Boars, Gore, and Swords

If you’re itching for new stories within the world of Game of Thrones, look no further than Telltale’s “Game of Thrones”, a series of 6 planned episodes that take you into Westeros through the eyes of House Forrester, loyal Bannerman to House Stark. The series is in the tv show continuity, and starts at the end of Season 3 and will end just before the start of Season 5. We review the first episode here, listen along to compare your choices to the terrible decisions made by Ivan and Red, join them in their newly found respect for Cersei, and the one decision Red really wishes he could take back.

Direct download: 2014-12-29_BGaS_Episode_172_Telltale_1x01.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00pm EDT

What’s Christmas without Jon Hamm in a British tv show about a dystopian future? Hardly Christmas at all, which is why OJ Patterson joins Ivan and Red to discuss Black Mirror’s “White Christmas”, the series which Ramsay Bolton would have created if he’d been born in the 1980s.

Direct download: 2014-12-22_BGaS_Episode_171_Black_Mirror_Xmas.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 7:00pm EDT

The Book Club closes it’s final chapter of “A Song of Ice and Fire” covered by HBO’s “Game of Thrones” up through Season 4 with our coverage of Bran II (Hardback page 169/Paperback page 185) and Reek II (Hardback page 253/Paperback page 277) in “A Dance with Dragons”. Ivan and Red discuss tears of their enemies, ignorant protagonists, eating that Elk twice, an explosion of pale rotten meat, the best comedy on television, Benedict Cumberbatch doing the motion capture for Smaug, forehead mushrooms, The Drunken Tower vs Leaning Tower of Pisa, and a lengthy discussion of poisonous arrow shafts.

Direct download: 2014-12-14_BGaS_Episode_170_ADwD02.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 8:28pm EDT

The Book Club continues with its coverage of the “A Song of Ice and Fire” chapters covered by HBO’s “Game of Thrones”. Having covered all of the relevant chapters in “A Storm of Swords” and “A Feast for Crows” (Full spoiler-free reading guide here), we enter George R.R. Martin’s “A Dance with Dragons", covering Bran I (Page 60) and Reek I (Page 161). Ivan and Red discuss warg sex, reading documentaries, Big Walder and Little Walder, The Bastard’s Boys, Fake Arya, the Kim and Kanye of Westeros, the Great Elks, the effect of weather on Hodor, and the importance of verifying the aliveness of your party guide. This episode is brought to you by Chronicle Books release of Inside HBO's Game of Thrones: Season 3 & 4.

Direct download: 2014-12-08_BGaS_Episode_169_ADwD01.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 7:32pm EDT

We may be on a short hiatus, but that doesn't mean we're not scheming up new and ever more grandiose ways to bring content to our loyal Bannermen. This week we feature Ivan Hernandez's "Give Me Fiction": a selection of original short stories performed before a live audience. You can visit the GMF Sitefollow GMF on Twitter, check out the podcast on iTunes, RSS, Soundcloud, and Stitcher, and buy tickets for the live show which takes place the first Sunday of every month at Lost Weekend Video.

Direct download: 2014-11-17_BGaS_Episode_168_GMF01.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 4:42pm EDT

This week we jump back into A Feast for Crows, finishing our last non-spoilery chapter, Sansa I (Hardback page 145/Paperback 226). Ivan and Red discuss the Marvel universe, free will, the SF Giants vs Kansas City Royals Game 7, the bastard Rivers Cuomo, the bastard Strom Thurmond, Sansa learning to lie, Ser Tinder, Marillionaire, and the return of the Game of King Chairs.

Direct download: 2014-11-03_BGaS_Episode_167_AFfC02.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 7:00pm EDT

This week Ivan and Red called an audible and discussed the Epilogue of “A Storm of Swords”. If you *only* watch the tv show and haven’t read the books, we discuss an event that has not happened in the TV show. Up front they answer some listener emails and then get to the main event. Let us know your thoughts on twitter at @boarsgoreswords!

