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[layne67]

Game of Thrones 2x06: Was stoked to see David Nutter as the director of this episode. The David Nutter who used to be on SPN, the one who directed Pilot, woot! The episode didn't disappoint. And anyway, now I know to NOT think of the books when watching the show. I thought too much of them watching the first couple of episodes and while I wouldn't say that they didn't meet my sky-high expectations, they were not exactly what I was expecting. It's good now though, and I'm enjoying season 2 as much as I did season 1.

I'm not much of a fan of either book!Jeyne ( now Lady Thalisa? ) or book!Ygritte, for the very shallow reason of them being paired with Robb and Jon. What? But if I had to choose, I'd choose the latter. And I have to say that I'm delighted with show!Ygritte, and even happier when I realized that Ygritte was the maid Gwen in Downton Abbey, one of my favourite downstairs girls.

I'm worried about how the whole Jon with the wildlings thing will differ from the books. But if GRRM gave his okay then I supposed it's alright. And I'm also worried about the dragons ::frets::

Love what they did with Arya though. And Sansa, poor girl!

The Amazing Race 20 God, such a nerve-wrecking finale, almost like season 4 finale when it was Reichen and Chip all the way for me. I'm so happy that team won, they totally deserved it.

Rachel/Brendon is still my favourite team though and I'm happy that they made it to the final three. Lol who would have thought emo!Rachel with her shriekings and whingings ( and yet I still like her! ) would make it that far but despite of her and Brendon's shortcomings ( and there're PLENTY of those ), there had been a lot of awesome moments as well, esp with Rachel.

Would they have won if they didn't make that mistake of taking that cab? Probably. These sort of silly mistakes, it's what people who haven't been following the race faithfully all these years would make. Rachel and Brendon, being from Big Brother, was invited/recruited (?) to join the show instead of auditioning for it, like most teams did, so it's quite likely they haven't seen the show before, hence that $1 million dollar, stupid mistake. Aargh.

And if you're wondering why on earth I'd root for Rachel and Brendon, it's because they're both science geeks! Rachel majored in chemistry and Brendon in physics and they were geeking it out when they were in Big Brother and I adored that moment between them. And also, I loved it that they were openly affectionate with each other when everyone knows that to be a couple on Big Brother is like having this huge targets on their back, but they didn't care!

I hope they'll make it as a couple in real life :)

ETA : Some book!spoilers in the comments.

Comments

[dev-earl.livejournal.com]

Glad to know you got the episodes. :)

I love what they're doing with Arya this season! And Jon. *dreamy sigh* Be more of a hunk, I dare you.

[mews1945.livejournal.com]

I'm glad they're not following the books exactly. I like the books, but GRRM tends to get bogged down sometimes in words. The series is more streamlined, and moves faster.

[sonofabiscuit77.livejournal.com]

This is probably an unpopular opinion but I think I'm actually enjoying the TV series more than I enjoyed the books. I'm loving the extra scenes they're including. The stuff between Arya and Tywin is fantastic and both actors are playing off each other brilliantly. I loved Tywin in the books, due was seriously cold and such a BAMF, exactly the sort of guy you want in charge in the Middle Ages! So I love that we're getting more of him and that Arya brings out a side of him we just don't see in the books. And, oh God, that scene with Littlefinger spotting Arya was fantastic! I was on the edge of my seat. I think it's the first time where I genuinely had no clue how that scene would end. It's going to be fascinating to see how they let that play out.

I like what they've done with Cersei too. She's such a problematic character in the books as she just comes across as seriously unhinged, but in a way that makes me very uncomfortable. The actress here is doing a great job and they're making her much more sympathetic, I'm actually feeling bad for her. And like you say, Ygritte, who was so irritating with the "you know nothing, Jon Snow" crap over and over again, like, yeah, we get it, he's naive. But I really liked her on screen, the actress was funny and cute ;-)

I can't really remember Jeyne from the books, but then (so sorry to say this to you!) I found Robb pretty boring as a character and a lot of his stuff didn't really register with me. I think they're trying to make the Robb/Jeyne romance more of a thing in the TV show than it was in the book where it was more of a plot device. This can only be a good thing as it'll have more dramatic impact on what comes next.

BTW, where are you up to in reading? I so don't want to spoil you. I seriously could talk about GOT for ages!

[chloe-amethyst.livejournal.com]

I thought that episode was quite well done. And yikes at the foreshadowing--Red Wedding, anyone? :-) You're way ahead of me in the books, but I know that feeling of having read books and then being let down or confused by a movie or TV version. What shall we call it? Reader's remorse? Viewer's vexation? ;-)

Jon has been kind of wasted so far this season in the telly version, so I hope he gets to do something useful soon. I liked his story much better last season. I think the threat beyond the wall needs to be developed better as I just don't feel enough of the danger it poses thus far. They talk about it, but we rarely see it on screen.

