31 replies to this topic

[Ran]

Thread for no spoilers discussion of the episode, titled "Lord Snow", when it's available.  Please don't post before then.

[lynxx]

First appearance of the Water Dancer, Syrio Forel.  That's what I've been waiting for!

Wasn't he terrific?

[Knight Of Winter]

Larry Willimas interesting youtube review of the episode: http://www.youtube.c...h?v=GPWmdCoEpGY

It was a good episode, with good acting and plot becoming more complex. It was quite enjoyable to see Vyseris (or Viserys, I don't remember the spelling) finally receiving some resistance from Dany and being subdued after getting too violent.

lynxx, on 02 May 2011 - 01:37 AM, said:

First appearance of the Water Dancer, Syrio Forel.  That's what I've been waiting for!

Wasn't he terrific?

Yes, he was. To honor him with an emoticon

[GileanTheGrey]

Knight Of Winter, on 02 May 2011 - 03:51 AM, said:

Larry Willimas interesting youtube review of the episode: http://www.youtube.c...h?v=GPWmdCoEpGY

It was a good episode, with good acting and plot becoming more complex. It was quite enjoyable to see Vyseris (or Viserys, I don't remember the spelling) finally receiving some resistance from Dany and being subdued after getting too violent.



Yes, he was. To honor him with an emoticon

The code for should totally be :syrio:

[Jojen]

I liked the contrast between the scene with Cersei and Joffrey, and the scene immediately after with Ned and Arya. Different parenting styles, different priorities, but both highlight their love for their children.

Also, in the scene with Cat, Varys, and LF, did anyone else notice the look that Varys gives to LF when he tells Cat about how his little birds "whisper the strangest stories"? I half expected LF to reply, "What are you getting at?"

Edited by Jojen, 02 May 2011 - 03:04 PM.

[unJon]

Jojen, on 02 May 2011 - 03:02 PM, said:

I liked the contrast between the scene with Cersei and Joffrey, and the scene immediately after with Ned and Arya. Different parenting styles, different priorities, but both highlight their love for their children.

Yes, that is a great call.  I also think the Ned/Arya scene compares well with the Tyrion/Jon scenes.  Tyrion playing the father figure with Jon, giving advice about his sword practice with the other trainees.

[Manakhkubar]

Strangely, I didn't like the episode as a whole too much, but I liked almost all scenes. Even more strangely, my favourite scene was Bran's "I'd rather be dead" with Robb. The first time Robb was really present and, boy, that Bran actor drove me to tears with a single sentence.

[Bronn Stone]

I felt like I was on an amusement park ride for the first thirty minutes.  Everything moved so FAST.  Left me almost dizzy.  Things got a bit more relaxed after that.

Edited by Bronn Stone, 03 May 2011 - 02:30 AM.

[Ondine]

I have one question for those of you who have read the book: what's the name of the character who is "hiding" Cat? I don't recall that they've introduced him and he seems interesting... And what's the story with him and Cat and Ned? They didn't quite explain it...or are we supposed to find that out later?
The show is good, so far I am keeping up with the story quite well (or at least I think I am ) but there are too many characters already and it's really hard to remember all their names…

[Aoife]

I won't get into the relationship here much, since this is a 'no spoilers' thread, but I will say this, because I think most was either stated or implied in the episode:

1. That is Lord Petyr 'Littlefinger' Baelish. He is also on the Small Council, so you hear Ned greet him as 'Lord Baelish' briefly. Cat calls him 'Petyr'.

2. He was a ward of Hoster Tully, Cat's father. He grew up with the Tully children, particularly Cat and Lysa (since their brother is a good bit younger). This is why Cat is so informal with him, and calls him 'like a younger brother'. He fell in love with Cat and challenged her betrothed to a duel for her hand. Her betrothed happened to be Ned's older brother, Brandon, which is why you hear LF talk about 'a token of his regard', meaning the scar he got during the duel.

Edited by Aoife Trevgaryen, 03 May 2011 - 12:11 PM.

[Maltaran]

Ondine, on 03 May 2011 - 11:57 AM, said:

I have one question for those of you who have read the book: what's the name of the character who is "hiding" Cat? I don't recall that they've introduced him and he seems interesting... And what's the story with him and Cat and Ned? They didn't quite explain it...or are we supposed to find that out later?
The show is good, so far I am keeping up with the story quite well (or at least I think I am ) but there are too many characters already and it's really hard to remember all their names…

His name is Petyr Baelish, also known as "Littlefinger". He is the Master of Coin on the small council, meaning he controls the money. I'm not sure if I should post much of the background, given that this is a no spoiler thread, but I think it's safe to say that as a teenager he had a major crush on Cat, which has coloured his relationship with her and her husband.

[Ondine]

Aoife Trevgaryen, on 03 May 2011 - 12:11 PM, said:

1. That is Lord Petyr 'Littlefinger' Baelish. He is also on the Small Council, so you hear Ned greet him as 'Lord Baelish' briefly. Cat calls him 'Petyr'.

