Game of Thrones General (Non-Book Related) Discussion Thread - Part 1

[BatLand]

I agree. It would have been nice to see him warg into somebody or something. Maybe one of the dragons?

I don't even know if that'd be much better. He was The Night King's nemesis, yet nothing in his story is relevant to stopping the NK. He himself ****ed up with letting the NK mark him. Then he flees to WF, does absolutely nothing of importance regarding the NK plot, and sits as bait without even talking to the NK. If it's not explained that he knew how it had to go down, then his whole story, just like the White Walkers in general, have been for nothing.

 

[warhorse78]

I'd been hoping we'd see that for several years.

At the very least, I had hoped he might warg Ghost! We really haven't seen Ghost do anything either for a long time! Two birds with one stone here.

I don't expect Ghost or Nymeria do anything of importance. The showrunners have made it clear, they like the Direwolves about as much as they liked Stannis. They only keep Ghost around probably because HBO demands it, because honestly, I bet they would have killed Ghost off a long time ago.

 

[warhorse78]

I don't even know if that'd be much better. He was The Night King's nemesis, yet nothing in his story is relevant to stopping the NK. He himself ****ed up with letting the NK mark him. Then he flees to WF, does absolutely nothing of importance regarding the NK plot, and sits as bait without even talking to the NK. If it's not explained that he knew how it had to go down, then his whole story, just like the White Walkers in general, have been for nothing.

The show has bastardized the hell out of Bran. I really think Bran was supposed to warg in one of the dragons, it's why the original 3ER emphasized so much on him flying.

I think the only reason they still have him around is because of something that goes down with the Mad King.

 

[warhorse78]

A big part of the issue for me here is their reasoning, that Jon was too predictable. That's not a story reason, it's not a thematic, narrative, or character reason. Most of their choices throughout the history of the show, even if it went against expectations, had a narrative, thematic, or character reason, not a 90's action movie gotcha reason. Story and character-wise, this was Jon's story. Cersei is more Arya's realm.

If D&D were worried that Jon would be too obvious, then the issue lies in coming up with the execution, not the executioner. Imagine Tolkien/PJ thought that Frodo, Sam, and Gollum were too obvious and had Legolas coming in on a eagle and shot Gollum once he takes the ring from Frodo, causing Gollum to fall into the lava. Or someone other than Luke or Vader killed the Emperor: "Han's popular, let's give it to him." Or Ron took out Voldemort because Harry was too obvious a choice. Or

Spoiler: Endgame spoiler

The Wasp sneaks up on Thanos and takes him out rather than it going to Cap or Tony.

All I know is that I held off rewatching the series before this season started because I thought I'd watch it after the show ends and I can watch it all at once, assuming the conclusion warranted a rewatch. But how this storyline concluded (unless more is done with it), it will feel like a lot of time spent with Jon and his journey with the Wall and the Wildlings and the White Walkers will have been wasted time because it doesn't wind up with a satisfying conclusion, imso. It's a real shame.

Well, here's to hoping how everyone was fooled with the Prince who was Promised was going to be a male, maybe we are also being fooled that Cersei's prophecy of "you will be queen for a time, but then comes another, younger, more beautiful to cast you down and take all you hold dear" being a female at all, and actually be Jon. Throughout the series, Ygritte, Orell (the Wildling Warg) and Tormund have commented on how "pretty" Jon is. Tormund even said he is even more prettier than his daughters.

 

[warhorse78]

I don't think they ever established that Ramsey was a particularly good swordsman. He is more of a coward. He was also more involved in Sansa's storyline than Jon's. So, what did we get? Jon challenging him to a dual that the cowardly, yet tactically sound, Ramsey declined. Ramsey then did Ramsey things: using people's emotions against them, and he would have won had Sansa not done a Sansa thing, which is use her political connections to bring in the cavalry. Jon still got a great moment when he used the shield to knock Ramsey out, showing the disparity in their physical capabilities, but then left it to Sansa because that was her story to close out.

The NK was Jon's storyline. And Cersei is more Arya and Sansa's storyline until it comes time to decide the crown itself which then brings it back to Jon and Dany.

Eh, I honestly think Cersei's storyline is more connected with her brothers. Arya and Sansa took care of the threats that nearly destroyed their household, and that was Baelish, The Freys and the last of the Boltons, and Tywin.

 

[Fist of Khonshu]

I don't expect Ghost or Nymeria do anything of importance. The showrunners have made it clear, they like the Direwolves about as much as they liked Stannis. They only keep Ghost around probably because HBO demands it, because honestly, I bet they would have killed Ghost off a long time ago.

An irrational dislike for them is really reaching, so is HBO demanding them when they aren't critically-important. If they truly didn't like them, they could have written them out of the story already. Once the direwolves had grown, they were depicted with CGI which is expensive, and though their budget has gradually grown over the years, it's still limited. The dragons and the scale of the battles have grown with it and soaked up most of it. I suspect that's the real cause for less wolf appearances than anything else. That they showed Nymeria at all last season is reason to believe that we'll see her again.

I really think Bran was supposed to warg in one of the dragons, it's why the original 3ER emphasized so much on him flying.

A lot of people speculated that, but the flying prophecy was about his warging into crows. It's not too late for him to warg a dragon though...sometime in the last four hours.

 

[Roose Bolton]

The feeling I got in the books at least, is that Bran’s powers were leading up to him warging into a dragon to free it from the Crow’s Eye’s control.

 

[Iceman]

I really hope there is a satisfactory payoff for Bran. I get the feeling I like him more than most viewers do.

