• 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.

*UNMARKED SPOILERS ALL BOOKS* Game of Thrones |OT| - Season 5 - Sundays on HBO

Status
Not open for further replies.
S

Steelyuhas

Member
rbJlieD.jpg


Content Roundup: The House of Black and White

Reviews and Recaps:
AV Club (experts)
AV Club (newbies)
Hitfix (Alan Sepinwall) Review
Grantland (Andy Greenwald) Recap
Rolling Stone Recap
Entertainment Weekly (James Hibberd) Recap
IGN Review
Washington Post (Alyssa Rosenberg) Review
Washington Post Recap
Watchers Recap (book readers)
Watchers Recap (Unsullied)

HBO Content:
HBO Viewers Guide
Inside the Episode
GRRM: The Night's Watch Election
Dorne & the Water Gardens Featurette
A Threat Against Myrcella
Clip
Conleth Hill Talks Varys' Allegiance and Impulse
"High Sparrow" Preview

This post will be linked in the OP.
 
B

badcrumble

Member
cartoon_soldier said:
I think Episode 9 will have Battle of Winterfell

We don't know much about what has happened there, I think it's happening this season.
Click to expand...

I think so too, yeah. It's certainly not going to do the Pink Letter stuff because the show doesn't do the POV stuff and that means no hiding events like that from the viewer.
 
W

WaffleTaco

Wants to outlaw technological innovation.
hydruxo said:
They've said that they want to move away from Ep 9 containing the huge event because it's become too predictable, but we'll see

Personally I think it'll go:

Ep 7-8: Battle of Hardhome
Ep 8: Cersei's Penance Walk

Ep 9: Pits

Ep 10: Dany & Drogon encounter with Dothraki + Varys kills Pycelle & Kevan + Jon's stabbing
Click to expand...

I'm thinking that was for mainly Season 4 because of Joffery's death in Episode 2 and then episodes 7, 8 and 10 had the major deaths as well.

We did get Mance's death in Episode 1 though. Probably Janos Slynt next. Somewhere we will get Bronn, Grey Worm. And then the deaths at the end of the season including: Kevan, Pycelle,
Meryn Trant
, maybe Sam and Olly, along with "Jon." Maybe Barristan.
 
H

hydruxo

Member
Tommie Hu$tle said:
I'm just catching up with this thread from reading the books. So are you all saying Stoneheart is out 100%? Is that conjecture or fact?
Click to expand...

Fairley said that she won't be back, but of course that doesn't guarantee anything. I think what alot of people have said is that Stoneheart probably isn't important enough of a role in the story to warrant having on the show. She's a cool character, but one that works better in the confines of a book. There's only so much time that the show can give to each character/story arc when GoT is so huge already. All that being said, there's always a (very slim) chance that the Brotherhood Without Banners & Stoneheart still show up and capture Brienne & Pod, but the writers would have to figure something else out when it comes to Brienne having to hunt down Jaime since he's in Dorne now instead of Riverrun.
 
B

badcrumble

Member
hydruxo said:
Fairley said that she won't be back, but of course that doesn't guarantee anything. I think what alot of people have said is that Stoneheart probably isn't important enough of a role in the story to warrant having on the show. She's a cool character, but one that works better in the confines of a book. There's only so much time that the show can give to each character/story arc when GoT is so huge already. All that being said, there's always a (very slim) chance that the Brotherhood Without Banners & Stoneheart still show up and capture Brienne & Pod, but the writers would have to figure something else out when it comes to Brienne having to hunt down Jaime since he's in Dorne now instead of Riverrun.
Click to expand...

As the Onion AV Club 'expert' review noted, Brienne's storyline seems to be all about forcing her to figure out what to do when she can no longer be about duty and oaths.

Given that Lady Stoneheart is also all about (probably) forcing Brienne to choose between her oath and her heart, I suspect she's simply not needed because that particular job will be performed by different people/events on the show. And Jaime's probably not going to get killed by her in the books either, I suspect.
 
