I had no idea that guy from the trailer was Daario. I didn't like the actor last season but at least he looked somewhat exotic, instead of being yet another guy with a beard. A bit soon to judge but it's weird.
@slashdance: I agree that Daario looks like just another guy, there's nothing exotic about his look. In the books he has blue hair and a blue beard with gold paint on the end of his moustache tips. I get why he doesn't look like that but at least make him look different from any other knight.
The episode was great and all, but I get uncomfortable when certain characters feel like aliens to me, when the show makes it seem like I should know them.
The guest dude in the yellow dress who grabbed the boy's balls, his sister was killed by the Lannisters, what is he doing in their capital? Who is he? And more importantly, why is he? Why now?
Furthermore, I still don't understand Daario's story. Boom we meet this handsome guy with the long hair who kills his bros for Dany, and now he's a thing. Who and why is he? Also I agree with @slashdance about replacing the exotic guy with yet another hipster.
I also am still waiting for the magic guy who granted Arya three wishes in season 2 to come back or something. What was his story?
Ugh.. these mysterious male characters ruin the flow for me because I dunno what on earth they're doing on the show. They belong in a cheap reality TV show about magicians and shit.
Also, and I know it's silly, but Jamies new haircut just takes away from the swagger of the character.
It is silly but I totally agree, not a fan of his short hair.
I think that's the point the producers are going for, that he's no longer the golden boy (pun about Lannister hair-colour unintended) and the world has moved on without him (like his hand) - think Samson.
@singingmenstrual: "The guest dude in the yellow dress" as you call him pretty much explain to Tyrion why he's there. Rewatch that scene and you'll see.
Also, you just have to be patient about the other stuff you mention. As a book reader I can say without spoiling that they're setting that stuff up right now, and you'll understand more later. This is a show that has always taken its time with the first half of the season before kicking off in the second half, which people always forget because they tend to focus on the more action packed latter half of each season. The Red Wedding was just one scene of one episode after all.
As for Daario's look, I agree that he could've looked a bit more distinctive (don't misuse the word "hipster" like the rest of the internet though), but the way he's described in the book is best left on the page. Blue hair etc. would just look silly on screen.
If that Dragon had hurt Dany I would've jumped through the screen and hatefucked it with my fists. The Hound is a damn savage, and Arya is still my favorite character. Such a good premier.
Because this show might be the "plottiest" (kudos to The Atlantic for that word) TV show ever made, the first episodes have been the worst of each season (maybe not of season 1). They need to reintroduce the audience to the characters, introduce a lot of the new characters and present the plot points for the new season. That said, I think this episode did that in an excellen way.
And in my book TV show Arya continues to be a lot better than book Arya, and Arya is one of my favourite characters in the books. Maisie Williams continues to do absolutely amazing work as that character.
I knew there was going to be a new Daario and it was still pretty surprising. Glad Arya is still a badass. Queen of Thorns is still great. That is all.
Did something happen to the actor to the left for them to replace him with Mr. Generic to the right?
Sadly, my guess (with no insight whatsoever) is that Mr. Left Picture did not focus test well enough. Viewers liked Robb/Jon more and when it came time for Season 4 they evaluated who they could get to be the new heartthrob for the ladies and Daario made sense to get a do-over. I guess no one likes Fabio anymore. =(
Did something happen to the actor to the left for them to replace him with Mr. Generic to the right?
Sadly, my guess (with no insight whatsoever) is that Mr. Left Picture did not focus test well enough. Viewers liked Robb/Jon more and when it came time for Season 4 they evaluated who they could get to be the new heartthrob for the ladies and Daario made sense to get a do-over. I guess no one likes Fabio anymore. =(
I don't think HBO gives a fuck about focus testing. They ran The Wire for 5 seasons for gods sake. That guy left to go film a reboot to the Transporter movies and replace Jason Statham. And honestly I didn't even remember what the guy looks like. It has been a year. I just remembered the character as that one other dude who was rolling with Daenerys so I went along with it.
I had no idea who he was supposed to be in this newer episode, and it ruined those scenes because I wasn't paying attention to the acting, trying to remember who the fuck that guy was. Replacing an actor should always be the last option.
And in my book TV show Arya continues to be a lot better than book Arya, and Arya is one of my favourite characters in the books. Maisie Williams continues to do absolutely amazing work as that character.
Bullshit! Fighting words! Pistols at dawn and I will have satisfaction! D:
Did something happen to the actor to the left for them to replace him with Mr. Generic to the right?
