[BOOK AND TV SPOILERS] Larry's reviews at OtakuAssemble.

[Arkash]

Well, that's why I much prefer reading the Unsullied... like I said above, they are much more interesting.

[johhny-turbo]

I think I can forgive Larry for some of the mess-ups he's made with regards to paying attention to the plot if only because I'm guilty of doing that myself sometimes when it comes to tv shows.

I really love the Unsullied and I think it's interesting how it seems there's a culture developing there of complete isolation from the books, unlike say, the Newbie review threads on AV Club where bookreads don't give future info but are often there explaining what just happened. As a side note I find it interesting that the more "casual" show-only fans like on the AV Club or tumblr (as well as Larry seemed to have enjoyed the shadow-creature whereas the Unsullied for the most part seemed to have hated it.

The only thing with the Unsullied is that I can tell that some bits of book info seemed to have passed through their blockade and it looks like some people are passing it off as their own speculation. Like I think someone proposed L+R=J after season one which I just think is impossible. Also someone proposed that maybe Jaime killed the 'Mad King' not because he wanted to impress the winning side but because he wanted to stop him from blowing up the whole city using wildfire and that Jaimie must secretly angst over his oathbreaking. I'm also curious as to how they developed their name of "Unsullied" though I do think it's possible for that to be a legitimate coincidence (nonetheless it'd be interesting to see their reaction once we meet everyone's favorite band of eunuch super-spartans).

[Warg Arry]

Protar wrote:

I have been enjoying Larry William's GOT reviews on Otaku Assemble. I don't agree with all he says and he does not take criticism well but he raised a good point in his most recent review. A lot of the fat could have been trimmed from the first two episodes with the major scenes consolidated into one awesome first episode.

I thought I would respond here. Since there is a Larry thread. And didn't want to derail the youtube linking. I love your Avatar by the way.

I both agree and disagree.

I'm not sure if you are a book reader. It doesn't matter. But I have to say that personally as a person who has read the books extensively. I loved the season episodes we have gotten so far.

The things that Larry listed as his issue. For the most part I disagree with because I know (Or at least I feel I do) What all of it is being used/set up for.

Half the time I feel like yelling. "Geez Larry have you not learnt that this story isn't an episode or even a season resolution type formula? Be patient and try to take in as much as you can. Always think that 'there is a reason'."

And then I remember that he is a set of fresh eyes. He can only judge by what he is watching. He is an avid TV viewer and has come to expect a certain set of specific show formulas to his viewing experience.

This part makes me sad. Because it reflects how well or poorly the story is being conveyed to the newcomer. The show only viewers.

I personally feel that D&D and everyone involved are doing a phenomenal job adapting these books. It would be no easy task.

But it is clear that some of the necessary moments and setups are being lost on some or they don't get the moments have significance and lose interest. Which causes a disconnect and lost connections to events that have happened or will happen.

I think another thing that may skew Larry's view is his education. Season 1 he was doing an arts degree. He was producing paintings and drawings. (He really is very talented.) But after season 1 he changed his major to writing.

You'll now often hear him talk of pacing and continuity. And reference "Writing 101" He has also written movie reviews and this new back ground has lead to a bit of a simplistic "I'm a professional expert" leaning to his reviews.

I'm not saying he is wrong. He gets some things right and says things that are on the head but an unpopular opinion for a fandom.

He has colour to his glasses when he Views GoT now and this has taken a lot away from his "fresh view" perspective. It's probably not something he can help anymore.

But what most people want is someone to fan out with. And season 1 he was that guy. He mirrored a lot of the enthusiasm of fans and reflected back an infectious passion.

Perhaps the 9th episode of S1 also made him colder to the process this story takes you through. Which also mirrors a lot of peoples experience of never being able to trust again.

Either way he isn't going to be the same reviewer we loved from S1. So I've had to change the reason why I go to watch his reaction/recap videos.

Because when he does love something he does show it. It's just now he is more prone to criticise before he will express enjoyment.

[Nuttz]

I always viewed him as the average viewer: someone without the knowledge of what happens in the books, who's doesn't dissect the story as intricately as those as TWoP do. Lately he's tried to give professional writers lessons on how to do their job which is a bit silly. He has a very basic understanding of the technical aspects of storytelling so it makes his review a bit frustrating. He has some valid points but the way he frames it around the whole "I think I know what I'm talking about" facade is a bit annoying. His idea of writing 101 is just plain wrong :P

[protar]

Protar wrote:

I thought I would respond here. Since there is a Larry thread. And didn't want to derail the youtube linking. I love your Avatar by the way.

I both agree and disagree.

I'm not sure if you are a book reader. It doesn't matter. But I have to say that personally as a person who has read the books extensively. I loved the season episodes we have gotten so far.

The things that Larry listed as his issue. For the most part I disagree with because I know (Or at least I feel I do) What all of it is being used/set up for.

Half the time I feel like yelling. "Geez Larry have you not learnt that this story isn't an episode or even a season resolution type formula? Be patient and try to take in as much as you can. Always think that 'there is a reason'."

