All-purpose TV nitpick extravaganza thread.

[Gertrude]

Agree with Aly - Cersei's elaborate wigs look really bad. Dunno - maybe they can pull it off with lighting or whatever magic tricks they use, but I don't like what I've seen so far.

[Tb0ne]

So the only thing that really, really got to me in the 'Making of A Game of Thrones' was Dinklage's 'british' accent.

Am I the only one?

I'll just say I hope it improves dramatically over the course of the series and I would be surprised if it doesn't.

The art department choices for the Dothraki are consistently like nails on a chalkboard for me. They don't make ANY sense for a powerful nomadic society of their scale, and obviously they don't match the books.

I know, it's fantasy and doesn't have to reflect our world, but ASoIAF has always more or less followed the basic logic that tends to influence human social behavior and I can't think of a single human society of the Dothraki scale that had such absurdly poor workmanship in their material culture. It makes even less sense when you consider that the Dorthraki are raiders who pillage and trade goods - not only with other nomadic groups, but with highly advanced civilizations.

There is absolutely no logic to their appearance, other then to provide a reeeally condescending (and offensive) shorthand that they are supposed to be "primitive." Honestly, the books are orientalist enough... HBO doesn't need to step it onto a nonsensical overdrive. It's kinda racist, and it's really implausible.

Agreed. For me at least it also doesn't help that few if any of the Dothraki look Native American/Mongolian. When I first read that the casting calls weren't holding to the book description I actually thought it would work but right now it just makes them look far less convincing as a real culture.

I'm somewhat disappointed with the art direction I've seen overall. Verisimilitude is important in this series, four legged dragons with an extra set of limbs attached to their scapula's wont cut it, neither will dragon skulls that don't look like they are from real animals.

[Padraig]

neither will dragon skulls that don't look like they are from real animals.

Admittedly, that part is going to be difficult. :P

[Xanrn]

Not really, plenty of lizard skulls lying about.

Something like a T-Rex or a Spinosaur skull. Scan in 3d, stretch, enlarge etc, boom dragon skull.

The Dorathki look like Xena rejects and which lazy fool gave them Khopeshes... But they are pretty backwards, pack of jackals.

The Mountain that Rides has a bin with some eyeholes cut for a helmet and in the last preview when he is galloping along, has no goddam throat protection at the same tourney he kills someone with improperly equipped gorget.

The Lannister armour, ok its passable, the stupid helmet is not.

Also the Kingsguard armour is hideous.

Also Ned is not skinny, he is slim for a medieval noble man. Which is the same as a slim for a Professional Wrestler or Rugby/American Rugby player.

[Padraig]

Something like a T-Rex or a Spinosaur skull. Scan in 3d, stretch, enlarge etc, boom dragon skull.

Until people start complaining about how the dragon skull looks like a dinosaur. :P

But that's what this thread is about. :)

[HT Reddy]

So the only thing that really, really got to me in the 'Making of A Game of Thrones' was Dinklage's 'british' accent.

Am I the only one?

Dinklage's accent in that clip is hilarious. I happen actually to quite like it - it certainly sounds nothing like any British accent, but since Westeros isn't modern Britain, it doesn't need to, what's important is whether it will hinder the suspension of disbelief, and although i think it's a funny accent, I don't think it will for me, so I don't mind. All that said, it probably would be for the best if his accent became more natural over time.

[About Yea High]

Regarding Dinklage's accent: I was at the 15-minute sneak preview on Thursday, and they showed a nice chunk of the "Morning after" Lannister breakfast at Winterfell scene, where Tyrion verbally jousts with Cersei and Jaime, and mucks about with Myrcella and Tommen.

Dinklage went through about three different British accents, depending on who who he was speaking to / what he was speaking about (I think he donned Captain Jack Sparrow for a joking comment he made to Tommen), and it was friggin' great. It was basically Tyrion at his best, a little whirlwind of verbal energy, performing and pontificating, and it really felt as though someone had dropped a camera right in the middle of an actual Lannister breakfast. Perfect.

I had some small worries after hearing his accent in the Jon Snow fireside scene (someone mentioned he sounded a little like Dotrice's vaguely leprechaun Tyrion, and that wasn't too far off), but not any more.

I can't wait for more Tyrion scenes.

[smegma]

Agree with Aly - Cersei's elaborate wigs look really bad. Dunno - maybe they can pull it off with lighting or whatever magic tricks they use, but I don't like what I've seen so far.

I think her one elaborate wig was supposed to look like a wig - like an accessory. I think her other hair, down, looks fine.

Oh man, I just had to add that since I've started watching Battlestar Gallactica all I can think about is how many people wanted Tricia Helfer in the role of Cersei (I believe she even read for the role) but how very very very glad I am that they went with Lena Headley. I can't even possibly see Helfer in the role - not that she's a terrible actress, but she's just so - modern and American (well, Canadian) appearing and speaking. Just absolutely not at all what I would have wanted out of Cersei and I think Lena Headley was my top choice so yay!

[Padraig]

Dinklage went through about three different British accents, depending on who who he was speaking to / what he was speaking about (I think he donned Captain Jack Sparrow for a joking comment he made to Tommen), and it was friggin' great. It was basically Tyrion at his best, a little whirlwind of verbal energy, performing and pontificating, and it really felt as though someone had dropped a camera right in the middle of an actual Lannister breakfast. Perfect.

Interesting info. Thanks. :) I could see how that would work.

[Tall Tyrion Lannister!]

Cersei's hair looks fine when it's down, but fake as hell when it's up.

