# Game of Thrones 2.02 "The Night Lands" 4/8/12 No book spoilers **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 8, 2012, 8:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/game-of-thrones-2-02-the-night-lands-4-8-12-no-book-spoilers/618161 "2012-04-08T08:13:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2012, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/game-of-thrones-2-02-the-night-lands-4-8-12-no-book-spoilers/618161/21 "2012-04-09T17:39:45Z")
Yeah, it is kind of slow if you consider baby killing, whore threatening, poison magiking, uncomfortable soft porn sex on top of toy soldiers, sacrificing sons to zombies boring. But I know I’m not in the majority when I say battles are boring. All the juicy stuff comes to a halt during battles. ---
**Author:** ![DigitalC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2012, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/game-of-thrones-2-02-the-night-lands-4-8-12-no-book-spoilers/618161/22 "2012-04-09T17:56:03Z")
That wasn’t a zombie, it had glowy blue eyes and it was really tall so it was a white walker. ---
**Author:** ![Snarky\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Snarky\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snarky_Kong)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2012, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/game-of-thrones-2-02-the-night-lands-4-8-12-no-book-spoilers/618161/23 "2012-04-09T17:56:54Z")
I don’t think slow and boring are synonyms. ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2012, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/game-of-thrones-2-02-the-night-lands-4-8-12-no-book-spoilers/618161/24 "2012-04-09T19:42:24Z")
> [@Biggirl](#): > > Yeah, it is kind of slow if you consider baby killing, whore threatening, poison magiking, **uncomfortable soft porn sex on top of toy soldier** s, sacrificing sons to zombies boring. But I know I’m not in the majority when I say battles are boring. All the juicy stuff comes to a halt during battles. I musta missed something. What does the part I bolded allude to? ---
**Author:** ![DigitalC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2012, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/game-of-thrones-2-02-the-night-lands-4-8-12-no-book-spoilers/618161/25 "2012-04-09T19:46:05Z")
Stannis and Melisandre. ---
**Author:** ![DigitalC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2012, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/game-of-thrones-2-02-the-night-lands-4-8-12-no-book-spoilers/618161/26 "2012-04-09T20:00:43Z")
Ratings for the second episode [down only 100k](http://insidetv.ew.com/2012/04/09/game-of-thrones-ratings-night-lands/). Which is extremely good considering ratings always drop after the premier, it was easter sunday and most importantly the episode was leaked online early in the week. ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2012, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/game-of-thrones-2-02-the-night-lands-4-8-12-no-book-spoilers/618161/27 "2012-04-09T20:08:38Z")
> [@Snarky\_Kong](#): > > I don’t think slow and boring are synonyms. Yeah, I’m definitely not saying it’s boring, just that the plot hasn’t been moving on much, compared to the first season. Mainly because in the first season there were really only four or five main plot lines to follow. ---
**Author:** ![EllisDee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellisdee/32/4531_2.png) [@EllisDee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EllisDee)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2012, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/game-of-thrones-2-02-the-night-lands-4-8-12-no-book-spoilers/618161/28 "2012-04-09T21:46:56Z")
As the episode wrapped I also had the thought that so far it’s been plodding and slow. As a concrete example, that whole scene of convincing the pirate guy to lend his ships to Stannis’ campaign could have easily been cut without losing anything. ---
**Author:** ![drachillix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/48db29/32.png) [@drachillix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drachillix)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2012, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/game-of-thrones-2-02-the-night-lands-4-8-12-no-book-spoilers/618161/29 "2012-04-09T22:06:12Z")
> [@AlsoNamedBort](#): > > revealed that woman was Theon’s sister? For some reason, that grossed me out way more than any of the Lannister’s business. What I found kinda squicky was…she knew exactly who he was, but made no effort to stop him and even seemed to be enjoying it a tiny bit (even if she only enjoyed fooling him) ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2012, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/game-of-thrones-2-02-the-night-lands-4-8-12-no-book-spoilers/618161/30 "2012-04-10T12:30:18Z")
> [@Biggirl](#): > > Yeah, it is kind of slow if you consider baby killing, whore threatening, poison magiking, uncomfortable soft porn sex on top of toy soldiers, sacrificing sons to zombies boring. But I know I’m not in the majority when I say battles are boring. All the juicy stuff comes to a halt during battles. Yeah, I’m with you. I didn’t consider it slow at all. Plenty of good stuff happened. > [@Biggirl](#): > > Was it Caster who cracked Jon across the head? That’s who it looked like to me – he doubled back and followed Jon. > [@](#): > > isn’t it convenient that a baby boy was born on the one night the Nightwatch was crashing Caster’s pad? Well, hell, that’s 90 percent of dramatic fiction right there. > [@](#): > > Last season I loved Dany, this season I am quite sick of her flat performance. How long will it take for all of them to die of hunger and thirst in the desert? That storyline needs to either pick up or end. Eh, I can forgive it, since they’re not spending a whole lot of screen time on it. > [@drachillix](#): > > What I found kinda squicky was…she knew exactly who he was, but made no effort to stop him and even seemed to be enjoying it a tiny bit (even if she only enjoyed fooling him) > [@Tangent](#): > > Even the icky brother/sister groping was worth it for the look on his face when he found out who she was. > [@AlsoNamedBort](#): > > Also, did anyone else let out an audible “Ewww…” when they revealed that woman was Theon’s sister? For some reason, that grossed me out way more than any of the Lannister’s business. Sibling incest seems to be a “thing” in this series, and the way they’ve set it up it seems that (1) sibling incest = hot and (2) father/daughter incest = creepy. Because, the hot people are doing the first and the ugly people are doing the second. So, I’m going with the flow. ---