Direct download: 2014-10-27_BGaS_Episode_166_ASoS40.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 11:21pm EDT

After completely whiffing on the last chapter in A Storm of Swords, Ivan and Red finish up the Brienne chapter they began last episode before looping back around to the last chapter in  A Storm of Swords, Sansa VII. They discuss The Patriarchy, raw eggs, Rivers Cuomo, Fish Wife vs Salt Wife, Ivan’s preferred food preparation technique, and Petyr Baelish’s favorite cat.

Direct download: 2014-10-20_BGaS_Episode_165_ASoS39.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 2:57am EDT

With no more unspoiled territory in A Storm of Swords, we jump into A Feast for Crows to cover one and a half of the three chapters we’re reading in A Feast for Crows, specifically we touch upon Brienne I (Hardback page 56/Paperback page 80) and Brienne II (Hardback page 130/Paperback page 184). Ivan and Red discuss Westeros’s most famous male model, matching carpet and japes, the incredible crassness of peasants, the sincerity of Jaime Lannister, the Guild of Cookery’s “Game of Thrones” themed dinners in San Francisco, the new crypto-currency Quailcoin, and the most fearsome of fantasy creatures, the Dire Quail.

Direct download: 2014-10-13_BGaS_Episode_164_AFfC01.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 5:57pm EDT

Following the reading guide provided by Michelle Victory, this is the first episode where we skip chapters so as to remain unspoiled. We start with Arya XIII (Hardback page 843/Paperback page 1027) and then skill Samwell and Jon to get to Tyrion XI (Hardback page 871/Paperback page 1062). Sansa VII will be the last chapter we read in ASoS before hopping into the few chapters from A Feast for Crows and A Dance with Dragons that have been covered in the TV Show. This week Ivan and Red yell about chickens, the importance of not leaving your tip on the floor, thirstiness, Arya and process over results, the reunion of a girl and her weapon, the correct pronunciation of croissant, famous last words in morse code, Tysha, gold diggers, and a big lead up to a terrible pun.

Direct download: 2014-09-29_BGaS_Episode_163_ASoS38.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 4:49pm EDT

Tommen gets his stamp on and Jon Snow discovers the true nature of Wargs in Jaime IX and Jon X (Hardback page 818/ Paperback Page 996) of “A Storm of Swords”. Ivan and Red discuss Star Wars Machete order and Ivan’s trip to the Folsom Street Fair before moving on to Tommen being adorably atrocious, only good things happening to Ramsay Bolton, when one sword become two, Long live Jeyne, a totally legit and completely real Arya, Tommen and his ladies, Outlander being bullshit, Mammoth bread, Anomalisa, Jaffar, and tent play.

Direct download: 2014-09-22_BGaS_Episode_162_ASoS37.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 2:12am EDT

At the tail end of a 500 mile road trip and an iPad failure preventing book club, Ivan and Red catch up on correspondence from the Bannermen!

Direct download: 2014-09-15_BGaS_Episode_161_Ravens.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 2:30am EDT

This week we’re completely lacking in Boars, but are up to our mangled necks in Gore and Swords. Ivan and Red take a break from the realms of Westeros and Essos and head for 19th century London to re-cap Showtime and Sky’s Penny Dreadful, created and written by John Logan. In this “What You Should Be Watching” episode, they discuss ravens from the Bannermen, Penny Dreadful’s horrific introduction, The Doctor’s big reveal, a victorian SRO, the best place to be located if you discover you’re in a horror film,  Ava vs Eva, Feminism and the Third Reich, CGI Spiders, the scourge of pocket watches discouraging human interaction, Timothy Dalton’s Taken, lady Sherlock, guts budget, the Emmy for best face tattoo, and the logical fallacy of world murder.

Direct download: 2014-09-08_BGaS_Episode_160_WYSBW_Penny_Dreadful.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 2:10am EDT

 

Daenerys metes out justice for Ser Barristan and Ser Jorah in Danerys VI (Hardback page 803/Paperback page 977) of George R.R. Martin’s “A Storm of Swords”. Ivan and Red answer ravens from the Bannermen and discuss Johnny Cash’s appearance on Columbo, Daenerys empathizing with the plight of various gods, the freedmen’s battering members, Cleon The Butcher King, The Butcher King’s Hype-Man, Daenerys’s inner-conflict over Jorah and his crap teenage attitude, the dandy President, Ser Barristan’s cooking skills, Missandei and her duty, the red door, and spoiler-free predictions.

