John Standing on Jon Arryn’s deleted pilot scene

Jon_Arryn_funeral_bier

In a new interview, actor John Standing, who played the brief but memorable role of former Hand of the King Jon Arryn in the very first episode of Game of Thrones, discusses a deleted scene from the pilot episode via Los Siete Reinos.

The pilot episode of Game of Thrones is well known to be vastly different from the first broadcast episode, with many scenes and actors replaced.  In this new video,  John Standing, best known for playing a corpse with some stones over his eyes, discusses a cut scene between him and Lena Headey, and fans’ reaction to his role on the show.

Interesting to find out about what might have been! Looks like there’d be a lot of new scenes to discover if the pilot ever got a release.

126 Comments

  1. I had no idea that was John Standing lying there with stones over his eyes. He’s been in a gazillion British tv shows and movies over his long career. Great bit of trivia.

  2. What an interesting and fun guy.

    Surely the scene wouldn’t have made any sense anyway, as Cersei didn’t poison Jon Arryn. And even if she had it would’ve given away the Lannisters’ bad intentions way too early, robbing the famous Bran-out-the-window scene of some of its surprise.

  3. I missed this news a month ago so it’s new to me. John Standing has a good sense of humour though.

  4. As I didn’t know John Standing was the actor’s name, the title of this article sounded very wrong to me 😛 Interesting story though.

  5. Bran The Baker,

    David and Dan have said that they weren’t satisfied with the final product and with the description of this scene i can see why plus a lot of the actors got replaced because they didn’t want to return and so they got to reshoot whole scenes again . I only wish they didn’t let some of the scenes from the original pilot because it’s really distracting seeing Sean Bean and other actors with one hair style in one scene and a different one in another .

  6. Not sure if we will ever see the original pilot because the actors who were in it and didn’t appear in the final product would have to sign off on it.

  7. Sean C.:
    That sounds like a really odd scene, given that Cersei didn’t actually poison Arryn.

    No, no. I think it makes sense. The suggestion is probably that he was going to out Cersei’s secret and she stops him. But this would mislead the viewer into thinking she had poisoned him.

  8. Mihnea,

    I don’t rhink we are going to get it until the Vinyl premiere which is BS,because the HBO marketing department can be annoying like that sometimes .

  9. This was so cool! I always wonder about the characters whose life made such an impact on other characters but never have any screen time. I agree that Cersei showing menace towards Arryn in his final moments would’ve given the game away too quickly in the series, though. Gotta love GoT trivia.

  10. I always wonder why Jennifer Ehle left the project because she is a great actress. I can’t believe she was fired. Maybe it was because she did not look like a Tully as Michele with those blue eyes.

  11. Mag,

    IIRC, she was not fired. She had recently had a child and decided against committing to a television show at that time. There was no talk about anyone being dissatisfied with her performance.

  12. I had no idea who John Standing was. When I saw the title, I thought there was a deleted scene, where jon snow was standing on Jon Arryns corpse and I thought: ‘Well, it makes sense, they would cut it.’

  13. K26dp,

    Here is an interview she did where she addresses exactly that:

    You were in the original pilot for HBO’s Game of Thrones, but opted not to return for the series. (The part is now played by Michelle Fairley.) Why did you ultimately decided to not stick with the show?

    “Ehle: Well, it was entirely personal. My daughter was seven months old when we did the pilot. It was too soon for me to be working, emotionally and bonding-wise, but I needed to do it and I was also passionate about the books. I loved the idea of telling that story. I finished the first book when I was in the hospital getting ready to have my daughter. My husband actually went out and got the second book for me. I handed the first book to the midwife and started the second one. When I went back for my six-week checkup with the midwife, she had started the second book.
    I love Game of Thrones, but it was too soon, and I did The King’s Speech immediately after. Then did a play immediately after that. I found out that the series was then picked up at the end of working through six months when I really just wanted to hold my baby, even though I was aware of the incredible privilege of having done the three pieces of work that I got to do in a row. I think everything worked out beautifully, because clearly the show is what it was meant to be.”

  14. I think HBO should premiere the trailer during the Super Bowl. There is no greater audience then that. Plus, would be a good way to get more subscribers on board.

  15. RosanaZugey,

    Doesn’t the trailer premiere on their own channel first?

    I am assuming in order to air during the superbowl they would have to pay a loooooooooottttttttt

  16. Deesensfan:
    RosanaZugey,

    Doesn’t the trailer premiere on their own channel first?

