[Book Spoilers] season 2 grade

[Tadco26]

D (on a grade scale that typically means between 70 to 75 out of 100).

There were lots of really great scenes in almost every episode, but also lots of really questionable changes and plenty of bad scenes even disregarding the books. Blackwater was awesome, but I have no real desire to watch any of the other episodes again any time soon.

[deleted01]

Would you guys PLEASE refrain from watching season 3? I think both the production crew and the non-hysterical fans would be better for it.

I JUST. CAN'T. LISTEN. TO. THE. INCESSANT. BITCHING. ANYMORE.

In the immortal words of William Shatner: GET A LIFE!

:o

You are being unnecessarily rude. Why people presume to be able to speak to people like this online is beyond me. If you do not like the posts, ignore them. They're not hurting you personally. People are free to express their opinions on a matter - just because you don't agree with their opinion, doesn't give you the right to attempt to dictate to them, and be so rude.

[Uffington Horse]

I've been struggling to rank this season and the show as a whole when putting it alongside the handful of TV series I've truly loved over the years. I can still honestly rank GoT among these all-time favorites, though I'm distressed by the show runners' choices in adapting for S2. The show can be a visual feast (and frequently is), the casting is ingenious, and the characters are still capable of *moving* me. All my book lovin' aside, it's the plot holes that ultimately make me wonder if I shouldn't have been such a proselytizer for the show for the last year. It no longer feels transcendent. There are flashes or even threads of excellence -- such as Luwin's final scene or most of Theon's S2 arc.

After the S2 finale, I'd say the show is just above average. For me it's been weighed down by the *promise* of continued greatness implied by S1 (which earned a solid A grade from me). I had such high hopes for the new season; therefore, incongruous pacing, silly/bizarre plot holes, and inconsistent or lazy world-building are that much more difficult for me to swallow. B-

(null)

[The Meeraculous Third Reed]

A for the acting.

E for the execution of the storylines from the source material.

B as a television programme in its own right.

[So1ar]

B- for me. Last season was an A+. It would have been another A+ if they didn't make pointless changes. I'm not talking about less direwolves or dragons. Those are legit because of budget reasons. The Jon/Qhorin story and several little things they changed that just don't make any sense is what drove down the overall rating. I enjoyed this season, but with my book knowledge I can't help but know how much better it could have been.

[Dolorous Nick]

I've said it before, Season 2 suffered from having to cram far too much in far too little time. Simply put, far more happens than in Game of Thrones. The list of new characters introduced was staggering: Brienne, Pyatt Pree, Xaro, The Spice King, Stannis, Melisandre, Roose Bolton, Davos, Craster, Gilly, Talisa, Podrick Payne, Salladhor Saan, Quorin Halfhand, Dolorous Ed, Ygritte, Yara/Asha, Balon, Margeary Tyrell, Lord of Bones, Jaqen H'Gar just to name some. Season One basically took place in five locations: The Wall, Winterfell, Dothraki Sea, The Vale of Arynn, and Kings Landing. Season two added Harrenhal, Pyke, Qarth, Craster's Keep, Dragonstone, plus skipped around to Renly's Camp and beyond the Wall. The writers were forced to rush a lot of the story line along to fit everything in the alloted time. I think even an extra five episodes could have made a difference, although I would argue that Clash of Kings has two seasons worth of material buried in its pages.

The changes have been controversial to say the least. Personally, I thought Dany's story arc was far better in the show. I liked how Pyat Pree and Xaro used Dany as a pawn in their scheme to seize power in Qarth. Pyat Pree, in particular, was a much stronger nemesis than in the story and I found it far more plausible that somebody actually plotted to steal her dragons. Come on, you're telling me that a half-starved, teenage girl wanders in to Qarth from the desert with three of the most valuable creatures in the world (that were previously thought to be extinct) and nobody in that shady city thought of just snatching them from her? Far more interesting, and I thought the House of the Undying was a good payoff.

I wasn't crazy to the changes made to Jon Snow's story however. Craster's keep was a disappointment, and I thought the show exaggerated Jon's brooding side. He just comes off as one-dimensional and kind of dumb here. Liked the chemistry with Ygritte, but they needed to explain the killing of the Halfhand better for those not familiar with the novels, how Quorin basically threw the fight with Jon to sacrifice himself for the greater good.

Blackwater was fantastic. Gregor and company were a let down. The Tickler was far less terrifying than he should have been. The closing scene with Sam and the army of wights/Others was every bit as creepy as it needed to be. All in all, I give Season One an A and Season Two a B+. Enjoyed both tremendously.

[Roose Seal]

I'll give it a weak 5/10

With the exception of the Blackwater episode and the Tywin/Arya interactions (without which I probably would've given a 3), this season pretty much bored me to tears. I don't even care about the changes, but some episodes were just mind-numbingly boring.

