HBO's adaptation of Game of Thrones - Thread 2. There are a lot of nerds.

His death didn't leave any loose ends?

Disappointed at the broad consensus takes on this episode (it was too dark, not enough characters died, they killed the Night King too early).

Is there no wingnut waste dump where Jordan Peterson fans are hashing it out over how inconceivable it is that Arya could kill the walking embodiment of death? I’m supposed to be finishing up a research paper and I need better distractions. Get me out of the filter bubble. What are the flat earthers saying?!?

Dragon fire can't melt Sean Beans

the Night King was a blank slate villain, I have no problem getting him out of the way this early.

Cersei is coming off as the smartest person on the show again -- didn't she say something about not wanting to bother with NK and his posse because she'd wait it out til it was over and deal with who was left in the north later?

yeah she turned out to be totally right.

one of the biggest differences between the show and the books is that cersei is actually a mastermind, not just a vain person who thinks she's a mastermind.

still she has to hang with Euron

Yeah it was a totally naive plan. She got lucky, so it makes her seem smart. The likely scenario was her being consumed by zombie armies a month or so later than the northerners.

i m dumb: what was the weapon arya had gendry smith for her? Did it not play a part here?

I think she used it in battle, but she killed the NK with Littlefinger's dagger

I thought for a split second when the zombie horde started clambering up the back of Danerys’ dragon she was going to eat it, and thought “oh shit there we go”, but alas.

i m dumb: what was the weapon arya had gendry smith for her? Did it not play a part here?

she was wrecking wights with it then got a concussion and retreated to the library

Wait, it was Littlefinger's dagger? not dragon glass?

the Night King was a blank slate villain, I have no problem getting him out of the way this early.

Blank, sure, but again, if anything this demonstrates a problem with the writing/plotting, not with the villain, because tbf he was essentially introduced as an existential threat iirc in literally the first episode of the first season and now years later they dispatch him with only three episodes left in the final season of the entire show. So they didn't get rid of him "early" so much as maybe not know what to do with him (or want to do anything with him) after they put him off for so long.

The sneaking around the library scene felt extremely Resident Evil in a momentarily appealing way (it was funny in retrospect to think that there was a stealth-horror game going on for ten minutes while the warriors had their backs against the outside wall surrounded by zombie hordes)

thank you for clearing up the weapon thing. Shoulda just gotten her a bat'leth.
for those of you who are going through zombie horde withdrawal, please enjoy zombeaver
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3j0sRVOhoOE

Wait, it was Littlefinger's dagger? not dragon glass?

― flamboyant goon tie included, Monday, April 29, 2019 1:18 PM (five minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Littlefinger came into possession of it, but it's an ancient valerian steel dagger. Valerian steel works the same as dragon glass against wights/white walkers

So what was Bran actually doing during the battle? Hanging out in some ravens? Was that it?

SOME SAY he was manipulating past and present events to get events to play out the way he intended.

whoops didn't mean to double up "events"

this was great and I'm glad everyone else had a hard time seeing things. I just watched it in the daytime and was wishing I'd watched it in the dark to help with the contrast but it sounds like that wouldn't have helped any. Not bothered at all that they didn't kill off more people. Arya was badass.

"he got an origin story and a motive of sorts."

I really need to go back and sort out what that was because I've totally forgotten it.

Bran warged so that NK would have a better idea of his location. It’s a come-and-get-me signal.

If NK was actually smart he could’ve put a balloon on Bran’s chair and just skyhooked that jazz

my theory is everyone was whining about how the recent seasons haven't been dark enough, so HBO decided to give fans the darkest episode possible

it was v corny but i liked the part where melisandre asked arya "what do we say to the god of death" and she said "not today"

it was nice that Carice van Houten had a few more notes to play than usual. now everyone go watch Black Book

Yes that was adorable xp

I rewatched the last half-hour or so and honestly it's really amazing. I take back what I said about Djawadi's score too, it's really moving in places

Jorah's death really choked me up on second-viewing

And honestly! having had no interest in Melisandre's arc? nice conclusion well done

I’d be interested in reading about how reasonable the tactical decisions being made would seem to a historian. I really palpably felt, in the past, especially with the Battle Of The Bastards, that there were some surprising and yet logical tactical decisions being made. It all made sense and felt real.... but then I thought it seemed really weird to start the battle by spurring on the cavalry into the darkness right away, but maybe not?