    I am assuming in order to air during the superbowl they would have to pay a loooooooooottttttttt

    I don’t think the trailer has to premiere on their channel. First trailer premiered last year in the IMAX screenings. Second one premiered during an Apple event. Doesn’t have to be on their channel.

    And yeah, I imagine they’d have to pay a truck load. But well, I’m thinking the cost/benefit of doing something like that wouldn’t be on the negative side.

  17. RosanaZugey,

    I’d far rather the 5 million dollars (the price tag for a 30-seccond spot) be spent on other things. I will say this, though, if they announced a trailer premiering during the Superbowl, it would increase the ratings for the Superbowl…hahaha.

  18. RosanaZugey,

    We’ve had the discussion about the trailer during the SB in years past and it seems HBO just doesn’t want to unveil there. However, I believe they have advertised for the BluRay/DVD during FB games in the past. It would be very expensive and, let’s face it, they don’t really need to pay that much to get promo – even to attract new viewers.

  19. I am sorry, but how was his role “memorable”? Jon Arryn could have been a silicone love doll with stones for eyes for all we know. You did nothing, Jon Arryn.

  20. Nymeria Warrior Queen:
    RosanaZugey,

    I’d far rather the 5 million dollars (the price tag for a 30-seccond spot) be spent on other things.I will say this, though, if they announced a trailer premiering during the Superbowl, it would increase the ratings for the Superbowl…hahaha.

    Hahaha. Good one.

    Although, I must say…what are people doing if they’re not watching the Super Bowl? Even if you don’t watch the game…you watch for the commercials…or you watch for the halftime show. The Super Bowl is an event. Should be watched by all. Hell, it should be a national holiday. 😉

  21. RosanaZugey,

    I don’t tend to watch the game, the commercials, or the halftime show. I just don’t care. I know a lot of people do. If I even turn on the television, I’ll tune into the Animal Planet Puppy Bowl and Kitty Halftime Show. 🙂

  22. Cersei’s Brain:
    RosanaZugey,

    We’ve had the discussion about the trailer during the SB in years past and it seems HBO just doesn’t want to unveil there. However, I believe they have advertised for the BluRay/DVD during FB games in the past.It would be very expensive and, let’s face it, they don’t really need to pay that much to get promo – even to attract new viewers.

    Solid argument could be made that they don’t have to pay for promo, BUT…let’s not underestimate the size of the audience here. The season 6 teaser (with Bran) is free and has gotten 16+ million views on YouTube. And I’m willing to bet that the majority of those viewers are people who already watch the show. The audience for the Super Bowl is 115 Million. You “preach to the choir” by premiering promos on Twitter or HBO itself. If you’re trying to get new viewers (which, I’m assuming they’ll need the revenue for, especially as the show heads into very CGI expensive territory come winter) you have to expand your audience. There is no better avenue to do that then in the Super Bowl.

    I think the wackiness of their trailer premiere’s last year (IMAX and the Apple event) signifies their willingness to go outside of the norm. Then again, you’re probably right in saying that they’ll consider it an unjustified cost and go with the more traditional routes. I’m just thinking that they’d really make an impact airing it during the Super Bowl with almost 95 million people being exposed to a show they aren’t normally exposed too (I took out 20 million because that’s the average amount of viewers who watch the show already, according to ratings).

  23. Nymeria Warrior Queen:
    RosanaZugey,

    I don’t tend to watch the game, the commercials, or the halftime show.I just don’t care.I know a lot of people do.If I even turn on the television, I’ll tune into the Animal Planet Puppy Bowl and Kitty Halftime Show.

    Those Puppy Bowl’s are damn adorable. *Heart*

  24. Deesensfan,

    If they aired the first full GoT trailer during the super bowl the super bowl should cut them one hell of a deal on advertising. That would bring a lot of non football peeps to the game, even if only temporarily.

  25. Cersei standing over his corpse would’ve been way too soapy. I can almost hear the sinister music in the background. Sounds like something Camelot would’ve done. Remember Camelot? No? Exactly.
    As far as the trailer goes, my spider senses are telling me the end of January, but who the hell knows.

  26. RosanaZugey,

    It would make no sense to air a trailer during the Super Bowl. Game of Thrones is not the type of show that’s bringing in new viewers on in the sixth season. And they certainly wouldn’t subscribe to HBO on cable or HBO now at such a high price to start watching a show in its sixth season! And even if they did check it out, they’d be so confused that they’d stop watching right away.

    Anyone interested in checking out the show would start at the beginning, thanks to streaming services or Blu-Ray/DVD. And I doubt that a trailer for the new season would really push that many people into spending that money.

    It would be a huge waste of money.

