Board 8 > Solfadore ranks 43 Game of Thrones actors

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Logicblade posted...

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From: AlecTrevelyan006 | #140

I normally am not really a fan of "multiple PoV" books, but in Game of Thrones and the following books I thought it worked out really well.

I find it really hard to understand how somebody who clearly likes reading and literature would say "Well, I can't stand to read this, I'll just read everything I can about this"

I don't really need anyone's understanding, though. I started book one, didn't like it. I just did not like it. Think the world is interesting, characters rich, and the tv series simply fantastic. I do not like to read the books.

Same thing happened to me and the LOTR series, for different reasons.

I think it is called... what's the word. Ah, opinion! Or preference, that works too. Not everyone likes every type of writing style.

=P

--
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The Cult of Personality.

From: Achromatic | #152
From: AlecTrevelyan006 | #140

I normally am not really a fan of "multiple PoV" books, but in Game of Thrones and the following books I thought it worked out really well.

I find it really hard to understand how somebody who clearly likes reading and literature would say "Well, I can't stand to read this, I'll just read everything I can about this"

I don't really need anyone's understanding, though. I started book one, didn't like it. I just did not like it. Think the world is interesting, characters rich, and the tv series simply fantastic. I do not like to read the books.

Same thing happened to me and the LOTR series, for different reasons.

I think it is called... what's the word. Ah, opinion! Or preference, that works too. Not everyone likes every type of writing style.

=P
I didn't say that you needed my understanding. Not everything is about you Chris. This is about what I want!

It just seems silly, especially if you like the show. I'd think you'd at most read up to where you are in the show so you could still have surprises.

--
"Link has spoken for years. And music is his language" -YoBlazer

From: Achromatic | #152

I think it is called... what's the word. Ah, opinion! Or preference, that works too. Not everyone likes every type of writing style.

It's not just opinion. There is a certain level of intelligence required to enjoy a book like Game of Thrones.

--
_foolmo_
'and out of the blue and completely unprovoked came foolmo and his insult' - Anagram

From: AlecTrevelyan006 | #153

From: Achromatic | #152
From: AlecTrevelyan006 | #140

I normally am not really a fan of "multiple PoV" books, but in Game of Thrones and the following books I thought it worked out really well.

I find it really hard to understand how somebody who clearly likes reading and literature would say "Well, I can't stand to read this, I'll just read everything I can about this"

I don't really need anyone's understanding, though. I started book one, didn't like it. I just did not like it. Think the world is interesting, characters rich, and the tv series simply fantastic. I do not like to read the books.

Same thing happened to me and the LOTR series, for different reasons.

I think it is called... what's the word. Ah, opinion! Or preference, that works too. Not everyone likes every type of writing style.

=P
I didn't say that you needed my understanding. Not everything is about you Chris. This is about what I want!

It just seems silly, especially if you like the show. I'd think you'd at most read up to where you are in the show so you could still have surprises.

Can't dispute that I am silly.

--
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The Cult of Personality.

Alright, I've made my decision regarding eligibility of late-comers. Kaxon and Rex: you're in. I haven't bothered totalling the points yet so I don't know who's the winner among you six. If it's one of the first four, then there's no issue and everything's fine. If either Kaxon or Rex won for some reason, the best of the first four contestants will also get a piano arrange. Sounds good?

Obviously, since Coster-Waldau, who was on some tier lists, has now turned up, I am no longer accepting entries.

Currently drafting #14's writeup!

--
When you have nothing to say, quote yourself ~ Solfadore

14. Joe Dempsie (Gendry)

Not many ‘average’ characters left until we hit the interesting ones! Looking at my list, Gendry might actually be the very last one! Glee.

Poor Dempsie had the unfortunate bad luck of being stuck with Maisie Williams for all his scenes, who has the annoying tendency to outshine fellow casting members and steal scenes away with her outstanding screen presence. Still, though, the guy does have amazing chemistry with Arya, and, in large part due to Dempsie’s performance, Gendry comes off as a really, really sympathetic character.

Gendry’s fairly simple, so Dempsie wisely doesn’t put too much flourish around his acting, instead coming off as this down-to-earth nice guy with a bit of a teasing side to him. He’s blunt (a bluntness conveyed by his general poise and body language), but not unkind (his voice really emphasizes that side of his personality). All in all, it works, and it’s a shame for him that he’s overshadowed by Williams because Dempsie has offered a very solid performance all season long.

There’s only one thing I’m not too sure about: his reaction to learning that Arya was a Stark. I’m not sure if he genuinely feels bad about how the vulgar things he said earlier in her presence, or if he’s just teasing her. Obviously, by the end, he’s teasing, but his first reaction is somewhat unclear – as an actor, he should strive to make every things clear (it’s not like he’s Varys, Littlefinger or Tyrion, for whom remaining mysterious is kind of important). It might very well just be me, though.

Best scene: Despite my (very minor) objection outlined above, I’m definitely going for that scene with Arya in Episode 2 by the river. Adorable scene, very well acted from both sides.

--
When you have nothing to say, quote yourself ~ Solfadore

13. Patrick Malahide (Balon Greyjoy)

AKA best father ever.

One look at Balon, as he turns his eyes towards his long-lost son, is enough to realize that Theon’s father is a hard, hard man. What a douche.

