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

[Jeff Cooper]

Danerys whining is getting to be just as bad as her brother was. If all Tygareans are like that, then they never would have ruled without dragons.

 

[Mikah Cerucco]

Originally Posted by Jeff Cooper /t/318405/hbos-game-of-thrones-season-2/90#post_3925860
If all Tygareans are like that, then they never would have ruled without dragons.

"That's why I always got the gun."


[SIZE= 9px]Reference to the movie Grand Canyon. There's a exchange where Danny Glover is being held up by a young thug and Glover asks him to please let him go. He asks Glover if he's asking as a sign of respect or because he has the gun. Glover says, "Truth is, if you don't have the gun, we're not having this conversation." And the kid says, "That's why I always got the gun."[/SIZE]

 

[Jeff Cooper]

A couple of other notes.

Pretty interesting comment by mystery chick to Jorah about 'Will you betray her again?'. Really gets me wondering what the first time was.

Obviously the charred remains that Theon brought up at the end were not Rikton and Bran. His little power play is probably going to be his undoing when it is revealed that the kids are still alive and well.

 

[MikeyWeitz]

A couple of other notes.
Pretty interesting comment by mystery chick to Jorah about 'Will you betray her again?'.  Really gets me wondering what the first time was.
Obviously the charred remains that Theon brought up at the end were not Rikton and Bran.  His little power play is probably going to be his undoing when it is revealed that the kids are still alive and well.

I believe the betrayal was leaving here alone in Qarth, but I could def be wrong since I havent read the books.

 

[Quentin]

The first betrayal is when he was spying on her and sending information home to Varys hoping to reinstate his Westeros privileges. Remember when he stops the assassin sent by Robert? He's to blame for the assassin being there.

 

[joshEH]

Danerys whining is getting to be just as bad as her brother was.  If all Tygareans are like that, then they never would have ruled without dragons.

I'd probably argue that, of all the potential rulers of Westeros, she's literally the only one who's literally coming up from nothing, and therefore has at least some sympathy for the average joe. Even Robb is a child of privilege, and, as has been said, may be a much better warrior than ruler. Dany's actually going through a learning curve that the others aren't.
That said, I certainly don't think she's ready yet. And however bad her situation has gotten, she has never been an "average joe." She still spends too much time shouting about her ancestors and dragons and fire and blood to come off as the champion of the little guy.
Interestingly, Littlefinger wouldn't necessarily make a terrible king, as far as the people of Westeros are concerned. He may not be magnanimous by nature, but seems like he might understand better than the Lannisters or Stannis that the peasant population is necessary to sustain the aristocracy, and pacifying them through non-violent means is ultimately more stable than unleashing The Mountain every time you hear a rumor.
Robb may be high-born, but he has shown a willingness to get down in the muck with his bannermen, assist with amputations, and treat his enemy's men with mercy. Dany may be learning those lessons, but as of now, she's still catching up to him in this regard.

 

[Jeff Cooper]

Speaking of The Mountain, is it the same actor playing him this season? He looked very tall and skinny last episode, but I remember him being way more wide and muscular last season during the jousting tournament.

 

[Jim_C]

Speaking of The Mountain, is it the same actor playing him this season?  He looked very tall and skinny last episode, but I remember him being way more wide and muscular last season during the jousting tournament.

It's a different actor.

 

[joshEH]

Yeah, they recast in between seasons.
Since we don't have an all-purpose Dinklage thread (which btw, WHY??), thought I'd drop this amusing account of the man himself teaming up with a shirtless John Hodgman for an annual "Scrabble For Cheaters" event.

 

[Jeff Cooper]

Originally Posted by joshEH /t/318405/hbos-game-of-thrones-season-2/90#post_3926431
Yeah, they recast in between seasons.
Since we don't have an all-purpose Dinklage thread (which btw, WHY??), thought I'd drop this amusing account of the man himself teaming up with a shirtless John Hodgman for an annual "Scrabble For Cheaters" event.

LOL. I can't ever picture Dinklage without thinking "OH! He's an ANGRY elf!"

 

[joshEH]

"Ser Jorah Mormont: Knight of the Friend-Zone."
Seriously. There is no version of that man's hopes and dreams where he and Dany screw without somebody getting their heart broken, potentially literally by their sternum being crushed.
Eh, I don't feel too bad for Jorah, honestly. Dany's freaking out, and she doesn't need a lovesick follower -- she needs Jorah to be both her Queensguard and her Hand. Without her dragons, she's got jack shit. There's really no time for him to wallow in the angst of his unrequited love. Get her dragons back or die trying, dude.
No matter how this season pans out, if she makes it, there needs to be an episode next year that's just 55 minutes of someone, anyone really, giving Roz a stiff drink and a hug. She's.....having a rough season.
So, with what we've seen so far, and considering the Battle of Blackwater is next week....

Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!

...I guess it's safe to assume we're not going to see Tyrion's "necklace"? Unless I completely missed it, there's been no mention of it, and they're not going to make it in a day.
At my viewing party someone said, "I can't wait till Robb kills Theon inch-by-inch."
It took all I had to not discuss the "inches" of Theon... the inches peeled from him.
Also, man, I sure do like Talisa much more than I ever gave a shit about Jeyne Westerling. Fucking Red Wedding is going to be brutal.

 

[Quentin]

Do you mean the chain, Josh? (re: necklace) I really liked that in the books...but, I think it's safe to say that a bunch of ship destruction is not within the budget of the show So, I imagine the battle of Blackwater will mostly take place on black land.

