[Ceda Cicero]

@Cobbles, spend a good couple of minutes at http://www.winter-is-coming.net and you'll get a lot of the info it seems you're looking for around individual episodes, etc.

[Cobbles]

Bauchelain the Evil, on 11 May 2011 - 02:51 AM, said:

9 refers to the temple of Baelor where Ned's executed

ok, I had forgotten that detail. All those names are just one giant aeaeaeaeaeae to me.

But if Ned get's killed in Ep. #9, then #8, 'the pointy end', cannot refer to Arya's flight? It must be something else. It must have been 8 years or so since I last read 'Thrones'. There was an attempt on Dany (which was fairly inconsequential). Maybe that's it.

[Ulrik]

It can be, firstly Janos Slynt and Gold Cloaks kills rest of Stark guard, Ned is arrested, they are going for Arya, Syrio kills four man with wooden stick and hives her time to run, she goes to stables, there is some boy who wants to turn her to Lannisters... she uses basic swordsman method, named in episode title. Whey is Ned executed, she is watching it from mob around Baelor´s sept. There is cca week between taking Ned to captivity and his execution.

This post has been edited by Ulrik: 11 May 2011 - 06:43 AM

[QuickTidal]

Just watched it last night. Twice. (shut up, I am afflicted by the same problem Abyss has)

My thoughts.

The standout for me. Sam. The guy playing Sam was effing perfect! The high pitched "I yield.", him getting beaten down by Rast, Jon showing his future leadership by proving to Grenn and Pip that he is just like them. But for me, that scene on top of the Wall between the two of them when Sam tells Jon the story of why he came to the Wall...the emotion choking up the actors voice was spot bloody on. So well acted. Then to follow that with the "You didn't know where to put it?" scene where the camaraderie they will share as friends jumps to the fore...that helps to show just how tight their friendship will be down the road. All the wall stuff was awesome this week. This includes the fact that...has anyone else noticed it...Grenn spits stuff out of his mouth with EVERY line of dialogue? I dunno why, but it suits him to do so.

Arya and her dad on the stairs was a nice little addition, especially her delivery on the last line "No, that's not me."

Viserys and the (hot as fuck actress) I mean whore in the tub was actually a great scene for me, simply because it refreshes that Viserys can turn on a dime without fail and become an enormous douche. Loved it.

The scene with Dany and Vis was goddamned perfect for me. In fact, both my gf and her sister did like fist pumps when she tells him off and hooted their approval. LOL Great stuff...and actually Dany is well into the role now and I feel she is starting to embody the Dany we see later on.

A quick little nod from Mormont about Rhaegar being the actual "last dragon" and not Viserys was a nice touch.

The scene with Littlefinger telling Sansa did totally set up his future relations with her, and told the story, so I was down with it.

Beyond that, the whole tourney felt like an afterthought, but I think that's because in this episode we are meant to be siding with Ned who wants nothing to do with the whole shebang, and so it feels that way.

Question: Was Robert this much of an asshat ruler in the books? I seem to recall having slightly more respect for him, but in the show he really comes off as a douche.

The Jaime and Jory scene was a nice addition, and whoever upthread mentioned how Jaime has his moments of kindness and joviality when talking of battles, but goes right back to being a dick afterwards is nice. I also like that they are playing up the whole, defense of his sister/lover from the brutish/womanizing king...which will play a bigger role down the line when Jaime discovers that not even Cersei has his best interests at heart.

Gendry, while not at all like I pictured him, that was a nice well executed scene and I liked it. Close up of Gendry's stag-topped (not for sale) helm please! Considering he carries it with him till mid-ACOK when The Mountain takes it and gives it to Amory Lorch.

Lastly, Cat's scene at the inn with Tyrion was perfect. I didn't find it overblown or anything. And for those wondering about the casual viewer getting the whole Tyrion-didn't-try-to-kill-Bran thing, after she accused him my gf says "Good!" and I looked over at her and her sister smacked her and says, "But he obviously didn't do it."

A great episode!

[Garak]

If I remember corectly the whole "Have this uber-recognizable dagger and go kill the boy" thing was the twat's idea. I mean prince twat ... aaah, Joffrey.

I watched my friends faces when Joff first appeared on screen (back in ep 1 when the King arrives at Winterfell and Joff appears for a few seconds) and everyone looked they wanted to punch him. Good casting but I kinda feel sorry for that actor, being born with a face that begs for a fist.

This post has been edited by Garak: 11 May 2011 - 02:47 PM

[Abyss]

QuickTidal, on 11 May 2011 - 12:59 PM, said:

...
The scene with Dany and Vis was goddamned perfect for me. In fact, both my gf and her sister did like fist pumps when she tells him off and hooted their approval. LOL Great stuff...and actually Dany is well into the role now and I feel she is starting to embody the Dany we see later on.

She's REALLY starting to nail the role.

Quote

...The scene with Littlefinger telling Sansa did totally set up his future relations with her, and told the story, so I was down with it.
...

