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Post by CT on Jun 7, 2012 11:50:16 GMT -5
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HNT
 Grizzled HMaM Vet 
Horror in General & Everything Else Moderator[/i]
Kiss my tuchis
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Post by HNT on Jun 8, 2012 10:17:09 GMT -5
This is the one fantasy story I enjoy. I really hate high fantasy, and to be honest some of the dragon, zombie, and magic stuff in this show is less than stellar. The political and military tactics, however, are complicated, and engrossing. And, the idea that any show can have this many characters and still leave me completely interested and able to follow what is going on is a testament to how well structured and written it is.
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Post by CT on Jun 8, 2012 11:13:59 GMT -5
Yes. What was so great about the first season is there was maybe 10 minutes of fantasy in the entire 10 hours. Not including the setting of course which I guess is fantasy itself but not as magical and out there as, say, Middle Earth.
What are your favorite characters HNT?
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HNT
Grizzled HMaM Vet
Horror in General & Everything Else Moderator[/i]
Kiss my tuchis
Posts: 6,296
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Post by HNT on Jun 8, 2012 11:23:56 GMT -5
WEll, the most entertaining character is obviously Tyrion Lannister. He is cool becuase he demonstrates the ability to be on the less moral side of the whole thing and still be likeable and decent. King Geoffrey is very effective as a character that I really can't stand and love to hate. Probably my favorite character so far is Denarys Targaryen (sp?) Her story is full of more fantasy elements than most of the others, but I really find myself rooting for her to win the crown. SOmething tells me, though, that when I learn more about who the mad king was and what it meant to stand up to him that I'll have a newfound respect for Jamie Lannister and trust the Targaryens a little bit less.
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Post by Jen on Jun 8, 2012 11:37:36 GMT -5
I only watched the first episode before our DVR wiped most of them out. Was planning to catch up on HBO Go but hasn't been a great few months so haven't had the chance. Hopefully we will get to it soon.
I read the first book though and I am about halfway through the second, and find Tyrion by far the most interesting character.
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Post by CT on Jun 9, 2012 0:31:22 GMT -5
WEll, the most entertaining character is obviously Tyrion Lannister. He is cool becuase he demonstrates the ability to be on the less moral side of the whole thing and still be likeable and decent. King Geoffrey is very effective as a character that I really can't stand and love to hate. Probably my favorite character so far is Denarys Targaryen (sp?) Her story is full of more fantasy elements than most of the others, but I really find myself rooting for her to win the crown. SOmething tells me, though, that when I learn more about who the mad king was and what it meant to stand up to him that I'll have a newfound respect for Jamie Lannister and trust the Targaryens a little bit less. Yeah, I like Dani, Jaime, and Tyrion as well. I also really like Bronn, Renley, Arya, and Jaqen H'ghar. I only watched the first episode before our DVR wiped most of them out. Was planning to catch up on HBO Go but hasn't been a great few months so haven't had the chance. Hopefully we will get to it soon. I read the first book though and I am about halfway through the second, and find Tyrion by far the most interesting character. I guess that helps if you're trying to not get ahead of your progress with the books. Also, you'll have less time to wait for the third season to start by the time you finish the second. I didn't watch the first season until a week before the second season started so I didn't have to wait between seasons. Waiting ten months is gonna suck. On a side note guys, you can buy your own Iron Throne on the HBO store for 30k. True story. |
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Post by Xч on Jun 10, 2012 2:17:37 GMT -5
Loved the ending of season 2.
The army of the dead,marching on.
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Post by CT on Jun 10, 2012 2:21:11 GMT -5
Yeah, that was freaky as f*ck. Blackwater was my favorite episode so far though.
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Post by GP on Jun 11, 2012 5:25:42 GMT -5
It's a real shame the constraints of TV budgets limited the Battle of Blackwater. It is beyond spectacluar in the book but in the series came off like Helm's Deep done on the cheap.
