Winter is Coming (GoT is back)

[Likely Voter]

discuss

[Eraserhead]

I hear the first four episodes of the season leaked online already.

[Lief 🗽]

I hear the first four episodes of the season leaked online already.

yeah but they're only in 480p so what's the point

[Mr. Morden]

I watched the first four of Season 5 yesterday.  One random thing I noticed in Episode 4 is that someone mentions dolphins and sharks.  This got me wondering, has anyone ever compiled a list of all real world animals that also exist in the GoT/ASoIaF universe?  I'm guessing they don't have kangaroos.

[badgate]

I watched the first four of Season 5 yesterday.  One random thing I noticed in Episode 4 is that someone mentions dolphins and sharks.  This got me wondering, has anyone ever compiled a list of all real world animals that also exist in the GoT/ASoIaF universe?  I'm guessing they don't have kangaroos.

I bet they have kangaroos down in the Summer Isles or Sothoryos.

[RI]

I watched the first four of Season 5 yesterday.  One random thing I noticed in Episode 4 is that someone mentions dolphins and sharks.  This got me wondering, has anyone ever compiled a list of all real world animals that also exist in the GoT/ASoIaF universe?  I'm guessing they don't have kangaroos.

http://awoiaf.westeros.org/index.php/Bestiary

[Lumine]

I actually liked the first four episodes a lot and they really work as television, but I'm pretty sure book purists will be up in arms with many of the changes.

[badgate]

Side note for The Lion And The Rose players/readers: in the premiere tonight, was that a Show!canon version of Runestone in the scene with Yohn Royce? Boy I hope so edited: actually it seems that was the gate of the moon

Also cool to see a show!cannon Stokeworth castle

[Gustaf]

I really hope that the departure from the books is "we're doing our own story now" and not implicit spoilers for the books.

[Antonio the Sixth]

Come to think of it, it's pretty ironic that new GoT seasons are always aired in April/May, basically the moment of the year when it makes the least sense to say "Winter is coming".

Anyway, I'm only watching this after I finish my Master's Thesis.

[Cranberry]

Watched just the first episode today, but got to say I have quite the good impression. Maybe because after the general more mediocre (imo) season four, expectations weren't that high as ususal, but yeah, I liked it pretty much.

[RI]

I enjoyed episode one, thought episode two was a little underwhelming though the second half picked up a bit, and really loved episodes three and four.

The Shireen/Stannis scene in Ep4 is one of the best in the entire run of the show; the Wall scenes are outstanding in general. I'm actually liking Meereen more than I expected, and the KL plot is moving along pretty well. Lots of potential foreshadowing from all the talk about greyscale and the tons of R+L=J hints.

Probably the worst storyline for me at this point is the Brienne/Pod arc. I don't know what their purpose is at this point, and this talk of Brienne avenging Renly rather irritates me. Sansa's storyline intrigues me, however.

[Mr. Morden]

I really hope that the departure from the books is "we're doing our own story now" and not implicit spoilers for the books.

I think it's a bit of both.  I haven't read the novels myself, but as I understand it, the number of different storylines being followed explodes in books 4 and 5.  The show can't really add 20 new characters at this point, and simultaneously follow plots in 15 different settings.  It just wouldn't work for TV.  So they're changing things to condense the number of storylines we follow.

But they're also going to push ahead and spoil future developments in the books as well.  The show is all but certain to finish before the book series does, and the creators have already said that they're going to be telling what's essentially the same story as the novels, and give us the same ending:

http://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2015/03/game-of-thrones-tv-show-will-spoil-books

[Mr. Morden]

Come to think of it, it's pretty ironic that new GoT seasons are always aired in April/May, basically the moment of the year when it makes the least sense to say "Winter is coming".

It makes perfect sense here in the Southern Hemisphere.

[Spamage]

I enjoyed episode one, thought episode two was a little underwhelming though the second half picked up a bit, and really loved episodes three and four.

I actually felt the opposite. I adored episode two but was largely indifferent to episode one

[Mr. Morden]

I enjoyed episode one, thought episode two was a little underwhelming though the second half picked up a bit, and really loved episodes three and four.

