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[Lactose_Intolerant]

Anyone with the Blu Ray:

is the extra content worth it? As a reader of the books? Is there a lot of it?

I can already watch it any time on HBOGo but I also just got my first BR player and a $50 gift card to Amazon that's burning a hole in my wallet. Just want to know if it's worth it.

The guy that plays Jon Snow basically has nothing to say in his commentary. The kid's commentary is just them talking about how everyone is nice, though its entertaining. The rest of the commentaries are interesting.

If you have read the books, most of the special history clips aren't much use but they are cool to look at. Pretty sure most of the behind the scene footage has been online before. I would get it if its like under $30

 

[bengraven]

Yes, it is totally worth it. Trust me, you will love it.

You know, interestingly enough: I was all set to NOT buy it but reading the review on your website made me really excited enough to post here and ask for another opinion. haha, those animated histories alone are making me want to spend $43.99 and not wait for a sale.

The guy that plays Jon Snow basically has nothing to say in his commentary. The kid's commentary is just them talking about how everyone is nice, though its entertaining. The rest of the commentaries are interesting.

If you have read the books, most of the special history clips aren't much use but they are cool to look at. Pretty sure most of the behind the scene footage has been online before. I would get it if its like under $30

This is something I'm really really worried about. I don't want to be buying 1080p quality clips that I already saw on Youtube while waiting for the show to arrive. That said, I'm still pretty excited about the other features, though as a reader I've gone over the histories time and time again - I'm not sure if I want to spend $44 for something I can already see in high res.


I think I'll probably give myself a few more days to think on it. There's some Tolkien books I've been dying to pick up for a long time and also a few Blu Rays I really should pick up instead.

 

[Bigfoot]

With all the sexposition discussion the last week (and in general this season), I thought these quotes from the interview posted last page from one of the show writers was worth quoting:

I think the term has been overused when talking about the current season and, in most cases, used incorrectly. From my point of view, there has been exactly one Season Two “sexposition” scene so far, between Theon and the Captain’s Daughter, and that was taken directly from George’s book, thank you very much! Sure, there’s still plenty of sex on the show — but far less “sexposition” than last year.
And I guess I take exception to the idea that we “relied” on sexposition last year. There were several scenes in Season One where backstory and mythology were peppered into dialogue that didn’t involve a sexual act. Robert’s “war story” scene with Ser Barristan and Jaime is one example, Theon’s encounter with Tyrion in my own Season One episode is another. Of course, there were plenty of exposition scenes that did feature sex (hence the term) but I also take exception with the idea that the sex is unrelated to what’s being discussed… but that’s a whole other conversation.

I’m certainly not thinking about the larger discussion of sex on the show — we can’t let those kind of discussions influence how we tell our story. And, make no mistake, sex is a big part of this world, as it is in George’s books, as it has been throughout history, and as it is in the lives of every human being, whether they admit it to themselves or not.

 

[Funky Papa]

Anyone with the Blu Ray:

is the extra content worth it? As a reader of the books? Is there a lot of it?

I can already watch it any time on HBOGo but I also just got my first BR player and a $50 gift card to Amazon that's burning a hole in my wallet. Just want to know if it's worth it.

Yes, a thousand times. It is absolutely amazing and it even has an encyclopedia of sorts, although it's not like it widens the lore of the books or anything.

 

[Cornballer]

- WiC.net: The Daily Raven Episode 9: “What is Dead May Never Die” recap

I think I'll probably give myself a few more days to think on it.

I'd hold out for a price drop. The blu-rays are great, but you should be able to get them for a fair bit cheaper if you're patient.

 

[Lactose_Intolerant]

Hahaha what episode was this from?

http://bookwormbreakfast.tumblr.com/post/21416554311/parks-and-recreation-deleted-scene-political

 

[CassSept]

From WiC.

Edit: That first gif will be thrown around quite a bit in the OT, I reckon.

Why didn't Shagga cut his beard right away? I loved that scene in the book, now it's impact had been lessened

 

[bengraven]

I'd hold out for a price drop. The blu-rays are great, but you should be able to get them for a fair bit cheaper if you're patient.