Sadly, my guess (with no insight whatsoever) is that Mr. Left Picture did not focus test well enough. Viewers liked Robb/Jon more and when it came time for Season 4 they evaluated who they could get to be the new heartthrob for the ladies and Daario made sense to get a do-over. I guess no one likes Fabio anymore. =(
I don't think HBO gives a fuck about focus testing. They ran The Wire for 5 seasons for gods sake. That guy left to go film a reboot to the Transporter movies and replace Jason Statham. And honestly I didn't even remember what the guy looks like. It has been a year. I just remembered the character as that one other dude who was rolling with Daenerys so I went along with it.
I think they replaced him because he was fucking awful. He came off extremely sleazy, whereas the new guy has exhibited some measure of charm that could result in him believably wooing Daenerys. Left Dude shows up in a scene, Dany gets all googoo eyes for him, and all it gets out of me is a groan and an eye roll--the Khaleesi has become too self-assured to fall for that kind of behavior in my mind. Mr. Generic certainly doesn't stand out like Old Daario, but I find that preferable to having a caricature where a character should be.
@singingmenstrual: I think it's pretty clear that I'm referring to events from the books since I'm discussing the most recent episode from the TV show and there is nothing to spoil there. I also believe my comment provides some value even if you don't look at the spoiler material as I've been really impressed by on-screen Arya and Hound and wanted to express that.
They probably decided to save money on CGI and just go with the "armless" design. It does make these "dragons" look a little less impressive. Or maybe they are like that in the book, I don't know.
Because this show might be the "plottiest" (kudos to The Atlantic for that word) TV show ever made, the first episodes have been the worst of each season (maybe not of season 1). They need to reintroduce the audience to the characters, introduce a lot of the new characters and present the plot points for the new season. That said, I think this episode did that in an excellen way.
And in my book TV show Arya continues to be a lot better than book Arya, and Arya is one of my favourite characters in the books. Maisie Williams continues to do absolutely amazing work as that character.
I actually really like the "plotty" episodes. There is some repetition sure but they established these chracters so well that I just like seeing them interact even when nothing major is happening. Generally speaking as long as they keep up the quality of writing it's probably hard for them to make an episode that I wouldn't enjoy.
Did something happen to the actor to the left for them to replace him with Mr. Generic to the right?
Sadly, my guess (with no insight whatsoever) is that Mr. Left Picture did not focus test well enough. Viewers liked Robb/Jon more and when it came time for Season 4 they evaluated who they could get to be the new heartthrob for the ladies and Daario made sense to get a do-over. I guess no one likes Fabio anymore. =(
No no no, the guy on the left actually left of his own volition. HBO did not fire him, and the show creators didn't kick him off. He left and they had to find someone new. The guy on the right actually resembles book Daario more than the left guy does, but still isn't perfect. They refuse to dye his beard purple like in the show.
The original actor left because he's going to be the start of the new Transporter movie, and the filming coincided with Game of Thrones. Link.
i dunno, old daario had more of a daario feel about him without having to go so far as having the ridiculous beard. he just seemed adequately sleazy in the right ways.
meanwhile i'm still miffed about the edited tavern scene IT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE THE TICKLER, POLLIVER, AND HIS SQUIRE, AND ARYA WAS SUPPOSED TO BE STABBING TICKLER IN THE BACK SCREAMING THE "IS THERE GOLD IN THE VILLAGE?!" LINES AND IT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE CATHARTIC AS FUCK PLUS SHE LEFT THE HOUND SOON AFTERWARD but like most things if i wasn't a book fan it would've worked perfectly fine for me. Rory McCann's killing it as one of my top 5 characters from the series. Hound's got more honor in his left pinky than 90% of the "knights" in Westeros.
I haven't read the books, so whatever. But, to a degree I'm disappointed by seeing his ass die tonight. I mean, it was justified and a long time coming. But it also was a little quick. And not that cathartic. Plus, there's nobody else on the show I hated quite as much as him.
Certainly a crowd pleaser, however I think I rather enjoyed more the scene with Oberyn. I want that dude on screen for the full hour, and just watch him fuck everyone up.
SO glad that finally happened! I knew they were gonna show that episode at the beginning of the season. For those who didn't read the books, WHO DO YOU THINK DUN IT. Discuss. I always like hearing what people think while knowing it was... how evil of me :P
So I haven't watched the show beyond the first season (and a few episodes in season 3), but I've read all the books twice. I'm a little concerned about some of the changes I've noticed Martin is making in the show. For the record, anything I'm spoiler tagging is still within the bounds of the show, I won't go beyond it. This bit in particular is regarding the end of season 3. Apparently in the show, Robb Stark's wife is present and killed at the red wedding. Compare this to the books where she isn't at the wedding and stays safe with child. Now that her character is dead in the show, it seems real unlikely she will pop up again in the books, a potential loose end that got ret-conned out of existence.
