The scene with Tyrion/Pod/Bronn after they were in the whore house was hilarious. Straight up Golden Girls or something. "Details, details!" I like to think Pod is a legendary cocksmith.

The ending song caught me completely off guard. At first I was like "why" but then "ohhhh."

The GoT FE banners keep coming up for me in this thread. I approve.

We need Pod in the GoT Season 2 game.

Saw it.

Spoiler

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The version I got was awful and kicked in with music right as Jaime was being threatened. This carried on all through the hand chopping which happened before I worked out what was going on, totally killed the scene for me. Fortunately I found it elsewhere but by then it was sullied and ruined forevermore. I might leave it a bit next time I watch. It's nice to see Brynden Tully and the black trout reference. I was wondering where he was after he had such a big appearance in the first book. He probably features more than Theon does in that. Always not a pleasure to get Ros scenes. Climbing the wall is very cool also.

That was such a good episode when the credit song played I thought it was a joke and the episode was only half over. I looked at the clock and sure enough 50 minutes had elapsed.

Spoiler

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Pod is such a champ. When Tyrion kept showing him the women his eyes got big. Dany trading the dragon was interesting. Feel like that might bite her in the butt later on. Not going to lie when she said that whole never speak up again thing I may of imagined her doing that in bed. I thought Jaime was going to smooth talk his way out of it again. As much as I like him as a character and the whole helping Breanne out was sweet too I am glad he got his hand chopped off. The king slayer has lost his mojo. Sam is bound to do something stupid next episode. The chick must of had a boy. Bummed Mance Ryder is off the show (assuming he's not a centered character) I liked him. Should be interesting what Snow does. Hot Pie leaving was soooo sad. Him and Arya had bonded. I'm never goin to vote against him in the poll just because of his wolf bread now. What a guy happy he didn get slaughtered like his pal. Overall really awesome!

When I first heard the credits song go, I was like "THIS IS NOT TRUE BLOOD. WHAT IS HAPPENING?!"

all around funny and awesome episode

It really did have quite a few "lol" lines in it.

My favorite was one that didn't register until the second viewing. When Tyrion is showcasing the whores to Pod like Bob Barker, he makes a reference to the last flexible one being the only whore to be able to perform a 'proper Meereenese knot.'

The Meereenese (sp?) knot was what GRRM called his troubles when trying to finish ADWD. It was another great little nod like the line about his nose from earlier in the season.

Holy shit @ ending. Didn't see that coming! The ridiculously upbeat music kicking in right after that was pretty lol

Spoiler

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I still have no idea what the shit is going on with Theon. Very mysterious. Dany trading that dragon was so, so stupid. Dragons are like atomic bombs. You don't GIVE THEM OUT to people, if you control all of the dragons you have all the power in the world. Catelyn's scene was very :( once again. I hated her at the end of last season for sending Jaime away but I'm really starting to feel for her now. The Pod scene was hilarious.

Boc @ 15/4/2013 20:34

Holy shit @ ending. Didn't see that coming! The ridiculously upbeat music kicking in right after that was pretty lol Spoiler + I still have no idea what the shit is going on with Theon. Very mysterious. Dany trading that dragon was so, so stupid. Dragons are like atomic bombs. You don't GIVE THEM OUT to people, if you control all of the dragons you have all the power in the world. Catelyn's scene was very :( once again. I hated her at the end of last season for sending Jaime away but I'm really starting to feel for her now. The Pod scene was hilarious.

Spoiler	+
Yeah and the biggest(Drogon) as well. I wouldn't trade a dragon for 10,000 Uruk'hai, let alone 8,000 unsullied warriors.

Leaffan20 @ 15/4/2013 19:45

Boc @ 15/4/2013 20:34 Holy shit @ ending. Didn't see that coming! The ridiculously upbeat music kicking in right after that was pretty lol Spoiler + I still have no idea what the shit is going on with Theon. Very mysterious. Dany trading that dragon was so, so stupid. Dragons are like atomic bombs. You don't GIVE THEM OUT to people, if you control all of the dragons you have all the power in the world. Catelyn's scene was very :( once again. I hated her at the end of last season for sending Jaime away but I'm really starting to feel for her now. The Pod scene was hilarious. Spoiler + Yeah and the biggest(Drogon) as well. I wouldn't trade a dragon for 10,000 Uruk'hai, let alone 8,000 unsullied warriors.

Well Jeff let's just hope that you never have to make that decision

Having never read the books or have any inclination as to what is to come, my reaction to the selling/trading of the dragon:

Spoiler	+
Once the unsullied have been confirmed under her order, she will have them attack and take back the dragon. This does two things: a) Get's her back the damn dragon b) Proves to her advisers that she is prepared to fight for the throne (and is one stone cold bitch)

So the song was part of the episode? The version I had cut the song in early so it kicked in about 1 minute before the credits were due to air. It was absolutely horrible.

