If I Stop Watching...

[The Reader Lisa]

I would like to stop watching. I tried to stop last year but had my arm twisted by a family member.

Last season reminded me of homemade mashed potatoes. Parts were good but then you'd hit

a lump and the lump is what stood out in your mind. I ended up MST3King the show (making fun

of how bad and cheesy it was) and I enjoyed that; and coming to the forum and arguing with

people who thought everything about last season and D&D in general was the greatest thing

that had ever happened in the universe! FOR SURE!!!!! But I feel as if the show is tainting my

enjoyment of the books somehow by bleeding their version onto the page when I reread them.

And I have begun to think GRRM has no real intention of ever finishing the series. His outrage

at people nagging him to do so or being afraid he might die before he does seems phony. It's

not like The Wheel of Time guy didn't die before finishing and I vividly remember how people

reacted when Stephen King had his accident. It wasn't "Oh, poor Stephen's been hit by a truck!"

It was "MY GOD! The Gunslinger will never be finished!" And I may be misremembering but I

don't think the Dune series was finished by Frank Herbert. (I don't mean those prequels) Haven't

most of us finished the books in our heads already? It would be nice to have your ideas of where

he's going confirmed but the longer he takes, the more I'll feel anyway that my version is better.

(Like I did with J. K.'s too happy ending to Harry Potter.) So, I think my point is: if you want to

stop watching, do so; and don't worry about spoilers from the forum or social media, there may

be nothing to spoil. Remember, as we book lovers have been told, again and again ... and again,

the show is a completely separate entity from the book and the one has nothing to do with the

other......as D&D have increasingly showed us.

.

[Jack Bauer 24]

I would like to stop watching. I tried to stop last year but had my arm twisted by a family member.

Last season reminded me of homemade mashed potatoes. Parts were good but then you'd hit

a lump and the lump is what stood out in your mind. I ended up MST3King the show (making fun

of how bad and cheesy it was) and I enjoyed that; and coming to the forum and arguing with

people who thought everything about last season and D&D in general was the greatest thing

that had ever happened in the universe! FOR SURE!!!!! But I feel as if the show is tainting my

enjoyment of the books somehow by bleeding their version onto the page when I reread them.

And I have begun to think GRRM has no real intention of ever finishing the series. His outrage

at people nagging him to do so or being afraid he might die before he does seems phony. It's

not like The Wheel of Time guy didn't die before finishing and I vividly remember how people

reacted when Stephen King had his accident. It wasn't "Oh, poor Stephen's been hit by a truck!"

It was "MY GOD! The Gunslinger will never be finished!" And I may be misremembering but I

don't think the Dune series was finished by Frank Herbert. (I don't mean those prequels) Haven't

most of us finished the books in our heads already? It would be nice to have your ideas of where

he's going confirmed but the longer he takes, the more I'll feel anyway that my version is better.

(Like I did with J. K.'s too happy ending to Harry Potter.) So, I think my point is: if you want to

stop watching, do so; and don't worry about spoilers from the forum or social media, there may

be nothing to spoil. Remember, as we book lovers have been told, again and again ... and again,

the show is a completely separate entity from the book and the one has nothing to do with the

other......as D&D have increasingly showed us.

.

I'm sure the main overall story will still be the same though, so spoilers will be out there. The smaller stories might be different, but the big picture will be the same.

[sj4iy]

"Professional writers"

They do it for a living, have made a lot of money doing it and have won awards for doing so.

That's the definition of "professional" unless the definition has changed.

[Consigliere]

I honestly don't know where this "the show will be completely different to the books" comes from. The 'journey' will be different but I don't see the 'destination' as being wildly different to what Martin has told the showrunners. Take Tyrion for example; Tysha not being in the show changes his motivations but he still ends up killing Tywin, strangling Shae and ending up on a ship to Essos. Thus far the show has hit the big plot points and I don't see that changing in the future.

Personally, I will continue to watch the show and I will read the books if they are ever published. At least with the show I know I will get an ending by 2017. With the books, I may never get one. I feel a bit sorry for you guys who are trying to avoid spoiler. It's going to be tough. All I can say is, good luck. :)

[FalseKnight]

The show runners are professional writers. They know how to take an outline and fill it out. Really, that's what they've done from the start, because the show doesn't have enough time to include 90% of the details anyway. If they've been given the notes, outlines and character story arcs, then that's all they need. They won't have a problem finishing the show.

