Who else was Shouting at their TV...

[Greywolf2375]

No thread is safe from nerdrage

or staying on topic

no, wasn't surprised or shouting - having them cut away and end just with her walking into the fire wouldn't have had any impact except "she lied to Jorah".

[CryFenril]

I think D&D knew that readers would never let them get away with not showing the dragons - we'd lynch them en masse if they tried to skip such a fantastic ending.

So I see the blackout as a nudge-nudge wink-wink to us rabid book fans, and a little heart-stopping something special for the non-readers to make sure the hook was set.

[Sturn]

Maybe the black is just a simpler way of protraying time passing as apposed to black plus big white letters saying, "Time Passes".

My first thought when watching it was that it was simpler SFX to pull off then flames. My second was that it may have been more obvious to understand for a viewing audience. Afterwards, Dany is not burnt but everything else is so she is obviously still alive and obviously there is some magic at work. If it ended with just flames around her (and no text saying she isn't burning at all), depending on how well they did it some viewing-only fans might have been confused. A.i. "Was she burning or not burning in those flames? Is she dead?"

[Delta1212]

I knew there'd be dragons, so it didn't get me, but it did get the two non-readers I was watching with. Twice, actually. First with the Night's Watch marching out from the wall. When it cut to black, they thought it was over (I think that was actually a more awesome last scene, or would have been if dragons weren't still required to show up at that point). Then again when it cut after she marched into the fire.

[Kaitscralt]

I thought they actually pulled a fade to black, and I did nearly scream.

[wolverine]

The fade out didn't even register to me because I was so certain they'd be showing the dragons.

The description on my TV included something about Dany finding new hope so it was pretty obvious we would see the dragons.

[Narrow C]

I wanted a little more from the scene in terms of her walking into the flames, but considering their history of cutting straight to the aftermath of something rather than showing it, I guess I'm fine with it...

[Salome the Persian Witch]

Must admit, I was a little grumpy at her just walking into the flames and then fade to black. I wanted to see this phenomenal alchemical/magical transformation. Eggs cracking, comets, stallions rising to the heavens, Dany in her power releasing the dragon dammit. I personally felt a little let down when they went straight to the next day. I'm also with another boarder who said "what the hell - they took a nap?" I don't know why everyone was asleep either, except maybe to be the white letters saying "time passes".

Regardless, I thought the dragons were very well done, and thought the last images/tableaus were stunning. I guess if they are going to cut out big budget stuff and only show the consequences, but put the cgi money into not cheesy 3 eyed crows and dragons, I can dig it.

[Ser Bronn o the Blackwater]

I'm somewhere in the middle of my latest re-read, and I don't seem to recall any mention of the comet at the end of AGoT. I thought the prologue in ACoK was when it was first mentioned...

[Asha—Not Yara!]

I thought the same Ser Bronn and went back and reread the chapter. Dany sees the comet before stepping into the fire and takes it as a sign she is doing the right thing. It's very easy to overlook in the reading though as it's not particularly emphasized, and it definitely didn't register to me despite having read it more than twice until I was specifically looking for it.

Anyway, it's a nice detail but not one I really feel was that important for them to put into the show. They can still have the comet appear in the beginning of the second season if they want. I still believe it's a natural phenomenon not tied to the dragons at all, but the superstitious people of Westeros and Essos liked to subscribe their own meanings to it nonetheless.

[Wembeley]

Yeah I can understand why some people might have been worried, but for me anyway it didn't even cross my mind that they wouldn't show the dragons. I assumed when it went black they'd quickly come back and show them.

Yeah, that was such an awesome scene and I was thinking I wonder how they are going to depict the dragons, I knew there had to be a cut, we couldn't wait around all day for the fire to die down. So I was just giddy with excitement. First I loved the whole buildup where she gave her speech "I AM the dragon's daughter" etc. so I was just so absorbed in the whole scene that I just took it in stride I was like ok cut to fire is now died down and then I see Ser Jorah's feet walking and I'm like here we go! And how awesome it was to see those dragons and her standing tall and everyone dropping to their knees and then those dragons were so cool and Drogon is flapping his wings and screeching followed by the other two and it is echoing across the valley. That was great. I was too awestruck and dying in anticipation to do anything but stare at the screen in anticipation. I didn't know if they would try to go cheap with the dragons but they were better than I could have even hoped for.

[SummerGhostofNymeria]

I wasn't yelling, I hadn't read the books yet at that point, but I had a pretty good feeling that she'd go into that fire and come out of it quite alright on the other end.

My only complaint is I want more... and I don't want to wait until next year for it.

[House Balstroko]

I really liked the ending where the camera pans out and you hear the dragon shouts before the closing off.

[Dragonstone]

I was disappointed in the scene, somewhat. In the books, it seems far more majestic. On TV, she walked into the fire and in the morning looked like a soot-covered (rape?) victim in the fetal position.

[Robin Of House Hill]

I feel bad, re-opening a thread that has been dormant for a while, but I came to see the series long after most. My other half got me the four books for my Amazon Kindle, as a Christmas gift, and in return, got a Kindle a couple of weeks later, as a birthday gift. I had already been reading the books at quite a brisk pace, when I learned the second season would start on April 1st. I had never considered HBO worth the money, but for this, there was nothing that would keep me from it. My cable company has the first season "on demand", so we started going all the episodes.

Yes, the book had things a bit grander, but when I saw Dany with the dragons, there were tears in my eyes. The music was perfect for the scene, as well.

[Darth Vader's Bastard]

I'm a little pissed about the lack of comet.

You mean the one at the beginning of every single episode during the opening sequence?

[jacky22]

I also found this series on HBO way after everyone else. In fairness, I was abroad but none the less our friends in L.A. were all about it. So when I came home and checked it out... also HBO on demand... I rushed to buy the books since day one and have watched the first season twice already. I'm well into the second book and have already purchased the third and fourth. I wasn't disappointed that the transformation wasn't shown though, I'm disappointed a little by bigger issues left out of the story line. I wish I had the book before watching the show, but alas- at least I've read book two and can't wait until April. I think showing Dany's transformation could easily have gone a bit cheesy, not to mention a very expensive three minutes for something just as easily implied. What's the deal with the black out? I hardly even noticed.

[kephv]

You mean the one at the beginning of every single episode during the opening sequence?

I think they mean the red comet that appeared in the sky before she lit the pyre.

[K1NGSLAYER]

I was fine with the fade to black, I would much rather them spend the money on making realistic looking dragons then them showing the scene, sure it would have looked awesome but I don't really think it was necessary. The way they did it was just fine, The scene with the dragons was stunning, I had goosebimps watching it. About the comet, I didn't even notice, I hope they show it in Season 2 though.

[Florentina]

I didn't care about the cut, but I didn't like the fact that her hair wasn't burned. The scene wasn't really thrilling at all. When I read the book I was so afraid she would die, but my boyfriend, who didn't read the books, knew that she was immune against fire in the frist place. He got that in the scene with the hot dragon egg that burns Dany's slave but doesn't harm her. So that destroyed that moment pretty much. And the hair of course. She should have lost her hair. :bang: