tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30892649.post1325201117853614918..comments2024-02-04T05:13:04.501-05:00Comments on Nik at Nite: Game of Thrones: "The Night Lands"Nikki Staffordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04463618183850438914noreply@blogger.comBlogger17125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30892649.post-72036773765737553092012-04-13T19:14:50.725-04:002012-04-13T19:14:50.725-04:00@Blam on names I have not heard George Martin talk...@Blam on names I have not heard George Martin talk that into the roots of names for deeper meaning but he did look to how naming was done in European medieval history within the different families. Like the Stark's have a Brandon in almost every generation throughout their family line. The Lannister's utilize Ty as a naming pattern with Ty-win and Ty-rion and more in their family line. And in the books Lyssa Aryn's son is named Robert after King Robert Baratheon instead of Robyn cause the TV couldn't have two character's with the same name....Zach Zhttp://www.zombiemusicblog.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30892649.post-47468565492786816952012-04-12T22:55:02.503-04:002012-04-12T22:55:02.503-04:00A.G. Wooding: I love that this TV show ... isn'...<br>A.G. Wooding: <i>I love that this TV show ... isn't afraid to give heroes like Ned their weaknesses and give misers like Balon Greyjoy their redeeming qualities. There really are not black and white heroes and villains here.</i><br /><br />Yeah. Over at Teebore's blog, someone mentioned missing Sean Bean / Ned Stark and how it seemed like Tyrion Lannister was to be our focal character for this season (if only because Peter Dinklage's name is first in the credits, although I suspect that <i>that</i> is in part because he's now probably the best-known actor in the cast). <br /><br />I replied with the following...<br /><br />"The shock effect [of Ned Stark's beheading] was perhaps valuable from a storytelling perspective and fairly inevitable without changing things too much from the book, yet it feels weird to me as a viewer not to have at least one main protagonist to ground the story and for whom we can root pretty much unreservedly. <br /><br />"While Ned Stark cheated on his wife, and in fact did not just his family but arguably his principles a disservice by hewing to those principles so openly that he got himself killed, he was still basically Season One's "Big Good" as it were. I can root for Arya as a hero in the making, but she's just a small part of the clockwork plot; I can root for Tyrion simply because he's so much fun and because even if his morals are necessarily mercurial given whassup in Westeros he's pretty grounded, but he doesn't have the traditional heroic impetus of Robb Stark or even Jon Snow."<br /><br />I realize that that addresses a slightly different topic than you raise, but the point is that the characters <i>are</i> so complicated; as you say, we don't get straight-up heroes or villains, and I suspect that I may come to regret or at least rethink my emotional allegiance to and/or against certain would-be protagonists and/or antagonists.<br /><br />Teebore: <i>Not sure what Benioff and Weiss might have been trying to say with that transition, but it seems like they may be trying to say something... </i><br /><br />I hadn't thought about that, but I'd like you to be right.Blamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07342343767763035991noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30892649.post-12690968746757316642012-04-12T22:52:49.468-04:002012-04-12T22:52:49.468-04:00Whoops! I used the after-the-jump-break link inste...<br>Whoops! I used the after-the-jump-break link instead of the from-the-top link earlier. <a href="http://blamken.blogspot.com/2012/04/blonde-on-blonde.html" rel="nofollow">Here's the right one.</a> Enjoy and share!Blamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07342343767763035991noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30892649.post-27238576742820256142012-04-12T21:44:53.250-04:002012-04-12T21:44:53.250-04:00A non-spoilery (I think) line of questions for tho...<br>A non-spoilery (I think) line of questions for those who've read the books: <br /><br />While I realize that the saga isn't set on Earth, <i>per se</i>, and that the "common tongue" most people are speaking isn't English, I'm curious as to whether we can glean anything from some of the characters' names the way we might for characters with actual Anglo-European names. <br /><br />Is Theon Greyjoy's first name related to the "theon" in Baratheon (assuming that the latter is a combination of "bara" and "theon" rather than "barath" and "-eon" or somesuch)? Does "theon" have its root in the Greek "theos" (which, granted, makes more sense for the likes of Stannis Baratheon than it does for Theon Greyjoy, but I'm curious)? Does the homonym of Cersei Lannister's name with the Greek mythology Circe spark any associations in the minds of the characters in-story as it does for the readers/viewers?<br /><br />Will Sansa have to do without? 8^)<br /><br />The Greyjoys seem aptly named, given the dour state of things and Balon's pissy attitude when Theon comes home, but there the family name is a compound word derived directly from the common tongue, English to us, whereas Theon's potential Greek origins are more complicated than that.<br /><br />VW: <i>matime — n.