Balon’s a hard character to play because one must exude strength and tenacity every ****ing second. The King of the Iron Islands simply does not relent. Ever. So how do you convey that while still leaving some space for some fatherly love towards his daughter Yara? Malahide found the solution: it’s all in the eyes.

Seriously, if you ever rewatch the show, look at Malahide’s eyes. That’s where all of Balon’s strength comes from. Without them, he’s just a grumpy old man with a drowned look; with them, he’s a cold bastard who should not be trifled with. Watch his eyes grow a bit tender when Yara’s in the room or when he’s speaking to her; watch the change as he hands out thirty longships to her: he starts by looking at Theon, a hint of disdain on his face, and then immediately softens up, almost unnoticeably so, as he turns towards his daughter. That is some great acting.

One thing that I find a bit weird is his voice, though. I’m not sure whether I like it or not yet – it’s working, but it might be a bit too high-pitched for Balon Greyjoy. Who knows.

Best scene: His introduction scene. Although the scene in which he strikes Theon is also very good, I think his very first scene is where he shines the most, as he straight up bullies the son who’s just come back home after ten years because he’s not manly enough. That’s Balon in a nutshell.

--
When you have nothing to say, quote yourself ~ Solfadore

Solfadore posted...

Alright, I've made my decision regarding eligibility of late-comers. Kaxon and Rex: you're in. I haven't bothered totalling the points yet so I don't know who's the winner among you six. If it's one of the first four, then there's no issue and everything's fine. If either Kaxon or Rex won for some reason, the best of the first four contestants will also get a piano arrange. Sounds good?

Obviously, since Coster-Waldau, who was on some tier lists, has now turned up, I am no longer accepting entries.

Currently drafting #14's writeup!

Thanks, although honestly, I'm not really trying for the prize, as much as I just want to see where my points rank in comparison to everyone else's. Thanks though!

Chris just doesn't "get" the books

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EndOfDiscOne
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It's true, complex things make my head hurt.

--
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The Cult of Personality.

I have to wake up really early tomorrow for a 9-hour work day, so I will exceptionnally take a day off tonight. Sorry 'bout that!

--
When you have nothing to say, quote yourself ~ Solfadore

7. Stephen Dillane (Stannis Baratheon)

I must admit: I did not expect to like Stannis – or at least appreciate him as a character – as much as I do. The King in Dragonstone is a rather frustrating character, unyielding, unwilling to compromise or ally with his brother or Robb, sometimes for stupid reasons. Davos is the only (truly) likeable character of the whole Stannis group there, at least as far as Book 2 is concerned.

And then comes Dillane, who has to make a very tough sell. On the one hand, he has to be this very monolithic, “breaking-before-bending”, quasi-lawful stupid bore (although they did show him to be somewhat smarter than in the books). That’s easy – you could for instance just try to adopt this robotic/gruff delivery and poise, and you pretty much nail that side of his personality. That’s not what Dillane does, though, and his take on Stannis illustrates why the robotic performance would just not work. The actor actually managed to make this “lobster” endearing, or somewhat likeable.

I’m of the opinion that Stannis has hidden depths – is more complex than he initially appears. That mostly comes from character development and extrapolated stuff from the books. The thing is: how the hell do you sell that on TV. Somehow, Dillane manages to do it, and it works wonderfully.

Here, let’s use an example. Let’s go with my second favourite Stannis scene from the season – when he’s in his tent talking to Davos, shortly after having Renly killed. Just looking at the script, Stannis is again a bit of a bore (that’s very much in character, so the writers did a good job on that one). He wants to bring Melisandre with him to King’s Landing; Davos has misgivings and tells him that the soldiers think she whispers orders in the king’s ears. “And what do you think?”, Stannis replies. That’s an ordinary line. That’s pretty much just Stannis wanting to be as rigorous and exact as usual – ‘okay, the soldiers say this, but don’t hide behind rumors, ser Davos. Tell me what you think so that I know what man you are and if you can serve’. That’s what the line says to me.

Now watch the scene. Watch Dillane’s face when Davos evokes the rumor, when he asks Davos the fateful question. The guy smiles. He just smiles. The line doesn’t call for it. On paper, it just seems weird. But holy crap, when I saw that smile on screen... Dillane is hinting at a dozen things at once – maybe he laughs at the soldiers’ naïveté, maybe there’s some sort of “zen bitterness” in there because as usual, he’s unloved, even by his own soldiers, yet has learned to accept it. Maybe he smiles because he realizes himself that Melisandre does whisper orders in his ear. That’s just how deep that smile goes. A myriad of emotions, of hints, of suggestions, with just that.

I could name a lot of other examples, but suffice to say that Dillane has thoroughly impressed me with his ability to take a character that just... doesn’t have a lot of material to work with at first, and transform him into someone fascinating and layered.

Best scene: I quite liked his scene with Davos on the ship, before attacking King’s Landing – a scene in which he opens just a tiny window into the man’s heart – the dutiful younger brother who has been unloved long enough, and finally decided to claim his birthright. All the while maintaining the usual gruff delivery of “lobster-Stannis”. It’s like Dillane plays two characters at once.

