[Terez]

Karsa, on 14 April 2013 - 02:27 AM, said:

Terez, on 07 April 2013 - 01:54 AM, said:

Mississippi here. Y'all might as well be Yankees.

Not cool, man. You can't call us fuckin' Yankees. My grandfather would kill you for saying something like that. He lives in a place called Kings Mountain. It has a place through a pass set atop a giant, defendable rise still marked today. There's more dead Yankees buried in that one spot than anywhere else in the South.

Damn Yanks. I wonder if the Brits realize how offensive it is to call a southerner, a Yank. They just lump us all into the same category.

lol. I'm not much into rebel pride, though I was raised on it. My great-grandmother paid my dues to the UDC until she died (and my brother's to the SCV).

I might be in Charleston some time this summer. Going to visit the wonderful Maria Simons and check out the WoT collection at the College of Charleston. They have some nifty stuff, including old proofs of the early books, and old outlines where Rand is still Rhys.

[amphibian]

Manwitheyes, on 15 April 2013 - 04:07 AM, said:

I was really hoping to see the unsullied purchase this episode!

Technically, we did see the purchase this episode. The deal was made and it'll be consummated next episode. I think the slave girl translator will be a major figure going forwards and will "replace" Strong Belwas as the source of how social dynamics work in Astapoor and how Danerys's actions are wrecking all of that.

Quote

I almost forgot to mention, where's Melisandre going?

To deal with the stone dragon maybe? I don't remember the books well enough to answer with certainty. She's definitely hunting visions and magic, but where and why is beyond me.

[Abyss]

Solid ep last night...

Interesting how Theon's story is deviating from the books. I was certain the escape plot was going to be the Bastard messing with his head, but it looks like they're going in a different direction. That or the Bastard REALLY takes his head games seriously.

The Small Counsel scene was brilliant. The bit with Cersei and then Tyrion with the chairs... fuck me that was funny.

Speaking of funny, the whorehouse scene with Pod and the debrief were classic. Bronn and Tyrion could do an entire show on their own.

Dany's plotline moves. I don't think a single viewer actually believes she'd give up a dragon, and i liked her putting Mormont and Selmy in their places.

The storylines beyond the wall are moving slow, but good stuff in the works. The thing with the horses was nicely done.

Robb and co at the Tully's was all interesting.

I enjoyed Jaime's exchanges with Brienne and his attempt to 'save' her. The way their fight leads to his 'disarming' was a nice touch, pun intended.

[Terez]

Abyss, on 15 April 2013 - 02:04 PM, said:

Interesting how Theon's story is deviating from the books. I was certain the escape plot was going to be the Bastard messing with his head, but it looks like they're going in a different direction. That or the Bastard REALLY takes his head games seriously.

That is the assumption I made. So I looked it up, and apparently this guy is Ramsay Snow. Looks like him, doesn't it?

[Abyss]

Terez, on 15 April 2013 - 02:19 PM, said:

Abyss, on 15 April 2013 - 02:04 PM, said:

Interesting how Theon's story is deviating from the books. I was certain the escape plot was going to be the Bastard messing with his head, but it looks like they're going in a different direction. That or the Bastard REALLY takes his head games seriously.

That is the assumption I made. So I looked it up, and apparently this guy is Ramsay Snow. Looks like him, doesn't it?

The guy in the chainmail hood throwing out the insult 'you little bastard' just before that last arrow was pretty telling.

That said, the implication is that Bolton/Snow/whoever was cheerfully willing to kill a bunch of his own guys to manipulate Theon. I'm fine with that, but it suggests a grander game than just reducing him to the wreck he is in the later books.

[MTS]

amphibian, on 15 April 2013 - 01:29 PM, said:

Manwitheyes, on 15 April 2013 - 04:07 AM, said:

I was really hoping to see the unsullied purchase this episode!

Technically, we did see the purchase this episode. The deal was made and it'll be consummated next episode. I think the slave girl translator will be a major figure going forwards and will "replace" Strong Belwas as the source of how social dynamics work in Astapoor and how Danerys's actions are wrecking all of that.

