HBO has announced that Game of Thrones Season 5 is set to exceed 20 million views, and with these huge totals, has broken their previous viewing records for the show.
Currently at 19.8 million views and including HBO linear, DVR, HBO On Demand and HBO GO/NOW, this season has trumped season 4’s record total of 19.1 million.
Such an incredible record has now cemented Game of Thrones‘ status as HBO’s most watched series…ever.
Behind Game of Thrones, True Detective pulled a solid 11.8 million viewers which is nearly 1.5 million more than the premiere of TD Season 1.
For a broader view of Game of Thrones and how it compares to other HBO programs, check out Marko’s Season Five Edition of the Ratings Review!
The amount of views for Game of Thrones is only expected to increase as we draw nearer and nearer to the epic series conclusion. What do you think of this already impressive feat? Let us know in the comments below!
Hodor !
That’s probably equivalent to about 70 million viewers on a free cable show.
Yep, all those disappointed, enraged viewers quitting the show because D&D fucked it up oh so bad.
Lulz.
Big Bang Theory still pulls in crazy ratings, and that’s not exactly the reincarnation of Seinfeld. High ratings doesn’t always equal quality. Hardly anyone watches Hannibal and that’s leagues above Game of Thrones in terms of writing.
To you… to me, I find that show shit.
Is that the bookwanking argument du jour now ?
Yep!
People have their own preferences of course. There are a handful of shows some people claim are awesomely brilliant that have been a chore for me to watch… True Detective notwithstanding. There were some freaky scenes towards the end of season one that raised it up for me, but as a whole it was a pretty slow, less than interesting drama. I’m relatively close on the lower end to the Rotten Tomatoes average for season two of around 75% fresh. I do enjoy most shows that I invest my time in. However, I do find it humorous whenever I see a top list of shows (for whatever category) and read enraged comments of “where the hell is (X show)!?!?” Much of the time they’re niche programs that garner around 2 million viewers in the ratings. I get it… you think the show is the bestest…
People have passion shows. They over-inflate their importance when they realize they are one of a very few who appreciate it. And when a show is a huge success, people will naturally say it isn’t that good.
If GOT had only held onto 5 or 6 million viewers per season, it would have lasted it’s entire run but still been considered AWESOME!!!! No matter what.
Al Swearengen,
Hell no. Hannibal is awful. And I’ve watched all the seasons hoping it would get better. People complaining about Stannis? How about Jack constantly flipflopping between wanting Will to stay on or leave.
The show has dumb characters doing dumb things. I’m constantly eye-rolling whenever the characters don’t just straight out and tell important information.
The ridiculous serial killers, that get more ridiculous, with each episode, that are shoehorned into every episode. And what about the bad acting. The actor who plays Will has no sense of subtlety and is always over the top.
The show has more in common with Hannibal and Hannibal Rising than it does with the more grounded Silence and Manhunter.
Yeah I tried to watch it too. I just could not get into it. I find it interesting that some people think their opinion is fact.
Doesn’t surprise me that the GOT audience struggles with such a complex and provocative show like Hannibal. I guess there isn’t enough rape and “bad pussy” lines in it to keep them engaged.
Mormota101,
It’s gotten slightly better with each episode. I really enjoyed the David Lynch’esque opening of the third episode.
good lesson for GoT in this season’s True Detective: Don’t fake out killing a major character by bringing him back the very next episode. That Colin Farrell twist was so freaking stupid, it just felt like a gimmick PIzzo man pulled out of his ass. And, yes, Vince Vaughn couldn’t deliver a credible line reading if his life depended on it. Even Rachel McAdams (an actor I usually like) is utterly miscast and gives literally one expression to every situation. And if that wasn’t bad enough: David Morse in a hippie wig!!!!
Not a good day for Linda and Elio, I guess.
For those of you looking for something different on the off season, try Mr, Robot. I know it is on the USA Channel, but what a unique show with great plot and acting –
I love GoT but I did find Season 5 disappointing in many ways. I’m hoping for a return to form for next Season. Maybe figures rise because it’s so controversial; unless you never go online it’s hard to miss the media outrage at times.
Word-of-mouth helps, too, I guess. Breaking Bad was largely ignored in the UK when it was first aired, and eventually dropped, due to being on the newest and least popular network (5). It only became popular through Netflix and is only now being broadcast in full (and with no fanfare) for the first time on a minor 5 subsidiary channel called Spike.
The only thing Hannibal had going for it was the cinematography. The serial killers were more ridiculous than Criminal Minds and the characterizations were “motivation of the week.”
It was not even remotely complex and mostly it was just obvious. But I suppose not everyone had the ability to pick out the killers and motivations so easily. I mean, I guess some people found those things surprising.
The beautiful shots of food preparation were provocative only because it was supposed to be human flesh.
All in all though, a justified cancellation.
But yes, GoT might skyrocket for S6E1 for the Jon Snow reveal.
The rise in gross numbers isn’t that significant this year at all (from 19.1 to just over 20 million). Is it a sign that Game of Thrones has saturated the HBO network coverage? I wonder if there will even be a rise for Season 6..
Al Swearengen,
Yep, Al, that´s SO bookwanking you: *Don´t like Hannibal ? You´re an idiot !*
Cry yourself a river, whiner !
Ranting & raving in Central Sweden.
Damn, they may even have to pick up their IuLube-90-minute reviews again to shit all over the fandom. Nothing like pimping them aWoIaF-tomes to turn a buck.
I see the Vinceter, I expect Owen to pop up as his main enforcer. That would be one teeth-popping scene !
Did this guy just say that Hannibal was a better show than GoT….
Can we even take that seriously enough to respond
True Detective was grossly over-hyped during its season 1 run. People see a couple of big time Hollywood actors in a show and immediately its nut-hugging and dick riding season, without ever taking a closer look at the story elements and execution. Its a solid show, but it is nowhere near the level of GoT. To each its own, but the numbers dont lie.
I do wonder what the numbers would be on broadcast TV, for one thing , GoT is ‘R’ rated and that kind of material is banned from big network TV, no matter how close they try to shadow it. I even wonder , as cable TV, just how limiting the ‘R’ is? Right now only two R rated films edge into 2015’s highest box office 50 Shades of Grey and Mad Max -‘4’. … and I wonder where those will be at years end. The highest grossing R rated film of all time Passion of Christ trails by one half Avatar (PG-13) and trails by at least 100 million the top PG and G rated films.
Still these are only USA numbers, there was a big kick upwards in the British ratings this season… and we still don’t know what the foreign total was, even for past seasons.
Their latest claim is that D&D are using THEIR World of Ice and Fire book for season 6. LOL!
do people have NO memory, this same damn thing happens every goddamn year
it’s all doom and gloom, the end of days, no more seasons. same thing every year.
and this season they even aired the freakin show on MEMORIAL DAY, only that proves how confident they are. there was no sansa gate, the raitings dropped because Memorial Day, and even then they dropped on watching it LIFE, the reruns where just as high as any other episode.
and what i find amusing but also HIGHLY hypocritical is that when the raintigs drop: the show is failing, bad writing…etc. BUT when the raitings RISE: the show is not good, the showrunners are just trying to please the lowest common denominator.
if that is not hypocrasy then i don’t know what is
Is this WotW or Ain’t it Cool News? Lots of emotion in these comments. It seems one’s taste in a televison program is a viable barometer as to whether someone’s opinion is worthy. Having gone toe to toe with someone on the old WicNet on the quality of The Wire (I may have been trolled by “Epic”) the back and forth is just not worth it if there is only vitriol.
As for Hannibal despite its critical acclaim, it is a niche series and while I think it’s brilliant most of the time, it tends to teeter into sheer pretension on occasion. As a former film student I find the cinematic smorgasbord it offers to be titilating. I disagree on disparaging the acting in the series as every one seems to be at the top of their game in my opinion.
Now in regards to season 2 of True Detective: the jury is still out for me but I if were to venture my impression of the proceedings thus far: to quote Peter Griffin “it insists upon itself.” Colin Farrel is rising above the script so far though. McAdams is playing the role with all she has and it’s considerable but I think she is fighting a miscast.