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When you have nothing to say, quote yourself ~ Solfadore

Stannis is a boss. I was thoroughly fascinated by his portrayal and his side of the story.

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Little town...
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From: Solfadore | #128
Also, I actually think that Renly would've made the best king out of all the five pretenders we've seen - six, even, if we throw Dany into the mix - so I'm not holding his awkwardness against him. Joffrey and Balon are obviously not kingly material; Stannis sees the world in black-and-white and is led by the nose by a religious nutjob; Robb is alright but a bit stupid (basically Ned v. 2.0). If Ned hadn't been stupid and had actually sided with Renly back in Season 1, the series would've been over very quickly. Starks + Baratheons + Tyrells = not good for Stannis and the Lannisters. Although I suppose Melisandre might've still tried to pull a fast one on Renly.

In the show, I agree with you. In the book, Dany would be. The show makes Renly a lot more serious and it seems like he actually has a reason to want to be king, whereas in the book it really is basically a game to him. On the other hand, book Dany at this point is a lot smarter and shrewder whereas in this season of the show Dany rants and threatens people pointlessly and doesn't really know what she's doing.

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I made a living on time trial blowing myself off to cross the finish line at ludicrous speed. -transience

I don't really like Stannis at this point, and I imagine I will continue to not like him as long as he is so stubborn in his quest to win the crown at any cost. I think that has a lot more to do with the character than the actor though.

Also as far as I see it none of the six kings/queen would be particularly great at actually ruling the kingdom >.>

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No I'm not a damn furry. Looney Tunes are different. - Guiga

that is a perfect write-up for Dillane

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all you need

Stannis is my king

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http://i.imgur.com/PQGPX.png

The Iron Throne is his, by right.

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Always looking for new members, join today and talk football with your peers.

Show Robb would be a worse king, I think, than book Robb, because book Robb at least had honor going for him while show Robb is both stupid politically AND dishonorable.

--
SubDeity wants to vote for Calvin Coolidge. [Evil Republican]
Play Der Langrisser.

From: Kaxon | #165
From: Solfadore | #128
Also, I actually think that Renly would've made the best king out of all the five pretenders we've seen - six, even, if we throw Dany into the mix - so I'm not holding his awkwardness against him. Joffrey and Balon are obviously not kingly material; Stannis sees the world in black-and-white and is led by the nose by a religious nutjob; Robb is alright but a bit stupid (basically Ned v. 2.0). If Ned hadn't been stupid and had actually sided with Renly back in Season 1, the series would've been over very quickly. Starks + Baratheons + Tyrells = not good for Stannis and the Lannisters. Although I suppose Melisandre might've still tried to pull a fast one on Renly.

In the show, I agree with you. In the book, Dany would be. The show makes Renly a lot more serious and it seems like he actually has a reason to want to be king, whereas in the book it really is basically a game to him. On the other hand, book Dany at this point is a lot smarter and shrewder whereas in this season of the show Dany rants and threatens people pointlessly and doesn't really know what she's doing.
How many books have you read

Also, spot on Stannis review, though I like Stannis has a lot of character, even if it isn't really shown in the second season. I like him a lot more on a second reading too.

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Chex Warrior (Chex Quest) for CB2012

"book Dany at this point"

he said. It doesn't matter how many he's read.

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All the stars in the sky are waiting for you.
Diablo 3: DarkMac#1527.

I missed that.

My question stands though, even if it was irrelevant to his point.

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12. Tom Wlaschiha (Jaqen H’ghar)

A man has ranked 12th. A man might normally have a misgiving with a position, but a man shouldn’t feel regret for obtaining a twelfth position in a series about a throne. Otherwise, an actor might be tempted to give a man eleven names, and a series would thus be offered to the Red God. A viewer doesn’t want that.

I dare you to say the above sentence(s) without sounding stupid. Go on. I dare you. That’s pretty much what Wlaschiha had to do day in and day out, and how he managed to do so while still remaining credible baffles me. See, Jaqen is one of those characters who really work well in the books, but can’t accurately make the transition to TV so well. It’s like those corny lines from LOTR (“A red sun is rising; blood has been spilled last night”, or something): they may sound alright in the book, but when you actually say them out loud, you sound really stupid.

Wlaschiha essentially had to sell such a weird character to the audience, and I must say he did so exceedingly well. Most of all, he made the right choice by picking a very, very low-key performance. One way of selling the character would be to give him some sort of flourish to make his quirks seem more acceptable. I’m thinking Syrio here – guy was talking of himself at the third person, but nobody minded because he was this weird foreign guy with lots of other weird quirks. It worked for Syrio. Wouldn’t quite work for ninja assassin H’ghar, though, as I’m sure you’ll agree.

Tom Wlaschiha went pretty much completely the other way, always keeping a neutral face with a hint of a smile and a matter-of-fact voice, the result of which seems – quite oddly, I must say – very threatening. He also manages to insert Jaqen’s weird speech pattern as if it was completely natural, not putting any accent on anything.

The result? Wlaschiha’s downplayed performance essentially makes it look like Jaqen doesn’t really exist, which is precisely what the whole point of the character is.

