Robdraggoo
Member
He's the new Ramsey. You think he's a nice guy then bam! Psycho
-
Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.
Game of Thrones *NO BOOK DISCUSSION* |OT| Season 7 - [Read the OP]
- Thread starter Cornballer
- Start date
- Status
My attempt at internet sarcasm failed, my bad. I think its insane that a big reaction to the Ed Sheeran scene is that so many people claim to not know who he is at all. I get not being tied into pop culture but the guy has been everywhere for a solid 2 years now. I felt it borderline ruined the scene but moreso because I just kept thinking Holy shit why is Ed Sheeran in this.
It's actually very easy to avoid artists whose sound does nothing for you.
SteveMeister
Hang out with Steve.
I was going to say. There's already precedent for a musical act cameo, and it makes sense having people who can actually sing, given how important songs are to the overall story. I mean it's not like he was singing something from his albums in a medieval way. And so what if the camera lingered on him a bit -- it did for other members of the Lannister band Arya encountered.
Ire here is misplaced.
Cracklox
Member
This thread has taught me there's not much crossover between Gaf GoT fans and Ed Sheeran fans lol.
I'm hardly a fan, but recognized him straight away. After the initial 'shit. I know who that is' moment, it was fine. Pretty short scene too.
Also the Sam montage was fine. It went for all of a minute or so to those saying it went on too long, and was to establish that Sams plan of becoming a maester not being all it was cracked up to be (at least initially). I'm sure most of us have started a new job that they're pretty excited about, only to soon find out some of its less glamorous aspects.
Also, the show has a history of 'slow' first episodes, but I think this was one of the better ones. It shifted some key pieces into place and moved things forward well enough. Now if they do another couple of similarly paced episodes in amongst the already shortened season length, that could be an issue with how much they have to get through
I'm hardly a fan, but recognized him straight away. After the initial 'shit. I know who that is' moment, it was fine. Pretty short scene too.
Also the Sam montage was fine. It went for all of a minute or so to those saying it went on too long, and was to establish that Sams plan of becoming a maester not being all it was cracked up to be (at least initially). I'm sure most of us have started a new job that they're pretty excited about, only to soon find out some of its less glamorous aspects.
Also, the show has a history of 'slow' first episodes, but I think this was one of the better ones. It shifted some key pieces into place and moved things forward well enough. Now if they do another couple of similarly paced episodes in amongst the already shortened season length, that could be an issue with how much they have to get through
I only read the reply to my comment. That's a failure on my part.
As I'm rewatching it now, that scene still is in the back of my mind. It really takes you out of the show.
BannedEpisode
Member
I know who Ed Shereen is, I just had never seen him, or if I did I didn't associate that it was him. So I didn't realize that was him. Edit: I've probably "seen" him a bunch but still.
Without that context I thought the scene was fine. Kinda glad actually.
Without that context I thought the scene was fine. Kinda glad actually.
Positively huge! You just can't escape the Ed Sheeran fever.
Are you really using GAF as your reference for this? Lol
MeshuggahMan
Member
Well... I guess it's good I have no idea who Ed Sheeran is or I wouldnt have felt any tension in that scene like I did haha.
MoonsaultSlayer
Member
Exactly. But I'm also sure I would have been fine with it even if I knew who it was because it was completely fine.
Arya needs some merry men as she dark Robin Hood's her way to King's Landing anyway.
Something interesting I read on Reddit. The scene where Sam asks about getting entry into the restricted area of the library? The person he asks is actor Jim Broadbent, who plays professor Slughorn in the Harry Potter films, and who just so happens to be asked a very similar question by Tom Riddle. Very cool little homage to HP there.
Dragon Stone is empty because Stannis Baratheon and his entire army left to fight the war in the North.
I think the scene where Bran passed the Ice Wall is one of the most pivotal scenes of the entire season. I believe that moment is when the magical barrier that assists with keeping the White Walkers from surpassing it was dispelled, just as what happened with the Three Eyed Raven's keep.
Dragon Stone is empty because Stannis Baratheon and his entire army left to fight the war in the North.
I think the scene where Bran passed the Ice Wall is one of the most pivotal scenes of the entire season. I believe that moment is when the magical barrier that assists with keeping the White Walkers from surpassing it was dispelled, just as what happened with the Three Eyed Raven's keep.
@ShenmueGuru
Member
It's early days so I will keep my optimism high as always, but I have to be honest with myself and say yes, I found the episode incredibly boring.
All I can sum up that first episode as was plot progression and production budget. I genuinely thought the narrative and script in general was bad. That scene between Cersi and Jamie? Really? It felt missing something, and I've been thinking about it a lot as to why I feel that way. I watched the episode again in a hope to see that I've missed something or why I disagree with a lot of the positive opinions that the public have, and I am starting to conclude that I have a fear or a concern if Weiss and Benioff are up to the showrunning challenge without the indepth source material. Can they write full length episodes of the quality we have seen across 6 seasons, without the original manuscripts being already available. That's what my biggest concern was after one episode. It really was missing something for me, so I have to be honest and say that was a poor start. It was a borderline filler episode.
