Monday, April 29, 2013

TV Discussion: Week of 4/28/2013 - 5/4/2013


Hello TV Addicts!  Here's our weekly place to discuss the non-recapped shows.  I'm assuming we'll be getting into some pretty intense Game of Thrones discussions.  We have some book readers and some non-book readers.  So, we'll try to precede any book stuff with a "SPOILER WARNING".   See you in the comments!

55 comments:

Mike V. said...

Watched Grimm, ONCE and Game of Thrones. Probably won't get to Mad Men until Tuesday.

Game of Thrones was phenomenal. So many great scenes from the book brought to life this week. Highlights obviously was Jaime Lannister's confession (does a total 180 right in front of our eyes), and the marriage arrangements in King's Landing.

I hyped up a teaser for Season 3 of Game of Thrones when I said season 1 was "Winter is Coming"...Season 2 was "War is Coming"...and said season 3 should have been "W's Are Coming".... I think I can finally say that the W stood for WEDDINGS! :-)

Tons of stuff to discuss and I will later when I get some time!

Anonymous said...

Only saw last part of GoT, loved it when Tywin turned to Cersei after she was happy Tyrion was being told what to do---SHE(not Margeary) is to marry Loras--LOL. Her surprise/horror was just great.

Poor Rob, loosing half his army. Then wants to go to Frey to get help!! Really, does he think Frey will trust him again???

Grimm--FINALLY got to this ep. Hate the new 10PM time slot. Adelaide was great, she wants her powers back. Again, the Juliette thing is being drawn out way too long. In some ways, to me anyway, I think it's because I don't like the actress that much. Lots going on.

LOVED the Vikings season finale, but hated that it came too soon and that the next season is too far away. Rollo siding against his brother and Ragnar's many betrayals made betrayals a central theme. Legarthe leading her people through the sickness was great to see, Siggy and her loosing their daughters was not.

I think the raven being seen by Bjorn was a critical point, it was like Odin moving his blessings from Ragnar to Bjorn after Ragnar's betrayals. It's possible the sickness at Ragnar's homeland was due to his betrayals. The sickness stopped after Legarthe's sacrifice. Obviously not sure though. Ragnar did have a 2nd wife that bore him children and she is said to have come from this area.

War is on the way. Again, way too long until it comes back.

Richard

Mike V. said...

GoT - Yeah...any lannister scene is awesome but this one was fabulous. Once the scene started, I propped up in my seat in anticipation because I knew what was coming. lol Now, of course, once again Cersei was arranged in a marriage in the books but it wasn't to Loras. I think again it was to that other Tyrell that Sansa was planning to be set up with. Loras is king's guard so he technically can't be married. But, maybe their intention is to remove him from King's Guard in the show or something. Whatevs. lol

I'm assuming you're going to go back and watch the entire episode, right? lol It was a great one. I'll be talking about the rest below.

The Arya/Men without Banners scenes were awesome. The big fight with the flaming sword scaring the hell out of the Hound. The death and rise of Beric Dondarrion (6 times over!)....all fantastic stuff. The bittersweet goodbye between Gendry and Arya. Happened in a different setting in the books but still happened.

The Jaime/Brienne stuff was fantastic. That was straight from the books. It's amazing that they can have such long scenes of dialogue in this show and have it be as gripping as an action scene. So much great information about Dany's father The Mad King and how "MAD" he truly got. And of course Grand Maester Pycelle having a hand in the sack of King's Landing. But to learn why Jaime stabbed the King in the back after he swore an oath to protect him....well it totally changes perspective on Jaime. Sure, it doesn't change the fact that he threw Bran out a window.....but it does make you root for the guy. And then there's Jaime/Brienne forming a very close bond while literally baring all. Great stuff.

We see Roose Bolton in more of a commanding role instead of taking orders from Robb Stark. He even made use of Qyburn, the former maester who was still captive at Harrenhal when they Robb's men freed him. That scene with Jaime getting his stump burned.....ouch!!! All straight from the book. The one thing you don't get is his inner monologue where he refused Milk of the Poppy so that no one took more of his arm than he wanted gone.

Robb vs. Karstark....all great stuff...all from the books. I think it was different Lannister kids in the book, but they were still Lannisters but irrelevant Lannisters. Robb loses half his army and is inspired to get help from Walder Frey. I agree with Richard....doesn't seem like a bright idea. But, you never know I guess! :-) (Let's just let this one play out lol)

Oh yeah we didn't even discuss Tyrion and Sansa being betrothed....Tyrion, always the standup Lannister, can't imagine how this is going to affect Sansa. Well, he can imagine...and feels totally guilty about it. Doesn't help that Sansa's handmaiden is Shae, the woman he loves. And of course, he brought up his 1st marriage to Tywin and it is clear how much he still pains from that. Definitely an interesting storyline to keep tabs on!

I'm sure there is tons more but that's enough for now!

