Game of Thrones 3.7 - "The Bear and the Maiden Fair" - Rate & discuss

Rate and discuss (with spoilers for the episode, but not for forthcoming episodes) "The Bear and the Maiden Fair", airing on the 12th May on HBO and on the 13th May on Sky Atlantic.

[yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f6Bo1kSpDAk&feature=player_detailpage[/yt]

 

Re: Game of Thrones 3.7 - "The Bear and the Maiden Fair" - Rate & disc

Episode 7 already? This season is going by so fast.

 

Re: Game of Thrones 3.7 - "The Bear and the Maiden Fair" - Rate & disc

Don't worry, there will be a two week break between E8 and E9.

 

Re: Game of Thrones 3.7 - "The Bear and the Maiden Fair" - Rate & disc

Awesome! No, wait ...

 

Re: Game of Thrones 3.7 - "The Bear and the Maiden Fair" - Rate & disc

For me, I don't understand the importance of showing the maiming of Theon Greyjoy. I feel it's gratuitous. And, from what I understand about the medieval era, this kind of behavior would be frowned up on. It's one thing to do this to a peasant - who cares about a peasant - and another thing to do it to a noble.

 

Re: Game of Thrones 3.7 - "The Bear and the Maiden Fair" - Rate & disc

To give him our sympathy. After what he helped do to the Starks, most fans of the saga were calling for his head. Then once they were given a very thorough description of what happened to him and how he ended up, the point was to realize "Geez, okay maybe it was a bit much to ask for that to happen to him."

The TV version of Theon is far more sympathetic than the book version though, so it's not AS needed as it was in the books.

 

Re: Game of Thrones 3.7 - "The Bear and the Maiden Fair" - Rate & disc

it is a waste of screen-time as far as I'm concerned. He should have just sat out the season if this is all they're going to do with him.

 

Re: Game of Thrones 3.7 - "The Bear and the Maiden Fair" - Rate & disc

The Theon torture was horrible.

The bear scene was quite interesting to watch.

Everything else was support structure for the greater story.

 

Re: Game of Thrones 3.7 - "The Bear and the Maiden Fair" - Rate & disc

I much prefer TV Dany to book Dany. She really comes off well on the screen, very much in control of whats going on around her. Loved the dragons this week much larger than they were last time.
Poor Theon. I agree a bit with above that we seem to spending a lot of time with him that could have been spent exploring other ideas. I mean we get the point already that he is being tortured and broken.
Tywin once again brilliant this week as was Margery.

 

Re: Game of Thrones 3.7 - "The Bear and the Maiden Fair" - Rate & disc

I gave it an average.

I really liked the Jaime and Brienne scenes - very well acted. I loved their evolving relationship in the books and the show has not disappointed. I got a little choked up when she called him Ser Jaime. I loved the Rains of Castamere playing at the end.

I feel the Theon torture scenes are becoming gratuitous. I get that they want to show how he was broken down, but too much time was devoted to it. It just felt like mindless T&A.

I got chills with the Tyrion/Shae scenes. He gave her a golden chain and she seemed to mentally break it off with him. I had wondered how devoted TV show Shae would morph into book Shae and I believe the groundwork was just laid.

Tywin schooled his psycho brat of a grandson without raising a hand or saying anything threatening. It was a great scene.

Jon reminded me of book Jon - the guy I liked. I have not seen likable Jon since season 1.

That was possibly the best "Hodor" of the series.

 

Re: Game of Thrones 3.7 - "The Bear and the Maiden Fair" - Rate & disc

A BEAR A BEAR
ALL BLACK AND BROWN
AND COVERED WITH HAIR!

I think this year's Emmy nomination clearly needs to go to Bart the Bear for his stunning performance.

 

Re: Game of Thrones 3.7 - "The Bear and the Maiden Fair" - Rate & disc

I haven't read the books, so I don't get the importance, but after a certain point certain things seem to drag on. Right now it seems like he was tortured, saved, chased down, saved, then surprise you're gonna be tortured, then teased, then tortured. Rinse and repeat.

