Jump to content

Dragon of Valyria

Members
  • Posts

    144
  • Joined

  • Last visited

Everything posted by Dragon of Valyria

  1. Brilliant episode. By far the best of the season. -- Always love new additions to the credits sequence. Yunkai was no exception. Loved that it was oh so slightly different to Astapor. -- Jon / Ygritte was interesting. I have no objections to sex/nudity when they serve a story purpose, and this one absolutely did. -- Talisa siding against the killing of Karstack was very interesting, esp. since she's supposed to be miss nicey nice. Seems she's ok with the whole "for the greater good" argument. -- Jaime / Brienne. Oh man, Jaime / Brienne. Brilliantly done and straight from the books. Also no objections to the nudity here too -- esp. since this whole scene is straight from the books. -- Loved that the discussion about Aegon followed with a Dany scene, and especially loved that Jaime's talk about having dirt for honor was followed with Selmy talking about how an honorable man follows his king right or wrong. Good mirroring there. -- Shireen just about made my heart melt. Her scene with Davos in the prison made me cry. edit: oh, and I can't forget the lampshading of Selmy not being on the small council and how it changed Jorah's concerns about having his secret spilled. I like that they acknolwedged that it was a continuity issue, and I like how they massaged it. Cogman knows how to do his work, yessir.
  2. Tywin's scene was amazing. And poor Willas. No existence for him. Misa ab iPhono meo est.
  3. The bear and the maiden fair!! Finally. Brienne giving crap to Jaime is completely unacceptable though. She's supposed to be impressed. Edit: gonna miss Hot Pie!!!
  4. Yeah, I was glad that QoT didn't seem too close like the Dowager Countess of Grantham -- I can just see show-only viewers complaining that QoT is cribbing off of Downton! :lmao:
  5. Tyrion thinks Sansa is hit, now? Shae divulging sloppy LF's plans?
  6. Ugh. I'm torn. The HotU was a major disappointment--it's not to say what they did wasn't good--but those visions were pretty darned important. They justified the whole Qarth excursion, which was otherwise pointless (and seems pointless now). yeah the dracarys was cool and the snow-covered throne-room is interesting, but... blah. Theon cointinues to be an idiot. Talisa and Robb... well. Tyrion and Shae... welll. The Margaery farce was entertaining (there were several laugh out loud moments in my viewing party) and it was enjoyable to see the palpable pleasure on Sansa's face, if only for a moment.
  7. What an episode. Sophie Turner was MAGNIFICENT. As per usual, she kills every scene she's in. Both the devious insousciance with Joffrey and the terror when talking with Cersei--nailed it. I like that Sansa is basically this brave, angelic counterpart to the cynical, world-weary Cersei. While Cersei is losing it and attacking Lancel, Sansa thinks of the others and tries to buoy their spirits. What a queenly thing to do. Magnificent. Oh, and I guess there was some green pyrotechnics, a manly Baratheon, and a catchy little tune too...
  8. I loved the descriptions of Volantis. It was a lot of name-dropping, which was nice. We heard that a Volantene lady's education involves recitation of Valyrian poetry (which is nice to know, since the everyday Volantene language has changed quite a bit from High Valyrian) and it was cool to hear about the Rhoyne. Yeah, she doesn't look Valyrian but it seems they're playing up the warmer climes of Volantis, so her tanned/Latin appearance works well for that. And I feel like a pig for even saying this, but there's a face (and a body) that could launch a thousand ships... youch. Varys continues to be spectacular, although I dunno about Bronn schooling everyone about how to defend a city. Seems like Tyrion should have an idea or two of his own, and it seems like reading books should be helpful (Napoleon learned a lot of the craft by reading Caesar). There is such a thing as the art of war, and military sciences. Sometimes I feel the show pushes a modernist mindset regarding commoners. And of course, I was utterly enthralled to receive Hot Pie's words of wisdom. I learned more things about cherry pits than I had ever imagined. He is truly the prince that was promised.
