The Game of Thrones Season 2

[astrohip]

Originally Posted by Steveknj

The NY Times not so glowing review of the first 4 episodes of S2 (mild spoilers, but no plot giveaways):

http://tv.nytimes.com/2012/03/30/art...er=rss&emc=rss

I will say this. The main complain is that it's confusing and complicated and slow moving through the first 4 episodes. But the same could be said of S1. But the payoff for S1 was extraordinary. So I hold out hope that this will be the same for S2 and if it's as stated in the review, I will wade through those episodes and assume they are setting us up for something great.

I read the opposite. On one of the five bazillion TV sites I read, the reviewer (who also had the first four eps from HBO) said it was incredible, and that the two showrunners are getting a real feel for GRRM's world of Fire & Ice.

It won't matter, I'm gonna love it!

[cherry ghost]

Originally Posted by astrohip

I read the opposite. On one of the five bazillion TV sites I read, the reviewer (who also had the first four eps from HBO) said it was incredible, and that the two showrunners are getting a real feel for GRRM's world of Fire & Ice.

It won't matter, I'm gonna love it!

Tim Goodman said the first four were so good he was going to watch them again, something he rarely does.

[billypritchard]

Originally Posted by Steveknj

The NY Times not so glowing review of the first 4 episodes of S2 (mild spoilers, but no plot giveaways):

http://tv.nytimes.com/2012/03/30/art...er=rss&emc=rss

I will say this. The main complain is that it's confusing and complicated and slow moving through the first 4 episodes. But the same could be said of S1. But the payoff for S1 was extraordinary. So I hold out hope that this will be the same for S2 and if it's as stated in the review, I will wade through those episodes and assume they are setting us up for something great.

That is the only mildly negative review so far. WinterIsComing has some summaries

http://winteriscoming.net/2012/03/mo...n-two-reviews/

[Anubys]

It's been 4 days and I can't get the theme music out of my head...AND I DON'T CARE!

[astrohip]

Originally Posted by Anubys

It's been 4 days and I can't get the theme music out of my head...AND I DON'T CARE!

And it's not helped by me watching Episode 9 last night (Baelor), and the final episode tonight (Fire and Blood).

I think I'm getting over-hyped. Time for some relaxation medicine.

[photoshopgrl]

Originally Posted by stellie93

Yeah, I think Jorah is hot, but then I'm old. The thing is, in the books he's not described as being hot at all (that's not a spoiler, is it?) so it seems like bad casting to me.

Maybe bad casting or maybe really good casting
Either way I don't care. I don't have too much of an opinion on the character thus far. I think he's been loyal to Danny but that might just be because he has the hots for her or because he was loyal to the Dothraki. Hopefully we'll get more character development from him this season.

Originally Posted by Anubys

I'm still waiting for all the ladies that think King Richard is hot

I think this went over my head. Who's King Richard?

Originally Posted by Steveknj

The main complain is that it's confusing and complicated and slow moving through the first 4 episodes. But the same could be said of S1. But the payoff for S1 was extraordinary. So I hold out hope that this will be the same for S2 and if it's as stated in the review, I will wade through those episodes and assume they are setting us up for something great.

For the record, I never thought for a second it was slow moving. I mean episode 1 starts with white walkers and beheadings and ends with incest and kids tossed off castles, episode 2 has Arya humiliate little dbag king-to-be, Jon Snow heading to the wall and ends with poor Lady (RIP). I could go on but come on, that's just BITS of what awesome happened. I didn't think there were many slow spots in this series so far at all and I'm a tough judge when it comes to fantasy stuff, especially when I didn't think I'd like it going in.

[Steveknj]

Originally Posted by photoshopgrl

For the record, I never thought for a second it was slow moving. I mean episode 1 starts with white walkers and beheadings and ends with incest and kids tossed off castles, episode 2 has Arya humiliate little dbag king-to-be, Jon Snow heading to the wall and ends with poor Lady (RIP). I could go on but come on, that's just BITS of what awesome happened. I didn't think there were many slow spots in this series so far at all and I'm a tough judge when it comes to fantasy stuff, especially when I didn't think I'd like it going in.

I have to admit, during the first 2-3 eps of S1 I was so confused by what was happening and all the characters and thought it was a bit slow that I almost quit watching. But I stuck with it, gladly (with help from the folks here who explained stuff) and was mighty glad I did.

[photoshopgrl]

Originally Posted by Steveknj

I have to admit, during the first 2-3 eps of S1 I was so confused by what was happening and all the characters and thought it was a bit slow that I almost quit watching. But I stuck with it, gladly (with help from the folks here who explained stuff) and was mighty glad I did.

Confused I can understand, they threw a lot at us at once but slow? I just can't comprehend that. Apparently many others felt that though.

[Ereth]

It might be considered "slow" by someone who was expecting a Michael Bay film. Most of what it's about is political intrigue, which is boring to a lot of people.

