Game of Thrones

[edit the sad parts]

Just stopped the second episode of the new season less than half-way through. I will not be watching it any more. There is way too much gratuitous pornography. It is actually taking away from the story. I almost feel like not finishing the book series as well. Eugh. Completely turned off.

[helium]

Yeah, I agree. After the second book I stopped reading them and started just reading the summaries on the Game of Thrones wiki. I just have so many problems with the books and the explaining away of the misogyny and racism some of the fans (and George cReepy cReepy Martin) get into that I decided it wasn't worth the time to read it. I wasn't that impressed with the first episode of the new season, either, which kind of bummed me out because I thought it made a better TV Series than a series of novels. I know some of y'all are fairly big fans but it's just not for me.

[Bork]

I'm a huge fan, both of the books and the tv series, but I can definitely understand where you're coming from.

[edit the sad parts]

I'm a huge fan of the books. I've read them all thus far... the show will cease to exist for me now though. I really have no patience for that particular breed of garbage. Especially because they have made the already graphic sex from the books even more gratuitous...and the speeches during said sex, oh the speeches!

It pisses me off to know that RR Martin is so closely involved in this production. How about some more screen time for character development instead? Crazy, I know.

[drunken dragon]

The books made me nauseous. At least the show doesn't have sex scenes with fourteen-year-olds. That I've noticed. Besides, almost every HBO series I can think of has a lot of gratuitous pornography. Hell, Six Feet Under had sex scenes, and it was about morticians.

Actually, related: Boyfriend and I were in Austin day before yesterday, and we went to The Jackalope on 6th street for dinner (amazing barbecue). Anyway, we walked in, and everyone was silent, watching the TV. They were having a Game Of Thrones viewing party. The whole bar. We were like WHY OH GOD

[Amuro]

Yeah it's HBO you can't expect much more. But I actually did watch the whole episode and it ended with a hell of cliffhanger. But I was also hoping that it wouldn't be to much sex in this series. But it was like 3 sex scenes in the second episode and they were there for no reason.

[Axiomatic]

There is actually a bit more sex in the TV show than in the books.

You see, this is an HBO invention called "sexposition". When you need to dump a lot of exposition on the viewer, well, normally that's boring and people would stop paying attention, but if you show people having sex while they talk about setting information such as, say, the laws of inheritance, a brief summary of the last 2000 years of history, the local pantheon, the state of the economy or whatever else, that's entertaining.

A writer can get away with just giving you a paragraph talking about the chain of command in the army and what officer serves in what division, but to give the same information to a TV audience, you have to show two people doing it doggy-style while they talk about what officer has been assigned to what division and how the chain of command works.

[edit the sad parts]

There is actually a bit more sex in the TV show than in the books.

You see, this is an HBO invention called "sexposition". When you need to dump a lot of exposition on the viewer, well, normally that's boring and people would stop paying attention, but if you show people having sex while they talk about setting information such as, say, the laws of inheritance, a brief summary of the last 2000 years of history, the local pantheon, the state of the economy or whatever else, that's entertaining.

A writer can get away with just giving you a paragraph talking about the chain of command in the army and what officer serves in what division, but to give the same information to a TV audience, you have to show two people doing it doggy-style while they talk about what officer has been assigned to what division and how the chain of command works.

Yeah, this seems to hold true. I find it to be extremely lazy production.

I don't even mind that there is lots of sex in the show. It's the pornographic nature of the sex, combined with the "sexposition". It's insulting.

[cob]

I used to like these books before I realized that there were another never-ending series with gigantic gaps in time between books being released, so I stopped reading them. They're a lot better than Terry Goodkind's atrocious attempts to be a writer, though, so you have to give them that. I have not watched the show because I can't imagine a show based on some halfway decent books being any good. Shows are always worse, after all.

HBO should make another show like Band of Brothers. That, I would watch.

[androkguz]

There is actually a bit more sex in the TV show than in the books.

You see, this is an HBO invention called "sexposition". When you need to dump a lot of exposition on the viewer, well, normally that's boring and people would stop paying attention, but if you show people having sex while they talk about setting information such as, say, the laws of inheritance, a brief summary of the last 2000 years of history, the local pantheon, the state of the economy or whatever else, that's entertaining.

A writer can get away with just giving you a paragraph talking about the chain of command in the army and what officer serves in what division, but to give the same information to a TV audience, you have to show two people doing it doggy-style while they talk about what officer has been assigned to what division and how the chain of command works.

I think I disagree with you. So far, most of the sex that has appeared in the TV series has had a point. And the one that hasn't have a point yet, could still have one in the future (which means it has a point now, because at worst it is a red herring).

