S05E07 - The Gift - Have READ the books

Riskymove · 27-05-2015 01:19PM

Chandler Grumpy Pointlessly wrote: »

A lot of that scene felt kind of lazy and TV-tropesy to me. Sam going "oh no I'm fine" and then immediately doing a comedy faint is like something from a daytime sitcom. Cutting straight to some wounded soldier fantasy then? I seriously can't imagine things like that happening in the first season

sadly I fear there is much more to come and could really put the whole thing in jeopardy

the leaving of the book stories to the screenwriters is a real concern

pq0n1ct4ve8zf5 · 27-05-2015 04:53PM

Salvador Happy Rank wrote: »

When you think of the shift that he has had to make from playing Theon - the swaggering prick that is running round the place stuffing his paws down the front of his sister's pants - to Theon the cowed boy looking for Balon's approval - to Reek the broken man, you have to give it to Alfie Allen, he has done it pretty well. He's is doing a great job of playing meek and subservient. I can't think of any other way he should play it other than by cringing and cowering, you do get a feeling he is genuinely scared of Ramsey

Oh don't get me wrong, I think he's very good, he's got probably one of the trickiest arcs in the whole thing to do convincingly and by and large he's doing it very well. In the first couple of seasons I think he was actually one of the more underrated actors. This might sound kind of weird and nitpicky but it's mostly in his close-ups that he bugs me. I don't know if anyone's listened to the DVD commentaries for Season 1, but there's one episode where the Stark kids are doing it; they keep being amazed at Sean Bean and going "how is he doing that?? He's acting without moving his face!", I just kind of wish Alfie could dial it back to that sort of thing sometimes when the camera's on his face. Probably as much a matter of taste as anything.

Gunslinger92 · 27-05-2015 04:53PM

Someone said a few pages back that they are confused with all the changes, for anyone in that position, ign do great little explainers of differences between each episode and the book. Googling "ign game of thrones differences" brings it up.

I've found them very handy as it's been ages since I read the books, and I've often been sitting there thinking "wait, is this different or what" so checking these explainers have been great.

MrWalsh · 27-05-2015 04:55PM

Gunslinger92 wrote: »

I've found them very handy as it's been ages since I read the books, and I've often being sitting there thinking "wait, is this different or what" so checking these explainers have been great.

I often find myself not remembering where a character story arc is at currently - I actually looked up Cersei today because I couldnt remember what was going on there.

pq0n1ct4ve8zf5 · 27-05-2015 04:58PM

Riskymove wrote: »

sadly I fear there is much more to come and could really put the whole thing in jeopardy

the leaving of the book stories to the screenwriters is a real concern

I know, I still think it can probably get to the end being a reasonably good TV show, but it's already nowhere near where it was in the first couple of seasons when they had everything mapped out for them in the books. Giant CGI statues toppling down pyramids and stuff like that, I could live without, I'd rather the writing (both overall plotting and within the scenes) stayed as tight and fresh as it started out.

Mickeroo · 27-05-2015 05:00PM

Chandler Grumpy Pointlessly wrote: »

I know, I still think it can probably get to the end being a reasonably good TV show, but it's already nowhere near where it was in the first couple of seasons when they had everything mapped out for them in the books. Giant CGI statues toppling down pyramids and stuff like that, I could live without, I'd rather the writing (both overall plotting and within the scenes) stayed as tight and fresh as it started out.

Unfortunately I think the muddled nature of the last two books were always going to prevent that, adapting them for TV was always going to be difficult though I agree there's been some poor choices made by the show runners.

pq0n1ct4ve8zf5 · 27-05-2015 05:04PM

Mickeroo wrote: »

Unfortunately I think the muddled nature of the last two books were always going to prevent that, adapting them for TV was always going to be difficult though I agree there's been some poor choices made by the show runners.

In fairness yes. At the very least I'm glad we basically get a do-over of the Meereenese Knot stuff, because..ugh.

Hans Bricks · 27-05-2015 08:36PM

I think were in for some serious cliffhangers and a mindfuck or two in this season's finale. Look at that cast.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3866862/fullcredits?ref_=tt_cl_sm#cast

tipparetops · 27-05-2015 10:47PM

Another bad episode, some truly bizarre acting and scenes.
Some people will say it is slowly building, if it was that I would not mind.
Ramsay is very pantomime, hes treatment of Sansa makes absolute no sense, and because of this is annoying to watch.
The poison scene was dreadful to watch.
The fighting pits and the lead up to it was beyond cheesy.
As another poster said, Sam's faint - dreadful acting and writing.

This season is testing me.

27-05-2015 11:11PM

tipparetops wrote: »

Another bad episode, some truly bizarre acting and scenes.
Some people will say it is slowly building, if it was that I would not mind.
Ramsay is very pantomime, hes treatment of Sansa makes absolute no sense, and because of this is annoying to watch.
The poison scene was dreadful to watch.
The fighting pits and the lead up to it was beyond cheesy.
As another poster said, Sam's faint - dreadful acting and writing.

This season is testing me.

I think the season started ok, lost itself a bit in some parts of eps 4, 5 and 6 and the last episode was ok. I've stopped caring about differences to the books somewhat but a lot of the writing is terrible. There's no reason they couldn't have introduced the sand snakes 1 by 1 as was a very clever device in the book reading over it again to give them some personality but just throwing them at us in the middle of a season all at once was a bit of a wtf moment. Characters from previous seasons not mentioned, others doing nothing of note. They''ve just written themselves into a load of corners that are going to be hard to get out of.

tipparetops · 27-05-2015 11:22PM

Liam O wrote: »

I think the season started ok, lost itself a bit in some parts of eps 4, 5 and 6 and the last episode was ok. I've stopped caring about differences to the books somewhat but a lot of the writing is terrible. There's no reason they couldn't have introduced the sand snakes 1 by 1 as was a very clever device in the book reading over it again to give them some personality but just throwing them at us in the middle of a season all at once was a bit of a wtf moment. Characters from previous seasons not mentioned, others doing nothing of note. They''ve just written themselves into a load of corners that are going to be hard to get out of.

dont get me wrong, I agree the books could never be truly replicated.
But has GOT changed writers/directors or has the money been cut.
It is very poor this season, I am a fan of the books and Show.