Our own Rob points out that the premise set up in the first story hasn't been fully realized many books later (and here I'm being careful not to be specific, so as to avoid spoilers), and some people (including him, if I read his posts correctly) consider that pacing to be too slow.

I think Martin fell into the same trap Jordan did (and Tolkien before him, really, in The Two Towers). Once your main characters start diverging, it takes a lot more pages to show real results, and people who don't like a particular character, or are more interested in a different one than the chapter they are on currently spotlights, will tend to complain that their favorite isn't getting enough time, even if every character is getting exactly as much.

Really you had 5 storylines in the first book, Stark, Baratheon, Lannister, Snow and Targaryn. And 3 of those tracked along with one another pretty tightly. Now Stark turns into multiple storylines, as does Lannister. And they don't track so tightly any more.

For the "I wanna see swordfights and dragons and magic in my Fantasy" crowd, the more interesting of those storylines is Targaryn and Snow. But those are not forefront. Stark, Baratheon and Lannister take front and center.

So I could see someone who is really interested in Snow and Targaryn (Ice and Fire, after all) but not so interested in Stark, Baratheon and Lannister, thinking the story is slow. Those two threads are definitely the most slow moving.

[photoshopgrl]

I guess I see what you're saying and I guess for me, where I have favorites I think all the stores and characters are great, even the ones I love to hate and can't wait for their death.

[Rob Helmerichs]

Another "problem" is that things change so rapidly and dramatically, it's hard to just pick a thread you really like and let it carry you through the story. Because sooner or later, and probably sooner, that thread will either be cut entirely or morph into something altogether different.

I think to really enjoy this series (book, that is, although maybe TV as well), you have to be able to just sit back and let all the terrible things that are happening wash over you, without having a comfortable lead character to guide you through it. And that might not be everybody's cup of tea.

But as the guy who put together that YouTube video of Tyrion slapping Joffrey for ten minutes knows, there are definitely pleasures to be had.

[robojerk]

Originally Posted by Rob Helmerichs

Another "problem" is that things change so rapidly and dramatically, it's hard to just pick a thread you really like and let it carry you through the story. Because sooner or later, and probably sooner, that thread will either be cut entirely or morph into something altogether different.

I think to really enjoy this series (book, that is, although maybe TV as well), you have to be able to just sit back and let all the terrible things that are happening wash over you, without having a comfortable lead character to guide you through it. And that might not be everybody's cup of tea.

But as the guy who put together that YouTube video of Tyrion slapping Joffrey for ten minutes knows, there are definitely pleasures to be had.

Having read 4.5 books into the story, there's a lot of character paths that could be edited to make the show a lot more efficient which I think would make the TV show better than following the books directly.

HBO and the shows producers should get the word out to the viewers that each season may have a different lead from the previous one, but assure us that it doesn't necessarily mean they will kill off the lead character every season, just that the role the character plays may change. Still though, I think viewers will complain, imagine if on 'Lost' Jack Shepard and Kate were suddenly and significantly less important to the immediate plot and one of the new characters Nikki and Paulo were introduced and top billed?

[Rob Helmerichs]

Originally Posted by robojerk

HBO and the shows producers should get the word out to the viewers that each season may have a different lead from the previous one, but assure us that it doesn't necessarily mean they will kill off the lead character every season, just that the role the character plays may change.

I suspect Peter Dinklage's joke about that might backfire...

[danterner]

Originally Posted by Anubys

It's been 4 days and I can't get the theme music out of my head...AND I DON'T CARE!

Right now on Amazon, you can use coupon code HITUMBLR to get a free $2 Amazon MP3 credit. Go here to get it:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.htm...cId=1000791141

Then, you can use your $2 credit to buy the theme music, which is available for 99 cents. (And you'll be left with $1.01 for something else - whoo hoo!)

Here's the link to the theme music: http://www.amazon.com/Game-Of-Throne...062869&sr=1-51

[Anubys]

Originally Posted by photoshopgrl

I think this went over my head. Who's King Richard?

oops...I meant Robert

[Rob Helmerichs]

Originally Posted by Anubys

oops...I meant Robert

Heh, I was wondering if you meant Richard III, with whom some women are inexplicably in love.

[photoshopgrl]

Originally Posted by Anubys

oops...I meant Robert

Okay haha that make more sense.

[TonyD79]

Originally Posted by photoshopgrl

Confused I can understand, they threw a lot at us at once but slow? I just can't comprehend that. Apparently many others felt that though.

I neither thought t was slow nor was I confused at all. It was pretty clear who was who and what was going on.

As for slow. I watched the first show a couple months ago and was instantly hooked. Slow shows don't snare you like that.

[jilter]

Originally Posted by Steveknj

I have to admit, during the first 2-3 eps of S1 I was so confused by what was happening and all the characters and thought it was a bit slow that I almost quit watching. But I stuck with it, gladly (with help from the folks here who explained stuff) and was mighty glad I did.

This is helpful. I have tried S01E01 and E02, and can not understand the allure.
Today's review in the Chicago Sun-Times for Season 2 was 4 starts - almost never given.