Ravyn,
those people are simply delusional, they have no sense of reality, none
Joshua Atreides,
i like Hannibal. the writing i belive is a bit…how to put it…sometimes i feel its to much like other ”cops” series. but i like the acting, well i am a fan of Mads so that may influence my opinion. in my opinion Hannibal is a good series i personally would give it a 8/10.
I bet the ratings could have been much better if they had cut down on the controversy, and put up more of the true story lines for certain characters. Sansa’s story was awful and so was Jaime’s. Dorne, and The Sand Snakes were disappointing, and Stannis killing Shireen, and LF handing Sansa over to the Boltons, was completely out of character. Dany’s story was dumb downed and backwards. The only stories that hit the mark was Jon’s, Arya’s, and Cersei’s.
Ravyn,
Is there any chance we can avoid spoilers for shows that are just airing?!
moonlightof1982,
the raitings would have been much much lower, sansa doing nothing would not have made the raitings go higher, or brienne going around with nimble dick is not something you put in a tv show if you want to have succesfull show
see this is the mistake book readers do, thinking most people enjoyed those stories…
JON: what is the thing praised most is something that was not even in the books!
Dany: would have been atroucios to have 9 episodes with…nothing…sometimes ”dumbing down”, as you put it, is a good, and sometimes neccesery thing to do
ARYA: is seen as a slow story, do you not hear the complains about her story? again the thing most liked about this story are things that have not been in the books: jaquen and Maryn Trant.
people just seem not to want to see how pointless the entire last 2 books are. they simply exist because GRRM could not find another way past the 5-year gap then adding filler and masking pointless filler as ”world building”
Mihnea,
cant edit for some reason.
i do want to point out that i have enjoyed ADWD it did move the story the 5 chapter more then all of AFFC so that helped. but even so the biggest mistake he made, not counting that should have never even split them, is that the 2 books have no ending!
ok il stop the off-topic now: glad to see the numbers so high, hope will see the international numbers soon also.
Al Swearengen,
Sorry, but the writing of Hannibal is no where near as good as Got’s. Also season 3 of Hannibal has one of the worst writing I have ever seen. The first two season were amazing, the writing was brilliant(though not as good as GOT first 4 seasons, not even close), but this season ruined everything. Even at his peak, it’s an embarrassment to compare Hannibal to GOT. Got is on a complete different level. Anyway, it doesn’t mean that season 5 wasn’t disappointed, it really was, but still the best show on television by a huge margin.
If we’re going to start discussing shows which were better than GoT this year then Wolf Hall is the obvious choice but spare a thought for Penny Dreadful, far superior and yet flying almost completely below the radar.
I’ve been keeping out of “sullied” posts for ages, so it’s probably been going on for a while already, but it’s sad to see that the vile tone of old WIC eventually passed to this board as well.
Al Swearengen,
This thread isn’t about quality, though. It’s about success.
Well they’re getting a GoT version of RISK, what better sign of success could you get
oracle86,
Season 4 is considered to be the best of the series so far and season 5 – considered to be disappointing – still gathered more audience. What does it mean? I think that more and more people are interested in the show, who will surivive and how it will end. If season 6 will be better than 5 then 21-22 milions are within reach.
Hot damn the salt is strong in this thread. Both from the book purists (just being arrogant and cynical and thinking the show should die) and the show fanboys (who somehow manage to be even more annoying by constantly claiming that book purists shouldn’t be able to have an opinion, try to shit on AFFC/ADWD every chance they get, etc). Can we all just be like… nuanced?
To be honest, GoT really wasn’t the best series on TV this year. There were A LOT of plotholes, sometimes the writing was… well, bad pussy-quality and character development was basically non-existent (Stannis? Tyrion? Etc).
I do not watch much other TV, I have to admit, but if GoT S5 really is the best thing on TV this year it says more about the general low quality of TV than about the high quality of GoT S5.
That said, these numbers do make me very happy! I hope the show can continue and wrap everything up in a nice way in the two seasons (and a half?) to come. GoT deserves every viewer it gets. 🙂
Oooh, I haven’t heard that little nugget!
GeekFurious,
Not to mention illegal downloads.
Mr Fixit,
actoully i can’t see that making any sense, that book is a history book theres nothing there to adapt season 6..
what i think she means is that they SHOULD adapt that book to give GRRM time to get TWOW out, that at least would make some kind of sense. not that it makes this any less delusional
Ah, the old “nobody is as discerning as me” assertion! What is amusing is that people upset about the quality of their love-hate show often use Thrones as their “why cannot X it be like Y?” assertions!
As GRRM himself frequently points out, there is no “true” storyline: these all are fiction. However, keeping the Crows plots would NOT have helped. Sansa is a main character: she had to have a storyline; Crows did not provide her with one. Jaime’s story on the show was the same as that in the book: he tries to prove that he’s Tywin II but instead proves to be a man with a “soul.” The plot was different: but plot and story are two fundamentally different concepts. Moreover, the Crows plot would have bored audiences: the Riverlands stuff ended with the Red Wedding, so why beat a dead horse?
As for what you call “dumbing down,” most of the world would call “good editing. Daeny’s book plots were too long and round-about, as were Tyrion’s, Jaime’s, Brienne’s, and even Cerseis’. (I mean, seriously, how many times did we have to read Cersei giving herself mental High-Fives for her brilliance while not understanding that the gasps of “awe” were gasps of “my gods, can this woman be that dumb?”)
Remember, the show is being watched and appreciated by a lot of people who do not read the books. Moreover, they aren’t reading the books not because the books are too challenging for them, but because they do not read fantasy and/or they find GRRM’s writing style intractable. It seems that a common complaint is that it reads like history rather than story: and the TV audience understands the difference between the concepts.
Al Swearengen,
LOL!!!!!!!! leagues above
come on.
Ravyn,
Gold
Well, as always, these numbers make me happy.
I thought season 5 was awesome. It will be even awesomer if Jon comes back.
Its crazy to see these numbers and know that those numbers probably represent only 10% of the viewers of the show since it is only capturing paid customers in the US. I live in Canada and subscribe to HBO. WOnder what the numbers are here. And world wide. And then there’s piracy. Just love it.
I know two people that started watching GOT after season 5 ended, they binge watched 5 seasons in a span of two weeks and are just utterly in love. Theyre saying “WHERE HAVE I BEEN ALL THIS TIME”, Hahaha! Makes me so happy.
Tar Kidho,
I agree!
Why would there be? As far as I can tell, GoT has made cable TV history by reaching a new ratings peak as late as season five.
The Night’s Jester,
Wolf Hall was great, but my money is on Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell. Don’t even know if that’s aired in the US yet. The dude who played Yezzan this season is amazing as John Childermass.
Wow, this thread went to shit. Lighten up people.
So how are these GOT numbers tabulated? Does my every re-watch count in the final number or does my household just count as one viewing?
I’ve been watching Orphan Black on BBC America. A street hustler discovers she is a clone, and she has many “sisters” who are being systematically killed off by various different factions for numerous reasons. The lead actress, Tatiana Maslany, plays all these different clones, and does an astounding job of differentiating each character. I think we are up to 12 different clones at my last count. Give that girl an Emmy!!!!!!!
And our very own Daario, Michel Huisman, is in the show as well as the baby-daddy. Good stuff.
MuchAndMore,
I agree I loved Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell from start to finish. It was a fantastic adaptation and my husband loved it too and he hadn’t read the book. I couldn’t believe Yezzan and Childermass were played by the same person at first.
I always keep in mind that probably less than .0001% (maybe less) of GoT viewers post on all the GoT and ASOIAF forums. So any viewer ranking and ratings here and elsewhere are a tiny subset of eyeballs on the show.
I think people will continue to make all kinds of crazy claims about how ‘-gates to come’ will affect the numbers, but at this point it is safe to say they are high enough for the show run to the end with sufficient production values, no matter what.
