GAME OF THRONES

[Quintus 5,399]

I know, I suppose we all have different prioritises. I quite like dipping my toe a bit in stuff I'm currently into, but the granular detail which the absolute career die-hards go into is a turn off. I've noticed it's generally the same things on the discussion carosal repeated ad nauseam.

[Bilbo 3,709]

41 minutes ago, KK said:

You really don't like Martin eh?

 

I he's vastly overrated but is currently treated like some sort of nerd God but at the end of the day he's created something far too big for himself and in the end someone else will have told us a better version of his story. 

 

Plus I read Feast For Crows and Dance With Dragons and they were so bad I feel I have a right to bitch about him for the rest of my life. Those books represent a lot of time I will never get back. 3000 pages of feats and some Dornish one's nipples. 

[Nick1Ø66 4,722]

3 hours ago, Quintus said:

I know, I suppose we all have different prioritises. I quite like dipping my toe a bit in stuff I'm currently into, but the granular detail which the absolute career die-hards go into is a turn off. I've noticed it's generally the same things on the discussion carosal repeated ad nauseam.

 

I'm mostly with you. I've read the books (the first three twice) and am familiar in broad strokes with what's going on and have my own ideas about where it's going. But I generally don't spend a lot of time theorising  and guessing about what's going to happen.  Though I do enjoy reading some some of the fan theories...even if I don't spend a lot of time coming up with my own.

 

For example, this theory about The Children of the Forest & White Walkers that's dominated the past couple pages really doesn't do much for me. One, as you said it's just way into the weeds and another, with all due respect, I don't think there's really much chance this is what's going on. It's a little convoluted IMO, and would be narratively inert in the books (though that's where Martin has been the past two books anyway). And would represent a let down of monumental proportions. Basically the White Walkers were created so we can all get along? I don't buy it. And I certainly doubt the TV series would go in this direction. 

 

2 hours ago, Bilbo Skywalker said:

 

I he's vastly overrated but is currently treated like some sort of nerd God but at the end of the day he's created something far too big for himself and in the end someone else will have told us a better version of his story. 

 

Plus I read Feast For Crows and Dance With Dragons and they were so bad I feel I have a right to bitch about him for the rest of my life. Those books represent a lot of time I will never get back. 3000 pages of feats and some Dornish one's nipples. 

 

The first three books were outstanding, but the last two as you point out were a bit of slog. I read about Dorne and Pike for hundreds and hundreds of pages, and absorbed pretty much none of it. It was sort of like that feeling when you read while you're distracted and several pages later had no idea what you read. 

 

The world building is great, but all the world building in the...world...won't make up for a lack of momentum and stagnating plot.  And in one way the last two books remind me of the Twin Peaks revival...introducing new characters very late in the game, who you don't care about, without resolving what's going on with the characters you do.

[Bilbo 3,709]

1 hour ago, Nick1066 said:

 

I'm mostly with you. I've read the books (the first three twice) and am familiar in broad strokes with what's going on and have my own ideas about where it's going. But I generally don't spend a lot of time theorising  and guessing about what's going to happen.  Though I do enjoy reading some some of the fan theories...even if I don't spend a lot of time coming up with my own.

 

For example, this theory about The Children of the Forest & White Walkers that's dominated the past couple pages really doesn't do much for me. One, as you said it's just way into the weeds and another, with all due respect, I don't think there's really much chance this is what's going on. It's a little convoluted IMO, and would be narratively inert in the books (though that's where Martin has been the past two books anyway). And would represent a let down of monumental proportions. Basically the White Walkers were created so we can all get along? I don't buy it. And I certainly doubt the TV series would go in this direction. 

 

 

The first three books were outstanding, but the last two as you point out were a bit of slog. I read about Dorne and Pike for hundreds and hundreds of pages, and absorbed pretty much none of it. It was sort of like that feeling when you read while you're distracted and several pages later had no idea what you read. 

 

The world building is great, but all the world building in the...world...won't make up for a lack of momentum and stagnating plot.  And in one way the last two books remind me of the Twin Peaks revival...introducing new characters very late in the game, who you don't care about, without resolving what's going on with the characters you do.

 

My feelings are very much the same. Loved the first 3 books but it's as if he decided to do a massive shift from what he was originally going to do and spent the next two books trying to correct it. He really did need to go through with the five year gap but he didn't and we got two very boring 1000+ page books as a result. Splitting them geographically was a very stupid idea but recominging them makes no difference at all. It was dumb. 