[layne67.livejournal.com]

Yes, after I don't know how many times lol.

Show!Arya has got it much better than book!Arya, whom GRRM really, really put through the wringer. But they have to do that for the show because getting everything from the books, they'd have to do 40 episodes per season!

Hee hee, wasn't it just adorable the way he asked Ygritte not to move? :D

[layne67.livejournal.com]

I enjoyed the books, except probably Book 3 Part 1 where things were sooo drawn out with Arya especially being put into one misery after another that it seemed like there was no end to her sufferings, and that there was simply no way House Stark could emerge victorious.

But yes, I'm glad the show differs from the book, it keeps me guessing on what's going to happen next, though I did have problems with the first episode because I thought it was a bit flat, which I guessed was because they were introducing new characters which I had imagined differently in my head from reading the books. But episode 3 onwards rocked!

[layne67.livejournal.com]

Omg yes, those scenes between Tywin and Arya were awesome and yes, Arya trying not to be spotted by Little finger was soooo good that I was almost squeeing with delight. Did he finally recognize her? I didn't quite get that part. I thought he didn't but I'm not sure. I know he thought she looked familiar.

Not a fan of Cersei but I don't dislike her as much as I hate Joff. Cersei at least loves her children and that's one HUGE redeeming factor for me but Joffrey is just pure evil.

I felt like pulling my hair out by the roots each time book!Ygritte said "you know nothing, Jon Snow". I hope they won't make her say that on the show, well at least not like, a hundred times!

Lady Jeyne Westerling was this sweet, demure girl whom Robb married after she treated him for his wounds during one of his battles. I'm glad they made her a stronger person at least in the show because I really dislike her in the book, esp when Grey Wind didn't like her.

I wonder why they changed her name from Jeyne to Thalisa. I got why they changed Theon's sister's name - I guess that's because Asha sounds so much like Osha but why Jeyne to Thalisa?

Awww shucks, so you're not slashing Jon/Robb???? Lol, probably a good thing because that's the doomest of doomed pairings but I do so adore them together! I had this little story churning in my head where Robb is the king and Jon his knight, something like Alexander/Haephastion maybe :D

I think they're trying to make the Robb/Jeyne romance more of a thing in the TV show

Probably. But I looked up on IMBD and I saw that Oona Chaplin only appeared in two episodes. Unless there's more of her in season 3 of course.

I've just started on the second last book, A Feast For Crows and I like to think that the title means the Black Brothers would be having more impact on the realm as a whole, under their new Lord Commander who made me SQUEE SO HARD \o/\o/\o/

[layne67.livejournal.com]

I'm glad that we wouldn't get the Red Wedding until next season. I don't want Robb to die just yet! Heheh, in one interview, Richard Madden said his father read the books and he was so upset with the Red Wedding that he alsmost didn't want to continue reading them lol. Ugh, it was so gruesome in the book I wonder whether they're really going to put in all the stomach-churning details.

Now I understand why some of the LotR purists were upset with the movie version. I read LotR a long time ago so I don't remember all the details but ASoIaF I only just read and everything is still fresh in my mind so it was somewhat of a downer, that first episode, but I'm over it now. I'm determined to not compare it with the books and it helped that they changed/modified quite a lot of things. But that bit with the dragons being taken from Dany? NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO. I just hope that Dany will get them back and make them burn the city sooner, unlike in the book where it was quite drawn out.

as I just don't feel enough of the danger it poses thus far.

Which I guess is why none of the kings send help to the Night Watch. They didn't get the danger either and still think that the Others are just stories. Hee, I think of the Undead as zombies :)

[frodosweetstuff.livejournal.com]

I wish I could say something about Game of Thrones but we're only at episode 6 in the first season! :D

[layne67.livejournal.com]

The last 2 episodes of season 1 ( eps 9 and 10 ) totally slayed me. That was when I really got hooked into the show. Before that, I just liked the show, but now I'm really into it :))

Any favourite characters?

[frodosweetstuff.livejournal.com]

Okay, we'll probably watch 9 tonight so eeeep!

Hmmm, favourite characters - Eddard Stark, Jon Snow, Arya, Lady Stark. :)

[layne67.livejournal.com]

I love each and every one of the Starks, even Sansa. And I like Tyrion!

[frodosweetstuff.livejournal.com]

Arrggh, I hate Sansa - she and Joffrey deserve each other... :P

Yes, Tyrion is interesting. :D