The Ed Sheeran thing also bothered me. I can't view him as a character because, well he wasn't one of any purpose except to sing. That just makes him Ed Sheerin in a TV show. He is not a credible actor, unlike Jim Broadbent or Jonathan Price. When I was watching Jim Broadbent, he was the Citadel character he was meant to be portraying. He wasn't Harold Zidler, or Bridget Jones's dad. Jonathan Pryce was the High Sparrow, not Elliot Carver or Weatherby Swann. That's the difference. You believe the characters they portray because of their acting skills. Es Sheeran singing a song in a Game of Thrones episode is just Ed Sheeran singing a song.... In a Game of Thrones episode!
Of course I will stick with it, and I hope GRRM will be penning a script for one of these episodes for comparison. But that's where I am at, after that episode. Can D.B and David run with this on their own without the extreme in-depths of the original source material to really get a feel for what's going through these characters minds at this point in the story.
All I can sum up that first episode as was plot progression and production budget. I genuinely thought the narrative and script in general was bad. That scene between Cersi and Jamie? Really? It felt missing something, and I've been thinking about it a lot as to why I feel that way. I watched the episode again in a hope to see that I've missed something or why I disagree with a lot of the positive opinions that the public have, and I am starting to conclude that I have a fear or a concern if Weiss and Benioff are up to the showrunning challenge without the indepth source material. Can they write full length episodes of the quality we have seen across 6 seasons, without the original manuscripts being already available. That's what my biggest concern was after one episode. It really was missing something for me, so I have to be honest and say that was a poor start. It was a borderline filler episode.
The Ed Sheeran thing also bothered me. I can't view him as a character because, well he wasn't one of any purpose except to sing. That just makes him Ed Sheerin in a TV show. He is not a credible actor, unlike Jim Broadbent or Jonathan Price. When I was watching Jim Broadbent, he was the Citadel character he was meant to be portraying. He wasn't Harold Zidler, or Bridget Jones's dad. Jonathan Pryce was the High Sparrow, not Elliot Carver or Weatherby Swann. That's the difference. You believe the characters they portray because of their acting skills. Es Sheeran singing a song in a Game of Thrones episode is just Ed Sheeran singing a song.... In a Game of Thrones episode!
Of course I will stick with it, and I hope GRRM will be penning a script for one of these episodes for comparison. But that's where I am at, after that episode. Can D.B and David run with this on their own without the extreme in-depths of the original source material to really get a feel for what's going through these characters minds at this point in the story.
MoonsaultSlayer
Member
Would have more impact if they showed white walkers unable to cross.
And we've seen some on "our" side of the wall anyway.
MoonsaultSlayer
Member
What if the idea was to have another Rains of Castamere like song during a tragic scene as Arya=Ed does some murderating while singing a folk song?
BannedEpisode
Member
I was honestly just relieved to have a group of guys near a girl that weren't a pack of murderous rapists.
We will see how long that lasts but I have to assume some people in the world of GOT are normal good natured people.
Trying to recollect, but wasn't it just one who has been over? That one character from the first season who had recently died but came back after being brought over by Jon and company.
Considering we're talking about how people on GAF in this thread don't seem to know who he is, that would be a good indicator?
There were a couple of shots that bothered me where they really went out of their way to show him. Like there was the conversation between Arya and the guy to her right and the guy is talking and then there's the shot of her reaction to that story but instead of her being in focus Ed was. Just really unnatural and pulled me right out of the scene.
Like I'm fine with cameos and all but this was just a big publicity stunt on HBO's part and has nothing to do with a cameo and more with getting as much Ed on screen as possible.
I know, I know.
But one single thread with 17 replies for supposedly the biggest pop star on the planet for the past 2 years?
I agree with pretty much everything you wrote. On top of that, the Jon Snow stuff really didn't do it for me at the beginning. Like he was just named King of the North and Sansa was already undermining him. But as a first episode - kind of setting up where we are now, I actually think it was pretty eventful. For example, Sam already did more in this episode than I thought he'd do in quite a while and Euron already has a Navy presence in King's Landing... like that was really fast.
Edit: Well. I may have overstated how much I agreed with you. But you made some good points.
Ros8105
Member
So, we're getting a Beyonce cameo next?
MMBosstones86
Member
Tormund saying "you're a lucky man" to Podrick slayed me.
Dude is still thirsty.
Dude is still thirsty.
DeviantBoi
Member
From the Hound's vision, I have the impression that they will go around the wall... where it stops when it reaches the ocean.