2. He was a ward of Hoster Tully, Cat's father. He grew up with the Tully children, particularly Cat and Lysa (since their brother is a good bit younger). This is why Cat is so informal with him, and calls him 'like a younger brother'. He fell in love with Cat and challenged her betrothed to a duel for her hand. Her betrothed happened to be Ned's older brother, Brandon, which is why you hear LF talk about 'a token of his regard', meaning the scar he got during the duel.

Maltaran, on 03 May 2011 - 12:13 PM, said:

His name is Petyr Baelish, also known as "Littlefinger". He is the Master of Coin on the small council, meaning he controls the money. I'm not sure if I should post much of the background, given that this is a no spoiler thread, but I think it's safe to say that as a teenager he had a major crush on Cat, which has coloured his relationship with her and her husband.

Thanks. I am starting to think that the show is meant mostly for those who have read the novels: there are many things that are hinted but never really explained. They don't seem to be that important for the storyline so I'm thinking that maybe they could have left them out if they wanted everyone to just relax and enjoy the show. As it is those of us who haven't read the books always fell like we are missing something.

[Xenophon]

Ondine, on 03 May 2011 - 12:35 PM, said:

Thanks. I am starting to think that the show is meant mostly for those who have read the novels: there are many things that are hinted but never really explained. They don't seem to be that important for the storyline so I'm thinking that maybe they could have left them out if they wanted everyone to just relax and enjoy the show. As it is those of us who haven't read the books always fell like we are missing something.

I think that's the effect they're going for.  If anything, people who have read the books may know too much to fully enjoy the show for what it is.  I suspect HBO saw how much people liked the teasers/mysteries in Lost, and decided that a similar approach would work in GoT.  In any event, the directors seem to be revealing things very gradually, so I wouldn't worry if something seems a little unclear at first.

[Aoife]

Xenophon, on 03 May 2011 - 01:06 PM, said:

In any event, the directors seem to be revealing things very gradually, so I wouldn't worry if something seems a little unclear at first.

Yes, I agree. You (Ondine) caught that Ned and Cat are tied up with "that guy" in some way, you just didn't recognise him as Petyr/Lord Baelish when introduced in a different context. If the showrunners wanted all of the information dropped in at once, they'd've done so. (Same with the books, as well - a lot of this stuff readers don't find out until much later.)

[aeu]

Jojen, on 02 May 2011 - 03:02 PM, said:

Also, in the scene with Cat, Varys, and LF, did anyone else notice the look that Varys gives to LF when he tells Cat about how his little birds "whisper the strangest stories"? I half expected LF to reply, "What are you getting at?"

Now that you mention it, I looked for this in the rewatch. Varys appears to be saying that directly to LF. I wonder what he meant by it.

[TerraPrime]

Re: Ondine

Indeed. Even readers had to wait to find out all the information at once. When we first met Littlefinger, for instance, we didn't know of his backstory with Cat and Ned, either. So, just be careful of jumping to the conclusion that the show is meant for the readers. We're at a different place because we have the benefit of retrospect from having read all 4 books. Doesn't mean that it's not fun for the non-book-reading viewers to find the puzzle pieces yourself.


ETA

Also, think of what fun it'd be to re-watch after the entire S1 is over. You'll be picking up these backstories just as much as the readers have.

Edited by TerraPrime, 03 May 2011 - 05:04 PM.

[Xenophon]

aeu, on 03 May 2011 - 02:05 PM, said:

Now that you mention it, I looked for this in the rewatch. Varys appears to be saying that directly to LF. I wonder what he meant by it.

Yeah, there was definitely some sort of tension between Varys and Littlefinger in that scene.  First Varys seeming to direct that comment at LF, then LF gloating that he knew something Varys didn't.

[Maester Cressan]

Ondine, on 03 May 2011 - 12:35 PM, said:

Thanks. I am starting to think that the show is meant mostly for those who have read the novels: there are many things that are hinted but never really explained. They don't seem to be that important for the storyline so I'm thinking that maybe they could have left them out if they wanted everyone to just relax and enjoy the show. As it is those of us who haven't read the books always fell like we are missing something.

I think it adds to the realism and atmosphere.

Lord of the Rings was the same way.  There were always these extra bits of background that gave us what we needed to know, but also hinted that the background was it's own epic story in it's own right.

It's much the same here.  The Starks and Lannisters believe they are the actors, but at the same time, they are reacting to decisions made by their parent's generation, just as their children are now forced to live with the choices made by the current actors.  

We didn't come in at the start of a story, we came in at the start of a chapter.  Much like history in real life.

[malek]

For me highest point of the episode was when Robert, Jaime and Ser Barristan talked about how they destroyed Kingwood's Brotherhood, and how they mentioned Symon Toyne as a great swordsman, lacking stamina.

[JetboyGirl]

This is supposed to be a 'no spoilers' thread and it is full of spoilers, people.