Game of Thrones
- Thread starter Husker75
- Start date
Magnificent. There are not many television series I have ever rewatched in anticipation of a new season but so far I have managed to do so with Game of Thrones just before the DVD's come out in UK for the last three years. And they are as thrillingly addictive and watchable and feel narratively intreguing as when I first saw them. Season four DVD out in two weeks.!!!!!
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niennumb1
Master Member
After many friends telling me to watch this series (and very surprisingly not knowing 1 word about who dies and what happens) I managed to start and catch up to now within 3 weeks.
This series is pretty incredible. One thing I have to comment on, though not the primary reason for watching, is that there wasn't one point where I didn't believe what I saw. The visuals were arguably far more realistic than most big-screen features I have ever seen. I mean... achieving this level of scale, scope, and realism is unheard of for a TV series. The effects house doing these sequences are kicking the crap out of almost everything i've ever seen at this level. The battle for the wall was absolutely amazing. This crew is killing it!!
The acting is wonderful, story keeps me guessing... completely unpredictable. I was hooked from episode 1 from the very end of that episode with the window "thing" (I won't say more to avoid spoiling).
All I can say is I am immensely impressed and wished this was the Hobbit films, hahah! The Lord of the Rings Extended Editions to me was perfection. The Hobbit films well... are not.
Game of Thrones is quite a thing to see. I still am in awe at how massive in scale this show demands and how they pull it off at a superior high-end care in quality storytelling with stunning visuals (aside the nudity, hahah! Kidding....)
I can't believe I didn't start before. I guess I just didn't care much for the title and it didn't sound like it would be something I might like. I LOVED all 4 seasons. Ready for 5!!
This series is pretty incredible. One thing I have to comment on, though not the primary reason for watching, is that there wasn't one point where I didn't believe what I saw. The visuals were arguably far more realistic than most big-screen features I have ever seen. I mean... achieving this level of scale, scope, and realism is unheard of for a TV series. The effects house doing these sequences are kicking the crap out of almost everything i've ever seen at this level. The battle for the wall was absolutely amazing. This crew is killing it!!
The acting is wonderful, story keeps me guessing... completely unpredictable. I was hooked from episode 1 from the very end of that episode with the window "thing" (I won't say more to avoid spoiling).
All I can say is I am immensely impressed and wished this was the Hobbit films, hahah! The Lord of the Rings Extended Editions to me was perfection. The Hobbit films well... are not.
Game of Thrones is quite a thing to see. I still am in awe at how massive in scale this show demands and how they pull it off at a superior high-end care in quality storytelling with stunning visuals (aside the nudity, hahah! Kidding....)
I can't believe I didn't start before. I guess I just didn't care much for the title and it didn't sound like it would be something I might like. I LOVED all 4 seasons. Ready for 5!!
SmilingOtter
Master Member
Welcome aboard! 
A shame you just caught up - last month they had the last two episode showing at certain IMAX theaters. The battle at the Wall was fantastic on the big screen, as was the smaller fight between Bran & co. with the white walkers. (The shot where they disintegrate at the cave entrance is one of my favorites in the entire series.)
A shame you just caught up - last month they had the last two episode showing at certain IMAX theaters. The battle at the Wall was fantastic on the big screen, as was the smaller fight between Bran & co. with the white walkers. (The shot where they disintegrate at the cave entrance is one of my favorites in the entire series.)
This show is absolutely one of a kind. I hope it paves the way for more cinematic storytelling via the television series medium.
PotionMistress
Sr Member
Game of Thrones is quite unique in that it is a convergence of a set of well-established books which have fleshed out an incredibly detailed world and set of stories, and the collaboration of the very finest group of movie-making professionals known today.
The only other series that could be compared to it is Rome, which also had the finest of filmmakers using the ancient texts of history as it's foundation, and the Harry Potter series, based on the set of books which also wove an immensely detailed world and storyline.
Stuff this immersive just doesn’t come along very often! It really ups the ante for media today.
The only other series that could be compared to it is Rome, which also had the finest of filmmakers using the ancient texts of history as it's foundation, and the Harry Potter series, based on the set of books which also wove an immensely detailed world and storyline.
Stuff this immersive just doesn’t come along very often! It really ups the ante for media today.
I was the same way. I didn't start watching it until right before the second season. I heard people talking about how good it was, then over the Christmas vacation that year I was bored so figured I'd bite the bullet and at least watch the first episode.
I would up watching the entire first season in one sitting simply because I had to see what happened next when each episode ended. Then when the pivotal first season episode (you know the one) was over I was both angry and amazed at how everything had changed. I hadn't invested myself in any show or movie like that in quite some time. Needless to say I started reading the books the next week and finished most of the series by the time the second season came on.
This was more appropriate for yesterday, but...