Direct download: 2014-09-01_BGaS_Episode_159_ASoS36.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:06pm EDT

Jon’s reward for holding the wall is Janos Slynt and Tyrion seeks justice from the gods in Jon IX and Tyrion X (Hardback page 778/Paperback page 946) in George R.R. Martin’s “A Storm of Swords”. Nato Green of FX’s Totally Biased, The Business, and his podcast, The Nato Sessions, joins Ivan and Red to discuss translators for the deaf not being detailed enough for Game of Thrones, invented vocabulary, scorpions on decks of boats, government being run by hot 25 year-olds, Wayne Campbell taking the black, The Return of Martin Guerre, Tywin feeling political strategy viscerally, mocking your sibling’s suitors, and the physics of penetrating armor with a spear.

Direct download: 2014-08-25_BGaS_Episode_158_ASoS35.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 7:00pm EDT

Jaime reminds The Kingsguard who’s in charge and Petyr Baelish gets showy with his mastery of The Game of Thrones in Jaime VIII (Hardback page 750/Paperback page 912) in George R.R. Martin’s “A Storm of Swords”. Ivan and Red discuss Ravens from the Bannermen, books vs toilet paper, Stranger in a Strange Land, Ser Barristan’s advanced age, Jaime’s professional pride, Ser Boros missing out on a once in a lifetime opportunity, Dragons vs. Dinosaurs, Petyr Baelish and Wikipedia etiquette, underestimating Cersei, strong seed, Lysa’s wedding in a box, and Ser Egan’s revenge.

Direct download: 2014-08-18_BGaS_Episode_157_ASoS34.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:26am EDT

This week, like Tobias Menzies, Ivan, Red, and guest Kelly Anneken take a break from the world of Game of Thrones and head for the Scottish Highlands. They’re doing a re-cap and having a borderline histrionic discussion of the Starz’ series premiere of Outlander, based on Diana Gabaldon’s Historical Romantic Science Fiction book of the same name. They discuss how to chug champagne on Victory Day, the intricacies of accent work, the purpose of neck wear, Claire and her poor memory re: Forget-Me-Nots, the advanced medical practices of 1945, making sure to check the weather for the 200 years prior to and after the current date before leaving the house, the one case where a fedora is attractive, and the reasons why we’re going to keep watching Outlander.

Direct download: 2014-08-11_BGaS_Episode_156_WYSBW_Outlander.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 10:00pm EDT

Arya is running out of relatives and Tyrion’s relatives all think he murdered Joffrey in Arya XII (Hardback page 726/Paperback page 883) and Tyrion IX (Hardback page 735/Paperback page 894) in George R.R. Martin’s “A Storm of Swords”. Ivan and Red discuss the realities discuss a world in which fictional dreams don’t mean anything, Sansa’s dreams by Lisa Frank, Luc Besson’s voice, the bloody Bloody gate, an update on our viking friends, lizard lions, Stilted Dialogue III, Bronn’s foreshadowing of the entire Viper vs Mountain fight, over-sincere fantasy, wolf wives, murder by scorpions, and the fascinating intricacies of Dornish inheritance law.

Direct download: 2014-08-04_BGaS_Episode_155_ASoS33.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 7:00pm EDT

Edric Storm is stolen away and it’s the Battle at Castle Black in Davos VI (Hardback page 705/Paperback page 857) and Jon VIII (Hardback page 714/Paperback page 868) of George R.R. Marin’s “A Storm of Swords”. Ivan and Red discuss ravens from the bannermen concerning their absence, Alester vs Axell Florent, the honorability of burning, Joffrey and kittens, Kegs and Horse, closing your mouth in extreme cold, Jon Snow basking for krill, murder holes, bigot Jon Snow, the Direwolf of Wall Street, surge pricing at Trader Joe’s, and the proper way to parent Joffrey Baratheon.

