As we are one day shy of the usual weekly nerdtastic madness that is Maester’s Path Monday, HBO has seen fit to grant us not one, but two new previews!
The first, a “House Stark” featurette, looks to be the first of hopefully many such vids. I can guess they will also have a House Lannister featurette, as well as Targaryen … possibly even Baratheon! Here’s Stark:
(For those of you who cannot access the HBO site, there is the You Tube version of the House Stark featurette!)
The second is titled, “Fear and Blood,” and it is a teaser in the more traditional sense:
(And here is the You Tube link to Fear and Blood! Thanks, Abyss!)
Fire And Blood: As Sean Bean might say, “It’s tasteh.” The Stark featurette was very cool. I like the fact that we get a much clearer view of our Starks. We get to hear Sophie Turner interviewed for the first time, as well as Richard Madden. We get to see some of Bran’s climbing, and even a Rickon giggle. (Why do I assume someone just got hurt whenever Rickon giggles?)
From Fear and Blood we get our first glimpse of Old Nan (and it makes me sadder we’ll not see any more of Margaret John), some more Varys as well, plus a quick shot of Lalor Roddy as the Catspaw … and a fine example of Why Not to Piss Off the White Walkers.
Eeeee-heeee-yikes. Nasty.
Note: Via Ran from Westeros, the music used is from Sencit Music, NOT official GoT stuff from Ramin Djawadi.
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264 Comments
I think I’ve said this with each new trailer, but: that was the best one yet.
ethelredQuote Reply
at 2:12 in “Fear and Blood” a direwolf is jumping at something! sa flsdgfhhg awesome
Viktor NorbergQuote Reply
The trailer is good, I agree…
But did anyone listen to the music/score/whatever? It’s awful… Sounds really cheap IMHO… what happened?
It’s very cheesy and sounds like it’s from a B-Fantasy-Movie… or is that just me?
Julian BudkeQuote Reply
So great to hear more from all the Stark kids! (and Jon — although does anybody detect a hint of equivocation regarding Jon’s parentage?)
Carrie MeathrellQuote Reply
Awesome preview for the 1st episode.
Angel AndresQuote Reply
Does anyone have a youtube link for the “fear and blood” trailer? My internet inexplicably decided that it didn’t feel like making an effort.
ShannonQuote Reply
yeah, the part about his “secret background” and “why his father did what he did”, “you have my blood” can point to R+L, it doesnt say that Ned is his father. It’s probably stated elsewhere though, they’re probably intentionally teasing hardcore fans :P
Viktor NorbergQuote Reply
We finally get to hear “When you play the game of thrones you win or you die” !!!
The Stark video was great. All the kids deserve more screen time in these previews.
EggplantQuote Reply
The music for the stark vid was great, for the fear and blood trailer less so, but still good.
NickQuote Reply
That shot of King’s Landing/The Red Keep was gorgeous.
MBKeatonQuote Reply
notice how grrm said that jon snow was A bastard NOT NED’S bastard….hella previews
gendry’s hammerQuote Reply
I have lost my ability to comment coherently on these increasingly awesome slices of Westeros. I fear I must soon resort to interpretive dance in order to express myself.
I love it. Marry me, HBO!
InkasrainQuote Reply
YouTube for the “Fire and Blood” please!
OneTooFreeQuote Reply
I loved seeing the eagle eye view of Winterfell. You could see the top of the Heart tree and godswood of to the side. there was really striking visuals too, with the dead wildlings and the frozen girl sort of speared on to a tree or something. The trailer just really blew me away. How many of you were seeing the trailer in HD, I wonder. I imagine it wouldn’t seem nearly as cool if the video quality sucked
Luke likelyQuote Reply
I gotta say, while the visuals continue to blow my mind, the underscore is underwhelming. The music is really giving me some trepidation, I hope it’s just placeholder rubbish that will be hurriedly wiped from existence when the show premieres. They just hired a new composer so I’m almost 100 percent sure this isn’t what we can be looking forward to but still, makes me cringe to think of the possibilities.
RobQuote Reply
The wildling corpses are very gory. All ripped to pieces.
…
AWESOME!!! \m/
NickQuote Reply
Inkasrain,
I wouldn’t have wanted someone to tape me watching that trailer. With every scene I was gasping and looking ridiculous in general
Luke likelyQuote Reply
First Impressions
Bran running along the walls of Winterfell
Rickon gets a mention
As if we didn’t know Winter it seems is Coming.
Still no Sansa Dialogue
First look at Old Nan
First Varys dialogue
Cersei’s line from the Iron Throne teaser was to Jofferey.
Was that the Red Keep or Pentos?
MormegilQuote Reply
Luke likely,
ooooow you weren’t the only one….i was going to sleep, guess i can’t anymore
Jéssica De Freitas MacielQuote Reply
I loved the Stark video. It was good to finally hear them all talk, even if just in an interview. I think the noble house videos are a good idea. They might help those who have not read the books get more of a grasp on the world and not be so overwhelmed with information when actually watching the show
Luke likelyQuote Reply
Far and above, the best trailer so far. It really establishes the mood and conflicts of the series for people unfamiliar with it better than any yet.
Frank JohnsonQuote Reply
Sweet mother of Zeus, that was awesome!! :D Wicked trailer.
And the Stark featurette was great too, both were good stuff.
“When you play the game of thrones, you win or you die…”
:D that just made my day.
KangaQuote Reply
Before we have a Musicgate, Ran has confirmed that the music in the trailers are not from the score. I’m getting the feeling we won’t hear any official soundtrack music until the show airs. Unless we hear otherwise, I’m going to assume all the rest of the trailer music is just that…. trailer music.
But the previews, holy crap! All the new glimpses are awesome! I loved hearing from all the Stark kids (except Rickon, poor little Rickon). I also love how Richard Madden referred to the Starks as “we.” All the kids seem perfectly cast.
And the Fear and Blood trailer, wow, epic… and spooky. That wildling girl is going to give me nightmares. And I loved getting our first glimpse of Old Nan (RIP). And hearing Varys speak, another spot-on casting job. The CGI work for the castles looks really impressive too. The Wall, the Red Keep, Winterfell. Very cinematic.
Overall, I’m super impressed. Agghhh!! I can’t wait much longer!!!
Winter Is ComingQuote Reply
I’m really looking forward to the Lannister and Baratheon ones now. We’ve seen little of the other families, so some new footage of Tyrion, Jaime, Cersei and (oh god please) TYWIN would be a right treat. And of course some more of Renly wouldn’t go amiss. I wonder if they’ll not mention Stannis in the video, since they don’t have the ability to show him.
NickQuote Reply
sssssssssoooooooooo gggggooooooddddd (lies on back and rolls himself in the awesomeness of that preview)
GazQuote Reply
Ice is BIG
The DarkStarQuote Reply
Screencapers GO! GO GO!
GEEKASM. SO many new shots. The castles…the new shots*Falls over*
EXPONENTIAL AWESOMENESS!
wolfheartQuote Reply
seriously, i hate flash and it taunting me
Ashley BlackwoodyQuote Reply
ROBB dear lord we got to see ROBB in ARMOR!
Cant wait to see him in his ancient king of the north styled crown!!!!
wolfheartQuote Reply
Well I think we can put to rest on how big ICE is. ITS BIG! For Beans height, the pommel hit around his shoulder.
Screen cap requests:
The new shots of the castles: Winterfell? Or the old fort where the beheading scene is.
The Red Keep
Robb in armor
Ned holding ICE with two wolf statues!
GO! Haha!
wolfheartQuote Reply
HBO’s Flash player is horrible, is it super choppy for other people?
ChrisQuote Reply
Works fine in Firefox and Chrome
NickQuote Reply
Nick,
It’s quite choppy for me on both Chrome and Firefox.
NousWandererQuote Reply
King’s Landing screen cap:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/21023865@N04/5525012164/lightbox/
White Walker:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/21023865@N04/5524420639/lightbox/
White Walker with brightness adjusted on the picture:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/21023865@N04/5525012140/lightbox/
TCQuote Reply
They just get better and better, and Luke I agree, the idea of House videos is great at helping the newbies get their bearings.
I love both, especially the badassery of Fear and Blood. The tone it sets and the way the mood builds to that final iconic phrase.
I love our fist shot of Summer in action, leaping on the assassin.
I love the first shot of Winterfell, glimpse the Godswood and Wier tree to the right.
I thought it looked rather like a almagamation of medieval England and Tibetan architecture, at least from the quick shot.
Kings Landing, breathtaking, and the Red Keep, WOW! I like the way they made KL match Malta, so everything blends perfectly.
The tunnel thru the wall, creepy.
The fight scene is going to be epic, may even be one of TV’s greatest moments.
I see they changed the Will/Wildling scene, totally different than the early promo, creating a mysterious, supernatural, primeval and brutal mood all at once.
Vary’s spot on.
I love the Pentos parts, really builds momentum.
One thing, who is that mysterious cloaked man in the last 10-12 seconds? He has long dark hair and beard. Is wielding a staff, apparently fighting someone in a wooded (non-snow covered) scene. Could it be our first glimpse of Stiv?
Overall I am speechless over both trailers, and looks like they are pushing Jon’s mysterious parentage.
TysnowQuote Reply
Jon: “What kind of reports?”
Benjen: “The kind I don’t want to believe.”
Still loving Joseph Mawle.
Fire And BloodQuote Reply
Couple of quck scenes at the end of the trailer
Summer attacking the Catspaw and Stiv attacking Rob.
Plus a clearer shot of Brandon being strangled, still can’t decide if it’s Sean Bean in the scene or not though.
MormegilQuote Reply
Hahaha. I support this bottom. That made me laugh :)
Reminds me of Vampire Bill’s “SOOKEH!!”
KangaQuote Reply
Luke likely,
Spoiler alert! For non book readers the latest trailer does 2 things. I think it shows much more cool things than previous trailers have done. And it also gives a lot of things away that might take some enjoyment out of it. Thems the breaks I guess. This series is very hard to convince people they will like it without giving things away, because most of the cool things are hidden from the first.