B

Basileus777

Member
We have everything but a booming announcement from the heavens suggesting that Stoneheart is gone. Cat died in season three, it if was going to happen, it would have already done so. People hoping that cut elements like LSH and the Ironborn are just being pushed to future seasons are operating on wishing thinking.
 
T

Tabris

Member
So was it confirmed no Bran this season? If so, super disappointing as that's my favourite storyline. It makes sense though as it seems like his story is almost caught up totally to end of books (based on spoilers I've read - haven't read the books).
 
B

Basileus777

Member
Tabris said:
So was it confirmed no Bran this season? If so, super disappointing as that's my favourite storyline. It makes sense though as it seems like his story is almost caught up totally to end of books (based on spoilers I've read - haven't read the books).
Click to expand...

Yep, it was confirmed.
 
L

Lord of Castamere

Member
I've enjoyed more than I've hated so far. Sansa/Brienne was horrible, but Bron/Jamie, and Tyrion/Varys was good. I thought the carriage ride was probably the best scene in the episode honestly. The small council scene and Doran were close seconds. Good episode overall.
 
Cpt.Underpants

Cpt.Underpants

Member
burnfout said:
I've read all the books but I cannot remember Hardhome, what is that all about?
Click to expand...

Thousands of Wildlings that are being lead by Mother Mole and are stuck in that area and besieged by wights and the others. Jon sends a contingent of wildlings lead by Tormund and his huge member to rescue them.
 
L

Lothar

Banned
If they're going to have a battle this season, why Hardhome instead of Meereen? If they were building up to a battle in Meereen, the Meereen stuff wouldn't feel so pointless in the show.
 
M

Martian

Member
Lothar said:
If they're going to have a battle this season, why Hardhome instead of Meereen? If they were building up to a battle in Meereen, the Meereen stuff wouldn't feel so pointless in the show.
Click to expand...

Well, I still have hope for a Greyjoy mix. Seeing as they arent in this season, I hope they build next season around the Greyjoys and their going to Meereen
 
C

cartoon_soldier

Member
Lothar said:
If they're going to have a battle this season, why Hardhome instead of Meereen? If they were building up to a battle in Meereen, the Meereen stuff wouldn't feel so pointless in the show.
Click to expand...

Because Dany will do enough by herself to tear Meeren apart, it doesn't need a big battle.
 
B

Basileus777

Member
Lothar said:
If they're going to have a battle this season, why Hardhome instead of Meereen? If they were building up to a battle in Meereen, the Meereen stuff wouldn't feel so pointless in the show.
Click to expand...

How would a battle change the "pointlessness" of it? The problem with Mereen is its disconnect from the rest of the story, that's why they are moving through it more quickly and not stretching it out with an extended siege.

Martian said:
Well, I still have hope for a Greyjoy mix. Seeing as they arent in this season, I hope they build next season around the Greyjoys and their going to Meereen
Click to expand...
They'll be getting Dany to Westeros next season, not introducing elements they already decided needed to be cut.
 
B

burnfout

Member
Cpt.Underpants said:
Thousands of Wildlings that are being lead by Mother Mole and are stuck in that area and besieged by wights and the others. Jon sends a contingent of wildlings lead by Tormund and his huge member to rescue them.
Click to expand...


A battle north of the wall? Awesome, thanks! man I need to reread the last two books :/
 
H

hoos30

Member
Tabris said:
So was it confirmed no Bran this season? If so, super disappointing as that's my favourite storyline. It makes sense though as it seems like his story is almost caught up totally to end of books (based on spoilers I've read - haven't read the books).
Click to expand...

Bran is on hiatus until his actor can grow another 8 inches.
 
H

hoos30

Member
Basileus777 said:
How would a battle change the "pointlessness" of it? The problem with Mereen is its disconnect from the rest of the story, that's why they are moving through it more quickly and not stretching it out with an extended siege.


They'll be getting Dany to Westeros next season, not introducing elements they already decided needed to be cut.
Click to expand...

This. Her bags are already packed, we're just waiting for the movers to get here.

I thought I read that HBO is pretty hell-bent on wrapping this series up in season seven. If you operate with that in mind, you can start eliminating storylines that will never make it to the screen.

