Posts Tagged ‘asoiaf’
Programming note
November 30, 2017Due to illness on Sean’s part (yes, again đ ), the next episode of the Boiled Leather Audio Hour has been postponed from our usual launch time around the end of the month until, most likely, some time in the next couple of days. But we plan to crank out the content throughout December to make up for this delay. Thank you for your patience!
The Boiled Leather Audio Hour Episode 67!
October 30, 2017The Sons of the Dragon
Sean & Stefan review George R.R. Martinâs latest historical novella set in the world of Ice and Fire, âThe Sons of the Dragonâ! Found in The Book of Swords, the latest (and allegedly, until The Winds of Winter is published, the last) genre anthology co-edited by GRRM and Gardner Dozois, âTSotDâ chronicles the lives of Aegon âThe Conquerorâ Targaryenâs two large adult sons, Aenys and Maegor. Being named âanusâ and âmeagerâ wound up being the least of their problems, as we soon learn. Sean & Stefan discuss the most striking aspects of the failsonsâ stories, as well as the political and supernatural status quo of the era in which they take place; debate the quality and merit of this and other faux-historical texts in the setting; and end with commentary on Martinâs writerly priorities. Enjoy!
Additional links:
Stefanâs review of âThe Sons of the Dragonâ at the Tower of the Hand.
Our Patreon page at patreon.com/boiledleatheraudiohour.
Our PayPal donation page (also accessible via boiledleather.com).
The Boiled Leather Audio Moment #11!
October 30, 2017Moment 11 | Chekhov’s Wildfire
Welcome to an explosive edition of our subscriber-only mini-podcast! This time around BLAM is truly living up to its onomatopoeic acronym with a question from Matthew, a subscriber at the $5 level, who writes: “What do you think of the Chekhov’s Wildfire theory; that King’s Landing will be destroyed by Dany, Cersei, or someone else?” It’s a cool question, because it lets Stefan & Sean answer in ways that are fundamentally the same but with very different details. Pledge $2 a month, tune in, and find out what they are! And don’t forget: If you want us to answer your question on-air, pledge $5 a month to go in the queue, or $10 a month to go to the front of the line!
31 October T-Shirts by Julia Gfrörer, Day 08: The Boiled Leather Audio Hour
October 8, 2017The Boiled Leather Audio Moment #10!
September 29, 2017Which characters’ heads are we hoping hardest to get inside of for the first time in The Winds of Winter? That’s the simple question posed by listener/subscriber Pascal, and the answers lead to a short but sweet episode of BLAM, our Patreon-exclusive mini-podcast. Note that we’ve exhausted all of our $10-level questions, so if you wanna move to the front of the line for our next episode, up your ante to ten bucks a month and ask away! And if youâre not a subscriber yet, pledge $2 a month and listen in!
Game of Thronesâ Kristofer Hivju on Tormundâs Fate, That Huge Cliffhanger, and His Wish List for Season 8
September 2, 2017One of the big themes of the show is putting aside differences to fight the common threat. As the wildling who made peace with the Nightâs Watch, Tormund lives the values that Jon and Davos are preaching.
Yeah, exactly. Itâs something my mother said to me today, actually: âForgiveness is the most difficult way to go forward, but itâs still the only way.â You have to turn the page and let bygones be bygones. Itâs nice to play a character who has that ability, because thereâs so much revenge and the wish to kill each other in this show. Itâs nice to have a character thatâs able to turn the page and get the overall view. And itâs a skill of necessity, because you have to adapt or else youâre lost.
Your mom makes a great point. Revenge is a major plot driver for a huge number of story lines, but itâs not on Tormundâs mind at all.
No. His mentor and father figure was Mance Rayder, who gathered all the Free Folk for the reason of taking down the Nightâs Watch and secure his people â but by war. That didnât work, and I think, hopefully, that Tormund has learned from his mentorâs mistakes. Iâm reflecting on the line [about Mance] that really surprised me when I came to it, in episode six, when Tormund says to Jon, âHow many died for his pride because he didnât kneel?â Thatâs a perspective I didnât see coming from him.
“Game of Thrones”â Isaac Hempstead Wright Debunks the Night King Theory
August 30, 2017Congratulations on creeping everybody out this season.
[Laughs.] Yeah, sorry about that. There were some cool bits to get to play, less so that creepy moment with Sansa. That was weird. I donât think Bran meant that in a weird way; I donât think heâs trying to freak his sister out by going, âYeah, I know everything. Donât fuck with me.â Itâs more like Bran is processing everything heâs seen, like, âIâve seen you there. That happened to you. Iâm sorry for what happened to you.â Bran has lost that emotional connection. He just states what he sees in an almost autistic way, not really connecting with things but just saying how they are.
Saying âchaos is a ladderâ to Littlefinger was so cool, though. I felt so badass in that scene, like, âChaos is a ladder âŠÂ yeeaaaah. How do you like that, Littlefinger?â
“Game of Thrones” Director Jeremy Podeswa on Shooting That Gigantic Season Finale
August 30, 2017Beyond Sansa and Aryaâs rapprochement, the episode ends with Dany and Jonâs love scene and the fall of the Wall.
Yeah. Itâs what the whole show is talking about, really, and why there is a summit at the Dragonpit in the first place. The show is so much about people fighting for power and one-upmanship and control, but at the end of the day, itâs a metaphor for life. Whatever we try â to be rich, to be happy â death is unavoidable. It doesnât matter how much money you have, it doesnât matter how much love you have. At the end of the day, itâs all heading that way. It puts all this gamesmanship and fight for power in relief, and itâs a big part of what this show is about.
Coming so hot on the heels of the Jon and Dany scene, which was about life and love and all those powerful forces, I was really struck by the shot you did of the zombies just watching as the Night King and the dragon destroy the Wall. There was an awful sense of violation about that.
Something that Game of Thrones always does successfully is that action sequences are never just action sequences. Thereâs always a point of view, and youâre always identifying with one person or one group of people. I think in this case, itâs not that you identify with the White Walkers, but there is a strange consciousness among them. Itâs not spectacle just for the sake of spectacle. Thereâs actually a human drama thatâs being played out here, and in this case this is the implacable enemy. Itâs the forces of death over the forces of life. You have to believe in them as a kind of real, living, breathing, sentient mass.
The way to create drama in a sequence like this is by making it about these figures, not just about a Wall coming down. Itâs really about the forces of good versus evil, and evil has a face.
Game of Thronesâ Liam Cunningham on the Dragonpit Summit, Davosâs Sex Appeal, and Why He Hasnât Read the Books
August 29, 2017Iâll try to be circumspect here: Many of my female friends like you a lot. Is this something youâve noticed?
You know what? As I like to say, the star of Game of Thrones is Game of Thrones. The show is the star. I love the whole ensemble aspect of it. The best work Iâve ever done has been ensemble work, not leading-man stuff. I love doing character roles.
I think there is a certain amount of ⊠[pauses.] Because there are so many morally ambiguous characters in this, maybe some of your female friends have daddy issues or something like that, because Davos would certainly make a wonderful father. Listen, Iâd love to be like Davos. I aspire to be that man. You know where you are with this guy. He has a sense of fun, and heâs not fearful of life. As he said to Stannis, heâs not fearful of his death, either. Heâs a guy youâd love in your corner. Heâs a quiet hero. Heâs kind of what we all aspire to be. But if itâs anything other than that, you need to speak to your friends. [Laughs.]