I don’t know what viewership will be for season 6, but I think it is safe to assume that lots of people will tune in for S7 to see how the whole thing ends, even if they have quit at some point.
I remember I just had to watch the last episode of X-Files, despite of having stopped following the show as it had gone down the drain.
Children – please play nice. If you like the books but not the show – that’s your right but please don’t verbally bash those who think differently (or at least state your point of view courteously); if you like the show but not the books, well please do likewise (only vice versa); I am one of those rare (or not) creatures who like both the books and the show [that’s not to say I have approved of every change made in adaptation].
You’re ‘aving a larf!!! Well, being serious a moment, it’s horses for courses I suppose – it’s not for me to tell you what you should or shouldn’t like (which is instinctive anyway). I watched a couple of the first series of “Penny Dreadful” and decided it wasn’t for me. I don’t know where you are from but as an English person some of the dodgy accents irritate me rather.
Milady de Yorkshire – I like your alias.
Homplomplom,
Season 6 Premiere is going destroy the numbers
Cersei’s Brain,
I’ve been meaning to start that one and Humans. I am enjoying my syfy Friday’s. Dark Matter and Killjoys are fun newcomers to go with Defiance. Keep in mind, it’s syfy so you don’t get hbo production values, but I am entertained and happy.
Also, Orange is the New Black had two rape scenes in season 3. Can someone let me know if I am supposed to stop watching that one now too? /chuckle
It makes me sad how bad True Detective has been this season. Even the intro music sucks.
The Long Night,
did people make a ridiculous big deal about OITNB rape scene? also, were they girl on girl????
The Sansa “GATE” stuff was laughable and ludicrous
True Detective season 1 got the nerd vote because for the entire season you’re wondering if you’re watching an actual detective noir drama or a slow-building Lovecraftian horror show disguised as a detective noir drama. It was interesting because it made you wonder all the while if the show’s look at corruption was straight forward human corruption or a metaphor for existential, supernatural corruption. There’s no such tension for season 2, it’s pretty much all laid out in front of you. Now personally I don’t watch cop shows most of the time so I’m not sure if TDs2 is a good one or not, but I have a hard time maintaining interest precisely because it’s not usually a genre I’m interested in.
And as you can guess I was a bit disappointed in the finale of TDs1 but I was still okay with it, in that what was interesting about the show was its ambiguity, not necessarily that it WAS about the King in Yellow/Hastur.
HELL YEAH! take that TWD…you milked out franchise…just like the AC games.
There is no doubt GoT has become the biggest success in premium cable history. Not just the ratings, but the buzz this show generates and merchandise it sells. Just everything about it is huge and HBO knows this.
What I am on the lookout for, is two things.
1). The negotiations between HBO and D&D in regards to how many seasons this series will run (or split season 7) to be finalized and announced.
2). An announcement of a spinoff series (Roberts Rebellion, half about L+R=J and half about all the death that romance caused).
HBO is a corporation, they have the TV rights to a very profitable adult fantasy world. It would be so foolish for them to say goodbye to the legions of fans that gather every Sunday night in Spring to watch the show.
I honestly expect a few HUGE announcements from HBO very soon in regards to these two things because right about now they should really get the ball rolling on them.
And when that announcement comes, what a happy day it will be for us all!
*whimpers*
This is so sad and so predictable. I find it astonishing how easy it is for those to criticize book/show lovers/haters sitting behind a faceless name with no accountability.
I had hoped this site was different, but this sort of devolving quality of comments also attracts people to be here every day and get that little boost of “I’m better than you are because…..” And it is both sides (one poster wrote above that they just have to “own” these book purists – what the hell is that all about?)
Funny that in real life? You could never get away with this behavior, just the internet makes people feel powerful enough to say horrid and mean things to each other knowing there is nothing the other can do except try to beat the opposite with more clever delivery or more despicable rage.
I am now and will always be able to separate the two mediums. I love the books equally to the show. GRRM is brilliant for the writing and making this whole world of ASOIAF come alive for us readers and without GRRM there would be no…..what? SHOW!! I love D & D for their brilliant ability to take a voluminous piece of work and distill it down to a manageable 10 hours a season, almost flawlessly. Why can’t people give credit where credit is due? Can those who honestly carry such bitter thoughts about the other side not see any glimpse of goodness? That isn’t humanity as it should be, that is cowardice behind a computer screen or on an iPhone. Just my opinion of course. But it makes me sad to read this vitriol.
Before anyone mouths off with “then why do you visit here, don’t read it if you can’t take it”…..I come here to get information on my favorite HBO show Game of Thrones and any news of one of my favorite series of fantasy books and to reasonably discuss what information we are given. Too bad that rarely happens now.
You guys know I’m just going to straight up delete posts where you insult each other or other posters, right? Some of you are perilously close to being banned, on account of being chronic offenders.
JCDavis,
People always argue on websites. This is nothing new. This has been happening since before the show started and no website can be exempt unless it’s set to private. Public discourse by its nature will have people you don’t care for.
Yeah, I was taking a shot at people who made such a stink. And no, the rapes in OitNB were guy on girl. Haven’t heard a peep about them and I was much more uncomfortable watching those. I guess righteous indignation only applies for some if it’s fashionable.
Anyway, I promise to get back on topic and stop being snarky. GoT is kicking ass and taking names. I can’t wait for next season. I have been waiting four years (almost) to find out what happens after ADwD ended. One way or another, I will get that next installment and maybe even bothformats. Woohoo! I am one of those weirdos who likes the show and books equally.
I love the books and the show. It’s a rare thing these days, but besides Dorne part … show keeps getting better and better. For example changes like Hardhome, Arya/Tywin convo, Sansa ( much better option than Jeyne Pool) or Tyrion getting to Meereen much faster were pretty good and for the good of the show. It’s not like books are perfect, because there are things that pisses me off and show is fixing them. AFFC or ADWD are certainly not easy to adapt and D&D did a very good job with it.
Arthur,
It’s not just Robert’s Rebellion. I for once would like to see Dunk&Egg, Dance with Dragons or Blackfyre Rebellions … but the chances are slim. RR is just much more interesting to show watchers/non book readers … thanks to connection to current characters. Dunk&Egg would be great (sort of like Brienne Pod), but that happened a long time ago. Not to mention that RR would be more bankable and in the end it’s all about the money for HBO. They can decided that on their own, but GRRM is currently trying to negotiate something with HBO and Cinemax.
I fully expect annoucement about another seasons 7 and how long it will last. I wouldn’t be suprised, if it will be 7A and 7B with 10 episodes each. Sort of like The Sopranos. Movie is hopefully out of picture.
Geralt of Rivia,
Yeah…
I am just saying HBO bought the rights from GRRM for all things Westeros.
This show is a HUGE success by every measurement.
HBO is a corporation that wants to make profit and build upon success.
All these factors kind of guarantee some kind of spin-off… Don’t they?
The Long Night,
Thats so doesn’t make sense….
I just don’t understand why GOT got so much heat for something you couldn’t even see…. and they try to get everyone to agree with them. And to me it was hypocritical because there is tons of other violence on the show. Anywho… its clear these Sansa Gate fanatics didn’t go anywhere… maybe they fronted like they were going to stop watching… but watched on their own LOL
And I cannot even imagine what the book readers have been feeling in terms of waiting to find out what happens… its been a month for me and im like $%^&*(%$^&*( LOLs
Geralt of Rivia,
Or just a season 7 and 8? LOL!
JCDavis,
Brilliant! I’m with you! Love both the books and the show equally!
The vitriol is an unfortunate consequence of the internet/digital age. I work in Media Monitoring and the same “my opinion is gold and yours is shit” is present on every single thread, every single story, every single site, whether a story on a television show, a music review, political stories or even articles on favorite dog breeds!
One can usually tell within the first few words of a comment whether it will be something measured and interesting to read, or a piece of vitriolic trash.
Arthur,
Not really, IIRC HBO has never don spin-offs, only movies and they had very successful show before.
Oh sweet summer child… 😉
people have applauded (season 3 spoilers)
rape scenes, actually.
