Game of Thrones - HBO part 2 - Part 1

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Matt said:
Again, I get all of this but it isn't the book. It is a different medium. It is television. The rules are different. In literature, it is easy to develop multiple strands, no matter how seemingly detached. On television Ned was the character who had the strongest connection to the audience, Jon after him probably. Dany was pretty low on the list of characters of interest, so no matter how important she is to the future of the series, right now, Ned's death was the most effective aspect to a VIEWER (not a reader). Everything afterward, to a VIEWER felt 'meh.'
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yeah, but they couldn't end it with Ned's Death. I do however agree with you that perhaps some reorganization of the plot lines to allow Ned's excecution and Dany's revelation to occur at the beginning, and end of the same episode would have worked better.

all that being said, I didn't expect Ned's death, but at the same time it had to happen (I too being a strictly TV fan here, not reading the books) Given the number of young children/young adults in the show, it was going to be a long term story about the young'ns rather than about the adults
 
Superfreak said:
yeah, but they couldn't end it with Ned's Death. I do however agree with you that perhaps some reorganization of the plot lines to allow Ned's excecution and Dany's revelation to occur at the beginning, and end of the same episode would have worked better.

all that being said, I didn't expect Ned's death, but at the same time it had to happen (I too being a strictly TV fan here, not reading the books) Given the number of young children/young adults in the show, it was going to be a long term story about the young'ns rather than about the adults
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For the sake of televised story telling, I think that they need to break away from the book a little bit. I've done my homework a bit and it seems like the reason everything felt so underwhelming following Ned's death is because that is the climax of the book and everything else is basically falling action. That is all fine and good in literature, but in television, devoting an entire episode to the falling action doesn't really work. I think ending the season with Ned's death could have worked just fine and as a season premiere, the final episode of season one would have been tremendous as it lays down the ground work for what is to come.
 
The show and book should end the same way though and it ends with Daenerys for a reason. She is going to decide the future of Westeros.
 
Which is great, from a literary standpoint. From a televised standpoint, Dany is the character the audience has the least interaction with and is the least invested in. Obviously, that is different for someone who has read the books and knows what will happen 3 or 4 seasons down the road. But as someone who hasn't, I simply see her as a minor character with very little connection to the main plot. Ned is the character I bonded with most, he is the character that the first season was built around. Ned's death was the big event of the season. Everything else afterward just felt meh.

Television and literature are two different mediums. Just because something ends one way in the book does not mean that they cannot tweak things a bit for television. Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers ends with Frodo being paralyzed by the giant spider. Jackson wisely changed that to the beginning of Return of the King for film. These writers can follow suit and tweak things accordingly.
 
Matt said:
Which is great, from a literary standpoint. From a televised standpoint, Dany is the character the audience has the least interaction with and is the least invested in. Obviously, that is different for someone who has read the books and knows what will happen 3 or 4 seasons down the road. But as someone who hasn't, I simply see her as a minor character with very little connection to the main plot. Ned is the character I bonded with most, he is the character that the first season was built around. Ned's death was the big event of the season. Everything else afterward just felt meh.
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I disagree with that. I read the books after. I became invested in Dany because you see her go from her brother's pawn to a strong, independent leader.

Besides, they couldn't and shouldn't have ended with Ned's death because it would mean everything that happens after would have to be at the start of season 2. This season introduces so many new characters and plots and you wouldn't be able to develop them if you're unnecessarily forcing some of book 1 into it.
 
That's why the producers have to adapt and tweak. They cannot possibly expect to follow the book word for word. At some point, it has to become it's own story rather than being a slave to the source material.
 
No, but they should keep events from the book in their respective season. Especially since the first book is lighter in terms of major events happening. Cramming the ending of book 1 at the beginning of season 2 isn't good. You're going to see a lot of stuff changes drastically in season 2 that will need to be explored and book 3 is probably going to be 2 seasons itself and that still won't be enough to cover everything.
 
