December Fifith Promo.

[TheEvilKing]

This looks awesome. Loving Dany and Cersei. Also the dude playing Viserys is brilliant, I wish he wasn't doomed so early.

[Mya Stone]

I really cant tell, one moment he looks like Ned Bean the other not so much or not quite.

And he isnt wearing his hair like Ned Bean. Its loose while Ned has it pulled back.

Just to be obnoxiously nitpicky.

Just to be nitpicky, you mean Sean Bean. Or Ned Stark. :P

(Really, I was just being obnoxious in my "proof.")

[The SmilingKnight]

I think Ned Bean has some kind of ring to it. :D

[Commodore]

Renly is certainly not how I imagined, but no worries.

And from the books I remember Gendry being described as ripped for someone so young, because of his profession. That guy looked normal if not skinny.

[mormont]

It's very definitely Sean Bean in that pic.

[straphe]

Hiya there.

So, this is my fourth post, and I'm gonna complain. :) Which is odd, because I'm not your typical naysayer when it comes to aSoIaF -- I love the books, I'm currently re-reading AGoT (I've read the series for the first time during the summer, all four books back to back, it was quite a ride), and I've loved every bit of the show so far. I didn't "gate" over anything, and although I had my own little doubts about Michelle Fairley as Catelyn, I've now made my peace with her, mainly because she's awesome. :)

Today I was up and about at 6 AM (my time), one hour earlier than usual, just to see the Inside Game of Thrones before school. I watched it, then went back to bed. I wasn't impressed. I was like, "Okay. Now what?". So, when I came home, I watched it again. Aaaand here comes my bitchin'. :)

There's one scene with Ned and Littlefinger -- the one that takes place in the Tower of the Hand in the books, but got moved to the garden for the show, where Littlefinger asks Ned whether he has someone in his service whom he trusts completely, and Ned says yes. Well, it's one of my favourite scenes in the book, I think it's just excellently written, but... it came off really cheesy in the video. I don't know if it's Aiden Gillen's tone, or his voice, or the way he says the line, but it reminded me of all those overdramatic and corny lines in your below average fantasy. And even when he says his "Distrusting me..." thing, I know it should be witty and Littlefinger-ish, but... It's just corny.

I love the Starks. Sean Bean as Ned Stark is perfect (but everybody knows this, why am I wasting my time? :), and the children are wonderdul. I'm gonna have a hard time hating Bran's and Arya's storyline, now that the actors playing them are so brilliant. And Jon... wow. I'm heterosexual, but oh my god, Kit Harrington is beyond perfect as Jon Snow. :D

I also love the Lannisters. Tyrion is spot on (but again, everybody knows this), and Jaime's excellent as well. Nikolaj has just the perfect amount of smugness and self-centernedness (is that even a word?) that's needed to be authentic as Jaime. Or maybe he can act. Anyway, I can't wait to see Charles Dance as Tywin. I had seome problems regarding Lena Headey as Queen Cersei, because in every picture so far, she had this "oh, look at me, I'm completely and utterly maaaaad" look on her face, and in every interview she says that Cersei's basically mad. I don't like that, because I think she's one of the most lucid characters in the Seven Kingdoms during the first two, maybe three books. Anyway, the scenes with her reassured me a bit, and I'm happy again. :) And I've got to say, I love how Robert looks. He doesn't look like a king at all, and that's good.

And I also love the Targaryens. :D I just can't praise Emilia Clarke enough, and all those people who say that she has an indecent posture and dark eyebrows and whatnot -- well, they just don't see her for what she is. Harry Lloyd really captures that deep madness that drives Viserys, and you can just see his temper rise in the scene with Dany.

Okay then. Now I just sit back and enjoy the marketing ride HBO gives up. And I wait for April. Winter is Coming... in April. :)

[JungianQueen]

Wonderful screenshot of Catelyn. I think she is definitely rockin' the MILF look. :)

http://www.westeros.org/GoT/Graphics/Gallery/Previews/GameOfThrones_Preview02_Screencap_17.jpg

And I did make one small mention of Dany's posture, but it seemed more like the actress in a moment she wasn't actually on screen. I love her either way. She has the most haunting eyes.

I can't wait to see Charles Dance as Tywin.

Meeee tooooooooo!

:thumbsup:

[Mauvka]

Wow--this has really appeased most of the doubts I had about the show--Dany and all. Viserys is amazing. Beautiful promo! Have they announced the air date for the pilot?

[Werthead]

Regarding the shot of Varys and Ned talking and it not matching the Red Keep's geography in the books, is it possible that is Varys's chambers or a neutral meeting ground rather than the Tower of the Hand? Or maybe the Tower has stairs up to the roof from Ned's audience chamber?

[Lord Varys]

Varys chambers supposedly are cold, empty, small, and with only that dreadful stone bed in it. But Ned is seen sitting at a desk in that room. So it's most likely neither Varys' 'office', nor a neutral meeting ground.

I thought it might have been their take on Varys' nightly visit of Ned in his chambers during the Tourney of the Hand. Jory could have brought Varys to Ned's chambers (and Ned is already sitting in there). But it would be really better if that scene was with Varys being disguised, and Ned not being aware of his identity until he starts to talk.

