Game of Thrones on HBO

[PackerFanatic]

I had read this a few days ago, sounds like it's likely less than 2 more seasons (I hope they do just one final mega-season instead of trying to split 10 - 15 episodes across two years, but we will see)

'Game of Thrones' Showrunners on Series End - Hollywood Reporter

[Coffee Warlord]

I really hope they don't do such a blatant money grabbing move of splitting it into 2 short seasons.

[spleen1015]

That felt pretty lame.

[PackerFanatic]

Originally Posted by Coffee Warlord

I really hope they don't do such a blatant money grabbing move of splitting it into 2 short seasons.

Exactly. Which is why I am sure they will. And it will be crappy of them.

[Coffee Warlord]

Originally Posted by PackerFanatic

Exactly. Which is why I am sure they will. And it will be crappy of them.

Sadly. Yeah.

[ISiddiqui]

I think that's the problem of when you run out of source material. Showrunners just know the bare bones plot lines and have to write it themselves - that's a bit more difficult than adaptation.

[Arles]

Originally Posted by Kodos

I enjoyed the episode. Glad to have the best show on TV back again.

This

[Logan]

Hmm. I thought the first episode was great.

[molson]

This is the first live episode I've seen after finally catching up with the series, so it's my first chance to look at all of the online reactions. I guess I shouldn't be surprised, but, damn, there's a lot of negativity. I thought this was a pretty beloved show.

[Atocep]

I was really critical of the early episodes last season, but I didn't have any issues with last night's episode.

[Grover]

I was a little disappointed, but I think it was fine. A little too much Point A to B in a direct straight line, but in retrospect the closing scene with Melissandre was really well done, especially where it had people questioning previous scenes without her wearing the choker.

Also. Brienne + Sansa = Win.

[Radii]

I think the episode felt stretched kinda thin because they decided to do setup in every possible setting. I'm fine with that for a premiere though, it takes time to get things rolling and we know it'll be worth it. It was nice to see all the characters again, that's for sure!

[Solecismic]

It's hard to tell the history of a world that has so many significant pieces. There's an entire richly-layered show in several of the individual stories. It could go on for 100 seasons without running out of material.

So it has struggled from the beginning with moving back and forth between the story lines.

I'm afraid that when this no longer became based on the books, the show-runners made some decisions about which story lines wouldn't make the cut as the show began winding down. There seems to be some anxiousness in the first episode in making things happen along several of these lines.

History doesn't necessarily work that way. Game of Thrones is not a literary world where things happen all at once. Time is an important character. I think Martin likes to write a scene, then leave it alone for a few months before picking it up again, just for the effect that has on his writing. Now that we're past the books, it's going to feel different. Probably a good thing just to drop some of these lines (I was hoping Bran inside the raven would be one to miss the cut).

The one piece of story-telling I got out of the episode is that there are six strong women - Sansa, Arya, Melissandre, Cersei, Danaerys and Ellaria Sand. With the exception of Ellaria, all six are at a starting point, almost literally stripped bare (and the stripping or proposed stripping is actually part of the story for three of them, while Arya has lost her sight and Sansa was shivering in the woods). All six have some sort of grievance and claim on the world and presumably intend to lead.

It wasn't a great first episode, but I think there's potential greatness in this parallel feminist superhero narrative.

[whomario]

It seems like there is just too much going on and too many different settings/places to go, to the point where the series format is getting stretched to what makes sense. It was, what, 5-8 minutes per storyline/place last night ? Hope that was a opening-episode thing and they get merged and/or divided onto different episodes.

EDIT: Well, like the guys above said more elaborately. Had written this 2 hours ago and never pressed "send"

Overall it was a normal first episode. Did anybody really expect tons of new developments with all the loose ends from last season with it´s gazillion cliffhangers ?

I thought the new Khal can be a cool character, best moment was his "best things in the world" ammendment to appease his wise-ass buddies.

Also the self-adressing of his meme by Jorah with help from Daario. The burning of the ships and the "well, we are not sailing for Westeros anytime soon" also felt like a response to the Internet/Critic crowd and makes me wonder if that is even ever in the cards. Maybe they simply all die on that side of the ocean.

