Game of Thrones TV Show Discussion

My gripe was more with the "Jaime would never do that" argument.

Hey my last two comments were just jokes! I know you don't think it is flawless or anything. I was just messing with you.

Also just because I complain about something doesn't mean it ruins the show for me or anything. This is actually my favorite show airing still.

Eh, I was gonna say it eventually. Use more emoticons, I guess.

Yeah, I stand behind my INITIAL defense of the scene, but like avid am happy to admit I was wrong. And I'm just a nitpicky person, but if there's something you guys should know by now my nitpicking doesn't really relate to how much I enjoyed something. I've VERY much enjoyed Game of Thrones despite any missteps.

I will go into more detail later, for now: Peter Dinklage is my god damn hero.

The Asha Greyjoy rescue attempt felt pretty lifeless and inconsequential aside from hammering home just how brainwashed Theon/Reek is. It's a bummer that one sadistic prick has been dealt with (Joffrey) and now we have to deal with another (Ramsay). Sustained sequences of sadism are never my cup of tea.

Excellent moment for Liam Cunningham's Davos as he appeals to the Iron Bank associates to provide a loan for Stannis.

The ethical quagmire that Dany found herself with the slave master's son was great.

Oberyn continues to be one of my favorite characters and his interaction with Varys in the throne room was a highpoint. Just as Roose Bolton never drank wine as a precautionary measure ("it dulls the senses") Varys never sexually desired anyone previous to his castration. No wonder he's as good as he is at what he does.

A lot of critics has pointed this out but the 2nd half was so successful because it was structured very similarly to the 2nd half of "The Lion and The Rose": a remarkably sustained piece of tension, buildup and payoff.

Jaime appealing to Tywin for Tyrion's life was very surprising. In a way I was hoping that Tyrion would play ball so that he could be put on The Night's Watch (come on, that would've been great) and Jaime could gain the support of his dad (on the latter's terms, but still, that would've been an interesting path to go down...).

But then Shae turns up and that plan goes straight to hell. In my opinion the brilliance of Dinklage's performance here isn't necessarily his closing remarks but the body language he displays throughout the trial sequences: his discomfort and contempt, the way he slouches in his booth. During Shae's testimony, he just falls apart and its like someone's twisting a knife in him. His closing remarks reminded me of Brad Davis' monologue near the end of Midnight Express.

Overall a decent episode.

I loved the trial scene particularly Tyrion's speech at the end. The Iron Bank scene was pretty good too with Davos' speech. I also just loved seeing Braavos in the show and the intro sequence. And a dragon sighting!

Only thing I didn't like this episode is what you mentioned avid. I guess the point was to just show how broken Theon is, but I wish they didn't have to make Yara and the Ironborn look like a bunch of wimps in the process. A shirtless Ramsey and some dogs run them off after she made the trip by sea around the whole fucking continent! I suppose it could be more just looked at as she realized that wasn't her brother anymore, but eh.

One thing I think we talked about last season was how it is better when the show doesn't try to shove in too many plotlines which has really been the case the past couple weeks (plus the wedding... maybe another one). Minus Yara's each of the smaller scenes felt significant and then of course they got a lot done in King's Landing with that extended sequence.

And Oberyn has just been amazing this season. Love his casting.

Loved this episode. Pretty much every part of it was good. I agree that the failed rescue was sort of inconsequential (and how did they get away so easily?) but I liked it as a reintroduction to Yara

Tyrion stole the show again at the end. I wasn't crazy about the trial at first but once Shae showed up I was hooked. I guess it's safe to say we won't see him at castle black now, though. Tyrion/Jon Snow would kick too much ass. Can't wait to see the trial by combat next episode

And the best quote goes to Oberyn. "Did you do it?"

The trial reminded me a lot of one of my favorite books, The Stranger. The idea of a farce trial, pulling in evidence from everything in a man's life besides the crime itself. It was well done, and...painful to watch, especially Varys and Shae's confessions. This idea of one man's idea of protection is another person's torment, and to see Shae turn like that was heartbreaking.

Like Avid said, Tyrion's speech was of course amazing but his acting as he slouched in the seat, knowing that the trial was a sham, really stole the show.

The other things that surprised me was Tywin's quick agreement to Jaime's suggestion as if he had anticipated it the whole time.