Grimm - At least Juliette is starting to get memories back now. But, yeah...at this point it'll be drawn out to the finale. I thought it was going to be a half season memory lapse...but no they made it last all season. lol Doesn't matter to me that it's on Tuesday at 10 now. I'll probably still watch it in the mornings. I never watched Friday night either!

Vikings - Not caught up to the finale yet but I did just watch where they went up against the King. Rollo got baptised, Ragnar's wife lost the baby (i'm guessing they'll somehow connect these 2 with the gods being angry at Rollo). Lots of good action.... Should be wrapped up by Wednesday! Then I'll read your comment. lol

Mike V. said...

GoT - Can't believe I didn't even bring up the Jon Snow stuff!! Broke his vows to prove he is no longer a crow. Of course, there were probably some inner urges and conflict there too. All of this is straight from the book too (but of course you get Jon's inner monologye as well). He's definitely falling for the woman who was "kissed by fire"....I believe the whole act and discussion about him going "downtown"...was not from the book and just an HBO-ization lol. But, GRRM did write some disturbing stuff in that category as well so it may have been in there. lol

The big telling moment that Jon is still loyal to the Night's Watch is when he's ratting out who's in what castle. I believe that information is accurate, but he said there were 1000 men at Castle Black...that is far from the truth, if I recall.

AUStarwars said...

easily the best GOT ever, up there with Blackwater, and imho above it

Mike V. said...

Agreed. It was really good. Definitely 2 different types of episodes when comparing it to Blackwater. Of course Blackwater did get deep into character stuff by focusing on one story for an entire episode. But this one just had some really good writing, some great acting, and HUGE character development. And the Trial by Combat to open up the episode was pretty fantastic as well. :)

Anonymous said...

GoT, some book stuff SPOILERS!!




I didn't think C got married around this time and knew it wasn't Loras, so when his name was brought up, it was a surprise. I don't remember her getting remarried at all. She becomes a sort of wreck, doesn't she--particularly after T is killed.

Richard

MJ said...

GofT - Loved Cersei's face when Papa Tywin told her she was marrying Loras. And how weird that if the marriage goes thru then her son will be a brother-in-law and step son to her new husband. Of course this whole plan is based on them thinking Bran and Rickon are dead and assuming Robb will die leaving Sansa in charge. LOL

Brienne charging Jamie in the bath was a good time, but eww when they showed his stump. Interesting story about how/why he killed the Mad King. And who knew Jon Snow was a virgin ! Damn - he had plenty of time before joining the nights watch - just saying. The guy who fought the Hound was brililant to light that sword on fire - totally freaked Hound out. Shocked me that that guy keeps being brought back from the dead. So theya re going to take her to Riverrun to ransom her to Robb, but now Robb is talking about going to Castley Rock!

Dany - don't know why the even bothered to have the scene with her talking to the head soldiers about their names. Just to say she was in the ep ? Robb taking that guy's head reminded me of S1 when Ned took someone's head. Figuring there is a reason for them to introduce Stannis's little girl all of a sudden ? We shall see I guess. Have to say though - totally forgot that he has a wife ! And I forgot that Tyrion was married.


Once - damn that Regina sure is evil. Don't know why they keep trying to make her seem sympathetic - just let it go and leave her evil - she's more fun that way. I got lost though when Regina tells Henry that she's gonna leave town with him and let everyone in Storybrook die ? Why would she tell him that ?


Grimm - thought that this weeks name was funny Volcanis (or something like that) was funny since it was about volcanoes. I'm over Juliette seeing Nick everywhere - but did LOL when he popped up in the car too. But Poor Nick - he was like a puppy kicked when she told him to leave her alone. Hoepfully we're done with all that now. So when they've been talking about Adalinds baby's worth I didn't think they meant literally. I somehow thought they were talking politically since it's either half or 1/4th royal. Loved Renard's line about the book - are there more of these ?

Anonymous said...

Grimm,
I thought it interesting a boy would be worth 500, and a girl 750.

Seriously, the show has to be pretty good to keep me involved DESPITE the Juliette thing this year.

Richard

Mike V. said...

GofT - NON-Book stuff First lol

Right...I meant to bring that up...Tywin assumed Bran and Rickon are dead just like the assumption is in the books. Even though in the show Theon killed the ravens. I don't know why they had him kill those ravens!! lol I guess to show a sympathetic side to his character. But yes...the plan is based on assuming that Sansa is the last living Stark. Remember they don't know if Arya is alive either. Of course, Littlefinger does based on his brief encounter last season (not in the books) Not sure if I'm following your relationship math with Joffrey though. lol I'm sure it has something to do with incest! lol

Jon Snow being a virgin was actually brought up in season 1 too. He and Sam had a discussion about it while cleaning up the mess hall. He also talked about there being one girl where he "ALMOST" did something but didn't. Sam got all excited by the story. lol You have to keep in mind, Jon is much younger in the books than he is on the show! A lot of the kids are. Dany is actually 13 in the books but they aged her up due to some of the things she had to go through. Robb and Jon were around the same age and were like 15 at the start of the books.

