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Game of Thrones

Started by stromboli, June 03, 2013, 11:22:51 AM

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stromboli

[spoiler]Lol. Daenarys and Yara Greyjoy had a "moment" there according to Huffpost. We might get a little girl on girl in the final season.  :biggrin: Another reason to love GofT.[/spoiler]

Hydra009

#376
What a finale!  And I thought the ending to Hamlet was bloody!

[spoiler]Oh my gods, nothing was more entertaining than watching Pycelle get his beard trimmed again.  This time, a much, much closer cut.   :smile2:  I was hysterical with laughter.  I've never enjoyed a character's death more.  Not even Ramsay or Joffrey.  What did I have against Pycelle?  He's a nauseating bootlick to his superiors, a complete asshole to his inferiors, and a mummer's fool besides.  And gods damn it, you're not supposed to stiff prostitutes!  Well, I guess you are in a manner of speaking...but you know what I mean!

I said Cersei would burn it down, and boy did she deliver.  Though, it was an awfully well-controlled burn.  The fire didn't spread at all, which is odd for a crowded city.  One would expect wildfire to be more, well, wild.

I've never sympathized with a character more than Tommen.  He had it rough.  Goodnight, sweet prince.  And may Sir Pounce play with you forever up in heaven.

"Only a fool would trust Littlefinger" Damn, way to diss Ned, Sansa!   But it's true, he was a thrice-damned fool, the poor fella.

Aww, Jon Snow is reminiscing about how bad his childhood was and then Mel tells him about Shireen.  Open mouth, insert foot.  Though I'm not glad to see the Red Woman go.  Technically, she isn't a murderer since it was a state-sanctioned killing.  The King gave the order, after all.  But she's been pretty increasingly worthless every season, I guess it doesn't matter if she's there or not.

R+L=J!!!!!!  I fookin' knew it!  In your face, R+L=D and Ashara Dayne!

And we even get the Frey Pie, though the circumstances are wildly different than the books.  Arya is on quite a roll.  Now her kill list is down to what?  Cersei and Gregor Clegane?

The King in the North!  Damn, Lady Mormont is awesome.  She shamed all those houses into swearing fealty.  And she's what, 8 years old?  She has the authority of someone 5 times her age!  Though Jon being King and Littlefinger being King are mutually exclusive.  He now faces a much bigger threat than the White Walkers.

I like Littlefinger's visualization of things.  That's how I operate, too.  It's all about moving things towards the right outcome.  Sometimes you can nudge a few key people, sometimes you have to shove.  It can be frustratingly slow.  But it gets there, step by step.  You don't have to be talented or lucky.  You just have to be persistent.

And finally, I have to ask, what does Littlefinger and the knights of the Vale get in return for their timely service, swooping in (pun intended) just when all seemed lost.  Littlefinger is going to be awarded a castle for this, I imagine.  And it just so happens he has his eye on one...

Harrenhal.[/spoiler]

stromboli

Was expecting the death of Loras, but not Margaery. It made sense that Cersei only destroyed the sept, because there has to be a Kings Landing and a throne of swords to be taken at the end. I thought Tommen was toast one way or the other because of the prophecy and his place in the middle of events. He's had a target on him all season. If there was an outright surprise it was Arya doing in Walder Frey and his sons, though that was certainly satisfying. And Jon Snow's origin was no surprise, really. Everybody figured that one out.

[spoiler]The expectation by Cersei is that Tyrion would be her doom, but just as likely it could be Jaime. He was born after Cersei. Jaime is the kingslayer. He might also be the queen slayer. We now have a reshuffled and restacked deck- the Starks once again at the head of the north, Lannister in charge of the south. Tyrells aligned with the Martells. Be willing to bet they fall in with Daenerys pretty quickly.

The expectation also is that Daenerys will wind up on the Iron Throne, but not necessarily. She is just as likely to sacrifice herself against the  Night King to save everybody. And I don't see the dragons as surviving at the end. Who winds up on the throne might be a surprise, as well as who winds up with Daenerys as a wife, if that actually happens. If Jon is her half brother and possibly Tyrion as well, I'm not placing bets on anyone at this point.[/spoiler]

Hydra009

#378
As thrilling as the finale was, there was a bunch of stuff that seemed cool at the time, but on second look, didn't make much sense.  Nitpick mode engage!

