Kyoshi

I can't access anything from my phone most of the time; keep getting an error message.

Shallow complaints:

• The side boarders are too large, they swallow most of the text.
• The division between posts made by different people isn't very clear anymore; most of it looks like one long post, with the signatures, spoilers, quoted posts and links all mixed up in there.
• It's not very reader-friendly.

I miss the old board.

Natalie Dormer's new one-off period drama based on real events "The Scandalous Lady W" (formerly "The Woman in Red"), also starring Aneurin Barnard and Shawn Evans, has an air date now: Monday, 17 August, 9 pm, BBC 2.

The trailer has been released, too. 

 

So, folks, here's your unique chance to see Anne Boleyn and Richard III getting it on.  And with pervy Inspector Morse watching, no less. . :P

 

Seriously though, it's a really interesting real life story and I'm looking forward to watching it. Besides, I really like Aneurin. I'm not a fan of Dormer, but maybe this time she'll be better, this role seems better than the one-note show Margaery.

 

While this sounds interesting, I worry Dormer is being typecast.

Keep denying it, it won't help you. All art is subjective, there is no good or bad, only opinions backed by the majority or not. Who knows, maybe in a hundred years a legion of book critics will find hidden meanings galore in Meyer's books, universities will be named after her and nobel prize winners will do a pilgrimage to her grave. Who can say? Van Gogh was ridiculed as well and considered trash during his lifetime. And now?

Now you're just arguing for the sake of arguing.

I think the book readers shitting on Feast and Dance are doing so for a reason. And it's not because they actually think the books are poor quality.

One thing I have noticed is that they tend to be people who have expressed doubts that George will ever finish the saga. Leading me to believe that they think GoT is the only way they will ever see the story finished. So they have done some sort of mental gymnastics to convince themselves that the show is, in fact, great.

I admit that Feast and Dance ave flaws, but I found some of the storylines included to be incredible. The build up around Winterfell, everything going to shit in KL, the Iron Islands kingsmoot, and (say what you want) Dorne. Just because you can't handle extra characters doesn't make it bad writing. I found the father/daughter relationship between Arianne and Doran to be incredible. Arrianne is one of the deepest characters I have ever read about.

I'm also afraid the books will never be finished, which is why I watch the show. But the show is crap and I know it.

The problems I had with Feast and Dance were that some of the stuff was repetitive. I was rereading for a Daenerys analysis and I noticed that he introduces quite a few things several times, in several different chapters. And the writing style is different from the first three books, impatient somehow. I concede that the books have their issues. But the show is just one gigantic crap of a pothole. Which is sad since the show had a reference and therfore an opportunity of fixing some of the issues from the books.

10/10. I liked pretty much everything about it. Best season finale.

Even bad pussy? I can't imagine a universe in which anyone likes bad pussy.

I think if someone is willing to explain why in the show, the show alone and not the books, Dany flew away in the first place, then I'd be willing to revise my score. Saint Tyrion and the gang have escaped the sons of the Harpy easily. So clearly, there wasn't really any danger she needed to flee from. And she realises that now since she calls Meereen home and wants to go back. Without any internal conflict whatsoever.

Are we gonna talk about how Balon fucking Greyjoy won the War of Five Kings?

Speak too soon and you might jinx his victory. After all, Ramsay and his twenty good men are still out there.

Oh damn..

Again, the Stannis and Jon fans with 1/10

I believe this ep clearly deserves more than 2/10. Agreed it was not perfect.

If you hate the show why watch every week and again post a 1/10?

Jeez...

It is reductive and presumptuous to state so confidently, that Stannis and Jon fans are embittered to the point of not recognising good art when presented to them. Beyond Jon saying Olly as his last word and Stannis turning out to be an utter moron, there were far more annoying things in the episode, some of which are:

1. Bad pussy.

2. Elaria turning out to be just as idiotic as Stannis...perhaps even more than that.

3. Jaime and Myrcella's pointlessness.

4. Trant the paedophile.

5. Shame. *bell ring* shame *bell ring* shame. ...seriously, that scene didn't need any "improvement"

6. Brienne and the magical candle that can be seen from miles away...against the whiteness of the snow. ..in broad daylight. ..but turned out to be just as pointless as Dorne and the greatness of bad pussy.

