GAME OF THRONES

[Score 770]

8 hours ago, Jay said:

 

 

 

 

[Quintus 5,399]

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

I actually watched that Top Gear ep like 3 days ago!

[Demodex 557]

On 4/26/2019 at 1:09 AM, Jay said:

Huh. Even seeing that picture I have no memory of that character. Oh well. 

 

She's more prominent in the book, A Clash of Kings.  She hasn't appeared since Season 2 of the show when Dany is in Qarth. 

[Glóin the Dark 1,218]

On 4/26/2019 at 3:56 AM, Jay said:

I tried to start a discussion of who will live and die this week, and no one replied!

 

My guesses (chances of death roughly estimated in parentheses):

 

THE BIG THREE

• Jon  Probably the safest of all characters (for the time being) in view of his recent discovery. (<1%)
• Tyrion  Another character with unresolved issues; in fact, the only thing that's really happened with him over the last season is the hit that his intellectual reputation has suffered, so it feels as though there has to be something significant in store for him later. Furthermore, that mysterious conversation that he apparently had with Bran must have been included for some reason, and it seems doubtful that its payoff will come during the imminent battle. (1%)
• Daenerys  Highly unlikely that she won't be around for further developments relating to her throne-based ambitions. (5%)

 

MAJOR PROTAGONISTS

• Sansa   Of all the main characters, I think she has the highest chance of surviving the whole series. Of the Stark children, in particular, she's the one least associated with magical phenomena (even her direwolf died very early) and thus most suited to what I assume will be a post-magical world when the story concludes. (1%)
• Arya  Her list was referenced in the last episode and is not yet empty (assuming that she hasn't removed Cersei and Ser Gregor from it in a fit of goodwill), and I'd also be rather surprised if there isn't at least one more instance of her face-changing skill (which doesn't seem as though it would have much utility in the Winterfell battle, though who knows?). Her much-anticipated reunion with Melisandre is in her favour, too, of course. (5%)
• Bran  I'm still inclined to count Bran as a major protagonist because his story goes right to the core of the plot, even though he's become a somewhat neutral personality. He seems like an essential character to have around, because of his degree of knowledge and unique abilities, but I can't help wondering whether the writers would have him depart early in order to amplify the jeopardy facing the remaining protagonists (in the same sort of way that the last Three-Eyed Raven's departure did to Bran). Sam said "If I wanted to erase the world of men, I'd start with you", so having him succeed in killing Bran could be a good way of showing the Night King's plans getting off to a great start. It could also account for the meeting between Bran and Tyrion, making Tyrion the last surviving bearer of some crucial piece of information. (40%)
• Jaime  There's a common feeling that Jaime has to return to King's Landing for a final showdown with Cersei. Although this is quite likely, I don't think it's absolutely necessary. There's a chance that his rejection of Cersei at the end of Season 7 was truly the end of their relationship, and that his regaining of some semblance of honour in coming to Winterfell to "fight for the living" is the real conclusion of Jaime's storyline. If the writers want there to be a big shock death in this episode, Jaime would have to be the prime candidate for it. (35%)

 

MINOR PROTAGONISTS

• Theon  A few weeks ago I would have thought that Theon was among the characters with the highest probability of surviving the series, on account of his being the character who has been brought most comprehensively to rock bottom over the course of his story, but there's no denying the fact that the last few episodes have seen him set up as one of the likeliest candidates for imminent death. (80%)
• Sam  He could be used for a shock death in Episode 3 (perhaps sacrificing himself for Gilly), but I think it's more likely that he'll have a part to play in the subsequent story. (20%)
• Davos  He hasn't had a great deal to do in this season so far other than stand around muttering, which probably reduces his danger level. My judgment may be clouded by the fact that I've long suspected that he will end the series in a position of great responsibility. (10%)
• Brienne  On one hand, the events of Episode 2 could be seen as a conclusion to her storyline, rendering her wight fodder. On the other hand, the writers may shy away from having the first ever female Knight of the Seven Kingdoms killed immediately after being knighted. On balance, I feel that she is reasonably safe for now. (15%)

 

BORDERLINE PROTAGONISTS

• Jorah  Even Theon would agree that Jorah's outlook is grim. (90%)
• The Hound  His lack of screentime so far is good news for him. In addition, for the writers to have him tell his brother "You know who's coming for you" and not follow through on that promise would be a massive act of trolling. I wouldn't entirely put that past them, but overall I like the Hound's chances. (25%)

 

SUPPORTING CHARACTERS

• Varys  It's not quite clear what there is for Varys to do in Westeros nowadays (other than die, as Melisandre foretold). He's only had a line or two so far this season so there has to be something more substantial to come, but it's not impossible that his hour will come during the Winterfell battle. (40%)
• Podrick  Being a casualty of the battle seems to be his main function now. (90%)
• Gendry  Can't die in the same battle as Pod or people will be confused. (10%)
• Beric Dondarrion  There's only one possible thing that I can think of that would save him, namely being needed by the writers to establish something concerning the mechanics or limitations of resurrection (for the sake of Jon Snow's ultimate storyline), but that's just a long shot. (95%)
• Tormund  Tormund's "giant's milk" story was probably his farewell. (85%)
• Edd  In pretty much the same boat as Beric and Tormund. (85%)
• Gilly  I can't envision a real function for Gilly's death that seems plausible; I think she'll probably survive this. (20%)
• Grey Worm  They might as well have put "Grey Worm dies" in the episode description. That makes me suspicious. (50%)
• Missandei  Similar situation to Grey Worm, except she's not out on the front line. (25%)
• Yohn Royce  Pro: he's not a significant enough character to have a very impactful death. Con: he's not a significant enough character to have a very impactful life. (75%)
• Lyanna Mormont  No idea. (50%)

 

ANTAGONISTS

• The Night King  His reign has just begun. (0%)

[Yavar Moradi 2,585]

On 4/25/2019 at 11:09 PM, Jay said:

Huh. Even seeing that picture I have no memory of that character. Oh well. 

 

She delivered some prophecies to Dany and Jorah about the future, back in season 2 (and book 2). She also appeared in visions to Dany in later books (as recently as 5). So I think they will have some importance. I suspect the showrunners are betting on the fact that viewers have forgotten about her since it was long enough ago, but I'll be shocked if she doesn't come into play somehow...

 

 

Yavar

[Quintus 5,399]

Brienne was just knighted, so she's definitely a goner. Think the last stand of Boromir.

[Fargo 297]

Yes Brienne is as good as gone.

 

If we were to think back to “classic” GoT, who we expect to die should be who we think is the safest.

 

Season 1/A Game of Thrones: Ned Stark looks to be the main protagonist, someone who we'll follow for a long time. He died.

 

Later: Robb Stark is avenging is father, blah blah blah, King in the North. He died.

 

Surprise kills in this list include: The Viper, Tywin, Jon (though it didn’t take).

 

Honestly, what would be the biggest surprise? Jon (Aegon) dying. And not returning. GRRM has said how he likes to subvert all expectations (this isn’t a TLJ joke) of a typical fantasy story. I would be 100% surprised if they killed him off, since he seems to be the hero of destiny in this story. 

 

And I almost hope they do. Just to fuck everything up. 

[Bilbo 3,709]

9 minutes ago, Fargo said:

Yes Brienne is as good as gone.

 

If we were to think back to “classic” GoT, who we expect to die should be who we think is the safest.

 

Season 1/A Game of Thrones: Ned Stark looks to be the main protagonist, someone who we'll follow for a long time. He died.

 

Later: Robb Stark is avenging is father, blah blah blah, King in the North. He died.

 

Surprise kills in this list include: The Viper, Tywin, Jon (though it didn’t take).

 

Honestly, what would be the biggest surprise? Jon (Aegon) dying. And not returning. GRRM has said how he likes to subvert all expectations (this isn’t a TLJ joke) of a typical fantasy story. I would be 100% surprised if they killed him off, since he seems to be the hero of destiny in this story. 

 

And I almost hope they do. Just to fuck everything up. 

 

Yeah they kill off people you think are main antagonists/protagonists but when you go back and rewatch season 1 it’s very obvious who the main players are.

[Yavar Moradi 2,585]

Things are a lot more obvious in retrospect. Hindsight is 2020... I don't think Brienne is necessarily a goner. I think Tormund or Pod might sacrifice themselves to save her, or something.