Why isn’t he ranked higher, then? Most of all because the other eleven guys did better. Also because in some scenes, it seemed like Wlaschiha was also gunning for some sort of strange comic relief thing (“Unname me.” “No.” “Please.”, for instance). Though that’s mostly the writers, I think Wlaschiha could’ve tried to sound a bit more threatening, especially in that second-to-last scene with Arya in which she directly threatens him. Sometimes, he’s just a bit too passive.

Now, a topic creator has a fear that a man might do a thing to a topic creator.

Best scene: Hmmm... another tough call. It’s either his first scene in Harrenhal, when he makes the deal with Arya, or the very last scene at the crossroads, before he changes his face. Can’t decide between the two.

--
When you have nothing to say, quote yourself ~ Solfadore

From: SubDeity | #170

Show Robb would be a worse king, I think, than book Robb, because book Robb at least had honor going for him while show Robb is both stupid politically AND dishonorable.

my worst thing about show Robb is how they made him into a huge hypocrite by saying "I don't want to be that kind of king" in regards to just taking whatever he wants/doing whatever he wants and then in the very next episode he basically does whatever he wants without worrying about the consequences.

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A man bumps a topic.

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When you have nothing to say, quote yourself ~ Solfadore

Solfadore posted...

A man has ranked 12th. A man might normally have a misgiving with a position, but a man shouldn’t feel regret for obtaining a twelfth position in a series about a throne. Otherwise, an actor might be tempted to give a man eleven names, and a series would thus be offered to the Red God. A viewer doesn’t want that.

I dare you to say the above sentence(s) without sounding stupid. Go on. I dare you.

Well, I was able to do it, but I see what you mean. (I have a lot of acting experience.)

Bad news: I've been very busy these last few days and had a lot on my plate that I had to take care of.

Good news: I have the whole afternoon off tomorrow, and should thus be able to catch up on the rankings. I hope to do at least 3, maybe 4 tomorrow.

I'm really sorry for the delay, but these write-ups take quite a long time to draft and I don't want to botch things now that we've reached the good part!

--
When you have nothing to say, quote yourself ~ Solfadore

Bah! Take whatever time you need. I've done enough of these projects myself to expect it.

Solfadore posted...

Bad news: I've been very busy these last few days and had a lot on my plate that I had to take care of.

Good news: I have the whole afternoon off tomorrow, and should thus be able to catch up on the rankings. I hope to do at least 3, maybe 4 tomorrow.

I'm really sorry for the delay, but these write-ups take quite a long time to draft and I don't want to botch things now that we've reached the good part!

The write-ups are usually spot on anyways so take your time! ^_^

I ended up doing overtime, and thus did not have the afternoon off. Woe is me. I'll still try to get some done tonight, though!

11. James Cosmo (Jeor Mormont)

This is literally the last actor towards which I’m relatively indifferent and then we move to the fun stuff and the high praise/minor rants.

Me being somewhat indifferent towards Cosmo is a damn shame, though, because the guy definitely brought his A-game to the table. I consider Cosmo to be, by far, the best actor from the Wall subplot (again, not counting Rose Leslie because I’ve seen about one scene from her) – too bad he doesn’t have a lot of material to work with, because I think he’d do wonders with more material. Not that I’m holding that against the writers – he doesn’t have a lot of material in the books as well. It’s just a pity.

Cosmo is a perfect fit for Mormont because he really exudes leadership and command. He’s gruff, a bit rough around the edges, but you can see that there’s really no one that would make a better Lord Commander than the Old Bear. How does he do it? I’d say mostly screen presence. He doesn’t seem to be doing anything in particular with his voice or his delivery, nor does he try to adopt a particular body language. I assume he actually does work on these things, but the result seems perfectly natural, so kudos to him. What distinguishes him from the others below is really the great screen presence – he doesn’t really need to do anything (he can just sit there and listen to Craster, for instance) and yet you still see this gruff old bear, you still sense the kind/gentle roughness emanating from him, and well... it works.

You never sense that he’s trying – he’s just the Old Bear. A pity that he doesn’t have as much material as in Season 1 (his scenes with Jon, in particular, were quite good and nuanced back then).

Best scene: Without a doubt, his scene with Jon when he pins the latter against the wall. While the EP3 scene was Harington’s best, Cosmo completely stole this scene with an overbearing (heh heh) presence – additional kudos to him because the line “If you want to lead, you’ll learn how to follow” is not exactly Grade A material...

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When you have nothing to say, quote yourself ~ Solfadore

6. Sophie Turner (Sansa Stark)

I’ve been mildly disappointed with some actors’ performance this season. Clarke, for instance, has been going downhill for a while after a great first season. Harington has remained more or less the same. And then comes Season 2 Turner, who managed to completely blindside me. She improved a lot since Season 1, and it shows. Even better still: she continues to improve as the season goes along, peaking around Blackwater and bringing a memorable performance throughout the episode!

I must admit that I did not expect great things from Turner before Season 2 started airing. She was alright in Season 1 (probably around Madden-level), but nothing mind-blowing. Her character is also thoroughly unlikeable for me – not in a bad way, mind you: I like that she’s there and she’s an important piece, but I just don’t care for her well-being (as of Season/Book 2). Turner thus has a big challenge to meet. And meet it she does.

