Ealdorman Halasahr

Another 8 from me. Great acting for the most part, but perhaps the woman playing Mirri Maz Duur could have added just a touch more feeling to her lines. Kind of like the idea already proposed here, that Pycelle, Littlefinger and, of course, Varys are all great players and a lot more ... involved, in schemes to come, than they let the rest of the court believe. Nicely done. But come on, Ros? Involved in every tiny bit of scheming, listening, plotting ...? Damn, she knows more than Littlefinger, and he knows a lot. Perhaps she'll end up on the Iron Throne? OK, a bit harsh, I know, but she's doing some fast climbing up the schemers' ladder, I'd say. Just wondering what they'll make of her character, that's all. Michelle Fairley's doing av great job portraying Lady Catelyn, again, it must be said. And Maisie Williams ... fantastic. Arya/Arry, cool, great, and ... ... we met Hot Pie (Varmpaj in Swedish, a literal translation). I'm still wondering, though, how a person not having read the book(s) finds this first season. Fun and cool, surely, but what about coherence and consistency and clarity - did she/he understand the plot, the tale, the story? Like most readers, I guess I compared the tv-season with the book, perhaps a bit too much, and too often. All in all, a good first season. Looking forward to the A Clash of Kings-season.

I gave this episode 7 out of 10. It was all right, I think, with those things I always seem to be bugged about in any show. For instance, whereas I liked the fighting scene including Ser Jorah, I didn't like that his sword - after cutting a man in the face - was completely clean when he shoved the blade back in the scabbard. (Same thing in episode 8: the man next to Bran at the table - after Grey Wind's fingerbiting - puts his dagger away in one clip, but in the next he's holding the dagger in his hand. Hm.) If the producers don't have the budget for epic battle scenes, that's fine by me. There are a few battles mentioned in the books too, that are not exactly explicitly written. What I didn't like was the editing when Tyrion was off for battle. His own mountain "bannermen" (of course, a manly man like Shagga is no one's bannerman, I know - he'd most likely cut off my balls and feed them to a goat if I claimed as much, right?) knocked him out - CUT, NEXT SCENE ... ... and Tyrion's floating about after the entire battle's done. What was that? Did I blink? I interpret him being knocked out and him floating about (that is, him lying on a wagon) as two separate ... what I'm trying to say is: Do you think Tyrion actually fought anything at all (which I happen to believe), or do you think he was knocked out by his own "bannerman" and stayed on the ground throughout the battle? Tyrion staying low, as Bronn put suggested, was indeed literal in these scenes. Anyway, minor complaints, really, as you might have noticed. Loved the Arya-Ned-sequence. Lot's of tension and emotions there. (No Tower of Joy, though, no Lyanna, no "promise me, Ned". Do you think they'll leave it out entirely? But how could they, I wonder. How could they?)

I'm watching the episode - again. Liked it a lot, but now I had to pause the dancing lesson for a moment. What got me pondering was when Syrio Forel tells Arya to go to her father. Was that just something he said, or is it just me reading too much into it, I wonder. Because surely Arya - and Syrio F. - must know by now that her father is rotting in a dungeon. So why would he want Arya to go there? No biggy, just wondering (and again, I might be reading way too much into what he said, while busy fencing a member of the Kingsguard, plus a few Lannister soldiers).

Gave it an eight! My highest score, so far (I think). A very solid episode, where I liked Tyrion's meeting with his father, accompanied by his new friends. (And even if Charles Dance will be a great Tywin Lannister, I don't think I'll ever get used to the Lord of Casterly Rock smiling.) I also liked the development of Robb Stark, and his kind of tensed meeting with his mother was great, I think. Mr. Martin gave the characters life and depth. And, the dancing lesson ended pretty much the way it did in the book, so no complaints there. So, a solid, honest work.

Yeah, I know about the symbolical (Baratheon)stag - now. (I think I've already commented on that, though. Earlier, that is - but you're completely correct, none the less.) And yes, I think Mr. Dance is an excellent Tywin thus far. Let's see if he's performance is a good in later episodes (and why not?).

I kind of liked Charles Dance's take on Tywin Lannister. Not bad at all. Hopefully you'll like him better in the future episodes. By the way, welcome to the board! Enjoy your time here :rofl:

Clearly a good episode. 8 out of 10, no problem. But as my friend pointed out: When a king goes hunting, how many people does he bring with him? One guard, one wineskin holder, and ...? Well, how many would you bring if you were a king? (My suggestion was that the HBO budget for the episode had run its course, and that they couldn't include an entire entourage.)

Nah, Martin's sex scenes are involving more pink masts than that, surely. Or a Lord's kiss. Not so many sleazy and utterly unnecessary, unmotivated scenes, just for the sake of nudity (or heterosexual male's ideas of lesbian sex workers' sex) itself. All right, I give you the obvious symbolism, that was rather ... symbolical. (I still wouldn't want Tywin Lannister as my father, though.)

I gave it a 7 out of 10. I think the scene in the brothel was a unworthy of GRRM:s writing. Done in some/any other way, perhaps, and still including the Littlefinger speech, the episode might have gotten 8 out of 10, but not now. Not ever. And why is Lord Tywin butchering an animal in his pavilion? Shouldn't some of his servants be doing just that? Nice hard acting, though, by Charles Dance. I'm glad Tywin Lannister isn't my father.