The fiery sword may or may not have intentionally been done to freak out the Hound. It's all about the god that they follow..the Lord of Light (same as Mellisandre). A Flaming sword is a big part of their faith. And there is a prophecy around it too. lol

I loved the musical chairs they played with Arya in the books. She kept trying to get to her brother or mother and they kept moving on her. As for them going to Casterly Rock next, no comment! :)

Dany - Yeah, they do that with Dany on occassion..and Jon too. Just briefly cut to them. There was a big scene with Jorah and Barristan too that was important. But that scene was taken straight from the books with Dany. Get used to her being all anti-slavery. That's all I'm gonna say! lol (and I think I've said it before. lol)

Robb was definitely following after his Father's mantra when he took Karstark's head off. He who passes the sentence should wield the sword. Stannis being married yeah...and his daughter....yeah it's not a big part of the story (yet) that I know of...but the fact that she has a disease called grey scale definitely comes into play in later books.

As for Tyrion being married before...yeah it's a big defining moment for him becoming the person he is. I would keep it in the back of your head. Stick it in storage for a rainy day! lol

Mike V. said...

ONCE - Regina definitely is evil...but I guess they were showing that there was a chance for her to become NON-Evil...but her previous deeds had already done her in when Snow saw what she did. But I agree..she's more fun evil. As for her telling Henry everything. She did it because she had no one else to tell...and she wiped his memory anyway. lol

GRIMM - I felt the same thing about the baby worth. And agree on Renard's line. lol

*****GofT - BOOK SPOILERS!!! *****(seriously, don't read if you haven't read! lol)

Yeah...that's why it doesn't really matter who she's engaged to because it never really comes to pass. But they pretty much wrote out the other Tyrell siblings for the TV show. Makes sense. There's so many characters, there's no sense in introducing one that doesn't even come into play. If he happens to come into play in books 6 or 7 then the show will just find another way to introduce him like they did with the Reeds.

But yes...Cersei inevitably gets too much power and totally proves her idiocy! lol Can't believe we're probably going to have to wait until the end of NEXT season to see that T moment!! In a way I'm glad because C.D. (the actor) is awesome on this show...but, I just can't wait to see that scene!!

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mj said...

GofT. Loras would be Joffreys bro in law since Joffrey marries his sister, and step dad if lorras marries Joffreys mom.

Mike V. said...

Oh duh...my bad. lol That makes sense!

Anonymous said...

The Following-Debra died, very sad. I doubt anyone believes Joe's dead(even with "initial" DNA/dental records)--although some of his remaining followers might want revenge as a storyline for S2? So, where's Joey-- Claire and Ryan but no Joey--and why couldn't they turn a light on when noises were heard. Claire/Ryan stabbed at the end--will both of them make it?

Richard

Mike V. said...

The Following - Yeah it was said that Debra died...but it was so drawn out. How long was the car scene where they kept saying "hold on we're almost there" over and over again?!?! lol Yeah, I seriously doubt Joe's dead. They could do like half the season next year where the followers want revenge and then Joe pops up as a surprise in the middle of the season. Once I saw the fire....i knew they were going to go for the "Mystery" of if Joe died or not. Probably the person that confirmed he was dead is a follower or something stupid like that. I did forget about the neighbor so the cliffhanger kinda surprised me. Well, surprise is the wrong word...I knew there would be a cliffhanger! lol

As for the son...Ryan made a comment to the Police/FBI that he'd bring claire to his apartment "TONIGHT" and they'd fly out to meet Joey TOMORROW. So, he was in some other location.

VIKINGS - Watched "SACRIFICE"...good episode! I figured Leif was in for a big plot since he was in the "previously on"...those are getting about as spoilerish as the "NEXT ON" clips. lol The priest definitely went through some changes....but his Christianity allowed him to escape the sacrifice! All I have now is the finale...will watch tomorrow morning. Glad I watched the show though. Thanks for the recommendation, Richard!

Anonymous said...

Vikings--How long do you think King Horace(I think I've got the name right?) will be King, ie before Ragnar takes his place? Compare your thoughts after this ep and the finale. I would be interested to know if you get a difference.

Richard

Mike V. said...

Vikings - Yeah, I assumed the King would take the Earl's place as Ragnar's rival next season. So probably some time next season he would be replaced. We'll see! And I will keep that in mind for the finale!

MJ said...

Following - great ep, that hour went really fast. Thought they'd wimp out and save Debra, but glad that sniper missed Mike. Alex's beat down was hard to watch, but I have to admit I was surprised that Ryan actually shot him ! And how crazy was Joe stabbing the crap out of that guy just to illustrate to Claire how the deaths are not her fault. Great acting by that actresss too when she revealed the guilt she feels. Loved the line 'I've been stabbed with a knife and a fork' - I somehow never put it together that way. LOL Wasn't surprised that Molly was there in the end to kill Ryan - he and Claire are soooo alive for next year though. But Joe - I can't decide if he made it. I know they said they had his DNA - but come on - it's Joe ! has to be alive, right ? Emma with hair looked so odd ! LOL

Joey was with her parents - Illinois maybe - but he was taken to her parents after she was kidnapped.

