Game Of Thrones featurette!

[Empty Hands]

That said, I might redo The Wheel of Time now that Brandon Sanderson has picked up the torch (and there's an end in sight). Just finished "Mistborn", and was quite impressed with his writing.

Do it. The Gathering Storm and Towers of Midnight are pretty awesome. I like Sanderson a lot, and he is basically achieving the impossible here.

 

[CoryKS]

Do it. The Gathering Storm and Towers of Midnight are pretty awesome. I like Sanderson a lot, and he is basically achieving the impossible here.

I'm on my second run, thanks to the feedback I've received about the Sanderson books. I'm about a third into The Great Hunt. What's nice about rereading it is, you pick up things that didn't seem important the first time through, but were.

 

[Empty Hands]

I'm on my second run, thanks to the feedback I've received about the Sanderson books. I'm about a third into The Great Hunt. What's nice about rereading it is, you pick up things that didn't seem important the first time through, but were.

The Eye of the World upon re-reading, particularly at the end, is when you realize that Jordan originally intended the series to be a lot shorter.

 

[CoryKS]

The Eye of the World upon re-reading, particularly at the end, is when you realize that Jordan originally intended the series to be a lot shorter.

I noticed that. I think they do that in case the series flops, that way it has an identifiable end to the story.

 

[Cryozombie]

OK, so the first episode of Game of Thrones Aired...

Thoughts?

 

[Sukerkin]

Not seen it yet ... so until I have I will not be looking in this thread again :lol:.

Hopefully will watch it tonight.

 

[Empty Hands]

OK, so the first episode of Game of Thrones Aired...

Thoughts?

The White Walkers were not at all what I expected. Only seen the first 15 minutes though.

 

[Sukerkin]

It is following the modern TV trend of there being no real 'good guys' in the story, too much nudity and general shagging that have nothing to do with the story and not enough swordplay.

They get a pass on the first because the story itself is populated by unsavoury, self-serving, characters.

The second point of too much 'sex' might seem an odd complaint but it truly does detract as it is clearly just an artifice to keep young chaps watching. It draws attention away from what should be important in a non-pornographic story and it's a cheap device, like overly fast cutting in a scene, to gloss over any shortfalls in quality.

The third point shall hopefully be rectified in future episodes.

 

[Omar B]

I liked it so far. It rushed the first 4 chapters and changed the sex scenes. Kahl and Dani have sex in view of everyone to seal the marriage. Cercei and Jamie had sex in a fully furnished room in the tower reserved for the guests, not in some shoddy disused tower.

Otherwise I liked it. I want to give it a second viewing tomorrow though. I did notice the Dothraki don't have their bells on. Longclaw is a way more formidable weapon than I imagined. I knew it was large but damn!

 

[granfire]

It is following the modern TV trend of there being no real 'good guys' in the story, too much nudity and general shagging that have nothing to do with the story and not enough swordplay.

They get a pass on the first because the story itself is populated by unsavoury, self-serving, characters.

The second point of too much 'sex' might seem an odd complaint but it truly does detract as it is clearly just an artifice to keep young chaps watching. It draws attention away from what should be important in a non-pornographic story and it's a cheap device, like overly fast cutting in a scene, to gloss over any shortfalls in quality.

The third point shall hopefully be rectified in future episodes.

LOL, so there actually is such a thing as too much nudity?!

I liked it so far. It rushed the first 4 chapters and changed the sex scenes. Kahl and Dani have sex in view of everyone to seal the marriage. Cercei and Jamie had sex in a fully furnished room in the tower reserved for the guests, not in some shoddy disused tower.

Otherwise I liked it. I want to give it a second viewing tomorrow though. I did notice the Dothraki don't have their bells on. Longclaw is a way more formidable weapon than I imagined. I knew it was large but damn!

I liked it so far. It rushed the first 4 chapters and changed the sex scenes. Kahl and Dani have sex in view of everyone to seal the marriage. Cercei and Jamie had sex in a fully furnished room in the tower reserved for the guests, not in some shoddy disused tower.

Otherwise I liked it. I want to give it a second viewing tomorrow though. I did notice the Dothraki don't have their bells on. Longclaw is a way more formidable weapon than I imagined. I knew it was large but damn!

Now, really Omar...twice?!

:lfao:

 

[Sukerkin]

LOL, so there actually is such a thing as too much nudity?!

Aye, there is, bizarre as it may sound coming from a bloke .

What makes it particularly distasteful in the context of this series are the heavy overtones of misogyny that accompany it. Perhaps it's just the mood I was in when I watched it? Or pehaps it's because I'm stereotypically English? Have a gander yourself and see what you think.

 

[billc]

I have noticed with cable shows that the first show of a new series will have a lot of sex and nudity. Rome, The tudors, True Blood, Spartacus, Spartacus: Gods of the Arena and now Camelot, so far. I haven't seen game of thrones yet but from what has been said here, it seems to be following the same technique.