Direct download: 2014-07-28_BGaS_Episode_154_ASoS32.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 7:00pm EDT

Sansa V (Hardback page 685/paperback page 832) and Jaime VII in George R.R. Martin’s “A Storm of Swords” are this podcast’s topic. We discuss the book’s rendition of Sansa’s escape from King’s landing along with Jaime’s return. Along the way, Ivan and Red answer Ravens from the Bannermen before discussing bodices, murder wands, unrealistic disguises, friend-zoning Littlefinger, predictions on Petyr and Sansa’s relationship, Brienne the Eagle, why Jaime left King’s Landing in the first place, Ser Osmund Kettledolt, that Jaime and Cersei scene, and Jaime not properly considering Margaery Tyrell as a potential partner.

Direct download: 2014-07-14_BGaS_Episode_153_ASoS31.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 7:00pm EDT

This week we're in “A Storm of Swords” Sansa IV (page 659 hardback, 799 paperback) and Tyrion VIII (page 667 hardback, 809 paperback), which makes up the whole of Joffrey and Margaery’s nuptials. Ivan and Red discuss comedian Mike Patten, Sansa’s forgotten Direwolf, wooden tubs, seventy seven courses, the best part of a gammon steak, Joffrey Baratheon’s anti-literary campaign, sullen Sansa, and the danger of momentum to Tyrells.

Direct download: 2014-07-07_BGaS_Episode_152_ASoS30.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 2:09am EDT

With the completion of Season 4 of HBO’s Game of Thrones, Ivan and Red dig back into the Boars, Gore, And Swords book club, where they cover the chapters of George R.R. Martin’s “A Song of Ice and Fire” series that correspond to the previous television season. No TV spoilers! In the box this week, it’s “A Storm of Swords” Daenerys V (page 639 hardback, 774 paperback) and Tyion VII (654 hardback, 793 paperback). They discuss the scale of Mereen compared to The Wall, the Titan’s Bastard, Eric Schlosser’s upsetting facts, not being a dick on the field of battle, the conflicting reports of Ed Skrein, Strong Belwas and his squire, what to do if there’s no toilet paper on the field of battle, legal language for prophecies, excessive waddling, and surviving dry weddings.

Direct download: 2014-06-30_BGaS_Episode_151_ASoS29.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 8:00pm EDT

With the completion of Season 4 of HBO’s Game of Thrones, Ivan and Red dig back into the Boars, Gore, And Swords book club, where Ivan and Red cover the chapters of George R.R. Martin’s “A Song of Ice and Fire” series that correspond to the previous television season. No TV spoilers! Many thanks to Bannermen Chelle Victory and Dolorous Edd who took the time to look through the books and assemble a reading guide for our book club. This week it’s “A Storm of Swords” Tyrion VI (page 588 in hardback, 711 in paperback) and Jon VII (Page 610 in hardback, 738 in paperback) Ivan and Red cover absurd fantasy names, survivors of the Dunk and Egg series, Joffrey defying Tywin, Ramsay and Arya for couple of the year, Castle Black’s poor defenses, and Jerky as a building material.

Direct download: 2014-06-23_BGaS_Episode_150_ASoS28.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 7:00pm EDT

 “The Children”, Season 4, Episode 10, of HBO’s “Game of Thrones” packs a lot of paternal angst into the season finale of the fourth season. Ivan and Red are joined by Oakland based comedian O.J. Patterson, the force behind the San Francisco Bay Area comedy blog, Courting Comedy. They discuss Bryan Cogman’s new venture, the Lee Pace show, Crows eating crow, the return of Mance Rayder, surprise Stannis, Dr. Franqyburn’s experiments on Gregor Clegane, Tywin’s surprising ignorance, Daenerys’s Dragon privilege, Hodor breaking the fourth wall, fan favorites meeting up, sociopathic Arya, Shae and Tyrion reunited, and a Father’s Day gift for Tywin.

