Intense, my lab was crying a lot during the show. Hard to follow due to darkness. A bit confusing, but a battle like that at night would be confusing. Some editing issues, (how did Arya get to the tree and the dragon battles hard to follow) But overall entertaining. And Arya is a bad ass!!*Thread title subject to change once full episode title is revealed.
This is it - please try to note SPOILERS in early thread posts following the show.
The had unrelenting numbers and leaders who stayed back letting them do the dirty work all the while getting them through each obstacle. Throw in the ability to raise the newly dead and you have added numbers.
The NK is technically the one who ****ed up. He could have waited until all were dead and gotten to Bran then. Patience, not his virtue.
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anon_xdc8rmuek44eq
Guest
Bran and Melisandre seemed to have some kind of knowledge about what was needed to beat the NK. Bran gave Arya the Valyrian steel dagger last season I think, mentioning it was of no use to him (but would be to her). He also mentioned Theon being where he was protecting Bran was important and what was supposed to be. Melisandre's 'throw away' quote to Arya way back in S2 (I think) was way more important than anyone thought. Also notice Melisandre is eyeing up Arya like it's her job when she first gets into Winterfell - I thought it was because Melisandre knew Arya wanted to kill her at one point, but it's really because Melisandre is keeping tabs on her to get her into action at the right moment.
Question: What weapon does Arya give Sansa? At first I thought it was her Valyrian steel dagger, but clearly it wasn't. I don't think it was Needle either.
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anon_xdc8rmuek44eq
Guest
I think getting to see Arya maneuver in silence in the room with all the wights was important - it shows she has kind of superhuman movement skills. How did she get from under the table to the door in a second? The Faceless seem to have many convenient skills...
Yeah im fairly certain they are all starks down there. Im betting next week they find something in one of the tombs.
I thought she was going to stalk and kill them, not run away like she did.
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anon_xdc8rmuek44eq
Guest
Even though she more than held her own fighting in the open, I think once she saw how relentless and deadly the dead were, she was off to find safety - live to fight another day you know? Her skillset is better suited to taking out important single targets from the shadows - not brawling like The Hound. I did like how she stabbed the one in the neck and put her down on the ground so as not to make any noise.
Sam and Gilly are both in scenes for next week, but besides that they showed Sam lying on the ground, ALIVE, after Arya shattered old horn head. I really have to wonder if some of you were on the milk of the poppy while watching.
Thanks for spoiling next week. Most didn’t or do not watch next weeks scenes. Sam was Injured perhaps and were others and may die or may have lived but we didn’t know. Stop drinking the milk of the poppy when posting spoilers.
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anon_xdc8rmuek44eq
Guest
Believe Arya gave Sansa a basic homemade dragon glass dagger is all..
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anon_1eeb2b426hv3y
Guest
Potentially major spoiler:
If I have my history right, the Golden Company was founded by an earlier Aegon Targ's bastard son following an attempted coup for the throne. So we have a Lanister queen hiring a mercenary army founded by a Targ to fight a Targ returning to take the throne. Maybe loyalty to Dany and Jon. Maybe loyalty to Cersei but I think that's less likely than loyalty to themselves. And I'm pretty sure Jorah had a relationship with the GC, might have even been a member. But he doesn't trust them. Dario doesn't trust them either.
If I'm even half right in the above, I think you're absolutely onto something re: Bran's sight being key here. I don't think the 3-eyed Raven gets too involved "in the affairs of men" so I doubt he plays guided missile system. I'm guessing it's his view to history.
I have watched all GOT seasons via bluray months/years after everyone else. For final season I decided yesterday to get HBO as too many folks I know discuss it and the hype has been incredible. Unfortunately I couldn't get past Arya's red flower scene. TV is still probably on pause
Since I drank all 3 episodes in an evening I need to step back and ponder. I plan to re watch last nights again. I am going to mess with my tv color schemes as others have mentioned. I had it on movie mode and watched in complete darkness. It was very difficult to decipher what was going on. Overall I am very satisfied. What a ride!
