Prior to tonight’s Boardwalk Empire season finale, HBO aired a 15-minute behind-the-scenes look at Game Of Thrones, entitled Inside Game Of Thrones. The special also included advance looks at some of HBO’s other upcoming series’ however the bulk of the time was spent on Thrones. We have the full video of all the new Thrones goodness right here:
Winter Is Coming: So great to see so many characters for the first time! It will take some time to digest all this new footage. Share your initial thoughts and reactions here and we’ll be back with a more detailed look later.
UPDATE 1: HBO has provided a link to the YouTube version of the video. Tor.com has some screen caps from the video.
UPDATE 2: It seems the video HBO posted on their website is slightly shorter than the version shown on TV. Edited for time most likely. At any rate, here is the FULL VIDEO as shown on HBO which includes an additional 1 minute and 46 seconds of footage!
UPDATE 3: Screen capping Inside Game of Thrones has been going on in earnest all day. Two of the best sites to check for some great stills from last night’s video: Westeros, which has excellent commentary accompanying each shot; and Finnish fan site Tulen ja jään laulu, which has the most and best looking screen caps I have seen.
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689 Comments
APRIL!!!
Lord Ned’s HeadQuote Reply
I am blown away…
How incredibly awesome!
oO
Herr FickQuote Reply
This is just going to be HUGE! WOW!
Lord Ned’s HeadQuote Reply
Ahhhhhhhh!!!! …….. that was awesome !!!!
Marilyn BonesQuote Reply
My head just exploded. Did you see the dragon’s egg?
HollyoakQuote Reply
oh, that was just way too awesome!!!!
is it April yet?!?!?!?!
Danielle Parlatore DalyQuote Reply
Ser Barristan! What a bad-ass!
Lord Ned’s HeadQuote Reply
Totally awesome. Loved seeing some live action Petyr as well.
Tyler MetcalfeQuote Reply
btw Jaime’s armor is definately growing on me!
Lord Ned’s HeadQuote Reply
See, I knew there was a reason Edison created moving pictures.
Needle!
Dothraki sea!
Tommy Carcetti!
Knight of Flowers and the Hound!
Dragon eggs!
Dragon skulls!
Tyrion being brilliant!
the goatQuote Reply
WOW! So much to take in. I think the lines between Ned and Jamie prove that the leaked script was real. I’m about to go watch it another 30 times.
jwwalsh16Quote Reply
SQUEEEEE. Littlefinger was awesome!! The Hounds Helmet looked wicked! Dragon Egg! Robb looking totally swell!
Was also very pleasantly surprised by Jaime again, I think NWC is going to nail that part.
Rewatch!!!
Jan OdaQuote Reply
That was just exhilarating .
Eddard’s exchange with Cersei: Totally different (and much more fitting) from what the trailer suggested.
Eddard’s exchange with Baelish: Almost exactly as in the novel. As are A LOT of other parts of the dialogues. Great!
Gendry’s helmet: Obviously not left out. ;)
Eddard’s exchange with Jaime: Not as cheesy as we feared.
The Hound’s face: Pure badassery.
Jaime’s look: Dashing and self-assured.
Viserys’ look: Criminally insane.
… and so much more great stuff. Somebody upload the stills! :)
Herr FickQuote Reply
I can only say that I absolutely love how much of a smug douchebag Jaime looks like. Seems like Nikolaj knows exactly what he’s supposed to be like.
TobiasQuote Reply
Holy F@CK that dragon skull is huge! Look at the guy working on it. It dwarfs him!
Lord Ned’s HeadQuote Reply
fun question: if you didn’t know the books at all, would the interview segments give you an idea about the story or confuse the hell out of you? :D
burthQuote Reply
Squeeeeee!!!
Did you see the dragon skull?!
And I think that was Arya watching the execution scene!
I’m so excited!!!!
GhostieQuote Reply
Arya on Baelor’s steps! O-M-G!!!
Lord Ned’s HeadQuote Reply
Too much to take in.
Baelish (Gillen) is simply Brilliant.
Tyrion (Dinklage) is going to steal the show.
I like King Baratheon: A sad man who is a shadow of his former self
And I think we can put the “I was trained to kill”-gate to bed after seeing the quote in context.
Good times.
- BJM
HockeyjokerQuote Reply
The Hounds Helmet… Think about him riding towards you wearing that thing, sword raised, Stranger’s hooves thundering as he rides you down. I would shit myself
GrimtuesdayQuote Reply
Best part for me was Emilia Clarke talking about the story around 8:55. She speaks truth and with a lovely passion.
And Arya clinging to that pillar……..
Clark CostonQuote Reply
Lord Ned’s Head,
amazing
and how cute are those friggin direwolf puppies…
KingthlayerQuote Reply
Totally worth the time of waiting till 3:00 am!!
After only one watch, things I remember the most:
- Arya & Jon hugging
- Emilia Clarke’s beautiful, beautiful voice
- NCW pure badassery
- THE HOUND!!!
- zillions of props and items
- Robert ponderously walking of winterfell
- The smirk on Varys
- Dragon eggs…
- Illyrio. Not that I liked him very much, though.
want to see it again. Now.
BTW, it is the first time we’ve got an official release date, if only a month, isn’t it?
CaedesQuote Reply
Grimtuesday,
Amen to that…
HockeyjokerQuote Reply
Pretty much all of that was top-level Badassery. But can I just say that what set my spine tingling so that it wouldn’t quit was that raven (or crow or whatever) right at the beginning? So perfectly sinister…an effective way to set the tone with an iconic westerosi pet/pervasive series metaphor!
decgemQuote Reply
Love 99% but I’ll just focus on the concerns:
1) I love GRRM but he gives off a very “nerd alert” vibe that might turn off casual fans.
2) The names are strange enough to be off-putting when spoken aloud.
JoseQuote Reply
Confession time. I cried! lol I actually had tears coming out of my eyes. I think I’d better grab a beer, put some football on the tv and fire up some good old-fashioned heterosexual porn on the computer to make up for my nerdy fanboi emotions! lol I just can’t wait!
Lord Ned’s HeadQuote Reply
Am I the only one who felt like crying while seeing Arya watching You-Know-What? And …Oh Jon Snow…
KarolinaQuote Reply
On the second watch I am really impressed with Viserys
He is an incredibly important part of the story
HockeyjokerQuote Reply
Up on YT:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JJR3eBfcusM&feature=youtu.be&a
SamQuote Reply
Really should be going to sleep but have watched the preview twice already.
Youtube version
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JJR3eBfcusM
MormegilQuote Reply
My mind just got blown from here to next winter. Before I can comment I need to come back down from the clouds.
They are still keeping us anxious to see the throne!
WolfheartQuote Reply
The Ned/Jaime line wasn’t bad. I was actually a bit surprised the put in on the preview considering the heat it took. Pretty ballzy imo but it paid off. The cheesier line (if I have to nit-pick at anything) was Robert’s line about there going to be a war.
Lord Ned’s HeadQuote Reply
OMFG I was hyperventilating the entire time! Great stuff!
Has anyone noticed that a good deal of the promos has prominently featured Jon? It’s understandable why Sean Bean would be featured in his role, and Lena to a degree as well, but for an unknown actor as basically an ensemble character (in the first book, at least), they seem to really be establishing him as a focal point in the series. Also, love Daenerys, despite all of the eyebrow/eye color protestations!
It would be interesting to see how much synergy there is between GRRM and the HBO GoT production. On the HP movies, JKR had some say in what went in and what stayed out with knowledge of the future books. I wonder if anything will strike us as odd (characters getting major screentime???) that will turn out to be important in his last few books!!!
BecksQuote Reply
10:01 – iron throne, Joffrey on it and Ned bloodied?
WhipporowillQuote Reply
Correction 9:51. doh.
WhipporowillQuote Reply
Wow, its too much to process at once, I’m going to have to watch a bunch more times.
First thoughts though is I’m glad it was targeted at your average HBO viewer and not necessary the fans.
GrinbombQuote Reply
Augh, what have they done to Catelyn. She looks much older than her husband, seriously.
InésQuote Reply
Did anyone see the Iron Throne? In the very last seconds of the clip, do a play and pause and you can catch a glimpse of it in the background. It is blurred, but still recognizable.
The Hounds burns turned out ok too.
durandalQuote Reply
Whipporowill,
You beat me too it, very blurry but awe inspiring look at the iron throne.
Avalanche3319Quote Reply
8:42 is pure, pure win. I also agree with people who have said that Ned/Jaime exchange doesn’t come across as bad as it read in the script. Plus, this trailer also shows that you really can’t take one line out of context considering how they can be sliced up re: last week’s trailer.
At this point, there are two big things left that I want to see:
A) Some actual spoken dialogue with Tyrion. Dinklage has been talking the role up a lot and I can’t wait to see him in action.
Frank JohnsonQuote Reply
Too late…
durandalQuote Reply
Frank Johnson,
B) THE WALL. Hurry up, graphics department!
Frank JohnsonQuote Reply
Whipporowill,
I do believe so and Ned on the floor with a rope around his neck
It was AWESOME!
CrysaniaQuote Reply
Oh and anyone else catch Ned sitting in front of the heart tree with the face?
CrysaniaQuote Reply
My brain is shooting off associations of “Evil Iron Peacock”, but in the greatest possible way…
It’s almost 4 am here, can’t wait for someone to meticulously get screencaps from this treasure chest. Esp the last bit has an insane amount of stuff – Sam’s there, nice shot the mountain et c.
WhipporowillQuote Reply
That was so awesome! I had tears streaming down my face for much of it :) It’s actually happening and it looks great!
Dany looked incredibly beautiful. And Arya with that pillar… And those dragon skulls… And I loved the passion in Emilia’s voice as she talked about how great the series is :)
Johan SporreQuote Reply
I worry about that as well. . .she is my only major issue thus far.
ClangleeQuote Reply
Who is that smooching at 9:50???
EdQuote Reply
Sansa is mega pretty!
Felix ZschieschowQuote Reply
There is scenes missing from what was shown on HBO and what video they posted…main one that comes to mind is the 15 or so second scene of Tyrion and Jon Snow talking about why Tyrion reads so much.
Lyle EdwardsQuote Reply
Ed,
Is that Viserys and one of Dany’s handmaidens?
CrysaniaQuote Reply
Ed,
Viserys and some girl (Doreah?).
Johan SporreQuote Reply
2 things:
1) That looks FANTASTIC. I’m ridiculously pumped! Having watched it 3 times, I have no complaints.
2) Need screencaps NOW!
OhDanyBoyQuote Reply
Okay, so I watched it three times in a row..and I am still seeing things I missed the first time. SO EXCITED! I was a bit worried recently..but this has really brought my hopes back up. This is going to be epic! Arya is perfect.
AzlynnQuote Reply
Quick thoughts when watching the first time on my DVR:
Was that a dragons big ass skull?
Was that a freaking dragons egg?
Hound looks really really good.
Can I really get a whopper for breakfast now?
Its very strange to actually see the different locals, I mean I know they are different places, the wall, Westeros, the Dothraki sea, but it really will come across as very different places with different feels.
I will now rewatch about a thousand times.
ECUdanQuote Reply
Everything else looks perfect, making it stand out.
InésQuote Reply
Lol. Lena Headey usually gets a little annoyed that no one seems to pronounce her name correctly (it should rhyme with speedy) but here they not only mispronounce it they also misspelled it (Heady)
Ingemar SvenssonQuote Reply
Whipporowill,
Yeah you can just about make out the iron throne, very blurred though. Actually reminds me of the artwork where jaime is sitting on it (the Kormack one).
Awesome stuff they showed, so many things that just look right, and just nailed the scope of the books imo. The hound’s helmet is really something, and the shot of the dragon eggs was perfect (can’t believe they actually showed them!). The littlefinger scene was probably my favourite, as well as the quick glimpse of Bronn that we get.
AbstractPlainQuote Reply
There’s a temporary 4chan thread with screencaps of the thread at
http://boards.4chan.org/tv/res/13383068#13384536
Sorry I don’t have an account to post them at, if someone else wants to grab them and post them to flickr or whatever, that’d be great.
KanaQuote Reply
Wow, absolutely amazing! Seeing all the cast, costumes, etc in context with one another, it is really shaping up to be a top-quality production.
I don’t understand the folks that are worried about Catelyn.. she looks exactly like a beautiful older woman, and someone of the same age and environment as Ned.
One thing I noticed that I haven’t seen commented on.. some pretty great musical cues playing in the background! Some of it sounds like generic trailor music, but especially towards the end with Arya hanging on the pillar.. there is a pretty wonderful and stirring string motiff that begins..
Also, Viserys!! And the hound’s helmet and burns in full effect.. perfectly done. And the Mockingbird! Again, perfect adaptation of that character for the screen. I teared up a little to see Dany gazing at the dragon egg in her hands.. and to see the scale of the dragon skull Arya underfoot will encounter in the dark.. And to finish it off with a flash of Loras with his hand raised..
THEY’VE DONE IT, FOLKS!! They’ve really done it.. WOW!!
BradQuote Reply
Can somebody upload the high-resolution version from HBO’s main site to youtube? My Download Helper is unable to capture the video; and this 360p version looks awful…
Herr FickQuote Reply
Whipporowill,
Are you sure that’s Ned? It does look a lot like him, but his brother Brandon might look like him too, and if we’re getting any Aerys flashbacks, that would be a pretty memorable one…
mummerQuote Reply
Apparently a tyrion/jon scene was cut from the online version of the promo, I really wanted to hear Dinklage’s accent. :(
AbstractPlainQuote Reply
Sad that we didn’t get any dothraki dialogue. I’m guessing perhaps they might need to lay down those lines as voice overs in post to get the pronounciations right and just haven’t gotten to it yet.
Ingemar SvenssonQuote Reply
AbstractPlain,
Yeah I was just wondering about that. It’s the scene of Jon asking Tyrion why he reads so much.
KanaQuote Reply
Can I say one thing. In the scene with Littlefinger and Ned, did people see the mockingbird pin on Littlefinger’s clothes? I’m so happy with the attention to detail. And Loras looks like a pretty boy!
Katrina BrooksQuote Reply
I wish I were a bear and could hibernate for the rest of the winter!
Lord Ned’s HeadQuote Reply
Any Hodor sightings? If so I missed him. If not he’s probably the next thing I’d like to see that we haven’t been treated to yet.
Lord Ned’s HeadQuote Reply
Waching it srven times now — still taking it all in. Very impressed. Only one thing stodd out as “bad”: Gendry is cast too old. The dynamic of the band that escapes fomr Ser Amory Lorch is that they are teens.
Gendry was sixteenish in the books. On the verge of manhood. As cast, he is in his early to mid 20s and I really don’t see how the dynamic of Arya’s journey through the midlands with Lommy, Hoy Pie and Gendry — with Arya as a leader type of this band of kids – survives Gendry’s age. That dynamic will be totally off.
Or it may be that they will decide to cut Gendry out of that journety in its entirety. Gendy may simply not be there at all. *shrug*
So Gendry Gate aside (the actor is fine; his lines were delivered well. He’s just too old for the part), I’m impressed and excited.
Steel_WindQuote Reply
mummer,
Oh, I hope it’s Brandon (since that’d mean we get at least one flashback scene).
Johan SporreQuote Reply
Wow! Amazing! A lot of screencaps here!
http://elabrevadero.com/juego-de-tronos-15-minutos-de-extasis/
Be careful, spoilers.
CamarlengoQuote Reply
Lot of awesome stuff, great attention to detail, but there is one thing that has really bugged me in these last few previews.
I don’t mean this in an offensive way, but Khal Drogo looks really gay. WAY too much makeup, and I guess I just don’t agree with the direction they took with his look in general.
If I had never read the story and just saw that footage, I’d probably think he was some sort of dancer or male courtesan, definitely not a badass warlord.
Other than that, I’ve loved pretty much everything we’ve seen.
SteffonQuote Reply
Wow. What a bonanza.
Gotta think that the shot of the crew member spraying fake snow at 7:45 or so was a wink to the fans…
Maxwell JamesQuote Reply
Why do you think they include Unsullied this early in the story? Will they be explained or just hang around in the background until season 3?
And April confirmed. First Sunday of April, right? =)
Johan SporreQuote Reply
mummer,
I think that’s right. If you pause it on that still, he’s got a rope tied around his neck.
Maxwell JamesQuote Reply
Just watched it six times. Everything looks better than I ever dared hope for. Just from the glimpse of Arya hugging the pillar, I can already tell that Maisie is going to steal scenes. I was afraid the kids would be the weakest part of the show, but it looks like they could be the strongest. I can’t wait for the first episode!
brewinQuote Reply
Because they are in the book. Illyrio uses them as houseguards.
Steel_WindQuote Reply
It’s the little details that are sending me into paroxysms of joy.
The raven’s breath steaming in the air. Ned’s distaste at kissing Cersei’s hand. Visery’s grabbing Dany’s wrist to hold her back. Bran’s mouth twitching at the execution. Littlefinger’s eyebrow quirking a millimeter as he talks to Ned. Sansa’s elaborate braids (to impress her prince, no doubt.) Robb’s scruffy redish cheek fuzz. Arya’s state of absolute filth. The way the Targ’s hair glows under the Malta/Dothraki sun.
Paroxysms, I tell you!
(Although man, D&D look completely knackered in their talking heads.)
InkasrainQuote Reply
Johan Sporre,
Or are the Unsullied introduced this early in the book as well? (I really got to re-read them.)
I loved how relatively spoiler-free the clip was. Some dialogue and images that mean a lot to us but shouldn’t spoil the series for someone who doesn’t know the story.
Johan SporreQuote Reply
I am VERY excited! Looks brilliant.
I’m glad it was aimed at the lay person and not just the hard core fans. I think the idiosyncrasies of who is who and how they interact and why will need at least a bit of setting up for those not familiar with the lay of the land. These ‘Inside’ looks at things will help a great deal IMHO.
One thing that caught my eye… Does anyone else have a problem with Cersei’s hair style during her talkie bits? A bit Princess Leia/Amidalla???
Just putting it out there. Some detractors of the whole project may poke fun at it.
Ser HedgeknightQuote Reply
Herr Fick,
I’ll go ahead and upload the HD version to YouTube. It looks like it’ll take about an hour and a half to upload, though. Someone else will have probably uploaded it by then, but if not then I’ll have it up. It’ll have the missing scenes, too.
DrewskeeQuote Reply
Steel_Wind,
Sorry, he could easily be 16-18. Looks the same age as Jon & Robb. He’s a blacksmith’s apprentice, he’s supposed to be big. He’s been aged up, but not unbelievably so, given that Robert was also aged up.
Whatever. You’re never gonna be happy. I feel sorry for you.
the goatQuote Reply
haha that was my first thought about her hair in those parts as well
CrysaniaQuote Reply
Johan Sporre,
Unsullied are mentioned in the first Daenerys chapter. They’re employed as guards at Khal Drogo’s manse in Pentos.
mummerQuote Reply
the Unsullied are actually mentioned in the very first chapters of the book when they go to Drogos manse in Pentos. there is a Dothraki Unsullied guard at the door who, obviously Viserys acts like a dick towards. no explanation but they are there from the very beginning in the books.
Who Is Jacopo Belbo?Quote Reply
Agreed. This was my biggest casting disappointment and seeing the actor in character confirms it.
DH87Quote Reply
Does anyone else get the impression that Sansa is looking quite evil? From the 3-4 shots we get of her, she’s always giving someone a sharp look. Isn’t she supposed to look all sweet and innocent? Maybe the shots were from a bit after Lady got killed, so she’s bitter and all…
On the other hand, the Hound looks much less brutish than I envisioned him.
And yes, I am inexpressibly pleased with everything else I saw. :D Especially the Targaryens.
ablaaaQuote Reply
Arya didn’t have authority over Gendry. And correct me if I’m wrong, but I believe Arya is aged up as well.
John LorenzoQuote Reply
Thank you thank you thank you HBO and everyone involved. It seems like the book come to life and I’m so happy with everything thus far. I think we are all going to be elated with the final product and I just hope non-readers find this story as fascinating and shocking as the books :-)
NicoleQuote Reply
Arya is one of my 3 favourite characters in the books (w/ Littlefinger and Tyrion) and Maise is going to make Arya my favourite character in the show I can just tell it now. That is one adorable scruffy tomboy who I can’t wait to see stab somebody in the gut with Needle!
Who Is Jacopo Belbo?Quote Reply
My quibbles are Drogo looks too funny to be scary, Cersei’s hair when it’s up is too wiggish, Catelyn looks okay in some shots but very crone-like and old in others, and handsome Tyrion is still weird. Other than that, it’s mad brilliant.
KerryQuote Reply
Viserys looked sufficiently crazy and tyrannical. I don’t think anyone’s going to have any problem with his execution
Varys looked awesome. So smarmy!
I’m liking Emilia Clarke more and more every time I see her onscreen. She’s incredibly beautiful and she seems to have a good handle on Daenerys’ character.
I’m a little sad I didn’t get to see the scene between Tyrion and Jon that was shown on TV. Will someone who’s DVR’ed it be able to put it online? I’d love to hear how Dinklage does Tyrion’s voice.
MissentityQuote Reply
R’hllor, I can’t wait! I have been waiting for this since last night (different time zones and all) and this…this absolutely blew me away!!
Things that stood out for me:
- PETYR BAELISH. For the win. He looks every inch the trickster character, and I absolutely LOVE it.
- Jon Snow. Sure, I’m a Jon Snow fan, but seeing him in live-action TV is giving me the spazz. Initially I didn’t imagine the character with facial hair, but I think it’s growing on me (Kit Harington makes it look good) XD
- Dany really, REALLY takes that vulnerable look to an art form.
- VISERYS. I’ve been waiting for footage of him! He doesn’t strike me as the ‘outright crazy’, but rather as ‘manic determined’ which makes him a different kind of creepy. And oh, I love his ‘sweet sister’ line. He makes it sound sane and insane at the same time.
- Jaime and his armor. That confidence (arrogance? haha) is so grating and badass at the same time. And I dunno, that golden armor of his has a definite fantasy vibe. I mean, I don’t see armor of that design often.
I can’t wait for the Game of Thrones to finally, FINALLY happen…HBO is really taking it to the WIN. XD
aschen heavenQuote Reply
fantastic! now i’m going to watch in a dozen more times until i find things to nitpick.
it almost seems like they were directly addressing some of the “issues” raised by fans on this site
izakmoQuote Reply
Much to discuss here. What I think is going truly be the star of the show is the art department. They’ve done a wonderful job expanding on the European backdrop for the books. They’ve done a great job in regards to the settings and making it feel like a world instead of just a solitary country. The amount of attention to the details such as the dragon skulls looks outstanding. I could just rave about the attention to detail and the size of the skulls. I actually can’t wait to see how they handle the dragons in the series in later on.
Gillian lives to impress it seems. I think him as Littlefinger is going to be a real treat due to all the foreshadowing. Littlefinger is a very subtle role and it seems he’s going to live up to that.
It looks like they’re going to lead people on with Ned being the main character thing until the end, going for the shock value I guess. Which is good because that’s exactly what happened when people read the book. To be honest, I’m actually not a huge fan of Bean as Ned. He seems too ‘rough’ I guess.
Clarke as Dany is somewhat interesting. She has the energy that I imagine Dany to have. I’m also surprised as I feel she will be able to portray innocent Dany relatively well.
I seem like a broken record on this but Headey seems too passive. She had the most energy not in her scenes but in the interview. I’m wondering if this was a directorial call so her outbursts seem more shocking.
Honest to god Coster-Waldau is the closest I’ll ever get to seeing a real Jaime. His acting seems topnotch and his appearance just fits how I imagine Jaime.
Interestingly enough I never really considered the Tourney to be that big of a deal in the books but it seems that they’re going to expend alot of energy towards it.
I was also impressed with King’s Landing. It looks like a real city full of peasants running about and the building seem to have a somewhat medieval architecture to them.
As for Dinklage, he seems too serious as Tyrion but the scenes they’ve showed us were his more serious moments. I really hope they don’t take away the comedic aspect of his character which contrasts with his serious side.
Now that I know Snow won’t just have a moustache but a beard, I actually don’t mind Harrington as Snow anymore. He doesn’t fit my mental image of Snow but I can adjust.
Gendry looks alot older than how I imagine which should make his scenes with Arya interesting. He also looks leaner than how he was described in the books.
Viserys seems less annoying than he was in the books which is great really as it was painful enough the first time.
I am curious about Martin’s line about the two threats and mentioned the Others being one of them which leads me to the question if they’re going to play up the Other threat which isn’t really that serious until the third book. I’m also curious if they’re going to use a color filter on the scenes taken at the Wall as they all seem blue and lifeless and it seems that there should be seem to be more color.
I laughed at the line, “We’re not adhering to any particular period”. That seemed like a direct jab at Boardwalk.
The April release date is what I expected but it still sucks I have to wait so much.
TL;DR version: I liked it.
JarmelQuote Reply
Also, I liked how the actors really knew their characters.
Gendry is old, as someone else pointed out.
ablaaaQuote Reply
I think there is a good possibility we just so a glimpse of Brandon in a flashback, according to the book he strangled himself on a cord trying to save his father, and on 9:51 we see someone who looks like Sean bean with a rope around his neck.
humusTasterQuote Reply
humusTaster,
saw.
humusTasterQuote Reply
The trueborn Stark children.
Glorious.
http://images.4chan.org/tv/src/1291602781762.jpg
the goatQuote Reply
Oh please. I was positive about everything I saw save that, but “i’m never going to be pleased?” I suppose dismissing a criticism is far easier way then dealing with it rationally. (You a Republican, too?)
“Easily be 16-18?” If he went to Buffy’s high school or stars in 90210, sure.
Look – there are REASONS why age matters with respect to some of the characters. Aging up Robb, Jon and Dany a few years is no biggie.
But aging up Gendry – when they DID NOT “age up” Arya, is not okay. The two adult members of Yoren’s band that survived Ser Amory Lorch’s attack on the holdfast LEFT the kids a few days later when they were out hunting – and never came back.
GRRM chose that plot device so as to believably leave Arya in “charge” of a bunch of tweens, with Gendry just flirting with “a man grown” and being the only counter to Arya in the group.
Age Gendry up to the extent they have as that dynamic is lost. It’s not about appearances, it’s about believable plot impact. It’s a mistake. The only way I see them fixing it is by cutting Gendry out of a CoK in its entirety. That can be done without losing much I guess, but I am still very surprised that they chose to do that when they did not need to.
I infer from this casting choice that there is a good chance that Gendry will not be with Yoren heading to the Wall.
Steel_WindQuote Reply
She’s looking smiley when she’s introduced at 3:58.
Johan SporreQuote Reply
AMAZING!!!! simply amazing
GRRM made laugh: ‘Ned Stark is the uhh… uhhh… center of the series’ ;-)
LiesieQuote Reply
AHHHHHH!! This was so exciting! Though I think I blew out my friends eardrums when we finally got to see the Hound’s hemelt, lol. Everything is looking so fantastic!
Now, how the bloody hell am I supposed to work on finals when I can sit here and watch this all night??!?!?
I have to say that even the infamous Ned/Jamie tourney line is starting to grow on me, NWC’s delivery of “the competition’s getting a bit stale” is just great… so smug and self-assured.
Plus all the tourney scenes had me drooling, can’t wait till April!!
NessQuote Reply
This Youtube version is in HD and complete. Contains additional footage like a new sequence of Tyrion, and the puppies!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-EVKp5nYxyI
CamarlengoQuote Reply
I absolutely loved it. I feel more I see the more I am at ease.
I basically have one lingering worry that this preview failed to clear up and that is I still feel slightly uneasy about the Dothraki in general. They don’t seem quite ‘hard’ or ‘tough’ enough. Everything about them looks slightly less gritty or a bit too soft or clean. Hard to put it into words. But I am not too worried.
And one new slight worry was introduced by this preview. I am not sure I am in love with Tyrion’s voice. I never really heard him speaking with such an upper class accent. The more I think about this the more I am realizing that it is my fault. He belongs to one of the richest [if not the richest?] families in Westeros and he reads endlessly. Him speaking the way Dinklage is makes perfect sense. I am just going to have to make myself get used to it.
AdamQuote Reply
I like what I’ve seen.
The cross cultural decor and design are going to make this a unique vision.
Several beautiful shots. They’re going to make this series look huge.
The giant dragon skull!
The Hound’s helmet!
Gendry’s helmet!
I can wait to see Needle.
PointyEndQuote Reply
It was not a matter of “authority” it was one of charismatic sway over the group. She and Gendry were the brains and vied for leadership of that group. The point is not that she had authority over Gendry, but that they competed for authority over the group.
With his age changed, there is no way to make that dynamic believably work. Gendry would be the adult the kids would look to. *The end*.
As for “aging up Arya”; it is a *minor* change. almost imperceptible. Arya in the books started at nine years of age. In the series, she’s ten and a half. It’s a minor change with no plot impact.
“Aging up” Gendry from 15 to 23? I don’t agree that has the same impact on maturity as a increasing a 9yr old girl to 10 yrs and change.
Steel_WindQuote Reply
Camarlengo,
Thank you sir, you are a gentleman and a scholar.
JeremyQuote Reply
Screencaps updates with the new footage. Like Renly Baratheon.
CamarlengoQuote Reply
There is a brief shot of Arya taking Needle out of her chest in her bedroom. It’s a split second shot at the end of the clip. You have to advance it by frames to see it — but it’s there.
So no need to wait :)
Steel_WindQuote Reply
“That is the time for fear my lord”. I want to see Old Nan! It’s very early in Europe and I wake up and watched it serveral times, now I’m going to sleep again and dream about Deanerys (Emelia is lovely – and also her voice), Arya (great shots, want to see more), Viserys (yes, it’s him!!!), Littlefinger (or “Pinky” in Dutch – he is what he is), Tyrion (of course – the “Peter Dinklage will make a brilliant Tyrion” statement will come trouth), Jon (not my favourite character but Kid is real brilliant so far), Jaime (happy about that smile), King Robert (perfectly), Varys (fine moment te see him), Sansa (beautiful young teen girl who hasn’t learned her lessons – so good acting), Eddard (Sean Bean becomes Eddard in another way that’s in my head – must be good), Bran (I want to see more of his story), Cersei (Lena Heady – her hear is still a little strange – but she’s beautiful), and all the others (can’t wait to see Game of Thrones.
PAMQuote Reply
Is that you GRRM?
Avalanche3319Quote Reply
Everything looks freakin great.. The kids are absolutely perfect from what I’ve seen! And wow.. Canvas-gate aside, I think Dany looks breathtaking :) I personally think they tried Dany with purple eyes, but thought it either looked cheesy or they thought her eyes were striking enough..Because they really are striking. Harry Lloyd knocks it entirely out of the park in my opinion,
I think they made a misstep with Illyrio though; really not liking his line delivery, and I felt the character was way off.
rtm1981Quote Reply
1. GIANT ass dragon skull!
2. Brandon Stark’s death! Feat the Iron Throne with the mad king on it in the bg! (Jaime flashback?)
3. DRAGON EGG! And Dany’s look of WONDER as she holds it…
4. Viserys is beautiful. I have said this before, against all naysayers. He is perfect. Ethereal and… entitled.
5. Littlefinger and every single movement of this body/face. His costuming. His voice. The lines from the book. He IS Petyr. He’s the next Dark Lord… I am in evil love with him.
6. Sandor and the HOUND helm!!! EEEK! So lovely! Even better than I imagined.
7. Jon and Arya and Needle! Aw so cute!
8. Benjen, is that YOU!?
9. Ned’s look when he steps out and realizes the ambush. Oh the drama!
10. Arya on the plinth, on Baelor’s Steps. HOLY shite. Knowing the story made that a horrifying moment…
Okay, there is so much more but I want to watch it a few more times. Also, anyone get the feeling that D/D were paying attention to the props/set pieces we wanted to see? Dragon eggs, the Hound-helm, etc..
reedgirlQuote Reply
Maybe they thought the idea of a bunch of kids running around on their own seemed a little too much like a story for children? That realisticly they needed a grown up to lead them. Just a thought.
sjweningsQuote Reply
The 4chan pic link doesn’t work, because of course it wouldn’t.
Here ya go, Stark-Cat kids:
http://i54.tinypic.com/2qnv1ib.jpg
the goatQuote Reply
Oh yeah… Emilia Clarke crush in full effect!
If I had one complaint (and it is a small one), it is Robert’s “war” line to Ned. He’s definitely got the look that I imagined down pat, but his delivery in that scene doesn’t impart the weight that I had hoped for, so it comes off as sounding as too casual and a bit cliched. Who knows, maybe it’s another case of having to hear it in context.
clumsy_plumsyQuote Reply
so just watched it again on HBO and noticed they took out a scene from Dany telling Ser Jorah Mormont to stop the Dothraki he asks for how long, she states until shes ready etc etc..seeing if i can find more stuff.
Lyle EdwardsQuote Reply
I just love the video like anything… HBO has proved once again that its really good at making something awesome… So the series gonna premiere in April ?? Any more news from HBO guys ??
Game of ThronesQuote Reply
I really loved when she said “When the white walkers walk the woods” Theres a real creepiness in her voice there.
I assume she’s telling this story to Bran? If it’s even a scene from the series.
sjweningsQuote Reply
Not sure why they would need a grownup, it felt like they did pretty much what children might do. Wandered around for a while then got captured really really easily.
aimlessgunQuote Reply
So I just saw the “extended” video as well. Nice accent by Dinklage!
ablaaaQuote Reply
Hockeyjoker,
Ditto, Harry Lloyd was quite brilliant.
Kerry,
The fact that Cersei’s wig looks wiggish when up may not be a big deal, since I suspect it is meant to. It may very well be that those pieces of hair are wigs in character as well (this is actually very authentic to both classical an medieval fashions).
I was very pleased with the majority of what I saw and heard. Like everyone, there were also things that didn’t seem exactly right, but I think I’ll watch it a few more times before commenting on those. XD
Steve Hugh WestenraQuote Reply
uploading a 720p version of the HBO aired version which is 11:46 long instead of 10:01
Lyle EdwardsQuote Reply
Good morning :)
Nice morning, but I think I ll need whole afternoon to chew on this:)
Too much impressions!
Have I seen a glimpse of dragon s egg?
The RabbitQuote Reply
I saw a lot to be excited about, but this is the first time I’ve seen anything that’s made me feel at all concerned about the acting. So many heavy, full of meaning one-liners and not-so-veiled threats delivered with knowing grins I started to roll my eyes.
Ned and Robert, Ned and Cersei, Ned and Petyr, Ned and Catelyn, Benjen and Jon… maybe all just a bit heavy on the melodrama. *Deliver line as if it’s the most important thing ever said, repartee, pause, someone walks away*
Of course it’s just a promo and I’m not judging yet; I know they’ll go for drama to reel people in. This could easily be the people who produced the segment just framing it all in a certain light. I’m just really hoping that when we get those scenes amidst some subtler ones that they won’t feel so staged.
Design-wise it’s looking great, and if a few roles aren’t just how I picture them, there’s no one I feel the need to complain about. (Okay, maybe I miss the thought of Ian McNeice for Illyrio.)
Oh, I guess I’ve been lurking for awhile now. Hello!
DamianQuote Reply
Steel_Wind,
So because you decide he looks 23, then thats it? Obviously he is older than the books, but I think he could be the same age as Jon or Rob. Why do you think you are absolutely right?
As far as CoK, there is absolutely no reason he needs to be cut out. “oh no, if its not exactly how it was in the books, then they have to cut the character!” What!? He’s still only 18, and he’s never been outside of King’s Landing, so he still has no idea where he’s going. In the books Arya is only 10 or 11, but she gets the older kids to listen to her because she’s smart (and doesn’t back down to them). Gendry should’ve left them anyway, but he liked “Arry”, knew she was a girl, and couldn’t leave his friends behind. How hard is it to believe a slightly older Gendry wouldn’t do the same?
the goatQuote Reply
Yeah I know that but if they were going to have the character herself wear a wig it would have been a different color to emphasis the fact, since this is television and you don’t have time for explanations. My thoughts anyway.
KerryQuote Reply
By the horns and beard of the Sky Demon, somebody get a screencap of Dany looking at the dragon egg ASAP!
Minor complaint is that in one or two shots I can tell that Cersei is pregnant, but you go with what you’ve got.
Jon Snow fight scene impressive.
…the actors playing Littlefinger and Viserys just utterly embody the role. I never though I’d be praising Viserys, but the actor just NAILS his sense of just….unreasoning, utter confidence and entitlement….when in reality, he can only just beat up his little sister. Of course, if you *are* the little sister, poor Dany…Viserys is a dangerous monster she’s trapped with and cannot escape.
I think it was a smart move to focus on “Starks vs Lannisters in Westeros, there’s a growing threat to the north from the Others and across the sea from the Evil Exiled Targaryens”……and just to say “There are other great houses but you don’t need to know about them yet”
I guess we’ll peel back more about the Iron Islands and Dorne in later seasons.
I’m sad we didn’t get to hear the Daenerys in-character voice yet.
Ultimately the weirdest part was just hearing the official pronunciation they use for some of these:
Catelyn = Kat-Ellen, NOT “Cate-lyn”
Baratheon = Bah-wrath-eon, not “Buh-wraith-eon”
Jon Snow = Gon Snoo
Targaryen = Tar-gare-ian, NOT “Tar-gar-yen”
I’m not sure how her full name can be “Duh-nair-ris” but this becomes “Dany” for short.
Fire and blood!
The Dragon DemandsQuote Reply
heres my 720P version of the HBO aired Version with the Extra 1:46 seconds of footage
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XAYtinilywM
Lyle EdwardsQuote Reply
Dreamy! Loved getting to see the longer clip.
I feel like so many critiques of the past few months are put to rest– Sansa’s clothes not being fancy enough (some great scrollwork, etc. in the scenes from the tourney), the added scenes to the pilot, the Hound’s scars, etc. etc.
I found of particular interest two new things-
1) they kept a version of the very large direwolf mom in the pilot. This makes me think they really are going to somehow try and make the wolves really bigger than normal in the future seasons. I’ll be curious to see where they go with that, and…
2) the interesting aesthetic choice they made about the face carved in to the weirwood. I always pictured them more raw and primal, almost hacked in to the tree. Their’s was more like a take on the green-man myth, some filigree around his face, etc. My first thought was that this would be easier to cgi over in the future, if they have to speak or blink or mouth words in dreams, etc.
All in all, just very lovely. I definitely felt like they threw us a few bones- the dragon’s egg, the very quick shot of the blurred throne in the Brandon Stark scene, the closeup on the Hound’s scars and his helmet, the bit with the fake snow being blown around, etc.
I love how the throne looked a lot like a giant silver spider’s web in the background. Reminded me of The Kiss of the Spider Woman. Fun! :)
Speaking of the Brandon Stark noose scene– I guess that really opens up the door to the whole question of flashbacks, because clearly they’re going to be doing some of them. So, who knows, perhaps we’ll get Tower of Joy, etc. I have more faith that stuff like that’s going to be included now that I see they’re included this Brandon one.
Steve B.Quote Reply
You gotta watch the extra long version. Lots of good little extra tidbits in there– Tyrion in character, Daenerys in character, the face carved in to the weirwood, the direwolf mom, Arya drawing Needle, the Iron Throne in the background, etc.
Some of them only last a second, but if you go through and rewatch it once or twice and pause it as you go, you’ll get the shots and scenes you’re looking for.
Steve B.Quote Reply
Thanks for this one:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-EVKp5nYxyI
This is the Inside Special as shown on HBO, and it’s about 1:45 longer than the version on HBO’s site. It’s in 720p too!
