The Sword and Laser discussion

This was mentioned in podcast episode #63. Veronica and Tom discuss Game of Thrones and their perception that the show is better understood if you have read the books already. They then suggest that perhaps those of us watching who have not read the books might want to weigh in on this. I think it should be understood that this thread will have spoilers only if you have not watched the weekly installment on HBO (please no HBO Go spoilers, and please no spoiling from the books).

So obviously, I'm starting this because I have not read the books. My thoughts are that everything they have discussed this week that was important but perhaps easy to overlook (like the hair color thing) were perfectly obvious to me. Additionally, things they've mentioned in previous episodes of S&L - like how the dire wolves are connected to each of the people they belong to - have been pretty clear.

I should note, however, that I've watched quite a few HBO original series, and I've learned that in general they are normally so stuffed full of action that every scene counts - very little is a throwaway moment because they seldom have time to waste on throwaway moments.

So my thoughts are basically put the iPhone down, shut the laptop, and hit pause on the DVR if you want to go get a snack from the kitchen because when you miss a little, you will miss a lot. As a result of viewing in this way, I don't believe I've missed much if anything. I'd say the only challenge viewing this without already knowing the story is keeping up with who is who. I'm getting better at it, but in the first two episodes I occupied a lot of time just trying to get names and figure out which land is an enemy to which other land.

What does everyone else think?

I haven't read the books and I am loving the show. I was planning on reading it ahead of time and just didn't get around to it. I'm kind of glad at this point because everything I'm seeing on screen is new and exciting.

I don't feel like I'm having any problems following along. I do occasionally have an issue getting some of the characters straight and have to look at the HBO site to see who is who, but I used to have to do that on The Wire too. Any show with this many characters can be tough until the characters become familiar.

I had just as much trouble, if not more, keeping track of all the characters in the books, so that doesn't surprise me.

Shannon wrote: "I do occasionally have an issue getting some of the characters straight."

Having read the books doesn't necessarily help there. There are so many characters and names that I can't always automatically recognize which side character is supposed to be who.

It makes me feel better that others find the characters - whether on TV or in the books - difficult to keep straight.
Just before this series premiered, the New York Times published an absolutely terrible review of the show, in which the reviewer resented this fantasy show for being of the fantasy genre. She also griped about not being able to keep the characters straight, and at the time I joked that she was basically saying "this is a smarty smart show for smart people! Names are hard to remember!"
But then the first episode aired and yeah, there are an awful lot of names, houses, and allegiances. Hooray for the internet.

I watch the show recorded and find that I really need to keep the pause button and my tablet handy to keep the characters straight via various wikis. Jorey for example just showed up front and center, and I said "Wait, who they heck are you?" On the other hand, I noticed Tom and Veronica forgot who Bronn was (the sell-sword that defended Tyrion) so maybe that is just the deal in general, book or show. You have to read those wikis cautiously though if you want to follow along.
The story itself though is fairly easy to follow for me. I picked up that the dire wolves bond with their owner*, and that it is suspect that Joffrey is blonde when Ned read the history book, combined with his mother's...ahem, behavior in the first episode. I noted pouring gold over Viserys head is a loophole to "spilling blood" in the sacred city, and that Daenerys is miraculously unharmed by extreme heat.

*Though I own a dog breed myself that is known for how it "imprints" on its human and have worked with service animals, so maybe I was just assuming

Matthew, what dog breed is it that you own?

I figured the fatherhood of all of the Lannister children was suspect from the moment we first saw Jaime and Cersei together. I kind of feel like Ned Stark is a bit slow on the uptake with that one. None of the Lannister kids look like Robert. I don't know anything that we haven't seen on the show, but between these carefully cast blond children and the fact that Cersei can hardly stand to spend more than 10 minutes in the same room with Robert, we've been given a lot of hints.

You do have to be careful with the wikis so as not to get spoilers. This one is pretty good because it follows the show primarily: http://gameofthrones.wikia.com/wiki/G...
The entries on that wiki have an "in the books" section, but they aren't very spoilery, and you can also just avoid that section.

Shannon wrote: "This one is pretty good because it follows the show primarily: http://gameofthrones.wikia.com/wiki/Game..."

That's the wiki I prefer now. I even update it here and there when I see something important is missing. I was using Wikipedia before (recommend not doing that).

Shannon wrote: "what dog breed is it that you own?"

I have a purebred Italian Greyhound. If one "takes" to you, they literally follow you room to room all day and want to be nowhere else except on your lap or next to your feet, and they will ignore other people. I'm told they were bred to be that way. It's not a breed for everyone, but it's my favorite now.

I haven't read the books (although I've been meaning to for a long time), I am loving the show! No problem keeping the characters straight. I'm sure that I am missing some character backstory, but for the purpose of the show, perhaps all the backstory is unnecessary. I'm sure (at least I hope) that the screen writers are giving us the information we need to keep up with what is happening on screen. As is the case with all books that are made into tv shows/movies, lots of details will be lost.

I'm considering reading the book after the show ends this season to fill in the gaps.

I also love the show and generally have no problems keeping track of the characters. I think the stuff like hair color has been pretty obvious and easy to pick up. Though other parts I hadn't noticed until someone mentioned it to me (eg. like how Daenerys walked into the boiling water in the first episode, the first indication that heat doesn't affect her).

The HBO guide is indispensable however and I have it open on my iPad ready to go (http://viewers-guide.hbo.com/game-of-...). It's great at providing the necessary information without any spoilers.

So, post episode 9: Baelor - If you haven't watched it yet this post will spoil you a LOT. I feel like this might be the most shocking episode for those of us who haven't read the books, because Sean Bean has been promoted as THE lead actor in this show, and then there goes his head.

I was a bit surprised, although one way in which people who have read the books have given me a minor spoiler is by saying "don't get attached to anyone!" After hearing that so much, I was kind of prepared for Eddard Stark to die.

I felt like some of the fan rage at his death (mentioned in the podcast) was out of place. He was making lots of foolish decisions, and in a feudal society that can - and does - get you killed. Aside from that, I've watched plenty of shows where a character acts foolish all the time in a world where otherwise, that kind of behavior should be fatal. And yet that character remains alive against all reason, and eventually becomes the show's most annoying character.

So I thought it was a bit startling, but not unexpected considering the nature of the show. I also found it much sadder to watch Arya's reactions than to think about Ned Stark being dead. I had to check out the Game of Thrones wiki to figure out who that was holding Arya back (Yoren from the Night's Watch).