    And yes, some of us do not watch the Super Bowl.

  27. My brain auto corrected the title of this article to Jon snow standing on Jon arryns dead body. I was confused for a moment until I realized that reading is an important tool in everyday life.

  28. Chriss: The suggestion is probably that he was going to out Cersei’s secret and she stops him. But this would mislead the viewer into thinking she had poisoned him.

    I remember being somewhat surprised to learn that this was not the case in the books!

    Rygar: I am sorry, but how was his role “memorable”

    Well, I haven’t forgotten it! 😀

    (Of course, I just started my annual binge-watch: and I probably had forgotten that the scene was there before seeing it again.)

  29. K26dp: IIRC, she was not fired. She had recently had a child and decided against committing to a television show at that time. There was no talk about anyone being dissatisfied with her performance.

    And they are not going to fire actors because of eye-color. That’s never a decision in the casting, even when doing adaptations of books that make a big deal of eye color. They did not get a green-eyed actor to play Harry Potter, nor did they get a grey-eyed actor to play Jon Snow, nor a violet eyed actress to play Daeny. (Of course, the last one would have been hard: other than Liz Taylor, how many other violet-eyed actresses are there?)

  30. Superbowl 2016, Arbor gold halftime show. Trial by combat Snowbowl feat. the Red wedding houseband. Accidental nip slips sponsored by Littlefinger’s brothel.

  31. I’ve never watched the Super Bowl!!! Is it any good?

    I was in Vegas a few years ago on Super Bowl day in an outdoor bar on the strip with the wife and the place went from rammed packed to just me and her on our own. The were no cars on the road or people anywhere lol

  32. I am in the “don’t watch” boat too. I did a few decades back, but no longer. I look for a great movie to watch while the superbowl is on. Maybe I need to start my annual re-watch of all the seasons 1-5. Choice is a good thing.

    Ummmm….edit. It was supposed to be JCDavis. LOL gotta love those typos.

  33. Actually, the February 7th date could be in line for a spot on Superbowl, but since it’s the 50th grandsircusextravaganza it might be that the marketing budget could be spent more “wisely”. But I’m hoping on that, even though they won’t show the adverts here where I’m from.

    But for the shits of it, I think Thrones should go with the legendary “1995 style” to showcase the supreme position as a show. Just because.

  34. http://www.digitalspy.com/tv/game-of-thrones/news/a781111/watch-an-epic-trailer-for-the-game-of-thrones-season-5-boxset-with-new-original-score/

    The Blu Ray DVD trailer is out in the UK (not keen on the song but it’s a good trailer nonetheless)

    I reckon a trailer will probably air before Vinyl starts to get more people to watch it.

    I have never been one for the Super Bowl though I am Scottish and to me it just seems like everyone cheers, goes crazy and there’s a long delay between every kick! (Maybe my brain just can’t “get it” at 1am!)

  35. David H:
    RosanaZugey,

    It would make no sense to air a trailer during the Super Bowl.Game of Thrones is not the type of show that’s bringing in new viewers on in the sixth season.And they certainly wouldn’t subscribe to HBO on cable or HBO now at such a high price to start watching a show in its sixth season!And even if they did check it out, they’d be so confused that they’d stop watching right away.

    Anyone interested in checking out the show would start at the beginning, thanks to streaming services or Blu-Ray/DVD.And I doubt that a trailer for the new season would really push that many people into spending that money.

    It would be a huge waste of money.

    And yes, some of us do not watch the Super Bowl.

    If I recall correctly, every season of Game of Thrones has brought in more viewers then the previous season, with Season 5 ending up their highest rated season (and HBO’s highest rated show). To say that GoT isn’t going to bring in new viewers because it’s in its 6th season is nonsensical to me.

    Also, unless you’re advocating for piracy, the only way for anyone interested in watching this show would be to spend money on it. Whether you’re streaming it through HBO Now (which is the only venue you can stream it on as GoT is not available through any other streaming service), or subscribing to it via Cable/Satellite, or purchasing all the DVDs/Blu-Rays…you’ll be spending money. But that’s exactly what HBO wants you to do. Its why they made their channel a stand-alone service; to give more people access to it. HBO is in the business of making money. They make money by having a larger audience (i.e. more subscribers). If they feel a Super Bowl ad would not be worth the expense, so be it. But I think it’s inaccurate to assume that they’re not trying to expand their audience and make more money in the process.

    Also, this show doesn’t require a PhD to watch. I don’t know why the argument is always being made that people can’t watch it because it’s complicated. This show isn’t rocket science.

