HBO's Game of Thrones

[Stryker]

Tywin died on Father’s Day...

Interesting. I never would've known that since I didn't watch that episode when it aired. And what a way to go, huh? In one of your most vulnerable states while sitting on the crapper.

This is a fun little blip

Name of Thrones: Parents are naming their kids after favorite 'GoT' characters

Not surprising. Just like how Meghan rose in popularity recently and I'm sure Archie will too by next year.

 

[Andysol]

This is a fun little blip

Name of Thrones: Parents are naming their kids after favorite 'GoT' characters

Greyworm didn’t make the cut?

 

[Stryker]

Greyworm didn’t make the cut?

Or Hot Pie?

 

[DragonSlayer]

Well, us UK viewers are just about into the 12-2am staying-awake-game. Funny how it's so easy to accidentally find oneself still awake at 2am when it's important not to be, but when trying to stay awake it's so much harder :sleep:

 

[belloq87]

I think this is going to be a love it or hate it episode, depending on where one's character sympathies are.

I (mostly) loved it.

 

[DragonSlayer]

I think this is going to be a love it or hate it episode, depending on where one's character sympathies are.

I (mostly) loved it.

Can I be both?

There were bits that were great, and awe inspiring. There were parts that were utterly disappointing, nonsensical, and grotesque. The word "pathetic" went through my mind at one stage. Super conflicted. Urgh.

I think I can just about see more good in it than bad. Will write more tomorrow. In pure production terms, has to be the biggest single episode of any show in the history of TV, surely.

 

[Brian G.]

Can I be both?

There were bits that were great, and awe inspiring. There were parts that were utterly disappointing, nonsensical, and grotesque. The word "pathetic" went through my mind at one stage. Super conflicted. Urgh.

About the same, but I lean towards liking it.

 

[DragonSlayer]

About the same, but I lean towards liking it.

Posted just as I edited -- same. Glad I'm not mad.

 

[belloq87]

Can I be both?

There were bits that were great, and awe inspiring. There were parts that were utterly disappointing, nonsensical, and grotesque. The word "pathetic" went through my mind at one stage. Super conflicted. Urgh.

You can be both! I think a lot of the pushback that will certainly come will be from those who are more invested, emotionally, in certain characters than in others. If I were a big fan of one character in particular, I probably would not be terribly pleased about what the show made that character do.

Just as pure spectacle, as EVENT television, it was a remarkable episode from a technical and production standpoint.

 

[Legacy]

I think this is going to be a love it or hate it episode, depending on where one's character sympathies are.

I (mostly) loved it.

I thought it was the worst one they've had. Not a single satisfactory thing about it.

This season is retroactively ruining the show.

 

[belloq87]

I'm sorry you feel that way!

 

[Robert Bliss]

First episode I've actually hated. The truncated and compressed storytelling have come to a head and it's been clear this season is more about story-beat telling than storytelling. I'm glad the show is ending.

 

[awhen]

First episode I've actually hated. The truncated and compressed storytelling have come to a head and it's been clear this season is more about story-beat telling than storytelling. I'm glad the show is ending.

At least there will be an ending. Pretty sure George wasn’t going to give us one.

 

[Robert Bliss]

At least there will be an ending. Pretty sure George wasn’t going to give us one.

Good point. heh heh
And I hope the possible prequel series are under different showrunners who are still enthused about their product.

 

[bob albert]

People shouldn't name kids after characters who haven't completed their story arc yet lmao.

This show has clear issues that come from the story and characters getting too complex for the writers to be able to handle. I think its the same reason George RR hasn't been able to get another book finished. I can except a mostly tragic end even it it isn't enjoyable, but the writing to get the show to this point has been pretty terrible.

 

[Andysol]

Are you guys insane? I came away watching that thinking total redemption. I actually texted my brother “suffering through all that terrible writing and all those crappy episodes was worth it because of tonight. Absolutely incredible”

As who is likely the most critical person of this show and their writing on this forum- this episode was absolutely flawless.

