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A Song of Ice and Fire: The pilot is so close you can taste the incest.

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  • XeddicusXeddicus Registered User regular
    edited April 2011
    Invisible wrote: »
    Loved it. The only seen I didn't really 100% like was the "The things I do for love" scene. But that's more in how I pictured the scene. I always imagined him being more resigned to what he had to do, rather than how quickly he said and did the act in the show.

    I think so far, they've done an excellent job with the characters given the hour they had.

    You sure that's how you pictured it originally? At that point we have no reason to suspect Jamie doesn't throw kids off towers every day, it's only later he develops a soul apparently. Jamie and Cersei fit that scene perfectly, but Bran kind of just stood there instead of almost falling like in the book. Minor detail, it just would have made the shove even 'better' if he got pulled up first like in the book (that of course shows Jamie is even more of a bastard, so maybe they're going with version 2.0 sooner in the TV show).

    Xeddicus on
  • BalefuegoBalefuego Registered User regular
    edited April 2011
    in the books Jaime is described as delivering that line "with loathing"

    Balefuego on
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  • enlightenedbumenlightenedbum Registered User regular
    edited April 2011
    Viserys and Jon are the two casting choices I'm not sold on after the pilot. Viserys is sniveling enough and looks crazy but I'm not sure if he's pulling off the intimidation of Dany enough to make that story work entirely. Jon I'm just generally meh about. Impressed by the other kids, Bean and Dinklage are unsurprisingly awesome, Addy is quite good as Robert, and the two women playing Catelyn and Cersei seem to have those roles about right.

    enlightenedbum on
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  • MayGodHaveMercyMayGodHaveMercy Registered User regular
    edited April 2011
    Viserys and Jon are the two casting choices I'm not sold on after the pilot. Viserys is sniveling enough and looks crazy but I'm not sure if he's pulling off the intimidation of Dany enough to make that story work entirely. Jon I'm just generally meh about. Impressed by the other kids, Bean and Dinklage are unsurprisingly awesome, Addy is quite good as Robert, and the two women playing Catelyn and Cersei seem to have those roles about right.

    I thought Jon was near perfect, personally.

    MayGodHaveMercy on
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  • ED!ED! Registered User regular
    edited April 2011
    First episode was kind of boring, but then, the first half of the first book is probably the least interesting part of Game of Thrones. Knowing what comes next means waiting through these episodes until we get to Big Spoiler #1.

    The first season will be the training wheels. After that, shit gets real.

    RE: Jamie pushing Bran; I too was a bit disappointed with that. But then when you have an image of how things are supposed to be it's hard not to be - a la Watchmen. That said, there are certain scenes I can't wait for them to film chief of them is:
    Littlefinger pushing Lyssa off a cliff - :O

    ED! on
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  • override367override367 ALL minions Registered User regular
    edited April 2011
    I was very pleased with it overall: the costumes and settings were as lavish as I've come to expect HBO stuff to be, the characterizations just about exactly matched my expectations, and while it does feel simplified overall compared to the novels, I think they did as good a job as could be done in most ways.

    One minor quibble:
    The Dothraki hate and fear the "poison water" of the narrow sea. This is known. It is mentioned, repeatedly. They cannot abide the ocean, and their bone-deep cultural loathing of it is the only thing preventing them from raping and pillaging their way through the Seven Kingdoms just on a lark.

    But apparently, even the hydrophobic barbarian Dothraki agree that the seaside is just a fabulous place to hold - and consummate - a wedding!

    Not to nitpick and go off topic, but what are nerd threads for -
    Jorah's rather frank assessment is that the Dorthraki would pose no threat to the seven kingdoms. They have no conception of siege warfare and have probably never seen a proper castle

    override367 on
  • MatriasMatrias Registered User regular
    edited April 2011
    They can rape and pillage across the country side pretty well, though.