EDIT: This is a year old, from HuffPost -

###
Even though George R.R. Martin's book series isn't finished yet, the showrunners of the HBO adaptation of "Game of Thrones" are looking to the end. David Benioff and Dan Weiss spoke with Entertainment Weekly about the series, and said they're more sure than ever that seven seasons feels right for the show.

"To start on a show and say your goal is seven seasons is the height of lunacy," Benioff admitted. "Once we got to the point where we felt like we’re going to be able to tell this tale to its conclusion, that became [the accepted] goal. Seven gods, seven kingdoms, seven seasons. It feels right to us."

###
 
B

BobTheFork

Member
hoos30 said:
This. Her bags are already packed, we're just waiting for the movers to get here.

I thought I read that HBO is pretty hell-bent on wrapping this series up in season seven. If you operate with that in mind, you can start eliminating storylines that will never make it to the screen.

EDIT: This is a year old, from HuffPost -

###
Even though George R.R. Martin's book series isn't finished yet, the showrunners of the HBO adaptation of "Game of Thrones" are looking to the end. David Benioff and Dan Weiss spoke with Entertainment Weekly about the series, and said they're more sure than ever that seven seasons feels right for the show.

"To start on a show and say your goal is seven seasons is the height of lunacy," Benioff admitted. "Once we got to the point where we felt like we’re going to be able to tell this tale to its conclusion, that became [the accepted] goal. Seven gods, seven kingdoms, seven seasons. It feels right to us."

###
Click to expand...

Does she need more than one season in Westeros? Since this season is set I thought going back to Westeros would be the season finale stinger for next year. Maybe she can leave halfway through the season and her landing in Westeros is finale. I'm interested to see what finally convinces her to leave and exactly what she will be doing.
I don't see what the final season would be except just a season long fight scene.

It's kind of strange to me that we are well past the halfway point and it doesn't feel like anything is close to reaching the wrap up point.
 
B

bodyofanamerican

Member
BobTheFork said:
Does she need more than one season in Westeros? Since this season is set I thought going back to Westeros would be the season finale stinger for next year. Maybe she can leave halfway through the season and her landing in Westeros is finale. I'm interested to see what finally convinces her to leave and exactly what she will be doing.
I don't see what the final season would be except just a season long fight scene.

It's kind of strange to me that we are well past the halfway point and it doesn't feel like anything is close to reaching the wrap up point.
Click to expand...

Yep, totally. Plus, I've always wondered, is her departure to Westeros contemplative, or is it a spur of the moment thing, necessary at a specific time? Does she ride on her ships, or does she ride Drogon across the Narrow Sea? So many questions.
 
B

BobTheFork

Member
bodyofanamerican said:
Yep, totally. Plus, I've always wondered, is her departure to Westeros contemplative, or is it a spur of the moment thing, necessary at a specific time? Does she ride on her ships, or does she ride Drogon across the Narrow Sea? So many questions.
Click to expand...

Yeah, she could have left several times already but she doesn't want to leave the region she's in in a state of decay. I can't imagine everything being peachy there no matter what she does so I'm leaning on spur of the moment. In the book and show they need to get the dragons under control to do anything with them so that is what I'm waiting for the most and probably the most interesting story point I'm waiting for.
 
H

hoos30

Member
BobTheFork said:
Does she need more than one season in Westeros? Since this season is set I thought going back to Westeros would be the season finale stinger for next year. Maybe she can leave halfway through the season and her landing in Westeros is finale. I'm interested to see what finally convinces her to leave and exactly what she will be doing.
I don't see what the final season would be except just a season long fight scene.

It's kind of strange to me that we are well past the halfway point and it doesn't feel like anything is close to reaching the wrap up point.
Click to expand...

Well, it depends on what GRRM told D&D what she will do when she gets there. I doubt that she cruises to the Iron Throne, she's going to have to fight someone (Stannis/White Walkers/What's left of Cersei-Lannisters-Sparrow/etc.) That's a full two seasons right there.