The actors are all fantastic and the production values are pretty amazing for TV but at its core, the show is bogged down by extremely dull directing and lackluster writing. With so many stuff to show, the scenes shouldn't feel so long but they seem to drag on and on with little payoff.

I thought last season was a solid 9.

[Jojosh]

I'd give it an 8/10

[ansatsusha80]

Last season,I gave it an "A"

This season, its a "C"

1.They massacred Daenery's story....

2.They massacred House of the Undying

3. They stretched out Arya's scene with Tywin ....It was good but it should of been 2 episode maximum

4.They should of had Bran and Rickon split up like in the books(They will probably do that next season)

I have no problem with the rest of the stories but how can you not have the prophecies in the last episode.....

Daenerys story line was a train wreck,I hope they fix that next season....

[dagorkan]

C-, Season 1 was a C+

[Fat Mac]

B+ for me. I'd say A for the first season. I enjoyed the Season through and through. And I've noticed watching them all in sequential order instead of week by week makes it more enjoyable, and it'd be surprising for some at how fluid the season actually is. Awesome new characters (Davos, Brienne, Stannis, Margaery), and of course Theon's storyline stands out the most for me. Compared to the other shows I watch on TV, Game of Thrones Season 2 easily stands out as one of the best.

[Man in the Black]

I would rate Season 1 as a A-. Great overall but it was a little too obvious in certain parts. I still remember my friend who had never read the books calling that Petyr would betray Ned within about 45 seconds of him being onscreen.

This season I would rate as a C+. It was not bad and overall entertaining and only two of the episodes left me annoyed at the end. The main issue was the unnecessary/boring scenes. In season 1 there was only 1 scene that I wished would end as I was watching it (The Littlefinger likes to fuck people scene, well and any scene that had Theon having sex with anything, now that I think about it there was a lot of that this season as well.)

The Robb scenes with not Jeyne were just this weight around the neck of a lot of episodes. I found Danny's roll this season to be pretty meh, though I think I disliked them while reading Clash, exception being the House of the Undying, which was pretty lame in the show. Was really disappointed we did not get to see Rhaeger. Unless they start doing flash backs I do not think we will ever get to see him now.

Hopefully next season will be much better. Storm of Swords remains my favorite book in the series.

[Hedge Lawyer]

I've said it before, Season 2 suffered from having to cram far too much in far too little time. Simply put, far more happens than in Game of Thrones. The list of new characters introduced was staggering: Brienne, Pyatt Pree, Xaro, The Spice King, Stannis, Melisandre, Roose Bolton, Davos, Craster, Gilly, Talisa, Podrick Payne, Salladhor Saan, Quorin Halfhand, Dolorous Ed, Ygritte, Yara/Asha, Balon, Margeary Tyrell, Lord of Bones, Jaqen H'Gar just to name some. Season One basically took place in five locations: The Wall, Winterfell, Dothraki Sea, The Vale of Arynn, and Kings Landing. Season two added Harrenhal, Pyke, Qarth, Craster's Keep, Dragonstone, plus skipped around to Renly's Camp and beyond the Wall. The writers were forced to rush a lot of the story line along to fit everything in the alloted time. I think even an extra five episodes could have made a difference, although I would argue that Clash of Kings has two seasons worth of material buried in its pages.

The changes have been controversial to say the least. Personally, I thought Dany's story arc was far better in the show. I liked how Pyat Pree and Xaro used Dany as a pawn in their scheme to seize power in Qarth. Pyat Pree, in particular, was a much stronger nemesis than in the story and I found it far more plausible that somebody actually plotted to steal her dragons. Come on, you're telling me that a half-starved, teenage girl wanders in to Qarth from the desert with three of the most valuable creatures in the world (that were previously thought to be extinct) and nobody in that shady city thought of just snatching them from her? Far more interesting, and I thought the House of the Undying was a good payoff.

I wasn't crazy to the changes made to Jon Snow's story however. Craster's keep was a disappointment, and I thought the show exaggerated Jon's brooding side. He just comes off as one-dimensional and kind of dumb here. Liked the chemistry with Ygritte, but they needed to explain the killing of the Halfhand better for those not familiar with the novels, how Quorin basically threw the fight with Jon to sacrifice himself for the greater good.

Blackwater was fantastic. Gregor and company were a let down. The Tickler was far less terrifying than he should have been. The closing scene with Sam and the army of wights/Others was every bit as creepy as it needed to be. All in all, I give Season One an A and Season Two a B+. Enjoyed both tremendously.

I agree with virtually everything you've written.

I'd give season 2 a B / B+ (season 1 was an A for me). Most of season 2's problems stem from trying to cram 15 episodes worth of material into a 10 episode season. However, splitting ASoS into two seasons will do wonders to address that problem.

