GoT Season 2

Thoughts on the premier? I thought it was great, but some of the improvised scenes didn't fly with me. Also, it appears HBO is trying to whitewash Cersei a bit and put more blame on Joffrey, not that he wasn't plenty dispicable already.

I liked it. I expected a lot of ground-laying, so the back-and-forth didn't bother me. The Cersei/Littlefinger scene was odd. The Cressen/Mel poisoning would have worked better as an opener (like in the books.) The bastard purge was very well done, but I couldn't watch - I have kids and it was too disturbing.

Stannis was outstanding. Lena Headey is growing into her Cersei role nicely. Joff was deliciously evil. Good job with the wolf scene, too.

Looking forward to ep2!

I think the wolf scene was the best in the show. CGI was great. Rob was so handsome and so was Jaime despite being completely filthy. Those poor actors, I'm sure they are glad when shooting is done and they can take a bath.

Westeros.org is down, naturally, since every GoT fan in the world is probably trying to get on the forums, asking about all the "changes."

-Stannis and Mel, uh, on the war map...
-Craster and Jon's little late night "meeting."
-Bronn as commander of the Gold Cloaks?
-Our favorite whore getting the sympathy vote.

Ok, there were some positives:
-Tyrion and Cersei's scenes were incredibly well-done.
-Arya/Gendry interaction well-done.
-Salladhor Saan was great!
-Stannis continues to impress.
-Ghost!
-All of the Pyke scenes, although I didn't picture Asha that way.

I did think that the actress playing Asha (or whatever they've changed her name to for the show) and Alfie Allen could really pass for brother and sister. Also, liked the giant kraken fireplace.

Now that I think about the episode a little more, I think that MOST of the changes will turn out OK. Sometimes you have to do things on TV a different way than the book to move the story along.

Mel mentions that Stannis' queen is sick, which I don't recall and there's no mention of Princess Shireen (sp?). So, I'm wondering if she, Patchface and Edric Storm are going to be left out and if so how is Mel going to work her blood magic? I'm thinking too far down the road as usual, got to get to season 3 first.

I think Shireen has been written out; Melisandre said that she (Stannis' wife) had given Stannis only stillborns and death. Removing Edric Storm is somewhat major...but I think Gendry is the show's stand-in for all of Robert's bastards, basically. Will they somehow take Gendry to Storms End?

I thought ep3 was excellent! I think that this season is off to a great start in general.

Things I thought were especially well-done

Tyrion's little gossip game with Pycelle, Varys and LF about Myrcella.
Sansa's horrible meal with Cersei and the kids. The actress playing Sansa is growing on me.
Margaery Tyrell is perfectly cast.
Yoren/Arya parts. The show really condensed this section, but I thought it was well-handled.
All the Pyke scenes continue to impress me.
Brienne!

Less good things

The TV Shae has never appealed to me, and the Shae/Sansa scene was "rescued" by Sansa.
Not sure about Asha/Yara yet. The character in the books seemed much more dynamic.

Things seem to have gone completely off the rails in Qarth, but meanwhile back in Westeros...
What did you think of last night's episode? Theon needs to have a big old "L" stuck on his forehead and Alfie Allen needs an Emmy. The scene with Jaime was particularly well done though not much like the book. Where the heck is Cousin Cleos, the Blackfish, Edmure and the Reed kids? Who the heck was cousin Altan anyway? Obviously expendable. What's the Hound doing in Sansa's bedroom at such an inopportune time? Seems Shea would be too savvy to run the risk of discovery by pulling a knife on a fellow maid. Is Talissa going to become Jeyne or what? Are Tyrion & Cersei really getting along??? Tune in next week for answers to these compelling questions, same dragon time, same dragon channel.

I think that the deviations from the book have been managed fairly well. I told myself that I'm watching a "different story," and will go crazy if I keep saying "that's not in the book!" For example, the Tywin/Arya storyline is FAR removed from the books, but has been very entertaining. Charles Dance is an incredible actor!

I'm 90% sure that "Talissa" is Jeyne Westerling in disguise, and is spying on Robb.

I think that the Reeds are gone. Osha is playing their part, and Bran is having Jojen's "greendreams." GoT is on a budget, and people are expensive (as are well-trained horses, which is why you rarely see one on the show.) I think that the producers have had to make some tough decisions, and have done pretty well.