MJ said...

Vikings - taped a bunch sunday - have only watched 4 eps. So far so good.

Mike V. said...

The Following - MJ, it's funny we were surprised and not surprised by the opposite things. lol This show is so ridiculously adamant about doing controversial things to the point that it's comical, that I just assumed Ryan would shoot him. But, they kept Molly out of the whole episode so I totally forgot about her when it came to that final scene. In hindsight, I should've seen it coming! lol

But yeah, I have no doubt that Joe will return next season. If you've noticed, there have been no Post Mortem interviews with the actor on the entertainment sites today. It was "early DNA" and dental records. But, we know there was another body in that house too. I think I'm right on with how they'll do it next year. His reveal will come later into season 2 giving his followers a chance to shine with Revenge killings.

The knife and fork line was pretty good, I will admit! lol

But yeah, I'll probably continue to watch next season...but it's definitely not my favorite show. Shockingly, my wife actually likes it more than me. I was talking to a friend at work who feels the same way about it as I do...and his wife loves it too! So, maybe there's something to that. :)

MJ said...

HIMYM - how could I forget! Ralph macchio stuff was pretty funny. I did figure out half way thru that this could not really be his bachelor party - but all that stuff was fabulous ! Forgot that Barney's mom is the actress from AHS ! Love that it was called 'The Barney' to counter The Robin.

Following - we women have become a bloodthirsty lot ! LOL

Mike V. said...

HIMYM - I forgot too! lol It was a funny episode. Yeah, the party did seem a bit too lame to be real but it was hysterical. Loved the William Zabka reveal at the end of the episode. I remember the episde either earlier this season or last season when he went on the rant about the villains being the true heroes of his favorite movies. lol

And yeah, Francis Conroy...I never really made the connection either that it was the same actress as the AHS one. She was also on 6 Feet Under, but I never really got into that show (saw the finale though lol).

mj said...

Don`t forget Grimm is on tonight! Hope they don`t lose ratings

Mike V. said...

Never seen a show move from Friday to a different day before so the ratings will be interesting. I know they did do a few Monday shows this year.

I probably won't be watching tonight as I never watched on Fridays anyway. But, I'll get to it eventually!

New Girl and Mad Men (from Sunday) tonight for me. And Vikings finale tomorrow morning! So, maybe Grimm Thursday morning. lol

Leslie said...

The Following – I also doubt Joe is really dead, then again, maybe that's what they want us to think! But, Mike is probably right. It will be a mystery going into the second season before the reveal.

I remembered about Ryan’s neighbor, so that part didn’t surprise me especially when all was calm when there were still several minutes left in the show! I liked the knife and fork line, too, but also when Ryan was telling Joe to kill him because nobody would be expecting that he would kill the hero because that would be unpredictable! Made me wonder if the writers read any of the comments out there! lol For a second, I didn’t recognize Emma with the long hair and glasses.

Revenge – MJ, I finally got caught up again! Did you watch last night? Good ABC cross promotion with the Nightline interview.

Mad Men – Now we know for sure when it is...April 1968. Funny that they had Paul Newman at the awards dinner as a spec that you couldn’t recognize! Awkward moment when Joan hugged Dawn. The insurance guy (who played Ethan) was another kind of weird on this show. I guess one too many LSD trips! Too funny when Don took Bobby to see Planet of the Apes which “respected” his no TV watching punishment.

Didn’t watch Once or Revolution yet.

Mike V. said...

MM - Didn't watch yet but I had to read your comment about the date! lol So usually each episode is about a month apart. We started around Christmas/New Year's so that seems to be the case here. So it all makes sense making the final season 1969 going into 1970. Good stuff!

Mike V. said...

The Following - Interview with the Executive Producer. Scoop about Joe and a "very different" season 2. I haven't read it yet just passing along

http://tvline.com/2013/04/30/the-following-season-2-spoilers-joe-carroll-future-revealed/

Mike V. said...

Mad Men - Ahh, now I know why you knew it was April 1968! The news breaking out felt very similar to how they did the Kennedy assassination. But, obviously the results and paranoia was different. But yeah...Don taking Bobby to Planet of the Apes was fantastic. And then him explaining the end and Bobby's reaction. Good stuff. Then Don admitting that he felt nothing for his children...until that moment. Does he get points for honesty!? lol Yeah...Ethan's Insurance Guy character was pretty nuts. I would agree...probably doped a little too much. lol Couldn't figure out the Peggy home hunt....if she got turned down because it was a woman trying to buy a house or something. But, regardless she found out her man didn't want to live there so they'll be looking elsewhere. I guess we're going to see Betty trimming off the rest of her weight soon to be a senator's wife!

