79 replies to this topic

[TWoP Dietrich]

Viserys and Daenerys. Might as well also talk about Khal Drogo and that whole storyline here.

[AimingforYoko]

Viserys: Best brother ever! If by brother, you mean pimp.

[Lila82]

Really, really pleased with Emilia Clarke's portrayal of Dany. With only a few lines of dialogue, she managed to convey how terrified, tired, and trapped Dany is. Early Dany was largely an empty vessel, but EC managed to show her misery with just the expression in her eyes.

Harry Lloyd was also great as Viserys. Any number of actors could have sold his chilling crazy, but HL showed hints of naivety under the bluster. For all this threats, we could see the cracks in Visery's armor and a fear and desperation that rivals his sisters.

I'm really curious and excited for how the writers tackle Robert's Rebellion and the fall of the Targaryen dynasty. The backstory has always been my favorite SoFaI storyline.

[onestepaway07]

So far the casting has been spot on with the Targaryens. Dany has always been a favourite of mine so I'm glad that her and Viserys were cast perfectly.

On a side note, snakes for a wedding gift?!

Edited by onestepaway07, Apr 18, 2011 @ 12:20 AM.

[thuganomics85]

I was stunned to find out that Emila Clarke has only done two other acting gigs/shows before this. She seems to really be a natural talent, because I was very impressed with her tonight. Hopefully, it will only get better. Harry Lloyd was also pretty good. The part when he was kind of leering at Dany's naked body was creepy, and the way he talked about her to Magister Illyo, while she was right there with them, was also unsettling. He barely seemed to acknowledge her in that scene, and almost treated her like a pet or some form of property (until she said she didn't want to go through with the wedding.) Yuck.

Jury is out on Khal Drago at the moment. Jason Momoa looked the part, but he really didn't have much to do in the premiere. I've seen some of his other work, and I mainly felt indifferent towards him (not bad, just not that interesting), but maybe he'll prove me wrong.

[Smagu]

Khal Drogo is probably a very hard character to play, since he's almost a cartoon in the books. Big, strong, noble savage who barely ever speaks isn't exactly a meaty part for an actor.

[Danny Franks]

Harry Lloyd was also great as Viserys. Any number of actors could have sold his chilling crazy, but HL showed hints of naivety under the bluster. For all this threats, we could see the cracks in Visery's armor and a fear and desperation that rivals his sisters.

I love that. As I just said about Cersei in the Lannisters thread, it seems like Benioff and Weiss have looked beyond the POVs of the books, to try and see characters as they actually are. So, instead of seeing Viserys through the eyes of a 13 year old girl who has always been terrified of him, we see him as he is. A pompous, arrogant, but ultimately desperate and scared young man. That's what Dany herself comes to realize, as she begins to gather her courage through the book.

As for Drogo, I'll confess that I never really thought much about him, one way or the other. He was always just a plot device for me, which was emphasized further by his limited ability to communicate in Westerosi. I don't think I'll even notice whether Momoa is good or bad in the role. As long as he looks like a badass warrior, that's all that I need from him.

[sionprincess]

Dany is one of my favorites so I'm glad that she's coming across so well on screen. When I saw that platter of hearts last night it gave me a glimpse of the scene where she has to eat the stallion heart in the books and I'm dreading that. Eww. God! When they have to do that, I can only imagine. Anyway. The white blond hair is fake looking, yes, but it gives them the proper other worldly look they need, so I'm willing to forgive it. Viserys is a right bastard. Man. That line about letting all of Khal Drogo and his men and their horses fuck Dany if he needed to came across perfectly. If by perfectly, you mean awfully. Which I do. But it's meant to be awful. Viserys is a dick. I'm going to grin like a kid in a candy store when his spoiled, bastard ass gets his golden crown.
I agree that Harry Lloyd is doing a great job. He's showing that undercurrent of lost little boy that Joffrey has, IMO. That entitled rich boy thing that never wins friends and certainly won't in a world like this.