Matt said:
That's why the producers have to adapt and tweak. They cannot possibly expect to follow the book word for word. At some point, it has to become it's own story rather than being a slave to the source material.
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There's no tweaking the sheer number of characters and plot threads. Ned dies where he dies because it serves the story best in the book and on screen. Nobody seems to complain about the most important death the King, happening in the middle of the damn thing, or we never see the boar attack.

I totally get what you are saying from a perspon who has not read them. But if you have you'll see that the sheer volumes of stuff going on, even with the majority of it cut out for screen there is still a lot. Its why this thread was so long before the show started, remember how many of us were wondering exactly how then can do it.
 
I'm not necessarily complaining, mind you. I am just saying that episode 10 felt REALLY underwhelming when compared to episode 9. Almost like episode 9 was the season finale and episode 10 was an epilogue.
 
Personally, the way I would have done it was to shuffle things around so the season ends with both Ned's death and the dragon's birth. There is a good bit of symbolism that can be created by having the events parallel one another. Yes, that would mean certain things would have to be bumped back to the season 2 premiere, and removed and that the story with Dany would have had to have been sped up, but I think it would have worked better and made for a more satisfying and emotional conclusion.
 
Can't do that. It speeds up the events where Dany is concerned and since the guys in Kings Landing are keeping up with that then you still have the same problem of them accelleratingg their plans as she is married and starts to marshall her forces. Leaving us in the same place we were, them eyeing her, sending people to have a look, and Ned still not wanting to have anything done with her which also helped contribute to his death.

I know you are coming from a TV fan perspective. But I'm telling you, things tie together so well that you cannot shift them around or speed things up. We are talking hundreds of speaking roles and when any one of these people tells a lie you can tell or if then act a little off you know instantly. He's got a gift for writing characters that are pretty well drawn out.
 
I think it was emotionally satisfying having the Dragons birth as the ending, throughout the season (and book!) we'd consistently seen the "good guys" getting betrayed and defeated and the "bad guys" get away with it Scott free. I think it really had to end with that scene, it just gives the audience a sense of victory and optimism.
 
Matt said:
Personally, the way I would have done it was to shuffle things around so the season ends with both Ned's death and the dragon's birth. There is a good bit of symbolism that can be created by having the events parallel one another. Yes, that would mean certain things would have to be bumped back to the season 2 premiere, and removed and that the story with Dany would have had to have been sped up, but I think it would have worked better and made for a more satisfying and emotional conclusion.
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I won't get into specifically why because it's spoiler territory (unless you ask me to) but it breaks down like this. [BLACKOUT]Ned's death[/BLACKOUT] is a Westeros changing event. [BLACKOUT]Dragons[/BLACKOUT] is a world changing event. And we'll see this going forward. I can see your point in a traditional TV sense. But HBO doesn't really do things "by the book" which is why I think it's the only place they could adapt something like this.
 
Spidey-Bat said:
Well there is [blackout]Rickard Karstark's sons being killed which becomes important later on.[/blackout]
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Sure, which happens as part of the capture of Jaime. The bit about less information on the show was about them not mentioning that little piece at all, while it's there in the book. But it's easy enough to bring up later, as needs be, so it's a moot point.
 
Screen grab of Brienne

oaqbsl.jpg
 
El Bastardo said:
Sure, which happens as part of the capture of Jaime. The bit about less information on the show was about them not mentioning that little piece at all, while it's there in the book. But it's easy enough to bring up later, as needs be, so it's a moot point.
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This is true. But I liked that the book mentioned from GoT o ASOS so you didn't forget it. Whereas in the show, I'm expecting it to be, "Oh, this happened back awhile ago which is why this stuff is happening now."
 
Do any UK fans know if the the first season is being repeated on Sky at all before the 2nd series comes out?

The first episode was on just before new year but no others have been on since and I fancy watching this after hearing so many good things.
 
stark-targaryen-box-set.jpg

Alternate DVD/Bluray covers offered at Best Buy. I think they're cooler than the standard version for sure.
 
Those are way cooler. Looks like I'll be buying my copy at Best Buy
 
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