    Matrias on
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  • enlightenedbumenlightenedbum Registered User regular
    edited April 2011
    On the other hand... the Europeans would have thought that about the Mongols, I'm betting. And that's certainly how I envisioned the Dothraki.

    enlightenedbum on
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  • TaramoorTaramoor Storyteller Registered User regular
    edited April 2011
    Matrias wrote: »
    They can rape and pillage across the country side pretty well, though.

    I was going to say this.

    Also, isn't it still asserted that there are Targaryen supporters left in Westeros? I would think any deficiencies in strategy that the Dothraki have they more than make up for in raw numbers, and the lack of manpower coming from the Westeros supporters could be compensated for with strategy, seige engines, and knowledge of the home field.

    Taramoor on
  • OnTheLastCastleOnTheLastCastle let's keep it haimish for the peripatetic Registered User regular
    edited April 2011
    Reading the last page of comments, y'all need to start thinking in terms of cliffhangers instead of things being explained immediately (re: Dany and Drogo). TV is different than a book where you just keep reading.

    Book into TV = The finer internal explanations and motivations drop away. The emotions the characters feel are enhanced if the actors are good, which I think they're stellar here. These are the unarguable strengths of each medium.

    Ep1 Spoiler:
    Example, the scene where Robert talks about Lyanna in the book is eh, it's early and didn't bring out much emotion in me. Here, I felt it because an actor was present to make me feel it.

    And that's the point where I decided the people making the show were doing it correctly.

    OnTheLastCastle on
  • XeddicusXeddicus Registered User regular
    edited April 2011
    Speaking of the the scene in the crypt they didn't explain who "he" was and it pretty much fell flat compared to the book version. In the book you get a name, info about the past AND how much Robert hated the guy. I suppose they trimmed it out along with all the names to keep it uncluttered, but it really helped prop Robert up from his current state of has-been.

    Xeddicus on
  • Operative21Operative21 Registered User regular
    edited April 2011
    And that's the point where I decided the people making the show were doing it correctly.

    That is a good point, and I agree with you about that scene. I thought Mark Addy handled it (and Robert in general) very well. I also rather liked the scene with:
    Catelyn and Ned talking in bed about whether or not Ned should accept the position of Hand of the King. I don't recall the bit where Catelyn threatens to say "Listen FATMAN...." etc etc. in the book. Yet I thought the scene overall lent itself very well to giving the viewer a good sense of the genuine affection between Ned and Catelyn, while providing contrast to the obviously cold relationship between Robert and Cersei.

    I was very pleased with how they've handled Arya so far as well.
    The bit with her running around in a metal half-helmet made me chuckle. I don't remember that from the book either, but it was appropriate for the character.

    Operative21 on
  • Dis'Dis' Registered User regular
    edited April 2011

    Not to nitpick and go off topic, but what are nerd threads for -
    Jorah's rather frank assessment is that the Dorthraki would pose no threat to the seven kingdoms. They have no conception of siege warfare and have probably never seen a proper castle

    So they do what every nomad army in Eurasian history did and hire some siege specialists when they need them - I wonder if there will be anyone in the seven kingdoms dissatisfied with the current order and willing to sign up :lol:. Plus Westeros, unlike medieval Europe, has never had to contend with steppe warriors thanks to its isolation, if they attempt something stupid like meeting the Dorthraki in the open field...

    Dis' on
  • JacobkoshJacobkosh Gamble a stamp. I can show you how to be a real man!Moderator mod
    edited April 2011
    Viserys and Jon are the two casting choices I'm not sold on after the pilot. Viserys is sniveling enough and looks crazy but I'm not sure if he's pulling off the intimidation of Dany enough to make that story work entirely.

    I didn't have a problem with it on paper, but I honestly don't know if it's possible for an actual live human actor to deliver a line about "waking the dragon" and have it sound at all menacing. So I don't really know if the issue is the actor or not.

