Game of Thrones - S3 - Episode 3

[shadowkat]

Impossible to discuss without spoilers, and yes there will be references to the books, but only up to this episode. See other post for Dance of Dragons.



* Theon - damn, they are doing his arc this season? But I'm confused, because none of this happened in the books. So is it different? Or have I just not gotten to this section yet? And I'm being spoiled on flashbacks? (GRRM doesn't exactly tell his story in a traditional linear style or even chronological...it skips around. Which means, not only are you trying to figure out what will happen, you are trying to figure out what did happen and what is currently happening. Enough to give a less patient reader - a headache. Can see why it drove some of the more anal-retentive readers on lj nuts.) Also, is it wrong to hope that the writers changed Theon's storyline? (IF they haven't changed it, do we seriously need Theon's arc in this season too? Don't we have enough arcs as it is? Feel a little sorry for the actor playing Theon.)

The Bastard of Bolton for reasons that escape me, saved Theon from torture, and from rape by his father's men, and killed the men, then took Theon on horseback - with the promise of returning him to his sister. Very different than what I have been reading. But admittedly better.

The whole time Theon was running from the men, I was rooting for them to kill him. Please.
Trust me it's much better than the alternative. At any rate this is one bit that I really hope they change from the books. In a way they have by bringing it forward - this section I haven't read yet.

* Tyrion - oh I adore his sections. His interaction with Littlefinger, but in particular with Podrick and Bronn.

Tyrion and Bronn award Podrick with the whores, give him a sizable purse for payment, then leave.

Pod comes back and returns the purse to Tyrion. Stating the whores refused to accept it.
Tyrion is astonished.

Tyrion: They refused to accept your money? They never refuse mine. Whatever did you do?
Pod: Stuff (shrugs)
Tyrion: And they enjoyed it?
Pod: Appeared to.
Bronn: Well they are whores - they are paid to say they enjoyed it.
Tyrion: Except apparently in this case they weren't paid. (He picks up the bottle of wine and sits Pod between himself and Bronn and insists that Pod tell them details.)

LOL! (And I do not remember this bit being in the book at all. GRRM is obsessed with eating. The TV writers being skinny dudes, are apparently more obsessed with sex?)

Tywin meanwhile just wants to know what is up with Jamie and where he is. Ah, sigh, Tywin, you really should hurry.

* Catelynn - Now I know they changed this bit. In the books, Catelynn is nursing her father and he dies, with the Blackfish getting there in the nick of time. We spent the entire first half of Storm - with Catelynn nursing her father. I remember, because I kept wanting to skim through bits of it, but realized I couldn't due to the hidden clues regarding who killed Jon Arryn (that mystery is solved in Storm of Swords by the way and no it wasn't the Lannisters), why Littlefinger does what he does, amongst other things.
But boy were those chapters dull. Pages and pages of Catelynn moping in Riverrun, worrying over Robb, the Frays, and her father - while her brother Edmund is a bit of a bastard to her.

Here they shorten it into five sentences. And give the Blackfish a bigger role. I adored the Blackfish in the books. And the casting is pitch-perfect. Also, the funeral bier bit is the same - Edmund can't hit his father's bier to save his life, so the Blackfish does. You sort of feel sorry for Edmund as a result.

* Robb and his medic wife are growing on me (unfortunately). I really like both of them. The casting is apparently 95% of it. And yes, they really have changed who the wife is - while in some respects I like this a whole lot better - it does sort of screw up the plot a bit.

*Jon Snow - were there a weird pattern of chopped up horses in the books? Because I don't remember that. Also this storyline is being sped up a bit as well.

Samwell's tale is exactly like the books however. And rather gripping.

*Dany - oh I loved this section in the books. How Dany gets the Unsullied slaves and Missindre is classic. Also adore Jorah and Barristan's attempts to advise her while she wisely ignores them.

*Ayra - not much here - except that the boy Half-Pie got to stay at the inn and bake, and we see the Hound placed under guard. As Ayra and Gendry ride off together in the group, after him.

* Jamie and Brienne - I'd forgotten why Jamie lost his hand. Ironically, I think he might have kept it if he kept his mouth shut. Or didn't push his luck and ask to be unchained. Jamie's mouth, much like Tyrion's always gets him into trouble. Actually that's something the two brother's have in common. Their snarky wit and cleverness with words.
He adeptly saves Brienne - I wonder if she realized it? I think she did. But dooms himself.
It's the absolute worst thing they could do to him.

The casting of Vargo - is the only casting that doesn't quite fit with my image in the books. I envisioned, Vargo - the Goat, as bigger somehow and uglier. Although scrawny and smaller - goat like, fits, I suppose.

Here's the thing about watching the tv series after reading the books or most of the books at any rate? In some places it's rather funny, hind-sight being 20-20 and all that. And incredibly ironic. It's sort of like watching someone set up a trap and then, forget about the trap, only to walk right into the very trap they set up. If you've read the books you probably know what I'm talking about.

Oh and...if you haven't read the books? Eh. If you think Jamie getting his sword hand sliced off is bad...just wait. It gets so much worse. After this point, GRRM's tale becomes more and more twisted and gory. Horrifically so in places. If you can't handle that? You might want to stop now. Don't say I didn't warn you.

Comments

[shadowkat67.livejournal.com]

Hee. Possibly...although, Martin's writing has a sadistic turn that would give Shakespeare a run for his money.