For me, the teaser at least confirms that the special effects are going to be spectacular. I don’t see how they could not win some kind of award for the work they are doing. Each little bit we see looks better, and this teaser is the most outstanding. The long look at the wall, from close up to wide shot; the red keep, which far from looking like a standard generic castle is full of detail; the intriguing yet frightening geometric layout of wildling corpses; the dark tunnel in the crypts…
The stark video on the other hand seems to give a pretty good outline of the characters without saying too much. And we finally get down there with the children more in the foreground, but still not enough!
salukQuote Reply
Fire And Blood,
I have to admit here that the Joseph Mawle/Jon scene we keep seeing always strikes me as cheesy. :/ Maybe it’s the dialogue though, and not the actor.
I’m waiting on the youtube version of the Fire and Blood teaser though, so hopefully his other scene won’t come off that way.
Steve Hugh WestenraQuote Reply
My god, everything is brilliant.
I can do nothing else but express my deepest gratitude to HBO for picking up this show and getting it so RIGHT. Just awed gasps and ridiculous grins coming from me the whole time from both videos.
ZackQuote Reply
Here you go! ;-)
AbyssQuote Reply
Oooh, Ghost sighting at 1:07 on the Stark video, anyone catch that?
ChrisQuote Reply
Wow, my head is still spinning. The effects do look quite incredible. The Red Keep, Pentos–I think it was Pentos– the crypts at Winterfell. The landscapes feel real and organic. The dead Wildlings and the girl pinned to the tree are truly creepy. But I don’t remember dead Wildlings in GoT. When does that take place?
Cersei looks awesome as she tells Ned about Playing the Game of Thrones. Man, so much awesomeness. I said I wouldn’t watch the 15-minute preview but after getting a taste of this I don’t think I’ll be able to resist.
HollyoakQuote Reply
These videos keep getting better and better for sure. Can’t wait for this to premier.
David PriceQuote Reply
Abyss, thank you so much!
Also, this is the first time that Lena Headey’s really struck me as Cersei, not just as Lena in a costume. Particularly in the bit when she’s speaking to Joffrey. This isn’t a reflection on her work, we just haven’t seen much of her yet, but I’m very excited to see Cersei Lannister come to life in all her I-hate-her-so-much-I-hope-she-dies-horribly-but-god-she’s-such-a-juicy-villain-now-I’m-torn-aaagh glory.
KangaQuote Reply
Winterfell is nowhere near as tall in walls(80 ft? first wall, I cant remember the second fortress wall) or as massive in acre-age it takes up as described but it still looks good. But when you compare KL(near spot on in size) to Winterfell it makes you wonder why they chose to downplay Winterfell so much.
wolfheartQuote Reply
THANK YOU!!!
OneTooFreeQuote Reply
Hollyoak,
In the prologue…
NickQuote Reply
Oh god. King’s Landing looks amazing.
Andreas PapaeliasQuote Reply
The Dead Wildings are from the Prologue, Will finds them all dead, reports back to Royce but when they go back again the bodies are gone.
MormegilQuote Reply
Great news, I suspected we might get something new today! Haven’t watched the videos yet, but I don’t understand the update note about the music. Is it, or isn’t it, official music from GOT??
I am saving these for later tonight, but it’s nice to have something to brighten my day. I’ve spent most of the day watching the utterly horrible videos from Japan. Quakes, tsunami, possible nuclear meltdowns, and now another tremor and possible tsunami. It’s blowing my mind. So, so sad… Hard to be excited about anything at the moment.
LexQuote Reply
Any other girls fall in love with Robb after the Stark video?
come on …. I was not the only one, loved how he was all about representing the north.
Finding the RainbowQuote Reply
I do think Winterfell looks odd, those round towers look far too wide.
MormegilQuote Reply
Lex,
I agree completely. I was watching home videos of the tsunami an hour ago, and did not have words for how sad I felt for those poor people. My heart goes out to them. I feel silly for sitting here worrying about a midterm when such things are happening in Japan. I can’t begin to imagine how terrible that must be for them.
KangaQuote Reply
The news from Japan is truly terrible. This community here is great. Maybe we can all find it in our hearts to give what we can to the victims there. I know I will.
HollyoakQuote Reply
Anyone else catch a glimpse of a possible Jane Poole in the scene where Sansa sits at the table and Joff is looking at her?
Everything looks amazing!! More house videos please!
David OrnelasQuote Reply
It was bad enough in Japan three days ago, but the disaster hasn’t stopped… it just keeps getting worse. :(
It’s also frightening to me because I live on the west coast of Canada, and we are long overdue for a megaquake of similiar magnitude.
Can’t wait to watch these vids in a bit, to take my mind off it. Also, I still think the music update (about Ran) is worded poorly/wrong. It says “for official GOT music”, but I think it’s supposed to say “NOT official GOT music”?
LexQuote Reply
The trailers are great! I love seeing new stuff every week.
On a different note though is anyone else kind of annoyed by the video adds or whatever they are on the side of this site? I am usually fine with adds but is there anything you guys can do to make them less obtrusive? (videos that play with the sound on and eat up badwidth = fail)
Eric JonesQuote Reply
Trailer @ 1:16.
Room for one more??? XD
Franny BeeQuote Reply
In my opinion, Varys’ voice didn’t sound right. He was described as having a giggly voice. His character and Petyr were the ones who fascinated me the most.
cspQuote Reply
Eric Jones,
Yes, I find the audio/video ads incredibly annoying… and I thought so a long time ago, when they first started appearing on here… but I also figured that WiC has got to do whatever it’s got to do. Winter puts in so much work, I’m willing to turn my sound off and ignore it if it helps him out at all.
LexQuote Reply
Eric Jones,
The ads are definitely getting obnoxious. I’m sure it’s been mentioned but I’d like to add my voice as well. They are obtrusive to the point where they are really going to affect the credibility of the site for new viewers. Many people are turned off by those enough that they would leave immediately and not come back – me being one of those people.
ChrisQuote Reply
*Sighs*
I’m too stoked for words.
I LOLed at the Starks feature …
It sort of makes me think of a historical documentry.
“Ken Burns presents, Winter is Coming, A introspective to the War of the Five Kings.”
(Not saying that wouldn’t be Awesome.)
Lena Headey stole the Fire and Blood trailer for me. She’s so good, it’s scary. Anyone who still has a problem with her can E-mail me!
LOL!
There is just too much awesome to put any cohesive thoughts into words.
Phantomwriter05Quote Reply
this is so exciting! i love the shot at :38 of the raven landing on a wall with a gloomy winterfell behind. that shot alone says “i’m a show you should take seriously!” the only thing i’m confused about is the logo – so far we’ve seen like 10 different logos with different fonts. which one are they going with officially? seems like they would want to pick one and stick with it for branding…
MegQuote Reply
I’m working with my provider to get rid of the video ads. Especially the ones that can’t be muted. Those are the worst. Please bear with me as I get it sorted out. Thanks!
Also I updated the post to be more clear about the music. It is NOT from the official soundtrack.
Winter Is ComingQuote Reply
As for the ad problem some of you are having, just get an ad-blocker. It’s very easy. Adblock Plus is what I use, and I never see any ads on this site, or any other. It works with Mozilla, not sure about other browsers.
Steve the PirateQuote Reply
Winter Is Coming, High five! Winter, you da man.
LexQuote Reply
YES YES YES YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS :D :D
Two features in one night blew my mind. And two awesome ones. The Stark featurette – brilliant! A great way to get people interested in the characters. I just wish we’d seen dialogue from the kids!
Best scenes –
Direwolf puppy in the yard of Winterfell!!
Ghost!
Robert calling Ned fat, Ned’s reaction
Bran climbing! Great shot, really shows his fearlessness as its described in the books, and will definitely make the famous scene all the more dramatic.
Rickon! (or Rick-ON apparently)
Loved both Sophie and Maisie’s descriptions of their characters
Robb looks good ;)
The scene with Jon and Ned was very poignant and to me, alludes to something we’ve all been thinking about…
The Fear and Blood preview was also fantastic! Varys is perfect! Renly was sitting at the council meeting and doesn’t look like he’s wearing a monk’s outfit/potato sack, so that’s good. Dany looks gorgeous as usual, and Emilia’s fear is so beautifully portrayed as she walks up to Drogo. And the Wildling girl was so super creepy! I actually thought she was wearing a mask at first. Is it just me or does it look like she has Ygritte-esque hair?
So which houses do you think they will feature in these videos? Does anyone know? Definitely Lannister and Baratheon, probably Targaryen (with Drogo and Illyrio thrown in); possibly Arryn, Tully or Tyrell?
LinaQuote Reply
Yup, god bless ad block plus. Never even realised this place had ads
NickQuote Reply
Oh my, that second trailer – Dany and Jaime are hot like burning….
duckyQuote Reply
Nick,
Ha! Me too … Ads? What ads?
JRQQuote Reply
I’ve loved everything they’ve put out…but man, that Fear and Blood trailer is astonishingly effective.
JRQQuote Reply
King´s Landing is spectacular, the Red Keep is incredible. This kind of awesomeness reminds me of seeing Minas Tirith for the first time many years ago…
IkertzekeQuote Reply
Carrie Meathrell,
Even with all the other awesome, this is probably what stood out the most for me. GRRM refers to John as a bastard living in the Stark household, makes me hope that some of the parentage questions are getting answered in the upcoming novel.
Chad MurphyQuote Reply
Finally saw the Fear and Blood Trailer! My roommate’s computer will play it! Wow. Beautiful. Old Nan (sad). Dany/Drogo. Red Keep. I’m a happy fangirl!
Phoenix_TornQuote Reply
I get what you mean. I live in Edmonton but I’ve been visiting Vancouver every summer for most of my life, and I have very close friends there, so the idea of a similar thing happening in that region is quite frightening to me. As well, I’m in university and in the middle of a course dealing directly with earthquakes and tsunamis and volcanoes etc, so I’ve been studying these things for months now, so I gained a new appreciation for the devastation of these events weeks before Japan was struck. and that just makes all of this scarier, having a greater understanding of just how bad these things can get. I share your hopes for the safety of those on the coast, very much so.