  36. Moles town bastard:
    I’ve never watched the Super Bowl!!! Is it any good?

    I was in Vegas a few years ago on Super Bowl day in an outdoor bar on the strip with the wife and the place went from rammed packed to just me and her on our own. The were no cars on the road or people anywhere lol

    Kind of depends on who’s playing. If the game is a blowout…it’s not interesting to watch at all (but well, that’s why you have the commercials to fall back on). But if it’s a good game with two good teams…hell yeah it’s good! I’m thinking this year’s should be good. You have the number 1 seeds from the AFC (Denver Broncos) and NFC (Carolina Panthers) playing each other. Classic Defense vs. Offense.

    I think it’s more than the game, though. Super Bowl is probably the last massive event we collectively ‘celebrate’ before…what, the 4th of July? You get together with your family/friends, you eat, hang out, talk a lot of sh*t (especially if one of your teams is playing) and generally just have a grand time. Then on Monday, you go to work and talk about the best commercials. It’s just a ‘thing’ I suppose.

  37. RosanaZugey: If I recall correctly, every season of Game of Thrones has brought in more viewers then the previous season, with Season 5 ending up their highest rated season (and HBO’s highest rated show). To say that GoT isn’t going to bring in new viewers because it’s in its 6th season is nonsensical to me.

    I think you’re correct that each season has brought in new viewers, but I think many of those were probably people who binge-watched the previous seasons (streaming or Bluray) at some point during the off-season, got hooked, and then joined in the real-time viewing for the new season. I can’t imagine starting watching a series like Game of Thrones anywhere but the beginning.

    Maybe a good trailer during the Superbowl would bring in enough new viewers to make it worth it, but I think to be worth that kind of money they would need to follow it up with a week of free HBO for cable subscribers, and free HBO Now for everyone, to make it easier for new viewers to get hooked, and hopefully have time to catch up on all the previous seasons before season 6 starts.

  38. Wimsey:

    Well, I haven’t forgotten it!

    I’m thinking the scene would have been truly memorable if we could have smelled it. After Jon dies, we have a few days to get the royal litter together before heading to Winterfell, weeks to Winterfell, days to weeks at Winterfell, and weeks back to King’s Landing before we have the viewing. Can you imagine? Dude held up really well. Maybe they smoked and salted him in the meat locker.

  39. GoT LUNACY.

    Glad they cut that scene. The dead HOTK with painted stones for eyes was an apt introduction to KL, and kicks off the mystery straight away.

  40. Ginevra,

    The viewing is the second scene, the one that introduces the lannister twins- long before anybody at WF learns of Arryn’s death.

  41. By the way, anybody seen BBC’s “And Then There Were None”? Charles Dance flawless as always. And talking about GoT actors, Burn Gorman was great too. Great cast, great show. Highly recommended! 😉

  42. Casso: I think you’re correct that each season has brought in new viewers, but I think many of those were probably people who binge-watched the previous seasons (streaming or Bluray) at some point during the off-season, got hooked, and then joined in the real-time viewing for the new season.I can’t imagine starting watching a series like Game of Thrones anywhere but the beginning.

    Maybe a good trailer during the Superbowl would bring in enough new viewers to make it worth it, but I think to be worth that kind of money they would need to follow it up with a week of free HBO for cable subscribers, and free HBO Now for everyone, to make it easier for new viewers to get hooked, and hopefully have time to catch up on all the previous seasons before season 6 starts.

    Good point, good point. You gotta reel them in with free viewing in order to get them hooked. I’m not sure about Cable/Satellite, but I *think* the HBO NOW app is free for a month once you download it. That would give peeps a month of binge watching.

    Speaking of binge watching, how many people who current post here actually started watching this show from S1E1? And if you started watching from S1E1, were you just interested in it because it looked like something worth watching, or had you read the books and wanted to see the adaptation?

    For me, personally, I had just gotten cable in my new place, and it was one of those specials where you get all the movie channels for free (which goes back to your brilliant point Casso that if you want to get people hooked, you gotta reel them in with free viewings). And I was flipping channels one day and stopped at Game of Thrones; it was the Tyrion and Sansa wedding scene. Watched the rest of that episode and was intrigued about why they were getting married and who all these other people were. Didn’t watch it again until I was flipping channels some other day, stopped at GoT, and it was the scene where Daenerys was rising from the ashes with her baby dragons. Decided, screw it! Gotta watch this from the beginning. And I did. Read all the books during and after S4, and here I am.

    I suppose the moral of that story is simply that the show is a good show. And once people are exposed to it, I think they’ll be willing to give it a go. You just gotta expose them to it.