This one includes a scene with Jon and Tyrion, where Dinklage finally talks in character, and Emilia Clarke and Jorah, where she also talks in character.
I thought they were both great. Very pleased with Tyrion, especially.
Steel_WindQuote Reply
Steve B.,
Here’s hoping everyone is right about that flash of Brandon, but even staring at the freeze frame its hard to be sure. The throne is too blurry and I can’t tell for sure who’s on the end of that rope. Fingers crossed because I think the flashbacks are some of the best moments in the books.
karnQuote Reply
Also was struck by the detailing on some of King Robert’s costumes. I remember that gate, and a lot of what he’s wearing here looks really great, very detailed.
Yeah, the whole “a war is coming” line sounds over rought, but eh, nothing perfect ya know? Perhaps it’s better in context.
I agree that Drogo’s makeup is a bit heavy around the eyes for me, but now I’m just being picky. :)
Looks so so awesome. My god, am I going to have to pay for basic cable and HBO just to watch this show? Ahhhhhhh!!! That’s really f-in expensive.
Hmmm….. Gotta time it so that I get the free HBO for three months when I sign up, then drop it once the show’s done. !! ;P
Steve B.Quote Reply
I was never entirely sold on Emilia Clarke as Dany, but that was mostly because Dany’s one of my favorite characters and _any_ actress in that role would be met with some hesitation on my part.
But I concede, she is now my Dany. Her enthusiasm is lovely and endearing. And may I add, she gets more beautiful every time we see her. She will be stealing hearts when this show starts, without a doubt. Already developing a bit of a crush myself ;)
KangaQuote Reply
Now that I have a chance to see the full uncut version from youtube. I have to say this:
“WHAT NO SNOW IN THE DEAD DIREWOLF SCENE!”
come on…Jon discovers Ghost in the snow…away from the litter AFTER the rest have theirs.Thats a critical writing element that tells A LOT about the characters.
I could forgive not having snow in most places shot at Winterfell but that was critical. I understand its not the full blown winter WINTER in westeros yet and viewers wont understand why the Stark house moto is Winter is coming. It means to prepare. The Starks know to prepare and are ready, since they live it in smaller portions. And HBO probably thought to just make it seem cold without the snow…but come on the north is supposed to have generally a little bit of snow.
And I was terribly deflated when i saw the “carved” face in the weirwood tree. The tree didn’t look all that white either. I was thinking the carving of the face would be bigger, far more shocking and frightening almost to behold. This just looks like a celtic green man’s face. I pictured much like we see here:
http://7kingdoms.ru/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/valtaistuinpeli1.jpg
WolfheartQuote Reply
Damian,
Hi!
I get what you’re saying, but I don’t see any reason to assume that the whole show would consist of melodramatic beats like that. Pretty much every single TV and movie preview I’ve ever seen in my life is edited that way. Subtle passages of dialogue that depend on context don’t appear in previews.
mummerQuote Reply
Absolutely right? WTF??
I said: “I infer from this casting choice that there is a good chance that Gendry will not be with Yoren heading to the Wall. ”
How does “good chance” become “absolutely right”?
Does it throw off the dynamic as described previously? Yes and hell yes.
Does that make me “absolutely right” that Gendy has been cut out of Arya & Co’s tour through the Warzone From Hell? No and hell no.
Steel_WindQuote Reply
http://img530.imageshack.us/img530/4165/brandonu.jpg – here’s a screencap from youtube
SensukiQuote Reply
Any thought on who the two knights are at 2:57 on the youtube version? Also where is needle?
DrewQuote Reply
Things that stood out for me:
Emilia Clarke talking about the show made me sooo excited to see her performance. She is going to take my breath away repeatedly.
Viserys looks as insane as he should. I think his character arc will be impressive to see and the combination of the two of them will be compelling and “That other continent” won’t be an annoyance to new viewers
LITTLEFINGER looks AWESOME. That smirk from Aiden Gillen while he delivers that line was perfect.
Tyrion is just going to transfer from the books to the screen better than any character in the show in my opinion. He is going to be a fan favorite just like he is in the books.
Lena Headey as Cersei has started to give me pause where there wasn’t any before… :X
Did they cut Rickon? They made specific mention of Catelyn being married to Ned and then showing their “number of children” Bran/Rob/Sansa/Arya but no show of Rickon in those quick glimpses of the kids… they even foreshadowed Jon with the “son from another woman” line.
Since I’ve seen a lot of comments about it, I hope we don’t see Hodor, because if we see hodor that means we see bran without the use of his legs and that shouldn’t not end up in a teaser
The drama was played up A TON in this teaser. There was literally NO sex mentioned and it was all about the characters and how amazing the story is and I really really like that.
Jaime looks to be as hated as he should be. Can’t wait for his story arc to come to fruition.
NakmalQuote Reply
Oh, I also liked that we actually saw the Dothraki in a grassland area– that puts to rest this silly gate we had that they were going to make them go through endless bamboo jungles meant to represent the Dothraki Sea.
You can also see a bit in the first 30 or 40 secs clearly set in the scene where Drogo attacks the Lhazareen. There’s a sheep statue behind him and a pile of heads in the foreground as Dany runs to him because he’s cut. Cool!
Also like a lot of the detail from the scene where Joffery and Cersei confront Ned at the inn. Joffery’s even got a bandage on his arm.
I love the details, and that so far, in a gist, the plot really seems pretty intact. A few new scenes- Cersei and Ned, Ned and Jaime, Dany and Drogo, but also lots of well known scenes.
Woohoo!!! Big smile time!
Steve B.Quote Reply
I’m wondering if thats its Mad King Aerys nasty long nails behind Brandon in that short blurry second and Rhaegar on the throne. Just a thought. because it does look like a hand with nails all curled dangling…
WolfheartQuote Reply
Drew,
On the extended HD youtube video, there’s a shot of Arya drawing what looks like a thin sword at 11:35. A couple shots after she hugs Jon.
karnQuote Reply
Also new in the longer clip: Dothraki in grassy plains. A few people had worried that the tall bamboo forest they’re riding through in the early Daenerys images was a really weird attempt to represent the Dothraki Sea, but it looks like that’s not the case.
mummerQuote Reply
Sensuki,
That HAS to be Brandon Stark. At least I hope it is. It looks like a Targ sitting on the throne in the background, and it looks like they have a beard….
I just wonder if Sean Bean is also playing Brandon in the flashbacks, or if it’s a different actor, because he looks so much like Ned, even in a blurred image.
Steve Hugh WestenraQuote Reply
It could be they used Sean Beans stand in/stunt double for the flashback scenes for his brother. IF this is Brandon Stark in the noose. But as Ive said before. Take a close look to the right and behind the Brandon like character in the noose. Does that look like long scraggly nails from a hand to you?
WolfheartQuote Reply
mummer,
Absolutely, and I’m far from losing faith, I just think they poured it on a bit thick. It just adds a small note of caution to my up-to-now boundless enthusiasm.
DamianQuote Reply
HAH…I’m not the only one who thinks Fairley looks far older then Bean.
WolfheartQuote Reply
Damn! That was good.
Viserys. I saw a screen shot of Viserys with an ugly wig but he looked so much better while in motion.
Daenerys. Can I just say I’m impressed. She looks so beautiful and ethereal. Those early pic doesn’t do her justice. I can see the vulnerable girl and also the hint of steel.
Cersei. I strongly dislike her in the books but Headey makes the character much more interesting.
Jon Snow. The facial hair was a bit disconcerting at first but it grew on me while watching trailer.
Tyrion. I love, love his conversation with Jon.
Jaime. That arrogant, disrespectful attitude, that gold armor, that smirk, that face … I hate him already.
Ned. He comes across as being timid. Looks like someone being led by the nose by people around him. You can feel that he’s got a bad future ahead of him.
Little Finger. He looks menacing as shit. Ned looks like a callow youth besides him.
I’ve got to watch it again.
MaarteQuote Reply
No way does Fairley look older than Bean! Bean is pretty damn old and craggy in all the stuff I’ve seen him for in these previews. Fairley look like a pretty normal woman in her late 40′s/early 50′s to me.
Steve B.Quote Reply
Nakmal,
I think I saw Rickon in the trailer although they only showed his back. During the scene where Cersei’s character enters Winterfell, we see a blond-haired kid standing beside Cat and Ned. I assume this is Rickon. The welcoming party lineup would then be Bran-Arya-Sansa-Robb-Ned-Cat-Rickon.
ArxusQuote Reply
this is as clear of a screecap as I can get for what could be brandon stark.
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b143/Aquemini182/brandon.jpg
Lyle EdwardsQuote Reply
Draaaaama! Now we get to have a fight about whether Catelyn is not pretty enough/young enough or not. Woohoo!! :)
Steve B.Quote Reply
Absolutely loved the feature!
I don’t understand why they refuse to make Dany’s eyes violet, tho. I just don’t get it! I mean, it’s not going to be a show-killer by any means, but the eye color was kind of a prominent feature of the Targs, ya know?
Lauren Box HitchcockQuote Reply
Like any rabid GRRM fan, I geeked up the 15 minutes of HBO goodness tonight.
And felt like puking.
My overwhelming complaint was that the production designer probably was NOT a fan of the source material.
Someone (director?) even gushed about “taking inspiration from (this and that) culture”…well, how about taking inspiration from the cultures GRRM spent so much time detailing in his books?
Oh, make no mitake. I’ll still watch it. But I just honestly believe that with source material that has as much genuine good description already provided, I noticed a slew of details that were missing just from a casual one-time-view of a 15-minute preview (that was really more like 8 or 9 minutes). Rather than list all the ones that jumped out at me, let’s just pick (mostly) on the Dothraki:
1. Where were the bells in their braids? Where were their BRAIDS?
2. Where were the mustaches?
3. Where was the much-described native dress? Coin belts? Painted vests?
4. Were those flashes of steel supposed to be Arakhs? Come on.
Oh and…Ilyrio Mopatis? Please. They obviously hired every fat Englishman they could get their hands on, but how about working on those costumes etc.
And Targaryens had silvery hair, didn’t they? Not Billy Idol bottle blonde.
Fire that Production Designer. Hire someone who read the novels.
John TarrenQuote Reply
Arxus,
Rickon blonde-haired? How would that happen? lol Why wouldn’t they show him like the other Stark kids when GRRM says “they have a number of children”
NakmalQuote Reply
Wolfheart,
Ahhhh. The stunt-double idea makes sense to me.
Also, I’m definitely with you on this, although I can’t pick the nails out in the image no matter how hard I try. ):
It’s very exciting though, to catch even a glimpse of a flashback scene like this, since it leaves open the possibility of more flashbacks. XD
Steve Hugh WestenraQuote Reply
That looked so awesome! I think my favorite part of the whole thing was Emelia Clarke gushing about how great the story is. The only disappointment was that we still haven’t seen a line from Arya or Sansa. I guess they may not be a very major part of the first season, but I hope Arya gets the focus she deserves in seasons 2 & 3. Overall I’m really excited for the show.
David ScottonQuote Reply
Holy dog shit this is amazing!!
Dany looks fine as hell!! Just freakin’ gorgeous!!
EdQuote Reply
I always pictured Jorah more “bear” like. Also curious to see how this Gendry aging plays out. Other than that, all I have to do is get used to everyone speaking with an accent and I’m good. Seriously, this looks amazing.
AaronQuote Reply
I hope so. I hope they didn’t leave out Rickon and Shaggydog.
WolfheartQuote Reply
Wolfheart,
We know Rickon was cast, at least, so I can’t imagine he would be left out.
He is the youngest son, so I suspect he -is- in that shot in the show, but perhaps he’s just too short to be able to see in that particular frame.
Steve Hugh WestenraQuote Reply
look for the lighter colored worm like things running vertical in a curvy motion to the right of “brandon” they look like they connect with a hand. They are right behind his head to the right.
WolfheartQuote Reply
John Tarren,
Bitch please.
JohnQuote Reply
Rickon may not be in the trailer but he was cast and he even has had Shaggydog over to his house to bond with him …
http://twitter.com/ArtRickonrockon
Who Is Jacopo Belbo?Quote Reply
OK, up early and just had my first view of the trailer. GoT overload or what? First impressions:
Rob!
Dragon!
Dragon egg!
Arya on statue….no!
Overall impression? AHHH soooo good! :)
OK, time for a second viewing and then time to get ready for work (and clear the snow off the car!)
Jackie MacPhersonQuote Reply
uh, dude. that is another coil of rope that somebody is holding that i have to assume is also around Brandon’s neck. you know like you would do with a wild animal, multiple people holding ropes that the prisoner is bound with. they are not human fingernails by any means …
Who Is Jacopo Belbo?Quote Reply
Nakmal,
It’s around 4:42 of the Inside GoT vid that HBO posted. Could be wrong but I think it’s Rickon.
ArxusQuote Reply
Wolfheart,
I think those may be ropes being held by someone we can’t see.
Steve Hugh WestenraQuote Reply
Holy shit.
This video was so full of win that I am speechless at the moment. Will come back with a long detailed post about the awesomeness just witnessed. Any and all doubts are gone. This is going to be the greatest TV production EVER! If there’s any fantasy that can beat LOTR this is it. Frankly from what I’ve seen, I think GoT has a shot.
The Young WolfQuote Reply
Right. Because staying exactly true to those written descriptions, no matter how ridiculous they may look on the screen makes for fantastic conversion from text. I mean, Spawn and Watchmen (aside from lack of squid) are the way to go, rather than LoTr and Spiderman. Why would a media company care about making the visual intellectual properties of a series distinct from those of the book. STRICT ADHERANCE TO SOURCE MATERIAL ALWAYS LEADS TO SUPERIOR PRODUCT!
Oh wait, no it doesn’t.
Critical GeekQuote Reply
karn,
What extended youtube video? I must be missing this.
DrewQuote Reply
Why did it feel like just 3 minutes… awesome… can’t wait!!!
Jean Pierre BorgQuote Reply
I think Fairley looks very different in different shots (maybe it’s the angle?). In their bedroom she looks the same age but here for example she looks much older than him, just with her hair dyed “younger”.
KerryQuote Reply
…
…
you’re right. Now i see it. Then let me move to the throne….
They are fighting over that small thing…hehehe
I hope when we get a better look of it. It looks as dangerous as described to sit in.
WolfheartQuote Reply
Wolfheart,
dude…those are coils from a rope.
zachQuote Reply
Aside from disagreeing with your reasoning about Gendry, I thought it was extremely inappropriate to bring up American politics and to use somebody’s supposed political affiliation as an insult in this forum. This is not the place for political jabs, and I am surprised that you would stoop to that.
And in case you were wondering, I am speaking as a fan of ASoIaF and as a Democrat.
Fluke200Quote Reply
I hope the weirwood tree is actually is bone white. Much like the color of the paper bark on a birch tree…
WolfheartQuote Reply
I’m not sure how but in the six times I’ve watched the video/extended version I haven’t seen a single heart tree, can I get a pic please?
Also regarding the possible Brandon flashback, I can see the argument for both sides. On one hand it could just be Ned, being beaten and tied up when he attempts to wrest power from the Lannisters and is betraied by LF. This can be backed up by the fact that A) it looks like Sean Bean and B) whoever it is looks too old, Brandon was only a year or two older than Ned.
On the other hand if you look in the background you can see that whoever is sitting on the Iron Throne has white hair, which none of the Lannisters have. This isn’t just a light blond that is long white hair which could be Aerys sitting there watching his handy work.
GrimtuesdayQuote Reply
these are amazing … and I can’t say I’m disappointed in anything I’ve seen.
I know People really hate Cersei (I don’t) But like every character in this story she isn’t completely bad. Most of the terrible things she does is mostly for deep love.
I mean come on people Robert isn’t the greatest husband in the world and had his dabbles in demostic abuse and marital rape, So I think Lena has to play her with some sympathy.
Plus if she was always a raging bitch to everyone, then her scemes would never work. She’s got to be sweet and innocent to seduce.
As for the Brandon Flashback I have a feeling that this might actually be Ned and he’s having a nightmare about the old Stark superstition about those who go south never come back home to Winterfell alive.
Phantomwriter05Quote Reply
OMG! Just totally awesome. Loved the footage.
I hope seeing a bit more of the backgrounds has put some of the naysayers at ease.
I thinked it looked totally fab! I missed out on the “Drawing the Line” discussion, but I am just so thrilled to see this being made that I’ll take anything! (Had same feelings with LotR – though I didn’t much like the theatrical release of The Two Towers – the extended version was much better.) But this will certainly surpass that!
Just awesome.
Squeee-ing moments:
Got to see Jamie Sives as Jory – on a horse!!! Ahh…. *heaven* And we got a line from him too…. *bliss*
Got to see Petyr – I know Silverjamie will be so glad about that.
A bit more of the tourney
Dragon skill
Dragon egg!
And just soo much more… that my head is going to explode!
Right, I’m off over the YouTube to have more looks…. I can’t win – my pc at work has shocking sound and the video doesn’t stream properly and my monitor at home is soooo old (CRT) that I can’t see the darker scenes!! LOL
But just awesome HBO.
Happy day.
OllieQuote Reply
Confession time:
Yes, I had a certian fear about Sean Bean being too much badass Ned Stark from very moment he has beeen cast.
After I saw the feature this morning the fear has gone.
Sean rules as Ned.
I very much liked his reaction to Gendry s helm, it seemed so natural, so Neddish pure admiring of Gendry s work.
Great moment.
The_RabbitQuote Reply
I’m a huge Lena/Cersei fan…can someone, anyone, get us her screencaps? Also, WOW, HBO is actually adressing all of our silly little issues in one video? Amazing, hands down this is THE GREATEST TV SHOW EVER. I’m going to cry now…Well, in a few seconds:
Tyrion – Brilliant, extended scene with Jon is just…Tyrion!
Cersei/Jaime – Can’t wait to see them banging…on Ned’s doorsteps :P
Stark family – What is this, someone pulled inception on my mind? Outstanding job…And about that-Catelyn-gate? Naah, Fairley is just…look at her, she is THE actress here, love her.
Robert-Well, it’s Robert, gotta love him.
Joffrey-What a prick and I mean: WHAT A PRICK haha, good job everyone!
Hound-Is that his h-h-helmet? And..the scars? Thank you m’lords!
Jon Snow-absolutely 100% behind his look! Aged up, snow-ed up…he is going to be the star!
Sansa/Arya…yep, both great…is there something I don’t like? Hm…let me see, NO.
Littlefinger is pure gold, and can’t wait to see some molten gold on Viserys :D
last one from me: Daenerys Targaryen…did she just ordered them to stop? My God she’s brilliant, sexy and fragile at the same time.
THANK YOU HBO, THANK YOU WINTER IS COMING.NET…I’m in heaven
Cheers from Croatia! ;)
m4st4Quote Reply
Oh…just one more thing…
HUGE BADASS DRAGON SKULL.
DRAGON EGG.
m4st4Quote Reply
OH MY GODS. Just watched it, and it was SO awesome! I can’t believe how much new stuff I just saw. A lot to digest, but here’s my initial thoughts:
-Favourite part was Viserys (“When they speak of my reign, sweet sister, they will say it began today.”). That sent shivers down my spine. It really felt like I was watching Viserys come to life. Harry Lloyd is gonna be amazing!
-LOVED hearing Dinklage talk about the show and sell it so well! Emilia Clarke also did a great job (her smile when she says “it’s just a brilliant story” was great).
-NCW projected PERFECT Jaime arrogance in that scene with Ned!
-Lena Headey as Cersei looks amazing in all the new shots.
-Robb looked awesome.
-Littlefinger, Varys, Pycelle, and so much more… wow!
My brain is melting… I need to go watch it again.
LexQuote Reply
I still think that if the rumor of the Stephen Moyer cameo is true he will be in one of the flashbacks
Ser Arthur Dayne, maybe even Mad King Aerys :P
SensukiQuote Reply
John Tarren,
No disrespect to your opinion, and I even agree with some of it (although on a different severity level it seems), but I actually laughed a bit when I imagined an HBO exec or anyone involved in this project reading this!
You have to be the worst case scenario viewer ever! Absolute all-in negativity about everything :D I think you can probably just pass on adaptions in the future, beacuse in the real world they just don’t happen the way you seem to think they do :P
rtm1981Quote Reply
this whole thing is just so surreal. my relationship to the books is transforming in real time thanks to these previews. For example, there is a short glimpse of the scene on the Kingsroad, after Joffrey gets “attacked.” Cersei stands next to Joffrey, and the look on their faces created a sudden fascination in this twisted relationship between mother and son. this relationship did not interest me at all in the books; it was too absurd for my tastes.
The most important quality I’m rooting for in this series is subtlety. My favorite show of all time, The Wire, demanded the viewer pay attention to the subtle power plays between characters. Watching for the Wire’s brilliant use of metaphor and homage to Greek myths is an optional viewing experience, but so much more rewarding once you discover them. I hope the GOT producers follow David Simon’s lead here, and respect the intelligence of the audience. Even new audience members have the smarts to studiously watch the show without help from too many scenes that “tell us” instead of “show us”what’s going on.
My favorite shots thus far:
-The Stark boys standing at the execution scene. Love how they position Jon – always behind the Robb and Bran
-Speaking of Jon – Kit is hawt!! Love the Arya/Jon hug. That 1 second flash made me tear up a little!
-And speaking of hotness, Jaime looks to be on par with Eric from TB. A tall, smirky drink of water! But with a way better story arc.
-I’m not the only person to mention a girl crush on Dany! I think Emilia is SO lovely, and she is bursting with happiness over the story. It’s charming. Young women will love Dany because there aren’t many princesses in stories who hatch dragons right after the death of their prince!
-Lena talking in that scene with the weird hair reminds me of Kiera Knightly in some costume drama…don’t know if that’s good or bad
-i09 is spreading the word! http://io9.com/5706774/10-minute-feature-about-the-making-of-game-of-thrones
MegQuote Reply
Sensuki,
I believe Ran from Westeros got direct confirmation from HBO that the Stephen Moyer cameo rumor was false.
Avalanche3319Quote Reply
I agree with you… They don’t look terribly tough… they look like any other group of scrawny peasants…
FeatherySquidQuote Reply
why is the you tube view counter stuck at 303?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JJR3eBfcusM
if it serves as an indication, that’s not too good
Jean Pierre BorgQuote Reply
Critical Geek,
I’m not sure that coin belts and painted vests would look overly ridiculous or anything… they seem like simple details they could get right… instead they gave Drogo thick raccoon eyeliner that makes him look more fem than his wife.
FeatherySquidQuote Reply
Steel_Wind,
Yeah, I know you have no actual input or control over the material, but apparently you think you should:
“That dynamic will be totally off.
Or it may be that they will decide to cut Gendry out of that journety in its entirety. Gendry may simply not be there at all. *shrug*”
As far as “absolutely right,” you said he was in his early twenties, whereas I think he could be younger. I did not mean you were “absolutely right” that he would be cut from CoK, I meant you were not “absolutely right” that he was twenty-something.
They’ve obviously decided to make Gendry older. Does that change our perception of him? Almost certainly. Does that necessarily change the dynamic his journey? No. He’s still certainly a young man, who’s never been outside King’s Landing, and would still be closer in age to “Arry”, Hot Pie, and Lommy than the other prisoners. Given GRRM’s world, its actually more believable that he would be slightly older, makes their journey more believable.
the goatQuote Reply
Steve Hugh Westenra,
I don’t believe they are actually fingernails. Upon closer inspection it looks like a hand holding wads of rope, and a bit of line leading to Brandon, like two people are holding him.
patryn0Quote Reply
That doesn’t seem like it could be Brandon to me, either. I know the face is contorted, but Brandon would have to look about half the age of Ned in the current story line.
must say the camera loves Emilia and Kit…Watching some more…
obsidianQuote Reply
Lena Headey , Cersei I mean is real serpent!
I like it :)
The_RabbitQuote Reply
This confirmed why my favorite casting was of Viserys and Littlefinger (followed closely by The Hound, Tyrion, and Jaime, as well as Ned and Cersei). The moment I saw Harry Lloyd, I knew he was beyond perfect, and knowing Aiden Gillen from The Wire – he was born for the role.
I still don’t like Fairley’s face at all. However, she seems to be an exceptional actress so I’ll be fine with it. Same with Dany (who is very pretty).
Illyrio, well no one could top Ian McNiece, but he doesn’t HAVE to be obese. It’s not central to the story. Just like Osha didn’t HAVE to be an older woman (and is now a much younger one – wish we could have seen her too!).
The kids, all wonderful. Sansa is so pretty, Arya is so cute, Rob is handsome, Jon is everything he should be.
Love the sets, love the look, costumes (again, I am glad they didn’t go with GRRM’s description of EVERYTHING straight from the book ). The production values are amazing.
I don’t think that’s Brandon. I think it’s Ned with Joff on the throne. Could be wrong, but that’s what it seems like. Will reserve the right to change my mind with further evidence, but with no word at all for casting of Brandon or Aerys, I think it’s just Ned with a contorted, anguished face.
SmegmaQuote Reply
Not surprised. Don’t really care too much for him anyway, wasn’t the most exciting character in TB.
SensukiQuote Reply
Wow, it looks amazing. The casting has been superb from the beginning, and seeing the actors and actresses in costume re-confirms things. So glad they recast Dany btw: she looks beautiful.
Really the only gripe I (still) have is Robb being aged up so much. I realize they had to age characters up, but his story will lose some of its emotional impact with him being a young man at the beginning of the series.
While I don’t think she’s the perfect Cersei visually, but Headly pulls off the dialogue/mannerisms perfectly. Jaime looks perfect, as does Tyrion; can’t wait to hear some dialogue from him, to see how Dinklage does the accent heh.
More Rice CooksQuote Reply
Looks pret-ty damned fine to me … (tears eyes away from Jaime) Oh … and the rest of the trailer is good, too.
KGQuote Reply
Agree, it’s probably not a flashback, the banners on either side of the throne looks to be yellow/black baratheon banners, not red/black targ ones.
EirikurQuote Reply
Have only been able to see this at work – AMAZING!!- but I can’t HEAR IT!! Can you tell me what the accents are someone please??? Especially Littlefinger??
silverjaimeQuote Reply
My favorite bit:
Arya watching from the plinth followed by Sandor standing on the platform looking down at her, connecting the characters in advance of “A Clash of Kings” :-)
And Slynt loves Emily Clarke as Daenerys Targaryen.
SlyntQuote Reply
Where’s my jaw, I just dropped it and can’t find it. Things look so awesome that it’s shocking. Dany is such a lovely young lady and I do love her enthusiasm for the story! Seems like our Jon, Dany and Tyrion are asoiaf nerds already ;)
And George, “Ned Stark is the center of the series” LOL
“the center of the first season”, you mean.
CornslayerQuote Reply
*fangirl moment*
squeeeeeeeeee!!!!!
Ok, this looks far beyond what I was expecting. Until now the visual impact has been limited to the stills and brief glimpses in teaser trailers. But this is fabulous, I’m grasping how huge a production this is for the first time. I mean, I knew it would take alot, but when you read the imagery is all in your head. I’m a sort of taken aback with amazement, if you know what I mean.
YAY!
Hannah SimsQuote Reply
Don´t think i saw the same thing as you guys :/
Seems shit
uterlly shit
Why the hell would the Clegenes hold eachothers hands up @ the end of the tourney.
Yuck made me sick all of the cheesyness too :(
Apperantly i am 12 years old with and iq of 75 and just got through the door from my pigfarm(no offence pigfarmers).
danderQuote Reply
silverjaime,
I’m not an expert on British accents, but Littlefinger sounded like Aidan Gillen doing a standard English accent to me.
Tyrion sounded a little posh. Jamie Sives sounded a bit Scottish to me.
LexQuote Reply
dander,
Probably. Cause the Clegane brothers aren’t holding each other hands up?
SlyntQuote Reply
That was Loras holding up the Hound after he wins the tourney and if memory serves, saved his life.
SmegmaQuote Reply
Anyone knows if there will be released a HD version of the preview?
Johannes EckerQuote Reply
yeah that’s Ser Loras declaring The Hound champion
SensukiQuote Reply
Please, please, please would one of you clever people out there do screenshots of Arya a) on the steps and b) holding Needle – a pity they didn’t do a bit of her doing needlework!
AnneQuote Reply
Lyle Edwards,
I dunno. . looks pretty clearly like Sean Bean to me. Even has the same hairstyle.
clangleeQuote Reply
Yeah I am pretty sure it is. I guess we’ll find out!
SmegmaQuote Reply
dander
1. You’re spelling and attention to detail indicate you are exactly what you appear to be.
As others have already pointed out, you didn’t see the same thing we did.
If you’re going to troll or flame or explode, please do so with good grammar and spelling, you annoying little boy.
FlayedandDisplayedQuote Reply
I just wanted to add that I think Gendry looks great – he doesn’t look mid twenties, and is believable as a late teen that works as a smith.
Also, Joffrey is most definitely the boy from Batman Begins. I recognized him right away.
SmegmaQuote Reply
What can I say?! I almost wet myself with glee!
April! It’s December now, so it’s only 5 months away people (that’s not even half a Year!) Yay!
And the Dragon Skull was flipping Awesome!!! Petyr Baelish (Aidan Gillen) will be excellent! (Love the little exchange between him and Ned in the garden.)
I think this series is going to be the biggest thing since Battlestar Galactica and Lost finished! This will put the Fantasy genre squarely into the mainstream media.
Unfortunately, this means that other studios/companies will begin to put out other ‘lesser’ fantasy programmes (and I bet a few are already planning on them), in an attempt to ride the bandwagon.
Let’s just hope they will be better than the dreadful ‘Legend of the Seeker’.
WINTER IS COMING! (It’s bloody well here in the UK! Brrrrrrrr!)
Leofric1313Quote Reply
Has anyone noticed TWO different hairstyles for Ned Stark? Sometimes it’s darker and slicked back, sometimes it’s lighter and tied/pulled back on the top of his head. I think the darker, slicked back look could possibly be from the pilot scenes…
His hair even changes during the confrontation with Jaime (it’s darker and slicked back, until the final shot when Ned walks away).
LexQuote Reply
dander,
Put on your glasses. Theeeere’s a good boy.
rtm1981Quote Reply
Folks,
Someone help me please :)
I red all of the comments and saw people talking about the scenes I failed to notice?!
Brandon Stark?
Tyrion and Jon?
Was it too early to watch or main brain was incapable to notice everything?
The_RabbitQuote Reply
FlayedandDisplayed,
haha ^^
Well i cant spell :)
danderQuote Reply
Lex,
I am pretty sure that the scene in the Winterfell crypt is from the original pilot.
The_RabbitQuote Reply
The_Rabbit,
Watch this LONGER, 12-MINUTE version. It’s also in higher quality than the version that HBO uploaded.
LexQuote Reply
Oh by the way
I don’t know if anyone else noticed.
The music they used over the top (most of it I think) is from Rome.
SensukiQuote Reply
I also am puzzled by the hatred of Khal Drogo’s look. I think he looks fantastic. No, he doesn’t have the moustaches or the bells, nor does he look exactly like Amok’s vision. However, I think he still embodies the character and looks hot and dangerous. I don’t like big guys normally, but I guess I’d make an exception for him.
SmegmaQuote Reply
Has to be Brandon. I know it looks like Sean, but unless they’ve completely re-written things, that’s Ned’s brother strangling himself trying to save his father from being cooked in his own armor, whilst Aerys laughs and Jaime watches.
the goatQuote Reply
OUTSTANDING!
Love Petyr, Dany, Jamie, Tyrion – everything. I really don’t have words! How badass is Cersei in her “So was I” scene? And Petyr smirking at Ned? Priceless.
A really, really minor gripe, neither Luwin nor Pycelle have chains around their necks. Oh well, I can live with that – if that’s the only complaint I’m going to have with the series, I’ll consider myself happy :D
DomQuote Reply
Lex,
Thanks, I ll watch it home, can not now.
I thought I was going crazy ;)
The_RabbitQuote Reply
Littlefinger is PUUUURRRRFECT, the voice, the look, the attitude, everything. So good.
Though the acting seems fine I just can’t get behind the Targaryen wigs or the styling of Dany’s outfits. They’re way too… cliche exotic fantasy? Meh.
And I don’t think I’ll ever be able to take Gendry seriously just because it’s Chris from Skins :) loved him on that show, it was a completely different tone though.
aliQuote Reply
I was just about to post this after rewatching that scene. Again, I’m not saying it’s absolutely no way not a flashback, but the evidence is in support of it just being Ned and Joff with Baratheon banners.
SmegmaQuote Reply
Wow. That’s actually a disappointment… Have to recheck that when I get back from work.
I agree with the people who are a little disappointed with the dothraki look, but I have to say that Jason REALLY embodies the Kahl with the way he carries himself. That’s more important to me than makeup and clothing.
rtm1981Quote Reply
It is freaking awesome!!!
Things I especially loved:
-Littlefinger – 100% as I imagined him.
-Tyrion – no comments required, he’s perfect.
-Dany
-Viserys – also 100% as I imagined him, looks slightly insane and full of himself. Watching him biting it will be a great scene.
-Joffrey, the ugly little brat. For me, the happiest moment in the books was him finally kicking the bucket
-Cleganes. Hound’s makeup is great.
-Drogo. Jason Momoa was the best thing about SGA and looks like he’s owning this role. I don’t care about his makeup or beard.
-Stark kids.
April, please come faster.
Alexander DubrovskyQuote Reply
What I loved :-
- Danaerys. I too have a massive girl crush on her. I am so pleased with the casting. She’s so beautiful, especially in that shot where she’s listening to Viserys, and the subtlety with which she plays the scene where she’s being gifted with her Silver is very impressive. /end gushing
- Viserys, and his speech about his reign. Delivered perfectly.
- Petyr and his smirks. He makes me so excited about the show.
- Already gushed about how perfect Bran is.
- Wasn’t sure about Jon at first, but the Wall scenes look fantastic, nice and dark and gritty. Liked the ‘Congratulations, you’re the least useless person here.’ Removes any cheesiness and shows the Night’s Watch for what it is.
- Jon and Arya hug, and the affectionate smile Jon gave her. This makes me so happy and so sad and so nostalgic. Can’t *wait* to see their other scenes together.
- The Stark children line-up. Eeeek!
- Robb does seem a little aged up, he looked a lot younger in his casting photos, however we get what – 2 seconds of him? Definitely a ‘wait and see how it plays’ scenario. Plus he’s so handsome… *slinks away*
What I loved not so much:-
- Just as I was put at ease about the cheesy “I was trained to kill” line taken out of context, some of the other Ned lines seemed a little cheesed-up and out of character. It just seems like there are so many smart, pithy lines in the book to choose from anyway that it should be easy to avoid cheesiness in most cases. However don’t want to judge on 15 minutes of footage, so will wait and see.
- Maybe I’ve just been used to Cersei being so fiery and wild lately, but she seems far too mild and whispery in her scenes. Where’s her boldness and confidence? However again too early to judge I think.
- Drogo meeting Dany scenery looked a little fake? But possibly will be distracted anyway by the great acting here : )
- ENDING flashed by too fast for my little geek heart. I need frame-by-frame, please!!!
ShandyQuote Reply
Smegma,
I think the yellow and black “banners” to either side of the throne are actually stained glass windows behind the throne, which we caught a glimpse of in the preview trailer. While I hope that scene is a flashback with Brandon Stark I get the feeling it’s Ned with Cersei sitting the throne. Hope I’m wrong though.
Avalanche3319Quote Reply
I believe there are other shots of the maester’s chains, we just didn’t get a glimpse of them tonight.
SmegmaQuote Reply
Okay, so the whole thing looks amazing, and I could hardly ask for anything better, but…
…that’s Renly? Seriously? Why have they gone in the exact opposite direction with the image to the one in the book? Shaved head, facial hair, wtf? I’ll get over it, obviously, but the change seems rather pointless and, well, annoying. If Sansa’s going to describe him as ‘the most handsome man she’d ever seen’, then I expect pretty, damnit :-(
At least Aiden Gillen is sufficiently awesome to make me feel less guilty about fangirling over Littlefinger though. Just utterly, utterly perfect <3
Lucy RicherQuote Reply
Ohhh the excitement knows no bounds! I love what they have done with the series. The influences of different cultures on Earth really begin to show in the footage, which I think serves to make the series more accessible than it ever was before. I think that there is a very clear distinction in all the different settings.. not just in the props and buildings, but also in the clothes and general atmosphere.
Character-wise, I must now admit that Emilia has successfully renewed my girlcrush on Daenerys. Her enthusiasm about the show is infectious and I really loved to see her in character. She’s already beginning her character’s journey in this preview, which I think will play out very nicely. Loved her ‘interaction’ with the egg, too. Her brother Viserys is exactly how I imagined he would be, too.. entitled and slightly crazed.. thumbs-up to mister Lloyd in that respect!
Also, that shot of Littlefinger with Sansa at the tournament? Pure gold. His interaction with Ned only served to confirm what I already knew: he’s brilliant. I also think it’s interesting to place Littlefinger’s very controlled persona against the frivolous, almost disturbing Varys we saw in the clip.
Tyrion is perfect. I liked the brief interaction he had with Catelyn, but what really stood out to me was his interaction with Jon. I have always seen Jon and Tyrion as two people who connect on the basis of them both being outsiders in their respective families, so seeing them interact was a definite bonus. Dinklage can do very little wrong in my book and this little preview showed that he has a definite good handle on the character.
And then we have the Golden Twins. I actually really like Headey as Cersei, whereas I do not necessarily always like her as an actress. She seems to bring a velvety sort of danger into the role, which doesn’t make it hard to see how Joffry (perfectly cast, too) turns out the way he does. Yet, she absolutely pales in comparison with her twin. Nikolaj already seems to grasp not only his own character, but all the different storylines and how this will affect his character in seasons to come. I absolutely accepted seeing him in that small scene with Ned, which gives a very nice glimpse of the smug and arrogant Jaime we all know and love. I think it’ll be interesting to see future interactions with Brienne in this light, too.
I could name a gazillion more.. dragon skulls, iron throne glimpse, Gendry with the attitude, Arya with Needle (yay!), Jon Snow who’s fast approaching being a contender in the Team Edward vein, Robb looking thinner face-wise than I thought he would but actually resembling Catelyn in his looks, Sean Bean being awesome as Ned, Robert being everything I imagined, the Hound being a very promising character to set against the sweet and still naive Sansa.. etc etc.. and I’ll just settle for saying that this is everything I wanted it to be when I first heard they were going to translate this book series into a TV series.
*keeps fingers and toes crossed in the hopes that Dutch channels will pick up on this fantastic series the way they did with Rome, Deadwood, Boardwalk Empire and many others*
E MQuote Reply
I admit, that image of Renly caught me off guard too. Oh well, I don’t think they’ve gone wrong with anyone else, so I trust that this will be great too.
SmegmaQuote Reply
Everything looks absolutely awesome and I’m thrilled to bits! BUT – the scene where Dany runs up to Drogo after the raid against the Lhazareen worries me. To put this cryptically as to avoid spoilers – shouldn’t there be some sign of the Stallion that Mounts the World? They can’t do Dany’s storyline without him, can they?
lurkerQuote Reply
There are only two words to describe this: bad ass!!
bastetQuote Reply
Oh my.. everything has probably been said already over here but just my two cents.
Besides the whole visual aspect I simply loved hearing Emilia Clarke talk about the story. She seemed really genuine. Also I can’t help but smile every time I see Maisie showing up. I think she is truly great as Arya.
NielsQuote Reply
I really can’t agree enough with this :) She totally seems like a fan of the story; and Maisie truly IS Arya.. It’s un fricken believable ^^
rtm1981Quote Reply
I got teary because of Emilia Clarke…plus that Dany watching the sunset/ dragon egg screen…O_O
m4st4Quote Reply
Am I dreaming? Why I am crying…? Please, someone wake me up now!
