Anybody enjoying Game of Thrones? (HBO TV series)

[econ21]

Spoiler free post - please use spoiler tags for anything in the books, not yet shown on TV

I'm coming a bit late to this subject, but can't see a thread on it. I've been avidly watching Game of Thrones on BBC TV. Anyone else liking it?

It's been described as the Sopranos meets the Lord of the Rings, which sounds about right. With a "low" fantasy medieval setting, it features quite a large and vivid cast of characters, plotting against each other (playing the game of winning the throne). The first TV season apparently covers the first book (A Song of Fire and Ice by George RR Martin) in a series of five with more to come. The second season has already been approved.

I was inspired by the TV series to buy the book and have been impressed by how faithful it is - the dialogue is mainly straight out of the book, which is written in a very contemporary and accessible style. (Although I find the constant alternating of character viewpoint from chapter to chapter very de-motivating for reading.) The plot seems quite intricate and involved - I love story lines that stretch over many seasons. The production values are of cinema standard - as you can see from a fairly jaw dropping opening clip (no spoilers - it's just the opening 15 minutes):

http://www.hbo.com/video/video.html/...ones&view=null

One of the best things about the show is the casting and acting. Sean Bean is just Sean Bean, but reading his lines in the books, it is hard to see anyone playing the straight man role so convincingly. The Lannister twins are delicious - suavely malign. My favorite characters are Tyrion, the erudite sardonic dwarf, and Arya, the twelve year old tomboy. Even Mark Addy, the fat bloke from the Full Monty and the Tesco adds, does well as the king. The only false note may be the exiled young king in waiting, but then I think he's supposed to be rather absurd and ridiculous.

It seems another instance of American TV producing amazingly good stuff - far superior to what British TV or even Hollywood can manage. Quite a reversal of what was true 30 years ago. I wonder what has changed? I guess in part it's down to the rise of HBO (The Wire, True Blood, Rome, Band of Brothers etc.), but it does not seem confined to them (Lost, Battlestar Galactica, 24 etc all had their moments).

[gaelic cowboy]

I have never read the books but I was aware of them, I have to say that even some of my friends who don't like fantasy are giving the nod to this one.

Love the mix of humour and serious and also the fact they are just getting on with the story and not bothering wasting entire episode explaining back story like so many lazy shows do.

[Scienter]

I love this show!!! I've been a huge fan of the books for years, so I was really excited to hear that HBO was making a series of Game of Thrones. HBO's shows have always had really high production value. I think the casting was really well done, especially the actor they chose for Jaime Lannister. He has the perfect combination of sarcasm, ego, and smarminess that the character has in the books. Tyrion is one of my favorite characters in the book, so I'm glad to see Peter Dinklage do such an awesome job with him. It will be interesting to see how they deal with how complicated the series gets. For those who haven't read the books, each chapter is from the point of view of a character. The books have so many characters, my guess is that HBO will have to make some of the less important ones into composites to not confuse viewers. I'm happy they've already renewed it for a second season!

[Alexander the Pretty Good]

I really enjoyed the first two episodes but I couldn't stand waiting for more so I started reading the books. Now I'm at the beginning of the third book in the series. :P

[Lemur]

I really enjoyed the first two episodes but I couldn't stand waiting for more so I started reading the books.

Same here. My girlfriend warned me that I would ruin the TV show for myself by reading, but my feeling is that I want to know where the story is going, not so much the show.

Anyway, the TV series is fantastic so far. Yeah, we do seem to be living in some sort of golden age. Doubtless it's some confluence of economics and artistic momentum, but astonishingly good TV seems to be coming out much more frequently than anything equivalent in film. Sopranos, BSG, Breaking Bad, Walking Dead, Game of Thrones, etcetera. Got to enjoy this moment.

[Crazed Rabbit]

I'm enjoying it as well.

The casting is great, and I especially enjoyed the fact that Sam Tarly has a neckbeard. It fits so well.

CR

[Hooahguy]

My favorite characters are Tyrion, the erudite sardonic dwarf, and Arya, the twelve year old tomboy.

