Oh man, I'm excited and eager to watch it, but what the hell is up with all the obvious CGI effects? It seems like half the time it's a cartoon with characters performing inhuman physical feats; those goofy but short CGI Legolas moments in LOTR writ large.

Didn't they have a short-lived Blade TV series? I never saw it myself but I once heard that it improved towards the end, but that by that time, no-one was watching.

I was just thinking though, with regards to Stallone. If you were going to introduce someone to him, who didn't think much of him based mostly off of his beefcake Rambo legacy and crooked mouth shouting, would you suggest Demolition Man? What films show Stallone to be, overall, a better actor than Arnold for instance?

I think you might be mistaking bravery for cowardice? Also, as I mentioned previously, her and Arya are the only Starks most likely to survive the whole war regardless of what they do, since they have value in surviving long enough for marriage. Sansa doesn't survive through any behaviour of her own, she's only living in Kings Landing because she gives Joffrey control over the North, and has extra protection at the start because Jaime is captured.

No worries, sorry if I came across as a bit rah-rah. I can't help but get a little heated when it comes to Sansa and Catelyn.   

I think you've hit the nail on the head there, despite what I think of Sansa as a person, she's a fantastic character, really well written and nuanced, with a fascinating journey that is unlike anyone else in the story. Sam is sort of similar, it's frustrating to be in his head, because most of us aren't that weak, but his development will be so much more potent.

I'm reminded of a great quote, that I think GRRM once said, about how the person who never reads only experiences one life, but the person that does read gets to experience many lifetimes.

I don't know, Shae is a pretty important part of Tyrion's transformation in the books, as her presence in Tywin's chambers infuriates Tyrion further. More importantly, her disappearance after the wedding robs her of being able to betray him during his trial, which is a significant moment for him. I just think if you've already got Dontos, then that's enough, since you don't really need to do much to establish the plan and it's quite fun to watch as you sense it's going to end badly with Dontos at the helm.

Alternatively, it makes much more sense to have the Queen of Thorns/Tyrells arrange it with Sansa, since they're supposed to be interacting alot at this time.