Qarth is getting a bit off the rails, but the "book Qarth" was slow-going, so this helps add some spice (no pun intended, lol.)

Alfie Allen is really great as Theon. He really brings out every morsel of anguish in this guy.

I'm not sure how I like where the "north of the Wall stuff" is going. Ygritte is GREAT ("you know nothing, Jon Snow!"), but they need to get Jon and Quorin back together, for obvious reasons.

Tyrion and Cersei hate each other, but are clinging to each other out of sheer desperation.

I do think that Tywin and Arya's little chats are the most successful deviation in that they fill in the gaps in the backstory. Mr. Dance and little Maisie are so good together!

>11 drmamm:

I agree about the Tywin/Arya scenes; great interaction!

Either Talisa is Jeyne Westerling or just someone made up...because the outcome (i.e. spurning the Freys and their later vengeance) is really more important. I don't see that it really matters if he married some random foreigner or a girl from a minor house sworn to the Lannisters. However, it will be a fairly major change if they portray Robb sleeping with her simply to "follow his heart"; he married Jeyne to preserve her honor (in a roundabout way I suppose) and not merely out of desire--the downfall of father and son must be honor. Also, I wonder if the timing of the message informing, respectively, Robb and Catelyn will be the same as in the books (and thus be a further catalyst for Robb sleeping with Talisa--though not, interestingly enough, for Cat freeing Jaime, as that already seemed to be happening last week).

I also think that the Reeds have been eliminated; although they could be introduced later, perhaps meeting Bran as he is stumbling North. If Osha is with Bran, where will Rickon be? I suppose it's not too hard for them to figure out a way around that.

Word is there is a casting call for a few young people under five feet in height. Crannogmen perhaps?

I have been watching since the start. Didn't think there would be a thread here, since there wasn't much last season.

I think they jumped the shark long ago. Its been bad since the first episode, first scene. Dontos wasn't drunk, he was a bumbler like Sam. He also became the energizer bunny of torture victims - he did it all himself. They are rushing too much like they have a bus to catch, because of the 1 hour, 10 episode season.

I think that Stanis and Mel are badly cast, and not very good. I hate that they killed Irri and Rakharo. I love the scenes with Arya and Tywin. Tyrion is great, I love Cersei and think she and Margery will be fun together. I think they spent most season wasting Jon (just standing/sitting around doing nothing). Really like Robb. I think if they replace Jeyne, then its unlikely she will be having Robb's kid as some hope.

I also think they are disnefying it. Making it more normal than the way Martin wrote. They are making the women nicer and more stereotypical, they have taken most (I think eventually all) of Arya's actual kills from her, and they made it so plain about the burned dead kids that there is no horror left.

I still watch it, but its really not ASOIF.

Episode 8 - Dog gone it! I was hungry for weasle soup and I didn't get any!

It was probably my least favorite of the episodes, but it was still good. I think it was because it was a "transition" episode - everybody is waiting for Blackwater and the House of the Undying (in that order.)

I didn't mind that Weasel Soup didn't make the cut, but the writers did a disservice to Arya by not having her kill a guard. Her killings define her character development.

I'm glad that Jon and Quorin are together. That should make for a nice climax up north.

Well Sweetlings, got your armor ready for Sunday night's battle on the Blackwater?

>18 varielle: cool interview on this episode: http://insidetv.ew.com/2012/05/20/game-of-thrones-blackwater/

I intentionally have not watched any previews of Blackwater. I want to go in "cold turkey." I'm curious to see how they made the budget work.

And I WANT THE CHAIN!!!

Yes I'm wondering about the chain. So far it's not even been mentioned.

True--I hope they don't underplay Tyrion's role in saving the city.

drmamm don't read SPOILER...the ads do have a great line from Tyrion that made it in, "There are brave men at the gate. Let's go out and kill them!" hee hee

Haha, that's good to hear! I think the ingratitude really gets to him afterwards and I don't want the show to lose that.

Now THAT was good! I had some minor quibbles, but Blackwater was tremendous. I think that keeping the whole episode in one setting really helped. Lena Headey was amazing.

I actually didn't miss the chain. The producers worked around it really well.

>25 drmamm: good to hear, I'm about to watch!

