Dark Wings, Dark Words
Apr. 8th, 2013 11:56 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
netgirl_y2kTitle refers to the latest episode of GoT rather than Thatcher's death, which, eh, I don't have it in me to actively celebrate someone's death, but I certainly don't begrudge anyone who feels like a beer and a few choruses of Ding Dong! The Witch is Dead are in order.
Anyway, enough of the real world,
-The thing with Robb is that I could almost forgive him being such a dick if there was any indication that he was a good king or good leader, as it is if I were forced to chose between Robb and Joffrey I would stand up and declare for Olenna Tyrell as the only competent person in Westeros.
-I'm a little leery of the change where Robb and Cat don't believe Bran and Rickon dead - I mean, they worry they might be, but still... - because there's so many of their actions that only make sense in two people crippled by grief.
-I know people were complaining about Cat's speech about Jon Snow, saying it was out of character, but it made sense to me. Cat thinks of herself as a mother, first and foremost, it makes sense that she'd tell herself she could love this poor motherless lad, and it makes sense that she'd ultimately fail because Jon is still Ned's bastard, and in a sense a threat to Cat's own children. But, and it's a big but, it only makes sense if I consider her saying that her all the Starks problems stem from her inability to love Jon as something she said in a moment of grief and desperation rather than something she actually believes. The thing is though, that Michelle Fairley sells Cat to me even when the writing isn't doing much to help her, Richard Madden as Robb... doesn't.
-My God, puberty has rendered Isaac Hempstead-Wright unrecognisable. I didn't even clock that was Bran at first. Plus, I loved Meera's line about how some people will always need help, that doesn't mean they aren't worth helping, and how it pertains to both Jojen and Bran.
-The Sansa-Margaery-Olenna scene was just as brilliant as I was expecting it to be since a) I read it, and b) they cast Dianna Rigg. I love how much more explicitly the show has made Margaery a player, and her nonchalant reaction to Sansa's revelation that Joffrey's a monster. Eh, there goes another dead husband.
-I would be rooting for Olenna Tyrell for the Iron Throne if I didn't think the Queen of Thrones was far too clever to take it.
-Sansa's friendship with Shae continues to be fucking flawless. "Tell me and I will stop them," and her going to Tyrion for help protecting Sansa. And you can also see the shadow of it all going wrong with Shae's jealousy at Tyrion calling Sansa beautiful, played as a joke but with the seed of truth somewhere in there.
-Sansa/Shae is this year's Dany/Doreah; this time I really must get around to writing fic before it all goes to hell. Then I can get on with shipping Sansa/Margaery like it's my job.
-Roadtrip shenanigans with Jaime and Brienne. Man, that fight was awesome, the way Jaime is sort of fighting to pretend nonchalance towards the end, while Brienne is literally fighting one-handed. And replacing the Bloody Mummers with Bolton's men makes sense given that series three already has an overabundance of new characters and they're going to Harrenhal anyway. Although I do wonder what's going to happen with Jaime, given that his shouting SAPPHIRES and losing a hand are his two huge moments of character development?
-Is it next week yet?
Anyway, enough of the real world,
-The thing with Robb is that I could almost forgive him being such a dick if there was any indication that he was a good king or good leader, as it is if I were forced to chose between Robb and Joffrey I would stand up and declare for Olenna Tyrell as the only competent person in Westeros.
-I'm a little leery of the change where Robb and Cat don't believe Bran and Rickon dead - I mean, they worry they might be, but still... - because there's so many of their actions that only make sense in two people crippled by grief.
-I know people were complaining about Cat's speech about Jon Snow, saying it was out of character, but it made sense to me. Cat thinks of herself as a mother, first and foremost, it makes sense that she'd tell herself she could love this poor motherless lad, and it makes sense that she'd ultimately fail because Jon is still Ned's bastard, and in a sense a threat to Cat's own children. But, and it's a big but, it only makes sense if I consider her saying that her all the Starks problems stem from her inability to love Jon as something she said in a moment of grief and desperation rather than something she actually believes. The thing is though, that Michelle Fairley sells Cat to me even when the writing isn't doing much to help her, Richard Madden as Robb... doesn't.
-My God, puberty has rendered Isaac Hempstead-Wright unrecognisable. I didn't even clock that was Bran at first. Plus, I loved Meera's line about how some people will always need help, that doesn't mean they aren't worth helping, and how it pertains to both Jojen and Bran.
-The Sansa-Margaery-Olenna scene was just as brilliant as I was expecting it to be since a) I read it, and b) they cast Dianna Rigg. I love how much more explicitly the show has made Margaery a player, and her nonchalant reaction to Sansa's revelation that Joffrey's a monster. Eh, there goes another dead husband.
-I would be rooting for Olenna Tyrell for the Iron Throne if I didn't think the Queen of Thrones was far too clever to take it.
-Sansa's friendship with Shae continues to be fucking flawless. "Tell me and I will stop them," and her going to Tyrion for help protecting Sansa. And you can also see the shadow of it all going wrong with Shae's jealousy at Tyrion calling Sansa beautiful, played as a joke but with the seed of truth somewhere in there.
-Sansa/Shae is this year's Dany/Doreah; this time I really must get around to writing fic before it all goes to hell. Then I can get on with shipping Sansa/Margaery like it's my job.