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/04/01/game-of-thrones-die-psychics_n_6978112.html
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/04/01/game-of-thrones-die-psychics_n_6978112.html
it looks like at least some characters storylines will go well into and possibly beyond A Dance with Dragons territory this season
Two major characters who have not technically met in the books, meet in season 5.
http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media...ogressive,q_80,w_636/j2migo8mlrxvoekrzfsx.jpg
Could be Tyrion has not told her who he is yet, but then again, this guy is there as well
http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media...ogressive,q_80,w_636/rsgg3swgkrbi3kn8sunf.jpg
full article here http://io9.com/game-of-thrones-season-5-just-made-another-major-change-1648831088
http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media...ogressive,q_80,w_636/j2migo8mlrxvoekrzfsx.jpg
Could be Tyrion has not told her who he is yet, but then again, this guy is there as well
http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media...ogressive,q_80,w_636/rsgg3swgkrbi3kn8sunf.jpg
full article here http://io9.com/game-of-thrones-season-5-just-made-another-major-change-1648831088
Solo4114
Master Member
A few thoughts, all spoilerized for those who haven't ready Book 5.
It makes total sense to me for a few reasons.
1. Dany's "Totally Not Iraq" storyline in Book 5....sucks. It's a whole series of teases, especially with the miss at meeting Tyrion. Doubly so because you kinda "know" that he'll show up and meet her eventually. So, having him in the slave camps, and NOT getting to meet her...it's just stupid.
2. Many of the more Tolkein-esque travels that characters take (Brienne in Book 4, Tyrion in Book 5) are...shall we say...extended for reasons that are as-yet unclear, and possibly ultimately pointless. Tyrion's journey introduces us to Aegon VI and Griff. Brienne's journey basically just shows us the lay of the land for the smallfolk, and runs her into Lady Stoneheart, which the show has decided to avoid entirely, it seems. Condensing the character list and the process seems like it makes sense.
3. Dany's stay in "Not Iraq" drags on forever with a whole bunch of characters whose names are hard to keep track of. I can't remember if Grhiznak zo Grhiznak and Snackpak vo Snackpack are doing this or that, and I honestly DON'T CARE. GET HER THE HELL OUT OF THERE ALREADY. WHERE IS THE FIRE AND BLOOD?!
4. With all that in mind, I can't imagine they wouldn't condense much of the story, and advance past it because, while it mostly works in the books, it would NOT work for episodic television.
1. Dany's "Totally Not Iraq" storyline in Book 5....sucks. It's a whole series of teases, especially with the miss at meeting Tyrion. Doubly so because you kinda "know" that he'll show up and meet her eventually. So, having him in the slave camps, and NOT getting to meet her...it's just stupid.
2. Many of the more Tolkein-esque travels that characters take (Brienne in Book 4, Tyrion in Book 5) are...shall we say...extended for reasons that are as-yet unclear, and possibly ultimately pointless. Tyrion's journey introduces us to Aegon VI and Griff. Brienne's journey basically just shows us the lay of the land for the smallfolk, and runs her into Lady Stoneheart, which the show has decided to avoid entirely, it seems. Condensing the character list and the process seems like it makes sense.
3. Dany's stay in "Not Iraq" drags on forever with a whole bunch of characters whose names are hard to keep track of. I can't remember if Grhiznak zo Grhiznak and Snackpak vo Snackpack are doing this or that, and I honestly DON'T CARE. GET HER THE HELL OUT OF THERE ALREADY. WHERE IS THE FIRE AND BLOOD?!
4. With all that in mind, I can't imagine they wouldn't condense much of the story, and advance past it because, while it mostly works in the books, it would NOT work for episodic television.
Paul Andrew
Master Member
So glad I'm not the only one in regards to point number three.
Man. My brain glazes over just thinking about it.
Solo4114
Master Member
Trust me, it ain't just you.
I think the biggest issue with Books 4 and 5 is that the slow parts and the extra characters aren't effectively integrated to the point where you can see why any of the matter. Examples:
Dick Crabb. What the hell was the point of him? He takes them on a long, fruitless journey, just to reach Crab Point and find out that Sansa was never there in the first ****ing place, yet we get tons of dialogue from him and background info and such. And then, bam, he's dead and none of it mattered.
With books 4 and 5, the level of detail and background information on myriad side characters just goes crazy, and while it creates a rich and vibrant world, none of it seems to have paid off in terms of any kind of meaningful development in this story.
Like, there's a sequence with Jaime visiting these two Lannister-supporting families that are squabbling over some aspect of the siege at Riverrun. And there's this whole backstory about how the families have been bickering for generations, because Aegon the Unworthy (who is, like, 6-7 kings and over 100 years in the past) dumped one mistress from one family in favor of a new mistress from the other family. Well whoopdee****. What's that got to do with THIS story? I appreciate that Martin has created this incredibly rich, incredibly vibrant, incredibly detailed backstory and history for his universe. But at a certain point, all the "universe-building" that he does behind the scenes seems to actually slow down his novels because it inspires him to take these long journeys with active characters just so that they can lightly brush up against the history of the world.
