasy series nominated for Best Drama Series -- that celebrates its roots rather than hiding them away like some low IQ second cousin. Indeed, much of what makes "Game of Thrones" such a thrilling watch, especially for fans of fantasy, is its deep awareness of the genre's conventions.

The show has a tough task ahead of it if it hopes to win the category. The field is far from weak: Mad Men, the reigning champ, "Friday Night Lights," "Dexter," "The Good Wife," and HBO's own "Boardwalk Empire," are all up for the award.

According to Tom O'Neil -- author of a book on Emmys history and creator of awards-prediction site Gold Derby -- one of the challenges it faces is the awards show’s “snobbism.”

"The TV show that's won more than anything in history is about two uppity brothers squabbling over opera and red wine -- 'Frasier,'” O’Neil said. “When you get into a genre show like 'Game of Thrones,' all they see are all those severed body parts flying through the air and the unwashed barbarians running around and they go, 'Ew.’”

"Game of Thrones" -- based on the book series by George R. R. Martin -- has had widespread success, though, not just among skinny geeks in their mom's basements playing World of Warcraft, but with men and women of all stripes. The show has met with critical acclaim for both its finely drawn characters, and its bloody high-stakes action. “Game of Thrones” could be a breakthrough for other programs in the sci-fi/fantasy arena, which includes everything from the space drama of "Star Trek" to the mystical thriller of "Lost."


Or, it could end up yet another example of the Academy of Television Arts and Science's inability to recognize genre shows the same way they do realistic ones.

"Game of Thrones"' success thus far has been startling to those who know the awards, especially considering the number of nominations it's picked up. Aside from Best Drama, the show has been nominated in 12 other categories, including Best Supporting Actor for Peter Dinklage. "True Blood," when it was nominated two years ago, received only three other nods, in tech categories. In 1997, "The X-Files" garnered 14 nominations, winning three. "Lost" is perhaps the only thing close to a genre show ever to win the Best Drama award. Despite its mystical currents, it’s still a show about people of our world, shipwrecked on a classic desert island.

Fantasy and science-fiction tend to get a bad rap among critics, and not just in television. The genre bias extends across movies and literature as well, and has done so for many, many years. It's perhaps a holdover from the genre's genesis in the pulp magazines of the first half of the 20th century-- cheap, flashy stories printed on thin paper, read avariciously by young boys looking for a thrill.

"I think it has deep roots, going back a good 100 years or so," Lev Grossman, author of best-selling fantasy novel "The Magicians," said of the critical bias. "There's a cultural myth that because genre is heavily plotty, and because it is 'constrained' by genre conventions, and it's not realist, it's less meaningful."

In fact, when "Game of Thrones" debuted, a few reviews spent so much of their time insulting the genre that little space was reserved to discuss the actual merits of the show.

Troy Patterson of Slate called the show "quasi-medieval, dragon-ridden fantasy crap," which, he explained was not "a comment on its quality but a definition of its type. The reviewer happens to have an anti-weakness for that general sensibility."

Even more controversially, Gina Bellafante at The New York Times dismissed the show, and the books it is based on, as "boy fiction." After noting that while she did not "doubt that there are women in the world who read books like Mr. Martin’s," she concludes "if you are not averse to the Dungeons & Dragons aesthetic, the series might be worth the effort."

Of course, "Game of Throne"’s chances become stronger when some people, including HBO, seem willing to cast it as a historical drama rather than a fantasy. It has the requisite semi-medieval trappings -- knights and ladies and jousting, squabbling monarchs, heads on sticks -- but aside from a few eerie scenes in the woods (and the concluding scene of the season), the show wears its magic lightly. Rarely do wizards stand across from each other hurling spells. There are no trolls, no orcs, no elves.

"Game of Thrones" creators David Benioff and DB Weiss don’t entirely agree with this assessment.

"We always want to be honest about our genre and not pretend we’re somehow above it... There’s something hugely pretentious and crappy about that," they wrote in an email. "'Game of Thrones' is high fantasy."

The books, and the show, take the major tropes of the genre and turns them on their heads. The dragon eggs of the early episodes do indeed hatch into dragons. The feisty child-hero, the noble bastard child, the wise fool, the cruel queen, the just knight -- these are familiar characters to anyone who reads fantasy.

Many critics attribute "Game of Thrones"' success to the simple fact that it's a good show. The writing and acting are strong, the world is well-drawn, and above all, the characters are compelling. It's also hard to discount HBO's golden touch. In the same way that "The Sopranos" is not just a gangster show, and "Deadwood" not just a western, a fantasy done by HBO isn't just a fantasy. It's an HBO fantasy.

It helps that HBO, as a subscription channel, has the money and the time to devote to a show that requires both to compete with the sets and graphics typically seen on the big screen. The network also gets to ramp up the sex and violence to whatever level they deem appropriate to the show, not to the ratings system.

While some in the industry say that "The Lord of the Rings"'s 2003 Best Picture win opened minds around Hollywood to the possibilities of producing fantasy films, others note that few fantasies on the same scale have been made since. "Game of Thrones," a classic epic fantasy, returns to the same grand dimensions of Middle Earth, though Westeros is a grimmer, grittier world than Tolkien ever created.

It's a bold, but also boldly traditional narrative, with intensely detailed settings and captivating tensions -- a win would honor the fact that no other show on television can do what it has done. The show has already picked up one Emmy for its title sequence.

But even if it doesn't dazzle at the Emmys, fans can at least take solace in the knowledge that HBO has promised to continue making the show, as long as Martin writes the books.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/09/17/game-of-thrones-emmys_n_966166.html

peter dinklage won best supporting actor in a drama series

Good for him. Maybe this will inspire more people to check out the show.

I've watched this serie too. I love it as do my friends. Can't wait for Season 2!

Edit 1: especially because Carice van Houten is playing some kind of mage

Edit 2: (SPOILER in white) too bad Drogo isn't with us anymore

Yeah, I liked her work in "Black Book" and "Black Death" (opposite Sean Bean ironically enough).

Ive just started on this. Wow. Great stuff. I love the high fantasy idea and how it keeps switching your character perceptions; at first you can think "this guy/chick a dick/bitch", and then an episode or two later you're like "Actually said guy/chick is actually pretty damn cool", and vice versa

From what Ive watched so far, I can already say that Peter Dinklage deserves his award. I for one was quite surprised to learn he was born in NJ. Sean Bean does great in his role too. And it took me a bit to figure out where Id seen the guy before, but the guy that played Carcetti in The Wire is also in it.

When I saw Kall Drogo for the first time, I was like "WTF is Dave Navaro here for???"

Yeah, Martin loves moral ambiguity.



I like Dinklage. He's a perfect fit for the character. It would be interesting to know from the UK/NZ/Aust members if his accent is passable here. What's the last episode you've seen to this point?



Good call on the resemblance.

I was only up to the 5th ep when I made the post. Up to the 8th now and...whoa. This show gets better and better as it goes on.

FWIW, if you concentrate on it, you maybe pick up a slight, slight lapse here and there...but only if you concentrate on it. Overall, I think Dinklage fits in great amongst a predominantly English/Irish cast.

Man, I need to get the books. Its one of those things were you know the show(movie) is good, and you just know the book would expand and explain things so much better.

OMFG. I need these books.

Drogo's speeches (Rider Who Will Mount The World!!" and "I Will NOT Give You That Honour.") Tyrion Lannister, Robb's march and Jon's vows, and that execution scene. I did NOT see that coming, call me naive or whatever. But these scenes gave me goosebumps.

Only thing that sucks? The 2nd series sounds like its still a way off. I will be picking up the books at the soonest possible date.

Daenyrys Targarean? Goddamn. I know the actress is a natural brunette, and maybe thats why her hair seems so ethereal and sexy.

Good deal, MMD.
I just finished book 5 and things never let up.
Supposedly Martin is going to finish the series in 7 books, though I have my doubts.

HBO's season 2 is supposed to start some time in Spring 2012 (March? April?)

Ned's fate was a shocker in the books as well. Of course we get to see inside his head and get an idea of why he made some of the decisions he did. I thought Sean Bean did a pretty good job of displaying that. Ned is one of the VERY few unambiguously morally good characters. Martin plays for keeps.

Partial interview with GRRM with spoilers removed.

If George R.R. Martin thought he had a rabid fan base before, when each book in his best-selling fantasy series "A Song of Ice and Fire" was devoured by impatient readers, the success of the HBO adaptation Game of Thrones has raised the stakes considerably. We talked with Martin as he settled in after a long PR tour and got back to work on the next book in the series, The Winds of Winter.

What's your involvement with season two of Game of Thrones?
I wrote episode nine, "Blackwater." The show is currently filming in Northern Ireland. I'd love to be there watching it, but I'm so far behind on other things.

Which actors have taken the characters and brought something new and surprising to the mix, adding layers that weren't necessarily there when you created them?
I think we have in general a spectacular cast; our casting directors did an amazing job. Certainly Peter Dinklage did an amazing job with Tyrion, who is one of my favorite character in the books. We didn't even audition Peter. We always talked about him for the role. The same was true for Sean Bean — although we did audition a few people for the role — but we always wanted Sean and he was incredible in that role.

Another group that deserves special mention was the kids — it's very difficult to cast a kid. Our kids had to carry a very serious dramatic weight — we needed really good young actors. We got three terrific ones.

What's your biggest worry about the TV show as it gets deeper into the story?
There are certainly challenges that lie ahead, and as the show goes on, the challenges will get greater. I wanted to write a book as big as my imagination. Now David [Benioff] and Dan [Weiss] are faced with the very real challenge of how do you translate this complex thing with a cast of thousands and giant castles and dragons and walls of ice — serious production challenges that get bigger with every book. I think one of biggest challenges is budgets and shooting time. We had ten hours for the first season, and the same for the second. Boardwalk Empire has twelve, Treme has twelve — if we'd had two more hours we could have told a lot more of the story. Storm of Swords [the third book] is enormous and it will have to be broken up into two seasons, I think. But David and Dan are great people and they've assembled a great team, so if anyone can do it, they will.

The other thing that concerns me is what I call the butterfly effect. If you're familiar with the Ray Bradbury short story, you'll know what I mean. On TV, we saw the death of Mago, but we will see him in the books — he's still alive. It will have to be different in the book than in the show, because they killed him on TV. These are the kind of ripple effects that can happen.

How do you keep all of these details straight? Is there a huge encyclopedia or computer file that you use when you write?
It's mostly in my head. Elio Garcia [who runs Westeros.org] does seem to know Westeros better than I do. I'm beginning to wish I had never bothered with the color of people's eyes. [Editor's note: This is the subject of many convoluted fan conspiracy theories.] And that was one of the first things to go in the TV series — the purple contact lenses didn't look good on camera.

[If you've only watched the show but haven't read all the way through A Dance With Dragons, you might want to stop here. Spoilers ahead.]

I'll speak up for all of your impatient readers and ask: What are you working on these days, aside from the eagerly awaited The Winds of Winter?
The book tour took up a lot of time. I know some writers can write on the road, but I'm not one of them. I have about 100 pages done for the next book, which was mostly pages I had finished [for A Dance With Dragons] and decided to push back. I'll return to that in January.

So before I order an older book online, Ill raid all the local 2nd hand book shops first. Sometimes you strike lucky. Kinda like this time.

Found Clash of Kings for $7 bucks. A great copy, completely intact, still like new. Cheering

At first I was a bit annoyed that I was gonna start on the second one (cuz I knew I was going to read it anyway), but was happy to learn the start of it overlaps the end of the series. Plus, Im finding out what happened after the end of series one!

Spoiler Alert: It's awesome.

Martin plays for keeps..but you know that already!

YES YES YES. AWESOMELY AWESOMELY AWESOME.

Found A Game of Thrones for $8. While Im a little dirty that Im reading the first one second and read the second one first, I dont mind too much. I did the same thing with King's Dark Tower series, and ended up reading it all again in order down the track. I can guarantee I'll be doing the same with this series.

Lilo, your reviews of the series and books went a fair way into convincing me to give it a shot. For that, Im infinitely grateful.

No problem MMB. Maybe write a review of your own to let us know what you thought?

I've not much to say to what's already been said. But this serie is REALLY good and highly entertaining. It's as good as Lord of the Rings which is one of my favorite movies.

Never was I more eager for wanting to see the next season when I was done watching the first season. I even considered watching it all again.

I had the exact same feeling, and did watch it all again. Seriously Sonny; check out the books man. It's been years since Ive been this into a work of fiction.