The thing with Sansa that’s so hard to nail is that she (Sansa) is a bad actress. Her lies are always forced and obvious – in the book, her empty courtesies are described as an “armor” – and there’s really nothing subtle with an armor. There’s nothing more difficult, I think, than purposefully and convincingly playing a bad actress. Generally, one overplays the “bad actress”, and then it just seems like an actor mimicking a bad actor, instead of the character itself being a bad actor. Turner passes this with flying colours, however.

Let’s take a few scenes. First: the delightfully awkward dinner with Cersei, Myrcella and Tommen. Cersei brutally torments her with the prospect of a marriage with Joffrey, prompting Sansa to praise the little ***** to the skies in her best impression of a mindless drone. She’s (still Sansa) a bad actress, obviously – everyone can see that she’s lying through her teeth and doesn’t mean a word she says – but Turner sells it not like she’s just bad at lying, but rather that she’s so emotionally distraught and empty that there’s no energy in her praises. THAT makes Sansa look like a bad actress, and yet you never stop believing the character. Same thing when she’s talking to Tyrion after Joffrey had Meryn Trant hit her – it’s not that she’s exactly bad, just that she’s traumatized and just wears her courtesies like armour.

Let’s take the complete opposite: the scene with Tyrion and Joffrey in Blackwater. The lines are seemingly the same – she praises Tyrion and Joffrey, but with much, much more backbone than back in Ep 3. The lines may be roughly the same, but it’s like she’s another person completely as she delivers them in a cold, blunt and insolent manner, while still retaining the appearance of a courteous lady. To be fair, the lines themselves are great, and she’s got a lot of excellent material to work with. The way she looks at Tyrion, though, as she says “Just as I pray for the king’s [safety],” the way she shamelessly taunts Joffrey by basically calling him a coward to his face, though, is just perfect.

She’s fairly close in ranking with Coster-Waldau and Dillane, and I could switch the rankings around between these three without much hesitation. One thing that I feel keeps her away from the top tier is her scene with the Hound at the end. I might be in the minority here, but I didn’t like the way she said “You won’t hurt me.” I’m not exactly sure what Sansa was feeling here, and that’s something that really shouldn’t be happening. The fact that so many of the non-book readers thought she was fleeing with the Hound (drawing upon “You won’t hurt me”) is a sign that the tone was a bit weird.

Best scene: A lot of great material in there, but I’ll have to stick with the scene in Blackwater when she’s taunting Tyrion and Joffrey. Just a great turnaround for her character, and a great performance as well.

--
When you have nothing to say, quote yourself ~ Solfadore

Oh, man. I was kind of hoping she'd make your Top 5, but I'm still fine with the placement. She has absolutely been tearing it up as Sansa this season, it's been really amazing. I love her so much more in the show than I do in the books. But one scene you overlooked - I LOVED her scene with Shae the first time Shae was sent in to assist her as her handmaiden. I thought both actresses played the scene perfectly (not to mention Shae's actress has amazing chemistry with Sophie Turner). On the surface, the scene was just about Shae not knowing how to be a handmaiden and Sansa b****ing at her. But the actors managed to convey SO much more and make it into a beautiful scene that really made you feel for both characters' hopeless situations. I actually teared up during that scene, and it was all because of what wasn't being said. "Brush my hair" might be one of my favorite line deliveries on the show. It's hard to put into words, but it was really a beautiful, tragic scene.

Coming up next in "Solfadore is late in ranking 43 GoT actors:"

---> A recurring supporting actor we've seen a lot and who's been quite often overlooked. Probably a bit high, but hey, I liked their take on the character.
---> A supporting actor with very few (albeit cleverly-written) scenes, but who handled them exceedingly well.
---> Our first Top Tier lead actor. [1 point at stake]

---> A supporting actor who's probably a bit high, but who embodies a thankless role so well they deserve a kudo.
---> A seemingly-popular supporting actor amongst some of you guys takes a hit and goes down early! (Although let's not kid ourselves there - ranking that high is still a job well done.)
---> Our second Top Tier lead actor. [1 point at stake]

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When you have nothing to say, quote yourself ~ Solfadore

10. Ser Rodrik Cassel
9. Brienne of Tarth
8. Grandmaester Pycelle
7. Maester Luwin
6. Sandor "The Hound" Clegane
5. Ser Jorah Mormont
4. Lord Varys
3. Melisandre
2. Ser Davos Seaworth
1. Lord Tywin Lannister

--
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

okay, looking at my list...

BOLD = Already shown up

MAIN CHARACTERS (5 remaining)
1.) Arya
2.) Tyrion
3.) Cersei
4.) Jaime
5.) Tywin
6.) Joffrey
7.) Sansa
8.) Stannis
9.) Melisandre
10.) Catelyn

SUPPORTING (10 remaining)
1.) Jorah Mormont
2.) The Hound
3.) Varys
4.) Davos
5.) Brienne
6.) Jaqen
7.) Luwin
8.) Yoren
9.) Bronn
10.) Renly
11.) Balon
12.) Lancel
13.) Littlefinger
14.) Pycelle
------CONFIRMED NOT ON LIST 15.) Alton
16.) Gendry
17.) Jeor Mormont

I expect I missed a supporting character somewhere, but it looks like we may agree for the most part.

Rex915 posted...

Is it too late for me to post a list??

