They're putting all the ancillary characters in one storyline and having everyone else apart from Bran, Cersei, and Sansa meet their enemies head on.
Stuff is going to happen.
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*UNMARKED SPOILERS ALL BOOKS* Game of Thrones |OT| - Season 7 - Sundays on HBO
- Thread starter Cornballer
- Start date
They're putting all the ancillary characters in one storyline and having everyone else apart from Bran, Cersei, and Sansa meet their enemies head on.
Stuff is going to happen.
harriet the spy
Member
I am probably vaguely lost in game of thrones geography... but why didn't bran get to see Jon? Isn't Jon main base directly next to the wall? Is it not literally what bran just entered?
Also that shit montage was disgusting. wtf.
Also that shit montage was disgusting. wtf.
H.Cornerstone
Member
Think of it this way, even if you just spend 15$, that is basically a movie, so you are essentially watching a 7 hour movie at home.
And even if a million people are like you and only subscribe for 1 month, that is 15 mil in the bank for HBO.
This is the true ending in my head now, that will tide me over many more years of not reading the finale of the series.
Just imagining him hanging out on the throne, with the one remaining dragon curled up at his feet. Springtime sun peeking through the burnt and cracked stone and songbirds chirping all around the city in peacetime.
Jon is at Winterfell with Sansa, not Castle Black.
Winterfell is south of the wall. Otherwise Stannis would be a lot less dead.
harriet the spy
Member
Ah, right. I thought he went back to the wall for some reason.
I do wonder how the show would have worked if there were fewer characters each episode but each had a complete arc. It seems the showrunners didn't want to go an episode or two without the most popular characters but it certainly would have given weight to episodes that currently lack any forward momentum.
Still, even though this episode had every(?) remaining character, it had a few complete arcs. That's why The Hound's segment was so affecting. Instead of just showing us where he was, it gave us real insight into his current state of mind and let him bury (pun!) one of his past mistakes. That's a great use of time. Other beats (like Cercei or Jon/Sansa) felt less satisfying because there were hanging threads instead of bows to tie things off.
Enough to fund one episode!
Still, even though this episode had every(?) remaining character, it had a few complete arcs. That's why The Hound's segment was so affecting. Instead of just showing us where he was, it gave us real insight into his current state of mind and let him bury (pun!) one of his past mistakes. That's a great use of time. Other beats (like Cercei or Jon/Sansa) felt less satisfying because there were hanging threads instead of bows to tie things off.
Enough to fund one episode!
http://awoiaf.westeros.org/images/c/cd/The_North2.jpg
Winterfell is in the center of this map, while Castle Black along The Wall is at the top, over 600 miles away. Jon is in Winterfell. Delores Edd and the boys are up at Castle Black.
Dusk Soldier
Member
The reason whe the power doesn't feel earned is because she didn't earn it. She stole it.
The point of her going to the faceless men wasn't to become a master assassin. It was just to get her the tools she needed to help her kill the people on her prayer list.
She spent a lot of time sweeping floors and washing bodies because *NEWSFLASH* when you're an apprentice you do the bitch work until you prove yourself capable of more.
She isn't a real faceless man she just knows how to change faces, and lie a little bit more convincingly.
Stop being nitpicky for the sake of being nitpicky.
If the show had devoted the same level of care to every storyline that they did with Arya's time in Braavos, the show wouldn't have lasted more than a season. Why accept sloppy storytelling now? Braavos and Dorne were irredeemable messes. It's not nitpicking to point that out.
Latvian Hitman
Member
It's not just the power that felt unearned. Her entire arc felt unearned and poorly written to me...and to several people in the seasons 5 and 6 threads....and to several people in this thread.
When did she do that, exactly?
Operations
Member
Dorne was far, FAR worse than Braavos. Arya's training scenes were lame but the process did last for a while and helped to get the message across.
The final season... before the next one.