Anyway: Finished the first book. My thoughts. Using a spoiler tag even though it's almost identical to Season 1.

Spoiler

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I thoroughly enjoyed it. Much more than the show. Even knowing all the characters and the finer details, I can tell already this will be a better ride. Not really much of a shock but still. There's a lot more you can glean from the backstory when you get the characters private thoughts and feelings. You get flashbacks in the form of memories and the dreams are all great. Some of them are a tad contrived but mostly they add something a little extra. It's also a lot better for knowing the characters. Particularly with the war council moments. With the show, even if you study the names of them all they don't stick in memory because they're not being repeated over and over. It's much easier to get a feel for the world in the book. You have the character name, their houses, their sigils etc. presented page in and page out so there's less confusion even though there are more characters. There still is confusion and a lot of the names tend to blur into one, but I never would have remembered the likes of the Greatjon and Kevan Lannister from watching the show (I'm not even sure if the latter appeared). Obviously with the extra material and length comes the opportunity to tell a deeper story too. There are more moments of reflection and some things sit a lot better than they every could have on the show. GRRM really paints his world wonderfully and I feel a part of it throughout. He never skips a beat and never hesitates diving right in as if the history of the seven kingdoms is known, established and we're merely experiencing a window right into it. Very very tightly written, well crafted stuff. Anyway enough praise. I'll breakdown the things I liked about the book that were done much much better than the show, and for the sake of balance (because there were some) I'll touch on the things which I actually think the show improved on. Things the book did better: - Everything with Riverrun. I know that the show has to keep moving so I don't blame them for keeping this section brief but there was much more to be had here. It was nice to actually see Brynden Tully appear in the show last episode since he's such a bigger part of the story here. Catelyn's chapters are still the worst chapters, but they're much more enjoyable than on the show. On the show I tend to just phase out of focus when a Catelyn/Robb scene happens. - The "little bird" origin with Sandor taking Sansa back to the tower after the feast on the night of the tournament. I have no idea why they made Littlefinger tell his origin story in the show. This was a wonderful moment that feels missed since there's never an explanation to why he calls her little bird. And the reason he gives for it is so fitting with his character. - Sandor in general. I never got his cynical, dry, sarcastic side in the show's first season at all. He was just this big, menacing figure of doom. But he's actually a much deeper character and even though he doesn't have a ton of exposure in the first book, I love that he still has more. - Other characters getting more "airtime". Renly, Loras and Barristan are the most notable examples but a lot of people get a better serving. Not Theon oddly enough. I was expecting to see more of him in the first book but he's actually sparsely in it since Robb doesn't have chapters. I know the show has to give the star billing actors more time which is why we got the occasional Littlefinger monologue (I think he had star billing but I have no idea) but they're not missed at all. - Dany's entire plot. Felt better paced, better explained etc. etc. Not a fault on the show again because I know they had limited screen-time but I disliked so many elements of that plot in the show, and almost all of my complaints with it are corrected in the book. It's a joy to go deeper into the Dothraki custom and culture. The final scene with the fire makes so much more sense in the context of the book, and Drogo's death feels less half-assed. Also the recurring red door motif is great, as are most of Dany's memories in general. - The Varys/Illyrio exchange in the room with the dragon skulls. That scene in the show was interesting but fleeting. There's a much more heavily extended version in the book which really makes Varys' motives more questionable than the show likes to expound upon. - Arya's trawl trough King's Landing before Eddard's execution. This is an enjoyable section of the story because I get a feel for the city in greater depth and that will probably be a nice addition going forward. The show seemed to spend a great deal of unnecessary time in the whore-house which...I get it...boobs. But can your ratings and tell a more compelling story please! - The Greatjon's sigil. No idea if this was featured in the show so it might be erroneous but goddamn, the chained giant is incredible. I want that banner. Also everything about the Greatjon. I never noticed him in the show until I started reading but this guy is the shit. - Hoster's sickbed. No idea why they chose not to show Hoster Tully in the show at all. Catelyn visiting him was extremely touching. Moreso than any show only pox stories or whatever else they give her. I got genuine raw emotion from this and it really serves to flesh out the characters more. - The Eyrie. This really isn't the showrunner's fault. There was no way they could budget it to be as ridiculously cool as it is in the book. The location I mean, the actual climb upwards. - The Direwolves. They each have such a detailed and explored personality in the book and it's great. Especially Shaggydog and Ghost. - Robert. He was infinitely more likeable in book-form. - Rhaegar Targaryen. Seriously, in terms of the show I barely even remembered his name. But throughout the book the image of this guy as the noble and just future king who was loved and honoured by all is incredibly powerful. Did they just forget he existed on the show or did I just not notice his mention? I got it into my head that all Targaryen's were the mad rulers and that was it, but Rhaegar is a much more