House of the Dragon (Game of Thrones) Thread

[Jimmy]

15 minutes ago, Lint said:

I was drunk when I read that and this makes much more sense...

Haha, no worries mate  

I just mean there was a slightly toxic attitude in the film industry for a while, wherein people were expecting creatives to use this time, kind of ignoring everyone was suffering the effects of a pandemic. It took a while for people to speak out and normalise everyone just being like "yeah, I didn't feel like writing when I thought my family were gonna die" etc. So while there's been some amazing art made during the pandemic, defo not gonna hold anyone accountable for not creating, if you get me. 

[Adam]

27 minutes ago, Jimmy said:

Haha, no worries mate  

I just mean there was a slightly toxic attitude in the film industry for a while, wherein people were expecting creatives to use this time, kind of ignoring everyone was suffering the effects of a pandemic. It took a while for people to speak out and normalise everyone just being like "yeah, I didn't feel like writing when I thought my family were gonna die" etc. So while there's been some amazing art made during the pandemic, defo not gonna hold anyone accountable for not creating, if you get me. 

This is so true. I'm a writer who was furloughed from my day job three times due to having to shield during 2020-21, and it did not help me to be creative and get content churned out even though I was basically sat in a house with nothing else productive to do. I had fits and starts of being able to get a lot done, but also long spells of inertia brought on by anxiety, mood issues and fatigue - both physical and mental.

I don't know how much any of this happened to GRRM, but Jimmy is bang on the money that nobody can be written off for not being more creative during a global crisis that has affected us all in so many horrible ways.

[Bobfoc]

I think the scope of GRRM's story causes him a lot of headaches. A Song of Ice and Fire was initially meant to comprise three novels, which then grew to five, and then seven, with some of them taking up more than one volume. He describes himself as a "gardener", meaning that he likes to explore all the offshoots of each subplot. That's clearly given him so many plot threads to tie up that making them all fit together without plot holes is a logistical nightmare.

I fully believe that the subplots involving the likes of Euron, Victarion, Quentyn, Arianne and Griff/Young Griff were ones he came up with as he went along. His original plot outline in 1993 doesn't mention any of them. Now he's got a plethora of stories that aren't even close to being resolved, and only two books to finish them in.

[gunnar hendershow]

The first 3 books were extremely tight and that's what got him optioned for a TV show. Had he told such a bloated story early on I doubt any network would've touched his books. The central story of his was always the game of thrones and impeding arrival of Daenerys and the Others. That's the central conflict but he's given us so many other side plots because it just feels important to involve them in his world. 

I also cynically think since he accomplished what was a stated goal of his, and got his books turned into a TV show, he has much less motivation to tell a coherent and concise story and instead wants to explore every little thing he can in the world he's created.

[Bobfoc]

I like the subplots, but I think you're right to say that such a widespread story wouldn't have been appealing to any television executives. As much as I enjoy reading about rather incident-free plotting in Dorne, it probably wouldn't have made for riveting viewing. Benioff and Weiss weren't even going to include Dorne in the show until they saw Indira Varma's performances in series 4, which explains why it felt so shoehorned in.

On the subject of motivation, that could be a factor as well. In his 1993 plot outline, GRRM wrote that he tends to lose interest in writing novels if he knows where the plot is going to end up. The further he gets towards the climax of the story, the less scope there is to keep deviating from the end point, which might make the writing process more of a chore than a pleasure. I get the feeling that his attitude to finishing the main books is akin to that of a tired student trying to finish a tedious essay. The only difference is that GRRM's "tutor" has been granting him extensions for years.

[gunnar hendershow]

6 minutes ago, Bobfoc said:

On the subject of motivation, that could be a factor as well. In his 1993 plot outline, GRRM wrote that he tends to lose interest in writing novels if he knows where the plot is going to end up. The further he gets towards the climax of the story, the less scope there is to keep deviating from the end point, which might make the writing process more of a chore than a pleasure. I get the feeling that his attitude to finishing the main books is akin to that of a tired student trying to finish a tedious essay. The only difference is that GRRM's "tutor" has been granting him extensions for years.

This ties in very neatly with why the ending of the TV show felt very much like everyone saying "fine, whatever". He truly handed over a bulleted list of events without filling in the space in between and Benioff and Weiss just stumbled at every turn to get from one point to the next. He himself has given thought to what he wants to happen but because he doesn't like writing endings there's a ton of meat missing around the bones. And he handed the task of filling the rest out to two people whose skill isn't writing.

[Schlitzbrille]

32 minutes ago, damshow said:

And he handed the task of filling the rest out to two people whose skill isn't writing.

But they are good at victim blaming *coughDaeneryscough*

[Maxx]

I will watch it, but will assume that terrible decisions and an awful ending are right around the corner for the entire run of the series.

[Mick]

Spoiler

It's awful for pretty much anybody named "Targaryen"  

 

[Schlitzbrille]

Steve Conrad any good as a show writer? He's been signed on to write for the Dunk & Egg prequel series being worked on.

[livid]

People love Patriot and I believe Perpetual Grace, LTD was well-received so probably yes. 

[livid]

We have a release date!

 

[Schlitzbrille]

My STRONG Velaryon boys

 

Edit but OH GOD CRISTON COLE

 

[Bobfoc]

I hope they get this right. With good dialogue and acting within the plot that's already been established, this could be a very strong show, but it would be really easy for it to fall into the spectacle-driven Hollywood bombast that Game of Thrones became.

[Mick]

5 minutes ago, Bobfoc said:

I hope they get this right. With good dialogue and acting within the plot that's already been established, this could be a very strong show,

 

More than you think  

[Ruki]

So my wife and I were wondering... what are the relations/how far removed are the characters from this series from the original?

 

I tried to look it up, but there is just so much... and I wanna avoid spoilers.

[MalaCloudy Black]

It takes place roughly about 150 years before the events of Game of Thrones. Most of these characters are going to be great-great-great-great-somethings to Dany.

[Schlitzbrille]

35 minutes ago, Ruki Returns said:

So my wife and I were wondering... what are the relations/how far removed are the characters from this series from the original?

 

I tried to look it up, but there is just so much... and I wanna avoid spoilers.

What @Serpenticloud said, it's just over 150+ years prior to the main series, with Rhaenyra being a 6x greatgrandmother of Dany (if we're counting book canon)

 

[GhostMachine]

August 21st is an easy date for me to remember, because it is one of my anniversaries. My wife and I met on August 21st, AND she moved down here from New Hampshire on August 21st a year later.

Heidi isn't exactly happy they cast Matt Smith in this. She wasn't a fan of the Eleventh Doctor OR his role in Pride & Prejudice and Zombies (aka the only way you'd ever get me to watch Pride & Prejudice). I thought he was brilliant as the Doctor (though TOO goofy at times), and great in Patient Zero.

On the other hand, I'm happy they cast Rhys Ifans. But with my luck, his character will be one of the first to be killed off.....

 

[Schlitzbrille]

5 hours ago, GhostMachine said:

On the other hand, I'm happy they cast Rhys Ifans. But with my luck, his character will be one of the first to be killed off.....

 

If the reputed outline for Season 1 floating around based off of set spy photos holds true, he at least makes it to Season 2.