Game of Thrones—NO SPOILERS—The Balls

DSGamer wrote:

I wondered if we'd get to see a giant wolf amongst them regularly and what that would cost in CGI, I assume. I wonder what have these episodes cost so far.

Per Time magazine, the 1st season budget is $60M!

Re Tyrion b-slapping Joffrey -- I belive in the book he slaps him around 2 times, and in the show they brought it up to 3!

One thing that isn't being mentioned so far, I think, is how perfect Joffery himself is. This character is played masterfully. You see an arrogant, disgusting little @#$ and you completely forget that this is an actor (a child actor, no less) -- the suspension of disbelief is absolute.

The great part of that order was the fact that he asked for all that stuff, than sat down at a table full of food. LOL

Gorilla.800.lbs wrote:

One thing that isn't being mentioned so far, I think, is how perfect Joffery himself is. This character is played masterfully. You see an arrogant, disgusting little @#$ and you completely forget that this is an actor (a child actor, no less) -- the suspension of disbelief is absolute.

True, the character is less sympathetic obviously but I think he might be the best acted/cast character. He is perfect.

Tagging.
Better episode than the first. Less introduction of course and better pacing. Most scenes seemed to point toward what is to come for each character.

i really like how they moved the story along in this episode, and it just felt much more tight than the pilot. Fast (compared to the book, of course) but still good.

I agree and also feel sad that Sansa's backstory is not more fleshed out. It might have been in some earlier script or even in some deleted scenes (e.g., just having her talk to someone about how 'this is all like the stories she's read about her whole life and now it's coming true') but they cut it for time or pacing.

The acting is really top-notch from everyone. Joffery is definitely being done exceptionally well, including the flipping from arrogant and disgusting bully to whimpering coward VERY convincingly. The scene with Ned, Arya and Sansa before Robert et al. was also just wonderful by all. Great, great emotion.

Having read the books, as soon as I saw Arya play-fighting with Micah the butcher's boy, I just got a knot in my stomach remembering what was coming. Gah! They did the whole piece pretty darn well. A bit more graphic in the books, of course (I think a group watched the hound ride down Micah, didn't they?) Whatever - they're doing a fine job.

As for each episode ending with a cliffhanger on Bran? I don't know. Could be an interesting keystone for the story as a whole, but could also wear thin after a while if not done carefully. Given what we've seen so far I am fully giving the writers the benefit of the doubt.

So far I am really enjoying the show, just as much as the audio books. The casting, acting, and presentation have been above par so far.

My only real complaint is: The Dothraki seem to be underrepresented. I mean Drogo was supposed to have tens of thousands of men (up to 100,000); yet we only see hundreds.

The only other thing I want to question is Bran's awakening, but maybe that will be addressed in the 3rd episode.

Spoiler:

More specifically his dreams.

I don't have a problem with them leaving on Bran cliffhangers.

After all, the events he's involved in at this point are what kicks off a lot of actions that are going on, and those things drive the story for awhile.

I have to say the wolf attacks have not been extremely convincing, haha. You can clearly tell these are just dogs that are like "It's time to PLAY!" then dub in some animal snarling noises rather than vicious animal attacks. I guess going full bore CGI would be expensive and look fake in their own right but I guess it's hard to find dog actors, haha.

I really love the opening music. Especially the Cello or Double Bass perhaps? So awesome.

I read the 1st book so long ago and possibly even the second, but it was so long ago I really can't remember much of anything. I just have a sense of familiarity. I have really enjoyed the show so far though.

There is a lot of talk in this thread, and the other one, about Sansa's story and how it isn't as developed as in the book and how that's a shame. Give it time for crying out loud it's an adaptation of the book, stuff has to get cut and sometimes you have to mess with the order of some things because it works better that way in film. There is still A LOT of time to cover her story. I wouldn't be surprised if we see her character and her motivations more developed in the next couple of episodes. It can be a pretty powerful tool to tease an audience with a character and than fill in their background a little later. Let the audience believe the character is shallow and a brat, than show us her motivations later on so we can understand why she is the way she is.

Can't wait to see how the rest of the season goes.

Gaald wrote:

There is a lot of talk in this thread, and the other one, about Sansa's story and how it isn't as developed as in the book and how that's a shame. Give it time for crying out loud it's an adaptation of the book, stuff has to get cut and sometimes you have to mess with the order of some things because it works better that way in film. There is still A LOT of time to cover her story. I wouldn't be surprised if we see her character and her motivations more developed in the next couple of episodes. It can be a pretty powerful tool to tease an audience with a character and than fill in their background a little later. Let the audience believe the character is shallow and a brat, than show us her motivations later on so we can understand why she is the way she is.

Sure but without that development it made her selling out her sister like that a hard sell and reduced the impact of reality slapping her in the face when her Wolf got put down.

