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A Game of Thrones (Full of spoilers!)

Started by Sandra Craft, May 28, 2012, 10:48:05 AM

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Crow

I haven't really enjoyed this series at all. Maybe I would have been the same with the others if I hadn't read the books but it lacks subtly and there is basically no charm it doesn't feel in keeping, the only bit that felt even close to the other series was the Tyrion bit with the meeting but that felt a bit forced as well, there is almost no intelligence in the conversations or manipulation, it all seems very straightforward and bleh. I know they aren't working from material this time and now are working from loose plot outlines but it isn't working for me. With the bits they changed in other seasons it is really having an effect in a negative way to the overall story and slightly feels they are going with fan service now as the main storylines are completely different. How do they go from a source material where everything was about to happen to a material where nothing is really happening and they aren't giving any time to the characters to develop smoothly.
Retired member.

Sandra Craft

Random thoughts on 6.4:

*I'm wondering if I've just not noticed it before, or if they've started doing theme episodes.  The theme of this one was brother/sister reunion, with a sub-theme of sister wants to fight/brother wants to pack it in.

*Sansa/Jon reunion very sweet, and from the way Sansa is talking I think I might actually get my Sansa-executes-Ramsey scene.  It sounds like Sansa is ready to fight the Boltons' 5K army even if it's just her, Brienne and Pod, but they may turn out to have equal numbers with 2K Wildlings, however many still loyal Northerners and the Vale forces.

*Was it just my imagination, or was Tormund giving Brienne some serious eye action?  It looks like Tormund would have come South of the Wall earlier if he'd known there were girls his size there.

*Loved Brienne's verbal smack down of the Red Witch, hope it doesn't backfire on her.  She didn't tell Davos about what happened to Shireen, which must be making Mel nervous.

*Both Robin Arryn and Rickon Stark are growing up very weedy looking.  Unfortunate.

*I appreciate that Tyrion is taking the diplomatic approach, but the whole situation with the slaves never made sense to me and still doesn't.  If they plan to reimburse the slavers for the freed slaves anyway, why not do it now rather than make the slaves wait 7 yrs to be freed?  The slavers won't be out of pocket (and hiring their former slaves as salaried employees would probably be cheaper than buying and maintaining slaves), the former slaves won't be hostile about lack of progress and those who were re-enslaved won't be rebellious over 7 more damn years in chains.  Then Tyrion could get right to work on that ending war problem.

*A little startled that Daario's knife went straight thru a man's thick mid-section and came out the other side -- the blade did not look anywhere near long enough.

*So predictable that the High Sparrow once lived a debauched life -- the people who go the furthest out always come the furthest back in.  Stick sensibly to the middle of the road and you're pretty much guaranteed to avoid ridiculous fanatical ping-ponging.

*I'd much rather have Olenna Tyrell plotting against Cersai, but I'll accept an alliance if it gets Margeary back at the helm faster.

*Margaery/Loras reunion very sad.  Loras reduced to deflated balloon man.

*Theon/Yarra reunion very touching, my favorite of the episode.  It's an indication of how Greyjoy I've become that my automatic response to Yarra's comment about Theon being dead a long time was "what is dead may never die".  Altho Dorne clearly has the superior climate, I think in the GoT world I would have been an Iron Islander.

*Poor, brave Ossa got a nasty end -- finally brought back into the story just to be permanently dispatched.  She did have my favorite lines of the episode tho:  "You eat them after?  [No]  Then I've seen worse."

*The Khals made it so hard for me to sympathize with them that I didn't even care about the repeat of Dany's magic fire trick.  Tho it did bring up some interesting questions:

  a.  does this mean that Dany is The Stallion That Will Mount the World?,
  b.  how fast would the Red Witch's brain pop if she saw Dany's fire trick?, and 
  c.  is it possible that Dany is also The Prince That Was Promised by the Lord of Light? 

