Was that a real breast by the way?

5/16/2011 9:37:56 AM

Again, Lena Heady makes a really a weak Cersei. she's just too nice and not enough of a scheming bitch.

What happened to the guy they were originally going to cast as the Mountain? This dude they're using was barely larger than Sandor.

And I definitely didn't recall that "you should be king, slop slop" dialogue with Loras & Renly from the book either. Definitely was an, er, interesting addition to the show.

5/16/2011 9:58:13 AM

Yeah I was thinking someone like the size of Andre the Giant or something for Gregor but the dude playing him still did a good job. The part when he hacked off the horses head and had the brief fight with Sandor was pretty awesome. The fight between Ned and Jaime was great too.

5/16/2011 10:02:12 AM

the guy playing gregor, conan stevens, IS the guy they were going to cast as the mountain. he's 7' 320.

the guy playing sandor is 6'6" so gregor didn't look too big compared to him, but both looked huge compared to the guards that were standing around

5/16/2011 10:20:01 AM

Yeah, I think it's just a matter of scale. Conan Stevens who is playing Gregor is only something like 3" shorter than Andre the Giant was and is listed at 320lbs. Not only is he absolutely huge, they had to cast someone who had some sort of acting experience and who was actually mobile/agile in order to do decent fight scenes with him.

Conan is an actor, is huge, and already had formal training with medieval weapons and choreographed fighting. I'd much rather have that than casting some other random slightly bigger guy they could find who wasn't coordinated or familiar enough with weapons to have some decent fight scenes. You risk it looking too much like...Andre the Giant.

Of course, Gregor in the books was listed as being "almost 8ft tall" but I think they made the right choice. They kept with the intent and not the letter of his character.

I do agree that Cersei isn't cold enough in the show yet. Not sure whether that was intentional (writing/directing) or unintentional (acting). As far as the Ned/Jaime scene goes, I think it makes sense for the TV adaptation. It gave a little action (for the viewers who needed/wanted that) between two main characters that didn't detract much from the story version. I think it further displayed Jaime as a skilled swordsman who lives for a good fight and whose self-worth relies around being a skilled swordsman (something the show hadn't really established well yet and is important to his character's development).

[Edited on May 16, 2011 at 11:08 AM. Reason : .]

5/16/2011 11:03:11 AM

Kinda wish they kept the Ned/Jaime scene the same in the book. Same outcome but it made Jaime seem so much colder.

5/16/2011 11:03:25 AM

What was the outcome in the book?

5/16/2011 2:55:26 PM

Quote :

"Jaime Lannister poked at Ned’s chest with the gilded sword that had sipped the blood of the last of the Dragonkings. “Would she? The noble Catelyn Tully of Riverrun murder a hostage? I think . . . not.” He sighed. “But I am not willing to chance my brother’s life on a woman’s honor.” Jaime slid the golden sword into its sheath. “So I suppose I’ll let you run back to Robert to tell him how I frightened you. I wonder if he’ll care.” Jaime pushed his wet hair back with his fingers and wheeled his horse around. When he was beyond the line of swordsmen, he glanced back at his captain. “Tregar, see that no harm comes to Lord Stark.” “As you say, m’lord.” “Still . . . we wouldn’t want him to leave here entirely unchastened, so”—through the night and the rain, he glimpsed the white of Jaime’s smile—“kill his men.” “No!” Ned Stark screamed, clawing for his sword. Jaime was already cantering off down the street as he heard Wyl shout. Men closed from both sides. Ned rode one down, cutting at phantoms in red cloaks who gave way before him. Jory Cassel put his heels into his mount and charged. A steel-shod hoof caught a Lannister guardsman in the face with a sickening crunch. A second man reeled away and for an instant Jory was free. Wyl cursed as they pulled him off his dying horse, swords slashing in the rain. Ned galloped to him, bringing his longsword down on Tregar’s helm. The jolt of impact made him grit his teeth. Tregar stumbled to his knees, his lion crest sheared in half, blood running down his face. Heward was hacking at the hands that had seized his bridle when a spear caught him in the belly. Suddenly Jory was back among them, a red rain flying from his sword. “No!” Ned shouted. “Jory, away!” Ned’s horse slipped under him and came crashing down in the mud. There was a moment of blinding pain and the taste of blood in his mouth. He saw them cut the legs from Jory’s mount and drag him to the earth, swords rising and failing as they closed in around him. When Ned’s horse lurched back to its feet, he tried to rise, only to fall again, choking on his scream. He could see the splintered bone poking through his calf. It was the last thing he saw for a time. The rain came down and down and down. When he opened his eyes again, Lord Eddard Stark was alone with his dead. His horse moved closer, caught the rank scent of blood, and galloped away. Ned began to drag himself through the mud, gritting his teeth at the agony in his leg. It seemed to take years. Faces watched from candlelit windows, and people began to emerge from alleys and doors, but no one moved to help. Littlefinger and the City Watch found him there in the street, cradling Jory Cassel’s body in his arms. Somewhere the gold cloaks found a litter, but the trip back to the castle was a blur of agony, and Ned lost consciousness more than once. He remembered seeing the Red Keep looming ahead of him in the first grey light of dawn. The rain had darkened the pale pink stone of the massive walls to the color of blood."

