21. Finn Jones (Loras Tyrell) You know, I just realized that Loras basically had very little material this season, although he did have that one scene in Renly’s tent after the latter’s death, so it totally counts.
What I like about Jones’ portrayal of Loras is that he really ‘gets’ his character. Loras – if that wasn’t obvious already – is the kind of arrogant young knight with talent but also absolute (and thus excessive) confidence in himself. He feels like he will never be defeated and doesn’t take too kindly to failure. Jones conveys that well – you can really sense his pride behind every little gestures, from the tourney grounds to Renly’s bed. He’s positively mad that Renly appointed Brienne to his Kingsguard, and he gets all passive-aggressive over it.
I think Jones’ actually pretty good in an all-around sort of way. He doesn’t neglect anything really – the tone is good, the rhythm and poise fit the character, but the demeanour, little gestures and facial expressions also work well. Notice how he yields to Brienne in his opening scene. He doesn’t just say “I yield” out of fear, or whatever. He’s pissed – almost spitting in her face while yielding, as if it was her fault entirely and she should feel bad over winning.
That’s quite an improvement from last year. Season 1 Finn Jones only seemed to emphasize the flamboyant side of his character – he tried to convey the Knight of Flowers, but didn’t care what Loras was like, if you catch my drift. That made his character way more shallow than it really is (even though Loras is not the pinnacle of complexity).
Still, I can’t rank him any higher because with all the stuff he does well, nothing is really mind-blowing. It’s like Dominic Carter/Janos Slynt, but a bit better (and not as damaging because you’re not supposed to care for Loras, truly).
Best scene: I’m actually going to do something unexpected here and go with the first scene on the tourney grounds. That’s not his ‘starring scene’ (which would be the one in Renly’s tent with Margaery and Littlefinger), but it’s one where he technically didn’t have an important role, but still managed to be remembered with good screen presence.
-- When you have nothing to say, quote yourself ~ Solfadore
--
When you've got a pretty-boy monkey on your back constantly calling you a puppet, you hardly want to seem like you're happy to be used. - DSakaCharanJ
Great idea for a topic. There's a few people I can't believe I've had to leave out of these predictions, but here we go:
Lead Actors 1) Maisie Williams 2) Peter Dinklage 3) Charles Dance 4) Alfie Allen 5) Lena Headey
Supporting Actors 1) Donald Sumpter 2) Conleth Hill 3) Rory McCann
A couple of people I wasn't sure what list you're intending to put them on so I left them off both, but otherwise would've been in strong contention (most principally Jack Gleeson).
-- James - Board 8's Resident Warm And Safe, Slipper-Wearing User & The Cream of Porcupine Tree Fanboyism
Great idea for a topic. There's a few people I can't believe I've had to leave out of these predictions, but here we go:
Lead Actors 1) Maisie Williams 2) Peter Dinklage 3) Charles Dance 4) Alfie Allen 5) Lena Headey
Supporting Actors 1) Donald Sumpter 2) Conleth Hill 3) Rory McCann
A couple of people I wasn't sure what list you're intending to put them on so I left them off both, but otherwise would've been in strong contention (most principally Jack Gleeson).
I thought Luwin's "noooo" was almost as bad as Vader's.
Really? I thought it was incredibly powerful myself. Beyond that I think the role was perfectly nailed from start to finish. I accept I'm probably in the minority there though!
-- James - Board 8's Resident Warm And Safe, Slipper-Wearing User & The Cream of Porcupine Tree Fanboyism
Iain Glen better be somewhere in the top two tiers for supporting. One of the tragically overlooked performances on the show. He was even better season 1, but he managed to sell every damn scene despite being opposite Clarke and her terribly written lines. He took a character I didn't really care about in the books and made him a favorite.
The Alpha who got "friend zoned" by a teenage girl and yet follows her around obsessed with her and trying to accomplish her every whim?
That's my point. Jorah is a beta but Ian Glen is too charismatic to get friend zoned, and to have not been able to please his previous wife as he showered her in gifts. Girls I know want to have sex with him despite his age.
