Geek alert: Game of Thrones on HBO

[NoPostholio]

I need a dumbed down version of this chart
http://i.imgur.com/lceExOP.jpg

[PB]

Wow ..... maybe not dumbed down but definitely more words.

[NoPostholio]

It tells me my query was wrong in that season 4 had plot lines out of every book. Crazy that 90%+ of season 1 material came from only first book.

[PB]

.... and I was wrong: there are only 2 books of drivel - Crows & Dragons, as demonstrated by how scattered their contributions were to season 4.

[stuckathuntermtn]

There was an entire episode with no boobs. That's like Christmas without snow. Graphic death, of course, because that's ok, but no boobs.

[neckdeep]

.... and I was wrong: there are only 2 books of drivel - Crows & Dragons, as demonstrated by how scattered their contributions were to season 4.

Season 4 concluded the major narrative elements from Storm of Swords. The reason Crows & Dragons has "scattered" contributions on that chart is that most of those books' material is for season 5 as the two run parallel chronologically. Winter, the final showdown, the unreleased material of books 6 and 7, whatever it may be, supposedly will occur in season 6 and 7. As much as possible, book story lines that involved introducing new characters will be edited to give those stories to existing show characters. Anything involving long journeys will be severely edited. Thus, the narrative elements may be there but not really correlate to Martin's POV structure. Leak Spoiler follows! For example, you can see by the end of S5 E4 how all the intrigues of the North have been neatly repackaged as Sansa's story line and how the subplots of Sand Snakes and the Lannister mission to Dorne has been repurposed to give Jaime and Bronn some road buddy material. The old maester at the Wall is fading fast and while Sam probably becomes the new maester I doubt its going to involve Martin's multi-year journey across two contintents to make it happen. Shit, Tyrion has gotten most of the way to Mereen in appx. 20 minutes of screen time.

[PB]

You had me worried there for a second, but good news - consolidation at this stage =

[Danno]

very strange episode this week (or rather, some strange scenes), but a big directional moment with Sansa. She got some training in the big leagues (King's Landing) and now she's ready to play the game.

[PNWbrit]

It has become a victim of it's own success and become a swords and dragons soap opera....

They are just filling episodes to a formula.. Beautifully mad, well acted, huge budgets, great special effects, amazingingly scripted dialog... but it's soap opera.

[Danno]

what was it originally? It's always been soap opera of a sort.

[LightRanger]

what was it originally? It's always been soap opera of a sort.

Word. I always described the books to people as a more-creative, imaginative, somewhat-better-written guy version of Twilight.

[DougW]

Word. I always described the books to people as a more-creative, imaginative, somewhat-better-written guy version of Twilight.

with boobs? hope you didn't forget the boobs and well a lot of bums in the last episode.

[PNWbrit]

what was it originally? It's always been soap opera of a sort.

It seemed to have some kind of storyline or progression previously.

Very little now.

[Sirshredalot]

It seemed to have some kind of storyline or progression previously.

Very little now.

Have you read the books? Martin fired his editor and went nuts around book 3 or 4, once the first couple gave him his fuck you money. The narrative in the show is neat and well paced compared to the more recent books.

[Moeghoul]

Yeah, I'm rapidly losing interest. I want more eunic wars, fire breathing dragons and titties.

[PNWbrit]

Have you read the books? Martin fired his editor and went nuts around book 3 or 4

No I haven't read the books for that exact reason.

[PB]

I think it's best at this point to set the books aside, and just enjoy it for what it is. As it moves further into uncharted/written territory, there's little point in further book discussions, except perhaps as background filler. Yes, easier said than done (case in point: me ), but let's simply take it at face value as a good political thriller/intrigue set in olden times with a dash of fantasy.

And boobies.

[PNWbrit]

a good political thriller/intrigue set in olden times

Watch Wolf Hall.

boobies

youporn.