I mean, look at it this way. We've still got a fair while before the second season is out (actually, it's due about the same time Mini-Meatballs is due; May. Seriously, Im not sure what Im looking forward to most I kid, I kid. Of course its Game of Thrones. No wait, I mean the baby, the baby )

If you're anything like me, you cant wait to find out what happens. Simply put, its freakin' awesomely insane. And awesome. And insane. Lilo puts it best when he says "George R.R Martin plays for keeps".

The books are to the fantasy genre what The Sopranos was for the gangster genre. That is, it reinvents, breathes new life and expands exponentially on the staple tropes.

Have you ever been so into a book you're literally breathless? Start reading faster and faster with your heart in your throat because what you're reading is so unexpected and engrossing? Stop, put the book down for a second and go "OMFG, I cant believe that just happened"? I've been doing that at least 5 times a book, and Im only up to the fourth in the series.

Season 2 Trailer
April 2012.

Can't wait!

HELLS YES.

It seems like it's coming a month earlier than I expected.

On another note, I picked up Dance For Dragons last night for...$30 I swear the same place I picked it up had it advertised in the window for $22 just a few days ago. I saw it in passing and decided that was where Id go to buy it, since the cheapest id found anywhere else was between $30 and (gasp) $50. I said as much to the checkout chick and she rolled her eyes and said "Um, no."

I know it's only $8 bucks, but still. I could have gotten it online for cheaper but as I said to Mrs Meatballs, "Yes, I do actually NEED this book asap. If you'd read the series you'd understand". She rolled her eyes too. Whatevs.

Anyway, 100 pages in and loving it. At first I was annoyed when I learned that he was doing AFFC and ADWD the way he was, running simultaneously together like the last two (Part 3) did. Getting into it though, I can understand his reasoning. Better all the story for part of the characters than half the story for all.

Like so many others, I really hope he gets number six done quickly. Its making me a little sad to think that this is the last one for a while. Getting into the series as late as I did was good in a way, since I didnt have to wait years between additions, I could just hack through all five at my leisure. When I finish this book though, Im in the same boat as everyone else, waiting.

Guess Ill have to read this one extra slow

MMB, are you going to be one of those readers sending GRRM nasty emails like "What's wrong with you old man, why don't you hurry up and finish the series. I swear to God you'd better not croak before you finish or I'll get you!!"

Not that I know anyone who would write such notes..
I liked ADWD a lot more than AFFC. GRRM has written himself into a bit of a corner by not aging the Stark children more and it will be interesting to see how he handles that in the remaining two books. I'd be surprised if the next book comes out before 2013. I think I should write him an email....

I swear to God, if you die Im raiding your grave, stealing your brain and fabricating a franken-Martin to finish the goddamn series!

Im only a bit into it and already finding it to be the better book. Finally catching up with Tyrion and Daenarys and finding out what happened with the Bastard of Bolton and Theon Greyjoy er Turncloak er...Reek (Now thats a twist I didn't see coming)

The way he's started off...whoa. Remembering what you wrote in your review, I have an idea it's going to get a lot bloodier before the end.

It does. You were warned. GRRM is a sick twisted SOB and an excellent writer..

Finished. Wow. Great book.

One thing; judging by the pace of his story arcs, is two more books going to be enough? I mean, a love the series, love his writing...but goddamn, Im getting to a point when I would love to just see the damn thing end! Send Jon back to Winterfell (he better not be dead, Martin you a-hole) Marry Aegon and Dany off and let them rule happily ever after (with, er, dragons. And Tyrion as part of their council) And send Davos back to his wife and remaining children to grow old and run around and laugh and giggle and be happy with them.

Yeah right. I came across a pretty funny meme recently;

I would be very surprised if he wraps things up in two books. The seven books thing came from his wife. Seven kingdoms, seven hells, seven faces of God, seven books.

He really should have made the children about 3-4 years older because somehow he has to have a 4-5 yr period where he can say "So-and-so took super secret training or found out they were really the last scion of this hero and came back a real bada$$".

He needs to start the next book with the sentence "It was five years since the events in blah-blah-blah". But since he likes writing cliffhangers it will be hard to do that. He's written himself into a bit of a corner. Oh well. I am willing to wait. I just hope the next book is out before 2015.

Cold Winds Are Rising Tease

Stannis-the character doing the voice over-is the dead king's middle brother. He is a thoroughly humorless man who insists upon doing everything by the book. Like Ned Stark he has immense respect for the law but he lacks Ned's kinder side or any sense of mercy. He's also much more practical. It will be interesting to see how he's portrayed in Season 2. In the books he occasionally gets privately peeved at why people don't like him more but he doesn't let it stop him from doing what he sees as necessary. He's possibly the most stubborn character in the whole series.

great teaser. i wonder if they will show off every viewpoint from the major player in teaser form?

I hope so. It sort of stinks that we have to wait until April. I think January would have been more appropriate but it is what it is.

Agreed, Lilo. I would have loved to see this new season starting next month.

Golden Globe Nomination

BEST TELEVISION SERIES – DRAMA
AMERICAN HORROR STORY (FX)
Twentieth Century Fox Television
BOARDWALK EMPIRE (HBO)
Leverage, Closest to the Hole Productions, Sikelia Productions and Cold Front Productions in association with HBO Entertainment
BOSS (STARZ)
Lionsgate Television in association with Grammnet NH Productions, Roya Productions and Old Friends Productions
GAME OF THRONES (HBO)
Bighead, Littlehead, 360 Television, Grok and Generator Productions in association with HBO Entertainment
HOMELAND (SHOWTIME)
SHOWTIME Presents, Teakwood Lane Productions, Cherry Pie Productions, Keshet, Fox 21

I've not read Bernard Cornwell yet but have heard a multitude of good things about him. So this interview between Cornwell and Martin was interesting.

In Production: Croatia

In Production: Belfast

A very small issue with the TV series was that the Stark direwolves were of course real dogs and WAY too small. The direwolves are supposed to be uncomfortably large as pups, make people nervous when they're half-grown and be as large as small ponies when full grown. No one in their right mind ever moves against a Stark while their wolf is around. It would be nice if in Season 2 or 3 HBO went with CGI or other special effects to bring out how large these beasts are.

Here are some interpretations that are true to the books.

Rickon Stark and Shaggydog

Sansa Stark and Lady

Robb Stark and Grey Wind

Jon Snow and Ghost

Arya Stark and Nymeria

Bran Stark and Summer

Season Two Preview

Nice. With every scrap of the new series I see, it gets better and better.

Really dug those pics of the Stark kids and their wolves, you're right (as you've pointed out before) once you've read the books and gotten a sense of the sheer size of the direwolves, the series is a tad disappointing. But as you've also mentioned before, the logistics of it would have been hard to pull off, and they did pretty well considering.

Although Jon and Robb are perhaps my favourites, I really love the Rickon, Arya and Bran ones in particular. Trying to figure out which one to make my new wallpaper.

Interview with Martin

In Production: Iceland

Tywin Lannister explains things

New Trailer
This will be good.

Interview with Natalia Tena

Season 2 starts on April 1.
GRRM is doing a lot of interviews and appears to be having the time of his life.
22 min interview about writing, growing up in Jersey, the media attention and his fans. No spoilers.

I can't wait for the second season to start. This is so cool. I think I'm going to re-watch the entire first season before April 1. This will begin as "Spartacus" ends it's second season. Lilo - are you or were you a comic fan? I think most of the fans of Thrones are fellow comic geeks.

Yup. I wasn't as big of a comic book geek as my brother who can quote chapter and verse about all sorts of obscure trivia but I read most of what he brought home.

Price for Our Sins Trailer

Starts here on August 10. Pleasantly surprised, since that seems to be around the same time you guys are getting it. Normally it's at least a few months after.

If I knew how to type in a 'fingers crossed' emoticon, I so totally would right now. Looks great, and thats an understatement.

Well I hate to be the bearer of bad news (Dark Wings, Dark Words, right ) but we get it on April 1, not August..

Goddammit!

heh-heh...

Anyway here is a new set of promos (at this rate will there be anything left to show in Season 2 ) that mixes up Season 1 scenes with a few Season 2 ones. A few of the trailers hint a bit too strongly imo at a Season 2 spoiler in a few places but other than that they're pretty good.
Which House do you Swear Allegiance to?

I've just started watching this through HBO on demand and so far I'm hooked. There are already a few characters I hate, Joffrey(however it's spelled) being one of them man that kid is an ungrateful punk. I would love for him to get his comeuppance

Iceman - it only gets better with every episode! I did the same with OnDemand and was hooked as well. Admittedly, I'm not familiar with the series of books - Lilo is the godfather in that department! Nonetheless, it is a great "world" to get lost in and enjoy the ride. I will be anxiously awaiting April 1st like everybody else. And yes - Joffrey proves to validate your hate by the end of season 1.

There are a lot of characters that I feel that way about and Joffrey is near the top of the list. I think one of Tolkien's characters actually anticipated some of Martin's writing.

“Deserves it! I daresay he does. Many that live deserve death. And some that die deserve life. Can you give it to them? Then do not be too eager to deal out death in judgement. For even the very wise cannot see all ends"

GRRM in UK and Potugal

I think everyone felt the same way on that damn kid. The thing with GRRM though (as you've probably noticed) is that people dont always get what it is they deserve.

Also, YES! GoT S2 starting on Showcase in Australia on April 10!!1! No laggy streaming for me this time round! Cheering!

I liked the new version of Robb Stark's wolf Grey Wind.

Can't wait to get home from work today and watch the second season premiere! Couldn't watch last night.

i can't wait to see ghost new look

From Sunday's episode (don't know how long this will be available)
Cersei Lannister explains what power is

Saw the episode - cool stuff. I wish that Dire Wolf would have at least nipped at that Lannister jerk in the cell. Question... why were those soldiers killing the babies and those other fellas? Were they after the guy with the bull helmet who was sneaking away with the Stark girl dressed as a boy?

I love this show and devoured last nights season 2 opener!!

But i have to admit, i have no clue what's going on

mark, if jamie dies...so does sansa. they were killing robert's bastards.

100% correct BAM!

The Starks can not kill or otherwise harm Jaime because whatever happens to Jaime happens to Sansa.

In the book it's Cersei who orchestrates the child killing, as much as out of a final revenge on her husband as for realpolitik. In the show it's unclear as to whether it's Cersei or Joffrey but it doesn't much matter, I guess. The goal is to eliminate any future contenders for the throne and to prevent people from noticing or talking about the fact that ALL of Robert's children are dark haired and not blonde like Joffrey and his siblings who were born from incest.

The fellow with the bull helmet is one of Robert's older illegitimate children, Gendry, and is said to be the spitting image of Robert, which is why the Lannisters are extremely interesting in killing him.

Check your PM, Yogi.

Thanks for the clarity, guys! I got it now!

http://insidetv.ew.com/2012/04/03/game-of-thrones-ratings-season-2/

I've been telling everybody that does not watch this that they are really missing the boat. I think they assume it is some weird Dungeons & Dragons/Harry Potter stuff but they are mistaken. This is a very good series!

Game Of Thrones wins Peabody Award

Fuck Yeah! How awesome!!!

Caught the first two ep's; and wow. Love it. I had a tingly feeling watching it. Once again, of course, a little different from the book, but well done and emminently watchable. Just awesome.

I'm the furthest thing from a feminist but the writers are significantly reducing the agency of two rather important female characters (Cersei Lannister and Catelyn Stark) and giving their insights or even actions to their sons.

Adaptations must make alterations of course and book and TV are different works of art but some of these changes are altering characters a bit too much.

In the books for example

I'm glad I read the books first. The show is still very enjoyable. But if you like the show and haven't read the books I would urge you to do so.

Great points Lilo. Also, once again, the pacing is way off. Ive noticed too, the portrayal of Stannis has been curiously unsympahetic. As a character I've always imagined as stoically "honour bound" and rigid, almost somewhat like Ned Stark, they seem like they're playing him off as a thuggish dick.

The scenes of Theon back on the Iron Islands though...AWESOME. Basically exactly what Id imagined.

Came across a few GoT memes and articles, thought Id share.

GoT cake.

Theons yearbook.

Jake Gleeson (Joffrey) on quitting acting after GoT to purse a career in academia: http://www.independent.ie/entertainment/...ng-3082256.html

Charles Dance, on "nailing" Tywin Lannister

They're definitely pulling it off, in any case.

Thanks MMB!!! Good finds.
I always thought the definitive scene between Tyrion and Tywin was in the war council last year where under his father's pitiless glare and atypically at a loss for words, Tyrion reaches for a goblet of wine and Twyin casually moves it out of his son's reach, while never taking his eyes off him.

