Joffrey absolutely nails that scumbag smirk every time. Takes every scene up a notch to an uncomfortable level. A really great villian to hate and brings you in emotionally. I didn't get any of that from Rob Stark or John Snow. And I'm getting negative from the Bran scenes.
Well, they did want to marry her to Ser Loras, which would tie them to the Starks and give them claim to the North (or that's what they think since they believe Bran and Rickon to be dead). But Tywin knew what they were up to which is why he married Tyrion to Sansa first. If they could get Tyrion executed for murdering the King, Sansa would be a free agent again.
I read the first book after the first season and I enjoyed the book a lot more. It kind of made the show seem pale in comparison. They have to distill the book down a lot to fit the show into 10 episodes (though less so recently because Season 4 is still Book 3). Since then, I've read the books before I've seen the show and I prefer it that way. At first, I was strictly comparing the two (during Season 2) but now I've found a sweet spot where I think they compliment each other very nicely since some time has passed since I've read what's now appearing on screen. I have the pleasure of watching the show having a lot of the background information that I'm not sure non readers get. It makes the experience much richer IMO.
I got that impression after reading strong comments from 2 big fans here. They should put up a fan website .
I've read the books and absolutely love the show. I think there are lots of little things that I pick up that I wouldn't if I hadn't read the books.
The impact of great villains can't be overstated. It's the biggest of many good reasons I prefer DS9 over all the other Star Treks, for example... nothing beats the combo of Gul Dukat & Kai Winn as villains. Not even the Borg. And in GoT... Joffrey, Tywin, Cersei, the b*stard of Bolton... great collection of villains too. They're a huge part of what makes it great. If it makes you feel any better, his scenes were even longer and more insufferably boring in the books.
I actually like watching the show, then getting back on the books. It makes it easier for me to put together names and faces, whereas when I just read the book, the characters kinda all started to run together and keeping track of who was who got a little difficult. I can't wait to start reading again.
I did both by watching the first seasons, then reading all the books before the start of this last season. I enjoyed the books even when I already saw the show because the book is a good deal more complex. So far with the first 2 episodes, the experience has been diluted by already knowing what's going to happen from the books. The end of Episode 2 should have been an Oh ****! scene like Ned's execution scene, but the surprise was ruined for me. If I had it to do again, I might have waited on the books. Not to mention, I now have to wait for years like everyone else for each new book. If you delay 10 years, you can read them all in one go.
I still can't decide if Tywin is a villain. I know he orchestrated the Red Wedding, which was horrible, but he has such badass scenes and shows up Joffrey all the time Plus his scenes with Arya are my favourite of the entire series.
Charles Dance's performance as Tywin is easily my favorite of the series. He's got such presence and charisma, and pretty much steals every scene he's in. He's just magnetic and totally embodies the role. He's so good that I, too, find it difficult to hate him, even though he's clearly a ruthless b*stard.
I don't think of him as a villain. The story has a lot of characters in the gray area -- complex characters pitted against one another by circumstance. Jaime starts off looking like a villain and more sympathetic now. Villains are generally more plain. Only Joffrey and a couple more minor players fit entirely in that box. I do really like how they've done Tywin's character in the show.
There are gray area characters and then there are characters responsible for horrible atrocities for personal gain. Tywin is a villain, he's just classy and cunning at the same time. The Red Wedding, The Mountain, the treatment of Tyrion's wife, the personal crap he gives Tyrion, etc. He has a personal dignity of course, but he is a monster.
He's assuming. The necklace the Fool gave Sansa, blue crystals. She wore it to the wedding, and it looks like Olenna Tyrell plucked one of the blue "crystals" off it. They showed a front view of Sansa with only 6 crystals, and one missing after Olenna was messing with Sansa's hair.
After seeing that link and following up online, there is no way anyone would have looked for that unless they were already tipped off by a spoiler or read the book. The show does nothing in that episode to draw attention to that moment and the director even said that they didn't give you any details to tip you off in that episode.
Where the show has fallen unacceptably short from the books is their treatment of The Hound's brother, Gregor the Mountain In the books he is terrifying mythical status. In the show he is barely mentioned or shown.
