[spoilers] Nitpicking with Impunity

[Eve]

I loved the mention of HBO's "boob quota". HBO needs to remember that just because they CAN show all the bouncing boobs they want, does not necessarily mean that they SHOULD.

[Good Guy Garlan]

This is worth a read, particularly in light of that awful scene at Craster's:

http://www.esquire.com/blogs/culture/game-of-thrones-rape

[Mad Monkey]

I think Margaery derived an overly-literal interpretation from Olenna's anecdote. The whole, "Oh HAI, I know your brother was just assassinated and all, but let me demonstrate how easy it is to get past your elite guards and do whatever I'd like for as long as I'd like without anyone noticing," is probably going to be more terrifying than enchanting for the poor kid. It does make Cersei's revulsion at the Margaery/Tommen match much more understandable though.

[Night'sQueen]

"Kill the Masters" written in plain English on the wall in Meereen was pretty silly IMO.

That really took me out of the moment.

[Mad Monkey]

That really took me out of the moment.

Yeah, it would be almost as jarring if Littlefinger pulled out a cell phone or Cersei took a long drag from a cigarette. I think the fact that they used constructed languages for the most part (including for most of that scene!) is what made it jarring. There are a lot of shows where English is used as a stand-in for the fictional language that the characters are "really" speaking and we accept that for the most part, but because this show spends a lot of time and energy building workable languages for scenes (especially in Essos) it's surprising that they don't bother using that. It would be like if they spent $100,000 animating Dany's dragons but then at the last minute just had a gecko with wings taped on lowered onto the set on a wire.

[Tankbuster]

(unless male WW lactate?)

Thank you, now to add more fuel to my nightmarefire blaze.

Locke as a gamewarden in the SL is really weird, I mean, he could easily say that he was from whiteharbor or some place north of the neck, it was pretty jarring.

[Night'sQueen]

Where has this thread been all my life?!?! I have so many nits to pick, many already stated by others, but here goes...

- Lame English graffiti. Bad enough it was in English but it looked too modern as well. Note to show people, take a look at how the graffiti was done in HBO's Rome.

- Big ass black flag out of nowhere.

- Easily trapped and caged direwolves. Not plausible to me. I can forgive many changes, but let's keep the mystique of the direwolves, kay?

-Rape, rape and more rape. It's enough already! Shock and disgust me another way for a change.

- Locke overhearing the Sam/Jon discussion about about Bran seemed so stagey and contrived. It was like a scene from Three's Company.

- I don't understand how the baby didn't freeze and or starve to death. I've seen comments on other threads mocking anyone who questions that, but it was another thing, like the graffiti, that took me out of the moment.

- The bear-baiting of Hodor made me angrier than many other objectively more heinous things on the show. Not a nit, per say, I'm just still pissed. Hodor? :(

- Everyone keeps talking about Littlefinger's accent -- what about Tyrion's dreadful phony accent?! It gets me every week! And Dinklage is such a good actor.

- But the worst, for me, was the outright explanation of Joff's murder. It was Olenna. In the conservatory. With the necklace. It was cheesy and lame the way it was spelled out. Stop underestimating your audience!!!

[Epyon]

I think Margaery derived an overly-literal interpretation from Olenna's anecdote. The whole, "Oh HAI, I know your brother was just assassinated and all, but let me demonstrate how easy it is to get past your elite guards and do whatever I'd like for as long as I'd like without anyone noticing," is probably going to be more terrifying than enchanting for the poor kid. It does make Cersei's revulsion at the Margaery/Tommen match much more understandable though.

A boy entering puberty, gets woken up in the middle of the night, by a girl who looks like Natalie Dormer.... a boy, who mind you, really hasn't gotten to talk to a girl outside of his mom his entire life.... and the first thing she does is climb on top of him in bed, and tell him how she'll soon be his forever.... The only terrifying thing that will result from this situation, is the plight of the poor girls responsible for changing/washing his sheets.... :ack:

EDIT:

And for whatever it's worth... I had a much harder time watching Hodor getting tortured/stabbed than any of Craster's flipper-baby/wives getting raped, or the last of the flipper babies get left out in the cold.... The only other scenes to really make me cringe/recoil like the Hodor scene where: Talisa getting stabbed eleventybillion times in the baby, and a few of the Theon/Ramsey scenes.

[TheKitttenGuard]

Olenna did not need to say how better Margaery is than her. She is seducing a twelve year old not rendering a man unable to walk.

[Allison of Tarth]

- Everyone keeps talking about Littlefinger's accent -- what about Tyrion's dreadful phony accent?! It gets me every week! And Dinklage is such a good actor.

Yep, it's been laughably bad from the pilot till now. The only thing I miss from the audiobooks is Roy Dotrice's Tyrion. I think the quips work better in a leprechauny voice. :D

[Lady Lurksalot]

Yeah, it would be almost as jarring if Littlefinger pulled out a cell phone or Cersei took a long drag from a cigarette. I think the fact that they used constructed languages for the most part (including for most of that scene!) is what made it jarring. There are a lot of shows where English is used as a stand-in for the fictional language that the characters are "really" speaking and we accept that for the most part, but because this show spends a lot of time and energy building workable languages for scenes (especially in Essos) it's surprising that they don't bother using that. It would be like if they spent $100,000 animating Dany's dragons but then at the last minute just had a gecko with wings taped on lowered onto the set on a wire.