+The philosophical clash between Jon and Sansa is one of the show's more interesting creations. Both characters shared a similar arc where they went from a naive child to a more hardened adult, but in very different ways. Their disputes play out naturally and neither character is clearly right in their judgement. You could argue that Jon is still being too forgiving and naive while Sansa is being too harsh and shortsighted. But then again Sansa said, "I learned a lot from Cersei." LOCK HER UP JON
+Poor Sam. The montage was a little too gross for my liking, but it's always fun to see the inner workings of the Citadel, even if most of it is in the bathroom. The Archmaester also had an interesting perspective. If they weren't going full Magic Marwyn, you would expect them to have a huffy old stalwart who says "Silly Sam, giants aren't real!" in his place. Instead we got a character who realizes the possibilities of magical elements in the world, while also using history to point out that humanity has survived terrible disasters in the past and would likely survive this one. Though Sam wouldn't have had to break into the 18+ section of the library if he has just listened to Stannis. I liked the Jorah jump scare too.
+Can the Hound have a bad scene? The answer is no. Funny, heartbreaking, and endearing all at the same time. The direction and cinematography of this scene was captivating. A lot of people praise these elements during sweeping shots of landscapes or big battles, but these smaller scenes also benefit from close attention to lighting and framing. There is also an excellent rapport between Thoros, Beric, and the Hound which makes their scenes stand out. We also got a nice gravedigger nod in a moment that further highlights the Hound's humanity.
+We finally ventured outside of the war room on Dragonstone. Seeing Dany actually step foot on Westeros is what we've all been waiting for. Her placing her hand in the wet sand was a touching moment, though the ever so predictable "SHALL WE BEGIN?" is a weak ending.
+/-I liked Cersei's scenes, but I'm still feeling Jamie needs to have a bigger reaction. Didn't she blow up everyone? Like, everyone? I want to see more of Jamie's raw feelings towards learning about this incident, not after he's come to terms with what happened.
-I'm sorry, but the scene with Arya and the Lannister soldiers? THAT WAS THE HOKEYIST SHIT I EVER DID SEE. They might as well have been making smores and singing choir songs. Yes, I get the point. They want to challenge Arya's bloodlust by showing that no matter what army they may be a part of, people are people and there are honest and kind men on all sides. But they did a similar thing years ago, where they showed Stark soldiers hanging women. That touches on the same principle, that there are good and bad people on all sides, but was done so much better. Maybe they could have made a similar scene where Arya comes across the Lannister soldiers saving people in danger instead of holding hands. Also, I still feel like Arya wiping out the Freys is somewhat anticlimatic. I feel like it should be a bigger deal than it is.
-God Euron sucks. Yes yes, the show is the show and the book is the book. But did you read that preview chapter with Euron? Compare that to THIS. Book Euron is such a fascinating yet despicable character, while show Euron just makes you roll your eyes. I assume his gift is going to be Tyrion.
It was a good start to the season, and we already have some clear conflicts set up in future episodes. Hopefully Tyrion actually says something next time.
+The philosophical clash between Jon and Sansa is one of the show's more interesting creations. Both characters shared a similar arc where they went from a naive child to a more hardened adult, but in very different ways. Their disputes play out naturally and neither character is clearly right in their judgement. You could argue that Jon is still being too forgiving and naive while Sansa is being too harsh and shortsighted. But then again Sansa said, "I learned a lot from Cersei." LOCK HER UP JON
+Poor Sam. The montage was a little too gross for my liking, but it's always fun to see the inner workings of the Citadel, even if most of it is in the bathroom. The Archmaester also had an interesting perspective. If they weren't going full Magic Marwyn, you would expect them to have a huffy old stalwart who says "Silly Sam, giants aren't real!" in his place. Instead we got a character who realizes the possibilities of magical elements in the world, while also using history to point out that humanity has survived terrible disasters in the past and would likely survive this one. Though Sam wouldn't have had to break into the 18+ section of the library if he has just listened to Stannis. I liked the Jorah jump scare too.
+Can the Hound have a bad scene? The answer is no. Funny, heartbreaking, and endearing all at the same time. The direction and cinematography of this scene was captivating. A lot of people praise these elements during sweeping shots of landscapes or big battles, but these smaller scenes also benefit from close attention to lighting and framing. There is also an excellent rapport between Thoros, Beric, and the Hound which makes their scenes stand out. We also got a nice gravedigger nod in a moment that further highlights the Hound's humanity.