Quote

I almost forgot to mention, where's Melisandre going?

To deal with the stone dragon maybe? I don't remember the books well enough to answer with certainty. She's definitely hunting visions and magic, but where and why is beyond me.

I don't remember the books very well either (it's been years since I read them), but there's a scene in the trailer where it appears Thoros is talking to Melisandre?

[Garak]

So I want to save Tyrion's life now because the man knows how to reward you for that. And Pod is apparently some sort of love god in disguise (the first scene .... really had my attention .... the second had me laughing with tears).

Anyway, glad to see things moving forward. So can I hope that next episode we see the famous Astapori money before reason mentality in action? Also the ending of this episode was a shockingly well done (and I knew what was coming).

[amphibian]

I've seen the AV Club reviews for the Newbies and Experts and I think they both got a little haughty.

In the group of 10ish people, Tyrion and Bronn talking about money and shifting to discovering Podrick's secret produced enormous laughs from everyone. It was maybe the biggest hit of the season thus far, as comedy goes and it was all set up from the boob-fest at the whorehouse.

I also question the people getting all hoity-toity about the whorehouses and how the show seems to glamorize prostitution. I read this fascinating book about Argentine prostitutes in the 1920s and 1930s before the illegality of it called Sex and Danger in Buenos Aires for a class and the researcher showed that something like 98% of prostitutes were voluntarily in the profession and quite enjoyed the money. Furthermore, the show contrasts the luxurious whorehouse scenes with Tyrion's revelations that it's all borrowed money and with the Astapoor slaves being killed, led around or treated abominably.

The show is doing a great job of showing context and in balancing the info dumps with the emotional cues.

Hot Pie's wolf was fucken awesome and so was Lord Commander Mormont subtly shaking his head at Sam in Craster's keep.

[Ceda Cicero]

Terez, on 15 April 2013 - 04:44 AM, said:

Karsa, on 14 April 2013 - 02:27 AM, said:

Terez, on 07 April 2013 - 01:54 AM, said:

Mississippi here. Y'all might as well be Yankees.

Not cool, man. You can't call us fuckin' Yankees. My grandfather would kill you for saying something like that. He lives in a place called Kings Mountain. It has a place through a pass set atop a giant, defendable rise still marked today. There's more dead Yankees buried in that one spot than anywhere else in the South.

Damn Yanks. I wonder if the Brits realize how offensive it is to call a southerner, a Yank. They just lump us all into the same category.

lol. I'm not much into rebel pride, though I was raised on it. My great-grandmother paid my dues to the UDC until she died (and my brother's to the SCV).

I might be in Charleston some time this summer. Going to visit the wonderful Maria Simons and check out the WoT collection at the College of Charleston. They have some nifty stuff, including old proofs of the early books, and old outlines where Rand is still Rhys.

Re Karsa: I'm about 20 miles south of King's Mountain. Drove past it yesterday. I teach SC history (alongside English... which is way more fun and way less depressing) and the Battle of King's Mountain was no joke.

Re Terez:, no idea CofC had a WoT collection. I'll have to check it out. Never knew Rand was Rhys once upon a time. Weirdly, my family's roots are in Charleston (French Hugies on the run) and Rhys was our surname before we Anglicized it.

Re Everyone Else: Last time I drag the thread OT, I swear. I've listened to Waldeau's wail in that last shot a few times over (morbid, I know) and it's utterly chilling. It conveys the physical pain, the anguish, all of it.

On the other hand, I really dislike the Hold Steady and I really dislike their rendition of that song and I really dislike the choice to put the song there. It smacked too much of True Blood, in addition to utterly spoiling the most dramatic moment yet this season. I do see what they were going for with it, but it was a miss.

[Manwitheyes]

It might also be a cool little tie-in to the scene where Brienne is in the bear pit and Jaime rescues her, although she's not so fair....