Every “Game of Thrones” Episode, Ranked from Worst to Best
August 28, 201714. âThe Dragon and the Wolfâ (Season 7, Episode 7)
The giant-size finale of what was simultaneously the seriesâ shortest and most epic season played like a Game of Thrones superfanâs winning bingo card. Jon and Daenerys finally hooked up, even as we learned for certain that theyâre related. Jaime and Cersei finally split up, as the Kingslayer realized his sister is beyond even his concepts of morality. The Stark siblings put an end to Littlefingerâs reign of error. Winter comes to Kingâs Landing as snow falls on the capital. And the Night King unleashed his zombie dragonâs blue fire to send the ice of the Wall plummeting to earth, allowing his undead army to pass through. The end is nigh, folks.
“Game of Thrones” Season 7: Who Lived, Who Died, What We Learned
August 28, 2017Call us crazy, but for a definitive visual for Game of Thrones Season Seven, we’d rewind a few minutes back from the fall of the Wall to Jaime’s departure from his life in King’s Landing. As he rides away from the city, snow begins to fall, soon covering the familiar red roofs and imposing towers of the capital. The weather has proven his wisdom. Jon and Dany, Sansa and Arya, Tyrion and his big brother, even the freaking Hound, who spent most of the entire season bumping into people who once tried to kill him â everyone put aside their differences for the greater good.
There’s no riding out the storm that’s on its way. If you care about your family, your friends, your people and your world, you have to ride right into that storm and face whatever you find there. Only one season and six episodes remain before we discover what’s left when the snow melts and the smoke clears.
“Game of Thrones” thoughts, Season Seven, Episode Seven: “The Dragon and the Wolf”
August 28, 2017Game of Thrones’Â penultimate season has rocketed along from place to place, person to person, long-awaited meeting to long-dreaded conflagration for all seven of its episodes. That pace has thrown some viewers off balance. But in these final moments, the purpose becomes clear: This story, this world, has been hurtling toward a point of no return. We’ve now reached that point. The lies, betrayals, power plays, and murders we’ve witnessed for seven years, and which still continue in this episode â they are all a distraction. We’re all in this together, and we’d better realize it ASAP. Is there a more urgent message for all of us to hear at this moment?
I reviewed the finale of Game of Thrones Season Seven, which I enjoyed a great deal, for Vulture.
The Boiled Leather Audio Hour Episode 65!
August 1, 2017Azor Ahai a Hound? (A Patreon Production)
The Pooch Who Was Promised! In this episode of the Boiled Leather Audio Hour, Sean & Stefan respond to the request of one of our $50-a-month Patreon subscribers, Ryan, to evaluate the odds that Azor Ahai Reborn is none other than Sandor âThe Houndâ Clegane. Working with material from both the books and the show, the illustrious co-hosts branch out from there to discuss the nature of this pivotal prophecy itself, their own preferred candidates for the messianic role, and what qualities we should look for in a savior. Hmm, is that salt and smoke in the air?
A Wiki of Ice and Fireâs Azor Ahai rundown.
Our Patreon page at patreon.com/boiledleatheraudiohour.
Our PayPal donation page (also accessible via boiledleather.com).
“Game of Thrones” thoughts, Season Seven, Episode Three: “The Queen’s Justice”
July 31, 2017Game of Thrones sends a message. You can focus on worldly, bloody matters like revenge. Or you can make the leap of faith and focus on the lives of your fellow human beings. “People’s minds aren’t made for problems that large,” Tyrion frets. Almost in response, Bran Stark tells his sister “I can see everything that’s ever happened to everyone” â a mystical callback to the far more self-interested seven-dimensional-chess advice Sansa’s advisor Littlefinger gave her. Seek triumph, and you’re merely a killer. Seek solidarity, and ⊠well, that’s not quite clear yet. But if winter is here, which of the two would you count on to turn back the cold?
I reviewed last nightâs Game of Thrones for Rolling Stone.
The Boiled Leather Audio Moment #8!
July 30, 2017Moment 08 | Our POV Preferences
This month’s subscriber-only mini-podcast question, or questions plural, courtesy of the folks at DalyPlanetFilms: Who are our favorite POV characters, and which minor POV characters would we like to see more from in the final two volumes of A Song of Ice and Fire? As you might expect when the topic is “tell us stuff you like,” this was a fun BLAM to record. Thanks to the DPF guys, and thanks to everyone who subscribes to our Patreon at the $2 level to hear these Boiled Leather Audio Moments, at the $5 level to ask a question we’ll answer in an episode, and at the $10 level to ensure your question goes to the front of the queue!