KangaQuote Reply
Holy crap! Holy Crap! I mean Holy Shit!!!!!!
New preview knocked my socks off. There’s just no way the show can live up to how great it looks.
Brad VillaneQuote Reply
Haven’t watched the previews yet (stupid work), but I just wanted to put in that if R+L=J is true I really hope they don’t hint at it too blatantly in the series. I’d like it to be as subtle as in the books, though that would be difficult to pull off.
Avalanche3319Quote Reply
exponential badassery indeed!
can’t wait for the screen caps!
MetalgoddessAMBQuote Reply
I agree. Finer than normal. ;)
EggplantQuote Reply
I love how Richard Madden (Rob Stark) refers to the Starks as “we”. He’s really into the role.
Also, 2nd trailer…amazing.
TheReaderQuote Reply
very cool! did anyone else notice the way the dead wildlings were lying on the ground? if you pause it you can see that their limbs have been cut off and have been laid out in some kind of pattern. creepy.
as for the houses, i bet they show the lannisters, targaryens, and maybe baretheons. i can’t see them showing any other major house.
solarQuote Reply
Winter Is Coming,
Awesome! I’m just glad to hear you are aware of the problem and are working to address it. I cannot stress how much I love your site and I hate to see it despoiled by some really pushing adds. Keep up the good work!
Oh and on a note related to these trailers: how awesome is Sean Bean? I cannot get enough of his portrayal of Ned. His expression in response to Robert’s “Fear and Blood” line is just spot on. (there are other examples of how awesome he is but this particular instance is just freshest in my mind) Dude is an absolutely amazing actor.
Eric JonesQuote Reply
Wow. The “Fire and Blood” trailer is really the best preview yet. Others have been good, this one is great. It does a fantastic job of selling the show in its proper Epic As Hell context and my god! the production values! Words cannot describe how fantastic the show looks. April 17 cannot arrive quickly enough.
Ser_GQuote Reply
Abyss,
Thanks! XD
Thoughts:
Mostly I think I’m going to need screencaps to be able to comment on a lot of what’s in these two (well, mainly the Fear and Blood trailer), but they were both excellent, and I think they did a great job of presenting the story in a much more concise and comprehensible way for the non-reader (at least, that was my impression, as someone who read the books, haha). They do seem to be narrowing the focus of these down more and more from earlier teasers, increasingly focusing on the very main characters. We didn’t get any Gregor or Loras or Littlefinger this time around, for instance (although I suppose you could count Varys as a character around their level of main-ness as well, and he’s in this one).
I was impressed by most of what I saw. It feels like the more we see the more it is shaping up to feel like a complete world, which is a big relief.
Illyrio’s line felt a bit cheesy and I’m not sold on the path they’ve taken with him yet, but as with most things, there’s not much to go on at this point.
An aside: Has anyone read part 5 of Ran’s set report?? He talks a lot about omissions in the series that George warned about (minor things that will become important in the unreleased/unwritten novels) as well as some overtly admitted spoilers, etc, which George mentioned to him. I’m in fits of excitement and fannish agony now. ):
Steve Hugh WestenraQuote Reply
Did the Fear and blood trailer air on HBO?
Hope so, because it kicked ass! I think it might be necessary to show the Red keep, Winterfell and The Wall to get peoples attention. If they can’t grasp what the show is about, at least the trailers we’ll get a few “Oooh”s
sjweningsQuote Reply
All those using Adblock on this site might want to add an exception, at least once Winter gets rid of the video and audio ads. It’s probably not much, but I’m sure the ad revenue helps towards running this site. It’s always a good idea to add exceptions for sites you want to support.
George DWQuote Reply
Just unbelievable. Such ass-kicking trailers. Stark one was a great call and we were all hoping for a house breakdown. Helps newbies but come on…we get to even see the “one who will bring them all together in fire and blood” Rickon??? Awesome! The potential of that kid in future books better come through. Anyway…
Other trailer had me gasp a bit. That little girl from the White Walkers? I’m about to go to bed here! Ack! All the little pieces we have seen the past couple months are getting more and more context and I am getting more and more hyped.
I might have to get a bottle of Johnny Walker Black for the premier. Just…too…much…goodness…….
Cisco MasiasQuote Reply
sjwenings,
They were both on tonight. The Stark one just before the Big Love retrospective, and Fear & Blood after it.
Pure awesomesauce!
the goatQuote Reply
the goat,
Cool. I just hope people don’t get fed up with all the previews of this show. Either way: The Fear and blood one should definately get some attention from the sceptics. I hope they show that one a bunch of times.
sjweningsQuote Reply
When you check the internet on Monday morning – you are disappointetd or you late for the job!
Holy cow!
I hate the office!
Have to go!
Bye bye !
The RabbitQuote Reply
I don’t like that Cersei is shown instructing Joffrey. In the book, we don’t know what goes on inside the Lannisters’ heads, and that’s why the plot is so intense. When everything is plainly laid out for us in the series, it’s gonna be less exciting…
ablaaaQuote Reply
So the line “the next time i see you, we’ll talk about your mother” from Eddard (and i don’t think it was in the book) seems to give a lot of credence to the L+R=J theories.
DavidQuote Reply
Those videos are fucking awesome.
Headey blew me away, which was a nice relief, since I hadn’t seen much from her tor eally convince me until now. Old Nan was brilliant too :(
I’m just going to rave like a fanboi if I keep typing, so I’m going to watch those trailers again instead.
Oh, also, +1 for Adblock plus in Firefox. Oh, and my quad core gaming rig that runs Crysis, Crysis 2, Bad Company 2, Modern Warfare 2, Supreme Commander (with 2 displays) at 1080p with full detail, intermittently struggles with the HBO site’s videos. Thanks to those who uploaded them to Youtube.
GaRQuote Reply
This new “Fire and Blood” trailer, in my opinion, is THE BEST trailer we’ve gotten yet. I love it.
:)
LOVE the House Stark featurette, too. HBO is doing a great job with the promotional/promo stuff. I really hope we see some more magazine coverage in the next couple weeks as well. I’m hoping and praying for an Entertainment Weekly GoT cover!! How rockin’ would that be?? Sean Bean and Lena Headey – EW – make it happen! heh
Grant GouldQuote Reply
Still wondering if they were sweating the details and serious about every little bit?
Check out 0:42 in the Fear and Blood teaser. You might need to watch it several times before you realize that on the right side of that long distance view of Winterfell is the Godswood and that, yes, that is indeed the heart tree in full red-leaved splendor towering over the rest.
My jaw dropped. I’m just in awe at that sort of attention to detail.
LangkardQuote Reply
I don’t get why the Others would mutilate corpses. They like to make them into wights. Are they taking that whole aspect out?
pualoQuote Reply
pualo,
We have no idea of their motivations and can’t possibly guess what they “like” to do.
Which I guess is the point. In that situation would wights have been any good to them? Did they have some other motivation?
Later on they infiltrate Castle Black with the two wights, but who’s to say what other shit they do with human corpses?
GaRQuote Reply
AGREED! I had major shivers the whole vid, ‘specially the scene with the dead wildlings and the frozen girl…. whew that was intense.
Matt C. DerQuote Reply
WIC, I have to say…I’m here EVERY day and I love this site! Keep up the good work!
As for the trailer: great sept of Baelor? FTW
Also that wildling girl was soooo creepy O_O Love it, all of it!
m4st4Quote Reply
This requires separate posts for each video!
STARK VIDEO:
Oh..my..GODS! So many awesome moments. This has renewed my excitement and quelled some fears.
Best parts? When Ned told Arya “You’re a Stark of Winterfell, you know our words,” and she replied “Winter is coming…”
Also, the brief glimpse of Bran climbing! I kept wondering how that would look. Along with seeing the Iron Throne for the first time, this was one of the clips that really made me think “Holy sh!t, this is really happening… I am going to see these scenes play out on the screen, with real people.”
I also loved all the scenes with Catelyn (Michelle Fairley is amazing) and the raven flying around Winterfell.
Such a good video. Can’t wait to watch it again (and can’t wait for the other House videos!).
LexQuote Reply
FEAR AND BLOOD:
Pretty awesome, but maybe I’m not as blown away as everyone else. I don’t think I’d call this the best teaser yet. There was some amazing new footage (the Red Keep!!! Varys!) but a lot of it was recycled from previous trailers (Old Nan’s monologue, and some of the sound bytes from Ned, Cersei, and Jaime).
I definitely loved it, but it seemed a bit more low key than the previous trailers. I think I preferred the STARK video.
LexQuote Reply
One more thing. We’ve heard many different audio takes of Ned’s beheading speech, but in the Stark video it really sounds like he says “I, Eddard, of the House STORK.”
WTF?!? :)
LexQuote Reply
This site has ads?
Oh haha
I use AdBlock Plus and Flash Block
Jordan HealeyQuote Reply
Lex,
I don’t see how you could call this trailer more low key. It’s the most epic in scope by far, clearly demonstrating the dangers to the kingdom from the north, from the winter, from the east, as well as from within. It shows sweeping vistas and more intimate character shots, nude bodies and swords, some gore, and hints of action. Also this is the first one to be readily identified as a fantasy show. I think you might just be desensitized from seeing/hearing most of the content before.
Obviously as a longtime follower, you are going to enjoy the stark video more, because it has more new content. I think I enjoyed it more myself. We have seen so little of the children comparatively, and even with the stark video I feel they are really downplaying them. I hope their screen-time doesn’t match their trailer/behind the scenes visibility. All my fave characters are the kids :)
salukQuote Reply
Nice start to the week! The trailer was ok, but I like these ‘introductionary’ videos (like ‘Invitation to Westeros’ before) much more, and this Stark one is no exception. So cool to see Bran hopping on top of a wall! From this bit of speech, Sophie Turner will probably work very well as Sansa for me, since she gave me the feeling I wouldn’t like her on a personal level… As for Kit Harington, the more I see of him, the less I like him as Jon Snow. I don’t like his weak jawline and his negative expression in just about anything we’ve seen so far, including the interviews. It’s such a difference with the mental image I had reading the books…
Oh, off to work now. And when I am finished tonight there’ll be a maester’s path puzle waiting to be solved. Monday has turned into my favorite day of the week! :-)
[Edit:] Always Support The Bottom!