 

[Lencho01]

So, someone posted the battle scenes on YouTube. It was nice to see what was actually on the screen for certain moments. I mostly imagined how I would've gone about the episode (even if Arya had to be the one to kill the NK).

Random question for book readers on something I noticed before, but forgot to ask... is the hairstyle Ned has for most of the show something common among Northeners or at least people closer up there? Robert seemed to have the hairstyle too. I assumed because he and Ned grew up partly in the Vale with Jon Arryn. Now, I see Arya and Jon have been rocking it too.

 

[Marvolo]

 

[TheVileOne]

My favorite Game of Thrones YouTuber is Preston Jacobs. His post-episode recaps are hilarious.



I like how he calls Arya "Wolverine."

 

[Marvolo]

I only just now thought about another side effect of this Arya nonsense. Stannis and his fight against the Boltons and the Long Night was pretty much wrecked and swept under the rug by D&D so that Jon could save Winterfell and the North and fight the Long Night. And now theyve swept Jon under the rug in similar fashion so that Arya could save Winterfell and end the Long Night. So this makes what they did to Stannis twice as bad.

 

[Roose Bolton]

It seems to be very much a case of them writing by the seat of their pants with this stuff.

 

[Marvolo]

 

[Marvolo]

Book Euron would have made a great final villain for the show.

Winds Of Winter Chapter "The Forsaken":

"When he laughed his face sloughed off and the priest saw that it was not Urri but Euron, the smiling eye hidden. He showed the world his blood eye now, dark and terrible. Clad head to heel in scale as dark as onyx, he sat upon a mound of blackened skulls as dwarfs capered round his feet and a forest burned behind him.

“The bleeding star bespoke the end,” he said to Aeron. “These are the last days, when the world shall be broken and remade. A new god shall be born from the graves and charnel pits.” Then Euron lifted a great horn to his lips and blew, and dragons and krakens and sphinxes came at his command and bowed before him. “Kneel, brother,” the Crow’s Eye commanded. “I am your king, I am your god. Worship me, and I will raise you up to be my priest.”

“Never. No godless man may sit the Seastone Chair!”

“Why would I want that hard black rock? Brother, look again and see where I am seated.”

Aeron Damphair looked. The mound of skulls was gone. Now it was metal underneath the Crow’s Eye: a great, tall, twisted seat of razor sharp iron, barbs and blades and broken swords, all dripping blood.

Impaled upon the longer spikes were the bodies of the gods. The Maiden was there and the Father and the Mother, the Warrior and Crone and Smith … even the Stranger. They hung side by side with all manner of queer foreign gods: the Great Shepherd and the Black Goat, three-headed Trios and the Pale Child Bakkalon, the Lord of Light and the butterfly god of Naath.

And there, swollen and green, half-devoured by crabs, the Drowned God festered with the rest, seawater still dripping from his hair. Then, Euron Crow’s Eye laughed again, and the priest woke screaming in the bowels of Silence, as piss ran down his leg. It was only a dream, a vision born of foul black wine."

The rest of the chapter can be read here:

TWOW Excerpts - The Forsaken (Aeron I)

 

[Elayis]

This makes it 4/4 that the episode leaked early on Sunday. Although the fact that it keeps happening makes me question whether it's a leak at all. Maybe one of HBO's affiliates is simply airing it to correspond with their time zone.

Big spoilers in this ep, and it's exactly the kind of thing I knew D&D were going to pull.

 

[warhorse78]

I really hope there is a satisfactory payoff for Bran. I get the feeling I like him more than most viewers do.

I like him too. I also like Meera Reed and I adored her brother Jojen, and I am sad that Meera didn't join them in the fight at Winterfel, because I find her just as badass as Arya, but she don't gloat about it like Arya does. But maybe Bran chased her away on purpose because he does care for Meera and seen her die in Winterfel, so rather her not be there?

 

[Lencho01]

 

[Iceman]

I like him too. I also like Meera Reed and I adored her brother Jojen, and I am sad that Meera didn't join them in the fight at Winterfel, because I find her just as badass as Arya, but she don't gloat about it like Arya does. But maybe Bran chased her away on purpose because he does care for Meera and seen her die in Winterfel, so rather her not be there?

That would be nice, although Bran seems focused on the big picture now. Despite still showing signs that he cares (like with Theon), I think he is willing for people he cares about to have to die to save everyone else.

 

[warhorse78]

That would be nice, although Bran seems focused on the big picture now. Despite still showing signs that he cares (like with Theon), I think he is willing for people he cares about to have to die to save everyone else.

And, maybe that's the thing, her dying wouldn't make any difference in the battle and it's why he still wanted her to go. Considering who her father is, combined with Dany already questioning the legitimacy of Bran's and Sam's knowledge on Jon's true parentage, maybe Bran will need Meera and her family for another purpose. Bran also seemed to need Jaime, and kept him on his toes with his comment about "if there is an afterwards". The war of the Night King isn't the only threat to the peace of prosperity of the realm. There is another.

 

[NotNickFury]

Another leak (Haven't read for myself yet)?

‘Game of Thrones’ Leak: Season 8, Episode 4 Videos Hit Internet

At this point, I wouldn't be surprised if the next episode and series finale were leaked as well.

 

[DarthSkywalker]

 

[Sithborg]

Not how I thought that conversation was going to go.

 

[flickchick85]

I remain flabbergasted at Emilia and Kit's total lack of chemistry. Like, it's worse than I could've ever even imagined.

 

[NotNickFury]

Well, I'm sure all the Jaime and Brienne shippers out there are happy.