Game of Thrones Television Series Thread (No Spoilers!)

[SeaDawg]

I thought that Melissandre was not done well. She knew she had this huge role to play before the end, and made a point of coming back here before dying. What was that huge role? Lighting the trench that kept the bad guys at bay for like 3 minutes...

I think that basically Melisandre was there to motivate Arya to fulfill her destiny. Throughout the series Melisandre's role was counselor/advisor to the Lord of Light's servants, of which it turned out Arya was the most important (i.e., the Princess that was Promised or Azor Ahai).

[senryu]

It was ok. I enjoyed it for what it was, but it certainly didn't feel like it was Game of Thrones like it should be. Felt like any old Hollywood style movie where the good guys mostly succeed in the end.

What happens if there's a non-Hollywood ending, i.e., the good guys lose? This board and elsewhere complains, with the intensity of a supernova, of having spent years caring about characters and story only to have everything go into the crapper six hours before the end. The audience will only accept a "protagonists lose" narrative if it feels that the characters' actions have shown that they deserve that narrative or if the story is based on real life and we know that the protagonists don't win. We are ok with the ending of Breaking Bad because of what we've seen for years leading up to the ending; we've been prepped for it. For stories meant as entertainment and escapism, we sanction unexpected bad things in the stories' beginnings and in middles. But in our heart of hearts we expect the figurative airplane to be safely landed at the end, even if we say to ourselves how cool it would be if the plane blew up upon landing.

[rataylor22]

What happens if there's a non-Hollywood ending, i.e., the good guys lose? This board and elsewhere complains, with the intensity of a supernova, of having spent years caring about characters and story only to have everything go into the crapper six hours before the end. The audience will only accept a "protagonists lose" narrative if it feels that the characters' actions have shown that they deserve that narrative or if the story is based on real life and we know that the protagonists don't win. We are ok with the ending of Breaking Bad because of what we've seen for years leading up to the ending; we've been prepped for it. For stories meant as entertainment and escapism, we sanction unexpected bad things in the stories' beginnings and in middles. But in our heart of hearts we expect the figurative airplane to be safely landed at the end, even if we say to ourselves how cool it would be if the plane blew up upon landing.

Yep. I think right now it's easy to say "I wish the night King would have won". I can't imagine how empty of a feeling it would have been if an unstoppable army of the dead just destroyed everything and in 3 more episodes all life is dead without much resistance.

[doulos]

That empty feeling is what I have always thought was remarkable about the series. Just my personal opinion on it. But to each their own. Looking forward to the final three episodes.

[saucelife90]

I've seen a few people mentioning "how did Arya sneak up on the Night King like that". They foreshadowed it in S8 Episode 1 when she sees Jon for the first time back at Godswood. Jon says "How'd you sneak up on me" while standing in the exact spot she ends up killed the NK.

For me personally, I think the key moments in the last 3 episodes have all been rushed. Almost every scene where characters were reuniting after long periods were cut short. All the conversations between characters meeting for the first time were cut short/interrupted (Sansa & Dany). I understand the "rushed" feeling with the NK & WW approaching, but I feel like with very little action happening in the 2 hours of run time between episode 1 & 2, they could have found the time to build up and have meaning behind some of those major interactions.

It seems like most people (me included) are a little disappointed with the first 3 episodes, but that might be because we're watching week to week with lots of buildup & anticipation between. I have a feeling once the last 3 are aired, and everything comes together (or falls apart!), we'll look back and appreciate the big picture. Maybe that's wishful thinking, but that's what I'm hoping for!

[Canucks_fan18]

What did everyone think? I have admittedly liked all the episodes in season 8 thus far. This one was tied for last though with episode 1. A couple of points and comments:

-Tormund, Ghost and Sam all leaving perhaps for the remainder of the show sucks. It makes sense but sucks none the less.

-Hound and Arya have unfinished business. We know the Hounds and I am guessing Arya's is Cersei but in the midst of this big battle are they just going to stroll on through the gates? Why not go with army's. I guess they hate crowds.

-Danys cards are firmly on the table. Although Jon spills the beans, she still has him wrapped around her finger. No sharing power with her.

-Jamie giving Brienne the savage break up, I think was more for him to have a clean break. I think he will go there and put an end to Cersei, he's not a bad a guy anymore, like he wants us to believe.

-I was calling for a Missandei death at the battle of winterfell for dramatic effect, it took one episode but here you have it.

[Atomic Wedgy]

I thoroughly enjoyed that episode. Dany is gonna try and kill Jon. No doubt. He will ruin everything for her and she has become power mad. Plus.... she's all tweaked out on coffee.

[Rylant]

I thought it was pretty good. Love that Ghost is missing an ear lol, although sending him North with Tormund seems really strange to me. I liked the scenes with Brienne and Jaime including the harsh end, which made sense. Love that Dany offered what she did to Gendry. It made her look nice, even though it was for completely selfish reasons. I like that Dany asked Jon to keep it secret, which he of course couldn't. When he told Arya and Sansa, they immediately proved Dany right by starting to plot; makes sense. I like how Arya casually turned down Gendry's proposal. I would have been really disappointed had she accepted it.

The other dragon getting killed seemed really rushed and out of place to me. One minute everyone is talking, and the next minute the dragon is crashing into the ocean, dead. I was like "what just happened?" There was no build up at all. Also, Tyrion walking up to the wall is stupid. There is no reason to believe that Cercei wouldn't have her archers kill him immediately. I don't get it...

And yes, something has to give with Dany and Jon. I also think that she is going to snap.