**Author:** ![Critical1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3e96dc/32.png) [@Critical1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Critical1)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2012, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/game-of-thrones-2-02-the-night-lands-4-8-12-no-book-spoilers/618161/31 "2012-04-10T14:51:38Z")
> [@EllisDee](#): > > As the episode wrapped I also had the thought that so far it’s been plodding and slow. As a concrete example, that whole scene of convincing the pirate guy to lend his ships to Stannis’ campaign could have easily been cut without losing anything. unlikely, this is a set up for an important new character (important enough for some screen time down the road) and it established whoshisface as a fundy while his dad is clearly not. ---
**Author:** ![Gukumatz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/74df32/32.png) [@Gukumatz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gukumatz)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2012, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/game-of-thrones-2-02-the-night-lands-4-8-12-no-book-spoilers/618161/32 "2012-04-10T17:29:13Z")
**Moderator’s Note:** This thread has been unstuck, now that people are hopefully used to the system. Cheers Gukumatz ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2012, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/game-of-thrones-2-02-the-night-lands-4-8-12-no-book-spoilers/618161/33 "2012-04-10T19:03:49Z")
I enjoyed this episode. Tyrion is still terrific. The interplay between Gendry and Arry in camp was good. The Night’s Watch oldster holding the blade between the legs of the goldcloak as he calmly spoke to him was a nice scene. And every time I think Theon’s not a bad guy, he proves all over again that he’s still a shit (treating the girl on the boat like a slut, sneering at the old guy on the wharf, totally misreading his dad). His family sure has a nice castle, though - that was good CGI. > [@Critical1](#): > > unlikely, this is a set up for an important new character (important enough for some screen time down the road) and it established whoshisface as a fundy while his dad is clearly not. Yeah, that’s what I thought too. I’m sure we’ll be seeing the pirate who wants to fuck Cersei again. Don’t think I’ve seen the actor who plays Davos before. He reminds me of a young Bryan Brown/Edward Woodward type. He’s good. ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2012, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/game-of-thrones-2-02-the-night-lands-4-8-12-no-book-spoilers/618161/34 "2012-04-10T19:08:02Z")
Was the guy who plays Stannis a Doctor? ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2012, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/game-of-thrones-2-02-the-night-lands-4-8-12-no-book-spoilers/618161/35 "2012-04-10T19:10:33Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > I His family sure has a nice castle, though - that was good CGI. All of the sets and locations (real or CGI) are top notch this season. Really sumptuous set design and the costumes look like they have been rode hard. Good attention to detail. ---
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2012, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/game-of-thrones-2-02-the-night-lands-4-8-12-no-book-spoilers/618161/36 "2012-04-10T20:11:45Z")
Has anyone noticed that Cersei/Lena Headey is way more attractive this year? They almost made her look somewhat frumpy in season 1, but she’s radiant in comparison. I wonder if there’s something intentional and thematic going on, or if it’s just in my head. ---
**Author:** ![Eleanor\_of\_Aquitaine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a88e4f/32.png) [@Eleanor\_of\_Aquitaine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eleanor_of_Aquitaine)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2012, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/game-of-thrones-2-02-the-night-lands-4-8-12-no-book-spoilers/618161/37 "2012-04-10T20:22:02Z")
> [@Biggirl](#): > > Was the guy who plays Stannis a Doctor? He played Thomas Jefferson in the HBO John Adams miniseries. ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2012, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/game-of-thrones-2-02-the-night-lands-4-8-12-no-book-spoilers/618161/38 "2012-04-10T20:32:27Z")
> [@SenorBeef](#): > > Has anyone noticed that Cersei/Lena Headey is way more attractive this year? They almost made her look somewhat frumpy in season 1, but she’s radiant in comparison. I wonder if there’s something intentional and thematic going on, or if it’s just in my head. I think the difference is: one, a better wig and two, she’s stopped that sneering half-smile she did all the time last season that made her look like she was smelling cooked cabbage or farts or something. ---
**Author:** ![DigitalC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2012, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/game-of-thrones-2-02-the-night-lands-4-8-12-no-book-spoilers/618161/39 "2012-04-10T23:34:13Z")
> [@SenorBeef](#): > > Has anyone noticed that Cersei/Lena Headey is way more attractive this year? They almost made her look somewhat frumpy in season 1, but she’s radiant in comparison. I wonder if there’s something intentional and thematic going on, or if it’s just in my head. Not just that but she is also acting better. ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2012, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/game-of-thrones-2-02-the-night-lands-4-8-12-no-book-spoilers/618161/40 "2012-04-11T00:49:57Z")
Today in completely unsurprising news: [Game of Thrones renewed for third season](http://insidetv.ew.com/2012/04/10/game-of-thrones-renewed-3/) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/game-of-thrones-2-02-the-night-lands-4-8-12-no-book-spoilers/618161.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/game-of-thrones-2-02-the-night-lands-4-8-12-no-book-spoilers/618161.md?page=3)