For instance, in the first episode, you see 2 sex scenes. One is of Daenerys with Khal Drogo, the other is of the Lannister twins. The first one visually shows you the state of their relationship, and you can see it evolving when you compare it to latter scenes. The second one is, well, plot-crucial.
The most pornographic scene I can remember of the first season is the one on the last episode with Little Finger and the two prostitutes, where he is teaching them how to convince a client that they are "all man". If you pay attention to the dialogue, you realize it is a thinly veiled metaphor for the strategy he used to convince Ned Stark that he was trustworthy, even tough all common sense would indicate otherwise.

Besides the purpose of each sex scene in specific, their common presence in the series has an aesthetic purpose too: it sends the message that this is a hypocritical society (where nobles constantly fall prey to their loins), also a very misogynist one, and finnally, that this is a crude story (this is the feeling you get when you combine this with the crazy amounts of senseless violence).

Anyway, just my 2 cents. It's not for everyone.

[Axiomatic]

They introduced a whole new character who doesn't exist in the books, JUST SO that people can have sex with her while they have a conversation about the historic background of the setting.

[Dragonrider]

I have to admit that I was turned off by the pilot episode, so I never went back. Not only is the sex gratuitous, it's entirely too predictable. I was watching it and thinking, "Yep, there's going to be two people having sex behind that wall... I know it."

[monk]

This thread makes me miss HBO so much.

[Aum]

I like HBO, they are one of the networks that isn't afraid to be raw; but some of their TV shows really need to find balance between plot/story and gratuity. I think graphic sex has its place but if it's just sex for sex then, whatever. Sex scenes in of themselves don't bother me, it's just when they insult my intelligence by giving me nothing else to consider IN those scenes that I am bothered.

[shanewatts95]

I like this great most popular tv show very much.Its a most entertaining tv sow.Now i start to watch this show everyday.I am specially impressed with the action and fighting parts of this show.Its really a great tv series.GAMES OF THRONES is my one of the most favorite tv show.

[dace]

There is actually a bit more sex in the TV show than in the books.

You see, this is an HBO invention called "sexposition". When you need to dump a lot of exposition on the viewer, well, normally that's boring and people would stop paying attention, but if you show people having sex while they talk about setting information such as, say, the laws of inheritance, a brief summary of the last 2000 years of history, the local pantheon, the state of the economy or whatever else, that's entertaining.

A writer can get away with just giving you a paragraph talking about the chain of command in the army and what officer serves in what division, but to give the same information to a TV audience, you have to show two people doing it doggy-style while they talk about what officer has been assigned to what division and how the chain of command works.

I think I disagree with you. So far, most of the sex that has appeared in the TV series has had a point. And the one that hasn't have a point yet, could still have one in the future (which means it has a point now, because at worst it is a red herring).

For instance, in the first episode, you see 2 sex scenes. One is of Daenerys with Khal Drogo, the other is of the Lannister twins. The first one visually shows you the state of their relationship, and you can see it evolving when you compare it to latter scenes. The second one is, well, plot-crucial.
The most pornographic scene I can remember of the first season is the one on the last episode with Little Finger and the two prostitutes, where he is teaching them how to convince a client that they are "all man". If you pay attention to the dialogue, you realize it is a thinly veiled metaphor for the strategy he used to convince Ned Stark that he was trustworthy, even tough all common sense would indicate otherwise.

Besides the purpose of each sex scene in specific, their common presence in the series has an aesthetic purpose too: it sends the message that this is a hypocritical society (where nobles constantly fall prey to their loins), also a very misogynist one, and finnally, that this is a crude story (this is the feeling you get when you combine this with the crazy amounts of senseless violence).

Anyway, just my 2 cents. It's not for everyone.

I agree with this guy.

The misogyny is the way it should be, back in medieval times, women had no power.
It is just realistic.

[Axiomatic]

The misogyny is the way it should be, back in medieval times, women had no power.

Not actually true, nor does GRRM portray it that way.

For the most part in Westeros, women have very little FORMAL power, unless they happen to live in Dorne, where the laws of inheritance are different and all that matters is who was born first, not what gender you are. But that doesn't mean women never actually get to wield power.

Of course, what power is and who gets to wield it is one of the many themes the books are about.

The best example I could cite is in book 3, however, and has not yet appeared on the show. So all I'll say is that she's a Tyrell and she's awesome.

[octarineoboe]

The best example I could cite is in book 3, however, and has not yet appeared on the show. So all I'll say is that she's a Tyrell and she's awesome.

Hah, yes, I fell in love with her right away. I can think of a few other examples, too - a nonobvious Lannister, and, of course, Dany, especially in book 5. Also (whited out for potential spoiler alert)

Arya is really interesting in terms of gendered power because it's often important that she disguise herself as male, even though she's very low status no matter her gender.

I also liked how book 4 took the Dornish theme and ran with it.

I've read the books but not seen the show. Beg pardon if my comments are completely off the mark regarding the show.