The Boiled Leather Audio Moment #7
June 16, 2017Moment 07: Bran and the Time Travel Effect
On this month’s subscriber-only Boiled Leather Audio Moment, we’re going back…to the future! Okay, not reallyâthat’s sort of the point of the discussion. In our first-ever BLAM available at our new $2 reward level, Sean & Stefan answer a question from listener Max B. about whether recent events on the Game of Thrones adaptation indicate that Bran Stark, everyone’s favorite paraplegic telepath, will have an increasingly dramatic effect on past events in the world of the story. Paradoxes abound, and to borrow Ser Barristan’s unfortunate phrasing we slice through them like a knife through cheese. Hit that $2 subscription button, then press play!
The Boiled Leather Audio Moment #6!
May 31, 2017Moment 06: Renly Baratheon: Threat or Menace?
On this all-new installment of our subscriber-only mini-podcast, we’re examining the character of one Renly Baratheon, courtesy of listener John Spinella. Was his move to cut ahead of his older brother Stannis in the line to the Iron Throne the ethical and political disaster many observers have said, or has dying before we could learn how he would really rule earned him a bad rap? Subscribe, listen, and find out!
The Boiled Leather Audio Hour Episode 62!
May 1, 2017A Game of Thrones Revisited
The Boiled Leather Audio Hour goes back to the beginning! Sean & Stefan kick off their great A Song of Ice and Fire reread project with an episode dedicated entirely to A Game of Thrones, the novel that started it all. What did George R.R. Martin do as a writer to distinguish his work from the epic fantasy hordes? How has he changed as a writer since? Which elements turned out to matter, which didnât, and which are we still scratching our heads about? The answers to all these questions, plus our takes on all the major characters (teaser: Sean compares Ned Stark to the Dude from The Big Lebowski), await you in this episode!
Additional links:
Our Patreon page at patreon.com/boiledleatheraudiohour.
Our PayPal donation page (also accessible via boiledleather.com).
The Boiled Leather Audio Hour Episode 61!
March 31, 2017The Boiled Leather Childrenâs Hour
BLAH is for the children! In this episode, Sean and Stefan take a look at two issues uniquely relevant to the younger characters of A Song of Ice and Fire: bullying and education. Inspired by our recent re-reads of A Game of Thrones, our conversation touches on the pervasiveness of verbal and physical bullying, the degree to which it is or isnât encouraged by adults, and how the ideas passed on to children by their parents and teachers through the official education system (for nobles, anyway) impact those receiving them. Itâs a topic close to our hearts, and to our understanding of what the whole series is really about. Enjoy!
And remember, if you like what you hear, subscribe to our Patreon to hear more of it via our subscriber-exclusive Boiled Leather Audio Moment mini-podcast!
Additional links:
BLAH 09: Our episode on violence against children.
BLAH 11: Our episode on sexualized violence and violence against women (with Alyssa Rosenberg).
The latest BLAM mini-episode (click to subscribe).
Our Patreon page at patreon.com/boiledleatheraudiohour.
Our PayPal donation page (also accessible via boiledleather.com).
The Boiled Leather Audio Moment #4!
March 10, 2017Moment 04 | Cersei’s Breaking Point
This month’s Patreon subscriber-exclusive BLAM hits close to home, as Sean & Stefan answer a listener question about the madness of Queen Cersei. We first gain access to her point of view after the deaths of her son Joffrey and father Tywin; does this push her past a breaking point, or would her POV have been materially similar had it started earlier? The BLAM Boys apply lessons from life and literature to arrive at the answer. Click here to subscribe to our Patreon so you can hear the episode, and thank you so much for your patronage!