Dear HBO-gods, there are no words to express the magnificent work you have done with this. This is so perfect, it is almost feel unreal.
The Targaryens have just come out from the books.Viserys is incredible, and what to say about Daenerys? I said it already, but she is absolutely beautiful (That sweet voice!). I’m in love.
I didn’t like Arya in the books but, alas, that scene with her next to the column has stolen my heart. I wish I could hug her tightly … Man, just imagine THAT scene when the time comes, I predict oceans of tears worldwide.
(Got to see again)
Rinoa De la PicaQuote Reply
This preview doesn’t disappoint…
BobbenQuote Reply
Regarding the possible Flashback scene.
While I would love it to be a flashback I’m pretty sure that is Sean Bean.
Maybe Cersei recreates Brandons death (Jaime could have described it to her) by sticking Neds head in a Noose while his Men are killed in front of him.
MormegilQuote Reply
So many comments from so many fans!
Maybe someone transcript this video for non-english viewers? I know it would be not easy:)
GuestQuote Reply
Sophie will win every beauty pageant known to Westeros, as Maisie will win every Needlepoint (even though she hates it).
the goatQuote Reply
the goat,
Definitely. She’s very very pretty as Sansa.
Johan SporreQuote Reply
Something must have been wrong. I watched it 5 times immediately after it was up and then another 2-3 times a couple of hours later (before going to work) and it was still at 303.
Johan SporreQuote Reply
Mormegil,
I’m not sayin thats impossible, but its damn near. I guess it could be Ned imagining the events during a fever dream after he’s locked up, otherwise its gotta be Brandon.
the goatQuote Reply
When I think about it, releasing this video was accually a pretty mean move. How am I supposed to endure another four months after seeing this?! Waiting that long is a cruel violation of our human rights, damn it!
BobbenQuote Reply
Out of all the characters I’ve seen in all preview clips and trailers, the one that feels the most accurate to me is Arya. Damn what an incredible casting. Now lets see her bite her lip.
TastesLikeTheSeaQuote Reply
BTW, at which point of this preview have you seen Renly? I haven’t spotted him after several viewings …
Alexander DubrovskyQuote Reply
It doesn’t “gotta” be Brandon. All the empirical evidence points to it being Ned.
– No mention at all of Brandon or Aerys or ANY other flashback character being cast.
- They wouldn’t just “use some guy” or just “use Sean Bean”. Even if they USED Sean Bean’s bodydouble as someone suggested, he’d still be cast – as would the other flashback characters
-It looks just like Sean Bean. So it’s Ned. They wouldn’t use Sean Bean as Brandon, or anyone that looked just like him because Brandon was killed almost twenty years prior. In the books he was about 21 when he died. Even if they aged him up to match with the other characters, he’d be max middle twenties or so. I think Sean Bean is quite dashing, but no way could he pass for 25.
-The yellow banners on either side of the throne indicate Baratheon colors. Not Targaryen.
-The person on the throne is most likely Joff, and the “white” is a collar, and his hair and crown are light as well.
The simplest explanation is usually the right one. There’s a scene where Ned gets roped up at Joff’s command, prior to any other DEEDS that go on.
As much as I want flashbacks, this is not proof of them happening.
SmegmaQuote Reply
Lord Ned’s Head,
You are not alone, I am quite misty-eyed myself. Let’s do this beer thing now. :)
EnaQuote Reply
Alexander Dubrovsky,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-EVKp5nYxyI
I was just surprised at how young he looks, considering how aged up everyone else is. But after further consideration when you think about he and Loras and Sansa and all that stuff, it’s not that out of line.
SmegmaQuote Reply
This show will be more than epic!
VoidQuote Reply
Woops, meant to post this picture, not the link of the video. Sorry it’s not a better screenshot.
http://img408.imageshack.us/img408/3506/renlyss.jpg
SmegmaQuote Reply
That’s Renly? gtfo….
Looks like a 14 year old hooligan.
TastesLikeTheSeaQuote Reply
Well …. it is all awesomely awesome!
Too many characters to mention who are spot on.
The show will be great and an enormous succes, no doubts.
DahnQuote Reply
Looks like the people at westeros.org worked through the night and put up some commented screen caps:
http://www.westeros.org/GoT/News/Entry/Inside_Game_of_Thrones_Screen_Caps/
sarumcatchQuote Reply
First time I’m posting, almost everything looks absolutely amazing!! Emilia as Daenerys looks so much better than I first imagined, Viserys’s lines were awesome. Tyrion, Jon, Bran all look great, and Arya!!! Exactly as I pictured her, she is going to steal the show. As others have noted, I also love the attention to detail. Did anyone else notice how Robert’s crown is basically a ton of mini stag horns arranged together with some jewels? Awesome, awesome stuff. Time to re-watch yet again…
Jeremy GQuote Reply
Drogo is still the one that really jars, I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – he just looks pantomime villain / genie from Aladin to me. Not a showstopper – there will always be things you’re not happy with, I’m not loosing any sleep over it.
Martin
MartinQuote Reply
TastesLikeTheSea,
I agree – I can’t believe this is the “most beautiful” man that lots of people were in love with!
silverjaimeQuote Reply
So after some sleep and rewatching it some more this morning, I’m back with more sqeeing.
Vyserys is awesome. The hair is awesome, Lloyd’s delivery is awesome, the crazy eyes are awesome. I thought I was never going to shake my image of Will in Robin Hood, but boy was I wrong. I’m even wishing he wouldn’t get his crown so fast, just so we could see more crazyness. That crowning scene better be awesome
Loved that we got to see a couple of less major characters. Gendry, Ser Rodrik, Varys, Renly, Samwell… They don’t all look like I imagined them, but I’m very happy they were in it. Varys looked amazing.
I’m a little disappointed we didn’t get to see more of Robb, (big Robb fangirl here), but I really like how he looks, especially in that close up where you can see he has a reddish shine in his hair. Also, the eyes.
Which brings me to Jon. Harrington really does the whole emo/want to be someone Jon well, and I loved his little interaction with Tyrion. Am very curious what his scene with Jaime will be about too.
On to the Lannister brothers. Is it silly to say that Tyrion looks smaller than I imagined him? I really liked the way how Dinklage pronounced murder, and he seemed to have a good grasp of his character. Loved the little reference to his relationship with his father. So liking Tyrion so far, but I was expecting no less from Dinklage. NCW on the other hand keeps blowing my mind. Of all the actors speaking in this, I think he was the one who explained what it was all about best, and who seemed to understand his character mostly (or at least how I understand the character). He’s got the arrogance and Je m’en fous attitude down, and he totally looks the part. I’m expecting he’ll collect a lot of fangirls already in season 1, and I can’t imagine the crazyness when he starts turning around in later seasons.
The settings all looked marvellous now that we got a wider scope of it. Loved all the new props as well. That Dragon skull is huge, and I’m really impressed they left them in. I also like how they mixed up so many different cultures and created something new. I never wanted it to look European, because Westeros isn’t Europe. So I’m down with all the fashion, even if the Dothraki don’t look anything like I imagined them, at least they look consistent in show.
Which brings me to Drogo. I had totally forgotten that he doesn’t actually speak all that much. He doesn’t look as tall as I imagined him either, but maybe that’s because of the camera here (Gregor hasn’t looked as giant as Conan is irl either). I do have one remark about the Dothraki that a lot of people will probably find nitpicky, but I can’t help it, I always notice it in everything I watch. The horses don’t match the Dothraki. Or rather, they are the same type of horses as the 7 Kingdoms horses, which totally doesn’t make sense since there’s an ocean between and all that jazz. I either expected the horses of the Dothraki to be like the sturdy Mongol type, or the fashionable Arab type. Not European Knight type. At least Daenerys and Drogo should have had Arabian horses. /End Horse Rant
I loved Sandor. The make-up, the helmet it all looks perfect, and the troubled look in his eyes here and there really finishes it. Loved how we got all the tourney images at the end there, I’m quite looking forward to that scene.
Last but not least, the Stark Kids looked awesome (shame Rickon is missing though). Both Sansa and Arya looked like they got the part, even if I’m a little sad we haven’t heard them speak yet. Arya’s hug with Jon made me go Awwww, and seeing her watching a particular event really made me want to see it now. I also loved the short scene between Bran, Jon and Rob where they chuckle.
April 2nd is my birthday, so a release in that weekend would make for an awesome surprise. Bring it on!
Jan OdaQuote Reply
Totally forgot to add in my Littlefinger squeedom, but that’s what you get when there’s 11 minutes of footage. Loved everything about him, from his delivery, wicked greelful chuckle, to his lovely silver mockingbird brooch. Aidan Gillian always rocks my socks, but I’m pretty sure he’ll steal the show here.
Jan OdaQuote Reply
Phantomwriter05,
The nightmare idea occurred to me as well. It nixes the need for a second actor to be paid to play Brandon, it allows for the flashback and it explains why he is older than Brandon would be/looks like Sean Bean.
Steve Hugh WestenraQuote Reply
There’s so much awesomeness to process but I just have to single out the Stark kids. Finding good child actors has always been my biggest concern for the series because of their importance in the story but even from the brief glimpses we’ve seen these kids seem to embody their characters so well.
Isaac Hampstead-Wright manages to project curiosity and thoughtfulness. His reaction to the beheading is just spot-on.
Sophie Turner looks so beautiful and naive. The perfect heroine of courtly love.
And Maisie Williams captures Arya’s defiance and pre-teen fierceness fantastically. I about fainted in excitement at the shot of her drawing Needle.
I’m already feeling protective of them over all the crap they’re going to go through.
Fate’s BitchQuote Reply
At 0:26 it looks like Jorah is offering Dany a toke. She’s gonna need it.
Still looking for the weirwood.
I too wanna hit Joffrey. With something solid and resonant…
reedgirlQuote Reply
Man, I loved that! Anything with Tyrion was gold. Kept wanting to look around Benjen and Jon to see the wall. Paused and slow-moed the end to see Joff on the Iron Throne! Oh and seeing the the hounds helm and Gendry’s was great.
dizzy_34Quote Reply
Seeing that dragon skull last night made me gasp out loud. Wow!
First, kudos to the props and set people, because it all looks marvelous. I had initial doubts about Gemma Jackson after seeing the samurai looking armor and I was concerned about how Meditterranean Kings Landing looked…but most of those fears have been put to rest in this preview. They did a great job with the different settings and lands. Ned and Catelyn’s bedchamber looked spot on. I like how the northerners all look somewhat grimier and more haggard, as if the cold weather takes a toll on them, while the Kings Landing types are prettier and cleaner. Loved the scenes in the forest…the opener should be suitably creepy.
Can anyone tell what the set piece is right around 8:00, just before the dragon head and Gemma speaking? I can’t quite make out what it’s supposed to be?
Overall I was thrilled with the preview – thrilled! Seeing so many new characters was wonderful.
Varys – perfect. That smarmy little wave out the door. :)
Benjen – Joseph Mawle is not at all how I pictured Benjen, but I loved his scene with Jon. He’s won me over.
Jory – Wow, what a hottie. I predict Jory will be a fan fave as Ned’s right hand man in KLAnd I’m already dreading his “big scene” there.
Robb – I always liked Richard Madden’s look, but one of my concerns with Robb in the book was making his last scene this season look convincing, given that Robb in the books is only 15. Adding that bit of beard and aging him up will make it work even better I think as his character transitions.
The Hound – love it. Like how they did the scars, and his helm – WOW! Can’t wait to see his line delivery.
Arya – Perfect. Amazing casting. She is going to be a pure delight. Kudos to you, Maisie, already it looks like you are doing a wonderful job.
Sansa – Looks just right, on the brink between girlishness and womanhood. Already I am feeling creepy about Littlefinger sitting next to her at the tourney.
Catelyn – I know people feel she looks too old, but I think it works. I can’t wait to see her face off with Walder Frey later on.
Eddard – Initially I didn’t think that Sean Bean, who I still think will be great, had that reserved coldness down of the Eddard in the books…but really, he’s the main protagonist, and viewers have to like him. I think he’s finding a good balance. The scene with Jaime worked well – the bravado that it seemed to have as written was downplayed nicely.
Jaime – Awesome. I’m minding his short hair less and less – NWK has the character down! (And his armor looked much more Kingsguard white than in earlier shots).
Sir Rodrik – looks wonderful. Can’t wait to see more of him.
Jorah – Love the casting. While not so “bearish”, I think the interplay between he and Dany will be right on target.
Viserys – perfect. Harry Lloyd is going to be fantastic.
Only a few casting concerns…
Gendry – I also think he’s way too old. To me, he looks like a grown man, even older than Jon and Robb. In the books, 14 year old shaggy haired Gendry was a good counter point to 9 year old Arya. There was an almost flirtaceousness between them at times when they weren’t sparring with each other. I can’t see that working at all in the show, given the much greater age difference between Joseph Dempsie and Maisie. And Gendry had a very adolescent stubbornness that bordered on surly – didn’t get that from the preview, Gendry seemed almost calm and self assured in his refusal to give up the helm. I’m not sure how that is going to pan out. I agree it will very much change the dynamic when Gendry joins Arya’s company – maybe they will play him more as a big brother / Jon substitute for her, and that could work, but it seems quite different than the books.
Renly – does not look at all like I imagined him from the books, a strong, handsome young Robert. The very short hair and his size just don’t seem very “Baratheon” to me, and he seems SO much younger than Robert (and even Stannis of the books) – but it may be that Renly’s personality will come out more in his portrayal.
Cersei – the wigs. Ouch. I’m still on the fence about her. The clips we’ve seen are very subtle in getting across just how devious she is. Could be good…we’ll see.
Littlefinger – still think he looks a little too “modern” with the short hair and moustache, but he’s got the cat and mouse thing down.
Allister Thorne – I thought his exchange with Jon was a bit odd – almost teasingly warm, when the character is so acerbic and biting in the books. Maybe we’d need to see the whole scene to really get how he’s playing it.
Drogo – love Jason Momoa, his size looks right and I think he’ll do a fine job, but they need to tone down the eye makeup. The Dothraki I bet will come across much more fierce when we see them fighting.
I don’t think it’s Brandon in that scene with the rope. I feel pretty sure it’s Ned, and that’s Joff on the throne (which looks GREAT!) wearing a large collar over his robes. I’d love to see the Brandon / Aerys flashback, but unless HBO is really holding out on the casting to give us a big surprise when it airs, I don’t see it happening, which is a shame.
But overall, the series looks amazing, and it was so exciting to see the books brought to life with so much attention to detail. Major props to Dan and David, they seem to have done a marvelous job. Waiting until April is going to be painful!
persephone88Quote Reply
Oh…my….God….
Wow. wow. WOW! WOOOOOW!!!
Seriously having a fangasm here.
I can’t believe how amazing it looks.
I feel so much better about Jaime now that I got to see him in action.
(Still not crazy about Cersei’s weird hairstyles, but whatever).
Everyone looks amazing!
And omg, I squelled out loud watching that scene between Ned and Littlefinger! <3
The Targaryens looks so ethereally beautiful, just as I hoped they would. Dany and Viserys are both perfect.
This really makes me sooo happy!
Thank you HBO!
The Winter RoseQuote Reply
I hope they’ll take rid of those wires behind Drogo in 6:38
jaybeQuote Reply
Great stuff, I won’t be long. People have said it all … discovering the extended version was like an additional bonus. It looks even more promising and amazing after seeing this, if that’s possible.
Two gripes:
Thing to get used to: the heart tree face carving.
Design disappointment: the moon door as a whole in the floor. I really had a clear vision of the massive door on heavy hinges opening into nothingness in my head, and all the scenes connected to them.
Hear Me RoarQuote Reply
Good to see Drogo’s hair does go down to his waist There may even be Bells on it (lots of silver hair bands anyway).
MormegilQuote Reply
When was it? I completely lost it.
DomQuote Reply
It looks like a throne made out of natural wood.
As for the gripes with the characters I think they are doing fine with some heavy eye make up on Drogo. He is supposed to come from a culture with vastly different fashion ideals and that is one way to show that directly, while still keeping in line with things that can be accepted by the audience (Jack Sparrow probably helped there). I don’t feel that Petyr is too modern either. Short hair was more common than long hair in the medieval days as it’s much easier to keep clean, and he’s certainly rich enough to have a real barber cut it for him.
Overall I’m as happy with it as you are.
Tywin’s BastardQuote Reply
Hear Me Roar,
At what point do we see the Moon Door? The weirwood as well for that matter, can’t recall seeing that.
MormegilQuote Reply
Sensuki,
YES
This definitely is a flashback scene. Here’s the screencap again: http://img530.imageshack.us/img530/4165/brandonu.jpg
See that thing right behind Brandon’s head? Yes, that is crazy-ass Aerys’ crazy-ass long curly fingernails attached to his crazy-ass hand. Looks like maybe Rhaegar was one the throne, since Aerys was standing right behind Brandon.
WE HAVE FLASHBACK CONFIRMATION, FOLKS!
Stella MarisQuote Reply
Those look more like rope coils to me…
DomQuote Reply
Smegma,
Yes, it is Brandon. See my previous comment.
Stella MarisQuote Reply
Stella Maris,
You sure that’s Aerys behind Brandon? It looks like those “fingernails” could also be strands of rope, possibly attached to another part of Brandon’s body. I just don’t see Rhaegar being on the throne in this context.
Steve AdamsQuote Reply
Steve Adams,
Okay, you’re right – I concede that it could be coils of rope.
Stella MarisQuote Reply
It is the Eyrie’s weirwood throne.
Winter Is ComingQuote Reply
Stella Maris,
I don’t think that’s nails, it’s just the guy behind him holding the rest of the rope (rolled together) as Eddard is being held with a noose (or rather two nooses).
Tywin’s BastardQuote Reply
When is this? The only carving I was able to see was the carving in one of the pillars from the structure at the dothraki wedding. But I also seemed to have missed the Jon/ Arya hug, even though I watched the “extended” version…
EirikurQuote Reply
That’s clearly a coil of rope.
Ned/Brandon has the noose around his neck and is also tied with another rope which is held by the person on the right.
MormegilQuote Reply
Someone convert this to quicktime, please! Need to download and do slow-mo analysis like with the raven teaser!
I’m still hoping that many of the kings landing scenes have not gone through post production yet. The colors seem really off and it makes the sets feel cheap. Maybe some of it will be used as day-for-night shots.
blackearQuote Reply
Petyr’s delivery of the line about Ned not trusting him was insanely good. that evil grin was perfect!
Tyler Metcalfe,
AnachroniteQuote Reply
Stella Maris,
No, we do not.
That is clearly Sean Bean or someone very much like him.
The flashback in question is for a scene 21 years in the past. Why would Brandon look like a middle aged man, when he is 2-3 years Ned’s elder at the most?
This does not have to be a flashback, it could be a modified scene with Ned. As said, it is not clear who sits the throne in the background. Could be a Targaryen, true, but if it is Aerys fingernails we see (and not just more rope, out of focus) then who else sits his throne?
I would like some flashbacks included in the show, but this does in no way serve as a confirmation of this. Nor has anyone been cast as Aerys or any other flashback characters, and filming is wrapping up.
SkyweirQuote Reply
Somehow I can’t imagine Aerys letting ANYONE else sit on his throne in his presence. I think it’s Ned / Joff. And wasn’t Rhaegar already down at the trident at the point that Brandon was captured?
persephone88Quote Reply
The fact that we haven’t heard of any flashback characters being cast means nothing as there have been a number of characters cast who we did not hear about till after they had finished filming (Beric Dondarrion being one exmaple).
Nor are the yellow blurs beside the Iron throne Bareatheon banners but rather stain glass windows.
However I still think the most likely explanation is Cersei giving Ned a History lesson.
MormegilQuote Reply
Skyweir,
I would assume it’s Joffrey on the throne.
Tywin’s BastardQuote Reply
Nevermind, Skyweir. I read your post wrong.
Tywin’s BastardQuote Reply
Skyweir,
No flashback characters? You seem to have forgotten that Jon Arryn was cast (John Standing). This has to be a flashback role because Jon Arryn was killed before the Lannisters departed for Winterfell. It’s the King’s whole reason for going there, and the king arrives in Winterfell soon after the beginning of the first episode. So yes, we should have at least one flashback.
And, as stated above, I do admit that it very well could be ropes in that picture :)
Stella MarisQuote Reply
Are we sure that hole in the floor is the moon door? I am hoping not…that would be a disappointment, for sure. I’m not sure how that would work in later scenes, as there’d be nothing for a certain character to grab onto. In the last shot of the Eyrie’s throne room, there are three arches behind the throne that lead somewhere – is it possible the moon door might be behind the throne? Also that curving stairway leads up. Maybe the moon door is higher up? We’ll have to wait and see, I guess.
persephone88Quote Reply
Yeah my one gripe is the Wierwood face. Just not very prominant or creepy. Moon door being a trap door, I’ll have to rewatch to see that.
dizzy_34Quote Reply
Not to mention that the scene in question took place 16 or so years before the start of the series. Brandon was the elder brother, but he never lived to become a middle aged man. So,yeah, I agree that it is not a flashback scene. It is more likely the scene in which Ned accuses the Lannister twins of incest and declares himself the regent until Stannis can take the throne. This would be shortly after he discovers why he should not have trusted Littlefinger
Also, has anyone else noticed how even the extended clip provided by HBO is not actually the full version of what was aired live? I have it recorded on my DVR and I noticed that, at the very least, there is a brief scene where Dany commands to Jorah that the khalasar come to a halt, presumably after Drogo takes his wound and falls from his horse. Maybe I just missed it, but I did not see this scene in any of the online versions. I wonder why?
Cutter Allen KilgoreQuote Reply
Watching it, I was very much reminded of the Tudors. It’s not bad. Although I think they showed way too much Jon Snow and the men of the wall.
Victoria ColeQuote Reply
Cutter Allen Kilgore,
The version I saw on Youtube does contain that dany scene you mention, it also cuts to an advert break a couple of times so was taken from the TV broadcast.
MormegilQuote Reply
No, actually. I was thinking the same thing at first, but if memory serves, it was Brandon’s capture and execution that led Jon Arryn, and subsequently Robert and Ned (after becoming the new lord Stark,) to raise banners against the throne in rebellion. The battle at the Trident came much later. However, by the time Brandon reached King’s Landing to demand justice for Lyanna’s abduction, Rhaegar had taken her far south to the Tower of Joy. So, still he could not have been present for that scene.
Cutter Allen KilgoreQuote Reply
Stella Maris,
No, the show starts before they travel to Winterfell and one scene includes them having found Jon Arryn dead. Remember the news about the added scene with Tyrion and the whore? That’s also before their departure to the north.
Tywin’s BastardQuote Reply
Cutter Allen Kilgore,
Yes I recall that as well.
dizzy_34Quote Reply
Its Brandon.
http://img530.imageshack.us/img530/4165/brandonu.jpg
I’ll bet five wildlings on it.
the goatQuote Reply
We will be seeing Jon Arryn alive though as they would have used an extra rather than hire an actor if the only time we see him is as a dead body.
MormegilQuote Reply
Ok, I’ve had some time to digest what I’ve seen. Watched the video a bunch of times, looked at a lot of the screen caps. My thoughts:
My first reaction, as I watched the video, was one of pure joy. As soon as we saw the scene between Ned and Littlefinger, a huge, uncontrollable smile appeared on my face and I didn’t stop smiling until the video ended. It was everything I imagined, everything I envisioned it would be since I first heard they would possibly be doing this almost four years ago! The books are coming to life on screen and I can’t be more excited!
Impressions of the characters:
Ned – Bean is great. Ned’s sense of duty and honor shines through. As does his matter-of-fact nature. The infamous “I don’t fight in tournaments” line doesn’t seem as out-of-character the way Bean delivers it. Still I wish they would have stuck with the original look for Ned though. The darker beard, the slicked back hair. Love that look. Not crazy about the hair pinned back and the lighter color.
Littlefinger – Perfect! Just perfect. Gillen seems to be hitting all the right notes, as expected.
Robert – I like him. Gruff and commanding. Still has a presence to him. I don’t even mind the “war is coming” line.
Cersei – I think the way Lena is playing her is fine. We need a baseline Cersei, someone who is cool, calm and collected. Overly arrogant, for sure. But not crazy… yet.
Jaime – Like Littlefinger, Jaime is exactly as I imagined. Coster-Waldau has Jaime’s smug and superior attitude down cold.
Tyrion – Awesome! Dinklage will own this role, as we knew he would.
Jon – Kit looks good. The curly hair and beard was not how I originally pictured Jon, but I’m used to it now. He looks great in his fight scene.
Robb – Finally some glimpses of Richard Madden as Robb. I like him. He looks serious. It will be interesting to see how much screen time they give his character.
Sansa – Lovely. Sophie is a great Sansa.
Arya – Pure win. Maisie is perfect! Her drawing Needle was badass. Her jumping into Jon’s arms was adorable. Adorbale badass, that’s Arya in a nutshell.
Bran – We already got a good sense of Isaac’s acting in the trailer last week. I didn’t see anything this week to make me less of a fan. His reaction to the execution was well-done. Putting on a brave face despite being afraid.
Joffrey – I hate him already. So Jack Gleeson must be doing something right.
Gendry – Not as young or as bulky as I pictured. Still Dempsie did a nice job capturing Gendry’s attitude in this short clip.
Benjen – Yup, that’s Benjen. Nice job Mawle. Seems like we might see more Benjen in the show than we did in the books.
Jory – He looks slightly more menacing than I thought he would, with the long dark hair and pale face. Almost Snape-esque. Always pictured a friendly, warmer looking Jory. I’m sure he will be great though.
Rodrik – Those sideburns are epic! Totally awesome.
Varys – He looks perfect. Exactly as I pictured. Hill’s little wave is total Varys.
Renly – Not crazy about his look. The short hair doesn’t work for Renly the way it does for Littlefinger IMO. Perhaps they will let Gethin grow it out for season two?
The Hound – Our first real look at the Hound and he looks fantastic! His helm is menacing. And his burn scars, although not quite as graphic as GRRM described, are still quite gruesome. Certainly enough to scare Sansa.
Gregor – Conan Stevens looks fierce! And enormous.
Drogo – I actually like Drogo’s look. Always thought mustachios would look stupid so I’m glad they dropped them in favor of a beard. And he still has his long ponytail, who cares if it is not braided? Momoa looks intimidating. And the eyeliner doesn’t bother me. Makes him look more exotic, which is I think what they were going for.
Viserys – Awesome! The Harry Lloyd crazy eyes are in full-effect here. Unlike FaB I can’t tell a good wig from a bad, so I’m fully on-board with the Targ look.
Dany - Beautiful. Emilia’s eyes are so expressive. So what if they aren’t purple? She is going to knock this role out of the park.
Illyrio – Would have preferred Ian McNeice in this role. Allam just doesn’t look like Illyrio to me. But it isn’t a major role, so I’m not too upset over it.
Jorah – Glen looks good. Different than the book, but still maintains Jorah’s personality.
The setting:
Winterfell and the North – Looks great. Cold and severe. Ned and Catelyn’s bedchamber is perfect. Would have liked some snow during the finding of the direwolf scene. But other than that, I have no complaints.
Castle Black and the Wall – Snow! And a lot of it. It looks positively freezing. Which is a good thing. Castle Black looks austere enough. Can’t wait to get our first real glimpse of the Wall.
King’s Landing – Admittedly, the Mediterranean look has taken some getting used to. The Red Keep interiors look good though. And the scene at Tobho Mott’s looks exactly as I pictured. The tournament set is not as large as I imagined, everything is much more closed in. But the stands look great. Especially love the large stag heads.
Pentos – From what I can tell, it looks good. Almost too close to King’s Landing though. They won’t be there long, of course. And the Dothraki Sea and Lhazareen village look far enough removed from Westeros to help differentiate them in viewers’ minds.
Dothraki Sea – Some small glimpses. What I’ve seen looks good though. About what I pictured.
Lhazareen village – Love this set. The goat statute. The severed heads. The strips of cloth hanging from the tree.
The Eyrie – It looks really good. Very impressive. The weirwood seat looks awesome. Not really what was described in the books, but better IMO. Not sure about the moon door being set in the floor. Will be interesting to see how that plays out in practice.
Overall, everything looks fantastic. My complaints are so very, very minor and the good stuff looks sooo good, that I really can not wait until April!
Winter Is ComingQuote Reply
I am curious as to what you meant by this. Do you suggest it was too much of a spoiler, or that it was odd that they focused on Jon Snow?
If so, I don’t think this is odd at all. Everyone who reads Game of Thrones has their favourite characters in the story. But one thing which HBO is undoubtedly self-conscious about is the problem of being accused of a bait-and-switch in terms of who the focus of the series is.
We all know why that accusation may occur without going into those details. The reason it is so unusual for a book to do what GRRM does is because it pisses the audience off. While readers may be more accepting, I am not at all convinced that viewers will be as accepting. So the sale of Jon Snow to the viewers as the male “hero” has to be real and significant from the word go. Otherwise, we may get only two seasons of GoT.
While Dany, Tyrion, Bran and Arya all have their adherents and their fans, I do think it is fair to say that in terms of the most typical “fantasy hero” in the novels, Jon Snow is that character. He is the point of view through which we see the supernatural threat facing the realm; and so it is reasonable that the audience needs to be sold on Jon from the outset.
In short, it is quite understandable why GoT will choose to treat Ned, Jon, Dany and Tyrion as the “A” stories in the show. While that may (or may not) accord with your assessment of what characters appeal most to you, I think it is a fair statement that in terms of classic approaches to one hour drama, those are the “A” story lines in the series.
Steel_WindQuote Reply
Meg,
A twisted relationship between mother and son? Describe it as if they were committing incest. In the book there is nothing.
In the series “The Pillars of the Earth” invents a mother-son incest. Will they do the same with Joffrey and Cersei?
Jon nieveQuote Reply
Wow. That is all.
NinepennyQuote Reply
Oddly, that’s the kind of change I’d take note of, but not freak out about, if they went there. Creepy. Yet, in some ways, appropriate for Cersei’s character. Clearly a reimagining of her, but it wouldn’t ruin the show for me– just be a new take.
My guess is that they might just make their relationship way too close and needy, which it is in some ways.
Steve B.Quote Reply
Thinking about the possible Brandon flashback, what if they swapped things around and it’s Ned and Brandons father who strangles himself while trying to save Brandon from burning.The idea of Sean Bean playing the part makes more sense that way.
MormegilQuote Reply
Did anyone else pronounce Jaime differently then the video did? that really bugs me as i think it sounds way to femaleish. I always pictured Jaime as a rough nd tumble male figure, i hate the girl pronuciation. just saying
A.J. LipinskiQuote Reply
Mormegil,
that could very well work there is no point in switching as they both die anyway
A.J. LipinskiQuote Reply
“Incest between mother and son? That would be too hard to see.
With Cersie and Jaime is sufficient. No need to invent more incest.
DannQuote Reply
Steve B.,
Do you think they will go too far with the relationship of mother and child?
I accept the change, but the relationship of incest would be implied.
Peter.GHQuote Reply
They wouldn’t cut Gendry from the journey without GRRM approval. Being that the entire story is far from complete, they could potentially screw up the overarching storyline with such omissions. I’m sure one of GRRMs key contributions to the production is to make sure they stay to his overarching story. (ie. If Gendry is important to GRRM, he’ll be important to D&D)
jwsnasaQuote Reply
I didn’t want to stir any premature reactions, but I gathered the info about the moon door from Ran’s tweets (he in turn would be in the know because he visited the set). Let’s wait until he annotates the screencaps from the Eyrie.
Hear Me RoarQuote Reply
There are plenty of men that have the name Jaime as pronounced in the series. Both famous and otherwise – Jaime Foxx, Jaime Farr, several athletes come to mind as well. I think it is one of the only truly androgynous names out there, which fits both the men and women that have it.
SmegmaQuote Reply
I’m actually very pleased to say that my concerns and worries about the show have been completly blown to bits and pieces after seeing this preview.
Altough the prod. team have made some decisions I didn’t feel comfortable with, they have cleary made a huge effort in bringing the books to life. This clip has also reminded me of the vast amount of details they had to pay attention to and I have to admit they’ve done a stunning job. Recently I felt that I had to come to terms with so many changes regarding the visual aspect, that I even started to complain about things I initialy didn’t care for that much. Such as the purple eyes. I’m glad to say that’s been taken care of.
Thumbs up HBO!!!
durandalQuote Reply
I’ll take that bet! You can (barely) se the prancing stag on what you call yellow “windows” on the left side of the throne.
Besides that, the only thing that is in focus is Sean Bean… It’s Ned, and I’ll bet five wildlings on it. (Not entirely sure where to acquire five wildlings though…)
EirikurQuote Reply
What I liked escpecially:
- Robb
- the Targaryens (you just have to love Emilia!!!!)
- Arya
- the Hound
- Drogo
- Jaime
- Sean Beans acting
What I didnt like:
Sean Beans look being different to how I imagined Ned
- Kings Landing
- The scene Ned vs. Jaime
- Gendry
- Littlefinger (so aweful!)
Well, I loved pretty much everything except for the above points ;) Cant freaking wait!
SteveQuote Reply
Rinoa De la Pica,
Rinoa, darling, I totally have to have you!
ablaaaQuote Reply
Wow, sensory overload! Watched it 4 times already and need to see it again. I’ll need to see the screencaps too. First impression is Lloyd nails it for Viserys! He is spot on. Love Dany too, her wide eyed (not purple) innocent look captures her vulnerability. Looking forward to seeing her change into our Khaleesi.
The look of the Red Keep and Kings Landing takes some getting used to, it looks so different than what I imagined. Not bad, just different.
Liked dragon skulls, dragon egg, scenes of the torney. I don’t mind Drogo look either. He is huge next to Dany.
Like the Stark children. The scene with Arya holding on to the pillar,breathtaking.
Gendry is much older than in the books, and in the book he is supposed to look just like his “father”. Gendry does not look anything like his “father”. They did not go with the dark hair that was the point of the “seed is strong” line. So…… where are they going with this.
Like the attention to detail in all the accoutrement on the set(s).
Overall it looks good, different, but that is not necessarily a bad thing.
I need to watch it again.
OldGranQuote Reply
wait…what is wrong with Littlefinger? It seems most people here think he looks/plays the part great from the little bit we have seen…
JamieQuote Reply
LOL I give up. People want to see a flashback, they can see a flashback. All the logic in the world isn’t going to dissuade people that want to see what they want to see.
One thing I did want to add (to my already numerous posts) is that I find it interesting that so many people pictured KL so different, whereas I think this is ridiculously close to how I imagined it – more Mediterranean than Western European. I think it was the southern atmosphere, the red brick, the Targaryen influence making it more exotic. But I have to hand it to the set designers – they’ve got MY vision down even better than I could have imagined. Even if it wasn’t the case, it’s obvious that they’ve put a lot of care, expense, and craft into the set and I think it’s marvelous.
SmegmaQuote Reply
Watched this last night with my girlfriend, who’s a casual fantasy fan– i.e. loves Lord of the Rings and read a lot of fantasy as a kid, but not since then, and doesn’t know anything about ASOIAF. First response: “That looks amazing. Really large-scale and complicated. I can’t wait.”
Then, looking through the screencaps, she picked out the Khal and asked “Wow, who’s that big scary guy?”; I mention this for those who worry that Drogo doesn’t look intimidating enough because of his eye makeup or something, although it’s a survey size of one. (Personally I like his look OK. I never had a solid picture of him in my mind, and to me his behavior with Dany and the khalasar is what will make the character.)
Anyway, I really really liked it. Loved hearing dialogue from Petyr and Jaime… the only speaker I didn’t like was Illyrio. The level of detail in the new footage is lovely. If any sets or wigs looked unconvincing, I didn’t notice, so maybe I’m just a sucker. :)
I couldn’t stop looking at Harry Lloyd. His intensity is just right, and suggests that they might be playing the character the way I hoped, which is somewhere in between how he sees himself and how Dany sees him: clearly a jerk, but with enough Targaryen mojo that you can imagine the series might end up being about his conquest of Westeros. Heh heh. And, again I may just be an easy mark, but I dig the hair and the general physical look of the Targaryens– they’re not ethereal elfin beauties, they’re very solid but odd, like elegant animals.
mummerQuote Reply
I could go on and on about positive impressions but I really dont find that very interesting.
I also dont care one bit what you all liked. You go on and on that you all liked this and you all liked that.
Should I take notes?
Im interested in the things people didnt like.
Im a big fan as anyone of the books and I am fairly certain the show will be a hit but still I am much more interested about reading your negative impressions than your positive.
I watched this trailer/behind the scenes together with my girlfriend who havent read the books. Very interesting to have an outside perspective.
Her greatest complain was the blond hair of Viserys and Dany. She thought it looked fake. I then told her that in the book they have silver hair and purple eyes. She said that in her eyes there is no problem making silver hair and purple eyes look realistic, but that this didnt look good at all. It looked fake blond.
I have to confess that this echoes one of my mayor concerns after watching the clip. I saw many wigs that looked a bit fake.
I remember a movie I saw once; Tombstone from -93 with Kurt Russel and Val Kilmer. Okay movie in all but the only thing I could focus on were the huge fake-moustaches.
I hope this dont turn out as a parade of fake-wigs and bad hairdyes.
I also notice the big difference in the general look of things between the pre- and post production shots. Well atleast I think they are pre and post. In some shots clothes and props look very cheap and theatrical.
These are my two cents. Still I was blown away but there is nothing constructive with being all “omg Im all wheeeee-lolz” as if this was fucking twitter
CovenantQuote Reply
What a great preview. I’m really very impressed with everything I’ve seen. I think most of the people here have touched upon my feelings in one way or another, but here’s a few thoughts on various arguments:
- Catelyn. I think she’s going to be wonderful. I personally don’t think she looks too old, but her face has a lot of character–someone who has lived and endured, as Catelyn has and continues to do. I’ve always felt there was a certain brittleness to the character, and I think that’s conveyed very well here. I think, should the series continue, she’s going to be really excellent in the coming seasons.
- Drogo. I’m going to hold off on this one until I see how things look and sound in postproduction. I personally don’t think Drogo harder looking or meaner looking as much as he needs to be very distant, alien, and perhaps a little aloof. I just don’t think we’ve seen enough of him to really say how he’s going to play the role. As for the period, I like it. For some reason whenever I see his beard, I think “Gilgamesh.” There is something very Ancient Anatolian about him, and I really like that.
That said, I’m not terribly impressed with his khalasar just yet. It seems rather small, and not terribly militant. I’m hoping they will use CG or other postproduction effects to give the illusion of a much larger clan. The militant aspect is just something we’re going to have to wait on I think.
- Gendry. I honestly don’t think he looks that old. 18 or 19 maybe. My complaint with him is the way he was portrayed in the helmet scene. He’s too polite, standing there with his hands behind his back, calmly telling Ned “it’s not for sale.” The Gendry of my imaginings would have yanked the helm out of Ned’s hands, much to the horror of Mott. Gendry has his father’s temper and unwillingness to yield, he’s not long on courtesy, nor would he be, given his upbringing. But instead of being impulsive like his father, he’s exceedingly pragmatic, to the point of indecisiveness. For this reason, I think the dynamic between him and Arya will be fine. Arya is brash and a bit imperious. She thinks quickly and acts quickly, and Gendry gets swept along. The thing is, he’s stubborn, but he doesn’t really want to lead people. He doesn’t like having to make decisions. Arya is perfectly willing to make those decisions, and even though he might butt heads with her, he goes along because he really doesn’t want to be leader. (it’s more complicated than that, of course. I do think there’s a certain sense of obligation he feels toward her, but I could probably expound for pages on the relationship. It’s one of the more dynamic and interesting relationships in the series. Right up there with Jaime/Brienne.)
