Tower of the Hand

Group Read: A Storm of Swords 79 - 82

Fri, 24 May 2013 09:00:00 EDT

Tower of the Hand is re-reading A Storm of Swords from beginning to end. A different member of the community will lead the discussion each week, covering four chapters at a time. This week's leader: Split. (Read more...)

Posted Yesterday 9:00:00 AM ET by Split, Comments

Jeyne, Jeyne, rhymes with labor pain

Thu, 23 May 2013 15:40:00 EDT

Once again, Game of Thrones is perhaps poised to settle another ongoing mystery from the books, this time whether or not Robb Stark's wife is pregnant. In the episode "The Bear and the Maiden Fair" (which George R. R. Martin is credited with writing), Talisa reveals to Robb that she is carrying his son or daughter. Of course, Game of Thrones isn't an exact adaptation of A Song of Ice and Fire and Talisa isn't Jeyne Westerling, but the implications are huge if this revelation accurately reflects both tellings of the story. In his first essay here, "Heir to the North," ghostlovesinger argued that the hips don't lie. Does this prove him right? If not, what does it mean that Talisa claims otherwise?

Posted 5/23/2013 by Johnny, Comments

Review: Second Sons

Wed, 22 May 2013 12:40:00 EDT

Game of Thrones is officially back in the territory of consistent greatness after another strong offering on the heels of last week's hour of awesome. Instead of jumping around and hitting a majority of the plot threads, however, "Second Sons" focused almost exclusively on three locations: King's Landing, Dragonstone and Yunkai. Robb and Catelyn, Jaime and Brienne, Jon, Bran, Theon all were put on hold this week so that the show could devote some serious time to some serious storytelling, and the result was excellence. (Read more...)

Posted 5/22/2013 by ghostlovesinger, Comments

Second Sons Open Thread

Sun, 19 May 2013 21:00:00 EDT

The third season of Game of Thrones continues tonight with "Second Sons." As we've done in previous seasons, Tower of the Hand will offer two discussion threads per episode as soon as the episode begins. This open thread is for book readers who want to compare the show to the book. The new viewers thread is intended for fans who want to discuss the episode without fear of spoilers. Remember: HBO will not be airing a new episode of Game of Thrones next Sunday (Memorial Day weekend). The show will return on Sunday, June 2.

Posted 5/19/2013 by Johnny, Comments

Second Sons Tailgate

Sat, 18 May 2013 20:00:00 EDT

This season Tower of the Hand will be offering two pre-episode threads, one for book readers and one for new viewers. You'll be able to use these threads to discuss what you hope to see happen in the upcoming episode, or to chat generally while you wait for the episode to begin. As soon as the episode begins, we'll add two more threads for you to discuss the episode as it airs, or to post your reactions to it immediately after. If you're a new viewer who hasn't read the books, this is NOT the thread for you; go here instead. The third season continues with "Second Sons." Here's what we can expect: A wedding is held at King's Landing; Tyrion and Sansa keep each other company for the night; Daenerys Targaryen encounters someone new; Melisandre is forced to give Davos proof; Gilly and Sam come face to face with an older man.TitanTV The episode is written by David Benioff & D.B. Weiss, and directed by Michelle MacLaren. Watch the preview video here. To help pass the time until the next episode airs, check out some of these stories from the past week: Producer says show could end after 7 seasons (Rolling Stone) Season 4 cast auditions underway (Winter Is Coming) Girls bests Game of Thrones at this year's BAFTAs (Entertainment Weekly) Can Game of Thrones win an Emmy this year? (Gold Derby) Linguist David Peterson on creating the Dothraki language (NY Post) Daenerys the most popular character of Twitter (BuzzFeed) The making of a bear fight (Making Game of Thrones) This week's torture was the show's worst scene (The Atlantic) Season 3, Episode 7 recapped with Facebook updates (Happy Place) Season 3, Episode 7 comic (Azad Injejikian) Season 3, Episode 7 podcast review (A Podcast of Ice and Fire) Season 3, Episode 6 deconstructed by Stefan (Corona Coming Attractions)