 

And yeah, the Kingsmoot was grim as hell. 

[Jay 37,373]

5 hours ago, BloodBoal said:

The thing I'm not a huge fan of is that, at least in the show, they gave us no hints (or next to none) as to what the White Walkers' end goal is, so they can basically come up with anything at this point, and there's nothing that could really contradict it. It'd be nicer if elements of an answer had been sprinkled throughout the show and by the time they reveal what the Walkers are trying to do, we could be like "Oh, OK, nice! Makes sense!" instead of "Oh, OK, I guess..."

 

You're completely right about that, indeed.

 

 

 

4 hours ago, Quintus said:

So in the end, do you think you guys will have spent more time speculating and theorising over what might happen next than you have actually watching it?

 

Well yes, obviously; It's 75 hours of television spread over 8 years time.  I mean, duh.

 

 

 

4 hours ago, KK said:

But what'd you expect? It's big budget fantasy. Of course members of an online forum are going to waste hours away with speculation posts. Just like they do with Star Wars, LOTR, etc.

 

Indeed.

[Quintus 5,399]

8 minutes ago, Jay said:

 

Well yes, obviously; It's 75 hours of television spread over 8 years time.  I mean, duh.

 

In your case I suppose duh in regards to the question is appropriate. But I'm pretty sure I personally won't have spent anywhere near 75 hours talking and putting finger to key about it, so like I said, it's about having different priorities.

[Jay 37,373]

75 hours sounds like a lot, until you realize its spread out over eight years.  EIGHT.  YEARS.  Think about it, really.  The math says its the equivalent of spending 90 seconds a day talking (typing) about it.

[Nick1Ø66 4,722]

51 minutes ago, Bilbo Skywalker said:

 

My feelings are very much the same. Loved the first 3 books but it's as if he decided to do a massive shift from what he was originally going to do and spent the next two books trying to correct it. He really did need to go through with the five year gap but he didn't and we got two very boring 1000+ page books as a result. Splitting them geographically was a very stupid idea but recominging them makes no difference at all. It was dumb. 

 

And yeah, the Kingsmoot was grim as hell. 

 

Indeed.

 

I read the first three books before the series, then re-read them after the premiere. However I didn't read AFFC until after ADWD came out and gave up reading the former on my Kindle about 1/3 into the book, and switched to the audio books, which I could listen to while doing other things. I found a "combined" reading order for AFFC and ADWD online that basically merged the books together in more or less chronological order. Then I took my rips from the audio CD's and basically matched this reading order chapter by chapter using Audiobook Builder software I use. It was the only way I could get through it b/c there's no way I would have ever gotten through AFFC on its own.

 

The audiobooks are good, BTW, except for the fact that Roy Dotrice, the narrator, makes every voice sound like an 80 year old man getting over a bad case of laryngitis. 

[Glóin the Dark 1,223]

I frequently spend 80-90 minutes commuting. I could easily spend an average of 90 seconds per day contemplating A Song of Ice and Fire and still have the vast majority of travelling time left to be filled!

[Nick1Ø66 4,722]

37 minutes ago, Glóin the Dark said:

I frequently spend 80-90 minutes commuting. 

 

80-90 minutes? You could get from Dragonstone to Casterly Rock to Winterfell to beyond the wall & back in that amount of time and still have time leftover to bend the knee!

[Jay 37,373]

Precisely.

[Quintus 5,399]

5 hours ago, Quintus said:

So in the end, do you think you guys will have spent more time speculating and theorising over what might happen next than you have actually watching it?

 

We now have the answer.

[Nick1Ø66 4,722]

So 90 seconds a day contemplating GOT every day for 8 years comes to around 73 hours....which interestingly enough is pretty much exactly how many hours of the show have aired to date.

 

So it appears Quintus was right.

[Bilbo 3,709]

1 hour ago, Nick1066 said:

 

Indeed.

 

I read the first three books before the series, then re-read them after the premiere. However I didn't read AFFC until after ADWD came out and gave up reading the former on my Kindle about 1/3 into the book, and switched to the audio books, which I could listen to while doing other things. I found a "combined" reading order for AFFC and ADWD online that basically merged the books together in more or less chronological order. Then I took my rips from the audio CD's and basically matched this reading order chapter by chapter using Audiobook Builder software I use. It was the only way I could get through it b/c there's no way I would have ever gotten through AFFC on its own.