    Jacobkosh on
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  • zeenyzeeny Registered User regular
    edited April 2011
    Why are you talking about the show? Talk about how awesome the opening credits are.

    zeeny on
  • shadowaneshadowane Registered User regular
    edited April 2011
    jacobkosh wrote: »
    Viserys and Jon are the two casting choices I'm not sold on after the pilot. Viserys is sniveling enough and looks crazy but I'm not sure if he's pulling off the intimidation of Dany enough to make that story work entirely.

    I didn't have a problem with it on paper, but I honestly don't know if it's possible for an actual live human actor to deliver a line about "waking the dragon" and have it sound at all menacing. So I don't really know if the issue is the actor or not.

    Thinking about during the show, that quote is sort of petulant and terrible on paper so to see it in real life wasn't going to do it any favors. I'm not a fan of the actor though as I found him ridiculously boring. Creepiness was there though.
    Small Spoiler:
    At least he'll die soon.

    shadowane on
  • Andrew_JayAndrew_Jay Registered User regular
    edited April 2011
    Line of dialogue that I was disappointed to see absent:
    Tyrion and Jon's conversation - "Every dwarf is a bastard, but not every bastard must be a dwarf"
    One minor quibble:
    The Dothraki hate and fear the "poison water" of the narrow sea. This is known. It is mentioned, repeatedly. They cannot abide the ocean, and their bone-deep cultural loathing of it is the only thing preventing them from raping and pillaging their way through the Seven Kingdoms just on a lark.

    But apparently, even the hydrophobic barbarian Dothraki agree that the seaside is just a fabulous place to hold - and consummate - a wedding!
    I imagine, more than anything, that was to help the uninitiated and avoid confusion by showing one unified "across the narrow sea" location for the episode.
    zeeny wrote: »
    Why are you talking about the show? Talk about how awesome the opening credits are.
    Wasn't really a huge fan of the credit sequence myself, I don't know if it was because it made everything look too orderly, clean and mechanical, or how it jumped between only three locations, as if this were simply a story about Winterfell, King's Landing and Pentos - when in reality things get a lot more complicated than that very quickly.

    EDIT: But, if there were a different sequence every episode, identifying the relevant locations for that week, that would be really cool (and really helpful).

    EDIT 2: More complaining - the Others.
    Not really how I pictured them - they seem no different than the wights. I had always pictured them more like a Revenant from WarCraft - but that's just me.

    All in all though, I thought it was amazing.

    Andrew_Jay on
  • Nova_CNova_C I have the need The need for speedRegistered User regular
    edited April 2011
    I have to be totally honest after watching the pilot - I'm both impressed and concerned with how graphic this show is. There is shit in the books that that family goes through that I'm not completely sure I want to watch.....

    Nova_C on
  • Apothe0sisApothe0sis Have you ever questioned the nature of your reality? Registered User regular
    edited April 2011
    jacobkosh wrote: »
    Viserys and Jon are the two casting choices I'm not sold on after the pilot. Viserys is sniveling enough and looks crazy but I'm not sure if he's pulling off the intimidation of Dany enough to make that story work entirely.

    I didn't have a problem with it on paper, but I honestly don't know if it's possible for an actual live human actor to deliver a line about "waking the dragon" and have it sound at all menacing. So I don't really know if the issue is the actor or not.

    I'm not sure it was meant to sound threatening (except to Dany, a scared little girl) - to us it was meant to show he was a petulant, pathetic and deranged.

    Apothe0sis on
  • Nova_CNova_C I have the need The need for speedRegistered User regular
    edited April 2011
    Apothe0sis wrote: »
    jacobkosh wrote: »
    Viserys and Jon are the two casting choices I'm not sold on after the pilot. Viserys is sniveling enough and looks crazy but I'm not sure if he's pulling off the intimidation of Dany enough to make that story work entirely.

    I didn't have a problem with it on paper, but I honestly don't know if it's possible for an actual live human actor to deliver a line about "waking the dragon" and have it sound at all menacing. So I don't really know if the issue is the actor or not.

