GoT Season 8

[Brooky03]

I think my expectations were too high. The battle had some incredible moments but was largely predictable. A lot of stuff left unexplained/unresolved (wth was Bran doing?). Too many main characters survived insurmountable odds. Either kill them or make their survival semi-plausible.

Ghost?! Nymeria and her pack of a thousand wolves?!

The crypt scenes were a waste.

Seemed like there was more emphasis on the scale of the battle than anything else.

 

[Brooky03]

Fire women gave it away for me when she started talking about the eye colors of the people Arya will kill. Doesn’t make the episode any less awesome than it was. Loved it from start to finish.

Beric's death was the giveaway that Arya was the chosen one. He was kept alive for one reason. That was enough to clue the viewer in, but the writers really wanted to spell it out for us with Melissandre's eye thing. I think she even reiterated that Beric was kept alive for that purpose. Laid it on pretty thick.

I guess it was all news to Arya, so it makes sense, but I felt like they could have gone with a more subtle approach. I laughed during the post episode interviews when one of the guys said they wanted the viewer to forget about Arya before that final moment. She was told she was going to kill the Night King and then ran off screen, not to be seen again. It was the ONLY thing the viewer was thinking about.

 

[Zelda Zonk]

Well, i was on the edge of my seat for the duration. Literally. I'm a bit peeved that people are actually complaining about this. The most epic piece of television in history.

 

[DeGrozz]

You couldn’t see much. Not a single white walker fight let alone with a main character? Where was Ghost the whole time? Main characters were on the front line to start, were surrounded every time shown on screen within the castle to only be miraculously not be the next time we see them, yet they were the only survivors? When the battle was written to be so one sided, you can’t also have so many people not die. No logic at all.

It's crazy that we've gone from a story that gave us Ned's beheading, the Battle of the Blackwater, Oberyn's death, and the Red Wedding (especially Cat's death) to plot armor with sweet special effects.

 

[ForCuseSake]

It's crazy that we've gone from a story that gave us Ned's beheading, the Battle of the Blackwater, Oberyn's death, and the Red Wedding (especially Cat's death) to plot armor with sweet special effects.

I felt more suspense & tension during the Battle of the Bastards than last night's Battle for Winterfell.

Maybe it's the zombie factor. I just got numb to every cut away to a main character in overwhelming peril. It would've been good for 1-3 characters.

But they had to put Jamie, Brienne, Jorah, Jon Snow, Daneryes, Grey Worm, Arya, Hound, Beric, Theon, Sam, Edd et al into extreme peril that made it predictable a "happy ending" (not the Bob Kraft kind) was inevitable.

The multiple shots of blindly flying dragons in a winter storm did nothing to build tension. It annoyed me.

Sorry to be curmudgeon about this; nobody pissed in my cornflakes. Just had too high expectations.

It looks like GoT is heading toward a Hollywood ending with a few minor losses along the way. The past few seasons lead me to believe the show writers don't have the stones to kill off a great character they way Martin did regularly.

 

[PhatOrange]

It's crazy that we've gone from a story that gave us Ned's beheading, the Battle of the Blackwater, Oberyn's death, and the Red Wedding (especially Cat's death) to plot armor with sweet special effects.

Agreed. Im a bit disappointed they didn't kill more people off. As someone else said it was against overwhelming odds and in every clip they were completely surrounded and over run. You have to make it more plausible...so now it's jumped the shark and here we are with every main character still alive yet their entire armies have been wiped out. Northern Armies gone, Unsullied gone, Dothrakis gone. Can't see how the remnants of what's left can beat the Golden Company and the Lannister army. Should be a fun last few episodes though.

We have Yara's ships (but no army) waiting in the wings and I assume Dorne still has an army, but I'm not clear if there are other armies still around; like the Tryells or if the Vale still has an army left. I think they do.

Totally stolked that Arya made the kill. She is absolutely the most badass warrior in the land and coupled with the Hound they are just awesome. It was a great scene when Davos was watching her lay waste. You could see the holy shoot look on his face.

 

[Alsacs]

G RR Martin would have probably killed more people if they were following the books if he wrote them but the showrunners definitely followed what he would have done with Arya.

Arya’s G RR Martin’s wife favorite character and he would have never killed her off. Her being the hero over Jon was fine and she ending up Warden of the North would be fine.

I just was disappointed by how Jon Snow’s character was pretty much irrelevant yesterday.

 

[RF2044]

My biggest complaint was that it was too dark to understand visually what was going on.

Don't get me wrong -- there was a time an a place for it, like at the beginning when the Dothraki made their charge only to be met by the undead surge. Having that be in the dark was cool, because it built suspense and a sense of dread about not knowing what was coming.

But not being able to see what was happening actually DETRACTED from some later action -- such as when the dragons were in that blizzard. My opinion only, but it would have been more potent to have ONLY that be where the audience couldn't see, instead of a continuation of practically the entire episode being in the dark.