It's like Tolkein taking 500 words to describe a decrepit dwarven-carved statute that the Fellowship walks by, or something, just because he wrote a 30 page outline for a story he never published about the character depicted in the statue. "Look. That's Horick Thunderfist. Mightiest of the Dwarven Gem Singers. The Gem Singers were a religion in the Mountain Dwarf state that eventually left due to religious persecution, and became the Slightly Less Mountainous Dwarf state, until it was annexed by the Hill Dwarf state. Horick is rumored to have kicked a cave troll in the knee, paralyzing it just long enough to lop its head off when it attacked Rubyhold 400 years ago. Horick's great grandson commissioned the construction of this statue, after he returned to the Mountain Dwarf kingdom to claim his birthright in the Merchant Guild, which he claimed through his grandfather's maternal side, leading to the ultimate defacement of this statue due to allegations that the great grandson was, in fact, an illegitimate member of the Merchant Guild, due to a revision to the Guild's charter during the reign of Thrain VIII. The Merchant Guild never recovered from the stain on its reputation.
It probably was a pretty statue before they chipped his nose off and let it grow too mossy. Anyway, on to Mordor. Only 348 leagues (and many more statues) more to go!"
With books 4 and 5, the level of detail and background information on myriad side characters just goes crazy, and while it creates a rich and vibrant world, none of it seems to have paid off in terms of any kind of meaningful development in this story.
Like, there's a sequence with Jaime visiting these two Lannister-supporting families that are squabbling over some aspect of the siege at Riverrun. And there's this whole backstory about how the families have been bickering for generations, because Aegon the Unworthy (who is, like, 6-7 kings and over 100 years in the past) dumped one mistress from one family in favor of a new mistress from the other family. Well whoopdee****. What's that got to do with THIS story? I appreciate that Martin has created this incredibly rich, incredibly vibrant, incredibly detailed backstory and history for his universe. But at a certain point, all the "universe-building" that he does behind the scenes seems to actually slow down his novels because it inspires him to take these long journeys with active characters just so that they can lightly brush up against the history of the world.
It's like Tolkein taking 500 words to describe a decrepit dwarven-carved statute that the Fellowship walks by, or something, just because he wrote a 30 page outline for a story he never published about the character depicted in the statue. "Look. That's Horick Thunderfist. Mightiest of the Dwarven Gem Singers. The Gem Singers were a religion in the Mountain Dwarf state that eventually left due to religious persecution, and became the Slightly Less Mountainous Dwarf state, until it was annexed by the Hill Dwarf state. Horick is rumored to have kicked a cave troll in the knee, paralyzing it just long enough to lop its head off when it attacked Rubyhold 400 years ago. Horick's great grandson commissioned the construction of this statue, after he returned to the Mountain Dwarf kingdom to claim his birthright in the Merchant Guild, which he claimed through his grandfather's maternal side, leading to the ultimate defacement of this statue due to allegations that the great grandson was, in fact, an illegitimate member of the Merchant Guild, due to a revision to the Guild's charter during the reign of Thrain VIII. The Merchant Guild never recovered from the stain on its reputation.
It probably was a pretty statue before they chipped his nose off and let it grow too mossy. Anyway, on to Mordor. Only 348 leagues (and many more statues) more to go!"
SmilingOtter
Master Member
Dan, I'm in complete agreement, but for one thing: that chapter with Jaime gave us that awesome carrot & stick speech. That we probably won't see that bit happen in the show is more than a little disappointing to me...
Riceball
Master Member
It's exactly because of all that pointless meandering books 4 & 5 that I have a hard time seeing how GRR Martin is going to wrap everything up in just 2 books. As things stand now and at the rate events are moving in the books it's going to take nearly 2 books just to get all of the characters in place to finish things don't mention actually depicting the final events.
ditto here.
Snackpak vo Snackpack :lol
I had such a hard time trying to figure out if any of those guys were important, and if they were, trying to remember who was who
Another major diversion from the book is supposedly
Jamie showing up in Dorne. Suppsedly he has been spotted in filming scenes there. Not sure if he is a replacement for Ser Aerys Oakheart, but if he is, it will be interesting to see what happens with Brienne's story and whether Jamie will wind up the same way Ser Oakheart did.
Martin has teased that the writers have killed off characters who have not been killed in the books (at least not yet anyway).
Martin has teased that the writers have killed off characters who have not been killed in the books (at least not yet anyway).
I'm definitely excited to see how they stream line the story compared to the meandering events of the book. Can't wait for April 12th!
Monkey67
Sr Member
Well if HBO gets its way of getting them to do ten season. You might just get another book or two out of it. Story lines would have to go a bit farther or add new ones. Hope he doesn't die before it tho.
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