Game of Thrones - HBO part 2 - Part 3

[Thundercrack85]

I have to say, just as someone watching the show, it's my least favorite part after Jon's adventures in iceland. Though at least now it might get mildly interesting. I really hope it pays off. They're figuratively and literally getting further and further away from the main plot.

 

[DarthSkywalker]

Really? I loved Dany's chapters. Her last chapter in ASOS was amazing.

GRRM is clearly going for an Alexander feel, but with a slightly inept girl who grows into a pretty good leader.

Two words. Daario Naharis.

GRRM's aims aren't exactly what we always get. See all of AFFC.

Dany's story in ASOS is good, but I also think it exposes her for how terrible she really is. ADWD enforces this, while stalling the story completely. But hey, outside of [BLACKOUT]Jon and Bran[/BLACKOUT], the entire book felt like padding. Even [BLACKOUT]Tyrion's[/BLACKOUT] bits.

 

[DarthSkywalker]

I have to say, just as someone watching the show, it's my least favorite part after Jon's adventures in iceland. Though at least now it might get mildly interesting. I really hope it pays off. They're figuratively and literally getting further and further away from the main plot.

Jon's story really does start slow, but really picks up at the end of this season/book and imo becomes the best storyline by far from there on out.

 

[Colossal Spoons]

Dany is no Alexander the Great. She is arguably the worst conqueror/ruler I can remember.

Haha, yeah. If she ever makes it back to Westeros, she better have a different strategy.

 

[Thundercrack85]

Alexander was a great warrior and general though. He didn't need no dragons. He was a dragon.

 

[Marvolo]

Dany is no Alexander the Great. She is arguably the worst conqueror/ruler I can remember.

I didn't say she was Alexander the Great. I said her movements remind me of his. She moves from tribe to town and sets up her own rulers in each one. Mixing their culture with her own ideas. Some of the leaders Alexander set up in his conquered cities became corrupt and ruined the cities. Same thing also happens in Danys cities. Finally

Spoiler

she even settles down in one of her cities at the end of ASOS.

Alexander planned to do the same but died shortly thereafter.

Alexander the Great moved across Persia and India in the same way. She's not the military commander he was, but her movements and desire to rule Westeros and essentially the East is very much Alexanderesque. Hell the East is a mixture of Persia and Indian tribal culture. These comparisons come naturally to me because I went on an Alexander binge and he is the man who set the standard for world traveling conquest.

 

[DACrowe]

I see. I did wonder why we don't see more of them. Their followers, that is.

This series would really benefit from some more establishing shots. Help show the geography more. But then they do have a tight budget.

Well there is the always-changing map at the beginning of each episode.

After reading your questions I just did a quick thought on who the most powerful families in Westeros (post-Targaryen) are. And from what I've read in the first four books, I'd rank them:

1. Lannisters (Westerlands)
2. Tyrells (The Reach)
3. Baratheons (Stormlands)
4. Starks (North)
5. Martells (Dorne)
6. Tullys (Riverlands)
7. Arryns (Vale)
8. Freys (Riverlands)
9. Greyjoys (Iron Islands/North)
10. Boltons (North)

All of them will play big roles. I actually could see the show downsizing the Martell's part in the story as it is kind of marginalized, but at least the Red Viper (a Prince of Dorne) will play a major role in the fourth season. Hope that helps.

 

[DACrowe]

ASOS and ADWD are not good for Dany's cred. Not only is her story boring and drawn out, she comes off as the dumbest of the POV characters that matter.

I haven't read ADWD yet, but I liked Dany in ASOS. Actually, it's interesting as both Dany and Jon's chapters became really tiresome to me in ACOK, but Dany became quite interesting in ASOS and Jon Snow's story stole the show, in my opinion.

 

[rayc1971]

Don't know much about arranged marriage do you? Age difference doesn't matter. In our own history during medieval times royals married children to full grown adults to strengthen alliances. Besides if they've changed hers and everyone else's age who's to say they won't change the others.

okay i buy the arranged marriage but they are not going to change joffrey and tommen because we already seen them.joffrey is 13 and tommen is 8.

 

[DACrowe]

Again spoilers.

And in the show Joffrey now looks about 16 (in real life he is 20). Tommen looks about 14 now. He'll be 16 when the time comes. And she can pass for 25. Not that big a deal. At least no more than the original story.

 

[Thundercrack85]

Really, one thing I notice is that the houses seem extremely underpopulated. But apparently, Martin kept the number of royalty / nobility limited for the sake of simplicity.

Or to compare, England had a few hundred princes walking around, even before the Acts of Union. James II had 20 kids. 20 legitimate kids. That's just the royal family, not even talking about nobility...

Though I don't understand why Cersei and Robert didn't have any children. Since, they both have kids out of wedlock.

 

[DarthSkywalker]

I haven't read ADWD yet, but I liked Dany in ASOS. Actually, it's interesting as both Dany and Jon's chapters became really tiresome to me in ACOK, but Dany became quite interesting in ASOS and Jon Snow's story stole the show, in my opinion.

I agree Dany's story in ASOS is quite good. Boring and drawn out applies to ADWD.

But in both books her judgement as a leader is beyond terrible.

Well there is the always-changing map at the beginning of each episode.