My only regret was the lack of intensity in Sandor and Sansa's final encounter. No kiss or song from the little bird????

I liked it.

Yeah, maybe that song that Sansa always thinks about won't be coming up-I think that in the books they're only in her thoughts and not verbalized. Sandor Clegane has never had the intensity in the show that he does in the books, I feel.

GRRM wrote this script himself, so I was surprised at some of the unexpected scenes, like when Bronn was going to duel the Hound.

I thought it worked well though. Stephan Dillane's (Stannis) fight scenes were really good. He such a good actor. I just found out why the mountain was replaced. The wonderful actor who played him first season has gotten cast in the new Hobbit movie as an Orc. I had suspected that they wouldn't let Tyrion's injuries be as disfiguring as they were in the book, looks like he'll mend reasonably well. Let's hear it for Podrick Payne!

Oh, and the singing of the Rains of Castemere over the credits was wonderful. Wish I had some drunk Lannisters to teach me how to sing it. Think I must order the soundtrack.

The group The National sang the closing credits version of the song. Very haunting!

I also thought Stannis was great. I _loved_ the scene where that somewhat high-pitched sounding soldier told him that "hundreds" would die. Stannis simply replied, "Thousands." That was a pretty chilling scene!

Also, I love the Stannis/Melisandre theme music that comes; very subtle.

I didn't know what to think of the season finale. I know it couldn't be better than Blackwater, so I had to lower my expectations - it needed to clean up so many loose ends in the storyline.

I liked:
-The Winterfell scenes. Theon is so pitiful. I would have to have seen Ramsay, though. Luwin's performance was excellent. Very touching.
-The throne room scene. The little farce that Joffrey and Margery put on was very well-done. I loved the look of disgust on Loras' face!
-Jaquen/Arya.
-Brienne/Jaime. Great chemistry between the two!

Just OK:
-Snow/Quorin. I would have rather seen Quorin order Snow to kill him. That would have made him look better than just some hotheaded idiot. I laughed when Ygritte kept hitting him with his sword.
-Three blasts. A little hokey, but not much CGI budget, so, OK. Why didn't the white walkers kill Sam? Still a good set-up for the Fist of First Men battle.
-HOU. I liked how they kept Dany running to different places. Interesting "rooms." A dragon-blasted Throne room? Dany meeting her "husband" at the Wall? (Foreshadowing? Ice/Fire? Dany/Jon???) The climax was meh. I would have liked to see the dragons burn it down.
-Tyrion/Shae. Of course Shae ruins a scene that Tyrion gets off to a great start...

Didn't like:
-Why didn't anyone consult me before locking Doreah in the vault???? Not nice, not nice at all!!
-Stan/Mel. Felt like a scene in a soap opera. Stannis acted out of character, IMHO.
-Robb's wedding. More soap opera.

Still, a good ending. Every episode can't be Blackwater.

Yes, Shae's acting is pretty uneven. Oh, well...

They left out the bit about Dany seeing her older brother (Rhaegar, not Viserys) after the birth of his son. I was looking forward to that because I loved that scene in the book.

Overall I enjoyed the episode.

Yeah baby dragons! Good to see Drogo. I think using Littlefinger to advise Sansa rather than the fool will be better. Jaime looked suitably impressed with Brienne's handiwork. I was OK with Stannis showing a little humanity and remorse. After this spectacular failure he had become a kinslayer for nothing. I figured Tyrion would retain his nose, but he is going to have a nasty scar. Lord Tywin's horse business was an excellent commentary on the state of the kingdom. Can't wait for April 2013.

Theon is played very well by the actor I have to say, to degrade a personality that much in every fiber of being ... it's very well done.

Shae is pretty uneven, agreed there. Then again, the character itself doesn't carry that much in the show, as opposed to in the book. Probably because Tyrion carries a much heavier focus. I was kinda disappointed his disfiguration didn't turn out to be as in the book. Something tells me that actor could have carried even that outstandingly.

Stannis is a pleasant surprise. Strong, and it shows his being cold at heart (which is such an inherent opposite to the whole thing with that lord of light lady who in terms of goals and methods is much much colder even).

I have to agree with an earlier post on the Brienne/Jaime chemistry. It's there. In spite of both their shortcomings and trauma reigning. I had not expected it being made visible.