The Ironborn sequence, while nice to finally see happen, I agree was pretty weak. It was just over far too quickly and I felt the moment of recognition where Yara sees Theon and decides he's a goner was rushed in favor of Ramsey shirtless fighting. A scene of them tensley backing away from the castle and getting out would have been appreciated as opposed to the "we're gonna let out the dogs..." cut to them in a rowboat.

Seeing Danny's exploits finally start to bite her in the ass in the last few episodes has been supremely satisfying for me as well. And whoever the actor was who gave the speech about his father's body was a surprising standout for just a one-off (as far as I know) performance.

Also, to regurgitate MORE of what people are already saying Oberyn is the shit.


Now...I haven't read the books, as you all know, so please don't give me a hint either way but I'm pretty much resigned to the fact at this point that Tyrion's a goner. I love Tyrion dearly but they've taken EVERYTHING from him. Bron won't be as noble as to defend him a second time in a trial by combat, Jaime can't fight. And I just have the feeling that this wont end well and I'll be crying for another of my favorite characters going to the great big waiting room in the sky.

I think I've just had another big reveal intentionally spoiled by neckbearded goatfuckers of book fans. This is like the 5th time and I've barely explored anything about the show (and nothing about the books.) These people need to be tracked down and rounded up.

That blows. I've been extremely fortunate in that all of the book fans I know (including my girlfriend) have been remarkably restrained.

What an episode!

And what a bummer that we'll have to wait 2 weeks until we see Oberyn vs. The Mountain (among other things) but it'll make the anticipation all the greater/sweeter. I kinda wish they had kept the first actor that played The Mountain, seeing's how - and this is a minor quibble - he and Rory McCann looked alike but whatever.

I'm not sure what the Melisandre/Selyse scene was meant for, other than reminding me how gorgeous a creature Carice Van Houten is. We already know Selyse is cold towards her daughter (and even suspicious on a religious standpoint) so again no new info was obtained. So the daughter is coming with and Mommy doesn't approve? Erm, okay...

The scenes in Tyrion's dungeon cell have been so good in the past episodes and in this one, too. The opening scene with Jaime was poignant; if Jaime had both of his hands he would've stood up for his brother in the trial by combat. Now, could he beat The Mountain? Hmm.... Ned Stark - in season one - did criticize Jaime on his battle prowess on a note that I think speaks a lot ("You've chosen your opponents carefully") so that is a good question.

This season has contained a handful of memorable "farewells", a lot of them involving Tyrion. His scene with Bronn was fantastic. It's one more kick in the gut for Tyrion but he should've (and did I suspect) predicted that Bronn might opt out for fighting for him this time. Bronn also picks his battles carefully. Now that he's slated for marriage and lordship, who's gonna train Jaime?

Then there's Tyrion's visit with Oberyn. Cersei's choosing of the Mountain (obvious) gave Oberyn just the opportunity he needed to avenge his family. One could see it coming but the verification was satisfying. The wait will be painful but (and I agree with Trip on one of his blog posts) this moment will be one to savor. I said it before but there is a little Indigo Montoya in Oberyn (Princess Bride reference, ya'll) and this just seals the deal.

Things are looking pretty dire at The Wall. Of course Thorne (and Slynt, that prick) are underestimating the threat that is on their way, mostly due to their dislike of Jon and there's very little he can do, power-wise.

Hey, it's Hot Pie!

Good moments with Arya and The Hound. Their continuing trek to the North is taking on a post-apocalyptic feel in that they stick to the wilderness and most touches of civilization are in the forms of villages being burnt to the ground or locations on the outskirts.

Then there's the Sansa and the snow castle. It transpires a little differently than the book (the tranquility of her constructing it is a little more lasting, for example) but its a good scene for Sophie Turner. That Sansa remembers anything about Winterfell (is it just me or did Robert call it "Winterhell"?) after all she's been through is surprising but she's also smart in predicting that she'll never see it again. For Robert to just kick it down to the ground in one of his fits just hurt.

Littlefinger's interest in Sansa was never in doubt although I wouldn't go so far to classify him as a pedophile, despite that kiss. If he couldn't have Catelyn, the best he could do is protect her daughter but its scary to realize what he's willing to do for that.

Oh, and how are they going to break the news to Robert about his mother? Another reason that the 2 week wait will be hard. This season is just killing it episode after episode.

