HBO adaptation of Game of Thrones - will this be just for nerds? (NO SPOILERS PLEASE)

i could see smallfolk yearning for the power and relative stability of the targs as things get worse the same way neo-fascist and neo-stalinist ideologies have resurged

Not really clear from the books iirc. You hear both sides of the argument at different times from different sources (i.e. Viserys and the Lannisters). Thought the general impression was that, given what a fucking mess the country has got into by this stage of the story as a result of the civil war, many of the "smallfolk" were feeling pretty uncharitable towards the powers that be and are pining for the days of yore when the Targaryens were in charge and the harvest was going unburned, you could sleep safely in your houses etc. I may be misremembering or exaggerating this to some extent though

interesting

Aerys II Targaryen, popularly called the Mad King, is an unseen character in Game of Thrones. He is deceased when the events of the series begin. Liam Burke was cast to play him in flashback in Season 1,[1] but the scene was cut for time and pacing

trying to remember, has the show ever used any kind of flashback? peyote bran dreams don't count

Not really, unless you count the beginning of this season's premiere when we were subtly re-introduced to Ice while Tywin was melting it down.

+ would peasants be afraid of flashbacks if they had TV shows in westeros?

oh yeah, that's right about this season but that just seemed like a season-opening montage-y thing

probably a smart move to lay down a no flashbacks policy for the show I think, but then it's the book-learned fans who seem to think it would add something missing so i should maybe defer to them. don't really know what i'm missing in terms of backstory that could have been flashed back to

i think flashies would suck ass and im a bookbro so

if the show wants to keep to its house style, all flashbacks should be done as monologues to a naked whore

if anything knowing there's cool shit I'm missing out on just makes me want to read the books, which is OK by me

I'm good w/ naked monologues too though

The books are a lesson in diminishing returns.

ok naked monologues then

Kinda wish I was a bookbro before a showbro. Now I want to know what happens, but..not really.

Diminishing returns in the books is right so far, but at least part of that is due to how long the fans have to wait between publications. If he stops widening the scope and starts actually making a visible effort to resolve the story then he could probably have the whole thing wrapped in a couple of very exciting volumes. If this isn't his plan then idk

Would recommend the books to anyone, it's the easiest, most plot-driven read ever and tbh it's only a couple of books really, its not like trying to get into Wheel of Time of sthing. Though I imagine going to the books would be a v. different experience now that loads of the best twists and set-pieces have already been shown on TV.

Yeah I'm glad I read books 2 & 3 before they were televised. Storm of Swords is such a fun read.

Big up everyone who's read the books and keeps reminding us that this show is going to blow in a season or so.

not sure how you're getting that notion tbh. the issue with the books is structural and by nature the show isn't susceptible to it.

Hey, I enjoyed the next books - it didn't occur to me that people didn't until this thread.

i did too but i can imagine being pretty let down if i'd been waiting years

I read 3, 4, and 5 within a few months of each other and can confirm that 4 and 5 blow chunks

i read the first three within a couple months and it took me six months to stumble through book 4 and i just quit halfway through book 5.

I guess if 'this tv show is gonna head off a cliff unless the showrunners make some major departures' is a spoiler then feel free to delete my posts and also half the thread

there's basically no way they don't make drastic changes to the 4/5 material, while arriving at the same destinations the books arrive at, imo. and that's fine, there's just so much filler material, mostly.

Whole fifth season is nothing but various feasts and discussion, the equivalent of My Dinner With Andre.

My Dragons With Andrye

"The sixth book will be just a thousand-page description of snow blowing across the graves."

and olives

turns out the white walkers invaded to steal westeros' most precious treasure: boiled leather.

Hahaha

This probably is better for the SPOILERS thread but I swear to god the man just has a Word Macro or a Mad Libs that he fills in for 75% of the paragraphs

Words are wind

Useless as nipples on a breastplate.

Lotsa movement in this episode unlike the last one.

Shits getting weird at the eeryie.

think this was my favorite ep of the season so far. lots of denouement which means the next couple episodes are going to be terrible until the second to last which will blow my mind and almost convince me to try reading these books again.

loved that trippy shot with Jojen in the tent. wish the show would do take that approach more often when portraying the crazy mystical stuff.

Yeah, Jojen's surreal flaming hand was cool, as was his "I saw you die" line. This was such a low-key and talky episode for the most part, and I really enjoyed it. Seeing two Starks come *this close* to reuniting before going down separate paths again was painful in the best way.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EYBAMxJecLI

I was anticipating that what was my biggest "oh I see" moment of Book Three-- Jon Arryn's murderer revealed-- was gonna be somewhat toothless because of time and extra info in the TV series, but that reveal felt completely throwaway and unfortunate

I was anticipating that what was my biggest "oh I see" moment of Book Three-- Jon Arryn's murderer revealed-- was gonna be somewhat toothless because of time and extra info in the TV series, but that reveal felt completely throwaway and unfortunate
--"got ye!" (flamboyant goon tie included)

I hope they return to it at some point because id like to better understand the motivation. Homeboy couldn't have been playing that long a con on the entire world right? Unless little finger is actually lex luthor or something

i dunno it took a few seconds to sink in but it felt like a pretty big "whoa" moment to the group i was watching with.

whole episode felt like one long delaying tactic - oh the Starks are gonna be reunited NOPE. oh hey Daenerys is gonna invade Westeros SYKE. Let's just drag things out as looooongggggggg as possssiiiiiibbbbblllllllllleeee

What was revealed? That Arran was poisoned?

yeah I was only kinda half-watching for some reason and can't recall

yeah by Littlefinger, was the implication

I dunno what's the big deal

Littlefinger was the man with the plan, Lysa Arryn was his proxy.

Lysa is icky enough with her weirdo kid, adding Littlefinger into the mix is like Creepshow 5000

groooooooooooosssss

but yeah shakey otm about all this dragging out of things

winter's coming... but first I need to find this tree and uh oh yeah I have to rule this other kingdom for a little while and oh yeah I have to get married and then I have to return some videos and oh shit I forgot about killing that other guy and zzzzzzzzzz

lol grumpy mo

i expected this to be a filler ep and really enjoyed it. loved the open with cersei working each of tyrion's judges, and the way we worked off the button of that setup ("everywhere in the world they hurt little girls") to see Arya, Sansa and Meera all learning that she's right.

bran/hodor bit was both stirring and heartbreaking. given that we know we're not even halfway through this thing I'm not clear why y'all are in such a rush. enjoy the journey maaaaan.