A Game of Thrones - TV Show Discussion Thread

[Jon Miller]

I think of it as more of a magically induced mini ice age.

And yeah, probably a lot of people die.

JM

[Kuciwalker]

I have read all of the books and still don't understand how that works. I also found it wtfconfusing.

[VetLegion]

Here's one thing that's bugging me.

I found it online that seasons are erratic and winters sometimes last for years or even a decade or so.

So how do the people feed themselves during such long winters? Winters in our world last for a couple
of months and it's hard for me to grasp how one can even have such a big surplus even to cover an
entire year of winter, let alone two, three or ten.

I do understand that the story is set on a different and magical world, but even so... how do you prepare
for winter if you can't know how long it is going to last? Do you put aside 10, 20, 30% of the harvest, or
what?

Or do their plants grow in winter conditions too? Or does the entire continent live on fish during the winter?

I find it hard to suspend my disbelief on this matter and I demand a coherent explanation.

[Guynemer]

Just started reading the novel. So that's why the Mad King was mad--centuries upon centuries of inbreeding. Huzzah.

[Imran Siddiqui]

I seem to remember it being pretty strongly implied, if not said outright.

And Martin has confirmed they were in later interviews.

[-Jrabbit]

First time I've seen a horse beheaded with a broadsword.

[Koyaanisqatsi]

I seem to remember it being pretty strongly implied, if not said outright.

[Tuberski]

I don't remember Renly and the Knight of Flowers being an item.

ACK!

[Lord Avalon]

What the **** was with the crazy lady breast-feeding a seven-year-old?

I had wondered if they were going to show that. As Tyrion said, "She was always a bit touched," and she got worse after all the death of her husband.

I have a background question that I don't think has been addressed in the show, and I don't think would ruin anything for me to know (but tell me otherwise if I am wrong).

What was Robert's claim to the throne in the rebellion against the Mad King? Why Robert, and not Ned, or Jon, or the eldest Lannister, etc? I assume he was lord of one of the "seven kingdoms"; how did he take precedence ahead of the others?

I don't know about any dynastic connections between Houses Targaryen and Baratheon, but Robert was the very image of a warrior-king.

Fifteen years past, when they had ridden forth to win a throne, the Lord of Storm's End had been clean-shaven, clear-eyed, and muscled like a maiden's fantasy. Six and a half feet tall, he towered over lesser men, and when he donned his armor and the great antlered helmet of his house, he became a veritable giant. He'd had a giant's strength too, his weapon of choice a spiked iron warhammer that Ned could scarcely lift. (pp. 39-40)

He also slew Prince Rhaegar Targaryen at the Battle of the Trident. This was also personal, as Rhaegar took Lyanna Stark, Robert's beloved fiancée, after King Aerys had Lord Rickard Stark and his eldest son Brandon killed.

[Docfeelgood]

Now things are getting interesting.

[Bosh]

House Baratheon had some dynastic connections to House Targaryen, not much (because of all the incest) but more than anyone else had. But the bigger reason was that Robert was a big blustery charismatic war leader back in the day who was good at rallying people behind his banner. In the books he's a good bit taller and really ****ing strong before he got all fat so he looked like a king. This isn't really covered in the TV show either but Ned was a really really good military leader back in the day who laid a lot of the military plans for the rebellion while Robert was good at leading charges and shouting battlefield orders really really loud.

Also of the rebels, the core of the rebellion was Ned, Robert and Jon Arryn and Jon Arryn was old and didn't have a son and Ned deferred to Robert. The rest of the big lords were either neutral or on the Targaryen side or joined in slightly later (like Catelyn Stark's father) so Robert got it by default that way...

[Guynemer]

I have a background question that I don't think has been addressed in the show, and I don't think would ruin anything for me to know (but tell me otherwise if I am wrong).

What was Robert's claim to the throne in the rebellion against the Mad King? Why Robert, and not Ned, or Jon, or the eldest Lannister, etc? I assume he was lord of one of the "seven kingdoms"; how did he take precedence ahead of the others?

[Bosh]

Crazy lady is crazy, craaaaaaaaaazy.

Best episode so far by a long shot. The writers seem ham handed as **** with exposition but now that that's behind us we can really start digging in on the action. The escalation is just starting

Also, we got more Bronn. Hooray for Bronn! I like him

[Guynemer]

Well, that escalated quickly.


What the **** was with the crazy lady breast-feeding a seven-year-old?

[Docfeelgood]

which is worse? having sex with a pregnant women? or a fetus giving head?