- Does anyone else really love Robert’s crown? I think it’s rather hard to do an antler motif and make it look elegant, and I think they’ve really succeeded here. It gives me confidence that the other crowns in the series are going to look just as cool. It’s minor details like this that really make the series come to life for me.
Bard of AwenQuote Reply
Kind of a strange thing to say. What is wrong with people sharing their excitement over things they thought looked good?
Winter Is ComingQuote Reply
Covenant,
Why yes, you should take notes. And then you can take your notes, and your guidelines on how everyone else should comment, and stick them.
mummerQuote Reply
Heh, word! On both accounts! =)
EirikurQuote Reply
The more I look at that Iron Throne screencap it makes me think it could be a flashback. The strangling himself to save Brandon is just too evident in that image. But the figure on the throne seems to be Joff so I’m officially on the fence with this one.
dizzy_34Quote Reply
Liked it, as if that was ever in question :P. There are some artistic/stylistic choices I’m not too fond of, but that I’m sure I’ll get used to/wont mind too much once it airs.
TusuriQuote Reply
Huh? How else would you pronounce it?
EdQuote Reply
Covenant,
You don’t care to read what people thought was positive but expect us to be concerned that your girlfriend thought the wigs looked bad? C’mon man.
dizzy_34Quote Reply
Covenant,
I didn`t like the heart tree. The face is nowhere near forboding enough. Who is going to pray to a face like that? The First men, Northmen, Wildlings, It`s hard to believe. That face belongs on a greetings card or a flowerpot. Loved the rest.
Two FeathersQuote Reply
I actually really like the casting of Arya because she’s how – I – pictured here, but I don’t understand why everyone thinks she looks right as described in the books. Arya in the book had a long horse face and was ugly. Maisie is actually a pretty little girl..She’ll make a prettier adult than Sansa whose features are a little too sharp and thin.
Overall it looks really, really great. Robb looked perfect to me in previous photos but looks like Guy Pearce in this preview which isn’t how I pictured him. NCW looks like he’s going to play the role perfectly. Didn’t picture Eddard as looking like Bean, but I think he’s playing him right. Same with Dany.. Wish the original casting could have played Illyrio. Fairley is the worst, looks like an old hag..don’t get that one.
The casting I disliked the most early on was Robert. They made a point to cast really huge guys for other characters that were noticeably huge guys. But they hire a 5’10″ guy to play a 6’6″ guy as the king. They must have loved everything else about what he brought to the character so much they could overlook the fact that he’s supposed to be a huge, imposing guy. All that said, except for being a short butterball I like how he sounds in the preview.
Littlefinger, perfect except for not being short but that doesn’t matter. I don’t think Gendry looks too old at all considering how they aged up so many others. Love Tyrion, favorite character in anything and like Dinklage.
My biggest concern is Cersei, although maybe I’m just not picturing her correctly. I always saw her as acting exactly like Atia(Polly Walker) from Rome(although looking differently). When I watched Rome I saw her as Cersei.
effluentQuote Reply
After all the attention we’ve focused on Cersei’s wigs , now I find myself disliking them ( the up-do’s). My eyes immediately zero in on the hairline..I have to laugh at myself because I know it’s a minor distraction that good acting will dispel.
Same thing with Petyr’s hair. My initial reaction was that it seems like a too contemporary version of short. I would have preferred a short bowl cut..but I trust I’ll get over it. Gendry’s close crop didn’t bother me..the lice had to be kept down somehow. Renly..I think it’s too soon to tell whether he’ll seem attractive to all.. a lot of that will depend on the portrayal.
obsidianQuote Reply
First off, because otherwise people will shout at me: I liked it, OK? It was really good and I want to watch the show. I’m a bit concerned it might put off non-fantasy viewers as it’s quite geeky and cheesy, but not TOO much, so I’m still hopeful.
Now, some content. My biggest complaint is the production values – it looks too superficial, too cheap, and too lazy. In other words, it looks too much like a half-arsed attempt to not be exactly like the Tudors by doing Random Shit while still basically looking like something on the level of The Tudors.
Regarding characters:
Ned – Bean isn’t bad, but I don’t really like him for the role. More than I did at first, but still not really. And I don’t like the general Sharpeification of the role. In particular, I hated the tourney line.
Littlefinger – A bit too ponderous, and too perfect in his accent. I wish there was a bit more of the likeable rogue to him, rather than just Supervillain – part of the reason people trust him, it seems to me, is meant to be his likability and the chance that he’s joking when he tells you not to trust him. However, I’ve a lot of faith in Gillen as an actor, and the smile was perfect, so maybe it’s just a bad choice of clip for him. It IS the most supervillainy bit you can find for him that’s not a spoiler. Maybe he relaxes a bit more in other scenes.
Robert – Not enough for a verdict, I don’t think. Don’t like the ‘war line’ as much as at first, particularly followed by him basically saying “I don’t know who, where or why, and basically have no reason to say that at all, but it sounded dramatic and will make a good teaser soundbite!”. But I don’t think he’s too bad, he manages to be both jovial and threatening.
Cersei – REALLY don’t like the casting. Don’t like her appearance, don’t like her demeanour. She seems to be following the ‘speak quietly and slowly and people will think you’re saying something meaningful’ school of acting. The Cersei in the books has, if nothing else, an appealing fire and passion, and this Cersei just seems like a wet little whimperer. And overdoing the “I’m a supervillain!” aspect.
Jaime – Love the casting. Great demeanour. Surprising how much impact comes just from having the guy be clean-shaven in a country of scraggly beards. His armour is too dull and ordinary, but by-and-large the costume looks good. But WHY THE HELL HAVE THEY GIVEN HIM DARK BROWN HAIR????? In the books, his hair is important because a) it’s a kay fracking plot point!, and b) it contributes to his adjective, “golden” – golden hair, golden armour, golden everything. This Jaime has nothing golden about him at all, just brownness. Which kind of undersells the flamboyance of the character. I’m sure NCW will do his best to overcome this, but it just seems like pointless idiocy from the production crew.
Tyrion – Seems pretty good. Unfortunately, he has that american habit of having a Perfect English Accent, which for an english viewer may conflict somewhat with the plot. I mean, first off, how did he get that accent when the rest of his family don’t have it? [Unless Dance has it, which is possible and would be a cool parallel]. More importantly, it’s rather at odds with his impish facade. But it is nice to listen to, and he’s a good actor, so I’m sure he’ll do well. He seems to have mastered the very-upper-class bookish professor part of the character, I just worry about the silvertongued cunning dirty-fighter aspect.
Jon – he looks like an idiot (and too much like me!). Rather like some emo teenager. This isn’t actually a problem, though, since that’s what Jon is.
Robb – Only a few glimpses, looks fair enough, can’t really say much.
Sansa – She looks good, has charisma. I worry that she’s twice the age she should be. I know she’s only a young teenager, but she could pass for a lot older (particularly standing next to Arya!), which may be a problem with her naivity, and her relationship with Arya. In the clips she also looks rather pointed and serious, rather than naive and enthusiastic – but maybe that’s just the clip-selection.
Arya – Really like the look of her, though she’s not quite what I’d imagined myself. But not enough of her acting to tell how good she’ll be. Can’t wait to see some of her lines… (the few moments of motion we got looked good, but were all rather staged moments, so the test will be when it comes to the more casual, more relaxed parts. A lot of child actors go wrong by being good for the set pieces but looking too stilted in between. Hopefully this won’t be true of Arya).
Bran – meh. He looks like a child-actor doing child-actor stuff. No surprise there. Test will be when he has to do more, and I haven’t seen enough to form an opinion. [He looks a little fake in his reaction to the execution, I think, but that's not necessarily bad - children often do look slightly fake in their reactions, especially when they're not sure how they're meant to react].
Joffrey – Not how I imagined him at all, but nothing actually wrong with him so far.
Gendry – Not bad acting (though horrible lines), but a big mistake by the casting department nonetheless. He’s the wrong age and the wrong shape. Gendry’s meant to be a burly young teenager, not a graceful 25-year-old. I’m not a Gendry-Arya shipper, but I think the possibility of that relationship added a lot to their scenes together, and having Gendry not only a full-grown adult but actually old enough to be her father (not HER father, obviously, but to have a daughter that age himself) totally destroys that (or makes it too creepy).
Benjen – Cheesy lines delivered cheesily. Suppose we can’t blame the actor for that, though.
Jory – Not what I imagined – thought of a more friendly and dependable Jory. But I don’t really care.
Varys – He looks PERFECT. It’s obviously far too little to judge on, but that momentary wave and smile was as brilliant as a moment of acting could be. Really capture the character – odious, likeable, threatening, harmless… a supervillain, but at the same time quite believable.
Renly – What? I didn’t even notice him! Or was that… OK, maybe I did notice him but wasn’t sure who he was. No opinion.
The Hound – Hmm. Well, I really like the actor so I do have faith. He’s not what I imagined for the role, though. I think they’ve done a good job with the helmet, and his hair is good. But they’ve taken away his scars. He’s gone from ‘disfiguring third-degree facial burns’ to ‘if you look closely there’s some minor scarring around his eyes’. I didn’t want Two-Face, but I wanted something realistically repellant.
Drogo – WHY THE HELL IS HE EUROPEAN? After his convincing Dothraki appearance in Conan, why have they tried to make him look Swedish? He looks silly as well as out of character. However, he does look better with the extended footage than he did in the original clip of him, so I imagine I’ll be able to get used to him.
Viserys – Really good! Such an easy role to get horribly, cheesily wrong, but he actually wasn’t too bad (and not being too bad as Viserys is realy good). Hair is silly, obviously, but never mind.
Dany – Meh. Not very beautiful; costumes are horrifically bad; and she’s more Hollywood “keep your eyes wide and look confused” than genuinely ingenu. Not convinced by her acting in the commanding-people-to-stop scene, either, and I’m really not sure she’ll be able to pull off the more commanding later Dany. Don’t really mind too much, though, since I hate Dany (the character) anyway. It’s also really good to hear such enthusiasm in her voice talking about it – often a second-tier actor who really cares will give a better performance than a top-notch one who doesn’t.
Illyrio – Not what I imagined, and I just can’t avoid seeing him as Roger Allam, who is too distinctive for his own good. Why is Peter Mannion in a robe?, I thought, what PR stunt is this? But he wasn’t too bad, and we don’t see much of him anyway. McNeice was closer to my preconceptions.
Jorah – No opinion.
WastrelQuote Reply
Could everyone please keep in mind that the actors themselves may scan this blog to gage fan reactions and feedback. Can we stop with the, this person is ugly bit? Beauty is relative anyways. Fairley looks great, all of the girls look beautiful. I am really pleased, and I am picky :-)
NicoleQuote Reply
I’ve got screencaps. Also I can do custom pulls if you want em. Let me know what you want to see. Most of the first takes I pulled from the quick flashes at the end, including the one with Ned all beat up and the throne in the background. Along with Sam, Gregor, and the Dragon Egg… Very nice. I tagged em with an HBO logo just to give credit where credit is due. If you want a clean one for a desktop or something, let me know. fredmissouri@hotmail.com
each of the following jpgs is sequentially numbered, so just adjust your url, up through 11 right now, i will be adding more all day.
BTW I’ve been following this blog since it first started, and all I can say is you guys rock. Glad to offer anything I can to the community. Peace.
FredMissouriQuote Reply
FredMissouri,
and of course my url was jank.
http://www.nightlance.net/GOT/GoTCap1.jpg
FredMissouriQuote Reply
Jon nieve,
“Incest? Cersei woman is a slut. But an incestuous relationship between mother and son, would be something wild.
indieQuote Reply
Also will add..Jon is perfect except for the facial hair but I can live with that. Dothraki/Drogo don’t look right at all but I’ll HAVE to live with that. Varys isn’t nearly fat enough. I pictured his face as looking like Tony’s father-in-law on Who’s the Boss(lol).
effluentQuote Reply
And the Hound’s scars aren’t nearly bad enough. Not enough to even make someone cringe by looking at him.
Someone mentioned Drogo not looking tall enough. I don’t remember how tall he’s supposed to be but I think the actor is at least 6’5.”
effluentQuote Reply
effluent,
Arya is a Tomboy. In the books she doesn’t see herself as pretty..she sees Sansa as pretty, and she’s not like Sansa. Other kids taunt her…Everyone sees her as scruffy , rambunctious..unladylike. But her father sees much of Lyanna in her, and others see her as attractive once she’s been cleaned up. She’s the ugly duckling.
They might have looked forever for a young girl with a ‘long face’ who could play the part . Maisie looks fine to me.
obsidianQuote Reply
My God!
The series is already in itself, very transgressive. Incest between Cersei and Joffrey is adsurdo.
mariaGQuote Reply
While I don’t think Renly looks like how I pictured him, he kinda does look like a younger, less fat version of the ACTOR playing Robert, so you should complain about both actors. And not big enough, well the actor playing Robert is fat but he’s short..so if they want Renly and Robert to look related, I actually think they accomplished it.
effluentQuote Reply
Covenant,
That’s nice, because the majority of us don’t give a fig about what you think at all either!
Who said this had to be constructive? This is a place where people share their thoughts and opinions, not browbeat each other with self-serving debate and nitpicking. Well, not exclusively. That definitely happens here as well.
And YES, more oft than not the nitpicking I see on here is “self-serving” and not “constructive.” It’s meant to rile people up, get people to pay attention to the poster, get people to debate endlessly about things that won’t change, to prove that you’re an ardent and devoted fan, etc. I get it. Some people are not happy with some things they see, that’s cool. But does it require a thesis to express that?
In short, I feel like the sort of people who choose to focus their time and energy on pointing out flaws in everything are the most pitiable type of people out there.
Stella MarisQuote Reply
mariaG,
My God!
The series is already in itself, very transgressive. An incestuous relationship of Cersei and Joffrey is absurd.
mariaGQuote Reply
I think EVERYTHING looks fantastic, I am very excited. The only thing that bothers me and I know this has been said a ton of times. Tyrion isn’t ugly enough. He is to appear as this mishapen monster yet Dinkelage isn’t.
PythonpeteQuote Reply
Huh? One whole side of his face is scarred, except for the side of his mouth.
I’m also bewildered by your “Swedish Drogo” bit. Have you ever met a Swede?
mummerQuote Reply
I was pleasantly surprised by all the new footage seen here. I don’t want to repeat much of what others have said. After seeing this I am now very confident that Viserys, Jon, Jaime, Cersei, Tyrion, and Littlefinger will all bring awesome performances to the screen. Love how Emilia Clarke is a fan. So many flashes at the end, need to see screenshots. Also liked the first real look at Robb, he looks like his character. The production values for this show are nothing short of astounding. David and Dan and Gemma Jackson have really gone above and beyond the call of duty to make Westeros come alive. From what I can see here Nina Gold is a casting genius. This is going to be the greatest show ever! Time to watch the video again.
The Young WolfQuote Reply
Ed,
I always thought Jaime rhymed with Game except instead of the g sound it would be the j sound.
A.J. LipinskiQuote Reply
Gillen is… surprisingly unconvincing. He played Carcetti suitably off-kilter, but Baelish is supposed to be a master of the social game. His smirk and delivery here are almost like a Bond villain. Headey has the same issue. Littlefinger and Cersei are smug, yes, but they’re not such visible megalomaniacs.
KeatonQuote Reply
Hmmm, it’s amazing how different the reactions are, from LOVE IT to Liked it but… :).
As fans, I’m sure this is the common reaction, but, as is usually the norm, what previews, snippets, screenshots, trailers etc have in common is that they’re portions of portions of a whole and that they ultimately don’t mean squat (god knows a good trailer does not a good movie make and vice-versa) when the end product comes our way.
So, I’ll keep my “got a WINNER” or “what a DUMP” until the series airs just so that I don’t look like an ahole down the line :P
TusuriQuote Reply
Cersei’s POV are introduced in feast for crows, her madness being evident only latter in the series, in GOT she is sort of ”put aside”, pretty much misterious (just like Jaime)…so, how come some people assume Lena Heady is off the mark with her voice and line delivery, wtf – she is just as Martin described her in GOT! Cersei Lannister – that pitch perfect bitchy cold queen…only after her encounter with Ned in the woods, without her regular robes (I do hope they keep that scene, with her being all roguey sexy ranger-like dressed), you actually see – she wants the throne, she has some serious wits (not like Tyrion though, overly passionate and, well, poisoned to see the chess moves).
So tell me I’m lying, tell me that Cersei needs to burn the goddamn tower in green flame, like, in next trailer?
m4st4Quote Reply
My opinion on Cersei and Joffery is that I think Cersei treats her son like he’s still four in order to keep him under her control and influance so he’ll rely on her most, thus she sort of shows him affection that might not be as approapriate for some one his age anymore.
I however do believe that Joff being The crazy incest baby he is and hitting puberity might down the road try and take liberties with Cersei judguing by his attitude and deminor in the books when it came to any pretty face and body. I just don’t see him caring one way or the other who it is he wants at the moment.
So I think that later down the road it might be an issue, but I think it will be something throw away like Sansa watching Joff being handsy with Cersei when the mother and son are playing around and then Cersei laughs and gives a kiss to said hands and placing them back were they belong.
But I like I said if they do imply that Joffery is harboring any dark feelings for Cersei, I doubt it will take more then several seconds of screen time.
And finally!
before you go to sleep tonight make sure to close your garbage cans or Drogo might get into them …
LOL!
Phantomwriter05Quote Reply
Where is RIckon! Everything looks awesome, Gendery might be a bit old.
Jason SQuote Reply
Agreed.
DH87Quote Reply
I thought Gillen was rather good, actually. He wasn’t my first choice for the part, I would have preferred James Callis (Baltar from BSG) as LF, but I thought Gillen was very believable. And as a bridge to the cast of The Wire, he’s probably a good audience builder for HBO.
I admit that I am not yet sold on Cersei either. But I remains quite open to the possibility I will come to “love to hate her.” :) I did notice that despite the intention of the camera, it was quite possible to note that she appeared to be pregnant in several scenes. Less than ideal, to be sure. Still, if she nails the role during the series, I’m willing to overlook it.
All this talk of Renly! I know I have watched the thing nine or ten times by now and I’m sure I have seen the face, but… I don’t know who Renly is “supposed” to be. It may be that he is the one who sort of looks like an slightly oder version of Robb Stark?
Does someone have a link to a screen capture of “Renly”?
FWIW, a friend of mine who is a bit of a fantasy fan but has never read the books (I know, I know – long story) , was extremely excited to see the special on YouTube. I quote: “April can’t get here fast enough”.
Always nice to find out that those who are NOT already in the choir still seem impressed with the sermon.
Steel_WindQuote Reply
Interesting..I suppose maybe I focused too much on how she described herself. One of the coolest things about the books is how we see the same things differently through different characters. And I do love the casting of her regardless of her not having a ‘long face’…dependent on how she acts since we haven’t heard lines.
effluentQuote Reply
Yes. I noticed that too. I believe that several of the clips of Sean/Ned are from the original pilot, especially at the very end of the extended version where he’s sitting in front of the tree. That’s definitely his own hair and not the wig. That’s his hairline and the length is definitely shorter/darker. Those that are worried about the face in the tree not being larger or scarier may not have to worry after all as when they re-shot that scene eventually, they may have changed the look of the tree.
seanfanQuote Reply
Wastrel,
In what way does Drogo look Swedish? I’m from Sweden and I can’t for the life of me begin to imagine what’s Swedish about him. I don’t get the European bit for that matter as the actor clearly has his roots elsewhere.
And Jaime’s hair is at most dark blond. He doesn’t have brown hair, let alone dark brown. Nikolaj has brown hair in real life though.
And the Hound has plenty of scarring. It covers a lot of the side of his face and to the point where he seems to be bald on part the left side of his head. It’s not always visible when you view him directly from the front as his hair hangs down above the scars a bit.
You seem to be a guy that can look past a ton because you’ve posted the most negative things I’ve ever seen anyone come up with for this series and still you claim to like it. I guess that’s impressive in it’s own way.
Tywin’s BastardQuote Reply
I didn’t realize Sophie Turner was so tall!!! I pictured Sansa as smaller than Joffrey. In the book, the Sansa + Petyr relationship seemed pedophile-creepy, but given Sophie’s physical maturity, Sansa + Joffrey seems like the creepy relationship now
jwsnasaQuote Reply
Lena Headey was pregnant during the Pilot shoot not the main series producion yet the only scene I thought she may have looked pregant was the one in Kings Landing with Ned which would have been from the main shoot.
This is Renly
http://img408.imageshack.us/img408/3506/renlyss.jpg
MormegilQuote Reply
Steel_Wind,
Surely you’ve been studying my Moot photos and can place him from those ;)
He is in there very briefly @ 11.38 on the ‘full’ YouTube version to the right of the Hound wearing what looks to be a green cloak, with short cropped hair and grinning with his mouth open. (can’t get a screen grab posted here for the moment).
Martin
MartinQuote Reply
If you do that, I believe there is a penalty fee that isn’t insignificant. Check the fine print.
DH87Quote Reply
Stella Maris,
You get me quite wrong, my dear.
When 90% are positive Im interested in the 10% who arent.
If the general consensus would be that this was crap I would very much be interested in the minority that had a positive impression and I would also like to know why.
I am also much more interested in the impression the people got who havent read the books and who havent followed every step of the production.
You know, the ones for whom this spot was essentially made.
Constructive critisism isnt nitpicking.
CovenantQuote Reply
Wastrel,
I’m gonna shouy at you anyway:
For a person who “liked” it, you find a lot of weird flaws.
Mostly, my issue is the cheap and cheesy comments. Cheap? Really?
If you think this looks cheap, then I am sorry, but you will never be happy with the series or any series for that matter. I do not agree with all the design choices they have made, but non of it looks half done or lazy. This is the best you would get outside of a major moive.
The cheesy comment also bothers me. Most of the dialog is more or less lifted from the books, changed sligthly for content and that is it. I do not find the books cheesy in the least, but sometimes written words can sound strange when spoken aloud. Still, I do not find any of the the delivery especially cheesy, in light of the context in which it is spoken. Keep in mind that this is a trailer, they are showing the most dramatic scenes to showcase the series and do some exposition as well.
The rest is mostly weird nitpicking. Eyebrows and to much of an english accent? I guess that if Dinklage had moderated his accent, you would have said he sounds to American? And Drogo looking Swedish is just too absurd…
SkyweirQuote Reply
Its not about shipping only, its easier to imagine Arya thinking she can boss Gendry around if he was not so much older.
Sansa and Robb look too old to make the naive mistakes they do too.
But well they are aging up the cast, so it’s going to happen.
Most of Catelyn’s life has been much easier! She isn’t the only woman with many kids and she’s the most pampered person in the north for most of her life. Brienne could see her face very strong and smooth and handsome :) Okay they changed it and you like it, that’s your opinion, well they are aging up the whole cast too so we must all accept.
InésQuote Reply
Steel_Wind,
BTW – I agree with you regarding Gendry, will be interesting to see what impact it makes on the plotline as it will surely change the dynamics considerably.
Martin
MartinQuote Reply
Coming down from a day full of happy I’ve finally found two things I’m not 100% impressed with:
* Robert’s “There’s a war coming Ned, I don’t know when and I don’t know who’ll be fighting, but it’s coming” sounds quite cheesy as is. Maybe it’ll sound better in context.
* Cersei’s hair when it’s made into those elaborate shapes. I like it much better loose.
As an aside, the only shot of Cersei where I thought a pregnancy was visible was in the “trial” by the Kingsroad.
And as a Swede I’m also curious about what in Drogo’s appearance make him seem Swedish.
Johan SporreQuote Reply
Apart from the height and othervise impressive physical appearance naturally… ;)
EirikurQuote Reply
dizzy_34,
Yes what my girlfriend thinks of this production IS much more important than what you think and if you cant see that that reflects poorly on your judgement.
I have read the books multiple times and I have done the casting thing on imdb since before it was even thought of as a show. I have followed the production step by step and tried to sell it to others.
I can impossibly be objective so my girlfriends view is essential. She represents 99% of the future viewers.
The ones who watches the pilot in april without having a clue.
If she now thinks the hair looks silly that very much bothers me. She have no idea how the story will unfold and the feeling I already have for the characters, fake blond hair or not.
CovenantQuote Reply
Covenant,
I respect that you are interested in the constructive criticism on this site.
What I don’t respect is the extremely condescending attitude you have towards the other 90% (your estimate) of the comments and the people who hold those opinions. So forgive me when I say, in turn, that I could care less about your opinions since you care so little about the majority of the ones here. That you have made abundantly (and needlessly) clear.
This site was made with the intention of creating an open forum for everyone interested in the production of the Game of Thrones television show -hardcore fans and newcomers alike. Winter has made that very apparent. This is one thing I love about the site and I know many others do as well. Be interested in those impressions all you like, but again, you would do yourself a huge favor by being less snide and having a better understanding of the community and its purpose.
Stella MarisQuote Reply
Alrighty guys, I put up 64 shots from the extended trailer. Got some good stuff in there. I didnt even notice the wolf pups until i went through it frame by frame. Hope you like, lots of stuff to pick through. Check my comments above for the URL. Sorry for the pic by pic DL’s, I dont feel like putting a page together for em, maybe someone else can download em and do it if they are really bored. Peace
FredMissouriQuote Reply
It’s fine to find some comments more interesting than others, but what you wrote was way more hostile than that. “I also dont care one bit what you all liked. You go on and on that you all liked this and you all liked that. Should I take notes?” is just a snotty, condescending thing to say (not to mention “all ‘omg Im all wheeeee-lolz’ as if this was fucking twitter”) and you shouldn’t be surprised when people take it that way. And you know what? You’re posting on a fan site. You may not be interested in positive, bubbly remarks, but you’re going to see a lot of them anyway no matter what, so you may want to try using the scroll bar rather than pissing into the wind.
Anyway, if you’re so concerned with making this into a thought-provoking critical discussion, why not step up your own game? Your complaints were pretty vague – “I saw many wigs that looked a bit fake” and “In some shots clothes and props look very cheap and theatrical” don’t really give anyone anything to chew on.
mummerQuote Reply
OK, Gendry looks almost like an adult. WAY too old to be sharing onscreen romantic tension with Maisie.
Edric DayneQuote Reply
Stella Maris,
By “spot” I meant the HBO-special yesterday not this site. But thanks for making the reasons for winter-is-coming.net clear to me. I had no idea
CovenantQuote Reply
Someone’s girlfriend thought the wigs look silly ? lol…who cares…from what I’m seeing on twitter,youtube and other sites the response has been very positive…and no not just fans of the series , but also those unfamiliar with the series…
coltaine777Quote Reply
Edric Dayne,
Even if a 16 year old actor wouldn’t be ‘way’ too old to have such tension he would still look too old for that in my view. Any such vibes people get from the books likely won’t translate to the screen in a way people in general will think is fitting, no matter what they do.
Tywin’s BastardQuote Reply
i am with you. i am almost positive that it is Joff on the throne with his short blond hair and he is wearing a black cape trimmed with a large white fur collar.
Who Is Jacopo Belbo?Quote Reply
It appears to me that there are a handful of people here who have way too high an opinion… of their own opinion…
Of course that’s just MY opinion… ;)
Ser HedgeknightQuote Reply
Fantastic overall, I’ll mention a few things that I havn’t seen mentioned.
First off, loving Owen Teale as Alliser Thorne, I was very dissappionted when Halligan dropped out as he looked perfect for the role. Now I’m glad he did, he could be a real scene stealer in the Wall plot, I’m actually hoping they boost his role a bit.
Benjen/Mawle looks the part, though I thought his acting and delivery in that scene shown was the weakest of the lot. I know alot of people didnt like Roberts War line, but it was better in the making of than the trailer last week as it was in context. Hopefully It’ll be the same in this situation, but that is my only gripe.
A
JodanQuote Reply
Just wanted to add on the Ned/Brandon thing, it’s Ned. I think people have questioned it as the figure on the throne is not Joffrey, that is certain. I think it might be Cersei, the “white” around the neck could easily be her hair I think.
The other long stretch it could be is it is a dream/nightmare of Brandons death with Ned in his position. If so it could be a good tie in for an eventual flashback in season two or three.
I think we’ll get flashbacks, just not this season, too many characters to establish as it is without adding the backstory, leave that for season two when there’s a lot less characters to introduce.
JodanQuote Reply
Damn it all…still dont have access to streaming video. All of the positive comments on scenes that were previously thought to be cheesy or unrealistic is awesome. Thanks to all of you for commenting on and explaining alot of the footage that was aired. Many of my fears have been put to rest because of everyones suddenly positive attitudes.
MWadsQuote Reply
Reading over the comments some people have mentioned Tyrion not being ugly enough (which is true) and though I didn’t initially care, I realized that the main issue is not just “keeping to the books” but how his looks may cause changes in dialogue and the Lannister family dynamic. In the books Tyrion is frequently called an ugly monster (etc) but having characters say such things when Dinklage is so handsome will probably not be seen as very PC towards little people. I remain optimistic that they’ll make it work, and have similar hopes for the Hound/Sansa. I don’t think he’s quite burned enough for her to shrink away, but I guess his lovely personality might do the trick :P
binzerQuote Reply
Tywin’s Bastard,
I see your point, and I’m not in favor of asking any child actors to do anything that seems so altogether creepy, but the romantic tension (it was clearly there in the book) did a great deal to liven up those chapters, and I fear we shall now have a sort of paternal relationship between Gendry and Arya. It will be quite unlike the story as written, and it may not end up being any less creepy
Edric DayneQuote Reply
As far as the Ned/Brandon thing goes, it’s definitely Brandon. Look at the ropes around his neck; he’s being choked to death (while trying to save his father) just as how Jaime recalls it in the books.
MarkQuote Reply
Heh, agreed. Although my opinion lends your statement more merit as my opinion is obviously supperior… ;)
EirikurQuote Reply
The Drogo look is not Swedish. It is Assyrian, if anything. As in, the people the Persians conquered before Alexander the Great swept over them.
Critical GeekQuote Reply
Mark,
But why would Brandon look older than Ned is in the present, if it is happening 17 years in the past?
Boštjan GorencQuote Reply
That doesn’t make sense for it to be brandon. If I recall correctly, Brandon was, at most, 20 when he died maybe younger, and that looks an awful lot like Bean, who is much older than that. Also, it doesn’t seem like they would include that flashback this season.
Overall, I’m liking what I see and I am super pumped. Jaime’s helmet, I am not a fan, but I will get over it. Robert/Gendry/Renly’s hair not being black, I suppose I will get over that too. The purple eyes seem too huge for them to miss, so I would imagine that they realize how ugly colored contacts are and they will be doing them digitally, don’t know if i could forgive them otherwise for such a huge mistake.
The sets are amazing, can’t wait to see the dragon skulls.
ThrameofGonesQuote Reply
WTF did HBO do to Renly!!!!!!!
They shaved his gorgeous black long locks and gave him facial hair. I can NOT picture this holding up a peach and reciting those lines.
WolfheartQuote Reply
How is it going to work if Jaime reveals details that are already known to us? It makes it less impactful for the second season when Jaime talks in the dungeon. So I think it is not Brandon, and they are torturing Ned more in this season.
InésQuote Reply
Now, after I rewatched it five or six time I am capable to deliver some thoughts on it.
My overall impression is positive. I can even admit that I jumped of joy at few scenes such a:
- every scene with Maisie Williams – the girl is fantastic, her encounter with Kit in that scene provoked some tears in my eyes. Not to mention Baelor sept scene.
It would be hard to watch
- I adore the Targ bro and sis – they both look great – I am perfectly aware of all the difficulties to bring alienish Targs on screen, without falling into so many possible traps – I think HBO did it. And did it in the style.
- As I pointed out earlier, I am completely reassured with Sean Bean being Ned.
My fear has gone for good.
- Fairley, Addy and NCW just confirmed what I thought before, they are just spot on.
- I jumped of joy when I saw Varys waving in so Varys way to Jory.
- Kit Harington, Dinklage and Sophie are good, and I think Lena Headey are doing good job as Cersei, she has the kind of aristocratic beauty, and as someone mentioned before, she is very much in control over everything, like she should be in this stage.
The thing(s) I did not like so much:
It is LF, I mean he is not bad, but I do not know how to explain, something bothers me here, and I do not know how to explain it. (It si not his Matrix-like coat :D)
I guess, I have to use to Gillen s approach to LF.
The high hall of the Eyrie – I do not like the colour of the walls (just to show my nitpicking part of personallity :) )
I am very interested in that quick shots at the end of the feature, having much trouble to see them.
Thanks to good poster who posted the screencap of Renly (I have not noticed hime at all).
The RabbitQuote Reply
I agree with you but a large motivating factor for Tyrion’s actions are a wanting need to be loved (by his family/women etc). Is it so hard to believe that Dinklage can be loved? He is a good looking man. I think it is more of a slap in the face of the vertically challenged to suggest that they can not be loved due to their stature. Now make his face disfigured and its more believeable.
PythonpeteQuote Reply
http://img64.imageshack.us/f/rodrick.jpg/
Wanted to link this, for some reason when I try to hyperlink it, it just doesn’t show up at all.
ThrameofGonesQuote Reply
Yeah, cause there was always ”romantic tension” between them…It’s like that Hound-Sansa issue…if you go to devianart, knowing nothing about the books, you’d almost think they did entering the castle thingie already…
Come on people, Martin is way more subtle than that.
m4st4Quote Reply
Edric Dayne,
Personally I think it will just be more like friendship. In any case the scenes in the series won’t be as dragged out (not meant in a bad way) as the chapters in the book are so with a more direct approach I don’t think they will suffer. Then again, if Martin actually intends to really go somewhere with those characters so that tension is important they might try to get it in anyway.
Tywin’s BastardQuote Reply
Cersei is grabbing her son’s arm in mock horror/outrage and yes, a certain ‘how-DARE-you-even-question-our-royal-judgement?’ snottiness. No incest implied. This is just after Joff gets bitten.
She is showing Ned her teeth, and putting Robert in an impossible situation. And it works :0
reedgirlQuote Reply
Thank you where did this Cersei – Joff incest BS start? She slept with Jamie (and MANY other men) not her son.
PythonpeteQuote Reply
can, someone, ANYONE, pleasssse tell me the time for the heart tree???? or send an image, cuz all I see is a decorated pole in pentos or somewere….
GazQuote Reply
One of those blurry images at end (at 11.36 to be exactly) is showing two people making love. Does somebody know who those two are since one of them really looks like viserys :o
(or maybe Dany with manly features?) I don’t know it could be somebody else of course, but his hair really looks alike….
LiesieQuote Reply
Tyler Metcalfe,
Indeed! but except in the scene with Jaime he always apear without his goatee, hope they change it for the end!
Anyway, I just love the video
IreneQuote Reply
Ok, enough with the Renly-actor-bashing. Maybe he looks nothing like his brother(s), but you know what, that could be said about the Stark siblings as well. And we only see him for less than a second, when he’s cheering (with his mouth open), so any conclusion about the actor or his looks being adequate or not is just way premature, in my humble opinion.
And yes, Tyrion isn’t ugly at all, but that doesn’t matter, since he’s a dwarf, and thats all it takes to be shunned by most people in a medieval setting, so all the malevolence directed towards him will still be realistic.
And with that said, the same thing goes for Brienne. They won’t make her ugly as described in the books. One reason is it’s gonna be hard to find an actress ugly enough for your expectations. That’s sort of sad, and unfair, since as a woman, you can’t make a career in acting if you’re to ugly. So they will cast someone not classically beautiful, and style her tomboyish, and that’s that. The fans are going to have to deal with it. But you know what? Her struggles will still be realistic, because she’s a woman trying to make her way in a (yes thats right – medieval) mans world (something GRRM describes suprisingly well in the books), which is enough to be met with great suspicion, ugly or not.
Let’s face it, the hollywood ugly people are here to stay.
BobbenQuote Reply
Liesie,
I’m guessing that’s Viserys “vouching” for Doreah’s skills :D
Stella MarisQuote Reply
Bobben,
well put!
Cutter Allen KilgoreQuote Reply
Stella Maris,
Ahh yes of course, that makes sense!
LiesieQuote Reply
Pythonpete,
The books make it clear that even if Tyrion had a pretty face, just being a dwarf is enough to make him less than a man in most people’s eyes – certainly as far as his family is concerned, and that’s how Tyrion describes his situation too. In his “What do you see?” speech to Jon, he doesn’t mention the shape of his head; he just points out that he’s a dwarf.
It’s not about how people should think. People in Westeros have a lot of unenlightened attitudes. Most of them don’t believe women should have any rights, either; do you think the show should gloss over that too, to avoid disrespecting women? For that matter, if Tyrion was mocked just for having an asymmetrical face and everyone was fine with him being a dwarf, wouldn’t you see that as disrespectful of people with asymmetrical faces? Everyone deserves love, but some of us get a raw deal; that’s one of the things the story is about.
mummerQuote Reply
Wow, I think I just wet myself…..it look positively, amazingly epic! Oh and by the way to all those people who were complaining about the “I am trained to kill” line delivered by Sean Bean, well you can see that it is not cheesy once it is put into context with the full dialogue…
Let April come…can’t wait!
loco73Quote Reply
Man, to be Hollowood ugly would be fantastic. As is is I’m just real world ugly, and that’s not enjoyable for ANYONE…Aside from my numerous enemies. ;)
EirikurQuote Reply
Covenant,
Hey thats great if you think so. I happen to disagree.
dizzy_34Quote Reply
Gaz,
On the “the FULL VIDEO” link at the top the heart tree is at 10:14
Jason WQuote Reply
Edric Dayne,
Romantic tension?? Arya is 9 at that point (book) and Gendry is 15 or 16. Arya’s only brush with romance so far is Ned telling her she will marry a lord someday!
Oh and the people saying she wouldn’t try to boss an older Gendry around. Arya tries bossing everyone around. Especially if they’re bull-headed like Gendry.
Katja IsaksenQuote Reply
http://img826.imageshack.us/img826/3930/vlcsnap2010120622h52m03.png
Here’s a picture of the face carved into the weirwood.
AnnQuote Reply
Has anyone mentioned Rodrik’s crazy sideburns yet, which are tied together under his chin? Hilarious!
LexQuote Reply
Jason W,
THANK YOU MATE!!!!
been looking for that for ages. im not surprised I missed it, not what I expected the tree to look like at all. much preferred that painting of ned and ice with the white tree, red leaf and ghoulish face…but hey im really happy with what I have seen and can get used to this version of westeros!
GazQuote Reply
Katja Isaksen,
Nine-year-olds definitely have romantic thoughts. Primitive ones, but real nonetheless. I don’t think Arya realizes that’s what she’s feeling, but she is feeling it, if only a bit.
In regard to the bossing around, don’t forget that Arya is a high noble, Gendry knows it, and Gendry is a common apprentice. Arya acts like a lord, and Gendry is in awe of her high birth.
pualoQuote Reply
Petyr’s moustache should’ve been thinner, like a true Pedo.
That’s my only gripe besides Cersei’s terribad wigs.
DamphairQuote Reply
Good screencap of the Hound here
http://www.shrani.si/f/2d/We/1oxG6uVu/bscap0007.jpg
You can really see how the scars stretch from his neck to the top of his skull (where there is no hair growth) and part of his ear is gone.
MormegilQuote Reply
Jon nieve,
hahahaha It’s true. I read the book “The Pillars of the Earth” and there is no mother-son incest. I do not understand the decision of the TV series.
My opinion is, that if they show an incestuous relationship between Cersei and Joffrey, you may accept it. Makes more sense. The two characters are crazy.