I'm probably going to do that based on past experience with Amazon. A month or two, maybe a bit more and it will be markedly cheaper.

 

[KingK]

Mance Rayder

That is eerily similar to how I pictured Mance. Except he would have more a smirk or smile on his face.

 

[KingK]

I'd hold out for a price drop. The blu-rays are great, but you should be able to get them for a fair bit cheaper if you're patient.

They're already only $33 on Amazon. Do you really think they'll get any cheaper than that?

 

[RobotsAnger]

Mikkelsen (Series)

Spoiler

is way too dreary to play Mance. Mance is an upbeat charismatic singer that doesn't really look handsome. He'll need that personality in when he goes stealth mode into winterfell.

 

[Clipjoint]

Regarding "sexposition" - who really coined the term?

I know Memles takes credit for it:

http://cultural-learnings.com/2012/04/08/game-of-thrones-the-night-lands-and-sexposition/

People who coin new terms are very rarely trying to coin new terms. When I used the term “sexposition” to describe a particular kind of scene in Game of Thrones, I wasn’t staking a claim to a corner of the cultural lexicon so much as I was trying to be clever. In fact, for a while – and still, really – I refused to believe it was possible to “invent” such a simple portmanteau – all I did was add an “s” at the end of the day. However, the word has caught on, leading to a bizarre couple of weeks in which Esquire magazine and The Guardian were contacting me on the subject, I was listening to Nikolaj Coster-Waldau and writer Bryan Cogman talking about it on the DVD commentaries, and now it even has a Wikipedia page not to be confused with “sex position.”

But the first instance I found on NeoGaf was here:

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=27908515&postcount=1899

Sexposition - n.
Explaining complicated plot background while fucking.

That post was on May 18. From then on, it seems to have been picked up by the rest of the posters in the thread, and finally shows up for the first time on Memles blog 11 days later:

http://cultural-learnings.com/2011/05/29/game-of-thrones-you-win-or-you-die/

Should BenjaminBirdie be given credit for coming up with the term?

 

[Arment]

I swear I've heard that term a long time ago. I seriously doubt the term was coined recently.

 

[Lothar]

It's not like it's a creative word. It's exposition and sex. That's what it is. It was probably coined by a million people thinking the word at the exact same time when the first crappy sexposition scene happened.

 

[Deleted member 30609]

Sexposition has been around for years.

 

[teh_pwn]

The only bad thing about the nudity and sex is that the acting is poor.

 

[Fry]

Could only watch the latest episode today. Holy shit, this show is really good. This season has started off much better than the first one.

Peter Dinklage is the main attraction of the show, for me. I really love his character right now.

My only complaint is the lack of Joffrey, I want to see him doing cuntish things in every episode.

 

[apana]

Regarding "sexposition" - who really coined the term?

I know Memles takes credit for it:

http://cultural-learnings.com/2012/04/08/game-of-thrones-the-night-lands-and-sexposition/



But the first instance I found on NeoGaf was here:

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=27908515&postcount=1899



That post was on May 18. From then on, it seems to have been picked up by the rest of the posters in the thread, and finally shows up for the first time on Memles blog 11 days later:

http://cultural-learnings.com/2011/05/29/game-of-thrones-you-win-or-you-die/

Should BenjaminBirdie be given credit for coming up with the term?

Probably not, but lets give him the credit anyways.

 

[Memles]

Regarding "sexposition" - who really coined the term?

I know Memles takes credit for it:

But the first instance I found on NeoGaf was here:

Should BenjaminBirdie be given credit for coming up with the term?

Honestly? Hell if I know.

I don't claim to have "come up with" or "invented" the term, although that language has been used elsewhere. For me, "coining" is more about framing the term than inventing it - as the first "critic" to use the term within the official discourse around the show, that became the avenue through which other critics picked up the term, and it seemed to enter into a more popular discourse. While "popularize" is therefore perhaps the better word, "coining" is the most common choice by journalists who are writing about it (and who come to me through those other critics), and that's ultimately out of my hands.

Also, as others have pointed out, how do you invent a word that's just adding an "s" to another word? While I don't see myself as the inventor of the word, however, its association with me through these various outlets has led me to take some sense of ownership over it, which has led to some confusion over its origins (which isn't helped by the selectivity of journalistic accounts).

