http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haf%C3%BE%C3%B3r_J%C3%BAl%C3%ADus_Bj%C3%B6rnsson

6'9 400 lbs. A Viking.

This should be fun.

what a great episode tonight... this and last week's episodes have been awesome! another great performance from Dinklage.

best thing about HBO Go is not having to wait until 9pm on the West Coast to watch the new episode! I wish HBO could cut their ties w/ the cable companies and just go direct to consumer distribution style... although the end of net neutrality would probably put the kibosh on that too. le sigh.

Ironically, Gregor/The Mountain's bit tonight was probably the the least well done in an otherwise very good episode. It was more like "remember this guy? The Hound's older brother who the Hound and Arya both want to kill for different reasons, but who seems to be invincible, oh and this is the third actor who has played him so don't get confused!". Of course, I'm guessing he has a slightly bigger part in the episode to come... The Mountain and The Viper.

Even though I knew more or less what was going to happen, both the Oberyn/Tyrion and Sansa/Littlefinger/Lysa sequences sent chills. Man, Dinklage's face - he said so much without saying a word while Pedro Pascal (awesome as Oberyn) was owning it.

rathokan;842317573 said:

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what a great episode tonight... this and last week's episodes have been awesome! another great performance from Dinklage.

best thing about HBO Go is not having to wait until 9pm on the West Coast to watch the new episode! I wish HBO could cut their ties w/ the cable companies and just go direct to consumer distribution style... although the end of net neutrality would probably put the kibosh on that too. le sigh.

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On Directv, GOT is on at 6pm

buster99;842317662 said:

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On Directv, GOT is on at 6pm

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Same with Uverse.

My main problem with The Mountain 3.0 is that the actor who plays him is 25 years old.

Keep in mind he's supposed to be the older brother of the Hound, who's actor is 45 years old.

I understand there are only so many actors who fit the characters physical profile, but that's pretty ridiculous.

CalGrad95;842317678 said:

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Same with Uverse.

My main problem with The Mountain 3.0 is that the actor who plays him is 25 years old.

Keep in mind he's supposed to be the older brother of the Hound, who's actor is 45 years old.

I understand there are only so many actors who fit the characters physical profile, but that's pretty ridiculous.

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All will be forgiven if they're able to do justice to the greatest fight in the entire series in two weeks.

I'm guessing the primary reason this dude was cast was for his athleticism. Not all 6'9" guys move very well.

Based on the preview for the next episode, I think they recasted just purely for the physical presence/look during the fight

MoragaBear;842317691 said:

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The Mountain recast was bad but couldn't they have at least tried to make Daario Naharis look remotely like the original? There's just a complete disconnect there. And why the recast? Was the original so in demand that he has no time to appear in one of the greatest cable series ever? What's next? Lindsey Lohan with an English accent as Dany?

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"On 12 September 2011, responding to speculation on the Winter is Coming fansite, Conan Stevens confirmed that he had left the series, due to scheduling conflicts with his other projects: Stevens will be playing the Orc king Bolg in Peter Jackson's The Hobbit prequel trilogy. Stevens took the time to thank fans for their support[1]. He was replaced in the role of Gregor by Ian Whyte."

The series has been filled with recasts, it can definitely be confusing.

rathokan;842317573 said:

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best thing about HBO Go is not having to wait until 9pm on the West Coast to watch the new episode! I wish HBO could cut their ties w/ the cable companies and just go direct to consumer distribution style... although the end of net neutrality would probably put the kibosh on that too. le sigh.

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1. Yeah, all the satellite and I guess AT&T UVerse people get Game of Thrones at 6 pm West Coast time, but I usually wait till later to watch because the show is best watched in the dark, and the sun doesn't go down until 8:30.

2. http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2012/06/3-very-simple-reasons-why-you-cant-get-hbo-go-exclusively/258209/

okaydo;842317697 said:

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... the show is best watched in the dark, and the sun doesn't go down until 8:30./[/url]

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I was thinking the same exact thing while watching it yesterday.

MoragaBear;842317691 said:

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The Mountain recast was bad but couldn't they have at least tried to make Daario Naharis look remotely like the original? There's just a complete disconnect there. And why the recast? Was the original so in demand that he has no time to appear in one of the greatest cable series ever? What's next? Lindsey Lohan with an English accent as Dany?

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Old daario will be starring in the new Transporter reboot.

Didn't know that transporter deserved a reboot, but still, it's the lead role in a major motion picture; probably the right move for him.

