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Post by Aeryn on Jun 2, 2014 7:44:19 GMT
I... kind of hate how disappointed I feel after this episode. Maybe I'd built it up too much in my head. The tragic non-romance between what's-her-name and Grey Worm is just so awkward and depressing to me. The only amusing bit was the "pillar AND the stones?" conversation because the interaction felt really natural. Everything else was just so SAD. Jorah's departure was rather anticlimactic? I expected him to put up more of a fight. I did think Dany's reaction was very well acted, and she's started to sound like the cold, hard woman she'll need to be if she really wants to be queen of anything. Sansa's "testimony" and all that followed was just gross. I don't know where HBO is taking her character, but each time I feel the slightest empathy or understanding toward her, she banks hard to port and I'm weirded out all over again. Her dress and demeanor at the end... wtf? And Petyr's actor is way too good at creepy. Arya's hysterical laughter was great. No complaint there, other than dreading the moment when the Hound's wound finally catches up to him. Okay, so I want to love every single thing Peter Dinklage does, but that "cousin bug smasher" conversation was friggin' weird and awkward and seemed so... forced. It just didn't do anything for me, or help the scene, or build on what he's feeling. Bleh, just wasn't feeling it at all. And the last quarter of the show FINALLY got to the whole reason for the title of the episode! And... all but the last three seconds were kind of meh. I felt like I was listening to Inigo and Count Rugen while watching some crazy love child between a Jackie Chan movie and every part of Troy where Brad Pitt leaped into the air. The Mountain looked ridiculous. He moved like a 420lbs man wrapped in a heavy platemail burrito. Because that's what he was. There were moments I liked, such as when his helmet was knocked off, and when shots of the audience were shown. And the end was perfect - what a brutal, sickening death, on top of hearing his most loathed enemy confess those horrid crimes! And his woman's reaction nearly brought me to tears. Great acting. Just a lot of the in between felt not-quite-right. Maybe just an attempt to shove too much action into a single episode?
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Post by Songlian on Jun 2, 2014 20:59:00 GMT
Ok, the last moment was just too gross. I don't remember, did he die the same way in the books? With all that gore? Anyway, what am I saying, this is GRRM, of course there's gore. The rest of the fight was just... short? "Don't leave me alone in this world!" totally got to me. Indira Varma is such a great actress.
The Boltons are now probably my favorite family. If I lived in Westeros I wouldn't get anywhere near them, of course, but from the safety of my screen they're fascinating. Roose reminds me of Eddard somehow. If you take all the honor out of it, they're kinda the same man. And that little creep playing his son is way too good at his craft.
I'm also fascinated by the interaction between Sansa and Petyr. I know a lot of people find that gross and for good reasons, but I just think he's the best teacher for her right now. I would, however, love to see her betray him at one point... in a book... if there's gonna be a book.
When Arya broke into laughter I was already rofl. Man, I'm going to miss the Hound!
I kinda liked the bug talk for one reason: because it showed that Tyrion got scared to the point where he made no sense anymore. I'm glad they put these little talks between Jaime and Tyrion, it's just so great seeing those two interact. I do agree that the bug story was stupid, but I think that was the whole point of it.
Ah, and the tragic romance between those two. I happen to like Grey Worm a lot, so I'm not too bothered by that. I don't really see where they are going to it, though. Maybe add a little flavor to the slaves & dragons storyline.
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Post by Aeryn on Jun 3, 2014 22:07:54 GMT
Oh, I like Grey Worm a lot, and I like the girl, too. I just don't enjoy or understand the need to turn everything into sex. (And for the record, I do like sex.) I don't understand why he couldn't grow to love and/or respect her in a way that didn't revolve around "LET ME STARE AT YOU NEKKID!!1" And why she would encourage him in a manner that, frankly, seems cruel. It feels like a missed opportunity to display a way of growing a romance/friendship that isn't centered on sex/lust and sexual pressure. If he has a "miraculous recovery" like the guy in that one IWD2 mod, I will be facepalming for a month.