Dark and rainy, on horseback, desperately trying to fight off 20 guys, swords 'rising and falling' as they grip his men off his horse, general badassery.

Show scene was randomly in the day and an okay fight, with some dude randomly spearing his leg. I get they might not want to try that with horses but it could've been better.

5/16/2011 3:04:39 PM

Keep in mind I'm 2 weeks behind in shows (no HBO but I have a friend who does )

My favorite characters to watch were Old Nan (LOVED her voice!) and Syrio. He was exactly how I imagined! Also I have a question that pertains to future events ...

SPOILER ALERT!!!



























So I didn't notice this when I read the book, but what's Littlefinger up to? He has to know that the royal kids aren't Robert's. Seems like he's trying to get Ned to figure this out, knowing that Ned will take action and be called a traitor. The point of that is to get Ned out of the way so Littlefinger can have Cate. Right??

Also, why did he tell Cate that the dagger belonged to Tyrion? Was it just to get Cate away when the shit went down? Or does he have some reason to want Tyrion dead?

You can PM me if you want to discuss this out of the thread!


































END SPOILER

5/16/2011 3:04:59 PM

I won't spoiler this because there's really nothing to spoil, but nobody knows what littlefinger is up to even after 4 books.

[Edited on May 16, 2011 at 6:07 PM. Reason : ]

5/16/2011 6:07:24 PM

thats probably still a spoiler.

5/16/2011 6:08:45 PM

Now it's getting good.

Glad they left out the dothroki because that storyline and those actors/actresses suck in the show.

Also, Ned stark got what is due to him for being a little bitch.

5/16/2011 7:31:06 PM

i didn't realize that loras and renly had a gay relationship in the book

5/16/2011 7:35:05 PM

Holy shit, I'm thick as hell. Never realized there was a sexual relationship between Renly and Loras. Then again, I didn't know Barney Frank was gay until like 5 years ago.

5/16/2011 10:30:35 PM

^, ^^ i remember several times when reading about renly, like how he obsessed over his clothes and had a rainbow guard, that i thought "that's kind of gay" but i never actually thought he was supposed to be genuinely gay. i guess since it's not really critical to the storyline and is only hinted at i never thought it important enough to give it much thought. it shouldn't surprise me though, this author does seem to have a habit of hinting at things without actually spelling them out until much later if at all.

Quote :

"Again, Lena Heady makes a really a weak Cersei. she's just too nice and not enough of a scheming bitch."

I agree that she makes a weak Cersei, but for different reasons. First, her blond hair doesn't look natural at all. Maybe it's because I know she's not naturally blond, but whatever the reason I can't see here without knowing that's not her real hair color. Second, in the books it constantly talks about how beautiful she is, but every time I see her on screen all I see is wrinkles. I suppose I'm being too harsh, because there probably aren't very many women her age that look better than she does, but whether it's fair or not I just see an aging woman when I look at her.

Despite what I may think of Cersei, I'm still enjoying the show and can't wait for next week.

[Edited on May 16, 2011 at 11:52 PM. Reason : .]

5/16/2011 11:51:03 PM

I guess I don't know, but can you not take someone with dark hair to a full blond?

I don't think cersei has attempted to be devious on screen, yet. Killing the wolf was the only thing. Which means if they don't take advantage of her acting skills, you notice her lack of looks.

5/17/2011 12:02:13 AM

Quote :

"i didn't realize that loras and renly had a gay relationship in the book"

same honestly

5/17/2011 12:05:02 AM

I thought it was totally obvious.

5/17/2011 12:43:30 AM

Just watched the last episode. It was pretty good, I do agree with what others have said about the Lannisters though - they don't come off as evil as they seem in the books. I absolutely love Peter Dinklage as Tyrion though, every line of his in the book I read in Dinklages voice in my head.

