Game of Thrones (TV ONLY) [Leaked Spoilers prohibited]

[Lordmandeep]

Imo they should add in Arianna and the two Grey Joys.

 

Sure there are enough characters but imo people do like this unique characters 

[Magic]

I wonder whether people think GOT would be better or worse off it had 13 episodes per season like most other premium dramas.Generally you have better quality control with less episodes. Game of Thrones is often at its best though when they spend a significant amount of the time in one place (Blackwater, The Lion and the Rose) and allow things to build a bit better. The biggest problem the show faces is jumping from one place to another every few minutes or so due to time restraints and the need to 'check in' with the more major characters in most of the episodes. It could be a rare case where more might mean better.

Edited June 5, 2014 by Magic

[lab276]

[4815162342]

I wonder whether people think GOT would be better or worse off it had 13 episodes per season like most other premium dramas.Generally you have better quality control with less episodes. Game of Thrones is often at its best though when they spend a significant amount of the time in one place (Blackwater, The Lion and the Rose) and allow things to build a bit better. The biggest problem the show faces is jumping from one place to another every few minutes or so due to time restraints and the need to 'check in' with the more major characters in most of the episodes.It could be a rare case where more might mean better.

 

I would have had 12 episodes apiece for Seasons 1 and 2, since they were going for a whole novel in each season.

 

But I think Seasons 3 and 4 are fine at 10 episodes apiece, since the story expands significantly past Season 2, so the focus should be on maximizing content in each season. The problem D&D have had is that they sometimes focus on what interests them and their show philosophy rather than what truly benefits the story. It's why we got more Theon/Ramsay than necessary last season. It's why they sometimes spend their time dithering on philosophical/meta conversations like the one on Orson and the Beetles (which while an apt metaphor for various things, was an utter timesink in an episode that needed to spend time building up the duel). It's also why they drastically changed Robb's wife in the show, they wanted to improve on a weak part of the books but overcorrected way too much based on their personal preferences. It's also why they've kneecapped Stannis so far in the show, making him more dependent on Melisandre and her fanaticism.

Edited June 5, 2014 by Numbers the One True King

[Magic]

The one thing I disagree with is the Tyrion /Jaime discussion. I thought it was an excellent addition to the show, foreshadowed the duel well, and was the best discussion in the show since the Littlefinger/Varys chaos speech from The Climb.

Edited June 5, 2014 by Magic

[4815162342]

The one thing I disagree with is the Tyrion /Jaime discussion. I thought it was an excellent addition to the show, foreshadowed the duel well, and was the best discussion in the show since the Littlefinger/Varys chaos speech from The Climb.

 

It would have worked far better in say Episode 7. That scene in Episode 8's running time should have been given to Tyrion/Oberyn to beef up their interactions and demonstrate Oberyn's intentions, as well as lay the initial foreshadowing for next season's events.

Edited June 5, 2014 by Numbers the One True King

[Magic]

It would have worked far better in say Episode 7. That scene in Episode 8's running time should have been given to Tyrion/Oberyn to beef up their interactions and demonstrate Oberyn's intentions, as well as lay the initial foreshadowing for next season's events.

Moving it to the previous episode would be fine. I wouldn't want to see it cut though. I find those conversations as engrossing as the duels.They did need another Oberyn scene prior to the duel. Edited June 5, 2014 by Magic

[4815162342]

I would have removed the Arya scene from Episode 8. It was good at showing her damaged psyche and how life has broken her, but I think it wasn't worth the couple minutes of time AND the character value is offset by the dangling plot hole it creates (especially if it is not addressed in the season finale).

 

What Episode 8 really needed was 4 things and 4 things alone: Dany exiling Jorah, the aftermath of Lysa's death, the buildup to the Siege of the Wall, and the buildup to the Duel. Everything else, like Arya's scene, Grey Worm + Missandei, Cousin Orson, all of that was far too extraneous and should either have been eliminated entirely (Arya) or put in earlier episodes (G+M, Orson).

[Lordmandeep]

Issue is that perhaps the ninth episode does not have to be all about the walll?Could be 2/3 at the wall? 

[Magic]

I think it's almost entirely focused on the wall.

[Magic]

By the way went back and watched 'Winter is Coming' yesterday. I completely forgot how ridiculous The Hound looked in season 1.

Edited June 5, 2014 by Magic

[Michael Gary Scott]

I would have removed the Arya scene from Episode 8. It was good at showing her damaged psyche and how life has broken her, but I think it wasn't worth the couple minutes of time AND the character value is offset by the dangling plot hole it creates (especially if it is not addressed in the season finale). What Episode 8 really needed was 4 things and 4 things alone: Dany exiling Jorah, the aftermath of Lysa's death, the buildup to the Siege of the Wall, and the buildup to the Duel. Everything else, like Arya's scene, Grey Worm + Missandei, Cousin Orson, all of that was far too extraneous and should either have been eliminated entirely (Arya) or put in earlier episodes (G+M, Orson).

That Arya scene was great though and I wouldn't want it cut

[Leyla]

The one thing I disagree with is the Tyrion /Jaime discussion. I thought it was an excellent addition to the show, foreshadowed the duel well, and was the best discussion in the show since the Littlefinger/Varys chaos speech from The Climb.

it WAS an amazing scene

may be a bit shorter tho & there wshould have been more Oberyn prefight

 

 

EW reads my mind about GoT award underappreciation !

http://insidetv.ew.com/2014/05/30/hbo-game-of-thrones-emmys/

[4815162342]

Issue is that perhaps the ninth episode does not have to be all about the walll?Could be 2/3 at the wall? 