 

The audiobooks are good, BTW, except for the fact that Roy Dotrice, the narrator, makes every voice sound like an 80 year old man getting over a bad case of laryngitis. 

 

I've signed up to audible and I'm currently doing a Harry Potter book a month but once I'm done I might got for GoT again that way and see if things improve!

[Glóin the Dark 1,223]

The Season 7 soundtrack is on YouTube. There are implicit spoilers, obviously.

 

 

[Bilbo 3,709]

3 minutes ago, Glóin the Dark said:

The Season 7 soundtrack is on YouTube. There are implicit spoilers, obviously.

 

 

 

Any highlight?

[Jay 37,373]

2 hours ago, Jay said:

75 hours sounds like a lot, until you realize its spread out over eight years.  EIGHT.  YEARS.  Think about it, really.  The math says its the equivalent of spending 90 seconds a day talking (typing) about it.

 

1 hour ago, Nick1066 said:

So 90 seconds a day contemplating GOT every day for 8 years comes to around 73 hours....which is interestingly enough is pretty much exactly how many hours of the show have aired to date.

 

Did you.. did you just do the reverse of the same math I already did for... reasons?

[BloodBoal 7,538]

[Disco Stu 15,495]

The real question:

 

Is Dany going to die in the season finale?

[BloodBoal 7,538]

[Disco Stu 15,495]

Is it too obvious, though?  All that talk about succession from Tyrion.  Seems like toying with the audience, making it seem like she'll be killed off.

[BloodBoal 7,538]

[Jay 37,373]

There's absolutely no way HBO will let B&W kill off Dany, Jon, Tyrion, Jaime, or Cersei (and probably not Sansa or Arya either) before the final season

 

Anyone else is fair game!

[Nick1Ø66 4,722]

55 minutes ago, Jay said:

 

 

Did you.. did you just do the reverse of the same math I already did for... reasons?

 

By all the gods old and new, I don't read every post you c*nt!

 

[Disco Stu 15,495]

3 minutes ago, Jay said:

There's absolutely no way HBO will let B&W kill off Dany, Jon, Tyrion, Jaime, or Cersei (and probably not Sansa or Arya either) before the final season

 

Anyone else is fair game!

 

Well it's certainly strongly hinting that Dany will be killed off at some point with all this talk of children and succession and "what if something happens to you, Dany?"

[Jay 37,373]

I truly think its possible ANYONE could die next year, for sure.

[BloodBoal 7,538]

[Disco Stu 15,495]

1 minute ago, BloodBoal said:

But what better twist right before the last season than to have the Mother Of Dragons die? Everyone expects the Wall to fall during this season finale, so they need to come up with yet another twist nobody will expect: Dany's death seems like the perfect choice, especially as the White Walkers are about to come down south.

 

I agree.  I'm not necessarily predicting this, but it makes a certain amount of sense and they've definitely laid the groundwork for the possibility.

[BloodBoal 7,538]

[Disco Stu 15,495]

Now I almost want it to happen.  It would be a fucking jaw-dropping way to end the season.  The ultimate "anyone on this show can die!" moment.

[Jay 37,373]

Emilia Clarke is a huge draw for the show.  HBO wants viewers to come back next year to see her story continue.  I'm not saying she won't die eventually, or even in the first episode of next season, buy they absolutely positively undoubtedly will not kill her off now.  No chance in hell.

[BloodBoal 7,538]

[KK 3,307]

That would seem like a very designed twist...would be very lame. Besides, she just lost a dragon, I don't think the next death will be on the Dany front.

 

And gone are the days when this show was unpredictable.

[Bilbo 3,709]

3 minutes ago, KK said:

That would seem like a very designed twist...would be very lame. Besides, she just lost a dragon, I don't think the next death will be on the Dany front.

 

And gone are the days when this show was unpredictable.

 

Is there anything the show *could* do at this point that would satisfy you though? 

 

I don't think she'll die this season fwiw but I can totally see her being killed by John in the whole "lightbringer" thingy. 

[Glóin the Dark 1,223]

Death list:

• Jon
• Cersei
• Jaime
• Daenerys
• The Hound

 

Survival list:

• Davos (The Prince that Was Promised)
• Tyrion
• Sam
• Theon
• Sansa
• Brienne

2 hours ago, Bilbo Skywalker said:

Any highlight?

