Game of Thrones

[firesprite]

You're equating a character being well written and well acted with being a character you have to be invested in.

When a well written and well acted character is removed from the story, for the sake of the story, why must I feel the rest of the story is diminished?

The story is not called "Ned", or "Frey", or "Tywin". It's called game of thrones. The only "character" they could take out middle of things that would diminish the story, is the concept of someone sitting on the throne

No one is saying you HAVE to be invested in anything, but if people are, why do you find it surprising or hard to understand? You don't empathize with a throne. You empathize with someone who struggles to achieve something, whether it's simple survival or taking said throne.

 

[Monkey67]

Well Jon & Dany live tonight. Both have been sighted at the fireplace of castle Dragonstone in the trailers...unless HBO CGI it like that to throw us off.

 

[Strikerkc]

 

[firesprite]

My, GOD what a terrible episode... With some of the best supposed tactical minds in Westeros there (Jaime, Jon, Tyrion), they managed to come up with a defense "strategy" that would make Wiley Coyote shake his head and say "that's a terrible plan".

 

[Strikerkc]

A lot of the episode did kind of feel like a benny hill skit. Which is, sadly, where I think most of its "extended" length came from. I guess it was needed some to get rid of the one character, and maybe to try and humanize another?

Spoiler

They needed something "special" for the guy who keeps coming back from the dead to actually die over (saving Arya), and I guess they needed to try and make Arya seem defeatable, so that her attack on the night king was at least momentarily a questionable thing

Not sure, but I feel like most of the "inside" parts could have just been skipped.

That and the aforementioned "strategery" aside, it was a very good episode;

Spoiler

though I feel being utterly rid of the army of the dead, the white walkers, and the night king, really lessens the stakes of the rest of the show. It's now back to being a war between two human forces. Where one side is filled with the most terrifyingly competent murder bots the world has ever seen, along with two dragons...

 

[Monkey67]

 

[Toadmeister]

XXXX FROM THE TOP ROPE!

 

[Axlotl]

My, GOD what a terrible episode... With some of the best supposed tactical minds in Westeros there (Jaime, Jon, Tyrion), they managed to come up with a defense "strategy" that would make Wiley Coyote shake his head and say "that's a terrible plan".

Seriously...
Where was the flaming pitch, the boiling oil?
Come on, guys, that's siege defense 101.

That said...
Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck!

RIP, little bear.

"Theon, you're a good man".

I liked it. Better than I expected to.

 

[Lord Boron]

Who thought hiding in a crypt when the you know the dead are rising was a good idea! Overall I enjoyed it. Pretty intense. Though there would be more deaths. A little disappointed with how they resolved things with the Night King, but are sure it's resolved. Was hoping for some ice spiders.....

 

[Monkey67]

I wanted to hear the night king say something to Bran or vice verse. I don’t care if it was just something stupid. We never really find out what his deal is.

Also how does so many main people get stab yet never died?? Look at Sam wearing a triple fat goose jacket. Yet I guess bring a fat man pays off.

Really poor game plan from this group. Even a cool bomb for the dragons to drop on the white walkers. Filled with dragon glass shards n crap. Night king can’t stop those. If he hits it with dragon ice fire...boom! Killed your generals the way it was meant for anyway. They throw rocks but nothing that will stay lit?

 

[Axlotl]

Was hoping for some ice spiders.....

Me too.

Still satisfied.

Apart from the dumb defense "strategy", I was still emotionally invested.
Really, no one suggested flaming pitch?
Or a dragon-glass sythe on a pendulum?
FFS, we already saw that happen, and it worked splendidly.

The Arya bit was possibly the best set-up/pay-off EVER.

But what does it mean?
I mean, now what?

 

[The Mad Professor]

My, GOD what a terrible episode... With some of the best supposed tactical minds in Westeros there (Jaime, Jon, Tyrion), they managed to come up with a defense "strategy" that would make Wiley Coyote shake his head and say "that's a terrible plan".

Well to be fair, things probably would have gone better if Dany hadn't gone rogue once the Dothraki bit the dust...