[heySkippy]

Originally Posted by Steveknj

The NY Times not so glowing review of the first 4 episodes of S2 (mild spoilers, but no plot giveaways):

http://tv.nytimes.com/2012/03/30/art...er=rss&emc=rss

Originally Posted by from the article above

If you find yourself looking forward to Joffrey’s scenes, there’s something wrong with you.

Heh.

[Anubys]

Originally Posted by danterner

Right now on Amazon, you can use coupon code HITUMBLR to get a free $2 Amazon MP3 credit. Go here to get it:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.htm...cId=1000791141

Then, you can use your $2 credit to buy the theme music, which is available for 99 cents. (And you'll be left with $1.01 for something else - whoo hoo!)

Here's the link to the theme music: http://www.amazon.com/Game-Of-Throne...062869&sr=1-51

Thank you for this. The experiment regarding how long it will take to make me sick of the song continues. I'm betting at least a month before I'm sick of it!

[Steveknj]

Originally Posted by photoshopgrl

I guess I see what you're saying and I guess for me, where I have favorites I think all the stores and characters are great, even the ones I love to hate and can't wait for their death.

I will say, to preface my comments above, that I am NOT a fantasy fan, nor terribly enjoy medieval stories, or dragons or anything like that. The reason I watched GoT to begin with was one review saying that it was like The Sopranos in a fantasy setting. That had me hooked. The problem I had at the beginning was really getting all the characters straight, and so much went over my head not knowing or understanding the motivation of the characters that I felt a bit lost, and with being lost, it felt slow. I think I first started "getting it" the episode where Ned was really starting to figure out what was going on. From that point on, I was completely hooked. I love the politics of the show and the infighting a whole lot more than the setting and magic and all that sort of thing. And once that really kicked into high gear, I loved it. I think it's why I found the Dany story line a whole lot less interesting than the Stark vs. Lannister one. But Dany is such great eye candy I can deal with it

[Steveknj]

Originally Posted by TonyD79

I neither thought t was slow nor was I confused at all. It was pretty clear who was who and what was going on.

As for slow. I watched the first show a couple months ago and was instantly hooked. Slow shows don't snare you like that.

To each his own I guess. I wasn't hooked until about half way in, but then I was hooked big time.

[Steveknj]

Originally Posted by jilter

This is helpful. I have tried S01E01 and E02, and can not understand the allure.
Today's review in the Chicago Sun-Times for Season 2 was 4 starts - almost never given.

Keep watching. Like I said, about halfway in, is when it REALLY gets good.

[Anubys]

Originally Posted by jilter

This is helpful. I have tried S01E01 and E02, and can not understand the allure.
Today's review in the Chicago Sun-Times for Season 2 was 4 starts - almost never given.

It's always puzzling to me when someone posts this...

they gave it 4 stars.

out of what? 4? 5? 100?

how are we to know if it was a positive review or not without the scale?

Not jumping down your throat (even if the post makes it look that way). I find it puzzling in a funny kind of way, so I'm just kind of poking you a little. Please don't take offense

[billypritchard]

Originally Posted by Anubys

It's always puzzling to me when someone posts this...

they gave it 4 stars.

out of what? 4? 5? 100?

how are we to know if it was a positive review or not without the scale?

Not jumping down your throat (even if the post makes it look that way). I find it puzzling in a funny kind of way, so I'm just kind of poking you a little. Please don't take offense

C'mon. If someone says 4 stars, it's either out of 4 or 5. Either would be good. Then she also says 'almost never given', so it's easy to understand it's out of 4.

I I said 2 thumbs up, would you ask, 'Out of how many? 2? 3? 100?'

[Anubys]

Originally Posted by billypritchard

C'mon. If someone says 4 stars, it's either out of 4 or 5. Either would be good. Then she also says 'almost never given', so it's easy to understand it's out of 4.

I I said 2 thumbs up, would you ask, 'Out of how many? 2? 3? 100?'

LOL

It could have been out of 10 stars!

as for the thumbs, any multiple of 2s are possible. So we can rule out the 3

seriously, I think 4 out of 4 is very different from 4 out of 5. I really wanted to know if they gave it the highest possible mark or not.

[billypritchard]

Originally Posted by Anubys

LOL

It could have been out of 10 stars!

as for the thumbs, any multiple of 2s are possible. So we can rule out the 3

seriously, I think 4 out of 4 is very different from 4 out of 5. I really wanted to know if they gave it the highest possible mark or not.

I went to the web page for that review in the Chicago Sun-Times. Even there it doesn't say if it is 4 out of 4 or 4 out of 5. Just says 4 stars, with no key.

[Rob Helmerichs]

Originally Posted by billypritchard

I went to the web page for that review in the Chicago Sun-Times. Even there it doesn't say if it is 4 out of 4 or 4 out of 5. Just says 4 stars, with no key.

Peter Dinklage, Lena Headey, Emilia Clark, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau.

[heySkippy]

Originally Posted by Anubys

It could have been out of 10 stars!

That's what I was thinking.