Tar KidhoQuote Reply
Okay, I think I may be the first one to point this out… and I may be totally wrong, but…
The formation of the dead wildling bodies looks, to me, very similar to the letter “O” from all the GOT logos (an O with a vertical line through it).
LexQuote Reply
Lex,
yeah, i thought so too.
Amir MishaliQuote Reply
Well, I haven’t finished the books yet. Thanks for spoiling that for me… NOT!
:(
Why do people keep doing that? I can hardly read the comments here, because I am always afraid of spoilers…
Julian BudkeQuote Reply
Thats the risk of reading these comments. You can’t trust that every single one of us will always remember to hide spoilers.
Like the fact that Jon is Roberts illegitimate son.
Naah.. just messing with you
sjweningsQuote Reply
Man, too much awesomeness!
At this rate we’re going to see everything by the time the show airs :) Seriously, I’m ready to start watching now, hehe.
Julian Brudke:
Don’t worry. There are no answers in the existing books yet. No confirmation either. It’s all fan speculation, nothing spoiled :) Read on! quickly though ;)
Hear Me RoarQuote Reply
Thanks for the head’s up… :) You both saved my day….
Read on quickly? Most certainly not! ;) I am on page 150 of A Feast for Crows… I am reading as slow as I can because there won’t be no dance before July!
Julian BudkeQuote Reply
Julian Budke,
No, no! You’re doing it all wrong. Read quickly. Then you can read them all again before ADWD comes out! You’ll discover new things the 2nd (or 3rd or 4th or more) time around.
LangkardQuote Reply
If you look carefully at the Stark preview, the black screen where “Stark” is written @0:21, there are other things written around it as well. If you adjust the brightness and contrast in Photoshop, it looks like words etched in wood. Above Stark is “Lann” which is 100% the beginning of Lannister. There is something written underneath Stark as well that I cannot make out, or figure it out with adjustments in Photoshop… seems it start with a “C” but not sure.. And there seems to be the start of a letter or symbol under and to the left of Stark.
I guess that means we will see a Lannister featurette for sure. The other stuff, I am not sure what it means if anything.
William Aaron GrandyQuote Reply
In every trailer they put a bit where the images flash by very quickly. I can’t wait for someone to post good screencaps. Is it Sean Bean playing Brandon? So much details to absorb.
The Stark featurette was great. They (we) really lucked out with the kids. They’re going to be huge stars.
DahnQuote Reply
These previews are awesome. Can someone explain to me the L+R=J theories? I’ve read the books but can’t see where this one has come from.
Harry HoggQuote Reply
Two previews….. AWESOME!!
Thanks for the You Tube links. Much appreciated.
OllieQuote Reply
Have a read here
http://www.westeros.org/Citadel/FAQ/Entry/2291/
There’s other pages that go into more details but that gives the basics.
I didn’t pick up on R+L=J till my third reading of GoT.
MormegilQuote Reply
Harry Hogg,
Look it up at The Tower of the Hand. (Can’t paste the link, at work here).
It’s explained beautifully.
FWIW, I totally aggree with that theory, and I was one of the thousands that realize that on their own accord.
CaedesQuote Reply
and the next video ;)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5G6QyXl6d2M
seb332Quote Reply
Damn you HBO, it took me ages for the videos to load on our shitty work connection. Lets not forget in a couple of hours we’ll get another treat (The Maester’s Path).
The shot of Kingslanding is amazing, I’m usually very apprehensive about CGI and they can go so wrong but this is just perfect. It makes it obvious that’s it’s fantasy and the coloring is just flawless. I think they changed Varys a bit so he wouldn’t be too similar to Littlefinger. I would have loved for us to get some lines out of Sansa but I’m happy that we finally heard everyone talking.
MirriMazQuote Reply
They really are hinting heavily towards R+L=J in the Stark video. I think the whole House series is a great way to introduce all the characters.
JarmelQuote Reply
sweet jeez…. thanks HBO… you guys really know what you are doing. for my part, I had a lot of expectations and, so far, HBO has delivered. Think back how the first glimpses we got from the production and how the scenes look now that they are close to being finished. a huge difference… I am a happy man today ;-)
always support the bottom
marzmanQuote Reply
The name directly below Stark is Greyjoy.
Will Theon get a featurette all to himself or will we get a fuller one before Season 2.
MormegilQuote Reply
I’ve already started to love characters which I hated while reading the books. It’s just an adorable cast; Cersei, Jaime, Viserys!
Plus the wall looks so real.
Love all those details, for instance the fish symbol on Catelyn’s dress at 1:55.
Anna Mad.Quote Reply
That was …… Strange.
MormegilQuote Reply
WOWEEE!!!! That trailer was awesome! That is the best trailer they have done yet! If I was a newbie and unfamiliar with the books, that is the first trailer that they’ve shown that would convince me to watch. Thanks to the person who uploaded it to Youtube.
Victoria ColeQuote Reply
I just wanted to mention something about Adblock. While it is really nice and useful for a lot of sites….. WiC probably somewhat depends on us clicking the ads to pay for hosting. So what I do for this site and some other important ones is turn it off for just this site once a week or so and click through to all the ads.
If you use Ad Block plus with firefox, just right click the stop sign in the upper right hand corner, and its easy from there.
PetyrQuote Reply
Please, 720p version of “Fear and Blood”!
MacejkoQuote Reply
Mormegil,
You are right, it says Greyjoy! Now that you said it, its completely clear. :)
The symbol under Stark to the left, and there is also something under and to the right as well, must be part of the names of other Great Houses.
I am not sure Greyjoys would get a featurette this season, as they don’t (besides Theon) play a big role in the series until book 2. I would assume the next feature will be about Lannisters. If they highlight that word we might be able to see what is under the right side of the Stark symbol…
William Aaron GrandyQuote Reply
Ooo very cool! Loved both. I’m so happy they are doing promo vids with the houses. I really hope they release a Targaryen one soon.
The Winter RoseQuote Reply
Screencaps for the Stark Featurette are up at Westeros.
http://www.westeros.org/GoT/Gallery/Category/C55/P390/
They start at the bottom (Always Support) of the above page.
MormegilQuote Reply
http://www.towerofthehand.com/essays/chrisholden/jon_snows_parents.html
DelekhanQuote Reply
Saw these last night on TV and my god they look even better on the big screen. My wife jumped at the wildling girl.
dizzy_34Quote Reply
LOVE how Madden says “we” and “us” about the Starks. “it’s us that guard the north, the Starks”.
JoohnsonQuote Reply
The trailers and prewievs are getting better and better. Perhaps I am “a bit” biased by being madly obsessive and generally gushing about all things ASoIaF, but I can’t see how this series could possibly fail to become a major success.
I love Richard Madden’s words at the end of the Stark feature:
“After the Wall, it’s us that guard the North: The Starks.”
*Sigh*, the irony of it all…
Ser LurkalotQuote Reply
Joohnson,
Darn it! Delurking to post something “original” and then being beat by one post. The irony of it all! ;-)
Ser LurkalotQuote Reply
Ser Lurkalot, well if it makes you feel any better, I mentioned the same thing about 100 comments ago. ;)
Winter Is ComingQuote Reply
I also love Joseph Mawle in this part. The one scene where he and Jon are standing in front of the snowbank in a full shot, the snow looked a little fake. Maybe it was the lighting, or all the effects/ sound was not worked in, but that was pretty minor. I think he is going to be a great addition to the Starks and look forward to seeing what happens with his character.
Also LOVED seeing Bran jumping across the merlons on the castle wall – can’t wait to see his climbs. Old Nan looks great, so sorry she will not be there for later seasons but hopefully they will find a worthy replacement.
persephone88Quote Reply
Finding the Rainbow,
No, you’re not the only one :) Go, Robb!
On another note: http://itsh.bo/e9W0dR (I need three more novices)
CatelynStarkQuote Reply
Yea that stood out to me as well. Everything else looked beautiful, but those snow banks
looked like something out of ST-TNG.
The DarkstarQuote Reply
I went to bed last night, couldn’t sleep, got back up, checked WIC one last time, and whooped and hollered! New Trailers! Now I have watched both trailers several times, and they are blurring together so I am just going to comment here cause I’m lazy today.
OMG Ice is ENORMOUS! When they said Greatsword, well, I didn’t think it would be that great.. yikes!
Sansa is just stunning, with her pale skin and her light blue eyes. Seeing Rob talk more makes me convinced he’ll be fabulous, and I’m becoming very fond of Jon Snow’s curls. (as an aside, I wonder if Lyanna will have curly black hair and dark eyes, since I assume Rhaegar had to have the good ole’ Targ silver/white hair?) I’m just loving the overall casting more and more.
That shot of the horses walking out from under the Wall is so cool. Just Amazing! Allthough The Wall doesn’t look 700ft high to me in that shot… But I am a POOR judge of distance, so no need to start a screenshot-measuring-Gate.
Love the humor with Robert telling Ned he looks fat (great sassy ice breaker line to his friend!)
I always had assumed Cersei was telling Jaime that everyone who wasn’t them is an enemy. Was kind of surprised, and thought it was cute, that she was instructing Joffrey, instead.
I’ll probably think of more thoughts later but that’s all I can say for now. Off to watch again!
purplejillyQuote Reply
Maybe someone has mentioned this but at 1.54 in the FaB trailor is that Robb fighting? the wildling on the hunting trip?
GazQuote Reply
I can’t help but notice that the March 14 tree is not active yet. Does anyone know when this will become active?
Steve
SteveQuote Reply
Yeah been waiting for that myself. Checked it several times today already…
William Aaron GrandyQuote Reply
Simply marvelous!