Direct download: 2014-06-16_BGaS_Episode_149_4x10.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 2:38am EDT

“The Watchers on the Wall”, Season 4, Episode 9, of HBO’s “Game of Thrones” is all about Gore and Swords (and Giants) which makes this podcast the perfect vehicle for discussion. Ivan and Red are joined by third chair Kelly Anneken to discuss episode Director Neil Marshall, the troubles with baking on top of the Wall, Sam Tarly lawyering his celibacy Oath, the North Korea of the Midwest, baby acting, Alliser Thorne’s leadership skills, the biggest Sam Tarly on the Wall, gate holding, the battle of two characters nobody cares about, the search for Mance Rayder, the leadership of comic relief, the disappointment of Ghost, the rise of Samwell Tarly, and predictions for the final episode.

Direct download: 2014-06-09_BGaS_Episode_148_4x09.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 1:20am EDT

“The Mountain and the Viper”, Season 4, Episode 8 of HBO’s “Game of Thrones”, is both the end for some cherished characters as well as a new beginning for others. Ivan and Red are joined by Lydia Popovich to discuss the return of Alex Graves, Joan Rivers’ first gig in Moletown, House Royce, Schrödinger's baby, buff eunuchs bathing, appropriate musical queues, the rise of Reek, Littlefinger’s first two mix tapes, terribly “Robin” puns, the pride of Ser Barristan Selmy, catfishing the Khaleesi, Sansa wearing this season’s “Lenny Kravitz”, Tyrion’s Vargo Hoat impression, the rules of dueling, and father of the year, Tywin Lannister.

Direct download: 2014-06-01_BGaS_Episode_147_4x08.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 2:12am EDT

Since this season’s “Breaker of Chains”, Game of Thrones’ handling of women and sex has been under intense scrutiny, and with a break in the show over Memorial Day, we dedicate an entire episode to bringing on two of our favorite guests and comedians to discuss exactly these topics! Kelly Anneken & Lydia Popovich join Ivan & Red to discuss Shae as an operator, Olenna Tyrell as a role model, what to do with Ros, the defanging of Arya, Sansa as criticism of the fantasy genre, the big red tent of feminism, Brienne’s Maxi Armor, and issues with the translation from book to tv of the most controversial scenes in the show.

This episode is brought to you by HuluPlus, sign up  at huluplus.com/boars and get two weeks of HuluPlus for free!

Direct download: 2014-05-26_BGaS_Episode_146_Women.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 7:00pm EDT

“Mockingbird”, Season 4, Episode 7 of HBO’s “Game of Thrones”, isn’t just a table setting for the last three episodes, it’s loaded with surprises. Ivan and Red are back in San Francisco and are joined by comedian Ryan Cronin, who is known for his sketch group and for being one half of the vocals for the podcast’s theme. They discuss the return of Hot Pie, Rorge, Biter, and the Turnip Truck Driver, Jaime’s terrible bargaining, the philosophy of the dying british guy, the Builders at The Wall being unprepared, Daenerys turning men into objects, The Mountain and his CrossFit, Tyrion’s champion, Sansa’s true talent, and marital troubles in The Eeyrie.

Direct download: 2014-05-19_BGaS_Episode_145_4x07.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:55am EDT

“The Laws of Gods and Men”, Season 4, Episode 6 of HBO’s “Game of Thrones”, is the “Law and Order” crossover so many have clamored for. Ivan & Red discuss this episode from the Bridgetown comedy festival in Portland, where Ivan’s voice has been claimed by Voodoo (Donuts) and a level of debauchery bested only by the late King Robert Baratheon. They discuss the famous street artist Iron Banksy of Braavos, Occupy Braavos, power chairs, terrible joke tellers, sound insulation in castle bedrooms, the rise of Reek, Question Time with Daenerys, cupbearer Mace Tyrell, plotting in front of Thrones, the cattiness of Meryn Trant, the first asexual of Westeros, King Tommen’s line-reading, and Tyrion busting into “Let it Go”.

 

This episode is brought to you by HuluPlus, sign up at huluplus.com/boars and get two weeks of HuluPlus for free!