-Roadtrip shenanigans with Jaime and Brienne. Man, that fight was awesome, the way Jaime is sort of fighting to pretend nonchalance towards the end, while Brienne is literally fighting one-handed. And replacing the Bloody Mummers with Bolton's men makes sense given that series three already has an overabundance of new characters and they're going to Harrenhal anyway. Although I do wonder what's going to happen with Jaime, given that his shouting SAPPHIRES and losing a hand are his two huge moments of character development?
-Is it next week yet?
no subject
Date: 2013-04-09 12:52 am (UTC)I so agree re Cat's speech about Jon she sells the hell out of it, and I love her no matter the writing. But it only works if its grief rather than belief that has her blaming her failure for everything.
DIANA RIGG! Olenna is one of my favorite book characters, and this was just...YES!!!
I love the chemistry between Jaime and Brienne. At first, I hated their chapters, and then all of a sudden they'd grown on me. The actors just have a great thing going on, and I really hope the show doesn't fuck withe Jaime's development. I mean...it's kinda crucial, but we'll see how they condense it.
Oh, and Arya Stark has all my love. Plus, I squeed out loud when I saw Jojen! Two fav characters ftw.
And agreed re Bran--holy voice change, Batman!
no subject
Date: 2013-04-09 02:44 am (UTC)You know, I happened to be rereading Storm of Swords when season one was airing, and I thought if they ever get to Olenna Tyrell that'll be fucking epic, and it was. And what's even more exciting to me is, I was watching the dvd special features and someone commented that in order to get actors like Charles Dance and Diana Rigg you have to guarantee them a certain number of scenes, so we'll probably see more Olenna, even stuff that wasn't in the books, yay!
Jaime and Brienne, I was slogging through their chapters until Jaime shouted sapphires and then everything changed. And I've read a few interviews with the actors where they were bickering like an old married couple, and I don't know if they're putting it on for the press or that's just their dynamic, but it's translating well to the screen.
The Reeds, the Bran north of the wall is one of the subplots I struggle with in the books, but it's one the show has managed to interest me in through the power of awesome casting.
no subject
Date: 2013-04-09 01:25 am (UTC)Although I do wonder what's going to happen with Jaime, given that his shouting SAPPHIRES and losing a hand are his two huge moments of character development?
I imagine they'll find a way for both of those to happen.
no subject
Date: 2013-04-09 02:24 am (UTC)Yeah, I was wondering if they might leave out the sapphire moment and just have Jaime jumping into the bear pit, which has already been in the trailers, because they are both awesome moments but both accomplish pretty much the same thing of humanising Jaime and adding depth to his relationship with Brienne. And I thought they might leave off the hand thing for the same reason they minimised Tyrion's Blackwater injuries, but then I suppose it is easier to fake a severed hand than a missing nose.
no subject
Date: 2013-04-09 02:21 am (UTC)lol Margaery's face for the whole scene was just pure gold.
I like Jaime and Brienne's scenes a lot more in the show than I did in the books, the actors just have such an awesome dynamic going on.
but where was Emilia Clarke's pretty pretty face?
no subject
Date: 2013-04-09 02:58 am (UTC)Me too! I love them and I can already see where it's going to go wrong, and it's going to break my heart. Basically, I am having massive Sansa/Shae/Tyrion feelings, and given that they're the three smartest people in King's Landing I really want them to work things out and have some sort of weird but functional threeway relationship.
It did need more Dany, though. Emilia Clarke's face is a good face, and looks especially good when she's razing shit to the ground.
no subject
Date: 2013-04-09 03:08 am (UTC)oh god, but Sansa's marriage to Tyrion is going to be such a perfect storm of amazing acting and MY FEELS. It hurts me already.
I'm looking forward to that scene with the armies and the dragons and the slavers so so much.
no subject
Date: 2013-04-09 03:54 pm (UTC)You know, with the aged-up Missendei, I'm starting to wonder if Dany/Missendei is this year's new Dany/Doreah and she's going to get the uh...situational lesbianism stuff because they have frakkin' killed off all of Dany's other handmaids. (RIP, Irri, Jhiqui, Doreah...) Which...hmm...I don't know how I feel about...because Missendei is supposed to be twelve
Those lines of Catelyn's re: Jon Snow and Michelle Fairley's delivery of them rang true- that she promised to love Jon but just couldn't felt very in line with her character. But sometimes the way they have characters just deliver monologues of exposition just doesn't work for me. Maybe be cause she was talking to Jayne/Talisa?
The Margaery-Sansa-Olenna stuff was amazing! But it was missing one thing- "A bear, A BEAR! All black and brown And covered with hair!"
I did hear "The Bear and the Maiden Fair" is an upcoming title of an episode, so perhaps we'll hear it then? Bonus points if its alongside Brienne's fight in the bear pit.
no subject
Date: 2013-04-09 08:15 pm (UTC)Cat's speech about Jon, it was well written and extremely well acted, but the more I think about it... why would she be telling this stuff to Talisa? And while I can buy that Cat would regret wishing harm on Jon, might even regret not being able to find it within herself to be kinder to him, I can't believe she would ever want him legitimised (which it wouldn't even have been in Ned's power to do) where he might threaten her own children's inheritance.
Yes! I love The Rains of Castamere, but it would be nice if someone in Westeros knew another song.