I thought the cult was going to be a good storyline, last night when they threw Cercei into the cell, the acting and staging was so poor.
I hate when shows go like this, the Mentalist went from great to nonsense.

I fear GOT is going turn irrecoverably poor.

Mr Freeze · 28-05-2015 03:36PM

Hans Bricks wrote: »

I think were in for some serious cliffhangers and a mindfuck or two in this season's finale. Look at that cast.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3866862/fullcredits?ref_=tt_cl_sm#cast

Did I miss something in that cast list or did they just list every actor for the season appears in the finale.

I wouldn't trust IMDB anyways.

Yakuza · 28-05-2015 11:08PM

johnnyskeleton wrote: »

Its ok. Its GOT. She'll come back as Miss. Stoneheart. Or stonearm. Or something

Stoneface, surely?

Thargor · 31-05-2015 11:14AM

DeadHand wrote: »

So few real power players left at liberty in King's Landing. The lack of leadership in the capital has let the zealots take over. Of the remnant, Littlefinger is the most formidable. Expect him to slip a fatherly arm around Tommen and emerge from this latest crisis as he always does: unscathed and with a slew of new titles.

Pycelle will slink off, hide in a hole or get lynched. Qyburn will be off to resuscitate the Mountain. The best thing Tommen could do now is give Kevan (a man not quite as ruthless or formidable as his celebrated brother- but very much of the same mould) a bell.

We could well see a Lannister and a Tyrell army marching on King's Landing while a souped up Mountain goes hogwild inside. Only one result is definite: a lot of dead Sparrows.

Taken from the Have Not Read the Books thread. What has been shown in the show so far to suggest the Mountain needs reviving? Clearly a book reader spoiling it for them...

Mickeroo · 31-05-2015 11:16AM

Thargor wrote: »

Taken from the Have Not Read the Books thread. What has been shown in the show so far to suggest the Mountain needs reviving? Clearly a book reader spoiling it for them...

No. You're being paranoid. It was heavily hinted at last season after the fight with Oberyn, spelled out even. Some people are just sharp to these things.

Sleepy · 31-05-2015 11:17AM

They showed Qyburn telling Cersei that he could heal the Mountain but that he'd be changed... they showed him straining under a blanket as Qyburn worked... fairly obvious what's happening when we've also see Thoros raising Beric Dondarion.

Thargor · 31-05-2015 11:40AM

That was a random corpse under the blanket not the mountain, it was tiny.

Duckworth_Luas · 31-05-2015 12:09PM

Thargor wrote: »

That was a random corpse under the blanket not the mountain, it was tiny.

Looks Mountain shaped to me!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wt9KKTX4tI4

Jofspring · 31-05-2015 12:09PM

It was definitely suppose to be the mountain.

FunLover18 · 31-05-2015 12:17PM

I just like that Qyburn's cure for death is soup.

31-05-2015 02:33PM

FunLover18 wrote: »

I just like that Qyburn's cure for death is soup.

He'll have the flat 7-Up out next!

Thargor · 31-05-2015 04:01PM

Nobody who hasn't read the books would know that the Mountain was even wounded by the Viper nevermind poisoned then dead then brought back by Qyburn, it just hasnt been foreshadowed in the show enough, look at what I quoted:

Pycelle will slink off, hide in a hole or get lynched. Qyburn will be off to resuscitate the Mountain. The best thing Tommen could do now is give Kevan (a man not quite as ruthless or formidable as his celebrated brother- but very much of the same mould) a bell.

We could well see a Lannister and a Tyrell army marching on King's Landing while a souped up Mountain goes hogwild inside. Only one result is definite: a lot of dead Sparrows.

If the show wanted to foreshadow that it would have been beating us over the head with it, in the books The Mountain was being held down screaming with loads of puss pouring out of his wounds and the Maesters saying theres nothing they can do, plus it will still be a shock to a lot of book readers when Ser Strong is revealed. In the show there has been nothing besides that one scene with Cercei. If they'd said it in this thread I wouldnt have blinked but it is ridiculous for an apparent non book reader to be able to extrapolate from that tiny bit of info that the Mountain is coming back as an undead super soldier...

Witcher · 31-05-2015 04:06PM

Thargor wrote: »

Nobody who hasn't read the books would know that the Mountain was even wounded by the Viper nevermind poisoned then dead then brought back by Qyburn

They showed Oberyn plunging a spear straight into his chest. They discuss his wounding and poisoning here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4NgIoIcTNoA

Jofspring · 31-05-2015 05:00PM

Thargor it sounds like you missed a big chunk of one episode for some reason. I saw the scene above before I ever finished reading the books and I could tell something was going to happen down the line, a revival of some kind. It was only when I read the books that I came across Ser Strong etc..

Thargor · 31-05-2015 05:38PM

Ah right I did miss that whole scene, that's weird, I usually read these threads rolling my eyes at the obvious stuff people ask about

Looks like we could be getting close to seeing him in action aswell.

IvaBigWun · 14-06-2015 07:49PM

Which actress owned the fantastic tits in this episode?

S05E07 - The Gift - Have READ the books

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