Grimm - I actually watched last night, even though I was kinda sleepy. Crazy "vessen" with the whole glowing blue alien thing. Monroe had intel on the keys which was interesting and they connected it to Germany. Juliette got more memories and is starting to remember the "Grimm" conversation. Still stretching that out as far as possible!! It was a decent episode, but I don't know if it would have converted many new Tuesday fans. I did notice how they did the whole "super intro" to try and catch new viewers up. They actually did a good job, but we'll see how effective it was.

Going to watch the Vikings finale now!

Anonymous said...

MM, Leslie, liked your comments--Yea the guy from LOST was definitely out there. Don confessing his problems with kids, while I understand it something in me says--grow up and get over it. So, we have learned a lot about why Don is the way he is, raised in a whore house too. Cooper breaking up the fight was great. I'm glad they included the line that MLK wouldn't like all the violence that was occurring. Looks like Betty wants to get back into shape. As typical with MM there is just so much going on that I could comment a lot more.

GoT--Finished it last night. It was really weird watching Roose Bolton welcoming Jamie(who is an enemy) so well and condemning the guy who caught him. I have been waiting for the bath scene--pretty good, but too many tears for me. Why didn't Robb listen to those around him about Carstark. The resurrection scene was also one I was waiting for. Great ep.

Thanks for reminding about Grimm tonight. I hope I can stay up.

Richard

Anonymous said...

oh well, just read Mike's last post and remembered it's WED--missed Grimm last night--totally forgot it moved. See when it makes OnDemand.

Richard

Mike V. said...

@Richard - I'm sure we've discussed this before, but you don't have a DVR? It would sure make your life simpler! lol

Game of Thrones - I'm afraid to comment too much on some of your observations because I feel I'd hint at spoilery things (that you know about as well!). lol So, I'll just say I agree. lol Though, I do disagree with the bath scene. I thought it was done perfectly. Robb got egged on by Karstark...and his advisors don't exactly have the best track record. (Edmure was clumsy in battle, Catelyn freed Jaime Lannister, and his new wife is not exactly a master strategist.) Of course, I don't remember Blackfish throwing in his 2 cents. In the end, I think it was him looking to what his father would have done in the situation. But yeah, things are certainly going in an interesting direction for the young Wolf.

Vikings - All finished! Very entertaining season. I guess we were supposed to tie together Ragnar's indiscretions with the other woman to all of the trouble back on the home front. His daughter died, Siggy's daughter died, among many other of his people. And now this other girl is pregnant...that was hinted at in the previous episode when he kept it generic when praying "Who will bear me my sons?" or something like that. Should be interesting to see what happens there. And then of course Rollo agreed to fight with Jarl (was that is title?? I think so lol)....but he also agreed work for the Earl previously. So, I'll believe it when I see it! Just read your comments...looks like you came to a similar conclusion.

The raven going to Bjorn...I wasn't sure what to think there. But you could be right with the blessings being moved to him. It is a long time until it comes back...but at least there are plenty of other things to keep us occupied!

I have to decide what I'm going to watch next: Bates, Americans, or something else.....

Anonymous said...

GoT, I think the only thing Catelyn may have gotton wrong was releasing Jaime. She didn't want Robb to break his vow to Frey. And those around him have lost respect because of it. She arranged for him to be able to use the 2 towers crossing in the first place so that they could get a big win in battle. Lots more she got right too.

I think you're right about why he did it, but I'm not sure Eddard would have done it. I doubt Eddard would have been in that position anyway since he married Catelyn--an arranged marriage, ie kept his vows and kept respect. I agree, nobody takes Edmure seriously or should anyway. I can't remember what Blackfish said either, but he seemed to not like the idea by his body language--at least that's the replay in my feeble mind--lol.

Could he be at the towers in the next ep to try and get Frey on his side?

Vikings--when you study Ragnar in history you find that his sons were also key in history--famous in their own right. I love how real life(or close to) can make for such a compelling show.

Richard

Mike V. said...

GoT - Yes, I will agree that Catelyn is giving Rob sound advice, but I'm also explaining WHY he wouldn't listen to her. As for Catelyn not making other boneheaded moves....let's talk about how she kidnapped Tyrion and falsely accused him of attempting murder on her son Bran, essentially causing the death of her husband and being partly responsible for sparking the War of the 5 Kings. She reacts emotionally most of the time...and probably explains why Robb did the same thing in this instance. I don't think Robb's vow breaking had anything to do with the situation he was in. Maybe minor part. But it was more Jaime killing a Karstark in his escape attempt, and Catelyn letting Jaime go that caused daddy Karstark to get all hot and bothered.

*******BOOK STUFF (SPOILERS!)*******

Anyway...as for Robb going to Frey in the next episode...I'm not sure. If it's anything like the book, a Frey will come to them first with a "proposal". I already know Episode 9 will be "THE EPISODE"...just like it is every season. So next week is episode 6. It wouldn't surprise me if we skip Robb's story in the next ep. But, if they do cover something, I think they need to set up Edmure's role in all of what's about to happen. I know GRRM wrote episode 7 this season....that episode was originally titled "Autumn Rains"...if I do recall...a lot of raining happens across the Riverlands in Arya's storyline and the Robb/Catelyn stuff leading up to a certain "ARE DOUBLE U" (say it outloud...I'm getting crafty even with my vague spoilers) lol

So much exciting stuff about to go down, I can hardly contain myself!