Did anyone pickup the George Martin shout out to Lovecraft?

HP Lovecraft: "That is not dead which can eternal lie and with strange eons even death may die" used in discussing the great old God Cthulhu who looks similar to a giant octopoid and is trapped in a sunken city.


George RR Martin: "What is dead may never die but rises again, harder and stronger" used by Ironborn to describe their "Drowned God" who may take the form of a giant octopoid.

Game of Thrones continues to do well in viewership.
Variety Article

Richard Madden (Robb Stark) interview. His Scottish accent is much more obvious here. Interview

Seeing as we're about a week behind you guys, I've been streaming it after all. I need my fix ASAP. Just finished the fifth episode, and some points;

After episode four "Garden of Bones", its apparent that they're really endeavouring to get us to hate Joffrey. Not just hate him, but actually loath him. The scene with him beating the prostitutes went on just a little too long, no? I wonder if they mean to speed up his storyline pursuantto the books.

Also, apparently the healer Talisa is a composite character, primarily based on Jeyne Westerling. I do wonder at what their direction with her will be. An interesting note, the actress, Oona Chaplin, is apparantly a grand-daughter of Charlie Chaplin.

And Jojen and Meera? IIRC, it was Jojen that had the "Sea coming to Winterfell" premonition, no? And now its Bran. Am I right on that? I plan on rereading the books again very soon in any case, there's a few things Id like to clarify and check.

Also, as yet not Ramsay Bolton. Considering what a big part he plays in later story arcs, I'd be very surprised if he's left out.

So once again, a few things here and there (Renly's peach during his parlay with Stannis, Harranhal being changed to Harranhall and Tywin instead of Roose Bolton taking Arya as a cupbearer) but understandable in what needs to be done in regards to pacing and and streamlining the story. Cant wait for the next one.

Hey MMD!!

I don't think the Reeds have been cast so they might be out all together. It was Jojen that had the premonition. So far Robb's maternal relatives have not been shown either. I don't see how they can be left out with what is coming in the storyline.

I get that they only have 10 episodes and can not either for story or for money reasons include every character GRRM wrote. But a few of the changes were a bit unnerving. But I still trust the writers.

I guess they want to emphasize that Joffrey is a psycho but I already got that with the constant assaults on Sansa, the removal of the bard's tongue, the threatened murder of Ser Dontos, etc. I did like the brief happiness between Cersei and lil bro Tyrion that almost immediately went away.

And I am impressed with Gwendolyn Christie as Brienne. I had doubts but last night's episode removed them completely.

Hey Lilo. One plus to be said for coming into the series late; you could watch the entire season in one block rather than waiting for the weekly ration.

Honestly, I totally agree. When I first saw who'd been cast, I thought Christie was too pretty to play Brienne, but man, is she pulling it off. She swordfights better than most men on the show! And her rigid, ungainly and overly solemn traits are really coming through.

And of course! The Blackfish! Cant believe I missed that one, and the other Tullys.

I totally understand how some characters need to be cut, but the choices are somewhat alarming, to say the least. Who's going to to act as Brans guide? Osha I guess. Which raises more questions. And why is Tywin seemingly so much more likable than the books? Will this impact on his later storylines?

Apparantly Weiss and Benioff have said that rather than completely cut characters, they mean to introduce them more slowly. So...I guess we'll see what happens.

I think Tywin still scares most of the people he comes in contact with. Notice his dismissal of his cousin for what he saw as defeatist talk and threat to have him beheaded. They've made Joffrey worse and in comparison Twyin looks "nicer"..

The first three episodes were disappointing, but the last two are good. Hopefully they continue this line.

What did you like and what didn't you like?

[img]http://imgur.com/Wxor9[/img]

4chan's take on GoT.

Deleted Hodor Chapter;

[img]http://imgur.com/cW3iD[/img]

How I feel having just finished the first book;

I thought it was a nice touch how , faced with disrespect and possible mutiny by his men, Theon tries to use the same verbal smackdown that Robb Stark used in a similar situation. But Theon Greyjoy is not Robb Stark and the target of the supposed intimidation just laughs in his face. It would have helped to have had a direwolf too. Alfie Allen is doing a good job playing Theon. And Madden IS Robb Stark.

Sansa Stark gets a lot of fan contempt for her silly attachment to fairy tales, romances and belief in honor. But she was the oldest daughter. That is what she was taught and trained in by her parents. As we will no doubt see tonight or next week, Robb Stark has a lot (too many???) of the same beliefs about honor, doing the right thing and so on that can prove limiting in war time. It's not as obvious as with Sansa, because as a male he gets to be in a more active leadership role. The younger Stark children haven't yet had the opportunity to have been completely indoctrinated in Stark ethics and because of that and sheer necessity, will have to take a more flexible (realistic/Machiavellian??) approach to conflict.

And I really like Michelle Fairley as Catelyn Stark. Both her and Bean were a bit older than than the written characters but despite the writers taking actions away from Fairley, she is really shining in her role.

The first three episodes were very soap-like and slow-paced. Too much nakedness and boring dialoges to please the larger public and compensate for a slow start. The last two episodes finally made some progress and I expect the next ones will continue that line. I'm a fan of the first season and don't want to see this series being ruined by all that other bullshit.

Theon Greyjoy is a despicable character BUT one has to look at it from his point of view. He is an oath breaker and murderer but at the same time he is trying to remain loyal to his blood family who clearly despise him.

It's an interesting parallel with Tom Hagen, of all people, because both men were raised as "adopted children" by more powerful families and each of them knew they could never hope to inherit power from their adopted family. The difference though is that Hagen's family is gone and never had any conflict with the Corleones.

Theon's family is still very much around and has major unsettled business with the rest of Westeros and most especially the Starks. It was foolish for Robb to send Theon back to his family but was in keeping with the "honor before reason" characteristic which seems to plague Stark males. Once Theon's father decided to attack , Theon was in an impossible position. There was no way he could turn against his own blood. I thought Alfie Allen did a really good job portraying Theon's internal struggles as well as his essential need to prove that he's as good or better than the Starks.

Ultimately one could blame Ned Stark's mercy in taking Theon as a ward all those years ago instead of just ending the Greyjoys completely, which is certainly what Tywin Lannister would have done. But hindsight is always 20/20.

I was stoked to hear mention of Ramsay Snow in the latest episode. The Bastard of Bolton is going to have quite a big role in later seasons.

Also, Natalia Tena! Naked! That was...that was pretty damn awesome. Who would have thought Nymphadora Tonks would agree to a full nude scene?

GRRM Announcements:


Journal

Although I am told not in the books, the dynamic between Tywin Lannister and Arya Stark is very good. At this point, Tywin has figured out that Arya is "high born," and some people are speculating whether he'll actually find out she's a Stark or whether she'll slip away somehow.

The Battle of Blackwater will be portrayed in a few episodes. I heard a rumor that they were saving "battle budget" for this episode, but we'll see.

Yes, they have changed some things around from the books more so than from last season. Their show; their call. I don't mind...unless they start to alter the big picture. The Starks have maternal relatives/in-laws and the fact that they haven't been shown this season is a bit irksome since they have quite a lot to do with things, as it is mostly their kingdom where the majority of the war is fought.

I finally gave in and started watching game of thrones two weeks ago. It took me 2 days to watch season 1 and the first four episodes of season 2. It's clear to say... i'm hooked! LOL

Should i be reading the books?

I would say so. The first three books are magnificent pieces of charged writing. The books are long but don't waste words. Martin stumbles a bit in book 4 and gets over-indulgent in book 5. What's important in the books is that since they are all written from the POV of one of the main , or occasionally minor characters, you get to see that most people have very limited information and their own biases to work through.

Since there are internal thoughts you can understand character motivations and actions a little better. For example it is easy in hindsight to dismiss Ned Stark as an honorbound goody two shoes who was dumb on top of everything else. But when you're in his head and only working from the often bad or incomplete info he had while trying to process his tragic past you get to understand some of the decisions he made.
I would warn you though-Martin wrote all of the children 3-4 years younger than they are in the show. This can get uncomfortable by modern standards so aging them up was a good change the show made. The show has humanized Cersei too much imo and made a few other not so good changes but I'll stop here.

I love this show, but have to admit, there's so much going on that I get a bit confused at times.

Now and then there comes a series that you (well, at least I) have to watch twice to not get lost. I think I should start from the beginning now that I have a vague idea as to who's who.

Believe it or not they have greatly reduced the character count from the books.
Don, check your pm.
As far as your spoiler question...

I almost had some sympathy for Cersei in last week's episode. Even Tyrion looked like he genuinely sympathized with his sister and that's saying alot! Joffrey is a little Hitler running around.

The actress playing Dany is starting to lose me. Every week I have to hear about her dragons leads me closer and closer to insanity.

I think the actress is doing a great job playing Cersei but making her more sympathetic is a rather significant change from the books. We'll see how it turns out.

Yup. I think Danerys is more like her brother than she would like to admit.
I liked the Spice King's take down of her.."so you have no army, no money, no idea of what's happening in your homeland, and no plans on how you're gonna rule but you want me to give you some ships for which you'll gladly pay me next Tuesday? No thanks, little lady!"

It seems to be a recurring theme with folk that haven't read the books; WTF is going on? One thing to be said for it though; the surprise plot twists are just that; surprises.

As far as Dany, I agree with you Don Tomasso; I wish she'd just go to the House of the Undying already. Jaqen H'qaar; easily one of my favourite minor characters at this point. Cant wait to see how the rest of his story arc is going to be portrayed. "Unname me...please? ...a girl lacks honour" ...and zero fucks are given by Arya The exchange between Tyrion and Varys was awesome. And the writers are doing a great job of keeping continuity. A great example is made in Cersei capturing Tyrion's "whore"...remember the necklace Cersei referred to? Remember Episode 5 of Season 1?


Also, did anyone else catch a glimpse of Ned Stark in last nights ep?


Anyway...is anyone else a little depressed that we're already past episode 8? Only two left for the season then another long wait...but whatcha gonna do eh? At least we've got the upcoming Battle of Blackwater to look forward to. And, oh boy, are the next two season's going to be epic...

Also...found this. Thought Id share. Pretty damn cool.

Okay, ummm... first off: posting a pic with words that are censored here isn't good. They're censored for a reason, and that is because there are good woman here that don't appreciate seeing such things.

Anyway, as I said, I need to 'start over' to fully grasp this series. I have NO idea most of the names you mentioned, so... yeah..

And edit (or don't) that pic -- then I'll decide how to handle it.

I forget sometimes how offensive that word is to some. In Australia it's a noun, verb and adjective so...yeah.

Guess I found a loophole around the censoring!

Quick reference for some characters mentioned upthread.

Tyrion Lannister-The dwarfish youngest son of Tywin Lannister, the richest (and most vindictive) man in all the seven kingdoms. Tyrion is presently acting Hand (prime minister) to his nephew , King Joffrey. Tyrion is sarcastic and has a fetish for prostitutes. He's not overly fond of his family or their morals but they are his family. He is also one of the smartest men in the seven kingdoms and an excellent judge of human nature. He's not as vicious as the rest of his family but don't make him choose between you and them.

Arya Stark-The tomboyish youngest daughter of previous Hand Ned Stark. Before he was unjustly executed by Joffrey, Ned arranged for his daughter to be sent back home disguised as a boy. This plan fell apart when she was captured by enemies who don't know who she is. Arya is just a kid but has already seen a lot of killing. She's done some too. She saved the life of Jaqen H'garr.

Jaqen H'garr: He was a prisoner of whom other prisoners are scared. Because Arya saved his life and that of two other prisoners he told her that he would kill 3 people for her. He killed two but was shamed/forced into helping her when she gave him his own name as the final murder victim. There's a strong Rumpelstiltskin vibe to him as he has a very odd way of speaking, a warped sense of honor and in the last episode evidently killed at least a half dozen men virtually simultaneously and silently. So the viewer is not quite sure who or what he is but he's not your normal human warrior.

Varys: He is the spymaster of the realm and something of a frenemy to Tyrion Lannister. He manipulated Ned Stark into false confessions though he may not have intended Ned's execution. Very few people know what he's up to. He's survived and thrived under multiple kings. He is an eunuch and occasionally pretends to be quite effeminate in order to show people what he thinks they want to see. Notice in last episode he told King Joffrey he had no idea what was going on in the North but just afterwards gave Tyrion accurate information about what was happening a full continent away.

