Wow, really? This was better than the first one. There was a lot wading around in the first one, a lot of story and characters to introduce (and understandably, it being a premier episode).

With that behind them, they were really able to get into the meat of some of these characters, and it showed tonight.

I actually think tonight might end up being a very critical night for followers of the show. If you don't feel some attachment to some of these characters here now, you never will.

My girlfriend HATED this episode and said she wouldn't watch it anymore. I told her that the first wolf needed to die for Bran to live and be able to be one with the wolves. She might have come around it.

I'm with Chief though, I thought this episode was better than the first.

I really enjoyed last night's episode. Despite knowing what was coming the scene with Lady was still emotionally powerful and I liked how they shot that along with Bran waking up.

I also loved the scene with Catelyn, the killer and Summer in Bran's chambers. It's one of those scenes that has always been so vivid in my head that it was great to see it play out in live action.

That scene with Lady was one of the toughest in all the books and wasn't any easier.

I am really liking Mark Addy's Robert. He may be shorter than I imagined and his hair not quite black enough, but I think he really captures the essence of the character perfectly.

Agreed on all parts. The Lady/Nymeria stuff coming so close together, in the books as well as here obviously, was always hard for me to take. You thought the direwolves were going to be so important and then Martin goes off and kills 1/3 of them right after introducing them. Tough.

I think Lady was the only one who was killed. I always assumed Nymeria is was the direwolf who is spoked about leading the band of wolves roaming the countryside

Yes and yes.

You right. I should haven't said killed 1/3...that was a misspeak. "Removed from the story directly" would have been a better way to put it (although yes, Nymeria will come back into play later I'm sure). My bad.

We should aim to keep this thread spoiler free beyond any episodes that have been aired.

Got to be honest the platinum blond who is married to that tall guy is hot. I seriously want to engage in numerous sexual activities with her. I hate the Queen and her son. I also hate that little tomboy who doesn't seem to know when to stop.

I love this show.

Yay!!!!

Yes - the lil tomboy (Arya) did mess things up there. But her storyline gets progressively more interesting in the future.

Of course.

It being HBO, I was actually surprised at how much restraint they showed in this episode. They had a chance for full-on lesbo action, and took it easy.

When I watched the trailer it looked like they were going to go the full-on lesbo route and I'm kind of glad they didn't. I liked the scene with Dany and her hand maidens and the subsequent scene with Drogo.

As did I. They did that whole thing well without the 'ADD MORE BOOBS AND HOT SEX' that HBO has a tendency to do with their shows.

(Though I can't say I would mind seeing more nekked Dany)

I'm not at all familiar with the book/series, but after reading about the series over and over, I watched the first two episodes last night. A little overwhelming at first (with so many characters), but I really enjoyed the show (aside from the end of episode 2).

I read a little bit about the series on wikipedia, so I think I am up to speed enough to enjoy and understand the show now. :)

Welcome Swaggs!!:popcorn:

I never read this series either, but after the first two episodes I have been really enjoying it and look forward to more.

It was a good episode. You always wonder why they feel the need to add scenes not in the story when you have to remove so much. Some times it makes sense to explain story arcs that might not translate as well from book to action, but sometimes they seem like baffling filler when there is no need. I'd say the Jon-Jamie exchange was one of those scenes. Not a big deal, just a "why?"

I wish the Jon-Cat scene was closer to the book, but it was close enough to get the gist. Dany was a little more animated, but now I worry about another favorite. The Dog is under-whelming me. A little more life in him, please. He always seemed he could be silently threating when he wanted to be, but very loud and in your face threating as well. The director seems to like robots too much. Does come from Sci-fi background or something?

I am two for two at guessing the ending shots so far. I am still puzzling the next chapters end. I dodge the previews like the plague because I know I am watching, and I really don't want to know what is coming. I can guess where the next stories will be, but I am puzzling on the next break. It is my own little fun trivia game. :) (No guesses, I don't want clues)

GrantDawg, I had some similar concerns about The Hound as well. I really liked how he delivered his line about Micah, but before that I wasn't too terribly impressed. That said, he hasn't had that much screen time, so I will withold judgment.

I wonder how in-depth the three-eyed crow will play in the story. Personally, I didn't like that part and while I understand the importance of it, I think HBO Might gloss over that part of the storyline, at least early on.