I was surprised to see Arya kill that dude just like that. She's got some serious balls.

I'm hoping Jon being told to lock up Ghost isn't just a way to keep the wolves out of the show. Some wolf action up north would be cool to see.

Seeing the pie kid again caught me off guard. You CANNOT give up on the gravy

Oberyn vs The Mountain should be great to see. He was too cool this week.

Glad to see the crazy lady fly. She was kind of soapy and annoying. Though is Sansa better off with just Littlefinger? That guy's a slippery bastard

I can't wait for the Trial by Combat. It is one of my favorite chapters in the series and the most thrilling I think. I feel like the one on one fights have been a little mixed so far on the show though both other trials have been pretty great (Bronn vs. Knight of the Vale and Hound vs. Beric). Anyway, I hope this one delivers! Oberyn has been amazing and I do like Mountain #3 better than Mountain #2, but I agree with avid Mountain #1 was probably the best. He looked more vicious than the new guy and more like he could be The Hound's older brother. I think the new guy is like twenty years younger than Rory! At least he is huge though. That is most important. Mountain #2 seemed too skinny.

I loved the Tyrion scenes. All of them were great, but the Oberyn one was especially so.

I would have liked the snow castle to have been given a little more time, but it was still very cool. I have seen people complaining online about the final words ("Your sister") which is a non-issue, but I do think holding back on the reveal that they were behind Jon Arryn's death until that scene in the book gave it a little more oomph. But still all of those scenes worked well.

Quick question for non-book readers: Who did you think would fight for both sides? Did you think it would be Oberyn and The Mountain? I was asking my friend before the episode and he never mentioned either.

This show has me trained. When I saw that The Mountain was Cersei's champion I thought "wouldn't it be cool if Oberyn championed for Tyrion for revenge" but then I thought "naaaah, George R.R. Martin wouldn't let me have the satisfaction." And now that I have it, I am EXTREMELY CAUTIOUS about it.

Overall, I thought it was a good episode. Very much that mid-series HBO "everything is moving towards something" type episode but some really nice moments through and through.

Bron's decision to go for more money was completely what I expected to happen but I enjoyed Tyrion's recognizing of how their friendship/patnership worked.

One thing about this show though...they do have some very jarring casting changes. I mean, Daario was the most obviously "...eh?" but ify ou were to marathon this show, some of the casting changes would REALLY stand out I think.

I would say more but then I'd just look bad compared to avid haha.

avidacridjam wrote:

I'm not sure what the Melisandre/Selyse scene was meant for, other than reminding me how gorgeous a creature Carice Van Houten is. We already know Selyse is cold towards her daughter (and even suspicious on a religious standpoint) so again no new info was obtained. So the daughter is coming with and Mommy doesn't approve? Erm, okay...

I saw a couple looks in her eye that said she wasn't as true a believer as she says, repeating literally word for word what she's said in the past about Mellisandre's seduction of her husband. In addition to the nakedness and all that, I think there's some brews of jealousy/unfaithfulness in that scene but I agree it was mild at best and felt like a pretty weak scene compared to the rest of the episode.

I think the most important bit of info in the Mellisandre scene was just that she needs the girl for some reason. Unless that was already revealed and I forgot about it

The Mountain's casting change really stood out to me for some reason. This guy looks so... normal

HE FUCKING HAD HIM! HE HAD HIM RIGHT THERE!!!!!!!!!!!

...More details to follow.

That was painful. I was 100% convinced that Oberyn would win, too. Should've known he was too awesome to live

I thought the fight was really great. Ending was brutal. I'll miss Oberyn. Pedro Pascal was amazing in the role. I kind of wish he got one more scene perhaps pre-fight this episode just because I wanted a bit more from him.

In a world/narrative where the creator has no interest in giving you an obvious outcome or making anything predictable, the end of that fight really and truly makes you feel like a schmuck for thinking Oberyn would win. The Red Viper landed some serious looking cuts and blows to the Mountain so I'm wondering how out of commission the latter would be.

The skull-crushing, though....I recall a similar moment in Blade Runner that cut away and left most of the work to sound effects and your imagination. That was just the nastiest way to go.

