Game of Thrones

While it hasn't been the roller coaster ride you're all expecting it to be (why would it, the books never were), I've liked the past two episodes. The story is moving forward. This show on another channel would have devoted two episodes to the intricacies and plots behind Jon Snow's ascension. I only read the first four books and remember little of them, so I'm happy to go where ever these writers care to take me. I'm sure this exposition is building towards something grand in the latter episodes.

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Originally Posted by Chux

These last two episodes have been boring as FUCK.

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I enjoyed them immensely. I like the pacing. My fiancée likes it without having read the books. Good enough for me, but I guess I can understand.

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Originally Posted by Jed

I still don't know how they're going to even remotely pull this off. They completely cut out Lady Stoneheart, there seems to be absolutely no sign of Victarion or Euron, and I guarantee they're gonna cut Griff and young Aegon. I'll be pissed if we don't get the Kingsmoot.

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I get what you're saying. But you have to think of TV here with the mindset that there are only two seasons left after this. How they pull it off is by cutting/conflating/rewriting.

I'll say this in advance of the next line: I've spoilered a VERY IMPORTANT piece of information - if you haven't read the books, please do not hover over that first one. The other ones might or might not be spoilers, but are "shocking."

Stoneheart cheapens Jon's inevitable resurrection after his very apparent death, which will probably be conclusive on the show, which is the important storyline. And yes, I know setup/foreshadowing for her was there but it's better as setup/foreshadowing for this.

Vengeance against the Freys and Boltons, Lady Stoneheart's purpose, will likely be fulfilled by Sansa/Brienne/Theon down the line.

Victarion is Daario. There's no need for Damphair (sorry if you like him or think the Drowned God is important). Quentyn's role has likely been repurposed to Jorah getting cooked by Drogon in Daznak's Pit as a distraction to allow Dany to mount him. Arianne is Ellaria because she's familiar and her desire for vengeance can be toned down later, after one/all of the Sand Snakes die (hopefully all). Jaime/Bronn will absorb some of the Balon Swann stuff. The lack of those Greyjoys (especially Balon Greyjoy still being alive) negates the Kingsmoot.

Jon Connington and Aegon take away from the Daenerys story and it frees up for Tyrion to get greyscale, most likely. I can't stand Dany but her story is the one that matters, not Illyrio's son disguised as a baby The Mountain and or Lorch killed.

None of that negates the importance of any of that stuff being present in the books, but again, the changes are needed to cut down time. And would you really like to watch Jaime spend the whole season in the Riverlands? Or Brienne taking a long walk around Westeros? Or listen to Quentyn bragging about how Dany's going to love him and marry him and etc?

The only thing I can see, and it depends on what happens to the Tyrells this season, is Euron in season 6. Crow's Eye would be a decent TV character.

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Originally Posted by Some Stupid Japanese Name

While it hasn't been the roller coaster ride you're all expecting it to be (why would it, the books never were), I've liked the past two episodes. The story is moving forward. This show on another channel would have devoted two episodes to the intricacies and plots behind Jon Snow's ascension. I only read the first four books and remember little of them, so I'm happy to go where ever these writers care to take me. I'm sure this exposition is building towards something grand in the latter episodes.

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I'm in this camp. Can't wait to see what they keep, change, modify. And while books readers are upset that Sam's election hijinks didn't happen it's better for that to be out of the way, sending Jon into book 5 for upcoming episodes.

They've definitely added and changed some things where I went, "Why? Seriously?" (BEETLES) but overall I like the course the show is taking.

I think the show is collapsing under its own weight. So many different threads, so many things, they have to rush from point to point to keep everything moving. Even with all the shit cut out, it's still too much for 10 episodes of one hour.

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Originally Posted by Diff-chan

I think the show is collapsing under its own weight. So many different threads, so many things, they have to rush from point to point to keep everything moving. Even with all the shit cut out, it's still too much for 10 episodes of one hour.

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I agree with that, too. I like the cuts but even those aren't enough. But then, what else can they change? I guess we'll have to see as the season progresses, and hope they've thought of things we can't.