+We finally ventured outside of the war room on Dragonstone. Seeing Dany actually step foot on Westeros is what we've all been waiting for. Her placing her hand in the wet sand was a touching moment, though the ever so predictable "SHALL WE BEGIN?" is a weak ending.
+/-I liked Cersei's scenes, but I'm still feeling Jamie needs to have a bigger reaction. Didn't she blow up everyone? Like, everyone? I want to see more of Jamie's raw feelings towards learning about this incident, not after he's come to terms with what happened.
-I'm sorry, but the scene with Arya and the Lannister soldiers? THAT WAS THE HOKEYIST SHIT I EVER DID SEE. They might as well have been making smores and singing choir songs. Yes, I get the point. They want to challenge Arya's bloodlust by showing that no matter what army they may be a part of, people are people and there are honest and kind men on all sides. But they did a similar thing years ago, where they showed Stark soldiers hanging women. That touches on the same principle, that there are good and bad people on all sides, but was done so much better. Maybe they could have made a similar scene where Arya comes across the Lannister soldiers saving people in danger instead of holding hands. Also, I still feel like Arya wiping out the Freys is somewhat anticlimatic. I feel like it should be a bigger deal than it is.
-God Euron sucks. Yes yes, the show is the show and the book is the book. But did you read that preview chapter with Euron? Compare that to THIS. Book Euron is such a fascinating yet despicable character, while show Euron just makes you roll your eyes. I assume his gift is going to be Tyrion.
It was a good start to the season, and we already have some clear conflicts set up in future episodes. Hopefully Tyrion actually says something next time.
The Artisan
Member
okay, awesome. i'm probably gonna sign up for it now. looks like there are 3 different ways to do it: http://www.hbo.com/order/order-hbo.html
so the first option is regular hbo, the second is hbo now (which is a free trial) , and then add to an existing service like psvue
is hbo go essentially the same as hbo now? if so, I'd be better off just going with the second option yeah?
H.Cornerstone
Member
From what I understand you get HBO go free with your cable subscription. HBO now is just HBO Go standalone
The Artisan
Member
okay thanks. this seems more complicated than i thought i'm just gonna have to fuckin call optimum tomorrow
edit: I got it!
She gave the gift to that little girl and successfully lied to her. That's when she got her first murder assignment of that insurance guy. She even (mostly) did that assignment well until she got distracted by Trant.
Think of it as HBO Go is HBO Now with a live HBO channel on cable.
On a similar note, I may have to use HBO Go next episode if I want to talk here while the episode is ongoing, everyone using streaming was spoiling here a couple of minutes before it aired.
ToyMachine228
Member
They've constantly botched Jamie since he returned to King's Landing. They aren't giving Nicolaj anything to work with other than make dumbfounded faces and argue. He played the role perfectly for the first three seasons but ever since they've basically had him stuck in the mud.
BreezyLimbo
Banned
Yeah Jamie just seems to be there for the reactions now instead of having an actual character like the past seasons. They ran out of book material and now dont know what to do with him
Show Jaime has been awful compared to book Jaime since the start.
Byakuya769
Member
Ran out of or skipped?
Anton Sugar
Member
I'm still holding out hope for Jaime to just be full-on cold to Cersei and turn his back on her...but yeah, if blowing up part of King's Landing didn't do it, can anything? All of their kids are now dead, right?
DarkJediKnight
Member
It's a common misconception that Castle Black is near Winterfell. It's not. It's actually quite far. I think the season 1 did a good job of showing the distance. Jon and Tyrion were on the road for weeks.
BreezyLimbo
Banned
True. In the book Jamie has more moments that show his internal self and how he views things.
Well book Jaime would have never murdered his cousin just to get out like that. You are right though, it was better before he returned to King's Landing, like why the fuck is show Jaime still pining after Cersei.
H.Cornerstone
Member
Yeah I feel like Book Jamie would have already stabbed Cersei
Ocarina_117
Banned
Fucking hell, throwing insults over a differing opinion about a T.V. show. Ridiculous.
