Last, but not least, came the virtual e xp erience. You basically put on a VR visor and headphones, and enter a simulation of the lift that takes you up The Wall, above Castle Black, and onto the ramparts overlooking the Wildling lands beyond to the north. It was very cool, with the castle dropping away below you and then fading from view as low-lying clouds obscure your sight. Once the lift reaches the top, you turn around and walk to the edge of the battlement and can gaze down at the breathtaking vista beyond. Just as you are admiring the scenery, the fireballs from the army below begin to hurl upward as the attack begins. One hits you and you can see part of yourself on fire as you hurtle to your death at breakneck speed from the top of the wall. The e xp erience ends just before you hit the bottom, thankfully.

All in all, it was very cool and I'm super glad I got a chance to go!

That is super awesome! I wish I would have made it to the Austin stop.

Very cool, thanks for sharing all the great photos Val!

Latest reports say that Bran and Hodor may not be appearing in season 5 as they've pretty much caught up with their storyline in the books.

I hope this doesn't mean Littlefinger and Sansa won't appear either, I know they're in a similar position but I'd still like to see both characters. Dany is coming to the end of her book storyline too judging from recent filming reports, so what will happen with season 6 if characters are being dropped temporarily because they've hit their current point in the books?

I wonder if The Winds of Winter is coming soon, and the producers have been told to leave out Bran's future storyline and include it in season 6 and 7? Just speculation of course.

I don't think they've dropped them this season because they're adding new characters. I read something a while back where they said they won't be adding many new characters from now on as the story will start to close on itself as its approaches its conclusion.

Hopefully HBO will comment on it and let us know whats happening.

If this last season was indicative of anything it's that the showrunners are digging in their heels to desperately keep the show from going further.

Season 4 had several lengthy scenes and storylines that were never part of the books (at least not that I can recall) and really didn't serve the overall plot. Add to that, there were several scenes that were also completely new and considered "spoilerish" for the readers of the books. I think for the coming seasons, before Winds of Winter, we'll see reduced screen time and some more made-up storylines for these characters. But, we could also see some scenes that are very important and have never been a part of the books, which could be very interesting.

I havent read the books, so I have no idea where the characters are in the book storyline wise, but it sounds like George better hurry up with his writing!

Bran not being in the next season would be pretty disappointing as we kinda left the last season in a cliffhanger-ish spot.

So today I went to see the last two episodes of season four in IMAX. Unfortunately they weren't showing it at our local IMAX theater, so I had to drive to Peoria, which is about 90 miles away.

It was nice to see it on the big screen, but the up conversion process was not nearly as successful for it as it has been for theatrical movies that I've seen up converted to IMAX. The image quality ranged from meh to bleh. Still, I'm glad I went. It was a nice day trip, and they showed a teaser for season five at the end of it. The teaser is also available online.

What may be the first really big winter storm of the season followed me home afterwards. We may get 9 inches of snow between tonight and tomorrow night. So yes indeed, winter is coming!

I had the wondered what the film quality would be in IMAX as I went Friday night . Our local theater had it , so I was lucky in that aspect . I really enjoyed it but agree that the up conversion could have been better . Did you happen to receive the IMAX poster ? They had a few left when we went , we each got one . The version we got is the Tyrion one , I am your son . Actually a pretty cool little poster .

And so season 5 has begun! And it wouldn't be GoT without killing somebody off, would it?

It's a novelty for me to watch it in first broadcast. In the past, my cousin would DVR the whole season and then I would watch it in 2 or 3 marathon sessions. Now I have HBO, due to Comcast rejiggering my cable package, and so I'll have a new favorite Sunday night activity for the next couple of months.

Tonight was a first for me actually watching when it aired as well . This is the first time I have to wait a week to watch another episode

And to maintain tradition, some idiots have already pirated and leaked the first 4-5 shows of the season online. These morons don't care/realize how badly they are hurting the thing they love to watch, and that their selfish actions are continuing to result in a staggering loss of revenue for the show's production. Though it was once a dubious badge of honour that this was the most downloaded show ever, it was already announced that the budget for this current season had to be reduced due to losses from piracy.

Yay for scumbag humanity.

Wow I was unaware of that...that sucks.

How do they even get access to unaired episodes anyway?

Now that HBO is streaming GOT in their new video-on-demand service (HBO Now), that should cut down on some of the piracy, but it's still $15 a month for that service.

I still have not have time to watch the Blu Rays of last season. I'm not getting HBO Now just to watch GOT, so it will be another year before I can watch this season.

I'm dancing on getting HBO Now, the problem is there's no clean way for me to put it up on my TV, so it's either watch on my laptop or pirate. If HBO hadn't signed an exclusive deal with Apple, I'd probably go for it. They're a very finicky animal, HBO.

