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*UNMARKED SPOILERS ALL BOOKS* Game of Thrones |OT| - Season 6

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ryseing

Member
I do most of my discussing of the show in the other thread. This thread lost most of its value when there were no longer books to do 1:1 comparisons of and say "See! This was so much better!" It's really just a den of purists who hate watch something they know they'll never be satisfied with, and find comfort in complaining with others of the same sort. A safe place if you will.

But, I'll add value and say it was a GREAT episode. Amazingly shot, incredibly tense, and that ending...just delicious. 10/10, would watch again.

I'm not hate watching anything nor am I a purist. I just want a show I love to fulfill its potential and not squander it because the writers couldn't think things through.
 
In the movie Braveheart, I knew William Wallace would not die in the very first battle, but I still enjoyed it.

Sometimes you have to give people credit for things besides plotting. There aren't other houses of thousands of men who would support the Stark claim, so it's the Vale. Got it. But it's still an exciting enough revelation for fans of this show, and it was very entertaining to see.

Speaking of braveheart there's another movie with fantastic music accompanying it's battle scenes. Ramin has got to go. He phoned it in on warcraft too.
 

Barzul

Member
Wow people hated the episode? Sure anyone with a brain definitely considered the Vale intervening and saving the day but there were moments I wasn't sure at all. The scenes of Jon telling Mel not to bring him back made me think she would in fact have to do so, the crushing scene thought he was a goner. It was well shot that even though you knew the potential which turned out to be the actual outcome you were second guessing yourself the whole time. Sansa feeding Ramsay to his dogs, tears in my eyes. Also I feel Jon charging was definitely within character, the guy thinks with his heart and I'm glad death hadn't changed that. Thought it might have fucked him up proper. Men will still follow Jon after this, why? They see themselves in him. Most of them would've reacted the same way when Ramsay killed Rickon. I mean there's a reason they charged.
 

ryseing

Member
AV Club nailed my feelings in its review

http://www.avclub.com/tvclub/thrones-stages-epic-battle-what-end-238453
If we think about “Battle Of The Bastards” in context of its three predecessors, I’m not convinced that this battle ends up accomplishing much of anything beyond sound and fury. Now, to be clear, many things are accomplished in the episode as a whole, and sound and fury is not a useless end in and of itself. However, whereas the three previous battles have all felt in some way transformative or generative as far as storytelling is concerned, “Battle Of The Bastards” felt like a cocktail of inevitability, without the type of uncertainty, fear, and moral ambiguity that defined those previous conflicts. It was a war between absolute heroes and diabolical villains in a show that has often avoided such conflicts, and that binary led to a battle that was as inert as it was impressive.
 

spootime

Member
I do most of my discussing of the show in the other thread. This thread lost most of its value when there were no longer books to do 1:1 comparisons of and say "See! This was so much better!" It's really just a den of purists who hate watch something they know they'll never be satisfied with, and find comfort in complaining with others of the same sort. A safe place if you will.

But, I'll add value and say it was a GREAT episode. Amazingly shot, incredibly tense, and that ending...just delicious. 10/10, would watch again.

The show has made changes from the books for the better. The best example is the buddy story between Arya and the Hound. That being said, dismissing all criticism as book purists complaining is just stupid.

Meereen in this episode was sick. I really liked it. The bastard battle was pretty unsatisfying though. It was beautifully shot and created, but did we really need another "new army saves the day" scene? Why couldn't Jon just be smart for once? Watching Jon be a fucking moron and then get saved by something completely out of his control was an unsatisfying end to Ramsay Snow. Really, Ramsay deserved to win that battle. He completely outmaneuvered Jon. He just got unlucky with the teleporting army of the vale.
 
I think that a lot of people read spoilers on the internet, and that more than anything took away from your enjoyment.

I don't see how just blind watching you could have seen Littlefinger coming at least not without discussing it on the internet or watching the prior episodes several times.

Face it. Spoilers eat this show alive. It's why this thread looks like a redacted document from the CIA.
Don't look up spoilers?
You guys are so hard to please. That was one of the all time best episodes of television.

The people in this thread are a lost cause. Leave them to their ramblings and hopes for books that will never come.

