[Book Spoilers] Ep 202 Discussion

[Ran]

Book spoiler discussion of the show goes here, for those who want to discuss the episode in relation to the books, and with reference to spoilers from them.

This topic should open automatically when the show is about to finish.

[Baitac]

Yay! Pyke is now on the map!

[Katydid]

So wait - JOFFREY ordered the killing of Robert's bastards?

Did I miss something?

[legba11]

Wow, the people, who don't like changes, heads just exploded.

[Lannes]

Wow, the people, who don't like changes, heads just exploded.

Yes, indeed......this is going to be fun to watch......

[frametown]

Great episode. I personally like changes, only because I hate watching something where I know what happens in the end.

The last scene with Jon is a perfect example of that. Great cliffhanger ending.

[dtones520]

Just to get it out there, I think the killing of Rakharo was due to the actors schedule, not the producers wanting to kill off a character who lives through the books.

[EgoistMusketeer]

So what exactly makes something a battle? ;)

[RandomWanderer]

some of the changes aren't too major.. but jon playing winter woods detective and seeing others ? eh... I dunno lol.

also I liked Sallador as well.. the actor seemed to be able to capture the essence of the character well enough.

Edited April 9, 2012 by RandomWanderer

[Mya Stone]

I f-ing loved this episode. LOVED. Bring it, naysayers. Peter and Lena were AMAZING on screen together. I am going to continue to love their scenes, as I think he brings her up about 100 notches.

Loved Davos, loved Sallador. I'm intrigued that we actually saw Stannis be seduced by Melisandre.

Sad about Rahkaro. He was my favorite blood rider. (Hell, he was the only blood rider I knew.)

Pyke was exactly as I pictured it. I mean, freaking perfect. And poor Theon. Yeah, I said it. You can feel how badly he just wants to be accepted by anyone. :(

I'm sure I'm missing a ton, but yeah...this episode really brought it for me.

Oh yeah! Arya/Gendry was heartwarming. And the guy who plays Jaquen I love in the 30 seconds he was on screen.

Edited April 9, 2012 by Mya Stone

[The Last Hero]

I thought the episode was ok, but I'm not a fan of the changes with Cersei or the management of the whole scene with Stannis and Mel. And I had heard the same story about Rakharo.

[Mad Queen]

So wait - JOFFREY ordered the killing of Robert's bastards?

Did I miss something?

Book Joffrey would never do that. It would be like Joffrey admitting to himself that he isn't Robert's son, or is there any other reason to order the killing of Robert's bastards?

[turdle]

ghost looked fantastic, wish they could have spent more time with asha/yara before the reveal, but time is precious. i dont really like that mel and stan are fucking, TMI once again. i did like that we got to see a whitewalker.

[jurble]

Wow, the people, who don't like changes, heads just exploded.

MY MONITOR IS COVERED IN SKULL.

Issues I had with the episode:

1. Asha letting Theon finger her - wat.

2. Ayra looks like a Final Fantasy character.

3. That added scene with Jon and the sacrificed kid. Why was it necessary? How convenient that one of Craster's wives had a son while Jon was around...

4. Making Melisandre banging Stannis explicit is kinda lame, but it was the same with Renly+Loras.

5. RAKHARO NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

6. Atheist Davos and Saan. Davos isn't a religious man, but he still keeps the Seven, and Saan keeps the Lord of Light. Making them irreligious is fine, but atheism doesn't really fit the setting at all.

7. Black Saan still bothers me -

I would have no problem with Black Saan if they had changed his city of origin to one of the more cosmopolitan Free Cities, he could be gosh darned Pentoshi or Volantene, but they keep his city as Lys. A black Lyseni!? Preposterous!

The episode was a B- to me, because Balon is awesome as shit.

Edited April 9, 2012 by JUstRidingBLueEels

[dtones520]

some of the changes aren't too major.. but jon playing winter woods detective and seeing others ? eh... I dunno lol.

It's a way of reminding viewers of the Others, since they don't appear in the book, and showing what Craster does with his sons in a way that makes an impact on tv.

[Ser Coffee The Bold]

So, is everyone else still pretty sure Jon isn't dead and is just knocked out?

[Winter's Knight]

I should have seen Raquro's death coming, classic mauve shirting in the previous episode.#

This episode showed me two things:

1. I can't remember any instance in the books where it is definitely confirmed that Cersei ordered the killings.

2. Replacing Slynt with Bronn instead of Swann is a brilliant way of highlighting Tyrion's hypocrisy.

[Bastard of Boston]

Wow, after a lackluster premiere, episode 2 made me its bitch. Maybe the one thing that really bothered me about the premiere was lack of Arya?