Every major character was used correctly. It was perfect.

To those who hated it - I’d love to hear why. @DragonSlayer what was pathetic?

 

[devinp267]

Are you guys insane? I came away watching that thinking total redemption. I actually texted my brother “suffering through all that terrible writing and all those crappy episodes was worth it because of tonight. Absolutely incredible”

As who is likely the most critical person of this show and their writing on this forum- this episode was absolutely flawless.

Every major character was used correctly. It was perfect.

To those who hated it - I’d love to hear why. @DragonSlayer what was pathetic?

It's crazy that this episode had me like what?? At the end. But then after i went over it a few minutes later, i realized it was everything i wanted. And are we sure Cersei and jaime are dead?

 

[foodstampsFTW]

There was a couple stupid things that bothered me but I thought the episode was fantastic. If you weren’t ok with the big decision I could definitely see why you wouldn’t like it though.

 

[Andysol]

It's crazy that this episode had me like what?? At the end. But then after i went over it a few minutes later, i realized it was everything i wanted.

Spoiler

And are we sure Cersei and jaime are dead?

The answer is yes. 100%.

Spoiler tags until it airs overseas

Spoiler

I was thinking one of them was going to kill the other to make it tragic before the episode began, but this was much better. It made us feel bad for Cersei and sympathize with her before her death. It was actually sweet seeing them together again.

Everyone knows I haven’t been a fan of the show since the end of season 5. Season 1-4 was riveting and absolutely fantastic. Season 5 was a drop off but still enjoyable. Season 6/7 it all went to hell in my opinion. And had they not released that 7 & 8 would be the last seasons, I would have quit after 6. It got that bad for me.

The major reason for my unenjoyment, beyond the major writing snafus, was the butchering of the characters. They went completely one dimensional. This person is a good guy. This person is a bad guy. It was far too simple and just terrible.

When you think of the greatest dramas ever made, the top 3 are unquestionably The Sopranos, The Wire and Breaking Bad. My personal favorite is different, but I can’t argue with anyone about those being the top 3. A major reason they were great is they recognized (Sopranos being the groundbreaking one) that people aren’t JUST good or JUST bad. They are a mixture of good and bad. You and I are the same. So is is basically everyone else unless you’re a psychopath.

So where GoT jumped the shark was the neutering and complete dumbing down of the characters. To the point I actually question people’s mindsets for enjoyment of this show anymore.
Seasons 1-4 and to a lesser extent 5, absolutely recognized this, almost assuredly due to the source material. Then after, they just made everyone one dimensional. They ruined many, many characters because of this.

Spoiler

So maybe the reason I enjoyed this episode so much is they finally went back to some of that. The enjoyment of Cersei and the falling out of Greyworm and Dany.
Granted, they replaced the one dimensional bad guys with new “bad guys”, but at least Cersei got to be multidimensional again for a brief moment.

The other reason is it was finally realistic. Those catapults wouldn’t have ever had a chance of hitting a dragon. Ever. When they first revealed it I made a massive eye roll because I knew they’d kill a dragon with it and they thought we were dumb enough to accept that. The absolute idiocy of the previous episode was corrected. As if the dragon would be hit once, little own 3 times! No- the dragons would have done exactly what they did. Take out the ships in 3 passes and then everything on the wall and the army. It was no contest. The complaint should’ve been for LAST week. Not this one. A single dragon took out Harrenhal, which dwarfed the Red Keep, If we haven’t forgotten.
The only unrealistic part was the hound taking out 3 kings guard who had high position in one swing each. Those are the best swordsman in the realm, knights and former heroes if we haven’t forgotten. But in a series riddled with ridiculous over the last 2 seasons, I can accept that.

The other possible reason I maybe enjoyed it so much is because the show has gotten so below average; that, like the Joker, it was nice just watching the world burn.

 

[rhino4evr]

I thought it was great. This is a show that’s supposed to shock you. If everything “went as planned” everyone would just call it predictable.