And it wasn’t just man on woman rapey moments in OITNB. There have been scenes like when Alex threatened to rape Pennsatucky (s1 or s2, I can’t remember) but most of the audience seemed to think that was funny.
I like the comments how the ratings don’t correspond with the quality… These people are forgetting the fundamental fact that people *do not have to watch* if they don’t want to. Ergo, if it was really all that bad, people would leave. They aren’t leaving.
westeros.org must be in full meltdown by now. THE SKY IS FALLING (not)!!!!
(Note that I don’t have a problem whatsoever with people who don’t like the show, or like the books a lot better. But I would ask that these fans, completely entitled to their opinions as they might be, STOP with the “if X then Y” comments about how the show’s losing its fan base and viewers and it’s doomed to die. That sort of hyperbole has no place in proper discussion because the facts remain that the show has not lost its viewers, at all.)
Cameryn,
they are saying there that the show is now no longer trying to say a complex and well tought story, and that they are trying to please the lowest cmmon denominator with fights like Hardhome, wich are only hoolywood type of fights with no story or complexity, and fights white walkers, wich they compare to world war z.
and i’m just here luaghing at they’re futile atempts to somehow justify that the raitings going UP means the show is bad
EDIT: i also agree with the claim that the books are batter, but that has always been the case with adaptations, inevitable some subtilities and complexities are lost from the change of the medium, what i don’t like is this constant complaining that they have butchered characters or stories, the even in the books we don’t know what will happen.
my point being, i can’t stand this cynical point of view that characters have been cut and stories changed, simply to spite
I know this is not your opinion, but for whoever has that opinion,
Lotssss of story to a fight like Hardhome… the glares by the Night King… the shots to the Walker Leaders from afar showing just how big the threat is… the Valariyan steel reveal… all that is very important for the future of the show. This was the first battle between the others and humans. This is what the underlying story is about, not who will rule the seven kingdoms.
World war z?? HELLO?? Whitewalkers/wights have been there since Episode 1… again… if people didn’t like that, then people shouldn’t have stuck around, because that’s what the show is about. WINTER IS COMING
Cameryn,
I am curious about westeros.org… I shall check it out… I am assuming they hate the show?
I know that bookreaders make up a very small portion of people who watch the show (I’m guessing like 10%), and they seemed to have had a largely negative reaction to this season. Similarly, the two unsullied friends I spoke to said that while this season wasn’t bad, they would probably rank it as the worst or second worst of the five.
I think quality does affect ratings, but there will be a lag. We saw a much smaller jump in ratings from seasons 3 to 4 than we saw from seasons 4 to 5, and I suspect that that jump will actually become a small decline as we move from 5 to 6. The premiere will probably break records, but I’m expecting the viewership of season 6 to be slightly less in total than season 5.
(Of course, season 7 will jump right back up to huge ratings once it’s announced to be the last season, even if it’s split, which it probably will be. That’s just due to being the last season though.)
Sue the Fury,
Yeah, it seemed odd that GoT took a beating over something that was neither new or exclusive. It’s storytelling. I am a man and always uncomfortable seeing a woman forced, but I can also say “well, this is fictional/TV, let’s see what happens next.”
Also, I was totally rooting for the broom handle. LOL!
That’s cool more people are watching the show. It’s a cultural phenomenon and will remain so whether or not the quality deteriorates.
I think this season was pretty poor though, and that seems a popular opinion among both book readers and show watchers.
And I think a lot of it comes down the dilagoue. I can recall many well written scenes from last season, such as Oberyn and Tyrion in the dungeon, Tyrion’s “confession,” the Hound parting with Arya, the Hound demanding all the chickens, etc.
This season, I can only think of Stannis comforting Shireen when it comes to compelling dialogue that will stick with me. I’m trying to think another example but cannot, maybe some of Jorah and Tyrion’s interactions around Valyria.
So yes, I believe show writers can create great dialogue but there was just much less of it this season, in my opinion.
I don’t understand this romanticized view of LF’s relationship with Sansa. How is it “out of character” for him to hand her over to the Boltons? He’s “handed her over” to two different men in the books (Tyrion and Harry). There is either a fundamental misunderstanding of LF’s character, or a misunderstanding of their relationship. She is a pawn to him. He uses her as befits his own agenda. That he’s attracted to her doesn’t preclude him from marrying her off to people for his own ends (Tyrion and Harry) or putting her in harm’s way (i.e. having her framed for regicide so that she’s wanted by the crown). And I’m not buying this whole, “Oh, he wouldn’t give her to a psychopath who would hurt her,” business. How did he know Tyrion wouldn’t hurt her? How does he know that Harry won’t? Quite frankly, I don’t think he even cares whether they “hurt” her or not, because her being in a “happy marriage” doesn’t seem to be his objective in either of these pairings (Tyrion and Harry). If her “happiness” was of any concern to him, he’d of let her marry Willas (in the book) or Loras (in the show). He is using her, plain and simple. She is a pawn to be moved at his will and for his purposes, so let’s stop pretending that LF is so “in love” and “protective” of Sansa that he WOULDN’T “hand her over” to whomever. Because that’s not in line with either his character or his actions (as they’ve been presented in both book and show).
As for the actual topic…excellent! Here’s hoping the ratings continue to rise. I’m hoping that S6 returns to form. It certainly has the *potential* to be the best season yet.
Sansa is a powerful piece and LF one of the best players. I think the argument is that LF is acting out-of-character losing control of one of the most powerful pieces, handing the key to the north over to the Boltons. He makes a badly informed gamble, and genuinely seems to think Ramsay is someone Sansa can seduce.
I couldn’t agree more with your thoughts on Sansa and Baelish. I am pretty disgusted with the idea that Baelish wants Sansa to stay a virgin because he cares for her. She is a pawn just like everyone else. Why in the world would he care if Ramsay rapes her? Or Tyrion? Or Harry? As long as he is getting what he wants from the arrangement, he’s fine. Sansa’s happiness is not high on his priority list.
GoT is great TV and it’s pushing toward a definite end. It’s going to look different once we have that end.
As for great dialogue scenes…Brienne and Pod, Dany and Tyrion, Jon and Tormund, Jon and Stannis, every single scene with Sansa and Theon. There were so many amazing moments.
The Night’s Jester,
MuchAndMore,
Oh, I second these recommendations. While Penny Dreadful’s first season was a bit uneven, the second season (that just wrapped up) was awesome! I have also been enjoying Jon Strange & Norrell – I’ve no knowledge of the book on which it is based, but it’s been such a fun story thus far.
As for the “nanny-nanny-boo-boo, my show is better than yours” going on here, really folks? Just be thankful there is so much good television on these days – it could be worse. You could have your choice of the “Facts of Life” or “Laverne & Shirley.”
Penny Dreadful & Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell – both really good & should help ease the GoT hangover period.
This is a great success for HBO and D&D. After 5 seasons show is still getting bigger and bigger.
I think that “danger” of failing is passed. S6 will be like S4, I’m sure. It will be climax of everything that was set up this season.
And S7 will be the last season (even with 2 parts) and that will draw attention.
GoT is really a phenomenon, unstoppable force.
…I grew up on Facts of Life. You’re telling me it sucked? 😉
And talking about misogyny in television, oh good god, the 70s and 80s.
mau,
Oh also GRRM…after all, don’t think this would have happened without him. His books have also hit best seller lists (again). New watchers=new readers (& vice versa)
Gatsby,
Olenna Tyrell and Cersei, Cersei and HS(503, 504, 507, 510), Olenna and HS, Stannis and Jon (501, 502, 503), Dany and Tyrion, Varys and Tyrion(501,502,503, 510), LF and Roose, LF and Sansa(502,503,504), Sansa and Theon (508), Barristan and Dany(502), LF and Cersei,…..
“I think this season was pretty poor though, and that seems a popular opinion among both book readers and show watchers.”
I don’t think so. This season had great scores at IMdB, Rotten tomatoes, Metacritic and the highest rating ever.