In my mind, the stringer shot for this season is Dothraki finding Dany in the desert. But we'll see :)
 
L

Lothar

Banned
cartoon_soldier said:
Because Dany will do enough by herself to tear Meeren apart, it doesn't need a big battle.
Click to expand...

Sure, nothing interesting needs to happen. They can keep making Dany's story as boring as possible. But why would they do that?

Basileus777 said:
How would a battle change the "pointlessness" of it? The problem with Mereen is its disconnect from the rest of the story, that's why they are moving through it more quickly and not stretching it out with an extended siege.
Click to expand...

It's pointless when nothing major is going on and there's no end game in sight. Not many were calling her story pointless in Season 1 or building an army at the beginning of Season 3. A big battle is something major, something exciting, would make people get more invested in the characters and the story similar to the Wall battle last year, would feel like the final step being going to Westeros. That's the way it feels in the books. Instead of that, now it feels like she's just treading water.

I remember lots of people feeling that the Wall story was disconnected and they didn't care about anything that was happening there. The big battle and Stannis arriving changed that. Now they see it as one of the most important storylines. Perhaps a big episode long Meereen battle and Tyrion arriving would have a similar effect on Dany's story.

The Pits were a lousy conclusion to Dance With Dragons. That's why so many people were complaining the battles were left out. You don't think that's an acceptable way for Meereen to end in the show after multiple seasons, do you?
 
D

Dysun

Member
Seems like a big dip, historically the numbers haven't dropped much (>500K in Season 4 and barely any in the previous 3). Leaks and 'meh' premiere episode had an effect
 
B

Basileus777

Member
Lothar said:
It's pointless when nothing major is going on and there's no end game in sight. Not many were calling her story pointless in Season 1 or building an army at the beginning of Season 3. A big battle is something major, something exciting, would make people get more invested in the characters and the story similar to the Wall battle last year, would feel like the final step being going to Westeros. That's the way it feels in the books. Instead of that, now it feels like she's just treading water.
Click to expand...

Plenty of people complained about the disconnect in past seasons, it's not a new problem. The end game is Dany arriving in Westeros, it always has been. There needs to be interesting conflict in Mereen before that, but an expensive battle is hardly essential, especially when it would likely push what really needs to happen further off.
 
E

Exterminieren

Banned
Arkeband said:
Euron, the Dragonhorn and Queensmoot would have made E1 and E2 amazing, but alas.
Click to expand...
Even more inconsequential and boring, maybe.

People are complaining that the Dany plot is irrelevant, they'd die of boredom when presented with all these characters they don't care about and have no reason to get invested in.
 
P

PhoenixDark

Banned
Exterminieren said:
Even more inconsequential and boring, maybe.

People are complaining that the Dany plot is irrelevant, they'd die of boredom when presented with all these characters they don't care about and have no reason to get invested in.
Click to expand...

You're right...still, I think viewers would be more entertained by Victarion and Euron than the political situation in Meereen.

Ultimately they did the right thing by choosing Dorne over Pyke. It's a more interesting setting, based on the tone of the show (drama, intrigue, etc). That being said, what they showed of Dorne on Sunday felt campy and abrupt.
 
Moff

Moff

Member
I always prefered pyke over dorne, but dorne is probably just more important in the bigger picture and offers more occasions for nudity.
 
S

Steelyuhas

Member
PhoenixDark said:
You're right...still, I think viewers would be more entertained by Victarion and Euron than the political situation in Meereen.

Ultimately they did the right thing by choosing Dorne over Pyke. It's a more interesting setting, based on the tone of the show (drama, intrigue, etc). That being said, what they showed of Dorne on Sunday felt campy and abrupt.
Click to expand...
Dorne also has a better tie in to the other narrative pieces at work and a direct fall out of Oberyn from season 4. The intro was far too brief in 502 though, hopefully we get better picture of the situation in the next couple episodes.

Pyke on the other hand is a narrative island, both figuratively and literally!
 
I

Iksenpets

Banned
Steelyuhas said:
Watchers: 502 live viewership
Click to expand...

