The missing one is Rickon, who I think has been referred to once and shown once. He should be three, so in the show he should be about six they way they’ve advanced everyone.
-Joe
The last one is Rickon. Who has laughed and fetched arrows so far.
I’ll confess that i’m a reader of the books, so my extra knowledge may be to blame. But to see people get eaten by zombies or whatever in some snowy landscape, then seeing a group of soldiers being trained in some place in said snowy landscape (when no other snowy places have been shown), plus references to them guarding the big ice cube against some strange threat - I wouldn’t have thought it would be that odd to draw some inferences, there.
I mean, i’m right there with you on that it’s complicated, and the relationships between characters add even more complication. Even reading the books for the first time, when you have access to the character’s names as they speak, where there’s room for additional scenes and dialogue, I didn’t fully understand everything the first time through. But this particular thing doesn’t strike me as being that tricky to navigate.
And got his hair tousled by the King.
Well, at least His Grace did that well.
The scary zombies are north of the Wall. They are guarding the wall to keep the scary zombies from coming to the south of the Wall, where all the civilization is. Yes, the wall stretches from coast to coast.
Well, the Barksdale gang doesn’t all look and talk alike, which helps. I didn’t have much trouble following the stories; it probably helps that most focused on more prosaic issues like dealing drugs and local politics and cops and corrupt officials and such, rather than noble houses and snow zombies and pretenders and hordes of Klingons.
If you’ve got a guy in a fancy costume, and there’s no obvious stand-out characteristic in terms of hair, voice, mannerisms, or clothing, then I can’t tell that person apart from anybody else. That is admittedly my own mental deficiency and contributes to why I can’t follow GoT, but have little trouble with other large-cast shows like The Wire or Big Love, which I like (well, the latter until the final two seasons which sucked balls.)
Note that I’m not saying GoT is bad, just that I am not capable of enjoying it because I can’t deal with keeping straight six brooding teenagers with black hair, or three fat kings with beards. They’re all the same to me. Five of the characters are identical looking dogs, for god’s sake. The only characters I’ve been able to really latch on to are Peter Dinklage and the albino twins, and the smarmy boy prince.
Actually the show kinda reminds me of (I think) the second season of 24, which I also had to give up on, because five of the characters were young blonde women.
My husband’s the same way. No problem keeping it all straight, and I was all ready to explain it to him too!
I’ve watched the first 4 episodes and had no trouble following along. I just started reading the first book today, and I must say it’s easier to follow along with the tv show. I’d probably give up on the books if I hadn’t seen these episodes first.
I loved the wire, but I had alot of trouble keeping the gangbangers apart, even in the last season, but it could have something to do with me being white and living in Holland
Rob Stark: wants to be Orlando Bloom
Theon Greyjoy: jaw-clencher.
Jon Stark: Mr. Curls.
Hope that helps, friedo! I had trouble telling them apart until I gave each one a short phrase.
Except that Jon Stark is actually Jon Snow; “Snow” being the last name given to the more elite bastards in the North. (This was explained on the show.) Easy to remember–now, he’s surrounded by a shitload of snow!
And we also got exposition last episode that revealed Theon’s status as hostage for his family’s rebellion against the Starks. That scene featured Tyrion, so even Virgin Watchers probably paid attention. (A dash of sarcasm makes the exposition less dry.)
That’s part of what I love about Tyrion. Moments after a kind gesture towards the little crippled Stark boy, he’s twisting the knife in Theon and mocking him as a prisoner and lackey. Nobody’s either all good or all bad in GoT.
I’m going to cave and do some shameful nitpicking: It bothers me that Robert’s hair is not black. That is not black hair, that is medium brown hair. Not even close to black. Jon Snow’s hair is black. The Hound’s hair could pass as black. Khal Drogo’s. His blood rider who was talking to Jorah about weapons. Even Jory’s. All black. Robert’s? Not black.
And now Robert’s bastard son is said to have black hair…but it isn’t black either! It is brown! Oh my head.
They said Gendry’s hair is black?
I thought so…I seem to recall there was even a shot of him looking at the ground, bending his head so we got a good look at his hair.
Maybe I was imagining things.
Anyway. Robert’s hair. Not black.
I don’t trust Littlefinger, not a bit. Not only is he a weaselly dude, he’s going out of his way to make Ned think he’s trustworthy by pointing out everyone else’s faults.
And now the scene in which Lady Cat gets the jump on the Imp … I’m even more sure now that he’s been framed by Littlefinger.
Robert is an idiot. I’m at the point where I think he deserves to be cuckolded and have his heirs be fathered by a different man.
Sounds like a bit of prosopagnosia, eh? At first things are hazy, but as people start showing their personalities, they start becoming distinguishable. To me it’s like any visual story. And some people who are still not very strongly emphasized will continue to be a little hazy until they do something more distinctive. I’m comfortable with that.
Seriously, though, the wolves are hardly characters in the show. You don’t need much more than showing that a wolf is doing something in a particular scene. There’s a wolf sitting on Bran’s bed, there’s a wolf loose in the forest, there’s a wolf that Ned killed, and there’s a wolf that Jon used to threaten the guy being mean to the fat guy. Not much more that you really need to know. I’m aware that there’s a fifth wolf, but it’s not really important at this point.
You could say the same thing about asking a question.
I don’t have any problem at all keeping things straight. The TV show is essentially a different work. All that stuff you think we need to know that hasn’t been really isn’t part of this story, not unless or until it is shown.
Nah, he was just posting a three-word cry for attention. The fact that he didn’t get the kind of attention he was hoping for isn’t my fault.
Jon I can agree on. Theon Greyjoy would be “buttfucking ugly” and Robb Stark would be “uncertain beard”.
-Joe
I’m curious about favorite characters so far?
Tywin for me. I’m liking Jamie a lot too.
Jon and Tyrion. Dany’s growing on my fairly well these last two episodes, too.
Jon and Dany it’s their character arcs…Tyrion…Tyrion’s just a delightful wiseass.