I will totally agree with you there. Those two characters are superb. Tyrion, while you want to see him as this evil character and you want to hate, you just cant. While he is a Lannister, and the twins I really hate, this one I just love because he is often wise and really quite funny.

Arya is just awesome. Nuff said.

[Centurion1]

I will totally agree with you there. Those two characters are superb. Tyrion, while you want to see him as this evil character and you want to hate, you just cant. While he is a Lannister, and the twins I really hate, this one I just love because he is often wise and really quite funny.

Arya is just awesome. Nuff said.

Tyrion isn't evil. And surprise surprise a vast majority of book readers love him as well. As well as Arya. This is incredibly heartening to see that the some of the books more beloved characters are loved in this series as well.

Do people like Jaime as well? And Jon also.

[Hooahguy]

Tyrion isn't evil. And surprise surprise a vast majority of book readers love him as well. As well as Arya. This is incredibly heartening to see that the some of the books more beloved characters are loved in this series as well.

Do people like Jaime as well? And Jon also.

I never said he was evil, but, if I can speak for the population, people want to see him as an evil person because Ned and the Starks are commonly seen as the "good guys" in all this, and because they are opposed to the Lannisters. But when people see more of Tyrion, they see that he is quite the opposite of their expectations.

I like Jon. I feel that a lot of what he does is a sense of regret for his personal struggles.

And I just hate Jaime. No way do I identify with him at all, hes just a jerk.

[econ21]

Do people like Jaime as well?

Well, Jaime has not really done anything likeable in the TV series. As a so far pretty evil character, I think he (and his sister) are superb. Someone said that the actor looked like he had walked in from another series (maybe Dynasty or some other glossy 1980s US drama) but that this was actually just right for the part. Urbane, charming, formiddable and utterly amoral, he makes an impression. I am also rather in awe of the actress playing Cersei. Halfway through the first book, I can see that original source material accounts for much of the strength of the TV drama. But she has added a lot to her part - fleshing it out, to make her character appear both more thoughtful and more emotionally intelligent than in the book. The twins certainly make excellent antagonists for the rougher hewn and straight talking Starks.

And Jon also.

I regard him as the "everyman" character in the TV show and perhaps the one through whose eyes we are supposed to see the world. An outsider with a kinder sensibility than most, he has a youthful innocence and doleful curiosity. I'm not sure how much we will see of the Wall and what's beyond - I suspect they are going to be revealed in a very long story arc - but they are a very intriguing setting.

[Hooahguy]

I actually think that Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, who plays Jaime, looks a lot like Aaron Eckhart.

Also, what do people think of Daenerys? I really like her, great character.

[econ21]

Also, what do people think of Daenerys? I really like her, great character.

I agree - another of several strong female parts in the series. But part of me thinks King Robert's instincts about her were right.

[Beskar]

Great series.

And Tyrion is one of the best characters ever created.

Definitely and without doubt.

[PanzerJaeger]

I watched the first one largely because of this thread and almost didn't bother with the second. It seemed like an hour long episode of Xena, absent the warrior princess (if that makes any sense.)

After the second, though, I was hooked. The characters are dynamic and the plot lines are quite intricate. Fun stuff.

[naut]

It seems another instance of American TV producing amazingly good stuff - far superior to what British TV or even Hollywood can manage. Quite a reversal of what was true 30 years ago. I wonder what has changed? I guess in part it's down to the rise of HBO (The Wire, True Blood, Rome, Band of Brothers etc.), but it does not seem confined to them (Lost, Battlestar Galactica, 24 etc all had their moments).

I think that you're being slightly unfair here. Both the US and Britain make some great and poor shows. I do agree that the production values means that epic series like Band of Brothers are only ever going to come from the US. However, recent British shows have been very good, the original Life on Mars and the Office, Ashes to Ashes, Extras, first 2 seasons of Skins, Mighty Boosh, reincarnation of Dr Who, etc.

Both have their specialities though, the US excels in making larger than life shows (Boardwalk Empire for example) Britain has a knack for panel shows (Qi, Nevermind the Buzzcocks, 8 out of 10 Cats, Mock the Week, Would I Lie to You?, etc)

[Hooahguy]

I just finished book 3, and I really dont get all the hate for Catelyn. I think shes a great character.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

She is someone who is trying to subdue her grief so she can be the best mother/advisor to Robb that she can be.