And then I remember that he is a set of fresh eyes. He can only judge by what he is watching. He is an avid TV viewer and has come to expect a certain set of specific show formulas to his viewing experience.

This part makes me sad. Because it reflects how well or poorly the story is being conveyed to the newcomer. The show only viewers.

I personally feel that D&D and everyone involved are doing a phenomenal job adapting these books. It would be no easy task.

But it is clear that some of the necessary moments and setups are being lost on some or they don't get the moments have significance and lose interest. Which causes a disconnect and lost connections to events that have happened or will happen.

I think another thing that may skew Larry's view is his education. Season 1 he was doing an arts degree. He was producing paintings and drawings. (He really is very talented.) But after season 1 he changed his major to writing.

You'll now often hear him talk of pacing and continuity. And reference "Writing 101" He has also written movie reviews and this new back ground has lead to a bit of a simplistic "I'm a professional expert" leaning to his reviews.

I'm not saying he is wrong. He gets some things right and says things that are on the head but an unpopular opinion for a fandom.

He has colour to his glasses when he Views GoT now and this has taken a lot away from his "fresh view" perspective. It's probably not something he can help anymore.

But what most people want is someone to fan out with. And season 1 he was that guy. He mirrored a lot of the enthusiasm of fans and reflected back an infectious passion.

Perhaps the 9th episode of S1 also made him colder to the process this story takes you through. Which also mirrors a lot of peoples experience of never being able to trust again.

Either way he isn't going to be the same reviewer we loved from S1. So I've had to change the reason why I go to watch his reaction/recap videos.

Because when he does love something he does show it. It's just now he is more prone to criticise before he will express enjoyment.

I am a book reader, and so far S3 has been very good in my opinion. But I have plenty of criticisms nonetheless. I think it's important not to put things on a pedestal. I go into quite a lot more detail in my blog, just to shamelessly self-promote :P but my main issue so far has been the slow pace and redundant scenes, especially in KL.

I think you're right about Larry being a different reviewer than he was in S1, but I think that's inevitable. No matter what the honeymoon phase is going to end and you're going to see flaws with things because they're always there. This combines with Ned's death, Larry's change in education as you say and imo the fact that S2 plain wasn't as good to make him more jaded and critical. But I think it's clear he still likes the show very much. It was good to see him gushing over QOT in this episode's review. He was enthusiastic and it showed.

As to his criticisms: Well his first was that the time lines were off in the premiere. And I'm just like "Larry what show have you been watching?" this show has always played fast and loose with the timelines. And in any case the Sam and Jon scenes happen first and then we move onto the other plots. So it's perfectly reasonable to think that those two plots happened right after and that there was a gap between them and the rest of the episode.

But his criticisms about pace are perfectly valid. Ironically I would say a lot of his criticisms for episode 1 fit better with episode 2 but I do agree with him that for the most part episodes 1 and 2 could have been condensed into one episode. Or at least a lot of episode 2 should have been in the premiere. I'm tempted to do a hypothetical scene-by-scene of how Episode 1 could have been but that's a tad off-topic and self-indulgent imo.

[Mr Fixit]

(...) I do agree with him that for the most part episodes 1 and 2 could have been condensed into one episode. Or at least a lot of episode 2 should have been in the premiere. I'm tempted to do a hypothetical scene-by-scene of how Episode 1 could have been but that's a tad off-topic and self-indulgent imo.

I came to the same conclusion. I believe D&D should be less afraid of leaving certain characters out of an episode. Jon and the Night's Watch, for example, had very little material this episode (we were basically just checking in on them). Wouldn't it be better to move those scenes in E1, thus giving that episode a bit more Beyond the Wall stuff, just like Daenerys had plenty material in E1 but was sitting this one out?

Also, Theon. Those two tiny scenes were just too short. It would make more sense to move them to Episode 3 with whatever scenes are already there, thereby giving him a more substantial part.

Robb nad Cat are also pretty slight in these two episodes. Pehaps move his one E1 Harrenhal scene at the beginning of E2?

[I hate Dorn]

Larry is a train wreck. I always tune in, can't always get through to the end, and find myself grimacing many times throughout. He really focuses on the dumbest things. And he has this habit of shrugging his shoulders and flicking his hands in the air over and over, as if every time he does it, it makes the point he just tried to make, that much better......and the point was usually really muddy and stupid

A few video reviewers I've found to be pretty good as far as a non-reader/reader mix, are...

WhatTheFlick:

IGN:

ThinkHero: http://www.youtube.com/user/ThinkHeroTV?feature=watch

AnimatedRealTalk:

^ ^ ^ ^

That last one....stick with it. You may get the idea that they don't know a damn thing about what they're talking about at first, but they're actually pretty good at keeping up with everything and give some pretty interesting thoughts in an entertaining way

[buff daddy]

Larry's awesome, I love his reviews.