[Scrb]

Are they suppose to be of a mythical race, which is why their hair is white?

Anyways, princesses were bred to be married off to unpleasant men. So it's more of a modern cast that she would be icked out at her marriage.

Of course the brother was crude, undressing her and fondling her, but that's what royal weddings were, children being sold off in return for political alliances, nothing like this fairy tale with William and Kate.

[fallingfortruth]

They were from the old blood of Valyria, which is sort of a quasi-Atlantean stand in for the Bad Old Days Of Magic, when the world was much more high fantasy than it is in the present day, but it's pretty heavily implied that a large part of the Targaryen looks have everything to do with the recessive genes that show up when brothers marry sisters for generations on end.

[Mod Suit]

Are they suppose to be of a mythical race, which is why their hair is white?

They're of a different lineage than the rest of the people on Westeros, but not a different race. They're from Valyria, which is kind of like this world's Ancient Rome. And they are massively inbred, so they preserved all their traits.

[Barbarossa]

Also why its said that when a Targaryen is born the gods toss a coin. Theres a 50/50 chance of a Targ being a psychotic dick

[Azure Owl]

but it's pretty heavily implied that a large part of the Targaryen looks have everything to do with the recessive genes that show up when brothers marry sisters for generations on end.

Not necessarily. We do see another House of Valyrian descent, the Velaryons. They also have silver hair and (in the books) purple eyes. It’s just that the Targaryens were more obsessive about preserving those Valyrian racial traits, hence the inbreeding.

Also why its said that when a Targaryen is born the gods toss a coin. Theres a 50/50 chance of a Targ being a psychotic dick

Or a great and noble ruler. They tend to the extremes.

[Scrb]

Well the brother is a dick but that may be what it takes to be king.

You wouldn't think though that a physically unimposing figure would be looked up to by the warriors though as their superior.

[Barbarossa]

Not necessarily. We do see another House of Valyrian descent, the Velaryons. They also have silver hair and (in the books) purple eyes. It’s just that the Targaryens were more obsessive about preserving those Valyrian racial traits, hence the inbreeding.

The Daynes also have a fair bit of Valyrian in them. Ashara is described as having silver hair and purple eyes. I don't remember if Edric(?) did, don't remember don't care about Darkstar. IIRC Arthur was never described physically

[Maximum Taco]

The Daynes also have a fair bit of Valyrian in them. Ashara is described as having silver hair and purple eyes. I don't remember if Edric(?) did, don't remember don't care about Darkstar. IIRC Arthur was never described physically

Both Edric and Gerold "Darkstar" Dayne, have the typical Dayne silver/pale blonde hair and dark blue/purple eyes. Gerold Dayne does have a jet black streak going through his silver hair, which may be a reason for his nickname.

[Lila82]

Re: Viserys and Daenerys -- if the Targaryens were still ruling Westeros, Viserys would have inherited the throne with Dany as his wife, as the Targaryens tried to avoide marrying outside the family whenever possible. It adds an extra dimension to their relationship: he treats her less like a sister and more like a wife.

Also, later in the series we learn that Viserys blames Dany for being born too late (she was conceived during Robert's Rebellion and born right at its end). All this made Rhaegar, their brother, marry a non-Targaryen woman who couldn't satisfy him, leading to his infautation with Lyanna Stark, leading to her abduction, which all culminated in Robert's Rebellion and the end of the Targaryen. So really, it's all her fault Viserys doesn't have his crown.

The Baratheons are a line drawn from a supposed bastard Targaryen, but their superior genes overrode ancient Valyria's. This is a big theme throughout, how genetics play out, and the Targaryens didn't always win: Rhaenys, the last crown prince's daughter, was a product of generations of incest but still looked more like her Dornish mother. So long as they maintain pure bloodlines, some form of their Valyrian heritage comes through: silver or platinum hair and purple or indigo eyes. The Daynes were very close to the Targaryens, so it wouldn't surprise me if there was shared blood in there somewhere.