I find her releasing Jaime an interesting thing. Yes, strategically it was dumb, but when you think about it, its not so bad. She thought that her only hope for getting her girls back was releasing him.
Now think of this: you lost your husband, and (or so you thought) your two youngest boys. Your eldest son is a general, and he could die in battle. Where does that leave you? With two daughters. The problem is, one of them is in Kings Landing, the other is MIA.
If I was in Catelyn's position, I would do anything possible to get Sansa back, at the very least.

[Centurion1]

I just finished book 3, and I really dont get all the hate for Catelyn. I think shes a great character.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

She is someone who is trying to subdue her grief so she can be the best mother/advisor to Robb that she can be.

I find her releasing Jaime an interesting thing. Yes, strategically it was dumb, but when you think about it, its not so bad. She thought that her only hope for getting her girls back was releasing him.
Now think of this: you lost your husband, and (or so you thought) your two youngest boys. Your eldest son is a general, and he could die in battle. Where does that leave you? With two daughters. The problem is, one of them is in Kings Landing, the other is MIA.
If I was in Catelyn's position, I would do anything possible to get Sansa back, at the very least.

she was the spark that lit off the powder keg of war.

[Hooahguy]

she was the spark that lit off the powder keg of war.

Do you blame her? She got what she thought was credible information on who ordered the attempted murder of Bran, and she acted on it.
I would do the same. She had no idea that it would lead to the War of the Five Kings.

[Centurion1]

tbh. no. no i would not. Not if i was essentially the most powerful woman in the entire north of the kingdom of westeros the daughter of the river lord and the sister of the widow of the eyrie. And then to add on top of that my husband is the hand of the king with my two daughters in the capital with only a hundred or so loyal retainers. No i would think about the rest of my family and consider the fates of all the people under my control. barring that i would at least take care of tyrion properly rather than botch it completely.

[Alexander the Pretty Good]

tbh. no. no i would not. Not if i was essentially the most powerful woman in the entire north of the kingdom of westeros the daughter of the river lord and the sister of the widow of the eyrie. And then to add on top of that my husband is the hand of the king with my two daughters in the capital with only a hundred or so loyal retainers. No i would think about the rest of my family and consider the fates of all the people under my control. barring that i would at least take care of tyrion properly rather than botch it completely.

A war was brewing anyway. You're being too harsh on Cat. Her actions weren't always laden with forethought, but the negatives are ultimately pretty trivial and she made a lot of good calls in assisting Edmure and Robb (though they didn't always listen to her).

EDIT: @johnhughthom
If I wasn't too lazy to get CK working I'd play that. :3 Instead I'll wait for CK2...

[Hooahguy]

There really needs to be a M&B:W mod for ASOIAF.

[Alexander the Pretty Good]

I think you mean the other way around. :P Though I'd still read it. Would the Starks be Rhodock or Swadian?

[Hooahguy]

Haha sorry, I meant the other way around. Silly me.

The Rhodocks remind me of the Starks, the Swadians remind me of Lannister.

[Centurion1]

goodness gracious this conversation again.....................

[johnhughthom]

Wonder if I could grow a beard in 3 days? Auditions for extras for series two are being held on Monday, quite literally around the corner from me.

[Centurion1]

me = jealous.

[Hooahguy]

The GoT soundtrack is out.
I got it and its awesome.

[rajpoot]

The ending to the fourth episode. Stuff that hasn't even been explicitly mentioned in the books iirc.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

so the others are clearly more like humans than let on in the books. The dude who picks up the baby and transforms it looks like Darth Maul without the colourful face. Maybe they're just humans who have turned to worshiping the great other (whoever that is), like melisandre says.

Sent from my SM-N900 using Tapatalk

[drone]

The North storyline is now spoiler-proof.

[naut]

The North storyline is now spoiler-proof.

That different?

Latest episode wasn't all that great, the CGI with the flag was particularly bad.