Cersei Lannister: Tyrion's big sister, wife to one king whom she had murdered, mother to another King and devotee of incest as her children are all fathered by her brother, Jaime. As Jaime is not around she's doing the do with her cousin. Something of a ur-feminist as she is quite frustrated by having to exert power through men instead of in her own name. Nowhere near as smart as she thinks she is but very dangerous in a "let's pull the wings off the fly because it's fun" sense. She set up Ned Stark. She also didn't want him executed but wasn't that upset by it. She doesn't like Tyrion at all for both personal reasons ( their mother died giving birth to Tyrion and Cersei blames him) and professional reasons (Cersei is upset that Tyrion gets to be The Hand).
Cersei thinks that all men can be manipulated sexually or by playing the victim and both respects and hates men who don't fall for that (her daddy, Tyrion, Ned Stark)

I wish that some new facebook billionaire would underwrite an extra 2 episodes for each season and shorten the wait between seasons. It would help a lot with pacing. But it is what it is.

Yesterday's episode covering The Battle of Blackwater was absolutely incredible. The way that Martin set it up is brilliant. You don't want Joffrey to particularly hold onto power, but you also know that if he falls that Tyrion goes with him, which you don't want. I know from the books that Tywin isn't supposed to be the nicest guy, but the way that Charles Dance has portrayed him and the way the writers have written the character it is difficult not to feel sympathy for him. Also, Lena Headey needs to submit this episode to the Emmy voting cabal for consideration. Her performance was absolutely brilliant!

Great point about Headey's performance. I wasn't necessarily a fan of the somewhat nicer Cersei that the show has given us but last night was the Cersei I know and hate.

I don't think it's a coincidence that the best episode of the season so far was written by GRRM and more or less stayed pretty faithful to the books.

Sansa gets a lot of fan hate, some deserved, some not but I think last night showed her , somewhat belatedly, learning to play the game. Her attempt to manipulate Joffrey into being in the front lines was excellent. Not every battle is fought directly or with swords. Arya wouldn't have lasted five minutes in Sansa's shoes.

Exactly my sentimonies. Both you guys.

Seriously; how awesome? The wildfire? So thats where the budget went. And that last scene with Cersei and Tommen, when Tywin strides in after Loras Tyrell "...we have won"

One more to go. Dany had better get to the House of the Undying.

I expect the finale to be anti-climatic based on yesterday's episode, but I've learned to expect the unexpected with this show so who knows!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sn2l2_v6Ur8

This song is epic!

Yup. Tywin Lannister is an insanely vengeful man who doesn't forgive or forget.
A Lannister always pays his debts, indeed.

If you haven't read the books yet these names might not mean a whole lot. But it's good to know they will be cast for season 3. Most of them should have already been introduced but as the creators said there are only so many new faces they can throw at the viewer in one season.

I am happy to see that Robb's maternal relatives will be cast as they are really critical to some things which already took place and some things which have yet to occur.

Season 3 Casting

The Blackwater episode was soooooooooo gooooood! It was well written and shot. The action kept me at the edge of my seat, but the scenes dedicated to Cersei and Sansa had equal amounts of tension. How do you top that?

Kit Harington (Jon Snow) talks about the process of filming and some differences between HBO's interpretation and the books.

Interview

Exactly. I looked around and don't think it was mentioned but season finale is 70 minutes long instead of the normal 58 or so. So maybe they will do their best to cram as much in as they can. Then we have to wait for another year...

Can't wait to see the finale. I hope the Imp is okay - he is my favorite character!

Season finale tonight. This season has veered away a bit more from the books, not always in good ways. I will be very interested to see the ending and very po'd to have to wait another year. Book 3 is being split up into two seasons.

Finale was a little under-whelming, but I was expecting that because of the success of the Blackwater Bay episode. I understand that they have made further deviations from the book. Having not read the books, I don't know what they are and whether you'll like them Lilo.

Great show & good season. This is a very good series and I look forward to season 3! Great "dream/fantasy" scene with Khal Drogo.

There are tons. Most work ok. But some do not. This one in particular bothered me


That said though the show is a different medium than the books. Coppola made changes to Puzo's text and created a masterpiece. But Benioff and Weiss already have better source text to work with than Coppola had. So I just don't want them to reinvent the wheel too much. Cut where needed but don't change the themes too much. I enjoyed this season but I was a little warier of the changes. If you like the show I would definitely recommend the books.

Last episode was the final? That sucks. It was a good episode, but I thought the there were still two to come. I did not really get the impression last episode was the final...

Yup. That was it. It set records for viewers
http://insidetv.ew.com/2012/06/04/game-of-thrones-finale-ratings-2/
but they're done until next year.

WTG, Khaleesi!! The Khaleesi sequences were the most beautiful, creative--and affecting--of both seasons. And: the return of Drogo!!

Don't f**k with the Mother of Dragons.

I can't stand the actress they have playing her though.

i feel like im the only person that hasnt watched any GOT episodes...not really interested in it i guess

Blasphemer!!1!

Seriously, it took me a while to watch this one since I wanted to savour our last episode of GoT for something like, another 300-odd days.
Luckily, It. Was. Awesome.

Agree with Lilo in that the motivations for certain actions are being over-looked, but Im trying to trust in the fact that Gurm is executive producer. Im particularly impressed by Alfie Allen's performance ("That f**king hornblower!") Who would have thought Lily Allen's little stoner brother could act so well? Also, the guy they casted as Pyat Pree (the warlock who 'stole' Dany's dragons) was an inspired bit of casting, IMO.

There's an article floating around that's an interview with produer Benioff, where the details around why certain characters from the books have been delayed and how they plan on approaching the upcoming seasons. If I can find it again Ill post it.

IIRC the next book was planned for 2013, Which means we'll be lucky to get it by 2016. Fingers crossed!

Two to one odds that it's 2017...

Martin reads from new book-says it will be done in 2-3 years-maybe

I find her quite saucy

Question... At the end of season 2, did Robb Stark marry the brunette nurse or the gal he was promised to that his mother often spoke of?

Robb married the brunette nurse, Talisa.

Thanks, Li - I wasn't sure.

Natalia Tena Interview

Joe Dempsie Interview

Political Ads from Westeros

My favorite character of GOT;is Tyrion Lannister, is certainly the most clever and nice of his family, used to solve the problems with the cunning could not use force, there is a song by a singer Fabrizio de Andrè, called a Judge, that this also speaks of a dwarf. Here is the text translated into English.



What does it mean to have five feet of height?,
will rivelan the eyes and jokes of the people,
or the curiosity of a cheeky girl
that comes close only for his impertinent doubt:
wants to see if it is true, what is said around the dwarves, which are best provided by virtue less apparent,
among all the virtues, the most indecent.

The years go bythe months, and if you count them even the minutes, is sad being adults, without being grown;
detraction insists, beats the tongue on the drum far as to say that a dwarf, is a bastard for sure because his heart is too, too close to the asshole.

Was in the sleepless nights,stayed awake in the light of the anger that I prepared the exams.
I became Public Prosecutor to take the road that from the benches of a cathedral leads to the sacristy, and in the chair of a tribunal,
Judge ,finally ,arbiter on earth of good and evil.
And then my stature does not dispensed more good humor who stood to the bar told me Your Honour, and entrust them to the Executioner, was a all mine pleasure before to kneel in the
hour of farewell do not know for nothing, the stature of God.

Just finished the second season. Good show. Sort of reminds me of The Tudors in a way but with more sorcery and whatnot.

Except for Tyrion (the imp), who has a good heart, I hate the Lannisters with a passion and hope every one of them meets a grisly death. Jaimme Lannister is funny though. The constant insults he heaped on the big chick knight had me rolling.

I don't recall a show with such a huge regular cast. It's a lot to keep track of. Anyway, I guess the third season won't be until March.

Officially my favourite greentext from 4chan.

Ed Skrein has been cast as Daario, an untrustworthy and vicious but extremely debonair and handsome sellsword with whom Daenerys falls in lust. He is described as having a blue beard and a fondness for the finer things in life. GRRM describes he and Daenerys as enjoying each other every way a man and woman could and then some.


Jacob Anderson has been cast as Grey Worm, the leader of a Spartan like group of soldiers known as The Unsullied, who do not ever give or ask quarter. Ever. He will be sworn to Daenerys. Grey Worm is not exactly a conversationalist but like all of The Unsullied he is loyal unto death and virtually immune to pain.

From Games of Thrones - Italy










[img:center]http://a3.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-

Pretty good.

GRRM Podcast discussion

I know what you mean i've tried watching it a couple of times just can't get into it though .

Dudes, what the fuck. I mean, seriously...what the fuck.

My brother started reading GoT a few days ago. He's now up to CoK and accosted me this afternoon when he came over to my place; "DUDE! OMFGWTFBBQ!!! SO FUCKING GOOD!!1! FRIGGIN' NED MAN! Cant believe he killed a main character! Anyway, I like Tyrion, John, Robb, Theon's pretty cool, Walder Frey was funny as shit, someone's obviously going to torture/kill Joffrey and put his head on a spike, fuck Jaime, also I like..."

Just you wait, little bro. Just you wait.

The very clear and very simple conversation Robb Stark should have had with Ser Rodrick before heading south.

Robb: "I want you to keep five hundred men manning the walls of Winterfell. At all times. Understand?

Ser Rodrick: "Yes, I understand."

Robb: "Good, now, how many men do you take from Winterfell to go off and rescue a bannerman in trouble from an attack anywhere else in the North?"

Ser Rodrick: "I suppose I'd take all of th-"

Robb: "No, that was a trick question. You're not taking any men from Winterfell. No. Taking. Men. From. Winterfell."

HBO has let us know that a new “In Production” featurette will air tomorrow night at 8:54 P.M. Eastern Time, prior to the finale of Boardwalk Empire. The Game of Thrones: In Production video will feature “interviews with the creators, cast and more,” providing our first official look at season three and at some of its new characters!

Looking forward to season 3 starting. HBO OnDemand is letting out a few teasers here & there. "Wintah izz coomin'!"

I love Rose Leslie's accent.

Winter is coming.....though not quickly enough for my liking!

Season Three In Production Tease

cant wait for this to come back on,kinda sucks they dont show any huge battle scenes though

More Season 3 Teases

Season 3 New Photos Slideshow

How can you cancel HBO...they got Bill Maher. BILL FUCKING MAHER. My favorite liberal.

Intensity of Iceland

http://mywatchbegins.com/

George R.R. Martin, on whose fantasy book series HBO‘s hit drama Game Of Thrones is based, has signed a two-year overall deal with the pay cable network. Under the pact, Martin will continue as co-executive producer on Game Of Thrones, whose Season 3 premieres March 31. Additionally, he will develop and produce new series projects for the network.

http://www.deadline.com/2013/02/game-of-thrones-george-r-r-martin-signs-overall-deal-with-hbo/

Daenerys shows why she has the best claim to be Queen

She's got my support

Looks good doesn't it. Season 3 is going to be something else.

From Carmelo Anthony's twitter page.

David Petrarca, who has directed episodes of Game of Thrones and Boardwalk Empire, among other things, talks about his experiences, the difference between film, theater and tv and why The Godfather would never get made today.

Interview

Seven days and seven hours until Season 3 premiere.

Game of Thrones is the most important show on television

You are not alone in your love for GOT, Lilo! I held off looking at this thread because I just caught the third season premiere OnDemand this afternoon. Good stuff. It's great to have this back! This has to be one of the best shows on cable. I'm glad they showed a little of each major story lines instead of focusing on one or two exclusively.

i really enjoy this show. i love all the medieval stuff! the only problem i have, is that its very hard for me to keep up with all of the different kingdoms/alliances. it might be partly my fault though, as even though i have seen all of the episodes, i was only a casual viewer for all of season 1 and into the beginning of season 2.

FF - I'm not sure of all the nuts & bolts of the show either but I find that rewatching the first and second season helped a lot. I also like the special HBO "Inside the Episode" segments as well. My advice - don't get too consumed with details and just enjoy. It will all make sense eventually. As a bonus for us here on the BB, Lilo is a wealth of knowledge of all things Throne! Post a question/concern - he loves talking about this and he is very sharp!

Just watched the first episode of the new series....and i still have no clue as to what is going on It is very good though!!

(Cracks knuckles) Well since you asked....

It would take a very very long time to explain everything and likely bore people to tears.
It would probably bore me and I love the freaking books/show.

To make a very long story a little less long...

It's about a war of succession that takes place in a environment similar to Europe and surrounding regions circa 1400's. The author based parts of his story on the Hundred Years War and especially the War of The Roses. There are some "good" guys but not a lot. There are a lot more bad guys but most people are somewhere in between.