Since I drank all 3 episodes in an evening I need to step back and ponder. I plan to re watch last nights again. I am going to mess with my tv color schemes as others have mentioned. I had it on movie mode and watched in complete darkness. It was very difficult to decipher what was going on. Overall I am very satisfied. What a ride!
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anon_1eeb2b426hv3y
Guest
Not loving seeing Sansa's character acting like the foul-mouthed British A-level student. Thinking her publicist should probably reign this in before her next audition.
Really? Its not a spoiler if you actually watched the show. They showed sam alive. As mentioned earlier in this thread, the showed the main charaters that died with a clear scene. Do you really think they are going to off main characters by saying next week,"where's sam and tormund? Guess they didnt make it"
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anon_xdc8rmuek44eq
Guest
She’s always been like this; I love it. Different strokes and all...
I get what you are saying. Yeah, must be in a certain radius. I guess we will never know for sure.
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anon_1eeb2b426hv3y
Guest
Perfect. The well-worn path followed by Lindsay Lohan and so many others. Best of luck to her.
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anon_xdc8rmuek44eq
Guest
I think she knows how to have a good time - nothing wrong with that IMO.
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anon_1eeb2b426hv3y
Guest
It was irritating trying to watch but it was brilliant cinematography; captured the intensity and chaos of a battle at night in a storm. Pretty sure the viewer was supposed to feel the discomfort of those on the screen. It worked and had me on the edge of my seat.I have watched all GOT seasons via bluray months/years after everyone else. For final season I decided yesterday to get HBO as too many folks I know discuss it and the hype has been incredible. Unfortunately I couldn't get past Arya's red flower scene. TV is still probably on pause
Since I drank all 3 episodes in an evening I need to step back and ponder. I plan to re watch last nights again. I am going to mess with my tv color schemes as others have mentioned. I had it on movie mode and watched in complete darkness. It was very difficult to decipher what was going on. Overall I am very satisfied. What a ride!
Eh. If I was worth ten million when I was 23, I probably would have a drink from time to time.
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anon_1eeb2b426hv3y
Guest
For sure. I have no problem with her having fun, drinking, etc. But she's on the world's stage right now playing Sansa Stark. Great actors work very hard to convince viewers they are the character they're playing. At the pinnacle of her exposure in that role, doesn't need to go out of her way to undermine that viewer experience.
Not expecting her to be more of an adult or puritan or whatever. Just thinking she (and her employers) would be better-served if she'd exercise some better judgment right now.
There have always been a lot of theories that he was either a Stark or Targaryen. The inability to kill him with fire lends credence to the Targaryen theory.
Damn. So the Night King carefully plotted for thousands of years, raised an Army of the dead, demolished the wall, and then basically fumbled on the goal line.
In the gambling world, that's what we call a bad beat.
In the gambling world, that's what we call a bad beat.
He got cocky. If he had stayed on his dragon, all he would have to worry about would be a Valyrian arrowhead. Let his zombies take Bran out.
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anon_xdc8rmuek44eq
Guest
Well, you probably would have never seen that if I didn't share it. That was a post on her Instagram page so really only intended for her fans that follow her there. She's always had a potty mouth (like most Brits I know) and tries to make her stories funny/entertaining with drinks (it's usually hot tea or wine). I don't want to derail the thread but thought worth sharing since she's being compared to Lindsay Lohan...
He should have gone under center from the goaline. Instead he went read-option and got strip sacked in the backfield.
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anon_xdc8rmuek44eq
Guest
Additionally, if you're HBO and you spent the amount of money, time, and capital on making an episode like that, you would probably love to have it during the day time out in the open. But, I think it served the show best by being presented the way it was. I felt like Brienne sitting there helpless with no idea what was two feet in front of me - really added to the intensity!