[spoiler]Oh look, some filthy urchin kid is beckoning me over into this dark alleyway.  I'd better follow him.  Not suspicious at all...

Qyburn to urchin kid: When you lure Loras down to the dark corridor, stab him just enough to incapacitate him but don't kill him.  I want him to see those candles burning.  That way, he might almost be able to stop the wildfire from igniting.  And if by some miracle, someone finds him and comes to his aid, he could tell everyone about this gunpowder plot I have with Cersei.

Cersei hasn't come to trial?  That's weird because usually people love being hauled before the inquisition.  I have an idea.  Maybe next time, we should have the accused in custody BEFORE the trial.  Oh well, let's send three sparrows after the woman whose bodyguard can take a spiked mace to the heart without flinching and can tear off a guy's head like a normal person can pluck an apple.  That'll probably work.

You know all that scheming with Margaery vs the High Sparrow?  Doesn't matter, they're all dead.  Aren't you glad that plotline never went anywhere?

Preston Jacobs took issue with Margaery somehow piecing together Cersei's plan and calling for an evacuation.  I disagree with him on this.  Margaery knows exactly how crazy Cersei is.  She might not know about the wildfire bomb, but she knows enough to get out of dodge when Cersei behaves unexpectedly.

The Sand Snakes rule Dorne.  Because apparently, Dorne is a Necromonger colony.  Kill the prince and you get to take his place.  No questions asked.

Who leads the Sons of the Harpy?  This was a huge plotpoint in the books.  In the show, not so much.  Meh, all that interesting intrigue probably would've ruined things.

The King in the North!  The bastard deserter king in the north!  Bear Island knows no king but the King in the North, whose name is Stark.  Oh, he's not actually a Stark?  Well, Snow is close enough, right guys?

Teleporting characters everywhere.  I think Sam and Gilly were the only characters who went on a realistically long voyage.  It took him most of the season to get from the Wall to Oldtown.  Meanwhile, Varys teleports from Dorne to Meereen within the same episode!  Theon travels from Winterfell to Pyke to Volantis to Meereen in record time.  Olenna travels from King's Landing to Dorne in an episode.  Arya travels from Braavos to the Twins in an episode.  Jaime travels from the Twins to King's Landing in a single episode.  And Dany travels from Vaes Dothrak to Meereen in a couple episodes.  Granted, her dragons are faster than your average horse, but her entourage arrives at the same time she does, so that's not a factor.

And the Dothraki are just fine with sailing on the poison water they're characteristically fearful of.  Cause why not.[/spoiler]

stromboli

I think mention was made that the sons of the Harpy were run by the slavers. As to the other stuff, well...
[spoiler]
A partial answer to your teleportation is that the events described in individual narratives, as in Arya and Sam, aren't necessarily happening concurrently. Arya's story could have played out over a relatively short time, and concluded well before other events happened, allowing her travel time etc. Obviously she would have to be aware of the events with Frey and Jaime to plan/plot her assassinations. As to Sam, same possibility. Simply because events are revealed at a given time doesn't necessarily mean they didn't happen earlier.  Events playing out over time are not shown, but rather culmination of events. It would obviously take time for the slavers to assemble a task force and set up their attack, travel time and so forth.

There has to be time lapse for people to be made aware of events. Ravens flying about notwithstanding, events to be made known from one kingdom to another must take considerable time. I agree that aspect has been poorly handled, but the show runners may merely be expecting the audience to assume time lapse in the events. You'll never know.

As to the rest- Jon Snow, the Dorne narrative- you got me.[/spoiler]

Hijiri Byakuren

I just have to say,

[spoiler]I still don't understand the appeal of this show.[/spoiler]
Speak when you have something to say, not when you have to say something.

Sargon The Grape - My Youtube Channel

stromboli

Quote from: Hijiri Byakuren on June 28, 2016, 05:14:38 PM
I just have to say,

[spoiler]I still don't understand the appeal of this show.[/spoiler]

[spoiler]Copious nudity. What's hard to understand? [/spoiler]

Hijiri Byakuren

Quote from: stromboli on June 28, 2016, 07:44:45 PM
[spoiler]Copious nudity. What's hard to understand? [/spoiler]
Dude, this is the internet. Copious nudity is a Google search away.
Speak when you have something to say, not when you have to say something.