Direct download: 2014-05-12_BGaS_Episode_144_4x06.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 1:10pm EDT

“First of His Name”, Season 4 Episode 5 of HBO’s “Game of Thrones”, is a real return to form as the show continues its strongest season. With our third King since the series started, we get our first coronation in King’s Landing with Tommen Lannist… Baratheon, Cersei arranges a second son’s marriage to the same woman, Daenerys realizes in all the conquering she’s forgotten to rule, HUGE realizations as Littlefinger and Sansa arrive at the Eeyrie, the ponzi scheme of Casterly rock, comical horse riding, Jojen has a vision, a boy and his wolf reunite, and Craester’s wives take a stand.

This episode brought to you by Pro Flowers, to get a beautiful 100 Blooms bouquet plus a free glass vase in time for Mother’s Day, go to proflowers.com, click the blue mic, and use code “GoT”!

Direct download: 2014-05-05_BGaS_Episode_143_4x05.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 1:57am EDT

“Oathkeeper”, Season 4 Episode 4 of HBO’s “Game of Thrones”, is exposition heavy after starting the season with three extremely action packed episodes. Ivan and Red are joined by Scott Simpson of “You Look Nice Today”. They discuss unrealistic television sewers, Daenerys’s missed opportunity to sing “Don’t Cry For Me Argentina”, the sword fight version of “stop hitting yourself”, Jamie managing a Foot Locker, Olenna Tyrell walking leisurely through gardens, the moral purity of Hodor, Westerosi Algebra, and The Fortress of Solitude.

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Direct download: 2014-04-28_BGaS_Episode_142_4x04.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 1:55am EDT

“Breaker of Chains”, Season 4 Episode 3 of HBO’s “Game of Thrones”, takes a victory lap, before dealing with the ripples of one of the biggest shocks to hit Westeros yet. Ivan and Red are joined by comedian Matt Lieb to discuss this episode which sets the stage for the rest of the season. We cover Sansa running into Gendry, Littlefinger doing Batman’s voice, the absolute worst kind of sexual act, the loudest slurping scene in modern television, The Hound going Galt, Samwell Tarly’s poor judgement, the return of The BORG (or Thenns), knife to horse combat, and a really respectable pyramid.

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Direct download: 2014-04-21_BGaS_Episode_141_4x03.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 2:16am EDT

Season 4 Episode 2 of HBO’s “Game of Thrones” takes the fourth season to an entirely different level. Ivan and Red are joined by comedian and Business-man Sean Keane to discuss an episode that is certain to be a classic in this realm. We cover the most disturbing tv scene in television history, Joffrey’s dream woman, a refocusing on Bronn’s storyline, the insufficient bastard naming system, Theon going to Barber school, Skyler vs Shae, the lineage of Dragonstone, Joffrey’s wonderfully short wedding ceremony, new Tommen, Ser Loras vs Ser Jaime, Brienne vs Cersei, the indignity of the little person acting troupe, and reams and reams of comeuppance.

This episode is brought to you by:

- NatureBox, for 50% off your first box of snacks you can feel good about, go to http://NatureBox.com/boars

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Direct download: 2014-04-14_BGaS_Episode_140_4x02.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 1:33am EDT

With the long awaited Season 4 Premiere of HBO’s “Game of Thrones” is upon us, Ivan and Red cut deep into “Two Swords”. They’re joined by third chair Kelly Anneken, and the three of them discuss molten Ice, the sequel to Ser Captain America - The Winter is Coming Soldier, Tall Joffrey, the introduction of Prince Oberyn AKA “The Red Viper”, mc’ing weddings for cake, the newer/higher mountain, Assassin Kenny Rogers, Jaime going full Buster Bluth, The Cannibal Borg, Joffrey’s Saxophone statue, the abbreviated "Ser Duncan the Tall", and the beautiful reunion of a girl and her named sword!

This episode is brought to you by NatureBox, for 50% off your first box of snacks you can feel good about, go to http://naturebox.com/boars

Direct download: 2014-04-07_BGaS_Episode_139_4x01.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 4:52am EDT

With the Season 4 premiere of HBO’s “Game of Thrones” only a week away, Ivan and Red devote an entire episode to getting you up to speed so you can tell your Tyrions from your Tywins, recall there’s a “Rickon” Stark, and that Jaime’s no longer right-handed. They cover every single character in George R.R. Martin’s world, answering 4 questions for each:

  1. Are they Alive, Dead, Wights, or White Walkers?
  2. Where did we leave them at the end of Season?
  3. Do we care?
  4. Wild, unspoilery predictions about what they’ll be doing in Season 4.