Edited by Lila82, Apr 18, 2011 @ 9:15 PM.

[Lady V]

Loved both characters and the actors.

These were the stand outs to me, as I tried hard to navigate what was going on with all the other similar looking characters.

The brother conveyed the weakness and evil avariciousness and the sister an inner strength, which I assume will play out that way in the future.

(sorry, don't know all the names yet)

The husband was memorable too. At this point in the story, for a non-book reader? Memorable and defined characters are a GOOD thing.

[Ulle]

At this point in the story, for a non-book reader? Memorable and defined characters are a GOOD thing.

That's very true. "White haired freak guy", or "really huge guy with a dislike for clothes" are a lot easier than "dark haired man number 12"...

[anadyr21]

I remember the actor playing Viserys from a Doctor Who episode. He really was a standout in that episode and I'm so glad to see him here. But the whole time, I kept waiting for him to refer to Dany as "sister of mine." I can't be the only one, right?

I'm anxious to see how this marriage plays out with Dany's inability to communicate with Kal Drogo and Viserys's impatience for invasion.

[tsumitobatsu]

I know they got someone to invent Dothraki for the show, but I wonder if the Targaryens will ever speak Valyrian.

[Barbarossa]

I know they got someone to invent Dothraki for the show, but I wonder if the Targaryens will ever speak Valyrian.

I believe the only time we hear Dany speak High Valyrian in the books is in Astapor.

[Azure Owl]

I know they got someone to invent Dothraki for the show, but I wonder if the Targaryens will ever speak Valyrian.

Probably not until Daenerys gets to Slaver’s Bay, if at all.

Edited by Azure Owl, Apr 19, 2011 @ 3:23 PM.

[Meshakhad]

Viserys is a slimeball who should be executed as a menace to society while Daenerys gets the crown.

[Nightmare Logic]

Ok I just finished reading, what was it 600 freaking pages in 3 and a half days (or was it more or possibly less) and The Targaryens storyline had to be my favorite. Yes the brother was a good and propper dick and I did smile when sister finally stood up to him.

Now I am looking forward to HBO's interpretation.

[thuganomics85]

Yikes, even in just one scene tonight, Viserys kind of gave me the creeps. That actor really knows how to make the most out of his screentime.

Curious to see where they are going with Dany's story. While she told the slave girl she wanted to learn how to "please' Khal Drogo, I think part of it was her also wanting to find a way to have some kind of control in this relationship. It may not seem like much, but I'm guessing the fact that Khal complied in the end was a good sign for her.

Besides that, Emila Clarke is really, really pretty!

[onestepaway07]

I'm glad that people are finally seeing how much depth the Targaryen storyline has.

My favourite character from the books was Danaerys and she continues to be my favourite on TV. Whoever decided to cast Emilia Clarke as Dany, thank you very much. Not only is she doing very well in portraying Dany's progression but she is also lovely to look at.

Viserys (Harry LLoyd) was also cast very well. He really makes me want to punch him in the face every single time he appears on the screen but he also shows the naivety(?) that Viserys has from not really growing up in Westeros and having the rebellion happen while he was very young.

Edited by onestepaway07, Apr 25, 2011 @ 12:14 AM.

[enlightenedbum]

Curious to see where they are going with Dany's story.

Unlike last week, they weren't subtle about it this week.

[Scrb]

Is Dany going to become such a sexual powerhouse that she's going to get Drago to win the Kingdom ... only to hand it off to her twit of a brother?

What's going to stop Drogo from deciding to keep the spoils of victory for himself? It seems in his world, the top dog is the biggest and baddest and you can't say that about what's his name, the asshole brother.

[Ulle]

Nightmare Logic, why do you do that? Post to say you've read the book, and you really liked when x happened? Not cool.