[Aegnor]

He can be hilariously wrong about certain stuff. Like he said he wasn't looking forward to this season as much because it didn't look like there was going to be many new characters. Lol...there's something like 24 new characters this season.

[protar]

He can be hilariously wrong about certain stuff. Like he said he wasn't looking forward to this season as much because it didn't look like there was going to be many new characters. Lol...there's something like 24 new characters this season.

I think his specific complaint was that he had been looking forward to the Martells but saw they weren't cast this season.

[History of Westeros]

We had Larry as a guest on the History of Westeros podcast, and he was great.

I was really unsure how it would go, my partner invited him, and it took me a while to figure out how we'd do the show. The problem is that we like to get *very* detailed, and since he's only seen the show that presented a challenge.

We decided the best plan was to discuss minor houses, as there were sufficient examples of minor houses playing significant roles: Mormont, Cassel, Clegane, Payne & Tarly. We focused a bit on how GRRM makes even the 3rd and 4th tier characters believable and full of depth, and were happy with how the discussion went. Of course, we also dropped a ton of detail that someone like Larry wouldn't have heard before, but that's how we do things on our show.

Larry had some really good insights, and his "fresh" (no books read) take was a great balance to my very developed one. Our discussion comparing Sandor - the most disillusioned character in the books...to Sansa - the character who most has (though less and less all the time) her head in the clouds, went particularly well. He showed pretty well that one needn't be an expert on the books to have good insights on psychology and storylines, or what makes good writing, etc.

Here's a link for those interested: http://tinyurl.com/coww9ht. More links in my .sig file.

[buff daddy]

We had Larry as a guest on the History of Westeros podcast, and he was great.

Here's a link for those interested: http://tinyurl.com/coww9ht. More links in my .sig file.

Never knew this podcast existed before, I'm glad you posted this. One of my favorite things about the books is all the history, background, and prophecies, etc. that make Westeros feel so real and lived in as a world, so I should enjoy this.

[History of Westeros]

Never knew this podcast existed before, I'm glad you posted this. One of my favorite things about the books is all the history, background, and prophecies, etc. that make Westeros feel so real and lived in as a world, so I should enjoy this.

Hope you enjoy it!

[Warg Arry]

I just wanted to say thanks too. I have about 3 GoT Podcasts that are my go to. I was looking for more. This sounds perfect. Going to listen now.

[Horus Ex Machina]

Well, the character I enjoy less is Brienne but I dont hate her, just feel bored during most of her chapters in Feast...

Yeah, for me, watching his reviews are part of my tradition after an episode: Thronecast, Elio and Linda's review, Larry and "Watching the Throne".

Really curious to see how he will react to the news from the Stony Shore tommorow, or, well... Renly's scene !

Same here. I also appreciate Larry's newcomer perspective and it takes me back through some of the stages that I went through as a reader way back when. Although I'm now adding TYT's new weekly GoTs reviews to my routine.

[Horus Ex Machina]

We had Larry as a guest on the History of Westeros podcast, and he was great.

I was really unsure how it would go, my partner invited him, and it took me a while to figure out how we'd do the show. The problem is that we like to get *very* detailed, and since he's only seen the show that presented a challenge.

We decided the best plan was to discuss minor houses, as there were sufficient examples of minor houses playing significant roles: Mormont, Cassel, Clegane, Payne & Tarly. We focused a bit on how GRRM makes even the 3rd and 4th tier characters believable and full of depth, and were happy with how the discussion went. Of course, we also dropped a ton of detail that someone like Larry wouldn't have heard before, but that's how we do things on our show.

Larry had some really good insights, and his "fresh" (no books read) take was a great balance to my very developed one. Our discussion comparing Sandor - the most disillusioned character in the books...to Sansa - the character who most has (though less and less all the time) her head in the clouds, went particularly well. He showed pretty well that one needn't be an expert on the books to have good insights on psychology and storylines, or what makes good writing, etc.

Here's a link for those interested: http://tinyurl.com/coww9ht. More links in my .sig file.

Thanks for this. Are you on Itunes. I'll add you to my growing list of GoTs podcasts.

[Horus Ex Machina]

He hasn't been on facebook or twitter for a week now, hopefully a shadow hasn't slain him. Btw Sansa's actress follows him on twitter now.

:lol:

[TheEvilKing]

Watching the latest one and it really looks like he's jacking off. :ack:

[History of Westeros]

Thanks for this. Are you on Itunes. I'll add you to my growing list of GoTs podcasts.

We are on iTunes, yes. Just recorded our 27th episode: The History of the Kingsguard. It will be up later today/tonight.

There are several other GoT related podcasts, several of which I enjoy (and a few I've guested on) but I'm pretty sure we're the only ones who try to get really deep into the material, and certainly no one else focuses on history. We cover some current stuff, i.e episodes devoted to Varys & Illyrio. But mostly we do historical analysis.

[Jorah the Explorer]

Larry: "And that's because.. I don't know what the Greyjoys are supposed to be doing".

Don't worry Larry, no one does.