I don’t think this was the best season, but it was better than S2 and S3.
The best moments from this season (except WoS) were completely different from the books.
Hardhome, Arya and Trant, Dany and Tyrion, Daznak, Shireen’s death,…
Adding to the list of great dialogue scenes, I can’t believe I forgot Tyrion and Jorah. Iain Glenn was amazing in that scene, the dawning realization on his face as he realizes his father is dead.
Aemon. Fuck me. Aemon killed me in every scene.
Sam and Stannis. I loved Sam and Stannis, of all character combinations!
This season had some of the best “quiet moments” in the series which only made the actions scenes hit harder.
HotPinkLipstick,
I also liked Tommen and Cersei (503 and 507), Margaery and Cersei (503), Olenna and LF, Jon and Tormund, Jon and Mance(great scene!!), Brienne and Pod(503) …
mau,
I agree … I’m a book reader and I absolutely loved this season (so shoot me!), especially all the atmospheric pieces, and all the wonderful one-on -one conversations.
I think people will appreciate this season much more once the show is over, when they realize how meaningful all these so-called “slow” moments were, as most of them will pay off in future episodes. The conversation between Sansa and Littlefinger in the crypts of Winterfell, for one, was both a wonderful history lesson, and foreshadowing for the eventual R+L=J revelation.
I am also a photographer and visual artist, and Season 5 was a visual masterpiece!!
The Long Night,
Yep – I am very entertained this summer. Lots to watch – in addition to Mr. Robot – Humans, Deutchland 83, Jonathan Strange. On Netflix, Hinterland. I actually am enjoying TD but not expecting a lot from it. Also – for my romantic side, Poldark. I have to say though, the best show on TV this year was Wolf Hall.
And foreshadowing for Sansa’s fate with Ramsay.
She believed that her aunt was locked in the room and raped.
mau,
Hmmm .. Agree with Hardhome (it was great!) but for me liked stuff from book best – Cersei’s story, Jon at Wall and Arya training with FM. Not so crazy about Sansa. And Dorne sucked – poor Jaime. Hope they get him back to snuff next season.
Cersei’s Brain,
I was speaking about particular scenes, but If we talk about storylines, then, yes, the Wall, KL and Bravos were the most faithful to the books. Meereen was improved, Dorne had its problems, and storyline in the North is not over. We are waiting for lords from the North in S6, but I liked it, as a set up for S6.
mau,
Thank you Mau.. perfection. So much amazing dialogue… How about Aemon and Sam, Aemon and Jon.. Aemon death bad..
Do people listen hahaha
So much more I cant think of right now?
The conversation at Hardhome between Wildlings and JS… Lets not forget WunWun… “TORMUNNNDDD”…..
Cersei and Tommen…. she would do anything for happiness… yet she lead to his depression.
Jesus!
Edit: didn’t see all other posts before I wrote this
mau,
Can’t wait for S6 – but we have to…sigh
Ashara Dayne,
I didn’t love the last season, either – the rape of Sansa and the burning of Shireen were too much for me. Hopefully next season will focus on Tyrion and the Tyrells, who are my favorites. I did still end up pre-ordering A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms – we’ll see if that’s any good, though I wish they’d hurry up and get the next book in the series out.
Deesensfan,
😀 Could be or 13 episodes in each part (7A and 7B).
Geralt of Rivia,
i can take a hundred more!
Darkstar,
Darkstar,
I Love Orphan Black!! Alison and Donny make me laugh 😉
Wonderful and happy news about ratings for HBO and D&D!
Weirdly, this “popular” opinion wasn’t been aired at all around me. We are mostly show watchers (as am I). I think this season was very strong, myself. Especially after a rewatch, I place it much above Season 4. Season 4 had the very strong Tyrion storyline and the beginning of the fall of the Lannisters, but other storylines suffered. All my opinion.
Yes! It was really very good! It’ll be a long wait till Season 3.
I couldn’t agree with you more, and I haven’t done a rewatch yet.. I rewatched Hardhome last night though.. heeehee
OH MY GOD GUYS…
season 5…
7 kingdoms/points on the holy star/faces of god, etc…
20 + 5 + 7 = 32
the 32nd chapter of AFFC is Brienne VI, where she comes across “the gravedigger” who is widely hypothesized/accepted to be The Hound, and also has the long conversation with Elder Brother about The Hound.
Now…
20 million viewers…
Season 5…
20 + 5 = 25
The 25th chapter in ADWD is Jon Connington, who was part of the Golden Company, a sellsword band in Essos. There is a scene in season 4, or maybe season 3, where The Hound mumbles something about going across the narrow sea to join a sellsword band.
CLEGANEBOWL CONFIRMED x 2!!!
Kay,
I can appreciate that you have a different opinion and that the people you associate with may have different tastes than those with whom I associate. I shouldn’t have taken the liberty of using, “popular.”
Just from my personal experience, interacting with friends and work colleges, I heard a lot of complaints about the season, and I know a few people who had followed the show religiously yet haven’t found the time to finish this season because they feel underwhelmed. Further, I also read a a lot of negative reactions on the unsullied forums at Neogaf and PreviouslyTV.
Maybe it’s more fair to say that this season has inspired the most mixed reaction.
mau,
We are going to have to disagree. Most of those scenes just didn’t wow me, as those I cited as examples did. I particularly didn’t like any of Dany’s dialogue. To me the whole “Wheel” speech came across as cheesy and unnatural – something that worked much better for the trailer than the show. I’ll agree that Jonathan Pryce was generally strong, as were Stephen Dillane and Kit. And I’ll also throw out the creepy Bolton/Frey/Stark/ Reek dinner scene leading into Roose and Ramsay as particularly solid writing.
Wonderful news for the best show on TV.
Also, I am part of the Penny Dreadful contingent, a brilliant series. Eva Green is sublime, as are all the leads Mr Lyle has to the funniest guy on TV, a beacon of light amongst the doom and gloom.
I enjoyed Hannibal season 1, season 2 was also good. It is a bit repetitious and can be a victim of it’s own pretentiouness. Need to watch the whole of season 3 to accurately assess it. I find Will jarring tbh. Gillian Anderson is brilliant as always. Mads needs to join GoT, now that he has some free time.
Shaz,
I haven’t seen Penny Dreadful but I’m going to check it out after I finish Band of Brothers. I really thought Band of Brothers was all hype but I regret not seeing it when it first came out, it is really good.
Way to go Game of Thrones! My bf and I really liked this season. There were one or two slow episodes in the middle, but the rest was really good in our opinion. Adored the Sons of the Harpy, the Faith Militant, the gladiator-style fighting, Drogon and Hardhome was one of the best episodes of the entire series. GoT is still such a dynamite show.
>
We’ve tried to watch True Detective 3 times now and just can’t stay interested.
If you have the CW channel ….. try “Jane the Virgin”. It’s a comedy – kind of a take-off on Spanish language “telenovelas”. Really cute, smart writing and some very good comedy actors/actresses. Some clips below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=STSe_4vD3XQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M261prhffFY
Sorry, but no. I do not agree with any of that. There was absolutely NOTHING “lowest common denominator” about the battle for Hardhome, which has become one of the best-reviewed episodes of the ENTIRE SERIES. It was poignant and meaningful. It demonstrated real loss, and real futility in the final moments as the Night’s King raised his army from the dead.
GoT exists as a real dichotomy in the minds of some of its viewers: it’s criticized for being too talky and not enough action-ey at times, but when we actually get action-packed battle sequences, it’s criticized for them too. I don’t share this view (and thankfully, a lot of other viewers don’t either.) I don’t want to watch GoT talk through each season and not see some real bonafide action/battle stuff. It’s a medieval fantasy show with dragons and undead; we should actually see that conflict take place.
I just don’t get it, the “lowest common denominator” stuff you mention. I don’t. Even at this show’s very worst – and yeah, okay, I’ll join people in saying that the encounter between Jaime & Bronn and the Sand Snakes was probably the low point of the year – it’s still better than most of the rest of TV today. Action sequences do not cheapen this show; they add to it. Comparing it to “hollywood types of fights” is a false equivalency.
