A Game of Thrones - TV Show Discussion Thread

[Guynemer]

That is THE scene of the entire series. If nothing else people remember that.

Well, I don't know about THAT, necessarily. There are several other decent candidates in that book alone.

Spoiler:

1. The Purple Wedding
2. HER NAME WAS ELIA OF DORNE
3. In the end, Tywin Lannister did not **** gold.
4. IS THERE (stab) GOLD (stab) IN THE (stab) VILLAGE?! (stab stab stab stab stab)
5. The Moon Door

[Guynemer]

As huge as the Red Wedding's slaughter is, the mortality rate in the series is so high that it feels more like a statistical anomaly than a world changing event. More characters than usual are being killed off all at once, big deal. It's a cool scene, with the build up in tension, and the way it shatters your expectations, but the books are full of that. Its importance is in destroying the Starks as a conventional force. Without a castle or army they have to survive as either hostages or fugitives. I like where the books go from there, with Arya and Bran. I sometimes think I'm the only person in the world who likes the Bran stuff.

I like Bran, but his chapters tend to be boring. Sansa is the complete opposite.

I think it is a world changing event because, up to this point, the Starks have been The Heroes. (Okay, Dany too, and probably Tyrion to some extent.) And then, boom, they are done. It shatters every trope of the genre.

[rah]

Yeah, when I read the books it was a big thing at the time, but I have to agree with Felch that losing main characters was a main stay in this series so it was nothing that special.

[Imran Siddiqui]

Well, I don't know about THAT, necessarily. There are several other decent candidates in that book alone.

Spoiler:

1. The Purple Wedding
2. HER NAME WAS ELIA OF DORNE
3. In the end, Tywin Lannister did not **** gold.
4. IS THERE (stab) GOLD (stab) IN THE (stab) VILLAGE?! (stab stab stab stab stab)
5. The Moon Door

Of course it is. Nothing else is close. How many people instinctively know what you are talking about when you mention the Red Wedding? How many folks literally threw their books across the room after that? It's the defining moment of the series.

[Guynemer]

I would suggest that just as many would recognize at least 3 of those 5 scenes I listed just by what I wrote alone. But I don't disagree that the Red Wedding is probably #1; I just don't think it is the automatic slam dunk Moment Of The Series.

[Imran Siddiqui]

There is a reason that Benioff and Weiss indicated that they wanted to make a Game of Thrones series simply to make Season 3 - that reason was the Red Wedding.

FWIW, I think it far outshines the 5 scenes - yes, even scene #1. Hell, I had to look up what quote #4 was.

[Guynemer]

Hell, I had to look up what quote #4 was.

For real?

Wow. I am legitimately shocked by that. That scene stuck with me hard.

[rah]

Besides, let's keep things in perspective. If there wasn't a HBO series about it, where would the scene rate it terms of all time literary scenes. Probably not that high.

[Imran Siddiqui]

Besides, let's keep things in perspective. If there wasn't a HBO series about it, where would the scene rate it terms of all time literary scenes. Probably not that high.

In terms of Fantasy novels? Top 5 at least.

[Asher]

For real?

Wow. I am legitimately shocked by that. That scene stuck with me hard.

I also had to look it up...

[rah]

Not for me, Maybe top 25 but I'm not sure it's even that high. But I don't want to get into a listing battle, to each his own. I've read a lot of good fantasy. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed it when I read it, but I never thought it was anything that special. It didn't have the same impact as other books.

[Jon Miller]

I agree with Rah.

JM

[Asher]

Which scenes are more memorable?

[rah]

I'll do the most obvious. Gandalf's quasi death.

But you must remember, it's all about timing. Most of the more memorable ones are when I was growing up before I had read 1,000s of books. They had more impact. I was more likely to reread books. The ability to be amazed is greater when you are young and everything is new.
Thrones, there was too big of a gap so I lost interest. And Martin goes a bit overboard when it comes to the number of characters. So many that you just didn't care about some of them.
The most memorable thing was that he liked killing off major characters. But that does hurt continuity a little.
If I had read these when when I was in my teens, I would have reread them a few times. (there wasn't quite the selection there is today)

[Jon Miller]

I don't have a list of the 25 most...

Lord of the Rings has Gollum taking the ring, You shall not pass, Denethor's byre, the Ent's coming to Isegard, and many more
Dragon birth scene in GoT, Ned's death too
Hobbit has trolls turning to stone, and eagles saving them from the trees, the dwarves coming out to do battle, bilbo getting the ring, bilbo fighting the spiders

Just a few examples...

JM