This is a big nitpick of mine, too. Your description of how wrong it was had me laughing so hard I nearly pissed myself. Whenever I do see the dragons now, there's no way I'm not going to visualize said gecko with taped-on wings.

[SkaggCannibal]

How did Margaery get into Tommen's chamber when Cersei just ordered to have 4 guards at the door? How is she going to pull that off multiple times in the future, does she seduce the guards too? Is she Cersei?

The northern storyline... ugh there is just not anything that is even remotely true to the books. Not that is has to be, if it's interesting and logical story-wise, all for the better. But it was not. Ghost trapped and they keep him alive? Meera and co get captured that easily, how stupid are they? Why didn't they go free Summer first? Why does Bran blurt out his true name? And why do they care anyway? Why didn't Meera get immediatly raped at Camp Rape? How come all Craster's wives want to give a gift to the gods, was Gilly really the only sane one? Where did Locke get his speedboat to the Wall? Why say he's from the Stormlands? And he so happens to overhear Sam and Jon talking about Bran, sure...

That baby should have been freezed to death long before it got anywhere near White Walker Home. They could at least have tucked him in a little better, in stead of transporting him half-naked through the Lands of Winter.

How easy is it to get into Meereen with a giant group? That is some seriously bad defence. And they get to the slaves even more easily, on their own, without any guidance... Well I guess this was the least unrealistic of the things I listed, but still.

To end it: how stupid is Sam??? He is supposed to be smart, but leaving Gilly in a whorehouse with wildlings being send over the Wall. He couldn't have figured it out sooner? And I already hated him in the books...

I have to say the first half of the episode was still entertaining, the second half of everthing in the north was just boring and unrealistic, I was constantly checking how long the episode still was and hoping on something southern to come, something that has never happened before. A disappointment and I can't wait to never ever see Craster's Keep and these stupid wives again. And a bit less rape wouldn't hurt either. I also agree with the one stating Jon is in desperate need of a haircut.

[teemo]

My nitpick....this show sucks. Worst parts - Littlefinger not giving his speech on how fucking stupid Cersei is, and then the very next scene Olenna talking about how smart she is. The boob quota is made by a rape scene. Really? And thanks D&D for spoiling the books for me with your bad show.

[averde]

Was waiting for this thread :D

Yup very corny

-Margaery waltzing into Tommens chamber in the middle of the night

-Whatever the fuck they have been doing with Ghost these last seasons

-The Direwolves being captured and caged by the NW rapists

-Bran and Company getting captured

-Appearance of the White Walker at the end, I mean he looked ridiculous

Probably more, I normally would of complained about Aiden Gillen but I thought he was bearable last night.

Pretty much this.

[protar]

Not really a nitpick but I really feel as though there isn't any substantial material here until Tyrion's final trial (with Shae as a witness) as evidenced by the fact that the only exciting stuff happening was the invented stuff at and beyond The Wall. I'll admit that for show only watchers those scenes would be exciting, but it was hard for me to get overly invested in them knowing nothing would come of them. And ultimately no matter how gripping those scenes are for show watchers they will at the end of the day just be filler with no actual consequences on the plot.

[Roose Seal]

How did Margaery get into Tommen's chamber when Cersei just ordered to have 4 guards at the door? How is she going to pull that off multiple times in the future, does she seduce the guards too? Is she Cersei?

I'm not defending this episode because it was all around stupid, but when Marg enters the room, she readjusts her dress: I just assumed she went all HBO on the guard and he let her in.

[SkaggCannibal]

I'm not defending this episode because it was all around stupid, but when Marg enters the room, she readjusts her dress: I just assumed she went all HBO on the guard and he let her in.

But shouldn't it be four guards at the time? And Marg flashes some boob and so gets entrance, but isn't that still a huge risk should the guard report anything back to Jaime or Cersei? And just some friendly words and some touches are enough for the guard? Or did she go full Cersei-whore on the guard? I think it cheapens her character a lot should she let a guard touch her just to open a door. And if he didn't get to touch her, what an incredible bad guard.

[boojam]

I was going to post: Where is Daario?

Watched E4 again last night, he's there.

Michiel Huisman is standing under the awning where Dany gives her 'Justice' line.

No lines.

Can't make him out in the throne room E5, but I guess he's somewhere.

[Ignorant Bog Woman]

Not enough rape.

Seriously, though... I thought the "who killed Joffrey?" reveal was too heavy-handed.

[Theda Baratheon]

Jaime saying "what the hell" and Bronn telling Jaime that it isn't Tyrion's style to have people killed. More whitewashing. *sigh*

annoyed me too.

hated the explicit rape scenes that served no purpose but to show you how one dimensionnally evil these nw cunts are that we couldnt already tell by them drinking out of their murdered leaders skull with horrible raspy evil voices. Fuck that cartoon.

Not impressed with cersei and jaime rape not being mentioned

loved the meereen scene tbh but the english on the wall almost ruined the whole thing

ghost being captured and jon not making a fuss about that AT ALL and jon knowing about bran and fuxking bran being at crasters keep when they should be in a completely different area ugh