The primary battling families are the Starks (mostly good, close stand-ins for the Yorks, similar to Scots/Northumbrians) and the Lannisters (mostly bad, stand-ins for the Lancasters)

The previous king was murdered by his wife. The new king's son actually has no right to the throne as he is a product of incest between his mother (a Lannister) and her brother. He doesn't know this but wouldn't care if he did. He's a psychotic. The previous king's best friend and right-hand man( Ned Stark) discovered the incest but got out maneuvered by the court treasurer and executed by incest-boy at the end of season 1.

Of course the Starks aren't gonna take this lying down. They seceded and started a war. They are being led by Ned Stark's teen son, Robb. So far he's won every battle but has made some political mistakes and is no closer to reaching the capital, rescuing his sisters and bringing the pain to Joffrey Lannister. He and his mother Catelyn have also recently had something of a falling out.

Joffrey Lannister's parentage was known to the dead king's middle brother (Stannis), who launched his own war for the crown but was (temporarily) defeated. Stannis has swtiched religions. Other leading families are either staying neutral or lining up behind either the Starks or Lannisters, depending on what's best for them. Most people are SEVERELY self-interested.

In the background there is a growing magical threat to all humanity mostly offstage while the last scion of a regime deposed 20 years ago, a teen girl (Daenerys), is overseas gathering soldiers to take back what she sees as her rightful throne. Meanwhile spymasters and court treasurers scheme to one-up each other and take down their rivals.

That's an extremely attentuated summary, believe it or not..

Good lord, there are so many plots, sub plots, sex, violence, betrayal.... you need a diagram or something. Are there blogs out there on this series>

Yeah I watched that for the first time the other day too it doesn't make any sense would start from the beginning

lilo, what about calise? i seem to remember thinking that she was related to/the heir to one of the thrones, but was exiled so that someone else could take over?

Yes she is. Her name is Daenerys. Khaleesi is a title. It is her family that was overthrown 20 years prior. All of her relatives were killed except for her and her older pervy brother, Viserys. Her brother sold her in an arranged marriage to Khal Drogo (Khal =King, Khaleesi=Queen). Her brother hoped thereby to use his new in-law's army to retake his lost throne. Unfortunately for them, her brother proved to be a total ****. When Khal Drogo wasn't moving fast enough for Viserys' liking, Viserys made the tragic mistake of threatening Drogo and more importantly Daenerys and her unborn child.

Drogo killed Viserys. But later Drogo died from an infected wound. Daenerys lost the support of most of Drogo's warriors and now is trying to make her own way in the world with a small core of supporters...and dragons.

The leader of Stannis' fleet, the old guy who was rescued off a rock and wanted to go back only to be thrown in a dungeon?? He must come from my neck of the woods cos he has a similar accent to me!!

In real life of course. I don't live in Westeros

Interesting Yogi. Obviously I can't consistently tell most of the British or related accents apart but I believe that actor is actually Irish. I wonder if the accent he's using in the show is his own. I'll listen more closely next time.

Indeed you are right Lilo, well spotted. Checked on imdb and he is Irish. Why is he sporting a north eastern accent then??

Lena Headey is broke?
http://tv.yahoo.com/news/lena-headey-bro...l?.tsrc=rawnews

I guess a Lannister can't always pays his or her debts!

About this show, I'm really waiting for the last book to come out so I could spoil the rest of the story for myself. Mind you, not by actually reading it, but by going through the abridged plot on the wikipedia. The series is moving too slowly. I really can't wait years to know what happens in the end.

Given the author's advanced age, weight, interest in other projects and slow writing style you might be waiting a while. He did tell the HBO creators the general outline of how he currently sees the story ending in case he passes on or the show catches up to the books.

Headey can come cry on my shoulder...

I'm not sure why the last time I checked "A wiki of ice and fire" I was under the impression that only one book is left. Goodness gracious, there's a 7th book left and with no end in sight for the 6th. Back to plans for water-boarding Martin.

I'm sorry but Brienne beating Jaime Lannister in a sword fight was soooooo not believable; even with his hands chained.

And how HOT is Margaery (played by Natalie Dormer)? I remember her from The Tudors.

OMG!

Possibly. Jaime is the best swordsman in the land bar none but his hands were manacled. He was losing but the fight wasn't over. It goes down a little differently in the book. Brienne is repeatedly referred to as a freak of nature by everyone who sees her. She's bigger and stronger than most men and much heavier than Jaime.

I like Dormer.

I felt Jamie just wanted to have some fun. Anyway, I'm not sure why I thought Theon was killed in the last season. Wasn't he giving a brave speech and then one of his men kill him in a funny turn of events? I'm losing my memory.

He gave a VERY rousing speech and then was hit from behind by one of his men. The series didn't show what happened after that.

Hmm... So he was not stabbed. I thought he was. Thanks. Also, about that brother and sister that found Bran, we didn't see anything about them in the last season, did we?

Nope. They should have been included last season. A lot of book purists were upset about that.

Thanks! You know, this fate of character spoiling I've done for myself along with my bad memory has left me really confused. I think I had a dejavu when I saw that boy last night. But then that scene with Margaery, her grandmother, and Sansa made me grin widely, cause I know what's coming out of it.

Poor Jaime. No good deed goes unpunished.

Man, what was with that end credit music?

At Entertainment Weekly Benioff and Weiss had this to say about the end credit song (which is actually a version of Martin's "Bear and The Maiden Fair")

Yeah, there's no denying that it matched the ending, but it was just soooooo unexpected.

And I must add, although I've read what happens to most of characters, it still came as a shock. This series is that good.

Loving this season so far. Great show... period. Good to see Jaime act like a human being. Out of character for a Lannister! BTW - great avatar, afs!

Thanks Mark.

Don't underestimate Daenerys...or Varys for that matter.

Great ending for this episode. :]

The essence of last night's episode was about underestimating people and revenge. The Daenerys ending was fantastic. And I intend to find that music. But the Varys/Tyrion scene as well as the Tywin/Cersei scene were both enjoyable.

Say what you will about Tywin, but if it's about to get dangerous, I want him on my team.

Wasn't the music work of Djawadi? It sure sounded like his. His works just sound too close to home for me. He mixes our music with Western music and the result is just too intriguing. Everyone knows a bit of their own in there and it takes you to the corners that have not been explored before.

As for Tywin, he is all right, but I really can't reconcile with his treatment of Tyrion.

BTW, was that sorcerer the same one that was preparing wildfire potions or was it someone else?

I'm pretty sure the sorcerer in a box was someone else. If we're talking about the same person the cackling pyromancer from Season 2 was played by the British actor Roy Dotrice, who is a friend of Martin's and does the readings for the audiobooks.

Maybe it was Djawadi. He's done soundtrack work for the series before. Whoever it was I need that music for my own personal soundtrack..

Thanks Lilo. I guess we have to wait till the soundtrack for the entire season 3 comes out.

Wow, these were explosions? I didn't catch that last night.

Yup. Drogon handled his business..

I purposely avoid this thread until I have seen the week's offering OnDemand. That was indeed an awesome ending to a great episode. Lots and lots of plotting, conniving and underhanded dealings going on! Daenerys Targaryen is amazing. I love what they have done with her character. I have not read any of the books and I enjoy being surprised every week with the story lines and plot twists. I am officially a "GOT Nerd".

Game of Thrones was Sunday's top cable original with a 2.6 up from last week's 2.4 adults 18-49 rating. The NBA Playoffs came in second with a 2.3 adults 18-49 rating.

Ratings

Ramin Djawadi Interview

Thanks for the link Lilo! He has great taste and is cute too.

Brotherhood without banner worships the same lord of light that red sorceress is preaching. Weird.

I had no idea to this episode why Jamie was called the king slayer. I thought they were talking about him killing Robert. He seems to have a nag for killing kings.

Seeing the decisions that Rob Stark is making, I've stopped caring about him.

^^^
I liked how the show peels the onion back to give you different perspectives. Melisandre and Thoros worship the same God. But one of them is a whackjob that burns alive people who refuse to believe as she does, while the other one seems to have a much friendlier way of spreading the gospel.

Remember that Jaime's sister killed Robert, or at least set him up.
Speaking of that how about that Lannister family confrontation near the end? Tywin Lannister is an extremely domineering man..

Yeah, Cersei set up Robert, but didn't Jamie finish him off? Anyhow, I'm not sure if people found out about that anyway, but since they kept calling him kingslayer, I assumed they knew.

Man, tell me about Tywin. Cersei's first husband said another woman's name during sex, just imagine how sex would be if she marries Tyrell. Tyrion got the sweeter part of the deal really.

Remember that Jaime had already assaulted Ned, killed his guards and ran out of town when Cersei arranged Robert's "accident".

If Loras and Cersei got married and were expected to produce an heir that would be a very long and likely very uneventful wedding night.

Do you think that either Tyrion or Cersei could say no to their father as far as marrriages? I was wondering about that. It's one thing to have an arranged marriage when you're a kid but they're both well into their thirties. What would happen if they each refused Tywin's order?

I've to watch that episode again.

I think they could say no if they really didn't want to go through with it. Case in point Brienne. But they like their birthright and their money too much to displease their father and risk living in poverty. At any case, makes me grateful that I'm not part of any royal house, to be treated like an incubator for some royal offspring.

Will True Blood get dethroned?
Following the previous week’s dragon-unleashing stunner, HBO’s Game of Thrones climbed in the ratings Sunday night for the fifth episode of the season.
Thrones delivered 5.3 million viewers for its first airing at 9 p.m. That’s up 8 percent from the previous week, which was also a record high, and had built on a previous record high this season. The show was watched by 6.7 million across two plays. So far, Thrones is averaging 13.4 million viewers for season 3 once all airings and DVR playback is accounted for — almost 2 million more than the season 2 average.

http://insidetv.ew.com/2013/04/30/game-of-thrones-hits-another-series-high/

Tyrion's response to his father's marriage edict is priceless! He reminds him of how Sansa has been "tortured" ever since Joffrey brought her to King's Landing. I am not surprised how popular this series has become. I often told Mrs. Mark that she missed the boat on this one... she gave up after the third episode of season 1. Bless her heart - she tried! Great show - best show on HBO and in many ways better than Sopranos. Yes, I did say that.

Tywin would fit very well in any organized crime family..

I did watch the first episode of Sopranos, but it didn't peak my interest to follow that series. And Trueblood has a throne in HBO? Oh, my! Now I'm thinking why HBO didn't have a decent show for a while that something like Trueblood take that honor.

If Game of Thrones were on Facebook

Someone put a lot of time into this. Hilarious stuff.

http://www.happyplace.com/23726/game-of-thrones-facebook-recap-season-3-episode-6

I liked the sparring between Lady Tyrell (Diana Rigg) and Twyin Lannister (Charles Dance). Neither one gives an inch. They will do what is best for their respective families and aren't overly concerned about who gets hurt in the process.

Tell me about it, that scene was much more exciting than a sword fight.

This is so funny

Baelish's speech on chaos is a ladder in this episode was epic.
It was used in this preview, weeks before season3 started.

After this week's Bear episode I am finding more reasons to like Jaime Lannister... I don't want to but he just keeps doing the right things.

What do you think of the pace this year Mark? I have seen some complaints of too many storylines and not enough action.

this is the way that i feel. i'm not say the show, or this season, haven't been good, but the storylines are just so complex that the more they delve into it, the more of a clusterfuck it becomes. why not exploit todays amazing cgi, and give alot of the hardcore fans what they want: insane medieval battle scenes? there is plenty of room for both, but personally i think the audience deserves more than 1 per season!

Me and Mrs. Dicknose watch this together all the time

Lilo - I am enjoying this season very much! Like I said before, I didn't read the books so I am entertained without any preconceived bias. I agree that there is a lot going on with many different characters and it can get a bit confusing but I find that if I have a question about something or someone, it usually gets clarified within that episode or the next.

I have heard this increasingly. The show runners have made some significant changes to source material. Some of this was good, some of it, ehhhh. The ratings were a little down for last week's episode but I expect that to change. Maybe next season they can rearrange things to minimize down time.

Hey Mark!
In last week's episode when Margaery was going on at length about the different kinds of men and sex and clueless Sansa asked her about how she knew about any of this, you could almost see the wheels spinning in Margaery's brain as she was thinking "how dumb is this girl?".

It's great writing but I hate how we're seeing some of Jaime's redemption. I'm not sure you can be redeemed from sleeping with your sister and trying to kill a kid but it's a very gray world..

He did say "you can't choose who you love" to Brienne. And also told her to kill the guy that saw them, had she done that, they wouldn't have gone through what they did. He has his own set of morals. He is a practical man, not necessarily moral, but he isn't downright evil to need redemption. This is how he has always been. Doing the right thing when it doesn't cost him much, but his safety and that of those he cares about come before any other sense of morality.

