Well, I did not know there are TWO episodes out!
 
 

Great first episode, set everything up very well. Robb's doing a great job, he's believable as the King in the North although in the book's he comes across as much younger so the choice of actor obviously had a lot to do with it, but I really like how they've developed his character. Finally seeing a full-sized direwolf rocked. Joffrey is so hateful I can't even explain.

He IS much younger in the books. All the children are older because Dany had to be in order to show her having sex in certain nations (including Britain) and when they're born in relation to other events is important (well, less so Sansa, Arya, Joffrey etc, but it's important when Dany, Jon and Robb were born). Though Martin has said in hindsight that he probably should have made them older from the outset anyway.

Yes I figured that had to be something to do with the reasoning, it reads much worse in the books than it actually played out in the first series for obvious reasons. Interesting the author said that, as those few extra years do give him an air of authority I didn't fully believe in when reading - having said that I've only read the first book and a bit of the second.

I think it was a commitment to the kind of ages many genuine (as well as legendary) medieval characters came to prominence both in actual ruling/battle and simply as adults (hence the age people are confirmed/have bar mitzvahs etc). But a modern day audience finds it all a bit far-fetched. 

Episode 2 (NO SPOILERS, fear not): Way better than the first episode. Still very much setting the scene and introducing people, but full of better scenes. Gendry and Arya are obviously going to be fun to watch together. Great patter with Salladar and Davos. A hysterical brothel scene. THAT scene from the book with Theon and Asha  Theon's really excellent in the episode, actually.

Yeah, I much preferred the 2nd episode to the first

Just watched the 2nd episode, series is still not doing it for me so far, maybe expectations were too high.

How come the second episode was on so soon?

Didn't know there were two episodes out, gonna have to give the second a watch tomorrow.

HBO go streamed on their site then its been ripped

Ahh fair so it will be Ep2 next week then. Thanks ill still watch it then for the quality :)

I can't be bothered to check all 26 pages to see if this has been posted yet, but:  http://www.youtube.com/wa...dded&v=qYNeT2nzEgA
 
10 minutes well spent. 
 
 
//EDIT:  Actually, I prefer the Guile theme tune one:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fUS2LSJR22k

Decent enough, but was it just me or was there more to pick at in that episode than there was the entire first series? Everything seemed to happen out of order and even then it didn't happen as it did in the book. When Stannis's maester tries to poison Melisandre it just looks as though he decided to top himself for no reason.

Ramius

When Stannis's maester tries to poison Melisandre it just looks as though he decided to top himself for no reason.

 
I haven't read the second book yet (about 1/3 through the first), but i thought that was a bit odd as well. Couldn't work out if he was trying to poison her or commit suicide.
 
Other than that i enjoyed the episode, sets the stage well for the rest of the serie (hopefully)

I haven't read the books so enlighten me if I am wrong, but is she meant to be a witch of some kind? That was my trail of thought through out that scene and would give some explanation to his death.
 
 
 
 
 
 

I'd have thought it perfectly clear that he simply wanted to poison her because he feels she's going to force his Lord into an unwinnable war, and didn't think he could be sure of her drinking it unless he tried to dress it up like that.
 
I also don't think the ordering of the scenes matters a jot so long as the episode flows well (which it doesn't always in the first episode, second is better) and that it's chronologically accurate enough for the story arcs to work out correctly.

I decided to read the books the other day and at it's a fantastic read very hard to put down and chances are I'll finish the first book before the next episode airs.
 
Also in reading the first book it's given me a much greater appreciation of the work that went in to the first season, especially the casting. Maybe it's because I'd seen the show first so I could picture every character as I was reading the books but everyone seems perfect.
 
And yeah, the aging was definitely neccessary, no way could they have shown a 13 year old Daenarys humping Khal Drogo.

I think there will be more criticism of this season due to how many of the TV audience from the first series were turned on to the books.
 

I'm glad its back, I'd missed my regular fix of dwarf porn