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Post by CT on Jun 11, 2012 9:56:00 GMT -5
Yeah I hear it was much more epic in the book but I guess it's a step in the right direction since they didn't even show the previous battles. The wildfire explosion was pretty spectacular although I hear it was different from how it went in the book.
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Post by CT on Jun 12, 2012 1:16:07 GMT -5
I have a question for HNT, why did you call (in another thread) Renley Baratheon the George W. Bush of Game of Thrones?  Because he didn't have military experience? Aside from that I fail to see the comparison.  |
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HNT
Grizzled HMaM Vet
Horror in General & Everything Else Moderator[/i]
Kiss my tuchis
Posts: 6,296
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Post by HNT on Jun 12, 2012 12:22:54 GMT -5
Haha, honestly I don't even remember where I posted that, but I'm curious now. As for Renley, he did not have a legitimate claim to the throne, but thought that he could convince people otherwise (like Bush in 2000). He had no military experience, which led him to not really care one way or the other about extensive military casualties (like Bush leading up to the war in Iraq). His strongest claim to the throne comes through his father and his older brother. And, he got his ass handed to him because he was a terrible strategist and failed to anticipate any of the actions that his enemies would take against him (like Bush in Iraq and Afghanistan).
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Post by CT on Jun 13, 2012 1:24:24 GMT -5
I believe you said it the other day in the Ed Gein thread, lol.  I have to defend Renley because he was probably my favorite of the 5 kings at war in the second season (and Bush wasn't haha). I liked Robb as well but he's a bit too good and corny. I like him and agree with what Loras Tyrell says about him in the first season. He's much more kind to people than the other powerful dbags and while he's willing to do what is necessary (militarily) he doesn't enjoy killing and gloat over it (like Robert). And I should clarify, I haven't read the books so my argument is based on the show. Renley might have been a right prick in the book. (Maybe Jen can fill us in on his portrayal in the first two books) As far as the line of succession goes Renley does not have a legitimate claim to the Throne, you are right about that. Stannis holds this claim due to Joffrey's (and Cersai's other children's) true parentage. But Renley makes a great point toward the end of season 1 when trying to convince Ned Stark to ally with him. The line of succession meant nothing to Robert and Ned when they took over years earlier. So there's a precedent for a strong leader claiming the throne for himself when the Kingdoms are going to shit. Of course they have to actually take it militarily which Renley couldn't pull off but that's a whole separate issue. Fair points about wanting to win people over through likability and perhaps not fully considering the human cost of war in his calculations. But did any of the 5 kings at war? I think that was a pretty common trait of leadership in their culture. Win at any cost. As Cersai says "When you play the game of thrones, you either win or you die". As far as the strategy, I really didn't feel that the show addressed him being a poor strategist. Yes he seemed to be heavily relying on sheer numbers and it's not far fetched that he would be a bad strategist as he has little military experience. (Maybe the book gets deeper into this?) The way Renley lost his end of the war was pretty unorthodox I must say. How could he have forseen and protected against a vagina smoke monster appearing out of thin air and assassinating him? While he may not have been that best strategist, it's not clear that's what lost it for him. Seems like he lost due to bad luck and black magic. Plus, how COOL is that antler crown?! Seriously! [/end fanboy rant] |
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HNT
Grizzled HMaM Vet
Horror in General & Everything Else Moderator[/i]
Kiss my tuchis
Posts: 6,296
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Post by HNT on Jun 14, 2012 16:41:26 GMT -5
You win on the vagina smoke monster point for sure. How could anyone really dispute that. I agree that Robb is a little too good (though not as good as his father. He still is more than willing to hold a grudge and seek blood whether or not it makes good strategic sense. Also, the whole King in the North thing and his willingness to split up the countryt kind of makes him a bit of a Jefferson Davis, and I don't root for the confederacy. I personally would root for and put my lot in with Danaerys Targaryen. |
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Post by CT on Jun 14, 2012 16:43:01 GMT -5
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