Random remarks:
- Ned standing between 2 direwolf statues with Ice and a tear in his eye. Speechless. Sean Bean is fantastic in this role.
- Got a girl-crush on Cat. Lovely dress. I too noticed the fish brooch. This show seems to be big on brooches and I WANT THEM ALL.
- Robb is growing on me. True Tully-Stark look, and nice voice.
- I like that Joffrey is a handsome young prince, no golden curls and pouty lips. Makes Sansa look less like an idiot when she ogles him at the banquet scene. (Note: I’m a Sansa fan)
- Must keep an eye on Joseph Mawle.
- Love Jory in the middle of the Stark household. The more Jory, the better. I completely support Jory’s bottom. Alas.
- I wonder whether hinting so heavily at Jon’s parentage (= maybe he’s not Ned’s bastard) might actually be a good thing. Maybe GRRM could solve the mystery in the next book, just to get it out of the way and concentrate on the main story. Although Dany and Jon being related might be crucial to the main story. Dunno.
- Ghost glimpsed in the monitor, direwolf shields, lots of further awesomeness I can’t even list.
- Still no pronunciation of TCFKAJ. Looking forward to Lannister featurette, but with little hope.
Edited to add: EDIT BUTTON! Thanks WiC!
Blackfish BluesQuote Reply
Already mentioned but yes that is Stiv.
MormegilQuote Reply
Damn, now there’s a scene I can’t get out of my mind. Season 2. Riverrun is introduced. Lord Hoster Tully lies close to death. Beside him, his back to us, sits a warrior with gray hair, wearing a cloak similar to Catelyn’s. Cut on the warrior’s hands playing with a fish brooch like Cat’s. Only, the fish is black. The camera pans up, revealing the face of…
Blackfish BluesQuote Reply
purplejilly,
we had scene measuring gate already.. i came up with 500-540 ft, which is big enough for me.
MarkQuote Reply
Just noticed in the short clip of Mormont and Aemon, Aemon is clearly blind. His eyes are vacant and he is not looking at Tyrion like Mormont is, but just staring into the distance.
Another gate put to bed.
NickQuote Reply
I love that Stark one! When Robert said, “You got fat.” I cracked up in the coffee shop. I’m really impressed with all the Starks and Snows. Definitely my favorite house.
Now to watch the second one!
theamberkeyQuote Reply
Yes, and Yes! Thank you HBO! Thank you D & D, we will patron the shit out of this thing ;-) I love how they had Robb in there at the end, saying Winter is Coming and that the Starks are what protects the realm after the wall. YOUNG WOLF! He understands.
LOVE LOVE the Fire and Blood Trailer, best representation of GOT yet.
NicoleQuote Reply
Jason Momoa, Richard Madden and Harry Loyd (maybe I typed them wrong, sorry) are just breath-taking! I totally fall in love with them!
Emilia plays the scarred little girl really good, but I would like to see her strong side too, I wonder if she’s doing it as convincingly as she does this.
Sansa+Arya+Bran are cute, and I want some Sansa dialoge finally!
And I want a House Lannister video, just because I can’t live without some Tywin any longer. Aren’t you guys want to see the REAL lion? :D
Flóra BallabásQuote Reply
Awww yeah. #2 was nearly as awesome.
Cersei’s line about anyone is an enemy if it isn’t them is much more creepy when you realize that she’s saying it to Joffrey. It’s really no wonder he’s as f**cked up as he is.
theamberkeyQuote Reply
I watched both trailers with my roommate last night. She turn to me and say “Okay, I know Ned Dies but does he Die at the end of the first book or later on? and I laugh and say I’m not telling. Then she hugs me and says thanks for being a good friend and not letting her spoil everything. She then went on to say that she think Harry Lloyd was better in the trailer clips than anything he did in Robin Hood and how excited she was to watch this with me.
Another non-reader successfully converted
Phoenix_TornQuote Reply
Based on the clips I got to see (specifically one long confrontation scene between her and Harry Lloyd), I can say that, yes, she projects Dany’s strong side very well.
EDIT: Oh, and TCFKAJ mini-gate is no more. I’ve been told that it is officially pronounced “JAY-me.”
Winter Is ComingQuote Reply
Can you imagine how many times we are going to watch each episode? With the shows I really like or have liked: Battlestar, the Wire, Boardwalk Empire.. I have watched each episode twice, to pick up all the details. Just imagine with Thrones how much we will be able to linger on with all the incredible art direction and sets. It will be a feast for the eyes.
And that is no mummer’s farce!
And as for L +R =J, I just read some essays at Tower of the Hand and that makes perfect sense. I think J will end up with D at the end of all things.
HollyoakQuote Reply
Pleeease. What the Lord Mormont says to Tyrion? I can´t get it.
CamarlengoQuote Reply
EDIT:
Re: Lex commenting on “house Stork.”
Ahaha. Me too– that’s what I heard.
I think it was confirmed at the press event in January that it wasn’t Sean Bean playing Brandon.
Steve Hugh WestenraQuote Reply
so have I…wonder what’s up with that? they’re late, haha
MetalgoddessAMBQuote Reply
Loved the new teaser. Great stuff.
When Richard Madden was talking about the Stark honor, instead of “bound” at first I heard “BONED by a sense of honor”. Which, y’know, they kind of are.
Tom HiltonQuote Reply
purplejilly,
Also, GRRM has said several times he wishes he hadn’t made the wall so high.
Lol I love NMAtv. (It’s like their daily show I guess) That’s one of the funniest ones I’ve seen. Love GRRM’s shirt in that about the fans :) Also the quip about his notes burning up if something happens to him was tasteless but a laughed anyway. But yeah tasteless.
salukQuote Reply
Has anyone else noticed how much Robb and Jon really look like brothers in this new Stark trailer? The resemblance has gotten closer and closer the more I see of them.
MetalgoddessAMBQuote Reply
Mark,
Oh yay! Makes me feel better as I ALWAYS seem to get distance/height stuff wrong. Don’t ever ask me for directions to get somewhere (lol – thank goodness for GPS) It’s still PLENTY tall, and actually looks reasonably tall, at the 500 ft standard
purplejillyQuote Reply
please use spoiler tags next time, you just ruined a big secret for me :’(
ArithineQuote Reply
Winter Is Coming,
Oh THANK GAWD for JAY-me. My husband said he was going to lose it if it was Hy-mee – it would be the gate that broke his back. or perhaps his bottom. LOL.
Thank You Lord Wykk!
Always Support The Bottom!
purplejillyQuote Reply
Arithine, as was already noted, nothing spoilerish about it. It’s all just fan speculation right now.
Winter Is ComingQuote Reply
and it’s no secret. The clues are all right there in the books.
anyone who has read them knows this.
MetalgoddessAMBQuote Reply
MetalgoddessAMB,
well it would still be a secret to someone who hasn’t read the books.
top6Quote Reply
Was it? They admited there was flashbacks and Ran confirmed that they had cast an Aerys but I didn’t think we got told one way or another about who was seen as Brandon in the clip.
We’ve been capturing Wildlings, more every month. They’re fleeing South.
MormegilQuote Reply
We have all heard one of King Robert’s lines in several trailers. In the new F&B trailer, we actually get to see him as he says: “Forgiving its honor keeping the peace, it’s fear: fear and blood.”
Now, obviously he’s not saying “forgiving its honor…” that doesn’t make sense. So listen closely. What the heck is he saying?
Is this some kind of mummer’s farce? lol. That is my favorite expression from the books. That and people being called craven. I always go around now calling people craven.
HollyoakQuote Reply
Ehmmm I don’t want you guys to think I’m greedy but uhh well NO MAESTER’S PATH YET??!!! It’s already evening in Europe I was looking forward to the puzzle :’(
LiesieQuote Reply
Hollyoak,
You think it’s honor keeping the peace? It’s fear. Fear and blood!
It’s out!
salukQuote Reply
He says: Do you think it’s honour that’s keeping the peace?
Boštjan GorencQuote Reply
In reply to Neds. “You’ll dishonour yourself forever” Robert says
Honour? Do you think it’s Honour that’s keeping the peace? It’s Fear! Fear and Blood.
MormegilQuote Reply
Wow, Robb’s accent is hot. Didn’t realize before that he’s Scottish (I guess Madden is a Scottish name)!?
userjQuote Reply
saluk,
really ? :o *checking the site again* You’re right!!! YAAAAYY Strange half an hour ago when I checked it it wasn’t there. A well I don’t minde I’m going to solve a puzzle :D
LiesieQuote Reply
Thanks for all the people who posted links about Jon’s possible parentage. Having read up on it the tower of the hand makes a convincing argument.
Harry HoggQuote Reply
Mormegil,
Thank you very much, sir.
CamarlengoQuote Reply
Hollyoak,
Your post is a little incoherent. I think you are trying to ask what King Robert is saying.
The line is “Do you think it’s honor keeping the peace? Its fear. Fear and blood.”
Eric JonesQuote Reply
TCFKAJ ? what does that mean?
tekQuote Reply
tek,
The Character Formerly Known as Jaime. It’s a joke based on the fact that we have yet to hear a character say ‘Jaime’ in any of the clips, and some people think it is said differently than others.
OhDanyBoyQuote Reply
HBO has posted the hi-res (720dp) version of “Fear and Blood” on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5PxLidxnAE8
Regina ThorneQuote Reply
Anyone know who says the voiceover line “This is no longer a Game” in the Fear and Blood trailer?
MormegilQuote Reply
I liked these but I’m seriously considering not watching any future material. I found to have some surprises left when the show airs!
PremRackQuote Reply
If it were up to me, I would not feature GRRM himself in the previews (the way he is in the “Stark” video). I love George and his works as much as the next guy, but I am concerned that the TV audience doesn’t want to see his face and hear his voice. Actors (and, to a certain extent, show-runners) have the specific skills to present this info. Yes, George created it in the first place, but that doesn’t make him the most appropriate person to appear on screen to promote it.
spikebrennnanQuote Reply
JAY-ME! I had heard that some people thought it was pronounced “Jame” or some other way, but I thought they were of a mythical breed. For me, Jaime is one of the most clear-cut pronunciations in the book, along with Robert, Robb, Jon, Bran, which are all real names/variations of real names.