My theory is that in order to get the go ahead for the series they have to get it past the jaded, warped executives that control wether a show gets a full run or not. Hence, lots of sex and nudity, that really are unnecassary for the show to be successful. From the other shows, I would bet that the next episodes will gradually reduce the amount of sex and nudity since the warped gods of cable have been appeased with the sacrifice of the self-respect of young actors and actresses desperate to be in a show. You will have to let me know if others out there have noted this trend.

 

[granfire]

Aye, there is, bizarre as it may sound coming from a bloke .

What makes it particularly distasteful in the context of this series are the heavy overtones of misogyny that accompany it. Perhaps it's just the mood I was in when I watched it? Or pehaps it's because I'm stereotypically English? Have a gander yourself and see what you think.

LOL, no, I know what you mean. I read a novel by a favorite romance writer of mine...the story was wonderful, actually a very good mystery, but gawd the shagging got in the way! :lfao:

Really one of the few times you really want to skip the 'good part' (as JD Robb I here the mystery series she wrote is good, one ought to start with the first one)


Alas, I think I will miss it, I have no earthly idea where to find the visuals of this shaggadelic adventure...

 

[Empty Hands]

What makes it particularly distasteful in the context of this series are the heavy overtones of misogyny that accompany it.

Have you read the books? Because the series is faithfully following the books in this respect. There is a lot of rape, including of children, and two main characters have a secret, incestuous union that produces several children. Daenarys is 13 years old when she is sold to the warlord Drogo, and part of her growth as a character, if you can believe it, is learning to love him and learning to love making love to him.

The society depicted is indeed heavily misogynistic. Outrageously so. Classist too. However, it isn't a misogynist book IMO. The book makes clear how strong women (Cersei, Arya, Brienne) are oppressed by their society, and fight against its strictures in order to live out their true selves - even if that true self is to be as vicious, power-mongering and cruel as the men (Cersei). The book also shows how women who buy into their lesser position, even by their nature (Sansa), are not spared from the oppression. The society depicted is thoroughly vile, top to bottom, so much so that the few decent people (Ned Stark, Catelyn, Tyrion, Jon Snow, etc.) stand out by their very unusualness. Not that that spares the good people anything - Westeros chews them up and spits them out the same as anyone else, maybe worse.

 

[Omar B]

So what if there is nudity? It's on a premium cable channel at night, plus, that's how the book was written.

 

[granfire]

LOL, we have been Barneyfied...


However, sometimes it can get in the way...

 

[Sukerkin]

So what if there is nudity? It's on a premium cable channel at night, plus, that's how the book was written.

It may indeed be how the book is written (and I have read them tho' a long time ago) but I'd rather not be snuggled up on the sofa with the missus to watch a well-made fantasy series and be confronted with some poor lass being 'taken from behind' against her will. That offends my standards of taste and decency, which, I know, makes me an anachronism. There are ways of letting you know the score about the moral bankruptcy of the milieu without being blatant about it.

We shall see if things calm down a bit in the next episode.

 

[Cryozombie]

The society depicted is thoroughly vile, top to bottom, so much so that the few decent people (Ned Stark, Catelyn, Tyrion, Jon Snow, etc.) stand out by their very unusualness. Not that that spares the good people anything - Westeros chews them up and spits them out the same as anyone else, maybe worse.

I agree 100%. I was explaining to my Girlfriend who has never read the books, when she was talking about what *******s most of the characters on the show were, that the series is completly filled with people you really just wanna see get what's coming to them, and failry often do...

 

[Cryozombie]

It may indeed be how the book is written (and I have read them tho' a long time ago) but I'd rather not be snuggled up on the sofa with the missus to watch a well-made fantasy series and be confronted with some poor lass being 'taken from behind' against her will. That offends my standards of taste and decency, which, I know, makes me an anachronism. There are ways of letting you know the score about the moral bankruptcy of the milieu without being blatant about it.

We shall see if things calm down a bit in the next episode.

I get where you are coming from, but... thats how the books were written. I question whether it should be omitted because you are offended by it, or should you recognize that is what the Author wrote and find more suitable entertainment for your tastes?

I look at it like this: Could you imagine me getting in a Huff because the "Dresden Files" depicted the use of magic, which is against my religion... even tho it's a series of books written about a Wizard? It would seem silly to suggest that they make it a straight up PI series?

I only bring this up because one of my reservations about the series in the first place was that they would water down the sex, violence and non-pc topics and relationships that in many cases are vital to driving the story to make the Show more acceptable. *I* for one am glad they do not appear to be doing that.

 

[Bruno@MT]

When I started reading it, I thought the game of thrones ended after the third book.
And I thought it was brilliant!

Sure, it was open-ended, but so is life itself. And there was enough closure to be left with a sense that people's lives had changed dramatically.