[Malaclypse]

PM received and responded to. I might get a reasonable scrap after all.

Anyway, can't complain too much about the show, though I tend to be a bit of a book purist, I think they're doing a pretty good job.

[Manwitheyes]

I think they bounce around to quickly as well, and episodes should be 2 hours, and belwas needs to shit in front of meereen and wipe his ass with that harpies cloak. I find the show has lost a lot of the mood that was present in the first season due to the amount of pov's. not enough time is given to fully realize every scene. It's an amazing show and they are doing a hell of a job; I hate when stories get truncated (I'm still mad Tom bombadil wasn't in the fellowship) so perhaps they may need to start focusing episodes on fewer plots. It's still too focused on the characters, most scenes could be filmed in my backyard, I want more epic views, more castles, more cities, more ruins, the kingsguard to maybe wear some white, I dunno, someway to make it seem as if the players in the game are really just insignificant when compared to the world and the histories and the central conflict (Starks vs lannisters right!? Jk) the long winter, others, r'llohr.

It's only going to get worse in terms of short scenes and jumping around with Quentyn, aegon and the golden company, arianne, darkstar, Oberyn, asha, shavepate, Robert arryn, Janos slynt, the kindly man, the waif, penny, zo lorak (sp?) victarion, euron, that dude from the iron bank.........

It's gonna be sweet, and on TV for 10 years!

I can deal with most of the changes, but if they remove the scene where Sansa rides the donkey down out of the aerie then I will write an angry letter

[Overactive Imagination]

So did the show cut out the whole Reek thing and the hunt where they let him go and hunt him down? Or is that later on?

[flea]

I have liked, but not loved, the series. That has changed this season. One tends to forget the "holy shit" moments. Tonight merely had Craster and Mormont eating it, and Daenerys going all Machiavelli and badass. I'm amazed by the production values too.

[worry]

Besides all the big stuff, which was great, Cersei reverting to "say only what you're supposed to say" Sansa-mode in the face of Olenna's poking and prodding was really great, subtle character work (and led to that just as good scene with Tywin); and Sansa giving into hope despite herself at Margaery's offer was heartbreaking.

[Terez]

The bit with Varys and the sorcerer was a weird addition; it kind of seems out of character, not that Varys is incapable of brutality. Also, it's interesting that the offer to Sansa was for Loras rather than...Willem? Wilas? I forget the name of the Tyrell she was supposed to marry in the book. Either way I imagine it's going to end with her being married to Tyrion presumably but isn't Loras in Joffrey's Kingsguard? I wonder how they'll explain that bit.

Agreed, the ending with Dany was epic. I wonder how far they went with crafting Valyrian. Either way, it sounds pretty awesome.

[Abyss]

Great great ep.

Dany taking the Unsullied was as epic as i had hoped it would be, if not moreso. Selmy and Mormont's expressions of awe were priceless. The slaver's reaction to Dany speaking Valyrian was perfect, and the actress killed killed killed that whole sequence.

The fight at Craster's went down as expected, and was well done. Suitably grim.

Lots of fun at King's Landing. Sansa's hope was so sad. I liked Tyrion's chat with Varys, and Grandma Tyrell is awesome. Cersei and Tywin were suitably cutting. Roz is fast becoming one of my favorites... every time she's on screen, i won't say she steals the scene, but she works so wonderfully off Varys, Littlefinger, etc it's just fun to watch, and since she's not from the books there's always a sense of new to her scenes.

Jaime and Brienne were suitably grim.

Neat to see Berric again. He didn't seem like much of a threat but i loved the way he delivered 'It's me you'll fight.'.

Theon's scene played out as expected. His semi-monologue added a lot to the character.

[Manwitheyes]

Did theon ever conclude that Ned was his true father figure in the books? Good way to kick start his descent into reek for presumably the next few seasons.

I can't wait for grey worm.

Yea Sansa is supposed to be in talks to wed willas, not loras.

I liked the scene with cersei and Tywin, but when are they gonna introduce kevan?

Sam and Mormont didn't have their parting words, I felt that should have been in there, or maybe next week Sam will go back to the keep and find him still alive, then the run from the others! So excite >>

I found the inclusion is Varys' old wizard friend weird as well, but they have to fill in backstory when they get the chance.

[Abyss]

Lorus makes more sense than a random cousin not seen before, given the groundwork at the tourney in S1 and this season when he escorted Sansa a few eps ago.

It's also more ironic given the Renly/Lorus history that Marginly is completely aware of.

Given the groundwork they're laying for Littlefinger to take Sansa with him, which iirc wasn't set down in the books, am wondering if they're going to go a different direction than Sansa married to Tyrion, however briefly. It seems unlikely, but even so.