Every board I visit this is a very polarizing topic. It's a good tv show, doesn't always have to be as serious as schindlers list. Fantasy should be fun! As hardcore fantasy readers (I'm assuming we are because we are obsessed with tMBotF) we can silently and smugly nitpick and criticize while the masses guffaw and praise, but it wouldn't be on TV if it weren't for us readers >> and enjoy the ride

[Agraba]

I'm certainly enjoying the season so far. However, I am actually getting pretty annoyed by how frequently it jumps around. It really tries to homogenize the plots through each episode, and because of that, every portion with the characters just seem too brief. There's no nice flow to it. I honestly wish they could just focus on 3-4 plot segments per episode, and have a stronger focus and more advancement. Especially since Book 3 is now two seasons, I think they could pull that off. But I digress.

With all the plots flowing in the latest episode, I was wondering whether they were going to end it with the riot at Craster's Keep and death of Jeor Mormont, Danaerys getting her dragon to fry the slaver's face off, or Jamie getting his hand cut off. I guess they went with the last one.

I don't know how much this has been discussed, since I simply read page 1 and jumped straight to 7, but the guy who "rescued" Theon (and helped him escape earlier) is obviously Ramsay Bolton (what with the "you little bastard" comment). If I recall correctly, from "Reek's" PoV we learned that there were occasions where he was tricked into thinking he was allowed to escape and got severely punished for it later. But I don't really remember the details there.

I'm sad there's no Strong Belwas. His fight with the champion of Mereen at the front gates (with him letting the guy take a slash at his belly) was one of my favourite scenes. I get that he's not crucial for the plot, but still, I feel like they threw away a big potential fan favourite, even among those viewers who haven't read the series.

I was surprised when Sam saw Ghost. Someone help jog my memory. Was Ghost not supposed to be with Jon beyond the wall? I seem to remember some direwolf action when Jon backstabs the wildlings... was that Summer coming to Jon's aid? I remember a cross-wolf encounter, but I forget if it was Bran seeing Ghost or Jon seeing Summer.

[Traveller]

I liked it the whole episode up until that music kicked in at the end.

That scream of anguish followed by silence would have been better.

[Abyss]

Agraba, on 17 April 2013 - 12:29 PM, said:

...I was surprised when Sam saw Ghost. Someone help jog my memory. Was Ghost not supposed to be with Jon beyond the wall? I seem to remember some direwolf action when Jon backstabs the wildlings... was that Summer coming to Jon's aid? I remember a cross-wolf encounter, but I forget if it was Bran seeing Ghost or Jon seeing Summer.

Iirc, since Jon was taken prisoner i think we saw Ghost briefly with the Watch on the Fist.

In the book i can't remember whether Sam sees him, but the next time Jon sees Ghost is at the end of SoS ... Stannis makes Jon an offer and he goes to the groove to think about it and Ghost shows up, reminding Jon that the Old gods are cranky asshats who expect him to keep his vows and stay a Nighwatch, tho they're ok with the whole boinking w Ygritte thing.

[Traveller]

When Jon crosses the wall, he does a runner - and he sees Summer as Bran and the others are near by. I think Summer helped prevent jon get an arrow in the back.

[Malaclypse]

Karsa, on 14 April 2013 - 02:12 AM, said:

PS - You're an ass, Mal. I'm right now picturing you as that photo you're using for Facebook, and in it I'm right behind you, about to put you into a half-nelson, then into a suplex that ends with you on the ground looking up at me in fear, and me standing over you in triumph. Dick.

Haha, touched a nerve have I? Don't worry Princess, I picture you licking my balls for what it's worth. Do you have a passport, yankie? Cuz neither of our visions can be realized if not as I refuse to travel to that madhouse you call a country. It's cute that you feel that such a great distinction between North and South is appropriate and that others should give a fuck about it. Just makes it easier for more civilized people to take the piss out of you

Anyway, the episode - I thought it was good overall - I think that the number of POV's is definitely becoming an issue now as we're only getting snippets of each. It must be a beastly hard thing to manage, as a lot of us want very specific things, almost a personalized interpretation of the book and different people want different things so none of us can be fully-satisfied. I don't envy the decision-makers.