Can someone remind me what the heck happened with that Dragon btw ? Why again is a woman with a dragon getting kidnapped ?

[JPhillips]

Hopefully we can at least all agree that Jorah finding the ring in the grass was ridiculous!

[Solecismic]

Originally Posted by JPhillips

Hopefully we can at least all agree that Jorah finding the ring in the grass was ridiculous!

Jorah and Bran share the concept, at least, of having a high percentage of the First Men in their blood. Somewhat magical shit like that may be part of the character, though that did seem ridiculous.

[Coffee Warlord]

No the ring was far less ridiculous than the fact that the Sand Snakes apparently SOMEHOW teleported onto Trystane's boat.

[whomario]

I totally forgot about Bran, he´s going to need sceeentime as well. And then maybe we´ll have Jon Snow moving away from the wall and still the White Walkers are coming. Right now i have no clue how you´d finish this in anything under 10 seasons

Originally Posted by JPhillips

Hopefully we can at least all agree that Jorah finding the ring in the grass was ridiculous!

forget about the ring, even finding that field seems damn near miraculous. Unless that Dragon (again, where is he ?) left a track of poop for them to follow.

Also, how do we go from a facsimile of the scottish Highlands to a desert in like a few days ?

[PilotMan]

It occurred to me last night that Jon may have gone into Ghost. We learned (in the book anyway) that a warg can transfer his life essence. That or the Red Woman has something else in store for him.

[whomario]

Originally Posted by PilotMan

It occurred to me last night that Jon may have gone into Ghost. We learned (in the book anyway) that a warg can transfer his life essence. That or the Red Woman has something else in store for him.

That was the talk of the town (read Internet) for weeks after the finale While it´d be interesting, surely can´t be permanent ? wasn´t it established that Harrington was on set all the time ?

[thesloppy]

Originally Posted by whomario

That was the talk of the town (read Internet) for weeks after the finale While it´d be interesting, surely can´t be permanent ? wasn´t it established that Harrington was on set all the time ?

Similarly, there's a theory that Robb warged into Greywind (his direwolf's name were also his last words, like Jon's) at the Red Wedding, and managed to get himself killed twice! Good times.

[Arles]

Originally Posted by Coffee Warlord

No the ring was far less ridiculous than the fact that the Sand Snakes apparently SOMEHOW teleported onto Trystane's boat.

This was the only thing that really confused me. Weren't they all on the dock when Ellaria drank the antidote? Of course, I could have completely missed that two accompanied Trystane on the trip to King's Landing.

[Coffee Warlord]

Originally Posted by Arles

This was the only thing that really confused me. Weren't they all on the dock when Ellaria drank the antidote? Of course, I could have completely missed that two accompanied Trystane on the trip to King's Landing.

No, you're correct. The last time we saw those two was on the docks. Hell, I didn't even realize Trystane WENT to King's Landing at the same tmie. So um...what was his reaction when Myrcella died on the trip? Jaime didn't have anything to say about that? Did they take different boats? Bad bad bad storytelling.

And again, I'd also like to say...why the fuck didn't they do an about face right there when she was poisoned?

Show's handling of Dorne continues to be total shit.

[Solecismic]

Originally Posted by Arles

This was the only thing that really confused me. Weren't they all on the dock when Ellaria drank the antidote? Of course, I could have completely missed that two accompanied Trystane on the trip to King's Landing.

Ellaria wouldn't need to drink the antidote, because they spend their entire youth slowly building a tolerance. But she did kiss Myrcella goodbye. Was she in King's Landing? I thought that was a flashback to Dorne.

[whomario]

Originally Posted by Arles

This was the only thing that really confused me. Weren't they all on the dock when Ellaria drank the antidote? Of course, I could have completely missed that two accompanied Trystane on the trip to King's Landing.

did they all leave on the same ship ? If not, why wouldn´t the prince go later than Jamie/Myrcella ?