Imagine how much more potent it would have been to have Dani / Jon [to say nothing of viewers] be "snowblind" for that one component, knowing that the Night King was lurking. Instead, it was just another scene where the audience could barely see.

Otherwise, I thought the episode was fine. I could nit pick a lot of stuff, but it was enjoyable.

Question for those who've read the books -- why is the Night King so intent on getting Bran? I just don't understand the connection, what Bran is, etc.

 

[PhatOrange]

G RR Martin would have probably killed more people if they were following the books if he wrote them but the showrunners definitely followed what he would have done with Arya.

Arya’s G RR Martin’s wife favorite character and he would have never killed her off. Her being the hero over Jon was fine and she ending up Warden of the North would be fine.

I just was disappointed by how Jon Snow’s character was pretty much irrelevant yesterday.

Snow gave up when he decided to stand up in front of the dragon. He had chosen to die at that point. Not sure what it says about who he is and what direction it takes him.

 

[PhatOrange]

My biggest complaint was that it was too dark to understand visually what was going on. Don't get me wrong -- there was a time an a place for it, like when the Dothraki made their charge only to be might by the undead surge. Having that be in the dark was cool, because it built suspense. But not being able to see what was happening actually DETRACTED from some later action -- such as when the dragons were in that blizzard.

It would have been more potent to have ONLY that be where the audience couldn't see, instead of a continuation of not being able to see.

Otherwise, I thought the episode was fine. I could nit pick a lot of stuff, but it was enjoyable.

Question for those who've read the books -- why is the Night King so intent on getting Bran? I just don't understand the connection, what Bran is, etc.

Love the part with the Dothraki charge, that was great. And not seeing what was happening to them and only hearing screams and clanging armor was gripping. Totally built tension. But the battle was just too dark to see what was going on and it detracted. I was expecting it to start getting light halfway into the battle. Oh well it was good I'd just wish more people died.

 

[orangenauburn]

Snow gave up when he decided to stand up in front of the dragon. He had chosen to die at that point. Not sure what it says about who he is and what direction it takes him.

He was cucked last night

Last night Jon Snow became cuckold

 

[cuse10]

G RR Martin would have probably killed more people if they were following the books if he wrote them but the showrunners definitely followed what he would have done with Arya.

Arya’s G RR Martin’s wife favorite character and he would have never killed her off. Her being the hero over Jon was fine and she ending up Warden of the North would be fine.

I just was disappointed by how Jon Snow’s character was pretty much irrelevant yesterday.

Not exactly true. D&D literally said that Jon wasn't given that moment because he's been too heroic. This was supposed to be his. It's getting fan servicey. That's how you end up with the new Star Wars trilogy.

 

[ForCuseSake]

Question for those who've read the books -- why is the Night King so intent on getting Bran? I just don't understand the connection, what Bran is, etc.

Bran’s connection to the Night King was never established in the books.

The Night King, IIRC, was merely a myth in the books; not an actual being encountered by a character.

Credit to the show writers in this aspect. They made a good attempt at moving Bran’s storyline forward with the Night King that had really no basis from the books.

 

[ForCuseSake]

Love the part with the Dothraki charge, that was great. And not seeing what was happening to them and only hearing screams and clanging armor was gripping. Totally built tension. But the battle was just too dark to see what was going on and it detracted. I was expecting it to start getting light halfway into the battle. Oh well it was good I'd just wish more people died.

The Dothraki charge was a powerful way to establish the size/destructive capabilities of the Army of the Dead.

That was a great way to kick off the battle and establish an ominous tone.

 

[RF2044]

Not exactly true. D&D literally said that Jon wasn't given that moment because he's been too heroic. This was supposed to be his. It's getting fan servicey. That's how you end up with the new Star Wars trilogy.

I actually think that this makes a lot of sense. Besides, Jon literally tried to knock the Night King out of the sky, then to chase him down on the ground to confront him one-on-one. Very Jon Snow-esque.

It is fitting that somebody else got to take the Night King down via trickery and fighting dirty -- not everything can be resolved via chivalrous bravery and heroic actions.

 

[ForCuseSake]

Where did Arya use the dagger drop technique before?

Was it when she sparred with Brienne upon arrival at Winterfell?

I thought I’d seen it before and couldn’t place it.

I enjoyed Baelish’s dagger being used.

 

[RF2044]

Bran’s connection to the Night King was never established in the books.

The Night King, IIRC, was merely a myth in the books; not an actual being encountered by a character.

Credit to the show writers in this aspect. They made a good attempt at moving Bran’s storyline forward with the Night King that had really no basis from the books.

Thank you -- I've had a difficult time wrapping my head around that part of the story, Bran's role, and the connection between the Night King and why he was so intent on killing Bran. The whole three-eyed raven thing felt unfinished. Maybe it will be explored in more detail when they do the prequel series.

Glad I didn't miss anything tangible.