11. John Bradley (Samwell Tarly) I never liked Sam. I consider him to be one of the worst main characters of the series. He’s pretty similar, in some sense, to Book One Sansa, although she does get much better in later book(s), unlike Sam who is still as unlikeable in Season two as he is in Season one, even after some character development. The guy steals too much screentime from better characters.
That, however, has no bearing on John Bradley’s performance, who plays his part quite convincingly and is probably the second best actor in the Wall subplot (not counting Rose Leslie, because I’ve seen about one scene from her). From what I’ve heard from interviews with Benioff and Weiss, they actually adapted some scenes and changed lines because they knew how well he nailed some of these. Now, I don’t know what they’ve changed specifically, but I must say Bradley plays the coward really well. That, we saw during season 1.
For season 2, we discovered another side of him: the awkward, super-beta nice guy who just can’t talk to girls. Bradley has a way of doing it that’s very believable and noteworthy: he’s got the screen presence nailed down (in a very unassuming, Sam-like way); he’s got the dumb little shy smile going whenever he’s talking to or about Gilly. The voice/delivery, though, is where he shines the most. Almost every other line he says, it looks like he’s asking a question. He tells Jon they should help Gilly, but it really sounds like he’s asking if they should help Gilly. That works really well with his character, and is a very nice touch from Bradley.
I think that he was slightly better in Season 1, however, although that’s probably because he had more material to play with back then. If I had to name one scene in which he dropped the ball a bit, I’d go with the cliff-hanger in the season finale. Although the responsibility is not his alone, I don’t think breaking down and crying would be the standard reaction to facing an Other. Pissing your pants and being absolutely unable to move, paralyzed by fear, would’ve been much more believable (although I understand they might not want to show the former on TV). Either way, I thought Sam’s reaction detracted from the scene and made it a bit more comical, which it really shouldn’t be. The writers/director might have been partially to blame for that, though.
In any event, I don’t like Sam, so I’m going to cut the write-up right now. Kudos to Bradley for a strong performance - great choice of casting there.
Best scene: I’d go with the scene with Jon on the Fist of the First Men, when they’re discussing history. I don’t know why, but I think both actors had great chemistry, although Bradley did most of the legwork for that one.
-- When you have nothing to say, quote yourself ~ Solfadore
I'm terrible with actor names but I'll rank them by character name.
1. Arya Stark. It's not even close. For a child to carry a show of this magnitude is just unreal. It's like when Sally Draper went head to head with Don Draper, Megan, Pete Campbell, AND ROGER STERLING in one episode and remaining the best character: Arya does it every episode she's in. Tywin Lannister? Sit down old man. Subtly avoiding Littlefinger? No problem. Out conniving JAQEN? Easy mode.
2. Joffrey. Holy crap. That's all I can say from Episode 9 of Season 1 on. Holy crap. This timid, pompous little boy has finally put his parents terrible parenting to good use. When he sentences Ned to death while simultaneously putting down his mother and wife in the most chauvinistic way possible...that was tv magic. Season 2 has been a living testimony to sadistic behavior. I keep waiting for Indigo Montoya to show up. Gleeson carrys out this character with a sickening glee that makes you want to hurt him the second he shows up.
3. Cersei Lannister. A little controversial maybe but I think Cersei has been involved in 3-4 of the shows 10 best scenes. I remember her Season 1 where I wrote her off as another mistreated wife who became cold ala Betty Draper. But then things happened. Her apology to Caitlyn was genuine, her talk with Robert was honest, the look when she lost control of Joffrey replaced the need for words. Season 2 came and she basically carried King's Landing with everyone from Tyrion to Sansa.
4. Tyrion . He's going to win best supporting actor from now until the show ends.
4. Jaime the mutha FING KINGSLAYER. It's not just the witty, clever lines or the myopic badassery. It's the way He takes such a unique charscter, a character that is a slippery dichotomy between respectable and deplorable, someone you envy but pity at the same time. That moment with his cousin where he's setting him up for the kill but is still sharing an honest moment is the epitome of it all.