 

The promo showed only Wall events. And the recap they will show prior to Episode 9 is focused solely on the Wall storyline. Nothing else is coming in.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FmQuzhNlyl4

Edited June 5, 2014 by Numbers the One True King

[cozmeesah]

http://winteriscoming.net/2014/06/05/game-thrones-s4-total-viewership-challenging-sopranos-walking-dead/Game of Thrones S4 total viewership challenging The Sopranos (and The Walking Dead)

HBO has recently updated the total viewership number, The Hollywood Reporter … reports. A month ago, an average of 17.8 million people saw each episode across all the different platforms. Today, the number stands at 18 million! Good job, Thrones. The show is thus on a good way to break the absolute record set by The Sopranos. We were under the impression that the record stood at 14.4, but apparently the official number with all the repeats is 18.2 million viewers, set by the fourth of the six seasons of this HBO hit show. Good to know what to aim at!THR’s article draws some more comparisons. Although they themselves admit that it is next to impossible to fairly and reliably compare HBO numbers to that of other cables (or networks), they note that according to the live-plus-7 metric, GoT is just behind The Walking Dead airing on the free AMC cable channel with 18.4 million viewers, and beating most of the network series as well. Interesting indeed.

[cozmeesah]

The fact that it should beat TWD soon is frickin amazing. The last two episodes should do nothing but boost viewership even further as well.

[4815162342]

More casting call information

 

http://winteriscoming.net/2014/06/05/characters-rumored-cast/

 

 

Good to see they're looking to bring in Varamyr. It'll definitely beef up what we know about warging.

[Spidey Freak]

I would have had 12 episodes apiece for Seasons 1 and 2, since they were going for a whole novel in each season.

 

But I think Seasons 3 and 4 are fine at 10 episodes apiece, since the story expands significantly past Season 2, so the focus should be on maximizing content in each season. The problem D&D have had is that they sometimes focus on what interests them and their show philosophy rather than what truly benefits the story. It's why we got more Theon/Ramsay than necessary last season. It's why they sometimes spend their time dithering on philosophical/meta conversations like the one on Orson and the Beetles (which while an apt metaphor for various things, was an utter timesink in an episode that needed to spend time building up the duel). It's also why they drastically changed Robb's wife in the show, they wanted to improve on a weak part of the books but overcorrected way too much based on their personal preferences. It's also why they've kneecapped Stannis so far in the show, making him more dependent on Melisandre and her fanaticism.

 

So far I've always liked D&D's gut instincts and preferences barring the Cersei whitewashing. Alfie Allen is a good actor so they put a lot of focus on Theon, Melisandre and her fanaticism are more interesting than Stannis, so she became a more integral part, the Beetles thing was minor and fun and I think "utter timesink" is an exaggeration. And all the changes made to Robb's wife actually added to the tragedy of the Starks, IMO.

[4815162342]

So far I've always liked D&D's gut instincts and preferences barring the Cersei whitewashing. Alfie Allen is a good actor so they put a lot of focus on Theon, Melisandre and her fanaticism are more interesting than Stannis, so she became a more integral part, the Beetles thing was minor and fun and I think "utter timesink" is an exaggeration. And all the changes made to Robb's wife actually added to the tragedy of the Starks, IMO.

 

I don't mind most of the Cersei softening. For example it's never clear who ordered the hit on Tyrion during Blackwater in the books (Cersei, Joffrey, or even Littlefinger). Cersei in the first three books seems a bit too one-dimensional.

 

Alfie Allen is very good as Theon. I think they could have cut out a little of his stuff and Season 3 and spread it around a bit better. I really look forward to his Season 5 arc, as Theon's arc in Book 5 is IMO the best part of Book 5.

 

They made Stannis much more fanatical and narrow-minded so far in the show (for example in the show he is willing to kill Gendry after one king dies, whereas in the book he needs far far far more convincing and even then is truly torn about the choice). Hopefully as they get to his later material they will course-correct.

 

I was fine with Robb's wife being at the Red Wedding, and I was happy with them following Robb and showing him falling in love (compared to the books where it is all off-page and he doesn't fall in love, he has a one-night stand and feels compelled to marry Jeyne out of honor). But they tried to make Talisa too much a modernized opinionated woman who is spunky, and it wasn't executed that well.

[boomboom234]

I don't mind most of the Cersei softening. For example it's never clear who ordered the hit on Tyrion during Blackwater in the books (Cersei, Joffrey, or even Littlefinger). Cersei in the first three books seems a bit too one-dimensional.

 

Alfie Allen is very good as Theon. I think they could have cut out a little of his stuff and Season 3 and spread it around a bit better. I really look forward to his Season 5 arc, as Theon's arc in Book 5 is IMO the best part of Book 5.

 

They made Stannis much more fanatical and narrow-minded so far in the show (for example in the show he is willing to kill Gendry after one king dies, whereas in the book he needs far far far more convincing and even then is truly torn about the choice). Hopefully as they get to his later material they will course-correct.

 

I was fine with Robb's wife being at the Red Wedding, and I was happy with them following Robb and showing him falling in love (compared to the books where it is all off-page and he doesn't fall in love, he has a one-night stand and feels compelled to marry Jeyne out of honor). But they tried to make Talisa too much a modernized opinionated woman who is spunky, and it wasn't executed that well.

I hated Robb's wife in the TV show and above all else no matter what D&D do they ruined Stannis. Stannis in the book is a righteous honorable if stubborn and judgmental man with a quick dry wit. In the show he is a asshole and far to fanatical. But on Cersie the fact that they are kin of white eashing her will make some people start to sympathize with her

especially when the walk of shame comes about,

which shouldn't happen considering the fact that in the book she is one of the more evil and close to insane charecters