Am i the only one who initially thought inthe books that Littlefinger has some weird Catelyn-obsession based sexual interest in Sansa?
It went in another direction later, but there was a huge ick factor for a while there.

[End of Disc One]

Speaking of creepyfinger...

[Ceda Cicero]

End of Disc One, on 11 May 2011 - 03:21 PM, said:

Speaking of creepyfinger...

That little snippet to me embodies all the things that didn't work about the scene in my mind. I had little to no problem with Littlefinger being the one to relate the Hound/Mountain story, had no problem with the delivery or the acting. But when I watched it a second time I realized how awkward it was that hundreds of extras were just sitting in the crowd silently shaking their heads. Seriously. Ser Hugh choked on his own blood and then it was like everyone called a time-out to play the quiet game while Littlefinger gave us 5 minutes of exposition. It was very awkward.

Edit:

Quote

Am i the only one who initially thought inthe books that Littlefinger has some weird Catelyn-obsession based sexual interest in Sansa? It went in another direction later, but there was a huge ick factor for a while there.

I definitely thought the same. Did it really go in another direction later? As of FFC their relationship is more demented than ever, IIRC. Doesn't he make out with her in the courtyard of the Eyrie? That's what sends Lysa Arryn over the edge, right?

This post has been edited by Ceda Cicero: 11 May 2011 - 03:36 PM

[QuickTidal]

Ceda Cicero, on 11 May 2011 - 03:33 PM, said:

That little snippet to me embodies all the things that didn't work about the scene in my mind. I had little to no problem with Littlefinger being the one to relate the Hound/Mountain story, had no problem with the delivery or the acting. But when I watched it a second time I realized how awkward it was that hundreds of extras were just sitting in the crowd silently shaking their heads. Seriously. Ser Hugh choked on his own blood and then it was like everyone called a time-out to play the quiet game while Littlefinger gave us 5 minutes of exposition. It was very awkward.

Yes, this was indeed the case for me as well. It would have had far more of an impact had the crowd been buzzing around him about the death or something instead of the silence he gets log enough to tell the story. At first I thought the silence was just between him and Sansa and the crowd was talking ect. and the sound silence effect was for us to hear him, but on a second watch...nope, everyone is just kind of sitting there while he ruminates about the Hound and Mountain.

[Tapper]

QuickTidal, on 11 May 2011 - 12:59 PM, said:

Question: Was Robert this much of an asshat ruler in the books? I seem to recall having slightly more respect for him, but in the show he really comes off as a douche.

Yes, the present Robert was. However, in the books we get more Ned thinking on their relationship, on Lianna and Robert, Renly on Robert and on how Robert used to be, and Robert's main redeeming feature is his past: the young noble hero who basically rebelled for love, and we have PoVs in the book, where we have more of a spectator view in the series.

Quote

Am i the only one who initially thought inthe books that Littlefinger has some weird Catelyn-obsession based sexual interest in Sansa?
It went in another direction later, but there was a huge ick factor for a while there.

Nope, had the same. And still have. He quite clearly did have a Catelyn-obsession and indeed projected it on Sansa. Since thanks to that, she means more to him than a mere tool on his quest to power.

Imho, he currently thinks she is a silly goose. Littlefinger is very much in love with himself and his own cleverness, and therefore, the more she learns, the more she becomes his mirror image/ dream woman (beautiful, outwardly innocent but full of wits and tricks, able to manipulate and scheme and seduce).
I wouldn't be surprised at all if he tries to collect his dues by the time he judges there is little he can teach her anymore, and Sansa tricks him and has him killed by some big dumb admirer she snared.

This post has been edited by Tapper: 12 May 2011 - 01:05 PM

[acesn8s]

I think they should have hit the general audience ove the head with the clue-by-4 when it came to the Mountain killing ser Hugh. I was always under the impression that he was intentionally head-hunting.

I also wish they took some more time to put the Mountain into scale with everyone else. He looked big, but not huge.

[QuickTidal]

acesn8s, on 12 May 2011 - 01:11 PM, said:

I think they should have hit the general audience ove the head with the clue-by-4 when it came to the Mountain killing ser Hugh. I was always under the impression that he was intentionally head-hunting.

It's like that in the book as well.

acesn8s, on 12 May 2011 - 01:11 PM, said:

I also wish they took some more time to put the Mountain into scale with everyone else. He looked big, but not huge.

The Tourney continues in the next episode, so I am sure we'll see more of the Mountain in size next to....umm..I'll say Loras Tyrell for one. Beyond that, they cast a 7 foot 5 inch guy for a reason I'm sure.

[Abyss]

Ceda Cicero, on 11 May 2011 - 03:33 PM, said:

...

Quote

Am i the only one who initially thought inthe books that Littlefinger has some weird Catelyn-obsession based sexual interest in Sansa? It went in another direction later, but there was a huge ick factor for a while there.

I definitely thought the same. Did it really go in another direction later? As of FFC their relationship is more demented than ever, IIRC. Doesn't he make out with her in the courtyard of the Eyrie? That's what sends Lysa Arryn over the edge, right?