ALTHOUGH, to be fair, I always pronounced/still pronounce Catelyn as Kate-linn. I mean, Caitlyn/Kaitlyn/Kaitlin/Caitlin/Katelyn…I just figured it was another variation and that they called her Cat instead of Cate. But then GRRM dealt me a real punch in the gut when he was talking on the Inside Game of Thrones thing about Cat-eh-linn Stark!
On a side note, has there been confirmation as to the pronunciation of Lyanna? I’m hoping it’s Lee-anna, not Lie-anna, as I think the former sounds a lot prettier and romantic. But Lysa is Lie-sa, right? Hmmm…
LinaQuote Reply
Carrie Meathrell,
Regarding equivocation in parentage, it is totally there. George refrains from saying anything about who the parents are. And even the scripted lines: “The next time I see you, I’ll tell you about your mother.” There is nothing in the response that suggests action on Ned’s part. Of course, these are ambiguous and capable of being twisted many ways, but that is the point. As a lawyer, I can smell a loaded ambiguity from a mile away.
2whom?Quote Reply
Love ‘loaded ambiguity’. Now I have the perfect phrase for when I hear exactly what they’re not saying ;) Brill, hon.
Franny BeeQuote Reply
Winter Is Coming,
OK, thanks! Although it would have been vastly cool if they had managed to avoid saying his name for the whole season. :D
Blackfish BluesQuote Reply
Bing! Or maybe they will kill each other. Either way, in the end, Drogon & Ghost’s flying wolf-puppy (pic: http://bit.ly/gNvJCp) will rule Westeros.
Ice and fire. No need to read on :P
Franny BeeQuote Reply
This may have been brought up before but how are those wildings supposed to come back as wights being all hacked up like that? Maybe those were the ones who put up a fight? Don’t get me wrong though, Will finding them like that is much creepier.
dizzy_34Quote Reply
Franny Bee,
heh, now that was funny.
dizzy_34Quote Reply
dizzy_34,
This was already discussed.
I assume that those wildlings were dismembered and arranged like that for a reason. I doubt there’s any obvious explanation, since the Others have been left deliberately inscrutable.
GaRQuote Reply
I wonder if to save on production and hiring they have Gared and Waymar be the wights that reanimate in Castle Black.Unless of course Waymar is Mr Coldhands (which has been suggested by some).
TysnowQuote Reply
Mormegil,
Could it be Ned talking to the girls after they fight? Just guessing.
Hear Me RoarQuote Reply
I love the trailer!!!! And also the Stark heralds….It just makes me wanna re-read the books.
Can’t wait to buy the DVD’s …to add to the collection
Thank you HBO!
rjArzkiQuote Reply
Btw: I do like the music somewhat better in this version. The middle part is still crap but at least it is not as loud as it was before. ;)
But even when I still like this trailer very much, I just do not like how they cut it together like this… Its so fast, so hectic… Probably I am just getting old. ;)
Julian BudkeQuote Reply
These are awesome!
I LOVE the House Stark video. Finally we get to hear Robb (George seems to add an extra “b” when he pronounces it) and Sansa (I always pronounced it with a short (?) “a” like in “apple” rather than like “au”. No biggie. I’m glad they went through the whole history. They did a nice job introducing this family, the meaning of “Winter is Coming,” and presenting Winterfell. I’m looking forward to the Lannister one next. I wonder if we’ll get any other houses. If so, they ought to do Targaryen.
PS—the fangirl in me is very happy with all the handsome actors—Jaime, Ned, Jon, Robb, Viserys (yes, Viserys—never thought I’d find anything to praise about the little $#%^).
The Fear and Blood one—OMG! The wildlings are so creepy, especially the little girl with the weird eyes. Scary! I love the interaction between Ned and Robert, too. Seeing Joffrey standing with Cersei, he looks much taller than I expected from the pictures. I’m still having trouble seeing her as anyone but Sarah Connor.
PS—the music was fine. Didn’t bother me at all.
sareetaQuote Reply
The reason people (including myself, the first time I read the books) were confused about the pronunciation of Jaime is because of the odd spelling. Apparently it is sometimes spelled that way in our world, but I had never seen it until I read the books. The common spelling of the name in real life is JAMIE, not JAIME. Jaime, to me, looks like it’s pronounced JAYM.
LexQuote Reply
Yeah. I’m hoping they count DVD sales when considering whether to renew in the future. Because I won’t be getting HBO, but I will definitely be buying the show on DVD. And Blu-ray.
theamberkeyQuote Reply
Oh man, now I am feeling guilty because I am going to buy just the Blu-Ray and not the DVD ;)…
Julian BudkeQuote Reply
Lex,
My nerdy ways have served me well. Jaime Wolf, commander of Wolf’s Dragoons, was one of my favouritest characters when I was younger. Still is, really.
GaRQuote Reply
I’d encourage everybody to get HBO during the show’s run. A very small price to pay to help keep the show on the air for as long as possible! Don’t be cheap, if you can afford it any way you should get HBO to support the series. Just stay in one night from the bar, put that money to your subscription, skip a night out to eat, etc.
Ryan EQuote Reply
Ryan E,
I would love to get it, but you can’t get it without getting a general cable subscription first, and that’s just too much. Not to mention HBO would only get a small portion of my money.
HBO, don’t be an idiot! Sell your episodes online! If the terms are:
-released same minute as on TV
-HD video with 5.1 audio
-no DRM
-$3-5 per episode
-available worldwide
you will make tons of money and cut way down on piracy.
(Not going to happen. Media companies are SO STUPID.)
pualoQuote Reply
pualo,
I concur. On all counts. Especially the last one.
Though I’d love to be proven wrong on that.
GaRQuote Reply
dizzy_34,
I for one think it’s pretty concerning. Doesn’t really fit with the books. I hope there’s a good reason for the change.
pualoQuote Reply
I think we may see Garad and Waymer reanimate in the prologue. There’s a shot in the Stark Video that shows Garad and Waymer staggering towards Will.
Here
http://www.westeros.org/GoT/Gallery/Entry/2488/
Could be, Ned does say something similar to Arya in the book. Didn’t really sound like Sean Bean though.
MormegilQuote Reply
Lex,
Hey, I got that too! Really hope he’s not always gonna pronounce it like that! :L
BronaQuote Reply
A lot of screencaps here!
CamarlengoQuote Reply
gendry’s hammer,
ahhh yes, but Ned himself told john, “you have my blood…” that being say, I would dare say it means Jon is at least one of his siblings sons if not Ned’s himself. Maybe his sister’s son.
Jeff CaryQuote Reply
Ha, that’s how Ive been pronouncing it too. JAYM!
WolfheartQuote Reply
Is there anyone else besides me that was deflated when seeing Winterfells size and short walls?
WolfheartQuote Reply
Wolfheart,
Not particularly. Some of the towers looked like they’d be more at home in Mos Eisley, though.
GaRQuote Reply
Totally agree with this. What would be the point in pirating if you could buy the episodes drm free in much better quality for only a couple of dollars?
Harry HoggQuote Reply
Also, I didn’t notice it at first, but I am totally digging Cersei’s outfit in the scene that looks to be at a feast, just as Varys is saying “the king is a fool, and doomed unless you save him”? If I remember correct, it looks to be the outfit we saw the concept art of in one of the artisans videos, the one with strap thingies going across her neck and shoulders?
Anyway, my point is, that is a wicked outfit. I like Lena and everything, but she hasn’t yet embodied Cersei’s smouldering seductiveness yet for me; but something tells me when I get to see the rest of that outfit I shall be won over. I like very much :D
KangaQuote Reply
Kanga,
Yes. Her wig looks pretty good there too. Much better than in some of the earliest glimpses we got.
LexQuote Reply
Awesome awesome awesome awesome O:
Love the Stark video, especially that we finally get something from our Catelyn, Sansa and Robb. Looking forward to the other houses.
The Fear and Blood preview was also awesome (awesome awesome awesome…)! I was never a huge fan of the beyond the Wall parts of the books, but the white walkers and the dead wildings looked legitimately creepy. I had a freaking fit when I heard Cersei’s “you win or you die” line. That’s my favourite line from the books, and it’s the kind of neat catchphrase that should have been used more prominently. One teeny nitpick – Arya is my favourite character, but it seems like we keep getting footage of her compared to the other Stark kids. I say we need more Sansa.
There was a discussion at the beginning of the comments about how it’s hard to convince people that the series is awesome without major spoilerage, so I’m wondering, why aren’t they showing the direwolves more prominently? The kids get them very very early, and ‘loyal pet wolf companion’ seems like the kind of cool hook HBO could have played up a bit. (Didn’t read all the comments, sorry if this has already been said.)
EDIT: Also, sweet! WiC finally has an edit button.
PeltastQuote Reply
Lex,
I’m with you there! I’ve been using my boardname forever and it is meant to be “Jem” but all my USA friends have always said “JayME”. So I thought it was another weird American thing – you know, like “alumin-um” for “alumin-ium”.
Now in GOT it seems it’s meant to be pronounced JayME – who could tell? In UK that would be Jamie, as in Jamie Sives, or my son’s name.
silverjaimeQuote Reply
Agreed!
I would MUCH rather buy the episodes from Sweden, and see them online same time as you guys and rather not wait a whole month to see them (though I’ll probably see them over an dover agaibn on both canal+ and svt) in may..
My biggest sorrow is I wont be able to dicuss things with you guys anymore, after having followed this site since jan 2009 unless I find it illegally – which I don’t want to do because I want to give all the credit and money HBO dwserves for making me so happy and producing this…
I’ll still buy the dvds, either way. But yet………. to be able to see them in april!! wow…..
You’d make me nerdhappy HBO!!