Questions that get answered include: Who is Locke? Is Balon Greyjoy alive? Who did Melisandre curse to die? It’s the perfect way to prepare yourself for the premiere!

Direct download: 2014-03-31_BGaS_Episode_138_4x00.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 7:00pm EDT

After finishing “A Storm of Swords” and “The Princess and The Queen”, Ivan and Red devote an episode to catch up on Ravens from the Bannermen, and they discuss rules to live by, who they would have finish Game of Thrones if Railroad couldn’t, the effectiveness of Ivan’s persona, the best meat choice for burritos, and thoughts on the podcast 3 years in.

Direct download: 2014-03-24_BGaS_Episode_137_Mail_Bag_2.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 7:00pm EDT

After finishing “A Storm of Swords” and “The Princess and The Queen”, Ivan and Red bring to your attention the next in their “What You Should Be Watching” series, one of the very few shows on television that can match George R.R. Martin’s disregard for his character’s lives, NBC’s “Hannibal”. Created by king of cancelled shows Bryan Fuller (of Dead Like Me, Pushing Daisies, Wonderfall, and writer on season 1 of Heroes), this show seems has a quantity of gore that relocates the boundaries of what’s acceptable on network television. The knockout cast includes Lawrence Fishburne, Mads Mikkelsen, and and a very strange turn for Scott Thompson, formerly of “Kids in the Hall”. They begin the episode by discussing a recent behind the scenes Game of Thrones mini-doc from HBO and the questions it raises, before moving onto how to approach an introvert, Kristian Nairn, Detective Sheldon Cooper, “Dead Like Me”, Mikkelsen’s physicality, and cork boards with yarn.

Direct download: 2014-03-17_BGaS_Episode_136_Hannibal.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 7:00pm EDT

Ivan and Red reach their fourth and final podcast of George R.R. Martin’s medium-to-normal length story in the “A Song of Ice and Fire” world, “The Princess and The Queen”, part of the Railroad curated Dangerous Women Anthology. They discuss Railroad’s irresponsible editor, the eight hour long movie that is True Detective, heads up hallucinations, flesh sloughing, your dragon vs. your child, the riderless horse, Ser Hobert Hightower as hardcore Wallace Shawn, and one last dragon battle.

Direct download: 2014-03-10_BGaS_Episode_135_Princess_4.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 7:00pm EDT

Ivan and Red continue into their penultimate installment of George R.R. Martin’s medium-to-normal length story in the “A Song of Ice and Fire” world, “The Princess and The Queen”, part of the Railroad curated Dangerous Women Anthology. We discuss our hopes for the future of True Detective, the significance of working out sibling rivalry through dragon violence, the 9,000 MySpace Bannerman, land pirates, the importance of not being Hobert, and mid-air dragon leaps.

This episode is brought to you by Squarespace, the all-in-one platform that makes it fast and easy to create your own professional website or online portfolio. For a free trial and 10% off, go to squarespace.com and use offer code "BOARS".

Direct download: 2014-03-03_BGaS_Episode_134_Princess_3.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 3:00pm EDT

Midway through “The Princess and The Queen”, Ivan and Red take a break to cover… a web series? With direction by David Fincher, and starring Robin Wright, Kevin Spacey, and Kate Mara, “House of Cards” is easily the best web series of all time, certainly the one with the highest budget. They cover the reasons Game of Thrones fans would like House of Cards, dog problems, Presidential canon in fictional political shows, those three words every woman wants to here, heirlooms, and absolute, unquestioning, loyalty.