I'm probably in the minority, but I like the new Daario character much more than the old one. new daario seems more intelligent and less of a prima donna; plus he looks like eric bana. but I'm sure the ladies aren't happy with the recast.

Another great episode. Man, they are really making Cersei a witch, past AND present. It seems they are building up the show for some awesome final 3 episodes this year

Dinklage always gives a great performance and Dany plays her role well, but I like seeing DRAGONS!!!!

How did they summon the mountain so quickly??? Wasn't he running amok in the Riverlands and with a price on his big giant head?

When do we get to see the payback for Walter Frey and Roose Bolton?

Love this show ...

AFAIK, the old daario was casted in a movie, so he was out

I haven't read the books, but what's amazing to me is how all of you know the names of the twenty-something characters in this series. Furthermore, I often have a hard time understanding what's being said given the rather thick Irish and/or Scotch accents of the players. Anyone else have a hard time? Despite my failings here, GoT is the best program on television at the moment.

tyrion is the short one
tywin is the dude with white hair
cersei is the mean lady
jaime is her twin (they're having s e x hehe)

i could go on but ill refrain

6bear6;842317755 said:

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I haven't read the books, but what's amazing to me is how all of you know the names of the twenty-something characters in this series.

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I really only remember about half of them.

6bear6;842317755 said:

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I haven't read the books, but what's amazing to me is how all of you know the names of the twenty-something characters in this series. Furthermore, I often have a hard time understanding what's being said given the rather thick Irish and/or Scotch accents of the players. Anyone else have a hard time? Despite my failings here, GoT is the best program on television at the moment.

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unfortunately, I'm addicted to a Crusader Kings computer game that's a MOD for GOT. So not only do I know all of the names of the main principals, but I know the names and family members for even some of the not so well known houses. believe me, I'm already embarassed, so no need to rub it in.

HaasBear04;842317684 said:

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All will be forgiven if they're able to do justice to the greatest fight in the entire series in two weeks.

I'm guessing the primary reason this dude was cast was for his athleticism. Not all 6'9" guys move very well.

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True. See Tagaloa, Freddie.

sycasey;842317764 said:

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I really only remember about half of them.

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Melisandre, the red witch, is the one with the nice er... um...uh... you know what I mean.... yeah those.

okaydo;842317779 said:

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I wonder if that mate has hit on Brienne in the commissary yet? They could start a race of modern Viking warriors.

bearister;842317804 said:

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I wonder if that mate has hit on Brienne in the commissary yet? They could start a race of modern Viking warriors.

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Are you kidding? Have you heard Gwendolyn Christie laugh (actress playing Brienne)? Once you hear that laugh, you would be running for the hills ....

Davidson;842317762 said:

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tyrion is the short one
tywin is the dude with white hair
cersei is the mean lady
jaime is her twin (they're having s e x hehe)

i could go on but ill refrain

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Those four I know. It's all the other actors.
I like the little blond babe that's coming to take over the Iron Throne - Cereesi (?) I'm with ya also for that redhead who seduced Stennis.

this is king tommen baratheon, soon to discover what a wet dream is courtesy of margaery tyrell.

6bear6;842317755 said:

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I haven't read the books, but what's amazing to me is how all of you know the names of the twenty-something characters in this series. Furthermore, I often have a hard time understanding what's being said given the rather thick Irish and/or Scotch accents of the players. Anyone else have a hard time? Despite my failings here, GoT is the best program on television at the moment.

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After going through The Wire (as it aired) and The Sopranos (mostly as it aired), I've learned to figure it out. I must admit, I'm not the sort of type to read too much extra stuff on the show. I just read Wikipedia episode rundowns and a few analyses by a few TV critics.

And yet, I'm still sometimes confused. Like I didn't know until today about The Mountain's connection to The Hound. I didn't know, but I sort of knew, who those two chicks were talking last night. I knew, but didn't know.

Anyways, I'm more of a Mad Men person. I do like Game of Thrones, but I'm just not as blown away by it as other people.

As for the British accents, well, I watch/have watched a lot of British TV. I know way too much about British pop-culture.

I'm currently watching Broadchurch, which is very good by the way.

Some of the actors on Game of Thrones have appeared on other British shows I've watched.

Like:







Or:





Or:






Also, Game of Thrones characters like Sansa Stark and Jesse of the House Pinkman look remarkably the same in real life.

6bear6;842317817 said:

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Those four I know. It's all the other actors.
I like the little blond babe that's coming to take over the Iron Throne - Cereesi (?) I'm with ya also for that redhead who seduced Stennis.

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A wiki of Fire and Ice.

