HBO's Game of Thrones pt 2

[Tale]

Old thread.

 

How is the quality of the show in season 2? I've about halfway through the season 1 Blu-Ray. I see a few people complaining here and there, but don't know if it's anything genuine.

[MechanicalLemon]

I'm a little mixed on Season 2. There were some spectacular bits throughout the season e.g. the Dragonstone trio of Stannis/Melisandre/Davos, Tyrion, and Theon. On the other hand, some character arcs like Jon, Dany, and Robb felt needlessly drawn out.

[Guard Dog]

I don't think they have handled Jon's character right. It's not the actor he's fine. The way he's written is just wrong. The Jon Snow from the books is a lot more capable and pragmatic and is well respected by his brothers and even Mormont. In the show, not so much.

 

For the most part the actors are great. None of them are miscast. The guy playing Rob is a little stiff and wooden but

we won't have to worry about him much longer.

 

[Zoraptor]

How is the quality of the show in season 2? I've about halfway through the season 1 Blu-Ray. I see a few people complaining here and there, but don't know if it's anything genuine.

Probably depends a lot on whether the people have read the books or not plus tolerance for (s)extraneous (s)exposition and relatively complex plots for those who haven't. For those (like me) who've read the books there is a certain amount of inevitable "why did they change that?" "[charname] isn't done well compared to the books" "where's [charname] have they been cut?" and the like, though I'd rate it as a pretty decent adaptation overall.

[Starwars]

I think the first few episodes of the second season felt a bit slow but it picked up a lot in the later episodes.

 

Also, in having read the books, first season had that feel of "weee, it's so cool seeing the book come to life as a series!". When going into the second season, tha shine has worn off. But I guess that happens to all shows.

 

But yeah, I would definitely still rate the second season as really good TV-entertainment.

 

It makes me wonder though... if they decide to go on after the third season as well. I wonder how they will handle adapting Feast of Crows to the TV considering how different it is. Of it they'll mix that with whatever the book that came after was called (can't remember the name right now).

[Zoraptor]

In some ways Feast and Dance ought to work better on TV than as books due to the rather artificial way they're consrtucted, but there certainly is an awful lot of exposition/ set up in both, almost to Robert Jordan levels, and neither really has a 'natural break' in them. From what I understand the 3rd book and the 3rd series are likely to desync in any case though.

 

Don't know what would have happened if Martin had stuck with having a five year break in the narrative as originally planned, that would certainly have made a potential mess for a TV series.

[Monte Carlo]

Danaerys' story also felt a bit disjointed... ok I know it's tough adapting a book but everybody else is fighting / plotting and advancing but she's stuck in Quarth with her kidnapped dragons getting all shouty and upset.

 

She's one of the best characters for me, along with Tyrion (he could have his own book / show / tee-shirt imo, called "The Land of **** and wine") I just wonder if they could have accelerated her story arc? (Haven't read the book so mebbe not).

 

Edit: so now the perfectly acceptable word **** is language filtered? FFS, from the company making a South Park game? LOL.

Edited June 16, 2012 by Rosbjerg

[Zoraptor]

I hope boobies can make it through, else I fear any highbrow and cultured discussion of ornithology may be severely curtailed.

 

To be fair, Daenerys' sections in book 2 were mostly set up, reaction and aftermath from the events of Book 1. I cannot think of any real way to accelerate her arc, as written it tends quite strongly towards binary pacing, it's either sprinting ahead quickly or dawdling along doing set up and reaction, with very little in between.

[Rosbjerg]

Hmm.. Let's not play the "What words are and are not covered by the word filter" and instead try to stick to the topic.

[Gorgon]

Indeed.

[Monte Carlo]

Sorry Ros, I'm not one of the usual suspects but when the name **** is language filtered, and other normal words, then you have to call BS.

[Rosbjerg]

Unfortunately, whether or not you think it's BS doesn't really matter, the rule is there and altering it is "above my paygrade".