The success of this show is not a shock to me, but neither am I any less delighted. The amount of work and care that goes into it from top to bottom is apparent, and that being the case on something of this grand a scale, when everyone reaches for success it will be successful.
This season despite its flaws (still waiting for a good FUCK YEAH SANSA action, but…the character did what she could in a situation meant for someone else) has earned every bit of it. Not an Ermahgerdwermahdergens to be found…maybe just some bad pussy here and there. Dorne was meh (and I’ma need Jamie to stop being durpy for Cersei so Wimsey’s very astute TywinnotTywin character development can be realized fully), but compare it to Quarth for perspective.
“You love her Jorah the Andal.” Yes, you ARE a prophet, aren’t you?
And my two cents for funsies:
TD2 LA Noir Bugaloo: when they announced the cast, I immediately thought they must be going camp, that is a comedic ensemble for the gods. Alas, it is very straight, maybe too much so. Though Farrell is knocking it out and making me question everything I ever thought of him and McAdams gives a lighter touch to a character that played by any other actress might be entirely too obnoxious…Vaughan IS entirely too obnoxious. Kitsch hasn’t had a lot to do besides brood, but episode 3 showed promise of deepening layers. My favorite scenes continue to be two characters riding along and talking and I think that should be the only comparison to season 1. Well, and dialogue…what was it? He’s a cross between a viper and a great white? Yoiks. Not everyone has to talk like Rust Cohle, but talking like human beings would be great, especially if you’re replacing surrealism with grit.
Hannibal: I have degrees in fine arts, psychology, and minored in religion and philosophy. I am very comfortable in the Hannibal niche. I understand most are not, but like GoT, I feel everyone except the network working on the show is working towards success, and it’s sad it doesn’t get it.
Penny Dreadful: I was shocked and delighted by how much I was looking forward to that season finale, compared to last year when I just wanted to get it over with. All credit to Billie Piper and whoever said “You know what this show needs? More Lyle.” And that finale did not disappoint in the slightest, I even appreciated the climax-denouement unraveling structure so much I was fist pumping it. But all the LoAnthony leg kicks went to “Never underestimate the power of a queen with lovely hair, my dear.” I am undone!
British shows:…
…
…I have been watching Humans. It’s a little scattershot right now, but holding my interest.
That people like you should be banned from these forums. Your repeated and pathetic insults do not belong here or anywhere.
El Witcher,
When u finish Band of Bros, try The Pacific. Not as awesome as BoB, but along the same lines.
Orphan Black: Lots of fun and Tatiana Masanly is amazing!
Mr. Robot: Just started, so the jury is still out, but so far is quite entertaining, especially as I am the mom of a high IQ kid who lives in her head A LOT like the protagonist.
Thanks to everyone trying to bring the civility back to this site. Disagree, but do it nicely please!
The ratings: HOT DAMN!! 🙂
Randa Noyce,
“Never underestimate the power of a queen with lovely hair, my dear.”
My favorite line of the whole damn season. Sir Lyle FTW!!!
Love the fact that viewership is up; can’t believe we still have so long to go until next season.
J C Davis
On these threads, just like in life, you have to work around the idiots and cherish the good stuff. All the regular posters are still here, we’re watching this silliness, registering the vitriol, mostly ignoring it and posting our own good stuff when we feel like it.
Don’t lose the faith, just ignore the assholes.
If you give up on everything because of the jerks, you’ll miss out on some very smart thoughtful people and their very smart, thoughtful points of view. Yes, they are hard to take, sometimes. But we like it here, and don’t want to give this site over to the vitriol.
*********************************************
As for Littlefinger caring about Sansa, no, he doesn’t, not really. When he was talking with Roose about Sansa’s arrival at Winterfell, he told Roose she was a virgin. Roose replied that her virginity didn’t concern him, only her name. LF’s reply was “so I have delivered everything as promised?” Sansa was a business transaction to him. Nothing more.
In rewatching the series, I came across this telling bit from Season 1, Episode 7, “You Win or You Die.” See if this doesn’t describe LF’s actions perfectly:
LF (speaking to Ros) ” …I was her little confidante, her plaything. She could tell me anything, anything at all. She told me about all the horses that she liked, the castle that she wanted to live in. The man that she wanted to marry. A Northerner, with a jaw like an anvil.
So I challenged him to a duel. I mean, why not? I’d read all the stories. The little hero always beats the big villain in all the stories. In the end, she wouldn’t even let him kill me. “He’s just a boy,” she said, “please don’t hurt him.” So, he gave me a nice little scar to remember him by, and off they went.
ROS: Is she still married to him?
LF: Oh, no, he got himself killed before the wedding. And she ended up with his brother, an even more impressive specimen. She loves him, I’m afraid, and why wouldn’t she. I mean, who can compare to him, he’s just sooo…good. Do you know what I learned, losing that duel? I learned that I’ll never win, not that way. That’s their game, their rules. I’m not going to fight them, I’m going to fuck them. That’s what I know. That’s what I am. And only by admitting what we are can we get what we want.
ROS: and what do you want?
LF: Oh, everything, my dear, everything there is. ”
“I’m not going to fight them, I’m going to FUCK them.” Yes, he said the word FUCK. That pretty much explains everything. He despises the high Houses, every one of them, and does everything he can to insult or embarrass them. That’s why he had no compunction about bring either Cat, in Season 1, or Olenna, in Season 5, to the brothel. He’s belittling the high-born ladies in any way he can. Sansa is high-born. Does he really care if she’s mistreated? Nope. Does he want to fuck her? Yep.
Great news!!! And hey everyone, look at what I´ve found wondering in Youtube, an anatomy of a scene video about Daznak!!!!
Salty Dornishman,
I died when he spoke those words. Simon Russell Beale is a treasure, and I need more of Mr Lyle’s interactions with Mr Chandler.
By doing something that Tywin would never have done in a million years, predictably failing miserably at it, getting bailed by the (apparent) reasonableness and good-will of his opponent, and then failing miserably at his primary job – a job that Tywin was very unhappy about him having in the first place? I still don’t get how you find these stories even remotely similar. Jaime had little character growth this season, as he already had a very non-Tywinesque “soul” back in S3. There was the father/daughter lovey-dovey, but that was fan fic.
I’d recommend The Fall with Jamie Dornan and Queen Gillian Anderson. Season 1 was insanely good, season 2 is as compelling even if it is uneven.
Marvel’s Daredevil and Agent Carter were also highlights of the year so far.
Should be interesting to see what season 6 nuggets we get at Comic Con, oh soo close!
How so, when most of what you listed hasnt happened in the books yet? Mercy and Daznaks Pit are the only ones that have and werent much different.
Randa Noyce,
you said it perfectly True Detective S2 relies too much on grit while ignoring human characteristics.
Ashara D,
I’ll definitely watch the Pacific since it is on my recommended for you list already LOL. I’m just waiting on Netflix to finish up a series of unfortunate events and narcos. I agree Orphan Black is awesome.
Yes, Shireen will die, and Tyrion and Dany will meet, but I think that the natural place for those events was ADWD, especially Dany and Tyrion.
And until TWOW is released, those scenes are changes from the books.
Daznak was different. Tyrion was there, Daario was there, Barristan was dead, Jorah was there and SoH were there. Only the location was the same.
And combination of Mercy and Dareon’s death with some original content, for me, made that scene almost original show scene, because it was very different from the books.
LordGriffith,
Wow! Kudos, you did great on your wanderings on YouTube. That is so amazing and so extraordinarily complicated! No wonder Nutter wants to take the next season off! I also sympathize with all of the actors and the extras too, to act and react to essentially nothing! Or worse, something goofy like green balls. 😀
Shaz,
ComicCon is always so exciting, not just for GoT, but all the little nuggets coming for so many, many shows.