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Post by Shades of Night on Jun 4, 2014 12:30:42 GMT
Hooray! I'm not the only one who got huge Inigo vibes in that fight with Oberyn! I did find all the spear spinning a bit too much. I mean seriously, do you have to spin the thing around that much? Are you a circus performer? I like how worked up and angry he got at the end however. Which also brings me to the subject of their freaking dialogue that predicts things. "You could at least wear a helmet!" Tyrion says, and why yes, as it turns out, a helmet would have been rather useful considering what happened to his head (though could have been easily taken off I guess). And Oberyn had said "Size doesn't matter when a man is flat on his back." When oh, it turns out size does matter after all, especially when the guy is a giant who can knock you down and pin you before killing you. Because with that size he would have been much tougher to get off than a smaller man. I mean sprinkled about dialogue predicting things can be good, but do it too often and it gets annoying. Now the head exploding bit... I have to sigh, because when I think about it it just doesn't make sense. See, what we saw at the end was just a mess of exploded head. But he didn't have anything explosive in his head (and it wasn't being bashed on the ground or anything), so why would it explode? I mean if you're holding a head and exerting pressure on it wouldn't it be more likely that it would collapse inward as the bones break beneath the force? Sure you'd get gore leaking out, but as most of the face was under the mountains hands the face and skin itself would still be fairly intact. I think it's kinda laziness and not thinking through what it would actually look like on their part. Also wanting to go for the goriest look to grab attention. (Why yes, I do think far, far too deeply about these things XD ) And I too found the conversation between brothers... odd. I mean a little might have been fine, but it just seemed to go on so long that I think it lost the point or impact that it could have had if it were shorter. On the other hand it was great watching the two actors look silly going "KONK! KONK!' since normally whenever you see them they're so serious. With Dany I found it kinda strange that the whole time that she was talking to Jorah she hardly ever looked directly at him, she seemed to be staring somewhere above him. Though I guess this could have been done on purpose? I agree that Sansa walking out afterwards all seemingly confident and I don't know what in that dress seemed a little weird too. But Arya laughing at them arriving just after the death of her aunt was great
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Post by Songlian on Jun 7, 2014 12:42:54 GMT
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Post by Aeryn on Jun 9, 2014 5:56:33 GMT
Mmk, so I never much cared for Ygritte. No, that's not true. I liked her well enough, and I liked the relationship with Jon and most of the junk that came along with it. But I KNEW, even without reading the books or needing to hear any spoilers, that this was the only possible way their situation could end. She was just too deeply embittered, and he is just too loyal. So I didn't find much sad or meaningful about her death scene. "Okay. Buh-bye! Moving on." My husband told me to shut up because I was ruining the moment. Jon going off like he's going to martyr himself because he lost his twoo love was bleh. Giants were cool, though. And I wanted more Ghost. <3 And the scythe was AWESOME! Lots of good stuff, actually, though there were a few cast members I would have preferred to see live. Pip and his buddy with the great beard. I don't think I liked having an entire episode locked in a single perspective, which I guess is me being hypocritical since usually I'm bitching about too much jumping around. I'm impatient to see Tyrion's stuff get resolved, which looks to be up next week (the finale... already ). I distinctly saw a crossbow moving toward what I am just going to assume was the door of a privy because reasons! According to my husband, tonight's episode changed a lot of things from the book and everything seems to be moving too fast, so I'm a little worried that some of the stuff I'm looking forward to next week might be changed. Fingers crossed.
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Post by Songlian on Jun 9, 2014 12:20:34 GMT
I, for one, was really glad they made this a single perspective episode, I don't think it would have worked any other way. I enjoyed it immensely, but I think after Ygritte's death, it ended way too abruptly. It was like, fight!-fight!-lots of people to kill! - fight!- fight!- Ygritte dies - courtyard is empty! I know they wanted a climax of sorts, but that part was just off for me. However, Jon walking past his buddy with the great beard, who held the gate, made for the best ending of the episode. Jon's martyrdom, blah, blah, whatever. But the buddy with the great beard who held the gate... I have no words! And Pyp. Why, Pyp, why? Damn you, Ygritte, I'm so glad you died! Which brings me to Ygritte. Didn't care much for her in the books, but I thought Rose Leslie did a great job with her! Still didn't like her much by the time she made it to the Wall, so thank you skinny little boy with skinny arms and that crappy toy bow who could not have launched an arrow so fast, so precise to kill her almost instantly, and from that angle, to go past Ygritte's armor in a thousand years... Anyway, Ygritte is dead and Pyp is avenged. Hurray. I think poor Ghost is the worst serviced direwolf in the series. He only gets puny, gone in a blink, action moments. "I need him more than I need you!" was a great moment, though. I loved Dolorus Edd and Sam, and I think they did so much better than Jon this episode. I liked Jon, too, I just think he was overshadowed by his buddies. And one other thing that I loved is that we got a chance to see various degrees of incompetence. Even Alliser Thorne was becoming somewhat loveable, no? I loved his one to one moment with Jon before the battle. Anyway, great, great episode. Rest in peace, great beard and Pyp. And Ygritte, I suppose. Sniffles.
