[Cyphon]

http://blastr.com/20...ose-game-of.php

Jason Momoa find the sex scenes hard. Bless.

[Ceda Cicero]

Bauchelain the Evil, on 28 April 2011 - 03:13 PM, said:

QuickTidal, on 28 April 2011 - 03:09 PM, said:

Abyss, on 28 April 2011 - 03:03 PM, said:

Cyphon, on 28 April 2011 - 09:01 AM, said:

...Godswood scene pisses me off, clunky as hell ...

Considering the source material from the book - Cat's running to inform Ned of the Lannister's highly secret plot against him .... way to go Cat... Ned wouldn't have figured that one out without you - they made it work well enough.

I also watched most of the second ep again. Tyrion is even better. Jon, otoh, is more whiny.

In the book Jon comes across as stoic from the get-go which always unsettled me simply because the guy is still like 17 and would not be so solid a person yet, he'd be kind of teenagery still. So here in the show where he comes across as a little whiny at times works for me. I want him to build up to the point where he is the man who will take over as Lord Commander.

That said, his scene with Bran before Catelyn growls for him to get out is very well acted in his part...and his scene with Arya is untouchably awesome and perfect to the book.

About the scene between Cat and Jon, I may be remembering wrong, but didn't she say she wished it was him who should have fallen? Did they change it because they're trying to go for a more sympathetic approach to Cat?

I do remember that line, now that you mention it. I think it's the last thing she says to him. It always twisted in my gut extra hard because, IIRC, Jon is walking out of the room and Catelyn calls his name, which surprises him, and for a moment you wonder if she's about to thank him for caring for Bran or apologize for being awful or just generally allow for a single feel-good moment before he takes off for the Wall. Then she drops that bomb.

I'm also settling in for a second viewing in just a few minutes. It's almost out of necessity though, as the group I was with got to drinking rather too much on Sunday night.

[Ceda Cicero]

Cyphon, on 28 April 2011 - 03:15 PM, said:

http://blastr.com/20...ose-game-of.php

Jason Momoa find the sex scenes hard. Bless.

Nice little find there. Yanno, seeing him without the eye makeup just reinforces to me how badly it needs to go - he looks way more fierce and scary and Drogo-ish without it, certainly less cartoonish.

[QuickTidal]

Cyphon, on 28 April 2011 - 03:15 PM, said:

http://blastr.com/20...ose-game-of.php

Jason Momoa find the sex scenes hard. Bless.

I'm sure he does.

[Cyphon]

In Ep2 scene, Dany does do her creepy dragon-must get through this face. It was a little... weird.

[Tyr]

Everything Dany does annoys me to no end. Cant wait till she gets her baby killed.

And the Godswood scene was awesome! I love Theon/Robb bromance.

Best scenes in ep 2 are Tyrion/Joff/Breakfast, "Your not supposed to be here", the Godswood meet, "Do I scare you girl?", The tribunal where Arya goes nuts (especially the "LEAVE LADY ALONE") and the absolute best scene was "He ran. Not very fast". Watch that scene over and over and you will see that this Sandor is a fucking bad ass.

[Abyss]

QuickTidal, on 28 April 2011 - 04:00 PM, said:

Cyphon, on 28 April 2011 - 03:15 PM, said:

http://blastr.com/20...ose-game-of.php

Jason Momoa find the sex scenes hard. Bless.

I'm sure he does.

Don't be dense, you know exactly what he's talking about.

Cyphon, on 28 April 2011 - 06:57 PM, said:

In Ep2 scene, Dany does do her creepy dragon-must get through this face. It was a little... weird.

I'd go one further and say it was weak. The actress has her moments but that wasn't one of them.

Tyr, on 29 April 2011 - 02:10 AM, said:

...
The tribunal where Arya goes nuts (especially the "LEAVE LADY ALONE") and the absolute best scene was "He ran. Not very fast". Watch that scene over and over and you will see that this Sandor is a fucking bad ass.

That Tribunal scene was as frustrating as it was in the book. In a good way. The 'split' between Sansa and Arya is actually a lot clearer.

As for Sandor, they're doing a nice job of building him up as badass but more of a 'i really don't give a crap' badass as opposed to the 'in your face' badass that he is in the books. That helmet is perfect.

[QuickTidal]

Abyss, on 29 April 2011 - 03:27 PM, said:

Don't be awesome, you know exactly what he's talking about.

Fixed.

[HoosierDaddy]

Love all of the political intrigue and the character building these last two episodes have had. But...

It's time for some dead people.

[King Bear]

Abyss, on 25 April 2011 - 05:44 AM, said:

Please... Everyone knows it's a giant space robot DIREWOLF with energy FANGS. Named 'Lady'.
The revelation in book nine about them using Ned's brain to operate it was a bit weird tho.

Damn. How did I forget that?

GOT spoiler:

Spoiler

It was good to see Ned back in the game though, even if he wasn't quite his old self. Good thing Tyrion secretly preserved his brain in a jar.