Sinatar wrote:
Gaald wrote:

There is a lot of talk in this thread, and the other one, about Sansa's story and how it isn't as developed as in the book and how that's a shame. Give it time for crying out loud it's an adaptation of the book, stuff has to get cut and sometimes you have to mess with the order of some things because it works better that way in film. There is still A LOT of time to cover her story. I wouldn't be surprised if we see her character and her motivations more developed in the next couple of episodes. It can be a pretty powerful tool to tease an audience with a character and than fill in their background a little later. Let the audience believe the character is shallow and a brat, than show us her motivations later on so we can understand why she is the way she is.

Sure but without that development it made her selling out her sister like that a hard sell and reduced the impact of reality slapping her in the face when her Wolf got put down.

Exactly. It wouldn't be that hard to have fit it in a bit during the needlework thread or on the arrival of the king's court in Winterfell. We don't need whole new scenes, just a few more lines.

This is really the core of her at this point of the story, yet all we see is an older sister frustrated by her tomboy sister. It's much deeper than that.

Yes, they have to give us more background on her as we go forward, but not having more of a hint makes some critical things already less impactful.

ubrakto wrote:

Potential spoiler talk

Perhaps you meant this for the other thread?

ubrakto wrote:

Does anyone remember from the books who specifically hired Bran's assassin? Whether it was Jaimie or Cersei or both of them? Who it was really changes how, in retrospect, to view the scene when Cersei tells Kat about the baby she lost. Loved that scene immensely. It felt to me like there was genuine regret there. That said, if it was Cersei hiring the assassin it makes her character all the more sinister.

My answer in the other thread.

ubrakto wrote:
Phishposer wrote:
ubrakto wrote:

Potential spoiler talk

Perhaps you meant this for the other thread?

The assassin was in episode 2. It's aired. This is the thread for that. If someone with the answer replies they're free to spoiler tag it. The question itself has no spoilers.

But you're asking about things in the books not know by this point and not shown on TV yet. This thread I think was created to avoid the wall of white that goes with a bunch of spoiler tags.

Right, but saying "Oh, that will be developed later, we all know how that goes in book 3, *wink*" is starting to get into spoiler territory.

RE: The last six posts

IMAGE(http://i606.photobucket.com/albums/tt143/cwsample/spoiler.jpg)

Seriously, for the sake of the folks who are experiencing this all for the first time a few edits might be called for.

Edited to keep in the spirit of the thread.

A whole other thread for talking about what happens later.

Phishposer wrote:
ubrakto wrote:

Potential spoiler talk

Perhaps you meant this for the other thread?

The assassin was in episode 2. It's aired. This is the thread for that. If someone with the answer replies they're free to spoiler tag it. The question itself has no spoilers.

EDIT: Personally, I don't think asking a question directly related to the episode that just aired, requiring a one sentence spoiler-tagged answer (and not a white wall) is something that needs to be jumped on as something that's ruining the show for people, but clearly the consensus is I'm in the wrong here. I'll refrain from posting further in this thread.

***removed***

Nevin73 wrote:
ubrakto wrote:

***removed***

My answer in the other thread.

Thanks!

My apology to anyone who I offended with my post. I felt it wasn't a big deal, but it was the wrong thread. I should stay off the Internet when I'm this tired and easy to agitate.

Spoiler:

Yeah thats in like book..3?

tagging for future awesomeness.

Sinatar wrote:
Gaald wrote:

There is a lot of talk in this thread, and the other one, about Sansa's story and how it isn't as developed as in the book and how that's a shame. Give it time for crying out loud it's an adaptation of the book, stuff has to get cut and sometimes you have to mess with the order of some things because it works better that way in film. There is still A LOT of time to cover her story. I wouldn't be surprised if we see her character and her motivations more developed in the next couple of episodes. It can be a pretty powerful tool to tease an audience with a character and than fill in their background a little later. Let the audience believe the character is shallow and a brat, than show us her motivations later on so we can understand why she is the way she is.

Sure but without that development it made her selling out her sister like that a hard sell and reduced the impact of reality slapping her in the face when her Wolf got put down.

Are you watching a different version of the TV show? She didn't sell out anyone. She played dumb. She didn't want to ruin her chance with the prince but didn't fall in with the lie either. That to me reads volumes, and is a pretty classic reaction for a kid! She's a kid caught in the middle of a very difficult choice, the prince or her family. She tries to avoid having to make a choice and gets burned on both ends.

Gorilla.800.lbs wrote:

Re Tyrion b-slapping Joffrey -- I belive in the book he slaps him around 2 times, and in the show they brought it up to 3! :hump:

Joff getting Imp slapped is mesmerizing...

IMAGE(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v88/shurik/joff_slap.gif)

I want to see all the outtakes from that scene where Dinklage had to whack the kid like a dozen times before they got the shots they needed.

Vega wrote:

Joff getting Imp slapped is mesmerizing...

I love the term "Imp slapped".

You deserve a medal ser. (See what I did there?)

Kier wrote:
Vega wrote:

Joff getting Imp slapped is mesmerizing...

I love the term "Imp slapped".

You deserve a medal ser. (See what I did there?)

Yo, that pun was ilyn. I rickon I couldn't do better.

That's Payneful. Cersei and desist.