I guess I'm not really that interested in his story. I think there are a lot of other threads that are far more intriguing:
- Daenerys and her conquest
- Jaime and Brienne's voyage
- Anything with Twyin Lannister
- Anything with Tyrion Lannister and related characters
- Anything with Joffrey
- Anything with Arya
- Melisandre and whatever she's up to

There's probably more that I've left out here (like characters that are interesting), but these are the things I find really compelling and that I want more of. With there being only three episodes left, I feel like they're not going to get that much more development, especially if more time is spent with Theon torture or more Egret wisecracking and relationship drama with Jon Snow.

Oh well, it's pretty good anyways. My favorite show on TV.

 

Re: Game of Thrones 3.7 - "The Bear and the Maiden Fair" - Rate & disc

I can't answer that without spoiling things, but I will say that the torture was less ... tedious in the books. The execution of his torture was far better in the books, but there's a good reason that the TV series is doing it in a less entertaining way. It's a necessary evil of the adaptation.

 

Re: Game of Thrones 3.7 - "The Bear and the Maiden Fair" - Rate & disc

I wonder if some of the more "filler" aspects of the show are a semi-veiled attempt at prolonging its existence, giving GRRM more time to complete his books. There definitely seems to be a tad bit of stalling going on. They need to be careful with this - if ratings numbers start to drop because of the more unnecessary "so what?" scenes, it might hurt and eventually prematurely kill the show.

BTW, for those who are interested, The actress playing Margaery Tyrell (Natalie Dormer) just made her first appearance in Elementary (modern-day Sherlock Holmes) as a blonde.

 

Re: Game of Thrones 3.7 - "The Bear and the Maiden Fair" - Rate & disc

The only issue I have about Theon's torture is that it doesn't make any sense.

I haven't read the books, so I have no idea who the Samwise-looking fellow is, why he's doing what he's doing, why he's so screwed up in the head, or what purpose it serves. It's just completely and utterly random at this point. So seeing torture sessions every week without any frame of reference just seems... pointless. And there's not even a suggestion that there's going to be any payoff to it at all.

Otherwise, I'm fine with it. It doesn't bother me any more than any of the porn or violence we see elsewhere. Hell, watching the chirurgeon plucking with Jaime's stump was more disturbing to me.

 

Re: Game of Thrones 3.7 - "The Bear and the Maiden Fair" - Rate & disc

I think, when it comes to the torture scenes, occam's razor can apply. Quite simply, the dude is a pure sadist and enjoys toying with his prey. Think of someone who liked to pull the wings off insects and zap ants with a magnifying glass when they were a kid. Then, watch that kid grow up without ever having developed a conscience, and poof! Instant freakshow.

As for the payoff - it's going to take a while. None of these things we're seeing now actually happened in the books - they were simply alluded to. Theon's real story doesn't start until much later.

 

Re: Game of Thrones 3.7 - "The Bear and the Maiden Fair" - Rate & disc

Great Thrones again - but is nobody going to kill that cunt who works for Roose Bolton? Great arse on the blonde girl with Theon, and Charles Dance was a total show stealer as usual. Nice that they gave the bear his own credit - but that's not how bears fight! Great overall again though.

 

Re: Game of Thrones 3.7 - "The Bear and the Maiden Fair" - Rate & disc

^That was a trained fighting bear not some run of the mill backwoods bear.

 

Re: Game of Thrones 3.7 - "The Bear and the Maiden Fair" - Rate & disc

Yeah, even accounting for that. It's a minor nitpick anyway.

 

Re: Game of Thrones 3.7 - "The Bear and the Maiden Fair" - Rate & disc

I don't even remember who Theon is or why he's important any more. He's just been Pointlessly Tortured Guy for, like ages.