Dalfiatach

I do find the 1/2/3 ratings curious. These ratings mean not only is it poor adaptation of the books but objectively bad TV all around putting all gripes about book adaptation aside. I fail to see how anyone can call GoT total rubbish, especialy from people who like the genre and are OK with sex and violence in their reading material.

The maddest thing about some of the book-purist nerd-rage on the forum is when they start ranting about all the naked people on TV.

They did read the same books as the rest of us, right?

I dunno, for those complaining that the Joff scene didn't add anything, I thought it did. Non-readers probably think Joff is just a bit of a petulant spoiled brat arrogant teenage boy. He's been absolutely ruined by his mother and now he's the King, most teenage boys and especially a spoiled brat would lose the run of themselves a bit in those circumstances. Bronn then adds to the idea in the minds of viewers that maybe Joff is just immature and spoiled. Maybe with a bit of growing up he won't turn out so bad and Sansa's situation might improve in time.

But then comes that scene, which finally establishes that Joff really is a psychopathic sadistic monster, not a redeemable if currently badly flawed spoiled teenager that might grow up and wise up some day. Non-readers now know there's no obvious way out for Sansa, Joff isn't going to mature, and are now worried for what might happen to her next.

As for Robb's hot nurse, well I never really bought the Robb/Jeyne sub-story in the books anyway so I don't mind if they change it.

One thing im trying to get my head around is who was the blonde knight who got killed in the jousting tournament and why was Eddard Stark questioning him becoming a knight so fast/affording the armour he had? Even though ive watched the season twice ive always missed the point of him asking for some reason. :)

He's Ser Hugh, from the Vale who was Jon Arryn's squire.

After Jon Arryn's death/murder he suddenly gets a knighthood and can afford expensive new armour, which obviously leads Ned to suspect he was involved in Jon Arryn's death somehow....but before Ned can question him he draws The Mountain as his opponent in the tourney, who promptly kills Ser Hugh.

Which sure is convenient, for whoever killed Jon Arryn...

I very much liked the opening scene and was wondering if there was any significance to the tunnel, if it represented a certain passageway to the kingdom. Also, I was kind of impressed with the center rider, as he had the look of possibly a main character, and was kind of surprised to see him exited so quickly.

I have yet to see Ep. 2 but I am liking it a lot.

Well the Wall is the very northern edge of Robert's realm, everything beyond the Wall is seen as wild uncivilised lands and the home of mythical creatures from fairytales told to children. That's why in the scene (in episode two) with Tyrion and Jon on the way to the Wall in the second episode, Tyrion was sneering at the Night's Watch defending the realm from "grumpkins and snarks and white walkers". Grumpkins and snarks are just mythical monsters, like elves and trolls in our world, and at this stage the white walkers haven't been seen in thousands of years so most people now think they are just fairytale monsters too. And why Ned didn't believe the deserter and cut off his head - would you believe someone who ran away from his sworn duty cos he claimed he saw trolls and gnomes?

So while the Starks and northmen - who originally built the Wall thousands of years ago, and have more of a memory that the reasons it were built are true - still see the Night's Watch as being a noble calling, most of the rest of the Seven Kingdoms see the Wall and the Night's Watch as a bit of joke which is why it has become something of a penal colony where criminals are given the chance to "take the Black" rather than be executed for their crimes.

In the book that guy was Ser Weymar Royce, a minor younger son of minor aristocracy who wouldn't have anything to inherit but wanted to do something useful and meaningful, which is why he joined the Night's Watch. Not everybody on the Wall is a criminal! The actor did a great job of portraying an arrogant superior young lordling alright.

PS: loved the "Fezzes are cool!" response earier in the thread. Always nice to see another Doctor Who fan :-)