--
Realo won gold at the Sex Olympics with a BROKEN FRIGGIN NECK.-Voltch
From: TheConductorSix | #065 4. Tyrion . He's going to win best supporting actor from now until the show ends. Pretty sure Dinklage is considered the star of GoT now.
From: TheConductorSix | #065 4. Tyrion . He's going to win best supporting actor from now until the show ends. Pretty sure Dinklage is considered the star of GoT now.
They still submitted him as supporting actor to the Emmy's. A show doesn't have to have a lead actor for award shows.
20. Gemma Whelan (Yara Greyjoy) Probably a bit too high for some of you guys, but I happen to quite like Whelan’s take on the character. Obviously, the character’s way better in the books, but we have to remember that Yara Greyjoy is not Asha Greyjoy. If you want to blame someone for the way the character turned out, blame the writers, not the actress.
Whelan seems to have gone with the deadpan snarker angle, which is pretty much the direction the script is going. Her delivery and poise is rather blunt, as would fit an Iron Islander. Hints of a smirk perpetually smeared on her face, mocking, yet unrelenting eyes, an arrogant demeanour – a lot reinforces this idea of a hard woman raised like a man by her equally-hard father.
She does falter a bit, however, in terms of variety. I don’t know if it’s her or the direction, but she’s sometimes... a bit too deadpan. When she’s mocking Theon over his task to raid the fishermen’s villages, for instance, I think a bit more oomph in the delivery would have worked quite nicely – for instance when she says “Be careful of their nets.” Yara’s a strong and hard woman, yes, but strength doesn’t preclude more active teasing, in a piratey sort of way. In these occasions, I find her a bit too subdued.
Don’t get me wrong: I find the changes to her character unfortunate and would have liked to see her with more poise (aka "the pirate lady", rather than "the drowned lady"), but I suspect the wrong comes from the writers, and not Whelan herself.
Best scene: I’ll have to go with that scene with Theon in Winterfell, just because it gives her a bit more leeway to play with – something that she did well – instead of being her usual deadpan snarker self.
-- When you have nothing to say, quote yourself ~ Solfadore
19. Michael McElhatton (Roose Bolton) Yeah, I know. The guy has like half a scene. He’s not magic #19 for nothing!
This will probably be my shortest write-up, because there’s seriously not much to say about the guy except to give him a kudo for how goddamn chilling he is. A subdued, controlled performance, just like the character himself, but you can’t help but feel that this guy should... really not be messed with. Whether it’s the eyes or just the overall performance, the whole thing really works.
Obviously, ranking him any higher would be an insult to the guys above him, seeing as he had pretty much nothing to work with all season, but I still wanted to mention him. I expect great things from him if they ever decide to have him play a greater role – sadly, they cut quite a lot of his material from Season 2, and the direction the series is taking doesn’t indicate he’ll have anything more consistent next season.
Only one oddball left (#16), and we're done with the oddball family!
Best scene: Errr... nothing strikes the mind in particular. I think I’ll pass.
-- When you have nothing to say, quote yourself ~ Solfadore
Next week in "Solfadore ranks 43 Game of Thrones actors" (actually perhaps later today/tonight if I get the time to write it) --> A lead actor who has impressed me, yet has the unfortunate bad luck of playing a character with very little variety. --> Former supporting actor #22 who has been bumped up to #18 because I realized that I shouldn't downgrade the actor simply because I hate the character. --> A rant. Also potential controversy.
(When I say 'actor', it could mean either actor or actress.)
Please note that the rant will be your very last chance to post your speculations, as Lead Actor #9 is coming up right after. I'll give you some sort advance warning before I publish their write-up, but it should be no later than very late afternoon/early evening tomorrow. Perhaps earlier depending on my motivation.
-- When you have nothing to say, quote yourself ~ Solfadore
From: TheConductorSix | #065 4. Tyrion . He's going to win best supporting actor from now until the show ends. Pretty sure Dinklage is considered the star of GoT now.
They still submitted him as supporting actor to the Emmy's. A show doesn't have to have a lead actor for award shows. Weird. Figured they'd try to push him for leading. Would have freed up a spot for CHARLES DANCE.
