[BOOK SPOILERS] The Elephant in the Room

[Eponine]

Yeah. Talking with the husband last night, he felt that Mark Addy stole the show. That will be another serious blow to him. I am not sure how he will react with his two favorites dead.

My boyfriend didn't react well when Robert died in the book. I have no idea why he decided that Robert was so important, but he didn't like it and then when Ned died he wanted to know what the point of reading was. He did end up listening to the ACOK and ASOS audiobooks and liking them well enough, but I don't ever got fully back into the story. He said that he knew what was going to happen at the Red Wedding.

[Lany Freelove Cassandra]

I guess I find this question a bit odd because it's hard for to imagine that a very high percentage of viewers who become real fans of the show (as opposed to just casual watchers who aren't paying much attention or view it with someone else they live with who's the real fan) won't have this issue "spoiled" for them by the time they see it.

With all the possible sites on the Internet for people to see information about this show (the Wikipedia synopsis certainly mentions the fact of Ned's execution), all the possible ways for this to be hinted at or revealed in TV or radio interviews about the show, and all the possibilities for real fans (who will almost surely want to talk about the show with others) to have this information accidentally revealed to them by someone who's read the books -- plus the likelihood that a lot of real fans will search out the book itself to read it -- I really can't believe that more than a small proportion of TV fans won't know this is going to happen before they see the episode it's in. I think a real fan would have to quite deliberately and actively AVOID being "spoiled" not to know about Ned's death before it happens, and frankly I don't think most human beings will be able to pull that one off. This just can't be a surprise to the average TV fan the same way that a big plot twist in a series which is NOT based on a bestselling novel can be.

The husband does not do a lot of internet searching. He's pretty old school. Uses FB for e-mail for the most part, looks up more about music than actors (on those rare occasions), and he's said he won't read the books unless the series is finished. He will be one of the few people that is surprised at Ned's death. (I asked him if he knew what "foreshadowing" was and he didn't. Even after I told him what it was, he did not pick up on the dead direwolf being a clue.)

There are plenty of people who just watch a show without looking up tons of details about it.

[Tyrion Lannister]

There are plenty of people who just watch a show without looking up tons of details about it.

My friend who I'm watching this series with is definitely in that same category for this particular show. I'm looking forward to seeing his reaction to things like Ned's death just as much as I'm looking forward to watching this fantastic series brought to life.

[Itkovian]

Actually, having recently watched the entirety of "Sharpe's" once more, I think we have a pretty big divergence from the books coming up.

Clealry, in the series Eddard will dodge the sword and only take a flesh wound to the left arm, then proceed to insult the french in some way before killing everyone on the podium, and then will woo Cersei.

It is known.

Itkovian

[Abaddon]

I just hope the beheading isn't cheesy. I thought the prologue "head toss" and close-up on the severed head looked a bit too much towards the B-side of the movie equation for my taste. A long-view shot of him holding the fake Ned's head, maybe a little out of focus, would be much better than a close-up showing a really fake looking severed head pumping out blood IMHO.

I bet we will lose some first-time viewers but we have some very strong sequences to end the season; King in the North; Jon preparing to go ranging beyond the wall, Tyrion being appointed Hand of the King, and Dragons. If those things don't pique people's interest and get them to tune back in, then nothing will.

[Gravedigger]

I do think that they would do well to cast a good actor for Stannis who is familiar to viewers, though not a bank-breaking 'star'.

If they market the second season like the first - which they probably won't - we'd see Stannis on the posters don't you think? On the Iron Throne (possibly in the pose of Rodin's The Thinker) with Melisandre behind him looking straight out of the poster with one hand upon the throne, actually no she'd cut herself; with one hand on Stannis's shoulder...

Of all the new roles next season I think that Stannis is the one which demands a recognisable face, not to replace Bean, but to provide a new focus of interest.

[Maestress Sand]

I have to say I'm fascinated by the reactions of the non-spoilered first-time viewers like Lady Cassandra's husband. It's so different seeing it rather than reading it, and even as a reader, I'm terrible with spoilers so it's hard to remember my own reactions at these critical points.

I would vouch for a thread specifically devoted to reporting friends'/loved ones' reactions!

[Ferrum Aeternum]

If they market the second season like the first - which they probably won't - we'd see Stannis on the posters don't you think? On the Iron Throne (possibly in the pose of Rodin's The Thinker) with Melisandre behind him looking straight out of the poster with one hand upon the throne, actually no she'd cut herself; with one hand on Stannis's shoulder...

Fantastic visual image. HBO - take note.

I would vouch for a thread specifically devoted to reporting friends'/loved ones' reactions!

This thread has a ton of friend family reactions.

[TheEvilKing]

Someone get this motherfuckin' elephant out of my motherfuckin' room. :smoking:

[Jane Doe]

[A'shaman]

I do think that they would do well to cast a good actor for Stannis who is familiar to viewers, though not a bank-breaking 'star'.

If they market the second season like the first - which they probably won't - we'd see Stannis on the posters don't you think? On the Iron Throne (possibly in the pose of Rodin's The Thinker) with Melisandre behind him looking straight out of the poster with one hand upon the throne, actually no she'd cut herself; with one hand on Stannis's shoulder...

Of all the new roles next season I think that Stannis is the one which demands a recognisable face, not to replace Bean, but to provide a new focus of interest.

+100. Yes, yes, yes!

[Ser Yberon]

Whether Sean Bean is a big actor or not in the states, hes a bloody well respected actor in england. I grew up watching him in all the Sharpe series. He was also in a recent yorkshire based series where he played a rich, police protected psycho.

If anything its the children who aren't that well known over here even though some of them have appeared in the odd soap. The other actor who won't be well known over here too much is Dinklidge, even tho he is depicting Tyrion perfectly.

When there are heavyweights of Charles Dance, Lena Headey, and to a lesser extent Nikolaj Coster-Waldau and Dinky, they are big enough to attract viewers as long as its advertised properly. Even Mark Addy although not as well known as Dance, Headey or Bean is still quite a popular actor on this side of the pond. But he'll be gone too anyway.

But hopefully the main characters will be well known enough by that point that people will tell others about it and so on and so forth.

[Ser Yberon]

I also think they will bring in two big actors for Stannis and Melisandre. Stannis should be a recognizable figure as he's a major character throughout the series, and Melisandre should at least, if not a known actress, she should be so stunningly beautiful that seeing her by herself should bring in a few adolescent young men into the fold. lol :thumbsup: