Game of Thrones fans here?

[ChicosBailBonds]

In terms of what?  Two more books of content?  As far as the pinnacle of the series, the RW is the most jaw dropping, book throwing moment you will see.  Nothing in the books has come close because once the RW happens, you realize that literally anyone can die at any time.

Its a great show, a better book series, but no one will ever be shocked like that again.  Well, maybe in a few years.... maybe.

In my view that was established in book one when Ned was killed....anyone can die and does.  Red Wedding was just part deux and more voluminous.  To each their own, in my view there are some more moments coming that are equally brutal, surprising, etc.  Again, to each their own.

[Hards Alumni]

Listen to Grantland podcast, two of their TV guys have only watched the series, and not read the books (like myself) theorized for the TV show to continue Benioff and Weiss may need to take more creative licensing to the story to make it more digestable for the TV viewer, which for folks like me, and probably 80% of the viewers (who have only watched the show and not read) would be fine by me.

It is very easy for two guys who haven't read the books to opine about what D&D will have to do. :-P  There is plenty of content... sure GRRM did drag out AFFC and ADWD, but if D&D take the best of those two books they can easily make an interesting season from each... possibly 3 (I sure hope they don't go for 4 from those two books unless two or three episodes are only about food).

I think the main problem is that after next season the next two or three (AFFC and ADWD) seasons will all be build ups, and will lack any of the punch of season 3 and 4.

Chicos. I agree with you, but I think the RW was the pinnacle... As rough as it was on TV, the book was far more brutal.

[ChicosBailBonds]

Chicos. I agree with you, but I think the RW was the pinnacle... As rough as it was on TV, the book was far more brutal.

Agree.  End of book 5 is going to get many folks riled up.   

[Henry Sugar]

Agree.  End of book 5 is going to get many folks riled up.   

I still think the RW is the pinnacle. Not only does it signal that anyone can die, but it completely terminates the primary plot (Stark v Lannister) of the first three books.

Also, related to the books / show overlap, I read that the TV producers only plan on doing seven seasons worth of the show. Given that book three is two TV seasons with some additional character development (like Theon/Reek), I fully expect books four & five to get condensed down. I also expect parts of book four to start getting introduced into the next TV season.

Finally, D&B have been told how the series is supposed to end. Just keep that in mind

[Strokin 3s]

I still think the RW is the pinnacle. Not only does it signal that anyone can die, but it completely terminates the primary plot (Stark v Lannister) of the first three books.

Also, related to the books / show overlap, I read that the TV producers only plan on doing seven seasons worth of the show. Given that book three is two TV seasons with some additional character development (like Theon/Reek), I fully expect books four & five to get condensed down. I also expect parts of book four to start getting introduced into the next TV season.

Finally, D&B have been told how the series is supposed to end. Just keep that in mind

I'll just say that I disagree about the Stark vs. Lannister plot being dead.

[mugrad2006]

I've really enjoyed the show, and actually got the wife into watching it as well which is really surprising because she doesn't watch any other fantasy/sci fi/history fiction in show or movie form. Unfortunately, the very graphic nature to the end of the Red Wedding has completely turned her off and I'll be forced to DVR and fight for TV time by myself going forward. 

[Henry Sugar]

I'll just say that I disagree about the Stark vs. Lannister plot being dead.

What makes you say that?

In the show:
Ned, Cat, and Robb are dead. Jon Snow is with the Wildlings. Arya is with the Hound. Sansa is useless. Bran is going north. Rickon is more useless than Sansa.

Which remaining Stark has the capabilities, resources, or commitment to take down the Lannisters?

[mu-rara]

What makes you say that?

In the show:
Ned, Cat, and Robb are dead. Jon Snow is with the Wildlings. Arya is with the Hound. Sansa is useless. Bran is going north. Rickon is more useless than Sansa.

Which remaining Stark has the capabilities, resources, or commitment to take down the Lannisters?

I think the obvious choice is Jon Snow, but this show has been anything but obvious.  Let's say Bran and Tyrion end up ruling Westeros.

[Strokin 3s]

What makes you say that?

In the show:
Ned, Cat, and Robb are dead. Jon Snow is with the Wildlings. Arya is with the Hound. Sansa is useless. Bran is going north. Rickon is more useless than Sansa.

Which remaining Stark has the capabilities, resources, or commitment to take down the Lannisters?

Arya's constant nightly hit list recital, also, Jon Snow is no longer with the Wildlings, and Bran seems destined for more than sitting up in the North.

[Henry Sugar]

Arya's constant nightly hit list recital, also, Jon Snow is no longer with the Wildlings, and Bran seems destined for more than sitting up in the North.

Okay, I understand your perspective.

[HoopsMalone]

I think the Starks position is stronger than most people think.  Winterfell is still very valuable.  If Bran can control animals, then that is a pretty useful power to have when dragons ultimately are thrown into the mix in Westeros at some point.  I am interested to see if he can control the walkers.

Dany crossing the narrow sea is going to be huge.  She has the dragons and a well trained army.  She would really only need one or two houses to join her to knock the Lannisters, Stannis, and Greyjoys out.  House Martell is a pretty obvious choice for an ally.  The Starks may be able to rise again if the play off of Dany. 