[NedFlanderStark]

Honestly, I'm just still so happy they're making the books into a television show and that I'm able to watch Jon Snow fight Qhorin Halfhand, I'm able to watch the Blackwater set on fire (green fire), I'm able to watch Arya & Jaqen H'ghar terrorize Harrenhal, etc. Was it perfect? Of course not. Did it convey the general elements of ASOIAF to non-readers? Yeah, I still think they nailed it even if Dany didn't get 20 confusing visions in the HotU or Qhorin Halfhand didn't spell out his plan to the viewers/Jon Snow. I think anybody that actually pays attention can pick up on the themes and what was happening this season. Well acted, mostly great visual effects and some awesome lines/nuggets pulled directly from the books. I can't help but give this season an A-.

[boojam]

I'd argue that this season was a collection of great scenes that together did not make a coherent and structured narrative. Each episode felt like it stood on its own, with a cliffhanger somewhere in there to foreshadow what will arrive in a next season.

To me, I can't fault a single scene in an episode. Seen stand alone , the cast, the production design, the cinematography ... a almost always good.

It's kind the View Master problem, the next scene might be segued into very well, but then it looks like a 'jump cut' when you add up the narrative of the episode.

Producers David Benioff and Dan Weiss seemed to be the origin of the rush, as if they had not spent enough time planning this season. (No quite fair to them.... first season seemed to flow so flawlessly.)

Since the model , for this show at least, is HBO model is 10 episodes, they were stuck with too much source material and not enough time. Still , could there have been a better crew of story editors?

Even if the books did not exist, the sum of each scene for each episode, with the exception of 9, just seemed a narrative jumble.

I don't know , if there is, are, interviews with them post season I would like to hear 'lessons learned' , because even with two seasons to SoS can have the same structural problems.

Because of the cast and production values, I was very entertained, and I am a reader of the books,

I give it an A just for those two things.

[LuisDantas]

Hmm, I guess I give it a B+.

I have come to realize that given the limitations and strengths of the chance of medium from the books to the TV and the need to have the story fit into ten segments of one hour each (and making them worth watching on their own merits), as well as fitting the budget and avoiding too much use of horses and secondary characters, excessive faithfulness to the source material is more of a hindrance than an asset.

It would probably be better if we had half a book per season, giving more time for the characters to develop or even to simply have lines. But that might well be impracticable, for it would mean keeping many actors (and I do mean _many_ actors) for at least six years, which is not exactly easy or affordable.

So realistically the adaptation had to make a lot of hard decisions and streamline and "soap-operize" the plot a lot, which it did in mostly creative and succesfull ways. I disagree with a lot of the choices, but that only goes to show how darned many decisions the series had to make. A few were definite improvements, if not all-out necessities, making the roles of several characters that much clearer and/or more interesting. But even so, the plot often enough seemed to magically jump ahead with no clear reason. The best example is the moment when Theon and Dagmer decide to kill the children. Their reasons seemed to come out of nowhere.

Others were far more succesfull - Daenerys and Xaro Xoan, Bronn and Tyrion, arguably Cersei, definitely Shae and Melisandre. Stannis is a mixed blessing; his motivation is both clearer and somewhat less convincing, yet maybe that is for the best. Jon's arc really could afford to be made clearer, and had no good reason to be mangled to the extent it was; a few minutes of set-up with a conversation with Qhorin would have helped a lot indeed. Maybe HBO went a bit too far into the territory of soap opera format, with too much being set up and resolved inside the hour.

And boy, did I miss the chain. It was such a powerful testimonial of Tyrion's genius, and made for _such_ engaging scenes of naval battle. Good as episode 9 was, it still fell short of the book.

[SerMixalot]

I cannot givee the hole series a grade.

starting from the north

Jon-C+ although I disagree with the changes they seem to make sense, biggest demerit was changing Jons character

Winterfell A-this is how you do an adaption

Robb-D-destroyed his character and replaced it with cliche

Cat-B+ solid acting, decent story line within the limits of an adaption

Arya C- W ithout outstanding acting of Dance and Maisie it would have been a D-, 1st couple of episodes were good too. when she got to Harrenhall waydisappointed

KL B- mostly stayed with story, down grades for limiting Sansa, Adding Ros, Grade increase for the Eunuch Boss,

Stannis B Loved Melisandre, Davos and Stannis grew on me

Dany-F+ complete flop for me entire season, only positive is actress playing Dany is gorgeous and talented as an actress

I guess this equates to a C

[Guest]

I think a better question is what grade would you give it versus TV in general versus what grade would you give it in relation to your expectations for an ASOIAF adaptation. Because for me the latter might be a mildly disappointed B but for the former it's an A or at worst A-.

ETA: edited for clarification

[ipsuel]

I give it a C. (Last season was an A for me). Enjoyable show, and the acting is hands-down the best on TV (really, they're phenomenal actors)... but for this season for me was just "Eh."

Still beats any other show on TV--and Blackwater was an *amazing episode*-- but the changes were just too much for me.

[ChristophUL]

B. I enjoyed the show. A couple events/characters I would have liked to see included but am not really bummed out. I loved the action, acting, costumes, and settings. A few characters didn't really do much but I think season three will be forced to explode.