Abyss, on 25 April 2011 - 05:44 AM, said:

Lena Hedley is absolutely nailing Cersei as far as i'm concerned.

I thought it was Jaime who was absolutely nailing Cersei.

This post has been edited by Quickie Ben: 02 May 2011 - 02:39 AM

[Tyr]

First time watcher, never read books.

He did reviews for the other episodes too. He has some funny theories.

[MTS]

Does anyone else really not like the guy who's playing Littlefinger? I dunno, he's got the personality down right, but I didn't think he had very good delivery at all this episode.

[Cyphon]

Yeah his delivery wasn't great. But having seen him play a similar role in The Wire, I have a great deal of faith. Checking out those reviews now Tyr.

30 mins a review? No thanks, plus watching the first minute or so of each made me wince a little. Well in particular with Ep3 when he said, it didn't end on a sour note, wtf? Ned remembering the cost of battle as he looks on his daughter being taught to fight.

SUBTLETY, YOU DONT NOTICE IT.

This post has been edited by Cyphon: 02 May 2011 - 01:45 PM

[Abyss]

It's getting better.
I mean, it still annoys me to some degree that we're three eps in and Arya's the only one getting into anything resembling a sword fight, but even so, i have to say that the characters and various subplots are REALLY developing nicely.

Which, appropriately enough is one of the things that carries the first book despite the relative lack of action for most of the first half or so.


But every time Ned and Jaime are onscreen together, the antagonism positively crackles.

Cersei is amazingly split between vile bitch and sympathetic. Also, die Joffrey, die.

Even Robert got some good face time this ep. The scene trading war stories with Jaime and (i'm blanking, was that Mormont sr or Selmy?) was neat.

I liked Littlefinger... he fits my image of the character nicely, right down to the way he talks about Cat.

The Small Council was nicely done, especially Ned utterly not fitting in.

Cat's growing on me. The meeting in the whorehouse made her little trip seem way more worthwhile than her reunion with Ned in the books. Although it seems like everyone's overlooking the obvious fact that if someone wanted them to think it was Tyrion, they would use the dagger...

Bran had some nice moments. I liked the bit with the nurse telling stories... exposition aside, that went a long way to explaining how nasty winter really is.

Tyrion and Jon at the Wall were great great scenes. Loaded with all kinds of subtext and stories advancing. Someone remind me, but i don't think we had those scenes of Jon kicking ass in training and almost dying for it at the Wall in the books? And the subsequent 'teaching' scene which, tho' trite, goes a long way to setting him up as a possible leader. Maester Aemon (or whaetaevaer the old blind guy's naeme is) was perfect. Tyrion pissing off the wall gave me a good laugh. And buh-bye Benjen, it was nice knowing you.

Arya.... Arya Arya Arya... someone sign this girl up to play every little girl kid in every tv show and movie until puberty hits, she's just awesome. Her training scene with Syrio was SO GREAT, and Ned watching was just loaded with subtext.

Dany... the actress REALLY grew into the role here. She did a great combo of vulnerable and learning to be a queen and victim and 'fuck you i'm the fucking Khalessi you do what i say'. And thankfully Drogo cut back on the eyeshadow for a shange. Jorah being all comradely and then suspicious was a really nice touch.

Having Ned kill Osama bin Laden was a nice touch but i sort of wish it hadn't happened completely off screen.

I'm really really enjoying this. Now HIT SOMEONE WITH A POINTY PIECE OF METAL DAMMIT and i'm content.


- Aebyss, ...still caen't keep aell the naemes straeight...

[Tyr]

Cyphon, on 02 May 2011 - 01:35 PM, said:

30 mins a review? No thanks, plus watching the first minute or so of each made me wince a little. Well in particular with Ep3 when he said, it didn't end on a sour note, wtf? Ned remembering the cost of battle as he looks on his daughter being taught to fight.

SUBTLETY, YOU DONT NOTICE IT.

He is a first time viewer of the series, he does tend to get a little over-excited, but its very entertaining. I watch his review almost immediately after the show. He gets many things wrong, but he has never read the book, so its very interesting to see what he gets out of the show.

[Ceda Cicero]

@Abyss, that was definitely Barristan Selmy Robert was bullshitting with, and I thought that scene was nicely done. As a reader and rereader of the series I tend to cringe whenever anything smacks even a little of exposition, which I started to do with that scene. But watching it with my girlfriend, who's wholly invested in the characters and story now but has never gone near the books, makes me appreciate them more. She thought that scene was great, and was able to glean a lot of info out of it. And the guy they've cast as Barristan the Bold is absolutely perfect.