It is quite possible to invent something. I have understood that the series will make some significant changes.
It would be very exciting
εντυπωσιακόςQuote Reply
I didn’t think it was possible to be more excited about this show, but I was wrong. That inside peak was terrific – and now April can’t come soon enough! Want to say a quick thanks to the folks who posted the extended version on YouTube – the scene for Jon/Tyrion was worth it.
Littlefinger, Tyrion & Jaime all seem to be spot on – which is terrific news for me since I love those characters. What little I saw of Arya was great too – I’m really curious to see more of her in action as she is another favorite of mine.
Only disappointments for me are Drogo (still not liking his make-up) and the Dothraki in general. I’ll state again, I like Momoa, but I think they have rendered him ridiculous looking with that makeup. Yes, I figure they’re going for “exotic” but their version of “exotic” just isn’t working for me. As for the Dothraki as a whole, they look like rag-tag bunch to me – not fearsome at all. Oh well – I can live with this though.
Two minor quibbles aren’t going to dampen my spirits about the effort that HBO is doing for show. Overall, I think they’re doing a splendid job. :) Come on April – I am ready for Winter! :)
a different megQuote Reply
I’m not trying to bag on anyone’s girlfriend’s opinion. But assuming one opinion of someone who is not familiar with the material represents 99% of anyone who is not familiar with the material is a bit presumptuous is all I’m getting at.
dizzy_34Quote Reply
To be clear on this point, the actor who plays Gendry, Joe Dempsie, was born on June 22, 1987 in Liverpool, U.K..
At the time the scene we have been discussing was filmed, the actor playing Gendry was 23 years of age. And in my opinion, he looks 23, too.
The original casting call for Gendry was looking for somone who was between 16 and 20 years of age, muscled and well built.
I’m guessing that they could not find an actor who met their requirements who skewed to 16 yrs old and being pressed for tie, decided to go with Dempsie. He is apparently in 2 episodes in season 1, which means he is, indeed, headed north with Yoren and Co., probably in episode 10.
Whether they can make this work or not in Season #2 is unknown, but I still think it is a mistake to cast Gendry as being that old. In the wider context of the series as a whole? Probably not that big a deal. The success of A Game of Thrones as a series not going to turn on the age of Gendry and his interaction with Arya Stark.
Still, it does not appear to be one of the casting department’s finer moments, so far at least.
Steel_WindQuote Reply
FredMissouri,
Please tell me if there’s something else I need to do to see these. All I got was a lovely big shot of Sam ( which I could embiggen further ), But couldn’t find a way to move on to anything else.
???
obsidianQuote Reply
It looked amazing, and I can’t wait for April, but… I think we all need to LOWER OUR EXPECTATIONS. This is not going to look like a big-budget movie.
Compare GoT to LotR, which had a total running time of 8 hours or so over 4 years and three movies, with a budget somewhere around a billion dollars and the profit potential of charging $10 or more per ticket for each movie.
My point is only that for GoT, they have to create more programming, in less time, with fewer resources.
It is clear that HBO and the production team are putting their all into this. Let’s all get excited and tune in on premiere night.
But let’s not dishonor their efforts by getting SO excited that our standards get set so high that they can’t be reached.
I want huge direwolves too, but I’m trying to imagine what they’d look like on any contemporary TV show, big-budget or not, and I have to admit I’m not sure it can be done the way the fan in me wants it done– perfect. So I’m deciding the show doesn’t have to be perfect to satisy me. I suggest we all do the same so we don’t set ourselves up for disappointment.
Brian BaldingerQuote Reply
That’s actually exactly what I was trying to say :) That’s why I’m concerned. It makes more sense for him to be unloved when he’s disfigured, but since Dinklage is handsome they may remove some of the harsh dialogue between him and his family members because they can’t keep it in without it seeming rude to all little people. I don’t want them to slap anyone in the face, but all that conflict is important to Tyrion’s character :S
In the books he himself even has a certain amount of self-loathing and bitterness regarding his twisted legs and ugly face, and since Tyrion is my favorite, I hope he doesn’t end up fundamentally changed!
binzerQuote Reply
Pythonpete,
RE; Cersei / Joffrey..there was a comment made that they had a twisted relationship , and that immediately got extrapolated to incest..go figure.
It’s quite twisted enough in a non-sexual way. That’s a twist too far for me…
anyway , that’s where it came from.
obsidianQuote Reply
The Young Wolf - courtesy of Missouri guy’s screencaps!
<3
NicoleQuote Reply
I totally agree with that.
marzmanQuote Reply
Replace the number 1 in the URL with 2, 3….45 etc
MormegilQuote Reply
pualo,
I’m not saying nine-year olds don’t get feelings, I’m just saying I don’t think this nine-year old does. She’s a bit too busy surviving and being angry. She does start to think of him as something of a replacement for the brothers she’s lost though… At least that’s how I read it. Maybe they’ll meet again and fall madly in love later on. I’d like that actually. :)
Katja IsaksenQuote Reply
Brian Baldinger,
Good points in regard to lowering Expectations..And on the plus side , since there is more time ,we can probably hope for far less shredding of the source material.
It’s a trade -off I can live with.
obsidianQuote Reply
Now I wonder, Robb and Joffrey have a rivalry in the books. But on screen it will look so different, Robb will look very petty and insecure if Joffrey can provoke him. It is okay when you are 14 to be petty and insecure, but they say Robb’s age is 17 but he looks at least 20 and that will make an impression. They should tone down that rivalry then because otherwise it will make this Robb look too silly.
InésQuote Reply
Mormegil,
Thank you! Now that I’ve revealed that I’m not entirely computer-friendly and exposed myself to who-knows-what derision , I’m off to enjoy.
obsidianQuote Reply
Lyle Edwards,
Thanks for pointing this out!
I went and saw that on the expanded one posted above after I read this comment. Dinklage sounds great.
paulgudeQuote Reply
And after staying up until 4 trying to get the video to load, failing, and trying all day I have finally seen the entire video! success! (now I need a drink)
Phoenix_tornQuote Reply
I think the scene you’re thinking about may be from the wedding between Dany and Drogo (when the Dothraki men fought over the seductively dancing women and a couple of the guys were killed, haha).
Who knows, though. I’m really hopeful about this series staying true to the book. YAY!
Johan Sporre,
heatherm0107Quote Reply
Recall that they put out an emergency casting for this part at the very end of the casting process—for some reason, they were unable to find someone who fit the part of Gendry as written. I agree with other posters that it negatively affects one of the most interesting relationships in the series. Yes, GRRM’s Arya may be nine and GRRM’s Gendry fifteen, but in three years, she will be prematurely “old,” very experienced twelve and a half (betrothal age, if not marriageable in the Middle Ages) and he an immature, bull-headed eighteen about to find out his … ancestry. The foreshadowing by GRRM is there. It won’t be now unless Gendry is recast the seasons down the road.
DH87Quote Reply
That should have read “three seasons down the road.”
And I purposely excluded the possibility of recasting Arya. :)
DH87Quote Reply
Inés,
That was one of my worries as well. I hope they handle it well, they did a good job in Rome with a young Octavian and Marc Antony.
ThrameofGonesQuote Reply
After having some time to process and rewatch, I think my biggest question at the moment is, why is Cersei pregnant? (or appears to be pregnant in at least one shot, some of the others are harder to tell).
Can anyone shed some light on this? is this a creative decision they’ve made, going in a bit of a different direction maybe? I’m not irritated so much as puzzled/curious, I can’t think why they’d change that.
Other than that, I’m pretty happy with things so far. A few bits that’ll have to grow on me (Cersei’s hair still just strikes me as odd, but not a huge deal), but 90% of my (quite minor) disagreements boil down to “it’s not the way I imagined it”. And expecting it to be exactly the way I imagined it would be extremely unrealistic, so as far as I’m concerned there’s nothing to complain about in that department. Everything looks great :)
KangaQuote Reply
RE: Brandon/Ned in ropes.
To me the simplest explanation is that it is Brandon.
1) This being Brandon is something that happens in the books. Yes, it is described in a later book. But having this be Ned is not something which happens in the books. I agree that D&D have added a couple things we know about to the story before, but the easier explanation is that it’s Brandon.
2) When I first caught sight of the less-than-a-second clip, I must admit it looked like Bean to me. But in looking at the stills and slowmo-ing through it last night, it has lost that appearance. It’s largely the hair which lends the similarity. And here’s another Occam’s Razor moment: it seems much more likely they aged Brandon up for this scene since they have been doing that left and right. Making it Ned either in truth or in a dream is too fanciful, IMO.
And here we venture into my interpretation.
3) We have no idea of the scale of the throne since we have never seen it before, but I would expect that it is going to be huge. I have a feeling Joff would look much smaller on that throne. Plus, the hair is much lighter than Joff’s would be in that lighting.
4) The yellowish columns of colour to the sides of the throne cannot, IMO, be Baratheon Banners. They are glowing with their own light. They are stained-glass windows. And I’m afraid they are too indistinct to see any kind of sigils on them.
And no, I don’t “want” it to be Brandon, it just makes more sense and is a simpler explanation in my mind.
NorthWolfQuote Reply
GoT overload! So much to love here! I’m a little verklempt.
Cat- May have had my doubts, but I’m a believer now! At first I was like “This is the woman Littlefinger is supposed to lose his sh*t over?! I don’t get it.” Must have been bad angles or lighting in the stills so far. Well, I get it now. Cold, dutiful, bitter, beautiful. The spark is there. She’s nailed it IMHO.I bet she’ll blow us away as Stoneheart too!
Gendry- Liked how he delivered the lines. Maybe he’ll look younger when he isn’t covered in sweat and soot.
Arya & Bran & Jaime – Perfection. Can’t even remember how I used to envision them before the show.
Drogo- I was really excited when I saw Jason was cast, but what is with all the makeup? Can’t imagine the Khal getting up in the morning and spending 15 mins applying his eyeshadow. “Hey guys can we stop the khalasar for just a sec? I need to touch up my makeup. The dust is making my eyes water and my eyliner is running again.” Fancy pants Drogo is really bugging me for some reason.
Tyrion- As a member of team Tyrion, I have to say I’m VERY ok with Tyrion looking more attractive than he was described in the book. No need to ugly him up, sexy Tyrion is fine by me. Peter is one of my favorite actors and I was thrilled when I heard he had signed on for this project. So far he hasn’t let me down :) His expressions are perfect.
Jon – To be honest, he looks more like I imagined Robb than Jon. Am I the only one who thinks that Kit and Richard look quite a bit alike? Hope so, as that might make the story hard to follow for people who haven’t read the books. Kit seems like a great actor though and I’m positive he’ll bring it. He seems to have the mannerisms and attitude down.
Cersei- No idea where all this negativity is coming from. Lena IS my Cersei. Spot on. Condescending, calculating, unapologetically ambitious, and just the smallest whisper of insecurity hiding just under the surface. Lena conveyed all that in just a few seconds of screen time. Can’t wait to see how she and NCW handle their scenes together.
Blah blah blah. Loved the scene where Dany stops the Khalasar. The dragon scull blew me away! Would it have killed them to give Robert black hair and Jaime golden hair? The Hound and his helm :D! Geeking out over here!
FridayQuote Reply
Pythonpete,
Wishfull thinking by creepy people?
FridayQuote Reply
I really loved it. But I can’t wait to see Masie and Sophie act. Lena Headey is great. Cersei, Dany, and Arya are the defining female characters, so I hope they nail it. What is a good show without strong female characters? I think Emilia Clarke is gorgeous. There is something that makes me feel confident in her. come faster April!
Zac BeachQuote Reply
Brian Baldinger – well said.
JoakimQuote Reply
There was someone who asked for a transcript of the clip. I’ve written one for the extended version (although with a handful of questionmarks even after going back and forth over some clips) and it became quite long. Here’s the link
Johan SporreQuote Reply
We’ve kinda known it since Rory McCann was cast, but I think it’s incredibly obvious now. Any “romantic tension” between the hound and Sansa will be 100% CREEEEEEEEEPYY. None of this “ooo it’s so forbidden that it’s sexy!” stuff that we see all over the fandom. No way – just pedo creepyness. :)
Which is OK with me. To be honest that’s how I read it the first time through, and I was very surprised to find out all these Sansa/Hound shippers even exist…
userjQuote Reply
I can’t wait to hear Maisie Williams say ‘YOU STUPID!’
Hopefully they are true to Arya’s lines in the book, some of them are sooo good haha
SensukiQuote Reply
Any speculation on what is going on in the new scene between Jaime and Jon? Made me think “What do THOSE two have to say to each other?” But then I realized that they may have written Jon’s thoughts to dialog, something to like “Are you the king, sire?” because he is hidden away in Winterfell when Robert arrives. A nice opportunity for a characterization of Robert without him even being in the scene.
MegQuote Reply
I have a pretty high-resolution version of the video, and yes I am 99.9% certain (no, make that 100%) that one of them is Viserys. That means the other one is probably Doreah.
Jeremy GQuote Reply
It’s Viserys and Doreah, I have a really clear screen on my home PC. At work at the moment though.
SensukiQuote Reply
My tweet this afternoon: “First comment: an inarticulated “Whoouuff” collapsing on chair where I’d been perched tensely. Second comment: EPIC.”
Thanks to Ran, FredMissouri and all those who uploaded screencaps, helping me catch the details.
Drogo’s OK to me. Momoa without make-up would make me want to cuddle him. Drogo looks like a monster to Daenerys, but he’ll be nice to her, after his fashion. More thoughts will follow.
Love Dinklage’s voice. He’s a heart-throb. The scene with Jon screams charisma. Strangely, he reminded me of Gandalf. It will be a very powerful commentary on the unfairness of life when this poised, intellectual character is manhandled, thrown on the edge of a precipice, duped by some slattern, disfigured etc. I’m looking forward to the intensity of the crossbow scene.
Joffrey: no little pout and effeminate curls, I like it, he’s Drogo’s opposite: your average prince-next-door is a monster. I hope there won’t be flashbacks of disembowelled cats. (Says she who hopes for flashbacks of disembowelled Arthur Dayne. At least he had Dawn!)
Sean Bean gives his usual star turn. He’s a believably tormented man. Did GRRM tell him something about Jon’s parentage? But what’s up with his hair? Sometimes it looks short, sometimes long. GRRM’s commentary: “Ned Stark is the center of the series”, yeah, sure, his bones go a long way.
Jaime’s Nazi trench??? (And mayne Petyr’s?) Otherwise I like Jaime, modern haircut and all. Warriors often cut their hair short to offer less purchase to a grabbing enemy.
Sign me up for Team Jorah. Comments will follow on this deviation from the books, looks-wise.
Viserys looks intensely crazed: seeing him in action put to rest my doubts about that pic where he bravely wielded a bad wig.
Robb is suitably stately in the beheading scene, in contrast to humble Jon, but up close he does not impress me. No criticism on the actor, however; I just can’t relate to the character.
Gendry, sullen and stubborn. I do see the family resemblance. And the actor might be 23 but looks and acts younger. Also, since the actor is out of puberty, it’s not likely that he will suddenly grow 3 inches or something, so his portrayal of Gendry will be consistent.
Alliser Thorne has such a kindly uncle look to him that his meanness will be even more effective.
Benjen… I can’t believe they cast such a compelling actor only to have him disappear in the North. I’m still waiting for Coldhands to uncover his face. Why are his words to Jon so garbled? And Jon’s words to Tyrion? The sound seems to be off in those scenes.
Ned-Petyr FTW. I love that they are keeping the moral ambiguity. Gillan is a discovery, I’ve never watched “The Wire” and I find him handsome, witty and intense.
TAKE THAT THING OFF CERSEI’S HEAD QUICK BEFORE IT EATS HER
Huge dragon skull with tiny guy next to it. Yay! Love the mix of styles, it makes more sense now than from a couple of random stills. Werthead has a post with a map which shows King’s Landing is exactly where I live; bit cold for palm trees, but not impossible. (have tiny palm tree in living room, fingers crossed)
Barristan! Can’t wait to see him up close. Identical to my image of him. Easy to see him becoming unrecognizable with long hair and beard, maybe some device to hide his eyes (helmet?)
Illyrio, too nice and slim and bland. Varys is perfect. Robert, Catelyn: I liked them from the start. Girl-crush on Michelle Fairley.
Arya grabbing the feet of Baelor’s statue! *bawls*
Is that Renly? Nice, but not at all like I imagined him. I fear our visuals of characters mostly come from Amok. Please, HBO, give us a Blackfish like Amok’s.
Sandor. Ome of my faves, but… dunno. His right eye looks suitably ravaged. But I miss the disfigurement all the way to his chin, with no lips on that side. I have my ideas on looks, more later. Love him raising arms with tiny Loras (no offence, Finn).
Dragon egg: meh. Thought Daenerys was hefting an oversized pinecone. They don’t look like precious stones. Does it make sense to have scales on a scaled creature’s egg? That was just a brief shot in a monitor, maybe in the series they’ll look awesome.
Finally: I collected some wins and some fails about my pronunciation of the names, but I still wait to hear them spoken on the series, not by GRRM (I’d like a confirmation of CAT-uh-lyn and Jay-mee – I still think that the Spanish HI-meh sounds more arrogant). By the way, I’m not sure Bean says Ed-DARD in the previous teaser. It might be just the delivery, he stresses every syllable for solemnity.
Not worried anymore about the Tullys in Season 2. After seeing this, I know they’ll be awesome.
Blackfish BluesQuote Reply
Marc Antony was a jerk though, Robb should not come off this way. But they can still think of another way to handle it, I just hope they don’t leave it like it is in the books since they will seem more than two years apart now. Robb should seem sincere when he tries to be good and grown-up.
There are so many people in the story more bitter than she is! She is only hurt about the one thing, Jon, and she still has a loving healthy marriage. I don’t want her to come off this very bitter, her life was simply not so hard as everyone keeps saying.
InésQuote Reply
Nicole,
That’s my boy :)
Alright let’s get a few things straight…
1. What is with the Gendry Age-gate? I feel like the whole ‘omg he looks like he is 23′ statement is totally out of left field. I am 18, if he walked up to me and said he is 18 I would not be the least bit surprised.
2. (Can’t figure out how to put the quote thingy here so…) Covenant, you are entitled to your own opinions about the show. If you want to comment on how you and your girlfriend do not like certain aspects of the production that is fine. Please DO NOT try to tell us that one person’s opinion on this forum is less important than another’s. For one thing, it’s insulting and also, our opinion clearly has been and will continue to be extremely important to HBO. If word gets out that the mass majority of the fans do not support the series, how is it going to be the huge hit that HBO wants it to be? Plus there is tons of proof that HBO is listening to the ASOIAF fanbase. Many of the actors cast were people that the fans had agreed should play the role. Off the top of my head, Tyrion, Tywin, and Littlefinger were fan favorites for the roles. Also remember how people were clamoring to see shots of the Iron Throne, Dragon eggs, and the Winterfell tree? Yeah well we got those in this preview. If you are going to express a negative view about the show, you should follow the example of, say, Wastrel, who has repeatedly expressed disappointment about several aspects of the show but has done so respectfully and using concise arguments for the most part. The way you have gone about it would have caused a less intelligent and reasonable group of posters to have the thread dissolve into a flame war.
3. The cheap and cheesy production values argument is growing a bit stale for me. this is one of the most expensive TV productions that has ever been attempted, in case people forgot or something. It really just doesn’t get better than this.
4. I believe the screenshot in question is the Brandon flashback. I just can’t think of any logical reason why it wouldn’t be. In what other scene does a man who looks like Eddard have a rope around his neck in the throne room? Also if they are going to use Sean Bean to play Brandon it makes sense to do it this season considering his early death.
Ok HBO, I only have one potential gripe. If you only have the $ to do one flashback scene PLEASE show the ToJ because ‘Promise me, Ned’ was the line that hit me the hardest emotionally in GoT, possibly the most impactful quote for me in the entire series to date. Of course, this would be tricky to do without spoiling R+L=J if that theory holds merit…Obviously I would love to see Robert crushing Rhaegar on the Trident, as well as Ned and co. vs. Kingsguard, but if none of these are shown, I will live.
The Young WolfQuote Reply
Blackfish Blues,
Palm trees: If they can have (imported) palms here in San Francisco, they can have them in King’s Landing. It’s really really not tropical here.
Dragon’s eggs: I believe the book describes the eggs as scaled, or at least faceted, not smooth. I guess with magic beasts anything’s possible, but it did make me feel a little sorry for the dragon mama.
mummerQuote Reply
all of these people that keep saying “X looks wayyyyyy to creepy/old to have any short of romantic feelings for Y” crack me up. We’re basically looking at headshots here, we have seen no interaction between any of the characters in question. I see zero problem in portraying the Hound/Sansa relationship as it was written, or Arya/Gendry for that matter. I know some people get way more squicked out by age differences than others, but still. I swear there are just people who want absolutely no romance in this series because it fits their idea of what epic fantasy should be.
natasjaQuote Reply
dizzy_34,
You mistook my comment…I agree with you…
coltaine777Quote Reply
Thanks! Got to re-read the books. They are in the massive pile of books to read or re-read on my bedside table…
Blackfish BluesQuote Reply
The creepiness factor.
I wrote this while I was drafting my previous commentary, which is already overlong; also, a discussion on Tyrion’s looks cropped up, so I cut this out as an individual post.
In the books there are several actual or would-be romantic relationships which are made creepier by age difference (Dany-Drogo, Petyr-Sansa, Tyrion-Sansa), or also a beauty-and the-beast effect (Dany-Drogo, Dany-Jorah, Sandor-Sansa, Tyrion-Sansa). In the series this seems to have been toned down, partly because the actresses are or will be older by the time they shoot those scenes, partly because their partners are not beasts:
- Tyrion is a beautiful man
- Drogo IS scary but this fits with Daenerys’ perception (see below)
- Sandor is no Harvey Dent
- Jorah is very handsome, he’s no massive hairy black bear beside waifish Dany, quite the contrary: they look hot together.
Question: is it just Hollywood beautifying things, or will GRRM actually get some of these couples together in his future books, and so he worked with the production to minimize the icky factor? Let’s see:
- Tyrion-Sansa: already a moot point, I think.
- Dany-Jorah: unlikely, but I still hold a candle for them and they’d make a beautiful couple.
- Sandor-Sansa: unlikely, but blah blah candle and they’d make a beau… er… a less horrible couple than in the books. I get no pedo vibe from them at all, maybe because Sandor’s main problem is not exactly his age.
- Petyr-Sansa: unfortunately possible, but Petyr’s looks and youthfulness would make it less icky.
So, another intriguing instance of the possible feedback effect between the TV series and the book saga.
About Dany-Drogo: This is a touchy subject. She’s essentially condemned to legal rape: this is awful and would in no way be less so if her betrothed was nice-looking like Jason Momoa is in real life. However, if Drogo looked like Jason, Daenerys might have at least the comfort of hoping to come to an understanding with him. Instead Drogo looks alien, and a very important part of Daenerys’ evolution will be discovering that he is not so alien after all.
About Tyrion: little people were considered monstrous in the Middle Ages, just like women were considered inferior. The fact that the otherwise attractive Tyrion is seen as a monster is in no way a negative commentary on modern-day little people, just like us women should not be offended by the portrayal of the otherwise competent Catelyn, who has to fight her way to be by her son’s side in battle, and is still derided by the male knights for this.
(but not by her uncle the Blackfish: “the right woman in the right place” or something, sorry but it’s very late for me and I can’t even remember my man’s lines)
Add that Joanna Lannister died delivering Tyrion – hence much of the hostility towards him.
Blackfish BluesQuote Reply
OK, surprised people leapt on the Swede comment. Obviously, it was hyperbole, not the result of anthropological measurements.
However, the things I meant:
- European, and particularly Northern European, musculature and physique. I know people from other places can be big and strong, but it’s in different ways, and Drogo really looks like he has a european upper body. [Less so in the marriage scene, admittedly, but then he just looks weird in that one, I think he's posturing in some way]. This might be why I picked Sweden, as I associate this with Scandinavian throwers (obviously, not exactly, as throwers are specialised, and it’s close to a general strong-man/wrestler physique, but I don’t see a lot of them, so throwers are the mental default).
- European skin colour. OK, not Swedish, but lighter than I was expecting, and it seemed lighter than the stills I’d seen of him in Conan. I thought that if anything they’d try to make him look darker, rather than more European.
- European hair colour! Skin tones vary quite a lot, but light hair is very rare in the world outside Europe. His hair isn’t light by European standards, but it’s clearly brown rather than black, which emphasises the European (specifically northern European) appearance.
- European beard. Not so much from in-front, but from the side view it looks a very square, full beard of the kind you’d expect from northern Europe. Again from the side view, it also emphasises his very strong, square jaw, which also looks European.
—-
Regarding Sandor’s burns, perhaps we just have different ideas of what severe facial burns look like?
I imagined something like this , or this, or this.
Sandor’s burns look more like the results of successful plastic surgery than like ‘before’ pictures!
WastrelQuote Reply
Oh, for those unsure about palm trees: I know from experience that they have plenty of palm trees in Ireland, at least on the southern coast. Sad-looking palm trees covered in ivy, to be sure, but they are palm trees! Not out of place in King’s Landing at all, as long as they’re not TOO verdant.
WastrelQuote Reply
Wastrel,
Good! We might avoid a palm-gate. :D
I’d better be really off to sleep now…
Blackfish BluesQuote Reply
Bard of Awen,
Gendry’s reaction is actually perfectly faithful to the Gendry of the books. Gendry tells Arya that he “knows his courtesies,” he was taught by Tobho Mott to respect the nobles who came into the shop. Book Gendry would never snatch the helmet back from Ned. I wouldn’t have minded if they’d given Gendry more of a reaction, personally, but your “imaginings” do not gel with the character in the books.
A few observations in general: Gendry is a little older than written, but I don’t care since I’m not a shipper. And no, I don’t think it’ll have a major effect on Gendry letting Arya push them around. That could be played in any number of ways. It’s really not a big deal.
I think my only concern from the preview is one already mentioned- the wigs. They aren’t terrible, but they could be better. The tell-tale clumpiness and poofiness is obvious, and I hope that it’s improved, going forward.
I don’t understand people seeing a “flashback.” That’s Sean Bean on the ground with the rope, clear as day. Probably from the arrest scene.
Steve the PirateQuote Reply
Anyone else think Dinklage is trying to match his accent to Roy Dotrice’s version of Tyrion from the audiobooks? I know a lot of people like the way Roy does his voice, but I always thought he sounded a bit like a leprechaun.
Avalanche3319Quote Reply
As WiC’s resident hairline expert, I take the risk of entering WigGate yet again. At least in the case of Cersei’s most elaborate do, the chief hair stylist is doing a Lucy Lawless/Spartacus thing—Cersei’s wig is supposed to look like a wig. It would be the fashion among well-to-do women in many parts of the world (and still is, Katy Perry and Lady Gaga). Her loose hair is supposed to be natural and is less successful. Extensions would have worked far better but require much more maintenance. For what it’s worth, similar recent WigGates have boiled up over the Twilight movies’ Bella, Wuthering Heights’ Heathcliffe and Cathy, among others.
DH87Quote Reply
natasja,
I’m all about portraying the sansa/hound relationship as it was written. Which, indeed was SUPER CREEPY! And intended to be so, I think. I think the casting as it’s been done only emphasizes this. I just hope all the shippers will finally get the message.
userjQuote Reply
DH87,
I wasn’t actually referring to Cersei’s wigs, but the men’s. Jory’s, Ned’s (the poofiness is very visible when its pulled back), Robert’s…you get the idea.
Steve the PirateQuote Reply
My own FaBulous thoughts: Loving it so far!
Ned: The more I see, the more comfortable I am with Sean Bean, whereas before he worried me. I think he brings the perfect balance of doggedness and held-back emotion to the role, and may even make Ned slightly more likable. Though I do prefer him with the natural dark hair he wore before they re-shot everything rather than Boromir’s wig. I can’t imagine why they decided to lighten it, unless screen tests just showed it looked better that way. Oh well, can’t change it. That head’s already rolled.
Catelyn: Time will tell whether or not my re-reads of the series will change the “KATE-lin” pronunciation I always had in my head, but that’s on GRRM. Fairley looks as though she owns this role. Sure, I miss Ehle, I love Michelle as Catelyn. Love. She was never a pin-up model in my imagination.
Jon: Every clip I see, Harington looks better and better. Fucking love his intensity. He was a fantastic discovery. War horse!
Robb: I haven’t heard Madden speak yet, but so far he looks the part. Young Wolf indeed.
Sansa: Again, all I’m getting is nonverbals, but nothing so far has led me to believe Sophie Turner won’t be great in this role. The shy, sweet look she gives coming around that candelabra is the epitome of innocence, which is what she needs to portray in the early going. Whoever said she looks like she’s 18 is on crack. She may be tall, but that’s the face of a child. If they’re half as cruel to Sansa on the show as GRRM is to her in the books, and if Turner can cry at will, it will be wrenching to watch.
Arya: I’m getting a GREAT Arya vibe with every clip I see of Maisie. I think she just projects fantastically well, right through the eyes, and that’s what you need out of a great child actor. And yes, I noticed she drew Needle with her left hand. I actually said, “Oh my god,” out loud, when I saw her crouched at the feet of Baelor the Blessed.
Bran: Isaac honestly looks great, making a character who I always saw as slightly dull a lot more charming. I thought his slightly-uncomfortable expression as he watched the beheading was actually very good. What other child actor wouldn’t “go big” with this scene? I found it quite subtle.
Regarding the kids: I can’t stress enough that so much early buzz behind the scenes has been about the kids. The old Hollywood adage is that you simply hope the kids (or animals) don’t completely wreck a scene. And with these roles, with so much of the spotlight on them, it’s absolutely critical they get it right. From what I’ve heard and seen, Sansa, Arya, and Bran have all been grand slams.
Oh, and Rickon: I think I saw the back of his head. It’s blond. Perhaps to match Ned’s new hair color. Time will tell if Art is really good too. I wonder if he’ll get to scream a lot.
Robert: Looks good from here–and to me he looks like Robert Baratheon. Even his “War’s comin’ Ned” speech didn’t bother me, as I think it helps to highlight the rather pitiful man this formerly-great warrior has become. It makes him sound paranoid and ineffectual.
Cersei: Yes, of course, mark me down under the “her wigs suck” column, but aside from that I think Lena Headey is embodying this rather wonderfully serpentine role. We don’t see a lot of insanity from Cersei yet because, to her, everything is still under control. She’s manipulating thing and “winning the game,” so to speak. She needs to appear cool, calm, collected, and beautiful, and Headey is hitting all her marks.
Jaime: I really like his Malcolm Reynolds look, golden duster included. The casual, dismissive way he flicks out that sword, And the smirk is pure gold.
Tyrion: The “not ugly enough” complaint is one I never got. Like I just don’t see where these people are coming from at all. In Martin’s A Game of Thrones, there was hardly any mention of deformity other than dwarfism, which Dinklage clearly has. Is Dinklage a handsome dwarf? Sure. But he’s still a dwarf. He doesn’t require mismatched eyes and a scraggly beard for people to go, “Crikey, look at that thing!” People, no one is afraid of offending dwarfs. Certainly not the production company. Other than from Cersei, most of the “hideous” comments came after Tyrion got his face mangled at the end of ACoK, anyway. It was like, “Great, first I was a dwarf, now I’m a hideous dwarf.” What impact does the scar have if he’s already fugly? Come on, people.
(More to come…)
Fire And BloodQuote Reply
userj,
Well, you’re entitled to your opinion, certainly…. but I’ve read the same books also, and since Sansa is a particular favorite of mine, I’ve reread her chapters many times and didn’t feel creeped out by their interactions. I guess we’ll see how the production portrays it, eh? Same goes for Arya/Gendry. Which I’m guessing will be shown as a friendship with occasional moments of tenderness which could be seeds for a romance when Arya is older. I am totally befuddled by the outrage some express over the idea of either Stark girls having a crush on an older guy. Apparently those people have never been teenage girls. ;)
natasjaQuote Reply
- TEAM VISERYS. I always KNEW that Harry Lloyd was going to be awesome and seeing the trailer confirmed it. The crazy eyes, the nervous hand on the sword, the lines, it was all great. I also approve of HBO costuming him in reds and blacks, the colors of House Targaryen.
- I’m also going to have to go with “meh” on the dragon egg, sadly. Looked like a scaly black rock, when it should look like something more precious than jewels. But this was a behind-the-scenes-look, the egg may not have had post production spanglyness added to it yet. *fingers crossed for some future iridescence*
- Hound’s helmet, yay, love that they kept the snarling dog head.
- Excited to see a first glimpse of a dragon skull and to get some idea of what they might do looks wise for the live dragons later on in the series.
- Dinklage was fantastic as Tyrion, loved hearing lines from the book. Nothing else to say on that hasn’t been said by everyone else.
- My biggest issue: Now that I’ve gotten a proper look, I still don’t care for HBO’s take on Khal Drogo and the Dothraki in general. From the overuse of coarsely woven grasses and burlaps, to the torn flaps of leather and string hanging all over. I totally agree with the comment that the Dothraki look “ragtag”. The clothing does NOT look attractive or functional for a nomadic horse culture, which is weird since HBO made a big deal in the clip about functionality of their made-up cultures. Plus the blue paint smeared at random on the extras, rather than painted with seemingly ritual significance for the wedding. The Dothraki don’t come across as proud or warlike to me in this video, just primitive and shabby. One thing HBO did well was to keep the scene with the women dancing for the Khal and the men fighting over the women.
I think it goes without saying that this is just my personal opinion. Overall, I loved 95% of that clip and I’m really excited to see the finished series.
Half MyrishQuote Reply
Half Myrish,
VISERYS – holy crow, I had no idea how perfect Harry Lloyd would be also. Just love that bit of casting.
natasjaQuote Reply
Daenerys: Yes, wig, eyebrows, etc. etc. I am now of the belief that no one, ever, will solve the “let’s try to make silver hair look realistic” quandary. Hollywood is screwed in that regard. They may as well just give up and go for realism. That said, I am in love with Emilia Clarke’s voice, and much like Headey with Cersei, I think she is embodying the role magnificently. Her face is stunning. And wouldn’t you know it–she has boobs (farewell famous Viserys quip, farewell boobgate). If I can just not be distracted by that hair, she may very well end up being the Dany I always imagined.
Viserys: The wig looks better on him, for some reason, perhaps because of his pallor (though it still looks like a wig), but acting-wise Harry Lloyd seems to inhabit Viserys spot-on. His “When they write the history of my reign” speech was excellent.
Jorah: I like Iain Glen in this role very much. The ASoIaF Jorah was a slightly more pitiable creature, like you never thought for once he would even briefly entice Dany, whereas I think Glen gives him a stronger sort of charisma. I can’t wait for Dany and Jorah’s future scenes together.
Illyrio: I too prefer the morbidly obese McNiece in the role, but whatever. It’s small enough that it doesn’t truly matter to me. Even the lack of yellow beard gets the barest shrug.
Varys: Now this is spot on. Coneth Hill hath captured my wee little heart with but a wave of his hand. Possibly the biggest win in the shortest amount of time on screen.
Littlefinger: My first reaction to the modern haircut was “…iiii’m not sure I get it,” but after a few views I actually like it. It seems to me a pristine, fussy man like Petyr Baelish would keep everything nice and neat, and everything is. I would have cleaned up his goatee a little more, perhaps, but there’s a chance they’re trying to “age” Aidan Gillen up too, so they’re graying what they can. And I loved his delivery of the “trust” line to Ned. There’s a twinkle in his eye that makes the audience want to really believe he’s just playing around. I think the viewers will see it as banter. Gillen is great.
Jory: It seems as though Jamie Sives is getting an expanded role, and I love that, since it will probably give us some nice new scenes. The even stare he gave Varys is priceless. I want more of this! I’m digging the heavy metal hair too.
Rodrik: Dude looks like a dwarf straight out of some fantasy video game. I kind of love the sideburns. Donachie looks as sturdy as I always pictured Ser Rodrik.
Luwen: Looks like Donald Sumpter. Wish I saw a maester’s chain. Guess we’ll see what the future holds with that.
The Hound: Oh hell yes. To everything. That is all.
The Mountain: Who would have thought Conan Stevens could possibly look more badass? That black beard, the weird balding effect on his head… Man, no wonder Loras was crawling away.
Loras: No real opinion until I see more. He’s a fancy lad though!
Renly: Saw just a flash of him. Wish he was clean-shaved, but whatever. No opinion as yet.
Joffrey: I like the short “page boy” haircut. It makes him look arrogant yet harmless. Like how could you take that as a threat? Gleeson looks great, and oozes arrogance.
(Still more…)
Fire And BloodQuote Reply
Overall I really liked the look of things. I can’t get behind that version of a weirwood though. The face should look terrifying and savage. The children of the forest carved those faces ages ago, and with stone tools.
Nathan OliverQuote Reply
Steve the Pirate,
Yes, I’ve agreed before: Robert’s, Tyrion’s, Ned’s all have issues, as does Dany’s. Drogo’s spooky make up takes our eyes away from his wig, but I assume he gets a pass.
Natasja, I’m not alone here in picking up a little vibe between GRRM’s Arya and Gendry. I must believe that the casting of someone as old as Mr. Dempsie was D&D’s way of making sure the audience was clear that this was not a “relationship” with any romantic potential.
DH87Quote Reply
Last man standing…
Drogo: That’s a man’s man. For those of you screaming guyliner, I’ll throw a little history back in your faces: dude’s wearing kohl around his eyes. This is a fashion thing that goes back to about 3,500 BC, brought from Babylonian / Assyrian people to the Egyptians. It was often worn by women, but often also by men and believed to protect eyes from being blinded by the rays of the sun. So you see: Khal motherfucking Drogo is wearing shades, bro.
I think it’s bitchin’.
Overall look: I really can’t say enough about it. For me, the costuming, the props … nothing screams “cheap” about this, and we’re talking a TV show that does not have a major motion picture’s budget, especially for the comparative screen time time that’s allotted. Are the influences a mish-mash? Sure. But they should be. And I love–absolutely love–how they’re thinking about how each item makes logical sense. For me, that’s telling. But you know what? When they said HBO was doing this series, years ago, that’s sort of what I expected. And it’s why I followed production so closely.
Fire And BloodQuote Reply
Lastly:
(maybe)
Scaled Dragon Eggs: This was something I was initially put off about, but as I got to thinking… These are dragons. Literally the most powerful creature on the planet, and, as most people know, practically extinct. I would think at this stage, dragons might have evolution on their side, with the species doing whatever it can to ensure its survival in any way. And if that means layering its unborn in hard-as-stone scaled eggs, then that’s what it does. Call it a natural self-preservation mechanism.
I will be even happier if and when I know the three eggs are three different colors.
Fire And BloodQuote Reply
Fire And Blood,
I might have to re-read the bits about the eggs tonight , but I remember it being mentioned they were scaled . Also, wasn’t their irridescence accentuated after Dany put them in her brazier ? Can’t quite remember that part.
obsidianQuote Reply
Fire And Blood,
Agreed. To everything.
After watching the video for the first time I finally got the feeling I had been waiting for, the feeling of ‘Oh my god. They got it right!’
Viserys-Harry Lloyd IS Viserys to the bone in the short clip shown here. Intimidating, self-righteous, formidable despite his desperate situation.
Danaerys-Love how we see both the meek, innocent Dany and the Khaleesi Dany. She is going to be great. Bonus points for being the most beautiful woman I have ever seen on a screen!
Catelyn-Looks like Catelyn. She is very beautiful for her age and looks, frankly, considerably better than Ehle would. It is realistic how Littlefinger has fallen for her.
