Boars, Gore, And Swords: A Game Of Thrones Podcast

“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.

“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.

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!

“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.

“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!

“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”!

“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. This episode is brought to you by: Pro Flowers, to get a dozen roses sent for $19.99, go to proflowers.com, click the blue mic, and use code “GoT”! HuluPlus, sign up at http://huluplus.com/boars and get two weeks of HuluPlus for free!

“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. This episode is brought to you by: Loot Crate, use code “boars” to get 10% off your subscription, it’s like a monthly Comic-Con in a box! Just go to http://lootcrate.com/boars

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 - HuluPlus, try 2 weeks of HuluPlus completely free when you sign up at http://HuluPlus.com/boars  

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

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: Are they Alive, Dead, Wights, or White Walkers? Where did we leave them at the end of Season? Do we care? 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!

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.

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.

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.

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".

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.

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. This episode is brought to you by Audible, for a free audiobook of your choice and a free 30-day trial membership, go to audiblepodcast.com/boars

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.

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.

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.