All the scenes were good, no real complaints, Dany's exchange with Kraznyz was one of the better ones. The final scene was probably as good but I was distracted by the difference between Locke's random band of mercenaries and The Brave Companions/Bloody Mummers - but it was alright.

ETA: Also, as many have already said, the punk version of 'The Bear and the Maiden Fair' was in poor taste.

This post has been edited by Malaclypse: 17 April 2013 - 07:22 PM

[Ceda Cicero]

Malaclypse, on 17 April 2013 - 05:44 PM, said:

ETA: Also, as many have already said, the punk version of 'The Bear and the Maiden Fair' was in poor taste.

People keep calling it punk, and while I understand that it sounds punk, the band that does the song is not punk. They do like classic-country-bullshit rock about drugs and musical festival scenes and they are awful. I'm only pointing out the distinction because I hate them, I hate their version of that song, I hate where the producers put it, and it doesn't deserve to even be called punk.

PS - Also Mal, your fuckhead over-generalizations and ignorant blanket statements about America(ns) are putting you dangerously close to the rhetorical territory of being like one of the fuckhead overgeneralizing blanket statement-making assholes that probably drug our country into the madhouse state that seems to run such a bug up your tight ass.

This post has been edited by Ceda Cicero: 17 April 2013 - 10:03 PM

[Malaclypse]

Ceda Cicero, on 17 April 2013 - 09:59 PM, said:

Malaclypse, on 17 April 2013 - 05:44 PM, said:

ETA: Also, as many have already said, the punk version of 'The Bear and the Maiden Fair' was in poor taste.

People keep calling it punk, and while I understand that it sounds punk, the band that does the song is not punk. They do like classic-country-bullshit rock about drugs and musical festival scenes and they are awful. I'm only pointing out the distinction because I hate them, I hate their version of that song, I hate where the producers put it, and it doesn't deserve to even be called punk.

PS - Also Mal, your fuckhead over-generalizations and ignorant blanket statements about America(ns) are putting you dangerously close to the rhetorical territory of being like one of the fuckhead overgeneralizing blanket statement-making assholes that probably drug our country into the madhouse state that seems to run such a bug up your tight ass.

Fair enough. I fear you people. I'm genuinely fucking terrified of your rogue nation and am soo happy to have a large body of water between us, having grown up as your neighbour, meeting your 'representatives' when they steal away from their everyday strictures and universally behave as though they own the place they're visiting. I'm a fuckhead? Whatever mate, prove me wrong and until you do, I will maintain a strong prejudice against America and its denizens and I have a perfect right to do so. I would LOVE to get into detail about this topic, but it doesn't belong in this thread. So, we can continue via PM or a discussion board thread - you let me know how you'd like to proceed. I'm game

This post has been edited by Malaclypse: 17 April 2013 - 10:22 PM

[Terez]

There is a Nationalism thread. I remembered that there was one, but I didn't remember that I'd created it. It was created for a slightly different purpose, but you have my permission to take it in that direction.

[Malaclypse]

It's not about Nationalism - it's about willful ignorance, which, for the rest of the world, defines the American people.

[Ceda Cicero]

Malaclypse, on 17 April 2013 - 10:35 PM, said:

It's not about Nationalism - it's about willful ignorance, which, for the rest of the world, defines the American people.

Mal, I PMed you. All I'll add here on this topic is that "maintaining a prejudice" and arguing that you "have the perfect right to do so" is an enormous part of the mentality that shaped America into what it is today. It's a very American mentality. Might want to divest yourself of it and take a closer look at social and political nuance lest you make a hypocrite of yourself.

Edit: ANYWAY back on topic. ROZ HAS BOOBS!!!!!!

This post has been edited by Ceda Cicero: 17 April 2013 - 10:42 PM