fascinating character based on the fond memories people have. - The battle at the end with Tyrion. I know that budget meant they had to have him knocked out and not participate but it was a pretty cool scene. I thought it would be contrived since I couldn't picture him doing a great job of surviving out there (mostly because the hill tribe attack in the show depicts him trembling and killing a man with his shield whereas in the book he's swinging his axe and takes out about three or four in total). It worked though. I loved the "left" of the battle, led by Gregor and full of the no-hopers. - The inn being Tywin's base on the field. I don't know why they didn't do this in the show at all, really. The inn was a powerful motif since it was where Tyrion met his capture and there's no really great reason I can think of why they couldn't re-use it unless it was to do with the location being unavailable. I think it would've made a more interesting setup. - All of the history we get on the Children of the Forest, the Andals and the First Men, the Targaryen lineage, the flashbacks with Lyanna and the battle of the Trident etc. etc. I know the show couldn't possibly get all this in but it deserves a mention because it frames the world beautifully. - Ros doesn't exist. Thank the old gods and the new. Things the show did better: - Shae. Maybe it's a tad contrived making her "mysterious" and foreign and exotic since it seems to beggar belief she was there in the first place (and just seems to make her character confusing more than anything). Also worth noting I'm not a huge fan of Shae in the show. But Shae's, six line, rehearsed whore script, common speaking counterpart in the book is dreadful and I found myself missing the show version incredibly. - Tyrion's scenes leading up to the battle. The drinking game was cool and there was more of a kinship built with Bronn and Tyrion over it. That being said, the two get lots of moments in the book and they have him tell Bronn the story of his "marriage" at an earlier point when they're on the road, but there was other stuff too. Tyrion got some good emotional moments leading into what he thought would be his death, but in the book he seemed to shrug it off more. There was something in it just...not as much. They got that perfectly done with the show. - Tywin. His character is fine in the book but I can't take the look they give him seriously. Charles Dance portrays the only Tywin I could ever picture. Sorry book-lovers, but a Tywin with a bald head and silly golden side-whiskers with a deadpan serious expression is not something I could begin to take seriously. Maybe that's the point? I don't know. It just seems an incredibly silly look to give him and only serves to build up the gold gold gold stuff. - For that matter, Syrio's book look is just as dreadful. Maybe it's because I warmed so much to show Syrio but I refused for him to be bald in my mind's eye, even though the book demanded it. - The Dothraki bells. So glad they agreed it didn't work on the show. Bells aren't terrifying, and the idea of bells are laughable. They really kill the Dothraki terror with this element. Again, maybe that was the point. I really can't say for sure but I found it very hard to imagine and take seriously. - Some of the council members only scenes were sorely missed. Not to be helped, since those characters didn't have POV so I can picture the scenes happening anyway. I just enjoyed a few of them far too much. Pycelle's talking about past kings, Varys and Littlefinger with their various exchanges too. Most of Littlefinger's monologues were awful though so I can happily live without those. - The ages. I wasn't sure how to take this at first but tbh, the show got it right. It's not just the underage stuff since in that setting it's entirely believable and fits like a glove but I just have a hard time imagining a lot of these characters are so young. The decisions they make and their personalities are much better suited to the show ages. Again, in the "era" of the setting, youngsters stepping up to make such decisions were common since early death was too. But I just have a hard time swallowing it. Robb and Bran are glaring. Jon I can take with a grain of salt. Dany is completely fine really. Rickon is absolutely ridiculous. There's no way he has the higher concepts he's depicted as having at three/four. - Ned's injury. His horse falling on him is so much lamer than a stabbing. Maybe it buys more credence to Cersei's "side" of events but I can't see it impacting much at all really. - Ned's execution. Not the fault of the book...in a way. It was probably better to leave it up to the imagination. But it was a cool scene to depict and I was kind of expecting it really. We get chunks of it through Sansa's eyes but I was kind of hoping to get it from Ned's POV right up to the last second. Maybe for the best that didn't happen. I dunno. - Jaime. Him not being a POV in this sucks because there were some great Jaime scenes in the show that could never happen in the book. Like him talking to Tywin for the first time and standing outside Robert's room and talking to Jory, reminiscing on the battles at Balon Greyjoy's rebellion. - Theon. I went into the book expecting him to be more sympathetic but...damn. He gets less appearances and the few he does make him into a total dick. Probably will make his transition a lot more believable but I enjoyed it more on rewatch anyway. I'm certain he gets better exposure in the next book so we'll see. - He/she fought back the tears. This is something the book did almost every paragraph and it gets old fast. I get that it's sad times but not a single page goes by where somebody isn't on the verge of crying over some small thing. They're a lot more hardened on the show. Then again the kids are a lot older so meh. - Winter is coming. Never thought I'd say this! But the show actually uses it much more sparingly. I'm glad. Everything else I can think of is about the same, really. Doesn't really lend itself better or worse to either version outside of the obvious lack of inner thought/monologue stuff. All in all very much enjoyed. Looking forward to diving into Clash of Kings now.