I actually felt the opposite. I adored episode two but was largely indifferent to episode one

I'm actually kind of underwhelmed by the four episodes as a whole.  It feels like a slower build than what we got in the early episodes of last year, or even the year before.  It's most similar to Season 2 in terms of the slow build at the start of the season, IMHO, except that this time there's no War of the Five Kings going on, so the Realm doesn't seem quite so under threat as it did back then.  The show also suffers from the loss of compelling characters like Tywin, not replaced by anyone nearly as interesting.  Arya's storyline also seems less interesting without the Hound.

However, many of the plot threads they're putting together in these early episodes are quite intriguing, and I'm still pretty optimistic about the latter half of the season.

Anyway, I think my favorite of the first four eps so far would have to be the third one.  It was a full hour in length (most of them end up being 50-55 minutes or so, don't they?), and didn't visit quite so many different storylines as, say Episode 2.  So the stories that it did visit had time to breathe.

[Ban my account ffs!]

I watched the first four of Season 5 yesterday.  One random thing I noticed in Episode 4 is that someone mentions dolphins and sharks.  This got me wondering, has anyone ever compiled a list of all real world animals that also exist in the GoT/ASoIaF universe?  I'm guessing they don't have kangaroos.

Or bloomin onions for that matter.

[Eraserhead]

Only watched the first episode of season 5. Pretty slow, but solid. Looks like I'll have to stay out of the thread until I watch the others.

[Gustaf]

I really hope that the departure from the books is "we're doing our own story now" and not implicit spoilers for the books.

I think it's a bit of both.  I haven't read the novels myself, but as I understand it, the number of different storylines being followed explodes in books 4 and 5.  The show can't really add 20 new characters at this point, and simultaneously follow plots in 15 different settings.  It just wouldn't work for TV.  So they're changing things to condense the number of storylines we follow.

But they're also going to push ahead and spoil future developments in the books as well.  The show is all but certain to finish before the book series does, and the creators have already said that they're going to be telling what's essentially the same story as the novels, and give us the same ending:

http://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2015/03/game-of-thrones-tv-show-will-spoil-books

Damn it, that sucks. My issue isn't so much with pushing ahead or even (so much) with condensing. But radical alterations are implicit spoilers, since things that get completely cut out can't be so important for the story. I don't want to spoil things for the non-book readers, but if Morden is correct essentially 90% of the show is irrelevant at this point, because about 90% is completely different from the books. So if the ending is still the same all those differences must be irrelevant, hence these storylines must be irrelevant. And that's a bit annoying.

[Simfan34]

Oh dear, have the lot of you watched all four episodes? Why can't we pace things for once anymore?

[Antonio the Sixth]

Come to think of it, it's pretty ironic that new GoT seasons are always aired in April/May, basically the moment of the year when it makes the least sense to say "Winter is coming".

It makes perfect sense here in the Southern Hemisphere.

But the GoT plot is clearly set in the Northern Hemisphere of whatever planet they're on. For all we know, the inhabitants of Sothoryos might very well be thinking "Summer is coming" at this very moment.

[Mr. Morden]

Come to think of it, it's pretty ironic that new GoT seasons are always aired in April/May, basically the moment of the year when it makes the least sense to say "Winter is coming".

It makes perfect sense here in the Southern Hemisphere.

But the GoT plot is clearly set in the Northern Hemisphere of whatever planet they're on.

So what?  It's also clearly not set in April 2015.  It's set in a fictional world in which seasons last for more than a year.  What time of year it airs is irrelevant except insofar as the season sets the mood of the show.  And that time of year is "ironic" in the Northern Hemisphere as you pointed out, but not ironic in the Southern Hemisphere.

[Mr. Morden]

[Mr. Morden]

So Episode 3 airs tomorrow, and I've already watched it because of the leak.  This one should generate a fair amount of online controversy, because, while I haven't read the books, my understanding is that the Sansa storyline is a huge departure from the books.  Also, there's a post-sex scene in a separate storyline that I'm guessing will generate some controversy.

[badgate]

So Episode 3 airs tomorrow, and I've already watched it because of the leak.  This one should generate a fair amount of online controversy, because, while I haven't read the books, my understanding is that the Sansa storyline is a huge departure from the books.  Also, there's a post-sex scene in a separate storyline that I'm guessing will generate some controversy.

The month-long wait to see a new episode sure is fun!