Seeing Arya, Gendry, Lommy, and Hot Pie reminded me of how much I enjoyed their rag tag in Clash. I can't help but chuckle everytime Arya calls someone a liar. So quickly, this group already seems like they'll have great chemistry going forward. Add Yoren and Jaqen into the mix, and this is one story arc that I'll look forward to every Sunday.

I'm not a fan of Samwell in the book. But, this show struck gold with who they got to play him. He's hilarious without even saying anything...his constant bewildered or beguiled facial expressions are fantastic. And, Dolorous Edd! The reason I breathe is so that I can live long enough to hear his next line. He reminds me of Creed from The Office...all he needs is one line to warrant his premiere standing in the universe.

Seeing Theon's arc start was fantastic. "Smile with your mouth closed." So awesome. I was apprehensive about who they chose as Asha/Yara, but I gotta say, so far, so good. I'm hoping she can grow into the role even if it's hard to see right now. Really glad they kept in the awkward incestual moment...it was one of my favorite parts of the book, and I've been waiting to see it on screen. Also, everytime a new location is added to the opening sequence (Pyke), an angel gets its wings.

The Dragonstone bits, I'm still trying to digest. On the show, are they gonna axe the fact that Stannis is supposed to have a daughter? It seems such a vital aspect of the books...don't know how I feel about this. Melisandre appears to be much more the tempress on the show. I don't mind it...it's never put out there, but Mel got her Stannis shadowbaby somehow. Might as well play up the fact that Stannis gives in to her out of "duty" and desire.

I wonder if Aegon the Conquerer ever used his dragon table for that.

Salladhor is gonna be a lot of fun. Always good to get confirmation that there's black people in Westeros. Liked the scenes between Davos and his son...great setup for the spiritual battle at the heart of the Davos arc.

Another brief Dany appearance this week...mirrors the book. One thing that took me by surprise, though...Rakharo is dead? That's a pretty big wtf moment considering, well, he's not supposed to die.

Lastly, the King's Landing crew. Lena continues to kick my ass with her Cersei. This woman deserves some type of major award nom in the future. I like how they're developing her with Robert dead. Lena played her lowkey last year, but now she's able to unleash. The verbal battles between her and Tyrion are great...one burn after the next. Tyrion wins points for the funny...but, Cersei always goes in for the low blows.

I like the idea that Joff is the one who ordered the bastards killed on the show. It seems like something he'd be more inclined to do...because he's a dick.

POD appearance! Dolorous Edd and Pod are, lowkey, saving the universe...one scene at a time. Bronn as the head of the City Watch took me by surprise...but, this change makes sense. Not mad at the show for doing it. Beats introducing a new character who would just take up space.

Littlefinger's scene with Ros makes up for the blasphemy that happened last week. It's time to build him back up to the devious force he is. And, the exclamation point on his assholery was the cum wipe.

[Fez]

Was one of the weakest episodes in the series thus far, imo. Not because of the changes, I don't care about that really, its just that it felt disjointed and dragged on too much in the middle. Also, and I say this for the first time ever, there was far too much sex. I was fine with Stannis/Mel scene (although, correct me if I'm wrong, this is a change from the books, yes? I thought it was never clear if Stannis had an affair or was seduced while asleep) but the Theon/Captain's daughter scene dragged on even worse than it did on the page and the brothel scene was completely unnecessary. I would much rather have preferred either another Arya scene, or some checking in with a character not in the episode; maybe show Joffrey being randomly cruel and stupid.

There were some definite great scenes of course; Tyrion/Slynt, Tyrion/Cersei, Davos/Saan, Theon/Balon, and Arya/Gendry were all really good, but they were surrounded by a lot that left a lot to be desired.

[Envie]

Can someone please summarize the scene with Littlefinger and crying Ros - I'm totally lost. I have a hearing loss and even with headphones on and the sound cranked, I could not quite make out the entire convo since he whispered the entire thing. Ugh, frustrating! Who was the guy she was supposed to service and didn't? What's the story Littlefinger tells her about? I got the gist of it that she's really upset about the murder of the baby and LF is telling her about another woman (and that's the parts I couldn't hear right) -- would like hearing someone else's take on it.

Edited April 9, 2012 by Envie