The big highlight for me, other than that, was Sansa's testimony which omitted certain truths but saved Littlefinger's life (and her own, arguably). Its a pivotal scene for Sansa, who has spent most of her life living under the lead/thumb of someone else. While it might feel like a downfall to align herself with Littlefinger, exactly what other options does she have? Damned good performance by Sophie Turner.

And I laughed with Arya. But seriously....NOW WHAT?

Poor Jorah. You know he's loyal but he's good and screwed and now completely lost. And it was just crushing the way that Dany stopped making eye contact as she was sentencing him to exile.

The Grey Worm/Missandei thing is awkward. If the guy is missing his equipment, there's only so far that relationship can go but I suppose that it's very telling that even a brain-washed fighter like him can mentally open up and develop an attachment for someone else. At least their courtship (such as it is) feels believable and not forced. And it doesn't hurt that both of them are easy on the eyes.

One of the reasons I'm looking forward to next week's episode is to hopefully see an end to the wildling/cannibal attacks approaching Castle Black. Their scorched-earth tactics and mass murdering is just disgusting. The next episode looks to be a very battle-heavy one (like "Blackwater" in Season 2) but these vermin need to be taken down, even Ygritte. How the Night's Watch will do this is another question and a big one.

Things are looking even more dire for Tyrion now and what that could mean is that his scenes with Jaime could come to an end. Ever since the first season, those have been enjoyable and the story regarding their cousin was well-executed. There was one guy on my twitter feed that is convinced the beetle-smashing tale was about George R.R. Martin. Um, okay...

No one here likes Ramsay, especially when he gets his way (which has happened ever since he came on board) but Theon's negotiation with the Moat Cailin officer was great, especially when Theon started breaking down.

I think the mountain is out of commission for sure. Barring some wacky lord of light magic. But that'll never happen.

They were a bit overshadowed by the ending but I think Jorah's exile and Sansa's transformation were some of the biggest surprises for me this episode. The latter is definitely a welcome change despite the weirdness of the whole situation. Now that she's finally caught a break she can actually do something interesting.

I want to say Stannis & co will show up at Castle Black and save the day. Remember when they got that letter at the end of season 3 and then seemingly forgot about it? Otherwise I don't see much hope for Jon Snow and the night's watch.

I felt the Sansa thing was a little sudden, but I like that she seems to be trying to get in the game. Be more proactive about her situation. The dress was just ridiculous though.

There's not much I can say that avid didn't say already much more eloquently, but one gripe I did have with this episode was the direction. Just...weird choices of shots and framing in multiple instances. It's an episode filled with some rather huge moments and I didn't feel they were handled as deftly as they could have been.

I agree with Trip on the Sansa thing, it's nice to see her standing up for herself but the dress and the way she was acting was a bit sudden and almost...cartoony at points. That said, her confession was the highbpoint of her acting on that show, it was a well done scene (minus the weird framing at points).

Poor Jorah though...the man who arguably truly does love her the most...but I suppose everyone pays for their past in one way or another.

And as disappointed as I was with Oberyn, as I said...I know the show wouldn't give it to me. I mean, I even thought that even if he did win, Tyrion would find a way to get killed anyway. SO yeah...poor Tyrion. I will miss him greatly, but he just didn't make friends in the right spots at the right times. His monologue this week though was once again another high point for the episode, and maybe the season as a whole.

Tyrion isn't going to die. There's no way! At least not yet. They've been building the Jamie-Tyrion relationship all season... Jamie's totally gonna bail him out and save the day. I also think there is going to be some kind of showdown with the Lannister boys and Tywin. Not sure if it'll be physical or not, but somehow you're gonna get Tyrion and Tywin in a room alone together before all this shakes out.

But if Tyrion does die... that would just be the saddest thing ever.

The last time satisfying words like "save the day" or "revenge" were used in association with a certain character that character went to a particular wedding...

I'm calling it right now... Jamie helps Tyrion bail, they tag - team murder his father and ride Khalessi's dragons off into the sunset.

...I'm gonna ride this hope dragon with you.

*Never ending stoooooooooooooryyyyyy. Lalala lalala lalala*

Seriously, can you imagine a freeze frame high five between Tyrion and Jamie on top of two dragons? That has to be how this series ends. HAS TO!!!

Neil Marshall will be directing the next episode. He was the director on Blackwater, so that is pretty cool.