Posted 5/18/2013 by Johnny, Comments

Group Read: A Storm of Swords 75 - 78

Fri, 17 May 2013 09:00:00 EDT

Posted 5/17/2013 by stile, Comments

After Dark, Arrested Development

Thu, 16 May 2013 20:00:00 EDT

Tower of the Hand "After Dark" invites you to mingle with other members and chat about all things off topic. A new season of Arrested Development will debut in a couple of weeks, just as The Office ends its run (which is weird, since it feels like yesterday that Arrested Development was ending, just as The Office was beginning). What are your favorite moments from either show? What are you looking forward to seeing in the upcoming AD? If you haven't watched it yet, how can you live with yourself for missing out on Arrested Westeros? The top five comments of recent weeks, though not necessarily in order here: frey-pie says the show isn't perfect, but it's as loving and faithful as it gets; Fierce says the show ought to strive more towards perfection; Stefan says the show can't be declared perfect simply because it's written by GRRM; FalstaffofPinotVale says the show put out a perfect casting call for some roles; and MrFadedGlory says the show should not be literally measured by its imperfections.

Posted 5/16/2013 by Johnny, Comments

Episode seven ratings down, but still strong

Thu, 16 May 2013 16:00:00 EDT

After a string of four consecutive record-breaking episodes, ratings for Game of Thrones dipped somewhat this week, though the numbers remain quite strong. 4.8 million viewers watched the initial broadcast of "The Bear and the Maiden Fair," with a total of 6 million viewers tuning in on Sunday. Just when we thought we were about to reach a milestone, we're instead set back a little. I suppose that's only appropriate for an episode written by George R. R. Martin. (Follow link...)

Posted 5/16/2013 by Johnny, Comments

Filling the gaps, a defense of Littlefinger

Thu, 16 May 2013 13:00:00 EDT

Besides Jon Snow (and Ros, but she's invented and technically doesn't count), no character receives as much hatred for a supposedly bungled transition to the screen like Aidan Gillen's interpretation of Littlefinger. He has been accused of being made murky by a partial merger with the Hound in season 1, of being much too inept over the course of season 2 and of being a caricature Dr. Evil in season 3. Now it seems strange that Littlefinger is almost continuously not liked, but for different and shifting reasons, and while I admit that Gillen's interpretation took some getting used to, I have to say I'm pretty much satisfied with his depiction in the show. Let me explain why. (Read more...)

Posted 5/16/2013 by Stefan, Comments

Boiled Leather Audio Hour #20

Wed, 15 May 2013 09:12:00 EDT

Hang on to your hardcovers, fire up those ebooks, and arrange the dulcet tones of Roy Dotrice into an appropriate iTunes playlist: Today Sean and I are discussing the combined reading order I came up with for reading A Feast for Crows and A Dance with Dragons simultaneously. As you're no doubt aware, the concerns that kept these two novels apart - they cover the same period of time, only with different characters at the forefront - were primarily IRL logistical ones. Weaving their chapters back together creates a very different reading experience, revealing aesthetic and thematic unities that make it well worth the effort. For both Sean and myself, this has become the method of choice for reading this second-act section of A Song of Ice and Fire. In this podcast, we'll explain why. (Follow link...)

Posted 5/15/2013 by Stefan, Comments

Review: The Bear and the Maiden Fair

Mon, 13 May 2013 12:00:00 EDT

Well, it was the episode written by Mr. Martin himself, so it was pretty damn good. I'm dashing this one off in something of a hurry, so it might not be as in-depth as usual. Still, that's probably okay, since I loved almost everything about this episode, an opinion I suspect I share with most fans of the show. Nothing like last season's epic "Blackwater," of course, which I still hold up as Game of Thrones best overall episode, but a fine piece of work in pretty much every storyline, and doing a great deal to save a few of them. (Read more...)