About halfway done with the third book, should have it done by the end of the week. I'm hooked - how many more books are there supposed to be? I know Dance of Dragons is supposed to be out soon, how many more after that? There are just so many ways these books could go, for being someone who is typically really good at predicting whats going to happen in books/movies I have been consistently wrong with these.

5/17/2011 7:39:41 AM

I always suspected, but leave it to HBO to bludgeon you over the head with that fact. While Theon's cock did have a prominent scene, I think we needed a scene like this with him for non-readers to get a little more information on where he's coming from as a character. I can see how a lot of non-readers could still be a little overwhelmed by all the characters, plotlines, history and current scheming.

I don't mind Lena Hadley as Cersei, for some reason none of the actors seem like they are as hot/beautiful as they're made out to be in the books. I think its intentional, but I could be wrong. However, I don't really see how anyone could mistake Arya for a boy...that kinda rings false with me.

5/17/2011 7:41:14 AM

^^ As of right now, he has still stuck to staying there are two more books after ADWD (tentatively titled The Winds of Winter and A Dream of Spring).

The series started as a trilogy and has expanded since then and in 2005 was announced to be seven books.

5/17/2011 8:42:36 AM

I think Arya looking like a boy has more to do with the fact that girls aren't typically going to be as dirty and messy as she is, especially not the daughter of a lord.

And I wish they had gotten the evil chick who got beat to death from Spartacus to play Cersei. She played the evil role much better and she was pretty hot too.

And I wonder if the HBO series will help speed up the books. From my understanding the first 5 have taken quite a while to get out. He would probably have to finish the next two books before the show catches up to that point, otherwise what would they do.

[Edited on May 17, 2011 at 9:37 AM. Reason : a]

5/17/2011 9:37:03 AM

as much as I enjoy Peter Dinklage, half the time I see a miniature Greg House when watching him

5/17/2011 9:40:00 AM

I think Arya is the best actress/actor on the show. I can't put my finger on it but she seems to be more natural and engaging. Maybe it's that she seems like she's having fun playing her role while some of the others are just "acting" and going through the motions.

5/17/2011 10:05:35 AM

I think the Lannisters are the perfect amount of evil and scheming.


If they were obviously mustache curling villains they wouldn't have as much power as they do.

5/17/2011 10:08:50 AM

Question for those who have read the books as I am confused... (Spoilers below)









































Book 3, about halfway through, I'm really confused about where everyone is located at this point. Bran and his party make it to an area referred to as "The Gift". From my understanding this area is south of the wall, and I don't remember anything about Bran crossing over/through the wall at any point. A few chapters later in Jon's chapter it seems they are in the same village where Bran was, at this point I thought Jon had already climbed over the wall so it made sense. But now several chapters later Jon is riding to the wall to save everyone, is he riding back north?

I'm reading this book when I have time while not busy at work so sometimes I have a long while between reading, I seem to have gotten confused with where Bran is/where he is going and the same for Jon, anyone mind filling me in without spoiling anything else? Feel free to PM.

































































End spoilers

5/17/2011 3:39:00 PM

just make a separate book thread already

5/17/2011 3:41:13 PM

There is one. It was actually titled A Song of Ice and Fire on HBO but at that point the only people in the thread were fans of the book thus there is a lot of detailed discussion or spoilers. That plus the misleading title for viewers of the TV series prompted the creation of this separate thread. I suggested the old one be retitled simply A Song of Ice and Fire but nothing really came of it and this thread just took over.

5/17/2011 3:48:29 PM

The other thread is actually called Song of Fire and Ice on HBO, and the OP was ridiculed about it.

5/17/2011 4:37:34 PM

haha I forgot about that.

5/17/2011 4:38:48 PM

I made a new thread for the series of books here. Go talk about the books there!

5/17/2011 4:42:52 PM

By the way...can we all agree NOT to discuss episode 7 until after it aired on regular HBO. Some of us don't have HBOGO

5/17/2011 4:45:21 PM

some of us have to watch from torrent sites, so lets wait another day too

5/17/2011 4:53:44 PM

I have HBO and HBOGO but I don't have any computer hooked up to our TVs right now so I'm just going to wait until the next week to watch it live anyway. Plus I have been looking forward to it each Sunday after studying all day.

