Haha, yeah, I read about that spoiler threat. I wonder how effective it was.

More spoilers of the artistic kind for the upcoming season:

I haven't yet seen last night's episode, so no spoilers from me just yet, but I just wanted to say a little personal Grrrrrrrrrr to HBO (not quite a FU) for making their shows so inaccessible to the general population. Seriously, there is a reason last season's episodes were the most downloaded thing ever. Sending out copyright infringement notices (particularly for older seasons), and issuing many C&D letters to folks in the US who have downloaded episodes online doesn't really solve anything or help anyone. Honestly, I don't feel that downloading negatively impacts HBOs DVD sales in the slightest, and if you ask my opinion - though no one does - if anything allowing online access to your show only boosts interest and, it follows, overall sales and revenue from a franchise. This is the way fans are built. Think of the massive following GoT and ASOIF have, and then consider how many of those actually have HBO on their TVs; I am willing to bet it is not many by percentages. People love this stuff, and it is in your interest to make it available to the public, especially if you want to curb file sharing. I know they have improved lately, trying to figure out a distribution model that works exclusively for them (of course), but it still has a long way to go. For most people, having to subscribe to a premium cable package or whatever, is far too costly and you have to go way overboard just to maybe see one thing, for 10 or so episodes, all year. That kind of exclusive system might have worked for them in the days of satellite, but it is time to accept the new modes require different approaches.

I found it online this morning. I refuse to pay for cable to watch shows. Cable providers are some of the greediest bastards around, I wish networks would cut them out of the equation altogether BUT they don't. Most have deals with the providers and when those go south, the consumer pays the price. It's ridiculous how some of the networks (like AMC) offer streaming online for free but you have to prove who your cable provider is to login?! Umm if I had cable I'd watch it on my TV not some 21 inch computer screen. What the hell is the point of that? Oh wait they always say as a courtesy to cable subscribers. Big fucking racket if you ask me.

Off topic for a sec- watched 'Turn' from AMC also this morning- not bad.

I think it is even worse in Canada, with the stringent regulations limiting the access we have to content, coupled with the monopolies up here. Fuck all those cable/internet providers. Nothing but a massive cash grab, and even then your service is rubbish. I think I might've brought this up once already in the hockey thread, but one of the most idiotic things going here is how you cannot watch streaming hockey games. At all. In Canada. WTF. Stupid TSN with its broadcasting rights, and you can't even get access to them already being a subscriber of Bell, its parent company. How the fuck does that work? Used to be at least they had them on the TSN website, with plenty of ads. Things are supposed to be getting more accessible, not less. Even if I did have tablet/mobile phone/whatever, do they really think people want to watch live sports on their portable devices instead------of------tvs? What kind of idiotic management thinks up these decisions? Must be of the same kind of people who run our banks and the NHL. There's an app for that. Oh yeah, well I don't give a FF. And especially not when you already have me bent over paying for your terrible service.

Been waiting impatiently for this! Really enjoyed the new episode. Watched it twice. The Hound is a bad ass!

Gripe:

HBO says that they actually don't mind that people find illegal means to watch their shows (especially GoT, which seems to be the most downloaded show). For one thing it makes people start talking about their channel, word of mouth, maybe you watch the first few seasons by alternative means and now you want to watch them legitimately with everyone else who has HBO or HBO GO. So it brings in customers who previously would have paid for subscription.

You can see they are marketing the hell out of game of thrones when they dedicate a whole weekend to the show, showing the 1-3 season marathon and countless other movies, all free to the general public. I actually did not know about this until yesterday so I didn't take advantage of the few days HBO was free but you can clearly see the network is trying to get people hooked. They let you watch the premier for free but then you gotta pay to see the rest of the season.


As far as the show itself

Well, as one last point on this, before this thread becomes irrevocably disrailed, I didn't know that was their [un]official position. I just heard that they are pursuing people who downloaded episodes of the show (at least in warning form, not sure if any have ended up in anything - there are whole companies started up now just to blackmail people for cash over copyright, so who knows).

Reminds me of this pretty funny Oatmeal comic:
I tried to watch Game of Thrones and this is what happened

Tywin...

I was already accepting the fact that I wasn't going to watch the new episode because I don't pay for HBO, and I changed the channel to HBO just to find that somehow I have it on.
So I watched it and really enjoyed it. Didn't remember Daarius and was kind of surprised because I'm pretty good with faces... It makes sense now!!

I can't find the link, but HBO recently changed their stance on piracy. Not that they're exactly talking tough, but they're saying they don't support it, take steps to protect their rights, etc.

But yeah, great first episode. Setting up lots of stuff...

daario was recast so he looks way different.

I always DL the show, since season 2 (and every other show that's not on netflix or hulu). If you don't seed too long after you finish Dling you won't get in trouble. You get in trouble for sharing it (which is what seeding is if you didn't know) not DLing it. Also it's cool bc people on the East coast start sharing the torrent before it airs where I am on the west coast so usually if a show is popular like GoT is I get to watch it an hour early. Ahoy.

So- what does everyone think of...

I for one was elated over his royal

Loved it!

The tension was thick for most of the episode, really enjoyed the last half hour though.

I'm absolutely charmed by the actor playing Oberyn Martell. Dangerous, funny, sleazy.
Given that character's arc this season (book?) they picked the perfect guy.

I have a private theater here in Philly and we watch the eps are they air on a movie theater screen; we've been doing potlucks this season, with TWO chickens for last weeks ep!

^this. I got an email from my cable company giving me the gift of free HBO, and I don't think its a coincidence that it came at the same time as the new season of Game of Thrones. I haven't finished season 2 yet but all I can say is, this show is nuts.

So now they turned it off! Definitely not a coincidence...

have to agree, he's great. esp his line about the lanister's not being the only one who pay their debts.

i picked up on your sigur ros easter egg too. that was super rad how they performed at the wedding!

i felt bad for greyjoy, ugh that one guy who's broken him is BRUTAL. cutting off his junk and all. i was glad to see the father who returned home wasn't pleased with that move.

really cant wait to see more. we have HBO GO on our ipad, super fun! (thanks sis for letting me piggy back off your account!)

Oh yeah, so is Theon's dad next? Old red witch tossed the leeches in the fire and so far 2 died! (I'm done with "spoiler" if you're not caught up by now, too late, don't enter the thread!)

My first theory on Joffery was Tywin, he has a lot to gain from that, but now I'm wondering if it was either Granny or Sansa (she was the last to touch the goblet unseen under the table.) Also, the fool seemed to have known. I dunno, they really set it up well for speculation. Not just solid writing, but directing too. Book readers, don't spoil this shit! Start a book thread or something. I have 0 time to read anything but text books so I can't get to actually reading these for another few months.