In any case, it´s probably best not to think too hard about this stuff. They are going to heavily have to rely on the power of "suspension of disbelieve" to move the myriad of stories forward in a timely fashion (they also didn´t even bother showing how our 2 base jumpers survived, much less went unscathed or how the rescue duo got there f.e. )

And while i personally think the Jorah/Daario Roadtrip could make an excellent sketch and/or sitcom, do we really want 3 episodes of them trying to figure out where they need to go ?

[Pyser]

Originally Posted by JPhillips

Hopefully we can at least all agree that Jorah finding the ring in the grass was ridiculous!

I thought he was standing in the circle of grass that was untouched, surrounded by the mud where are the horses had been circling Danaerys

[Arles]

Originally Posted by Solecismic

Ellaria wouldn't need to drink the antidote, because they spend their entire youth slowly building a tolerance. But she did kiss Myrcella goodbye. Was she in King's Landing? I thought that was a flashback to Dorne.

In the preview, they showed her kissing Myrcella and then drinking the antidote as the ship went to sea. I *thought* all the sand snakes were behind her in that image. So, unless there was a second boat, I didn't understand how they were on the boat to kill Trystane. The other explanation is that only one sand snake stayed in Dorn while the other two accompanied Trystane to King's Landing.

But, I agree that there's no point in getting too caught up in "gotcha" moments on this show. Just roll with it

[JPhillips]

Originally Posted by Pyser

I thought he was standing in the circle of grass that was untouched, surrounded by the mud where are the horses had been circling Danaerys

But thousands, or tens of thousands, of people were in that horde. Nothing would have been undisturbed and anything on the ground would have been taken or stomped into the mud.

[bronconick]

Originally Posted by Coffee Warlord

No the ring was far less ridiculous than the fact that the Sand Snakes apparently SOMEHOW teleported onto Trystane's boat.

Why couldn't they get into a boat 10 minutes later and follow?

[Groundhog]

It seems to me pretty likely that the boat would've turned back to shore once the princess died - however it also seems pretty likely that Jamie would've put two and two together and wreaked some havoc if that happened, and the prince probably wouldn't have traveled on if they did return to shore.

It seems incredibly unlikely to me that Jamie (and everyone else) wouldn't realise exactly how the princess died, and who did it.

[Pyser]

Originally Posted by JPhillips

But thousands, or tens of thousands, of people were in that horde. Nothing would have been undisturbed and anything on the ground would have been taken or stomped into the mud.

except the circle she was standing in, which they pretty clearly showed was untouched

[sabotai]

Originally Posted by Coffee Warlord

No the ring was far less ridiculous than the fact that the Sand Snakes apparently SOMEHOW teleported onto Trystane's boat.

That jumped out to me too. They watch the ship sail away from the pier, but somehow get to King's Landing at the same time as the ship (or sooner). I guess you could explain it away by saying that they got aboard a different, faster ship shortly after...but I think the most likely reason is lazy writing. If the plan was to kill Trystane as well, it makes no sense that they wouldn't have just poisoned him on the dock as well.

[thesloppy]

Originally Posted by Pyser

except the circle she was standing in, which they pretty clearly showed was untouched

For that moment, yes. Once they tied her up and were leaving, why would the tens of thousands of horses leave that space undisturbed?

[sabotai]

Originally Posted by whomario

In any case, it´s probably best not to think too hard about this stuff.

Yeah, I learned that lesson when Littlefinger somehow traveled from Winterfell to King's Landing in about 10 minutes.

Overall I thought it was a good first episode.

[MrBug708]

Originally Posted by thesloppy

For that moment, yes. Once they tied her up and were leaving, why would the tens of thousands of horses leave that space undisturbed?

Discipline?

[sabotai]

Originally Posted by thesloppy

For that moment, yes. Once they tied her up and were leaving, why would the tens of thousands of horses leave that space undisturbed?

The horde always ride single file to hide their numbers...

