So I'm listening to episode 42 currently, in my efforts to catch up on the podcast. However, it looks like the TV series review episodes start at episode 47. I'm torn whether to listen to the TV series episodes or not.

This is because I got into ASOIAF through the TV show. I didn't watch Season 1 until Season 2 was approaching. After watching Season 1, I got the books and read GoT and ACoK before Season 2 was shown. I've since watched Season 2 and read the remaining books.

I enjoy the TV series. I enjoy the books. I haven't been obsessing over the books for years. I'm concerned that the podcast episodes that are dedicated to TV episode discussion will be *so* focused on differences between the books and TV series that they'll simply be annoying.

Thoughts? Comments? Suggestions?

The episodes that review the TV show are filled with criticism, yes. However, they usually don't rag on the details, Mark Addy not being "black of hair" is the only instance of that that I can think of off the top of my head.

I recommend to listen to the episode reviews for the first few episodes, and then decide whether you want to continue or not.

There's definitely a lot of harping on differences, so if that's not your thing then I recommend you just avoid them entirely. Specifically those with Chase, Mimi, and to a lesser extent Amin.

My only word of caution is that if you happen to like Ros at all, you might be offended by some of the podcast's episode recaps.

Haha, I'm somehow already aware of the undying love for Ros.

I dunno, in episode 42 there was a 5 minute discussion on sour leaf followed by whether Ice was the right size. Those details seem kind of nit-picky in the grand scheme of things. But you're right, I'll probably know after a few episodes whether I should carry on yelling back at the podcast or not.

I think that while the episode recaps can be annoying if you hate the nit picking, at the same time, there's a lot of hilarious jokes that pick fun at the show eg. Middle finger and his time machine. So it's up to you. Maybe if you rewatch the episodes in line with the podcast episodes?

If you are looking for a non reader (less nit picky) perspective there's always Larry's video reviews on youtube...?

If you can stomach the episode threads on these forums the episodes should be no problem. While there is nitpicking i don't feel that any of the hosts lets it cloud their judgement of the overall show, i think they keep it civil.

YEAH FUCK YOU ROB.

Dothraki style

Thanks for the comment, that's the kind of info I'm looking for. I like getting into the community in-jokes - and I like the humor in the podcast, for sure.

Brace yourself for episode 88

With a warning like it can only be epically good ;)

My favorite episodes for humor are usually the ones with Alex from TOTH, but the HBO show review ones are definitely runners-up.

I couldn't wait to get home, so I downloaded it at work. The anticipation was killing me!

Also yay more frequent podcasts!

I'm on episode 43 currently. How long must I brace myself?

"Weh, Ned is a fighter, weh weh, we haven't seen the scene but weh" - APOIAF Episode 50

"Renly's supposed to be hot! Gendry's supposed to be hot! Bronn's supposed to be hot! Maester Aemon's supposed to be hot! They'd better make Vargo Hoat, Biter, Patchface and Hot Pie hot! Because they're all supposed to be hot!"

Still mostly love for all of you though (way more than 52%) - I'm hanging tough, because I need to hear the reactions to ADWD and I'm determined to listen along to the podcast in real time for the Season 3 episodes.

Lol it's a bit like that, isn't it? But listening in real time is awesome, so hold out for that!!

Larry <3

Credit where credit is due - 52 and 56 have been great episodes.

Regarding the nitpicking of "first readers then watchers":

I believe most readers of GRRMs work simply love the story/characters/places/scenes it so much, that they want to see it ALL on the screen. And want to see it adapted in the best way possible. When thinking about that in a rational way everybody would agree that you will never get both worlds. And all would agree that a page-per-page adaption would be slow-paced and boring and the visuals will not meet with the expectations. If you want that - read the book or listen to the audio-books (and rely on the worlds most powerful grafic-processor, the human mind - Quote from TheBigBangTheory). Everybody understands that book and series will (and can) not be equal. The story is the same, but told in a different way and from different people).

- The first season met (most) of the expectations, telling the same story as the book and therefore everybody thought only about things to make it even better. And here the nitpicking comes into play. Because there are some things that would have been easy to include, without making it more expensive (and yes - Robert's hair ought to be black).

- The second season (as I heard) is a totally different thing. Here the story is very different and therefore the people who only watch (who don't know the original) love it (maybe with the exception of Larry), but the readers are more split. There is far less nitpicking for season 2, mostly its full blown criticism. The people complain about the story-changes (in season 1 there were no really changes in the overall story) or other things (Middlefingers speed, the whores, the JonSnow-Arc, the House of the Undying) that (in their eyes) the show-runners did not do well.

Now after the first two seasons I can see a developement that (a big) group of first-readers-then-watchers will accept the changes made to their beloved story, but others will not watch it any more. My predicted point of no return for this developement: the RW - that will surely not meet the expectations of everybody and therefore some people will decide: OK, that's it, I'll not watch this series any more. That is a totally legitimate choice and as sad as it is - not everybody likes the books as not everybody will like the series.

I do agree with most of your reasoning, if done right the RW will be another Sept of Balor moment, but if it isn't would I stop watching?!?! (having read up to ADWD)

...at this point the tv show is a bit like crack for me, I know the high will never be as good as it was the first time but I will continue to chase the high (some people like sports analogies I do drug ones *g*)

I'm into the season two episodes right now, almost caught up! We'll see how the podcasts unfold...

It was funny, I was recalling Kyle's sadism when hearing Larry's reaction to the Baelor episode in Season 1, and I feel like I'm kind of experiencing the reverse. I've read the books and watched the shows, and now I'm listening to speculative comments about episodes 2-10 of season two. Like, I can imagine APOIAF will *not* be amused when Bronn becomes captain of the city watch, for example - at least based on speculative comments from the podcast recap of the season two premiere. Heh heh heh, this could get good.

HBO episode eps are great-- those were the first episodes I listened to on here and they were good enough to make me want to listen to more. The only podcast ep I wasn't a fan of on the tv series was the blackwater ep.

Ironically, despite the 2nd season splitting book readers far more fiercely than the changes in the 1st season.... I actually enjoyed the Podcast's review of Season 2 far more than the Season 1 reviews with the exception of Larry's episodes which were just sadistically cruel and yet hilarious.

I'm not sure why I think the Season 2 reviews were a better listen, perhaps because the hosts were starting to find it much easier to separate the book from the show and possibly appreciate the show as the spectacle it is. Funnily enough I agreed with more of the nitpicking in Season 2, because they were usually things that I had picked up on myself, where as Mark Addy's hair was a dark enough brown that it near enough made no difference and I wanted to bang my head against the desk when the Podcast brought it up, because he did such a fantastic performance which was often missed.

Don't take my post as saying I didn't like the Season 1 reviews, I loved them! If anything I think it shows how the Podcast is constantly improving every episode/book/season! So much love as always