 

[Thain]

Pretty conflicted over this episode. For such a long wait and after all this hype, I was left severely underwhelmed. I expected more of our favorites to die during the "Great Battle" and was a little bummed when pretty much all of them survived. It just cheapens all the build up.

From the opening shot to the very moment the dead horse reaches the Unsullied, it was amazing. Brilliantly shot (the Dothraki swords extinguished one by one until - darkness) and eerie. However, once the big battle began the direction fell apart. I had a hard time keeping track of what was going on and where everyone was - the logistics were not clear at all. I think it would have benefitted greatly if they'd spent more time explaining the plan during the war council scene last episode so we all knew exactly what the strategy was and where everyone would be. Speaking of strategy, I'll echo who said it above - what a horrible plan! Sure, the argument could be made that they didn't' know exactly how big the army was but they've got some of the smartest military tacticians among them and what they came up with was a **** show. I could have sworn the Night King was going to win this battle every 10 minutes - they just didn't stand a chance!

That being said, Arya killing him was one of the best moments of the whole show. I completely forgot about where she went and so it came as a huge surprise. But now that he's gone...I kind of wish he wasn't. I still have so many questions about him and would've loved to have seen a conversation of some kind between him and Bran to give us more explanation. But now he and his entire army, you know - the one threat we've been fearing since the opening scene of the show, are over just like that. A week ago I wondered if they'd go this route and I thought it'd be neat, but now that I've just seen it I don't know how I feel about it. Sure, Cersei is definitely more of a villain and every character has some sort of personal stake in seeing her defeated, but it just feels weird ridding the threat of the Night King so quickly.

 

[Lear60man]

I didnt care who or how......I just wanted Mr. Frosty dead.

 

[The Mad Professor]

RIP House Mormont. You died doing the noblest thing possible, saving others. Ser Jorah, Lady Lyanna, you will be remembered always.

 

[kibosh]

I have mixed emotions about the episode. Mostly because it was soooooooo dark. I had a hard time making out what was going on. I might need to get a new TV. One that handles blacks much better.

Also:

Spoiler

Where did Arya meet the Melisandre in the past? I don't remember that at all.

So the Dothraki are all gone. How many Unsullied could have survived? A couple hundred?

Why not exhaust all catapult ammo BEFORE sending out your cavalry? Flaming balls of fire? Bundles of dragon glass shards?
[/spolier]

 

[Analyzer]

I'm not sure why all the hate on the battle plan

After all, they were fighting a foe who does not have any tactic beyond swarming with overwhelming numbers.

It's not a disciplined army fighting in ranks or employing any fancy tactics

I'm not sure there was much else they could do and honestly, there was probably no way they could have hoped to win.

It's like trying to plan how to fight a tidal wave. You can't, no matter how much sand bagging or preparation you do.

Essentially they were just supposed to be buying time in the hopes of isolating the Night's King

As others have said though, seeing the Night's King defeated this soon does leave you with the feeling of "what's left now?"

From here on out at this point feels a bit anti-climactic. I am sure that will change once the new episodes air, but still, it's almost like nothing else matters at this point.

It's kind of like in Return of the King after Sauron is defeated and your just kind of reading on with only something like the underwhelming Battle of the Shire left

 

[Analyzer]

I have mixed emotions about the episode. Mostly because it was soooooooo dark. I had a hard time making out what was going on. I might need to get a new TV. One that handles blacks much better.

Also:

Spoiler

Where did Arya meet the Melisandre in the past? I don't remember that at all.

So the Dothraki are all gone. How many Unsullied could have survived? A couple hundred?

Why not exhaust all catapult ammo BEFORE sending out your cavalry? Flaming balls of fire? Bundles of dragon glass shards?
[/spolier]

back in season 3

 

[Richard Baker]

I am glad they had the battle during one episode instead of leaving it half way through with a cliff hanger.
It was hard to tell who was being killed and who lived during the dark chaos-
This is a handy reference: Who died in Game of Thrones’ Battle of Winterfell, and who survived: the full list

Now they have three remaining shows to wrap everything up

I think my favorite moment after the Arya taking out the night king was Lyanna Mormont killing the giant as she died herself

 

[Clutch]

I figured Arya would use her 2-part weapon to fake out Night King...