7. The teleportation machine has now been bequeathed upon Mel...who arrives in CB only moments after Davos, who left for the Wall way before her.

8. It turns out that Sansa was raped so that Theon could push Myranda to her death...but then jumps from the same height only moments later. ..and this is supposed to be a cliffhanger.

9. Why is the Dothraki Sea so different? It looks like nothing we saw in season 1. And are those Dothraki surrounding Dany so she can be raped for profound creative reasons next season. ..my spidey senses tell me yes. I hope my spidey senses are wrong.

10. How great that Tyrion speaks High Valyrian, he should be able to fix all of Dany's fuck ups. With Grey Worm, of course. But yeah, Tyrion and everyone else can fix Dany's fuck ups while two guys, one of whom is possibly spreading greyscale, go in search of the Queen.

11. Arya fucks up...and a faceless man has to die. there are no such things as fairies, oops, I just killed a fairy.

12. But that's all good, Varys has only now gotten hold of the teleportation machine and found his way to the same pyramid where Tyrion just so happens to be pondering how his awesomeness will save this foreign city from...Dany's fuck ups because we don't have the insurgency from the books or any really threats really, we just have Dany's fuck ups, which even I'm not sure of because...well, nothing really happened in Meereen.

13. Do I see the beginnings of a love triangle between Missandei, Grey Worm and Saint Tyrion? I hope not, but the mere suggestion of it was enough to have me rolling my eyes.

the show doesn't DESERVE anything. It needs to earn good reviews and ratings.

And yeah, Jon is my favourite character. I won't apologise for that or censor myself simply because the Ds are horrible writers.

And I continue to watch because sadly, I want to have an IDEA of what happens next, and Martin is still writing. If all the books were out, I wouldn't continue with the show. So yeah, I'll be tuning in next season and hoping things get better.

I am convinced Ramsay and his 20 good men can defeat the White Walkers. Shirtless, if necessary.

Will Davos push Melisandre in Jon Snow's funeral pyre or grab her and they burn both? Then Stannis rises. Or Theon's cock.

As Kit mentions Jim Morrison in that interview, how about some lyrics: "When the true king's murderes are allowed to roam free, a thousand magicans will rise in the land"

Balon Greyjoy can now claim the Iron Throne. Last man standing.

LOL. Shirtless, I want that to happen now.

And what we got is Tyrion being stupider than ever to the point that he hadn't one good line entire season. Brienne's entire storyline now has some point? LOL... It was the soap opera moment with the candle. Sansa's WF story was such a success? Oh, wait... And Dorne... If Dorne sucked for you in the books, I don't see how it didn't sucked 10000x more in the TV series?

Every criticism you have mentioned is done 10 times worse in the TV show.

Which is why I'm sort of glad the show is fucking up so badly...more people appreciate Feast and Dance now. Really, the Ds are miracle workers.

It really was. Probably the best Dany/Drogon interaction to date.

I also liked the GCI. I now think that it's difficult to model Drogon when he's flying or breathing fire, scenes where he is almost stationary are usually better than when he is mobile.

I always love Emilia-Drogon interactions to be honest. I thought they both nailed it.

Gave a 1.

23. Why are you watching? Don't you have a life?

Ouch, that burns! You got me. Oh gods, what can I do now? Oh my, oh my, I'm so bruised!

I gave a 1 for several reasons, some of which include the following:

1. How does Stannis not know what the Dance of the Dragons was?

2. How did Davos correctly guess the number of men who burnt their supplies? How did the supplies burn so quickly...with all that snow?

3. Why does Mace Tyrell not have a teleportation machine like Tyrion, LF, Jon and the wildlings, and Stannis?

4. Why did the Sons of the Harpy just kill everyone, even Hizdhar?

5. After everything he learnt, why is Jon going back to complaining about how no one likes him, without relaying the new information (especially about Valyrian steel) to anyone?

6. Why were the Sand Snakes slapping each other?

7. Why is Ellaria okay with the incest? And why is her character so inconsistent...in one episode?

8. Why is Doran giving his only heir to the Lannisters?

9. Why is Bronn being punched, why is Jaime still in Dorne, why are the Sand Snakes so devoid of personalities that go beyond possessing different weapons and wanting to be the most beautiful women in the world?