    I'm not sure it was meant to sound threatening (except to Dany, a scared little girl) - to us it was meant to show he was a petulant, pathetic and deranged.
    Didn't he beat her in the books a couple times? It's been a long time since I read it, but I'm fairly certain the 'waking the dragon' thing came after it was established she had been abused by her brother for a long time.

    Nova_C on
  • JacobkoshJacobkosh Gamble a stamp. I can show you how to be a real man!Moderator mod
    edited April 2011
    Andrew_Jay wrote: »
    EDIT: But, if there were a different sequence every episode, identifying the relevant locations for that week, that would be really cool (and really helpful).

    There is.

    Jacobkosh on
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  • surrealitychecksurrealitycheck lonely, but not unloved dreaming of faulty keys and latchesRegistered User regular
    edited April 2011
    More complaining - the Others.
    Are they meant to be formed from the chopped up corpses on the ground? Is that what the symbolic placement is for? Or?

    Haven't read the books, but I assume they're EVIL YOMBIES of some description

    surrealitycheck on
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  • Andrew_JayAndrew_Jay Registered User regular
    edited April 2011
    jacobkosh wrote: »
    Andrew_Jay wrote: »
    EDIT: But, if there were a different sequence every episode, identifying the relevant locations for that week, that would be really cool (and really helpful).
    There is.
    Awesome.

    Andrew_Jay on
  • DemonStaceyDemonStacey TTODewback's Daughter In love with the TaySwayRegistered User regular
    edited April 2011
    Very happy with the show.

    When the time comes they better have Jaime deliver my favorite line so far:
    I don't often throw children from towers to improve their health.

    DemonStacey on
  • AlegisAlegis Impeckable Registered User regular
    edited April 2011
    More complaining - the Others.
    Are they meant to be formed from the chopped up corpses on the ground? Is that what the symbolic placement is for? Or?

    Haven't read the books, but I assume they're EVIL YOMBIES of some description

    well
    the dead (wildlings) are raised as wights (blue eyes and stuff) by the others (the white walkers, doing all the slicing)

    I'm pleased with the episode.
    Acting is done very well and it's nice to see the scenes in action. There are some things better conveyed on a screen than read in book
    :winky:

    Alegis on
  • Apothe0sisApothe0sis Have you ever questioned the nature of your reality? Registered User regular
    edited April 2011
    Nova_C wrote: »
    Apothe0sis wrote: »
    jacobkosh wrote: »
    Viserys and Jon are the two casting choices I'm not sold on after the pilot. Viserys is sniveling enough and looks crazy but I'm not sure if he's pulling off the intimidation of Dany enough to make that story work entirely.

    I didn't have a problem with it on paper, but I honestly don't know if it's possible for an actual live human actor to deliver a line about "waking the dragon" and have it sound at all menacing. So I don't really know if the issue is the actor or not.

    I'm not sure it was meant to sound threatening (except to Dany, a scared little girl) - to us it was meant to show he was a petulant, pathetic and deranged.
    Didn't he beat her in the books a couple times? It's been a long time since I read it, but I'm fairly certain the 'waking the dragon' thing came after it was established she had been abused by her brother for a long time.
    Yeah, absolutely correct. But that doesn't make him a more impressive figure. Beating a 12 year old girl isn't exactly an honourable or impressive calling.

    Apothe0sis on
  • Mortal SkyMortal Sky queer punk hedge witchRegistered User regular
    edited April 2011
    So I paused the show right on the Other's face, as you do see it clearly for half a second. That was some freaky shit in HD.

    Mortal Sky on
  • TheBigEasyTheBigEasy Registered User regular
    edited April 2011
    I am about halfway through the first book ... can't wait to watch this tonight. So far it seems to translate pretty well from the book to the screen.

