Watching Monday
May. 12th, 2014 08:30 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
brigdhGame of Thrones
Man, even the "previously ons" made me feel bad for Tyrion: all those people he's pissed off, all those people with reasons to betray him, or genuinely believe he killed Joffrey.
BRAAVOS YES AWESOME. I don't think Stannis actually traveled to Braavos in the books (I think? I don't remember it, anyway) but I approve of this change if just because I loved seeing Braavos and actually having a scene in the Iron Bank.
I guess the Asha (Yara? whatever) and Theon scene was vaguely useful for demonstrating Theon's level of brokenness, but it just feels like it was too short to be worthwhile and yet also much longer than it needed to be. A waste of time, basically, and way too similar to the Jon/Bran scene from last week. So many characters not quite connecting! Also, when Ramsay showed up shirtless and all bloody, were we supposed to infer he'd killed the woman he was having sex with, or what was that about? The Ramsay/Theon bathing scene was SO CREEPY JESUS. All of the Ramsay stuff is working for me much better this season; it seems actually terrifying rather than just gory.
Whoa, we are skipping way ahead on the Dany plotline, huh? Are we even going to do the whole betrayal thing? I don't see how they can't do it, so maybe they're somehow rearranging events so it happens for maximum end-of-season dramaticness. Also, I really need more focus on how her savior-attempts are failing, show, please. (Also, I totally thought that poor shepherd boy was getting eaten by the dragon. Glad he was not!)
The Small Council scene was pretty great, but I thought it was strange how causally they dropped in the detail that Jorah was spying on Dany. Varys/Oberyn was fantastic, though.
Ah, the trial scene was really fantastic, of course. In a painful, heart-breaking way. AND JAIME TRYING TO SAVE TYRION BY AGREEING TO LEAVE THE KINGSGUARD oh my heart. And Peter Dinklage is amazing and wonderful and so good.
OMG SHAE. I... had thought the show was going to play this scene much differently, given how much else about Shae's plotline they've changed. I'm not sure I really like it. I feel like I don't understand Shae's motivation here; in the book it's easy enough to say she was threatened, she was paid, but book!Shae is a very different character than show!Shae. They seem to have been playing it as all about her revenge for Tyrion calling her a whore, but that... just doesn't feel like enough, to me, given what we know about her. I really want some scenes about what's been happening to her – which of course is one of the benefits of the show, that we're not limited to a relatively few POVs. I don't know. I am dissatisfied with this at the moment.
Penny Dreadful
A really great first episode, if a little too given to melodrama (as is only appropriate, I suppose, given the title) and Extreme Closeups. I liked all the characters (even if I didn't quite learn all their names yet, so there's cowboy-dude and rich-dude), particularly Vanessa, and they have some awesomely creepy vampires. Also, I like how this show is distinguishing itself from HBO's gratuitous tits by the use of gratuitous corpse penis.
The Other Woman
The idea for this movie had so much potential! And yet the execution... really, don't bother. (Unless like me you just want to see a movie and are frustrated in your ambitions by Belle not yet showing near you.) Way too many offensive jokes, poop jokes, jokes about how dumb women are... etc. Also, no women I know would ever criticize another women's choice of body-hair. I'm not saying it's impossible, but it's depressing and enraging to watch. So not really what I look for in a comedy!
Man, even the "previously ons" made me feel bad for Tyrion: all those people he's pissed off, all those people with reasons to betray him, or genuinely believe he killed Joffrey.
BRAAVOS YES AWESOME. I don't think Stannis actually traveled to Braavos in the books (I think? I don't remember it, anyway) but I approve of this change if just because I loved seeing Braavos and actually having a scene in the Iron Bank.
I guess the Asha (Yara? whatever) and Theon scene was vaguely useful for demonstrating Theon's level of brokenness, but it just feels like it was too short to be worthwhile and yet also much longer than it needed to be. A waste of time, basically, and way too similar to the Jon/Bran scene from last week. So many characters not quite connecting! Also, when Ramsay showed up shirtless and all bloody, were we supposed to infer he'd killed the woman he was having sex with, or what was that about? The Ramsay/Theon bathing scene was SO CREEPY JESUS. All of the Ramsay stuff is working for me much better this season; it seems actually terrifying rather than just gory.
Whoa, we are skipping way ahead on the Dany plotline, huh? Are we even going to do the whole betrayal thing? I don't see how they can't do it, so maybe they're somehow rearranging events so it happens for maximum end-of-season dramaticness. Also, I really need more focus on how her savior-attempts are failing, show, please. (Also, I totally thought that poor shepherd boy was getting eaten by the dragon. Glad he was not!)
The Small Council scene was pretty great, but I thought it was strange how causally they dropped in the detail that Jorah was spying on Dany. Varys/Oberyn was fantastic, though.
Ah, the trial scene was really fantastic, of course. In a painful, heart-breaking way. AND JAIME TRYING TO SAVE TYRION BY AGREEING TO LEAVE THE KINGSGUARD oh my heart. And Peter Dinklage is amazing and wonderful and so good.