SUPPORTING: Alton, Balon, Bronn, Brienne, Davos, Gendry, The Hound, Jaqen, Jeor Mormont, Jorah Morment, Lancel, Littlefinger, Maester Luwin, Pycelle, Renly (?), Varys, Yoren... not sure on the last (two scenes... Pyat Pree? Irri? Doreah? Quaithe? HOT PIE?)
Of those... I don't know what you'd like, so I'll just post my own rough, purposefully not thinking about it rankings.
1.) Arya (duh) 2.) Tyrion (duh, could be first but I'll give Arya the handicap for being a child) 3.) Cersei (solid first half, phenomenal second half with great stuff to work with) 4.) Jaime (limited material, but material is fantastic and he nails it) 5.) Tywin (better actor than Cersei but far less range of material) 6.) Joffrey (plays character perfectly and we all want to punch him but being a coward at Blackwater was the only thing that wasn't sociopathy) 7.) Sansa (Blackwater performance was TOP ****ING TIER) 8.) Stannis (solid, loved badass Stannis, but not top tier) 9.) Melisandre (hot, but not that compelling, which is probably largely the writing) 10.) Catelyn (she did a good job with what she had, but it was all very understated and she suffered some character assassination)
SUPPORTING 1.) Jorah Mormont (one reviewer said it best "I totally buy that he would give his life for Daenerys. I just have no idea why anybody in there right mind would ever want to...") 2.) The Hound (biased by them messing with his character, but he nailed it in Blackwater) 3.) Varys 4.) Davos 5.) Brienne 6.) Jaqen 7.) Luwin 8.) Yoren 9.) Bronn 10.) Renly 11.) Balon 12.) Lancel 13.) Littlefinger (really disappointed with Littlefinger this year, because I love Aiden Gillen, largely writing) 14.) Pycelle 15.) Alton 16.) Gendry 17.) Jeor Mormont
Okay as I starting trying to comment I felt compulsion to change this up so I'm just going to stop and post.
-- Gamefaqs' #1 Testicle Bettor: Proud owner of many testes http://img688.imageshack.us/img688/6553/alec.png
I am currently drafting the write-up for Lead #10. Given what I've seen of you guys' predictions so far, be prepared for actually double/triple the controversy, as Supporting #18 and even Lead #10 to some extent seem to be favoured by some.
-- When you have nothing to say, quote yourself ~ Solfadore
10. Michelle Fairley (Catelyn Stark) What a horrible role to get. No, seriously. Of all the leading roles you could possibly get in this series, this is by far the worst – and the worst part is that it’s not obviously the worst unless you sit down and really think about it. Bran, Dany, Sam – they’ve all got very little material to themselves, but there’s still a few things you can use to try to make something memorable. It looks like Michelle Fairley has a wide array of material to work with, too, but that’s really not the case.
In Season one, Fairley had some leeway, between the caring mother, loving/jealous wife, military strategist and whatnot. This all ended with Baelor. For the entirety of season two, Catelyn has entered and basically remained in Mama Bear mode. She’s no longer a caring mother – but a bear who happens to have a kingly son. She’s no longer a military strategist – she’s a bear which happens to be providing strategic advice (and sounder advice than her own kingly son).
So, what does Fairley do? Pretty much the only avenue open to her at this point: play the Mama Bear. And she does it well – with energy, caring, dignity and a hint of ferocity underneath. She’s got great screen presence and tends to be the main focus of the scene no matter who she’s talking to, save for maybe one or two exceptions, regardless of her actual importance to the scene. I want to recognize that, hence why I put her above Bradley and Hempstead-Wright. The fact that she’s got such a horrible role and such a lack of material prevents me from doing any more, though.
