HBO's Game of Thrones

[wraith1701]

I'm enjoying the crap out of the series.  It actually inspired me to start the book series. I'm currently about 1/2 done with the second book, A Clash Of Kings.

The only drawback to the books is that it's lessened my enjoyment of the TV show, but just a little bit. 

I can see that. You know what's coming next and you have in your mind how it should look.

Exactly.  What's really weird is that even though I saw the characters in the TV show before I started the books, whenever I read Ned Stark I envision Liam Neeson.

Another weird thing: I've noticed that many elements of book 2 have already been introduced in season 1 of the TV show.  Makes me wonder if other seemingly inconsequential characters & scenes will turn out to be significant later on. 
I'm looking forward to finding out.  :)

[X]

joby and brom



[spoiler]
Jon Snow is Neds bastard son at least from what I remember.  all the northern bastards have the last name of Snow. Every region of the kingdoms has their bastards names differently.

Greyjoy is a basicly a prisoner of war. In this society the offspring of lords and such are surrendered as prisoners of honor to other lords when they are defeated.  You will.find out much more about the Greyjoys as the story proceeds. As it stands Greyjoy hates the Stadia because they defeated his family and he is.held as a honorable prisoner by the Starks.
[/spoiler]

I'm going to disagree with Duffster here:

[spoiler] We don't know who john is. What we do know is that 1) Ned has never called John his son. He has called him a Stark and of his blood, but never his son. 2) If John was someone else's son it might make him an heir to the throne and we all heard how even the known infant heir was killed in the seizing of power and that no one with the Dragon's blood could live in Robert's court. 3) Ned promises to tell John about his mother after he returns from taking the black, which would make you no longer an heir to anything.

Everyone in the world assumes that John is Ned's bastard, but they also assume that Joffrey is Robert's son. Take it for what you will and there are more than a few people with ideas on John's heritage. [/spoiler]

[Jobydrone]

So about the Greyjoy's, they supported the Targaerins (I know that's spelled wrong) during the war with the mad king and were defeated by the Starks, and the son was captured as a boy and raised by the Starks as what, a servant?  Slave?  Doesn't seem like a very smart policy but maybe the most humane solution as opposed to killing or abandoning young children.

[Duffster]

Actually the Greyjoys had there own rebellion against the Iron Throne. After that rebellion was defeated he was sent to the Starks. Its also insurance that the Greyjoys wont take revenge, more of a hostage thing. Also  the Starks treated him pretty well, since he was still from a Noble family. He was a ward of Eddard Stark, and educated along with his children. Not a slave but more like a prisoner with benefits, honor bound to not try and escape.

[Rico]

Watched the new episode from Sunday, and again....

[spoiler]When is Ned Stark going to learn?  I'm guessing he will get that punk Lannister kid off the throne soon, but geez.  I know if I was a guard for Ned I'd be saying goodbye to my loved ones about now.  I kept reading there is going to be some justice and payback at some point soon in all this.  I certainly hope so, because I'm getting kind of tired of anyone with any real character getting the shaft all the time.  At this point, I'm almost rooting for the Jason Mamoa Targarian dude to sail over and take control.  Oh, and the poisoned wine guy being dragged naked in the streets - not really needed.  Yeah, I get it, this is a rough world.[/spoiler]

[X]

Watched the new episode from Sunday, and again....

[spoiler]When is Ned Stark going to learn?  I'm guessing he will get that punk Lannister kid off the throne soon, but geez.  I know if I was a guard for Ned I'd be saying goodbye to my loved ones about now.  I kept reading there is going to be some justice and payback at some point soon in all this.  I certainly hope so, because I'm getting kind of tired of anyone with any real character getting the shaft all the time.  At this point, I'm almost rooting for the Jason Mamoa Targarian dude to sail over and take control.  Oh, and the poisoned wine guy being dragged naked in the streets - not really needed.  Yeah, I get it, this is a rough world.[/spoiler]

Yeah, stakes are starting to be raised in the game of thrones.

[X]

[spoiler] Oh, and the poisoned wine guy being dragged naked in the streets - not really needed.  Yeah, I get it, this is a rough world.[/spoiler]

[spoiler]What about that scene was not needed? I mean in terms of the story, we had whores going at it while Littlefinger waxed poetic and they were on screen for FAR longer than the naked dude. Content wise, I think seeing Dothraki justice in action was needed. I mean we've seen so many naked women in this show, it was bound to happen that we saw penis sooner or later.[/spoiler]

[Jobydrone]

[spoiler] Oh, and the poisoned wine guy being dragged naked in the streets - not really needed.  Yeah, I get it, this is a rough world.[/spoiler]

[spoiler]What about that scene was not needed? I mean in terms of the story, we had whores going at it while Littlefinger waxed poetic and they were on screen for FAR longer than the naked dude. Content wise, I think seeing Dothraki justice in action was needed. I mean we've seen so many naked women in this show, it was bound to happen that we saw penis sooner or later.[/spoiler]

[spoiler]The lesbian scene you referred to was the first one that made me wince in the context of the debate that was going on here last week about gratuitous sex scenes.  While I get that Littlefinger is a pimp, and it illustrated his role and personailty to show that going on, it certainly didn't need to be so graphic.  Not that I minded, but it was more that once again I was taken out of the moment because of what was shown on screen, and might have been more effective were it to have been implied instead.  Also I couldn't help but picture some of the posters here watching through splayed fingers covering their eyes.[/spoiler]

[Rico]

My point with a few things they are showing is ok, we get it already.  Trust me, it doesn't really bother me except that it's now becoming one of the issues and things people talk about with regards to this show.  They aren't talking so much about the story, characters, etc. as there are about some of the sex, nudity and violence.  And that's when it begins to detract from the story.  In a book, it isn't the same thing.  So, whether it serves the story or type of character, for me at least I'm kind of frankly bored by it.  Give me some real, deep emotional character stuff over a guy (or girls) junk any day of the week.

