[Book Spoilers] season 2 grade

[Lord Godric]

Honestly, this show could never get anything below an A for me.

I have minor problems with certain aspects, but it's the best thing on TV.

[Sun]

Honestly, this show could never get anything below an A for me.

I have minor problems with certain aspects, but it's the best thing on TV.

i wish I could say that, I really really do, but sadly I can't. Don't get me wrong, I like the show a lot, I even love certain aspects of it. However, this year alone, I've enjoyed Mad Men, Justified, Spartacus Vengence, and Sherlock a lot more than I have GOT S2.

[johnnysd]

well perhaps if i was able to completely separate the tv show from the book, but i find it impossible not to compare the two. and i feel like hbo has made it especially hard seeing as they made so many changes. doing that just begs for those who are familiar with both to contrast the two. quite frankley, i haven't trusted D&D since the little finger/ros scene in season 1, and there's been a number of things this season which have given me more reason to distrust them when they stray from the source.

well perhaps if i was able to completely separate the tv show from the book, but i find it impossible not to compare the two. and i feel like hbo has made it especially hard seeing as they made so many changes. doing that just begs for those who are familiar with both to contrast the two. quite frankley, i haven't trusted D&D since the little finger/ros scene in season 1, and there's been a number of things this season which have given me more reason to distrust them when they stray from the source.

I have read the books 3 times, first one 4 and I have to say in all seriousness that I think that the show has hit every single MAJOR plot point of the books. I really cannot think of one they took out, maybe Ramsay but Theon's arc was the same and he is coming next year.

If someone were to read the books only ONCE, they might think that the books were a literal adaptation of the novels.

I think it is unbelievably faithful to the books. Ridiculously so

For my grades:

Season 1: A+

Season 2 A+ (but a tad behind season 1)

Numerically might be better:

Season 1 99

Season 2 96

[TeamDanyArya]

Season 1: A Out of the three shows that premired on premium roughly around that time frame last year (Camelot, The Borgias, and GOT), this was what got me hooked from minute one. Best TV show currently on.

Season 2: B They made my least favorite of the 5 books more interesting. And, yes, still the best TV show currenlty on.

[moonsblood]

S1:A+

S2:C

[Istakhr]

I am not sure about the definition of an adaptation, so I am trying to only review this as a standalone show considering it completely unrelated to ASoIaF series:

Season 1: A-

Very good show all around, too much exposition, faux medieval set up executed brilliantly, the Dothraki can only be considered a poor parody of a nomadic culture, inconsistent tone of the show switching between mostly a serious show and a fluff piece

Compared to other shows in the same category: Better than Mad Men, not as good as Breaking Bad

Season 2: B

Good show, A clear fluff show, a glorious jumble of violence, magic, nudity and great one liners, the general tone of the show is now a much more consistent fluff show but sometimes it still takes itself too seriously with underusing fun characters for the sake of plot (They could have kept Renly longer, or brought Dany to Westeros, Jon could have met Ygritte sooner) , Great collection of cool scenes

Compared to other shows in the same category: Better than True Blood and Spartacus

General Complaint: The complete change of tone, plot, character development between season 1 and 2. They shouldn't try to change the general tone of the show again for the next season. This is something that is simply not done in any TV show and can take the viewer out of the experience and is very confusing.

[Zod]

D (on a grade scale that typically means between 70 to 75 out of 100).

There were lots of really great scenes in almost every episode, but also lots of really questionable changes and plenty of bad scenes even disregarding the books. Blackwater was awesome, but I have no real desire to watch any of the other episodes again any time soon.

What grade scale are you going by???

D on the grade scale is between 50 to 59, depending on whether it is D-, simply D, or D+.

A 70 to 75 would be a B- to a B.

Which one were you going for? The 55 grade score or the B-grade?

[Jayaris]

Personally, I'm going to have to give it a Y(My Season 1 Rating is an A+ (Relevant, so you put more weight into my Y rating)) - Cause I want you to be both shocked and awed by the lowness of my rating and also to understand that I'm quite upset about the way the Season quality has dropped.

Despite my Y rating I will say as a whole I enjoyed everything in the show other than some minor/moderate story inconsistencies, unfortunately I'm slightly retarded and arbitrarily assign letters with no thought to my actual rating.

Oh well, I suppose that's my life now - I better keep complaining about the show until the next season (I think I will drop my Y rating down to an X after a few months to keep things fresh (I'll attribute it to re-watches)).

[kephv]

7/10. They really dropped the ball on too many character's storylines this season. Sad because the first season was a 10 for me.

[Gryz the BlackSmith]

When I first watched GoT with no knowledge of it ever having existed beforehand I thought it was the most pants-shittingly amazing TV show ever, I gave it a raving A+ and forced all my friends to watch it with me, they two all gave it raving A+s

When Season 2 came around I had finished book 5 and found I was VERY disappointed in this season, I gave the first 8 episodes an "Eh" rating, and was amused by 9 and 10.

This is exactly what I did, and how I feel about Season 2.

[Independent George]

Season 1: A-

Season 2: B+

I think season 2 was really hurt by the fact that it's a transition book. Narratively, there is no resolution to most of the plot threads - it's just a waystation n the way to SOS.

I'm not a purist, but I really was bothered by several changes from the books. I liked most of the plot changes (streamlining Arya in Harrenhall, eliminating the gaping plot hole from Qarth), but the character/motivation changes to Jaime and Robb/Catelyn really hurts the story. I don't use the term lightly, but Jon/Qhorin's storyline got butchered.