Since we’re not actually out of the “I take pot-shots at perceived flaws/make up flaws just so I can extend the write-ups” tier, please allow me to be nitpicky with her rendition of one scene – the one when Roose informs Robb that Winterfell has been taken by the Ironmen. This was her one chance to leave Mama Bear mode and reprise the role of the caring mother. Normally, Catelyn should have been absolutely obsessed with Bran and Rickon’s safety. Yet, Catelyn emphasizes most of all “I told you not to trust Theon Greyjoy.” That’s a great line, but that shouldn’t really be the centerpiece of her performance. She shouldn’t be trying to stick it to her son, but rather figuring out if her sons are safe and worrying like crazy.
There, I took my pot-shot.
Best scene: Fairley had one other shot at leaving Mama Bear mode – and she did that wonderfully. I’m of course thinking of the oath scene with Brienne back in Episode 5. Great scene, marvellously acted by both parties.
-- When you have nothing to say, quote yourself ~ Solfadore
18. Carice van Houten (Melisandre of Asshai) The night is dark and full of bad characters. Although she does grow more bearable in later outings, Melisandre is a real pain in A Clash of Kings, because she sees everything in black and white. I know that Martin was trying to make us realize that seeing things in black and white is bad, but I think Ned dying already set the tone pretty well. I’m not really a fan of the whole religious angle either.
That said, I let my hatred of Melisandre taint my appreciation of van Houten’s work, which is really unprofessional. I’ll never do it again except in the very next ranking and the twenty-five ones after that.
Seriously though, van Houten has the particularly difficult job of playing a threatening religious nutjob who likes to speak in riddles. There’s really not a dozen ways to do it, but even then, there’s not much leeway to actually venture somewhere else. As usual (and as you’ve heard me say a dozen times by now), she does her job really well, in that she’s a believable threatening religious nutjob who likes to speak in riddles. She has the mystical allure, the right vocal calibre, the just-a-tad-slower-than-average delivery than gives this sort of exoticism that she needs. So did Slynt, Craster and all the other one-note characters. Why’s she higher, then?
Well, I like that she actually tries to explore a bit. She’s taking chances and some of her decisions are a bit gutsy, but most of all, they work. I’m thinking, first and foremost, of her very last scene of the season, as Stannis is none-too-gently strangling her. She could have gone with her usual mysterious delivery, staring into the lobster’s eyes with some sort of deadpan stare. She did not do that. She was panicked instead. I found that a bit odd at first, but when Stannis asked her where her god was now, and she answered ‘within you’ with such supplication and distress in her eyes, she immediately won me over. Amazing line, very well delivered. Van Houten has gusto; can’t help but appreciate it.
Still hate Melisandre, though.
Best scene: I think I’ve made that pretty clear. Honourable mention to a single line from the Stannis vs. Renly scene on horseback: "look out to your sins, Lord Renly, for the night is dark and full of terrors." Boring line, positively chilling delivery.
-- When you have nothing to say, quote yourself ~ Solfadore
Surprised there's no mention in the Cat write-up of the scene with Littlefinger in Renly's camp. One of my favourite scenes of the season, and certainly my favourite Cat scene.
-- James - Board 8's Resident Warm And Safe, Slipper-Wearing User & The Cream of Porcupine Tree Fanboyism
Also, I may upload both the rant (aka Supporting Actor #17) and Lead Actor #9's writeup very close to one another tomorrow evening (around 9:00PM-ish EST), so I would suggest everyone submit their predictions by then. I don't think #17's identity will help you in any way in guessing the top tiers, and #17 has yet to appear in any of the predictions submitted so far, so hopefully we're fine and nobody submits them in their list.