But there could be really another additional scene with Varys and Ned beyond that. Say, Varys cautioning Ned to not make a mistake if he should figure certain things out. Or Varys is briefing Ned beforehand on any news about the Targaryen development, preparing him for Robert's rigid view of this topic.

[Brude]

Im sorry i should have elaborated. He looks ridiculous because he is wearing eye makeup!

Removal of braids and bells is silly to me because its an important part of Dothraki identity.

I dont see what is gained by removing those.

It is a very distinct and original element apart from speaking loudly how Dothraki see battle and represent their fearlessness.

I actually like the Drogo/Dothraki look. He looks nothing like he did in the Star Gate stuff, or the Conan shots (which is especially important for the latter), and he looks suitably from an 'alien' culture - one that nobody watching will find familiar, I don't think. That's important, too.

I would like it if they kept the bells and braid, but it's not the end of the world. It might have been one of those things where they tried testing various styles with the bells and braid and it just didn't work on screen, or they couldn't find a way to style it and still keep him looking like a badass. These things are played with a lot when gearing up for a shoot and sometimes things don't look as you intended or imagined, so you have to try something else. We don't know if this is what happened, but I think it's quite possible.

I got a screenshot of one of the Godswood Heart Tree faces. Looks like they are going with a Celtic Green Man motif for that (and by extension, presumably for the First Men too?). I always imagined something more old and gnarled, rather like the faces of the Ents in LotR, but maybe they were actively trying to avoid comparisons to that so people didn't keep waiting for the Weirwoods to suddenly 'wake-up' and start moving or talking (though who knows, maybe that will yet happens...but I doubt it).

[Lord Toblerone]

I noticed something else while watching it again - when Ned's cleaning Ice in the Godswood - with the heart tree behind him. The face is very Green Man ish, different from the simple gash eyes and mouth, red with sap as described in the books

- and Brude got there ahead of me :rolleyes:

[Padraig]

There's one scene with Ned and Littlefinger -- the one that takes place in the Tower of the Hand in the books, but got moved to the garden for the show, where Littlefinger asks Ned whether he has someone in his service whom he trusts completely, and Ned says yes. Well, it's one of my favourite scenes in the book, I think it's just excellently written, but... it came off really cheesy in the video. I don't know if it's Aiden Gillen's tone, or his voice, or the way he says the line, but it reminded me of all those overdramatic and corny lines in your below average fantasy.

Yes. I noticed that the first time I saw the trailer. I think it has something to do with LF's voice. Probably need to get used to it. Very jaunty. But seeing a bunch of clips all thrown together can have that effect I suppose. Things can stand out more.

I had been warned that Gendry wasn't the very muscled guy from the books, so I actually expected him to look a lot less muscled than he actually was. Not that its an important issue.

[Commodore]

There's one scene with Ned and Littlefinger -- the one that takes place in the Tower of the Hand in the books, but got moved to the garden for the show, where Littlefinger asks Ned whether he has someone in his service whom he trusts completely, and Ned says yes. Well, it's one of my favourite scenes in the book, I think it's just excellently written, but... it came off really cheesy in the video. I don't know if it's Aiden Gillen's tone, or his voice, or the way he says the line, but it reminded me of all those overdramatic and corny lines in your below average fantasy. And even when he says his "Distrusting me..." thing, I know it should be witty and Littlefinger-ish, but... It's just corny.

This is absolutely true. It's a combination of the dialogue itself, which works when reading but sounds cheesy on camera, and Gillen just delivering it poorly, and then walking off in cheesy dramatic fasion.

The scene with Benjen and Jon is similarly corny.

But occasional cheesiness is ok (look at the cheesy lines in Lost/Walking Dead/True Blood), alot of casual tv viewers like that sort of thing. In small doses, it's not a big deal.

[Gabriele]

Thanks!

Not sure this is Viserys?

http://images.4chan.org/tv/src/1291603582110.jpg

Could be a flashback sequence.

Anyone else getting a 404 Error for all 4chan images?

[mormont]

I would like it if they kept the bells and braid, but it's not the end of the world. It might have been one of those things where they tried testing various styles with the bells and braid and it just didn't work on screen, or they couldn't find a way to style it and still keep him looking like a badass. These things are played with a lot when gearing up for a shoot and sometimes things don't look as you intended or imagined, so you have to try something else. We don't know if this is what happened, but I think it's quite possible.

I tend to wonder if it was a sound problem, myself: if the bells actually made any noise, no matter how soft, it could be very distracting both to the actors on a shoot and to the viewer on screen. That's the kind of problem you don't have on a page. ;)

[Lady Blackfish]

The scene with Benjen and Jon is similarly corny.

That one seemed a victim of editing, seems like they cut out some natural pauses. It may flow differently when it plays out on the show?

[Lord Godric]

Wow. Renly certainly is not what I expected, but again, I'm not worried as long as he acts the part.

[jurble]

Whoa, is the site all blue for anyone else?

Anyway, no one else cares that GRRM said Jon and Robb are as close as brothers!? He's clearly saying R+L=J, since he didn't say "as close as brothers can be."

[alguien]

I wonder what GRRM's thoughts were on inserting a more physical rivalry between Jaime and Eddard.