LivveHultQuote Reply
I have heard from someone at HBO (and this is painful to say), that the direwolves aren’t featured as prominently in the show as they are in the books. Yet Summer, Ghost and Grey Wind all seem pretty integral to their relative Stark/Snow’s storylines, so I don’t know how that will work out.
From a pure marketing standpoint, HBO may feel that showing too much of them may make people get more of a fantasy vibe. I think that they are really trying to drive home the characters and the various political conflicts. Then they threw in a bit about the Others, as they are the over-arching threat, and that’s probably just enough of the fantastical elements for now.
I vote that one of the House Features is all about the six direwolves, with portraits/video of each, behind-the-scenes training footage, and an interview with George explaining each of their dispositions. :)
LinaQuote Reply
me also.
I think Jamie/JAY-ME is kind of girlish and not such a strong name for such a badass. I was disappointed when it was finally determined it was Jamie. Oh well, whatever.
MetalgoddessAMBQuote Reply
Great trailers!! I CAN’T wait!! Btw in that Kings Landing scene is that the Dragon Pit on the far right?? Or the Great Sept?
Andrew MatthiasQuote Reply
pualo, GaR, dizzy_34,
Just a thought on the wildlings . . . Could it be that other, living wildlings (the girl?) did it, to prevent them from coming back as wights? Setting a fire that can burn bodies is not always an easy task.
At any rate, I loved how creepy it looked.
JDQuote Reply
Not sure exactly what you’ve heard but from interviews and video/pictures most of the Big Direwolf scenes seem to be in.
Summer attacking the Assassin (video)
Grey Wind attacking the Great Jon (Interview with Handler)
Lady being killed (pictures)
Ghost finding the Wights hand (video of Jon taking his Oaths with Ghost present)
The only Direwolf scene I can think of that we know for certain has been cut is Nymeria helping Arya pack her trunk.
There probably will be less Direwolf scenes in the show than in the book but I think they will still feature a great deal.
I also expect to see at least one Direwolf scene that wasn’t in the books (only described), the scene where Arya and Jory throw rocks at Nymeria to get her to run off.
MormegilQuote Reply
Yeah I think you are right. I think the frozen Wildling dismembered the bodies of the her band. My guess is they froze to death, and she/they couldn’t burn them. So she cut them up somehow (notice there is no blood, ie the bodies were frozen when they were cut, tho this seems a hard task for a little girl alone so maybe there were other remaining ones alive at first….) to prevent them from becoming wights…
William Aaron GrandyQuote Reply
As awesome as this would be, unfortunately, it is not that simple. What do you think the large foreign broadcasters would think if all of a sudden HBO launched this service? Sky and Canal+ and the rest would be mighty pissed that they spent millions of dollars to have exclusive broadcast rights to this series and here comes HBO with a cheap streaming option available to everyone. Actually, I’m quite certain that contractually HBO wouldn’t even be allowed to broadcast their shows in countries where they have already sold the rights to a local network. Doing so would get them sued.
But, besides that, think also of the technical issues with getting cheap, HD streaming to all parts of the globe. I mean, some people have a hard time streaming the 480p 2-minute trailers HBO puts up on their site. You think a 720p 60-min program is going to stream just fine? To ensure that kind of quality would probably require data centers scattered throughout the world. Something that is neither cheap nor easy to setup and maintain. Not to mention you would also need to set up some sort of tech support for those people who are having streaming issues.
So yeah, as awesome as that scenario would be, it is a pipedream. HBO has neither the time, resources, or, quite frankly, the inclination to set up something like this. Maybe someday, in the future, when HD streaming becomes ubiquitous and the global economy is such that a worldwide online distribution system isn’t fraught with legal issues, they might set up something like this. But I wouldn’t expect it any time soon.
Winter Is ComingQuote Reply
But she’s clearly been killed as well – she’s impaled on that tree and there’s blood on her lips. So the wights/White Walkers waited until she dismembered the corpses of her fellow villager and THEN killed her? That girl didn’t freeze to death! I think she was maybe in hiding, saw what happened and then they killed her too.
Also we know from Jon’s encounter with the wight that tries to kill Mormont that just dismembering a corpse doesn’t DO anything to prevent it from continuing its killing spree. I think there’s a pretty simple explanation which is that Wights and/or White Walkers killed all the people, dismembered them, and arranged them in that display. Which is REALLY freaking creepy. Yikes!
Regina ThorneQuote Reply
Mormegil,
I was talking to someone who worked at HBO, and they were saying the direwolves aren’t “in the show” as much as they are in the books. The scenes you listed are all pretty major plot points that are essential to the story. I think what was intended is just that the wolves won’t be “around” as much, as opposed to in the books when they pretty much stay by the side of their respective Stark. Which is why when Peltast raised the question of why we haven’t seen them feature more/why HBO hasn’t used the “loyal pet” angle, I mentioned the above.
I didn’t mean they won’t be in the show, just that they won’t be in it as much as they feature in text. Or the HBO person I spoke to was just wrong/lying/etc.
LinaQuote Reply
Winter Is Coming,
I agree that a streaming option might not be realistic. But what argues against offering a next-day (or next-week) download option?? iTunes provides an excellent platform for that and HBO already sells shows there.
I remember that back in the days, SyFy put the newest Battlestar Galactica episodes on iTunes the day after they aired. I happily purchased all of them.
Also, and maybe most importantly, many countries will only broadcast the show in a dubbed version (e.g. Germany, Switzerland, France). But this won’t happen until at least one year after the original airing.
I can’t think of a reason why HBO doesn’t want the money from people of those countries who want to watch the show in English anyway. I say, put it up on iTunes the day after it airs in the States and sales will sky-rock!
MarcQuote Reply
Marc,
I don’t know the details of HBO’s contracts with cable companies any more than anyone else here does, but I do know that HBO is in a much different position than, say, SyFy. They have exclusive broadcast rights for a huge percentage of US movies– and by exclusive I mean those movies can’t be on iTunes or Netflix if HBO has them, and vice versa. That’s got to be a pretty major thing, when cable is facing massive competition with online services in every other area; HBO is helping to prop up the whole industry, which makes sense given their roots– they wouldn’t have existed without that industry, and it’s still their main source of revenue. So if I were a cable company making contracts with HBO, I would do everything in my power to make sure that they remained pretty firmly tied to cable business and made only limited ventures into online video, even for their original programming. That fits with what they’ve actually been doing, i.e. only releasing on iTunes when they release on DVD, and providing streaming video only to people who also have cable contracts.
I really, really doubt that it’s a matter of HBO just not wanting everyone’s money. They may well end up doing what everyone here wants them to do, but to do that they’ll have to burn a lot of bridges. When a business has to decide whether to go after a new opportunity if that means giving up a rock-solid market that they’ve had forever, they’re likely to take their time deciding.
mummerQuote Reply
Lex,
I agree. It may just be because we really haven’t seen much of anything of her yet, but unlike some other characters/actors I really can’t get much of an idea so far of what she’ll be like in that part. But the more screen time they give her in these trailers the happier I am with our Cersei. I’m really looking forward to seeing what she does with the part.
KangaQuote Reply
I’m happy to hear that I’ve not been the only pronouncing Jaime as JAYM. I figured that if GRRM wanted him to be called JAY-ME he’d have spelled it Jamie.
Johan SporreQuote Reply
Johan Sporre,
By that reasoning, there would only be one spelling of every name ever. As has been mentioned, Jaime is often (perhaps not where you are from) pronounced this way (JAY-me). In fact I have a relative named so (JAY-me, spelled Jaime), and have never known anyone named Jaime (JAYM).
OhDanyBoyQuote Reply
Winter Is Coming,
He’s not asking for streaming video. The obvious solution to the non-problem is a DRM-free download.
If they’re not going to offer a legit method, then I’m going to torrent it, and so are the many, many other GoT fans in my country, most of whom would happily pay $5 or so an episode.
William Aaron Grandy,
They can’t have frozen to death. The wall was weeping.
GaRQuote Reply
Maybe I’m the only Hispanic on this board but my uncle and grandfather are both named Jaime, pronounced High-Me. It’s the Spanish equivalent to James and by rights is very common depending on where you are.
That said my immediate inclination has always been to pronounce it Jay-Mee; because a Hispanic name just doesn’t seem right on a Ken doll. I’ve just always chalked up the spelling to GRRM’s fascination with altering the commonplace by one or two letters or syllables and creating names and words that sound new and fantastic.
CantuseQuote Reply
Winter Is Coming,
As others have mentioned, I wasn’t talking about streaming. And as far as infrastructure, they wouldn’t have to set it all up. Just use an existing service like iTunes, etc.
Also, I fully understand the difficulties of international rights. They should have set this up all in advance–it’s far too late now. BUT, how about just do it in the US? It’d be a start.
(Still not going to happen of course.)
pualoQuote Reply
GaR,
Whether streaming or for download, I think WiC is right that it is just not realistic for HBO to be able to provide this show to every market in the world. If it was as simple as just putting it up for download and making a ton of money off it, then I’m sure they would’ve done it by now.
HBO is obviously trying really hard to syndicate their shows to as many foreign markets as possible, and I’m sure it’s taken huge amounts of time / money / resources to make that happen, and it is still only a fraction of the world that will have access to the show. Which sucks, but it is what it is.
ChrisQuote Reply
This is a good point. I think GRRM just picked the less common version of Jamie/Jaime, but that doesn’t change the pronunciation. He’s done something similar with several other names in the series: i.e. Robb for Rob, Cersei for Circe, Dany for Dani (Danielle/a), Lysa for Liza, Lyanna for Lianna/Leanna, and so on.
LinaQuote Reply
Wolfheart,
Me too. Always preferred it to Jaime (Jamie) because it made it unique. My friends always though I was crazy. I guess they were right :)
TheFacelessManQuote Reply
Chris,
I know what the problem is. I’m simply describing a better way.
HBO and other networks need to sort their shit out and ditch this obsolete method of distributing their material. If there are whole countries where people are pirating their shows because they have no other option, then their business model is broken.
Why not offer a download for people who aren’t in countries where the show has been bought?
