Game of Thrones(HBO Series)
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AtheistPreacher
Well-Known Member
They were probably able to get him partly because he knew it would only be a one-season committment. It was kind of a great situation for HBO that way... they get a big-name draw to suck people in, but don't have to keep paying him.
But the fact that important people die is part of what makes the books so appealing. After Ned dies, you know that no one is safe, and that ups the tension all-around.
I'm looking forward to the finale. I've read the books and know what the closing scene must be... and I think it'll have people very excited for season 2.
AtheistPreacher
Well-Known Member
The finale was fantastic. The only thing I didn't like about it was the inclusion of those random non-sequitur scenes with the small council near the end (Pycelle, Littlefinger, Varys). What was the point of those scenes, exactly?
But they really managed to nail all the setups for the next book/season. Jon heading beyond the wall, Tyrion becoming Hand of the King, Robb being declared King in the North, Arya travelling North with Yoren, Sansa stuck in the castle with Joffrey... and of course the Daenerys storyline. Good times.
The only thing I'm wondering now -- and this is looking way ahead -- is what they're going to do if they decide to pick up all the five books, and then Martin isn't done with the sixth and seventh (supposedly final) books. What would they do? Just drop it? Make up their own ending? Put the last two seasons on hold and hope to be able to re-hire the actors when Martin's done? Remember that it took him five years between books three and four, and six years between books four and five. Hmm...
But they really managed to nail all the setups for the next book/season. Jon heading beyond the wall, Tyrion becoming Hand of the King, Robb being declared King in the North, Arya travelling North with Yoren, Sansa stuck in the castle with Joffrey... and of course the Daenerys storyline. Good times.
The only thing I'm wondering now -- and this is looking way ahead -- is what they're going to do if they decide to pick up all the five books, and then Martin isn't done with the sixth and seventh (supposedly final) books. What would they do? Just drop it? Make up their own ending? Put the last two seasons on hold and hope to be able to re-hire the actors when Martin's done? Remember that it took him five years between books three and four, and six years between books four and five. Hmm...
fallenchicken
Well-Known Member
I like the scenes between littlefinger and Varys. I'm not quite sure I understood the Pycelle scene. Why was that added?
Jerry Lundegaard
Banned
What a refreshing series this was. Pure entertainment and intrigue. Even though I spoiled everything for myself through the first 4 books on wikipedia and other corners of the world wide internet following episode 2, so as not to have a heart attack in anticipation of what will happen next, I am going to go pick up books 2, 3, 4 and 5 and try to read them to pass the time until season 2 on HBO. Normally I'd buy them on my Nook, but I don't want to burn my retinas out by staring at that thing for so long because then I'd be blind and couldn't watch the remaining seasons on TV.
Question for the book readers - I know they are long, but is it easy reading? Or is it dense?
Question for the book readers - I know they are long, but is it easy reading? Or is it dense?
AtheistPreacher
Well-Known Member
I find them pretty compulsively readable, and not "dense" in terms of being hard going. I don't imagine Martin would have been as successful as he is if the books were inaccessible. I think you'll find the pages fly.
I can tell you that I know three people personally who have started reading the books as a result of the show: my brother, my roommate, and a roommate's friend. One of them finished all four books in about two or three weeks... the second took longer but still finished them in quick order. My brother is still reading book one... I'd been trying to get him to read these for years. You'd think he'd have listened to me after I recommended Robin Hobb and he loved her stuff! In any case, all three really like the books.
Great time to be picking them up, too. Book four was disappointing because it was basically half a book. It had gotten so big that he split it in two by removing half the POV characters (including the three characters whom most would take to be the main protagonists at the end of book three... I won't name names, since I wouldn't want to spoil who lives and dies). But book five will finally re-unite us with some characters we haven't read about in 11 friggin' years... book three was published in 2000!
Yeah, I actually prefer to marathon these things myself. I was so anxious for it that of course I watched them all the night they came out... but I think I'd enjoy watching them all again one after the other.