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Mike V. said...

Vikings - Agreed...a lot of drama can come from dramatizing real life events. I will have to read up on Ragnar's escapades one of these days. lol

Anonymous said...

With Vikings done this season, GoT is really the only show I can't wait to see every week. Although I like MM, I don't just love it. I think with the success of GoT and Vikings we will likely see some copy cat shows--I just hope they're good. But even too much of a good thing can be bad. BTW, I think an arguement can be made that GoT or Vikings is more like LOST than many realize. It's not the swords, etc is my point. It's more the quality of the total package of scripted shows and some level of mystery/unknown helps. For example, we talk about the ravens, the trees and the bears--LOL.

Good Point about Catelyn contributing to the start of the war. But other characters in the show have questioned him/his capability over his breaking of his vow. Karstark has had a hard time with Jaime's release, but he even criticized Rob over breaking his vow.


Book Stuff--
I love the "license plate" code. I was wondering if autumn rains might have some to do with Castemere, but now ???. Do you know for certain ep9, not ep7 is it? If it is ep9 we will likely be pursuing a lot of other storylines in the next few eps

Richard

Mike V. said...

Agreed ....Game of Thrones is really the ONLY show I've been looking forward to in a long time. I totally agree that LOST and GoT are in the same wheelhouse. Especially in terms of creating very good characters....having you despise certain characters at one point and doing complete 180s on them the next. LOST was definitely bigger in the "mystery" aspect...but there definitely are those aspects to Game of Thrones too. Of course, Martin has publicly said he doesn't want to "pull a LOST" with how he ends his story. Damon Lindelof was very hurt by that comment...especially since he had just started reading Game of Thrones when he heard about it. lol Anyway...I still loved the LOST ending!! But, I'll give GRRM extreme kudos if he can tie everything together the way he wants to.

Yes...in the land of Ice and Fire...breaking vows is not something to take lightly. We have Robb who has broken a vow, Jaime who broke a vow and even Ser Jorah Mormont who has been exiled for selling slaves. I'm not saying Robb is in the right here...I'm just saying that there are reasons why he's not listening to advice from his immediate council. He probably is a bit arrogant from his victories too and thinking he can do no wrong...and that probably led to his decision as well.

****************Book Stuff***********DON'T READ IT!!!!! I MEAN, SERIOUSLY. SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER!! ****************************************

I'm fairly certain that an episode called "The Rains of Castermere" (episode 9) will definitely be the event we've been anticipating. I had originally thought that episode 7 would be it when it was entitled Autumn Rains. It's titled something else now...i forget what. There's plenty of stuff to cover before RW. They like to have climactic season moments in the 9th episodes. Ned's beheading in season 1, Blackwater in season 2. And then the 10 ep shows the fallout and sets up the next season. But there's tons of stuff to cover with Arya getting kidnapped by the hound. Jon climbing the wall and possibly Bran's warging interactions with him South of the Wall. Dany's continued trip in Slaver's bay....Tyrion/Sansa's wedding. The events on Dragonstone with "Gendry" we're guessing. And of course...that leaves next season open to Joffrey's royal wedding, the introduction of THE VIPER, possibly Arya heading to Braavos (even though that is book 4/5), Sansa's escape, the trial of Tyrion, Tyrion's escape...etc... I would think episode 9 of season 4 would probably be Tyrion's escape from King's Landing and the events that transpire in that process. Meaning the Purple Wedding would be an earlier event in season 4. Just my guess. So much meaty stuff in that book!!!

Mike V. said...

wish i could edit comments and add stuff! lol

*************** MORE BOOK STUFF!!!!********************************SPOILERS!!!



I'm thinking Jon's defense of The Wall against the Wildlings will be held until season 4 as well.






**************************************************************************

Mike V. said...

Ratings for Grimm. Good and Bad news story. lol At least it won its hour in the key demo.

http://insidetv.ew.com/2013/05/01/grimm-tops-rivals-with-tuesday-move/

MJ said...

Following - oh yeah - Leslie, I also loved Ryan saying 'no one expects the hero to die'. Too funny.

Revenge - I am caught up as well. It's been better these past few weeks. Victorias face was classic when that reporter outted her. The actress who plays Emily has such an expressive face - you could almost see her pain when she put that ring back on. With Takeda not being happy with Quinn I'm wondering if he'll be around much longer. Also - Victoria going to Nolan for help? Wow. But how can she promise gving him Nolcorp back? It's not like she can manipulate Daniel like she used to. Stupid with Charlotte though - like really - she doesn't even like this girl and she just decided to ditch on her boyfriend and go paryting with her ?