Sargon The Grape - My Youtube Channel

Hydra009

#383
Quote from: Hijiri Byakuren on June 28, 2016, 05:14:38 PMI just have to say,

[spoiler]I still don't understand the appeal of this show.[/spoiler]
Here's what I like:

1) A medieval world with real realpolitik, courtly intrigue, and fairly realistic depictions of violence and cruelty.  Very gritty.  The Brave Companions and the Clegane brothers are a very sharp departure from the standard knightly tropes.

2) A medieval world with fantasy races and magic.  None of that is particularly new, of course.  Writers have been doing dragons and giants for forever.  But how they're used is interesting.  There's this clash between the magical/fantastic denizens of the far-flung regions of the world and the comparatively magicless and mundane Westeros.  The white walkers (and arguably the dragons) represent an existential threat to the people of Westeros.

3) Amazing worldbuilding.  Varied locales with their own religions, histories, politics, and famous figures.  Regions have a very distinct feel to them as do the people living there.  The world almost seems like a real place.

4) Lots and lots of characters, though the accuracy of that statement is steadily declining.  There's such a variety of characters with different personalities, goals, and circumstances.  You have honorable nobles, less honorable nobles, learned maesters, courtly schemers, sellswords, knights, barbarians, assassins, greenseers, wargs, priests/priestesses, etc.  And women taking center stage roughly as much as men.  Honestly, it's difficult to not empathize with the plight of at least one of the characters every episode.

5) Although the show is less effective at it, mysteries and intrigue abounds in the books.  Definitely a lot of shocking events, too.

So yeah, it's well worth the time spent reading it and watching it, imho.

stromboli

True story bro.  :biggrin:

I watch it for everything Hydra said. If G R R Martin would get off his behind and produce the books ahead of the series, I'd be much happier. The books are in every way better, because the nuances and asides and references add up to stuff later on and you go, "oh yeah! I get it!" You can't be as subtle and complicated with a series. Better yet he keeps you guessing, because characters that you expect to live get killed, and bad people that deserve to die come out ahead.

As Hydra has also pointed out, there are a lot of problems plot hole and continuity wise with the show, but hey- it continues the narrative that the late arriving books haven't done yet. And the plotting, inside maneuvering and medieval style works for me. Fascinating shit with some copious nudity for garnish.

Hydra009

#385
Quote from: stromboli on June 29, 2016, 09:08:13 AMIf G R R Martin would get off his behind and produce the books ahead of the series, I'd be much happier.
He's working on it.  But he's very meticulous and the tradeoff of having so many characters is having to give them all exciting plotlines that fit continuity and characterization and lead up to something incredible.  Very difficult to pull off and very easy to write yourself into a corner, so understandably, it's going to take a while.

QuoteAs Hydra has also pointed out, there are a lot of problems plot hole and continuity wise with the show
Most of the plotholes happen in seasons 5 and 6.  And a lot of em could be fixed pretty easily.

The show cut a lot of book characters and their associated plotlines, which is fine when they use the airtime that they have wisely.  But it's galling to see obvious filler in the show when we know they have awesome stuff that they could have put in there instead. *coughLadyStoneheartcough*

stromboli

Well one thing is for sure. Cersei managed to write off a whole bunch of subplots with one candle. Along with a whole bunch of religious acolytes. And a babe or two.

Hydra009

One part I found funny:

[spoiler]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NgYSSttAJIM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xr39g6hPB_8

Meanwhile, Varys is rolling his eyes at the hypocrisy of Tyrion incessantly making eunuch jokes while being offended by dwarf jokes.

Tyrion has consistently rubbed me the wrong way because his character is shown to be compassionate and empathetic, but he also has this hypocritical, self-righteous streak.  For example, he'll try to shame Theon for his actions at Winterfell even though he strangled his lover in cold blood and murdered his own father.[/spoiler]

Hydra009

Thrones is back!!! :dance:

What does everyone think of tonight's episode?

Hijiri Byakuren

Don't know, didn't watch it because I still don't understand the show's appeal. However, as a result of watching a great many Star Wars videos of late, this popped into my suggestions box:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4CTJEZXtr94

Now that's a show I'd watch.
Speak when you have something to say, not when you have to say something.

Sargon The Grape - My Youtube Channel