"The Miracle at the Meadowlands was a fumble recovery by cornerbackHerman Edwards that he returned for a touchdown at the end of a November 19, 1978, National Football League (NFL) game against the New York Giants in Giants Stadium. It is considered miraculous because the Giants were ahead and could easily have run out the final seconds; they had the ball and the Eagles had no timeouts left. Everyone watching expected quarterbackJoe Pisarcik to take one more snap and kneel with the ball, thus running out the clock and preserving a 17–12 Giants upset. Instead, he botched an attempt to hand off the football to fullbackLarry Csonka. Edwards picked up the dropped ball and ran 26 yards for the winning score."
It is not a spoiler Sam is alive. He was clearly shown to have lived during the episode.
Not a perfect episode - but still very satisfying and enjoyable (at least for me).
Best parts:
1. The entire first 30 minutes. Really did a phenomenal job of setting up the battle and making you feel the anxiety and weight of the moment and the characters. Melisandre riding in and lighting the Dorthraki's arakh's on fire was visually stunning. Seeing them ride off and the fire extinguished was both spectacular and anxiety provoking at once (all in the Jaws sort of way - where you don't actually see the shark).
2. Arya's scenes. Absolutely loved how they tied her prophecy (of closing blue eyes) into her killing the Night King. One of those moments that makes you wonder how you missed that when it was first said years ago (there were theories that the prophecy was she would kill Cersei -- since she has green eyes, but I don't recall any theories of her killing the NK as part of that prophecy). Also - the scene where she is being stalked in the library was another nail-biter and really well executed. Reminded me a bit of World War Z (a bunch of scenes here obviously did), where Brad Pitt is trying to get to the room with the viruses and avoid the zombies toward the end.
3. Many of the scenes where they focused on the individual's plight - rather than the overall battle. Lyanna Mormont killing the giant, Theon defending Bran, Jon trying to get to Bran but being held off by Viserion, Sansa and Tyrion in the crypt, the Hound going to save Arya - all really well executed.
Just okay:
1. The actual battle. Did a great job of showing the chaos and confusion of fighting this type of battle at night (and being overrun by sheer numbers), but I agree that the darkness and speed of the whole thing made it a bit tough to follow and appreciate (beyond getting the confusion that they were likely trying to depict) and there were certainly some tactical WTFs.
2. While I loved how they set up Arya to be the savior, I thought her actual saving moment could've been better crafted/developed using her prior learned skills (maybe using the darkness of the whole battle to her advantage somehow). And, if you are going to jump out of a tree to attack him in a stealth like manner, at least don't scream while you're doing it.
Somewhat disappointed:
1. 8 seasons and 70ish episodes of developing this entire story line over the NK and the battle of the dead and in the end, it's all neatly and cleanly resolved in 1 episode. Just feels sort of shallow. And the NK's motivations still seem unclear and weakly developed.
2. Top 10 important characters in this episode: Jon, Dany, Arya, Sansa, Bran, Jaime, Brienne, Sam, Davos, Tyrion. They all come out unscathed. Just not believable given the scale of this thing (especially Jaime and Brienne who seemed to be fighting an endless horde of zombies for the entire time).
Best parts:
1. The entire first 30 minutes. Really did a phenomenal job of setting up the battle and making you feel the anxiety and weight of the moment and the characters. Melisandre riding in and lighting the Dorthraki's arakh's on fire was visually stunning. Seeing them ride off and the fire extinguished was both spectacular and anxiety provoking at once (all in the Jaws sort of way - where you don't actually see the shark).
2. Arya's scenes. Absolutely loved how they tied her prophecy (of closing blue eyes) into her killing the Night King. One of those moments that makes you wonder how you missed that when it was first said years ago (there were theories that the prophecy was she would kill Cersei -- since she has green eyes, but I don't recall any theories of her killing the NK as part of that prophecy). Also - the scene where she is being stalked in the library was another nail-biter and really well executed. Reminded me a bit of World War Z (a bunch of scenes here obviously did), where Brad Pitt is trying to get to the room with the viruses and avoid the zombies toward the end.
3. Many of the scenes where they focused on the individual's plight - rather than the overall battle. Lyanna Mormont killing the giant, Theon defending Bran, Jon trying to get to Bran but being held off by Viserion, Sansa and Tyrion in the crypt, the Hound going to save Arya - all really well executed.