 

[Socreges]

Honestly? Hell if I know.

I don't claim to have "come up with" or "invented" the term, although that language has been used elsewhere. For me, "coining" is more about framing the term than inventing it - as the first "critic" to use the term within the official discourse around the show, that became the avenue through which other critics picked up the term, and it seemed to enter into a more popular discourse. While "popularize" is therefore perhaps the better word, "coining" is the most common choice by journalists who are writing about it (and who come to me through those other critics), and that's ultimately out of my hands.

Also, as others have pointed out, how do you invent a word that's just adding an "s" to another word? While I don't see myself as the inventor of the word, however, its association with me through these various outlets has led me to take some sense of ownership over it, which has led to some confusion over its origins (which isn't helped by the selectivity of journalistic accounts).

Come on now, Memles:

Really? There was so much gratuitous sex in the series that it spawned the neologisme "sexposition"

True story: I, as the person who inadvertently coined the term, have spoken to both Esquire Magazine and The Guardian about it in the past two weeks.

I understand your position. You suddenly get all that attention from a word you'd seen many times on a forum. What are you going to do but just go with the flow? But don't act like you haven't tried to take credit for it.

 

[Dany]

Its like none of you have seen an HBO show before.

 

[Zabka]

Come on now, Memles:



I understand your position. You suddenly get all that attention from a word you'd seen many times on a forum. What are you going to do but just go with the flow? But don't act like you haven't tried to take credit for it.

Sexplain yourself Memles!

 

[KingK]

Its like none of you have seen an HBO show before.

I've recently started watching The Wire, and it is nowhere near the levels of sex and nudity Game of Thrones is. 8 episodes in and there's been like one 10 second sex scene where we only saw one nipple and a couple episodes with titties in the background of a strip club for a minute.

 

[Basileus777]

Its like none of you have seen an HBO show before.

Would that tell us who coined the sexposition term?

 

[Lactose_Intolerant]

Mikkelsen (Series)

Spoiler

is way too dreary to play Mance. Mance is an upbeat charismatic singer that doesn't really look handsome. He'll need that personality in when he goes stealth mode into winterfell.

Acting, how does it work? Though I agree, I've never seen him in anything that doesn't involve him being angry/brooding.

 

[Dany]

I've recently started watching The Wire, and it is nowhere near the levels of sex and nudity Game of Thrones is. 8 episodes in and there's been like one 10 second sex scene where we only saw one nipple and a couple episodes with titties in the background of a strip club for a minute.

Considering the source material, sex is everywhere in GoT, as it should be in the show.

I just think back on Sopranos, the bits of True Blood I saw and even the wire, when they went for it, they went for it.

 

[Socreges]

Its like none of you have seen an HBO show before.

Huh?

 

[Memles]

I understand your position. You suddenly get all that attention from a word you'd seen many times on a forum. What are you going to do but just go with the flow? But don't act like you haven't tried to take credit for it.

Damnit, Socreges, are you seriously going to turn me into that guy who digs up the OED definition of a word to justify his flippant usage of it?!

FINE. SO BE IT.

Coin:

To frame or invent (a new word or phrase); usually implying deliberate purpose;

My role in this was framing the term within a discourse. I feel comfortable taking credit for introducing the term to the people who would eventually use it in the context of interviews or other coverage surrounding the show. I HAVE, in doing those interviews and talking about them publicly, taken credit for it on those terms. While I know what you're getting at, I also didn't intend for the bolded passage to suggest I WASN'T taking "credit" for this scenario.

 

[Basileus777]

Huh?

He probably skimmed through the page and thought the discussion was about sex and not about Memles being a dirty thief.

Spoiler

just joking

 

[Puddles]

The Wire had very little sex in it.

 

[KingK]

Considering the source material, sex is everywhere in GoT, as it should be in the show.

I just think back on Sopranos, the bits of True Blood I saw and even the wire, when they went for it, they went for it.

I've read all the books. I know there's plenty of sex and I expect that to be represented in the series. My problem is more with the fact that most of the sex in GoT is not handled very well. It's made to be a lot more awkward and time consuming then necessary.