After reading your questions I just did a quick thought on who the most powerful families in Westeros (post-Targaryen) are. And from what I've read in the first four books, I'd rank them:

1. Lannisters (Westerlands)
2. Tyrells (The Reach)
3. Baratheons (Stormlands)
4. Starks (North)
5. Martells (Dorne)
6. Tullys (Riverlands)
7. Arryns (Vale)
8. Freys (Riverlands)
9. Greyjoys (Iron Islands/North)
10. Boltons (North)

All of them will play big roles. I actually could see the show downsizing the Martell's part in the story as it is kind of marginalized, but at least the Red Viper (a Prince of Dorne) will play a major role in the fourth season. Hope that helps.

This is close. The one exception are the Boltons. They should be higher. Behind the Martells or maybe even in front of them.

 

[Spidey-Bat]

Really, one thing I notice is that the houses seem extremely underpopulated. But apparently, Martin kept the number of royalty / nobility limited for the sake of simplicity.

Or to compare, England had a few hundred princes walking around, even before the Acts of Union. James II had 20 kids. 20 legitimate kids. That's just the royal family, not even talking about nobility...

That's because many children died during birth or the women did. Jon Arryn's first 3 wives died without giving him an heir and Lysa Tully had miscarriages before finally giving birth to Robert.

Steffon and Cassana Baratheon (Robert/Stannis/Renly's parents) died at sea, Robert and Stannis were 15 and 13, Renly was an infant.

Joanna Lannister died giving birth to Tyrion. Minisia Tully (Cat's mother) died giving birth to a child which also died.

Mace Tyrell has 4 children. The Starks have 5. We don't know anything about Ned's mother but he had 3 siblings, 4 kids seems to be typical.

The Martells have been the most productive family when it comes to popping out children.

Though I don't understand why Cersei and Robert didn't have any children. Since, they both have kids out of wedlock.

She hated Robert. He was the typical knight in shining armor in his youth, strong and handsome. But on their wedding night he called her Lyanna (Lyanna Stark being his true love). She hated him for this and because the only 2 men she wanted were Jaime and Rhaegar, who Robert happened to kill. It's mentioned in the books that [blackout]Cersei aborted every time she conceived from Robert.[/blackout]

 

[Thundercrack85]

Ah. Well, that would explain that then.

But even then, that's still underpopulated. There's a reason everyone and their brother can trace their ancestry back to royalty. But, I appreciate the fact that they don't want to waste time and money on that.

I don't get the feeling that Robert was ever close with any of his children. Maybe he suspected they weren't his. Or he was too drunk to notice.

I assume Tywin knows though.

 

[rayc1971]

Again spoilers.

And in the show Joffrey now looks about 16 (in real life he is 20). Tommen looks about 14 now. He'll be 16 when the time comes. And she can pass for 25. Not that big a deal. At least no more than the original story.

oh okay i thought that the kid playing joffrey was around 13 in real life.he looks real young

 

[Jordacar]

How did Lysa Arryn get so bent? Public breastfeeding doesn't seem like the kinda think she would pick up after her husband's death.

 

[Thundercrack85]

Tyrion seems to imply that she was always a bit, off. But the death of her husband apparently made her go from strange to bat**** crazy.

Not that anyone in the Eyrie seemed to mind.

 

[DarthSkywalker]

Tyrion seems to imply that she was always a bit, off. But the death of her husband apparently made her go from strange to bat**** crazy.

Not that anyone in the Eyrie seemed to mind.

Major spoiler, I am serious.

[BLACKOUT]Her husband's death has little to do with it. She has always been al little weird and her obsession with Littlefinger hasn't helped. After all, he is the one who manipulated her into killing her husband.[/BLACKOUT]

 

[Golgo-13]

As slow as this season has been so far, it's always a pleasure seeing Arya and King Jeoffrey.

 

[smashmode]

oh okay i thought that the kid playing joffrey was around 13 in real life.he looks real young

You are not even going to address the spoilers that you continue to talk about are you.

 

[conan69]

All of them will play big roles. I actually could see the show downsizing the Martell's part in the story as it is kind of marginalized, but at least the Red Viper (a Prince of Dorne) will play a major role in the fourth season. Hope that helps.

Minor spoilers, that prob wont make the show...

Spoiler

Theres alot of small details involved with the Martells such as the final fate of a extremely tall character, a possible Targaryan heir, Cerseis daughter,and a detail I liked, that prob wont make it into the series... that Viserys was bethrothed to a Martell character we'll see later.

I always enjoyed the Martell chapters.

 

[Jordacar]

I really hope Tyrion and Sansa get a scene together, even if it's not in the books. I imagine they would find some surprising common ground.

 

[chaseter]

Alexander was a great warrior and general though. He didn't need no dragons. He was a dragon.

In bed.

 

[DACrowe]

As slow as this season has been so far, it's always a pleasure seeing Arya and King Jeoffrey.

Huh. Maybe it's cause I've read the books, but I think S2 has been much faster than S1. S1 was a slow, slow build to Ned losing his head. I don't think the "set-up" was even done until the end of episode 5. In S2 there are more storylines, but ****'s been going down for the last two episodes and will continue to do so for the rest of the season.

I really hope Tyrion and Sansa get a scene together, even if it's not in the books. I imagine they would find some surprising common ground.

They're going to have a lot of scenes together next year.

 

[ChickenScratch]

How did Lysa Arryn get so bent? Public breastfeeding doesn't seem like the kinda think she would pick up after her husband's death.

In love with Littlefinger her whole life. Littlefinger is obsessed with her sister Kat so the first time Lysa even sleeps with a man it's Littlefinger so drunk he thinks he was with Kat.