Game of Thrones Television Series Thread (No Spoilers!)

[VintageVibe]

I really don't like how they're underselling the R+L=J stuff so far. I get that only Bran (and maybe some others like Littlefinger suspect) knows, but I feel like that scene last season was not clear to regular viewers AT ALL...and since then they have likely forgotten about it.

They teased it more last episode when Jon inadvertently said to Tyrion "I'm not a Stark"... they will come back round to it.

I think the answer then is you're hoping for a more in-depth answer to their origin than actually exits in the ASOIAF world.

There isn't much more to explain is there? As explained in the one scene last season, The Night King was a First Man that was captured by the Children of the Forest, Leaf among them. Leaf pressed a dragonglass dagger into his chest, causing his eyes to turn blue and turning him into the first of the White Walkers. Thousands of years later, Leaf tells Bran Stark that her people created the White Walkers to defend themselves when Westeros was invaded by the First Men, who were cutting their sacred trees and slaughtering the Children of the Forest.

[rataylor22]

They teased it more last episode when Jon inadvertently said to Tyrion "I'm not a Stark"... they will come back round to it.

Yea, for the casual fan (does that exist) who doesn't know the theory, that's not really a bombshell you drop in episode 3 of a season. But I don't think that was the point of that scene, as far as I remember Jon doesn't know yet. I thought it was more Bran teasing to it when he immediately told Sansa he needed to talk to Jon.

There isn't much more to explain is there? As explained in the one scene last season, The Night King was a First Man that was captured by the Children of the Forest, Leaf among them. Leaf pressed a dragonglass dagger into his chest, causing his eyes to turn blue and turning him into the first of the White Walkers. Thousands of years later, Leaf tells Bran Stark that her people created the White Walkers to defend themselves when Westeros was invaded by the First Men, who were cutting their sacred trees and slaughtering the Children of the Forest.

Yea, that's pretty much it. I don't think there's anything left to tell of their back story.

[Atomic Wedgy]

I think the answer then is you're hoping for a more in-depth answer to their origin than actually exits in the ASOIAF world.

Ahhhhhh. Too bad. I haven't read the books, but I was always intrigued by the people beyond the wall.

[Atomic Wedgy]

There isn't much more to explain is there? As explained in the one scene last season, The Night King was a First Man that was captured by the Children of the Forest, Leaf among them. Leaf pressed a dragonglass dagger into his chest, causing his eyes to turn blue and turning him into the first of the White Walkers. Thousands of years later, Leaf tells Bran Stark that her people created the White Walkers to defend themselves when Westeros was invaded by the First Men, who were cutting their sacred trees and slaughtering the Children of the Forest.

That's what I am talking about. The Night King existed for a very long time. You said it was thousands of years ago. Maybe its just me, but I think there is a story there.

[VintageVibe]

That's what I am talking about. The Night King existed for a very long time. You said it was thousands of years ago. Maybe its just me, but I think there is a story there.

Ah but there are stories everywhere. For those who haven't read the books (and for those who have) I strongly suggest going out and buying The World of Ice & Fire: The Untold History of Westeros and the Game of Thrones (https://www.amazon.ca/World-Ice-Fire.../dp/0553805444) - a lot and more is explained in there. It is basically the Game of Thrones encyclopedia with lots of artwork, timelines and family trees.

They are also in the midst of writing and shooting four pilots for four separate story lines from the History and World of Ice and Fire. Perhaps one of those will be the history of the First Men and the Children of the Forest/Creation of the Night King and White Walkers... one might also be Robert's Rebellion... Dunk and Egg... the story of Valyria and the Doom... and many are hoping for Aegon's Conquest. So much material to work with! And to think, it all started when GRRM started writing fantasy stories about his pet turtles fighting over a throne...

[Atomic Wedgy]

Sweet! I love it when a show does back stories. It makes the main story so much richer. I think I will check out that book you mentioned. Cheers VV.

[Slug]

Enjoying the majority of the episodes so far. The fast traveling is a bit much for me.

[rataylor22]

Do people actually want to watch characters just travelling? See Jon Snow's non-eventful travel to Dragonstone where they hunt and camp each night, and then sail? Just a whole episode of that and nothing else, sounds pretty swell to me.

[blayze]

Do people actually want to watch characters just travelling? See Jon Snow's non-eventful travel to Dragonstone where they hunt and camp each night, and then sail? Just a whole episode of that and nothing else, sounds pretty swell to me.

Would you watch Gladiator if they just skipped to the final battle... and then skipped the actual battle only showing the king's head on a spike leaving the rest to your imagination

[rataylor22]

Would you watch Gladiator if they just skipped to the final battle... and then skipped the actual battle only showing the king's head on a spike leaving the rest to your imagination

What you're saying is not the same as what I'm saying. But top job analogy.