10. How was that random son of the harpy able to penetrate Dany's security so deeply?

11. Why did the Sons of the Harpy simply not throw their spears at Dany? We know they can do this because they threw them quite effectively at Drogon?

12. Why was the pit fighter hesitating when he could have just killed Jorah?

13. Why is Jorah touching Dany? Is he really that selfish?

14. Why is Dany flying away? She seems to have won.

15. And even if she hasn't won, why is she leaving behind Missandei, whose hand she has holding quite poignantly only seconds ago?

16. Why is Stannis burning his daughter? Why is Selyse the one to object?

17. Why is Tyrion saving helpless maidens?

18. Where is Grey Worm?

19. Why is Arya so bad as a spy?

20. Why is Trant a paedophile? Why is he throwing random homophobic slurs at someone who died years ago?

21. Why is Mace Tyrell singing?

22. Why is any of this happening?

Just remember, guys, this is how threads get locked.

I actually think for a first timer, Sophie is nailing 98% of her character, everything up to this year has been primarily from Sansa's thoughts where Sophie had to use body language and facial expressions to convey her thoughts.

Emila's a bit flat for me on some scenes.

By the bolded logic, we should excuse the entire younger cast. I believe this was the first screen work for most of them.

That WAS, IS, and always shall be GoT.

Forgot Ned & Robb did ya? ;)

That didn't happen in one episode, Which was the case with not-Val.

I disagree... Jon is not the most vivid character to portray, but Kit is making him even worse. And it is not just closing his mouth properly. It is also his constipated face when he acts "thinking", it is also his face that never changes. His facial expression is more basic than Henry Cavill's on Man of Steel. I will never forget how Lena ruined Joffrey's death scene with that God-awful fake-cry.

As for Sophie, this is the same as with Emilia, I am not sure that she is untalented, because she knows how to rock a scene and her facial expression is sometimes more expressive than half the cast's. But, I guess that it is the direction writers wanted for both of them. Sansa's lost deer look and Dany's dead face. Sometimes it is not their fault.

You and I will never agree. The difference between Sophie and the others is that the others are engaged in the scene. The only times I've thought Sophie to be even moderately talented is when she is crying, and as I've said--those are the only times I think she actually pays attention to what happens in the scene. Then again, it's very easy to confuse crying with moving/inspired acting, I still haven't decided if I appreciate her ability to cry (seemingly, at the drop of a hat) or if I actually think she acts well in those scenes. In the end all I can say is that she cries well.

I like Kit's face, it makes sense to me. And maybe I'm the only one, but I like his acting and think he does a good job. Emilia as well; it makes sense for show-Dany to be the way Emilia portrays her. It was clear from Season 2 that the showrunners wanted a badass ruler in Dany since, as JCRB once eloquently put it, these are the sort of powerful women D+D have opted to have on the show. Given her story on the show, and the events that have transpiered (such as burning a random slaver), it makes sense for Dany to be a stoic ruler who dares not reveal her true face, unless when in an intimate moment, which I think Emilia does well when in Dany-Daario/Dany-dragons/Dany-Missandei/Dany-Jorah/Dany-GreyWorm/Dany-Barristan scenes.

EDIT: I think Kit's face has more to do with something you personally dislike (about his habits), like me and Natalie Dormer's mouth and voice. But I can't label her a bad actress because I don't like the way her mouth moves the way it does, and ignore everything else. I squint when she is on screen and pretend someone else is Margeary, but I can still appreciate everything else she does.

I gave a 5.

• Much better than the last three. Had it just been Hardhome, I would have given a 9. Winterfell really dragged this episode (Iwan, Sophie and the plot there just didn't make sense, still).
  
• Dany-Tyrion was repetitive.
  
• I didn't understand why the zombies white walkers were so World War Z. I went back to the Season 2 finale and those white walkers were miles slower, and not quite as rabid. I didn't like the emotional manipulation that introduced a new character, and gave a her so many lines just so I would feel bad when she died.
  
• I didn't like the implication that the Faceless Men were vigilantes.
  

Holly hell I was glad we didn't get Dorne, though sad at the lack of NCW...then again, his arc is so terrible that I'm almost glad we don't see him as much.