GRRM said recently that the have access to his drafts if they need them. I presume that means that they'll have some dialog for upcoming seasons.

[sj4iy]

GRRM said recently that the have access to his drafts if they need them. I presume that means that they'll have some dialog for upcoming seasons.

I figured as much. Some people may not want to admit it, but GRRM is a partner in making the show and isn't trying to fight against it at all. He's going to give them the information he has because he wants it to be the best it can be.

[JonSnowed]

Yep GRRM has been involved in every season and I would imagine he will play a close role again next year to ensure Winds of Winter looks great on screen just as he imagined it. He has only taken this year off in order to finish Winds before S6 airs.

[Le Cygne]

I ended up MST3King the show (making fun of how bad and cheesy it was) and I enjoyed that; and coming to the forum and arguing with people who thought everything about last season and D&D in general was the greatest thing that had ever happened in the universe! FOR SURE!!!!! But I feel as if the show is tainting my enjoyment of the books somehow by bleeding their version onto the page when I reread them.

Oh yeah, and it looks like this season will be MST3K-apalooza. I'm thinking this will be played for laughs, complete with funny music:

http://watchersonthewall.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/BronnjaimeDorne.jpg

And I know what you mean about the show making you wonder about the books, then you see the little pieces they picked out and stuck to, and know they are going to stick to the main book story points. The funny thing is they think they will actually mean something now. Why not just change the whole thing.

[Elessar]

I'm happy that I'm still able to call my versions of the characters into my head when reading and the show hasn't tainted that.

My wife wanted to start watching season 4 again so we put on episode one last night, my laughter ruined it for her though.

The introduction to Oberyn, stripping girls naked in the brothel was so fucking stupid. When you go back and re-watch, the show actually gets worse, which I wasn't sure was possible. If anything, it's worth watching next season for the amount of unintentional humor D&D have become famous for.

[The One And Only]

I'm happy that I'm still able to call my versions of the characters into my head when reading and the show hasn't tainted that.

My wife wanted to start watching season 4 again so we put on episode one last night, my laughter ruined it for her though.

The introduction to Oberyn, stripping girls naked in the brothel was so fucking stupid. When you go back and re-watch, the show actually gets worse, which I wasn't sure was possible. If anything, it's worth watching next season for the amount of unintentional humor D&D have become famous for.

Sounds like you are hate-watching it. Time to pick a new hobby. One perhaps you enjoy.

[The One And Only]

I have found the changes to the books to be great overall. I think the show has improved on the great base the books provide.

I enjoy the books, but they are too drawn out for my tastes. GRRM has a real talent for world building, but he goes into too much details about pointless matters.

I always get a good laugh over people complaining about the quality of the shows writing. David wrote 25th Hour which is a great book. The guy can write.

[Le Cygne]

We're all just here to talk about a show. Whether someone watches or not is up to them.

[Beric175]

Funny, I have watched all episodes multiple times and I find it gets better with subsequent viewings.

[Seneti]

Funny, I have watched all episodes multiple times and I find it gets better with subsequent viewings.

Agreed. The first time I watch, I always have the books in the back of my mind so I keep comparing scenes and being disappointed when the show doesn't match what my fantasy came up with (which is an impossible feat to begin with, let's be clear about that). The second time I have already gotten all the nitpicking off my chest and I can enjoy the show for what it is. The third time I focus on little things like easter eggs, hints and especially well done things like the direction in ep. 4.10 or the sound design in 1.10.

[Elessar]

At this point, you're right, I'm mostly hate-watching, and it's actually been a lot more enjoyable re-watching season 4 this way.

I'll be honest, there are things I do love about the show. The imagery is great, production values are the best you'll find on tv (and most movies) I don't like the costumes but whatever.

I love Sansa on the show, Sophie Turner gets better each season, Barristan, Jorah, Jaime, I enjoy the actors and the way they play the characters for the most part. What I dislike far outweighs what I like so I am always more vocal about it.

They haven't fucked it up 100% but they've done enough damage that I don't watch it earnestly anymore. I'll see it through, because I know my wife will want to watch.... so there's that.

[Beric175]

They haven't fucked up anything because the books have not been changed by the show. Chill out, everybody.