I haven't watched Revolution either. Too much stuff. LOL

Grimm - I'm dating myself now but the glow aliens shape reminded me of an old show Alien Nation. I kinda laughed when Monroe saw that little picture on the key and immediately recognized it as belonging to this map of Germany! Really? lol Saw those ratings too.

Bates has def been good, with good creepy factor. Kinda have us guessing a bit which is odd since we kinda know the story. Americans has been good drama - some eps better than others - but interesting. Def nothing else like it on tv right now. Hannibal - it's ok - my interest has waned a bit honestly, but it's had its moments.

Vikings - still haven't watched more than the first 4.

Personally, I cannot wait for Breaking Bad's final season.

Mike V. said...

Grimm - I totally remember Alien Nation. Didn't watch it, but I definitely remember what the aliens looked like! Yeah...I guess tying the key to Germany is a stretch! lol But, I guess he really studied those maps before! :-)

Thanks for the updates on the other shows. I'll probably watch bates next...I mean it's Carlton Cuse!! lol I've heard he did put LOST easter eggs in the show...so I'll be on the look out for those.

Oh yeah...I'm totally excited for Breaking Bad's final 8 episodes. I actually would like to rewatch the series before then. So, maybe that will be my summer treadmill show! lol Looking forward to "Talking Bad" too!! :-)

mj said...

New Girl - some very funny stories of the firsts. End was great - rut-roh.

Anonymous said...

Grimm--well I finally watched and it opened up a lot of background with the origins of the grimms and the keys. I thought it was a great ep, maybe because not so much Juliette--LOL-"what's a grimm?" Still not clear on exactly why the capt wants to stop the royals from getting what's buried, maybe I was distracted when they discussed. But, they have 4 keys from basically grimms they killed. So, we can see where the storyline is going now, 2 keys with unknown locations and 4 from the royals to put the entire map together.

Richard

Mike V. said...

New Girl - Yep, loved the episode. And the "RUT RO" right at the end. Apparently they just kept the camera rolling and purposefully had no dialogue just to see what awkward things Nick and Jess would do. Good stuff. All of the first times were hysterical. CeCe with Mick Jagger "Nope, not embarassing, just love telling that story" LOL

Grimm - Richard, I didn't catch it either but I was iPad-ing (is that a verb?) while watching so I may have been a bit distracted! lol

Bates Motel - Watched the first ep this morning. Really enjoyed it! I know the critics beat this one up just because it's a "prequel" and we already know how it ends up. For me, it didn't cause me any unenjoyment or distractions. Just felt like some good creepy drama to me! And of course awkward teenage drama as well with the high school factor. Carlton Cuse has me hooked!

mj said...

No ipading is not a verb and lets please not start it being one. Lol

Bates - glad u are enjoying

Grimm - don`t think they have revealed why capt and his brother at odds or why they are opposing eachother yet

Mike V. said...

Oh come on!!! lol :)

MJ said...

No ! You can't have it ! LOL

New Girl - Had to be brief earlier. Laughed at young CeCe and Jess seeing the guys in bar years ago too, and them getting stuck in the mini golf house-thing. But - young Schmidt and Nick - with all that lube and falling all over eachother - i was crying laughing. But - I'm confused. Jess and Nick have had sex before this haven't they ? Why do I remember they going to their seperate rooms, both storming out into the hall and then going into one room ?

Mike V. said...

LOL fine, but it's becoming quote the epidemic with my TV watching!

New Girl - Yeah the Schmidt/Nick stuff was hysterical, agreed! lol I don't think Jess and Nick had done the deed yet. They got close one night. I think they had another make-out session. I do remember some doors being slammed and stuff like that but no, since this was an episode of "FIRSTS" I'm thinking it was their first too. lol So, of course, this has previously been known to be a "jump the shark" moment for a lot of shows. Friends survived it....I'm sure New Girl will have some tricks up its sleeve to keep things fresh as well. Obviously, just because they've "done it" doesn't mean they're a couple yet! lol And even if that eventually does happen, they're so dysfunctional that I'm sure it will bring some high comedy. lol

Mike V. said...

Had to share this. Lego Breaking Bad (totally not real, but still impressive! lol)

http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-57582575-1/breaking-bad-lego-video-game-parody-is-breaking-badass/?part=rss&subj=news&tag=title

Anonymous said...

GoT - please help me! I have watched the bath scene three times, and still can't make out some critical parts of the conversation. mike would you mind giving me a mini recap of the story of why he killed the mad king?

I have been reading the comments but have not had time to comment since I started a new job.

I have finally seen all of Season 4 of sons of anarchy on Netflix, am I caught up? Is there a season 5 I have not seen?

I am also getting caught up on Breaking Bad, almost done with season 2.

Mad Men, what is there to say except why do I still keep pulling for the cheating, mentally tortured Don Draper???

Once -I am getting bored.

Watching the Following but have not seen this weeks episode yet. Did see a peak in the comments on what's happening, I need to watch that tonight.

How is the BABY??? Email me a current photo!!!

Cajun (Lu)


HIMYM - Ditto. Meet her already!