The real problem is that, though I've read the books, they're marching into non-book plots now. So there's a real chance of having things spoiled. Not to mention the bandwagon fans just post every inane thought they have on the show to Facebook/Twitter/comments.

I heard about the leak of the first 4 episodes, but I did not download them. I have avoided all trailers for this season, I wanna watch it as it airs.

I have HBO because I live with my dad and we have it, but if I had to foot the bill for HBO myself, I might not have it. I don't know much about HBO Now, is it a minimum required subscription? I could see myself doing it for 2.5 months and canceling, just to get GoT.

HBO Now is a streaming service HBO offers without tied to your cable provider. $14.99 a month, I think. But it only works with Apple devices and browsers. I'm not sure if I can even get it without having an iPod or iPad. Part of some exclusive deal with Apple. And it goes to other devices in July.

You can't tell me that wasn't deliberately aimed at GoT viewers. Hate it when companies do this. Daredevil came out on Netflix this past weekend. Easiest thing in the world to sign up and watch within minutes. Seems like HBO is willing to take a loss on this.

ohh, I didn't know about Apple exclusivity. Hmmm, I hate when companies do this. Alienate half of your audience. Its not like I am going to go buy an Ipad just to watch GoT.

It's an uncompetitive practice, but not illegal. It basically amounts to Apple throwing such ridiculous amounts of money at HBO that they cannot refuse the deal. At least that revenue will help offset some of the losses due to piracy.

That's why I just buy the Blu-Rays. I am showing my support of the single show but not the other 137 hours/week that is useless to me on HBO.

I have the channel, and I buy the Blu-rays, but I understand that not everyone can do both. It would just be nice if people had some respect for other people's work, which is not done for free. It's fine to rail against big bad HBO and decide to stick it to them by downloading the show, while neglecting to understand the simple fact that the show is not made for free - HBO has to finance it. When it starts to hurt the budget, I hurts all of the fans, even the idiot pirates, but it's not like they have enough brain cells to care or even understand the consequences of their selfish actions.

I buy the Blu-rays as well. This show has great rewatchability to it. Between the insane level of detail they put into it to the blink-and-you'll-miss it moments.

My only concern are the spoilers at this point, because they're absolutely legitimate spoilers now. Not to mention that the show has become so mainstream that you can't get away from people who know the "rules" of being in a fandom. The people who walked up to me and said 'Oh man, could you believe the Red Wedding?!' before I had seen the episode was so frustrating. At that point, I knew what it was they were referring to so it was more annoying than anything, but now it would completely ruin it.

Piracy is a funny animal because it, too, has become mainstream. Any idiot with an internet connection can figure out how to download the latest tv show, movie, or game with little or no effort. Used to be trickier. And the more effort that studios throw at the piracy problem, the more prevalent it becomes. One thing Apple nailed was iTunes. Give people the ability to pay for their music and they'll do it. Netflix proved it, too.

For me, it's much like Val said. HBO can make the show with such a huge budget because of the money it brings in. Absolutely have to respect the artists, from the big name actor all the way to the fellow who caters the shoot.

And the answer is...Apple TV. It's a streaming box, $69. Now only does it have HBO Now, it has lots of other channels, plus you can stream your iTunes library (even from a PC) and photos and videos from your iOS device (if you have one).

Anyway, point is, if you want HBO Now, well, now and don't have/want an iPhone or iPad, you can do it for relatively cheaply.

[quote=""Valkrist""]I have the channel, and I buy the Blu-rays, but I understand that not everyone can do both. It would just be nice if people had some respect for other people's work, which is not done for free. It's fine to rail against big bad HBO and decide to stick it to them by downloading the show, while neglecting to understand the simple fact that the show is not made for free - HBO has to finance it. When it starts to hurt the budget, I hurts all of the fans, even the idiot pirates, but it's not like they have enough brain cells to care or even understand the consequences of their selfish actions.[/quote]

I totally agree, that is why I am enjoying the online streaming that more and more sites are having. E.g. CWTV allows me to watch Arrow and Flash just 24 hours after they air, in HD through my computer (which I route to my projector).

Hence why I don't have cable at all.

So nearly at the end of another season.

I've really enjoyed a lot of elements in the new season. Its definitely a slow burner if you compare it to season 4, but I envision this season to be setting up what is to come in season 6 and 7. I really like the stuff in Dorne, although I seem to be among the few that do. Looking forward to the season finale and then where it will go in the final 2 seasons

A slow burner, but still replete with tragedy, like a certain death near the end of the episode last night. That was really sad and brutal.

I forget about this thread.

Yes, this season has been a bit slower, but more focusing on the politics and set ups for seasons to come, rather than the hack em' and slash em' that GoT can be. Although last week's and last night's episodes had some action.