 

So let's stick to the topic and you guys can create a new thread or PM Fio if you wish to discuss the particulars.

[Guest The Architect]

I'm three episodes into season one. I don't think I'm going to like this show, I just don't like the cast at all, except for Sean Bean.

[Agelastos]

They made Xaro - a pale, thin, hook-nosed gay man - into a big, black straight man for some reason.

 

Edit: Sorry. I did of course mean "a big, straight man from the Summer Islands".

Edited December 4, 2012 by Agelastos

[AGX-17]

I thought it was great, even though Stannis was represented as too cold-blooded. I liked the story of Proudwing and how it implied he was a kind child hardened by Robert's bullying and circumstance (books only, friends!)

 

I don't think they have handled Jon's character right. It's not the actor he's fine. The way he's written is just wrong. The Jon Snow from the books is a lot more capable and pragmatic and is well respected by his brothers and even Mormont. In the show, not so much.

 

For the most part the actors are great. None of them are miscast. The guy playing Rob is a little stiff and wooden but

we won't have to worry about him much longer.

 

I think Robb's actor is fine. And you're right. I'm looking forward to the

RW

 

 

See, even people who click spoiler won't be spoiled!

 

I'm still more interested in REAL SPOILER THIS TIME

Whether Jon Snow is the son of Lyanna Stark (willful lover, not rape victim,) and Rhaegar Targeryen and whether he's Azhor Azhai.

 

 

 

Obviously there are major changes from the books (all that lesbian fake orgasming for one,) but anyway, it's to be expected.

 

 

I'm three episodes into season one. I don't think I'm going to like this show, I just don't like the cast at all, except for Sean Bean.

 

I like the girl who plays Arya, if only for the fact that she doesn't have the horse face described in the books. Overall the cast is B at worst, A+ at best (opinions, opinions.) Peter Dinklage does a fine job in spite of his poor fake British accent. Nikolaj Coster-Waldau makes me swoon even though I'm a (theoretically) heterosexual male. How charismatic.

Edited December 4, 2012 by AGX-17

[Guest The Architect]

He looks like a ****ing douchebag. Appropriate casting choice for the character, I guess.

[AGX-17]

He looks like a ****ing douchebag. Appropriate casting choice for the character, I guess.

 

Charismatic douchebag. Charisma overrides a lot of things when implemented properly. Besides, my opinion of the character is colored by my knowledge of the books, so there's another aspect.

Edited December 4, 2012 by AGX-17

[Pidesco]

I'm three episodes into season one. I don't think I'm going to like this show, I just don't like the cast at all, except for Sean Bean.

 

You don't like the dwarf?

[melkathi]

I think the whole Lannister cast was well chosen.

 

 

Ygritte is damn cute. Though with that hood she makes me think of Jawas and that makes me think of the spaceball singing...

Ok a snow-jawa with a sword.

 

[Guest The Architect]

You don't like the dwarf?

 

Yeah he's pretty cool.

[Guest The Architect]

Watched episodes four to seven of season one tonight. Much better than the first few,

but maybe they should've called the show 'Game of Dickheads' because it appears as if the inbred brigade are going to have a great time and none of the likeable characters will last too long. I already know that Eddard dies soon.

[Death Machine Miyagi]

Danaerys' story also felt a bit disjointed... ok I know it's tough adapting a book but everybody else is fighting / plotting and advancing but she's stuck in Quarth with her kidnapped dragons getting all shouty and upset.

 

She's one of the best characters for me, along with Tyrion (he could have his own book / show / tee-shirt imo, called "The Land of **** and wine") I just wonder if they could have accelerated her story arc? (Haven't read the book so mebbe not).

 

Edit: so now the perfectly acceptable word **** is language filtered? FFS, from the company making a South Park game? LOL.

 

The problem with Dany is that they were trying to adapt her story from Book Two when Dany barely even HAD a story in Book Two. She shows up in a few chapters, but not a whole lot happens to her, and what does happen to her would make for boring viewing up until

the House of Undying.