  43. Ginevra,

    hmmm, TV does not need to go there! Besides, aren’t we supposed to ignore all mentions of time and assume that all episodes take place in an hour, so we can bitch about jet packs?!?!?

    (That written, the viewing was before they left for Winterfell, and thus 3 months before Ned & daughters got to Kings Landing. Oh, wait, sorry: we cannot use mentioned time on the show! A good 3 weeks before Ned et al. got to Kings Landing.)

    EDIT: whoops, I see that others mention that, too…..

  44. The whole hoo-ha surrounding the pilot puzzles me. Especially since Tom McCarthy went on to become such a highly respected director. I would of loved to of been a fly on the wall during that shoot.

  45. RosanaZugey: Hahaha. Good one.

    Although, I must say…what are people doing if they’re not watching the Super Bowl? Even if you don’t watch the game…you watch for the commercials…or you watch for the halftime show. The Super Bowl is an event. Should be watched by all. Hell, it should be a national holiday.

    I LOVE football, but find the Super Bowl to usually be a bloated bore. I only watch it if my Packers are in it; I can’t stomach watching two other teams fight for the Lombardi Trophy!

  46. Count me as someone who’d love to see that disastrous pilot, if only to see the different actors playing Catelyn and Dany. I’m sure it’s a train wreck, but it’d be fascinating. Fun fact: The pilot was directed by Tom McCarthy, who made this year’s “Spotlight”, among many lesser films.

  47. RosanaZugey: Kind of depends on who’s playing. If the game is a blowout…it’s not interesting to watch at all (but well, that’s why you have the commercials to fall back on). But if it’s a good game with two good teams…hell yeah it’s good! I’m thinking this year’s should be good. You have the number 1 seeds from the AFC (Denver Broncos) and NFC (Carolina Panthers) playing each other. Classic Defense vs. Offense.

    This is actually the third straight year we’ve had a #1 vs #1 match-up in the Super Bowl. Granted, the first one (between Seattle Seahawks and Denver Broncos), which also featured Defense vs. Offense, was a bit of a blowout and was worth watching only to see how badly the Broncos could embarrass themselves.

    Last season, though, had an ending worthy of the Red Wedding itself, with the Seahawks poised to win their second consecutive Super Bowl only for the quarterback to throw an interception in the end zone, thus ensuring a victory for the Evil Empire themselves (New England Patriots).

    This year the two main storylines are 1) NFL’s History colliding with NFL’s Future (this is probably 5-time-MVP Peyton Manning’s final NFL game, and he’s going up against this year’s likely MVP Cam Newton who is poised to become the new face of the NFL) and 2) Defense vs. Offense (Denver is the #1 defense, Carolina is the #1 scoring offense).

    As for GoT trailers during the Super Bowl … I’d love to see it, but I don’t think it’d be worth the money for HBO. GoT is already a cultural phenomena. If you’re not watching it, it’s not because you haven’t heard of it — it’s because you have already heard of it and it’s just not your thing.

  48. Kit Harington said at BBC Breakfast that Jon Snow is dead. Everyone on the cast said he is dead. Now (SPOILER) we all know he is alive. But because they wiĺl not lie so hard about it, (you can say: I saw him dying so I think he is dead) I think Jon Snow will not named Jon Snow anymore. Maybe Jon Stark.

  49. Kura,

    He talks about Jon Snow at the beginning and at the end of the interview (answering himself the question: Is Jon Snow alive and sharing his impressions of Season 6)

  50. RosanaZugey,

    I agree with you. I think it would be a good thing to air during the superbowl, however, I just don’t think they would spend all that money when they have done it other ways successfully.

    I always watch the superbowl, and I am one that watches for the game itself, not really the event. I would love to see the GOT trailer then, I would go crazzzzzzzzy. but I wont get my hopes up haha!

  51. RosanaZugey,

    Well said 🙂

    Superbowl parties are fun. Half the people are just there for the party, the other are there for the actual game. I would be on the couch watching (and eating obvi), probably waiting and anticipating a GOT commercial. Thanks Rosana 😛

  52. Wimsey,

    I’ve been watching BBC’s War and Peace which I enjoy after my first shock of noticing that Pierre Bezukhov is not overveight. But I soon recognized Pierre’s absent-mindedness and feeling awkward well rendered by Paul Dano, which I haven’t imagined playing this part in a million years, but somehow he managed to do it right. Lily James’s playful charm is quite adequate for Natasha and they found a handsome and cerebral actor for Prince Andrey (I haven’t seen him before). These are just my opinions, of course.
    IIRC you mentioned having read Tolstoy’s novel for many times. I have read it only once, when I was 16 or 17 (it has been a long time since then). I do remember the main narrative lines, but not the details and I would be interested in your thoughts regarding this adaptation.