5/17/2011 4:55:53 PM

Quote :

"And I wish they had gotten the evil chick who got beat to death from Spartacus to play Cersei. She played the evil role much better and she was pretty hot too. "

Agreed. Hell, Viva Bianca (Illithyia) could have played the role even better as she is probably the better actress. I guess Spartacus is technically not cancelled, though, so she is busy.

5/17/2011 7:27:10 PM

http://insidetv.ew.com/2011/05/17/game-of-thrones-ratings-climb/

Third week in a row the ratings have increased.

5/17/2011 8:05:18 PM

^^Oh wait thats who I meant. I meant the evil chick who beat the girl to death.

I would've loved to see her in the Cersei role. I do like the casting of Jamie though.

5/17/2011 8:37:38 PM

And she's fucking fine for a 27 year old

5/17/2011 9:27:50 PM

5/17/2011 10:26:22 PM

Licinia actress would make a better Joffrey

5/17/2011 11:37:34 PM

sweet, Conan Stevens got cast in The Hobbit. Pretty awesome year for him.

5/18/2011 9:04:22 PM

Quote :

"Third week in a row the ratings have increased."

Ill admit it was on my TV on Sunday night, by accident however. I thought Treme would be coming on at 9pm and ended up watching some of this shit instead. Couldn't they have just made it into a movie instead?

5/18/2011 9:22:37 PM

Not unless they wanted it to be terrible. You couldn't even condense the first book well into one movie. This is the kind of story that needed to be adapted like this on HBO or not at all and just left as a book. Anything else would have been pointless and almost a slap in the face to fans of the books.

I'm not quite sure what you are complaining about though. You didn't have to watch it if you don't want and Treme never comes on at 9pm. /shrug

[Edited on May 18, 2011 at 9:37 PM. Reason : ]

5/18/2011 9:26:51 PM

^ agreed

5/18/2011 9:32:35 PM

Couldn't Treme have just been a movie?

5/18/2011 9:49:53 PM

Quote :

"just left as a book."

This.

Quote :

" I'm not quite sure what you are complaining about though. You didn't have to watch it if you don't want and Treme never comes on at 9pm. /shrug"

I didn't complain? I suppose I should have said that I would rather catch it all in one sitting- which wont be a problem once the season is done thanks to on demand.

[Edited on May 18, 2011 at 10:01 PM. Reason : haha DONT AGITATE THE HORDES OF DORKS AND NERDS]

5/18/2011 9:52:55 PM

Quote :

"I feel like they exaggerated the hardcore scenes from what I remember in the books... The show is coming across much more avant-garde than I remember the books being. But then again, that may be exactly what HBO signed up for... "

Quote :

"i didn't realize that loras and renly had a gay relationship in the book"

Quote :

"emember several times when reading about renly, like how he obsessed over his clothes and had a rainbow guard, that i thought "that's kind of gay" but i never actually thought he was supposed to be genuinely gay."

glad im not the only one that was surprised seeing this after reading the books. certainly with the precious few minutes/scenes they can devote to such a rich and a complex storyline in this series, im surprised this subplot made the cut adn was emphasized for so long.

it really isnt clearly stated in the books, so im baffled at why HBO manufactured the supporting semi-graphic gay content when it really has nothing to do with the story itself especially considering more worthy scenes and character intros that didnt make the cut (direwolves, winterfell heart tree, bryden "blackfish" tully or marillion the bard at the eyrie, etc)

5/18/2011 9:56:18 PM

^^ my apologies. I thought you were referring to the show's quality as "shit." Like you said, it's definitely not a show to catch in the middle though.

^and yeah that scene still wasn't very important imo and used too much screentime. I think they were trying to setup some extra suspense that wasn't there in the book in regards to Renly and Robert in the next episode. I won't go into anymore detail here of course.

No doubt it was written between the lines that the characters were gay but without a POV chapter you don't see it and anything important regarding them in the context of the story is really already present via other POV chapters in the books. I think it was almost better having it subtle/questionable in the books where the characters didn't ever really act gay. Now I'm afraid people will probably just think of them as "the gay guys" versus their characters of the proud knight and the confident lord. I could be wrong though.

[Edited on May 18, 2011 at 10:07 PM. Reason : ]

5/18/2011 10:03:01 PM

wait, its gay to shave your chest with dijon mustard?

5/18/2011 10:03:16 PM

Well I have to think this is what GRRM was hinting at in the books anyway. He's an Exec producer and has a lot of say insofar as what goes into filming....he probably just didn't want to write gay love scenes

5/18/2011 10:43:43 PM