SPOILER ALERT! So am I the only one excited about a new round of GoT?

[grubman]

I gave up part way through season 2. Haven't missed it.

Well, hopefully you watch Walking Dead, or you are missing the two reasons to own a TV.

[MattW]

That was fun 

[throwsFireball]

I wonder how badly they'll butcher the plot this season. They don't even really have GRRM's books to work as a handrail.

[driller]

Well, hopefully you watch Walking Dead, or you are missing the two reasons to own a TV.

surely, you jest

[manic _miner]

That was fun 

 It was a very interesting episode.

[Tordenskjold]

I kinda lost respect for GoT last season. The plot moved with all the speed and suspense of a glacier, too much focus on cheap shock thrills - the amount of degredation and rape that female characters have to go thorugh got too much for me.

And the Sand Snakes - what a let down  Rarely have I been so disapoointed for something I looked forward to. Poor dialogie in all their scens, poorly choreographed fights, flat characters... Meh.

[Hammers]

No spoiler, and I'll try not to gush but that was pretty ruddy good. It seemed to me that they've upped their game even further in the location, graphics, scenery and props department. Very inspiring. Budget increase, advances in tech or both, I guess.

[Charlie_]

I just watched it....

I think I was disappointed. : (

Now yes I know, the show is the show and the books are the books.... But damn. If you've read the books and just seen that episode, you will know what plot / characters I am talking about. WTF??? It does seem that all the wonderfully complex plots of the book have been done away with for cheap thrills, which upon close scrutiny really make NO sense. Ah well....

There were some good scenes though. The ending scene was very interesting!

[Hupp n at em]

I'm still enjoying it. More so than the books, which I gave up on due to overdosing on misery. I'll be watching tomorrow (get a Now TV box James, they've also got all the Star Wars films, Clone Wars and Rebels).

Really??  The books had all sorts of extra intrigue that kept things interesting, and could balance out the other plotlines when they were depressing. To me, last season was a dreary deathmarch, punctuated by incredibly awesome moments like Hardhome and the Wall plotline, and some of Arya's scenes, but the overall tone was so dark it could kind of lost me.  Someone on reddit put it best IMO, "in the books, no character is safe, bad or good, whereas in the show it feels like the goodies get punished and the bads get away with everything."

I kinda lost respect for GoT last season. The plot moved with all the speed and suspense of a glacier, too much focus on cheap shock thrills - the amount of degredation and rape that female characters have to go thorugh got too much for me.

And the Sand Snakes - what a let down  Rarely have I been so disapoointed for something I looked forward to. Poor dialogie in all their scens, poorly choreographed fights, flat characters... Meh.

Now yes I know, the show is the show and the books are the books.... But damn. If you've read the books and just seen that episode, you will know what plot / characters I am talking about. WTF??? It does seem that all the wonderfully complex plots of the book have been done away with for cheap thrills, which upon close scrutiny really make NO sense. Ah well....

Yeah, that was one of my favorites in the books... I'm hoping that decision was made to hasten it's end in the show as that plotline (show version) was already pretty widely disliked and (hopefully) it was apparent to the showrunners that it'd already been botched.

[Silent Invader]

No spoiler, and I'll try not to gush but that was pretty ruddy good. It seemed to me that they've upped their game even further in the location, graphics, scenery and props department. Very inspiring. Budget increase, advances in tech or both, I guess.

Having steadfastly avoided this thread for 24 hours (just in case of spoilers), I've now watched it and concur. 

Interesting points also made by others. I think I enjoy GoT so much because I'm not particularly invested in the plot. I haven't read the books and so have no expectation of the storyline so instead I enjoy it as a collection of visual spectacles some of which are more loosely related than others. All that Hammers says about production values therefore rings true for me.

[Hammers]

I dont find it difficult at all to separate the books and the tv shows. Two different animals, almost, the latter taking unspiration from the former.

[beefcake]

I'm excited, just no spoilers please. In fear of reading any I haven't read the rest of this thread 

[Conquistador]

Well, hopefully you watch Walking Dead, or you are missing the two reasons to own a TV.

I did not know there was a reason to own a TV!

[Charlie_]

The books had all sorts of extra intrigue that kept things interesting, and could balance out the other plotlines when they were depressing.

Exactly!

I can't but feel that with the last and perhaps this season of GoT all the brilliant plot intricacies and character subtleties of the books are being abandoned for more 'shocking' throat-cutting and stabbing scenes.

There was an article in my local paper today about the show actually, as apparently the guy who makes a lot of the bows and other weapons for the show is local. It described it as being 'the show known for its gory death scenes', or something like that. Surely it should be known for more than that!!! 

The chapters I enjoy most in the books are those that show the politics of rule and the realities of war. So for that reason I loved all the Kings Landing chapters from the POV of Tyrion and Cersei, with the intrigue and scheming.... The Arya, Jaime and Brienne chapters that showed their journeys through the horrifically war-torn Riverands.... And also the Davos (and other Stannis-related) chapters, showing the difficulties of trying to unite people to a rebel cause, trying to hold them together after defeat, and attempting to win new allies to your side, with all the scheming that goes with it. The Davos chapters in White Harbour were some of my favourites! I do think the show is dumbing it all down a bit. Obviously that can't be avoided to a certain extent... But some of the choices they have made just seem so DUMB!

I'll still be watching every episode of course. 

[Silent Invader]

Charlie_: Is the local bowyer Steve Ralphs?