HBO's Game of Thrones: Season 2 (1 Viewer)

[Charlie Campisi]

I'm pretty pissed that the dragons have been stolen.

You beat me to making the first critical comment of this show. I read the books after last season. Season one tracked the book, but season 2 has been making lots of little changes and a few medium sized ones that I rationalized as necessary to deal with the huge amount of source material. There were a number of significant changes in last night's show

Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!

• Arya serving as Tywin's cupbearer (carryover from ep before) - when will we get the Goat as we need him to chop off some limbs?
• Arya running into Petyr Baelish with Tywin - it looked like Petyr recognized her, which would be a huge change
• Jon volunteering to kill Ygritte and then her escaping and leading him astray - I guess this saves screen time, but I thought it a significant point for John to knowingly let her go when the Halfhand instructed him to "do what you know must be done" and later accepting that John couldn't kill her. Same for Jon volunteering to go with Quorin.
• Jaqen killing Lorch with a dart instead of turning his dog against him - the murder is no longer concealed as an accident
• No Jojen and Meera - I guess they meet them on the road, which is fine, but someone needs to show Bran how special he is
• the dragons being stolen - I don't understand where they are going with this, so I'll reserve judgment and whether it was necessary

and I think they're getting to a position where they've degraded the story. It still looks great and is acted great, but they've lost some depth on an admittedly extremely complicated story. I hope it's still enjoyable for those that haven't read the books. I enjoy it, but I am finding the changes distracting as it takes me out of the story as I struggle to consider the implications caused by the changes to be seen down the road.

 

[joshEH]

You know what guy in Hollywood is really happy that this show is gonna keep going? The guy who makes a shitload of money by creating realistic severed heads.
All that Ygritte, and yet no, "You know nothing, Jon Snow?" Last night, my wife said, "*I* want to be the Wildling, and rub my ass all over Jon Snow. Lucky bitch; doesn't deserve the honor. "
Book spoilers:

Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!

The Qarth changes are interesting, but I'm willing to wait and see how it turns out. The Season 2 Qarth storyline is so isolated from the rest of the action, so as long as Dany is roughly in the same situation as the book by the end of the season, there should be no long lasting impact. I'm very curious.
And it looks like Ramsay and Roose aren't being combined after all. Wonder if he's cast, and will show up this season, and we just haven't heard about it?

The dead man falling over as soon as he opened the door was the highlight of the episode. That moment did more to make Jaqen appear like the badass he is than anything in the books. Just awesome. Although Natalia Tena was a close second. Lots of Road House/Swayze-style throat-rippings going on, last night.
And man, Dinklage really brought it in that scene when he was letting Joffrey have it after the riot. "And now I've slapped a king! Did my hand fall off?"
I'd also like to note that Charles Dance need never be knighted, because he's already a Master of the Universe™, and that if there's any justice in the world, Maisie Williams is going to be a huge fucking star.
Also, cheers to Alfie Allen. You hear a lot about some actors having too much pride to play characters that can be taken as idiots, but he really does his damndest to make Theon Greyjoy a three-dimensional dipshit with a wet fart for a soul.

 

[Jeremiah]

This hour of TV goes by so fast. Every actor/character is great in their role. Tyrion is the only guy in Kings Landing who knows wtf is going on, "We've had vicious Kings and we've had idiot Kings, but I don't think we have ever had a vicious idiot King"; and Dog was badass.
The scenes with Arya and Tywin are so good, just damn good actors in damn good scenes. Amazing she can carry a scene or stand with another great actor and not give ground. Also, the look on Littlefingers face was pretty funny when he noticed her.
I guess my wife is a Wildling because she does that a lot. I was like LOL WTF you're a Wildling.

 

[joshEH]

It's actually not that hard to see why Tywin wouldn't be on Arya's shit-list: He's generally been nice to her (as much as he can be, anyway), saved her from death, and subsequently likely from getting raped by Random Lannister-Mook X after her gender became known. Plus the bits in that last episode that presented him in a more "fatherly" light.
It's easy for Arya to equate her father's death with Cersei and Joffrey, but Tywin was a more remote figure, and her experiences with him may have tilted her slightly towards the "He's not all bad"-side of the equation.
Plus, if she doesn't have an iron-clad escape plan set up beforehand, Tywin dying is probably a death sentence for her, as well. Maybe not by implication in his death, but by not having her position as his servant to offer her a degree of protection from random horribleness.

 

[Quentin]

Lol! Yes, Alfie is perfect. He definitely rhymes with meek.
Arya and Tyrion continue to kick mighty ass, much as they did in the books. I'm glad the writer/producers focused in on their awesomeness.

 

[joshEH]

Speaking of, just read a review of this week's episode where the critic compared the Arya/Tywin pairing to Roger Sterling/Sally Draper this season, and he's absolutely correct. Amazing stuff going on, there.
And I loved the Spice Merchant's takedown of Dany's idiotic claims with cold, hard logic. I know he's supposed to be a bad guy, because he's played by an overweight man who slicks his hair back and threatens to flog servants, but I'm on his side. Little Blonde Princess has dreams? How precious. I'm trying to run a business, here.
I am slightly more curious about the changes with Petyr and Arya's storylines (in Tywin's conference-room). Luckily, the producers nailed it, but if done incorrectly in the wrong hands, it could hypothetically become too many meaningful glances, pauses in speech, and gazes held too long -- just a little too over-the-top, like Dr. Drake Remoray suddenly bursting into the room, or cutting to this:

 

[Kevin Hewell]

For the second week in a row Tywin and Arya kicked ass in their scenes together
Dany pissed me off this ep. Good on the spice king giving her what's for.