-- When you have nothing to say, quote yourself ~ Solfadore
1.) Peter Dinklage/Tyrion 2.) Maisie Williams/Arya 3.) Lena Headey/Cersei 4.) Jack Gleeson/Joffrey 5.) Alfie Allen/Theon 6.) Charles Dance/Tywin 7.) Nikolaj Coster-Waldau/Jaime 8.) Stephen Dillane/Stannis 9.) Sophie Turner/Sansa
SUPPORTING 1.) Iain Glen/Jorah 2.) Conleth Hill/Varys 3.) Donald Sumpter/Luwin 4.) Tom Wlaschiha/Jaqen 5.) Liam Cunningham/Davos 6.) Gwendoline Christie/Brienne 7.) Jerome Flynn/Bronn 8.) Eugene Simon/Lancel 9.) Francis Magee/Yoren 10.) Patrick Malahide/Balon 11.) Aidan Gillen/Petyr 12.) Roy Dotriche/Rodrik 13.) Julian Glover/Pycelle 14.) James Cosmo/Jeor 15.) Rory McCann/Sandor 16.) Joe Dempsie/Gendry 17.) Gethin Anthony/Renly
--
When you've got a pretty-boy monkey on your back constantly calling you a puppet, you hardly want to seem like you're happy to be used. - DSakaCharanJ
3. Cersei Lannister. A little controversial maybe but I think Cersei has been involved in 3-4 of the shows 10 best scenes
Definitely. Her scenes with Tyrion in the first half S2 were incredible, and not just because Tyrion is great. And then she actually managed to destroy Tyrion later on as well. She also somehow made Sansa a bearable character.
-- _foolmo_ 'You are obviously intelligent and insightful' - Sir Chris about me
I don't understand why everybody seems to hate on Catelyn Stark so much. She's one of my favorite characters in the books, and Michelle Fairley does an amazing job.
I'm not gonna make any guesses, but my personal favorite as far as acting goes is actually Lena Headey as Cersei, even though I'd probably have to concede that Maisie Williams deserves even more props due to her age. I've just always loved great villains, and I've always thought Cersei was the perfect antagonist in the series... and Lena Headey does an unbelievable job.
Not necessarily agreeing with the list so far, but I do love these write-ups, and you raise some valid points. Keep 'em coming!
Warning: this will be fairly divisive and I expect almost all of you to disagree with me. This is by far my longest write-up and the most personal one. Even if you disagree, please keep in mind that write-up #17 is an exception and that I will be back to my usual positive self by Lead Actor #9.
-- When you have nothing to say, quote yourself ~ Solfadore
17. Aidan Gillen (Petyr “Littlefinger” Baelish) Alright, this has gone on long enough. Ranking one-off characters and bit actors who had little to no material variety is fun and all, but it’s time for the first big name to go. This is the first actor who actually has the material necessary to break the top 10, having the chance to play a complex character with a wide array of material at his disposition.
Now before I go off, some preliminary stuff. Yes, the writers changed his character a bit for the second season, played him out for a bit dumber and simplistic than he is, thereby leaving him with less material than would have been ideal. I am aware of this, and have taken that in consideration when doing the rankings.
So, Littlefinger. One of my favourite characters from the book. I was a tad disappointed with Gillen last season, but that was mostly because my expectations were excessive; in retrospect, Gillen has played the character quite well during the first season (well enough to break the supporting actors’ top 10, I’d reckon). I’ll be honest with you, though: I have yet to find a single LF scene this season that I’m satisfied with (well, there are a few, but they were carried by other characters). Most of the time, it’s the writers’ fault, but there are quite a few instances where Gillen has just... not understood the character very well.
I’ve made the same comment re: Osha. Now, this is a bit direr. Tena having a different take on Osha is alright, because she’s not very important to the plot (as of yet – she may or may not grow more important in later season(s)). I think we can all agree that LF is a centerpiece of the whole plot, along with the court at King’s Landing.
See, LF has taken the mockingbird for his sigil, and that’s precisely who he is. He likes to quip, he likes to snark and mock, always a smile to his face – but most of all, he’s charming. Everyone knows he’s a conniving traitor with a chronic backstabbing disorder (Ned, Tyrion, Tywin and Varys, for instance, have all been shown to be acutely aware of this), but nobody really does anything because he, well... charms and flies and mocks his way out of any potential harm.
Gillen plays him like a weasel – some sort of slimy courtesan that doesn’t really do anything except scheme and plot his own advancement. It’s a wonder they keep him around. Most of the faults’ on the writers on this one – be it the scenes with Tywin in Harrenhal or with Catelyn in Renly’s camp, LF’s been acting pretty uncharacteristically. Gillen, however, has dropped the ball in some instances as well.