Rylant

[senryu]

This seemed like two episodes being crunched into one supersized episode, with resolutions but little to no emotional or logical build up to what should have been seismic events. Rhaegal dying, Jamie and Brienne getting together and falling apart in about 5 minutes, big goodbyes, etc. In a normal season, there should have been a Winterfell aftermath episode and then a transition south epsiode/Cersei preparing, ramping up to the seemingly impending Cersei battle in episode 5. It seems like we're getting the bullet points of a story, instead of a full story. What can you do?

[chuckcouples]

I maintain my belief that this show is now terrible. The first twenty minutes of this episode was great...the rest was completely random. The show is no longer in George Martin's universe. It is using Martin's characters in a new world where there are no longer any rules.

1) What army would intentionally split up only to meet up again before battle? There is no reason for half of Daenerys' army to go through Dragonstone.

2) How in the world do 20 ships surprise two dragons who are flying hundreds of feet in the air? How do the dragons get close enough to these ships that they are in scorpion range without seeing the ships? How in the world can a scorpion hit a flying dragon with its first 3 shots and then miss the 2nd dragon about 20 times.

3) Why did Gendry call himself Gendry Rivers? He was born to Robert Baratheon in King's Landing which means his bastard last name should be either Waters (because he was born in King's Landing) or Storm (because he's a Baratheon son) but definitely not Rivers. Rivers is the surname for those born in the Riverlands.

4) How does Bronn who's armed with a loaded crossbow just walk into Winterfell and know exactly in what room Jamie and Tyrion are sitting in?

There are lot more problems with this episode but those are 3 of the big ones that show the lack of depth in the writing ever since the show stopped following the books.

[rataylor22]

If nothing, seasons 7 and 8 have just shown that a large portion of the world has lost their ability to just enjoy things. It’s really too. Creating art must be exhausting these days, since you know the overwhelming reaction will be negative. If you don’t follow the ideals everyone has created in their head (which are all different), the show sucks because it’s not what you wanted. If you do follow what everyone has created in their head, the show sucks because it’s predictable.

I’d hate to live in a world where I couldn’t just sit back and enjoy things for what they are. Season 8 has been superb.

[SeaDawg]

...

I'm still enjoying the show for its finer moments, of which there were plenty in this episode. However, I have to agree that there really appears to be a rush to get this all wrapped up. It is such a strange, disconcerting feeling because at times they really seem to slow things down and drag out certain aspects that don't really seem to lend much to the storlyline (like Bronn's entire conversation with Jamie and Tyrion) and then all of a sudden out of nowhere we have a dragon getting killed out of mid-air with no build up or suspense and all of a sudden Dany's entire fleet is destroyed and everyone is being washed up onto shore.

And the characters so quickly moving from one location to another is just so confusing at times. One minute they are in the North, then on a ship somewhere near King's Landing, then they are washing up on a beach after a shipwreck, and then they are all standing in front of the gates at King's Landing looking none the worse for just being shipwrecked.

I just wish they had stuck to a full season with the appropriate number of episodes so the plot didn't feel to disjointed. It is so very distracting at times and takes away from the other parts of the show that are well done.

[butch]

-Tormund, Ghost and Sam all leaving perhaps for the remainder of the show sucks. It makes sense but sucks none the less.

Tormund missed his chance to get Brienne on the rebound

[Rylant]

If nothing, seasons 7 and 8 have just shown that a large portion of the world has lost their ability to just enjoy things. It’s really too. Creating art must be exhausting these days, since you know the overwhelming reaction will be negative. If you don’t follow the ideals everyone has created in their head (which are all different), the show sucks because it’s not what you wanted. If you do follow what everyone has created in their head, the show sucks because it’s predictable.

I’d hate to live in a world where I couldn’t just sit back and enjoy things for what they are. Season 8 has been superb.

You have made this point before and it seems strange to me. Some people like Game of Thrones, some people don't. Some people nitpick, some people don't. Some people are able to suspend disbelief, some people can't. For me personally, I still firmly believe that Game of Thrones is amazing, despite some of what I feel are missteps. It is incredibly well-written, well acted and has incredible set pieces. Knowing this, I am the type of person who can't sit back and "enjoy" something if it is really poorly done or stupid. The Dothraki running out into the army of the dead with their swords ablaze and slowly getting snuffed out was ominous, but it was really stupid. I expected more from Jon at the huge battle, other than riding around all episode on the dragon. Everything does seem very rushed this season. Bronn waltzing into Winterfell to confront Jaime and Tyrion seemed contrived. Does all of this mean that the show is not good? No. But I do think that they are legitimate gripes.

Does sitting back and just enjoying things for what they are mean that you aren't allowed to say anything that you think could have been done better?

Rylant

[SeaDawg]

I usually read 3 or 4 "professional" reviews after each episode, and many of those critics have not been writing glowing reviews lately. There will always be staunch supporters of a GoT, and I have no problem with that, but the general consensus among the critics this season is that there are some major flaws in the show, largely to do with the flow and pace of these extended episodes. It is very odd that with so much left in the series, the decision-makers decided to cram what was remaining into a shortened season. I don't know if there's much the writers could have done differently, given the parameters they were forced to work within. I had concerns before the season even started, and unfortunately it turns out those concerns were merited. Obviously not everyone is going to feel the same way, but to me (and many), having the final season crammed into 6 episodes was a task too great for the writers.

That said, I personally feel that despite the inherent flaw of of the show this season, GoT is still one of the best series ever. It does, however, make me wonder what could have been if they had just kept to the original formula and given the final season the air time it properly needed.