</i> Hanging out with your mother.Blamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07342343767763035991noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30892649.post-16372548671457524442012-04-12T21:42:39.563-04:002012-04-12T21:42:39.563-04:00Christopher: Was it just me, or did they ratchet u...<br>Christopher: <i>Was it just me, or did they ratchet up the sex in this episode beyond anything we’ve seen before?</i><br /><br />It was not just you. I was surprised all the more because we got so little in the Season Two premiere, so I wondered if maybe Season One had piled on the titillation just to try to hook folks and if Season Two wouldn't let up some.<br /><br />Nikki: <i>I think the B in HBO has often meant Boobs</i><br /><br />Didn't that kind-of start with <i>Dream On</i>? I never saw it, but I sure heard about it. I've gone most of my life without HBO, and still never seen more a smidgen of <i>The Sopranos</i>; my impression, though, was that while early original series sold themselves at least partly on "Look! Dirty words and naughty bits!" that's given way to a mostly less sensationalistic vibe where creators and viewers alike know that the channel's programming <i>can</i> show life in its uncensored glory and depravity but that it isn't necessarily built around that stuff.<br /><br />Christopher: <i>By right of being eldest and only son, [Theon] thinks the crown is his (even though it doesn’t yet exist), whereas Balon privileges deeds.</i><br /><br />I liked Balon's distinction between things bought with gold and those "bought" with iron.<br /><br />How long was Balon away at Winterfell that he doesn't recognize his sister? <br /><br />Nikki: <i>I just wanted to note that the “fish pie” exchange was positively Shakespearean.</i><br /><br />I agree. I very much appreciated the dialogue that you quoted — between Tyrion and Cersei, then between Tyrion and Janos — but the "fish pie" bit was even more veiled and all the cleverer for it.<br /><br />Nikki: <i>I should just start assuming every love interest is a brother or sister…</i><br /><br />Ha! On that note: I posted <a href="http://blamken.blogspot.com/2012/04/blonde-on-blonde.html#more" rel="nofollow">some graphical gags</a> on my blog today that you (all) might enjoy.<br /><br />VW: <i>lysell — v.</i> Hawk disinfectant sprays. [The CAPTCHA randomizer has antimicrobial products on its mind.]Blamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07342343767763035991noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30892649.post-48301413646383826982012-04-12T21:35:02.971-04:002012-04-12T21:35:02.971-04:00Why can't King Joffrey observe Passover?
Beca...<br>Why can't King Joffrey observe Passover? <br />Because he's totally in-bred.<br /><br />Christopher: <i>The death of Rakkharo ... caught me by surprise. He’s with Daenerys pretty solidly through the books. It’s unsurprising that the writers wanted to re-emphasize for us the dangers facing the queen of dragons, but kind of a bold move to kill off one of her main lieutenants.</i><br /><br />I'll take your word for it. 8^) This is one of the areas where having read the books — or having done some extracurricular research, or maybe just having a better head for names — really provides a different perspective than the interested but still relatively casual viewer. I even have trouble keeping up with the Starks' and Baratheons' names; I definitely had no idea who this guy was or that he was particularly important. I'm not saying that <i>GOT</i> isn't a richly rewarding world, mind you, but coming to the TV series* cold (and, I admit, in my particular case, having health issues that don't allow for me to hold onto such details like I once could) is bound to mean that one might not see such moves as bold or surprising so much as red-shirt collateral damage. [*Yeah, I know: It's not TV; it's HBoobsO.]<br /><br />Christopher: <i>Gendry figuring out Arya’s a girl; Arya revealing her identity: This was a bit of a misstep, I think.</i><br /><br />Is it possible that it was done to give her someone to talk to for exposition we only get through narration in the novels? Since the <i>Hunger Games</i> movie, I've been thinking about this issue in adaptations quite a bit. I've come to realize that to the extent that the film disappointed me it did so largely because it had to (understandably) work around the fact that the novel's first-person present narrative gave us so much information through internal monologue (and kept us so movingly inside Katniss' head), <br /><br />I don't know to what extent Arya is either a narrator or aligned closely with omniscient but sympathetic narration (which I gather is how the books go), but I suspect that it will be valuable for the series to give us exchanges like the following — which, granted, came before the pair talked about Arya's gender disguise.<br /><br />Gendry: "You shouldn't insult people that are bigger than you."<br />Arya: "Then I wouldn't get to insult <i>anyone</i>."<br /><br />For some reason I just love that line.<br /><br />VW: <i>Aftsepti</i> — Disease-preventing spray specially formulated for a ship's stern.Blamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07342343767763035991noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30892649.post-86453752217457128702012-04-11T15:16:40.485-04:002012-04-11T15:16:40.485-04:00@ChristopherWas it just me, or did they ratchet up...@Christopher<i>Was it just me, or did they ratchet up the sex in this episode beyond anything we’ve seen before?