GoT ep 9

[salinea]

Holy shit, that was an awesome episode. I think the show is starting to regain my trust.



Stuff I liked best:

Shae. Great mix of her being seductive and showing some depth and unwillingness of being entirely owned by Tyrion / not willing to play by his rules. I might forgive the show that horrible sexposition scene from two episodes ago if they do right by Shae.

(there's a repeated motif of people refusing to play by someone else's rule in the episode actually, with Robb's answer to Jaime's challenge. It's a nice way to play (heh) with the 'Game of Throne' metaphor.)

The way they did Tyrion's story of Tysha was great too. The reaction of Bronn and Shae to the first part, thinking "there's that! oh well, moving on..." and then Tyrion keeps on the story to its gruesome end. [Spoiler for the books:]and even there not quite to the utmost horribleness it was in the book. Interesting choice. To be put along Cat not telling Jon "It should have been you" and Sansa not warning Cersei of Ned's plans?[end spoiler]

The battles. We didn't see much of them, but I thought what we did see worked great. The mad chaos poor Tyrion gets swallowed into so quickly; and the misty dreaminess of the Whispering Wood. I liked the way it was filmed. Robb's strategy was well rendered as well. I continue to be relatively impressed with Robb; and Theon is also adorable.

Varys! I'm starting to root for Varys for the Throne, he's so wonderfully wry, not vicious despite how pragmatic and manipulative he is. Very good interpretation.

Aemon's story to Jon was great as well. Perhaps better than in the books, even. Mormont's giving Jon the sword was nifty too (oh, Mormont, I don't think Jon deserves it XD), and how they show emphasized Jorah's his son (yes! that Jorah down with Dany XD).

Joffrey also has a pretty good actor, I should emphasize, despite my dislike for the character (who i find rather flat). The shift to Ned's execution (oh, and Cersei being the first to freak out about it) was well handled.

Daenarys continue to be great though the storytelling of her sides of things continue to be a bit too rushed, too draft-y to work best. The show seems to try to emphasize the idea that Miri Maz Dur may have poisoned Drogo.

Old Lord Frey was as delightfully unpleasant as I expected him, yay! (I love his character, srsly, I find him funny. Don't tell anyone.) A bit so-so for the way Cat negotiated with him though.

I didn't like Ned seeing Arya and setting up Yoren catching her. I dunno if I can say why. Probably because I really didn't like show's Ned. Oh well, poor Ned. There you go.

I'm sorry we didn't get the Tower of Joy dream *sighs*.

Comments

[devilc]

Joffrey's actor is doing so damn well because you want to wring his [Joffrey's] gorram neck and then scrape him off your shoe.

Oh, and everything you said about Lord Frey. I can't stop laughing at him, because he's a classic cranky old coot, even though he's as slimy as it gets.

[salinea]

Hahaha yeah I love how cranky and slimy he is XD

[queenofthorns.livejournal.com]

I didn't like Ned seeing Arya and setting up Yoren catching her. I dunno if I can say why. Probably because I really didn't like show's Ned. Oh well, poor Ned. There you go.

I wasn't a huge fan of show Ned - they took all the things I liked about Ned in the books and tossed them away and kept all the stuff I didn't like about him and magnified it. Oh well! Also, I found it improbable that someone who'd been in pitch darkness of a dungeon for so long could somehow have his eyes adjust that quickly to bright sunlight and spot one girl in a huge crowd of people. But then again, how DID Yoren in the books know to look for Arya? Had Ned somehow arranged that beforehand?

[werthead.livejournal.com]

I'm intrigued by Sibel Kekilli as Shae. Very offbeat and unexpected approach to the character, and a complete inversion of the 'cheery prostitute' cliche we've seen before. Book-Shae came across a lot more as TV-Ros, so I could see where people assuming that Ros would replace Shae were coming from. But this approach is different. The 'mysterious background' thing could go wrong, but they're setting up something intriguing here.

Jerome Flynn is also doing good work as Bronn, and that scene (though a bit overlong) saw the three actors working well together. Should be great to see more of that (with added Varys!) next season.