Eddard-I see Eddard more and Boromir less with every clip of Sean Bean here. This is a relief. That was my only worry, I always knew he would be great as Ned.
Jon-Now I see Kit Harington as Lord Snow. He brings the right combination of angst and heroic potential to the role.
Bran, Sansa, Arya- Will be so awesome.
The Hound, The Mountain, Loras-So happy to see a clip of their fight! Epic. Gregor is freaking SCARY. Loras looks like the headstrong youth he should be.
Jaime-NCW IS Jaime. There is no other way to describe it. Smug, smart, arrogant. Interested to see his new scene with Jon. I keep thinking of Jon’s thought of how he looks considerably more kingly than Robert.
Robert-Looks exactly how I imagined Robert. A formidable man who has let himself go and is tired of his rule.
Cersei-Lena’s wig is growing on me, I think (the normal one, not the crazy Princess-Leia one…I’ll probably overlook it during the actual scene). I like the subtlety in her ‘So was I’ scene. Great line delivery, I think she will nail the role of Cersei, the hardest role to cast in Season 1.
Tyrion-Peter Dinklage was born to play this role. Enough said.
Littlefinger-So full of win. So sneaky, omniscient, so…Littlefinger! I have not seen his performance in The Wire yet so I wasn’t sure what the big fuss was all about. Now I get why.
Robb-He just oozes power and strength. He is The Young Wolf.
Joffrey-looks like the psychotic little bitch he is. I hate him already :)
Renly-Not so sure yet, but then there has not been a shot yet that shows the essence of his personality. I hope they don’t show the ‘praying’ scene if Season 2 happens. It’s offscreen in the book and should stay that way.
Alliser Thorne-Like Joffrey, I saw him for all of 2 seconds and already dislike him
Drogo-I feel like I am in the minority for this, but I like his look. Savage yet powerful and in control.
Now I just want to see Bronn and Tywin.
Oh and the ‘teaser’ at the end (for lack of better term)? Just as cool as the one from last week, with Old Nan’s foreboding words about fear expanded a bit. Got some footage of the prologue! And the IRON THRONE! And a DRAGON EGG! Man I am so overwhelmed. Cannot wait for April.
The Young WolfQuote Reply
If it turns out to be a fever dream, then all wildling bets are off.
Har!
the goatQuote Reply
After numerous watchings of this inside of game of thrones. I have this:
The Good:
The sets are beautiful. Kings Landing is growing on me. The North is near spot on, minus the snow and the epic largeness of it.
The Dragon egg. Beautiful. I hope they give it a little red glimer and sheen to the egg. It looks pure black, but that could change when we see it full effect. As the are supposed to be looking treasure gem like if I remember.
Robb looks damn near spot on in my vision.
As much as I was hoping to see more grey colored clothing and even maybe some white in the Stark family. I understand the direction HBO went with practical clothing and leather. Just wish we would see some of the Stark colors in their clothing much like we see in the Lannisters.
Dany looks great!
DRAGON SKULL! Can’t wait to see that finished!
I can’t wait to see Littlefinger in broader action. Mockingbird indeed.
The Iron throne, even though blurred. Looks good. I hope it looks just as dangerous to sit upon as described.
The Dothraki have grown on me. I can understand the beard on Drogo. Being that was was just played as Conan. Wearing a Fu manchu wouldn’t work. They needed to distance themselves from that role. One barbarian type to the next. Hope we get to see bells in his long hair.
The Bad:
I was hoping to see at least a little more snow, not a lot but a little throughout winterfell scenes. This leads into no snow in the discovering of the direwolf scene. Thats kinda critical IMO, with the white direwolf pup. Takes away that beautiful scene where Jon discovers it after they are about to leave. Plus the blood in the snow would have had more of a dramatic effect.
As much as I love the look of the hound. I was hoping for far more scarring on his face. Darker and more spread out even down to the chin. To definitely make scenes with Sansa far more dramatic. Loved his helmet. Nice depiction.
Wintefell’s heart tree is a far cry from what’s described. Of course we don’t get a distant shot. But I can’t see much bone white to the bark/wood of the tree. And the face…the carved face in the tree…oh boy. From a distance it wouldn’t be noticeable. But HBO decided to go with a celtic green mans face…to give it a “children of the forest” effect. Ok I can go with that. But why not change it up a little, more unique. Make it a little more shocking, bigger and bolder even a little frightening closer to whats described, they just slapped a copy of a green mans face on the tree. Catelyn finds it creepy and this isn’t creepy at all. Should be more archaic in carving. It’s to pristine and delicate in its carving.
Ok. So Renly has really short hair and facial hair. Totally throwing out the description. HBO…why?
The Ugly :
The outfit Littlefinger is wearing in the garden with Ned. All I have to wonder is wtf was Clapton thinking? Was she watching Star Wars and thought a certain outfit with some changes would look good on Petyr. Thank God for the Mockingbird pin. This is Clapton’s weirdest design descision in costuming thus far.
What’s happening to the direwolf art. The neck seems to keep getting longer and longer and with every new shot, the direwolf head was odd looking to start with. My father thought it was a dragon. “That’s supposed to be a wolf”
Well that’s my thoughts.
I wonder if the marketing team will put forth character figures, dolls or busts. Or even miniature sets like from Sideshow collectables. Imagine having a copy of the Iron throne sitting on your bookshelf holding up your books and on the other end maybe even the ancestral Stark throne. How bout replicas of the crowns and what not…mmm.
Speaking of the Ancestral Stark throne. I wonder if HBO even included that in the hall?
WolfheartQuote Reply
King’s Landing is not in Ireland.
Upside, when they greenlight season two, you all will continue to have something to bitch about. Thanks for watching.
the goatQuote Reply
I’ve added quite a few shots of actors in costume to my cast gallery. (WiC, feel free to make use of any images you want for your cast gallery, if they can be of use).
LexQuote Reply
Nobody asks for a pin-up model, that’s not right to imply that of people who disagree with you.
I really don’t like so much the explanations for Catelyn’s appearance I read here often. She raised five kids in a medieval setting and lived in North, so what? Winterfell is North’s nicest castle with the best maester and most comfortable warm furnishings, and Catelyn has the nicest room here. Women have easier jobs and Catelyn has it easiest of any woman, she has servants helping her raise children with nursing and even education and probably they do most of the work. She is not a servant herself doing physical labor. If its only pregnancy, then it should be that way for all mothers in the story, even Cersei Lannister, Allerie Tyrell, Ellaria Sand. They have three and four kids, also a lot. But should Ellaria Sand look tired and endured? She probably will look sexy and sensual Dornishwoman. So this is inconstant. In reality Ned has much harder a life than Catelyn, always outside fighting or hunting, but Bean looks younger and less faded. Catelyn has hardness only emotionally and inside, and nothing physical to make her look tired and endured. She handled North well, Catelyn is supposed to be stronger and doing her duty with colors flying. The hard life raising kids is only made up by people explaining the casting. If she looks more ordinary and realistic okay, but then some other characters should look even more ordinary and realistic. Even when she becomes the depressed widow with kids always in danger, Brienne says she was smooth and strong and handsome, not endured and brittle. Maybe Catelyn is not the most beautiful woman in the story but she is still beautiful. And here is what I truly wanted to say: they changed Catelyn here, okay, you can like it or say that talent is more important. But don’t say it equals the books! It is a change.
InésQuote Reply
I don’t remember Catelyn ever being described as beautiful. Only pretty, handsome – that sort of thing. You can’t say that Fairley not being pretty is a fact. I think she’s pretty, and my opinion is not “wrong”. So no – no change as far as i’m concerned.
sjweningsQuote Reply
What I find interesting is that although Aiden Gillen is 42, he has a youthful exuberance about him. I think he’s *way* more attractive than Michelle Fairely (although I find him exceedingly sexy, so I may have a bias here). Not trying to beat a dead horse, as I’ve been more than wonderously happy with all the casting, design, and costume decisions. I’m hoping her talent shows through enough that it will be believable that Littlefinger pines for her, and from what I’ve seen she has a lot of gravitas and seriousness – I’m hoping she can exude sex appeal as well (and really if you have that, looks are much more secondary anyway).
Will it be a make it or break it thing for me? Absolutely not. I’m easily pleased, super duper stoked about the series.
SmegmaQuote Reply
I don’t know if anyone mentioned this but in the secene when dani and viserys are talking, dani eyes are blue while in other secenes/ interviews they are brown.
bastardQuote Reply
When did you see her with brown eyes? Her eyes are naturally blue/gray so I highly doubt that.
SmegmaQuote Reply
natasja,
Absolutely agree – he was a big surprise for me too. It was only a small clip of him, but he really WAS Viserys! And I don’t “see” the wigs – I mean I know they’re wigs but they look fine to me and they don’t irritate me – except for Cersei’s.
Go Harry Lloyd!
Gendry – I think should be younger and bigger
Renly – just don’t see it – looks nothing like my idea of him – or the description in the book. Having met Gethin though – he was pretty – I just thought he’d be wearing a wig and shaving….
Littlefinger – looks good, though his hair seems too modern among all the wigs, don’t get that. Also I’m not convinced by the accent – yet – will have to hear some more, that was only a short clip. We always knew he’d have the sly, sarcastic look down pat!
Tyrion – LOVED Tyrion!
Jon – I think he’ll develop into a big presence in the series.
Stark kids – wow!
Drogo – not how I thought he’d look, but he does look scary and certainly a leader of warriors as such. Can live with the beard.
Catelyn – absolutely great! exactly my idea of her – the bone structure, the colouring, she’d just right! and we’ve seen the acting chops in the short scene with Ned.
Ned – just great! Love Sean Bean – he shows great emotion with just a slight change of expression. Preferred the darker hair, but WTH it doesn’t matter a jot as long as he’s as good as we’ve seen so far!
Overall – great clip – can’t wait for April!
SilverjaimeQuote Reply
Over at Westeros, Ran confirms the hole in the Eyre hall to be the Moon Door (a rather interesting concept I think, while maybe less impressive than its book counterpart) and suggests that the weirwood face may have been redesigned for the pilot reshoots
DomQuote Reply
Inés,
It’s true she is described in the books as beatiful, but as we all know beauty is something relative. How are they supposed to cast someone EVERYONE think looks beatiful? It’s impossible. She is also older than in the books, but since they have aged most of the cast I don’t see this as a problem. When it comes to attractiveness, youth is not everything, not even for a woman. I think she looks very attractive for her age, you obviously don’t. That’s to bad, but as I said, you can’t please all fans all the time. The important thing though is not if she looks Catelyn or not, but if she can act Catelyn. That goes for all the cast by the way. As long as their performance reach my standards I’m happy.
BobbenQuote Reply
Fire And Blood,
hmmm….
evolution just doesn’t work this way.
Amir MishaliQuote Reply
I finally got some time to write my 2 cents:
Drogo: I thought it was a very easy one to get right, because Momoa is perfect for Drogo. But I don’t really like what they’ve done with him. Lacking the mustache is fine (whould have looked weird) but I don’t like his light-blue tatoos and the heavy black make-up. If he’ll not be wearing these all the time (like only for the wedding) I might change my mind. And it’s not like they’d cast Peter Drinklabe as Drogo. ;) So it’s fine.
Ilyrio: Also not what i imagined. But after some time I got used to him. I’d prefer him to look fatter and wealthier.
Viserys: He was the one who stood out to me after watching it for the first time. Mad, but still subtle. I mean not ridiculously batshit crazy (although Viserys is)..He made it not look/sound weird. This kind of character has been done very badly before in sf and fantasy. But here it was just perfect. The wig didn’t look bad at all…I think he’ll be the one all the former Snape/Lucius/Draco Fans will fancy. ;)
Dany: Very lovely girl. Especially in her scene with Viserys and also how the siblings stood behind Ilyrio got me, their interaction was very telling. Yes, the eyebrows irk me…but I think I’ll get used to it. I like her costumes, even the much talked about one. It fits the scene.
Jorah: like him.
All the stark children are perfect. Sansa is very pretty. Arya is lovely, she doesn’t even need to say a word and I’m sold on her. Bran’s story in the first season will be hard to watch…Robb..I got to agree with Ran (I think Ran was the one who wrote it). This guy got perfect genes. ;) I hope we see Rickon soon.
So according to GRRM Robb and Jon are as close as brothers…they ARE brothers right? ..right? right? lol As a RLJ believer, I’m glad about this implication (wishful thinking here on my side).
Jon: Also not what I imagined him to look like originally. But with black curls there was no hard time convincing me. Love the actor’s facial expression when Jon’s upset. I think he captured his character very well, in what we’ve seen so far.
Ser Alliser: I waited for the mean pun while he praised Jon…I guess they leave that for the series…
Ned , Catelyn and Jory: All three very good. Catelyn wasn’t exacly my favourite character in the books. Fairly could make her more likeable to me.
Tyrion: perfect
Jaime: I love how you can even see the later-book Jaime in him. Not just a handsome douche. His armour looks fantastic. Of course it’s not the kingsguard white or the shining gold, but as itself it looks quite beautiful.
Cersei: I was very happy with her casting. When she comes into a room all eyes should go to Cersei… By toning down her colours a bit, I think they took that away… If it’s not the colours, I don’t know what it is. She’s very good, but I’m still not totally sold.
Baratheons: Even if Renly doesn’t look like described I like him. Probably because the actor looks so likeable. I’m sold on Robert. What if he is not as tall as the mountain? Addy is Robert.
Gendry: I’m probably one of the few who think that his age isn’t a problem. Genrdy looks too old an bulky for his age and acts so stubborn that he is very childlike. I think Maisie and Joe chould have great chemistry on screen (even if it’s a little bit different chemistry than in the books). It was even weird in the book to notice that there could be a hint of romance. Because of so much that sperated them. But as a reader I wanted it all the same, with a soure taste… I mean even in the book he is about 15 and Arya 9? 10? And I liked how the actor deliverd his line.
Littlefinger: I’m very happy with him. I like the mocking bird. :)
The Hound and Varys: Like they came right out of the book.
SchlafmohnQuote Reply
about the flashbacks…
What about the bed scene with a Targaryen (in
http://tulenjajaanlaulu.webs.com/apps/photos/?ss=10529665
just before the screenshot of the tied Ned)…..
…RLRLRLRLRL ….
jaybeQuote Reply
And dragons don’t exist. Fantasy world people! Evolution might work this way in George’s mind – so maybe it works this way in his world.
OhDanyBoyQuote Reply
OhDanyBoy,
I don’t have any problems with the dragon eggs.
I was just saying that FaB’s way of looking at evolution was wrong. And if evolution works differently in GRRM’s mind, then it’s not evolution, it’s something else.
Amir MishaliQuote Reply
jaybe,
I’m pretty sure that’s Viserys and Doreah, not R and L.
Fluke200Quote Reply
Avalanche3319,
I’m no expert on accents, but Dotrice’s Tyrion sounded like a pretty strong Welsh accent. Jaime sounded similar, but to a lesser degree. In the video, it sounds more like RP.
SirOccamQuote Reply
Evolution: A gradual process in which something changes into a different and usually more complex or better form.
Although the rate at which this evolution may occur can vary (and is indeed very slow as we know it), FaB didn’t state a speed for this to occur. Dragons have been dying out for centuries, possibly even millenia, so it is not out of the realm of possibility that some evolution may occur over this period. Such as slowly developing more defenses for the eggs they hatch. Consider the fact that these are creatures that breathe fire, fly, and NEVER stop growing.
Just because the evolution FaB referenced doesn’t fit with the template most biological evolution does (time wise) doesn’t mean it is not evolution.
OhDanyBoyQuote Reply
That was an absolutely awesome eleven and a half minutes of shear film making academia. Been working on finals last couple of days so haven’t really been able to focus on or write opinions of HBO’s latest badassery. Anyway I have to mention that Dragonskull, its not just huge but obscenely garagantuan, I mean when you add the body, tail and wings that behemoth would be close to the size of a football stadium (or field at the least). How on earth would someone ride that, you would be just a speck on its back (this could be where Warging comes in).
It will be interesting to see the reimagined Eyrie, with that new Moon Door relocation, the Eyrie hall sticks way out into emptiness, would like to see how they structural handle it.
Love all the new clips of the cast, can see now why they chose Emelia after the segment where she and Viserys are introduced.
I was able to spot Ser Barristan next to Robert at the Tourney, apparently they went with close cropped hair and no beard (so the viewers won’t recognize him later).
NCW is Jaime the more I see of his performance, the same with the the Starks (I mean all of them and yes even Catelyn for those Cat haters), I myself am a dog lover, the Hound rocks, especially that helm of his. They have done a good job with his makeup, ty for not going 2-face crazy. Can’t wait for the Hound/Sansa kiss.
What can I say about Tyrion and Cersei, perfect, I love the Lea look, very medieval infact. We get to see Lena in a different dress and doo probably every scene, same with Sansa more than likely.
Littlefinger is Petyr, period and Varys gave me the creeps. I like the armor they used for the two knights spying on Ned, very well done. The costuming department will win shelves of awards, along with makeup and sets (have to wait on the visuals though and not enough yet to jump the gun on who will receive acting and directing nods).
My one gripe is the wedding scene, that brief glimpse in the first teaser I thought was better, the fight was brutal, violent and you could tell to the death, while the fight looks to have changed to a saloon brawl from the old west, it appears they are just having a friendly fisticuffs, even throwing their swords to the side.
Overall you can see HBO has done a perfect job.
TysnowQuote Reply
The HOUND & the MOUNTAIN! Nuff said!
Although the set pieces for Drogo and crew seem a little Theme Parkish, the rest of the set seems well thought out.
ValarMorghulisQuote Reply
Smegma,
I thought i saw brown eyes. my bad.
bastardQuote Reply
Well, I in fact think the Hound almost attractive in the Series and Sansa Looks Köder than I imagined, so to me it makes it even less creepy.
Completely agree with whoever it was who said “they have never been a teenage girl.”
JennyQuote Reply
In my previous short reaction I just agreed with everyone on the quality and expressed a couple of concerns on two points. However, I now feel I should add some specific praise: Maisie Williams is simply amazing! Great to see her in each new photo or clip. (oh and Lloyd is wonderfully crazy :))
Hear Me RoarQuote Reply
Dom,
Odd, I always thought the Moon Door was in the floor in the books also (though my imagined look of it was a bit different)
userjQuote Reply
Jenny,
My parents will tell you in great detail that I was definitely a teenage girl – with all the drama and bratiness inherent. :p And of course crushes on older guys are normal.
This has very little to do with Sansa and the Hound, though. I read their interaction as entirely 1-sided. Sansa is a totally totally naive 11-13 year old. And indeed like other girls, she does have crushes on older guys – Loras, later Willas/puppies!!! The Hound idealizes Sansa – she exhibits the innocence he had before his face was burned (oh cruel world!). And in fact although The Hound sexualizes these feelings a bit, even he can’t go through with it (“it” being raping an innocent girl – yay!). Sansa is clearly disturbed by Sandor in every scene they are in together… Do his actions make a mental impression on her that haunts her? Naturally! He’s a violent, bitter, ugly, old man who is entirely too interested in her for many reasons! Does this mean she is crushing on him? I don’t think so!
Most of the hound/sansa fans think of him as young (mid twenties), and quite handsome/sexy other than his burn scars. A vision which should surely have been put to rest by the casting of Rory McCann and the design of the character. He’s been aged up to 40+ and is not at all attractive.
userjQuote Reply
That comment makes me feel a little better because the face was the only thing I was dissapointed with.
As far a the Eryie goes, I’m more curious what the exteriors of the castle will look like now due to the re-design. That’s going to be one huge cantilever of the throne room. I really don’t mind it being in the center of the room it’s kind of more cerimonial however, how do you see the moon out of that?
dizzy_34Quote Reply
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JJR3eBfcusM
9:50 minutes
Is it a sex scene Viserys?
The second 00:27
Who can be?
thedoorsQuote Reply
Inés,
Beauty is subjective. As a guy pushing 40, I find our HBO Cat to be a beautiful woman, with the right amount of Winterfell hard living showing in her face. Part of her beauty is her weathered resilience. She moved voluntarily to the north, a harsh environment.. she has endured the stress & shame of Ned’s infidelity for over 10 years.. She is a woman who is strong and practical, and who is also a little bit brittle and embattled. Returning to the subject of physical appearance, I have no problem believing that the Mockingbird could hold a torch for her. In the reality of love, especially as one gets older, the heart wants what the heart wants.. ideals of external beauty lose their importance.
Some of you (not neccessarily you, Inés) really seem to be basing your preferences for these characters on visuals that I’ve never seen.. calendars? Fan art? I don’t know.
BradQuote Reply
Brad,
That’s well said Brad.
dizzy_34Quote Reply
jenny/natasja/others: the creepy thing isn’t the thought of a young girl having a crush on an older man. The creepy thing is the older man reciprocating. Particularly in the case of San/san, you’ve got a horribly scarred middle-aged serial killer fantasising about raping and murdering a barely-teenage virgin girl. I don’t see how this can NOT be creepy! It’s not the fact that naive girls have inappropriate crushes that’s the problem, it’s the paedophiles who exploit those crushes who we find creepy!
goat: not sure why you’re bitching at us for ‘bitching’, while at the same time attack the series’ botany…
In any case, thank you, I’m not an idiot, I know King’s Landing isn’t in Ireland. Allow me to elucidate my chain of reasoning:
- Some people worried KL might be too cold for palm trees
- Ireland is not too cold for palm trees
- Ireland is vastly to the north of KL’s purported latitude, which is around about northern Italy or Spain.
- Ergo, KL is not too cold for palm trees.
It’s true that the gulf stream is a distorting factor here, but I think that’s made up for by the size of the difference in latitude…
WastrelQuote Reply
I’ve seen a couple people mention that the Moondoor is now a hole in the floor.
Where did that come from? Is there a photo of it?
EdQuote Reply
Bobben,
I agree completely! Most of Tyrion being “ugly” stems from other people perception that dwarfs are ugly.
Brienne is ugly to the other characters cause she doesn’t fit into their perception of what a lady looks like.
Michael SilvaQuote Reply
However, our modern notions of pedophilia would not apply in a kingdom based on the Middle Ages, a time in which it was perfectly acceptable for a young girl to be wedded and bedded from the time of her first menstruation. This may make it difficult for us as modern viewers to watch, but neither GRRM nor HBO are known for shying away from upsetting visuals, and it would be true to the period. Now, I am not saying that I foresee the consummation of a Sandor and Sansa relationship, but if it did occur, it would not be out of place historically.
Fluke200Quote Reply
If you look at the preview, there is a view of a set after the discussions with Gemma Jackson on the art direction in the series. The set depicts some odd wooden treeish stump thing with some objects upon it (in fact, the odd wooden treeish stump thing is a weirwood throne, though the wood is not white) on a dais in a circular chamber. The chamber has stairs around the perimeter and some greenish flaked paint mural on the wall decorating the room in recessed panels.
In the centre of that chamber before the dais, there is a round recessed area in the floor surrounded, in part by a low marble bench.
It is generally believe that what we are seeing in that scene is a view of a CGI set for the throne room in the Vale. That recessed floor in the centre of the chamber is, in fact, a trapdoor. The trapdoor is the “moon door”.
I’m fine with that design on an artistic basis. It’s interesting on an architectural basis and changes nothing significant about the nature of the moon door (it is clearly still a method of execution by throwing someone out of the Eyrie). The change should have no real impact on the scene in the last chapter in ASoS in which is it so important.
The only exception I take to the art direction concerning the weirwoods is that weirwood is clearly described as white in color, not a grey driftwood style coloring as the CGI throne appears to be.
Similarly, the sap of the weirwoods is clearly blood-red. This is repeated several times in the text, and Jon Snow seizes upon it towards the end of ASoS , using the link between the white weirwood with blood red eyes as the benefactor as to why he has Ghost. It is for this reason that he ultimately turns down Stannis’ offer. I didn’t see this sap in the weirwood face carved in the heart tree near behind Ned in the preview.
So, it is not as if the coloring of the weirwood has ZERO impact upon the plot. I hope they change their decision and at some stage attempt to make the weirwood more whitish in color.
It may be that they tried to do so already and found that while it makes for a good notion in a txt, visually, when tried in CGI or with paint, it looks off and “fake”. If that’s so – then fine. If they tried it and it doesn’t work visually, then at least they should tell us that they tried it and the reason it was rejected. I’m quite content with such an explanation — as long as they tried it first.
The same considerations apply to purple eyes and the failure to dye Emilia Clarke’s eyebrows a more blonde color. These things are easy to write, but in terms of their practical effect on a film-set production, they can be troublesome and visually distracting and “fake”. (When it comes to faintly colored eyebrows, they can be hard for the camera to see and effect how a viewer judges an actor’s facial expressions when the eyebrows are hard to see. Generally? It just doesn’t work on a practical basis).
There are all sort of practical reasons why practical artistic choices must be different from the text of a novel. HBO just needs to mention it to us and explain it briefly at some point – that’s all. Seems to me that the production diaries are particularly well suited as the venue to provide that that sort of information to fans.
Steel_WindQuote Reply
People on production were quoted as saying those mustaches were real. Not to say it is necessarily true, but why lie about something like that? The hair looked fine to me, except Lena Headey’s in some spots.
Tyler MetcalfeQuote Reply
Dom,
“Make him drop,Mother!” does not have quite the ring to it.
OldGranQuote Reply
Steel_Wind,
That scene is not done in CGI – it is a shot of a live set.
OhDanyBoyQuote Reply
jaybe,
I’ve just re-reading AGOT and found mentioned that Illyrio let Viserys to have sex with Doreah. You can read in Daenerys, episode 4. Wow, they turned a simple mention into an actual sex scene. Hum, I think I’m ok with it.
Rinoa De la PicaQuote Reply
It might be nice if they did, but they don’t need to. Most people are perfectly capable of watching a show and deciding whether it works or not on its own merits, without having to read a justification for every single change from the source material.
mummerQuote Reply
It just took me an hour and a half (possibly longer) to read from where I’d last commented yesterday to the end of today’s comments. D:
I think there were probably some people I’d specifically wanted to reply to but there is no way I am going back up there to look for them, so I’ll just give my two cents on some of the controversies and opinions that I noticed coming up a lot.
Gendry: I was VERY impressed by his acting, and since I didn’t remember how old he was in the books it didn’t bother me. That said, if someone on here is an intense Gendry fan (or a Gendry/Arya fan, as apparently there are a few on here) then I can understand why those people may be concerned. For me though, this is the same issue for all of the characters in the series, just by virtue of almost (if not) everyone having been aged up for the show. I mean, I understand why HBO did it and I think it makes sense that they did it, but I don’t think, for instance, that the Dany/Drogo relationship in the show can have quite the same effect as it did in the books, being that she is now much closer to what we would consider a reasonable(ish) age (and heavy emphasis on the “ish”) than Dany was in the books. That is not to say that some of the dynamic will not still be the same, but just that it is by nature different. When it comes to teenagers and children, there is quite a big leap between 13 and 15, and most definitely between 13 and 17 (which, I THINK, Dany is supposed to be in the show?? Feel free to correct me).
Fairley: I’m 24, and I actually think she’s a bit of a hottie. :/ Besides which, I think Brad makes some excellent points a few comments above. I never really liked Catelyn in the books, but Littlefinger is one of my favourite characters, and I could always see why he would like her. I also kind of wonder if we would be having this discussion at all if we were talking about a middle-aged male character. I mean, sure, people have expressed opinions concerning whether or not a male actor in such-and-such a role is how they pictured that character, etc, but it doesn’t seem like many people have these concerns to do with the attractiveness of OLDER male characters. It seems a bit unfair to me, but who knows, maybe I’m being unfair in my assessment, and someone has previously expressed concern that Ned, Littlefinger, etc are not attractive enough.
Dany: No one’s really said anything negative about her in this thread (at least not much), but I’ve been pretty critical of her in the past so I wanted to mention what I thought.
I really like the actress and I love the way she talks about the books and the show. What we saw of her alleviated many of my fears. The weird thing for me is, much like Wastrel, I don’t like Dany as a character. I never really felt for the Dothraki characters or Dany and co (except for Jorah, who is one of my favourite characters). I know this is ridiculous, but a part of me dreads the the meeting of Tyrion and Dany, because he’s one of my favourite characters and I feel like I may find his interactions with her boring .
Despite this, I’ve talked more about Dany and the Dothraki than I have about any other characters in the adaptation. I think, for me, part of that is because I was unfairly hoping HBO would make me care more about them. I was one of very few people who liked Tamsin Merchant much better for Dany, and in fact, the casting of Tamsin made me interested in that part of the story for the first time. Suddenly I felt like I understood Dany a bit better, and that she would be different than the kind of…generic, “pretty-pretty” images that I’ve seen around the internet in fanart that’s done of her. To me she’s always come off as a bit of a Mary Sue and a kind of…fanboy fantasy-girl. I often felt sorry for her in the books, but in a kind of detached way. I guess I wanted the show to make her more real for me. I’m sure Emilia Clark will do a good job in the role, and she seems like such a lovely person IRL that I WANT to like her as Dany. She just doesn’t seem like a scene-stealer, exactly, and I think Dany, as a very main character, may need to be. Probably the actress will rise to the challenge though, and I’m expecting to see her developing a lot as the series continues!
For me though, Harry Lloyd just…wow. There are not words. I thought he was fantastic as Viserys and I think he’ll be a showstopper for sure. I did really like the short scenes that the Targaryens had together as well– I thought Harry and Emilia played very well off of each other.
Illyrio: I’m fine with the acting, but his costume was too toned-down for Illyrio. The costume itself was well-made and had an attractive style to it, but Illyrio just needs more bling. Way more bling. I think they could have done this with the yellow beard, but even if they’d left that out, they still could have added rings or more gold on his costume or necklaces…Illyrio is one character where I think “cheese” is a good thing.
King’s Landing: I think it looks nice (from what I’ve seen), but I agree that Pentos and KL need to be better differentiated than they seem to be. This was a worry that I remember a few people having back in the day (the day probably being last month, haha). I can’t remember if I was one of them, but I think I may have been. A warmer, more Byzantine-ish KL in fine, as long as, correspondingly, you then shift other areas along with it. In my mind KL was always kind of like France, which does have some very warm areas and which is certainly warmer than northern England (which seems to be the inspiration here for Winterfell). Byzantium works too, but it will take getting used to.
The Eyrie: Quite a few aesthetic changes here. My main question is to whether is will look quite as closed-in when we actually see it with characters and cgi. I’m thinking the new moon door will be more forbidding in the final product. I hope so, anyway. I did so want to see it brought to life how it was in the books, but if it’s done well this way I’m sure that will be fine too! The colours and painting and everything are all beautiful.
Littlefinger: I am a huge Littlefinger fan. Upon initially watching Aiden Gillen as LF I was impressed, and strangely, I wasn’t really bothered by the lack of his black goatee. I think the sharpness of his features give the same effect, and so it wasn’t the disappointment I thought it might be. I think his costume is fine, and unlike a few people have said, I don’t think Gillen overdoes it. There’s also a lot of dialogue that’s missing from what we are shown that will inevitably make it less pithy than it comes across in the preview.
Cersei: I’m fine with her wigs and her acting. I didn’t like Headey for Cersei at first, but the more I see the more I warm up to her. The wigs everyone seems to think look the most fake are likely meant to look like fake hair, which was a genuine style in the middle ages, so no complaints. I actually love the intricacy of it and how authentically medieval it looks.
Dothraki: I’m mostly okay with Drogo’s look, but the Dothraki as a whole are a little disappointing in many ways. I felt as though they were much more “put together” in the books– much more of a force and a presence. The look of them in the show feels more like how I pictured the various peoples whom they attack. Yes, there should be some cultural similarities, but this is a very powerful group of people, and one with skill and quite a lot of material wealth. I feel like the image we’re getting is more like how Westeros THINKS the Dothraki to be, versus how the audience knows that they are from experiencing them first hand. I feel like they should have better equipment. :/
As I said though, probably my least favourite part of the books anyhow, but I a part of me still feels disappointed.
HOWEVER. I remember a discussion between Half-Myrish and myself about Dany’s clothing in that still, and I would like to say that I do appreciate that she seems to be wearing riding-pants in that scene with Jorah (and not a skirt, as we feared).
Renly’s hair: Sad that it’s not long like in the books, which I think would have suited the actor as well, but it’s not a deal-breaker. Maybe they wanted to contrast it with our modern notion of long hair being effeminate, and so having a gay character in the show being one of few with the “manly,” short cut, is them having some fun with the audience. In the early medieval Frankish kingdoms, it was actually considered unmanly to have short hair, so there’s also that possibility (and perhaps also the reasoning behind the change for Jamie and Joff, who always seemed more effeminate in terms of their appearance, in the books).
Brandon(?) Stark: I will reiterate what I said back when the comments were still in the hundreds (lol). I can’t see how this is not some kind of flashback. It may well be Ned dreaming he is in Brandon’s place (hence the age and the Beanishness of “Brandon”), but there is no way that the person sitting on that throne is not a Targaryen. With the ropes and the Targaryen on the throne I think this must be a flashback.
Jamie: One of the few characters that this preview made me worry about more than I was, and I think I’m the only person in this string of comments. o.o I was very pleased with the promo shot from a few weeks ago, but Jamie immediately jumped out at me from the screen in the preview on Sunday (and not in a good way). I really do think his hair looks much too modern, and combined with some of his more modern clothing it really sticks out amidst the other costumes and styles of the characters. During that shot of him turning around at Winterfell to speak to Jon, his coat looks almost Victorian. My first thought was actually that this was a shot of the actor from another movie and they were just showing off NCW. I don’t think it was designed to look that way, as we have seen the sketch, I believe, for that particular costume, but when seen in the flesh it just looks…VERY out of place (to me). Short hair in and of itself doesn’t bother me, but the style of it just doesn’t look right somehow, and I would have liked to have seen it a bit more blond. I realize this is nitpicking, but it’s also something that really wouldn’t have been hard to do, and with the Lannisters I feel as though it’s enough of an important feature that it stick around (especially when it’s also related to a plot point).
Lannister look: Not nearly so Asian as I had feared– happy to concede to my worries having been for naught. XD
Dinklage’s accent: Am I the only one who thinks he sounds hilarious? I think his acting is amazing, and he’s otherwise great in the part, but I just hope his accent becomes less ridiculous as he gets used to it.
Out-of-character/period dialogue (Jamie/Ned): It’s obviously staying, so I’m just going to ignore it and pretend it doesn’t exist, because it is just cheesy and…yeah, out of character.
BRONN: Okay, no one’s mentioned it, but did anyone else notice that he looks MUCH more like he’s described in the books in these shots?? I already liked him from what we’d seen, but even more so now. I feel like I can both have my cake and eat it with Bronn.
Even though The Hound is amongst my favourite characters from the books, I have no real opinion yet on The Hound in the show. I think that, for me, that’s because so much of this character is just…not in his appearance at all. Speaking of which, I can’t wait for more dialogue from some of the more minor, non-POV characters (The Hound, Gregor, Loras, Joff, Renly, Theon, Barristan, etc).
ALSO. I saw no sign of Jeyne Poole in the preview. Do people think this means she’s officially gone? I’m on the fence, as she could still be there somewhere at the tourney, or maybe just in the Winterfell scenes.
Things I loved: Rodrik Cassel’s beard, Mark Addy as Robert, the leaves on the pillars in the throne room, Jorah Mormont, Rodrik Cassel’s beard, Viserys, Varys, Rodrik Cassel’s beard…so many things (including, but not limited to, Rodrik Cassel’s beard).
And apologies for the epically long post. ):
Steve Hugh WestenraQuote Reply
Thanks for the explanation – I’m cool with a Moondoor in the floor – it works!
I too am cool with small changes. But I don’t think they need to “explain” anything. They don’t owe us anything. They make their show: We watch it or we don’t. We like it or we don’t.
EdQuote Reply
My roommate’s first response to the trailer was “Why is Harry Lloyd blonde?” Her second was “I get to watch this with you right?”
Phoenix_tornQuote Reply
Fluke200,
It wouldn’t be illegal, but it would still be extremely uncomfortable/inappropriate, EVEN in the Westeros moral structure. Sansas are supposed to marry handsome princes in Westeros, not ugly scarred 50 year old hit men.
userjQuote Reply
Steve Hugh Westenra,
re: Tyrion’s accent
I was hoping to hear from some of the Brits/Australians/Irish folks on the board about how good this accent is, and what kind of accent in particular he’s trying to do? To me it sounds kind of put-on but I’m an American and have a hard time even distinguishing the various British diaspora accents.
userjQuote Reply
People have made some interesting points about Cersei’s hair and the historical use of wigs, etc. Besides, it’s not even our history , so who’s to say when a particular idea may have come in to fashion ? I think it would be lovely if, at some point ,one of Cersei’s scenes could take place while she’s having her hair dressed. (I was thinking this when I saw the elaborate braid-do ) It would go a long way to dispelling criticisms if we saw her surrounded by various braids, switches , “rats”( Balls of hair made from hair saved from brushes and combs , used inside a bun, roll or pompadour to make it appear fuller.)
Jaime’s hair doesn’t scream modern to me, as much as Petyr’s. I hope, over time, they’ll let that evolve to a more medieval style of short. But again, not a major concern.
obsidianQuote Reply
OhDanyBoy,
FaB, at least as I understand what he says, suggested some species “will” that is directing evolution, on the lines of “hey, the species is dying, so we need to put up some extra defensive mechanism”. It just doesn’t work like that. What allows for evolution is random mutation and natural selection, and not some guiding hand. By the way, it is possible that FaB didn’t mean it that way, but that’s how it came out…
Actually, evolution can happen quite quickly. That is not my point. Also, the possibility that dragon eggs will develop defense mechanisms is not what I have a problem with, it actually makes sense. It’s the implied reason these defense mechanism are created that I had problems with.
Simply put, if only spiked eggs survive, then only dragons who carry the genes for spiked eggs will survive.
Amir MishaliQuote Reply
Steve Hugh Westenra,
Dany is aged up to 15 in the show, not 17. So, still an extreme age difference (in today’s society anyway).
OhDanyBoyQuote Reply
Of course, that’s basically what FaB said – although I can see where he may have worded it a little strangely – I guess we can all agree to agree. :D
OhDanyBoyQuote Reply
Rob vs. Joffrey: Just wanted to comment on the age disparity here, and some of the concerns around it making Rob look petty. I think the age difference could actually help this conflict a lot.
For one thing, Rob is all Stark. He’s a solid, honorable guy, shows respect to his elders, expects the respect of his peers, etc. Joffrey is going to throw all that out and defy every expectation Rob has of what it means to be a noble heir.
Now, if they do it right, the age difference will make his confrontations with Joffrey far more interesting. I mean, here’s Joffrey, being a total dick to everyone Rob respects, taunting Rob himself, and to Rob, “someone” needs to put this guy in his place, but Rob’s first instinct is to be fair (silly Starks). Afterall, Joffrey’s younger, apparently slimmer, etc. In the books, Rob spars with him, etc., even trades jibes and attempts to prove himself, but in the show there’s so much more room for internal conflict about it. In other words, I think it forces Rob to play the Game of Thrones much sooner than when he does in the book.
On the otherhand, we’ve only seen one short clip of Rob, and nothing of Joffrey and Rob side by side, so perhaps it’ll look a lot more even once they’re both on screen.
DarksofaQuote Reply
Steve Hugh Westenra,
I have a feeling she may be gone but the latest clips don’t give any more evidence either way. In the book she had already left the Tourney by the time Littlefinger sits next to Sansa and I think he’s in all the Sansa at Tourney scenes.
As I said previously though the fact that Arya is at the Tourney suggest to me that she has replaced Jayne (for that scene anyway).