 

Yavar

[Fargo 297]

33 minutes ago, Bilbo said:

 

Yeah they kill off people you think are main antagonists/protagonists but when you go back and rewatch season 1 it’s very obvious who the main players are.

 

Who’s to say who the main protagonist is? Jaime is literally called the Kingslayer - is he gonna kill the Night King? Or will Jon? Or Dany? 

 

Yes Jon and Dany, up to this point, seem like the main heroes. 

 

But that doesn’t mean they are. 

[Quintus 5,399]

The big twist is Robert Baratheon faked his own death in order to lure out the last Targaryens, by the spying eye of his tuneful bastard of a son, and slay the last of their line astride his great swine mount, a heartedly piquant beast which proved too tempting an aroma to the starved dragons which bore their masters to their unexpected doom.

 

Jon Snow really did know nothing.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

1 minute ago, Quintus said:

The big twist is Robert Baratheon faked his own death in order to lure out the last Targaryens, by the spying eye of his tuneful bastard of a son, and slay the last of their line astride his great swine mount, which proved too tempting an aroma to the starved dragons which bore their masters to their unexpected doom.

 

Jon Snow really did know nothing.

 

Spoilers!!!

[Fargo 297]

19 minutes ago, Quintus said:

The big twist is Robert Baratheon faked his own death in order to lure out the last Targaryens, by the spying eye of his tuneful bastard of a son, and slay the last of their line astride his great swine mount, a heartedly piquant beast which proved too tempting an aroma to the starved dragons which bore their masters to their unexpected doom.

 

Jon Snow really did know nothing.

 

Thank the gods for Bessi

[Glóin the Dark 1,218]

16 minutes ago, Fargo said:

Thank the gods for Bessi

 

On 26 April 2019 at 1:54 AM, Fargo said:

So this is r/freefolk now, lol

 

[Bilbo 3,709]

If only the Bobby B bot was here too!

[Jay 37,281]

15 hours ago, Quintus said:

The big twist is Robert Baratheon faked his own death in order to lure out the last Targaryens, by the spying eye of his tuneful bastard of a son, and slay the last of their line astride his great swine mount, a heartedly piquant beast which proved too tempting an aroma to the starved dragons which bore their masters to their unexpected doom.

 

Jon Snow really did know nothing.

 

Tuneful? It was Podrick who sang the song last week, not Gendry.

 

Gendry is Robert Baratheon's bastard son. Podrick was Tyrion's squire when he was Hand, and after he got arrested he traveled with Brienne for many seasons. He's the one she was training outside.   Gendry slept with Arya. 

[Bilbo 3,709]

Some people have difficulty telling Pod and Gendry apart apparently. I have no idea why though.

 

 

[Jay 37,281]

 

 

@Glóin the Dark thank you for your speculation, I enjoyed reading it!

 

I still think Jon, Dany, Tyrion, Jaime, Sansa, and Arya are all 100% safe (this week). 

 

Though I'm staring to come around on the idea that Danys not as safe as I'd been thinking, possibly. Like her dying in the north instead of claiming the Throne she could have easily taken with her 3 dragons is all because of her "love" of Jon. But who knows.  I think it'd be way more interesting to keep her around. None of the remaining protagonists save this huge drive and desire to rule the kingdom. And Dany's the only one with experience ruling anyway. 

[Quintus 5,399]

34 minutes ago, Jay said:

 

Tuneful? It was Podrick who sang the song last week, not Gendry. 

 

 

Oh shit yeah lol

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

All Gendry was uttering that night were the sounds of orgasmic bliss!

[Dixon Hill 4,232]

 

10 hours ago, Bilbo said:

If only the Bobby B bot was here too!

 

CAREFUL, BILBO.  CAREFUL, NOW.

[Bilbo 3,709]

30 minutes ago, Knox Harrington said:

 

 

CAREFUL, BILBO.  CAREFUL, NOW.

 

YOU HEARD YOUR KING! GET THE BREASTPLATE STRETCHER!

[Quintus 5,399]

The ending I've always wanted!