[Pyser]

Originally Posted by thesloppy

For that moment, yes. Once they tied her up and were leaving, why would the tens of thousands of horses leave that space undisturbed?

dunno, but they did

[Groundhog]

Originally Posted by PackerFanatic

I had read this a few days ago, sounds like it's likely less than 2 more seasons (I hope they do just one final mega-season instead of trying to split 10 - 15 episodes across two years, but we will see)

'Game of Thrones' Showrunners on Series End - Hollywood Reporter

IMO they'll 'finish' the storyline next season, but then immediately launch a spin off series.

[JPhillips]

I can not wait for the sitcom built around Pod and his wife running a tavern!

[Groundhog]

Everyone Loves Ramsay

[Neon_Chaos]

'Twas the night millions of boners went permanently limp.

[Vince, Pt. II]

Originally Posted by sabotai

The horde always ride single file to hide their numbers...

[NobodyHere]

Originally Posted by sabotai

The horde always ride single file to hide their numbers...

Originally Posted by Vince, Pt. II

On that note there are apparently 6 actors from Game of Thrones who appeared in The Force Awakens. Not to mention there's also the guy that plays General Veers in Empire.

[ISiddiqui]

Originally Posted by whomario

they also didn´t even bother showing how our 2 base jumpers survived, much less went unscathed or how the rescue duo got there f.e. )

Everyone knows you do a forward roll at the bottom of a 50 foot jump... what?

[SteveMax58]

Originally Posted by JPhillips

I can not wait for the sitcom built around Pod and his wife running a tavern!

Yeah where his real passion is suiting up as a knight, and solving problems for people in his town without revealing it's actually Pod the barkeep.

And one of the recurring memes of the show has to be women in his bar that have heard of his legendary sexual prowess flirting with him, which annoys his wife to no end.

[Logan]

Originally Posted by Pyser

dunno, but they did

Whether or not it should actually have been disturbed or not, Jorah still walked over to the undisturbed area and immediately started searching for something, which means he either knew he should be looking for something (maybe that was a known thing they've discussed about leaving a sign she was in trouble) or just poor direction in not getting the actor to sell that for longer. I would bet on the latter but just throwing that alternative out there.

[miked]

A lot of complaining about "realism" in a show with dragons, magic, giants, and more. I never thought the little Dorne boy was actually on the same ship, but maybe I just missed something. I would hardly imagine they would have killed him right away anyway since he was supposedly in love and had little to do with the plot.

Anyway, we're complaining about the probability of a guy finding a lost ring or riders making tracks where one of the guys is turning to stone because a guy who previously turned to stone touched him.

[whomario]

Logic and "realism" are not the same thing and Logic and Fantasy not mutually exclusive

Just another fun one: How exactly did news of the dead Myrcella get back to Dorne ?

Originally Posted by Logan

Whether or not it should actually have been disturbed or not, Jorah still walked over to the undisturbed area and immediately started searching for something, which means he either knew he should be looking for something (maybe that was a known thing they've discussed about leaving a sign she was in trouble) or just poor direction in not getting the actor to sell that for longer. I would bet on the latter but just throwing that alternative out there.

On the other hand, everybody who ever saw a movie (or read a story or saw a play in case of GOT-land ) about a kidnapping knows that the victim will try this trick

[Vince, Pt. II]

Originally Posted by whomario

Just another fun one: How exactly did news of the dead Myrcella get back to Dorne ?

This one is fairly easily explained by Ravens.

[ISiddiqui]

Don't know if this was posted before, but it's a fantastic article on how the show in the last few seasons completely misunderstands the Song of Ice and Fire's (and George R.R. Martin's) view on violence:

A Song of Ice and Fire condemns violence, but Game of Thrones is just plain in love with it

The genius of George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire isn't his prose — which is often rote — it's his world building, and his ability to craft a story in which every action has consequences and carries thematic weight. No act of violence just happens — it is caused, and that in turn causes more.

HBO's adaptation of the series maintained much of this violence critique in its earlier seasons, letting characters opine at length about the Mad King and Robert's Rebellion to provide the context viewers needed. But as we've plodded into the later seasons of Game of Thrones, showrunners David Benioff and Dan Weiss seem to be abandoning this throughline. The shift is making a complex and thoughtful story into something of a boring, pedestrian gorefest.