Thank you so much for finding that vid. Between this and the videos of how Hardhome was filmed, I’m more and more fascinated with Season 5. Such an immense amount of work and untold hours of careful planning. How can anyone argue that this season was below par? I don’t care what you naysayers say, I’m enchanted everytime I see Dany fly away on Drogon, and cheer whenever Jon shatters that White Walker.
I was upset with the Sansa scene, horrified by Shireen and devastated by Jon. But what does that all add up to? A very compelling, emotionally fraught season. It was a way better season than a lot of you are making it out to be, even considering the mis-steps.
Shaz,
I’m also looking forward to the foreshadowed Lyle/Frankenstein friendship. The good doctor NEEDS more Lyle in his life and Lyle knows it!
LordGriffith,
Great. Absolutely amazing. So much hard work, and that wasn’t even the best scene this season (IMO). That shows how great S5 was.
Something like this was impossible in S1-3.
I can’t imagine what they will be able to do in S7 (part 2 ?)
And when all of this is over, when the show is done, watching S1-S7 will be the greatest thing ever made on television. Sometimes, I wish I started watching this show after S7(part 2?)
Golden crown, Ned’s death, Blackwater, RW, Astapor, PW, Tyrion’s trial, Oberyn’s fight, WOTW, Tywin’s death, Hardhome, Daznak, WoS and whatever will happen in S6 and S7,… Can you imagine watching all of this just in few days? I’m really jealous..
Thank you! I have seen many a comment on how Littlefinger cares so very deeply about Sansa. Hahaha… 😀 On my rewatch of Season 5, it’s even more clear to me from the early episodes that Littlefinger is just using Sansa’s name as a Stark, to further his own ends. In that, he is doing exactly what the Boltons are doing – using her name as a Stark, with no concern whatsoever for her well-being, or her as a person. And that scene at the inn, when Sansa rejects Brienne? I feel so sorry for Sansa, choosing the wrong person yet again to look for protection and help, thinking that Littefinger cares for her welfare. Later in the season, she at least wises up to the fact that she needs to send a signal to Brienne for help. The same Brienne who Sansa rejected earlier at the inn, because she saw Brienne kneel before Joffrey.
Shaz,
I must have missed the “Penny Dreadful” appreciation gene. Horror isn’t really my thing though and the leading lady’s underlying French accent throws me a little.
I do like “Orphan Black” – Tatiana Maslany does a pretty good English (not “posh” English) and she is very versatile. Gillian Anderson also does a good English accent though I haven’t seen “Hannibal” – as I say horror isn’t my favourite genre (though I did used to watch some of the old Hammer horror films but I rather think some of them were made tongue in cheek).
And let us not forget Littlefinger’s conversations with Cersei and Olenna this season…Sansa’s still in his deck if not in his hand in his head. His only miscalculations were not knowing Ramsey was such a monster (how?) and bigger, that Sansa was done with those and having none so BYE! I needed more of her turning Reek into Theon, I think. I hope it’s them who meet the Northern lords.
Randa Noyce,
Couldn’t agree more. I think everyone needs some Mr Lyle.
I am disappointed that Sembene got shortchanged this season, the only ethnic character left undeveloped, no backstory whatsoever and pretty much only a foil for the other characters.
Diversity is improving marginally but producers need to make greater strides to represent minorities, especially in fantasy. GoT really does excel in this area.
Randa Noyce,
Judging by the casting breakdown from a couple of weeks ago, some Northern representation will be in Season 6. Sansa’s got to diverge from LF and get that Northern backing!
JCDavis,
Here Here.
Shaz,
Exactly what I’m speculating on!
Sembene was a missed opportunity, too. The actor gave so much more than was written that I was convinced something had to be going on with him beyond loyal (and ok, atoning) servant but alas…
Mormota101,
Kid, you are so banned.
I’m amazed you’ve been tolerated this long.
Mad at folks for reading…
Kay,
A good name is LF’s reason for being. He mentions the strength of “a good name” many times over the course of 5 seasons. I really started noticing it when he was watching Robin try to master the sword at Lord Royce’s early in Season 5. His comment about Robin was that he has the strength of a good name. It’s mentioned constantly throughout the seasons. I suppose a good name and the throne are his ultimate goals, which he plans to achieve by killing anyone who mocked him, as he told Varys some seasons back.
Arya isn’t the only one with a list. Mine includes Ramsay, Roose, Walder Frey and Littlefinger. I don’t suppose we’ll be seeing Ramsay’s demise any time soon, though. It seems like there’s more story for him. Darn. Maybe Roose and Walder soon, though. I imagine LF will make it to almost the end.
Ravyn,
They’ll continue to personally and profanely insult Benioff & Weiss for…something, and sound immature in the process. But they’ll also continue to rake in ad money from HBO on their website as well. They’ve become caricatures of “devoted fans.”
Chad Brick,
You´re adorable !
On a different note: Is it true that D & D will use fan fiction to script S6 ?
Linda Antonsson seems to be claiming that.
I haven’t the faintest idea whether season 6 will be fan-fic or not. My understanding is that George Martin gave the two Ds pointers for how the books are intended to finish (if he doesn’t change his mind between now and then – and if they are finished). I know fan-fiction is used largely as a disparaging term but (and I posted this somewhere else recently) my earliest creative writing at primary school level [when I was about 7] was about the Famous Five, though obviously it wasn’t for money; I’ve not had the estate of Enid Blyton coming after me yet anyway and my childish scribbles don’t exist anymore in any case. I think I said long ago on the site that shall not be named that possibly “Heidi Grows Up” and “Heidi’s Children” might be considered fan-fiction.
I did wonder if GRRM himself had possibly been a fan of the old-time British children’s cartoon series “The Saga of Noggin the Nog” from the 1960s-1970s (one of the stories involved an ice dragon which pre-dated GRRM’s ice dragon [from a 1970s children’s book]) but I considered that it was unlikely as he grew up in the USA – I don’t think they had much British TV in the States in those days; well they probably still don’t.
To get back on point, I guess we won’t really know how close the showrunners’ take on the next part of the story correlates to GRRM’s version until “The Winds of Winter” hits the bookstands in 2115 or whenever…..
To edit an earlier post of mine; I said that Tatyana Maslany did a good “English” – of course I should have said “English accent”
Penny Dreadful S2 blew Game of Thrones S5 out of the water! It’s actually quite sad to see all these shows surpass GOT when its the one that should be towering over everything on TV at the moment. But alas that’s what happens when you allow a beleaguered, exhausted duo to keep steering the ship. God what I would do to have Bryan Fuller or Vince Gilligan take over GOT. Then we could go back to the days when the show was something special and pioneering, instead of watching it becoming the equivalent of popcorn television 🙁
Speaking of PD, If we ever get Lady Dustin on the show I’d love to see Helen McCrory play her.
Goes to show that despite all the complaints this season, largely from psychotic book purists and people who either don’t watch the show or want to bring attention to themselves, the show is as popular as ever. We’ve probably hit a saturation point such that we shouldn’t expect huge increases in viewership for next season (say a 5 million jump), but a jump of another million or so for next season wouldn’t be a surprise. The number of people who will actually drop the show next season will be minimal at best, and most who say they are quitting the show will watch anyway so they can see what happens next (as GRRM surely won’t have the next book out in time for next season).
The anti-Hannibal comments expressed by several people in the comments is out of hand, and I think is largely done out a sentiment where people don’t want to give credit for another show being as good, if not better than GOT. I’m as big a GOT fan as any here, but even I will admit this season had several flaws with it. The worst you can say about Hannibal is that the show has had too many fake out deaths. While it may not have as many exciting moments as GOT, I think the show is better written than GOT and stylistically is just as good (while being very different).
You and Wimsey need to get together and decide what is a big change is and what a big change is not. You are claiming tightly adapated scenes are major changes, while Wimsey is claiming that whole arcs that have almost no resemblance to what happened in the books even if you stretch are “telling the same story”.
All of the scenes you mentioned were well within the bounds of what you would expect under the umbrella of adaptation, except for Shireen and Dany/Tyrion, where we simply don’t know yet. Hardhome happened in the books, just off-page (which was the right choice for that medium). The Pit was the same in all major respects, as was Mercy.