They definitely hindered themselves with the ten episode season crap. But even with all the threads/characters, people die off left and right. So it's not as bad as it could be.
Whatever happened to Gondry? Last I remember he was sent off in a boat. Does he have any more to do with it?

I don't think it will end at 7 Seasons, I expect it'll prob end at 8.

First off, I'm not spoiler tagging shit. Sorry, cry about it later.

I just don't understand why they've cut the things they've cut, and expounded on the things they have. The whole Brienne/Podrick buddy movie thing is fucking dumb and completely unimportant to the story. They seem to be focusing on Bronn, when in fact he's a sideline character that is just there to advance the Tyrion story in the books. Cutting the whole Martel journey to wed Danerys makes sense, even cutting Griff and young Aegon makes some sense, but completely cutting POV characters and entire story arcs for certain families (the Greyjoys, HOW THE FUCK DO YOU DUMB DOWN / CUT OUT THE IRONBORN???) is unacceptable.

I'd much rather see Victarion and the Greyjoy's wrecking shit, than see Podrick making googly eyes at another wench. We get it, homely lil Pod is a pimp, that gag has been pulled in MULTIPLE episodes.

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Originally Posted by Some Stupid Japanese Name

Whatever happened to Gondry? Last I remember he was sent off in a boat. Does he have any more to do with it?

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He's supposedly in this season. Whether that's true is in the air - the guy who "leaked" that info was right about three other things but still.

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Originally Posted by Jed

... but completely cutting POV characters and entire story arcs for certain families (the Greyjoys, HOW THE FUCK DO YOU DUMB DOWN / CUT OUT THE IRONBORN???) is unacceptable.

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I take it you were a fan of those characters. :) I hated them but I understand people liked them and that's cool. Think about their significance to the overall plot, though: The Dragon Horn - if it's even the real deal - and Euron's works in The Reach. The Drowned God is not significant to the end game, straight up, and that takes Aeron out of the game. The Horn of Joramun is out, so the Dragon Horn can be converted to some other plot device if it's needed (I don't know… Victaario can help Dany tame her babies if it's needed?) And, depending on what happens with the Tyrells & Dorne this season, we could still get Euron in 6.

James Purefoy? Mads Mikkelsen if he wasn't tied to another huge show? Dominic West? I could get into McNulty as Crow's Eye for sure.

I mean, in all likelihood, Trystane is now fAegon and Jaime will absorb Connington's role so those characters may not actually be cast but the important pieces of their stories could be there. (Mummer's Dragon, etc. They already covered Greyscale. Varys does leave Tyrion midway through the season… the question is just on what terms.) There's Victaario. Brienne and Pod are likely going to be Mance/spearwives…

I don't disagree with your Podrick Sex God criticism, btw. I didn't like the choice to show Theon's torture and I also am concerned they are going to leave Maggy's prophecy as it was and never touch the Valonqar, so don't think I'm not critical. Heh.

EDIT: McNulty Greyjoy… Theon's dad dies, everyone looks at him in some semblance of the Kingsmoot, he indignantly asks, "The fuck did I do?"

Character/PoV bloat in the books is bad enough... and GRRM doesn't have to pay for actors or have a time-frame in which he has to tell his story.

I'm guessing the show writers talked to GRRM and asked what was going to happen with every character, and he had no idea where a lot of the arcs were going...

What are we really missing with the changes and non-inclusions?

Jamie - nothing
Briene - nothing
Stoneheart - hmm, except for the whole oooooh reveal, nothing.

Dany hasn't really done anything since the first book.

I think writing Bronn out of the books was a mistake and I think the writers of the show know that. Why send a new unknown down to a plot point when you can send two characters that get a lot of reactions from fans and aren't doing anything in the books?



Not having all the Greyjoy stuff is personally a disappointment but understandable. Before they announced the HBO show i remember thinking the one cool scene from Feast for Crows that would be really exciting to see translated to movie/television was the Greyjoy boats doing their invasion in the south.

I give no fucks about the Greyjoys. Even if it's the best stuff in the books i consider every minute they have spent on Theon/Reek the past 2 seasons to be a waste.