 

Somehow, I don't think you'd like it!

 

2 hours ago, BloodBoal said:

The White Walkers Save The Day is hardly implicit.

 

I love the bit where their theme is transformed into a glorious fanfare in C major.

[MedigoScan 324]

Plenty of attention for the Dragonstone scenes

I quite like the IamtheStorm and SpoilsofWar tracks as far as the action music goes.

And the ending of episode 07 sounds like a spectacle

No standouts like Light of the Seven, but at least that theme gets a reprise

[Bilbo 3,709]

10 minutes ago, Glóin the Dark said:

 

Somehow, I don't think you'd like it!

 

😂

 

I actually own the first six seasons on CD! I'm not crazy about the music as a whole but I think he has nice themes and there are some standout pieces in each season that makes it worth the purchase. Light of the Seven made Season 6 worth it on its own. I do think it makes good background listening when I'm doing something else.

 

The lost potential of someone like Shore scoring this and the way he'd had have developed themes makes it difficult to swallow. Djawadi gave us a perfectly serviceable score but that's all. The show deserved better. 

[Jay 37,373]

3 minutes ago, Bilbo Skywalker said:

Djawadi gave us a perfectly serviceable score but that's all. The show deserved better. 

 

In-fucking-deed.

At least the main title is truly great, though

[Nick1Ø66 4,722]

20 minutes ago, Glóin the Dark said:

Death list:

• Jon
• Cersei
• Jaime
• Daenerys
• The Hound

 

Survival list:

• Davos (The Prince that Was Promised)
• Tyrion
• Sam
• Theon
• Sansa
• Brienne

 

This is pretty reasonable actually.

Arya?

[Glóin the Dark 1,223]

Pressed to make a decision, I'd put Arya on the survival list.

[Nick1Ø66 4,722]

5 minutes ago, Jay said:

 

In-fucking-deed.

At least the main title is truly great, though

 

The main title still gives me chills. It's the only show I watch that I don't zap through the credits.

 

Djawadi is going to get work for years based on that piece of music alone.

[MedigoScan 324]

His music was perfect for stuff like Westworld (or Pacific Rim)

[Jay 37,373]

6 minutes ago, Nick1066 said:

The main title still gives me chills. It's the only show I watch that I don't zap through the credits.

 

Djawadi is going to get work for years based on that piece of music alone.

 

Yup!

[BloodBoal 7,538]

[Jay 37,373]

Do you guys think we'll see Melisandre in the finale?

Also.... WTF is up with the dragonglass mining at Dragonstone?

Are there still mining?  Done mining?  Is there a compelling reason why they didn't bring like, a shit ton of it with them north of the wall?  Or a raven?  Or horses?

[Nick1Ø66 4,722]

Melisandre specifically told Arya "we shall met again." She also said she'd die in Westeros.

 

So either she'll be back, or it's just more sloppy writing.

[Bilbo 3,709]

18 minutes ago, Jay said:

 

In-fucking-deed.

At least the main title is truly great, though

 

It's going to be a theme that's remembered forever. It's as iconic as film/tv music gets. 

 

In fairness to him, that's not something that's easily achievable. 

 

I think the man man has done great ideas. Whether he lacks the imagination or the skills he just fails to develop those ideas. 

 

Like I said, I think he has some great themes. Stark, Lannister, royal  Baratheon, Melisandre, Greyjoy, Dany etc. All have memorable themes but he just doesn't know what to do with them once he has them written. 

 

Rains of Catamere, to be fair, is pretty iconic. Still love the National's version .

[BloodBoal 7,538]

[Bilbo 3,709]

Just now, Nick1066 said:

Melisandre specifically told Arya "we shall met again." She also said she'd die in Westeros.

 

So either she'll be back, or it's just more sloppy writing.

 

I think they will meet. Arya probably her.

Just now, BloodBoal said:

And why hasn't Jon sent a raven to Sansa to keep her up to date regarding everything he has done and is planning on doing? (Before anyone says: "He probably has, it just wasn't shown on screen", Sansa specifically said she hasn't received any news from Jon in days).

Because that would be the sensible thing to do and when has a Stark ever done the sensible thing?

[BloodBoal 7,538]