I’ve only watched that scene once and can’t say I was all that impressed with the accent, as said it sounded a little too put on.
MormegilQuote Reply
Darn, I hate my iPhone for correcting me, writing german words when I wish to write in english and I only realise it in the end…
About Sansa/Hound:
A) Girls like Sansa are supposed to marry handsome young knights? Tell that to Lord Frey.
B) I disagree about Rory looking 40+
C)I’m not at all in favour of Sansa&Hound getting “together”, I only said that I felt the way they are presented in the series would make it less creepy than in the book since she looks much older here and he not half as gross.
JennyQuote Reply
userj,
Sandor is 27-28 in the books, not 50. In the show he is being aged to 30′s.
TysnowQuote Reply
Sometimes I feel the argument that Sansa is a socially appropriate lust object (for Sandor or Littlefinger) due to the idea that people used to get married as tweens/early teens is emphasised a little more than necessary. At least in Renaissance England, ordinary men and women waited until their mid-twenties and while nobles married young, sometimes very young, for political reasons, the marriage wasn’t always consummated right away due to the age of the groom, (more often) the bride, or both. A couple of examples come to mind: Catherine of Aragon was older than Sansa when she first married Henry VIII’s elder brother, but years later when she claimed she had been a virgin widow when Henry became her second husband that claim was regarded as credible. Henry’s own bastard son may have died a virgin despite being married.
I’m not sure if this specific topic has been addressed in ASOIAF, but in general, aren’t maesters supposed to be more medically advanced than medieval or Renaissance doctors? Even back then people knew that getting a very young wife pregnant risked killing her and costing the alliance for which she had been married, and consequently either delayed the consummation or made it a one-time thing to seal the deal and then waited some years before starting a more frequent sexual relationship when the girl had a better chance of surviving childbirth and not being damaged by it; Henry VII’s mother did give birth to him when she was 13, but because of the difficult birth she never had another child despite two more marriages. While Sansa can be married off once she gets her period, I think that even in the gritty ASOIAF world, if the situation of her marriage to Tyrion hadn’t been so desperate and politically charged it would have been understandable for Tyrion to say without being mocked that he wanted to wait for the sake of his wife’s health. I also believe there’s not many examples of kings having mistresses of 11-13; even the young ones tend to be in their late teens. So, legally possible, but not a “no one would bat an eyelash” kind of thing.
On other topics, I’m in favour of Fairley as Catelyn. I think she looks aristocratic, not in the perfect Cersei way but one that’s nonetheless dignified and suitable for a woman who lives in the North and isn’t expected to present a perfect picture of beauty.
Dany was probably the best thing about the trailer. In those brief clips she seemed so vulnerable, compelling and sympathetic, something the character needs to get viewers invested in this separate storyline and which will make her transition to queenship great to watch.
KyriaQuote Reply
userj,
I live in Canada but am from England originally, and I’m pretty sure that he’s trying to do some kind of Southern English or Welsh accent (something stereotypically posh, anyway), but it just sounds a bit too posh to be realistic– more like what is known in North America as a British stage accent (which I personally can’t stand).
That said, listening to him speak with his genuine accent, he has a bit of a natural poshness to his voice, so perhaps that’s what’s happening.
I figure he’ll probably get better though as the show continues. A lot of American actors (or so it seems from interviews with them on the subject) have the same problem, where they either do this awful fake-Cockney or this unrealistic, haughty accent. I’m sure it’s the same the other way around as well. I’ve heard some truly hilarious fake-American accents on British television as well (if you watch that Triassic Attack movie with Emilia Clark in it, you can hear her’s! She’s not dire, but it’s definitely off. You can tell she isn’t American).
Steve Hugh WestenraQuote Reply
OhDanyBoy,
Thanks! I couldn’t remember what the exact age was in the show.
Steve Hugh WestenraQuote Reply
All I have to say in response to your thought on white wood not filming well is
…Birch tree’s photograph and film jsut fine. BIRCH TREES
WolfheartQuote Reply
Tysnow,
Indeed, that was what I was getting at. Rory McCann is 41 (born 1969). Hence enhancement of creepiness in the series when compared to the book. I think what’s going on is GRRM/the producers are trying to make a statement about how creepy this relationship is supposed to be.
userjQuote Reply
I think what Steel_Wind is referring to is a ‘physical set’ setup for CGI overlays to create the total moon-door effect.
Haven’t gone to check the books, but I always saw the moon door as being in the centre of the floor, and the setup they have is pretty close to the way I imagined it.
Martin
MartinQuote Reply
Can someone tell how tall the Sansa and Lysa actresses are? It seems to me that Sansa/Sophie is SO tall that Lysa wouldn’t be able to do what she did in Book/Season 3.
JimmyQuote Reply
Huh – when he referred to the throne as the ‘CGI’ throne, and trying the weirwood in white in CGI, I thought he meant… uh, CGI.
OhDanyBoyQuote Reply
Martin,
The book is pretty clear on the Moon Door being in a wall rather than the floor, but I don’t think it’s a huge deal. Having it in the wall would give you a nice view of the sky when opened, instead of a view of the ground; on the other hand you’d also get a nice blast of freezing wind through the whole hall. Not to mention the attrition rate of new employees in the Eyrie: “This goes to the bathroom, right? Whoops, aieeeeeeee”
mummerQuote Reply
Rinoa De la Pica,
Yeah, I think I’m ok with the sex too, hon. ;]
ablaaaQuote Reply
Speaking of American accents, I like that Nikolaj Coster-Waldau dropped into his for his talking head portion of the video.
Winter Is ComingQuote Reply
You need to be a little more careful in the use of your pronouns. The “jail bait” age in most of the American states is significantly higher than the age of consent in most of Europe (and Canada, for that matter).
If by “our” and “modern viewers” you mean “most Americans” – you are probably correct. In a forum visited by a large number of people across the world, applying the same sexual mores to Canadians, NZ/Aus and most of Europe would result in your statement being less correct, if not outright *incorrect*.
Applying the term “pedophila” to refer to sex with adolescents (i.e., post-pubescent teens) is also a misuse of the term; though it is certainly not a misuse of the way the term is now publicly bandied about in the American press. (Which, I suppose, goes a long way towards explaining why Danaerys was “aged up”).
Anyway, the point being, the discomfort that many Americans have with this subject ought not to be projected upon the whole world, at large.
Steel_WindQuote Reply
No, I referred to the round room with the staiecase as being in CGI. (The throne I presume is not and I am sure it is a physical prop)
And, without putting too fine a point on it – I’m not sure than I’m wrong, either. The room we have seen shots of as a “live set” (with Tyrion and Catelyn in it with a dorrway in the back opening up to the sky) did not include any camera angle showing the aspect of the dais and stairs and the moon door. We know that angle of the set was a physical one — but the angles in that picture do not include us seeing the throne on the dias or the stairs Whether the “set” shown in the movie was also physical or whether they chose to to that part of the room in CGI is unclear.
So, while it may be entirely possible that the entire thing is a live set — I’m not sure how it is that a poster here is certain in that knowledge, one way or the other.
Steel_WindQuote Reply
Not much to add. The footage looks amazing. But on a technical note, is it possible for the admins to break up the comments into multiple pages (say 100 comments per page?) I have a new Macbook Pro with 8gb of RAM, and this page–and only this page–absolutely kills my system. I don’t know why, but it does. Any0ne else?
CadQuote Reply
Of course it is a live set. Why wouldn’t it be? You can even see the rigging and lighting structure at the top of it in a couple shots.
http://www.westeros.org/GoT/Gallery/Entry/2075/
Here, Ran talks about how he visited the high hall, and sat in the throne, and in later screencaps says how amazing the hall looked. He specifically mentions the stairs, upon which the other high lords of the Eyrie stand on occasion, without even a passing mention of the stairs not being there when he was.
What on earth would make you think they would CG some stairs into behind-the-scenes video? It wasn’t even a shot from the show, where a similar argument might possibly have some merit. It was a behind the scenes shot.
OhDanyBoyQuote Reply
Cad,
The page loads pretty quickly for me. I’m running Windows with way less than 8 Gigs of ram. Try another browser?
Bob DoleQuote Reply
Cad,
The site used to be like this, but with people revisiting to read comments that are on the last page, the load time involved with clicking through the comments to the page you want was a topic of some significant complaint here. Can’t please everyone.
OhDanyBoyQuote Reply
Steel Wind
If you check Westeros and the screen caps there you’ll see that Ran has been on the Eyrie set at the Painthall and it’s real. One of the shots near the top of the stairs shows the edge of the set up the top. I think they painted the Titanic inside the Painthall, so the place is absolutely huge and could easily fit that set.
FlayedandDisplayedQuote Reply
beaten again.
FlayedandDisplayedQuote Reply
Can I ask where is supposed to appear Renly and that “flashback of Brandon”? because I don’t see them…
Thanks!
IreneQuote Reply
Both of them are in the quickly flashing images at the end. Ned/Brandon at 11:37 in the full video and Renly a second later (cheering at the tournament).
Johan SporreQuote Reply
Looking at the links of the angle of a few of the pics that Ran has posted, one of them does match up with the angle of the picture that has previously been posted including Catelyn and and Tyrion. So I guess the entire thing is a live set.
As for the “why on earth” language? C’mon. Such mock incredulity is unnecessary. The “why” would be to save money. Why you would show it in a “behind the scenes” footage is because a CGI set is “behind the scenes” and showing CGI sets in such a feature is not unexpected. Moreover, as Gemma Jackson specifically mentions the look of the CGI in the series on down, a second before they showed that set, that was why I thought that angle of what they showed might be CGI.
I’m rather amazed they built the whole thing out, given that the set is not that important in the grand scheme of the first season of the series. If we get to season four and five? (Assuming the second half of ASoS is season four) Ok. I agree, makes sense. But for the amount of time I anticipate the set it is on camera in Season 1, it certainly seems like a very opulent expenditure for a physical set which does not play that large a role in the story.
Whatever the case, from the pics you have shown me, I’m now quite convinced it isn’t CGI from any angle and it is, indeed, a real set from all angles.
None of this addresses the whole issue with the lack of the weirwood’s having a whitish color to the wood, but, there appears to be no helping that. I do wonder if the weirwood would be so prized if it doesn’t have the white coloring to it, but… *shrug*.
Steel_WindQuote Reply
One of my major hopes is that HBO’s production team has finished or is currently working on the Stark’s ancestral throne. I hope we see it in season 1.
The throne of the Lord of Winterfell is cold stone, polished smooth, with carved heads of direwolves snarling at the ends of massive arms. The seat is very large (I: 205)
WolfheartQuote Reply
Having read all 500 + comments, there’s a couple things I wanted to say.
I believe that Drogo is all done up in makeup for the wedding as the other shots of him elsewhere (introduction to Dany) doesn’t seem to have the blue streaks so it’s not an every day thing. Both my husband and a teen who recently just read the book were impressed with Drogo’s casting.
Also, didn’t they mention in an article (the EW one I think) that they were painting a tree white and adding red leaves so that would indicate that the weirwood trees were redone from the one shown in the preview. Not sure why they would show it then but I guess to someone who is not a fanatic and not going over every single screen shot, they would easily miss it. I do hope they make the faces suitably grotesque.
Raynette SchroederQuote Reply
Johan Sporre,
That was difficult to catch~~ thank you!
IreneQuote Reply
This is true. But I believe it was a quote from HBO used for an article on the first looks of the show on EW. And yes they do mention the painstaking process and the mud involved standing in to get the weirwood tree white and red leafed. SO LETS hope HOPE they got it as described for the final cut. The image we saw in this Inside trailer must be from the pilot. But the odd thing is that doesn’t explain the Eyrie’s weirwood throne being brownish in wood color. But could that also be a shot from the pilot set?
Yes I also hope they made the faces in the weirwood trees more creepy and mornful to see with all its red sappy glory in the eyes and mouth. Much closer in vision like the Komarck Ned with Ice in the Godswood art.
WolfheartQuote Reply
Fluke200 and others: now come on. Average age of marriage for women in the middle ages was older than in the 20th century! By the renaissance, it was closer to 30 than to 25, and it was over 30 in some places.
Even if you take the late dark ages and early middle ages, when noble women were indeed married off as soon as they hit puberty, then a) that was only nobles, and b) it was for political reasons, not sexual ones. Consumation wouldn’t normally occur until much later, and often the marriage agreements specified this.
So, even in the dark ages, and certainly by the late middle ages (a time period closer to Westeros), having sexual relations with girls that young was not the norm, and would have been frowned upon.
Regardless of which: paedophilia IS creepy, even in countries where it isn’t illegal. There are countries where the age of consent is 11, but if you met a 40-year-old man who said “here’s my new girlfriend, isn’t she hot?” and the girl was clearly 11, I imagine you would find it exceptionally creepy, even if you couldn’t report it to any authorities.
[And to someone else: we don't generally distinguish paedophilia from hebephilia, and in any case, Sansa isn't post-pubertal. She's going through puberty. It doesn't just stop when she first menstruates.]
—–
Someone else: yes, that’s what I emant about Dinklage. It’s a stage accent, not something you’d actually hear from a real person. But I guess I’ll get used to it.
WastrelQuote Reply
I think all the paedo-shippers are reading more into the books than is there.
spacechampionQuote Reply
I am a 33 year old woman and so I’m not really INVESTED in how Catelyn looks (except to ensure that her appearance doesn’t break verisimilitude and that she’s a great actress). However, I guess when I compare Fairely to Ehle, I find a huge disparity in their looks (personally). I don’t think that Ehle (who was my original hope for the role, so I was obviously doubly excited when she was cast – and triply disappointed when she announced she couldn’t commit to the series after the pilot) is unrealistically gorgeous, but still beautiful for her 41 years. So when i see what they had and then what they went to, it is a bit shocking to me. Just MY personal opinion that Fairely looks like a mummy (it’s the cheekbones and gaunt cheeks). So I don’t mind that she’s older (again, Ehle is 41) or has crow’s feet or anything like that. But she just is unattractive to me.
But to reaffirm, I’d rather they go for talent, and if she’s as talented as I hope she is and appears to be, her on screen presence can make up for her lack of obvious looks (to me).
SmegmaQuote Reply
Ah, shipping. Agony and ecstasy of fans all over the world.
I was wondering about it today, and had almost decided not to write about it, but now them’s fighting words.
First of all, I’m a shipper myself but I don’t really understand the phenomenon. My mom is a Harry Potter fan almost more than I am, she loves all the books and the movies, she loves the characters, and yet she’d never dream of shipping some of them (i.e.: supporting a relationSHIP between some of them). I did ship some minor characters and my wish came true, only to have them die off-stage… but this is another story.
I think it’s a matter of the nuance with which one approaches a story. The intensity of the liking for it may be identical; the feelings it engenders are different. My mom is not a shipper and I am, why? Probably a matter of age (even though I’m not a teenaged dreamer) and different life experiences, in that she’s not looking into imaginary tales for a romantic aspect lacking in her life, whereas I am.
I’m not generalizing or setting myself as the paragon of everyone else. I guess everyone comes to being or NOT being a shipper through wildly different roads.
I happen to be a Sandor-Sansa shipper, even though in a lesser degree than other characters. I just like their interaction, and while right now I’m perfectly satisfied with how the Sandor arc seems to have ended, I don’t shy away from imagining a future where an older Sansa and a redeemed Sandor might get together. I know I’m far from alone in this view.
That’s why I was a bit offended by this:
Paedophilia is not creepy, it’s VIOLENTLY INHUMAN. Even thinking favourably about it is a crime. Do I feel like a criminal because I envision Sandor and Sansa together in some years’ time? Er, no, sorry.
I appreciate the various sources quoted for the age of consent in the Middle Ages. I’m of the opinion that it was very low, but I’m ready to accept other opinions because I haven’t all the sources in mind right now. But let’s not think of the Middle Ages for the moment, just about the universe created by GRRM.
As I’ve written above, at the beginning of the story, while Sansa is still a little girl full of innocent, romantic fantasies, Daenerys is about to be LEGALLY RAPED. And will be, and we read about it and probably will see it in detail. And yet all the outrage here seems to concentrate on Sandor and Sansa, who are not even a couple, who share what? A grabbed wrist, some conflicted desire on Sandor’s part and some confused idealization on Sansa’s? Most of their evolution happens while they are APART.
Sorry, I’m not going to let myself be considered a “paedo-shipper” for finding this dynamics interesting and maybe even romantic IN A FEW YEARS’ TIME.
Blackfish BluesQuote Reply
According to Ran the Eyrie set is one they inherited from “Your Highness” though it’s been completely redressed. As to CGI, if they ever show the roof of the Hall that will be CGI.
MormegilQuote Reply
Well, there’s no need for the show to actually specify the material that throne is made of. We just see it.
Anyway, aside from this detail, I think it’s gorgeous. It reminds me of a nest, which is appropriate. Just thinking about Lysa and Sweetrobin perched on it makes me smile.
GoombaQuote Reply
I had the exact same thoughts. I love Dinklage, I think Tyrion’s gonna be awesome, but his accent was kind of funny. I think it is a little off, it really jumped out at me as a fake accent. If all goes well, though, Dinklage will be fantastic enough that I’ll be too busy being thrilled with his performance to notice the accent oddness. ; )
KangaQuote Reply
sjwenings,
In the first book Marillion talks about her beauty. When Littlefinger has Sansa at the Eyrie he says she has Cat’s beauty. Its strange how many people deny this when Sansa is supposed to look like her mother. I don’t understand. Sansa is more beautiful but that doesn’t mean Catelyn is not beautiful still.
Lets be honest, please? Fairley is maybe not ugly but she is getting a lot of comments on her appearance from people everywhere, that happens for a reason. You think she is pretty okay, I think she is very plain and looks much older than Ned. I was talking to the comment that people who don’t like the casting want a pin-up model. This isnt true, Ehle was not a pin-up model either but she was quite pretty by common standards. You think TV doesnt know who is beautiful when they cast?
It is emotional stress okay, but they have a very happy marriage still and she is the most fulfilled wife of all the main characters. The north is harsh but Winterfell is comfortable. When Littlefinger says to Sansa that it is cold and dark shes very defiant, its warm and nice and she loved living there. Catelyns room is very comfortable too, the most in the castle. Ned has much harsher life than Cat, she stays indoors, she doesn’t do cooking or cleaning and even childraising is done with servants. If North is so harsh it should show most on Ned. If pregnancy is so harsh it should show on other mothers too. And Brienne does not remember stressed, only that she had smooth skin and strong face. What I am trying to say is people who dont like the casting is only reacting the same as if Tyrion was tall or Hodor could speak normally. It is because it was unexpected, not because we want a swimsuit model.
Smegma,
Yes that’s what Im trying to say. Ehle was not Megan Fox but she was very nice looking. There are older women who are very lovely, like Susan Sarandon or even Helen Mirren who is 64 and never had surgery. I think Fairley looks like she had this very hard life and it doesn’t fit my expectation of the character. But I am not against older women or only wanting gorgeous models, that’s all.
InésQuote Reply
I will attempt to respond to a number of people at once in this post.
userj
Given the moral laxity that is evident throughout the ASoIaF series, I do not think that you can claim with certainty that a relationship between a grown man and a young girl would be considered inappropriate in Westeros.
Kyria
I understand your argument about such couples waiting to establish a sexual relationship until later in a marriage for health reasons, but Sansa’s health is not mentioned as a valid reason to postpone the consummation of her marriage.
Kyria and Wastrel
I also find the reference to statistics about the average marriage age in the Middle Ages to be irrelevant because, as you said, the aristocracy did marry young, and Sansa is an aristocrat. As such, she would marry young and be expected to consummate marriage after her first menses, although she might defer regular marital intercourse thereafter.
Steel_Wind
So, because I misuse a pronoun I am suddenly an “ignorant American”? I am perfectly aware that age of consent varies from country to country, as does what is considered socially acceptable sexual practice. Perhaps I do assume too much when I suggest that a majority of viewers might be uneasy about seeing sexual intercourse between a barely nubile young girl and a mature man, but is it such an unreasonable assumption? Or are you saying that you would find such a scene appealing?
Fluke200Quote Reply
In the books its described as a throne (actual chair) carved out of weirwood. Hence why it should be bone white or ivory or cream colored at the least.
WolfheartQuote Reply
Hello.
I have understood that the TV series will make some changes. Do any of you think that HBO, will add a new scene of incest between Viserys and Daenerys? Will there be a sex scene?
I would like to know the opinion of the people.
ΜαρίαQuote Reply
Wolfheart,
And why do you think that’s an important detail? How is a viewer even supposed to know why white wood is important, and why should they care, in this particular case?
I really don’t understand this attitude of “They should follow every single description in the books as closely as they possibly can, or if they don’t, they’d better have a good reason.” Or maybe I do, except that I think “because we liked this design better and it doesn’t affect the story at all” is a perfectly good reason.
mummerQuote Reply
Μαρία,
I think it unlikely. At most I envisage a bit of inappropriate grabbage by Viserys as per the books.
I could be wrong though.
GaRQuote Reply
Because, if the EW article following the release of the first images. And the quote from HBO is that they painstakingly did their best to follow descriptions. And they said they were standing in mud putting red leaves on a tree, and painting the tree white. THATS WHY. IF and I mean IF they followed the white tree for the Godswood of Winterfell. They should followup with the rest of the weirwoods.
Unless its just any other ordinary tree that looks incredibly epic and ancient thats used. There’s your logical reason.
WolfheartQuote Reply
Μαρία,
No, I don’t think we will see a sex scene with Viserys and Dany. The Targaryens had no qualms about marrying their siblings, however Dany’s worth more to Viserys and a pawn to gain an army. for that she needs to be a virgin.
OldGranQuote Reply
mummer,
Because GRRM did a fine job with the book descriptions and many fans love the aesthetics of the story. Why shouldn’t they want to see some of the same details they loved in the books and if it ain’t broke, why fix it? IMHO.
Personally, one detail I could care less about is the color of the weirwood throne, except that I had no idea that the pics of the empty Eyrie WERE the Eyrie until I read the captions over at Westeros.org. Some of the stylistic choices confused me, felt like Kingslanding, and I couldn’t place what set it was supposed to be initially.
A more intriguing detail was to me was the choice to give Renly that severe looking military haircut, especially since the actor had apparently requested the long black hair from the books. The very short hair is jarring to see onscreen. I wonder why HBO decided to turn down his request. Renly would look more like a young Robert with longer hair and also like more like the pretty boy fop that he’s known to be in the books.
Half MyrishQuote Reply
Whoa..hold on. If a girl remained unmarried ( or unbedded) until 30 in the middle ages ,either there must have been something really unattractive about her, or she was noble ,and her family was holding out for just the right alliance. But by 30 , she would have been considered really long in the tooth. They had to get on with stocking up on heirs as soon as may be , considering child mortality rates , etc.
Average life expectancy was 30 ,and even between bouts of the black death, or other scourges, it wouldn’t have been much more. So it’s good the characters are aged up,IMO..the men as well as the women. They aged faster than we do..draughty castles and even draughtier hovels, water borne diseases, no dentistry, dangerous cosmetics…oh,boy…
Here’s just a cursory back up : http://www.medieval-weddings.net/
So maybe using the term pedophilia doesn’t fit the story’s male characters by today’s standards but neither does “old man”, “old woman” connect with todays understanding of those terms.
obsidianQuote Reply
Mummer, please read the first paragraph slowly in this article I am linking that was published the same day the first big images were shown. Please take note of the words “tree, painted and white”
http://insidetv.ew.com/2010/11/18/exclusive-on-the-set-of-game-of-thrones/
WolfheartQuote Reply
Jesus christ, so the throne isn’t white. No one else cares. It’s made of a tree. It looks awesome. It probably would have looked bad on screen. White is a really tricky color to work with in big chunks. I’ve read the books fourteen times and I couldn’t have told you the color of the chair, or what it looked like at all.
I realize that some people latch on to every detail, but GRRM’s descriptions, while many of them are used, are not going to be the be all and end all. That’s obvious. There were many things that probably didn’t work well on screen. The producers are trying to do things that both stay true to the books a great deal, but also work within a different medium – and they are restricted by physics and the need to ensure everything is cohesive when on screen.
While I’m sure that GRRM feels that a lot of things need to be adhered to, he’s also conceeded that some of the changes in the look of the actors (such as Osha) and such are going to be even better than what he put on the pages many years ago. It’s an adaptation. I’m sure he understands that.
Oh well, there are some people that just refuse to be happy.
SmegmaQuote Reply
Half Myrish,
Just a thought in regard to renly’s haircut…Do you suppose HBO might have thought he’d be more attractive to gay viewers this way? Short hair , beard (nicely trimmed)..while Loras will amply satisfy anyone’s pretty boy fantasies. ( Male or female..)
obsidianQuote Reply
Wolfheart,
I don’t know why you feel the need to tell me the same thing twice in a row (not to mention the snide “read it slowly” bit), but your thinking isn’t much clearer to me than it was before. Yes, I know they’ve gone to great lengths to follow some descriptions in the book. That’s cool. That doesn’t mean they’re obliged to follow them all. In this case, as far as I can tell, the throne being made out of weirwood has absolutely no relevance to the story… and it’s not a detail that any viewer who hasn’t read the books could possibly pick up on. A white tree with red leaves looks striking, and rhymes visually with the coloring of Ghost; a white throne is a piece of furniture, and we’ve all seen light-colored furniture before– you only know it’s made of weirwood in the book because GRRM tells you.
Half Myrish says it’s about following Martin’s aesthetic. That’s a great goal, but it can’t be done by just slavishly following all of his adjectives, because none of us have ever seen the things in the book– we’ve all imagined them in different ways based on his words, and the comments on this website right here make it pretty clear how differently we’ve imagined them. Some things Martin describes at great length, others pretty briefly, so it’s safe to say he’s OK with the fact that readers will not all see exactly what was in his mind (if he even had a clear visual image in his mind; many writers don’t). And, by the way, he is an executive producer on the show; if there’s something he thinks is particularly important for them to get right, he can tell them, and they still may not do it but his opinion certainly carries more weight than yours or mine.
Anyway, I won’t to argue about this more. You think it’s a matter of principle, I think it’s more of a question of taste. Good night…
mummerQuote Reply
I wonder if they just kept Renly’s hair short because there’s already plenty of main characters with longish hair. For the uninitiated, there’s a lot of people to keep track of. I’ve gotten over my initial shock of his look and I’m sure it’ll work out.
SmegmaQuote Reply
Don’t know why you included Australians in there, we sound nothing like the British, and most people under would have absolutely no idea about regional accents unless they’ve travelled to the UK :P
South Africans sound more British than we do
SensukiQuote Reply
I’m not british, but even so, i think Dinklages british accent sounds a little too… british. The words just seems overly correctly pronounced.
But it does also seem to fit with his upper-class upbringing and clever book-reading guy type. And maybe even the fact that he’s a dwarf, and is thought of as different both by others and himself, so maybe he should be speaking a little differently too.
I don’t expect it to bother me much, but overall, i guess i’m a teeny bit dissappointed.
sjweningsQuote Reply
RE: Dinklage’s accent.
I think we need to give Dinklage a break. He’s the only American actor holding a large speaking role in the series. His job is that much harder than everyone else’s, because he has to act and deliver his lines with a fake accent the entire time. He was the overwhelming top fan choice for Tyrion, so a slightly fake-sounding accent is just something we have to accept and deal with.
Personally I kind of like it. I was worried he’d sound to gruff for Tyrion, but his accent fits well with the Tyrion voice inside my head when I read the books. It also seems like it’ll go well with the deadpan, comedic lines that Tyrion is known for. Also, the more I watch the trailer the more I get used to his accent.
LexQuote Reply
Oh, and it reminds me of Frodo and Sam in The Lord of the Rings. Both Elijah Wood and Sean Astin had pretty fake-sounding accents, but I think most fans grew used to them and they weren’t really a problem in the end.
LexQuote Reply
Just an aside, but don’t take average life expectancy in the middle ages at face value. Infant mortality rates were so high that they skew the stats down dramatically. If you managed to make it to adulthood, life expectancy was more around 60.
FlayedandDisplayedQuote Reply
I have no problem with Tyrions accent, though english/american-english isn’t my motherlanguage. For me it actually sounds quite cool when Tyrion tries to be more intellectual even in the way he speaks than the “stupid peasants” or “brawly knights”. Sound like some very polite and wise english gentlemen.
Also loved most of the video tidbits, especially Viserys and Varys, but like always I have to give some criticism.
-Dragon eggs were really small and maybe too scaly. Feels kinda wrong for a animal size of a fortress to give birth to a small pinecones.
-Leather clothes of Dothraki are starting to rub me in a wrong way the more I look them.
-Benjen felt really cheesy, like melt mozzarella cheesy.
-Arakh is really curvy. Like stab myself in the face -curvy. I fear coming battle scenes with it, but somehow like it otherwise.
-Littlefinger might have overdone it bit. Though I understand because we all need to love him at least until the end of the season.
-No Robb dialog. I wonder why. He should be one of the big story driving forces.
-I still think helmetgate is viable. Have to wait and see Hound actually wearing that puppy.
-Only a quick flicker of lesbian love scene with Dany. Disappointed.
And last but not least. WUT. Finnish ASOIAF/GoT webpage. I’m ashamed to be from Finland and didn’t know that it existed.
rorschach-Quote Reply
rorschach-,
Just because is interesting and quite shocked me the first time: Bears, for example, give birth to these tiny, under-a-pound bald mice-like creatures, which then grow into normal big-ass bears :) The relative size of the adult and the newborn of a species varies greatly. But hey, we’re talking dragons in the first place, right :)
Hear Me RoarQuote Reply
Sensuki,
I think you meant to quote someone else. ;p I was replying to that person.
Steve Hugh WestenraQuote Reply
Lex,
I don’t think you have to worry– no one’s said they think he was awful. It just stuck out to me was all.
But he’s got a lot of experience behind his belt, and I’m pretty sure that with time he’ll get better and better and it will start to sound more natural. I still like him in the part, and I’m saying that as a huge Tyrion fan, which I guess would make me more particular? Besides, all we’ve seen in one (very early) clip.
Steve Hugh WestenraQuote Reply
We are talking FICTION here. Yes, we can all be appropriately horrified by a 13-yr-old Dany being married off to a rapacious barbarian, but dudes, it’s fiction. We kept reading, right? In fact, I never really pictured Dany as a child beyond those first few paragraphs- my own imagination aged her up, perhaps because she never really acted/was described like a child. She turned out amazing for her age. But yeah, if I were REALLY there I would tuck that kid up under my cloak and make for Valyria. Same for Sansa. Same for Arya. When it comes to kids, I fear no Doom.
San/San is gross not just because of ages (Sansa behaves/considers herself a young lady, not a child – though she’s a real jackass) but because he’s a monster, in my mind. I remember a certain butcher boy… Same for LF – a sociopath whispering in a girl’s ear. Creepy-factor 10+. Paedo-factor, zero. Reading fictional fantasy and getting mentally/emotionally caught up in strange shipping (Hermione/Snape?) is pretty tame compared to the horrible things a person could and SHOULD NOT EVER do to a child in real life.
We’re grown-ups. We know the difference. (If you don’t, kindly turn yourself in to your local vigilante parents group- they’ll know what to do with you. Thanks!)
Until the Thought-Police are instituted, enjoy the read.
reedgirlQuote Reply
Hear Me Roar,
I have to admit that I too have wondered how bears can give birth to something that cute and cuddly. And kangaroos. Hot damn, they grow in some sort of intestine bag that is somehow open air but still it’s mommys inner organ. My mind went like whaaaaaa- when I was 10-something and watched nature document from tv at my grandmothers house… yeah but no more about that.
Though it would be more weird if the mommabear was the size that you could ride a horse into it’s mouth and it still would give birth to under-a-pound bald pineconelike creatures that would grow into a flying snakes that go “graw, I just ate your face”.
…
Gotta love dragons.
rorschach-Quote Reply
The trailer is wonderful, as I hoped it would be! :)
But what surprised me, was my friends reaction. They completly new to the series, but I showed them the trailer. They all agreed, that it seemed cool, but it didn’t trigger their interest, only a bit. One of them even said, that it’s cheap, cause Sean Bean plays in it, and it’s just a copy of his other character, Boromir, from Lotr.
How on earth? I was so shocked, I couldn’t say anything for half a minute…
Flóra BallabásQuote Reply
I can’t seem to fully log in with Twitter, so I don’t have my gorgeous avatar… sigh…
My thoughts exactly, thanks! I hope I have made myself clear, but your post is even clearer. Creepy is OK for me, it makes for good storytelling. Paedo is NOT.
Blackfish BluesQuote Reply
I have found a 720p release of the video. The best quality I have found.
I do not know if it is legal or not, feel free to edit if you need to.
http://www.fileserve.com/file/MbfcSMP/game.of.thrones.s01e00.720p.hdtv.x264-ctu.mkv
or
http://hotfile.com/dl/87579456/f8835d7/game.of.thrones.s01e00.720p.hdtv.x264-ctu.mkv.html
or
http://www.filesonic.com/file/39400173/game.of.thrones.s01e00.720p.hdtv.x264-ctu.mkv
IkertzekeQuote Reply
I am sorry, but isn’t anybody creeped out by the fact that SPOILER is actually getting married to SPOILER and that the SPOILERING between them is almost SPOILING? And not SPOILED by SPOILER’S conscience but by the other SPOILERS disgust? SPOILER?
I am not talking about the identlical SPOILERS but about the very unidentical SPOILERS in A STORM OF SPOILERS?
JennyQuote Reply
Heh – that says a whole lot more about them, than it does the series…
EdQuote Reply
Actually, if you think about it, Boromir and Ned are quite similar… both are white guys, both have two legs, both have a head…
EdQuote Reply
And they both have swords – scandalous plagiarism!
Tar KidhoQuote Reply
Sensuki,
Well, to my totally uneducated American ear, I have trouble distinguishing any accent from the British diaspora. Even white South African sounds similar. I’m not saying they really are! But this is why I asked the question, and it’s been answered very kindly by some above posters that Tyrion’s accent is supposed to be super-posh England-English. :)
userjQuote Reply
RE: Renly – I think HBO is going to great lengths to create distinctive looks for each character as much as possible, so they are easier for new viewers to recognize and separate them from each other in their minds.
Personally I never had a solid mental picture of Renly anyways (as the books go on, I tend to forget their original descriptions unless they are very distinctive, like Brienne or Tyrion), so I don’t mind how he looks at all.
clumsy_plumsyQuote Reply
obsidian,
The idea that life expectancy in the middle ages was 30 is a myth. Well, it may be true, but the impression people draw from it, that 30-year-olds were considered old, is a myth, due to the misunderstanding of statistics. The AVERAGE life expectancy was indeed very low, because of infant mortality. But of those people who survived to adulthood, life expectancy rose to closer to 60.
That, indeed, is why people didn’t marry until they were adults – because it was a waste of time marrying a 13 -year-old when there was a good chance she’d die of plague before having children.
To make the point starker: average life expectancy decreased with industrialisation. Average life expectancy of a man in London in the mid-1800s? It was 18. Because so many boys died young. But that didn’t mean that there were men in London who were 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, even 70 or 80. And it didn’t mean that the average 15-year-old could expect to die in only three years – because the ‘average’ 15-year-old died as an infant! Those who survived could expect a fairly long life.
———————–
For those still believing the young-marriage myth: in the late middle ages, west of the Hajnal Line, women had a marriage age of 24 or more, which rose over time. In some areas (eg the Netherlands) it was closer to 30. By 1700, western european women had a marriage age of 28, and exceeding 30 in some areas.
By contrast, the average age of marriage for a woman in the US was 22 in 1900, 22 in 1980, 24 in 1990, 25 in 2000, and is now 26 (it’s 29 again in the UK). Male marriage ages have changed even more, from 35 in the late middle ages down t0 22 in 1960, and back up to 28 in the US at the moment.
People confuse the late middle ages, the time of the Hundred Year’s War, the Wars of the Roses and the rise of the Tudors (ie a time similar to that of Westeros), with the middle ages before the Black Death. It’s likely that before 1347, marriage ages were somewhat lower. And yet note: the average age of marriage even for aristocratic women in the 14th century was 18!
It’s not unrealistic for women like Sansa to marry earlier, because a lot rides on it politically. Some women were recording being betrothed as early as 9 or 10, and marrying at 12 or 13. Some of these even had children at 14 or 15. But this was the exception, not the norm, and was strongly disapproved of by the Church (which frowned on all arranged marriages, and also advocated that the spouses be of similar age). Moreover, this usually happened to marry two young people, not a young girl to an older man. That happened, of course, but was hardly something that would pass by without mention or opprobrium. So even by medieval standards, men sexually exploiting children can hardly be justified.
—–
In any case, that’s hardly the point – the point is that it’s wrong, even if it’s not illegal. And no, it’s not paedophilia to imagine Sansan getting together many years later – but it’s still really creepy! Especially as it’s clear that he thinks of her in a sexual (and predatory) way NOW, when she’s still a child.
Imagine you’re married with a daughter. You see your daughter being roughly manhandled by a burly lorry driver who’s done time for murder, who leers at her and makes a joke about wanting to rape her. You turn to your spouse and say, completely seriously, “gee, I hope those two have sex some day… when she’s passed the age of consent, of course”. Your spouse may technically not be able to accuse you of being a paedophile, or of supporting paedophilia… but they are nonetheless likely to consider you really, really fucking creepy. And the relationship between the girl and the ex-con likewise. Of course, if the ex-con does redeem himself and become a model citizen, and twenty years later he gets together with your daughter, THEN it’s OK to be OK about it. But when she’s still a child and he’s still a serial killer, it’s just plain creepy.
Oh, and the reason we don’t have this argument about Dany and Drogo is that I’ve never encountered Dany/Drogo-shippers. Everyone agrees that that’s unhealthy and almost certainly immoral, so we don’t have to argue about it. It’s just when it comes to San/San (and to a lesser extent Ar/Gen) that people start getting misty-eyed about paedophiles grooming young girls. [Not that Gendry is grooming intentionally, so that's less creepy - he's still fairly naive himself. Which is why I think aging him up so dramatically makes it a lot creepier]
WastrelQuote Reply
reedgirl,
Actually I agree! I don’t think it’s really paedo per say. But it is DEEPLY CREEPY! And I was trying to suggest that the show makers have clarified/enhanced the creepiness of their interactions by aging up/uglying up Sandor Clegane. Which is in contrast to the vision of most San/San shippers think of Sandor as young and hot other than a few scars on his face, and also exaggerate the amount of reciprocation on the part of Sansa.
I certainly don’t think that San/San shippers are into paedophilia or anything. I just think they have an idealized version of this relationship. If you think that even with the current casting the relationship is titillating, then keep on shipping by all means! I simply think that the casting as it’s been done will inhibit the popularity of this particular pairing relative to its popularity in the books.
userjQuote Reply
And yes, jenny, that scene IS pretty creepy. I think it was due to his conscience to some degree – he wasn’t willing to force her. It’s still creepy, but “in a room with a hot naked pubertal girl with everyone else expecting and demanding that you have sex, and it’s your duty, and you’re willing to go along with it if she’s up for it” may be creepy, but it’s distinctly less creepy than “hey, that pubertal girl’s hot, I hope I can have sex with her, and if I can’t I may just rape her”. So I mostly let SPOILER off for that one, since he did the right thing in the end.
WastrelQuote Reply
Wow, your a downer…..
KevinQuote Reply
Wastrel,
I think a better counter example of old guy/young girl pairing is actually Jorah/Dany. People do ship this relationship though by no means to the extent of San/San. I personally found it to be pretty compelling reading, though I certainly think that Dany made the right choice!
