Forgive my nerdliness, but going by the titles of episodes, they'll be almost two-thirds through "Storm" this year. Which still leaves much awesomeness for season 4. The last third of "Storm" kicks mucho a$$.
Kind of a slow premiere, but it was to be expected. Have to start somewhere and build up. Great scene with Tyrion and his father. Looks like tough times ahead for the "crows" getting back to/over the wall.
It was only slow because they cut the whole battle with the white walkers for budget reasons. Understandable, but disappointing. Sam being surrounded at the end of last season and the White Walker looking right at him and living was pretty poor writing. Some how he is alive and running alone at the start of season 3 only to be attacked by a lone wight and saved by Ghost and Mormont. They could have at least made it look like Sam had successfully hidden himself to explain how he survived.
Eh... You are misremembering what happened to end the season. The White Walker looked right at him and then they kept going. The White Walker wasn't interested in him. After it saw Sam is when it motioned the army forward.
I've read the books but I don't remember anything about this. Can you elaborate in a SPOILER tag? Spoiler Is this something to do with Cold Hands? Who I have always assumed is Benjen Stark? But I don't remember him suggesting that the White Walkers wouldn't be interested in Sam for any reason? Or are you suggesting that Sam stabbing the White Walker with the dragonglass dagger happened off screen and we won't find out about it (in the show) until later? Because that wouldn't explain the Other seeing Sam and then proceeding as if he didn't care about him...
Spoiler iirc it had something to do with the items he dug up from 'the first men'. Maybe the dragonstone.
I don't think that has happened yet. Spoiler Yes, Sam kills a White Walker with some dragon glass, but that happens a bit later. He heads back towards the wall with what remains of the Night's Watch but he and a few others get separated. That's when Sam kills the walker. Then they regroup at Craster's Keep.
the one part of the episode I was wondering about was the opening under blackness and the sounds of sword battle, thanks for clearing that up if some of you are saying it was Mormont and his crew battling with the army of white walkers. seems kind of important and they left that out in the opener of a new season...
That's pretty much what I said, he looked right at Sam and let him live for no real reason. Which makes no sense. Besides if they "weren't interested in him" then, why did a wight try to kill him in this episode? Spoiler Certainly in the books the White Walkers don't leave any survivors. . Don't count on it. Sam was never surrounded by wights and white walkers and alone in the book like he was at the end of season 2. That was a completely made up for TV scene. Spoiler Sam does kill a lone white walker with the dragonglass later when they are fleeing, while it is distracted by Small Paul and another ranger. If that happens in the show it will likely be a future event, not an explanation for how he got away from his situation last season. I don't expect we will get any more explanation of what happened to Sam or any of the others during the attack than we have already gotten.
Spoiler Yeah, in fact it is mentioned in the books that the Others detest anything that provides warmth or is warm (e.g. the warm body of a fat boy like Sam). From what I remember they will relentlessly attack anything that is alive until it is dead and cold, so I don't think there is any explanation in the books that would describe what happened at the end of season 2 on the TV show. But it really isn't that important. I figure they just decided that was a cool way to end the 2nd season without really thinking through the ramifications of what it would mean for them to open up season 3. They didn't have the funds to show a full blown White Walker battle so it all happens off screen. I guess we are supposed to assume that Sam somehow runs away from that battle while everyone else is fighting.
no HBO...this show worth blind buying dvd/blu ray? seems to be getting tons of praise...mistake to blind buy?
Love Blu-Ray. The wife can watch with Portuguese subtitles---it's a lot to absorb in a second language. Then we can watch again with English subtitles. A cool feature of season 1 bluray was about each of the major houses as narrated by an actor playing a character from that house. The Viserys dude (crown of gold) narrated for the Targaryens.
Thought it was an interesting departure to have Barristan introduce himself to Daenarys as... Barristan. Instead of Arstan Whitebeard or whatever it was. I thought it made more sense that perhaps he'd want to conceal his identity for awhile, in case Daenarys was pissed that he served Robert Baratheon for however many years. Also, has anyone heard if Strong Belwas is going to be in this season (or in the series at all)? I have a strong suspicion that maybe they'll just write him out. Which is sad, because he's one of my favorite characters. But yeah... this past episode... the bit with Bronn insulting the Kingsguard was freaking awesome. Can't even remember if that was in the books or not, but either way, Bronn is so full of win it's ridiculous.
I saw something that he was casted but everyone on here is saying he is not on the show. Idk if they are assuming that because he wasn't with Barristan or that there was actually news that the part was cut.
I did look at the season 3 cast list posted on page 9 of this thread... but I don't feel like I can take that as the end-all authority. Since (unless I'm missing it somehow) I don't see freaking Davos Seaworth on that list. And he's obviously a major character who's in the show already. So it seems to me that if Davos isn't on the list and is in the show, I can cross my fingers and hope that maybe the same is true for Belwas. Still, sadly, he seems to me like the kind of character who's likely to get cut.
There have been several reviewers that got screens of multiple episodes already and a pretty common complaint was no Strong Belwas. Personally, if they weren't going to introduce him along with Barristan Selmy when he reveals himself to Daenerys, I don't know why they would still bother to have him in the show. I think we are going to have to make peace with him not being included.
If you don't usually watch shows more than once, this is absolutely the best value, even though I usually end up buying the Game of Thrones blu rays too. HBO for a month or two will probably only run you about $10-15 a month, and between HBOgo and HBO on demand you could watch all of Game of Thrones seasons 1-2, plus season 3 that is airing now, and any other HBO shows you have missed like Boardwalk Empire, Rome, ect, and any movies that are airing on HBO now or have in the past.