Lead Actors
1. Alfie Allen
2. Maisie Williams
3. Lena Headey
4. Peter Dinklage
5. Charles Dance

Supporting Actors
1. Jack Gleeson
2. Conleth Hill
3. Tom Wlaschiha

I know I'm breaking the Tyrion/Arya top two thing but Theon was just amazing this season.

Let's see, so far, only Jaqen's fallen off, so unless I mixed up the placements of Joffrey and Tywin, it looks like I'm doing pretty well!

Oh wait, I went off the wrong list.

In my followup post, I had posted Theon at #3. Which bumps Tywin out of my predicted top 5.

Of course, at this point, I expect Tywin was supporting. It has to be him or Joff, as Tywin was in all of his scenes with Arya, and Joff had a lot of "about Joff" scenes and even was clearly the "lead" in his scene with Cersei at the beginning of the season and such.

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"Shut up and put your tinfoil hat back on." - Ulti

10. Julian Glover (Grand Maester Pycelle)

Who cares about Pycelle? No, seriously, who genuinely cares about Pycelle? He’s an interesting character, to be sure, and I like that he’s secretly a devious bastard, but no one really remembers him – and consequently, no one really remembers Glover as well. That’s a shame.

I always had a hard time imagining Pycelle in my mind’s eye as I read the books. Martin describes him as a “ponderous” person, a bit pompous at times, lapsing into ‘Captain Obvious’ mode every so often. Then came Glover, and holy crap does he have Pycelle nailed down. That guy just talks unbelievably slowly, and I really want others to just punch him so that he shuts up and more interesting characters get more screen time. That is, quite obviously, part of the point with his delivery, and he achieves the desired results magnificently, without it ever seeming contrived.

This allows the writers to really milk his potential as an actor. Let’s just take his scene with Cersei in Blackwater – in which he gives her a sample of Nightshade. Pycelle explains how it works in his unbelievably slow delivery, and you can see plainly that the Queen is bored out of her mind at the guy’s uselessness (which I found quite funny, tbh). When she at last decides to cut him mid-sentence because he’s just too long-winded, it works perfectly well.

That said, that’s not much to go by to crack the top 10. Why’s he so high, then? Because Pycelle is a somewhat complex character, and Glover also nails the other side of his personality quite convincingly – and unites his various facets in a coherent and believable whole. As we’ve seen in Season 1, “Senile Pycelle” is actually an act – the Grand Maester is actually much more acute and aware than he seems at first glance. Glover conveys this very successfully in his last scene with Tyrion, in Ep 10, in which he basically trolls the **** out of the Imp with just the right amount of subtle gloating.

That’s the thing, though – Senile Pycelle is an act, and while the viewers, Tyrion and probably Varys know that, nobody else does. Through all of his scenes (and especially his Season 2 scenes), Glover has to convey these two aspects: first, a smart, treacherous adviser obfuscating senility, which works very well. Once you know his true face, you can see how his ponderousness is an act.

On the other hand, he also has to play a senile old guy, because if he seems too manipulative/obviously evil, the viewers won’t buy that the rest of the court isn’t aware of his little game. That works as well: although you know that he’s faking senility, you also understand how so many people are fooled by it. While a seemingly simple thing to do, this little double-play is actually very difficult to nail down. Glover definitely deserves some recognition for the subtle performance he brought to the table all season long. I wouldn’t rank him any higher, obviously, because the guys above him are just too strong, but yeah.

Just have him shut up more instead of lapsing into endless tirades. Tyrion should’ve chopped off his manhood and fed it to the goats.

Best scene: Since he’s pretty similar in all his scenes, save one, I’ll have to grant the award to the “Let’s troll Tyrion” scene from EP10. That scene was hilarious – and Glover played a big part in the hilariousness.

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When you have nothing to say, quote yourself ~ Solfadore

9. Francis Magee (Yoren)

That guy was awesome. ‘nuff said. Kudos to the writers on this one: Yoren was incredibly unmemorable for me in the books, and Benioff/Weiss turned that into one of my favourite one-shot characters of the TV series. Magnificent writing... but also great acting from Magee himself.

I won’t go into much detail in this write-up, since Yoren is a fairly straightforward character that requires a fairly straightforward performance, but they could hardly have picked someone better suited to the role. Whether he needs to be the intimidating “leader” of the gutter rats he’s transporting (intimidating vis-à-vis Gold Cloaks, mind you), or a makeshift father figure for Arya, Magee is at all times believable, with command of the screen and great variety.

We’ve seen him play a low-key, yet deliciously chilling performance with the Gold Cloaks (“Once it’s nicked, ain’t nobody ‘round here knows how to un-nick it”). We’ve seen him bring out the ham when the scene calls for it (“I’VE ALWAYS HATED CROSSBOWS”/“THERE’S PEOPLE AROUND HERE WHO WANT TO **** YOUR CORPSES”). We’ve also seen more of a tender, smiling side to him. It all feels natural – you never sense Magee playing a character, and that’s the mark of a great actor.

Sadly, not much else to say, given the very few scenes he was in. Not much, except to salute the awesomeness that was Yoren.

Best scene: As if you couldn’t guess already. I’ll just say that he was excellent in all three scenes he was featured in, though.

