Poll: Winter Is Coming - HBO's A Game of Thrones [READ WARNING]

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Who will rule Westeros?

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    471
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Captain Planet said:
I feel the same, it's the worse season yet, it just drags. I'm not sure if they are trying to portray a build up but if they are it isn't working. There is no tension and nothing that really keeps me hanging, it just plods along following the boring story of arya and hound yomping across the country, dany flitting around the slavers and the lannisters doing little at all. It feels like the filler part of an incredibly long movie.

/whinge
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This isn't new!:p

The problem imo, is they have no idea how to adapt it. Picking up the story from after battles for example works well in the books as you have Martin's writing and characters to pull you through, but it just doesn't work on TV...The old adage is 'Show, don't tell', and this series is awful for it. Daario basically looks in to the camera and says 'I captured 90 ships'...what, not gonna show it? How about him on a ship? or even just a glimpse of some of his men or a scene in the harbour?...Same in season 2 where Bran wakes up and Theon literally looks straight in to the camera and says "I have captured Winterfell" Works in the books as you are seeing it from a specific POV, but it should have been expanded for the show.

As for Arya/Hound...I would struggle to summarize what they have done this season. Their characters haven't progressed in the slightest(but then, you can say that about quite a few).

Having said that though, I thought this was the best episode in a while, even though it was mostly filler that meant nothing.
 
You can just picture the end of the entire saga end with whoever becomes king/queen just sitting on the iron throne and says "I won!".

Not a single arrow fired, not a single fight scene. 7 years of build up to a line.

Because they have no budget innit :p
 
Raymond Lin said:
Because they have no budget innit :p
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The thing that gets me, is that people keep saying they have no budget and stuff for all these battle scenes, and the only one they have shown so far this season is Craster's, which isn't even in the books and is utterly pointless!....Bran is back on exactly the same path with nothing changed, Jon is back at CB as if he never left, two pointless characters who don't exist in the books were killed(Karl and Locke). I don't have a problem particularly with the stuff at Craster's happening, it could have been an interesting diversion, but it didn't serve any purpose whatsoever, and didn't really have any drama to it tbh.
 
I agree that the whole thing at Craster's was a bit pointless, but it did allow them to shed some light on the white walkers - something which isn't specifically touched on in the books and which may become more prominent in the TV series now. It also justified the significance of Bran going to find the big tree - the fact that he could have joined up with John but chose not to shows the viewer that Bran's path is an important one.
 
Pighardia said:
The thing that gets me, is that people keep saying they have no budget and stuff for all these battle scenes, and the only one they have shown so far this season is Craster's, which isn't even in the books and is utterly pointless!....Bran is back on exactly the same path with nothing changed, Jon is back at CB as if he never left, two pointless characters who don't exist in the books were killed(Karl and Locke). I don't have a problem particularly with the stuff at Craster's happening, it could have been an interesting diversion, but it didn't serve any purpose whatsoever, and didn't really have any drama to it tbh.
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Knowing martin & the writers it probably helps explain something thats coming up.
 
They have a big budget but obviously not enough for battles left right and centre! I prefer them not showing something rather than doing it poorly.
 
AGD said:
I prefer them not showing something rather than doing it poorly.
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I don't want battle every few seconds, but also a series of talking heads telling you about about battles that have just happened is hardly gripping tv

Daario- "btw, me and 2000 men just captured 90 ships" with not even a glimpse of a ship, soldiers or anything. I'm gonna go with the theory that this guy is a conman until I actually see this 'army' that he claims to lead:p...visions of Dany and all the unsullied turning up at the harbour ready to sail for Westeros, meanwhile Daario, knowing he has been found out, flees!
 
I agree regarding the lack of on screen battles. I was expecting to start seeing some epic moments by now but it still all feels like a build up to me and just seems to endlessly plod along. My favourite moments are all from Season 2 when it felt like something was actually playing out (Ironborn raids etc).
 
The battle at Crastors amused me. Firstly, send in one stealthy guy to scope the entire place out. Then as a direct result charge in the front gate screaming like lunatics. What happened to the stealth?? Could have easily killed them all without losing anyone...
 
Mak3R said:
The battle at Crastors amused me. Firstly, send in one stealthy guy to scope the entire place out. Then as a direct result charge in the front gate screaming like lunatics. What happened to the stealth?? Could have easily killed them all without losing anyone...
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Ha!...reminds me of the show Spartacus, which had a bit early on where the teacher guy is telling a recruit that screaming before attacking someone is pointless, and gives you away etc, then for every single attack anyone does in the entire show they scream as loudly as they can when they attack, even in the same episode.

Watching it again, Jojen is ****ing awesome! Great acting by the kid
 
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You get one epic moment per series, because that's the budget limit.

The pacing problem is down to two things:

1) Yes, Martin's books are way too long. And much of that is padding which simply doesn't go onto screen. But then I think the whole Danearys and Wall arcs are completely padding, and only the War of the Five Kings is worth following. But even if you like all the arcs, the padding is most of the books.

2) By putting the Red Wedding (which takes place about two-thirds of the way through book three) at the end of series three, they left a whole series to be filled with a third of a book, plus a bit of book four. But there's very little from book four that they can put in this series, because a large amount of books four and five (they take place simultaneously for a while) is just starting various sections of the overall arc that will not be completed until at least series five. That leaves a LOT of time to fill in. Hence the stupid Craster's Keep section, which is just an expensive shaggy dog (not Shaggydog) story.

It get worse, because there is at least one big moment that they will probably put in the second last episode, as is usual way. Which means even less of book four and five can be put in. Hence even more padding.
 
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