Life must be a joy for you many of you guys.
Hey hey hey don't lump us all together. I enjoyed the episode! If anything I would complain about why didn't Sansa tell Jon and if would be nice if there was other northern house arriving with the KoV. But regardless I was hyped and enjoyed this episode :)
 
The show has made changes from the books for the better. The best example is the buddy story between Arya and the Hound. That being said, dismissing all criticism as book purists complaining is just stupid.

Meereen in this episode was sick. I really liked it. The bastard battle was pretty unsatisfying though. It was beautifully shot and created, but did we really need another "new army saves the day" scene? Why couldn't Jon just be smart for once? Watching Jon be a fucking moron and then get saved by something completely out of his control was an unsatisfying end to Ramsay Snow. Really, Ramsay deserved to win that battle. He completely outmaneuvered Jon. He just got unlucky with the teleporting army of the vale.

Yeah, my problem with the show, it was telegraphed which is very un-game-of-thrones like.

Then again, there are only 15 episodes left so they have to start wrapping things up to get to the real threat of Dany/White Walkers.

OT: While this season has been better than season 5, I don't think any singular episode is close to being as good as Hardhome.
 

Madness

Member
I think that a lot of people read spoilers on the internet, and that more than anything took away from your enjoyment.

I don't see how just blind watching you could have seen Littlefinger coming at least not without discussing it on the internet or watching the prior episodes several times.

Face it. Spoilers eat this show alive. It's why this thread looks like a redacted document from the CIA.

Dude what. I have a whatsapp group since 2012 of 14 of us who started only the show. We all knew Littlefinger would come when we saw that scene with Robyn at the Vale. His meeting with Sansa and the fact Blackfish just sputtered meant that the Raven sansa was writing was for Littlefinger. Only a complete moron would say we had no way of knowing without spoilers. That is how poor the writing is.
 
Really, Ramsay deserved to win that battle. He completely outmaneuvered Jon. He just got unlucky with the teleporting army of the vale.

This is true. As was brought up before Ramsay basically pulled off a maneuver like Hannibal at Cannae.

Then again, how in the world did Jon's guys get completely surrounded by those shield and spear men so quickly? They've got the big body wall in front of them and then you have Davos and Wun Wun charge into Jon but a couple seconds later the Bolton shieldmen have somehow completely gotten behind Jon and perfectly enveloped them?
 

Speevy

Banned
Dude what. I have a whatsapp group since 2012 of 14 of us who started only the show. We all knew Littlefinger would come when we saw that scene with Robyn at the Vale. His meeting with Sansa and the fact Blackfish just sputtered meant that the Raven sansa was writing was for Littlefinger. Only a complete moron would say we had no way of knowing without spoilers. That is how poor the writing is.

I just don't think it was as obvious as you're saying to your average watcher, but I'm not going to engage in further discussion if you're going to lay down insults. That's just uncalled for.
 

SargerusBR

I love Pokken!
The only complain i have about this episode is that it did not feel like it was a 6000 vs 2500 man battle.

More like a 500 vs 200 battle.
 

Jarmel

Banned
So the writing was as stupid as it's ever been this season.

That said, that was probably the best onscreen battle I've ever seen in either TV or movies.
 

Madness

Member
I just don't think it was as obvious as you're saying to your average watcher, but I'm not going to engage in further discussion if you're going to lay down insults. That's just uncalled for.

Wasn't personally directed at you but I apologize if it came across like that. But my whole group is casual show watchers aside from me because I read the books. I also browse the show only thread along with twitter and reddit and other sites. Pretty much everyone guess Littlefinger was going to show up at the last hour.
 

VinFTW

Member
A lot of these "reviews" just seem cynical in nature.

It's easy to say in hindsight, oh well, we all knew it was going to end this way.

Well, fuck that, I sure as shit didn't.

I know for one thing the shower runners are doing whatever the fuck they want. I trust GRRM to make the right decisions, I don't trust DB and DW lately.

SO I WAS FUCKING ANXIOUS AND NERVOUS ALL EPISODE LONG. I thought for sure Jon was getting his throat cut or some random as shit was going to happen.

It wasn't as good, but that Vale army "rescue" reminded me of the Rohirrim at the end of the Battle for Helm's Deep, which might be the #1 or #2 best battle scene of all time for me.

I thought it was a fucking fantastic episode which sets up a lot of far reaching events to come (Bran has a home to come back to, Arya too, Davos and Melisandre confrontation, etc).
 