There’s some key differences:
1) Unlike Sansa, Dany is in a place of power and is free to reject Jorah’s advances (and does so, repeatedly)
2) Dany had already been married and borne a child by the time Jorah makes his move. So sexual innocence isn’t a factor.
3) Jorah is not a hulking child-murderer (though by no means is he perfect), and is a trusted friend and advisor to Daenerys (rather than a stalker type that creeps up on her while drunk and forces her to sing songs under threat of physical violence).
userjQuote Reply
rorschach-,
GRAW I JUST ATE YOUR FACE
hahaha.
BTW, I’m thinking they made the eggs as small as they did so they can make the dragons themselves much smaller when they are birthed. I mean, as small as those eggs are, the dragons in season 1 will be TINY. I think tiny dragons will be much easier to work with visually. I dont know what the heck they will do come later seasons
This is my attempt to get the discussion off of the lame topic of pedophilia, hah
Austin CleganeQuote Reply
On Sandor, I think he looks AWESOME. He’s probobly the character I’m most looking forward to seeing in action.
He looks significantly different than I imagined. His size and armor are spot on to my picture, but I imagined him looking a lot more evil. I imagined him always scowling.
In the stills he looks almost depressed. Anyone else noticed how his face looks droopey like a hound dog? http://www.westeros.org/GoT/Gallery/Entry/2129/
I think Sandor is one of the most interesting dynamic characters in the series. I’m hoping HBO really plays this up.
Austin CleganeQuote Reply
I’m really impressed about Wastrels knowledge about middle ages, but I’m bit taken down about everybody forcing these pedophile impressions to others. I take no ground in about what age is sick and what is acceptable but you really don’t have to go even back in middle age but into middle asia example and there are many organized marriages this day that happen way earlier in age than Sansa. And yes, with older men too. Teen marriages happen about everywhere in world, I don’t think I even have to explain that.
I think having opinions is good but calling people sick and creapy freaks is kinda turn off even how arguable the topic is.
rorschach-Quote Reply
Austin Clegane,
Agree, no more pedophile discussion. Yay! Or dragons eat your faces.
I like how Hound looks. I always imagined him to be kinda sad character that has bent over when the world has kicked him into the corner. Really dog like. Now he’s angry and distrustfull towards every human but really doesn’t do it because he likes it. It just how things roll and has been rolled for a looong time for him.
rorschach-Quote Reply
The Hound/Sansa discussion is very interesting… I suppose I would call myself a “shipper” of the two, though it’s actually difficult to put a finger on just what is so interesting to me. (I’m not exactly sighing over some imagined sexiness; between Clegane’s moral and physical hideousness and Sansa’s emotional fragility, I have no illusions that whatever is going on is by any means steamy or healthy.)
I guess part of my attraction to their attraction is on an archetypal level. To me, anyway, Sansa represents everything that ought to be true about courtly life; righteous knights, beauty representing goodness, and moral simplicity in general. Clegane is the ultimate contrast, the antithesis of every preconception. In their collision, both Sansa and the Hound are given the opportunity to psychologically switch places. Sansa begins (helped along by, ah, other stimuli of course) to see the world in shades of gray; Clegane finds a tiny sliver of the Knight in Shining Armor in himself. As I see it, it’s almost a form of suction that develops between them, created by the cracks broken in their fundamental beliefs by each other.
As others have said, this does not mean that anything romantic or sexual is by any reach appropriate at this point in time, but I do see the potential for further development for both Sansa and Clegane in relation to each other. There is no way to know if this will happen, or if (assuming it is even possible that they will meet up again) their relationship will ultimately be romantic in nature. I just don’t think it’s silly to be invested in an eventual resumption of some kind of relationship between two such disparate characters with such a strange and interesting energy between them.
InkasrainQuote Reply
For what it’s worth, I actually agree with Inkasrain. I think the San/san dynamic is intriguing, and I hope they spend more time together in future. As I like Sandor, I wouldn’t be upset if he ended up getting Sansa (though he won’t). I think that’s not that surprising, and I think that the author intends us to not only see this possibility but even at some level to want that outcome.
However, just as I think he tries to get us to like Sandor despite his horrific character flaws, I think the whole point is that there’s something really nasty and creepy and disturbing here. Just like, for instance, we’re meant to feel the romance in the Dany/Drogo relationship, even though it’s basically child rape followed by Stockholm Syndrome. And we’re meant to empathise with Arya, even though her character progression so far is a steady descent into psychopathy. And even Littlefinger is presented as a sympathetic character, even though he’s an amoral bastard.
So I’ve got no problem with people who think that San/san is icky but guiltily kind of root for it anyway. I may even be among their number sometimes. My problem is with those who ship San/San by downplaying the ickiness, forcing it into a mold of acceptable Romantic Fantasy Relationships – in, essentially, the same way that Sansa herself tries to reinterpret the world around her. Some people seem to see san/san as one of sansa’s songs, so to speak. But really, San/san is romantic in the same way that Sandor is chivalrous.
WastrelQuote Reply
Man – looking at how much we’ve got to discuss just by watching an 11 minute video, can you IMAGINE how this place will explode once the first episode airs??? We’ll be in a frenzy!!!
EdQuote Reply
Re: the “Viserys/Doreah” sex scene:
In the book, Doreah is described as blond. Obviously, they could have changed her hair color….but I can’t help but hope that’s a Rhaegar/Lyanna flashback!
ElaineQuote Reply
I think people throw around the pedo stuff way too much. They are just stories. No one here is advocating the real life sexual abuse of little kids. You can imagine it all you want for Sansa/Hound, Arya/Gendry, hell Hot Pie/Lord Frey to end up together and not be a pedo.
I see this all the time – oh, you think someone’s hot and they are 17 and not 18? YOU MUST BE A PEDO! Ugh. Stop being so alarmist. Also, read Lolita. Now there’s a book pedophelia and it’s one of the best pieces of literature ever written.
SmegmaQuote Reply
That’s Viserys.
Speaking of which, Harry Lloyd is so phenomenal in that role that I’d almost accept him living longer in the season, just to get more of him. It’s a shame he won’t be around long :(
SmegmaQuote Reply
Smegma,
I totally agree with you! He’s the apple of my eyes right now… along with Littlefinger. They got them sooooooooooo right! :P
Flóra BallabásQuote Reply
Inkasrain,
Well said. I agree.
GaRQuote Reply
Ed,
Yeah, you’re right, but I’m used to it. They always dislike what I praise. I think they actually enjoy torturing me in this way. :) And anyway, it’s their loss, if they don’t watch it!
Flóra BallabásQuote Reply
For now.
mummerQuote Reply
Re: Hound and Sansa, I like the way you described that Inkasrain. Spot on. I think I wouldn’t describe it as “creepy” just because of Sansa’s reaction to it. She clearly hates it when other men perv on her, but she seems to feel safe around Sandor (except for their very last scene together, which was both beautiful and frightening). To be fair, the first time I read the series I did not even pick up on the dynamic between Sansa and Sandor, and pretty much skimmed Sansa’s chapters. On rereads, the bits between those 2 have become some of my favorites.
I think GRRM had originally set up interesting people for all the Stark children, Meera/Bran, Arya/Gendry or Edric Dayne, Sansa and Sandor. The nixing of the 5-year-gap probably disallows this for the younger 2, but Sansa still has a shot by the end of the series. And she thinks about Sandor in nearly every one of her chapters in aSoS and aFfC. In fact, she even thinks about him in her last chapter of Feast, when Randa asks her if she knows what goes on in a marriage bed. Plenty of setup if Martin decides to go that route.
natasjaQuote Reply
Dinklage’s accent and the non-white heart tree have both begun to attract some negative comments.. and they have something else in common:
Those were both elements that were cut out of the “Inside Game of Thrones” Feature when HBO published their official, shorter version on http://www.makinggameofthrones.com/.
I have a theory..
Maybe those two snippets (Tyrion & Jon talking, and Ned sitting by the non-white heart tree) were filmed as part of the pilot. They were included in the “Inside Game of Thrones” Feature. But then at some point someone at HBO realized those early pilot-quality glimpses should not be preserved for posterity on the official video — because they were elements that were a little lackluster in the pilot.
We already know that the heart tree was redone in white, with red leaves.. and apparently there is a new & different face carving for it (see upthread).
So really this theory of mine is mainly of academic interest.. or of interest to those who really though Dinklage sounded bad.. I offer you hope that it was early footage of him from the pilot, before he had really gotten his characterization perfected.
BradQuote Reply
I’ll have to find it somewhere, but I think GRRM has been quoted as not intending for there to be any romantic involvement with Sansa and the Hound, and that people WERE supposed to be frightened of him, with her, and that frankly he was surprised so many people “shipped” the two of them together. So while it’s still possible that he does something with this, maybe on reflection?, I wouldn’t be surprised if we never see anything materialize (based on GRRM’s statement).
SmegmaQuote Reply
Except the pilot script does not go that far into the book (it ends with “The Things I do for Love”) and I doubt they filmed stuff that would not be in the pilot.
MormegilQuote Reply
Hello all!
So many reactions are documented here, I can see how valuable this site is to HBO.
So much has been said, It can be difficult to find anything new to say. Its quite likely that for every comment posted here, another 50-100 people feel the same way.
So, with that in mind, allow me to say how wonderfully wonderful I find this production to be! This will be a long, long winter, my friends. I echo the poster above who said it would be nice to hibernate like a bear for the next 4 months.
Here are some of my specific reactions:
On Khal Drogo: I don’t know why, but I often pictured the Khal as a younger and muscled Danny Trejo. Craggy and stern. So, the HBO Khal is taking some getting used to. But really, so little footage of him so far that it is tough to judge.
On Dany: Very easy on the eyes, and she clearly attacks this role with enthusiasm. No complaints here! Dany has always been such a fluid character, I never had any iron-clad expectations adaptation-wise.
Viserys: Spot on. That ruthless glower is priceless.
Illyrio: If ever a guy could do with more cheese and bling, its this guy.
Missing Jeor Mormont: He has some wonderful monologues, that really define and explain the growing threat in the north. Could use more of that.
Jaime and Cersei: These parts should be absolute plums for any good-looking, fair-haired, aspiring actor or actress. I expect these two to deliver in a big way.
Tyrion: HUGE Dinklage fan, it must be said. Regarding his accent, I think it can be jarring for one main reason. On all these promotion materials, we hear Peter talk about the production in his natural, American accent, which is quite strong, if you take my meaning. Then, when we hear him in character, it can seem a trifle overdone. I firmly believe, however, that if we had never heard him speak in his natural accent, this perception would vanish.
The Stark Kids: I think there’s already a strong consensus that the child actors deserve a lot of credit for turning in some very strong performances. I’m not disputing that. But I think that GRRM really should get some serious kudos for writing parts which feel natural and believable for all involved. I think child actors can often be difficult to work with because they are often asked to behave in very un-child-like ways. I remember GRRM stating on several occasions that the Bran chapters were some of the hardest to write, because of the difficulty of writing from a 5 year old’s point of view. I think that his care and thoughtfulness are paying out some serious dividends, now. You’re the master, George!
Catelyn Stark: Sure, you can quibble about her looks. But picture Michelle Fairley playing Cat as she’ll be in Feast for Crows. Chills. I like her.
Eddard Stark: Speaking of accents, Sean Bean isn’t actually doing one. Food for thought.
Littlefinger: This is one character that may not translate as well to the screen as I would have thought. In order NOT to be seen as a threat, Petyr needs to be VERY disarming with his demeanor and remarks. So far, what we’ve seen makes Littlefinger appear very, that is overtly, machiavellian. Don’t you think he seems a trifle too menacing? Don’t give the game away, LF!
Dragon’s Eggs: One poster mention that it seems odd for a creature the size of a football field to lay an egg the size of a pinecone. That’s a fair point, but there are so many ways around this issue. We are, after all, talking about the life cycle of what amounts to an alien life form.
Moon Trap Door? Is that what they’ll call it, now?
Thanks for reading my comments, and let me say once more what a damn thrill it is to be a part of this community!
Cheers,
McKee
McKeeQuote Reply
I’m not against shipping, but if it is not what the author intended (I don’t see it in the books despite what some people like to imagine) then I hope IF the producers decide not to put it into the TV series either, the shippers will not whine about it being a missing element and rant endlessly about it. Not only would they be wrong (ie. not what the author intended), but that would ruin this community for me and I think would turn off a lot of casual fans of the show who have never read the books.
spacechampionQuote Reply
Wastrel, natasja, Smegma, rorschach-, Inkasrain, and others, good points.
I’m interested in the Sandor-Sansa non-relationship (henceforth called San-San even if it sounds misty-eyed, just because it’s shorter) exactly because it is so complex, like the characters are complex, and elicits such varied reactions.
Thinking back on it, “creepy” is not the main adjective I’d use for it, because it’s subjective. Also subjective, and all legitimate, are the terms “scary”, “disturbing”, “disgusting”, or, on the contrary, “romantic” and “chivalrous”.
It’s all in the eye of the reader, and it’s such a fascinating creation by GRRM that he himself is surprised by its popularity. (JK Rowling said something similar about female fans’ romantic enthusiasm for Snape and Draco.)
Speaking only for myself, I was so moved by their dynamics that I tried to mentally venture in a “what if” situation. I find it interesting to imagine how such different character might get together. For what it’s worth, in my ideal ASOIAF future they DON’T get together. Sansa ends up as the Stark in Winterfell and Sandor as her faithful bodyguard, but they are both too messed up to even approach the opposite sex, let alone each other. They find solace in mutual loyalty.
Others see them getting married? Like I said in my first post on the topic (Blackfish Blues), I’m also interested in how different people relate differently to shipping. It’s still a mysterious phenomenon to me and I like to explore all its angles.
What I object to is extending the negative aspects of San-San to a negative judgement about the morality of the “shipper”. How can we know what pushes people to imagine a romantic, chivalrous San-San? Heck, I don’t even know what pushes ME to muse about such things. :)
Wastrel, I don’t mean to direct the above comment at you, but I have a small comment on your comment (oh dear, it’s getting late):
Totally agree, but in GRRM’s universe, I’m not Sansa’s mom; we’re asked to suspend disbelief and accept its own internal workings. We may not like them, or we may find interesting parallels with our own life (isn’t this what all good literature is all about, the meaning of life?), but I find it hard to accept a literal parallel with modern, everyday situations.
Definitely. Thanks, this fully answers my doubt.
I apologize if in my enthusiasm for the topic I’ve spoiled practically everything about San-San. I applaud Jenny for not spoiling the scene with SPOILER and SPOILER trying to SPOIL their SPOILER. :D :D :D
Heck, here I am babbling about Sandor when he’s not even my favourite older guy! (actually, if I went after Sandor I’d be the one robbing the cradle *blush*)
Blackfish BluesQuote Reply
Oh dear, my comment is awaiting moderation? A glitch, a prudential measure against a shippers war, or did I do something wrong?
Blackfish BluesQuote Reply
Smegma,
I don’t know, I have read a lot of GRRM’s comments and I have never seen him negating it. Being ambiguous? Yes, but that’s all. I mean, if he didn’t intend to have some kind of feelings between Sandor and Sansa and it’s only in some crazy people’s heads , he would say it clearly, or so I think, like he has said “hey, people, you are doing wrong seeing Sandor as an attractive, young and romantic guy!”
EmmaQuote Reply
Personally I have no wish to see Sandor and Sansa together but it’s clear that GRRM does intend for the possibility to exist. If he didn’t why does he have Sansa remember Sandor kissing her when it never actually happened?
MormegilQuote Reply
Do you have a page number on that? Because I’ve reread the entire series recently and haven’t once noticed anywhere that Sansa thinks that. Maybe it just passed me by.
spacechampionQuote Reply
I loved the “Look at me and tell me what you see” scene, and I actually thought the voice sounded like Tyrion. I am surprised so many are complaining about it.
I can’t help but notice they are changing Eddard a little, almost making him slightly more confrontational than he initially was upon arriving at King’s Landing.
As for the shipping, I was always under the impression that a shipping was a real OR imagined romance between two characters.
For those who are hating on the San-San ship(I love that name), remember that
1) it’s not real
2) this is a medieval type world (I use the term loosely) where it is common/acceptable for there to be large age gaps between couples.
3)It could not be construed as pedo b/c there is absolutely nothing physical going on between the characters (as far as I can remember they don’t even kiss), and I don’t ever recall the hound “leering” at Sansa.
That being said my favorite ship, and yes I know it’s never going to happen, is Jaime -Brienne. I will be waiting to see what they do with their dynamic, if they ever get there.
SJGIMQuote Reply
Sansa is not likely to marry anyone until she becomes a widow. And as far as we know her husband is still very much alive.
OldGranQuote Reply
I totally hear what you’re saying, but to be honest, I don’t see much reason to feel guilty for being fond of the idea of an eventual… something, even if it involves sex and some emotional attachment, between Sansa and Clegane. For me, there are two facts that greatly mitigate the ick factor. First, as others have said, nothing inappropriate (by our standards or by those of Westeros, whatever those might be) has happened to date, when in other situations it easily could have. (And just in case I seem to be implying that I think the Hound deserves some credit for not raping Sansa, let it be clear that I am not.) Secondly, I think natasja brings up an excellent point when she notes that Sansa herself is not afraid of the Hound. She feels about as safe as she ever does in King’s Landing when he is with her, even when she is alone with him– and even when she has been subjected to enough abuse that it would entirely understandable if she were terrified of men altogether.
So I personally see their relationship as strange, certainly unusual and by no means healthy, but none of these things give me any reason to recoil from it. This is Westeros– how many emotionally healthy people do we know of who exist in Westeros? (As you say, Arya, who I think seems the most normal by our modern standards when the series starts, is a few steps away from losing her mind completely.) At least Sansa and Clegane might find some twisted happiness in their disfunction.
By the way, your point about Sansa’s stories reminds me of something I meant to raise before. Another reason I enjoy the potential of Sansa and the Hound is because their relationship is exactly the stuff that her fairy tales are made of– once they have been warped by the years into idealized, romantic fluff. The story would have the Hound young, dashingly scarred, and the consummate knight, would tell of him protecting the beautiful orphan maiden through terrible trials until her love healed him. The reality of it is, as we all know, very different, but even Florian and Jonquil had to start somewhere.
So this is my own bias, I know, but one aspect of ASoIaF that I love to death is the fact that the characters live in an age where stories are being born. Westeros is in tremendous upheaval, and the actions of many characters are sure to make it first into the history books and then into song and legend– but all the grit and death and blood and tears that mark their accomplishments are sure to be wiped away in the telling. This is part of why Sansa and the Hound are so interesting to me, as is the chemistry between Jaime and Brienne. I can imagine the stories the future generations of Westros will almost certainly hear (Brienne the Beautiful and Jaime of the Golden Hand, anyone?) and I am deeply invested in finding out the true dirty, sad, painful, but in their own way beautiful, origins.
InkasrainQuote Reply
AFFC p609.
Robert Arryn kisses her and she remembers being kisssed by Sandor when he came to her room during the Battle of the Blackwater. In the actual chapter where this happened he left without kissing her.
GRRM has said that Sansa misremembering is not a mistake so he certainly intended for Sansa to have feelings about Sandor.
MormegilQuote Reply
Inkasrain,
Let’s not forget (as if we could) GRRM wrote Beauty and the Beast. :)
The Vincent/Catherine relationship is the one that most closely approximates San-San (excluding the last season’s shark jumping due to Linda Hamilton’s publicized-in-advance departure).
A monster (physically and psychologically) and a maiden’s power to unlock some small reservoir of humanity therein….a story well known to GRRM. I believe GRRM when he is surprised that there are shippers. He didn’t mean there to be, but it’s a relationship that, if it doesn’t have some subconscious vibe to it on the part of the monster, approximates that of a virgin and her faithful dog. Oh. I mean Hound.
DH87Quote Reply
Don’t know if anyone posted about this yet, but in the shot of Drogo on his horse when Illyrio is introducing Dany and Viserys, if you look in the far left of the screen in the background against the sky, you can see some power lines. OOPS.
ThrameofGonesQuote Reply
I think those are the spears of the Unsullied and trees. I am not 100% but that’s what it looked like to me.
SmegmaQuote Reply
All this discussion of Sandor is really fascinating. I’m fairly close to Inkasrain in the way I see it. Ages aside , a romance between the two would still be pretty impossible. But although he tries to disabuse Sansa of her romantic fantasies..he winds up proving, in a roundabout way, that chivalry is not entirely dead ( just mostly ;) ), and can sometimes be found in the most unlikely places. And in spite of his cynicism and outright rejection of the conventions of chivalry, she shows him that the female embodiment of those ideals ( the queen of love and beauty )can exist , contrary to everything his eyes and experience have taught him.
I’m not surprised about Sansa mis-remembering the kiss . He saved her, protected her ,isn’t that how a rescuer behaves in the romances ?..He also told her painful truths about himself and about others around her ( they’re all liars, not to be trusted ). These were all selfless acts. He had really nothing to gain in giving her the advice he did. Could a kiss from a rescuer be a bad thing ? Hmmmm.. maybe ultimately ,warnings from someone she knows to have given her truth, will help her if she finds herself in the sway of someone she knows to be a liar.
——–
I’m really surprised that anyone can find LF a sympathetic character, I never could relax about him for a minute when reading the novels..so I don’t mind if his character is telegraphed a bit in the beginning of the series. People will know to watch him, but they won’t see his game. After 4 novels , I don’t think we can be sure of it yet.
———
Wastrel , I’m sure infant mortality did skew life expectancy in the middle ages but whatever the average age for marriage, it’s not our middle ages, but GRRM’s Westeros. So many of his female characters are wedded and bedded by an early age, it can’t be unusual. What I find odd, is that many people seem to gloss over the wear and tear medieval life would wreak on those who survived.
GRRM hasn’t overlooked it when he has characters implying that a man in his mid-30′s was clearly getting past it..on the downhill slope..and that a man in his mid-40′s was an old man, and to expect him to answer a call to arms would be unreasonable. Characters who would be considered old by our standards are rare and often take on a more or less myhtic quality in the story( depending on just how old they are )…The upshot is, I approve of the ageing up of all the characters ; the young girls for ICK avoidance, the men and older women because a Westeros 30 might look as much as 50 by our standards.
obsidianQuote Reply
On Dinklage’s clipped precise public school delivery, on it’s own I have no dramas about it, we might find that Tywin speaks in similar cadences. My only issue with it is that Cersei and Tyrion speak with different accents. We haven’t heard Jaime in character yet.
FlayedandDisplayedQuote Reply
To the best of my recollection, in Westeros when women are married particularly young it’s in very special times of particular duress (Sansa, Lady Ermisande, so on) and even then like Wastrel suggested with our real history it seems consummation is delayable. Catelyn was probably already hitting 18 or 19 and still not married to Brandon yet, and Cersei stayed unwed until 18 as well I believe, until politics forced her to marry.
Lady_BQuote Reply
In the 3 days that I’ve been watching this preview, Dinklage’s accent has totally grown on me (or I’m just getting used to it). And accent aside, the delivery is perfect (facial expression, intonation, etc.). I can’t wait to hear him deliver some of Tyrion’s classic lines.
I felt the same with Viserys. It was great hearing a line from the book spoken aloud. I wonder how much of GRRM’s dialogue will sound good aloud, and if any will sound awkward.
LexQuote Reply
Lady_B,
Well , I like the older ages better.. I just remember being extremely uncomfortable with the books at first, because of the young ages of many of the girls in sexual situations ( not just marriage),and almost gave up on them because of it …but then the story hooked me ,and here I am.
obsidianQuote Reply
Inkasrain,
thank you, that was beautiful. You managed to express the magic that is part of what has hooked many of us to these books and makes us reach 650 posts talking mostly about canines. :D
Blackfish BluesQuote Reply
We heard Jaime in conversation with Ned, or are you saying that conversation was not in charcter for him.
MormegilQuote Reply
Inkasrain,
I’d been thinking about it and yet unable to put in into words. Thanks for bringing it up!
One thing I seem to differ on is, it’s not certain that the future generation of Westeros will know such stories. The characters’ struggles and tears and heroic deeds could end up unappreciated and forgotten. No song will be sung about them except this one named “A Song of Ice and Fire”, with only us, readers, as audience- and bad guys will continue to thrive in Westeros. This is a pure speculation from my part made upon GRRM’s “bittersweet ending” remark and I hope I am wrong.
CornslayerQuote Reply
Mormegil
Heh. Obviously I haven’t rewatched the thing enough. Thanks for pointing that out. Cersei and Jaime sound similar to me, quite different to Tyrion. Did he have a significantly different upbringing with different tutors in a different location?
FlayedandDisplayedQuote Reply
Although it doesn’t always follow that siblings have the same accents – it depends how/where they were brought up. Maybe Tyrion was schooled by academics and Cersei raised by her mother at home with the women. I don’t know if any of that is addressed in the books – I don’t remember. My accent isn’t the same now as my brother’s who has been away in Europe for years.
As for Tyrion’s accent – I thought it was great! Really well done for an American! I can imagine his droll asides in that accent and they’ll be even funnier!
On LF looking shady already – Gillen can’t help it – he does that so well – says one thing but telegraphs the opposite with his expression! Anyone as charming and clever as LF is BOUND to have another agenda……
silverjaimeQuote Reply
Tyrions upbringing would certainly have been different to the Twins. His Mother was dead, his Father and sister ignored him, Jaime would have gone off to be a Squire when Tyrion was about five (I think), the servants probably wanted as little to do with him as possible, whoever was Maester at the Rock during that period may well have been the one adult a young Tyrion talked to on a regular basis.
MormegilQuote Reply
I know this may be splitting hairs, but Inkasrain did mention that nothing inappropriate had passed between San/San.
But didn’t Sandor promise to kill Sansa if she told anyone else about his story? Threatening the life of the daughter of the Warden of the North? Definitely inappropriate.
Ah, I don’t have a point, just throwing a log on to the fire. Let’s keep this thread burning merrily until April.
McKeeQuote Reply
Hi guys,
I’ve been totally out of the GOT loop recently. I’ve been working on a sci-fi horror/comedy film called ‘Grabbers’ for the last 2 weeks and after each day I’ve just been going to bed. It’s very tiring running away from aliens! I’m very excited as I got my first line in a film too. It’s been a great shoot but I’ve been in a Grabbers bubble so I haven’t been keeping up with GOT. I’ve managed to watch the latest feature and it all looks fantastic. Can’t wait to see the real thing.
BTW, I found myself in one of Ran’s screengrabs. In the one with Loras holding up Sandor’s arm during the tourney, I’m the one behind them holding the orange banner!
http://www.westeros.org/GoT/Gallery/Entry/2133/
RimshotQuote Reply
Mormegil,
I see, thanks. :-) I’m outed as a non-reader of leaked scripts. ;-) I actually did think that scene looked very polished, and had no troubles with Pete’s accent in there myself.
And the heart tree doesn’t look bad to me with the green man styling, but I am interested to see if they get it closer to the books in the finished series.
BradQuote Reply
Rimshot,
Great, nice to see you there :)
Hear Me RoarQuote Reply
McKee,
I enjoyed reading your well-thought out comments. Petyr is a favorite character of mine, and I loved Gillen in The Wire.
My (likely fuzzy) memory is of Petyr being quite arch with Ned, like a cat playing with a mouse. And a country-bumpkin mouse, at that, to mix metaphors. I found Petyr to be machiavellian and self-serving from the start. The from that starting point of mistrust, his actions would sometimes hint that he might turn out to be an actual ally to Ned and/or Cat.
Also, of course Petyr and Ned were romantic rivals of a sort in Littlefinger’s thinking.. lots going on between these two men, and GRRM rendered it all very well. I get a sense of those dynamics on-screen with Gillen, though like some others have said, I hope his dialogue comes across as less pithy when seen in context of full scenes and episodes.
BradQuote Reply
Can someone please be so kind, and tell me what are the exact dialogs in the preview, between Jon and Benjen, and Jory and Ned ?
English is not my native language, as you surely have already guessed, and, while I understand the global idea of those dialogs, I don’t understand the exact words, which I find extremelly vexing :)
AltaïrQuote Reply
Oh b*******s, had a quote-ridden reply, firefox crashed and it all disappeared into oblivion…
I’ve only read through one third of the comments so far, soooo much that I would agree with.
I know that there’s still a long time to screening of the show, but I can spend a lot of time looking at the preview and stills!
And, to paraphrase Shelley, “If Winter is coming, can Spring be far behind?”
Points that I can remember:
Jaime is stealing his scenes with Eddard and Jon yum yum
Arya is clasping the legs of a statue, not a column.
The Dothraki horses look wrong, too Engish, did they use Shire horses?? Not good.
Tyrion’s matched eyes (yes, I know)
I want Ilyrio’s golden spiked beard back!
Renly, meh
Viserys, wow, just wow
Team Jaime forever *licks lips*
Much as I love Sean as Sharpe and Boromir, I am still to be convinced that he can do a born and bred Lord of an important House.
I want to see the dragon that skull came from FOR REAL!
I want to see the other dragon eggs please (begs)
Hope they can sort out Headey’s pregnancy and Danaerys’ lack of pregnancy!
Oh, and did I mention how much I’m loving Jaime??
More when I get time to read the rest……..
Porcupine TreeQuote Reply
Ah, but can you confirm for us whether it is a Baratheon or Hornwood banner Rimshot?
Where you shooting the Grabbers stuff locally?
ezeqielQuote Reply
Brad,
I did feel a bit odd writing that. Littlefinger, I think for many readers, occupies an interesting niche in the fabric of Westeros. He is, almost by necessity, a very complex character.
He’s delivering lines almost exactly as in the book, he’s acting wry and enigmatic, what more do I actually expect?
Well, I don’t know how to explain it, but because his means and ends are always so thoroughly inveigled, I can’t help but suspect that everything he says and does is just a pretense to direct attention away from something else. Something about him always seemed so effortless and sardonic, that even when his best laid plans begin to reveal themselves, I’m STILL left wondering whether I ought to take it seriously.
What if I told you that mistrusting me was the wisest thing you’ve ever done. Well, judging by my words, I’m just a few notches shy of actually, directly threatening you and your family. But I have to say it in such a way that you won’t or can’t take me seriously. You must believe that it only amuses me to say such things, and I only enjoy the pretense that I can play the Game of Thrones. That is how LF behaves, is it not?
I guess I mean, here’s what’s odd: The other “players” (Ned, Cersei, Tyrion, etc.) seem to find LF either harmless or impenetrable. The veneer of civility is Littlefinger’s only armor, is it not? Yet, as readers and a (future) viewers of GOT, its obvious to all of us that he’s hiding something.
Let me say, I’ve got nothing negative to say about Aiden’s work. I just wonder if some of that hypnotic quality can translate to the screen.
McKeeQuote Reply
Altaïr,
English is my native language (American) and I had a difficult time understanding those exchanges as well. I thought it was just me because I’m not used to hearing the accents. However I did understand Tyrion clearly and Viserys and Dany as well. Much of the time the native english speakers seem to mumble their words.
OldGranQuote Reply
Neither – It is the banner of the house Rhimshotai. I brought myself!
Actually, I don’t know what it is. The props guy just handed them out to a few of us. On it were three moose heads with big antlers if that helps!
Grabbers was filmed in a disused pub outside Ballynahinch which was converted into a working pub. You can see some pics on the Grabbers facebook page.
RimshotQuote Reply
Altaïr,
I wrote a transcript that was linked above, and I couldn’t get out some of the words Benjen said. The Jory-Ned stuff I’m pretty sure is right. Anyway, this is what I did get out (I’m also not a native English speaker so even the stuff of Benjen’s that I have here may be wrong):
Jon: I’m ready.
Benjen: (You’re …?) You’re no ranger Jon. Here, a man gets what he earns. What he earns.
Jory: You shouldn’t be out here my Lord. There’s no telling who has eyes where.
Ned: Let them look.
Johan SporreQuote Reply
thank you very much !
For Benjen what I hear before “you’re no ranger” is “You’re not going”
AltaïrQuote Reply
DH87,
Very true. There’s a reason the “beauty and the beast” archetype is so powerful when it’s tapped into correctly, and GRRM obviously does it brilliantly.
In terms of the virgin and her faithful hound, I’ve read a few theories that wonder if Sansa might end up with the Hound as essentially her direwolf replacement. I’d prefer a more personal relationship myself (even if not romantic) but since we don’t know what sort of state Clegane is actually in at the moment I think it’s about as valid as any other idea, and it does have a nice thematic symmetry.
Blackfish Blues,
Thanks so much! It actually just fully clicked for me while I was writing it.
Cornslayer,
Thank you! I agree with you that it’s likely history and legend will be as cruel to a lot of our characters as life was. Some will probably be baselessly vilified or lauded without merit, some will turn into iconic fables that have little to no connection to their actual experience, and others will probably be forgotten altogether. (I wonder which is the most tragic?) But I still think that a good portion of the major events and personalities that we’re reading about will be recorded in some form or another, as stories and history are such a strong motif in the books, and Westeros is in such a period of upheaval. Most of it probably won’t be fair, but that’s status quo both in Westeros and real life, unfortunately.
McKee,
Lol ;-) you’re right that a lot of Sansa and Clegane’s interactions have been socially inappropriate, but in terms of sexual misconduct (which would pretty much automatically cast whatever it is between them in an extremely negative light) nothing has really happened to make me personally uncomfortable with their relationship.
InkasrainQuote Reply
Rimshot,
I have this idea that it’s house Cerwyn. Don’t know where I got that idea from.
GaRQuote Reply
I should look these things up before commenting, I guess. Cerwyn is a battleaxe. Hornwood is the moose.
It’s gotta be Hornwood, surely?
GaRQuote Reply
What I heard (and I’m pretty sure I got it clearly):
Jon: I’m ready!
Benjen: You’re not going. You’re no ranger, Jon. Here a man gets what he earns, when he earns it.
theamberkeyQuote Reply
theamberkey,
That’s what I heard too.
GaRQuote Reply
I’m on board with this… definitely what I heard.
NakmalQuote Reply
I will be really interested in finding out if at the end of the series we get to read some of the legends made from the events we get see throughout the book. It would also be neat if along the way one of the characters hears a romanticism of events they had been party to, knowing full well it happened nothing like that.
To continue on the San-San topic, the only reason I ever really latched on to that ship is because their interactions are to me the only thing that make Sansa’s chapters worth reading. I dislike Sansa as a character and find myself either rolling my eyes or scowling at her at least 5 times per Sansa chapter. Sorry to those that like Sansa, but perhaps that is the reason so many were drawn into this ship or the interactions between the two, because they were the most engaging part of the Sansa chapters. That being said, the fact that Martin can write POV characters that I love and am biting my nails in anticipation for, and then a POV that provides my reaction to Sansa, shows his talent and scope in writing.
Altaïr,
Jon and Benjen:
Jon: “I’m ready.”
Benjen:”You’re not going, you’re no ranger Jon. Here, a man gets what he earns, when he earns it.”
Jory and Ned:
Jory: “You shouldn’t be out here my lord, there’s no telling who has eyes where.”
Ned: “Let them look.”
Rimshot,
Horay! We finally get to see you. :)
SJGIMQuote Reply
What I heard (and I’m totally sure I got it right):
Jon: Wahhhhh
Benjen: Stop being such a bitch!
userjQuote Reply
SJGIM,
…why would you want to ship a pairing where you hate half the pair? I don’t think that hating Sansa is very common among San/San fans.
userjQuote Reply
userj,
lol, good point. I didn’t necessarily ship them in the sense that I think about the couple and create a romance that isn’t there (that is what Jaime/Brianne shipping is for) as much as ship them in the sense that I enjoyed the interactions between those two characters. Hate is a strong word, I simply don’t care for her or her views on things. Perhaps shipping is the wrong word, but I can see that it is an interesting aspect of Sansa’s character, and can see why people do ship them.
BTW, I like your Jon paraphrase.
SJGIMQuote Reply
userj,
Haha! I concede. Jon is a whiny lil bastard pretty much until he gets back from the wildling army. From what I recall. Definitely in my top three characters, though.
theamberkeyQuote Reply
… this.
InkasrainQuote Reply
That’s interesting how views can differ so much, to me Sansa by herself is way more interesting than anything about Sandor :)
KerryQuote Reply
It makes sense to me; for whatever reason, my impression is that Sansa is one of the more (most?) divisive characters in the series. It’s kind of funny, if you think about it. A lot of fans will root for incestuous kingslayers and admire conniving goateed masterminds, but it’s the silly preadolescent girl who really gets their hackles up. (Which is fine, by the way. It just strikes me as ironic.)
InkasrainQuote Reply
All I can say is I want more and I want it right now! Is it April yet?
Dany: Oh how perfect she is amazing, she looks and sounds so naive and soft and beautiful I cannot wait to see her emerge her inner Dragon!!!!
Khal Drogo: Perfect Casting Jason Momoas is Bad Ass…perfect.
Cersei: I love the casting truly I do but I can’t see the manipulative cold ice glare she dishes out in the book….I will need to see it but I am sure it will be great.
AHHHHHHHHH……Please lets fast forward time i can’t wait!!
LoriQuote Reply
A.J. Lipinski,
I always read it in my head as Jamie – a perfectly good boys name btw (short for james). However I’ve always believed that the way I said it in my head was wrong. Jaime itself is a perfectly good spanish first name pronounced “Hi-me” as in Jaime Alguersuari (the formula one racing driver). If the show is going to do the spelling of his name justice it should be pronounced like that (although I admit I haven’t ever really pictured the Lannisters as Spanish-influenced!)
Just8WillQuote Reply
filiming camp scene in inch abbey downpatrick CoDown looks awsome just 15 mins from my house snow on ground
markQuote Reply
Pardon me if I didn’t have time to read all the post before, but I was wondering if anyone has any thoughts on how HBO will portray the direwolves? there are no shots of them in any of the videos released that I saw, other than as pups with dead mom. maybe they will be added via CGI? Any thoughts?
Yi Ti Monkey TailQuote Reply
Also, I can’t wait to see Jon and Danny take over the world together!
Yi Ti Monkey TailQuote Reply
Before I get to the wolves….
First of all: Hi to all of you. I just worked my way down this thread (took three midday breaks). I am in my midthirties and been a fantasy geek since reading LOTR 25 years ago. Since then I have read a lot of fantasy literature, mostly Forgotten Realms/Dragonlance stuff, due to the popularity of paper and pen RPGs back then. (Istill would die for a live-action Legend of Drizzt or Dragonlance Chronicles TV show;)) but I haven’t read ASoIaF until I saw a trailer recently. It is quite interesting to read (or better hear, since I have the audiobooks) the stuff for the first time, with the images of the making ofs/trailers etc. in mind, because that way, all characters are spot on, because you automatically picture them in your head as you have seen them in the trailer.
Now to get to the direwolves. There is a photo released with Sansa wandering through camp with Lady, which is still little more than pup in the novel but is played by a full grown wolf. I think the screen is on the HBO site as well. I wonder if they will do the fullgrown dire wolves with forced perspective shots, or if they go full CG. For all the people that have a problem with the Stark banners, wolves are often depicted in a similar way in medival art, in fact most animals are stylized that way, just look at the depictions of whales on ancient maps.
My only gripe so far: The size of the dragon egg, I know it is a fantasy creature, but I had hoped it would at least be bigger than an ostrich egg and not even smaller than that. I think the size of a football/basketball would have been ideal. Since I haven’t read that far yet, but from what I have read here, these eggs hatch in the future. My guess is that at the moment because they are fossilized, they have shriveled, become scaly, but once they are incubated they get bigger and smoothen more (I happen to breed reptiles and some species eggs nearly triple their size between Laying and Hatching).
ChrisQuote Reply
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