I failed to do my part and still haven't gotten to watch the episode yet. Leak is definitely hurting it though. I imagine we'll see small declines in episodes 3 and 4 as well, and the. Maybe it'll head back up starting with 5.

Steelyuhas said:
Dorne also has a better tie in to the other narrative pieces at work and a direct fall out of Oberyn from season 4. The intro was far too brief in 502 though, hopefully we get better picture of the situation in the next couple episodes.

Pyke on the other hand is a narrative island, both figuratively and literally!
Click to expand...

Yeah, once they had done Oberyn you kind of had to do Dorne. Even if it's a plot you don't like, it's still necessary follow-up. With the Greyjoys, I don't think viewers would feel like they have any loose ends so long as they eventually get satisfying conclusions for the 3 Greyjoy characters they already have. The uncles aren't necessitated by any pre-existing plot.
 
Moff

Moff

Member
Iksenpets said:
I failed to do my part and still haven't gotten to watch the episode yet. Leak is definitely hurting it though. I imagine we'll see small declines in episodes 3 and 4 as well, and the. Maybe it'll head back up starting with 5.
Click to expand...

I can see the show losing viewers steadily now. we are in AFFC/ADWD territory, and even if they cut out most of the stuff. there is still nothing moving forward.
 
R

Real Hero

Member
They could make people care about any Greyjoy if they tied them to Danys plot. I'm surprised they don't seem to be doing that with Asha, although it might make less sense without the whole dragon horn thing.
 
K

Kain

Member
Patriots7 said:
Any theories about the end game of Dorne?
Trystane to marry Dany?
Click to expand...

In the show? That should be Doran's intention, but he will see Trystan happy with Myrcella and will let love run its course.

And the I will die of boredom.

Please make Doran a vengeful bastard and not a wimp, please don't screw this up.
 
P

Patriots7

Member
Kain said:
In the show? That should be Doran's intention, but he will see Trystan happy with Myrcella and will let love run its course.

And the I will die of boredom.

Please make Doran a vengeful bastard and not a wimp, please don't screw this up.
Click to expand...
Yeah. It seems that it's looking Romeo and Juliet like, with Trystane and Myrcella being in love while their families are warring.

Hope they do more with it than a teenage love story.
 
B

BobTheFork

Member
hoos30 said:
Well, it depends on what GRRM told D&D what she will do when she gets there. I doubt that she cruises to the Iron Throne, she's going to have to fight someone (Stannis/White Walkers/What's left of Cersei-Lannisters-Sparrow/etc.) That's a full two seasons right there.

In my mind, the stringer shot for this season is Dothraki finding Dany in the desert. But we'll see :)
Click to expand...

Yes, that really would be two seasons of material but I didn't think this season would end with her on her way to Westeros. I don't see her story where she is rapping up in a way that can get her out the door and on her way home that fast.
 
B

biosnake20

Member
In D&D's most recent interviews they are talking less and less about seven season and are usually talking about how they can't go 100 hours or "we have to figure this out with HBO". I think HBO and probably GRRM are pushing for more than seven and D&D are now seriously considering it.
 
P

PhoenixDark

Banned
biosnake20 said:
In D&D's most recent interviews they are talking less and less about seven season and are usually talking about how they can't go 100 hours or "we have to figure this out with HBO". I think HBO and probably GRRM are pushing for more than seven and D&D are now considering it seriously.
Click to expand...

I'm still betting on 8. Whether it's a full 8 or a S7 Part I and II is the only question.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

HBO submits GoT finale, "The Iron Throne", for Best Writing at Emmys 2019
43
3K
ZehDon replied
The 2019 Emmy Award Winners - Suck it Game of Thrones
17
2K
andreymagnus replied
Disney reveals the next Star Wars film is from Game of Thrones creators
2
68
4K
MB1 replied
HBO Max going all Out - Green Lantern & Adam Strange Shows, new Dune Show, Animated Gremlins, Boondocks revival, Anime, SouthPark, Lovecraft Show etc
News
19
2K
DeafTourette replied
Game of Thrones Season 8 episode lengths revealed
49
3K
Tevious replied
Top Bottom