  9. Absolutely loved how Sansa-heavy this episode was. It was a true pleasure to watch, though I really could have gone without reliving the rape scene twice (both on the "last time..." and during Sansa's dream. Argh, but is that stuff tough to watch.) I also didn't expect to see her bloody legs, that was ... really really weird. But I suppose the POV shot was more effective than seeing the stain. Also liked her conversations with the Hound and Cersei--she fought back against the former, but kept her mask on in the latter discussion. It's interesting. I'm looking forward to Maegor's Holdfast. I also was happy we FINALLY got the tender Tyrion-Cersei scene. They needed at least one scene where they were almost civil, and I was sad we didn't get it earlier. Good to have it now. Don't really care about the Qarth changes, Qarth is weird (pretty, but weird). Loved the discussion of Rhaenys and Visenya (odd that Rhaenys is pronounced "ray-knees", since the i in "nys" is short in Aerys, Daenerys, and Viserys), and a Dark Sister namedrop. Didn't care for the conversation otherwise--people keep saying we never get a Tywin point of view, but that guy's soulless. This is the guy who had a girl gang raped because she was a peasant. Come on. Jon/Ygritte really dragged, but we finally got THE LINE. They made a point of having Cersei ask her in the pilot whether she's bled, and then Joffrey says at the end of the first season that he'll father children on her as soon as she's bled. So that ship sailed a long time ago. Yeah, she's a bit old at 13, but history shows that girls are "flowering" earlier and earlier--so it stands to reason that it happened later during a medieval time period. Perhaps her nothern diet was lacking in the proper nutrients. :P
  10. I've seen it spelled Maegyr, which is perfectl Valyrian/Volantene sounding, if true.
  11. Yeah, that was a bit odd.. I liked her questions about why the rapists hated her, but the bit about her trusting Shae is ridiculous. She was smart enough to play the act with Tyrion, who saved her, she should be smart enough to play act here too.
  12. Okay, so in relatively chronological order (as far as I can remember)... The attack on Winterfell was great. I never really liked Bran, and always felt he was boring in the books, but I wanted to stand up and applaud him for his totally contemptuous treatment of Theon. His reactions to Ser Rodrik's death were also great. Hempstead-Wright is amping up his game, and I really hope he can stay on with the show even as he gets older. . . he's doing a fantastic job. As much as I loathe everything about Theon, Allen really played him quite well, especially the way his mouth quivered after Bran asked him if he had hated them the whole time. Leslie's doing great as Ygritte, but the whole chase thing was a pointless waste of time. Like somebody else mentioned, I also for a second thought we'd get "you know nothing" when she said "you're stupid." Alas! Soon, I hope. The riot... gods. I was honestly terrified. At first I was like, oh, this'll be some good fun and humiliation for Joffrey--but then Sansa's scene got a lot more intense, and I was getting worried by the chase. And then she was cornered in a room with nowhere to go! I honestly thought they were actually going to have her raped, I really did. Turner just sold it. Heart pounding, full of nervous fear for my favorite character--great acting, great camera work, and a near heart attack from me. I am floored at how graphic/close to an actual rape that they got. Tensest moment on a TV show for me. I've never been the Hound's biggest fan... but he literally arrived at the last second to save the day. Somebody give him a ****ing medal. And another Joffrey slap! Yes. Still concerned about "Talisa." I don't honestly think she's really Volantene, but the fact that both Catelyn and Robb could buy it is troubling, but not totally problematic. Just as every Targaryen didn't have the Valyrian look, nor should every single member of the Volantene aristocracy. You'd think somebody would at least ask, though. I'm disturbed by Tywin being so forthcoming to his cupbearer. I don't mind them developing him, but the man was the biggest snob in the Seven Kingdoms. Remember what he did to poor Tysha? Come on. He wouldn't be so chatty with someone he thought a commoner. I'm fine with him finding her amusing, but not telling her family stories. Maisie Williams did a fantastic job with the Littlefinger scene though--these child actors are phenominal. The Daenerys scenes... I'll wait and see what happens with the dragon-napping before commenting. I don't mind her being more assertive about her throne and her rights. Some people might see it as crazy (and it is, a little, perhaps) but I like it. I also liked the Spice King contrasting his way of life with hers. Different worlds. Most people would probably say he knocked her down a peg, but I'd say he just proved himself to be a small-minded fool. Shae's scene with Sansa was great. Development for both characters done in an artful way.