I get the feeling this is spade work for a political consolidation of West and East.
Sandy

  

"Life is short, and it is up to you to make it sweet."  Sarah Louise Delany

Sandra Craft

Quote from: Crow on May 17, 2016, 11:10:18 AM
I haven't really enjoyed this series at all. Maybe I would have been the same with the others if I hadn't read the books but it lacks subtly and there is basically no charm it doesn't feel in keeping, the only bit that felt even close to the other series was the Tyrion bit with the meeting but that felt a bit forced as well, there is almost no intelligence in the conversations or manipulation, it all seems very straightforward and bleh. I know they aren't working from material this time and now are working from loose plot outlines but it isn't working for me. With the bits they changed in other seasons it is really having an effect in a negative way to the overall story and slightly feels they are going with fan service now as the main storylines are completely different. How do they go from a source material where everything was about to happen to a material where nothing is really happening and they aren't giving any time to the characters to develop smoothly.

Maybe also because it's basically a soap opera with costumes?  I probably wouldn't be enjoying it nearly as much as I do if it weren't for many of the actors involved.
Sandy

  

"Life is short, and it is up to you to make it sweet."  Sarah Louise Delany

Bad Penny II

Quote from: BooksCatsEtc on May 17, 2016, 03:43:09 PM
Maybe also because it's basically a soap opera with costumes?  I probably wouldn't be enjoying it nearly as much as I do if it weren't for many of the actors involved.

Exactly, that's what I've said about Shakespeare.
Yet the "critics" ignore Sponge Bob Square Pants.
Take my advice, don't listen to me.

Crow

Quote from: BooksCatsEtc on May 17, 2016, 03:43:09 PM
Maybe also because it's basically a soap opera with costumes?  I probably wouldn't be enjoying it nearly as much as I do if it weren't for many of the actors involved.

The last few series felt like a fantasy version of The Wire and The Sopranos (though nowhere near as good) with a little bit of House of Cards thrown in. The writing was its strongest point, fighting was dire and special effects a bit ho hum but there is none of the subtly there any more and it all seems a bit straight forward, no tact, look at the littlefinger scene in comparison to the stuff with Ned Stark or the woman he boots through the door, they were well executed and slow he hides his intentions until forced to show them, this time it was just a show of power in a oh look I'm manipulative, everything kinda feels like that so far.

Maybe when watching the other series as I had read the book I was inferring all the little details onto the characters that are missing from the show, such as Cersei being an idiot but she is well developed to why she is like that, in this series she just comes across as an impatient idiot. Same with Daenerys she is developed as a person that is young and inexperienced learning from her mistakes who is unsure of themselves, wanting to stick to what she thinks is best but also the reality of the situation and whilst her arc becomes boring what is going on around it is interesting, in the tv series there is nothing going on around which is interesting and she comes across as a bit of an ass.
Retired member.

xSilverPhinx

I enjoyed this latest episode, "The Door". :popcorn:
I am what survives if it's slain - Zack Hemsey


Pasta Chick

I'm apparently completely checking out, as I have no real thoughts on this episode but I did get some laundry done, got an ab work out in, and had a thorough discussion of canine nutrition and food sourcing with some friends.

Crow

Quote from: Pasta Chick on May 23, 2016, 03:11:29 AM
I'm apparently completely checking out, as I have no real thoughts on this episode but I did get some laundry done, got an ab work out in, and had a thorough discussion of canine nutrition and food sourcing with some friends.

Do your damn core not just abs. Ruin you back just doing abs.
Retired member.

Asmodean

Quote from: xSilverPhinx on May 22, 2016, 11:47:33 PM
I enjoyed this latest episode, "The Door". :popcorn:
Actually, so did I.

I kind of like it when they kill people off in suitably dramatic ways.

That said, what was the deal with the actor dude randomly standing around with his dick out? It's about Game of Thrones being Game of Thrones, I suppose, but there usually was some context behind the nudity in the past.
Quote from: Ecurb Noselrub on July 25, 2013, 08:18:52 PM
In Asmo's grey lump,
wrath and dark clouds gather force.
Luxembourg trembles.

Pasta Chick

Quote from: Crow on May 23, 2016, 12:33:41 PM
Quote from: Pasta Chick on May 23, 2016, 03:11:29 AM
I'm apparently completely checking out, as I have no real thoughts on this episode but I did get some laundry done, got an ab work out in, and had a thorough discussion of canine nutrition and food sourcing with some friends.

Do your damn core not just abs. Ruin you back just doing abs.