 

[Trueblue25]

Agreed. Im a bit disappointed they didn't kill more people off. As someone else said it was against overwhelming odds and in every clip they were completely surrounded and over run. You have to make it more plausible...so now it's jumped the shark and here we are with every main character still alive yet their entire armies have been wiped out. Northern Armies gone, Unsullied gone, Dothrakis gone. Can't see how the remnants of what's left can beat the Golden Company and the Lannister army. Should be a fun last few episodes though.

We have Yara's ships (but no army) waiting in the wings and I assume Dorne still has an army, but I'm not clear if there are other armies still around; like the Tryells or if the Vale still has an army left. I think they do.

Totally stolked that Arya made the kill. She is absolutely the most badass warrior in the land and coupled with the Hound they are just awesome. It was a great scene when Davos was watching her lay waste. You could see the holy shoot look on his face.

Theoretically the Vale should still have at least 10,000 more men. We still don’t know if Dorne’s army was on the fleet Euron wiped out. The Tyrell’s and Tarley’s are pretty much destroyed. The only other plausible possibilities is if the Manderly’s, Reeds or Riverlords had more men.

 

[Trueblue25]

G RR Martin would have probably killed more people if they were following the books if he wrote them but the showrunners definitely followed what he would have done with Arya.

Arya’s G RR Martin’s wife favorite character and he would have never killed her off. Her being the hero over Jon was fine and she ending up Warden of the North would be fine.

I just was disappointed by how Jon Snow’s character was pretty much irrelevant yesterday.

I was OK with the backseat Jon took. It’s been clear since the first season he’s never been able to accomplish much without the help of other characters. Not a bad thing. He brings people together.

 

[Alsacs]

Where did Arya use the dagger drop technique before?

Was it when she sparred with Brienne upon arrival at Winterfell?

I thought I’d seen it before and couldn’t place it.

I enjoyed Baelish’s dagger being used.

Yes it was the move Arya used in sparring with Brienne when she returned from Winterfelt.

It also makes sense why Bran gave the dagger to Arya since he possibly could have seen Arya needed it to kill the NK.

 

[GoSU96]

Their plan essentially worked, they drew out the target and got him isolated. It just wasn't plan A. And what Bran said to Theon was equally as applicable to Arya.

 

[Alsacs]

Not exactly true. D&D literally said that Jon wasn't given that moment because he's been too heroic. This was supposed to be his. It's getting fan servicey. That's how you end up with the new Star Wars trilogy.

Well it destroyed the theory that Jon is Azor Ahai.
Arya is a legit badass she trained with the Faceless men.
IMO Arya would be favored in a duel with Jon Snow.
Star Wars reboot was just garbage.
Episode 7 was fine but Episode 8 was garbage.

 

[CuseCPT]

I’ve heard a lot of people taking about the darkness. In a rare moment of great foresight I turned up my brightness at the start of the episode. Helped considerably.

 

[OrangeFoo]

Thank you -- I've had a difficult time wrapping my head around that part of the story, Bran's role, and the connection between the Night King and why he was so intent on killing Bran. The whole three-eyed raven thing felt unfinished. Maybe it will be explored in more detail when they do the prequel series.

Glad I didn't miss anything tangible.

Bran's story was something Martin did a terrible job of developing. My biggest beef with Martin is that he tried to tell two stories... one historical fictions with politics, war, murder, betrayal... all very human and very much based on earth history with the war of the roses. The other story is the true supernatural part of it with magic and dragons and an ancient evil... This is where Bran came in and I think that Martin totally lost the plot with this part of the story. He has no idea where he was going with it nor how to finish it which is why Bran's role is so confusing. If Martin had just stuck to the political game of thrones story where its everyone vs the Lannisters and Dani's attempt to regain her rightful throne it would have been the best story of all time. But his efforts to tell two stories totally ruined the books for me... and I'm one of those who believes the first 3 to 4 books are the best fantasy books ever written, because they focused less on the supernatural and more on the humans vs humans.

I think Robert Jordan actually did a much better job of blending the magic and the politics together into one cohesive story in the Wheel of Time series... another excellent and LONG fantasy series if anyone wants something new to explore. But Jordan has the opposite problem of Martin... he got bogged down with the politics which took away from the magical part of the story which was amazing. For the record... Jordan passed before he could finish the series and it was finished by Brandon Sanderson, another amazing fantasy author who actually FINISHES books if anyone is interested in another recommendation. Unfortunately it looks like Martin is not going to finish his story given his health and lack of progress.

Sorry for the long post but wanted to give my two cents as someone who discovered Martin more than 15 years ago.

 

[OrangeFoo]

Well it destroyed the theory that Jon is Azor Ahai.
Arya is a legit badass she trained with the Faceless men.
IMO Arya would be favored in a duel with Jon Snow.
Star Wars reboot was just garbage.
Episode 7 was fine but Episode 8 was garbage.

I think Arya would be favored in a duel with just about any movie character out there... she is a total badass... I suspect there will be a lot of Arya's popping out 9 months from now. LOL.