  53. Chriss: No, no. I think it makes sense. The suggestion is probably that he was going to out Cersei’s secret and she stops him. But this would mislead the viewer into thinking she had poisoned him.

    Yes, MTE. It would have been a really strong misdirection – Cersei wouldn’t want Arryn to write a letter to anyone, no matter if she had a hand in it or not.

    I think, though, they realized that it would just be too damn long between this scene and before the big LF reveal (4 years???). And 90% of people would believe it was Cersei after this scene… So it would be a pretty long red herring to keep up.

  54. Isabelle,
    That theatre is very near one where Richard Madden (Robb Stark) is appearing soon. Plus a friend of mine saw Sophie Turner (Sansa) in the street in that area a little while ago. Stark family reunion, it’s happening people, unfortunately just not all at the same time! 😉

  55. Tyrion the Myrion,

    Oh shut up. It is distracting? Maybe you should stop watching the show with your nose in the air. Distracting. I watched that pilot probably 20 times and never affected me. Distracting, just shut up!

  56. Tyrion the Myrion,

    It makes sense though. Smart business. We have this new show that can be a hit. So put the new trailer for their best show and hopefully people will watch. I know you don’t care for the premise of the show Vinyl and that is fine. No one says you have to watch Vinyl to watch the trailer though.

  57. SO reading about this pilot (I didn’t know this), that they changed some of the actors.

    So this Tamzin Merchant was supposed to be Dany? I much prefer Emilia

    Does anyone know why they changed her?

  58. Shy Lady Dragon,

    Hello again Shy Lady Dragon,

    I am NOT Wimsey, obviously – but I have also been watching War and Peace and I am loving it. Like you, I read the book many many moons ago, but that book makes an impression regardless of time, I think. We already have had two installments on this side of the pond and of course I am hooked. Glad someone else is enjoying it too.

    Stargaryen

    You seem to have left your good manners at the door. Shut up? Duh? Hmm. Amazing what one can learn about humans from the way they post. Just keep swimming!

  59. JCDavis,

    Glad to know, M’lady!
    I remember watching a video with D&D and John Bradley and one of the Ds (I forgot which) said that, in his opinion, our Sam would play a great Pierre Bezukhov. I was so thrilled by the possibility. Unfortunately, BBC chose differently, not that it was a bad choice.
    I remember, while reading War and Peace, I was shocked when Tolstoy called Napoleon “the short fat man, in grey coat”. I understand why he did that, but I have always loved history and Napoleon is one of my favourite personalities.

  60. Deesensfan,

    My understanding about the change to Emilia C is that, though Tamzin was good, she was too one dimensional in her depiction of Dany’s growth from meek little pawn sister to awesome dragon queen. D&D needed someone that was convincing throughout that growth process.

  61. Josh L.,

    Where I’m from if my friends and I are talking about RW, it’s usually Russel Wilson- or the Red Wedding. Worlds did indeed collide a year ago.

    I’m happy I’m not the only one who appreciates football on this board. I mean- I totally get it. It’s not for everyone. I’m a musician but I love sports, and grew up playing football. I can respect and appreciate the value in many forms of entertainment/accomplishment. Artistic, athletic, academic, civil… there are many ways to exhibit greatness and inspire people.

    Maybe this is why I have never understood the whole “book purist”/”show apologist” divide- at least as it manifests itself on the internet, with insults and condescension.

    Speaking of football. Where the hell is Hodor’s Bastard? His evil empire has fallen- (sorry not sorry Deesenfan)- so now his second favorite team moves on. I will be cheering for the Denver Dothraki and the great Khal Manning this time around. Let’s hope defense wins again.

  62. I would like to see that pilot. I love Jennifer Ehle, but I can’t imagine her as Catelyn. And not because she’s Elizabeth Bennett forever, I had no problem of integrating her in Zero Dark Thirty, The King’s Speech or Spooks.

  63. Sister Kisser:

    I’m a musician but I love sports, and grew up playing football.I can respect and appreciate the value in many forms of entertainment/accomplishment.Artistic, athletic, academic, civil…there are many ways to exhibit greatness and inspire people.

    I fully agree with you. I had been a huge soccer fan before some complicated matters (having nothing in common with the game itself) drove me away. And I know some esteemed academics, former professors of mine, who love soccer and other sports.