OMG SHAE. I... had thought the show was going to play this scene much differently, given how much else about Shae's plotline they've changed. I'm not sure I really like it. I feel like I don't understand Shae's motivation here; in the book it's easy enough to say she was threatened, she was paid, but book!Shae is a very different character than show!Shae. They seem to have been playing it as all about her revenge for Tyrion calling her a whore, but that... just doesn't feel like enough, to me, given what we know about her. I really want some scenes about what's been happening to her – which of course is one of the benefits of the show, that we're not limited to a relatively few POVs. I don't know. I am dissatisfied with this at the moment.
Penny Dreadful
A really great first episode, if a little too given to melodrama (as is only appropriate, I suppose, given the title) and Extreme Closeups. I liked all the characters (even if I didn't quite learn all their names yet, so there's cowboy-dude and rich-dude), particularly Vanessa, and they have some awesomely creepy vampires. Also, I like how this show is distinguishing itself from HBO's gratuitous tits by the use of gratuitous corpse penis.
The Other Woman
The idea for this movie had so much potential! And yet the execution... really, don't bother. (Unless like me you just want to see a movie and are frustrated in your ambitions by Belle not yet showing near you.) Way too many offensive jokes, poop jokes, jokes about how dumb women are... etc. Also, no women I know would ever criticize another women's choice of body-hair. I'm not saying it's impossible, but it's depressing and enraging to watch. So not really what I look for in a comedy!
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no subject
Date: 2014-05-12 09:26 pm (UTC)The presence of Yara is promising though! I might just skip to that part. You know, once I get over my EXCUSE ME THAT IS NOT THE SHAE YOU'VE WRITTEN sulk. Which might be never.
(Maybe she's ~~~~~~~secretly pregnant~~~~~~~~~ or something? Some tragic last-minute revelation that will explain why she caved so easily? EUGH, either way.)
no subject
Date: 2014-05-13 04:29 pm (UTC)Yara is only around for, like, two minutes (which are intercut with a random Ramsay sex scene) (but at least it is an apparently consensual Ramsay sex scene!) (which does seem unlikely) so I'm not sure she's worth it.
no subject
Date: 2014-05-13 09:50 pm (UTC)I normally hate secret pregnancy revelations, but, like, whatever, anything to explain this intense change of personality.
I had a really ugly thought today about it actually, specifically about the fact Sibel was against Shae blaming Sansa and the writers insisted on her doing it anyway because Shae was ~~~wronged and angry at the world~~~. It reminded me of divorce hearings? Specifically about the myth of bitter ex wives coming up with sordid things to get back at their ex husbands. THAT DOESN'T ACTUALLY HAPPEN IN REALITY. WEISS AND BENIOFF, MAYBE YOU SHOULD STOP GETTING YOUR PLOT IDEAS FROM MRA FORUMS.
no subject
Date: 2014-05-13 09:51 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-05-13 10:32 pm (UTC)Ohhhh, ugh, that does seem totally possible. I want to believe that maybe there is some future plot reason for why Sansa has to be accused (/convicted? I don't remember if she ends up judged guilty or not), but as of now, it really does seem like something they stuck in there for no reason in particular, and which goes against how they've previously characterized Shae. (Though, yeah, future unborn child could change things!) I NEEEEED more Shae scenes, show, please!
no subject
Date: 2014-05-12 11:41 pm (UTC)I missed Yara too, although I was disappointed that she didn't kill Theon. That seemed out of character for her.
I have a feeling somebody's child is going to be eaten by a dragon at some point.
Varys/Oberyn was fantastic! They're both fantastic on their own, but together they're fabulous. (Also, I'm pretty sure Varys admitted to being asexual.)
The trial scene was amazing. Tywin is getting pretty much everything he wants: Tyrion dead, heirs via Jaime (ones named Lannister, even), someone who listens to him on the throne... It's all going to crash and burn by the end of the season, isn't it?
I watched Penny Dreadful with friends a while back, but I was too tired to stay awake through all of it, so all I remember is Eva Green being Sherlock Holmes and the very very slashy Victor/Creature scene at the end. Also that Billie Piper wasn't in it.
no subject
Date: 2014-05-13 04:24 pm (UTC)I could totally see Yara killing Theon. That would have made a lot of sense, really.
And yeah, Varys totally did admit to being asexual. Which makes me sort of sad, as I totally backstory-shipped young!Varys and young!Illyrio. But having an asexual character is cool too!
It's all going to crash and burn by the end of the season, isn't it?
Ahem. *says nothing* :D
Eva Green totally is Sherlock! I hadn't thought of it exactly like that, but it's perfect. And everyone seems to be shipping Victor/Creature except me! Not that I'm against shipping it, I just don't particularly like Victor yet. I need to see more of him.
no subject
Date: 2014-05-13 10:59 pm (UTC)You don't need to say anything. It's Game of Thrones, of course it's going to crash and burn!
She is totally Sherlock, it is awesome. I'm not really shipping it so far, because I don't know anything about Victor and/or the creature, but it was shot in a very slashy way.
no subject
Date: 2014-05-14 02:06 pm (UTC)It's Game of Thrones, of course it's going to crash and burn!
Hahaha, this is very true.