In any case, I disliked the Shireen scene and its aftermath intensely, disliked how they sadopedo’d Trant in order to justify his murder (no shades of grey there!), wasn’t particularly inspired by the Dany/Tyrion scenes, and thought that the Pit was poorly edited in that it looked like Dany cruelly left her friends to die, and yet they magically show up safe in the next episode. Hardhome was good, though. Having Jon go there so we could see it with our own eyes was the correct choice for the TV show, just as leaving it an unknown horror was the correct choice for the books.
How cause why so many vagrants must pick a favorite show and everything else is low garbage? Why does Game of Thrones’ quality have to degrade my beloved Walking Dead? Cosplay over necrophilia? Can’t we have both?
I’m saying: Stop kicking my zombies while they’re down!
And Jon isn’t dead.
And Tommen might already be.
Al Swearengen,
Gee,for someone who hates this show so much,your useless ass sure spends so much time on this site,suffering from Seek attention syndrome or cum burping bitch syndrome ?
That’s some inappropriate wording
As GRRM himself has said:
http://grrm.livejournal.com/414772.html?thread=20508980#t20508980
The show is a licensed adaptation not fan fic, and whatever D & D use as basis for writing S6 become part of the show canon. “Fan fic” is mainly used as a derogatory term by those who want to sling mud on the show.
The fact that someone like Linda Antonsson uses it, is neither very professional concerning her own involvement in the franchise, nor very mature considering she is already 38 (or 39?).
She and Elio seem strangely bitter about the show, I think it is because they used to be big fish in a small pond, now they are small fish in a huge ocean. The handful of thousand views their videos fetch are really nothing compared to the 20 million reported by HBO for S5.
Sailing down the rhetorical sewer seems to be her way of dealing with it.
Sam,
Phrasing!
Why is everyone so happy that more people are watching a show that is declining in quality….and giving the showrunners more confidence and freedom to continue their bad writing and shock value plot devices? It’s not like the show was gonna go off the air if it dipped a couple mil in viewers.
Al Swearengen,
LOL!
Deesensfan,
don’t bother, this people have long ago lost any connection with reality.
they are just hypocrites, when the raitings go down than raitings are a factor in determinating the shows quality, but when they go up (record breaking high i might add)
then it’s not a factor, because it proves them wrong.
Mihnea,
I know, I just think its funny how people talk about the show’s declining quality and story like its an opinion across the board, when it sure as hell is not.
And why anyone who likes this show and does NOT think that there is a decline in its quality should be happy if the ratings go down a cople of mil in viewers??
I really don’t get it.
If your oponion is that the show is declininin quality, what a little dipping in viewers would achieve?
Besides, anytime ratings go down then there are people saying “see, the quality is bad and that’s why ratings go down”
Anytime the ratings go up then the same people say “see, the quality of viewers is bad as the show, that’s why ratings go up”
The nerve of it!
Mihnea,
These are hard times for book purists. The show is more successful than ever, and GRRM’s next book is nowhere to be found.
It is poetic justice. Those people are full of malice and hate, and they are blaming everyone for this situation (the show spoiling the books) except the only responsible person.
It is complete destruction of all their hopes and wishes. I can’t wait for their ultimate meltdown next year.
They deserve every bit of confidence and freedom they can get, because they created one of the greatest shows of all times.
I absolutely agree with you!
GOT, though not cmpletely flawless, is one of the best show I’ve seen on TV in these latest years, with maybe the only exception being Battlestar Galactica.
Kundry,
I don’t know for any flawless TV show.
Thronetender,
Great somebody else who gets LF to a tee!!!!! My prediction is he gets killed by prob the only man who is more clever and understands the game better than him tyrion!!!
Al Swearengen,
I don’t think I can remember you making a positive comment on GOT in what three years since I’ve beèn on this site and the site that will not be named yet here you still are commenting in most posts. You must hate the show so much lol
People who describe this show as “fan fiction” invariably are trying to denigrate it. Outside of this board and some of the westeros.org forum, they’d be laughed at. It’s not just ridiculously stupid to refer to GoT as fan fic, it’s also not a moniker that will ever stick.
Some people really want to point at X and conclude Y, and it doesn’t work that way. The numbers don’t add up.
What I’d like to know is why some people seem to feel a drop in quality is a fact, when actually it’s simply just an opinion, one not shared by many of us here. There hasn’t been a drop in quality on the show. I think it’s stronger than ever. Yes they’ve made a few choices here and there that haven’t worked out, but that happens on every TV show ever.
Game of Thrones is more popular than ever and it KILLS people who want to point at its so-called flaws, because there’s no there there.
Some people aren’t happy unless they rain on someone else’s parade.
Other people feel they’re doing some sort of service to the show by continuing to watch even when they don’t enjoy it (as if their participation has any impact on anything whatsoever.)
Personally, if I don’t like something, I don’t partake in it. I have far too much in my life to do that sort of silly thing.
YES
The show is canon now. Whatever GRRM writes will be the fanfic.
Lmao so if the ratings go down, it’s proof that the show sucks and no one wants to watch anymore. If the ratings go up, the show… still sucks, only this time people are too simple-minded to realize what a piece of crap it is.
Yeah, I can see how this argument makes sense.
Exactly… and it bugs me that people don’t see the discrepancy.
Do you (the generic ‘you’ to all readers of this thread) think the show sucks right now? That’s fine, you’re welcome to your opinions and more power to you for expressing them. But again: (a) that is an opinion, as is the opinion that the show doesn’t suck; (b) the ratings have not suffered at all, and in fact have gone up, even in the face of rising piracy; (c) the show is still going to go all seven seasons, if not more; and (d) only a few people think it’s fan fiction, and the rest of us think it’s an actual TV show. 😉
Cameryn,
excuse my ignorance, but what do people mean when they refer to fan fiction?
oracle86,
What were you expecting? Linear growth on a show that has been running for 5 years?! Growth at this point in time is an amazing thing.
Deesensfan,
they meen it as an insult, reffering to the fact that the show made some changes from the books.
even tough there are still 2 more books to come out, so even they don’t know just how much they did change.
i for one think this is largely because of this long period between book realese, it’s so long that many people start making theories, when they find that they where wrong they rage and call it illogical or butchered..etc.
so people take a cynical point of view: the changes where made just to spite them personally
Oh my goodness – what a lovely thought! Yes, that would be so excellent, Tyrion outing LF as the snake he is, then killing him. Hadn’t thought of that. That means that either LF has to go to Meereen, or Tyrion, for some reason, dares to go back to Kings Landing.
Yet, think about it, wouldn’t it be even better if Sansa gets him? He’s done so much harm to her family and to her, both directly and indirectly, it would be most satisfying to watch her call him out and run him through. She’d have to do an awful lot of character development to reach that point though.
Mihnea,
Oh okay, I see
That’s silly!
Just wanna add that my cousin from all the way across the world just binge watched FIVE SEASONS IN TEN DAYS. Let’s just say that he is obsessed and in love!!!! He can’t stop talking about it!
Moles town bastard,
If there was something positive to say about the show I would say it. It’s not my fault the show has been on a steep decline for a couple years now. I am not going to bury my head in the sand and pretend the show is something great when it clearly hasn’t been since Season 3.
Al Swearengen,
Yeah cause we all know your opinion is universal truth,usually when i don’t like something anymore i tend to stay away from it but like i said that attention seeking complex must be eating you on the inside .
Gillian Anderson spent her formative years in England, I believe.
I don’t know what rating “The Wire” had in the USA. It was shown on the BBC some years after it had originally aired (i.e. on the Beeb 2010 or earlier because it was when I was still living in London) but very late at night because of its content. There’s an agreement between HBO and Sky (a satellite/cable channel in the UK) now that HBO shows go straight to Sky when they are aired in the UK
Darjan,
The story elements and execution are actually two things that people were praising of True Detective during season one.. but, um, yeah?
Al Swearengen,
lol, okay buddy