    TheBigEasy on
  • taketheblacktaketheblack Registered User regular
    edited April 2011
    Apothe0sis wrote: »
    Nova_C wrote: »
    Apothe0sis wrote: »
    jacobkosh wrote: »
    Viserys and Jon are the two casting choices I'm not sold on after the pilot. Viserys is sniveling enough and looks crazy but I'm not sure if he's pulling off the intimidation of Dany enough to make that story work entirely.

    I didn't have a problem with it on paper, but I honestly don't know if it's possible for an actual live human actor to deliver a line about "waking the dragon" and have it sound at all menacing. So I don't really know if the issue is the actor or not.

    I'm not sure it was meant to sound threatening (except to Dany, a scared little girl) - to us it was meant to show he was a petulant, pathetic and deranged.
    Didn't he beat her in the books a couple times? It's been a long time since I read it, but I'm fairly certain the 'waking the dragon' thing came after it was established she had been abused by her brother for a long time.
    Yeah, absolutely correct. But that doesn't make him a more impressive figure. Beating a 12 year old girl isn't exactly an honourable or impressive calling.

    R..right?

    taketheblack on
  • Apothe0sisApothe0sis Have you ever questioned the nature of your reality? Registered User regular
    edited April 2011
    Apothe0sis wrote: »
    Nova_C wrote: »
    Apothe0sis wrote: »
    jacobkosh wrote: »
    Viserys and Jon are the two casting choices I'm not sold on after the pilot. Viserys is sniveling enough and looks crazy but I'm not sure if he's pulling off the intimidation of Dany enough to make that story work entirely.

    I didn't have a problem with it on paper, but I honestly don't know if it's possible for an actual live human actor to deliver a line about "waking the dragon" and have it sound at all menacing. So I don't really know if the issue is the actor or not.

    I'm not sure it was meant to sound threatening (except to Dany, a scared little girl) - to us it was meant to show he was a petulant, pathetic and deranged.
    Didn't he beat her in the books a couple times? It's been a long time since I read it, but I'm fairly certain the 'waking the dragon' thing came after it was established she had been abused by her brother for a long time.
    Yeah, absolutely correct. But that doesn't make him a more impressive figure. Beating a 12 year old girl isn't exactly an honourable or impressive calling.

    R..right?

    So "waking the dragon" sounding cringe-worthy and embarrassing isn't contrary to the characterisation of Viserys nor a demonstration of clunky phrasing or the weakness of the screenplay/acting/etc.

    Apothe0sis on
  • DarkewolfeDarkewolfe Registered User regular
    edited April 2011
    So, I know the books have a lot of sexy time in them, but for some reason the nudity in the first episode seemed... overdone. I'm not sure I can explain how, other than that the stuff in the first episode is a pretty large chunk of narrative in the book, so while they trimmed everything else down, the sexy time scenes didn't seem to be reduced. This resulted in a very large amount of screen time being naked women (not something I generally complain about, but...). My girlfriend, who hasn't read the books, said they must be trying to get viewers hooked by promising a sex-fest show.

    The opening credits were amazing; I just loved the way they were done. I'd like to hear more from people who haven't read the books, though. It seemed like they had to edit out so much that it might be hard to follow.

    Darkewolfe on
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  • taketheblacktaketheblack Registered User regular
    edited April 2011
    Apothe0sis wrote: »
    Apothe0sis wrote: »
    Nova_C wrote: »
    Apothe0sis wrote: »
    jacobkosh wrote: »
    Viserys and Jon are the two casting choices I'm not sold on after the pilot. Viserys is sniveling enough and looks crazy but I'm not sure if he's pulling off the intimidation of Dany enough to make that story work entirely.

    I didn't have a problem with it on paper, but I honestly don't know if it's possible for an actual live human actor to deliver a line about "waking the dragon" and have it sound at all menacing. So I don't really know if the issue is the actor or not.