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Post by Aeryn on Jun 16, 2014 5:40:36 GMT
No Lady Stoneheart. Bummer. Jon Snow bits were good. I really dislike the Red Woman and all of that, but it's starting to feel like some of those smaller, random-seeming story lines are finally coming together into something, I dunno, meaningful? Curious to see where next season picks up on all parties involved. Bran bits were really good. The skeleton men were so well animated! Scary stuff. My husband immediately said, "The Children look too human." I'm guessing it's just cheaper to make them literal "children" in appearance. It's good to see that plot reaching some new leg of the journey, finally, but again it really leaves me wondering where next season is going to lead us. Dany bits were meh. She is still just so LOST when it comes to ruling anything! She tries to be all tough and authoritative, but she can't seem to make any decisions that don't end up with disastrous consequences. Watching her lock up her two smaller, still-obedient children because she cannot control Drogon was heartbreaking. Those poor dragons. I totally hated the battle between Brienne and the Hound. I didn't want anyone to win or anyone to lose, and knowing that her story continues and his was destined to end just made it so terrible. The battle was great, don't get me wrong, I just really didn't want it to happen at all. Watching Arya walk away from the Hound at the end was terrible, too. I know why she did what she did, but it was still sad. Good to see her moving forward on becoming a real assassin, though. Cersei is just SO FREAKING GROSS UGH. How Lena Headey plays that role so well, I don't even know. I think they're trying to play up just how nuts she is, but she makes crazy sound so rational! It's sickening to watch. Awesome, but sickening. Jaime giving in to her is frustrating. Stupid, stupid man. I mean, I know he did the right thing by Tyrion and all, but still. And speaking of whom! His vengeance was EVERYTHING I DREAMED IT WOULD BE !!! Stupid woman should have suffered more. Stupid daddy should have suffered more. "RELOAD THAT CROSSBOW AGAIN!" But overall, perfect. I'm curious about Varys getting on the ship, though - that's... different?
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Post by Shades of Night on Jun 22, 2014 1:12:22 GMT
I loved the music from the episode that was entirely focused on the wall. I think there was another episode this season that I liked the music to, too. I'll have to nab the soundtrack when it comes out. Aside from that those skeletons immediately made me think of classic fantasy settings and games. Since I haven't read the books I wasn't expecting them, I thought it might be something whitewalkerish instead. But nope classic skeles <3 According to my brother Brans friend didn't die in the books though. And as we were saying, if they were told they could have just made a run for the cave since it got rid of the skeletons pretty quick. Just a simple yell of 'Over here!' would have worked. And I felt so sorry for those poor dragons being locked up, and in a tomb of all places! How are they going to stretch their wings there! (at least give them a pile of gold to nest on) And they hadn't even done anything, it was the other one who she hasn't caught that did the damage. Not to mention the fact that they're wild creatures, duh they're going to do things like burn stuff. Because um, they're dragons. Dragons are much more suitable for conquering than settling down. That woman is still far too idealistic. I was actually talking with someone about Jamie's character the other day. I think he's fallen prey to the problem with a series of books versus one book. Which is basically that how he is when we first see him, seems significantly different to how he seems now. I know there's time and character development. But what I mean is before something is published you can go back and change things however much you like. When it's published you generally can't (though GRRM is pulling a bit of a Lucas with changing things in the tv series). So when Jamie pushed Bran out the window he seemed to not care at all and be quite lighthearted about it. The way we see his character now it's kinda difficult to match up with doing something like that, and in that way (I mean I know he did do it but what I'm trying to say is I wonder if the way it was done would have changed if GRRM could have redone it with how the character has ended up turning out). Oh and I liked how in that whole scene with T... Too many names starting with T. The father I liked how through the whole scene he was still trying to assert and maintain control in a situation where he had none. And that in the end Tyrion is probably the child that is actually the most like him in terms of intelligence.
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