[Sekhmet]

Cersei's hair looks fine when it's down, but fake as hell when it's up.

As someone else pointed out, wigs at court affairs have been a woman's prerogative for eons, right back to the Egyptians. So maybe it's not a big deal.

[Gertrude]

I thought about the wigs being purposefully fake, and it's plausible ... maybe. It's just that all of the up-dos look really bad. On the other hand, the color of her wigs is a lot blonder than her hair down. I'd like to see some other court ladies to compare looks with to see if it a fashion. Haven't seen one on Cat, but that's an unfair comparison as I doubt the North would be up on, nor care about, court fashions. Sansa is an unfair comparison too as she is still a maid.

It would be an interesting path to take costume-wise, but doesn't seem to fit Cersei. She is proud of her looks and her golden mane. I can't see her following that fashion as she has glorious natural assets - why follow a trend that dims her light and puts her on equal footing as other women who might not have such beautiful hair. Out of character IMO.

eta: Unless the wigs are worm only on very special occasions to show off her wealth. That might be a motivation, but I still say she would go out of her way to show that she doesn't need to wear a wig, other than to awe others.

[Lady Blackfish]

Yeah, I always imagined that Cersei would take every chance she had to show off her golden locks, she's just an ostentatious individual (though not as gaudy and tacky as Lysa) and also the kind of woman who wants to pull off "I'm Still Twenty" as long as possible. I liked Lena's hair the best in the shots from the royals' arrival, and the wig looks fine enough when it's just worn down too, though not exactly how I imagined Cersei. When it's up, I agree it looks a bit ridiculous. At least it's feasible that she'd be following fashion.

[FatCatOberyn]

The only problem I have so far is that they renamed Robert Arryn. I don't know why the people on television seem to think that we, the audience, are too stupid to follow up on a plot which has two characters with same names.

But that's a small problem.

The scenes of the North, on the other hand... are a slightly larger problem. I understand how the forest near Winterfell might not have snow, hell, it isn't *that* cold over there, but when Tyrion and Jon go to the Wall? The *WALL*!? The snow there was a must-be! It's a good thing they didn't decide to make a non-snowy wall as well.

The weather seems to be quite messed up in KL too. The scene where Ned and Jaime meet should have been rainy... and Ned should have been on horseback. I don't mind them making Ned a bit more of a fighter, as long as Jaime beats him.

But, thanks to the general awesomeness of everything else in the series, I hereby formally forgive HBO all the weather transgressions.

*But* I have yet another problem. Not so much a problem as a worry. I get the feeling that there are going to be more Lannister scenes then there were in the book. I'm fine with that, because I love Cersei, I love Jaime, and I love Tyrion. I just hope that these new scenes don't portray these characters as something they weren't in the books.

Overall, I believe that HBO got it right. But I hoped that the show would premiere during winter... this way, we get "spring is coming".... but what an awesome spring will it be!

[Bloodymummer]

So the only thing that really, really got to me in the 'Making of A Game of Thrones' was Dinklage's 'british' accent.

Am I the only one?

I don't think it's all that bad. Maybe it's just the US getting even for Dominic West and his butchery of the Baltimore accent. Although, I thought Gillen and Elba were perfect.

Are we all setting the standards of appearance a little too high? Picturing something in your head and finally seeing it in front of you are rarely the same image.

[Ran]

George has again cautioned folks that the show is not going to be The Lord of the Rings for budget reasons. Same thing David Benioff told the reporters and myself, pretty much, that they're just not going to match the scale or quantity of effects that LotR packed into each hour of film.

Never the less, he thinks it'll be regarded as the best-looking fantasy ever seen on television, and it does seem to have fair odds of achieving that.

[Werthead]

Never the less, he thinks it'll be regarded as the best-looking fantasy ever seen on television, and it does seem to have fair odds of achieving that.

Well, yeah, when your contenders are Merlin, Xena, Hercules and Legend of the Seeker, that won't be a problem ;)

The last secondary-world fantasy on TV that had anything even remotely approaching GoT's budget-per-hour (and I suspect it was still a lot less) was the BBC's adaptation of Gormenghast from ten years ago (which I thought was pretty good, though nothing like the gargantuam gothicness of the books).

[Ran]

Of course, can't rule out Camelot, which sounds like it had a very similar budget and does seem to have potential (visually -- I really do love the greenery in Camelot proper).

But ... it's HBO, they're not ones for getting beaten in the visuals area.

[Tall Tyrion Lannister!]

I don't really like that they cut Joffrey's hair. I thought the long locks gave him a more prince-ish look.

[nihil]

I was reminded of this while watching the new "Iron Throne" trailer: I really hate Aidan Gillen's delivery of those lines re: trust in that scene with Eddard. Not nearly glib enough... I read one critic's opinion on the trailers that some of the acting was overly "reverent and airless," and that was the scene I immediately thought of. I want Littlefinger to have been more flippant throughout - as though he is teasing/mocking Eddard, not seriously trying to give him counsel. They keep playing up that one line ("Not trusting me was the wisest thing you've done..."), and it's a good line, a great summary of the show, but that delivery - argh! It only tweaked me a little the first time that I heard it, but after rewatching the 10 minute promo [redacted] times it has really started to grate, like nearly as bad as the "toad that gets struck by lightning" line from the X-Men movie (well, not quite that bad), so much that I now find myself ranting uselessly against it on the internet. Maybe this will get it off my chest so I can go back to thinking about how the actor playing Jaime is absolutely killing it.