I think my favorite scene is still the Robert-Cersei scene at the end of episode five, starting around minute 42. That scene was just magic. I also liked how they did the end of Dany's storyline for the book, especially the Mirri Maz Duur stuff. That woman really brought that character to life in a way I hadn't imagined just from reading the books.
asian_roger
Well-Known Member
Just finished the last episode
For some odd reason I didn't really like the final episode. I think it was because of the Pycelle scene and the talk about Varys' "gash" seemed sidetracking. However, I'm pretty excited about Jon's adventure beyond the wall and I'm very curious how the Targaryens situation with the dragons play out. I'm somewhat pissed that the season didn't end with a battle of the Starks kicking some *** and that's probably another reason why I didn't really like the episode. Overall the entire season was epic and Tyrion's quotes are classic
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I was still very surprised of Ned's sudden death :S and the fact that Jeoffry is still alive, but this gif. is really awesome!!!
For some odd reason I didn't really like the final episode. I think it was because of the Pycelle scene and the talk about Varys' "gash" seemed sidetracking. However, I'm pretty excited about Jon's adventure beyond the wall and I'm very curious how the Targaryens situation with the dragons play out. I'm somewhat pissed that the season didn't end with a battle of the Starks kicking some *** and that's probably another reason why I didn't really like the episode. Overall the entire season was epic and Tyrion's quotes are classic
.I was still very surprised of Ned's sudden death :S and the fact that Jeoffry is still alive, but this gif. is really awesome!!!
asian_roger
Well-Known Member
I guess IGN.com understood it, "Pycelle basically is faking being a doddering old man"....uh OK, but I guess those scenes were added to show even more deception of the council and who Tyrion will have to weed out as the new hand of the king.
prodigy
Well-Known Member
Craig K. Manscill
Well-Known Member
Yes it is. And it's a relief that (something we didn't know with Lost) that the source material for seasons 2 & 3 are just as good if not better (I know the third book is generally the consensus best book of the series). So this show is only going up.
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AtheistPreacher
Well-Known Member
And we can hope that they'll be able to splice in the Book 5 story with the somewhat-disappointing Book 4 so the whole thing doesn't lose a step. I get the feeling that they could cut out basically all of Dorne and most of the Iron Islands in the Book 4 storyline and not really lose all that much.
fallenchicken
Well-Known Member
I disagree. Dorne and the Iron Islands will be relevant to the rest of the series. I think Brienne is the one who could do with the most snipping in book four.
AtheistPreacher
Well-Known Member
I agree that the Iron Islands are going to be very relevant to the rest of the series, especially given the cliffhanger at the end. That's why I wouldn't cut them out completely.
But I still think the POVs in Dorne were a mistake. First of all, the # of POVs has kept increasing, going from 8 to 9 to 11 to 12. At some point you're simply spreading the net too wide. In a story of this scale, there are going to be certain events, and often whole series of events and POVs, that happen "off-screen." That's as it is and as it should be. And in the end, though the Dorne chapters weren't bad in themselves and did tell us some new and important things, I don't think there was anything that happened in them that absolutely had to be experienced by the audience first-hand, rather than be explained by another character at a later time. Until book 4, Dorne was an important house whose business took place mostly in the background... and I think that was a good place for it to stay. Besides, keeping them in the background helped give the novels the impression of more depth by the very lack of POVs.
We don't have to agree, but from where I'm sitting Dorne is totally expendable. They're going to have to make cuts somewhere, and that seems like the most logical place to me.
fallenchicken
Well-Known Member
I agree that things should happen off screen. I don't want them to do multiple seasons per book, as I don't think any series should last more than 8 seasons. Especially a drama with an ongoing plot.
My thing with Dorne is I think it will be very relevant to one of the major characters. I'm not saying they cant snip a lot of it, but I think it will be important to introduce us to the main players there, and what their ambitions are(which were revealed to us in the last Dorne chapter. So maybe they just do some clever rewriting and do one episode with dorne)
Book four is certainly the most cuttable, as the stuff that is important can be done fairly quickly, I think they should spread SOS into 1.5 seasons, and Dance into 1.5 seasons. With 4 being the .5.