 

[joshEH]

(Yes, they are for sale...)
After tonight, I cannot wait for A Storm of Swords. Jesus, have they nailed it thus far. Martin and Marshall totally stuck the landing.
TYRION!
This was one of the finest hours of television I've ever seen. The drums, the wildfire, TYRION!, Cersei sitting with her son on the throne as the camera slowly pushes in on the Red Keep door...utterly phenomenal.
Not that the show hasn't delivered already, but God almighty, they brought justice to Blackwater for sure. Someone give Lena an Emmy for that performance -- she stole the show. The female performances in this series are just unbelievable, I wish they all could win something. Wildfire looked spectacular, better than I could've imagined. So what, we lost the chain, but everything else more than made up for it.

Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!

And to the guy who plays The Hound, the entire episode he just got me giddy thinking about the scenes I'm going to see with him next year with Maisie Williams. "Fuck the King," indeed. Hands-down, so far best ep of the season, and arguably one of the best of the entire series.

 

[Sam Favate]

Agreed. One of the best episodes yet in a series that hasn't had a misstep yet. Lena actually made Cersei somewhat sympathetic -- talking about how she was given to Robert and his uses for her. She sought out power where she could. I haven't read the books, and I'm sure this is addressed, but I don't see how the armies could respect Joffrey at this point when he left the battle. And Tywin, showing up at the last minute as Superman, was unexpected. The only sense of relief was that Cersei's younger son wouldn't be killed, but now Joffrey's reign of terror will continue.

Going to be a long wait after next week til season 3.

 

[RobertR]

I don't see how the armies could respect Joffrey at this point when he left the battle. And Tywin, showing up at the last minute as Superman, was unexpected. The only sense of relief was that Cersei's younger son wouldn't be killed, but now Joffrey's reign of terror will continue.

But will Joffrey's reign continue? Tywin may have grown tired of what a pathetic, laughable excuse he is for a king (no fear or respect among the soldiers after seeing him run to mommy). The "half man" showed more leadership and fighting ability than he ever has, and it was all out there for everyone to see.

 

[joshEH]

I literally stood up off the couch and yelled FUCK YES HALF MAN YES after the, "Those are brave men -- let's go kill them!" line.
How many men did The Hound cut in half? That was glorious madness. I thought it couldn't get any better until he told the king to go fuck himself. (Think I'll throw Centurion into the Blu-Ray player tonight...)
The key to Cersei being fucking awesome is, apparently, freeflowing hooch. So much bitterness and regret in every one of her scenes, and it's amazing. It's kinda surprising she and Robert didn't get along better, when they operate on the same level of tactlessness and cynicism when drunk.
On top of that, even, despite knowing the books, I kinda halfway expected her to go all "Kingdom of Heaven" with the nightshade, but goddamn, that scene on the Iron Throne, leading to Tywin bursting in like a fucking boss is chilling for so many reasons.
Speaking of which: TYWIN BURSTING IN LIKE A FUCKING BOSS. I need somebody on YouTube to rescore that shit to Pantera or DMX or something else that suggests the qualities of swinging gargantuan dicks.

 

[joshEH]

Also, some book-related spoiler-stuff:

Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!

Tyrion was never going to lose his nose on the show, for practical reasons. Not only do you not want to mess up your leading man's face too badly if you can help it (badass scar, OK; missing nose, ick) it would mean FX gubbery literally every time he's onscreen, which would add needlessly to the show's expense. I wonder if even the scar is going to be downplayed, just because it'll mean lots of makeup for Dinklage from now on. And it's not like it serves a major narrative function.
Actually, all this makes me wonder about Jaime's hand in the coming season. That's going to require a bit of FX work too -- not as much as a missing nose would, but they can't just stick a bag over his hand without it looking lame. I guess he gets a prosthesis at one point, doesn't he?
Jaime's hand being chopped off isn't something I can see them skipping. That changes his entire character and story-arc.

Man...Joffrey's street-cred is officially fucked. That kid's gonna need his own soundproof underground bunker with 24-hour security just so he doesn't hear people laughing at him from 40 miles away. And especially with The Hound about to hit the road, there's not a single sword-wielding sonovabitch in the kingdom that would take an order from the king who left battle when he got called home to mama.
Hey, Stannis, you're pretty good out there, but, you know what probably would've been useful in a fight like this? SHADOW ASSASSINS.
Neil Marshall needs to have a special Batphone installed whenever George Martin decides to write in a battle scene. Dude directed the shit out of this ep.
Man, this could go on all day with all the things I loved. (Also, will someone please upload a .GIF of Cersei kicking Lancel's ass?)

 

[Patrick_S]

Seriously, isn't the information at the bottom of post 113 a spoiler?

 

[Josh Dial]

Originally Posted by Patrick_S /t/318405/hbos-game-of-thrones-season-2/90#post_3930870
Seriously, isn't the information at the bottom of post 113 a spoiler?

Yes. Luckily it's by no means major, and while it certainly should be in a spoiler tag, I assure you nothing is ruined because of it.

 

[joshEH]

Apologies for that one...wrote that fairly late at night last night, and it slipped right past me. Fixed it, for those who haven't read the books yet.
Just read that the season finale is going to run ten minutes longer than usual.
With all the great Cersei scenes, it's easy to overlook the wonderful beginnings of her figuring things out with Shae. She's very smart, but Shae clearly misplayed her hand last night.
("These fine women should be in for a rape." Cersei: the life of any Holdfast party!)