I don’t even…man, whatever. Keep chasing that rainbow.
Offered on one of the GoT tumblrs as a public service for non-readers:
http://www.nooooooooooooooo.com/
By conforming to expectations? Ned’s death is not an expectation to readers of the books, it’s how the story goes. Without Ned’s death, the story doesn’t work, and continues in a wholly different manner. It’s no longer A Song of Ice & Fire, it’s some other story. The entire idea is stupid.
I just watched the episode, it’s been a while since I’ve read the first book, but can someone remind me why Joffrey/Cersei decided to kill Ned?
I’m assuming that Cersei’s surprise was just an act and that she actually told Joffrey to order Ned dead, so the only reasonable explanation I can think of is that they didn’t yet know Jaime was a hostage. Otherwise, I would expect Cersei to keep Ned so he could be traded.
Cersei wanted Ned sent to the Wall to join the Nightswatch so that the coming rebellion would have the wind taken from its sales and war could be avoided. Joffery is just a spoiled, inbred shit with daddy issues who has no idea how to be a man and is suddenly given tons of power.
Is that really just it? I had totally forgotten. It does make more sense politically for Cersei not to want killing Ned since at that point it would only result in further angering the northerners. Thanks.
CSL
2788
You’ll see some good reactions on this issue next week I think - from Cersei, Tywin, and Tyrion.
Hammet
2789
Yes, yes, all very well. However, the big question remains: Will we see any Roose Bolton this season?
Dang a very up and down episode for me. Loved most of it except them totally skipping any fighting. I know its TV and doing battle scenes is expensive but I expect more from HBO. I mean considering what happens in books 2 & 3 they’ve got to pull out the checkbook eventually.
I doubt it. He should have been in that episode commenting on the un-assaultability of the Twins, plus it would’ve made sense to face-drop him during the planning of the Trident campaign. Also I think they’ve announced all the S1 cast long since, and his casting remains unknown.
I can only imagine they just haven’t cast Roose yet.
As for battle scenes, I think they just didn’t have time. They had so much to squeeze in, battle scenes seem to obvious thing to exclude. I would have liked more of the tactical stuff, I really enjoyed reading that in the book, it all seemed to make sense.
The Baelor scene was done really well. I really bought all the performances, I do wonder how watching that scene would have been not knowing what is going to happen. When I read the book, I felt like there some small ambiguity about whether Ned was really dead, I don’t think Arya managed to lay eyes on him at all, and it seemed so unbelievable at the time that he would kill the man who appeared like to be the hero of the series. I like how GRRM makes a lot of the deaths somewhat ambiguous, and then later on there some apparent deaths that turn out not to be. It works really well.
The casting has been brilliant, there are so many brilliant portrayals, I feel as though every actor has read the books and loves them. Jon Snow is the only one who doesn’t seem quite right, but perhaps that will change as his role in the narrative changes.
I think the absolute need to cross the Twins was somewhat glossed over, unfortunately.
— Alan
Crowd noise dies away? Check.
Sword falls in slow motion? Check.
Sad instrumental music? Check.
Arya screaming? Check.
Screen goes black? Check. (Well, there were birds first.)
Still awesome? Check.
Stupidly posted in other thread: Who should be cast as Stannis and Bolton?
I figure Stannis ought to look vaguely like a (probably less pretty) version of Clive Owen circa children of men, ie still impressive and dark-complected, but worn-out, sullen and miserable looking.
Bolton’s description - as being rather ordinary looking aside from his eyes - is pretty wide open. Brian Cox leaps to mind, although he may be a bit old and portly for the part of a middle aged non-descript man.
Athryn
2796
Christopher Eccleston, or Joseph Finnes would be great a great Stannis.
Rather than the eyes, which the tv show has now made a habit of casting aside as a notable characteristic (and I think ultimately it’s a laudable choice), I think the Bolton character should be chosen based on the voice. It’s tricky to do Hannibal Lecter without being obvious about being Hannibal Lecter.
Niiiice.
Rather than the eyes, which the tv show has now made a habit of casting aside as a notable characteristic (and I think ultimately it’s a laudable choice), I think the Bolton character should be chosen based on the voice. It’s tricky to do Hannibal Lecter without being obvious about being Hannibal Lecter.
Agreed; I think it’s hard to argue for limiting one’s self through eye colour considerations when they eschewed even subtle contact lenses for the Targaryens.
Hilarious note: I just recalled that a good disconcertingly-eyed actor was the fellow who played “Tavington” in the generally execrable The Patriot. Then realized that the actor - Jason Isaacs - has already been mooted for Bolton, likely because of his more famous turn as Lucius Malfoy. Never put those two characters together. I wouldn’t call Isaacs’ appearance “nondescript,” but I imagine he could be scuffed up a little visually.
Suggestion for Roose Bolton: Cary Elwes, of Princess Bride fame.
He’s in his early 50s now. Give him a goattee, he could totally pull that role off.
Hammet
2800
Mads Mikkelsen should be … someone in Game of Thrones (Clash of Kings). Bolton or Stannis or Mance Rayder.
edit: Rayder is not in Clash of Kings IIRC.