Direct download: 2014-02-24_BGaS_Episode_133_House_of_Cards.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 7:00pm EDT

Ivan and Red continue their delve George R.R. Martin’s latest not so short story in the “A Song of Ice and Fire” world, “The Princess and The Queen”, part of the Railroad edited Dangerous Women Anthology. Sick Red is back as they briefly discuss House of Cards and Outlanders before moving on to Dragon Fighting, Lord Darklyn the Brooding, armor melting into flesh, id’ing bodies without dental records, the nasty implications of a sword named “Orphan Maker”, The Gold Turncloaks, and the harms of foreshadowing.

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Direct download: 2014-02-17_BGaS_Episode_132_Princess_2.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 7:52pm EDT

Ivan and Red dive into George R.R. Martin’s latest not so short story in the ASOIAF world, “The Princess and The Queen, or, The Blacks and The Greens”, part of the Railroad edited Dangerous Women Anthology. We discuss Demon Cores, Railroad’s ever increasing biography, the origin of Cadbury eggs, George R.R. Martin as an in-canon character, the fatality of naps, world building, Dragon representation in parliament, and one of the most psychologically disturbing murders since David Fincher’s 7even.

Direct download: 2014-02-10_BGaS_Episode_131_Princess_1.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 7:00pm EDT

Guy Branum of Totally Biased and Chelsea Lately competes against third chair Kelly Anneken and Ivan Hernandez to establish dominance over the knowledge of Season 3 of Game of Thrones. Red hosts and the audience cheers. This live show was recorded at the Cinecave in Lost Weekend Video and recorded by Will Scovill.

Direct download: 2014-02-03_BGaS_Episode_130_Gameshow_Guy_Branum.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 7:00pm EDT

Just days before our live Game of Thrones gameshow at Lost Weekend in San Francisco, Ivan and Red hit the latest in this series of recommendations for GoT fans desperate for worthy off-season entertainment, “What You Should Be Watching” . This week it’s HBO’s “True Detective”, AKA the Woody Harrelson and Matthew McConaughey non-Buddy Cop non-Comedy. They cover the world’s greatest casting agent, correlations with Aaron Sorkin, Rustin Spencer and his connection to Ocean’s 11, how to share what kind of person you are, McConaughey on sizzurp, filling in plot points with pagers and hurricanes, the worst kind of atheist, the show’s problems with women, and elements of a successful pilot.

Direct download: 2014-01-27_BGaS_Episode_129_True_Detective.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 10:20pm EDT

With an episode yet between our live podcast and beginning Martin’s “The Princess and the Queen” in George R.R. Martin’s “Dangerous Women” anthology, Ivan and Red continue to direct Game of Thrones fans desperate for entertainment towards worthy replacements with our “What You Should Be Watching” series! This week it’s Showtime’s “Masters of Sex”, featuring the fascinating and truly terrifying sexual lives of the 1950s. Ivan and Red are joined by Caitlin Gill, member of the San Francisco comedy mafia “The Business”, who has appeared in 7x7 Magazine, on NPR’s “Snap Judgement”, and on this very podcast. Get into it, Daddy!

Direct download: 2014-01-20_BGaS_Episode_128_Masters_of_Sex.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 7:00pm EDT

Having finished all of Book 3 of George R.R. Martin’s “Storm of Swords”, and with a couple weeks before they start covering Martin’s “The Princess and the Queen”, Part of the “Dangerous Women” anthology, Ivan and Red bring you their greatest “What You Should Be Watching” yet, Channel 4’s “Black Mirror”. If this is a show you have not heard about, you are in for some of the darkest humor imaginable, perfect for anyone deep in the Throes of “Thrones” withdrawal! We talk about the first episode of the first season of Black Mirror, but we leave out the ending because it’s something Bannermen should experience for themselves.

Direct download: 2014-01-13_BGaS_Episode_127_Black_Mirror.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 7:00pm EDT

Davos V & Bran IV of George R.R. Martin’s “A Storm of Swords”. Ivan and Red discuss Railroad speaking directly to listeners, Stannis’s Bannermen vs. Ivan’s twitter followers, the Nightfort, prince stew, Railroad writing Hodor high, and a TALKING TREE.

Direct download: 2014-01-06_BGaS_Episode_126_ASoS27.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 7:00pm EDT