    I'm not sure it was meant to sound threatening (except to Dany, a scared little girl) - to us it was meant to show he was a petulant, pathetic and deranged.
    Didn't he beat her in the books a couple times? It's been a long time since I read it, but I'm fairly certain the 'waking the dragon' thing came after it was established she had been abused by her brother for a long time.
    Yeah, absolutely correct. But that doesn't make him a more impressive figure. Beating a 12 year old girl isn't exactly an honourable or impressive calling.

    R..right?

    So "waking the dragon" sounding cringe-worthy and embarrassing isn't contrary to the characterisation of Viserys nor a demonstration of clunky phrasing or the weakness of the screenplay/acting/etc.

    yeah we agree. my bad

    taketheblack on
  • JacobkoshJacobkosh Gamble a stamp. I can show you how to be a real man!Moderator mod
    edited April 2011
    I disagree, Ap0, in the sense that I think the line, when spoken by an actor, stands apart from the actor and the situation and just calls attention to itself in an unflattering way. If the actor had simply said "don't make me angry," we might either laugh at the character's impotent petulance or recoil from his menace, depending on the performance and the direction and so forth, but we wouldn't be knocked out of the moment by the absurdity of the words.

    Jacobkosh on
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  • Apothe0sisApothe0sis Have you ever questioned the nature of your reality? Registered User regular
    edited April 2011
    jacobkosh wrote: »
    I disagree, Ap0, in the sense that I think the line, when spoken by an actor, stands apart from the actor and the situation and just calls attention to itself in an unflattering way. If the actor had simply said "don't make me angry," we might either laugh at the character's impotent petulance or recoil from his menace, depending on the performance and the direction and so forth, but we wouldn't be knocked out of the moment by the absurdity of the words.

    But the very heart of Viserys is his utterly absurd delusions of grandeur juxtaposed with his impotence.

    A credulous tool of a rich merchant and a spymaster, laughed at by everyone else, the only person who is remotely impressed with him is his kid sister.

    I'll rewatch it and think about it more in the context of this conversation and see if my mind changes.

    Apothe0sis on
  • PantsBPantsB Fake Thomas Jefferson Registered User regular
    edited April 2011
    Yes but in the books its not impotent.
    Its pathetic, sure. But there's a difference between delusions of grandeur and a threat that although hinting at delusions of grandeur references a history of rage and abuse to his sister.

    PantsB on
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  • Nova_CNova_C I have the need The need for speedRegistered User regular
    edited April 2011
    Yeah, I meant in context the words are terrifying to his sister and no one else, but he was only saying them to his sister.

    If you'd never read the books, yeah, the phrasing is impotent. But from Daenerys' point of view, that phrasing is usually associated with abuse, so it would carry more weight.

    Major spoiler:
    Honestly I cannot wait until Viscerys gets his molten crown of gold. Poetic justice has never been so brutal or fitting.

    Nova_C on
  • Page-Page- Registered User regular
    edited April 2011
    He only said it once, and the way he said it wasn't so bad. It's not like he was sputtering and red faced. It was his private little warning meant only for his sister, and she reacted appropriately.

    Overall the first episode was fine. I expect things to get better, though; almost nothing happened, and only a few characters were introduced. I liked how Theon just randomly does shit, but they didn't bother to at least have someone say, "Yes, Theon," or, "No, Theon." You just see him there, standing with all the Starks. But, whatever, it's not like he's got anything to do in the first book.

    Page- on
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  • SparvySparvy Registered User regular
    edited April 2011
    I liked it, a lot, though its sorta standing on the edge of being a guilty pleasure right now. I wouldn't recommend the show to people I know right now, maybe later when they can watch a few episodes in one go

    Sparvy on
  • ZeroCowZeroCow Registered User regular
    edited April 2011
    I haven't read the books, but I loved the show last night.

    The wife and I also watched a lot of HBO's mini-specials that explained who the characters are, so I feel that helped in us understanding everything that was going on.

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  • nexuscrawlernexuscrawler Registered User regular
    edited April 2011
    small quibble is the guys playing Robb and Jon look an awful lot like each other

    nexuscrawler on
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