Interesting take. I may be biased since I am a Stark fan but shouldn't Jaime have tried a different solution than throwing Bran out of the window? And once his sister got married wasn't it selfish to continue things with her?

His solutions are very short and uncomplicated. He didn't say for example to capture that man and take him with us, or without killing the king, he didn't find another solution to disarm him. He does what he think is necessary fast and without emotion. Also, he is a king's guard, so he can't marry or have children. These houses marry for station, not love. And his sister doesn't like Robert one bit. She loves him and he loves her in return. Do you remember him saying to Cat that he at least has always been faithful to her sister, unlike Ned who has strayed? I'm not saying he isn't selfish or he is moral. But given the chance to do something good when it doesn't cost him much, he does the right thing, he is loyal to those he cares about and he is not downright evil like his offspring.

I don't think his brief bouts of thinking of others make up for a lifetime of mostly thinking of himself.

And my point is, I just don't think he is on the path to redemption. He is pretty much what he has always been. Selfish, not entirely moral, but loyal and not downright evil. That's all.

"Your brother will become your father-in-law, that much is beyond dispute."

That conversation was funny!

http://www.happyplace.com/24039/game-of-thrones-facebook-recap-season-3-episode-8

That was great tonight, and that wasn't even the season final.

Michelle Fairley as Catelyn Stark has really grown on me. I thought she was a little shortchanged this season but last night's work was amazing.

No end music. It was even more brutal to have no end music after that.

So is salt and bread a thing in other cultures as well? In ours it has significant meaning, when you eat salt and bread of someone, you become loyal to them.

Wow... That massacre scene was really well made, never saw that coming. Depressing episode.

I kept thinking, never let your guard down. Seems like all those old cranky lords are not to be trusted. Still it was one hell of a night. I now wish that I had read the books at times. Then again it would ruin the show if you know everything in advance.

Great people doing a great show with super sets and story line. I just can't wait to the next one.

In the US it would probably be beer and pretzels...but the meaning is the same.

Yes that was horrible...

I just played the reaction YouTube video for my wife, who has read the series, and she wished she recorded my recation. I had a bad feeling when Lady Stark noticed the musicians playing the Lanister song.

Really, really cold-blooded.

That would've been fun to watch!

It didn't make much sense to me as it was happening. I thought it was a little overkill, no pun intended, for a simple broken oath. But when they said, "The Lannisters send their regards," it all made sense. I haven't read the books, so I really don't know, but I wouldn't be surprised to see Jon Snow take over the Stark family. You know, the bastard son being the underdog and all. Maybe I'm way off. Anyway, great episode. Can't wait until the finale.

Don't know how long this clip will stay up...

The books and show were really close the first year and since then have diverged a little more as show creators Benioff and Weiss became more comfortable with their own interpretation. The impact of Sunday's episode was also felt in the books.

If you like the show I suggest reading the books. The first three, anyway are really really good.

Link might have spoilers for those who have not seen episode 9 of season 3.
Oh Shit, I Totally Forgot That Happens!

The Onion

BTW, I just spotted the soundtrack for season 3 on torrent sites, so it must be out.

Yes. The digital version is at iTunes and Amazon while the CD will be released July 9th.

Ramin Djawadi!

Wow - I just saw the "Red Wedding" episode. Now the joke that I heard makes sense...

Q: Why doesn't George RR Martin use Twitter?
A: Because he killed off all 144 characters!

What an episode! Can't wait to see the season finale!

Everyone has different tastes of course but I believe if you're not watching this show you're missing a treat.

Game of Thrones most watched HBO series since The Sopranos

The patriarchs of both the Corleone and Stark families make some very critical mistakes which bring both their families to the brink of utter and complete destruction. Neither of them realizes that the world has changed in some very fundamental ways since they took power. Therefore each of them is a little too secure in his power and doesn't realize that other people are playing by a different set of rules.

Ned Stark doesn't recognize that Queen Cersei or the relatively low-born Littlefinger can actually be threats. So he, from misguided mercy and benevolent sexism, informs Cersei that he intends to act against her, never imagining that she will dare to harm him or the king, in order to keep her secret safe. He makes his disgust with Littlefinger clear and refuses to take Littlefinger's advice. Ned even states that he will act in a manner which is clearly opposed to Littlefinger's best interests. He is nonetheless shocked that both Littlefinger and Cersei act in ways which, while dishonorable and underhanded, advance their own interests to Ned's fatal cost.

Vito Corleone doesn't suffer from mercy or honor but he does have Ned's pride. And it's this pride which makes him think he can impose his personal distaste for drugs onto the entire NY Mafia. It's pride which makes him overestimate Luca's abilities and his own craftiness, thus throwing away his most valuable warrior even before the war begins. It's pride (an unwillingness to look into details?) which makes him not realize that Paulie is a traitor until it's too late. He doesn't pay the same price that Ned does but the impact is pretty much the same. Like Ned, his oldest son has to take over a few years before he's ready.

Robb Stark is like his father in just about every way. He might even be a little more dangerous on the battlefield. He never loses a battle. Like Sonny is described in the book, Robb Stark is a relentless executioner who doesn't mind getting his hands bloody. But just like Santino Corleone, he lacks the ability to see the big picture. Finally his enemies use his strength (his honor and need to play by the rules) against him. Trying to make amends for a broken betrothal Robb is betrayed in a very ugly way. He never saw it coming.

Similarly Sonny possesses all of Vito's strength and then some. Although calling Sonny honorable might be a stretch he does believe in protecting the younger and weaker members of his family, a positive quality that much like Robb's honor is calculatedly turned against him and used to bring about his demise.

In The Godfather the Corleones had Michael to step in after what looked like total disaster, get revenge and make the Family even stronger than before. He had the benefit of learning from his father's and brother's mistakes as well as getting a crash course in being a boss from his Dad.

In The Game of Thrones series, it's unclear as to whether Martin wants to even go down the Stark revenge path. He enjoys subverting expectations, maybe too much so at times. The remaining Starks are very young but each will have powers which I won't discuss here just yet. Martin has not finished the series so no one except Martin and the HBO show runners know what the ultimate plans are. It may well be though that the Starks will get some measure of justice/revenge/rebirth. Their totem animal is the direwolf. The initial title for the final book in the series was "A Time for Wolves".

Did you see it coming Mark?

No, Lilo, nothing like that. I thought Robb might say or do something when his wife was being harassed/humiliated/insulted before everybody but nothing like an Atlantic City Massacre in GF3. I saw George RR Martin on Today show and he was pleased with the audience reaction... exactly what he wanted from people who love his characters as they love their own friends & family. My initial reaction was like when Janice shot Richie in Sopranos - I thought; "Did that really just happen?" Good stuff.

The red wedding was shocking and confusing at the same time. But from a neutral perspective, Robb Stark did have it coming the moment he broke his oath and married that foreign girl. Even though that scene was gruesome and very sad it is also great drama and does improve the show.

Overall, season 3 is much better than season 2 and is the best season so far. I found season 2 disappointing, but season 3 has brought back my interest and excitement and again I can't wait for the next season to begin.

Btw, did anyone know the actress who played Robb's wife is the granddaughter of Charlie Chaplin?

This episode didn't feel like a finale though. Nothing of consequence happened really. And so we have to wait another year.

Finally watched the last episode of the season. I love anytime Tywin Lannister puts Joffrey in his place.

Indeed

At least they didn't end the season with the red wedding, that would about everyone angry XD

Joel Fry will be playing Hizdahr zo Loraq, a princeling who, if the show remains true to the books, But it's a little early to introduce him. I expect there will be narrative changes.

This series comes back for Season 4 on Sunday April 6.
This Sunday will see the first release of what I am sure will be many trailers.

Thanks for posting the date of the new season i looked a week or two ago and it hadn't been released. I still think the show is quite overrated, but it's still a good show. Coincidentally it starts the day after my birthday.

Can't wait for this to start up again. Thanks for the heads up!

WINTER IS COMING!!

First Trailer For Season 4

Oberyn Martell and Ellaria Sand. They don't like Lannisters..

The only one that applies to me is 8, but i'm the one that avoids bringing it up. I do like the show, but i think it's highly overrated and i can't hold a conversation about it for longer than 10 minutes. The red wedding episode was great though.

The console wars/Game of Thrones South Park episodes were hilarious.

Season Four Preview: A Foreshadowing

It would be nice if the penultimate episode is not the WTF moment for the entire season. So if they've changed that this year, good on them.

Vengeance Trailer

Benioff and Weiss have confirmed they intend to do 7 seasons of GoT. This means GRRM has 3 years left to get two (or more) books done. Based on GRRM's past this appears unlikely. In fact since GRRM has given the ending to Benioff/Weiss there is a chance that show watchers could end up spoiling the ending for book readers.#ironic

10 days left!

Carice Van Houten Interview

Benioff Weiss Interview

I drink your milkshake and eat your chicken!

Facebook recap

why haven't we seen the dragons much this season? have they ran away from theirs mother?
what happens to them in the books?

Unfortunately Martin has not completed the book series so I couldn't say what the final end will be for the dragons. But no they haven't run away. The TV series is moving into a point where Daenerys discovers more and more that having the living functional equivalent of WMD is not exactly a cakewalk. The TV series is also moving into a point where Daenerys' storyline in the books anyway got bogged down. I mean really bogged down.

However Martin has told the showrunners what he expects the ending to be. The TV show has already pulled stuff ahead from future books in the series and unpublished books so I expect that we will see more than few dragon scenes in the second half of this season. My guess is the CGI is expensive so they only use it when 100% necessary. Per Martin the dragons still have a lot of growing to do. This is Martin's conception of how large a full grown dragon is.

This shows so fucking good !!!!

Very cool, Lilo! Daenarys' dragons are back and incinerating people and goats, while Westeros are still saying stuff like "oh wells, they're tiny".

Oceans are wide and mail is slow, nobody has seen a live dragon for over a century and a healthy on for a century and a half, they dont know how fast they grow.

Its a theoretical threat they havent grasped the enormity of yet!

Exactly. Not many people know and those that know don't believe.

Want to know how the story of Game Of Thrones ends? Well, you'll have to wait for a while as the author, George R R Martin has admitted that he still has to write the last book.

As he enjoyed a day in the sun shopping, the author was asked by TMZ about whether the last book would be finished by the time the show approached its final season. Responding to the question, Martin joked:

"Who the hell knows?"

Revealing where he's at with his writing, Martin went on to say: "I'm not even working on the last book yet. I'm working on the next to last book."


http://www.entertainmentwise.com/news/14...Of-Thrones-Book

there getting big already,

Last weeks was cool , only three more to go till the finale a few good characters I wanna see next season , night watch white walker coldhands & Danys nephew ageon targargen will be interesting to see ageons army the gold company invade westeros for the iron throne also to see what position that puts dany in???

no episode this week hate waiting

Lilo, will it be revealed as to why the Imp's lover ex-whore testified against him and broke his heart? I think someone got to her and threatened her life? Cersai?

Well... perhaps. It was revealed in detail in the books. If you remember the last time Tyrion saw her he could not convince her to leave or that her life was in danger. So he said some very ugly things to her (which he didn't believe) in order to get her to depart and hopefully save her life. Unfortunately Tyrion was so convincing that Shae believed him.

So she certainly has a motive to hurt Tyrion.

Tyrion arranged with Bronn to put Shae on a boat overseas but as we know from the last episode Bronn has switched allegiance to Cersei/Tywin. So either Bronn turned Shae over to the Lannisters or they took her but in any event she's back. Likely Tywin and/or Cersei made Shae an offer she couldn't refuse. Remember that Tywin threatened to hang the next prostitute he found Tyrion with. And Tywin doesn't make idle threats..

Thanks, Lilo. I knew I could fount on you for a good answer. Really enjoying this season.

Dinklage should win something for this work here. I wonder if British people find his accent convincing.

Agreed. Dinklage has been a bright spot of this entire series!

No problem Mark! There are some rather significant events still to occur in the final 3 episodes. I will (and I hope other book readers do as well) do my best not to spoil them.

hahaha smash the beatles such a great episode

“Game of Thrones” has whacked “The Sopranos” off its ratings perch.

As the fantasy drama nears the end of its fourth season, HBO reports that “Game of Thrones” is now the most popular series in the network’s history. Episodes of the show, which first air on Sunday nights, have an average gross audience of 18.4 million viewers, according to Nielsen.

