Jango Wes
Sr Member
Open letter from George R.R. Martin. NSFW for language.
http://www.dorkly.com/post/63864/george-rr-martins-open-letter-about-the-deaths-in-game-of-thrones
Best thing I have read in a while!
Open letter from George R.R. Martin. NSFW for language.
http://www.dorkly.com/post/63864/george-rr-martins-open-letter-about-the-deaths-in-game-of-thrones
Right. That's what I was going to say as far as the Roman soldiers. They had two Pilum (a javelin like spear) that they would throw when the enemy was advancing then they engaged with their gladius (sword). For the Unsullied to only rely on a spear makes little sense. It only works in set circumstances.
You make a good point. The spear would make more sense for the Unsullied if they used a Zulu-style short spear (assegai/iklwa) as a stabbing weapon.
Yea so HOW do Reek and Sansa survive that fall? Forgot about that.
So far, the only death I'm not sure about is Jon's death, and that may play out any number of ways. I don't, however, expect it to have no narrative meaning or import beyond "Life in Westeros is cruel and heroes die! Screw your happy endings, losers!" I think it's far, far more likely that Jon's death will -- if it's actually permanent -- have major implications for the future of the story. If it isn't permanent (e.g. he's resurrected by Melisandre or something), then I expect Jon will end up leaving the Watch (since, upon his death, his watch is technically ended). Like I said, major implications.
I don't see how Jon Snow can come back after being repeatedly stabbed in the chest like that and then obviously bleeding out... I'm bummed because Jon Snow and his story, was a favorite of mine. The male hero ark of the (STARK) family story has been severed...
Yea so HOW do Reek and Sansa survive that fall? Forgot about that.
Open letter from George R.R. Martin. NSFW for language.
http://www.dorkly.com/post/63864/george-rr-martins-open-letter-about-the-deaths-in-game-of-thrones
For me, I feel that the greatest strength of the show to date has been where it excises and streamlines the storyline from the novels. Although some of the additions have been fantastic (Hardhome and the Night King, for example), I have to agree with an author I follow on twitter that much of what the show writers have added just seems to be gratuituous brutality. We could have been subjected to about half of Theon's storyline, for example, and still come away with a very clear indication that Ramsay is a raving psycho who needs to die.
Yes, the book and the early seasons have featured some SERIOUSLY brutal deaths... but they all furthered the story. The Red Wedding, for example, left me a blubbering, weeping mess, but it was an important step to the progression of the story. A good deal of what we've been exposed to this season just felt like it was played for shock value, particularly the sacrifice of Shireen and the brutalization of Sansa.
I do think, however, that the showrunners have done stuff both for shock value and for actual character/plot development purposes. For example, the Red Wedding and the killing of Talisa. That was brutal, gruesome, and probably didn't need to be shown that way. E.G, they could've just slit her throat. Instead they stabbed her in the abdomen where her baby was in as brutal a manner as possible. Now, partially, that was done to remove the open question that fans have about Robb Stark having an heir with Jeyne Westerling, but it also served the purpose of shocking and horrifying the viewers, perhaps unnecessarily. I think the producers walk a very fine line with this, and often err on the side of shocking rather than caution or substance. It's an issue with an otherwise terrific show.
In an interview with the producers they talked about how far things go sometimes. There were times in the show where they wanted to leave no doubt something had happened. Like Ned's beheading for instance. They spent 2 hours going back and forth on which frame to cut the scene at. They wanted to leave no doubt in viewers minds that he was dead.
Same thing with the Jon Snow scene. Unlike the book where it is a little more open ended regarding Jon
I am sure it was the same thing with the Red Wedding scene. They wanted people to know, yes, this really is how it just went down. Very black and white