 

[Disco Stu 15,495]

That kinda sucked.  I’m interested to read positive takes on the episode, because I wonder how alone I am in that reaction.

[Wojo 2,453]

Sending in the Dothraki without air support was stupid. I realize they didn't know where the NK's dragon was, but Bran could have warged ravens for scouting prior to the battle, not during, when all it revealed was the NK to the audience. 

 

The first part of the battle, when everyone was still fighting outside the castle, was pretty impossible to see clearly. A combination of fog, snow, and blurriness made it hard to watch. 

 

I'm not sad about any of the deaths, but some of them were difficult to clearly see. 

[Disco Stu 15,495]

Six seasons of buildup and it’s just Deus Ex Arya?

[Wojo 2,453]

The post-discussion said they knew three seasons ago they wanted it to be Arya. 

[mstrox 6,643]

It was fine.

[Disco Stu 15,495]

I just expected something a helluva lot more interesting than Arya jumping out of nowhere to be the end of that story.

 

And yeah it was really difficult to follow what was happening.

[Wojo 2,453]

I love that we were all smarter than Sansa, that the crypt was a bad place to be.

[mstrox 6,643]

I think the disorientation was intentional, at least in the first ten minutes.  We swore that multiple face characters went down in that opening charge.  It did convey the threat of the white walkers though.

 

My spouse and I both said “Where did she come from?” when Arya jumped at the night king.  Kind of a weird execution

[Wojo 2,453]

Prior to her jumping out, one of the NK's lieutenants looked over his shoulder like he heard something. I thought he heard the ice dragon. I guess he heard Arya but couldn't react in time. 

 

I wonder where the last battle will be held. 

[mstrox 6,643]

I actually noticed the music tonight, which means instead of passively indifferent I was actively indifferent about it

[Wojo 2,453]

Using the main theme for the Dothraki charge was worth a laugh. 

[Jay 37,281]

Game of Thrones 8x03

 

My thoughts through the majority of the episode:

 

YESSSS, this is great, the threat that's been built up for a decade since the opening scene of episode one is being realized and it is fantastic; This really is an unstoppable army of dead, wow, this battle really is the best battle they've done so far; this is one terrific hour of television

 

My specific thoughts as the Night King finally approached Bran, intercut with a montage of all our remaining protagonists about to bite in various different ways:

 

Holy shit, things are at rock bottom, how the hell are they gonna survive?  Alright, here we go, time to finally reveal Bran's big plan, let's see what he's been up for for a few seasons, let's see how him and the Night King will have a big final duel of some kind and what will happen.....

 

My thoughts when Aryra jumps out of nowhere and easily kills the Night King, essentially sneaking past a wall of other Walkers with no issues, ending a decade of build-up with basically no explanation given for his powers or plan or why he was unable to see her coming at him despite him being ahead of the heroes at every single point in time prior, where Arya's entire storyline prior to this episode had never once had anything to do with the Walkers/Night King subplot whatsoever, and that Theon, Jorah, Melisandre, Berric, Edd, and Lady Mormont were the notable people to die this episode

 

MEH

 

My thoughts when Benioff said during the after-episode featurette that they decided 3 years ago that Arya would be the one to kill the Night King

 

Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck you

[Holko 9,499]

Well that was mostly surprisingly unsurprising. When Arya jumped, I fully expected my "dragonglass created him, it can't destroy him" twist to take effect. Instead, 7.5 seasons of buildup to an instakill in his first battle. 

 

Ahem

 

ahem ahem

 

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

[Wojo 2,453]

I did like the Night King's smirk after the fire cleared and he wasn't dead.

 

I mean, he wasn't more dead.

 

I mean, he wasn't frozen in his tracks. 

 

I mean, he was still standing. 

 

But it was a cheap kill. Bran's plot shield protected him for reasons we'll now never know. 

[Holko 9,499]

Yeah that smirk was great.

[TheUlyssesian 2,473]

I think the thing most people are saying is that it was very hard to see what was going on as it was shot in near darkness.

 

And second - that the show runners have fundamentally misconstrued the story. It is actually about how an existential threat dwarfs all the petty squabbles of fighting humans and the the ultimate message is uniting for a common cause.