  13. Yeah, I actually liked that. It was a bit of the external influencing the internal I think, what with people asking in season one "where are the black people?" Well, the Summer Islands are where they'd be, so it works for me.
  14. Just an expression denoting agreement. :P I've been staying far away from TV spoilers, because I like to see things week to week so the only thing I know about the Reeds is that they haven't been cast. So my speculation would be that either they're going to delay the journey north until next season (or at least, just set off once Theon starts his nonsense) and then come across the Reeds at that point or there are going to be some very difficult changes to justify (given that as far as the books go, we don't know what's up with Rickon and Osha). As for the Red Wedding - hm, good point. I can't think of anybody with him right now that'd be weighty enough to substitute, and it'd seem weirdly convenient for Edmure to just show up. That said, I've heard speculation that Riverrun plotlines are being held back for the next season, in which case he might well show up. It's possible the creators just don't want to throw too many characters at us at once. Oh, why'd you have to go and say that. I happen to like Princess Rhaenys--or rather, from what little we know about her, I like her sense of humor in naming a *kitten* Balerion. Signed. Yeah, they can't possibly use Ros for that. They're either just going to have to get a random lady-in-waiting, or somehow introduce Poole later. I really don't know how that's going to work, but that definitely seems a butterfly effect candidate. Agreed. Westeros is anachronistic. I think it does the audience a disservice to have a mouthpiece that says "hey, feudalism is unfair! sexism is unfair! War, what is it good for?" The audience is going to do that themselves, they don't need a character to do the thinking for them. They need the world to be what the world is. I'm sure some of the peasants are unhappy about being forced to fight in a war, but I doubt any of them are going to mouth off to an armed dude in charge of an army. We don't know whether Talisa is highborn or not yet, but it seemed forced. Agreed completely. I absolutely hated that scene. If there was anything Sansa was, it was courteous. Even during her captivity, she kept her courtesies--that's what the Hound teased her about. She would not have been sassy and mean-spirited to her septa. I felt as if they were purposefully trying to make her unlikable during the first season so they could somehow give her a turnaround during the next one (a lot of my friends admit to changing their minds about her during ACOK). I think her unpopularity would have handled itself just fine, though. And while Sansa's always been the character that I related to best, her rudeness to the septa on multiple occasions was uncalled for. Sophie Turner is phenominal though. I say this a lot, and the reason is because I was really unsure about the casting. I didn't know a thing about her other than the name, but just because I thought the character would have a challenge for anybody. I am glad to say my concerns proved to be unfounded. Turner is the definitive Sansa Stark, and thank goodness for that. I think she played her brilliantly from the pilot onward--I think my favorite two scenes with her were the pilot banquet (when she was every bit the bubbly young girl she was, but demurely in control) and the awkward family dinner and Shae scene of the previous episode where you saw this huge range of emotions play across her face in scenes where she otherwise spoke evenly. In both instances, she gets across emotion while still putting on the mask that the character had to put on and that's a rare talent. I can't sing her praises enough. That's probably why I enjoyed her scenes with Tyrion this episode: they're the two finest actors in a production with a lot of good actors, imo. Yeah, we expected nudity and violence coming in. I'm not a prude, and when it's necessary, useful, and/or artistic: go for it. Ros's scenes weren't those--especially Hooker Academy™, which had the added problem of telegraphing Littlefinger's intentions in the episode ending in his "surprise" betrayal of Ned. I didn't mind the nudity with Mel because it had a purpose, both times. But the Ros scenes are just porn, plain and simple. And it's a problem because there are a lot of people I'd love to introduce the show to and who I'd think would enjoy it, but for those really tacky porn scenes. I don't mind sex or nudity when it serves a legitimate point. I don't mind diverging from the books when it has a point too--and a lot of their changes and additions have been right on the money, so I'm fine with those. But the porn has got to stop, if this show is going to keep any self-respect. Enough with Ros already. I know D&D said they liked her and wrote more stuff with her because of that, but come on. I can't think of a Ros scene that's contributed anything new outside of her first scene, and maybe--maybe the babykilling scene.