First, the scene in the brothel when he threatens Ros. The script was pretty vague for that scene – leaving a lot of leeway to Gillen to play it however he felt like. He went for the direct threat, looking her straight in the eyes with nary a smile on his face while he threatened to basically have her killed. A chilling performance. Now, if this were someone else (say, Bolton), this type of performance would have worked well. Not with LF, though. LF might’ve threatened her, sure – might’ve even used the exact same words the writers put in his mouth. But he’d have done so with a smile, very pleasantly, with a hint of charm and very matter-of-factly. He would’ve probably enjoyed to see her squirm, but most of all, he would’ve been detached. This is not LF.
(cont'd in next post)
-- When you have nothing to say, quote yourself ~ Solfadore
Second, the scene with Tyrion in which the latter plays him out like a fiddle by promising him Harrenhal. I’ve ranted quite a lot in the other topic on this point, so I’ll avoid repeating myself, but I was annoyed by how... ‘caricatural’ LF seemed. Tyrion tells him to convince Lysa to marry Robin to Myrcella. Sure enough, LF says, but what’s in it for him. It was pretty much the exact same line in the books – but it didn’t work on screen, and not because of the script. Gillen played him way too much like the evil chancellor who just can’t help it but be evil and conniving and selfish. Again, it’s a wonder they keep him around. The real LF would have played it very matter-of-factly, like it’s perfectly natural and that Tyrion was crazy to even ask for his help unless he brought something else in return. Still douchey, but it works.
I have a lot of misgivings with the scene with Catelyn, but that’s mostly the writers’ fault, I’m afraid. I did find Gillen to be much too forward in his feelings (and before you say that he was talking to the love of his life, let me remind you that he had a few scenes with Catelyn last season and was perfectly reasonable in them).
So yeah, I’m very disappointed in Gillen this season. At the same time, though, I can’t rank him any lower because even though he has dropped the ball a few times, when he does bring out his A-game, he’s really good. He’s got great screen presence and does a good job of supporting the leads around. And most of all, it’s the writers who should take most of the blame for his characters’ portrayal this season. To be fair, it’s not exactly an easy role to nail down either.
Best scene: As much as I hate the scene because it’s so out of character for him, I can’t deny that his scene with Cersei in the first episode in which she almost has him killed was exceedingly well-acted. Kudos to him. And since I want to end on a good note, I would also like to say that he was awesome in the first season – particularly in the scene with Ned Stark (in which he tries to convince him to attempt a coup against Joffrey). Holy **** was he magnificent in that one (and that’s a really, really hard scene to nail). If you want to see the true Littlefinger, as he should have been all along, go rewatch that scene.
-- When you have nothing to say, quote yourself ~ Solfadore
I don't think too many people will argue with you about Littlefinger. In season 1 I thought he was a little wooden in his first episode but was good the rest of the season. In S2 I thought his scene was Ros was great but otherwise he spoke strangely.
How could any man NOT fall for Dany? I'm not sure there's a straight man In Westeros who won't be completely taken by her. Varys gets a hard on for Dany's Targ.
It's not just the looks but they way she projects herself when in Mother of Dragons mode. She's confident to a point of self detriment and passionate beyond rationality. She's the kind of woman who makes you want to be better, the one who can take you to higher heights and make life more exciting.
Jorah's Dedication is completely understandable. I love when he shows up because the way he looks at her is just powerful.
As for Catelyn, she gets completely outclassed by Cersei in the mother department, the strategic planner department, and the ruthlessly jaded wife role. She's irrational but never in the sympathetic way Sansa is or psychopathically like Cersei is. Arya is just more talented.
--
Realo won gold at the Sex Olympics with a BROKEN FRIGGIN NECK.-Voltch
I disagree, but I think it's more about interpretation of the character than anything else. I would quibble with what you say at the end though - Renly tries to convince Ned to attempt a coup, Littlefinger tries to convince Ned to seat Joffrey as King and kill Stannis.
-- James - Board 8's Resident Warm And Safe, Slipper-Wearing User & The Cream of Porcupine Tree Fanboyism