This helped me immensely with the characters and geography when I was reading the book.


Westeros


Essos

Another ginger down the moon hole. Keep em coming

The one true King

Well then, that was a good Mad Men last night, wasn't it?

(Hey, perhaps you'd know: Why are they having 7 MM episodes air this year, then 7 next year and calling it The Final Season? Why not just have the usual 12 this year and be done, or 12 this year, then another 12 next, or at least call it The Final Two Short Seasons?)

okaydo;842317828 said:

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After going through The Wire (as it aired) and The Sopranos (mostly as it aired), I've learned to figure it out. I must admit, I'm not the sort of type to read too much extra stuff on the show. I just read Wikipedia episode rundowns and a few analyses by a few TV critics.

And yet, I'm still sometimes confused. Like I didn't know until today about The Mountain's connection to The Hound. I didn't know, but I sort of knew, who those two chicks were talking last night. I knew, but didn't know.

Anyways, I'm more of a Mad Men person. I do like Game of Thrones, but I'm just not as blown away by it as other people.

As for the British accents, well, I watch/have watched a lot of British TV. I know way too much about British pop-culture.

I'm currently watching Broadchurch, which is very good by the way.

Some of the actors on Game of Thrones have appeared on other British shows I've watched.

Like:







Or:





Or:






Also, Game of Thrones characters like Sansa Stark and Jesse of the House Pinkman look remarkably the same in real life.

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NFL.com has more on The Mountain:

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap2000000352172/article/colts-once-flirted-with-signing-game-of-thrones-giant

Big C_Cal;842317919 said:

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Well then, that was a good Mad Men last night, wasn't it?

(Hey, perhaps you'd know: Why are they having 7 MM episodes air this year, then 7 next year and calling it The Final Season? Why not just have the usual 12 this year and be done, or 12 this year, then another 12 next, or at least call it The Final Two Short Seasons?)

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Breaking Bad was eligible for the 2013 Emmys with its 8-episode Season 5a season in 2012.

And it is eligible for the 2014 Emmys with its 8-episode Season 5b season in 2013, where it'll battle True Detective.





This way, Mad Men will have 2 shots to win Jon Hamm that elusive best drama actor Emmy, especially next year when he won't have to compete with Bryan Cranston or Matthew McConaughey.

See: http://www.adweek.com/adfreak/mad-men-stars-pose-vintage-style-product-ads-your-consideration-campaign-157829

Also, Mad Men gets the publicity boost of having 2 season premieres and 2 season finales. The media did 5,000 articles (I'm guessing) before this season kicked off and they'll do another 10,000 in the weeks before next year's premiere.

AMC also could launch another show with the 2nd half of the final season. They tried Revolutionary War drama "Turn" this year, but nobody is watching that.

Why not call them separate seasons? I think that doing that would actually cost more money, as an added season would probably require a salary bump. The technicality would just cost more.

Mad Men, though, is shooting its final episodes right now, and they'll keep them locked up for nearly a year. I think they've done 10 of the 14 episodes (Jon Hamm was on a bunch of talk shows last week talking about having a few episodes to go).

Breaking Bad, on the other hand, filmed its 5a and 5b seasons separately.

Creator Matthew Weiner wasn't a big fan of the split plan. As he told NPR earlier this month:
http://www.npr.org/2014/05/01/308608611/mad-men-creator-matthew-weiner-on-the-end-of-don-drapers-journey

Quote:

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The network has decided to split it over two years, so that's already different. I added an extra episode because I didn't want to have a six-episode run; I mean, seven is going to feel short enough. I had a plan with the writers for these 14 episodes that goes across them together, but there's going to be 10 months between them on the air. So right away I'm like, "Ugh, I need two premieres, two finales, really, because I want people to come back."

It allowed for less digression, quite honestly. I don't know how the audience feels about that, but when you're doing 13 episodes you can investigate every corner of the story if you want to. You can follow anybody home. This has made us really concentrate on the main characters — that was one of the byproducts of it. And it actually didn't seem like enough episodes for what we had to do. I'm writing Episode 12 right now. ... I actually haven't written the last two.

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Big C_Cal;842317919 said:

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(Hey, perhaps you'd know: Why are they having 7 MM episodes air this year, then 7 next year and calling it The Final Season? Why not just have the usual 12 this year and be done, or 12 this year, then another 12 next, or at least call it The Final Two Short Seasons?)

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Because with Breaking Bad gone, AMC only has this and The Walking Dead and a bunch of other shows that no one watches. They're trying to stretch things out as much as possible in hopes of finding another hit.