Game of Thrones

Well, to be fair, I think pretty much everyone watching the show knew that was coming. Everything in last night's episode was completely telegraphed and set up going several episodes back now. As much as the last one was a sort of a slap in the face to fanservice, Battle 'o the Bastards gave all the casual tv viewers exactly what they were crying for. And I guess that is a nice balance. I am sure people will (and are) point to the epic battle being a masterpiece of television - and I am not taking anything away from it, it was - but we all knew how it would play out, and as nice as it was to watch, didn't really have any gravitas behind it. But incredibly well orchestrated, intense, and I would venture setting a fair mood for the real atmosphere of hand-to-hand warfare.

My gripes for the episode are mainly to do with Sansa not even mentioning the impending army, even if the arrival is not a sure thing. Yes, winter is coming, and Jon wants to get underway, but naturally he would be willing to give it a day longer, if he thought there was any chance to avoid that slaughter. Merely getting in a tiffy with him for not being consulted, and then right after pulling the line “I don’t know, I’m not a soldier.” was pretty weak. When the army of the Vale shows up alongside her, it makes even less sense, and drives home the convenience of it all. But anyways, like I said, the outcome was self-evident with all the pieces they set in place.

Rickon's death was pretty silly; I get that they wanted to show [yet again] how much of a bastard Ramsay is, and needed some way to get Jon to throw away his obvious thinking/strategy for the sake of it, but still. The advantage of arrows is only in their numbers; at long distances and with unpredictable targets, you can't really act like it is sharp shooting or even realistic in that fashion. It would have been nice, in spite of this, if they had at least made it look he was trying to avoid them. He didn't seem all that weak or in mental anguish from his time with the Boltons either, but anyways. His death didn't really have any effect either; he was a basic innocent casualty on the show as a secondary character. He was so young I don't think he even knew the Game was taking place, and like Myrcella on the show is only there causally as an effect to the more important characters. Which kind of does the plot a disservice.

minor thoughts;
- RIP Wun-Wun. Seriously, the giants were great. I realised they need to save all their budget for the CGI dragons doing 'stuff' with Dany, and the battle alone probably cost 1/3 of the season's budget, but man, no more giants, really? Also, why the hell couldn't they have given him a weapon? Who thought this up (other than writers using plot devices I mean)? These guys use mammoths ffs; not to mention the freefolk are pretty resourceful generally.

- I am probably the only person indifferent about Ramsay's death, and the manner of it (though Sansa was well away from the conversation by the time Ramsay was speaking of not feeding his dogs)

- speaking of arrows, they are raining down everywhere, wiping out swathes of men on both sides, but never the main characters, because.

- what is Lady Mellisandre really doing in the story anymore? I know they are keeping her around for some role later on, but her popping in randomly like that at moments on the show, and this strange deference Jon shows to her, is kind of annoying. With her crisis of faith and then Jon's 'rebirth' I feel she should either be set aside as having played a role, or take on a more key figure status, but it is neither. Ah well, I guess the vengeance of Shireen will be coming (not that it is at all clear what Davos thought happened up to this point).

- how is it Dany has not learned, through the entire span of GoT, that as a rule you can't just take people at their word? As interesting as the new alliance will be, I also find it hard to believe the Iron Islanders would just swear off everything that has been their entire lifestyle and civilization (if we are to believe it as portrayed) overnight.

- the cinematics of the battle was impressive, so I have to stress that again. Not like anything you would normally expect to see on television. The claustrophobia of it all, the dirt and grime of reality, the strategies employed. Combined with some pretty epic tracking shots and filming with "stroboscopic" technique (see the D-Day landings in Saving Private Ryan), gave it a very incredible sense of realism

 

There was definitely a lot in the scripting of that entire battle - logic be damned! - that was set up just so we would get the outcome we did.

As for the Lady Mel, I think you are sort of right, but it was already on before that it seemed. Other than being a 'sidekick' of Stannis, she was never any kind of emissary or anything, never held any title, that would necessarily garner respect from Jon, and particularly since their belief systems didn't align, I always felt the connection b/w them felt a little too forced. I expect for Davos skepticism from the average person I guess, but that might be biased on my own feelings. As to now, it is important to keep in mind that Jon never asked to be brought back either, nor is there sign he wanted to be, but I think that is where the show missed a major beat in not showing, AT ALL, how coming back from the dead has changed him.

 

That was kind of my point, bows work very different than guns, so as ridiculous as this is, it is sort of on point. And, even though a straight zigzag pattern is still predictable, if done symmetrically as shown above, it is still better. But erratic pattern behaviour is the way to go; ask Nature.

 

That would have been the way to go man, definitely. Toy with him as he is wont to do, but still show the futility of trying to rescue him or ever thinking that Ramsay would do anything but kill him. The way it showed it now, there was technically more than a chance Rickon could have survived, had he (and Jon) been smart about it.

Has anyone else been wondering/noticed the obvious absence of Ghost as well?

I think the wildfire nod was definitely a foreshadowing of the coming story for Cersei/Faith Militant/KL. It was the first we were shown that Tyrion had actually known this story [which puts another perspective to his use/discovery of it for the Blackwater], and I don't think really served any necessary purpose in the exposition other than to show what was to come.

Oh man, so this. It could be they are bringing Dorne back into it somehow, via Varys and his journey to find allies, but I find it equally possible we are meant to believe the slate is just wiped clean somehow. They have sure dropped a lot of storylines like this, after visiting/teasing them for just a few minutes through the course of the show. (ToJ anyone?)

Man, only one episode left for this year?! And then realistically only eight in total (counting this one) for the GoT saga? Dagnabbit, so much left to tell us. That doesn't seem like near enough time to me to wrap this all up, and I am seriously concerned over the pacing (and even more deus ex's) for the season to come.

 

(gentle nodding)

Let's not forget, Winter is coming, let's not leave Ghost all out by himself. [He has been of considerable use in the story after all]


And how could you say no to such a lovely, loyal fellow.


I expect it has as much to do with budget, as you pointed out, as not throwing off the massive unbalance of the 'Battle' necessary for the tense plot, not unlike Wun-wun's lack of weapon, complete forgoing of any strategy, the surprising 'competency' of the Bolton host (unlike all armies we have seen in GoT thus far), and [in]convenient timing.

 

#wheremybadpussyat?

 

I believe you are on the wrong venue for these types of posts David.

 

#dornrules
#dorn2017
#sandsnakesftw
and other purple things.

 

Yes, yes, very amusing.