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Has anyone still not watched the show?


KSC

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My apologies if this has already been done. I attempted a search first, but the terms are kinda generic.

Okay, I don't know exactly what my issue is, but for some reason I'm totally unwilling to watch the HBO series. Nothing against the show or the cast, I just don't want actors replacing how I see the characters in my head, just yet. Maybe if the novels were finished, or I never planned on rereading them, I'd be more open to the idea, but as of now I'm really hesitant about it. Admittedly, there are a few casting choices that clash with how I originally perceived the characters, and some other issues due to budget constraints that I've read about online, but I don't think that's really a deal breaker for me. I'm not the irrational "fanboy" type who throws a fit because Wolverine isn't wearing yellow spandex. So long as adaptations aren't utter bastardizations of the source material, I'm generally accepting of them.

What's really odd is the fact that I've never once shied away from an adaptation of something I'd been a fan of in the past. Be it novel, comics, video game, whatever. Even when I know the movie/show is gonna suck I still watch without question. I guess I could justify that I have more vested in ASoIaF than say something like Resident Evil or Green Lantern, but then my total embracing of PJ's LOTR Trilogy would be in direction violation of that argument. I had been a Tolkien fan for more than a decade when the films were announced, yet I received them with open arms. I visited forums daily, kept up on casting, watched behind the scenes clips, and spent thousands on character collectibles which portrayed the actor's likenesses. After all was said and done, when I think about those characters, I do in fact "see" Viggo as Aragorn, Sir Ian as Gandalf, and many others, and I'm totally cool with that. Why I was so willing to accept the King of the West, but not the King of North is beyond me...?

I know the general consensus will most likely agree that I'm missing out or spiting myself, and I suppose I am. I won't lie, I am tempted, I just can't seem to pull the trigger on it. I was just curious if anyone else has (had) the same trepidations and what caused you to come around? Are there any others, for whatever reasons, abstaining from watching altogether?

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I'm jealous... you're the lucky one who still has 10 super exciting episodes to watch, you're in for a treat. If you liked what Jackson did with Lord of the rings you gonna love GOT by HBO!

Hold on as long as you want but sooner or later you should see it and you wont be dissapointed.

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I watched the show before I started reading, but if I had read the books first then there is no way I'd have been able to wait so long before starting to watch.

Plus, I really prefer having a proper view of who the character is rather than just a picture in my head.

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If you liked what Jackson did with Lord of the rings you gonna love GOT by HBO!

That's reassuring. I guess deep down I know I'll enjoy it, there's just something getting in my way. It could have something to do with the fact that it's an HBO show, and before GoT, there hasn't been a series of theirs that particularly caught my interest? I dunno. If these were films, I'd be first in line.

I guess at this point, I'll just wait for the blu-ray. In the interim I'll reread the books again. I know I won't be able to stay away during the next two seasons, so I might as well get on with it.

Plus, I really prefer having a proper view of who the character is rather than just a picture in my head.

I see Joffrey like this and you see him like this. There's no wrong interpretation, that's what makes reading so special.

I can understand where you're coming from, but to me, there really isn't a "proper view" of anything when reading fiction. It's all subjective to the readers imagination. Of course there are always going to be others who share a similar vision, but to the reader caught in the moment, it's a totally unique experience for that individual. I guess I'm just trying to hold onto that a little while longer.

This is nothing like Peter Jackson's hack job. Watch it and you will love it.

There's plenty of fans who disagree with PJ's vision (or lack there of), but I think the majority agree the casting and wardrobe was pretty great. I never once felt that someone looked particularly off to how I envisioned them from LOTR, but some of the GoT casting is a little suspect. Of course this is just initial observations from static promo shots, I'm sure my opinions will change when I get to watching. There's always HBO On-demand...

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I see Joffrey like this and you see him like this. There's no wrong interpretation, that's what makes reading so special.

But then you have already had outside influence on how you view the character. Unless you made that picture yourself, of course. Why wouldn't you accept the influence from the show, when you accept it from that artist? I like to have watched the show because I'm not all that good at imagining the characters when I read, and I'd rather have the depictions from the show than from the paintings. The ones from the show just feel more real.

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I haven't watched the show yet but its not from a lack of wanting to see it. Its just I refused to pay Comcast the $90 a month extra I would have paid to add HBO and a zillion other channels I don't want. And I refused to watch it illegally. And I knew no one in my area who would be watching it. I would have paid to download each episode individually in itunes but that wasn't an option. So I'm just waiting for the dvds sometime next spring. I'm okay with waiting...I mean its not like I don't know what happens.

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ned dies

Nooooo! :laugh:

@ Maginor:It was after the fact. Many artists have done interpretations of Joffery, that one just happens to be the closest to what I had imagined. Besides, single static images can be fleeting compared to actors walking and talking. That painting doesn't spring into my head the second I read about Joff, but when I read To Kill a Mockingbird, I see Gregory Peck every time. It's just one of those things.

Like I said, I'll do it eventually. I was just curious if anyone else out there was at all hesitant. I know from the art book preface that GRRM himself was dubious when approached by Fantasy Flight Games to do artwork for the card game. Sure, he has a hell of lot more vested than I do, but it's not a completely irriational stance.

@lady narcissa: You're gonna hate me. I work for the local cable company, I get every channal free. ;)

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Well like you a also was not to keen on the show for the same reasons as you. I was talked into it by a close friend who had read the books and liked the show and only started watching after 6 episodes had already aired.

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