Posted 5/13/2013 by ghostlovesinger, Comments

The Bear and the Maiden Fair Open Thread

Sun, 12 May 2013 21:00:00 EDT

The third season of Game of Thrones continues tonight with "The Bear and the Maiden Fair." As we've done in previous seasons, Tower of the Hand will offer two discussion threads per episode as soon as the episode begins. This open thread is for book readers who want to compare the show to the book. The new viewers thread is intended for fans who want to discuss the episode without fear of spoilers.

Posted 5/12/2013 by Johnny, Comments

The Bear and the Maiden Fair Tailgate

Sat, 11 May 2013 21:00:00 EDT

This season Tower of the Hand will be offering two pre-episode threads, one for book readers and one for new viewers. You'll be able to use these threads to discuss what you hope to see happen in the upcoming episode, or to chat generally while you wait for the episode to begin. As soon as the episode begins, we'll add two more threads for you to discuss the episode as it airs, or to post your reactions to it immediately after. If you're a new viewer who hasn't read the books, this is NOT the thread for you; go here instead. The third season continues with "The Bear and the Maiden Fair." Here's what we can expect: Dany and a slave lord exchange gifts near Yunkai; Sansa's prospects worry the oldest Stark daughter; Tyrion's situation annoys Shae; Tywin gives counsel to the king; Melisandre shares a secret with Gendry; Brienne encounters a fearsome enemy.TitanTV The episode is written by George R. R. Martin, and directed by Michelle MacLaren. Watch the preview video here. To help pass the time until the next episode airs, check out some of these stories from the past week: An ice climber fact-checks the climb (Wired) The link between bad weather and economic equality (Slate) What is going on with the accents in Game of Thrones? (Gawker) Arya is the fastest-rising baby girl name (Entertainment Weekly) Interview with Maisie Williams (Arya) (Vulture) Interview with Esme Bianco (Ros) (HBO) Interview with Aidan Gillen (Littlefinger) (Rolling Stone) Game of Thrones art in the style of Saul Bass (Laughing Squid) Season 3, Episode 6 recapped with Facebook updates (Happy Place) Season 3, Episode 6 comic (Azad Injejikian) Season 3, Episode 6 podcast review (A Podcast of Ice and Fire) Season 3, Episode 5 deconstructed by Stefan (Corona Coming Attractions) Season 3, Episode 4 Words Are Wind parody animation (Words Are Wind) Some of these links via TV Tattle, a fantastic resource that I'm glad to see is back in action.

Posted 5/11/2013 by Johnny, Comments

In defense of Ros, revisited

Sat, 11 May 2013 12:15:00 EDT

HBO made many additions and changes for its adaption of George R. R. Martin's great novels. The most disputed, the most despised and loathed, however, is the introduction of the red-headed whore, Ros, as a recurring character. Her sexposition scenes have attracted many criticisms, and the screen time she gets seems rather a waste of time by many, time that would be well spent on other characters. I find these allegations unfair on the one hand, since Esme Bianco is playing her role really well, but also very shortsighted from a narrator's perspective. The scenes with Ros provide some valuable insights we wouldn't otherwise get, and I don't mean the size of her breasts. Editor's note: this is a revised and expanded version of an essay from last year, also written by Stefan. (Read more...)

Posted 5/11/2013 by Stefan, Comments

Review: The Climb

Fri, 10 May 2013 12:44:00 EDT

"The Climb" turned out to be an apt title in terms of ratings, but I'm becoming afraid that it will eventually be seen as ironic in terms of show quality. I'm not saying this latest episode was bad by any means; there were a number of excellent scenes, most notably the climb in question on the face of the Wall and the continued physical and psychological torture of Theon Greyjoy. However, "The Climb" distanced itself from the original narrative in a number of troubling ways, and one plot point in particular was disturbing on a variety of levels. (Read more...)

Posted 5/10/2013 by ghostlovesinger, Comments