 

The show took the opposite view and quickly dispatched the existential threat to focus on squabbling humans.

 

Unless plot twist the night walkers are not really dead and this is all a ruse.

[Wojo 2,453]

You're right. We meet the fleeing ranger and the white walkers chasing him in both the book and show prologue before we meet the political story. 

 

With only three episodes left, I kinda hope the zombie story is not resolved, because aside from dragons, all magic is just about gone. Now it's just straight up medieval siege warfare.

[Holko 9,499]

Not only was it dark, it fell into the trap of having too many heroes and forgetting them. When/where did we see Gendry or Pod last? I have no memory of either apart from being at the frontline. It was also not clear at all exactly what the geography is, what is taken where and how.

 

The opening long shot was nice.

 

I expected some callback to Blackwater, now Sansa guarding the women and children instead of Cercei.

 

What if the NK warged into Bran? What if the 3 Eyed Raven(s) was (were)  the NK all along, they know the world inside out and think it should be wiped clean and started anew? What if the NK was a part of Bran and taking over him since he touched him? I'm willing to swallow or at least consider any bullshit after something this lacklustre.

[Bilbo 3,709]

I enjoyed it and the Arya moment wasn’t as left of field as some made out. Bran made a deal of giving Arya the dagger back in season 7 and Mel made telegraphed what was going to happen pretty clearly in this episode. 

 

The Night King isn’t in the books and people are surprised when he isn’t the endgame? He was created to give a face and focal point for the army of the dead. 

 

Anyway, fuck you guys, I enjoyed it. 

 

 

This post on Reddit sums it up nicely:

 

Also, people need to turn up the brightness on their TVs.

 

i watched on my MacBook and could see everything. 

 

Also, this:

 

😬

 

[crocodile 7,983]

Well...that was hilariously anticlimactic. The long night lasted for about half a night. 😂 The resolution typical for any fantasy or s-f story with impossible odds. It was entertaining enough in parts but I didn't really feel anything while watching. Not that you can see much on screen anyway. It was...fine. But I like this show for complex character work, political intrigue and meticulous world building. This is what got me hooked and I'm glad this boring zombie thing is out of the way now. Cersei is an interesting character whose motivation I can understand at least. That is what I'm interested in.

 

Karol

[Arpy 4,145]

Bear Grylls: Better drink my own piss.

 

Melisandre: Better take my clothes off.

[Bilbo 3,709]

Don’t know if it’s the real guy or not but:

 

 

 

Definitely interesting to think about anyway  

 

Edit: Pretty sure it’s not the real guy 

 

[Holko 9,499]

No way the real guy would be allowed to tweet this.

[Dixon Hill 4,232]

That was utter shit wrapped in great spectacle.  Is this going to be just another big show with a fumbled conclusion?  I could handle the post book writing until now.  Was painfully obvious to me here. 

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Weird that people seem to hate this, I agree with Bilbo, it was pretty darn awesome.

 

Agreed in being hard to follow. The show is too dark. I had to tweak the settings on my TV just to see anything.

 

Arya killing NK works for me.

 

And for the first time in a long while we have some music that works effectively in supporting whats going on on screen.

[Arpy 4,145]

My problem is that after all this time building up arguably the greatest threat to human existence, everything was completely nixed in one episode.  I actually liked seeing how Arya defeated the Night King, it was reminiscent of the destruction of the One Ring in Return of the King - I just wished they had drawn this out further to the very end and made it feel like it was the climax of an epic struggle. 

 

I don't have a problem or disagree with anyone that Cersei is a real threat, but couldn't you have the two threats simultaneously, both working in tandem to draw the noose tighter from both ends. I had visions of the Walkers defeating the defense at Winterfell and heading further south to meet the battle at Kings Landing. Cersei's stubbornness would play to the strengths of having the white walkers encroach on all of Westeros. Then at the end Cersei would see the storm coming and still hold onto the throne. 

 

What threat is greater than a supernatural army of the dead who want to destroy all life and replace it with a world of winter and darkness? How do you go back to Cersei and her throne? So much of what I liked about the threat of the White Walkers was that it was one that people didn't believe until it was too late, and it was a long, bloody effort to unite most of the North, with friendships and unions between disparate houses.