I positively loved Jaime in this episode, and was grateful that they're starting to very, very subtly introduce the multiple angles of his character without trying too hard to make us think of him as anything other than a cockbag at this point. The scene in the throne room with him and Ned was wonderfully done (though I did feel like I caught Jaime acting a few times) and, for those who've read the books, gave us a nice glimpse at Jaime's craving to be perceived as honorable by people like Ned, Barristan, Dayne, etc... His really roundabout way of trying to justify his betrayal of Aerys by dragging up the murder of Ned's brother and father, but still just getting spat on by Ned, is heartbreaking in a way. It was echoes in the exchange with Robert where he tells him Aerys's last words were "burn them all," and I loved the rapport on screen between him and Barristan.

I also agree that Dany was much, much more palatable this episode (not just because she was wearing skimpy Dothraki clothes for the first time, neither.) My girlfriend and I both cheered when the Bloodrider snagged Viserys with the whip. Fucker.

I had really, really high expectations for Littlefinger, and agree that while he looks the part 100%, I was disappointed by his delivery in places. This could be, again, because I had really high expectations. I too love what that actor did as Carcetti in the Wire, though, so I'm still optimistic that he'll come into his own.

Regarding Jon on the Wall, those scenes of him kicking ass in the courtyard of Castle Black and then getting jumped for it are definitely straight from the book, though I think in the book it was Benjen, rather than Tyrion, who real-talked Jon and made him realize that not everyone had the benefit of training under Ser Rodrik. I thought everything about the scenes at the Wall was really well done - I loved in the book how Jon clearly started along a path of leadership and significance the moment he decided to work with and train his fellow recruits rather than beat the shit out of them, and I love that this translated nicely to screen.

If the early reviews from critics are any indicator, episodes 4 and 5 are meant to be the cream of the crop among the first six episodes that were sent out. The next two Sundays should be electric.

This post has been edited by Neocount Cicero: 02 May 2011 - 03:51 PM

[End of Disc One]

^Not to nitpick, but the reviewers all said episodes 5 and 6 were the best--especially 6. Based on the titles and what we know from the book, I would expect those two to be the best.

This post has been edited by End of Disc One: 02 May 2011 - 04:17 PM

[QuickTidal]

Abyss, on 02 May 2011 - 02:05 PM, said:

Someone remind me, but i don't think we had those scenes of Jon kicking ass in training and almost dying for it at the Wall in the books?

I think that Is actually in the book if I recall from my most recent re-read of AGOT a few months back.

[Bauchelain the Evil]

Highlights of this episode.

Tyrion conversation with Yoren and Benjen "BUT".

Tyrion pissing above the Wall. I was laughing at that, altough I can't remember if he actually did it in the books.

Jaime's face when Ned completely ignores his justification for killing Aerys. It was priceless.

The scene between Robert,Selmy and Jaime was well done under several aspects. We learn Robert was a great warrior once, we learn Selmy is one, we hear about the Tarlys, we get a more humane aspect for Jaime. And of course we see Robert is quite heavy with his drinking.

Personally I liked Littlefinger. he has the right smirk and eye expression. And when Ned starts strangling him was great.

Arya's first dueling lesson, although Syrio's accent did bug me a little.

Nan's telling about winter at Bran. Her voice and expression were actually very chilling.

Oh and of course, seeing Viserys humiliated and almost killed was deeply satisfactory. I can't wait for him to get his crown.

This post has been edited by Bauchelain the Evil: 02 May 2011 - 06:17 PM

[Tapper]

I liked Syrio. Particularly since he was a near midget himself, but those movements, the little lessons, especially after Mormont's discussion with the Dothraki lad, was awesome.

Aside from him, this ep was the Arya and Lannister show. Jeoffrey was awesome. I really hate him. Jaime was a bit too one-dimensional to my liking, a bit too selfish and a bit too intent on a turf war, and while the antagony with Ned was great (yeah, that really added sparks to the screen, marvellous acting there), not really learning who fought on what side against Aerys Targaryen got a bit old. Give us a flashback or a proper explanation, please. No-one has really mentioned Rhaegar in three eps, iirc, and yet he is rather pivotal.

Cersei.. I could marry you, you cold hearted beautiful spiteful wonder of a woman... where I could strangle her happily in the books after half a page. Littlefinger: smirk of a villain, but he is reading his lines out loud a bit too much, with too much of the moustache twirling villainy. I liked Robbs cameo. Catelyn Stark: just die, OK?

Dany: I agree. Much better acting and some character growth. But next time, hun, take the bra off half an hour before the nude scene, please? The strap was still visible in your side and it looked nothing like the thin strips on your Dothraki outfit. I like the whipboy, nice natural introduction of her future bloodrider there. Mormont is awesome. Viserys, good actor.

I'm not going to mention Tyrion stealing the show again. I loved how they made him piss down the wall, the jerks afterwards were exaggerated (unless he is a tripod and is actually dickslapping the wall) but fun.

I do however start to object to the look of the Starks. Sansa aside, they look like farmers in dirty leather and homespun compared to just about everyone in Robert's court. Sensible dress is all ok, but even the armsmen in those open faced baskinets look like they are three centuries behind the city guard.