[etrangere.livejournal.com]

I would call it unexpected (she fits my vision of Shae) but it's certainly a relief after all the happy whores indeed.

[werthead.livejournal.com]

Yeah, for me GoT suffered a bit as the BBC just had a very good and dark drama on called THE CRIMSON PETAL AND THE WHITE which made the valid point that the life of prostitutes on the streets of Victorian London was absolutely fecking horrendous. So GoT and its merry women of negotiable affection felt a bit jarring coming after that.

[aubrem.livejournal.com]

I was pleasantly surprised by this re-invented Shae. I really liked her and was all "awwwww" at Tyrion playing party games with his friends. Tyrion has friends! (Well, relatively speaking).

Every camera shot of Tywin makes me say "great casting!"

I love Robb. I liked him in the books but didn't have a strong visual of him.

Varys - THE most interesting treatment so far imho. In the books we still don't know what to think of him. I think I'm in the minority in believing him when he says he is on the side of the realm and peace but that's just a leap of faith on my part. The tv series seems to be leaning that way though. I suppose he could be faking us out but I don't think so. In a way the books are all about the selfishness of "honor" and "duty*. My money is on Varys being on the side of the smallfolk and doing whatever necessary to avoid war.

Similarly, I love Lord Frey's portrayal. I've had countless internet arguments about him. I think the late lord Frey can be read as the most moral lord of them all in that he doesn't send his people to be killed in order to uphold his personal honor. Like Varys, he's for minimal death. Both are despised for not favoring important lives over nameless soldiers. Ok, he's despicable in other ways but as a lord not in a hurry to go to war, I can see his point. I think the tv show highlighted this with his line about what does he care about any of the great houses.

I have no clue why they felt they needed Ned to give the nod to Yoren about Anya. Just trying to humanize it and close the circle a bit I guess. eh.

Loved Aemon.

[etrangere.livejournal.com]

Yes, pretty much that. I liked book!Ned because he was a little bit of a nerd, he was the quiet brother thrust into the role of Lord Stark instead of his brother, he was someone compassionate, and he didn't like showing off. And he didn't think of himself as a warrior.

But then again, how DID Yoren in the books know to look for Arya? Had Ned somehow arranged that beforehand?
I think it was just a coincidence, he saw her, and knew who she was, and decided to help her.

[etrangere.livejournal.com]

Indeed.

[etrangere.livejournal.com]

My money is on Varys being on the side of the smallfolk and doing whatever necessary to avoid war.
I think Varys may be honest to some amount in saying he's on the side of the Kingdom, but he's obviously also involved in intrigue related to Doran Martell and Illaryo, and the Targaryen heirs. Plotting the Dothrakis' invasion of Westeros would hardly be all that good for the smallfolks. Unless he foresaw a lot of things that should have been impossible to foresee in terms of Dany's rise to power, which isn't impossible with some amount of magic / prophecy, but would also make him being on the side of the smallfolks probably a lie. I dunno.

I think the late lord Frey can be read as the most moral lord of them all in that he doesn't send his people to be killed in order to uphold his personal honor
The Late Lord Frey did get a lot of people killed in order to uphold his personal honour. It's just that his concept of honour isn't the same as the Starks. He was easily bought (in term of sending his own people killed in the war) as well by getting some balm to what he perceives as his personal honour.

[mamculuna.livejournal.com]

One thing I'm noticing more in this than in the novel is that Joffrey and Robin Arryn are very, very much alike--as you say, flat, with no depth, just spoiled brats who like to kill people whenever possible. I wish we saw a little more about what made them so cruel--we can guess that just having Cersei for a mother would warp a son, and we do see Lisa Arryn's excessive doting and protection, but especially not clear why that makes Robin so mean.

I agree about Ned and Dany, but most of all about Shae. Well-done, indeed. She's more interesting here than in the book.

[savepureness.livejournal.com]

it's so nice to actually be able to sit down and read your reviews again, darling -- remember us? a year ago? bloody hell! where has it gone?!

[etrangere.livejournal.com]

of course I remember!! How are you these days?

time is a motherfucker :(