The Glade 4.0

Aegnor -- I think it's tipping his hand too early to have him blatantly concealing that kind of information. There's a *reason* that he doesn't become a perspective character until, like, book 4.

That is a good point. I think they handled Winterfell with much aplomb.

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"Aaaah! Emotions are weird!" - Amdee
"... Mirrorshades prevent the forces of normalcy from realizing that one is crazed and possibly dangerous. They are the symbol of the sun-staring visionary, the biker, the rocker, the policeman, and similar outlaws." - Bruce Sterling, preface to Mirrorshades

He never becomes a viewpoint character.

I thought he did at some point after he makes his play and moves north, as it were. Maybe I'm misremembering some discussions with Lysa as internal dialogue/flashbacks.

In any case, that just makes my case even more strongly.

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"Aaaah! Emotions are weird!" - Amdee
"... Mirrorshades prevent the forces of normalcy from realizing that one is crazed and possibly dangerous. They are the symbol of the sun-staring visionary, the biker, the rocker, the policeman, and similar outlaws." - Bruce Sterling, preface to Mirrorshades

I don't know, I guess I just disagree. It is obvious fairly early that he has his own motives. He lies and says that the dagger was Tyrion's, with the obvious intent of pitting Stark against Lannister. It is made clear over and over in the first book that he is a schemer and manipulator, with his own aims and goals. This scene is just showing that some more.

Ok, that was a very good episode. Incredible really. But I do have two issues with it.

Somewhat minor book spoilers for stuff that will be happening likely in the next episode.



The look on Theon's face when he sees what he has wrought...man can that kid act. If they don't give the Emmy to Peter again, then they need to give it to Alfie Allen.

By the way, the episode is available on HBO Go here in Phoenix at 6pm, rather that waiting for it to be on cable at 9pm.

****'s starting to get real.

Still don't like Jon Snow's storyline atm. Making him look like a giant pussy when he was owning fools all through season 1.

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"Aaaah! Emotions are weird!" - Amdee
"... Mirrorshades prevent the forces of normalcy from realizing that one is crazed and possibly dangerous. They are the symbol of the sun-staring visionary, the biker, the rocker, the policeman, and similar outlaws." - Bruce Sterling, preface to Mirrorshades

Early in the episode, Bran makes a point of noting that farm is where he sent the two orphan boys.

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Well Ali Baba had them forty thieves, Scheherezade had a thousand tales
But master you in luck 'cause up your sleeves you got a brand of magic never fails...
...Mister Aladdin, sir, What will your pleasure be?
Let me take your order, Jot it down -You ain't never had a friend like me
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I can't understand your thought process. You can't get into a story unless you know what's going to happen ahead of time? WTF is the point of watching or reading the story afterward‽ Getting attached to characters and feeling the pain when they die is part of the experience. I can't imagine how lame season 1 would have been if I already knew that Ned was going to have his head on a spike by the end of it.

Not to mention GOT is an entire series full of awesome characters.

Characters that wouldn't have the chance to shine and become sympathetic if they were still butting heads with a Ned Stark paragon of protagonistic empathy.

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"Aaaah! Emotions are weird!" - Amdee
"... Mirrorshades prevent the forces of normalcy from realizing that one is crazed and possibly dangerous. They are the symbol of the sun-staring visionary, the biker, the rocker, the policeman, and similar outlaws." - Bruce Sterling, preface to Mirrorshades

Taly: Never watch Supernatural.

I can't get into a story where they repeatedly kill off my personal 'viewpoint character,' every time I pick a new one. If I was emotionally invested in Ned Stark, I'd have stopped watching after the first season (or reading after the first book), since the story is now done for me (with a very unsatisfying ending.) I despise stories where the hero dies at the end, let alone where they die at the beginning.

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Well Ali Baba had them forty thieves, Scheherezade had a thousand tales
But master you in luck 'cause up your sleeves you got a brand of magic never fails...
...Mister Aladdin, sir, What will your pleasure be?
Let me take your order, Jot it down -You ain't never had a friend like me
█ ♣ █

This is the kind of story where there isn't really a main character, though. Sure, everyone has their favorites, and it might seem like the Starks are the "good guys" right now, but who knows where that's gonna go? I certainly don't, but I know that the story will continue surprising me, and that's the main reason the show is so great. There have been notably few moments when I guessed something correctly, unlike every other TV show. I love that.

It was a display, meant to prove a point. He wanted to display the bodies, so that the people of Winterfell would see the burned bodies of Bran and Rickon and know he was to be feared. And not laughed at. Or thought weak or foolish.

I just finished reading book 2, it'll be interesting to see how they fit the rest of the story into 3 episodes...