  15. My score: +3 for the changes to the title sequence. (This season has been better about adding new locations, although I wish they would have at least added Storm's End even if we didn't see the castle itself; the sweeping pan over Essos OVER the armillary sphere/astrolab sun was awesome.) +1 for Robb's battle scene -1 for fart jokes and inanity. +0 for the Volantis girl (holding my view on that until I see how they decide to play the romance) +9 for the Sansa/Joffrey/Tyrion scene (I was dreaded that scene for the last few episodes, since I don't watch previews. It finally happened, and I could barely watch it even though her beating was briefer than it was in the book. Most of the points here are for Turner's fantastic acting, Tyrion's snappy lines, and the poignancy of him helping her up, her grateful look at someone treating her decently, and her incredibly graceful and powerful departure with her head held up. In case the score didn't make it clear, I loved the resolution of that scene). -5 for the Joffrey/whores scene (I didn't think it was too much, I just think it completely undermined the important scene just before it and it's mostly what people are going to be talking about aside from the ending of this episode. I feel like I'm wondering whether it's Ros the Prostitute who's a main character or if it's Sansa Stark, given the relative importance the two seem to be getting). + 1 for Harrenhal (looked fantastically haunted) -1 for not having room inside the largest keep on Westeros + 1 for Tywin's awesome scene, as implausible as it might have been. (He had great lines: "she's a girl, you idiot." Great delivery too.) +2 for Qarth itself (the CG looked like a mix between Babylon and Constantinople. Very lush and opulent. Approve.) -2 for Stannis/Renly (no buildup at all, and despite the "he's a ham" line, a lot of the charm was lost) -1 for shadowbaby (This was difficult. I loved it and hated it. I liked the bit with the latern flare, and Davos being horrified, but I didn't like the smoke monster from Lost one bit. an evil Peter Pan shadow would have been less cheap looking, and far more terrifying, I think. They could have even shown Mel's sihouette giving birth to it, and then pulled back to her showing her as a person, but the shadow still there). By my count that leaves us at 7. So 7 it is. Pretty good episode, if hamstrung by some problems. My second favorite of the season though, all told.
  16. I agree with most of what Raksha has posted above, and would like to subscribe to his/her newsletter. That said: I can understand the lack of the Reeds and Edmure, if only because there's so little space and so many characters even without all the Ros scenes (who I'm convinced is going to end up as the Prince That Was Promised) that it'd be bewildering to TV viewers. It's possible their stories might just have to be left to ASOS and the comparative breathing room of 2 seasons for a book that's only 100 or so pages longer. I agree completely about Margaery, despite finding the current version utterly hilarious, if only because I think that doe-eyed innocent Margaery from the books is a better player than she lets on and is a worthy protege of the QoT, but the show version is far more blatant in her desires. Both her and LF ought to be subtle--I think the audience can be trusted to be uneasy about them. I *completely* agree about Ros being a waste of time, and if they needed a character like her, they could have at least used one that was actually supposed to be in KL. Regardless, the role is completely inflated and you're absolutely right, overshadows an already marginalized character called Sansa *Stark*. As for Jeyne Poole, D&D did make some joke in the commentary that the girl that Sansa was talking to in the pilot was Jeyne Poole but at any rate, nobody knows that. I also completely agree about Shae. Tyrion is not some dashing debonair fellow, used to getting submissive women and therefore getting a kick out of one that talks back to him. For him, his relationship with Shae is because she is completely his coupled with the self-loathing that it's completely fake and paid for with his gold and jewels. I'm fine with most added scenes/changes we've seen, and I'm not expecting textual literalism in an adaptation--the show is better than most in that regard. But Ros and Shae are the most grating, and Sansa is the most shabbily treated as a result. I don't think it's intentional on their part--the commentaries suggest that the creators just really liked Bianco's acting, and that they're puzzled as to why the fandom dislikes Sansa but unfortunately the former is oppressively omnipresent to the point of being a main character, and the latter (despite exceptional acting by Turner) isn't given enough of a chance to shine.
×
×
  • Create New...