I also have a lot of problems with Lena's acting too, if it would be easier for you. Peter's acting is like beating the dead horse, we have seen it like 100 times. It is devastatingly bad what material Nikolaj has been given this season. And let me not start about Natalie and her acting.

I would disagree about Sophie, she can be rather great. When it comes to acting, Sophie and Maisie are those I have least objections about (perhaps woth Nikolaj). And Iwan, yeah, but it is also partly due to writing.

That of course doesn't mean that Kit or Emilia are beyond reproach. KIt can't shut his mouth properly and he constipated face is borderline hysterical. His acting in this episode can be just marked as the stain on Hardhome subplot.

Emilia, on the other hand, is different story. I am not convinced that she is that untalented, but I am afraid that she is being pushed into the certain direction when it comes to Daenerys. She had her moments, but her acting this season has been lost.

Sophie has two faces: weepy and angry. The problem is that they look the same (sometimes I don't know if she's angry because she's weeping or weeping because she's angry). Her face always looks like she's thinking about something else, especially when someone else is speaking in the scene, she zones out, she doesn't "feed" the actor opposite to her, IMHO. A perfect example is the inn episode where she meets Brienne. (But she always does this, this season has been a steady portrayal of her zoning out sessions). Her eyes are always starring into the distance and her face is wooden, like she's not really in that scene, like something way more interesting is happening just behind the camera or anywhere else on the set. She cries well though, that's the only time I think she concentrates on what's happening in the scene.

The biggest problem I have with the Kit criticism is that it ignores so many other things about the character he is portraying. And I don't think such a big issue can be made of his mouth not closing properly, everyone has their bad habits, I hardly find his the most objectionable. If I complained about mouths, Natalie would be at the top of my list--it doesn't matter what's happening, she's always smirking like she knows some great secret, or being openly deceitful. Lena does a half-smile that also undermines much of what she is conveying. Sophie, again, wooden as hell, and he shoulders are so stiff all the time. They all have their bad habits, Kit's is hardly the most glaring. IMO he does everything else so well, he captures Jon very well.

Well, in the show with such amazing supporting cast, these two who are supposed to be some sort of leads are doing terrible job. I am sorry, but whenever he starts speaking, I am like this or like this.

I honestly think bashing on Emilia and Kit's acting is just a fashionable thing.

Lena either whispers or screams, or says everything through clenched teeth. It's annoying as hell.

Peter and that horrible accent, and the overacting. Just horrible.

Sophie...where to begin...I cringe when Sophie is on screen.

Iwan was absolutely horrible this episode, classic b-grade movie villain, and he is always praised here.

Many other horrible actors on this show.

I honestly think at this point, people don't think their posts about the show are complete unless they bash Kit and Emilia, even when they do well. Kit was excellent this episode, the saving grace at this point.

I gave another 1.

I also need to understand how those people traveled from Valyria to Meereen so quickly. So quickly.

JCRB, I read the article in your signature. I don't have Facebook so I can't comment. But I like it.

She falls in love w/Drogo in the books too, she's still wearing his pelt in Dance.

Fair enough. But I am still unaware of Martin stating that he wanted the experience of her marriage to go as brutally as possible, because reasons. d&d just inserted that rape, it seems to me, to shock us, and then didn't deal with the aftermath. Why make it as deliberately brutal as possible if they're just going to ignore it. At least Book Dany acknowledges that Drogo was not a kind man [wish I had the book to quote but I'm very sure it's there in Dance]. She knows something was wrong in that situation, she even contemplates suicide. TV Dany follows a different path. And I know that people deal with rape differently, but TV Dany doesn't deal with it at all.

dp. sorry.

Well i agree, you do actually need to portray rape, crimes and everything, but i really don't trust D&D to handle rape representation properly. They already had the opportunity (too) many times to prove that they could do it without being utterly offensive,but they failed. Sansa's rape is sadly a small part of a much much bigger picture.

You can't deal with touchy subjects like rape like every other subjects

That's the core reason I am outraged: I doubt their ability to handle it responsibly. Just look at Cersei-Jaime, the show went on. Look at Dany, the show went on and she fell in love with him and D+D showed up at ComicCon and proudly stated that they had wanted that experience to be as brutal as possible and they show just went on without anyone pausing to say, "but there, that girl just got raped and now she calls him her sun and stars." D+D are irresponsible and this will end badly.