GoT ep 6

[salinea]

WHAT THE FUCK SHOW WHAT ARE YOU DOING WITH MY SANSA? WHAT IS THIS RUDE, MEAN, DISRESPECTFUL TEENYBOPPER? THAT IS NOT SANSA grrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

Now that this is done with:

I think that was the first ep that didn't feel better than the previous ep (not a big surprise given that ep 5 was brilliant). Too much set up for the next ep and some pacing issues. Still pretty good (complete mischaracterisation asides). I think my favorite bits were Theon, Petyr's tacky trolling, and of course Tyrion and Bronn's duel. Theon especially hits pitch perfect in term of setting up the character : he's a prick, and quick to anger, but he really loves Robb and constantly feels not as accepted amongst the Starks as he'd wished and resents it, and the scene with Roz was rather cute (in a weird way). Petyr continues being his awesome self, not much to say besides the fact I find him endlessly amusing. Also the Moon Door as a hole in the ground works pretty well.

Tyrion was brilliant of course - isn't he always - especially loved him trying to convey the abstract concept of money to Mord, lol! Bronn's actor is good at conveying with little touches his cynicism and amusement with Tyrion, I liked that.

There were a lot of good comedic timing in lines this episode actually (like Robin wanting to hear the end of the story or Arya's "Seven Hells!").

Also liked Syrio foreshadowing the Faceless Men's religion with his "There is only one god, and his name is Death. And you tell him 'Not Today'." Should iconize that, actually.

I haven't been very fond of what they're doing with Daenarys and the Dothrakis. The actress really works in term of mental image of Dany, but I don't think I like the acting direction she's been given. instead of being in her head it feels we're always seeing her from the outside, all pretty barbarian princess and exotified (of course the Dothrakis are even worse in that). I guess her story int eh book in too internal to be easily conveyed but still. Also the eggs really look too silly, always throw me out of scenes with them. Viserys was brilliantly interpreted though, kudos to the actor for that given how cartoonish he is in the book, I'll almost miss him. Jorah is pretty good as well - not quite there yet but... aah, so loyalty means everything to you, does it? But loyalty to whom, have you figured that out yet?

Wasn't impressed by the way the Wildlings and Osha was depicted either. The whole crawling, groveling thing was wayyyy overdone and too cartoonish. Bran was great though!

What else? Well Ned had his epiphany at last, that was well rendered. Renly is well set up as well for his future moves (and made some nice points heeh). Lancel continues to look so... urgh. Truly the worst wig/dye/hair of the entire show. spoiler for the books: And feels a bit of a mistep to set up Robert's assassination so early (id est, before Ned's confronting Cersei at the Godswood).

I guess that's all (i dunno, it felt like the episode was too short).


ETA:

Comments

[prodigy]

Oh, I definitely agree on Osha. I expected them to be a lot more hard-as-nails and dignified, not half-crazy. Osha herself has too much of a Generic Helena Bonham Carter feel to her -- I pictured her a lot more sarcastic and taciturn.

"Not today" was so cool :D

[salinea]

Osha herself has too much of a Generic Helena Bonham Carter feel to her
OMG that's exactly what I thought. I was like "wtf, Tonks was captured and brainwashed by Bellatrix like I'd planned in that fic I never ended up writing, and when she escaped she got hired to play Osha, whut?"

Yeah, it's the lack of dignity that's just... urgh.

Now I'm starting to be afraid of how they gonna do the Mountain of the Moon clans, which were pretty damn silly in their execution in the book (though sometimes awesomely silly). This show could use a little less "barbarians are being barbaric, isn't it funny?" on the whole.

Syrio is love ♥

[prodigy]

You're so right about the barbarians-being-barbaric circus sideshow that the TV series has going on right now. GRRM's treatment of the Dothraki is problematic, but not half so problematic as the TV show's treatment thereof -- it's like Khal Drogo has gotten completely sidelined from being Dany's ally and first friend and the Dothraki as her first home-away-from-home into more sexxy HBO scenes and stuff featuring Viserys, Drogo almost doesn't get any lines, where's "moon of my life" and the like? And the wildlings now appear hunger-crazed, not like a genuine and viable culture of people north of the Wall that the Night's Watch are just kind of severely alarmist about. I'd be okay with the Mountains of the Moon clans being barbaric without those two things, but now it's just starting to look like GoT hates any of the cultures that aren't the official "civilized" Seven Kingdoms Westerosi ones.

[hamsterwoman]

Theon especially hits pitch perfect in term of setting up the character : he's a prick, and quick to anger, but he really loves Robb and constantly feels not as accepted amongst the Starks as he'd wished and resents it

Yep, I thought this episode finally got a lot of Theon's core pluses, minuses, and conflicts across in just a few short scenes. That was good, after several episodes of him just kind of being there and talked about/to.

"There is only one god, and his name is Death. And you tell him 'Not Today'."

That was a great line! And yay, icon!

And, yeah, the pacing was weird with Robert's hunt coming so early. It actually didn't even occur to me that it was *that* hunt (as opposed to a random establishing hunt to set up the big one) until people started commenting on it.

I think the episode was actually a little shorter than the others, 52 minutes as opposed to like 55.