[NO SPOILERS] General Opinions on the TV Show

[theLaughingTree]

There are palm trees all over Rome, Barcelona, Monaco, etc. In fact, I think those scenes were filmed in Malta, so yes, palm trees are appropriate for a Med climate.

Well from my reading I never pictured Kings Landing looking much like Rome or Barcelona myself but thats just me, and sadly I've never been to Rome or Barca or Monaco. I pictured it more as below but whatever this always happens when books are translated into visual medium:

http://www.fantasyflightgames.com/ffg_content/agotlcg/news/shadows-preview/l_kings-landing-Barger.jpg

[Ran]

According to Wikipedia, native palms grow as far north as Southern France. So, yeah, this is not a problem. They're giving it a Meditterranean climate, and that means there could be palm trees.

ETA:

They are limited by the location they're working at. They have medieval/renaissance towns in Malta to film at, that's what the place is going to look like.

[theLaughingTree]

According to Wikipedia, native palms grow as far north as Southern France. So, yeah, this is not a problem. They're giving it a Meditterranean climate, and that means there could be palm trees.

ETA:

They are limited by the location they're working at. They have medieval/renaissance towns in Malta to film at, that's what the place is going to look like.

I'll concede that some palms like date palms grow in Rome and So. France and maybe its just not looking at all like how I pictured it as I mentioned above so it seems off to me but,

They are definitely not at all limited by the location. Look at Boardwalk Empire, they filmed it in modern Atlantic City and used excellent CGI to make it look like 1920s Atlantic City. It would not be hard for CGI artists of today to edit out aspects of the the shooting location and modify them in a realistic way.

[Hyper]

I'll concede that some palms like date palms grow in Rome and So. France and maybe its just not looking at all like how I pictured it as I mentioned above so it seems off to me but,

They are definitely not at all limited by the location. Look at Boardwalk Empire, they filmed it in modern Atlantic City and used excellent CGI to make it look like 1920s Atlantic City. It would not be hard for CGI artists of today to edit out aspects of the the shooting location and modify them in a realistic way.

So we are back at the root of the problem - King's Landing doesn't look like *you* imagined - like a northern European town. BTW I found it interesting that you saw Pentos as a city with palm trees (just because it is more exotic?) - and in the new maps Pentos is just as far north/south as Kings Landing.

We all have our mental images of things, and I admit that some I did not picture it as presented either. BUT... I'm okay with it.

As for CG'ing everything. It isn't free, and you avoid it if you can. They already have done some CG backgrounds extensions at Kings Landing, but you don't want to bust the budget doing more than they have to. We'll see as the series progresses where they chose to spend their $$$.

[bcshelton72]

Overall I think the show is doing many things very well, but it is hamstrung by compressing the entire 1st novel into 10 episodes. It is tragic, because it would only take another 1 or 2 episodes to really help the pacing breathe properly. It is doubly tragic because precious airtime is being spent on extra scenes, that while excellent, sometimes go on for too long. As others have pointed out on forums, in episode 3 we got an extended scene of King Bob drunk (excellent, but too long)-- and very, very abbreviated versions of the small council & Cat/Petyr/Ned.

The showrunners did not make all the right moves in their adaptation. I hope that they are taking notes for how they can improve things for A Clash of Kings.

[Holmes]

I guess I'm a bit of a purist, so there's obviously stuff that annoys me.

1. Time constraints. 15 eps would be waaaaay better.

2. The dire-dogs. They'd better be badass once grown, 'cause they're just too cute now. Ghost needs airtime, ie. all the time w/ Jon.

3. Just not a fan of Cersei's portrayal. No anger, spite, volatility?

4. Clumsy handling of Dany/Drogo plotline. So far, anyway.

5. LF: "I have a reputation to uphold". Hated the delivery of that line.

6. Theon. Doesn't fit the bill.

7. Ned seems on the verge of tears.

OTOH, overall the series is pretty solid. Props:

1. Loved the treatment of the Wall, except for the manual winch. Now that's a shitty job.

2. Love most of the casting, esp. Benjen. Total standout, for me. Cat grew on me, esp. ep3, where she doesn't look so old.

3. I actually like Jorah's treatment, even though he's better looking on screen. But so's Tyrion, and I think they both work well as such.

4. Doreah. Yum.

[The hairy bear]

Regarding palm trees, while I admit that it's not something I had in mind while reading the books, I must admit that it has a lot of sense. Given the coastal location of King's Landing and after seeing that the Narrow Sea is really narrow, the fact is that it appears that a Mediterranian climate is much more fitting than the North-European prevalent Oceanic climate.