I understand (though I disagree with) making Jaime into the monster he only pretends to be as a means of highlighting his redemption arc, but for the life of me I can't comprehend the point of turning two independent acts of grief and desperation into sheer stupidity. We end up at the same place plotwise, but the motivations and meaning behind the actions are completely different, and weaker as a result.

[Greywolf2375]

What grade scale are you going by???

D on the grade scale is between 50 to 59, depending on whether it is D-, simply D, or D+.

A 70 to 75 would be a B- to a B.

Which one were you going for? The 55 grade score or the B-grade?

From a highschool grading standpoint, the range of D scores for my school was 64-73, which is I believe how that poster was judging it.

I believe I generally scored S1 between 7-9, mostly with 8-9. Those scores are against what Game of Thrones can be on TV as a TV show - not a blockbuster movie made into a one hour show.

For S2, most of my scores were 6-8, mostly with 7's. This series for me has never been about the "destination" since very few story lines have been closed out. It is all about the journey - and for me many of the character journeys this season were less than they could have and should have been.

For example, in the end Jon is with the wildlings. "destination" accomplished. The journey they put him on however was weak. The Craster cliffhanger, pouting his way into the ranging, chasing Ygritte - by this point in the series Jon had shown that he had matured, grown and learned more of what it is to be a man of the Nights Watch and the character had grown. In the TV series he has shown none of that.

I don't watch a lot of TV, and in fact no other episodic show as consistently as this one, so I can't honestly compare it. However, based on what I do see, yes, this is top flight TV. Doesn't mean it can't be better within the same constraints it works with now.

[PatrickStormborn]

B+ for me. I had a couple of problems with it, but I had a couple of problems with the book too.

[Ran]

Last season was about 8.5/10 for me.

This season was 7/10. I hope this is typical sophomore-season faltering and that they get their act together for the next two seasons. They need to trust the material like they did in the first season, and when they're deviating, they had best be absolutely sure the quality is as high or better than what they're deviating from.

[bikie]

if last season was a solid A in my book, this second season would be a C.

in my opinion, the producers catered to the source material in season one, and then to the audience in season two. understandable as far as a show that relies on ratings is concerned, but less enjoyable to me. I still anxiously look forward to season three.

[teemo]

I'm pretty sure I would have given this season a B if I never read the books. Reading the books....um, more like D+ or C. I can't separate the two like some of you can. Last season was without a doubt an A on every level. It's frustrating...if they were as good as last season, we could be looking at a show that has potential to be in the leagues of the some of the "big shows" on HBO, like The Sopranos and Deadwood. But it's not that good, not even from the eyes of a non-book viewer. While most of my friends still love the show, none of them think it was as good as last season. Most common complaint I've heard: too much talking that wasn't interesting and not enough action. The person I watched it with kept falling asleep most episodes, and last season they were pretty into it. *sigh* maybe next season.

[Former Lord of Winterfell]

If the scale is "compared to what else is on TV", I'd have given this season about a 8.5 -- same as I'd have given last season. The two seasons were different, and had different pluses and minuses.

Last season, I thought the sex was just over the top Some of the scenes with Ros were just -- uh, no. That's not why I watch TV. This season seemed to tone down the sex to being more nudity, which I though was a significant improvement. I'd probably have given last season a 9.5 otherwise.

I downgrade this year for Daneaery's story (weaker than last year, though the book story was weaker as well), Jon's lack of focus, and Robb's storyline. Though against, Robb's storyline in ACOK was weaker as written as awell).

But I give this year a plus for some superb acting that gave us some great scenes. Theon really blossomed, Arya and Tywin's scenes were complete treats, the Hound grew, Tyrion and all of KL, with Cersei, Joffrey, etc., gave the exact right sense as the books. Even Jaime (and Brienne), despite the variations, really established their characters well. Not exactly as in the books, but definitely recognizable as Jaime and Brienne. Some of the dialogue and set-piece scenes this season struck me as superior to anything last season. I give particular credit for what they've done with Varys. I never quite got a good sense of him in the books, but what they've done on-screen is, in my opinion, fantastic, and deepened my enjoyment of the source material.

[SFA-OK]

I haven't watched the last episode yet but for the rest of the season I'd give it a C, maybe a C+.

The worst thing about the show is it's not bad, but it's not great or even that good. It's in this weird middle ground of being fairly forgettable and mediocre like a lot of recent movies that get praised by movie critics. I'd almost wish it were legitimately bad (if it wasn't going to be legitimately good) because then it would at least be somewhat memorable.

One of the first things I ask myself after watching a movie or show is "Would I want to watch this again?" and most of the time the answer is definitely not, and that unfortunately applies to this show outside of one or two episodes. The books, on the other hand, I plan on re-reading at least once because they are legitimately entertaining and very well written.

[irith]

First season was probably an A-, this season is probably a B for me. Last season felt much more consistent to me, whereas this one was a little more hit-or-miss. Episodes 6, 7, and 9 (I think) stood out as fantastic, whereas some others were mediocre or had a bit of a marking time feel. Most changes I don't mind; the logistics of TV kind of preclude having a huge cast and a million locations. I think it could have been more subtle, and a little deeper from a writing standpoint, but it was still pretty entertaining.

Also, I think my lack of major disappointment comes from how I watch this show. I watch it for the characters' depth, political machinations, etc. For symbolism, tight, cohesive writing, and overall polish, I look elsewhere. As much as I love ASOIAF, there are several shows on TV that are much better, such as Mad Men and Breaking Bad. GoT hasn't descended into The Walking Dead territory yet, but it's hovering somewhere between that (the epitome of a C or C- show, imo) and the greatness it had in season 1.

[Le Cygne]

9/10 for season 1

7/10 for season 2