It's a wheel; 's all good.

Sandra Craft

Quote from: Asmodean on May 23, 2016, 02:31:07 PM
Quote from: xSilverPhinx on May 22, 2016, 11:47:33 PM
I enjoyed this latest episode, "The Door". :popcorn:
Actually, so did I.

I kind of like it when they kill people off in suitably dramatic ways.

That said, what was the deal with the actor dude randomly standing around with his dick out? It's about Game of Thrones being Game of Thrones, I suppose, but there usually was some context behind the nudity in the past.

I just have so many questions (many of which I can't remember now), and they now include this dick hanging out dude whom I did not notice at all.

After finding out he'd given the Night King the key to the place and had to leave immediately, why did Bran then waste time on a warg?  Particularly since if he hadn't wasted time on the warg he wouldn't have needed to trigger Hodor in the first place.  Poor Hodor, he lived and died a pawn for others' convenience.  And don't even get me started on how sad I feel about that poor wolf.  Stark servants do not have a good life.

Given that Yarra had enough supporters to steal that huge fleet, how could she lose the Kingsmoot?  Doesn't everybody get to vote, or is it only men or only ship-owning men?

While I continue to be tickled by Brienne and Tormund, I wish they'd drop the usual coy/reluctant storyline and just have Bri jump him for the fun of it.  She's an adult, she has needs, and I can't see anything against it in the Knight's code.
Sandy

  

"Life is short, and it is up to you to make it sweet."  Sarah Louise Delany

Asmodean

Quote from: BooksCatsEtc on May 23, 2016, 10:54:53 PM
I just have so many questions (many of which I can't remember now), and they now include this dick hanging out dude whom I did not notice at all.
I think he might simply be a "random extra" story-wise and the whole dick hanging out situation is to balance out some of the boob shots... Although it was more or less directly preceded by one such boob shot, so... Yeah.

I don't get freaked out by nudity by any gender (although there are individuals one would much rather not see naked) but when it comes to storytelling, it should somehow be a part of the story, pretty much like everything else, not just fill for the sake of balance. That was the basis of my question. Perhaps it will answer itself in time if this particular "random extra" gets promoted to characterhood... Time will tell.
Quote from: Ecurb Noselrub on July 25, 2013, 08:18:52 PM
In Asmo's grey lump,
wrath and dark clouds gather force.
Luxembourg trembles.

Crow

Quote from: BooksCatsEtc on May 23, 2016, 10:54:53 PM
I just have so many questions (many of which I can't remember now), and they now include this dick hanging out dude whom I did not notice at all.

How'd you not notice that. It was a full frame cock and balls.

Poor hold the door. One of the few times I have ever liked back in time stuff, saddest thing in the series for me.
Retired member.

Sandra Craft

Quote from: Crow on May 24, 2016, 07:03:10 PM
Quote from: BooksCatsEtc on May 23, 2016, 10:54:53 PM
I just have so many questions (many of which I can't remember now), and they now include this dick hanging out dude whom I did not notice at all.

How'd you not notice that. It was a full frame cock and balls.

My brain has the ability to selectively turn off my eyes and ears any time it wants, while still keeping them working for other things.  I expect I can rewatch that episode till the end of time and never see that guy.

QuotePoor hold the door. One of the few times I have ever liked back in time stuff, saddest thing in the series for me.

Yeah, that was a wrenching moment.  Two different people texted me when they saw it, but only about something awful happening on GoT so I knew I was in for an emotional episode but I would never have guessed for that.  I think my goddaughter may still be crying -- she was a huge Hodor fan.
Sandy

  

"Life is short, and it is up to you to make it sweet."  Sarah Louise Delany

xSilverPhinx

Quote from: Asmodean on May 23, 2016, 02:31:07 PM
That said, what was the deal with the actor dude randomly standing around with his dick out? It's about Game of Thrones being Game of Thrones, I suppose, but there usually was some context behind the nudity in the past.

I have no clue as to why that was included. :query: It was certainly a "wut the?" moment.

Books, you didn't miss much, it was just one the actors examining his penis and exclaiming that he grew another wart. :lol: Quick scene and most probably null in the greater scheme. 
I am what survives if it's slain - Zack Hemsey