A Game of Thrones - TV Show Discussion Thread

[OzzyKP]

The next question is who all knows the full details of Joffrey's rather checkered lineage? Did Ned confide in any of the other Starks? I forget if the dead king's dead brother go the full story or not. The pimp and the eunich seem to know, but that doesn't really matter.

I figure it would be an important distinction if Robb's war is to save the realm from a bastard king with no claim to the throne vs. a war to get revenge for mistreating his dad.

In an earlier episode it said that one of the Lannister armies was laying siege to some kingdom, and the other one was... I forget. What was the other army doing and which did Robb destroy?

[-Jrabbit]

I hated Joffrey before; he is now irredeemable in my eyes.
And the queen mum just found out she's got her hands full.

Also, it was nice to see at least one Stark think things through before doing something stupid. Nice change of pace.

[Lord Avalon]

"Technicality," my ass. Lord Stark & co left Winterfell at daybreak to ride to the "holdfast in the hills," outside of which the deserter had been taken. The book doesn't explicitly say, but it seems they made it back to Winterfell the same day. So if that's only half a day's ride, then the deserter was well south of the Wall, and desertion = death.

As far a the poaching, he was a previous criminal whose sentence was commuted to life in the Night's Watch. As Ned says of a deserter:

No man is more dangerous. The deserter knows his life is forfeit if he is taken, so he will not flinch from any crime, no matter how vile. (p.16)

Hence, the execution, which was just.

Ned's execution was a stupid boy king disregarding the wisdom of his elders and pandering to the masses.

[Berzerker]

He could have fled back to the Wall, but he was found south of it. So, yes, he was "trying to escape his own people."

The book does have more detail on the initial event beyond the Wall. Also, the guy was a poacher before he took the black.

sounds like a technicality, kinda like taking the head of a "traitor" after he confesses

[Lord Avalon]

He could have fled back to the Wall, but he was found south of it. So, yes, he was "trying to escape his own people."

The book does have more detail on the initial event beyond the Wall. Also, the guy was a poacher before he took the black.

[Berzerker]

he ran from the boogiemen in shock and Ned cut his head off rather than listen to him. It aint like the guy was trying to escape his own people, he was returning from a nasty battle clearly out of his mind. Does the book go into that matter in more detail? Seems like the author did that on purpose...

[a.kitman]

i think the queen tried to interven cus she was trying to stop robb from fighting. not much chance of that happening now.

iam starting to enjoy hateing joffrey. i also expect a scene where tywin smack him in place and it will be awsome.

[Lord Avalon]

I'm clueless, it totally caught me off guard. Even as the axe fell I figured something would intervene, but in a way its ironically "just" (well, not really ) - the dude beheaded an innocent man to start the show. Now I'll be interested to see if the queen's attempted intervention was genuine or feigned... I wonder how that kid will react when he finds out about mommy and daddy.

Ned executed a deserter of the Night's Watch, hardly an innocent man (although it's understandable why he fled).

I think Cersei was trying to talk some sense to the boy. Executing a lord doesn't serve the realm, as other lords might be even less inclined to bend the knee.

[Guynemer]

That wasn't an innocent man. He abandoned the Night's Watch; that means death, no matter the circumstances.


Re: Joffrey, extremely mild spoiler below:

Spoiler:

The kid isn't merely a little ****; he is a genuine clinical psychopath.

[Berzerker]

I'm looking forward to the imp smacking that little runt

but not if he loses his head over it

I was prepared for the worst. People keep saying that no one is safe from the author and he will kill off main characters so I assumed that this was a possibility.

I'm clueless, it totally caught me off guard. Even as the axe fell I figured something would intervene, but in a way its ironically "just" (well, not really ) - the dude beheaded an innocent man to start the show. Now I'll be interested to see if the queen's attempted intervention was genuine or feigned... I wonder how that kid will react when he finds out about mommy and daddy.

[Cort Haus]

Oh my God, they killed Ned!

The BASTARDS!

This is what happens when you were Boromir in a past life.

Still, good to see that Wilko Johnson can still wield an axe, as it were.

[OzzyKP]

I was waiting for the reactions.

Can't wait to see this ep with my SO on Friday.

I was prepared for the worst. People keep saying that no one is safe from the author and he will kill off main characters so I assumed that this was a possibility. I was still hoping that something would intervene. Frankly I didn't expect that Ned would confess like that. So yea, not totally floored, but still surprised. I wonder what manner of execution they'll give Jamie next episode...

[Asher]

I was waiting for the reactions.

Can't wait to see this ep with my SO on Friday.

[OzzyKP]

Yup. See how good we were about spoilers in this thread, when that big mother****ing anvil was about to drop?

Yes, very good job.

[OzzyKP]

Found this video in the Av Club newbie comments.

I guess I was wrong about Arya saving him... oh well.

And can we please assume from now on that anything posted in spoiler tags is about the TV SHOW, not the book? Now that there is another thread, please keep all book comments (whether in or out of spoiler tags) in the other thread.