Nice pick up for the show, I liked her in Rome if I remember her character correctly.

<HomerDrool>Indira Varma…</HomerDrool>

Not forgetting that he was also a key member of the ‘League of Gentlemen’, a truly amazing thing to have on your CV!

Love this deleted scene:

— Alan

Cute, but I can see why it was cut - simply reinstating him on the counsel and having Tyrion comment on it was more than enough to show us that such a conversation had happened… and despite the (quite excellent) deer-skinning scene, I just don’t see Tywin having a lot of time for fishing. Yes, I understand the symbolism of him patiently reeling in a harvest of small fish due to superior patience, but… meh.

The symbolism isn’t about his patience its about the animals and the houses they represent. Stag and fish in each respective scene.

Some news… apparently The Mountain will be portrayed by yet another actor for season four. Also, Sigur Ros will make an appearance in some form or fashion.

— Alan

Well, I hope this time they pick a dude that really looks like a Mountain (like the guy from the first season).

The Mountain changes forms more than Jaqen.

Well the only time I can remember him from the TV series is back in season one during the jousting scene so I guess it doesn’t matter they are switching actors as is a pretty small role.

Good theory - but just as an fyi, she did pass through the wall to burn Mance and accept the wildlings:

"Beneath the weeping Wall, Lady Melisandre raised her pale white hands. "We all must choose, " she proclaimed. “Man or woman, young or old, lord or peasant, our choices are the same.” Her voice made Jon Snow think of anise and nutmeg and cloves. She stood at the king’s side on a wooden scaffold raised above the pit. “We choose light or we choose darkness. We choose good or we choose evil. We choose the true god or the false.”

Mance Rayder’s thick grey-brown hair blew about his face as he walked. He pushed it from his eyes with bound hands, smiling. But when he saw the cage, his courage failed him. The queen’s men had made it from the trees of the haunted forest, from saplings and supple branches, pine boughs sticky with sap, and the bone-white fingers of the weirwoods. They’d bent them and twisted them around and through each other to weave a wooden lattice, then hung it high above a deep pit filled with logs, leaves, and kindling."

“Come,” urged Melisandre. “Come to the light … or run back to the darkness.” In the pit below her, the fire was crackling. “If you choose life, come to me.”
And they came. Slowly at first, some limping or leaning on their fellows, the captives began to emerge from their rough-hewn pen. If you would eat, come to me, Jon thought. If you would not freeze or starve, submit. Hesitant, wary of some trap, the first few prisoners edged across the planks and through the ring of the stakes, toward Melisandre and the Wall. More followed, when they saw that no harm had come to those who went before. Then more, until it was a steady stream. Queen’s men in studded jacks and halfhelms handed each passing man, woman, or child a piece of white weirwood: a stick, a splintered branch as pale as broken bone, a spray of blood-red leaves. A piece of the old gods to feed the new. Jon flexed the fingers of his sword hand.

He actually had more screentime in the last season - and I agree, the first guy was the best by far. Back to him, please. The guy last season was tall but too thin IMO and he didn’t portray his menace very well at all.

He looked so different that I’m not sure most viewers even realized that he was supposed to be same guy. FWIW, that’s him from Season 2:

Got this today:

— Alan

I just finished Storm of swords, the book, and was amazed at how much interesting stuff happens. Can’t wait to see it on the screen…or can I?

I tried to start the books a few years ago and got through the first one up to page 400 or so but then stopped as there was just too much going on, too many characters, etc.

Then, after watching the first two seasons of the TV show, I started the books again and loved them…I could picture the actors in the books and was instantly more familiar with the characters and could understand all the places and happenings…it just made the books a lot easier and more enjoyable for me at least. Now, that I’m past the end of season three in the books, I wonder if that will spoil things watching on TV.

The books also made more sense of what I was seeing on the TV show and now watching seasons 1 and 2 again, I recognize more from reading the books.

So, good books and good TV show…a mix that usually doesn’t happen.

It’s definitely a good adaptation.

If you move onto the next books, I recommend you get the Ball of Beasts version. It unifies the disjointed timelines of Books 4 and 5. It’s much better than reading them in order.

Game of Thrones - Bad Lip Reading Edition: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Krz-dyD-UQ

That, and the extended/outtake video literally hurt me I was laughing so hard.

Absolutely awesome.

That was properly outstanding.

That was classic.