Yoda

Member
Sansa prob could have saved hundreds of lives if she told Jon that LF was coming to help...

On a side note, is Sansa pregnant w/Ramsay's child?
 

Jarmel

Banned
AV CLUB review said:
Perhaps the ultimate test for “Battle Of The Bastards” is this: if this were a chapter in Martin’s books instead of a visually stunning episode of television, would any of this work? The spectacle has value, do not get me wrong, and I appreciate an adrenaline rush as much as the next person, but if we were to imagine a written version of this battle would there be any depth to Jon’s inner monologue? Would Sansa’s motivations make any sense?

Yep they're right on the money. The writing has been dogshit this season and it continued through this episode.

That said, I'm willing to forgive a lot due to how visually brilliant this episode was.
 

Brakke

Banned
The battle was totally great. The sheer *weight* of the horses crashing into people was awesome. Jon suffocating under the stampede was tense as heck. Really excellent choreography throughout. The phalanx was a bit quick to form but they had at least foreshadowed how that could happen by demonstrating Tormund's (and thus, the wildlings') total unfamiliarity with regular army tactics.

I liked the substance of the Dany-Yara scene, but the show is getting too cheeky with the 'ships; first Tormund and Brienne eye-fucking, now these two would-be Queens. Yara's walking right into the shit tho. She only has any fleet at all because of her reputation as a reaver, I don't know how she figures she can rule if she gives up reaving on behalf of the Ironborn.


I don't buy that at all. Jon was clearly defeated, he's not relishing his victory. Seems disgusted by it at the end. Plus winning-by-Littlefinger's is clearly transformative, and Littlefinger certainly is not a hero. Seems premature to call it "not transformative" since the transformation will necessarily happen in the episodes to come.
 
Way to go Sansa. She knew the Vale was coming but didnt tell Jon. Solely responsible for the deaths of thousands and probably her little brother too. Little Finger comes in now with all the power as Jons army is depleted.

Rad decision making.
 

LJ11

Member
Enjoyed it every minute of it.

The Vale coming to save the day was telegraphed, you could see it coming, but even with that in the back of my mind it was still a great fucking scene. It's TV, wasn't perfect, but man it was entertaining as hell.
 

Eidan

Member
How dare we want believable character arcs and inventive plot developments!
I think "believable character arcs and inventive plot developments" are essentially "character/plot arcs/developments exactly like what's in the books, or what I predict will be in the books".
 

Jigorath

Banned
I thought the Meereen battle in the beginning sort of sucked. The Battle of the Bastards was a lot better, though it made no sense why Sansa didn't tell Jon that the Knights of the Vale were nearby and they might be arriving soon so it might be best to wait a couple hours before getting everyone killed. Above average direction has once again elevated the show's awful writing.
 
I thought the Meereen battle in the beginning sort of sucked. The Battle of the Bastards was a lot better, though it made no sense why Sansa didn't tell Jon that the Knights of the Vale were nearby and they might be arriving soon so it might be best to wait a couple hours before getting everyone killed. Above average direction has once again elevated the show's awful writing.

Its because she is still completely wrapped around Little Finger's little finger.

He very likely asked her not to tell, hence her outburst in the tent. He wanted to come save the day after Jon's army was depleted so he would have all the cards in his hand. He was probably hoping Jon would be dead too.
 

Brakke

Banned
Way to go Sansa. She knew the Vale was coming but didnt tell Jon. Solely responsible for the deaths of thousands and probably her little brother too. Little Finger comes in now with all the power as Jons army is depleted.

Rad decision making.

If she did know Littlefinger was coming (which I don't think is clear), it actually was good decision making on her part to hold that info back, since Jon was a total bonehead both during the planning and during the commanding of the battle. Dude had a deathwish and would've wasted the cavalry of the Vale.
 
Agree with those who thought the plot was dumb, but the spectacle was great. Seriously, the opening charge was incredibly directed, it almost made me forget just how stupid the situation was. I did get a bit bored towards the end though, and the actual MOUNTAIN of bodies felt off. Then the Rohirrem arrived.

On another note, was anyone annoyed that the Bolton Men were better Unsullied than the Unsullied?
 

