Game of Thrones begins....

[Josquius]

I disliked Sansa in Kings Landing too. Boring, nought ever happened.
She was quite good once she got to the Vale though, could be good in the future.

[HisMajestyBOB]

I disliked Bran the most. Sansa was tolerable and later became interesting, but Bran was either strange or annoying. It looks like there will be some very good payoff with Bran eventually, but it might not be for a couple more decades.

[Slargos]

My least favourite was Sansa. It was all whine whine whine omg Jeoffrey is so handsome whine whine whine swoon. Having a typical teenage girl as a narrator = bad idea.

Yeah she had a crush on Joff for most of the first book but that was what made her interesting.  She was a young idealist who got smacked by the real world and how she deals with it.  I certainly was there back in my early teens.

I love Sansa she is one of my favs but then I always love the 'everyman' (so to speak) stuck in extraordinary circumstances.  I especially love how she says 'Fuck you' so well while on the surface saying and doing all the right things.  I think she is really going to surpise people at the end.

Concur. Her POVs certainly weren't the most exciting initially, but the whole storyline is very interesting and I really like the way it's going with the Hound. Was his death confirmed or not? I forget.

[Berkut]

Yeah, what was so changed about Daeny and Drogo? I mean, their "relationship" so far (as in the book) amounts to her getting married off to him and being terrified at the prospect.

The scene in the book ends with her falling in love with him a bit, because he was a gentle and compassionate lover. But I can see why that is not what HBO wants to go for.

The show ended at the point of their marriage. At that point in the book, she still had no idea what to make of Drogo beyond "Holy shit he is fucking huge and I am scared!".

We don't know where the show is going to go with that relationship, but so far it has not changed at all, other than being a bit truncated (obviously) due to it being a one hour episode.

[Slargos]

I disliked Bran the most. Sansa was tolerable and later became interesting, but Bran was either strange or annoying. It looks like there will be some very good payoff with Bran eventually, but it might not be for a couple more decades.

I know you mean in-universe, but sadly it might take that long in real time as well, if he [GRRM] lives that long. 

[Josquius]

I liked Bran, most likable character IMO.

Martin cutting the five year gap- it will work out well for some characters, like Sansa, but for others like Bran and Arya things are just gonna be messed up and have to go waaay too fast or just abandoned.

[Valmy]

Concur. Her POVs certainly weren't the most exciting initially, but the whole storyline is very interesting and I really like the way it's going with the Hound. Was his death confirmed or not? I forget.

Well sort of.  Brienne was told dead but some think he meant in a spiritual sense.  I think he is still alive.

[Slargos]

Concur. Her POVs certainly weren't the most exciting initially, but the whole storyline is very interesting and I really like the way it's going with the Hound. Was his death confirmed or not? I forget.

Well sort of.  Brienne was told dead but some think he meant in a spiritual sense.  I think he is still alive.

That's my hazy recollection. The Hound is dead, but Clegane is very much alive. 

[Razgovory]

I don't remember Rickon ever really making an appearance in the show.

[Maximus]

Clegane will probably end up grandmaster of the holy order of the sword or whatever it's called.

[grumbler]

Was his death confirmed or not?

Yes, which rather surprised me.  He was a pretty useful/interesting character to kill off for no apparent reason other than to kill off a character.

[Valmy]

I don't remember Rickon ever really making an appearance in the show.

He was the little kid laughing at Bran at the very beginning.  I think he probably appeared in the scene when Robert and his entourage ride in (by the way...I was a little baffled there were no Baratheon banners but only Lannister ones) but I was not looking for him.

[Slargos]

Was his death confirmed or not?

Yes, which rather surprised me.  He was a pretty useful/interesting character to kill off for no apparent reason other than to kill off a character.

Wasn't it the case that a character is TOLD he's dead, we're not literally shown the body. I thought a lot of the language surrounding his "death" was suspiciously hazy. Of course, it could be a red herring to keep the reader's hopes up.

If he IS dead, it would of course fit the GRRM MO of murdering characters who are actually interesting to read about. At this rate Snow will be dead within a few hundred pages. 

[bogh]

His death was not really confirmed, though. Check the geek sphere...I am pretty sure he'll return. Too cool a character to kill off.

In very related news I am going to the red carpet premiere of the show here in Denmark. Nicolaj Coster Waldau (Jaime) will be introducing it. Anything I should ask him during the subsequent cocktail party?

[Razgovory]

Was his death confirmed or not?

Yes, which rather surprised me.  He was a pretty useful/interesting character to kill off for no apparent reason other than to kill off a character.

I don't think he's really dead.  And I agree he was one of the most interesting characters of the novels.