</i><br /><br />The sexposition, as the internet as taken to calling it, is...interesting. On the one hand, hey, boobs are cool. On the other hand, it can be somewhat troubling. In this episode, I felt like the most egregious use sex/nudity were the scenes at the brothel (the Theon and Stannis scenes were about more than sex/boobs), but then I wonder if those brothel scenes weren't intended as a commentary on the sexposition itself, as the Theon sex scene cut to someone watching someone watching a sex scene. <br /><br />Not sure what Benioff and Weiss might have been trying to say with that transition, but it seems like they may be trying to say something... <br /><br />@Sagacious Penguin: <i>Subscribed to HBO just to watch this after having caught up on Season 1 with the blu-rays last month. HBO knows what they're doing!</i><br /><br />Me too! (Though, to be honest, I also signed up for Aaron Sorkin's <i>Newsroom</i> in June. But <i>GoT</i> got me to subscribe NOW).Austin Gortonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14281239771248780430noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30892649.post-78639648155135592752012-04-11T14:42:50.972-04:002012-04-11T14:42:50.972-04:00I read that Dany's bloodrider Rakhoro was kill...I read that Dany's bloodrider Rakhoro was killed because the actor, Elyes Gabel, was unavailable due to filming the movie World War Z.Jeremynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30892649.post-25937328202832875742012-04-11T09:34:17.696-04:002012-04-11T09:34:17.696-04:00Subscribed to HBO just to watch this after having ...Subscribed to HBO just to watch this after having caught up on Season 1 with the blu-rays last month. HBO knows what they're doing!<br /><br />Though I do have to say the overdone titillation seems a BIT superflous/distracting, everything else about this show is aces. I've been enjoying things like Fringe, Walking Dead, and Once Upon a Time, but this is the first show since LOST that's really won my heart!<br /><br />I think what I love about this show is it's so hard to predict precisely where things are going. I mean, obviously they're heading toward a war, but character specifics are consistently surprising/harrowing. You don't want to get too comfortable with any particular scenario 'cause nothing lasts long in Westros.<br /><br />Arya and Tyrion are the clear favorites, but I have to say I look forward to Bran's story just as much.<br /><br />I, too, hope they provide more background on Stannis/Davos/Melisandre at some point as their scenes so far aren't as captivating as they could be simply because I don't really know who they are. I like that the king Ned supported seems like a poor choice though... I loved Ned, but keeping the value of supporting the line of succession a grey area is interesting.Sagacious Penguinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02300030494408133540noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30892649.post-42093043137819973762012-04-11T09:12:33.931-04:002012-04-11T09:12:33.931-04:00AG: And if you say Joffrey really fast it sounds ...AG: <i> And if you say Joffrey really fast it sounds like "grow a pair you demon born of incest." Or maybe it's just my accent.</i><br /><br />LOL!!!! Priceless.Nikki Staffordhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04463618183850438914noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30892649.post-3522198663153649082012-04-11T07:03:44.627-04:002012-04-11T07:03:44.627-04:00Oh and thumbs up for GoT being renewed for a third...Oh and thumbs up for GoT being renewed for a third season yesterday!! Although it seemed pretty inevitable after all the promotional hype going into season 2.A.G.Woodinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08069481435844624860noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30892649.post-15410425327242324082012-04-11T06:58:29.346-04:002012-04-11T06:58:29.346-04:00Did anyone get a "Wicker Man" vibe when ...Did anyone get a "Wicker Man" vibe when Theon arrived on Pyke? I had to rewind three times to work out what that fisherman was saying to him and the look on Theon's face was priceless.<br /><br />Christopher: I agree with you completely about Patrick Malahide's performance. The man completely stole the scene and I hope they take advantage of him as much as they took advantage of Charles Dance in the first season.<br /><br />There seemed to be a little more sadness to Balon Greyjoy on the screen also and it makes you wonder about the Greyjoys in general. They are a grim family compared to the heroic Starks, yet Balon allows his daughter more freedom than Ned and Catelyn have allowed Arya. So long as Yara can prove herself as a leader and a fighter, she can one day inherit the Iron Islands, which is more than Arya can hope to get. I'm not saying Balon is a better father than Ned but I love that this TV show like this isn't afraid to give heroes like Ned their weaknesses and give misers like Balon Greyjoy their redeeming qualities. There really are not black and white heroes and villains here.<br /><br />I also thought the actor who played Jaqen H'Ghar did a great job. He makes the characters strange way of talking sound natural, which gets me excited for any future scenes with him.<br /><br />And yes, they changed Asha to Yara because it sounded too much like Osha. Although if you say Yara really fast it kind of sounds like Arya anyway. And if you say Joffrey really fast it sounds like "grow a pair you demon born of incest." Or maybe it's just my accent.