  64. Josh L.: GoT is already a cultural phenomena. If you’re not watching it, it’s not because you haven’t heard of it — it’s because you have already heard of it and it’s just not your thing.

    Hmmm, let’s see, that first season, when GoT first started airing, I was already an HBO fan, watched other shows on HBO, but the hype surrounding GoT just didn’t get to me, not interested. Dragons, knights, swords, really? Not I. I was much smarter than to be taken in by such fluff. Humph.

    But the Saturday afternoon before the 4th episode aired that following Sunday, they had a mini-marathon: the first 3 episodes back-to-back. I think that was an unusual thing at the time. The TV was already on as I was cleaning or something, and that first episode started to air.

    I looked up for a minute or two, intrigued by the panic of the Night’s Watchmen chasing down wildings, the strange, blue-eyed little girl, the scene of the carnage in the snow. Then flash to the family scene of the Starks in the Winterfell courtyard, then Sansa’s sewing practice and Arya’s spirited disenchantment with sewing.

    Hmmm. Nice music. I sat down for a minute, just to see if I needed to change the channel or if this would be worth watching. Well, of course, three hours later I was totally hooked and couldn’t wait for Sunday to come to see the next episode. I truly believe if they hadn’t aired all three episodes back-to-back, I might not have been so hooked, or would have forgotten to tune in on Sunday. But they did and I did tune in, and here I am. So here we all are. Nobody forgets to tune in now. We have a fookin countdown clock, even.

    That said, I think there can still be lots of new viewers, especially with the chance to binge-watch the prior episodes. I did that with “24.” (another network, I know, but the example applies) I kept reading the hype about the show, but didn’t tune in right away. Binge-watched the first few seasons, and when the new season started to air, I was there, right until the very end.

    I’ve been passing the time lately by watching “Ripper Street.” Just lovin’ Jerome Flynn/Bronn. It seems they make a point to cast GoT cast. Hell, I even paid on Amazon to watch the whole third season after I watched the first two for free. Now I’m trying to figure out how to get the fourth season, since it isn’t on Amazon yet.

    Everybody says a trailer for GoT may come at the end of January. It IS the end of January, damn. It’s a happy predicament, though. Somehow makes me light-hearted about other things, if that makes sense. Have a good day, everybody.

  65. Josh L.: This is actually the third straight year we’ve had a #1 vs #1 match-up in the Super Bowl.Granted, the first one (between Seattle Seahawks and Denver Broncos), which also featured Defense vs. Offense, was a bit of a blowout and was worth watching only to see how badly the Broncos could embarrass themselves.

    Last season, though, had an ending worthy of the Red Wedding itself, with the Seahawks poised to win their second consecutive Super Bowl only for the quarterback to throw an interception in the end zone, thus ensuring a victory for the Evil Empire themselves (New England Patriots).

    This year the two main storylines are 1) NFL’s History colliding with NFL’s Future (this is probably 5-time-MVP Peyton Manning’s final NFL game, and he’s going up against this year’s likely MVP Cam Newton who is poised to become the new face of the NFL) and 2) Defense vs. Offense (Denver is the #1 defense, Carolina is the #1 scoring offense).

    As for GoT trailers during the Super Bowl … I’d love to see it, but I don’t think it’d be worth the money for HBO.GoT is already a cultural phenomena.If you’re not watching it, it’s not because you haven’t heard of it — it’s because you have already heard of it and it’s just not your thing.

    HAHAHAHAHA. Did you just compare last season’s SB to the Red Wedding? lol!!! Priceless!! I love it!! Great comparison, especially for the utter shock of it all. I was happy though. I can’t stand the Seahawks (because I’m a 49ers fan)…and I like the Patriots (city of Boston fan)…so that ending was the best damn thing since spaghetti sauce to me. 🙂

    Interesting to me that this year, it’s DENVER coming in with the defense. I think that probably puts them in a better position to win as everyone knows: “offense wins game, defense wins championships.” But who knows? That’s the great thing about the SB….crazy things can happen (i.e. last year). Speaking of last year…here’s a “reaction” complication. 😉

  66. Bashful82:

    From an interview with Kit – he seems pretty adamant about being dead. If he – and the show – is playing everyone, I don’t think that will come across that well.

    Well, strictly speaking, he may be speaking truth. If certain storylines play out the way people are thinking, Jon SNOW is dead and staying that way.

  67. Ser Creighton Longbough: By the way, anybody seen BBC’s “And Then There Were None”? Charles Dance flawless as always. And talking about GoT actors, Burn Gorman was great too. Great cast, great show. Highly recommended! ?