The previous high, set by the 2002 season of “The Sopranos,” was an average gross audience of 18.2 million viewers per episode. Season three of “Game of Thrones” had an average gross audience of 14.4 million viewers per episode...

http://variety.com/2014/tv/ratings/its-o...ver-1201214357/

Hell of a way to end season 4. I'd put the episode in the top five of the entire series so far.

I thought the season was good. But the best source material has already been used. Next season will see much more non-canon creations.

The past two season finales have been fantastic! They kill of a major character, and then make you spend almost a year wondering WTF will happen next!

a whole year now till its back on hurry up HBO

Very much enjoyed this season. Can't wait until it comes back!

George Martin discusses the season finale and how he wrote his character motivations WARNING. There is some discussion of book:show differences in the article. And in the comments following the article there are of course the usual number of ****s who want to talk about what's yet to come. So if you only want information from the show and don't care about the author's take, well you know what to do...

I just read that each episode of the show costs an average of $6.2 million to make.

Since so many of you are fans of Game of Thrones (I am not), you might want to listen to Jackie Evancho's cover of Rains of Castamere on her latest CD on the web. I just listened to it and it is one remarkable rendering for a 14 yer old.

jayus serious money,but then again the cast is huge for it, read that seville in spain is being used to film scenes as DORNE

George Martin has a helpful message for those worried that he might die before finishing the story.

eh.. loved the first thee books. The fourth is underwhelming and fifth downright bad by comparison. GRRM has to be one of the most overrated authors of this century. besides (the first 3 books of) ASOIAF he hasn't really written anything worth reading.

The television series is so far off the rails it might as well just drop the "game of thrones" title and go with something original because I don't know what they're making, but it's not "a song of ice and fire". Which isn't to say it's BAD, it's not, at this point I appreciate the fact they're cutting the ridiculous amounts of filler that made up the entirety of the last two books, but at the same time I just don't see anything worthy of the hype that it gets. The story is disjointed and all over the place there is no way you could appreciate the show on anything but a superficial level without a pretty good grasp on the source material, which they tend to ignore in far too many instances. Cutting out important story arcs and characters to fulfill the financial burdens and contain it within 10 episodes / season. Which, while understandable, just does not work for ASOIAF. I realize that monetary draw backs are an inevitability with something so sprawling and diverse, but, given that fact it just begs the question, if you can't do a faithful adaptation, why bother?

That came off way more negative than I meant. I really do enjoy the show (moreso than the last two novels, anyway)... But I just find it lacking in so many areas. Perhaps if I was not coloured by the bias of having read the books these would be non-issues, but I am.

And if anyone is an entitled twat, it's GRRM himself. Seriously. That guy has the social graces of an autistic cat. yes, george, fuck the people who made your work world famous and built an IP portfolio that you could sell for dump trucks of money to HBO (and then bitch and moan that they will finish the series you started SEVENTEEN YEARS AGO before you do). Maybe if you weren't an obese tub of 65 year old lard people wouldn't be concerned that your excessively lazy work habits that might (and by "might" I mean probably) mean you'll die before you finish at the rate you're going.

Seriously. Fuck that fat lazy fuck. I'm a fan of (some of) his writing, but he is a terribly obnoxious person.

and before some half assed fanboy comes to tell me I'm wrong here are some fatcs to consider:

- George Martin has said that if he dies before finishing the books, he will NOT allow anyone else to finish the books for him (but at least the show will, no matter how much he bitches about it).
- George has GONE ON RECORD as saying he DOES NOT write AT ALL while travelling and will ONLY write at home when he has (and I quote) "a big chunk of time". Meaning he barely writes.
- His editors have only seen a few chapters of the next book (about 150 pages IIRC) in the three years since Dance was published (His editor, Anne Groell stated this in an interview).
- He started this series almost 2 decades ago. That's right. Two decades. Some people started reading this series in the fucking 90's. Tell me that's not indicative of poor work ethic.

this slob needs a reality check and a swift kick in his fat ass.

Martin would be better off selling his secrets on doing a half-assed job for two decades and somehow getting publishers and HBO to fork over money.

$500 a head x 100 idiots per city x 50 cities = $2,500,000 before expenses.

The saddest part is, is that he wrote three amazing novels. he's been riding on their success for the better part of the last 15 years. Honestly, I think martin just wrote himself into too many corners and can't figure out a legitimate way of tying it all up. As a result, we got Dance, which became the fly in the ointment and really just exasperated the existing problem about a hundred times. He introduced so many pointless red herrings and "twists" I start to wonder if he's taking ques from M. Night Shyamalan. I feel like he just sort of got sick of writing it, doesn't know where to go, has other projects he's more interested in (wild cards, various anthologies, Dunk and Egg and not to mentioning signing off on supplementary ASOIAF map books and encyclopedias written by other people) and now has even less incentive to finish ASOIAF since HBO made him a very rich man.

He's got his "method" of creating/writing; which is fair enough. But at some point you have to come to a place where you realize you are an artist making money off your art, enough to make a decent living, that yes, you do OWE your audience at least a modicum of respect, regardless of their opinion of your health and work habits. Artists Must sacrifice to maintain their relevance; but Martin gave his own relevance a half life by selling an incomplete product to a company that will finish his story long before he's capable of doing so.

In Martin's case "sacrifice" means he needs to work more. His pace is too slow, and frankly, unprofessional. He sets his own deadlines and then fails to live up to them and then lashes out at his fans for criticizing his poor work ethic. Maybe it's time to sacrifice, George. maybe it's time to buy a laptop and write on the road, not just when you "want" to write. It'd be like me telling my boss "sorry, boss, I can only work when I want to and have a substantial amount of time to immerse myself in it. That is not today, or tomorrow, or the next day, but maybe Friday".

And then, on top of it, to do that and then sit there and bitch that HBO is going to finish your story before you do? It's just baffling. you sold your IP for millions of dollars George, fucking suck it up Princess, and write your fucking books.

Indeed. It's probably not even the same league, but take someone like Tom Clancy. Here's a guy that probably was set for life in the early 1990s on the heels of "The Hunt for Red October" and "Clear and Present Danger," yet was appreciative enough of his audience to keep writing novels and releasing them on a fairly regular 12 to 18 month cycle.

Tom Clancy was an amazingly prolific writer. George could definitely learn a thing or two from an author like that. I never read much Clancy, but I loved a lot of the movies based on his work, and some of the Rainbow Six games were awesome.

I just can't respect a guy who spits in the faces of his fans. I don't even get the logic there, it's one thing to be defensive but he is down right self destructive with his inability to cope with criticism.

He's being a douche for the sake of being a douche, like he's bigger than the novel or TV series itself. It's like we should be honored to read his works.

Had "Game of Thrones" not been on HBO (much less any other network), that attitude might be different.

The problem is he's always been a slow writer. He's not going to change at this point. It is what it is. The first three books were excellent and all came out within 2-3 years of each other. I think the Red Wedding, while evilly magnificent, was a mistake that really damaged the narrative. Combine that with no five year gap, as originally planned, and editors who've lost the ability to rein him in, and we get books that are much longer, take forever to arrive and don't impress as much.

All that said, as Martin has said art is not a democracy, so I just use the time waiting on him to finish the story to discover and enjoy many other authors, some of whom can put out a good novel in less than six years. I think Martin has lost interest in the story or more precisely lost interest in editing himself.

AGoT - 1996
ACOK - 1998
ASOS - 2000

The issue is that he ISN'T a slow writer. The first three books were hammered out in rapid succession. The first big break was between Storm and Feast (AFFC came out in 2005, five year break) and then six years between feast and Dance with the quality declining sharply between the latter three novels with each iteration.

Also Neil Gaiman argued a complete strawman and it's ridiculous his "not your bitch" argument is repeated ad nauseum. Have you read the comment Gaiman was replying to with that post? This is what the question was:

Hi Neil,

I've recently subscribed to George RR Martin's blog (http://grrm.livejournal.com/) in the hopes of getting some inside information regarding when the next "Song of Ice and Fire" book is due to be released. I love the series but since subscribing to the blog I've become increasingly frustrated with Martin's lack of communication on the next novel's publication date. In fact, it's almost as though he is doing everything in his power to avoid working on his latest novel. Which poses a few questions:

1. With blogs and twitter and other forms of social media do you think the audience has too much input when it comes to scrutinising the actions of an artist? If you had announced a new book two years ago and were yet to deliver do you think avoiding the topic on your blog would lead readers to believe you were being "slack"? By blogging about your work and life do you have more of a responsibility to deliver on your commitments?

2. When writing a series of books, like Martin is with "A Song of Ice and Fire" what responsibility does he have to finish the story? Is it unrealistic to think that by not writing the next chapter Martin is letting me down, even though if and when the book gets written is completely up to him?

Would be very interested in your insight.

Cheers
Gareth

Entitled? From that question are you led to believe that Gareth wants to chain GRRM to his chair and force him to write ASoIaF non-stop? It's a well written letter sent off to Gareth's favorite authors. I wouldn't be surprised if Gareth had spent an hour -hour and half crafting this question. Neil could have written an excellent essay about writing and the hurdles and setbacks that all writers encounter when writing their novels. The more I think about the blog post that he could have written the more disappointed I am with what he wrote. Of course he didn't write a great essay he just erected a straw man and told it that he wasn't GRRM's bitch. Tell me he isn't an asshole after reading that question...

Want an accurate, sane opinion of what an author owes to his audience? Brent Weeks countered Neil Gaiman in his own blog: http://www.scifinow.co.uk/blog/brent-weeks-opinion-column-george-rr-martin-is-not-your-bitch/

first four episodes are up now they got leaked enjoy,

:link:

http://www.primewire.ag/tv-1386995-Game-of-Thrones/season-5

Yes i saw that about the leaked episodes and i was tempted to check it out but i figured its not to much longer to wait.

Anyone think theres any way that tywin survived being shot while on "the throne"?

Lilo?!? Where the heck are you?!? Come back!

Absolutely not.

Great episode last night , worth the 4 week wait since the leaked episodes

I just hope they get the ball rolling soon, so far it's just been moving the various characters around to get them to where they need to be. Seasons half over, so I'm hoping it picks up a little this Sunday.

best part about it for me is that we're now breaching territory where the books left off... Although the character arcs are now so divergent as to be its own story... Still, I've been waiting since 2011 and have little hope that George Martin will finish this series.

Winter is here.

Without spoiling anything, I would be surprised with the season finale but, well, it's Game of Thrones. Anything is possible. Many may not like it but I respect a show that is so unpredictable and isn't afraid to sacrifice.

One thing that doesn't make sense to me is why would the Lannister soldiers allow Cersei to be taken prisoner like that? That never would have happened had if Tywin were alive.

I think the actual soldiers loyal to the Lannisters wen back to Casterly Rock with Tywin's brother since he inherited it after Tywin died. The gold cloaks do what the kings says and since he is a p**sy he didn't send any troops in.

Tywins brother kevin was brought back as the hand of the king after cersei was taken prisoner, so he was in a position to help her if he wanted. He was also there at the doors when cersei arrived back at the castle after her walk of "shame" , he had no emotion on his face and didnt say anything , i dont think he likes cersei.

Pretty good season 5 finale. Lots of things going on and plenty of great loose ends to tie up when season 6 starts sometime next year.

Looking forward to it!

I wish Lilo would come back to the GBB. Great guy and all around GoT king nerd!

Lilo, where are you?!?!

That's the point; no Tywin leaves the Lannisters flailing, and Cersei is self destructing. She thought she held the full deck put played right into the HIgh Sparrows hands. (One of the fandom theories claims that the High Sparrow is actually Howland Reed, father of Jojen and Meera and bannerman to Ned Stark. Im not 100% sold on the idea, but it's an interesting one)
It's ironic that all Tywin worked towards throughout his life is being ruined by his children, Cersei primarily. All he cared about was the Lannister legacy. In the books, it's mentioned how Tywin kicked his father's mistress out of Casterly Rock upon his (father's) death, stripping her of his mothers jewels and clothes and having her walked naked out of the city. A nice little parallel.

In my opinion, this show just seems awkward. I only watched one episode, and that's when Joffrey Baratheon died from poisoning. But besides that, I just seem biased from the show, since I just think it's sex, dragons and magical shit throughout the whole series.

Season 6 trailer

https://youtu.be/CuH3tJPiP-U

Season 6 trailer 2

https://youtu.be/EI0ib1NErqg

yeah, its time for the dragons to show whats what

Good season premiere set everyone story up minus Bran who I am excited for. Melisandre story got interesting

Agreed. Some may complain but it basically set everything up for what's to come. End scene was trippy.

Really good episode of GoT tonight. Some unexpected deaths and just when you don't think you couldn't hate Ramsay anymore. Still waiting for the Lannisters to kick ass. Of course the big scene was the last one.