I wouldn't watch gladiator if 2/3 of it was just him walking through fields to get places with no additional story. Apparently you would.

[Sherpa]

With apologies to both sides of this argument about narrative travel time, it's a moot discussion.

The ONLY reason we're seeing this editing out of acknowledging travel is entirely due to the quickened pace the show needs in order to complete their overall plot by the prescribed end of the series. The TV producers neither need nor have the time to continue the world-building they've done quite well in the first 5 seasons.

If the show had an infinite canvas to paint like GRRM does, this wouldn't come up.

[chuckcouples]

There isn't much more to explain is there? As explained in the one scene last season, The Night King was a First Man that was captured by the Children of the Forest, Leaf among them. Leaf pressed a dragonglass dagger into his chest, causing his eyes to turn blue and turning him into the first of the White Walkers. Thousands of years later, Leaf tells Bran Stark that her people created the White Walkers to defend themselves when Westeros was invaded by the First Men, who were cutting their sacred trees and slaughtering the Children of the Forest.

I know how the White Walkers began but I assure you that there has to be more to them than they are evil and want to destroy all of mankind.

Here is a quote from George Martin about Good vs Evil. His entire belief is that everyone is both good and evil. I believe, scratch that, I hope we will find out there is much more to the White Walkers then what we already know. This may not happen in the show but it should happen in the books.

"Much as I admire Tolkien, and I do admire Tolkien — he’s been a huge influence on me, and his Lord of the Rings is the mountain that leans over every other fantasy written since and shaped all of modern fantasy — there are things about it, the whole concept of the Dark Lord, and good guys battling bad guys, Good versus Evil, while brilliantly handled in Tolkien, in the hands of many Tolkien successors, it has become kind of a cartoon. We don’t need any more Dark Lords, we don’t need any more, ‘Here are the good guys, they’re in white, there are the bad guys, they’re in black. And also, they’re really ugly, the bad guys.
It is certainly a genuine, legitimate topic as the core of fantasy, but I think the battle between Good and Evil is waged within the individual human hearts. We all have good in us and we all have evil in us, and we may do a wonderful good act on Tuesday and a horrible, selfish, bad act on Wednesday, and to me, that’s the great human drama of fiction. I believe in gray characters, as I’ve said before. We all have good and evil in us and there are very few pure paragons and there are very few orcs. A villain is a hero of the other side, as someone said once, and I think there’s a great deal of truth to that, and that’s the interesting thing. In the case of war, that kind of situation, so I think some of that is definitely what I’m aiming at."

AssignmentX interview (June 2011)

[rataylor22]

I know how the White Walkers began but I assure you that there has to be more to them than they are evil and want to destroy all of mankind.

Here is a quote from George Martin about Good vs Evil. His entire belief is that everyone is both good and evil. I believe, scratch that, I hope we will find out there is much more to the White Walkers then what we already know. This may not happen in the show but it should happen in the books.

"Much as I admire Tolkien, and I do admire Tolkien — he’s been a huge influence on me, and his Lord of the Rings is the mountain that leans over every other fantasy written since and shaped all of modern fantasy — there are things about it, the whole concept of the Dark Lord, and good guys battling bad guys, Good versus Evil, while brilliantly handled in Tolkien, in the hands of many Tolkien successors, it has become kind of a cartoon. We don’t need any more Dark Lords, we don’t need any more, ‘Here are the good guys, they’re in white, there are the bad guys, they’re in black. And also, they’re really ugly, the bad guys.
It is certainly a genuine, legitimate topic as the core of fantasy, but I think the battle between Good and Evil is waged within the individual human hearts. We all have good in us and we all have evil in us, and we may do a wonderful good act on Tuesday and a horrible, selfish, bad act on Wednesday, and to me, that’s the great human drama of fiction. I believe in gray characters, as I’ve said before. We all have good and evil in us and there are very few pure paragons and there are very few orcs. A villain is a hero of the other side, as someone said once, and I think there’s a great deal of truth to that, and that’s the interesting thing. In the case of war, that kind of situation, so I think some of that is definitely what I’m aiming at."

AssignmentX interview (June 2011)

I don't really know if that's how they're presented though. They're not evil, they're loyal. They were made to protect the children against mankind, and that is their singular focus. That's how I interpret their backstory.

[donions]

rataylor hates Lord of the Rings. Confirmed.

[chuckcouples]

I don't really know if that's how they're presented though. They're not evil, they're loyal. They were made to protect the children against mankind, and that is their singular focus. That's how I interpret their backstory.

Did the White Walkers and the army of the dead not completely destroyed the children in the Hodor episode? That kind of reduces their loyalty doesn't it?