    Oh, and I forgot Noah Taylor. He was on Game of Thrones too.

  68. Sister Kisser,

    Im on the love football boat as well.

    And listen, I am a sad and sorry Tennessee Titans fan, the Mace Tyrells of the league (i.e. the jokes of the league lol)
    However, I do like them pats

    I too, want Mr. Manning to take that ring. And I hope he is soooooooooo happy that he got that ring that he BUYS THE TITANS WOOT

    LOLS

  69. Stargaryen,

    Uhm,ok,i don’t know what’s with the random aggressive comment but i’m pretty sure i’m not the only one who pointed out those issues,even critics noticed those problems,which they are a problem as it is a continuity issue .

  70. Isabelle,
    Another friend saw Thingy Whatnot….er….Tobias Menzies (Edumre Tully) in a north London pub a couple of years ago*. I’m starting to think the Northern Houses and allies might be massing their forces here 😉

    * this was after S3 so he presumably survived his wedding night!

  71. Stargaryen,

    I know why they are doing it,i just don’t like it. I’m allowed not to like something right ? Also i think you are confusing me with someone else because i never said i didn’t care for Vinyl .

  72. Lulus Mum,

    Awesome! British people are so fortunate to be able to see those fine actors in the street, in pubs and, first of all, on stage! Do you live in London, Mum? Should I really envy you? 😉

  73. Shy Lady Dragon,

    Soccer is a great sport- it’s treated differently here in the states (probably because it’s not built well for advertising, unfortunately.) But it is growing in popularity, gradually. Some of my profs were at the forefronts of their field, doing cutting edge work and teaching in a top ten rated undergrad program, and they blew off steam playing ultimate frisbee. I got a couple of them to join our intramural softball team (we sucked as there were really only a couple of athletes- but it was fun). Point is- I agree, brainiacs can enjoy sports too.

    RosanaZugey,

    I cannot watch that, as I don’t need to relive it- and was likely in one of those videos. lol. Actually I had little time to mourn as my daughter was 5 at the time and totally devastated. I had to pull it together for her sake (it is just a game after all). But yeah, it was crushing. You loved it because we just dominate you every year 😉 I guess the enemy of your enemy is your friend?

    I am currently traveling outside Philly where they have been calling for Chip Kelly’s head on a spike for the last year. He’s headed your way- maybe he can find something useful to do with your QB? (heads, spikes, that sort of thing). Also, yes. Denver heavily invested in defense after ours obliterated their record setting offense on the biggest stage two years ago. Hoping this formula wins, but Manning has to find a way to keep his offense on the field and not give Cam the time he needs to find the weaknesses.

    Deesensfan,

    I would like to see the titans succeed. I have a cousin in Nashville and several former Hawks played there following stints in Seattle. Not sure if I can condone all the Pats enthusiasm though 😉 Surprised you’re not rooting for the Panthers tho…

  74. Sister Kisser,

    Aww thank you 🙂
    Mariota is showing promise.

    Honestly, I like the Panthers. And Cam. Who doesn’t?
    But you gotta hand it to manning, and what better way to end his phenomenal career.

  75. Shy Lady Dragon,
    I moved to London 30 years ago for college and never left. It’s certainly an enviable place to be culturally, but price and population-wise not so much! My work is very central, located near lots of theatres although *whispers* I’m not a theatre fan so I don’t go, sorry *guilty face*.

  76. Deesensfan,

    I know, you support Barca, don’t you?
    When I was a real fan, I liked many clubs and national teams, but my favourite were Juventus Torino, AC Milan and Manchester United (no particular order).

  77. Mihnea,

    There are many Americans on WOTW and I don’t want to sound confusing. Of course, I generally call it “football”, because I have nothing to do with his American “brother”.

  78. Deesensfan,

    Wow, my bad! I know it sounded as if I said horrible things about your parents and siblings 🙂
    I remember that you were talking with some guys (Mihnea was one of them, I think) and I was wondering how Madrid and Barca fans can be so friendly to one another. I just forgot which side you were, LOL!

  79. Be a shame but if they ever did a prequel then I think he’d be a bit old for the role of Jon Arryn. Not sure how the plot would have worked with Cersei getting involved but I guess her behaviour would have added to the expectation that it was the Lannisters who poisoned him and Cersei was probably on the way to do something similar because she found out that he’d found out her secret. Being the nasty piece of work she is then that sort of maliciousness would have been in character.

  80. I was very happy to see New England lose. Bart Starr is the only QB to win five championships, and I don’t want to see him have to share that distinction with the likes of Tom Brady!

Comments are closed.