 

[JonZ]

Another great episode. Looking forward to seeing House of Undying.... very important chapter than foreshadows importants future events.

 

[mattCR]

Yeah not at all digging the stolen dragons bit. How far will we diverge from the books?

 

[joshEH]

Honestly, right now, I think I hate Meryn more than anyone else in the cast. His face is so punchable.
Once again, kudos to the casting department. I'm almost positive they lay out some head shots for certain roles, and rank them based on face-punchability.
And The Hound carting Joffrey around like a sack of laundry while he screams, "I want them EXECUTED!!!" was just awesome. As was The Hound's eye-rolling response of, "They want the same for you." Man, more of The Hound, please.
Dude's been in the opening credits forever, but has yet to get the proper screen-time he deserves.

 

[Sam Favate]

It was a great episode, especially the scene with Tywin, Arya and Baelish. The tension in that scene was worthy of Tarantino.

Having not read the books, am I to assume there was no subplot about stolen dragons?

 

[Charlie Campisi]

Having not read the books, am I to assume there was no subplot about stolen dragons?

Yeah, that probably should have been spoilerized, but now that the cat's out of the bag, it's a new subplot.

 

[Stan]

Just added HBO yesterday and have heard good things about this show.
Anybody have the time to give me a brief synopsis of the past seasons so I can begin watching and not be totally lost?

 

[JonZ]

Originally Posted by Charlie Campisi /t/318405/hbos-game-of-thrones-season-2/90#post_3924309
Yeah, that probably should have been spoilerized, but now that the cat's out of the bag, it's a new subplot.

Which will lead to one of the most important things in the story. Wont give anything away, but it is a very important chapter.

It will be interesting to see how they do it without visually giving away things that will happen.

Yeah not at all digging the stolen dragons bit. How far will we diverge from the books?

We'll have to see how it plays out, but it might add a sense of urgency in getting Daeny to the House of the Undying, instead of her just kind of getting around to going there at a leisurely pace.

 

[Charlie Campisi]

Just added HBO yesterday and have heard good things about this show.
Anybody have the time to give me a brief synopsis of the past seasons so I can begin watching and not be totally lost?

Don't bother. In all seriousness, it would be a waste of your time and a crime to the tale. The books are long, with many events, long descriptions, many characters and numerous plot lines. The series captures almost all of it. If you don't have On Demand, with your HBO subscription, you have access to HBO GO online. Watch the first season and the beginning of the second season and get caught up that way.

 

[JonZ]

^ Yes, definitely. Start at the beginning and catch up.

 

[Sam Favate]

Originally Posted by Charlie Campisi /t/318405/hbos-game-of-thrones-season-2/90#post_3924309
Yeah, that probably should have been spoilerized, but now that the cat's out of the bag, it's a new subplot.

No big deal; I don't mind that sort of thing. I find it interesting to see where the film and print versions diverge. As I simply don't have time to read 4 or 5 books at 750-1,000 pages each, I enjoy reading the opinions of folks who are watching the show and have read the books.

That said, things like "Character X dies soon! Can't wait to see how they handle that!" should have a spoiler.

 

[Jerry Almeida]

Yeah, that probably should have been spoilerized, but now that the cat's out of the bag, it's a new subplot.

I know it's been talked about in the Season 1 thread and this one, but people still don't seem to get it. Even with the, "what's coming up next is very important" kind of stuff, they're still spoilers. It's no different than watching a movie with someone who has already seen it and they keep saying, "watch this, it's going to be cool" or "pay attention to this part".

 

[Jeff Cooper]

All I can say, is that I am very disappointed that Josh has not yet posted an animated .gif of Tyrion slapping Joffrey again this week.

 

[joshEH]

Haha...yeah, stuff got busy this past week, and I forgot to look for one.
Great episode, but I wasn't too happy with Jaime's conversation with Catelyn in the end (though I loved his unflattering asides about Brienne) -- I felt his observations were just a bit too on-the-nose, to the point where I wondered if Jaime actually watched the show, and was going cap off his observation with, "I just don't know how I felt about you in that episode, Cat. You were so mean!"
Beyond that, I was really into it, and I've got to say, Jorah coming into frame looking all dirty and manly with the V-neck and his hand on the handle of his sheathed sword and whatnot, felt like so much visual innuendo that I couldn't help get a little giddy. "I'm ready for action, Khaleesi."
(Also, getting the menses for the first time must be difficult enough without half the castle running into your room to check out the mess you left on your bed.)
Other than that, Jaime goes from awesome to motherfucker faster than any character I can recall at the moment, after being sidelined for most of this season, Lena Headey is finally allowed to once again bring it as Cersei, and Sansa and her relationship with The Hound becomes more intriguing.
I sometimes wonder if these moments of depth and introspection sometimes betray some of the more vicious characters, but hey, Hitler loved dogs, and all that.