Just okay:
1. The actual battle. Did a great job of showing the chaos and confusion of fighting this type of battle at night (and being overrun by sheer numbers), but I agree that the darkness and speed of the whole thing made it a bit tough to follow and appreciate (beyond getting the confusion that they were likely trying to depict) and there were certainly some tactical WTFs.
2. While I loved how they set up Arya to be the savior, I thought her actual saving moment could've been better crafted/developed using her prior learned skills (maybe using the darkness of the whole battle to her advantage somehow). And, if you are going to jump out of a tree to attack him in a stealth like manner, at least don't scream while you're doing it.
Somewhat disappointed:
1. 8 seasons and 70ish episodes of developing this entire story line over the NK and the battle of the dead and in the end, it's all neatly and cleanly resolved in 1 episode. Just feels sort of shallow. And the NK's motivations still seem unclear and weakly developed.
2. Top 10 important characters in this episode: Jon, Dany, Arya, Sansa, Bran, Jaime, Brienne, Sam, Davos, Tyrion. They all come out unscathed. Just not believable given the scale of this thing (especially Jaime and Brienne who seemed to be fighting an endless horde of zombies for the entire time).
I always thought the Night King and the White Walkers were interesting characters. Each week I hoped they would include them in more episodes and gave a little more background instead of just showing how the Night King was started. He finally showed some personality in this episode with a smirk that his plan was working. It seems like there could have been a longer interaction between him and Bran before Arya jumped in since the connection between those two was emphasized as being so important.
That and I almost went blind when the previews for next week came on after being in the dark for 80 minutes.
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anon_1eeb2b426hv3y
Guest
Agreed. That was probably the biggest let down of the episode. But this is one of the few scratches on the bumper of an otherwise pristine RR silver ghost.
Bran was a sitting duck and both the battle and war were essentially won. So the single victor upon whom the entire dead civilization rests dangles himself out there totally exposed. He was surrounded by his whole army yet nobody’s there to protect him or cover his back in two (actually 3) pending hand-to-hand situations. Just too Laissez-faire. Hubris and stupidity killed the night king as much as Arya.
I’d have liked the theory of Arya playing faceless Bran and getting that close as lame prey better than her just passing the entire army unabated. But again, this is splitting hairs.
Re: #1, this encounter had to be tied up in one episode unless the NK wins at Winterfell and then goes south.
Remember on the journey to secure a wight, the party was surrounded and assuredly dead. Flying out on the back of a dragon saved them. What type of retreat did they have holed up in Winterfell?
This was a one and done. As for intentions, the NK didn't speak. No soliloquies about his hatred for the living. Just pure ambition to kill everything in sight. Throw in the numerous wizard-like abilities and beyond human strength, he was what he was. They could have maneuvered into his death a little better, my gripe.
Re: #2, they didn't seem ready to pull the trigger on some of the majors. Slightly disappointing for a show that killed Ned and Robert rather quickly, but perhaps they feared outlash.
They avoided killing any major females, they kept Jaime and the Hound for King's Landing showdowns, and all the Starks made it unscathed. Not even Grey Work died, and they had numerous occasions to give him a quality death.
It's beginning to look like the good side won't suffer no more than 1-2 deaths in the remaining episodes. The bads will be the ones who fall. (Cersei, The Mountain, Euron)
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anon_1eeb2b426hv3y
Guest
You’re right. She’s not ruining my viewer experience. You are! Just kidding.Well, you probably would have never seen that if I didn't share it. That was a post on her Instagram page so really only intended for her fans that follow her there. She's always had a potty mouth (like most Brits I know) and tries to make her stories funny/entertaining with drinks (it's usually hot tea or wine). I don't want to derail the thread but thought worth sharing since she's being compared to Lindsay Lohan...
No need for a “NOT FOR JDM202” identifier on your next “Sansa not being very Sansa-like” Instagram share. I’ll take responsibility for my fickle sensibilities until the series ends and she’s featured on “girls gone wild -Torquay.”
Derail ended.