 

 

So what they did instead was make up a whole bunch of stuff and use that instead. And unfortunately, what they came up with made her look absolutely ridiculous. Dany comes across as an utter fool in Season 2, making threats and blustering over how everyone should be doing what she says because of her dragons. My recollection of her in Book Two was that she was a great deal more diplomatic and fully aware of her precarious situation, certainly aware enough not to pointlessly antagonize the leaders of a city whose help she is seeking just because they aren't giving her what she wants right now. Book!Dany is 14 or 15 and yet acts quite a bit more like an adult than the 20-something playing her in the HBO series.

 

They've done this with a few other characters, too. That scene with Littlefinger and Cersei early in the season made the former look like a complete fool, the absolute last thing we should be thinking of that character, while we've been given precious few opportunities to see Jon Snow as anything but a bungling twit fit only to be yelled at by the Lord Commander.

Edited December 5, 2012 by Death Machine Miyagi

[melkathi]

As some people aren't as far into the show/books, I'll put my replies in spoilers

 

On Daenarys:

 

Dany's story greatly suffers from the difference in how the books actually turned out to be written and how they were planned to be. Since originally the books were supposed to have larger periods of time passed between them, a lot of Dany's movement across Ethos, the recruiting of an army and establishing herself as a force to be reconned with before comming to Westeros and casting down Cersei, would have happened during that in-between books time. Since the no time passes between books now though, some characters need to twiddle their thumbs while waiting for others to catch up.

Like most character stories in Song of Ice and Fire, I see Dany's as one of a character evolving (ok Cersei devolves, Davos is offers a look at the end of the process and Sansa is too stupid to have a coherent thought, but the other charcters all seem to be on soem personal hero's journey of growing up). In the book she takes time to grow from terrified little girl to queen of everything. (though we are stuck with her at the moment as teenager with wet dreams about ridiculous mercenaries with gold teeth? What? The world has no sparkling vampires to fill that role?)

With all the bad things happening to good characters, I guess in the series, far more than in the books, they need to quickly build up Dany as the counterweight for all the bad things happening to good people in Westeros. So they are trying to make her more... dynamic I guess. If she was more timid, less dominant, the audience may not have someone to root for.

Honestly, the thing that disappointed me in season 2 was that Danny burning stuff wasn't the ending scene. I want every season, nay every episode to end with Danny burning stuff. Would make for a perfect series for me. It would not adhere to the books, but I'd be happy if episode outlines followed this pattern:

Crazy Cersei does X. The Greyjoys do Y. Tyrion is funny. Littlefinger schemes. Varys counter-schemes. Cersei does Z. Danny burns stuff -the end

 

 

On Jon Snow:

 

Jon Snow only truly starts to mature through his relationship with Ygritte. The next season should be the eye opener for him, where he discards the prejudice of those south of the wall. The death of the Halfhand was the first thing that truly shook him up. Until then life was unfair, but now he sees that yes it is and it is to a lot of people and the question is not how to run away from it or complain about it, but how you can do the best you can with what you got.

Before, he ran away from Winterfell where he was Ned's bastard and joined the watch. In the watch he hoped to become a ranger and get the respect he felt he had been denied as the bastard in Winterfell. In Winterfell the Lord Commander sees his potential and decides to groom him as his replacement, but again Snow doesn't really get it until it is explained to him.

Now Ygritte, Mance and the rest of the free people, together with the experiences he had and will have, will start to shape him into the Jon that will soon come.

 

[LadyCrimson]

I stopped watching about halfway through the 2nd season. Peter's Tyrion will always be a legend in my eyes, however.

 

HBO's Rome did the politics/scheming stuff much better.

[Gorgon]

You kinda get tired of his shtick after a while. I read the books and enjoyed them, but I would never re read any of them. The series has no time for all the 'filler' which is an improvement.

Glad to see Rob Stark and John Snow out of it, that just leaves Bran and there should be fewer segments you are tempted to skip.