<br /><br />Great post guys!!A.G.Woodinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08069481435844624860noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30892649.post-8636609413578688052012-04-11T05:36:34.364-04:002012-04-11T05:36:34.364-04:00Small correction for Chris' part (book spoiler...Small correction for Chris' part (book spoilers for ACOK):<br /><br><br />Arya does indeed tell Gendry that she's Arya Stark in the second book, when he makes clear he knows that she's a girl. They changed the circumstances a bit, and his reaction is more playful, but otherwise it's pretty much like it was in ACOK.<br /><br><br />Lovely review otherwise. You guys are awesome. :DUnknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10936018167987696741noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30892649.post-12773845900357731802012-04-10T22:43:12.735-04:002012-04-10T22:43:12.735-04:00@Nikki said "Looking forward to next week’s e...@Nikki said "Looking forward to next week’s episode, just to find out what the hell that thing was in the woods that took the baby (is that a white walker??)"<br /><br />Justin and I watched this last scene a few times - including in the dark to see if it helped in figuring out what or who that was that took the baby. lol<br /><br />I guess that time will tell us the answer to that question or maybe next week's episode! :)<br /><br />Justin has read book 1 (and I am just finishing it) but neither of us has read book 2 yet. I am going to do the same thing which is read the book after watching the season.<br /><br />I really enjoy the post - keep up the good work, you two.SenexMacDonald (Cindy)noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30892649.post-3903574212400302932012-04-10T20:46:32.774-04:002012-04-10T20:46:32.774-04:00I rarely comment (if at all), but just wanted to l...I rarely comment (if at all), but just wanted to let you know how much I enjoy these write-ups. I have not read the books and don't even know from the titles whether you're referencing book #1 or #10 - ha. But LOVE the backstory here as it gives so much more depth to the show that I don't have as I have not read the books and not being able to watch multiple times to pick up on all the little things. Whew! So anyway, that's my rambling way of saying thanks for doing these!!Cassidyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10948119764681934547noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30892649.post-80533997729054918412012-04-10T20:17:02.005-04:002012-04-10T20:17:02.005-04:00@ CHRIS: You helped clear up a lot of confusion wi...@ CHRIS: You helped clear up a lot of confusion with your post, thank you! I thought I must have gone insane when Theon's sister had a different name, assuming that I must have remembered my details all wrong! :P This episode's material was definitely more original than adapted, yet I have faith that Benioff and Weiss are in this for the long haul and know what they're doing.<br /><br />@ NIKKI: I said the same thing about Daenerys during that scene with her soldier's decapitated head. As Dany comforted the wailing widow, I turned to my friend and said, "Dany is a tough lady, but she's toally the opposite of Cersei; she actually CARES about her people" Or, at the very least, she gives off the imperssion that she does. I'd be curious to see the two of them have a conversation about their respective beliefs regarding what constitutes good leadership.<br /><br />@ MAVEN: I agree 100% with you about GRRM making these characters "real". I love me some fantasy, don't get me wrong, but it seems we so rarely get a chance to sympathize with our heroes on more than a broad level. I've dug through Sword of Shannara, Chronicles of Narnia, Lord of the Rings, and all those other so-called classic high fantasies, and all of the emotional concnectivity seemed to be limited to us sympathizing with "the broader sense of things" than with the actual people who populated those worlds. With A Song of Ice & Fire, I feel much more attached to individual characters. I'm working on a series of fantasy books myself, and I've taken great care to approach it from what I call the Joss Whedon method of storytelling, which (to me) is this: wizards, barbarians, dragons, knights, elves, goblins, and princesses should, at the end of the day, still possess HUMANITY. If you can feel for an injured Orc in the same way you'd feel for a heartbroken queen, then the storyteller is doing something right. :)The Question Markhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12900131704617088181noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30892649.post-12893493044248946442012-04-10T20:04:43.052-04:002012-04-10T20:04:43.052-04:00Nikki and Christopher: Just wanted to let you kno...Nikki and Christopher: Just wanted to let you know how much I love reading your analysis of each GoT episode! I'm almost finished with reading Book 5, so I can see it from both of your prospective's. I absolutely love this series on HBO and so glad I went ahead and read the books. (Christopher: Any idea when Book 6 will be out?) The TV series is doing a masterful job making these "fantasy" characters real people...something GRRM did so well, making us care so much about them. I have to miss the next 2 episodes because of a cruise, but look forward to catching up with you.mavenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01159992386642158559noreply@blogger.com