Thanks Mike for keeping this open blog going. Also good job on identifying spoilers from GoT books.

Mike V. said...

@Cajun - Glad to see you're still keeping up with these comments. Just goes to show you never know who is reading this stuff! :-) And you're welcome for keeping it going. Okay, we'll save GoT for last.

Sons of Anarchy - Sorry to say, but there is a 5th season that just aired this past fall. Probably won't be available to stream until a few weeks into season 6 this fall. But, I'm sure the DVD/Blu will be available a few weeks before. Plus, if you're really hungry for more, you can always purchase each episode online and stream to your TV if you have a capable device! (iTunes, Amazon, etc...)

Breaking Bad, I think everything is available except the "first" 8 episodes of season 5 (the final 8 eps will air this August). I'm sure if you set your DVR for Breaking Bad, they'll run a marathon leading up to the final episodes.

The Following - This week was actually the season finale, not sure if you knew that! I'm 50/50 on that show, but I will keep watching next season!

Mad Men - Well he IS still DON DRAPER. lol

HIMYM - There's 2 eps left this season. Since we know next season is the last and we know he's supposed to meet the mother at Barney/Robin's wedding...I've been predicting that WE will meet the mother this season, but maybe we won't see TED actually meet her until next year's finale. But that doesn't mean we won't see Ted with the Mother before that. Maybe we'll just skip past the actual meeting. lol Just a crazy theory. In any case, I wouldn't be surprised if the cliffhanger this season is a quick introduction to the mother.

I sent you a few pictures of Parker Pants, and I think that went over well! :-) lol

I'll post this then do GofT

Mike V. said...

Game of Thrones - I know it can be tough to follow a lot of the history of Westeros (that is so important in the books) on the TV show. They're always talking about the Targaryan's reign and how Rob launched a rebellion that ended up dethroning him. The rebellion was actually sparked by the alleged kidnapping of Llyana Stark (Ned's sister) who was betrothed to Robert. Robert loved her so much, but there are theories that she didn't love him back. Based on what we've seen with arranged marriages in Westeros, it's a good bet. She was taken by RHAEGAR Targaryan, Dany's older brother. Both they and Viserys (golden crown) were children of Aerys Targaryan (The Mad King). Dany wasn't born until after Aerys was killed. She was born on Dragonstone during a massive storm (hence, STORMBORN) So Rob and Ned started their rebellion against the Rhaegar and the Mad King.

The battle details aren't too important here except for the fact that Robert killed Rhaegar in the field of battle with his war hammer and defeated their army, paving the way to King's Landing.

Tywin Lannister was the first to arrive at King's Landing. Grand Maester Pycelle (long beard dude, who Tyrion had his beard cut last season for being in the Queen's pocket), advised Aerys to open the doors to Tywin as he is a trusted Lannister. When Aerys took this advice, Tywin sacked the city (i.e. took over, and attempted a mutiny on the king). The Mad King had gone a little crazy over the years for who knows why. Jaime knew that Aerys had stashed wildfire all over the city (Wildfire is that green stuff that we saw Tyrion light up Stannis's fleet with at the Battle of Blackwater). When Aerys knew there was no hope left he ordered the guards to "BURN THEM ALL"....i.e. burn King's Landing to the ground along with all of the innocent men, women and children. He also ordered Jaime Lannister to him Tywin Lannister's head. (i.e. kill his father and burn the city). While Jaime had sworn an oath to protect Aerys Targaryan, he had his own code to stand by. And he made a decision to break his oath, kill the guard that was going to go launch the burning of the city....and then stab Aerys in the back while running away. Then he slit his throat for good measure. Hence, he became known as THE KINGSLAYER, which is not a compliment. He broke his vows....and it haunted him the rest of his life. Of course, Ned Stark was the first to arrive at the throne room and he found Jaime sitting in the throne. All Jaime needed to do was explain what happened, but he would never bow down to a Stark. The Lions and Wolves have always been rivals in the land of Westeros.

So, in other words, there is more to Jaime than meets the eye! Hope that helped a little. I may have gotten a few minor details wrong but that's the gist of it. There are special features on the DVD/Blu-Rays for season 1 and 2 that go into very awesome detail about the history of Westeros. It's really impressive what they did. They even talk about certain battle's from different House's perspectives so you can see the motivations of everyone involved. Pretty cool. All of this stuff, including the show, have only added to my enjoyment of the books. And of course the books have added to my enjoyment of the show as well. They are all great companions to each other.

Very in-depth world that George R.R. Martin has created.

MJ said...

Zombie run ! Medford NJ
http://www.runforyourlives.com/

Mike V. said...

That's awesome!! In my hometown too! :)

mj said...

Think i forgot to mention that Simpsons did a BB opening a few weeks ago. Was great - blue cupcakes with blue 'sprinkles' on them, and ended with Walt and Jessie sitting in a home being 'fumigated' watching the simpsons on tv.

Anonymous said...

That's helps a lot!!! Thanks!!!!