P.S.  And before you respond Chris, just look over the posts here in this thread and see how many mention what I'm talking about.

[X]

My point with a few things they are showing is ok, we get it already.  Trust me, it doesn't really bother me except that it's now becoming one of the issues and things people talk about with regards to this show.  They aren't talking so much about the story, characters, etc. as there are about some of the sex, nudity and violence.  And that's when it begins to detract from the story.  In a book, it isn't the same thing.  So, whether it serves the story or type of character, for me at least I'm kind of frankly bored by it.  Give me some real, deep emotional character stuff over a guy (or girls) junk any day of the week.

P.S.  And before you respond Chris, just look over the posts here in this thread and see how many mention what I'm talking about.

Believe me, I get what you're saying, but...

[spoiler] I think the only thing to take me out of the story so far was the breast milk scene because I wondered how the hell they pulled that off. I mean some of this stuff is over the top, but far more tame than it could be.

Maybe it's because I've read the books and seen Spartacus to know what can be shown on Pay TV, but for me, what people talk about doesn't make it a better or worse show for me. If the sex is a big thing for some and that's what causes their talking points, that doesn't mean the show isn't working. It's also not like a majority of the US isn't kind of prude. I mean we can see boob for less than a second on national TV and have a debate about it for over a year. That's just one of the talking points people like to focus on.

The other thing is that there are a lot of people talking about the story here, but for those people that have read the books, it's hard as hell to talk about it without making sure we aren't revealing something that has yet to happen.

I mean really really hard to skirt the line of what you know from the books and what you expect to see on the TV.

As for deep emotional stuff, I was could not take my eyes off of Littlefinger this week. He sold a bill of goods that made you really understand his motivations. He loved a woman not because she was beautiful, but because she was her. He almost died trying to have her and she saved him, but tore his heart out by marrying the bother of the guy, another man she didn't love.

He pretty much told us that there was no way in hell that he would help Ned and it wasn't because he was a "bad guy" it was because he still hurt after almost dying for a woman that he loved and would only see him as a little brother.

Maybe the women in the scene were a red herring to distract from the foreshadowing? I don't know, but while watching that scene, I felt more like Littlefinger in regards to the women. Sure they were there, but they were hardly a distraction to what was going on. At least for me. I was so caught up with how Littlefinger's motivations dominated the scene that the women sort of became back ground noise. It wasn't until my daughter started heading into the room to give me a good night kiss that I paid attention to what was being shown and quickly hit pause then guide button to censor the screen.

PS. As you requested, I did go back and look at this thread and found that a huge majority of the talk is about the story with a few mentioning here and there about the sex and one little debate on it when it was directly brought up. More often than not people are talking about how they are enjoying the story.[/spoiler]

[Rico]

I still say the "R" rating factor stuff is doing more harm than good to the story.  I do plan on seeing the season through, but ultimately this series just might not be for me.  Maybe watching so much Trek over the years has made me more of an optimist and I think most people try to do good most of the time.  I have a pretty hard time with a few things in this story so far.  Lets just say there are two things I'm a bit sensitive to (and it isn't the T&A or violence).  It's things involving kids and pets.  Watching bad things happen to them isn't very entertaining for me.

[X]

I still say the "R" rating factor stuff is doing more harm than good to the story.  I do plan on seeing the season through, but ultimately this series just might not be for me.  Maybe watching so much Trek over the years has made me more of an optimist and I think most people try to do good most of the time.  I have a pretty hard time with a few things in this story so far.  Lets just say there are two things I'm a bit sensitive to (and it isn't the T&A or violence).  It's things involving kids and pets.  Watching bad things happen to them isn't very entertaining for me.

I know what you mean there and I can't say more because of spoilers, but children and pets are not safe in this world. That's the best warning that I can give. If the show follows the books, there will be a few tests of your sensitivity to the story.

[Rico]

Thanks for the warning Chris.  I do appreciate your views on this.  Just goes to show that maybe not all stories are for everyone.

[Geekyfanboy]

Lets just say there are two things I'm a bit sensitive to (and it isn't the T&A or violence).  It's things involving kids and pets.  Watching bad things happen to them isn't very entertaining for me.

I haven't seen the TV series yet (no HBO) but plan to when it comes out on DVD. But I agree with you Rico.. that was another reason why I was turned off by the first book.

[X]

Thanks for the warning Chris.  I do appreciate your views on this.  Just goes to show that maybe not all stories are for everyone.

Yeah, there are some really vile things that happen in the books and if you read them, it will stick with you for life. My only hope is that it's so bad that they won't show them on TV.