The three-eyed crow thing also makes me wonder how many, if any, dream sequences/flashbacks will even be in the show. There is so much present day stuff that needs to happen and so many present day characters out there, that I wonder if they will delve much into history or do much with any of the dream sequences.

My guess will be conversationally. They might be brought up verbally, but not actually shown.

May have been posted before, but HBO has a really slick guide to all the Houses and characters in the show - helpful if you haven't read the books. Some of the houses don't come into play until later, of course.

HBO: Game of Thrones: Viewer's Guide

Also there is a map tab at the top.

Haha - the OtakuASSEMBLE guy's Episode 2 review on youtube is entitled "Why I Hate the Lannisters."

http://www.youtube.com/user/OtakuASS.../1/TFGlVBvmC4o

Great lines:

"Tyrion...Tyrion's obviously a G."

"I'm entitling this episode Why I Hate the Lannisters. They're all pompous douches. Seriously...all of them. Except for Tyrion...he's a prick also but 1 he's a smart one and 2 because of his circumstances he's not full of himself."

The ratings held steady for the 2nd episode and in fact grew 0.1 in the 18-49 demographic, which as someone pointed out probably matters less for HBO since they don't sell ads, but a gain is still good. As a comparison, Boardwalk Empire's total viewers dropped 31% from its 1st to 2nd episodes.

Game of Thrones Renewed for a Second Season by HBO - Ratings | TVbytheNumbers

Meanwhile something called 'Treme lost nearly half it's audience vs last year's premiere. No connect between the two audiences maybe? (I have no clue, I can't say that I'd ever heard of 'Treme before today)

Treme is the show by the guy who did "The Wire", David Simon. It's about post-Katrina New Orleans.

That is pretty good news. I was afraid a bunch of people would tune into the premiere just to see what it was all about and then not come back because it was "too confusing" or "too fantasy" or just because it didn't click with them.

Treme is made by the people that created the Wire. It's a serious/political/intellectual drama about New Orleans after Katrina. So yeah, putting harsh reality back to back with total fantasy seems like a poor match to me. Also, what show debuts a new season on Easter?

Anyway, the show was already down in the 600,000 range by the middle of the first season last year, so it looks worse when you compare the two premieres.

I stopped watching Treme about 2-3 episodes into last season. Just didn't have any desire to continue watching it.

Especially since a LOT of people had free HBO the weekend of the premiere.

Personally I think the ratings are fine for the show. If it were another network, and not HBO, it might be something to be concerned with, but if the ratings stay stable (and more importantly keep a lot of fantasy fans subscribed to HBO when they might not otherwise be) I think HBO will be happy.

I'm impressed that many people that haven't read the books seem to be enjoying the show. Having read the books, I feel like I would be pretty lost on who is who and what is going on at this point if I hadn't and was just watching the show.

I was also a little put off by the Jaime/Jon scene, I guess it's just there to reinforce Jaime's character at this point? Not really sure you need to play up the fact that he's a dick after he just chucked a kid out a window, but...

I also agree on the Hound. I think the end of the Tyrion/Joffrey/Hound scene in the courtyard was rushed, as it looked like Clegane just took Tyrion's insults without putting up a fight. Quite disappointed by that, actually.

The more I think on Drogo and Dany, I think that this version of things is way more true to Drogo's character. Looking back at the books, why in the hell would Drogo be gentle with her at any point, ever? The only thing we're missing this way is in watching Dany attempt to please him: why is she doing this, if he is the cruel savage that he seems to be?

I'd be enjoying this even more if f***ing Comcast would fix my HBO High Definition channels.

Dola - Doesn't it seem that Theon is notably absent thus far? I mean, I know he's been there, and even spoken lines...but I'm pretty sure that his name hasn't even been mentioned, and we have seen absolutely nothing of his character yet. I am aware that he is not at all an integral part of the story as of yet, but I'd imagine they could begin building his character, if only a little.

You could argue that Rob's character hasn't really been built up all that much yet either (more than Theon, but not all that much really).

True, but he's been in it enough that we have the foundation laid - the scene with Jon in the courtyard, and with Cat and Maester Luwin in Bran's room in particular. Theon has had ample opportunity (specifically the scene where they found the Direwolves) where he could have had a line and someone drop his name, but nothing yet. I guess they may simply be leaving things streamlined, as he's completely irrelevant at this point.

