Game of Thrones HBO - Disappointments, discuss.

[Conor]

Don't think The Blackfish advises Robb until they hit the Riverlands.

Barristan was indeed BFS.

I thought he came with Catelyn when she left the Vale?? I sure could be wrong??

I just wish they would have shown that Selmy took down a few men after he left the throne room.

Joffery is playing the role just right too, thinking on how he is going to treat Sansa.

 

[Needle]

I thought he came with Catelyn when she left the Vale?? I sure could be wrong??
.

You are correct Coner, the Blackfish did indeed come from the Vale with Catelyn.

Since this is the disappointment thread I finally have a big one! Why did they make one of Drogo's own men inflict the wound that will kill him?! And he fought with Drogo over what Dany had done with claiming the slaves, so implying that his injury and death is Dany's fault!

 

[Pilpel]

You are correct Coner, the Blackfish did indeed come from the Vale with Catelyn.

Since this is the disappointment thread I finally have a big one! Why did they make one of Drogo's own men inflict the wound that will kill him?! And he fought with Drogo over what Dany had done with claiming the slaves, so implying that his injury and death is Dany's fault!

It's Dany's fault anyway for insisting on MMD (Mirri Maz Dur) treating him, and betraying Dany by killing him.
I imagined his cut being more severe - I recall his nipple being cut off.
What he received instead is a pitiful scratch. Which makes it seem even more like Dany's to blame for his death, doesn't it?

 

[Syphon of Oor-Tael]

True, Pilpel, but even tiny scratches can get infected really bad. Especially in places that are unsanitary to begin with.

On the whole, as of yet, a few minor gripes but nothing major. I mean, once you realize that a book can barely be compressed into 12 hours,there will be a lot of cutting. You will then admire the story all the more when it manages to remain legible.

 

[Needle]

It's Dany's fault anyway for insisting on MMD (Mirri Maz Dur) treating him, and betraying Dany by killing him.
I imagined his cut being more severe - I recall his nipple being cut off.
What he received instead is a pitiful scratch. Which makes it seem even more like Dany's to blame for his death, doesn't it?

All in all I am extremely impressed with the show, very little to complain about.

Pipel, I do not believe that it was MMD that killed Drogo in the book, it is clearly stated that he had ripped off MMD's poultice after 2 days because it burned and the herb women gives him one that is soothing. We all know that many things that heal or kill germs HURT! She also told him not to disquise the pain with milk of the poppy because it would weaken him. It was very likely the replacement poultice, which felt good but did nothing for the infection, which killed him. I think she probably had bigger plans than just to kill him right off. Anyway I have said all this to show that it was not Dany's fault, and the show made it look lke it was!

 

[Yog-Sothoth]

This show is so freaking awesome, my dormant passion for this genre is completely rekindled. I love the whole concept so much; I plan on buying the entire book series for an even greater experience. To be honest after LoTR, I found it hard to get into something else and find something equal, but WOW, this story is so intriguing and epic it has destroyed my terrible writersblock and I'm now pounding away again on my keyboard on a fantasy epic I had been working on for some time. It's safe to say that I'm thoroughly inspired by a Game of Thrones.

The pointless softcore Porn is a pity though, as this is exactly the type of high quality epic story the younger generations could have enjoyed and be inspired by as well. I hope they release a censored version on DVD so I can pass it over to my younger relatives.

 

[TK-421]

Welcome Yog, now step away from the thread, lock yourself in your room for 5 days and come out when you read the first 4 books. Then fire away on these threads with your own thoughts or theories. There are too many spoilers abound!

 

[Yog-Sothoth]

Haha, thanks for that TK, I will do that! However I have to note that after having seen how multiple great staples of this genre were completely obliterated(i.e Dungeons & Dragons) when they hit the silver/small-screen, I really doubt after having read the books themselves and looking back at the tv-show in hindsight, that I will be disappointed.

Maybe a few feelings of "I wish they had added this" or "to bad they left out that", but that's probably it.

 

[Boaz]

Yog-Sothoth, welcome to the GRRM forum! I second TK's post. Beware reading here...this particulare thread is overflowing with spoilers... and even the thread titles can be dangerous!

Personally, I'd read the first three books (those were the only three published) when I found this site... and within thirty seconds, my innocence was gone.

 

[Tansy]

I'm really disappointed Ghost barks

that's my gripe

 

[Conor]

I'm really disappointed Ghost barks

that's my gripe

Youre right, more like dogs than Wolves.

 

[Wiggum]

I'm really disappointed Ghost barks

that's my gripe

And that made me lol for realz

 

[Lofwyr]

I'm really disappointed Ghost barks

that's my gripe

I have this same issue. It started the first time we see Ghost and he growls at that one guy in the Night's Watch. Gave me a little sad face.

@Needle - I rather think the show made things more obvious rather than changed things. It was an episode written by GRRM himself after all. What I mean is: I think MMD/Dany were supposed to have been at fault in the books but it was conveyed in a too subtle manner. So much like with a lot of other things on the show the message is delivered in a more blunt fashion.

 

[TK-421]

Really, dogs who actually bark! Who ever heard of such a freak of nature.

"Take 49. Action!"

"Woof!"