I'm curious though, how much of the last two seasons do we believe will happen in the books? I'm guessing hold the door, white walker origins (though much better explained, not a 30 second flashback), R+L=J, Jon Snow (this will be more end game and only last until Rickon returns to winterfell) being some sort of leader in the north.
Thought the episode was okay. Really don't care for Arya's part of the show anymore (her story was my favourite when with tywin and then the hound). Hound was awesome, Jaimie robbed of character development yet again, I liked Jon making peace with northern houses.
Littlefingers show story line just annoys me now. The guy literally starts the game of thrones alone and is now twiddling his thumbs waiting for sansa.
The production values are top notch though. Dragonstone looked fantastic.
I largely liked this episode, aside from a few nitpicks.
1) The use of more contemporary language like "family members" is a peeve of mine, nothing wrong with using kin
2) The whole Sam and the Dragonglass on Dragonstone being a revelation again was roughly written, are we supposed to believe Sam didn't believe Stannis? That sitton on top of a Dragonglass mine isn't something worth exploring?
At least Arya finally got a some good character moments, despite Ed Sheeran.
1) The use of more contemporary language like "family members" is a peeve of mine, nothing wrong with using kin
2) The whole Sam and the Dragonglass on Dragonstone being a revelation again was roughly written, are we supposed to believe Sam didn't believe Stannis? That sitton on top of a Dragonglass mine isn't something worth exploring?
At least Arya finally got a some good character moments, despite Ed Sheeran.
Jon is back in Winterfell, which is several hundred miles from the Wall if I recall. The North is a big place.
The Artisan
Member
the season just started. i'm sure there'll be crazy shit for jaime to go through
Ocarina_117
Banned
I've been holding onto this for the last two seasons. Season 6 gave me hope from the trailer showing Jaimie in the riverlands. Season 5 with Jaimie being sent away by cersei. The finale of season 6 with Jaimie looking unsettled by cersie. However we are still robbed of character development for Jaimie, I'm doubting it'll change now. Fantastic character in the books.
It seemed to me that their enthusiasm for Cersei affected Jaime's development in the show. Cersei still could have been as strong of a character with a more book accurate Jaime.
I can't imagine pre-show book readers would've expected the Hound would be someone that adds heart to the show. Making him more palatable is one of the best decisions made by D&D. And Rory McCann has arguably been the most consistently effective actor since season 1.
I can't imagine pre-show book readers would've expected the Hound would be someone that adds heart to the show. Making him more palatable is one of the best decisions made by D&D. And Rory McCann has arguably been the most consistently effective actor since season 1.
Uh what? They dated?
Angry Grimace
Two cannibals are eating a clown. One turns to the other and says "does something taste funny to you?"
Like 15 years ago.
Yup!
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/...y-and-Jerome-Flynn-not-on-speaking-terms.html
"Lena Headey and her Game of Thrones co-star Jerome Flynn are being kept apart, according to a member of the show's crew."
Jerome and Lena arent on speaking terms any more and they are never in the same room at the same time, a member of the crew informs me. Its a pity because they appeared to have patched things up for a while, but now the word is they should be kept apart at all costs.
Many years ago, and apparently it ended very much not amicably, so the producers have never put them in the same scene on the show so they can avoid each other.
Here's the scene with Stannis: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7uo7dwbteFE
The only thing he said was "I know what it is. We have it in Dragonstone." Nothing about a large cache of it.
Makes sense. Sam probably meant that at the time he didn't think what Stannis said about having it in Dragonstone was important. He didn't think Stannis meant they were sitting on a huge mine worth of it.
And all I've seen online is how the scene last night was pointless, lol.
Your math skills need some work
H.Cornerstone
Member
Just double checked google, math checks out
peepul r dum
Sam mentioned that Stannis was right and thus had an understanding of his land, while Dany tore down his banner and bumbled around the castle looking for the bathroom in the same episode. This symbolizes Dany destroying to just, righteous regime that Stannis would've had if he was king and ushering in one filled with ignorance and a lack of direction for the realm.
Show is deep.
Show is deep.
He was under a blanket wasn't he? Maybe he cut his arm off.
H.Cornerstone
Member
Nope, I think the Maesters rant about how the wall has always stood was foreshadowing it coming down.