It does feel like they are rushing through things, but given the amount of material they have to go through I don't think they really have any other choice.

I don't think there has been a good opportunity to explain who Theon is and why he's there. It is a bit of an involved story. I am sure there will be a scene where it comes out. They have established that he isn't a Stark, he's a bit of a jerk - his willingness to kill the wolf pups so quickly and his reply to Jon - but also willing to stand with Jon - the scene on the Godswood.

Yeah, the more I think on it, the more it makes sense. I'd imagine they'll flesh him out a little in a Robert - Ned discussion of the Greyjoy Rebellion.

One of my favorite things about these books is the complexity, and it is very difficult to get that right and retain an audience in the tv medium.

I agree. I love the complexity as well. I've read these books at least 4 times each and never get tired of thinking about all the relations and plots and schemes and learn something new and detailed each and every time in.

You knew that they would have to sacrifice a lot of that for the show. Not only would it be confusing, but that kind of stuff takes time to establish, put into context and flesh out. It also involves a cast of thousands and that, too, has to be reduced.

So long as the show keeps the essence of the books, which I believe it has done very well so far, I am happy. They are separate things in separate medium in my eyes and I enjoy each one for it what it is.

Syrio was great, I thought they nailed his character

+1. Good episode overall, loved Littlefinger and Varys, but the last scene with Syrio made the episode.

Great episode last night.

1. The Wall. I thought they did a good job, in limited scenes, setting up the Jon/Grenn/Pyp relationship. Tyrion remains fantastic in each scene he's in. It was great to see characters like the Old Bear and Yoren on screen.

2. I loved all of the Jamie scenes. The scene between him and Ned in the throne room was fantastic. I loved the look on Jamie's face after Ned coldly shot down Jamie's suggestion that what he did to Aerys was justice for what he did to Ned' brother and father. He was so desperately seeking some validation for what he did and just got smacked down and then immediately went back on the offensive. Great seeing Barristan Selmy in the scene with Robert and Jamie. Addy continues to be a fantastic Robert.

3. Definitely looking forward to more Littlefinger.

4. I really liked the scene with Jorah and the Bloorider guy too. I forget which one he is, but I know at least one of Dany's bloodriders had a whip. I liked the interaction between him and the handmaiden as well.

5. Syrio Florel was one of the characters I have been looking forward to seeing the most. They nailed it. The scene was fantastic. It was very well shot, with the camera sort of spinning around to simulate the whole fluidity of the Water Dancer technique. And the shot of Ned watching and the sound of the wooden swords turning to the sound of steel swords and combat was an incredibly nice touch.

We were kind of disappointed that the bloodrider instead of Dany ordered Viserys to walk. BUT...I think with this truncated timetable (you just can't replicated the hundreds of pages of buildup that books allow), they needed to wait a few more episodes to push Dany further towards being in charge. Having her "turn" on Viserys in episode 3 may just of been too soon.

And Tyrion is just stealing this show.

Pretty good article about episode 3

Game of Thrones recap: Lord Snow, Littlefinger and Back Alley Sally | Season 1 Episode 03 | EW.com

In other news, ratings went up 10%!!!

And we haven't even gotten to the good shit yet - we're still moving pieces into position. Man...this is gonna be so great!!

LMAO - that OtakuASSEMBLE guy is going to have a heart attack when things really start going down.

Yeah, this was one of my fav episodes so far. I haven't read any of the books, but really enjoy this series. I think it's been setup in a way that will draw in people who haven't read the books, but also only *slightly* frustrate the people who know the books well with what has been left out. That's a tough balance to achieve and it seems like the producers are well on their way to getting that result.

Quick sidebar, Jason Momoa (actor that plays Khal Drogo) will be the lead in the remake of Conan the Barbarian (coming out this summer).

I thought they kind of missed it on the casting for Little Finger. Petry Baelish is supposed to be a charismatic, good looking, intelligent guy. Small in stature with one of those pointy beards. That guy on the show is, well...not that.

I thought that at first, but he seemed to be everything but having a super pointy beard.

Maybe he will grow on me. In the book it seemed like he was one of the characters that sort of started out a little slow and built up a presence as the story progressed and some of the main characters took a subdued role.