Game of Thrones, The Kingsroad, 4/24/11

Yeah, but there’s no special reason why. They just… got along.

I dug the murderous look Arya gave Joffrey at the end. Also lovingly-framed gaping neck wound. I felt really sorry for Sansa.

If she told the truth…

Rewatching it now. I think there might be a split-second of the Little Khal during that “Tonight I would look upon your face” scene.

Arya and Jon both look alike, as well. All the other bookStarks look like their mother. Mostly it’s just because neither of them really fit in.

I’ve never been so happy to see man-ass. I was worried all the sex would be awkwardly shot with fully dressed guys. (Naked Indian/Mongel dudes don’t do anything for me, but Hollywood-esqe self-censorship annoys me)

I disagree about the time-compression, though. I think plotwise, they did a great job. Yes, it was kid-centric, but that was the price of ending ep.1 where they did.

I missed Bran’s waking up line, but it wasn’t that important. Cat’s “It should have been you” is a big loss, though. Makes clear that there’s no place for him in Winterfell, which wasn’t really needed in the book with all the conversation building up to it, but would have helped newbies here.


Cat does seem to be the big loser thus far, adaption wise. Course, Renly didn’t show up at all . . .

That’s not really acting though, the kid just happens to look like a total douche. More like good casting i guess.

It’s growing on me. (Get it off!)

One teensy thing I really liked was Jaime poo-pooing the danger when he was ragging on Jon about going to the Wall. Nobody believes in the White Walkers, maybe not even the men on the Wall. So it was doubly good that the series started with the Walkers. We know something that they don’t know. I like when that happens.

But I don’t remember that scene from the book, and I was annoyed that Jon stood there with his mouth open. Makes him look stupid.

Hated that Lady had to die, and the butcher’s boy, and that Robert didn’t stand up to Cersei more than he did.

Off to the spoiler thread to ask a question about Cersei and Catelyn’s conversation.

I think it’s more than just looking like a douche. He did a good job of instantly going into his crying pussy mode at the point of a sword.

I’m still loving Dinklage as Tyrion. Loved watching him repeatedly bitch slap Joffrey and his delivery of every line is perfect. I agree you can tell he’s loving this opportunity. It must be difficult for diminutive actors like that to get such robust roles and he’s not wasting a second of it.

The compressed timeline isn’t bothering me so much. I actually think it makes the storylines a little easier to follow. The key scenes are all there (if perhaps not every significant line of dialogue).

I liked it much better on a second watching.

God Joffrey and Cersei are loathsome.

The “better looking bitches than you’re used to, uncle” line was probably my favorite.

Big fan of the books, really enjoyed it.

My wife, who read book 1 and didn’t like it, commented that fans of the book (such as me) are always talking about how there aren’t really good and evil characters, shades of grey, etc. You sure wouldn’t know it from this episode, though. MAN do I hate Cersei and Joffrey.

OK, I liked this episode better than the first, and I really didn’t feel lost at all. It was a little rushed, but that’s to be expected. However, I felt like it went downhill at the end when the King and Ned were all up in arms about their kids squabbling. The king even mentioned that, and chided his son because he’d been bested by a young girl. So why so much drama? It just seemed overdone.

Other than that, I’m liking it OK. Not great, but good.

Cersei and Joffrey were the ones stirring up the drama. King Robert just wanted it to be over with and Ned was trying his best to not offend the royal family.

Regarding the Wall (and it’s not really a spoiler but it is filling in a bit of detail from the book so read at your own risk):

A long time ago it was a honored position to serve at the Wall. They’d had people up there defending for, what, 3000 years? But times have changed and it’s been so long since anything major happened up there, that the “honor” of serving the Wall has long since past. They don’t get nearly as many volunteers so they have to recruit people. That’s what the scene was where they talked about the rapists. Many criminals are given the choice: harsh punishment or the Wall, for life (arguably this is even harder punishment). So that’s how they keep their numbers up these days.

All I can say without minor spoilage is that it makes a little more sense with one of the conversations that was dropped.

If settling the incident among the kids had been left to Ned & the King, they probably could have come to a solution that involved nobody dying. Not even a wolf cub!

But Queen Cersei had to defend her darling son & she’s got lots of secrets to protect. (Lady was gentle for a direwolf, but might eventually have defended Sansa if Joffrey got into one of his moods.) Cersei loves drama! And Robert is tired of those damned Lannister in-laws; the dwarf might have made a sane suggestion but he was heading North. So Robert stomped off, looking for a tankard of wine & a complaisant serving girl.

(What really happened to Lady.)

I haven’t read the books so I guess there is stuff I missed. What was her motivation for not telling her father (and the King for that matter) the truth?

She’s in denial about Joffrey because it fits with her knight I’m shining armor fantasy.

She’s gaga over the prince and the idea of being a queen.

The writers presented this clearly enough that I got that pretty easily.

I believe they said 8,000 years. Which is a bit of a :dubious:

Yeah, you would think that technology would progress a little more over 8,000 years.