[Gargantuanjon Old Chap]

I like it, mostly.

My big gripe is the lack of wolves.

I also dislike Renly and Catelyn actors.

But having seen only 3 episodes, is way too early to judge. I'm planning on a huuuge blog post at the end of the season.

[zakalwe7]

Have to say, I'm loving the Tv series so far. I really really like the potrayal of Cersei, the extra scenes are working for me ( If I just wanted the book, I'd have stuck with the books - this way we get EXTRA STUFF, kind of like a behind the scenes look at the books), and some of the characters are more vivid than they were before (Viserys, for example, who I could never quite picture).

So count me on the pro-HBO side, and I won't bother repeating what evryone else ha ssaid about the awesomeness of Peter Dinklage, Maisie Williams et al (or going on a rant about minor niggles).

The reason I'm posting is palm trees. Wtf people? what is the issue? they even grow in Scotland, AKA north of the wall...

*sigh* wrong poster. Needle not Zak.

[Maltaran]

I'll concede that some palms like date palms grow in Rome and So. France and maybe its just not looking at all like how I pictured it as I mentioned above so it seems off to me but,

They are definitely not at all limited by the location. Look at Boardwalk Empire, they filmed it in modern Atlantic City and used excellent CGI to make it look like 1920s Atlantic City. It would not be hard for CGI artists of today to edit out aspects of the the shooting location and modify them in a realistic way.

It would cost more money, though.

[Slick Mongoose]

Does anyone else find it odd that new people seem more picky than old timers? I'll admit that I haven't done a detailed count, mind.

[theLaughingTree]

So we are back at the root of the problem - King's Landing doesn't look like *you* imagined - like a northern European town. BTW I found it interesting that you saw Pentos as a city with palm trees (just because it is more exotic?) - and in the new maps Pentos is just as far north/south as Kings Landing.

Well its not just me. I have many, many friends who are great fans of the books and none of them imagined Kings Landing as a city with palm trees. In fact, I wasn't the first or the last to mention the palm trees. And I posted the artists renditions of the world which have trees more like I imagined. None of the pre-HBO artists renditions of KL ever showed palm trees. So there is something about the general descriptions of Kings Landing that the KL of the show just doesn't match up with, palm trees just being an obvious example to me. Another example would be how KL looks cleaner in HBO when by all accounts in the books it is a dirty, smelly city. Maybe that is the core of it. Palm trees would fit an ancient Rome type city but KL is generally described the way that medieval northern European cities are historically described hence the reason why thats how I imagine it. Also a poster here years ago mentioned that it does snow in Kings Landing (not sure which thread that was as it was a while ago). Here is an artist’s rendition of how I imagine the streets to look:

http://www.marcsimonetti.com/images/illustrations/trone_de_fer_2web.jpg

And here is an artist rendition of Kings Landing from GRRM’s own Song of Ice and Fire calendar which show background trees more like I imagine:

http://www.tednasmith.com/other/TN-Red_Keep_at_Kings_Landing.jpg

Also being on the same latitude line does not solely mean determine climate in the real world. England is on the same line as parts of Canada and Iceland but is not as cold due to other factors such as the gulfstream.

Although I will admit I made an error in climate applying to Westeros which also applies to most people who are defending the palm trees. Climate does not work in Westeros like it does in the real world (there was a discussion on that here a few years ago). "Seasons" can be decades long and the books do take place at the end of "The Long Summer". The Long Summer of course provides a better explanation for the palm trees than comparing climate to ancient Rome (or northern European medieval cities for that matter.

Does anyone else find it odd that new people seem more picky than old timers? I'll admit that I haven't done a detailed count, mind.

If you are referring to me you might want to check my sign up date. While I haven't posted that much I've been a member and reading threads here for years and years.

[Arya The Assassin]

Here's a cool 'infographic' image created by Michael Crider at Screenrant (it visually shows all the characters, their houses and relationships in the series):

Infographic - Westeros 101

EDIT: Link didn't work.

[L’Age d’or]

Does anyone else find it odd that new people seem more picky than old timers? I'll admit that I haven't done a detailed count, mind.

Speaking for myself here, Im not picky since the TV show is like a dream come true for me, I remember GRRM once said in an interview when asked about how he felt on the set that he felt like he was walking in one of his dreams. Same thing applies to me, I enjoy watching ASOIAF come to life so much that small details that dont match my own version are not a bother. Its truly like a dream, nothing is exactly the same when you are dreaming of lets say an exchange between you and your friends in your favorite bar.