Ocarina_117
Banned
I know, I know.
But one single thread with 17 replies for supposedly the biggest pop star on the planet for the past 2 years?
Don't use GAF as a metric. All songs off his latest album (released around feb) have 100 million plus views on YouTube. Shape of you (amazing song) has 1.5 billion.
Rad Shadow
Banned
Poop and soup montage was the best part of the episode.
Using GAF as a counter-argument for Ed Sheeran's popularity on a global scale (or at least in the states?) isn't, though. And that was the context of the comment the image was in response to.
I know, I know.
But one single thread with 17 replies for supposedly the biggest pop star on the planet for the past 2 years?
Yeah, I get what you mean. I honestly couldn't tell you if he's the biggest pop start on the planet, but he's definitely not some unknown quantity and the number of GAF threads about him isn't an accurate measurement.
Edit: I kinda love the idea of someone wandering into the Game of Thrones thread only to see it being dominated by Ed Sheeran talk.
Some of you are insufferable. How dare a show linger on a shot and let a scene breath. One of the three major characters of the series returns to her homeland after six seasons, a place that will form a crucial part of the rest of this season, and it goes on too long? Spare me. They're setting the scene and underlining the grandiosity of the place.
I think Orange Is The New Black is more your thing.
BannedEpisode
Member
He's a man who bragged about allegedly fucking a bear and how bad he got busted up. Makes sense.
MoonsaultSlayer
Member
I thought the first episode showed them on the south side of the wall.
Can they even cross the ocean? The HardHome episode seemed to indicate that they can't really enter the water. Maybe if they board an armada of ships like the dead did in Return of the King...
I have an urge to say Stan and post gifs from bravo shows.
Moff
Member
Arya will take his face and Ed Sheeran will kill Cersei, Jaime, Euron and the Mountain in the season finale while singing one of his new songs.
demosthenes
Member
Hardhome is closest to eastward, said jon. He's sending the wildlings to protect it. This sets up that a bunch of them will converge on eastwatch which lines up with one of the trailers.
MoonsaultSlayer
Member
From YT ep 2 promo comments:
Did you notice something WEIRD? Jim Broadbent (Professor Slughorn in Harry Potter) Plays the Arch Maester in this season, who sam was talking to. Now in The Half-Blood Prince, Voldemort asks Slughorn about something in the Restricted Section of the Library. Sam ALSO asks jims character about something in the Restricted Section of the Library
Don't you find that a bit.... ODD?
Well there's 2 questions for this though:
1) Why couldn't the WW use any human to set a mark and make sure he or she passes the wall? Like the dude in the first episode of the entire show. Is there something special about Bran that only he can be used? If so, what is it?
2) I still think the WW can pass the wall anytime they want. I mean, the wall is made of ice with some magic-sort-of-thing. The White Walkers are ice creatures, with magic with them (how else can they resurrect humans, animals and other creatures from death and place their their army).
Did you notice something WEIRD? Jim Broadbent (Professor Slughorn in Harry Potter) Plays the Arch Maester in this season, who sam was talking to. Now in The Half-Blood Prince, Voldemort asks Slughorn about something in the Restricted Section of the Library. Sam ALSO asks jims character about something in the Restricted Section of the Library
Don't you find that a bit.... ODD?
Well there's 2 questions for this though:
1) Why couldn't the WW use any human to set a mark and make sure he or she passes the wall? Like the dude in the first episode of the entire show. Is there something special about Bran that only he can be used? If so, what is it?
2) I still think the WW can pass the wall anytime they want. I mean, the wall is made of ice with some magic-sort-of-thing. The White Walkers are ice creatures, with magic with them (how else can they resurrect humans, animals and other creatures from death and place their their army).
schwabdizzle
Banned
MMW: Jamie Lannister will be the one that will end up killing Cersi.
None of those things were done in a montage though
Pretty much exactly what happened to me.
Logs on.
Sees GOT thread - "oh I wonder how GAF is reacting?"
..."Who the fuck is Ed Sheeran?"
Fwiw, my radio alternates between a rock & and metal station and a 80s/90s/early 00's hip hop station. I'm way out of the pop music scene, whenever I watch the Grammy's I'm constantly asking "who's that?"
The Wall was constructed by traditional and magical means specifically to defend against the White Walkers after The Long Night. If passing through it has always been easy for them, I doubt they'd have waited until now to make their approach. I still believe Bran is one of the most important cogs in this machine.
1. Well, I think it's because no Human who can actually cross the wall had been so far up North that The Night King could've "cursed" them. If there was a person that far up, it was wilding and they're not getting through.
2. They've specifically said that the Wall's magic is stopping the White Walkers right now, just like the barrier stopped them at Three Eyes Raven's tree.
- Status