GaRQuote Reply
Sorry, pualo, thought you had mentioned streaming somewhere in your original post.
But mummer explained perfectly why even an iTunes distribution model is not feasible at this point. The cable companies wouldn’t allow it. For better or worse, HBO is in bed with the cable companies and they aren’t going to do anything that would piss them off.
And really, why should they? They are making plenty of money as it is. Sure, some fans are going to be left out in the cold and I’m sure if HBO could capture that audience without taking out the foundation of their current business model, they would. But they can’t.
Moving into digital distribution at this time is fraught with issues for HBO. I don’t doubt that eventually they will do it, as that is the general trend these days, but it is going to have to be very carefully analyzed from all angles to ensure sustainable profitability. Like it or not, HBO’s ultimate goal is to make money, not to make sure that their shows can legally be viewed by 100% of the global population.
Winter Is ComingQuote Reply
^ I’ve never read a better justification for torrenting.
GaRQuote Reply
GaR,
I’m not a lawyer or any sort of expert on this kind of stuff, but I would guess that HBO has an insane amount of deals, contracts, distribution rights, syndication agreements, copyrights and all sorts of legal arrangements that present a lot of obstacles for a change like this.
Just doing it nationally is probably difficult enough and doing so internationally is probably much more difficult. I definitely think it will be the case at some point in the future, but I think it would be something that just takes time, there’s no immediate solution for it.
They also may just like their current business model, who knows.
ChrisQuote Reply
Chris,
Honestly, I’m okay with torrenting this stuff if they’re happy with not selling it to me. I can live with that. The price is right, too.
What pisses me off is holier-than-thou arseholes telling me I’m stealing when I do it.
Also I would really like to be able to support the stuff I like.
GaRQuote Reply
GaR,
Dude, I don’t think anyone in this thread is judging you for torrenting. At least I’m not. If I were in your shoes I would probably do the same thing. We’re just trying to explain why HBO isn’t offering digital downloads.
Also, I don’t understand why people have such anger towards HBO for not offering a digital distribution when there are clear legal and financial reasons why they can’t at this time. I understand that it is frustrating, but you should be angry at your local networks for not picking up what clearly is going to be a very big show. It’s not HBO’s fault. They’ve tried their best to sell this show to as many foreign networks as they could and, frankly, they’ve done a pretty good job at getting a near-worldwide distribution.
Winter Is ComingQuote Reply
GaR,
I’d be happy if this exact same argument didn’t have to be rehashed in every thread, but since you seem to consider it a matter of honor to keep going over it, here’s my two cents:
1. Availing yourself of something for free that someone wants you to pay for is the commonly accepted definition of the word “stealing,” which doesn’t in itself say anything about whether it’s forgivable (Jean Valjean did after all steal that loaf of bread). You can totally argue about whether it’s justified in this case, but calling people “holier-than-thou arseholes” for just using that word in its literal sense is pretty far over the top. But many people have already pointed out to you that their problem is less with your declared intention to torrent the show and more with your unusual vehemence on the subject, and that didn’t seem to make any difference, so I don’t expect you to care what I think.
2. I don’t get why so many people think torrenting is such a new kind of thing with new rules. Seems to me just like bootlegging. A band plays a show in San Diego; you can’t get to San Diego, or you don’t want to buy a ticket; you get an unauthorized recording from someone who did. Some bands are more or less OK with this, others don’t like it. The ones who don’t like it aren’t going to be impressed by arguments like “I want to support you, but you must not want to take my money, because you didn’t play in my town or your tickets are too expensive”… because for every person who has that motivation, there are ten more who don’t give a crap and just want things for free.
And in this case, that argument doesn’t even hold water: HBO does want to take your money, they’re perfectly willing to sell you the show on DVD or iTunes– they just don’t want to do it at the time and place of your choosing.
mummerQuote Reply
GaR,
I’m in the same boat as you. Truth is i will watch the way i have to, but i will too support the show and hbo the way i can…which is buying dvds or blu-rays or both and other stuff. All i will do is to wait for these things to be available at my country.
Jéssica De Freitas MacielQuote Reply
“Anyone who isn’t us is an enemy.” In the other trailers, they so made it look like Cersei was saying it to Jamie, so I was taken off guard when it turns out she’s telling it to Joffrey. Still, it’s a suitable line that wasn’t in the book, and I approve of it because book Cersei probably might have said that to book Joffrey during aGoT.
clemintineQuote Reply
Winter Is Coming,
I’m not angry at HBO, though I’ll admit I’m frustrated with the situation. I haven’t expressed anger at HBO either, and people putting words in my mouth also pisses me off.
Yes, I am angry at Sky NZ. But I’m also angry with people who call me a thief for torrenting stuff like this.
A couple of weeks back I got jumped on for being honest about it, and was even compared to terrorists. So yeah, I get pissy about it.
mummer,
Your definition falls over straight away. If they want me to pay for it, why won’t they sell it to me?
Since I am going to be buying the Blurays, I feel 100% justified in torrenting the episodes as they become available. No one’s given me any half-logical reason why I shouldn’t. I’m not depriving anyone of anything.
GaRQuote Reply
mummer,
Calling it stealing isn’t really accurate. It’s only half of stealing. Imagine that I steal an item from a local store. Two things happen:
1. I get the item.
2. The store loses the item.
The store loses money in two ways:
1. I didn’t give them money , which I might have if I couldn’t steal the item.
2. They no longer have the item to sell to someone else.
When copying something, only the first part applies. So it’s half a theft at best. I say “at best” because if you consider that if I hadn’t copied it, I probably wouldn’t have bought it anyway, it can be far less than half a theft.
I’m not getting into what’s right or wrong here, just trying to help us have more precise meanings.
pualoQuote Reply
mummer,
I have to weigh in and agree with GaR. It *is* a holier than thou attitude. I don’t know if you’re a USian but if you are don’t judge us until you’ve been in our shoes. It was tough enough for me to find the shows I loved legitimately as they were released while in Canada. Now that I’m living in Switzerland where it’s all dubbed and their TV is a year behind? Forget it.
HBO and the other networks’ business model *is* outdated, with all these rights and this and that for different countries. The world is now connected by one internet with data flowing across continents with a click of a button. I am extremely in favour of net neutrality and if they release free streaming for one country, then they should release it for all, no favourites played. All these walls and boundaries they put are artificial and unnecessary and lead down to a very dangerous path of censureship, where people’s access to information is based on which country they’re in and their governments/media/big companies can control what people see.
clemintineQuote Reply
pualo,
Word. And since we actually can’t give them money (until the DVDs come out) #1 doesn’t even apply.
Well, we could buy merch, I suppose. I already have a thousand nerd T shirts though :S
::edit::
and they don’t ship outside the US anyway >_<
GaRQuote Reply
If I didn’t live in a country where GoT had a broadcast schedule, I would torrent the show without a doubt, hesitation, or regret. To call it theft in every single case is flat-out inaccurate. Most of the people who care enough about the series to spend hours on a fansite like this are more than willing to shoulder their respective burdens to ensure that the series remains financially viable. We all want to see A Dream of Spring on TV, and people undoubtedly realize that free downloads aren’t going to help. Most fans who can afford it will pay when they can.
Then, there’s also the consideration of the positive effects. Think of people who are unwilling to pay for HBO, who torrent a show out of curiosity, wanting to see what the buzz is about. If they like what they see, they’ll spread the word to their friends, some of whom might have never heard of it otherwise. In that group of new fans, there are a few types. One such are those who will rush out and buy the DVDs for themselves and their friends & family.
Every year the movie industry decries piracy as a cancer, all while posting record profits. Rare is the issue that is black & white.
ZackQuote Reply
What are you even replying to? I don’t think a single person brought up torrenting in this thread.
ChrisQuote Reply
Chris,
The discussion was about alternative methods of getting the show. Specifically net-based. WiC and others pointed out why it ain’t likely to happen, and I was bemoaning the bullshit reality that leads to piracy.
My apologies though, I’ll try to moderate my comments better in future.
GaRQuote Reply
These are completely unrelated. One does not have to have low profits to dislike piracy. I make good money and have a good job, and I would be PISSED if somebody broke into my house and took ANYTHING. They could take a $50 video game and I would be seriously upset. Using your logic I shouldn’t care cause I make more money than I ever have.
EdQuote Reply
For fuck’s sake. Could we drop the piracy=theft fallacy already?
Unless of course you’re going to explain why it isn’t a stupid concept.
GaRQuote Reply
Ed,
That’s not really the logic I was using at all, actually. What I was drawing attention to was the fact that in the era of torrents, profits are INCREASING. I’m posing the question: Would you make the claim that profits would increase at a higher rate than they are now, if there was no way to download movies for free?
Because I don’t think the answer is that simple. Sure, you run the risk of people downloading a crap movie and telling their friends it’s crap, and to avoid it. But that will lead to fewer horrible movies. People will tell their friends to seek out the good ones, leading to more exposure for quality. Having it out there for ‘free’ increases the product’s exposure to society at large, which includes people who WILL pay for it.
And again, someone stealing an item of yours deprives you of the usage of said item. Digital copies of things are entirely different. It’s not that complicated. I wish people would quit trying to force this comparison.
ZackQuote Reply
2 more house features i found on TV.com:
baratheon: http://www.tv.com/video/10526079/game-of-thrones-house-of-baratheon-feature?tag=vid_carousel;vid;4
lannister: http://www.tv.com/video/10526078/game-of-thrones-house-of-lannister-feature?tag=vid_carousel;vid;3
PetyrQuote Reply
Petyr,
Nice find! Really cool stuff!
sjweningsQuote Reply
I think a more apt analogy would be someone breaking into your house, making a copy of your video game, and then leaving everything in its place once they go. For those of us overseas, especially in non-English speaking countries that favour dubbing, HBO can’t make any money off of us anyways. We’re not depriving them of sales because there’s no way we can get their product legitimately and for them to make money off of us either way.
clemintineQuote Reply
My bad, I thought it was something I didn’t get to in the books yet.
ArithineQuote Reply