[PB]

Wolf Hall's superb, but a little dry i.e. no one's even been stabbed yet, let alone had their eyeballs squeezed out. Okay, Moore got the head chop but it was all off camera - the mob needs blood!!

[neckdeep]

Wolf Hall has great actors. As a historical show, the "stabbing" sort of drama exists if you already know exactly what is going to happen to Cromwell and all the other players. We already know that Henry VIII morphs from a mercurial but charismatic tyrant into just a plain old tyrant and that Cromwell can ride this whirlwind of a man only for so long. The real drama of this show came because we already knew how this was going to end for Anne. I assume season two will ride the same sort of slowly unfurling disaster for Cromwell. That's what it really meant to play with fire in Henry's court. You win or you die. Really great actors and a good slow burn plot. Crossover actors...it's like hey, that"s Qyburn...look, it's Jojen Reed....the High Sparrow....King Theoden...

Soap opera, huh? I thought I was GoT's harshest critic on this board but "soap" is harsh. Soap means unwatchable melodrama. Surprised to see the complaints about pacing because I thought it was the first two seasons that dragged ass and really failed to bring the visual spectacle a show needs to be "epic." Ever since the Blackwater, I've been mostly impressed with the production. Action has steadily increased. Reversals of fortune have come swift and harsh. Tragic mistakes abounded. The only gripe I have is with the writers attempts to pack as many story lines as possible into an hour. I'd rather have more characters left out of an ep instead of so much jumping around. But characters I felt were rather one dimensional (Stannis, Littlefinger, Sansa, Brienne) have all developed nicely and become interesting. Stannis, in particular, has slowly been developed as a rather tragic figure. Stephen Dillane has taken over from Charles Dance as the senior actor and the show's voice of brutal pragmatism. Littlefinger is now clearly the dark mastermind in the shadows with one spiteful goal: to destroy the ancient houses of the seven kingdoms who once mocked his lowly status. He really will destroy the world to become king of the ashes, just like Varys said he would. Love the way Aidan Gillen just oozes contempt for all decency, tradition and honor with every sentence. Sansa has become a sexualized player out for revenge instead of the perpetual crybaby. I'll bet its she who ultimately turns the tables on Littlefinger because she has already figured out that if he has a weakness, it's her. Once she figures out that he orchestrated her father's downfall to ignite a civil war, he's in big trouble. And Brienne, the most chivalric yet failed knight around and her oath of vengeance is headed on a collision course with Stannis. Yes, it looks like a train wreck of a showdown approaches Winterfell. I certainly would not call it a "soap". Hell, even Dany got interesting again once she lost her mojo. Sure, the show is in a bit of a jam regarding the massive fall off in the quality of story after his 3rd book but Martin's flaw has never been a lack of central plot. It's been that too much self-indulgence in word counts, tedious sub-plotting and a never ending stream of ancillary characters buried his central plot for so many pages that even his ardent fans were going, "WTF, George!"

[Crampedon]

I think the hiding of the sword will come back to haunt her.

[Elkhound Odin]

After last night, my head is spinning trying to keep track of who is doing what to whom. There are some many scattered storylines I can't remember what happened the past seasons.
The guy that kidnapped Tyrion, what's his deal with danny?
Are the Boltons/Sansa living in Winterfell or somewhere else?
Who was the guy that got his head carved by the religious fanatics?

[neufox47]

Sir Jorah Mormont, Winterfell, Cersi's cousin Lancel.

I can't believe people are complaining about the show this season, I've thought it was some of the best drama I've seen since breaking bad or true detective. I hope Sansa plans her own Red Wedding - get all the Lord's of the North there and slay the Boltons, Sansa cutting the throat of Ramsey on the alter would rock.

[PB]

Jaime and Bronn vs the Sand Snakes - gonna be good!
Jaime better learn how to use his hand as a weapon real quick.

[subtle plague]

im not entirely sold on the idea that barristan had to die in a random ambush....