The Dorne stuff, eh... I like some of it, but I am not a fan of the Sand Snakes at all. Lindir, don't feel bad about being one of the few people who are interested in the Dorne storyline, I think I am the only member of #TeamCersei

There are a lot of storylines going on this season, just makes me wish, the episodes could be longer or there could be more episodes per season, even if they gave up like 6-7 episodes per "half season" ...airing some in the fall and some in the spring. I just don't like how sometimes, we might go a week or so without seeing any of a character or 2's development. Some weeks no Sansa, or Jon, or Arya etc.

Olorin wrote:A slow burner, but still replete with tragedy, like a certain death near the end of the episode last night. That was really sad and brutal.

Now, I am typically the first one to give visual artists the benefit of the doubt, but this season has had waaaaay too many deviations in my opinion. And not even little deviations here and there to save money or make it easier for the audience to understand. There have been MAJOR character plot changes for really no apparent reason other than "shock" value. I loved Dorne in the books and I feel that there were too many major characters cut from there as well... Oh well. Off my rant for the day.

BladeCollector wrote:There are a lot of storylines going on this season, just makes me wish, the episodes could be longer or there could be more episodes per season, even if they gave up like 6-7 episodes per "half season" ...airing some in the fall and some in the spring. I just don't like how sometimes, we might go a week or so without seeing any of a character or 2's development. Some weeks no Sansa, or Jon, or Arya etc.

I think that is very reminiscent of the books though. I mean A Dance with Dragons practically had no Jon Snow in it...

RevAnakin wrote:

Olorin wrote:A slow burner, but still replete with tragedy, like a certain death near the end of the episode last night. That was really sad and brutal.

Now, I am typically the first one to give visual artists the benefit of the doubt, but this season has had waaaaay too many deviations in my opinion. And not even little deviations here and there to save money or make it easier for the audience to understand. There have been MAJOR character plot changes for really no apparent reason other than "shock" value. I loved Dorne in the books and I feel that there were too many major characters cut from there as well... Oh well. Off my rant for the day.

I am curious to see what happens in the future books. I read somewhere that the writers of GoT, got that little sad and brutal death from GRRM, as in it might occur in the book.

I am hoping that is the plan. I hope that all the things that are happening are in future books that we just haven't caught up with yet. Just as of now, it seems a little out of touch.

My hope/question, since after this season the TV runners are going to be out of books and making stories up based on what Martin has told them, is that when Martin gets around to writing those final books, he follows the show pretty closely.

Olorin wrote:My hope/question, since after this season the TV runners are going to be out of books and making stories up based on what Martin has told them, is that when Martin gets around to writing those final books, he follows the show pretty closely.

That is a worry of mine...

For me, it's more or less a moot point. I'll probably never read the books. I know several of them are huge doorstops that take forever to read, and I have yet to hear that writing quality-wise, they are of sufficient quality to make me want to trudge through them. A friend tells me he liked the first couple very well, but after that they got so convoluted and tedious, and lacking in characters you wanted to read about, that he quit reading them. My cousin recently read of all them (which is quite a feat for him) but he's seen all the episodes to date and having an understanding of where the story is going makes it easier to follow.

But in any event, I'll probably not read them.

I keep going back and forth with myself on whether or not I want to read the books or not. I've heard by a lot of people they are good but lots and lots of trivial details that take up lots of space.

Though I haven't read the books, from what I've heard the general consensus is that the last two books, A Feast for Crows and a Dance with Dragons, were slow and mostly boring. Full of plots that seemed to go nowhere. I believe season 5 is a cut down version of those two books. I know some of the major scenes from the books have happened and will happen next episode. So I suspect season 6 will be maybe a few unfinished plot details from those two books, but mostly brand new details. They've only got 2 seasons left.

They re-introduced the Others as an incredible threat, and now we need to see them become more prominent I feel. My hope for the people of Westeroes coming together is very slim at the minute considering we're heading toward some large family confrontations such as Stannis and Roose/Ramsey battling it out. The Tyrell and Lannister bond has definitely been broken and the Starks are pretty much dead. I'm hoping Sansa will be the one to kill Ramsey though.

Yeah... Sansa... Not even supposed to be in Winterfell...

RevAnakin wrote:Yeah... Sansa... Not even supposed to be in Winterfell...

Although I have never read the books, I have read a lot of the ASOIAF wiki synopses, and I think Sansa being there works well, rather than ANOTHER character.

It works for the show, what I am worried about is if that wasn't her final destination. Think about shooting long range, the slightest degree off at the muzzle is amplified 300 yards out. Right now it isn't a huge change, but if Sansa was never suppose to go to Winterfell, you now have a huge problem in the next book or book 7.

