27 replies to this topic

[Chronicler]

Only me who think the tv series (season 2 anyhow) is moving too fast? Seems to me that the characters lose their personality/story.

[Knez Snow]

I don't think it is moving too fast, but they could have maybe added 5-10 minutes each episode to kind of show more of it all.

[oierem]

For most non-readers it's moving too slowly.

[Buster]

They have no choice, trying to cram a huge novel like ACoK into a ten hour TV show is a difficult task. I'm actually surprised at how well they're doing.

[Chronicler]

Buster, on 01 May 2012 - 08:47 AM, said:

They have no choice, trying to cram a huge novel like ACoK into a ten hour TV show is a difficult task. I'm actually surprised at how well they're doing.

Well, this 10-episode rule is silly. They should make more episodes so the characters can get more personality.

[Sun]

It's too fast and yet somehow slow. It's moving at a strange rate of hurry-up and wait. We move quickly from location to location in order to hit the plot points that we don;t have time to savor the characters, or build relationship with them. So, the show feels rushed. As as a result we the audience develop a natural expectation for the plot to develop at the same breakneck speed at which we are asked to become familiar with these characters and locations, yet somehow it doesn't. consequently, the show can feel slow at times.

[vrbata]

Well on Denaerys' journey alone, in which she covers almost a whole continent...from Pentos to Qarth...would probably need 10 episodes for that alone...

I always wondered how long she has been in the desert, they never give out dates or time.

[CrypticWeirwood]

Chronicler, on 01 May 2012 - 05:52 PM, said:

Well, this 10-episode rule is silly. They should make more episodes so the characters can get more personality.

What do you think the limit of 10 episodes per series derives from?  It all has to do with time, and with money.  And even with infinite money, you just can’t get a 26-episode series out of it. Per their own admission, the showrunners can’t get it written in that amount of time. They’re already working 50-week years.  There are likely other concerns as well.

And remember it isn’t 10 episodes per book, just per series. That adaptation of Storm will take more then 10 episodes to complete. Plus the third and fourth series will together comprise parts of Clash, most or all of Storm, but also parts of Feast and Dance, too.

[DarkSnow]

Definitely, I don't think Arya has had enough time to show her changing and her personality especially when they had Yoren give Ayra her pray. The only Characters personality being shown is Tyrions' thank god and jofferys evil side is being over sold.

[Chronicler]

CrypticWeirwood, on 02 May 2012 - 10:48 AM, said:

What do you think the limit of 10 episodes per series derives from?  It all has to do with time, and with money.  And even with infinite money, you just can’t get a 26-episode series out of it. Per their own admission, the showrunners can’t get it written in that amount of time. They’re already working 50-week years.  There are likely other concerns as well.

And remember it isn’t 10 episodes per book, just per series. That adaptation of Storm will take more then 10 episodes to complete. Plus the third and fourth series will together comprise parts of Clash, most or all of Storm, but also parts of Feast and Dance, too.

Just strange HBO has it for *every* series.

[Chronicler]

Sun, on 02 May 2012 - 07:40 AM, said:

It's too fast and yet somehow slow. It's moving at a strange rate of hurry-up and wait. We move quickly from location to location in order to hit the plot points that we don;t have time to savor the characters, or build relationship with them. So, the show feels rushed. As as a result we the audience develop a natural expectation for the plot to develop at the same breakneck speed at which we are asked to become familiar with these characters and locations, yet somehow it doesn't. consequently, the show can feel slow at times.

And yes, what I wanted to say.

[A Song of Ice and Fire]

I think the its going at a perfect pace. Martin says he will write around 2 more books. 5 is out now, 1 book might be split into 2 series so at the least 5 more years until the TV show catches up with the Book. Perfect timing unless Martin is late with his books as he usually is..

[oierem]

It's similar to the books: each storyline is kinda slow-paced (not much happens for each character in a season/book), but there are so many storylines that it makes each episode feel packed with stuff.

[slowpoke]

I think it feels bit rushed to be perfectly honest. I haven't been able to really connect with the characters on the TV show like I was able to when reading. Yes, watching a TV show and reading a book are two different things but it just feels like the series is glazing over some parts and rushing through others. The characters don't feel as fleshed out. That is understandable as it is a TV show but it just flits around from character to character too quickly for my taste.

[Chronicler]

slowpoke, on 02 May 2012 - 05:40 PM, said:

I think it feels bit rushed to be perfectly honest. I haven't been able to really connect with the characters on the TV show like I was able to when reading. Yes, watching a TV show and reading a book are two different things but it just feels like the series is glazing over some parts and rushing through others. The characters don't feel as fleshed out. That is understandable as it is a TV show but it just flits around from character to character too quickly for my taste.

And my point also was that season 2 feels more rushed than season 1. Since we have more of those emotional moments and they seem to give them more time (this could be imaginary though)

And Martins writing pace doesn't really matter, this is more a thread about if they do his characters justice, and I don't feel they do, if they can't cut it in 10 eps, they would have to make more eps. I heard it said in an interview that they cut a lot of material that would be added later on season 2 dvd.

[Hyper]

Next season should be better from a character perspective, since they are no longer forcing a book into 10 episodes. They'll just cover as much of ASOS as they think they can, and do the rest the season after that.

It does raise the problem of while it helps character depth, it also slows down the plot. Fortunately ASOS is filled with great moments, but it is a interesting balance act.

[Chronicler]

Hyper, on 02 May 2012 - 06:12 PM, said:

Next season should be better from a character perspective, since they are no longer forcing a book into 10 episodes. They'll just cover as much of ASOS as they think they can, and do the rest the season after that.

It does raise the problem of while it helps character depth, it also slows down the plot. Fortunately ASOS is filled with great moments, but it is a interesting balance act.

Well, the third book and the fifth are best storywise imo.

[darrylzero]

Hyper, on 02 May 2012 - 06:12 PM, said:

Next season should be better from a character perspective, since they are no longer forcing a book into 10 episodes. They'll just cover as much of ASOS as they think they can, and do the rest the season after that.

It does raise the problem of while it helps character depth, it also slows down the plot. Fortunately ASOS is filled with great moments, but it is a interesting balance act.

Well said, and I'm glad for that, but I think a lot of this is driven by the need to balance so many characters.  I think that's why it feels so fast and so slow at the same time.  Very little is happening in each arc each episode, and all kinds of stuff is being skipped.  I think they're handling this problem very well, all things considered, but it's a real challenge.  And it's just going to get harder as we continue to grow the cast of characters.  So, ASOS being split will help, but it won't solve the issue.

[Treasonbeard]

Chronicler, on 02 May 2012 - 03:41 PM, said:

Just strange HBO has it for *every* series.

Define *every*. Because I was under the impression that HBO dramas generally had 12 or 13 episodes per season.

[Dragon greyscale]

oierem, on 02 May 2012 - 05:21 PM, said:

It's similar to the books: each storyline is kinda slow-paced (not much happens for each character in a season/book), but there are so many storylines that it makes each episode feel packed with stuff.

This. People talk about the pacing of the tv show as if it is something totally different from the books. The reality is that all the complaints people have about the show's pace also apply to the books. If you read back to back, you get the feeling that you're hopping from story to story and each chapter leaves you at some sort of climactic plot point. In other words: it's just like the show! The only difference is that readers can go back and reread chapters again. But that's not something you can blame HBO for. That's an unchangeable difference in medium.