Overall I liked the episode, but my issue #1 from the previous episode came to fruition. Cat releasing Jamie makes her look like an idiot. In the books it was a stupid action, but it made sense as her judgement was clouded due to thinking Bran and Rickon were dead.

Oh, and I'm totally pumped for next week's episode. Blackwater. I believe it is the most expensive single episode in TV history. Not certain of that, but it wouldn't surprise me.

The directors said they had to beg for more funding for the episode, and said they still had to make some changes/cuts. The battle is going to be at night, for example.

More things I'm disappointed with:
- Pretty much EVERYTHING with Robb. He's not supposed to be with his mother and he's not supposed to fall in love with a non-existant medic woman.
- Arya's scenes with Jaqen left out some lines I was hoping for (like offering to kill Joffrey), and Arya walking through the gate... Why change that?? *sigh*
- Jon Snow / Qhorin. I can only see where they're going because I've read the book, don't like how rushed everything in that storyline has been.
- Jaime / Brienne is not supposed to be until book 3, so while they cut out scenes from the second book that we want, they're adding in **** we don't need yet.

Yeah, to film the battle as written in the books would be difficult with $200 million. The budget for the entire season is $69 million.

I don't mind the medic woman at all, as it doesn't really change that much. He falls in love, that is the key thing for the story. That the character he falls for is a different doesn't matter in the greater scheme of things.

It sucks that Riverrun was postponed until season 3, but they've managed without it, and it would have added a ton of budget and not been possible to include in 10 episodes. I see that stuff as the cost of adaptation and therefore overlook.

The stuff I do take issue with is stuff like Catelyn not finding out about Bran and Rickon before releasing Jamie. I really think they needed her to find that out. The way they did that totally changes her character and makes her actions seem baffling and stupid.

I also am having issues with the way the Jon plot is working out, for one reason... Where the hell is Ghost? He disappeared, because he had to, in order for this great detour with Ygritte to work out. And I can think of an easy way to accomplish what they were after without this whole capture thing.

Arya needed to kill one of the guards. It is important for her character arc. In the book the way she casually slits the guard's throat without a second thought was chilling. I guess they are trying to postpone that character evolution until after certain other events.

That's just the thing, Aegnor -- if the character he falls for is different doesn't matter, why the change?

And it does matter, indirectly. The things that the whole situation says about him, his honor, his sense of duty, and his family are vastly different when he succumbs to the Florence Nightengale effect far away from his mother's guidance and advice, vs. falling for a girl while fully healthy right under his mother's oblivious nose.

In addition, by making her Volantine, we lose the opportunity for the insinuation that she was a plant (knowing or unknowing) and that the Spicers and the Westerlings made some kind of back room deal, or anticipated making one after the fact, with the Lannisters. So why make the change?

But the thing about the Robb's love interest deal that has me most annoyed is that we're not seeing Grey Wind intimidate her and gradually get pushed aside for her. There's a lot of metaphorical weight behind the wolves, and how their Starks treat and interact with them.

And I'm totally with you on Arya not killing a guard. Perhaps they're saving that for later; I can see how the build-up to it would be a way to keep her arc next season a bit more interesting, but if they're not careful, they run the risk of having some sequencing disconnects as she gets more confident and independent *before* making that step.

_________________
"Aaaah! Emotions are weird!" - Amdee
"... Mirrorshades prevent the forces of normalcy from realizing that one is crazed and possibly dangerous. They are the symbol of the sun-staring visionary, the biker, the rocker, the policeman, and similar outlaws." - Bruce Sterling, preface to Mirrorshades

So awesome...last nights episode was so awesome.

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Raell Kromwell

DFK! and I were a bit bemused that they went ahead and did the Blackwater without Tyrion's chain; it doesn't really set him up as the genius behind the success of that battle as well without it.

This season, though, seems like it'll have a little bit of an odd ending -- it seems pretty clear that Jon's big scene with the Halfhand will be the closing for the season, but I can't think of any other big endings to throw into the climax for the other storylines, so it would seem a bit lonely, IMO. A few weeks ago, I might've surmised that you could end on the big event with Theon's occupation of Winterfell, but seeing as Reek hasn't been introduced, I can't see that happening in one episode now.

Oh, maybe they'll wrap up the Fist of the First Men, too -- that'd be a good send-off, now that I type this. Still, that's two things North of the wall, and if we throw in Daenarys and the Warlocks, across the sea... but nothing of climactic import in the 7 Kingdoms for the final episode.

_________________
"Aaaah! Emotions are weird!" - Amdee
"... Mirrorshades prevent the forces of normalcy from realizing that one is crazed and possibly dangerous. They are the symbol of the sun-staring visionary, the biker, the rocker, the policeman, and similar outlaws." - Bruce Sterling, preface to Mirrorshades