Wow... just watched the season finale... I just can't even... I'm gonna have to process that. I dont know if I can wait until next March/April.

BladeCollector wrote:Wow... just watched the season finale... I just can't even... I'm gonna have to process that. I dont know if I can wait until next March/April.

No choice in that matter...we have to wait. Even though a couple of key cliffhangers had been spoiled for me, it was still shocking a major downer.

Olorin wrote:

BladeCollector wrote:Wow... just watched the season finale... I just can't even... I'm gonna have to process that. I dont know if I can wait until next March/April.

No choice in that matter...we have to wait. Even though a couple of key cliffhangers had been spoiled for me, it was still shocking a major downer.

I know we have to wait, but there was so much going on and so many cliffhangers, that finale could have been an hour and a half. The show not only has some shocking moments, but lots of moments that make you uncomfortable.

I just wonder how much of Cersei's walk of shame was actually Lena Headey vs a body double. There were very few full-body shots where her face was recognizable.

I want to say it was a body double. I could be making that up but I think I remember an article about it a while back when they were filming. I do remember that scene didn't go over too well in the city they film in, with the wide open nudity and all that. Maybe it was the same article

Some deviations from the books, but all in all these changes were for the better in this episode. Problem is, we are officially caught up with the books... So I wouldn't be surprised if we only have one to two more seasons left of this show.

RevAnakin wrote:Some deviations from the books, but all in all these changes were for the better in this episode. Problem is, we are officially caught up with the books... So I wouldn't be surprised if we only have one to two more seasons left of this show.

The producers have stated that there will only be 7 seasons in total. HBO execs would like more however, but 7 is the number they seem to be sticking too. So I think The Others will become more prominent from now on. Winter's already setting in. I'm very excited for where the story is going now

You mean the White Walkers taking over all of Westeros and killing everyone? Perfect GRRM ending! lol

RevAnakin wrote:You mean the White Walkers taking over all of Westeros and killing everyone? Perfect GRRM ending! lol

He said it would be bittersweet the ending though, so maybe the Others do win and they're actually better than humans in terms of ruling and their morality. That would be weird I'm glad Littlefinger and Varys made it out of this season alive. I really hope we're gonna get a really deep moment with Littlefinger. Kinda like what happened with Jaime. I just think its important for his character. I am a big fan of the character, and the way Gillen plays him, but I feel like he's becoming just one dimensional. His scheming was great, and then the revelation last season about him was great, but we need the opposite side of him to show I think. I think his relationship with Sansa was interesting, and I thought it was gonna be a way of showing something more genuine with him, but they separated again after a couple of episodes.

Cersei has been fantastic this season. I really love her character.

I actually stopped watching the show and started reading recaps of each episode :p

Anyone still watching GoT? My personal opinion, these first 4 episodes of this season have probably been the best 4 consecutive episodes yet.. I mean, I havent been disappointed at all in the story line development so far this season.

I finally got an HBO Now subscription for this season, so I'm able to watch the episodes as they air.

I'd say this season is off to a good start. I don't know that I'd say they're the best consecutive episodes, but that could well be true. My only problem was with the first episode really. Too many storylines. We got 5 minutes of 10 storylines and it wasn't nearly enough of any of them. They've gotten better with this, though, and they spend episodes half one place, half another, or third, quarter, etc. It's enough to whet the appetite for the storylines and move them along with worthwhile developments.

I will say that, given the direction of this season and my experience with reading the books I'm doing something I'd tweak at for any other franchise---I'm not going to read the books anymore. The show has repeatedly in the past--and continues to do so now--improve on the books. Where weak storytelling and pointless meandering occurs in the books, the show just goes for the throat. And it's not even in consideration of time or budget or anything of that matter. It's just plain impact and it makes for a better tale.

It's definitely building to something good, though. It's putting pieces in the right places to make for some great stories and I'm very excited to see where it goes. In the past I could go weeks without needing to the see the most recent episode(s), but now I'm right there on Sundays, itching for the next.

I am sooo so excited every Sunday night to sit down and watch GoT. It has been frustrating, though, that as GW mentions, they have so many story lines to service that they can only spend a few minutes on each one. I am hopeful that some of these lines will wrap up (like they wrapped up Stannis last season) that they can spend more time on other storylines. However, they've just introduced one new character in the form of Theon's uncle, and there's some new female character coming online next week. So I think it's going to continue being one of those tasting menu restaurants for some time.

I've never read the books. I don't know if I ever will. Definitely, I would not read them until the series has ended. That way, I can enjoy the shows for what they are instead of what I think they should be, compared to the books. That's a privilege I never had with LOTR. But did hold off on reading any of the Potter books until after that movie series was done.