A lot of potential with Bran's story I can see information about past characters coming to light, also liked seeing Max von Sydow.

Spoiler Warning:


Thought it was a good episode

Sad episode in regards to the dire wolf and Hodor

Last night's episode set things up for the next one and brought back some characters from the past. Next week is supposed to be the return of a major character...and I think most viewers know who that will be.

Good episode, two characters from previous seasons brought back and up coming events look good

I have to say I think this has been very good season one of my favorites

I've liked it as well but hope they pick up the action in the remaining episodes. There are only supposed to be two more seasons but I've read they may not have 10 episodes like they have so far. Not a lot of time to tread water.

Fun stuff for history fans as wellas GOT fans

I've learned some spoilers. Everything seems to be going as expected.

Great episode the "Battle of the Bastards" was bitter sweet also a great dragon edition.

Tonight's episode was the best one ever. Action packed from beginning to end. Sad for the giant. Happy for Sansa's revenge. And Daenerys was badass.

Agreed. Best episode ever. Lived up to the hype in every way.

Great episode great season. The " War of the Queens" is coming.

My opinion, best season

Great episode indeed. This one and the last probably the two best ever. So much ground covered but done so well. It felt more like a movie.

All hail the King in the North!

I'm really disappointed with episode 6-10. I'm disappointed because now I have to wait until April 2017 for the next one.

Lyanna Mormont is the new hero of the series.

House Mormont remembers...

Awesome season. Simply terrific. I was glad to see that the season finale was just about as good as the next to last episode.

That battle scene was one of the best in any cable series ever.

Winter is here.

Side Note: Where is Lilo? Along with Ivy, he was one of the best GoT posters here in the past. Hope he is good and checks back in soon.

Lilo hasn't posted since 2014. Don't know if he died or just dropped out, but if he's still around it would be nice to see him back.

Looks like season 7 may be delayed because, since "winter is here," they need more snow for filming.

Nooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Don’t be mad about the ‘Game of Thrones’ delay. It’s a good sign for TV.

By Stephanie Merry
July 7, 2016 at 1:28 PM

You’re going to have to wait a little longer than usual for the next season of “Game of Thrones.” Since Winter is no longer Coming — it’s officially here — the scenery has to reflect the cooler temps. That means shooting, which typically takes place in Ireland and other parts of Europe, will happen during the dreariest months rather than sticking to the usual schedule, which would start around now.

“We kind of pushed everything down the line so we could get some grim, gray weather, even in the sunnier places that we shoot,” said showrunner D.B. Weiss on the UFC Unfiltered podcast.

Weiss and co-creator David Benioff also divulged some preliminary plans for the end of the series: They’re thinking 13 episodes over two more seasons. So much for the 10-episode seasons we’ve come to expect.

“That’s the guess, though nothing is yet set in stone, but that’s what we’re looking at,” Benioff told Variety.

(Continued at link below)


https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.washing...d-sign-for-tv/#

April 2017 is long enough, so now what? May or June? It's going to be a long wait.

I have to say this is one of the few shows that gets better through the seasons. When Jon Snow got the Wildlings and the White Walker army attack I thought that was the best episode after this season I thought it was the last to episodes IDK how I will be able to wait for next season.

I have a feeling Little Finger will try and kill Jon Snow

As you may know, all 3 of those episodes were directed by the same guy - Miguel Sapochnik. Those are the only ones he's done so far but they're the three best of the series.

I didn't know but it makes sense

The finale was good, but it seemed a little rushed, like they threw in the kitchen sink to hurry things up along. You saw that with Arya suddenly appearing to kill Walder Frey, and Varys in Dorne then on the ship with Dany. They should have captions like, "Three months later..." People joked how they teleported around. It was confusing. If not for that the episode would have been perfect. The last two were just outstanding.

On what will happen, one thing is that I believe Jaime will kill Cersei. The Mountain will either be killed by his brother or a dragon. If killed by his bro they may kill each other. I think it will turn out that Rheagar was married to Lyanna Stark, so Jon Snow is the legit heir to the throne, but he may not want it. Some think he will get together with Dany, but they could turn her into a villain. I expect the dragons to kill the wights. That's my two cents.

And then there's the theory that Joanna Lannister had an affair with I guess Aarys Targaryen (?) And Tyrion is part Targaryan.

Samuel L. Jackson breaks down Game of Thrones

It was announced that the next season won't be on until Summer, 2017.

And it will be 7 episodes.

April 14th dudes and dudettes... Be there or be square!!

Michael Corleone's got nothing on Cersei.

The Daenerys heel turn of burning King's Landing down and deliberately incinerating untold numbers of civilians caused a great deal of agita among some Game of Thrones fans.
Some angrily said that this was Benioff's and Weiss' or even GRRM's commentary that strong women are always crazy women. I don't think that argument is worth discussing. FWIW, GRRM describes himself as a feminist. GRRM created many characters of different genders and sexualities, all of whom are varying mixes of good and evil, intelligence and stupidity, competence and ineptitude. It is almost certainly not a meta-commentary by GRRM or show creators on the danger of female leadership to have Daenerys burn down King's Landing. The fact that so many people joyously read Daenerys as avenging feminist Messiah is a testament to GRRM's creative abilities, nothing else.

The second, more numerous and to my mind more legitimate detractors are not necessarily THAT bothered by Daenerys going Mad Queen but think that it wasn't earned in the show. The show is all we can go on here as these events have not taken place in the books.

We must remember that unless and until Benioff ,Weiss and GRRM give us a detailed look at what were GRRM's contributions and what were Benioff's and Weiss' we may never know what events were GRRM's "true" ideas. For all we know GRRM might be reviewing screen events and deciding to alter or more deeply explain story events. Still, for something this big and character defining as the near total destruction of King's Landing all of my money is on it being GRRM's intent all along. So Daenerys was always going to go bad.

So why do so many intelligent people have problems with it? Well as I stated many people appear to be emotionally invested in the idea of Daenerys as a feminist heroine in a brutally patriarchal world. I think that real problem is that the showrunners did themselves a disservice by shortening the last two seasons and emphasizing speed and spectacle over character development, or in Daenerys' case, character devolution.

Just as we are manipulated to identify with the Starks and in earlier seasons more specifically Robb Stark, we're set up to identify with Daenerys. She's an orphan who's bullied and molested by her brother. She's lost the rest of her family to murder and war. She grows up in poverty, fleeing assassins. She and her brother are robbed and mocked wherever they go. She's sold as a teen bride to a man who initially sees her as only marginally more valuable than a good horse.

When her husband dies Daenerys has only a handful of followers left, mostly women, children, cripples, older men or those few Dothraki warriors open minded enough to accept female leadership. She and her people nearly starve to death. Numerous times she's bullied or insulted by men who categorically reject female leadership. Obviously the viewer will be sympathetic to such a woman.

However, Daenerys has near monomania about retaking the throne. She routinely threatens to burn cities to the ground. She says that her enemies will die screaming. As she gets power she starts to employ oft capricious violence against people who oppose her will. From the viewer's perspective most of these folks are indeed scummy people, so we cheer Daenerys' actions. It's protagonist bias. These people are also all coded as "foreigners" so we don't care as much about them. None of them get a POV to explain what they thought about this foreign leader with a bunch of mercenaries, Unsullied, and Dothraki running around making speeches and conquering their cities.

But when Daenerys returns to Westeros and starts interacting with people who are either "the good guys" or get more complexity than simpleminded freed slaves or mustache twirling sexist villains ,the viewer should start to understand that Daenerys has a "with me or against me" mindset that, though quite realistic for many rulers or damaged people, has some serious drawbacks and faults.

It's here where the shortened and rushed seasons impact Daenerys' character. We should have seen more of Daenerys' ruthlessness and inability to understand why the people of Westeros weren't lining up to embrace their "rightful" Queen. Her rage should have been bubbling up over time in ways both petty and serious. This is where Ser Friendzone himself, Jorah Mormont, could have been quite useful in showing Daenerys' anger and increasing isolation. Instead we got a pretty long reverse Bluebeard story in which Jon Snow inexplicably falls in love with the woman who has imprisoned him.

Why not show Daenerys writing to or visiting various other Houses/regions and getting the cold shoulder and/or insults? There was one pretty blatant foreshadowing of Daenerys' ruthlessness and unwillingness to abide by the accepted standards of war but unfortunately many people saw it as a "girl power" moment and cheered it.

Randyll Tarly was among Westeros' greatest generals and warriors. During Robert's rebellion he was a Targaryen loyalist sworn to Highgarden and the Tyrells. Randyll was the only man to defeat Robert Baratheon in battle. The Tarlys gave Highgarden much of its military muscle.

Randyll didn't believe in gender fluidity or non-traditional sex roles. In Randyll's POV men lead and women have babies. Women aren't soldiers. In the books Randyll tells Brienne that if she is raped it will probably be her own fault for ignoring gender roles. However Randyll's also pitiless to rapists and criminals, doling out hangings, beatings, amputations, and castrations like he's handing out candy corn. It's a hard world; Randyll is a hard man. You may recall that, finally disgusted by his eldest son's Sam's softness, obesity, cowardice and general disinterest in sport, war and physical exertion of any kind, Randyll promised to kill Sam unless Sam disinherited himself and joined the Night Watch. Randyll was never going to be in the runninng for Father of the Year Award.

But whatever else Randyll was, he was never a coward. Upset by Olenna Tyrell's backing of the "foreign" (actually Danerys was born at Dragonstone-part of Westeros) invader Daenerys Targaryen, Randyll decided that his vows to the throne outweighed his vows to his liege lords the Tyrells. Unfortunately for Randyll he didn't live long enough to reap the fruits of his actions. He made the critical mistakes of (a) meeting the Dothraki in the open and (b) fighting a battle with his younger son and heir Dickon present. The Tarly/Lannister forces were defeated. They threw down their weapons and surrendered. And then Daenerys burned Randyll and Dickon alive for the "crime" of not calling her their Queen. Everything she said she wasn't going to do, in this clip she did.

Now this was a mistake by Daenerys both morally and consequentially. It's immoral by both Westorosi standards and our own to murder prisoners who don't join your team. If the Tarly forces had decided to fight to the death like the Spartans at Thermopylae, then yes Daenerys can light them up with no compunctions. But the Tarlys surrendered. They had no weapons.

In real life when the Holy Roman Emperor captured King Richard The Lionheart, the English King refused to "bend the knee" or show any deference, stating that no one was superior to him but God. The Emperor didn't burn King Richard alive but chose to ransom him for 100,000 pounds of silver. This was normal business practice when dealing with noble and/or wealthy captured enemies. But instead Daenerys chose to burn two POWs for the "crime" of not joining her team. This is wrong. It is immoral. It is cruel.

And it was also ultimately counterproductive. When Sam learns that Daenerys murdered his father and (especially) his brother, he runs to Jon to tell Jon of Jon's true heritage. Sam not coincidentally takes the opportunity to put a very negative spin on Daenerys and her stability. Daenerys murdered the Tarlys purely from ego and spite. There was no military need to do so.

Similarly there was no military need to decimate King's Landing. Daenerys did it simply because she was lost in bloodlust and wanted to make everyone fear her. This is thoroughly indefensible. Regardless of what reasons Daenerys had, she committed a generation defining crime in King's Landing. People will remember it for decades.

Daenerys' actions were similar to those of English mercenary John Hawkwood and Cardinal Robert (later Pope Clement VII) at the sack/massacre of Cesena. Enemy soldiers have stopped fighting. Bells have rung signifying surrender. Daenerys and her forces nevertheless burn the city, murder untold numbers of men, women and children, and rape women (though this fate would also be shared by men and children in some cases).They kill people for fun. They kill people until they get tired of killing or run out of victims. That’s a war crime. In Westerosi culture and the European history which inspired it it was considered foul.

Lastly I think it's worthwhile remembering that GRRM was a conscientious objector to the Vietnam War. I believe he's maintained a generally antiwar stance since. War is not just glorious last stands against enemy hordes, cavalry arriving at the last minute to save the day, headlong charges into scattered enemies or righteous revenge against evil doers.

War is also Russian soldiers sacking Berlin and raping thousands of German civilian women and girls, women POWs, and even Russian women in the vicinity. War is American soldiers raping and murdering Vietnamese civilians at My Lai. War is American soldiers butchering Lakota women and children at Wounded Knee. War is Spanish conquistadors using war dogs on Taino children for fun. Daenerys' actions force us to reckon the true cost of war. GRRM is reminding us of what war is. War is not made nicer because a young woman starts it.