[Garak]

The scene were Dany exploits the idiocy of the slavers (seriously how stupid can you be?) was awesome. And the fact that the Unsullied look different than in the books worked very well, they looked threatening.

[Primateus]

Finally we see Berric again, I've been looking forward to that since he was charged by Ned to bring down the Mountain. What little I know of his band resonates with my inner D&D nerd.

Danaerys taking control of the Unsullied and turning them on their former masters is, in my opinion, easily the most epic scene in the series so far. More please! It was pretty obvious from the start, though, that she was merely playing the slavers and only pretended to not understand them. It's kind of an old trick in the book, but it didn't detract any from the sheer epicness of the ending of this episode.

I have to admit that I didn't see Mormont biting it so soon coming. I was pretty sure that this episode would see the end of Crasters life, but not Mormont. A shame really, I liked his character and he's a good actor too. But I suppose it helps set the stage for Jon Snow later on.

Having not read the books though, I have to say that Theon being played by his rescuer was pretty obvious. Still Awesome though.

I wasn't really sold on Sansa in the beginning, in some way it just seems to me that her story is just one tragedy after another. It kinda feels like it's putting her character through suffering, just because...But Sansa's story has grown on me. It's not as exciting or epic as other storylines, but I'll agree that it is rather compelling. Varys and Tyrion in the cellar with the warlock in the crate, that was really great, and Varys just closing it up again, it's a cliché but an effective one.

And I want to see more of Tywin Lannister!

[flea]

I have found a fun series of pieces in Slate Magazine about the economy of Westros, written by economics writer Matthew Yglesias:

http://www.slate.com...pisrc=obnetwork

http://www.slate.com...pisrc=obnetwork

http://www.slate.com...or_dragons.html

[Abyss]

Huffpost review just reminded me that this line from Brienne: "You have a taste -- one taste of the real world, where people have important things taken from them, and you whine and cry and quit." was pure awesome and pure awesome delivery.

[worry]

Some speculation for what could be a nice bit of drama: Loras does join the Kingsguard, because he's left out of the loop in terms of scheming or because he's just feeling rebellious in a family way, and it ruins the plans the women have for Sansa...thus the Tyrion stuff.

Also, Kevan was introduced in season 1, and I think appeared in a few Harrenhal scenes in season 2 though he didn't get many lines, but it looked like the same actor.

Speaking of, we haven't seen Ser Dontos again this season either, but he wasn't around for nothing in season 2.

Re: Varys...do you think Varys had the sorcerer in the box for all these years? Or just had him shipped to him after recently finding him? I've seen people with either impression, but I'd go with the former. It's cold cold cold.

[worry]

Also Theon's inadvertent confession regarding Bran and Rickon may become pretty important.

And also wanted to mention the comparison between how the Unsullied were able to be depicted here, vs. the limitations in depicting the Dothraki horde in the first season. I was really impressed.

[Abyss]

sorrysort, on 22 April 2013 - 07:50 PM, said:

...Re: Varys...do you think Varys had the sorcerer in the box for all these years? Or just had him shipped to him after recently finding him? I've seen people with either impression, but I'd go with the former. It's cold cold cold.

I go with just had him shipped. It lines up better with the story as he tells it to Tyrion.

[Agraba]

I liked the scene where Tywin told off Cersei. When reading all her chapters in FFC, I kept hoping his ghost would appear and tell her "you are not me in a woman's body". This wasn't quite that, but it was good enough. Unfortunately she's still going to go on thinking that until the high septon guy finally puts her in her place.

I find it odd that we didn't get to hear the Old Bear's dying wish for his son Jorah. I thought that was a pretty big deal that Sam was given the burden to relay the message. He certainly can't go back there now.

The slaver was pretty stupid to make that deal, but I can see why he might have overlooked the detail. Astapor probably has a lot more than 8 thousand soldiers, and the threat of an Unsullied uprising has never really been an issue. But it just so happened that they were all together in force, and in tight formation, while the Astapori soldiers were scattered doing their guard duties or whatever.

The scene with Varys very much seemed to suggest that his sorcerer was a new delivery. When Tyrion walked in the room, he was treating the box like a new package, inspecting it and twisting off the seals. When he looked at the sorcerer he said something like "it's been a long time, old friend".

[worry]

Indeed he did, you guys are right. And in an age before free international shipping, no less.

[Terez]

I also loved the Tywin/Cersei scene, though one might argue that Cersei would have turned out differently if Tywin had treated her like a son instead of a daughter. My favorite bit in King's Landing was with Margaery and Joffrey, though Queen of Thorns with Varys was good too. I don't buy that Varys missed the important detail on the shipping manifest, though.

[Manwitheyes]

I was a little surprised when theon revealed bran and rickon are still alive, isn't this still s secret in the books?