I don't think he makes out with her... or maybe he did deliberately to send Lysa bugnuts so he subsequently tosses her off the Eyrie when she's trying to do the same to Sansa... i don't quite remember, but later he's making grand plans to pretend she's his child and marry her to someone important.

Tapper, on 12 May 2011 - 01:04 PM, said:

...I wouldn't be surprised at all if he tries to collect his dues by the time he judges there is little he can teach her anymore, and Sansa tricks him and has him killed by some big dumb admirer she snared.

Possibly, maybe even likely. Or maybe he'll end up being her ally while she calls the shots. Sansa is the most ambiguous of the Stark kids... it's fairly clear what path the others are following... (Jon at the wall, Arya in assassin training, Bran as warg, Rickon as Kid Conan, Robb as worm food...) but Sansa could end up as a victim, a major player, a behind the scenes player or just dead.... i'm kind of hoping it's ultimately her who takes out Cersei...

acesn8s, on 12 May 2011 - 01:11 PM, said:

I think they should have hit the general audience ove the head with the clue-by-4 when it came to the Mountain killing ser Hugh. I was always under the impression that he was intentionally head-hunting.

I suspect that will be revealed.

Quote

I also wish they took some more time to put the Mountain into scale with everyone else. He looked big, but not huge.

That's easier done in the book by far. Once you're dealing with 'real' people, there aren't an abundance of 7 ft tall actors who fit the role i suppose.

[QuickTidal]

Abyss, on 12 May 2011 - 04:20 PM, said:

That's easier done in the book by far. Once you're dealing with 'real' people, there aren't an abundance of 7 ft tall actors who fit the role i suppose.

Conan Stevens who plays Gregor is officially 7 foot 1.

[Slick Mongoose]

Ser Hugh was tall, taller than Jory, and Gregor towered over him.

Briar King, on 12 May 2011 - 05:27 PM, said:

I was thinking that the Tourny was going to be finished next week? Didnt stop filming right in the middle of it?

Yeah, we've seen other preview clips from it, it'll be there. We'll probably get a lot more next week.

[HoosierDaddy]

Fuck and Yes. That is what I'm talking about! Great mix of character and action. The hate for the Lannisters (other than Tyrion) it GROWZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ!

GROWZZZZZZ I SAY!

[Ceda Cicero]

HoosierDaddy, on 16 May 2011 - 02:01 AM, said:

Fuck and Yes. That is what I'm talking about! Great mix of character and action. The hate for the Lannisters (other than Tyrion) it GROWZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ!

GROWZZZZZZ I SAY!

Initial thoughts, with more to come when I'm less tired and have watched a second time...

IMO, the best ep so far for a lot of reasons. The Robert/Cersei conversation was, for me, the highlight. My buddy thought the added duel between Jaime and Ned was not well done, I disagreed, esp the way Jaime punched the redcloak in the face who stabbed Ned in the leg. Nicely done, that. Littlefinger was just spot on in this episode, he killed it. Everything about the Eyrie, from the fortress itself to the Hall of the Arryns to Lysa, was not quite what I pictured when I read, but it worked very well for me nonetheless.

Renly and Loras, FTW. I need some time to think on this and hear what you guys think before I formulate my opinion. There's very clearly a slight homerotic subtext with those two characters in the books, and it's very clearly deliberate. But it's so subtle, and the characters are sufficiently masculine enough, so that I'm always left feeling that it might just be a very intense, very overblown bromance. Regardless, I think the whole chest-shaving scene was a little over the top, and both of these guys - esp Loras - look and act way too feminine IMO. Yes, I know they are both (esp Loras) described in that way on occasion in the series, but I still thought it was a bit over the top.

[End of Disc One]

Yeah this episode was fucking awesome, by far the best yet. And to think that the rest of the season will probably be even better...damn.

Loved the Varys/LF scene, even though I think Varys was always than LF with information. All the action was great too, especially the last scene.

[HoosierDaddy]

Yeah, they aren't pulling punches with Renly and Loras. However, the moment Littlefinger asked Renly the next time he was "going to have Loras", any subtlety kind began to disappear. The shaving scene just said, "Fuck it: these guys are totally gay for each other," and schemes and schemers are literally everywhere. Which Robert does a great job with the "Five Fingers-One Fist" analogy.

[Sinisdar Toste]

gotta agree that this was the best episode so far. right from the get go it's just hit after hit. the tournament parts were much better, not the least for the two cleganes duking it out. that fucking butchers blow from the mountain was GRUESOME! all the other fight scenes were great too, finally some bronn action, jaime and ned, and another gruesome death with poor jory. i like the way that the made-for-tv scene with him and jaime makes the murder mean more to the audience.


tyrion continues to kill. lysa was perfectly frekked up. even theon and bran's little interlude was pretty good.

surprised that they decided to go full bore on loras and renly's romance, but it adds an interesting perspective. varys and littlefinger were mad intense in their little 'who knows more' standoff, enjoyed that a lot.

i agree the robert and cersei scene was one of the best of the episode, kind of the last time they'll really talk to each other.