[chapman]

I think the Starks position is stronger than most people think.  Winterfell is still very valuable.  If Bran can control animals, then that is a pretty useful power to have when dragons ultimately are thrown into the mix in Westeros at some point.  I am interested to see if he can control the walkers.

Agree, the most powerful Starks are still very much alive, just young.  In one of the only worthwhile scenes last night we saw what Arya could be capable of now that she's had every bad thing happen to her at least once.  Bran might be able to win a war without getting out of bed.  Rickon's young but has no fear, may not be a warg but has visions (roaming the crypts after Ned died). 

Enjoyed the book vs. show interpretation of the wedding; starting with Robb meeting Jeyne/Talisa through to the wedding they really took two different approaches to telling the story, and both were well done. 

Also interested in how they pace the remaining content in a total of 7-8 seasons.  They covered over half of Storm of Swords page-wise, but what remains could definitely fill next season without going much/any further and still be better paced than this season.

[Strokin 3s]

Agree, the most powerful Starks are still very much alive, just young.  In one of the only worthwhile scenes last night we saw what Arya could be capable of now that she's had every bad thing happen to her at least once.  Bran might be able to win a war without getting out of bed.  Rickon's young but has no fear, may not be a warg but has visions (roaming the crypts after Ned died). 

Enjoyed the book vs. show interpretation of the wedding; starting with Robb meeting Jeyne/Talisa through to the wedding they really took two different approaches to telling the story, and both were well done. 

Also interested in how they pace the remaining content in a total of 7-8 seasons.  They covered over half of Storm of Swords page-wise, but what remains could definitely fill next season without going much/any further and still be better paced than this season.

I think they are going to have to combine the books into next season (Captain Obvious I know) but otherwise you are going to lose touch with some of the main characters because they don't have their viewpoints given in some of the books

[Coleman]

Why does the show have to only be 7-8 seasons? Why can't it be 10? I think people will stay interested long enough. I'd rather see them do the books justice than try to squeeze 2-3 books into a season to fit some arbitrary deadline

[chapman]

I think they are going to have to combine the books into next season (Captain Obvious I know) but otherwise you are going to lose touch with some of the main characters because they don't have their viewpoints given in some of the books

A Feast For Crows/A Dance With Dragons will certainly run parallel, since the timeline is mostly the same in the books as well.  Will be curious to see how much of either makes its way into season four.

Why does the show have to only be 7-8 seasons? Why can't it be 10? I think people will stay interested long enough. I'd rather see them do the books justice than try to squeeze 2-3 books into a season to fit some arbitrary deadline

I think they'll do a good job at consolidating some of the drawn out details of books 4-5 based on how they handled some of the lengthiness of plots so far.  They've been dead set on drawing out the story and banking on maintaining success for six or seven more years.  I think it's very doable to hack away at the fat in FFC and ADWD and get to 2 seasons or slightly less, but think it could be tough to fit in the last two books in 2 or less seasons and not make it seem rushed, if they're forecasted to be 1200+ pages each and with the amount of story that it seems they'll have to cover.

[Strokin 3s]

A Feast For Crows/A Dance With Dragons will certainly run parallel, since the timeline is mostly the same in the books as well.  Will be curious to see how much of either makes its way into season four.


I think they'll do a good job at consolidating some of the drawn out details of books 4-5 based on how they handled some of the lengthiness of plots so far.  They've been dead set on drawing out the story and banking on maintaining success for six or seven more years.  I think it's very doable to hack away at the fat in FFC and ADWD and get to 2 seasons or slightly less, but think it could be tough to fit in the last two books in 2 or less seasons and not make it seem rushed, if they're forecasted to be 1200+ pages each and with the amount of story that it seems they'll have to cover.

I agree with this, but I have also read that they are pretty dead set on being done with it in 7 seasons (I guess you might end up with an extra 8th season or maybe Season 7 part 1 and part 2 with 8 or 10 episodes each).  But they have also openly discussed how they will run into actors/actresses age problems as the people age if they don't wrap it up quickly enough, along with keeping the number of people in the cast together long enough and meeting their salary demands.

[ChicosBailBonds]

Why does the show have to only be 7-8 seasons? Why can't it be 10? I think people will stay interested long enough. I'd rather see them do the books justice than try to squeeze 2-3 books into a season to fit some arbitrary deadline

But it is 10 episodes per season.  This gets back to MONEY again.  They put a crapload of money into this in season one, and if it failed then they would not have continued beyond season 1.  Takes awhile to build a franchise.


Blue = 2011
Red = 2012
Green = 2013

So far each of the three seasons has had 10 episodes per season.


EDIT:  I misread your original post.  Thought you said 7 to 8 episodes when you said 7 to 8 seasons.  My bad.  Honestly, I can't recall a series on a paid tier like HBO, Showtime, Starz, etc that lasted that long.  It's asking a lot.  What tends to happen is a plateau effect, especially for a complicated series like GOT.  My guess is you will see it plateau a bit next year because people that have missed the first couple of years don't want to vest the time of doing all the catchup watching to understand what is going on.  We saw that with many other original series.

