Season 4 Impressions

[Rhaquentis]

Here. Spoilers start after Gran de Lys' first post (she's the one giving out the info).

Many thanks!

[Sopranos With Swords]

In weeks ahead promo http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iPWTunF4bRk

Amazing job, thank you so much for posting the link! Faith was rewarded.

I really think this will be the best season since the first, there's just so much they've got to work with. Particularly impressed with how the story at the wall is looking, I've thought Kit's performances were a little weak last year but from what we've seen so far, it looks as though he's really stepped it up.

Tyrion/Cersei/Hound also have some fantastic dialogue. I'm not certain either but is the look on Dany's face near the end the reaction to the child bones? She was steely-eyed even looking at the crucifixions, so its the only thing I can thing would warrant that reaction (i.e. realizing what she has to do).

[Beric175]

Lets not forget that in the old days people found fuller people to be visually attractive because it was at the same time a symbol of status and wealth, since you showed by being slightly overweight that you could afford a great lifestyle so if George describes them as beautiful in the books can I take it that he means they all just had a bit too much cake?

[binhorde]

^{Sometimes you have to remember some of these people are young and limited in their experience as compared to other cast mates. Because of the success of this show Kit Harington is getting more work, which means more acting, which means more practice, which means more experience. And I think it shows. Season 4 looks like it is shaping up to be his finest acted one yet.}

[Jibo]

do you think this is "spoiler" which has shared game of thrones official ? :/ :O ))) :^
http://umbridge1986.deviantart.com/art/Game-of-Thrones-season-4-POSTER-397833804

[Ran]

It's a piece of fan art. Means nothing.

[go joff go]

^{Sometimes you have to remember some of these people are young and limited in their experience as compared to other cast mates. Because of the success of this show Kit Harington is getting more work, which means more acting, which means more practice, which means more experience. And I think it shows. Season 4 looks like it is shaping up to be his finest acted one yet.}

I think this is nonsense. I agree that the wall story wasn't as good as it could be, but it wasn't because of kits acting. I posted earlier, before the season, that it was going to be hilarious when kit was doing heroic things how everyone was going to say his acting has improved, and that is EXACTLY what has happened. Same stuff with Danny. Same with stannis, Jamie, sansa, you name it. The truth is anytime a character sows any negative characteristic at all the fan base screams that he or she is ruined. That's why the fans opinions are often so annoying. It's bloody obvious that the writers are trying to Make these people more flawed.

[Dragonstoned]

Wanted to say the music in s04e01 was great, as ever, especially the end credits track which brought together some of the existing themes. Djawadi is a god.

[Sopranos With Swords]

I think this is nonsense. I agree that the wall story wasn't as good as it could be, but it wasn't because of kits acting. I posted earlier, before the season, that it was going to be hilarious when kit was doing heroic things how everyone was going to say his acting has improved, and that is EXACTLY what has happened. Same stuff with Danny. Same with stannis, Jamie, sansa, you name it. The truth is anytime a character sows any negative characteristic at all the fan base screams that he or she is ruined. That's why the fans opinions are often so annoying. It's bloody obvious that the writers are trying to Make these people more flawed.

I disagree (though I wouldn't be rude enough to dismiss anyone's opinion as nonsense). Most characters in the book series are flawed that's one of the reasons its so captivating. Its the same on the show. You still have to portray that effectively as an actor. Stannis and Jamie are portrayed excellently in my opinion as truly flawed but sympathetic characters. Kit arguably could have done a better job of portraying Jon's moral struggle last season, with some great actors to work off, but many of the scenes seemed forced to me. It isn't just his fault, its the writing and direction, but I think we can attribute much of it to the learning curve. This season from what we have seen so far he has great material to work with and seems to have greatly improved in his confidence and his abilities as an actor. It has nothing to do with how likable the character is.

[Ran]

They really rushed his story last season. Part of the growing struggle was getting to know the wildlings -- the guys who were sent to raid with him, who were mostly guys his age or even a little younger; the sort of majesty and tragedy of the giants; a growing friendship with Tormund -- and that's all really excised. It just boils down to him and Ygritte on the show. He has no connection with anyone else, even in passing (well, except they give him a wildling to hate in Orell), so there's no sense of there being anything but Ygritte in his thoughts and decision making. Obviously, that weighs heaviest with him, but these other things were factors that produced some nuance.

So, yeah, the struggle's almost nonexistent because they just boiled it down to one thing for the show, rather than trying to make it a bit deeper and more complicated. And obviously, some of that is the constraitn of a production with 10 hours to tell its story. For my part I would probably have skipped Jon's arrival to episode 1, and basically buy him 10-15 minutes of more time among Tormund and other wildlings to try and build a sense that the Free Folk have something that's appealing to him.

[Beric175]

You need to simplify things for a show because in the end the audience does not like unresolved ambivalence (an example is the last episode of the Sopranos). Yeah we all would have liked to see more of the wildlings, etc. but in the end this is not a history lesson of westeros. It's a tv show that has to get the character from point A to pint B in 10 epsiodes and so choices have to be made.

[Awale]

The show's good but I don't know... I feel like the show's a whole lotta "hype", they're sensationalists, they hype up or honestly somewhat cheapen the sexual material, they make the characters go to places they simply aren't ready to go to yet at least based on the bases of that character the show's covered.