I would like to note that I haven't had as much of a problem with it so far this season. The only part that sticks out that I remember was in episode one when it randomly cut to super loud fake orgasm noises and hardcore fucking for 10 seconds in that Ros scene. Also the part where Littlefinger was watching that dude getting a bj who was watching another dude fucking.

edit: come to think of it, the vast majority of sex scenes I have a problem with are Ros scenes.

 

[Memles]

He probably skimmed through the page and thought the discussion was about sex and not about Memles being a dirty thief.

Spoiler

just joking

While I've read the spoiler tag, and really don't take this situation as hostile, I also want to make clear: I honestly have no idea if the term came from NeoGAF. Truly. I'm seriously not shitting you. Oh god, you think I'm shitting you, don't you? This is just going to keep spiraling.

Moral of the story: I have become the public face of the masses who roughly simultaneously put two words together to make a more clever one.

 

[Basileus777]

While I've read the spoiler tag, and really don't take this situation as hostile, I also want to make clear: I honestly have no idea if the term came from NeoGAF. Truly. I'm seriously not shitting you. Oh god, you think I'm shitting you, don't you? This is just going to keep spiraling.

Moral of the story: I have become the public face of the masses who roughly simultaneously put two words together to make a more clever one.

I believe you, it's easy to pick up something like that and not be aware of what influenced you. And every time I've seen you write about this, you've put qualifiers on your "ownership" of the term.

 

[Magnus]

My university professor used the term sexposition in a lecture in 2003 in a film theory class.

I took it for a portmanteau that's been around for decades.

 

[Dany]

edit: come to think of it, the vast majority of sex scenes I have a problem with are Ros scenes.

Her scenes are not great but it just doesn't phase me. Plus, most of the stuff seems lifted from the books.

 

[Zabka]

I find some people's need for every exposed nipple to have a character arc fascinating. Most premium channel dramas are filled with nudity but for some reason Game of Thrones has become a lightning rod for criticism.

I assume it's because the show attracts such a large nerd audience who can be quite prudish and overly analytical.

 

[KingK]

Her scenes are not great but it just doesn't phase me. Plus, most of the stuff seems lifted from the books.

It doesn't phase me when I'm alone or with some close friends. But when I'm watching with my mom or something, her scenes come off as especially awkward and seem to be there to fill a titty quota.

 

[Basileus777]

GOT has more sex than most dramas or critically acclaimed shows on premium cable.

 

[Puddles]

People get over yourselves. Some dude has a blog and used some term. Who gives a shit? Everyone has a fucking blog. It's not like he invented the question mark.

With that said, the best sex scene of the series so far has been Theon with the ship captain's daughter.

 

[Memles]

I believe you, it's easy to pick up something like that and not be aware of what influenced you. And every time I've seen you write about this, you've put qualifiers on your "ownership" of the term.

At the same time, though, let's be real: part of me went with the flow because it strokes my ego. I've always used qualifiers, but I could have used more, especially with reporters. Ultimately, I feel confident I'm not a fraud, but this conversation is not unfounded, and could have been more proactively avoided early on.

 

[Socreges]

At the same time, though, let's be real: part of me went with the flow because it strokes my ego. I've always used qualifiers, but I could have used more, especially with reporters. Ultimately, I feel confident I'm not a fraud, but this conversation is not unfounded, and could have been more proactively avoided early on.

That's all I was saying. Your reply to kruis read as "invented" not "framed" given the context, but really... no one should expect you to qualify every instance. The attention must have been exciting and you would naturally want to share. I think the other sites/mags/etc wanted a "point zero", irrespective of originality, and you provided that.

[edit] I do like, though, how the first instance of it being used on GAF (well, NeoGAF) is BenjaminBirdie carefully laying out a definition.

 

[Gvaz]

Someone needs to make a video of Yoren saying crazy shit like "There's men out there want to fuck your corpses!" and "This lot, halfa them would turn you over to the king quick as spit for a pardon and the other half would do the same, except they'd rape you first" and "What's the strangest thing you've ever eaten? A bear's balls" and "I buried an axe so deep in Willem's skull they had to bury 'im with it!" but set it to sappy music and then end it with "Yoren 243AL-299AL"

Thanks for making me laugh

 

[Memles]

That's all I was saying. Your reply to kruis read as "invented" not "framed" given the context, but really... no one should expect you to qualify every instance.