With the books unfinished, it irks me that he'll make changes to details like that which could affect the future books in the series. A lot of them are minor points, but both the book series and the show thrive on precise details. Then again, this all could be moot as he's never going to finish the books and just let the TV show run in perpetuity.
I've been thinking about giving GoT a shot. I watched the first 3 episodes of season 1 and it bored the shit out of me. There must be something there though. Any idea how many seasons the show will run for? I feel like I may be better to just wait until all of the episodes are available at once, because I waited to so long. The Blu-Rays are probably cheaper than the cost of an HBO subscription.
Gotta say I was a little disappointed. He deserved a much more horrific death than he got. This series is so gory and over the top yet this huge piece of shit gets off on poison? fuuuuuuck that shit.
@mcdayman: In the books, Robb's wife is a totally different person though. She's actually a relative to the Lannisters. After everything goes down with the Red Wedding, the Lannisters I'm pretty sure made those cousins swear fealty to them and I don't even think Robb had a kid on the way. Jeyne's mother gave her abortion medication just in case. She was a minor character and is out of the picture after the Lannisters put pressure on them. The only thing we really get out of her is a few feeble acts of rebellion against her parents, who are basically telling her to shut up because it's Tywin we're talking about here.
In the show, they just replaced her and that whole Lannister connection with some completely random girl from Volantis who also wouldn't make any waves, much to the same effect as Jeyne Westerling. It's mostly just a name change honestly, very minor character to begin with.
To me, I personally enjoy how there are changes between the book and show because it's just another way of showing the world and setting. Kind of like more interpretations. I have a feeling that he won't make the books exactly parallel to the show in the future though.
@theht: What is the other event that was spoiled for you?
@seikenfreak: He deserved a terrible death in the eyes of some, but for others, and possibly for whoever poisoned him, it wasn't out of revenge but merely political.
@xyzygy: Oh ok, that's less egregious then. I do remember that now where her family basically grounds her from participating in world politics.
How are you liking the show having read the books? From what I've seen, I find that I prefer the way I see and hear the characters from the books. Particularly mopey John Snow.
I'm not sure how they're going to handle Bran from now on. The only way for them not to go through all of his book 5 chapters is if they make up a bunch of stuff to fill the gap.
Also, now that Bran knows where to go, does that mean no Coldhands?
My guess for orchestrator is the Queen of Thorns, to release her granddaughter and perhaps the whole family from their connection to the Lannisters (perhaps because the war is winding down and/or the Lannisters have shown themselves to be very ruthless when it comes to getting what they want, and how long before the Tyrells are more trouble than their worth as allies). Second is Littlefinger for the Lannister involvement in killing Catelyn Stark, whom he clearly had much affection for still. Third is Varys, for the realm (Tommen and Marcella both seem completely unlike Joffrey, and Tommen is next in line).
Unfortunately for Tyrion, Joffrey just had to fuck with his favourite uncle before eating it. Also, other stuff totally happened this episode. Nice to see some direction with Bran's storyline, and the way it, Jon's, and the Bolton's storylines seem to be lining up has me excited.
I've been thinking about giving GoT a shot. I watched the first 3 episodes of season 1 and it bored the shit out of me. There must be something there though. Any idea how many seasons the show will run for? I feel like I may be better to just wait until all of the episodes are available at once, because I waited to so long. The Blu-Rays are probably cheaper than the cost of an HBO subscription.
At the very least 2 more seasons as HBO has confirmed season 5 and 6 already. There will most likely be anywhere between 7-9 seasons though. So you would probably be waiting a long time.
SO glad that finally happened! I knew they were gonna show that episode at the beginning of the season. For those who didn't read the books, WHO DO YOU THINK DUN IT. Discuss. I always like hearing what people think while knowing it was... how evil of me :P
My money's on either the old Martel lady whose name escapes me right now or Ser Dantos. But who can say? (besides people who read the books. P.S. Please don't say)
Bit of a slower episode but still good. It felt shorter to me for some reason, was expecting a scene after Tyrion got lynched.
Now time to watch Mad Men...this will be boring, I swear nothing interesting has happened in this show for a long time. I'm gonna see it through to the end since I got this far.
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