[ChicosBailBonds]

I'll just say that I disagree about the Stark vs. Lannister plot being dead.

And you would be right

[nyg]

GOT season was second highest watched program in HBO history, behind The Soprano's fifth season. No failure in this mini series.

Due to aging of actors, they may film final seasons all at once, just like Peter Jackson did with Lord of the Rings and what he did with The Hobbitt.

Many more twists/turns/characters/settings to come, so stay tuned.

BTW, the acting of almost every character is off the charts.  Peter Dinklage won an Emmy/Golden Globe in 2012.
Which actor/actress do you believe should get a nomination next month, or your favorite?

My choice: Charles Dance who plays Tywin Lannister.  Just unreal as the head Lannister.

Second: Nikolaj Coster-Waldau who plays Jaime Lannister.  That scene with Brienne in the bath house was rivating.

[Hards Alumni]

GOT season was second highest watched program in HBO history, behind The Soprano's fifth season. No failure in this mini series.

Due to aging of actors, they may film final seasons all at once, just like Peter Jackson did with Lord of the Rings and what he did with The Hobbitt.

Many more twists/turns/characters/settings to come, so stay tuned.

BTW, the acting of almost every character is off the charts.  Peter Dinklage won an Emmy/Golden Globe in 2012.
Which actor/actress do you believe should get a nomination next month, or your favorite?

My choice: Charles Dance who plays Tywin Lannister.  Just unreal as the head Lannister.

Second: Nikolaj Coster-Waldau who plays Jaime Lannister.  That scene with Brienne in the bath house was rivating.

Both are great, I think that Rose Leslie is perfect as Ygritte.

I think the problem really lies in that with such a large cast the amount of money they will eventually have to spend on salary to keep actors around will explode.

[ChicosBailBonds]

Both are great, I think that Rose Leslie is perfect as Ygritte.

I think the problem really lies in that with such a large cast the amount of money they will eventually have to spend on salary to keep actors around will explode.

If they were smart, they did their deals so they are locked in with escalators based on whether the series continued beyond season 1.  I'm going to the True Blood premiere tomorrow night in Hollywood with HBO....I'll ask the question.

[Hards Alumni]

If they were smart, they did their deals so they are locked in with escalators based on whether the series continued beyond season 1.  I'm going to the True Blood premiere tomorrow night in Hollywood with HBO....I'll ask the question.

It would have been great if they did.  I know The Sopranos cast got a ton of money after a few seasons... and luckily they can just write people out if they don't want to pay them.  Write Jon Snow out?  Impossible.

[chapman]

If they were smart, they did their deals so they are locked in with escalators based on whether the series continued beyond season 1.  I'm going to the True Blood premiere tomorrow night in Hollywood with HBO....I'll ask the question.

Seems accurate, especially since they can forecast fairly well how long someone needs to stay around.  I'd imagine the challenge with pay for actors is the "retainer" to commit them is probably somewhat high relative to the screen time needed.  Biggest cost challenge has to be all of the filming locations...Northern Ireland, Malta, Croatia, Iceland, Morocco, Scotland, and the US so far.  Cost must be brutal compared to shooting it all in a studio and moving some furniture around.  As a positive, I'd imagine HBO is seeing a few dollars from merchandise licensing, which they don't get from other shows.

Second: Nikolaj Coster-Waldau who plays Jaime Lannister.  That scene with Brienne in the bath house was rivating.

That had Emmy written all over it.

[MU82]

I don't get why those who have read the books enjoy watching the show knowing exactly what all the huge stunners are going to be.

Maybe it's just the sports fan in me, but I HATE knowing even what might happen. I want every episode to be like a blank canvas, the same way each athletic event is.

If I knew for certain that Tiger Woods or the Heat or the Patriots were going to win, I wouldn't bother watching the game, even to see how they do it. I refuse to watch the Olympics on tape delay. For me, it's all about getting to the stirring conclusion -- of the sporting event or of the show.

I mean, I LOVED that I had no clue that Ned Stark was going to get killed. Right up until one second before the blade cut his head off, I thought he was going to be spared. When he was killed, I was amazed/stunned/aghast/enthralled/hooked.

But hey, I guess that's just me.

[Hards Alumni]

I don't get why those who have read the books enjoy watching the show knowing exactly what all the huge stunners are going to be.

Maybe it's just the sports fan in me, but I HATE knowing even what might happen. I want every episode to be like a blank canvas, the same way each athletic event is.

If I knew for certain that Tiger Woods or the Heat or the Patriots were going to win, I wouldn't bother watching the game, even to see how they do it. I refuse to watch the Olympics on tape delay. For me, it's all about getting to the stirring conclusion -- of the sporting event or of the show.

I mean, I LOVED that I had no clue that Ned Stark was going to get killed. Right up until one second before the blade cut his head off, I thought he was going to be spared. When he was killed, I was amazed/stunned/aghast/enthralled/hooked.

But hey, I guess that's just me.

It isn't a sport to me.  It is more like reading all the Batman comics as a kid and then seeing them come to life on a movie screen.  Its seeing something you loved on pages entertain people on a TV screen that wouldn't normally be into that genre.