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When you have nothing to say, quote yourself ~ Solfadore

THE LIST SO FAR

Lead Actors

??? Tier (Top Tier)
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Tyrion Lannister Tier of Schemes, Plots and Broken Things
6. Sophie Turner (Sansa Stark)
7. Stephen Dillane (Stannis Baratheon)
8. Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (Jaime Lannister)

Margaery Tyrell Tier of Political Seduction
9. Gethin Anthony (Renly Baratheon)
10. Michelle Fairley (Catelyn Stark)
11. John Bradley (Samwell Tarly)
12. Isaac Hempstead-Wright (Bran Stark)
13. Richard Madden (Robb Stark)

Eddard Stark Tier of Political Savviness
14. Kit Harington (Jon Snow)
15. Emilia Clarke (Daenerys Targaryen)



Supporting Actors

??? Tier (Top Tier)
1.
2.
3.

??? Tier (Amazing Tier)
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.

Bronn Tier of Honourless Pig****-Throwing
9. Francis Magee (Yoren)
10. Julian Glover (Grand Maester Pycelle)
11. James Cosmo (Jeor Mormont)
12. Tom Wlaschiha (Jaqen H'ghar)
13. Patrick Malahide (Balon Greyjoy)
14. Joe Dempsie (Gendry)
15. Eugene Simon (Lancel Lannister)
16. Ben Hawkey (Hot Pie)

Jon Snow Tier of Not-Knowing, yet Still Being Competent with a Sword
17. Aidan Gillen (Petyr "Littlefinger" Baelish)
18. Carice van Houten (Melisandre of Asshai)
19. Michael McElhatton (Roose Bolton)
20. Gemma Whelan (Yara Greyjoy)
21. Finn Jones (Loras Tyrell)
22. Robert Pugh (Craster)

Arya Stark Tier of Pointy-End Sticking
23. Natalie Dormer (Margaery Tyrell)
24. Dominic Carter (Janos Slynt)
25. Natalia Tena (Osha)

Bran Stark Tier of Combat Prowess
26. Sibel Kekilli (Shae)
27. Kerr Logan (Matthos Seaworth)
28. Esme Bianco (Ros)

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When you have nothing to say, quote yourself ~ Solfadore

How everyone is faring so far:

Eeeevil Overlord: all of his predictions are still in the running, so he might have a good shot at claiming victory. He could get a maximum of eight points, excluding bonus points.
AlecTrevelyan: has lost Jaime along the road, although one point is really not much as a whole (bonus points are where it's at, really). Maximum of seven points.
LordoftheMorons: has also lost Jaime - now in a bitter contest for third place with Alec and Rex. Maximum of seven points.
MarquessLaus: all of his predictions are still in the running, giving Eeeeevil a run for his money. Maximum of eight points.
Kaxon: has lost Jaime, Stannis and Jaqen along the way, leaving him in dire straits unless he makes a striking comeback. Maximum of five points.
Rex: has lost Jaqen, yet remains in the race and hopes to overtake Eeeeevil and Marquess sooner rather than later. Maximum of seven points.

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When you have nothing to say, quote yourself ~ Solfadore

Well, the big question is whether Joffrey o Tywin is counted as our fifth main character. If it's Joffrey, then I got my 5 mains correct. But 2 of the remaining weren't guessed by the first 4 predictions, and Tywin isn't among my top 3 supporting so unless Tywin is lower then third supporting, which i dare not hope for I'll get 5/8.

If Tywin is the main then Eeeevil gets 5/8, 6/8 possibly if Joff ain't among the top three supporting.

LordoftheMorons looks good having named six of the eight, though Joffrey/Tywin is in the wrong category.

Kaxon might very well name 5/8, Rex 6/8. Between that and the bonus points for the correct positions anyone could still take it.

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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

From: AlecTrevelyan006 | #173
I missed that.

My question stands though, even if it was irrelevant to his point.

I've read all of them.

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I made a living on time trial blowing myself off to cross the finish line at ludicrous speed. -transience

From: MarquessLaus | #193
Well, the big question is whether Joffrey o Tywin is counted as our fifth main character. If it's Joffrey, then I got my 5 mains correct. But 2 of the remaining weren't guessed by the first 4 predictions, and Tywin isn't among my top 3 supporting so unless Tywin is lower then third supporting, which i dare not hope for I'll get 5/8.

If Tywin is the main then Eeeevil gets 5/8, 6/8 possibly if Joff ain't among the top three supporting.

LordoftheMorons looks good having named six of the eight, though Joffrey/Tywin is in the wrong category.

Kaxon might very well name 5/8, Rex 6/8. Between that and the bonus points for the correct positions anyone could still take it.
I don't even warrant a mention? :(

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Gamefaqs' #1 Testicle Bettor: Proud owner of many testes
http://img688.imageshack.us/img688/6553/alec.png

Oh, sorry. you're at 4/8, 5/8 if Joffrey doesn't make it into supporting top 3.

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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

Then comes Rodrik, and Allen manages to raise the stakes. There’s a bit of a Dagmer/Luwin struggle going on as each tries to convince Theon to kill/spare the master-at-arms. What’s especially interesting, however, is just how indecisive Theon is. Rewatch the scene if you want: all throughout, Balon’s son is just desperately looking for a father figure – someone to tell him what to do. It’s almost like he’s pleading with both of them, seems ready to take the advice of the last person who talks, until he looks at Dagmer’s disapproving look and lets his pride win in the end. He just can’t deal with a lack of respect from his men.