Yoda

Member
If she did know Littlefinger was coming (which I don't think is clear), it actually was good decision making on her part to hold that info back, since Jon was a total bonehead both during the planning and during the commanding of the battle. Dude had a deathwish and would've wasted the cavalry of the Vale.

I don't think he was a bonehead during the planning. His hypothetical seemed fine; and he wasn't expecting more troops, so he had to do the best w/what he had. Waiting for the Vale + LF's expertise would have helped.
 

blackflag

Member
The battle scenes themselves were amazing but the fact that Jon was stupid and only got saved by the Vale at the last possible second was pretty damn dumb.
 

Saya

Member
End of that brings up something I didn't even think of last week.

Maybe Varys going to kill Kevan.

Very likely. I think Varys is preparing Westeros for the arrival of Dany. Throwing it into chaos, so when Dany comes into play, she will be met by the people as their savior.
 

Brakke

Banned
I don't think he was a bonehead during the planning. His hypothetical seemed fine; and he wasn't expecting more troops, so he had to do the best w/what he had. Waiting for the Vale + LF's expertise would have helped.

She explained to Jon, directly and out loud, that Ramsay doesn't fall for traps, he sets them. Jon didn't listen to her, and fell for Ramsay's trap with Rickon -- whose death Sansa also called. Jon's hypothetical was not fine, Sansa said so, and she was right. Jon was a straight up bonehead and Sansa knew it. She had no reason to believe Jon would use the Vale in anything resembling a smart way. So she set a trap for Ramsay, which was to let him think his trap for Jon would win the battle.
 

Lothar

Banned
That was a great episode. One of the best in the series, right after the week that may have been the worst in the series. It's clear they put all their time, money, and effort into this and said "Fuck the rest." Not a dull second this entire episode. Both battles looked blockbuster film quality.

Sansa almost looks smart for not wanting to put 100% faith in Jon. That may have actually been a good idea. Going by her warning Jon not to fall into Ramsay's trap and then Jon falling into his trap 5 minutes later ruining all his battle plans.

Sansa killing Ramsay via dog and then smiling about it was the most satisfying thing to happen in the whole series: book or show.

Why wouldn't Jon get Melisandre to resurrect Rickon though?
 

Jarmel

Banned
She explained to Jon, directly and out loud, that Ramsay doesn't fall for traps, he sets them. Jon didn't listen to her, and fell for Ramsay's trap with Rickon -- whose death Sansa also called. Jon's hypothetical was not fine, Sansa said so, and she was right. Jon was a straight up bonehead and Sansa knew it. She had no reason to believe Jon would use the Vale in anything resembling a smart way. So she set a trap for Ramsay, which was to let him think his trap for Jon would win the battle.

Problem is now she doesn't have any sort of base as Littlefinger holds all the cards. The Vale is in total control of Winterfell.
 
A lot of these "reviews" just seem cynical in nature.

It's easy to say in hindsight, oh well, we all knew it was going to end this way.

Well, fuck that, I sure as shit didn't.

I know for one thing the shower runners are doing whatever the fuck they want. I trust GRRM to make the right decisions, I don't trust DB and DW lately.

SO I WAS FUCKING ANXIOUS AND NERVOUS ALL EPISODE LONG. I thought for sure Jon was getting his throat cut or some random as shit was going to happen.

It wasn't as good, but that Vale army "rescue" reminded me of the Rohirrim at the end of the Battle for Helm's Deep, which might be the #1 or #2 best battle scene of all time for me.

I thought it was a fucking fantastic episode which sets up a lot of far reaching events to come (Bran has a home to come back to, Arya too, Davos and Melisandre confrontation, etc).

And Jon and Sansa have control of Winterfell and allies in the vale. Now the north remembers
 

Angry Grimace

Two cannibals are eating a clown. One turns to the other and says "does something taste funny to you?"
Just watched the episode. Thought it was great, the scene with Jon getting crushed was really hard for me to watch. The way they cut it made me really anxious (just to be clear, this was clearly intentional not upset about it).Although I still find it silly that Sansa wouldn't just tell Jon about the Vale

Anyways it was nice to see the not drogons sort of do stuff. Also the Davos scenes should be really interesting next week.

I feel like Sansa's reasoning for not trusting Jon is in the show, just not communicated that well since a lot has happened in between the events that would make her skeptical of Jon.
 
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