In my brain, by the by, that reply was less "Look at me" and more "My recent experience would validate your claim that the sex on the show is prominent enough to be an issue of discussion within popular culture writ large."

But yes - we're all on the same page here at the end of the day.

 

[Zabka]

GOT has more sex than most dramas or critically acclaimed shows on premium cable.

Not any more than Spartacus, Californication, Hung, True Blood, Shameless, The Tudors, the Borgias, the L Word, Rome, Boardwalk Empire, Entourage.

 

[YouSchrutedit]

http://chromaengine.com/2012/04/game-of-thrones-excel-tyrion-vs-cersei-wstrikers/

 

[Socreges]

In my brain, by the by, that reply was less "Look at me" and more "My recent experience would validate your claim that the sex on the show is prominent enough to be an issue of discussion within popular culture writ large."

But yes - we're all on the same page here at the end of the day.

You're good people, Memles.

 

[Cornballer]

- Via Westeros.org, Variety: 'Thrones' rules in second season

'Thrones' rules in second season

HBO show up sharply in ratings, tops cable for week

Spring tends to sap the ratings strength of just about every show, but some -- including HBO's "Game of Thrones" -- are holding up better than most.

After kicking off its second season with a series-best 3.8 million viewers, the lavish fantasy epic proceeded to deliver about the same number of viewers with each of its three subsequent episodes, according to Nielsen estimates.

This in itself is impressive, as daylight-saving time, school breaks and other spring distractions conspire to drag down the ratings for even TV's biggest hits at this time of year. Also, most shows tend to see ratings declines following their premieres, no matter what time of year.

But for the week of April 9-15, "Game of Thrones" also achieved another impressive feat as it stood as cable's top-rated scripted primetime program for the week in both total viewers and adults 18-49 (see chart, left), topping the likes of FX's "Justified" and AMC's "Mad Men." This despite the fact that HBO is available in roughly 30 million homes, compared with basic-cable biggies like USA and TNT that are available in 100 million or more homes.

HBO isn't necessarily in the ratings game -- the pay cabler cares more about supplying its subscribers with satisfying programming than how a program draws on any single night -- but it can use the initial telecast of any show to garner interest. And "Throne's" average audience for the Sunday 9 p.m. airings this spring (3.8 million) is up about 50% from a year ago (2.3 million).

Looking only at HBO homes, "Thrones" is averaging an 8.3 rating, meaning roughly one in 12 subscriber households is watching the premiere telecast. This is about what TV's most-watched Sunday series, "60 Minutes," was averaging this month.

Of course, nearly everybody who watches the CBS newsmag does so on Sunday night, while HBO gives fans of "Thrones" numerous chances to watch the show every week. If you count the dozen replays on HBO (including two immediately following the initial Sunday telecast) and the network's on-demand service, the show's gross audience surpasses 11 million, compared with 9.3 million for its rookie season, HBO says.

 

[Count of Monte Sawed-Off]

Not any more than Spartacus, Californication, Hung, True Blood, Shameless, The Tudors, the Borgias, the L Word, Rome, Boardwalk Empire, Entourage.

I did notice that the sex was toned for season 2. Still there but definitely not as explicit.

Awesome about the ratings. Bigger budget HBO, let's do it.

 

[Basileus777]

11 million viewers per episodes, that's encroaching on True Blood territory.

 

[Lothar]

Considering the source material, sex is everywhere in GoT, as it should be in the show.

List all the sex scenes you can remember from the first book. Then I'll list all the sex scenes I can remember from the first season. Also tell me if the sex is crucial or not to the plot. Example: Dany and Drago together is crucial to the story. Man in a brothel getting a blowjob while watching people have sex is gratuitous, a waste of time, and makes it feel like the director is a horny 13 year old.

Cersei and Jaime in the tower is crucial to the story. Viserys and Doreah in the bathtub is just there to have nudity.