At last, the beheading itself – short, but incredibly powerful. It’s all in the eyes on this one, as Theon gives in to madness and strikes at Rodrik, over and over and over. I was – and still am – flabbergasted at how much goddamn energy Allen projects during these few seconds. He’s completely transfixed and manages to draw the viewer in his moment of madness.

What does he do when he’s done beheading? What is the very first thing he does? He looks around, exhausted, raving, at the unseen crowd. “Look at me now”, his eyes say. “I just killed a man. Are you afraid of me now? Do you respect me? Please respect me.” All in five seconds of him looking around desperately.

This is what ‘Top Tier’ means.

Best scene: Obviously, I’ll have to settle with the scene above, just because Allen has to rely on so many nuances and must switch gears in a heartbeat – it’s really emblematic of a season full of a wide array of diverse material. Honourable mentions go to both of his EP10 scenes – the one with Luwin (in which he brings a much lower-key performance) and his speech in front of his men, as you see him struggle to justify to himself and his men his own existence, actions and legacy.

Points: Eeeeevil Overlord, AlecTrevelyan, LordoftheMorons, MarquessLaus and Rex all manage to score a point, while Kaxon misses a step. However, Alec, LOTM and Rex will not be scoring bonus points with #3, #3 and #1 respectively. EO and ML thus have the advantage for now.

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When you have nothing to say, quote yourself ~ Solfadore

---AEGON TARGARYEN TIER OF WORLD-CONQUERING---
At last. Time for excellence. Spoilers: I have absolutely nothing bad to say about the five actors who made it to this spot. Literally nothing – even if I sit down and think about it, I can’t find a single thing in their performance about which I can actually complain. Please note as well that I had a lot of trouble ordering these guys around, so if you’re pissed because your favourite actor didn’t make it past #5, you really shouldn’t be. #5 could easily jump to #2 after a good rewatch, depending on my mood.

I would also like to say that I consider these guys to be better than any of the supporting actors on my list – save maybe for #1 themselves (and even then, I’d still rank them around #6-7 if I had considered them a lead actor).




5. Alfie Allen (Theon Greyjoy)

I must admit: I wasn’t too sure about the casting choice back when Season one started. Perhaps because they’ve changed his personality somewhat, perhaps because his physical appearance doesn’t exactly match his depiction in the book. I’m not sure. What I am sure of, however, is that I’ve since eaten my hat. The taste was bad, but there was no way around it following Allen’s Season 2 performance.

Holy **** Allen. Way to take a fairly minor character (up to this point, at least!) and build him to be one of the definitive anchor-points of Season 2!

Since I’ve got nothing bad to say about his take on Theon, I’ll mostly (try to) analyze how he does what he does. First off, and what I think Allen’s main strength is, is that he has amazing variety. Seriously – think back for a second at the sheer range of scenes he had to lead! Proud prince, alpha male who’s just slightly pathetic, disappointed lordling startled over not being recognized and praised, weak son, rebellious son, jealous/incestuous brother, madman, repenter, frightened prince of Winterfell... The guy went through everything, and passed through it all smelling like roses.

How does he do it? My gut tells me a good part of it is screen presence. Sure: you might be good in a scene or two if you’re a ‘character actor’, aka really good at nailing a particular type of character. Maybe you have a quirk that really fits well with your role. When, however, you consistently nail such a wide range of scenes, quirks aren’t enough – that’s when screen presence comes in. And whoever denies that Allen has amazing screen presence obviously hasn’t been watching the same series.

Let’s take a ridiculously good scene: Theon takes Winterfell and beheads Rodrik. In the time it took you to read that sentence, Allen has already run away with it. Seriously, though: he starts the episode off in strength, with his forced arrogance – some sort of vain pride that you barely have to scratch to lay open all the bent-up father issues and lack of confidence. You can see that though Allen makes a showing of strength and confidence, he’s a bit fidgety. He’s restless, moves a lot, paces back and forth – little gestures that really reinforce that notion.

We then move outside, as Allen continues his performance. He’s still very boastful, but you can plainly see that he doesn’t really know what to do now that he’s taken Winterfell. And so he does nothing but boast and try to make himself appear grander than he is. Notice how he addresses the crowd as he orders Luwin to have Yara bring 500 men to the castle. “Look at me already issuing orders; will you dare oppose me once I have 500 men at my command?” he seems to say. Deep down, Theon just wants to be respected and admired.

(cont'd in next post)

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When you have nothing to say, quote yourself ~ Solfadore

Great writeup, would personally have him 6 on my big board, but I am a bit weird I admit.

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http://firsthour.net/screenshots/suikoden-2/suikoden-2-luca-blight.JPG
The Cult of Personality.

The bottom ranked here is one of the greatest, hammer of Thor she's got it. Also, she's a 10 out of 10 which helps. Hot Pie is probably a bit overranked, though he's a cult classic.

No one touches the dragon, that I know for sure.

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One Piece: Pirates with style!
-= Metal Gear Solid: Tactical Espionage Action =-