― flamboyant goon tie included, Monday, April 29, 2019 10:33 AM (three hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

As requested: how not to do engagement area development at #Winterfell in #GameOfThroneshttps://t.co/iWiNASP4CR

— Angry Staff Officer (@pptsapper) April 29, 2019

lmao so wait for the rest of the show they're going to fight a pregnant lady and a pirate

— 'Weird Alex' Pareene (@pareene) April 29, 2019

Watching it again on HBOGO today as opposed to live via FiOS last night and this is almost a completely different show except for the closed captioning. Orders of magnitude better in sight and sound. Jesus.

I’m wondering if the last episode will be reserved for Scouring of the Shire-style thing up of loose ends/epilogue

it'll be a Lady Stoneheart episode

So where, exactly, did Arya come from? I mean, wasn't the NK basically standing in the middle of an open area? Was she hiding in the tree?!

Also, the dark/muddy picture was obviously a kind of cost-saving measure...doing that makes special effects look better.

i thought the melisandre ending was good however i feel like that whole thing is never going to be adequately explained - is the god of light (or whatever he's called) just a metaphysical divine presence who appears to help fight the night king during the winter and he has no other motivations? it felt like it should be much more than that.

The lord of light also requires the death of key children

will there be another night king next winter?

I DO like the idea of Arya doing the deed...just think showing her leading up to the climax would have been more exciting than her leaping out of the darkness.

Also wish there was more NK backstory/explanation. But then again I guess we don't get a LOT of Sauron's history in the LOTR movies...at least we have Tolkien to fall back on there.

I think the general sense that the show is uncomfortable with the fantasy elements is probably slightly unfair since they are not fantasy guys and their lead on this front (Martin) kinda left them out to dry. Still, make an effort!

x-posts--god of light obv axial transcendental monotheism...never to be explained...deus absconditus and all.

what an amazing monotheistic deity to care so deeply about saving the lives of all these pagans

I’ve decided in my head-canon that there are no gods in the world of Game of Thrones, just some general universal magic that humans and creatures have figured out how to tap into, and that they explain with gods. Melisandre and the red priests/priestesses really do get visions, but they aren’t sent by any being. The faceless men really can change faces, but the power isn’t endowed upon them by anything sentient.

The point that drove it home for me was the explanation of trial by combat as a means of divine justice early in the series.

xpost

x-post: Where were you when I laid the Earth's foundations? And, uh, lit swords on fire?

I don't know how much more NK history we needed--

He was a weapon killed its makers:

a man turned into a White Walker by the Children of the Forest as a defense against the First Men, then he eventually destroyed the CoF and set out to kill the 3 Eyed Raven, probably in order to bring permanent winter to the world.

People had a lot of theories, (like that he was a Stark and was really coming back to Winterfell to find his bride in the crypt) but they were kind of dumb.

oh yeah I hated that "Bran is the NK" theory

it never had any chance of being true, especially since nothing seems to make the showrunners happier than pooping all over show-only theories

remember that time the night king was going to turn the population of king's landing into an army?

I suppose (re: NK). I am pro-fantasy though and the whole appeal of fantasy is the lore and the show routinely skimps on that stuff. I still think the best thing associated with the show is the little historical featurettes narrated by the actors that give a lot of the background stuff!

just watched the episode, and lol Jon Snow still knows nothing.

I loved everything about Arya, but come on, they telegraphed her role so heavily with the "blue eyes" bit with Melisandre. and she can sneak around white walkers easily cause she's small and a freaking FACELESS ASSASSIN. (I actually thought for a moment that there was going to be a fake-out and it was actually her and not Bran in the wheelchair).

remember that time the night king was going to turn the population of king's landing into an army

I still think this would have been fucking dope tbh

the little featurettes with the interviews with Benioff and Dan Weiss are the worst things on film - wish they'd just do the interviews with the actors