Look at Arya for example, she went through some heavy shit in the show, no doubt at all. Her father was executed, she was on the run, a friend of her's died and much more, rough stuff, really but if you compare that to what she went through in the books while she was at Harrenhal... >_> I just feel like Arya's current mental state in the show would make more sense if they'd taken more time with her and put her through what she went through in the books, at least to some extent. They took Jon's interesting relationship with Ygritte and turned it into some odd cliched bonnie and clyde like relationship, you have to admit that they do cheapen the original material at times.

I think the show's decent in the end but I do also believe it lacks substance in comparison to the source material, It's well-made, well-acted out and hits some real good high notes with some of the characters like with Jaime last season or with Ned in general during season 1, I loved season one as whole but on average- Eh. So don't attack me, I'm no hater. I intend to watch every episode of this damn show and am really enjoying it, to be honest. But I don't ignore any of its short-comings, season 4 in my opinion will be no different- plenty of short-comings ahead and plenty of good stuff too, I hope.

[boojam]

WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?!

Interview with Alex Graves in Huffpost TV.

So now Dave and Dan have mentioned it.

Now Graves says Episode 10 Season 4 will be the biggest thing they have ever done!!

Since we know the Battle for the Wall occurs in Episode 9... they are going to top that in Episode 10!

Daznak's Pit?!

I am not a book purist at all, but if they have invented something for the show way out of bounds of the books I not sure I go for that since they have at least season 6 to go.

I don't like the 'can you top last season' sort of thing since that's a way to kill a story.

(By the by Graves said the Meereen battle next week will be twice as large a sequence as he directed as in S3E4!)

By the by Graves says nothing particularly more DARK this season, but things get surprising.... hmmm!

[aFeastForDragons]

They really rushed his story last season. Part of the growing struggle was getting to know the wildlings -- the guys who were sent to raid with him, who were mostly guys his age or even a little younger; the sort of majesty and tragedy of the giants; a growing friendship with Tormund -- and that's all really excised. It just boils down to him and Ygritte on the show. He has no connection with anyone else, even in passing (well, except they give him a wildling to hate in Orell), so there's no sense of there being anything but Ygritte in his thoughts and decision making. Obviously, that weighs heaviest with him, but these other things were factors that produced some nuance.

So, yeah, the struggle's almost nonexistent because they just boiled it down to one thing for the show, rather than trying to make it a bit deeper and more complicated. And obviously, some of that is the constraitn of a production with 10 hours to tell its story. For my part I would probably have skipped Jon's arrival to episode 1, and basically buy him 10-15 minutes of more time among Tormund and other wildlings to try and build a sense that the Free Folk have something that's appealing to him.

+1

This is what I've been trying to say but couldn't find the words. There is no sympathy for the wildlings. In the books I hoped they would get south of the wall because as a race of people they were more civilised at times then any of the southern kingdoms.

[The Amethyst Empress]

I just watched 4x2...I'm so happy :rofl: :rofl:

[Ser Maneth Grossart]

WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?!Interview with Alex Graves in Huffpost TV.So now Dave and Dan have mentioned it.Now Graves says Episode 10 Season 4 will be the biggest thing they have ever done!!Since we know the Battle for the Wall occurs in Episode 9... they are going to top that in Episode 10!

Daznak's Pit?!

I am not a book purist at all, but if they have invented something for the show way out of bounds of the books I not sure I go for that since they have at least season 6 to go.I don't like the 'can you top last season' sort of thing since that's a way to kill a story.(By the by Graves said the Meereen battle next week will be twice as large a sequence as he directed as in S3E4!)

Calm down friend. I'm pretty sure he meant "big episode" in a diferent way. If you recall events from the books, it is possible, probable even, that episode 10 will be the best the series has produced. "BIG EPISODE " in this case refers to the number of plot changing events in a single episode.

[Sun]

WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?!

Interview with Alex Graves in Huffpost TV.

So now Dave and Dan have mentioned it.

Now Graves says Episode 10 Season 4 will be the biggest thing they have ever done!!

Since we know the Battle for the Wall occurs in Episode 9... they are going to top that in Episode 10!

Daznak's Pit?!

I am not a book purist at all, but if they have invented something for the show way out of bounds of the books I not sure I go for that since they have at least season 6 to go.

I don't like the 'can you top last season' sort of thing since that's a way to kill a story.

(By the by Graves said the Meereen battle next week will be twice as large a sequence as he directed as in S3E4!)

By the by Graves says nothing particularly more DARK this season, but things get surprising.... hmmm!

He says a finale is really a finale, it's a big one. By that I think he means the final events of ASOS.

Tyrion killing Tywin and Shae and then leaving Westeros (you don't get any bigger than that), Arya leaving, Jon possibly becoming lord commander... etc. All very big events, and proper finales to a season.

[Cold Hands warm heart]

In 57 minutes of airtime it must terribly hard to juggle all the characters we love. That being said I could do with less "Ramsey Snow". I would love see Dorne.

[Beric175]

But Reek, Reek it rhymes with bleak. I am also surprised that Martin left out the line referring to the assassin's dagger in season 1. maybe he felt it wasn't a very good payoff because we already hate Joffrey so much that we don't need an extra bit like that? In the end, I don't mind if that's attributed to Cersei and jaime in the show or if they make someone else responsible for it.

[Ran]

I'd guess the executive producers wanted it cut.