A GAME OF THRONES (HBO) -- POSSIBLE SPOILERS

MattW

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2 things I just learned - HBO is having a free preview weekend (huzzah!), and replay of season one on HBO2 starts in 30 minutes (hurrah!)
 

WackAMole

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I am so excited for season 2. I've been waiting for this since the end of season 1.

I have had to quench my thirst for swordplay with Spartacus:Vengeance. I actually think that this 3rd installment of the series has been the best as far as plot goes. The first two were more 'pornish' lol.
 

mayqueen

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I can't wait to see Spartacus:Vengeance.

I just finished rewatching season one of GOT with my girlfriend last night. I'm really excited for season 2, even though I know what happens. I didn't think that would happen. Like, I really expected to think, oh, no big deal, I can wait. NO.

I'm curious to see how long HBO keeps the show going and how far from the novels they wander. I've been sort of implicitly comparing GOT to True Blood and the Sookie Stackhouse mysteries, in terms of at what point HBO started to really really take liberties. (Difference, of course, being between a book practically written to become a television show and a first person book.)
 

CrastersBabies

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I just could not get into Spartacus. It seemed so aware of its own art editing and cool, fancy, 300ish battle scenes. I found myself fast forwarding through those, only to get to some kind of weird sex scene where the actors were positioned perfectly and gazing into one another's eyes, sweaty, oily and (of course) perfect looking.

Maybe I'll give it another shot. After the first episode I kind of went, "meh," and moved on.

AWESOME that there is a free preview of HBO this weekend. HUZZAH!
 

WackAMole

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I just could not get into Spartacus. It seemed so aware of its own art editing and cool, fancy, 300ish battle scenes. I found myself fast forwarding through those, only to get to some kind of weird sex scene where the actors were positioned perfectly and gazing into one another's eyes, sweaty, oily and (of course) perfect looking.

Maybe I'll give it another shot. After the first episode I kind of went, "meh," and moved on.

AWESOME that there is a free preview of HBO this weekend. HUZZAH!

It took me a bit to get into Spartacus also for those very reasons. The big focus on the '300ish, comicy, blood spraying everywhere, eye candy sex romp' was a bit annoying.

BUT, something changed in season three. It was almost as if they suddenly realized they had attracted a much larger audience than they thought they would and decided to put some effort into the story itself. It's great.

I used to think pretty lowly of Lucy Lawless' acting ability (despite the fact that my daughters were huge fans of Xena). In Spartacus, she seems to have really grown in terms of her ability as an actress and I just love to see that in any artform. For any fantasy fan, I would highly recommend this series.

That said, I still think 'Game of Thrones' is miles better.
 

CrastersBabies

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He won:

an SAG, Emmy and a Golden Globe (probably more, too) for his role as Tyrion. Yay!
 

thothguard51

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So what are your thoughts?

Melisandre sort of has a Cersei Lannister look going but with red hair instead of blond. Can't wait to see more of her character.

Craster did not look like I expected, as I expected someone older and bit more senile. His homestead north of the wall was also a lot more accommodating than I imagined.

Stannis Baratheon, again I expected someone different, larger, broader, though he did look brooding enough.

Bran, we got a first taste of his shadow walking, or whatever it is they call it. It was only a flash, but it portends to what will come.

Tyrions parts were good as always. I loved his entrance and the fact he apologized to Sansa for her fathers demise. I also loved the reaction he got out of Cersei when his fathers letter was read at the meeting. Classic one upping...

Rob? He is starting to show a harsher side, which can be expected considering the position he has been put in and all his family has had to endure.

Dani, I like how she is taking charge and the baby dragons are so cool.

I loved how they used the red comet to switch locations while tying the story to its appearance. Well done.

The first episode moved well enough considering they had to re-establish the storyline and characters since the end of season one...
 

tarak

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I'll have to rewatch tomorrow, but the one issue I had was with Melisandre. It wasn't her physical appearance, but her lack of menace that bothered me. Maybe I'll see it more on a second viewing. The slaying of the bastards had a bit of a Godfather baptism/settling our affairs feel to it.
 
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thothguard51

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The slaying of the bastards had more of bible feel when the King of Egypt sent his troops to kill all first born male children.
 

thothguard51

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I was thinking more from a cinematic perspective.

Cecile B DeMille's did the same thing in The Ten Commandants though not as graphic as the God Father was, so you could be right in that they stole, ah borrowed from another film...
 

DreamWeaver

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I'll have to rewatch tomorrow, but the one issue I had was with Melisandre. It wasn't her physical appearance, but her lack of menace that bothered me. Maybe I'll see it more on a second viewing.
I saw it on the first--her smiling as she drank the poison, while the poisoner was already showing the signs of what would kill him...that was plenty menacing :D.
 

thothguard51

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Who was the guy watching the maester slip the drug into his drink. Was it Stannos, the Onion Knight?
 

Seraph

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Stannis Baratheon, again I expected someone different, larger, broader, though he did look brooding enough.

My impression as well, I pictured someone with a bit more iron.

Overall I really liked it. The one part with Baelish where he threatened Cersei I thought was kinda weak, a little too overt, too direct, not as subtle as the Baelish I remember. I mean, he's a crafty, slippery, slimy bastard, he wouldn't just lay that out, man

Melisandre, and Stannis in general, I always felt was a superfluous addition to the ASOFAI plot. There's already a tonne of characters and stuff needing resolution I don't even know why they got emphasis. That's a general criticism of the series though I think, lots of padding plot-wise. Not that I don't love it. Cause I do. Long live the medieval political dramas.

SPOILERS AHEAD: Looking forward to the scene where Tyrion makes fun of Cersei about the incest and the slapping that ensues.
 

Parametric

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Who was the guy watching the maester slip the drug into his drink. Was it Stannos, the Onion Knight?

Yes, that was Davos Seaworth. In the previous scene I managed to mix up Stannis and Davos, which gave me great confusion, but I've straightened them out now.

For a moment in that episode I was very alarmed for Littlefinger.
 

tarak

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Cecile B DeMille's did the same thing in The Ten Commandants though not as graphic as the God Father was, so you could be right in that they stole, ah borrowed from another film...
I admit, I've only seen The Ten Commandments in bits and pieces over the years. I've lost count, though, of the number of times I've seen the Godfather.

DreamWeaver, that was the one scene that made me think she had potential.

Loved the table/map of Westeros.
 

robeiae

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I'll have to rewatch tomorrow, but the one issue I had was with Melisandre. It wasn't her physical appearance, but her lack of menace that bothered me.
Didn't much care for the choice here. I expected a lot more to her. More presence, more menace, and yes, more t&a.


The rest of the new characters were okay, I guess. I was hoping for a big name surprise for Stannis, though.

As to the course of the show, pretty good. Smart choices are being made again by the screenwriters, imo.

And I have to say, the friggin' opening is still so amazing. As it came on, I got those chills, like when the opening credits of the Phantom Menace started, after all those years of waiting.

That raises an interesting point. Just how important is the opening music and the opening credit sequence for programs and movies?
 

thothguard51

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The DVD box set for AGOT has the behind the scenes featurs for the making of the music and opening for a Game of Throne. One of the many reasons I broke down and got the box set.

I also like the opening music for Spartacus...
 

Grrarrgh

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The DVD box set for AGOT has the behind the scenes featurs for the making of the music and opening for a Game of Throne. One of the many reasons I broke down and got the box set.

I also like the opening music for Spartacus...

That feature on the DVD is amazing. All of the features are great. I loved the history option on each of the episodes; so much more backstory than we got in season 1, and they were all beautiful.