Game of Thrones

Deadwood was a phenomenal show but then again, almost everything that HBO and Showtime turns out winds up being pretty darned good. I was a huge fan of Rome, Carnivale, Oz, Dexter and The Sopranos. Even when I only watched a few shows in a series like Weeds or Entourage, I could see how everyone else could really enjoy them. I don't watch a whole lot of television and I usually prefer the books to the movies but those two channels have a way of turning the written word into something that is compellingly watchable.

Sopranos was about as good as TV gets for me. I haven't done many of the others, but thanks to the magic of On Demand and 7,000 channels on UVerse, I will soon.

I'm very partial to The Wire. Love Treme and wish the dude from Spartacus didn't get sick. It's a pretty well acted, and photographed, series. I could do without all the greenscreen shit, though.

Also, I really enjoyed the historical perspective of Boardwalk Empire. Martin Scorsese is brilliant, even if he is teamed up with Marky Mark on this one.

BTW -- if you have HBO GO, you could already have seen Episode 7 of Game of Thrones (sounds like musical toilets, doesn't it?). It's DAMNED good, but I won't spoil it for those of you who haven't seen it it. We can discuss it on Sunday!

I agree that there has been loads of great fare available on HBO Sundays. And let's not forget about Six Feet Under.

Or Curb Your Enthusiasm!

Hey, who was the funeral for during the opening of Treme? I got a phone call, right when it came on.

Musician friend of Batiste and the guys who took a stray bullet during a shootout. Pretty gnarly funeral scene, eh?

This season still has the great music, but it's definitely turning into a serious David Simon "The Wire" type inner-city series. That's OK with me.

OK. So I bit on the HBOGO hype and watched this week's Game of Thrones last week. HBO probably picked up thousands of new users for their site, but tomorrow night, I'm fucked.

Anybody else see "next week's" show right after last week's aired?

Yes, I did watch it early and now I'm left waiting two weeks instead of one for the next episode. Oh, damn you HBO!!! Well, I suppose it's only a few days away now...

What I'd like to hear though is from the people who haven't read the books, how engaging is the story? I'm thoroughly fascinated with it but then again, I've read all of the books and there's a depth in a written story that sometimes television just can't match. HBO seems to have a good shot at making it happen though... Can those of you who haven't read the books follow the story? Is it entertaining? Would you watch for another season or does it just not grab you?

I have not read the books and had no idea what the series was about when HBO started pumping it last year.

I'm not going to start reading them now -- don't have that kind of time -- but I will say that I've got to watch every episode at least twice to try and keep up with who's who and what's what.

I think it's an excellent piece of work and unless it starts to suck, will watch it as long as they air it. In fact, I'll watch it again -- Sunday! Damn it!

I have the major hots for Daenerys Targaryen referred to as Khaleesi, queen of the Dothraki. It didn't help that I met a dancer going by Khaleesi as her stage name, who blew me away on the first dance. Good show so far.

Loved the Tudors, and have tried the Borgias on Showtime, and gave up after 4 episodes.

I have not read the books and like the show very much. I do have to pay close attention to keep up with the goings on.

Need to do the Tudors. Hear it's a great series.

And nothing was quite as cold blooded as watching Daenerys transform herself from an unwilling, sobbing buttfuckee to a horse heart eating watch her brother getting brutally murdered without blinking an eye BADASS!

I like the hooker, ROS! What a babe... and that scene in Carcetti's, er, Littlefinger's room was pretty goddamned hot!

I think I'm going to rub one out now!

(Cello music in the background...)

I just wish the season was a few episodes longer because it seems as though so much is left out. Thank god Dance with Dragons is coming out next month, I've read the series twice and have been waiting a few years now for it.

I can't wait till those of you that haven't read it see the Storm of Swords season, it gets nuts!

Whos watching tonight?

The books are alright.... but in no way can they compare to Tolkien. Those that say he's the american tolkien is analogous to saying Jersey Shore is the american Monty Python. Martin has no ability to edit, or incentive perhaps, and repeatedly produces tedious, stilted dialogue bordering on a harlequin romance.

Still, I've read all the books to date and they are entertaining, and look forward to the next one coming out soon. I was a bit surprised by Bean playing Ned, coulda sworn the books make him out with black hair, but whatever. The actor playing Baratheon is awesome and dead on. Loved the crowning of Rhaenerys. I think the books work well in this serial format rather than trying to make a feature film. After all, they derive most closely from pulp-cliffhangers.