"Cut, cut! The damn dog barked again. Could we not muzzle it or give it one of those collars that shocks them when they bark? No. OK, if he barks again, we'll have to go with a dog who barks. I'm sure Greorge will understand."

"Take 50. Action!"

"Woof!"

 

[Lady of Winterfell]

I get that dogs are going to bark, but wasn't that part of Ghosts persona in the books? That he never makes a sound? Isn't he referred to in one of Bran's wolf dreams as the brother with no voice? (or something along those lines?)

 

[Lofwyr]

I get that dogs are going to bark, but wasn't that part of Ghosts persona in the books? That he never makes a sound? Isn't he referred to in one of Bran's wolf dreams as the brother with no voice? (or something along those lines?)

Yes he is. It made the part where Jon finds him carry even more mystical significance. Pretty sure Jon hears something (that no one else hears) which causes him to go find Ghost.

 

[Eulalia]

We could have a spinoff game, called Game of Television Budgets. You a producer, have a budget of 6 million dollars, and must decide, after giving some kind of fee schedule to GRRM, where to spend your money. With it be on Sean Bean, or Emilia Clarke? How many locations will you shoot? How many sets? What kind of budget will you allow for animals and trainers? Will you pay for a barkless, but docile, direwolf? How about a barkless but docile dragon? How much will it cost to have dogs in scenes? How many takes will you do? Will you build a castle to represent the Eerie? What scenes will you skip because they would be too expensive to do? Will you have sex scenes to spice up the dialogues that you have to have to convey informations or take a hit on the ratings? Will you curse GRRM for not writing the darn books for TV?

 

[Wiggum]

I just want to know how they handled the rather delicate casting requirements for Hodor.

Seriously, that guy has a package that UPS couldn't deliver.

 

[Lyanna Stark]

On a related note on direwolves, where are they? The direwolves are such an integral and important part of each of the Stark children, I'm really bummed that we see so little of them.

For example, the scene when the wildlings set on Bran, both Summer and Grey Wind join the melee. The reason the guy grabs Bran is to force Robb to call the wolves off, and then Theon nails him. The reason Osha surrendered was primarily out of her fear of the direwolves. Since they are such a huge part of each of the boys' lives (seeing as Lady was executed and Nymeria chased off), I feel that we should be seeing a lot more of them alongside their counterparts. That more than anything has irritated me.

On a lesser note, the scene between Robert and Cersei in "Golden Crown" really peeved me. That information doesn't come out until Cersei is speaking with Ned (which she does in the show as well so hello redundancy). I felt that the scene between Robert and Cersei discussing the failings of their married life just undermined Cersei's character. A huge part of Cersei's character is that she is just downright spiteful and vindictive. She would never have "given Robert the satisfaction." Additionally, she openly admits in the book that the only man she ever wanted was her twin Jaime, so her saying to Robert "I was crazy about you, etc." was a ludicrous lie that Cersei, in all her self-absorbed pride and spite, would never say to anyone, period.

That said, that scene served only to "humanize" Cersei, to make her more sympathetic to an audience. I love Cersei just the way she is. (Meaning I love to hate her, thus making her one of my favorite characters.) I don't want to see her humanized or made to be less than what she's supposed to be: spiteful, self-serving, self-absorbed, arrogant and cunning.

 

[TK-421]

Welcome Lyanna and I like your choice of a user name and avatar.

Well, the last episode had both Ghost and Grey Wind in it. Although, it spurred Bark-gate. The Producers have said that they use the dogs playing the roles of the direwolves when they can but it can be very difficult to work with animals who do not preform on cue. Not making excuses but just repeating what they have said.

The wolves have been there at the crucial moments when they needed to be: Discovered as pups, Summer killing the assassin, Nymeria takes down Joff, Nymeria is chased away by Arya, Sansa walking Lady, Lady is killed, Summer on Bran's bed when he has his dreams, Ghost scaring the crap out of Rast, Ghost going beyond the Wall with Jon when he says his vows and bringing back the hand, Grey Wind chewing off the Greatjon's fingers, Ghost alerting Jon to the wights.

As for Cersei, in my opinion she is a very human character (one of the most human) in the books and the TV series and I think they have done a good job to show how she attempts to protect her children above all else, which means grabbing and keeping power. The beauty of GRRM's writing and how they've portrayed it onscreen is that you are never truly sure 100% who is good or bad or what their true intentions really are. You can like or dislike characters but it all comes down to points of view, or how GRRM portrays the main protagonists.

Anyways, how does one put a 694 page book into 10 hours of TV screentime? By making choices about what scenes are important, how they are portrayed, how the story flows to ensure it's comprehensible and not disjointed, what characters does one focus on, how does one not lose the audience given the depth and complexity of GRRM's world, and how do you put all that written description, back-story and internal dialogue onto a TV screen while still making sense and not losing the audience. As GRRM himself said in his current writting of an episode for season 2:

writing the first draft of my script for episode nine of season two of the HBO series GAME OF THRONES, "Blackwater," and damn, but this one is a bitch of an adaptation, the original author made the damn battle way too big and too expensive,

Eulalia had it right above. We can play that Game of Television Budgets for a long time. I believe LOTR fans still are and Peter Jackson has moved on.