Game of Thrones 2.5 - "The Ghost of Harrenhal" - Rate and discuss

[137th Gebirg]

Possibly true, but such criticism started as far back as season 1. The show runners would have had time to lay out their game plan for season 2 based on those complaints. Case in point: Qarthite dress was specifically stated in the books has always having one breast bare. Cultural and significant to the people of Qarth in that world, but distracting at best and gratuitous/unnecessary at worst in the opinion of some in the TV audience. I'm thinking it might have been a conscious decision to deviate from the books. Anyone troll the official GoT forums and heard anything about some of the production decisions they made on this?

 

[Out Of My Vulcan Mind]

The producers said they pushed the adult content even further in the second season and at times HBO said, "Really?" and they replied, "Yes, really." HBO ultimately let them do everything they wanted.

I mentioned the change in the style of dresses worn in Qarth earlier. I'm sure they made that change so as not to seem too exploitive and also out of deference to a key cast member. I don't think Emilia Clarke would have wanted to have one of her breasts exposed in almost all of her scenes for the second half of the season. But I don't think we'll see them cut down on the overall level of adult content.

As for the shadow baby, it is Davos who sees that it looks like Stannis in the book, although there's a change in the show in that a shadow appears and kills Renly completely out of the blue, and then Davos later smuggles Mel into position and witnesses the birth of a second shadow baby sent to assasinate the commander who's still holding Storm's End against Stannis' siege. The show streamlines this and has Davos witness the birth of the shadow baby sent to kill Renly, with Storm's End falling to Stannis as a result.

 

[Anwar]

How long do the Shadow creatures live for?

 

[Venardhi]

Never established, the impression I got from the books was that they were somewhat fleeting though.

 

[Cyrus]

I started watching this show recently (catching up all the episodes thanks to video on demand). I was very hesitant about watching the show because I am not a fan of fantasy stuff. But the very high ratings on IMDB got me curious.

I have to say the series is freaking awesome. I am hooked.

 

[ITL]

I have to say the series is freaking awesome.

*nods*
It is known.

 

[Lonemagpie]

The second season of Thrones was filmed in Northern Ireland, Iceland, and Croatia.

The ratings for the latest episode hit a new series high: 3.903 million viewers for the initial airing. The show is averaging over 11 million viewers per episode this season across all HBO platforms, making it HBO's second most watched show behind True Blood (which averaged about 12.5 million viewers per episode across all HBO platforms in its fourth season).

Cool, that means the smoke-birth *didn't* scare off any casual viewers!

 

[Shurik]

The second season of Thrones was filmed in Northern Ireland, Iceland, and Croatia.

The ratings for the latest episode hit a new series high: 3.903 million viewers for the initial airing. The show is averaging over 11 million viewers per episode this season across all HBO platforms, making it HBO's second most watched show behind True Blood (which averaged about 12.5 million viewers per episode across all HBO platforms in its fourth season).

Cool, that means the smoke-birth *didn't* scare off any casual viewers!

People said they'll stop watching after what happened in the end of ep. 9 last season. The ratings of the next episode actually grew. Same here.

 

[Klaus]

The controversies over those "WTF??? I'll never watch again!" moments usually get a show more publicity and a net increase in viewers over the exodus of the disgruntled.

 

[Out Of My Vulcan Mind]

Some people are calling Mel assassinating Renly with the shadow baby Deus Ex Vagina. That's clever.

 

[Anwar]

I rather enjoyed "Melisandre's vagina is dark and full of terrors" myself.

Heh, someone on tumblr was wondering whether or not Melisandre was actually going to present the Shadow creature to Stannis as the "son" she promised, with her being so nutty that she'd think the people of Westeros' would want that thing to sit on the Iron Throne. Or that STANNIS would give the Throne to that thing.

 

[Lonemagpie]

The controversies over those "WTF??? I'll never watch again!" moments usually get a show more publicity and a net increase in viewers over the exodus of the disgruntled.

I dunno whether there was much of a controversy - I was just curious as to whether something so overtly fantastical and horrorish would turn off the non-genre viewers...

 

[137th Gebirg]

I rather enjoyed "Melisandre's vagina is dark and full of terrors" myself.

Heh, someone on tumblr was wondering whether or not Melisandre was actually going to present the Shadow creature to Stannis as the "son" she promised, with her being so nutty that she'd think the people of Westeros' would want that thing to sit on the Iron Throne. Or that STANNIS would give the Throne to that thing.

Good point. I suspect that it's Mel's "choice" whether or not to go into shadow or baby mode when it comes to her being pregnant, depending on the circumstances. Since I suspect their relations will be quite regular going forward, she will probably deliver him a proper heir once she perceives that the war is won in Stannis' favor.