ASoIAF/Game of Thrones general Discussion Thread

[Fedel]

Do you think the poll might be being artificially inflated? That's far more votes on this episode then we've gotten on any previous one for this season.

Nah it tracks with what I've been seeing on social media. Once people sit back and thing about it, they tend to come around. Most people are fine with the trajectory, is just the season is rushed.

Which in turn makes everything that occurs unsatisfying. But fair enough I suppose.

[The New California Republic]

I was actually looking forward to Arya killing Cersei, but I suppose it'd be a bit annoying if she had, as she has killed the Night King after all. I was also hoping that she was going to use the face disguise trick at some point in the latest episode, but unfortunately she seems to have forgotten about it.

[Tarsonis]

I was actually looking forward to Arya killing Cersei, but I suppose it'd be a bit annoying if she had, as she has killed the Night King after all. I was also hoping that she was going to use the face disguise trick at some point in the latest episode, but unfortunately she seems to have forgotten about it.

With the way her makeup was in the episode, at times it looked to me like her face was fake. For a moment, I thought she might actually be the waif.

[The Huskar Social Union]

Also episode does not seem to be as dividing as i thought it was gona be, most people seem to like it

Do you think the poll might be being artificially inflated? That's far more votes on this episode then we've gotten on any previous one for this season.

Nah episode 3 had more votes than this, it had 66

I have each episode poll tracked in the OP for this season

[Chadacian]

From the looks of it, they're setting up Arya to be the one to kill Daenerys. If this is true, this show is gearing up for what may be one of the worst endings ever.

[Platypus Bureaucracy]

Okay that may well be the case but my understanding of Greek tragedies and Shakespearean tragedies is that if there is a prophecy "fulfilled" its usually within the literal meaning of the words

Not always. Take MacBeth. The prophecy was that he'd be king until the Burnam Wood came to Dunsinane. He believed that this would mean he would be king until the forest spread to the walls so he thought it was bogus prophecy or a prophecy he could control by keeping the forest trimmed. Instead it meant that his enemies would use small trees as camouflage as they moved up to the castle at night. The Wood didn't literally come to Dunsinane. It's a very liberal fulfillment of the prophecy.

And that's not even the most liberal interpretation in Macbeth.

[Ifreann]

From the looks of it, they're setting up Arya to be the one to kill Daenerys. If this is true, this show is gearing up for what may be one of the worst endings ever.

Well she's become a bit of a public menace, clearly someone has to do something about her. If Jon doesn't then Arya is the most likely candidate to actually get the job done.

[Infected Mushroom]

From the looks of it, they're setting up Arya to be the one to kill Daenerys. If this is true, this show is gearing up for what may be one of the worst endings ever.

Not her please.

I really REALLY want to see Jon run her through with a sword. That would be... such a joy.

[Andsed]

From the looks of it, they're setting up Arya to be the one to kill Daenerys. If this is true, this show is gearing up for what may be one of the worst endings ever.

Well she's become a bit of a public menace, clearly someone has to do something about her. If Jon doesn't then Arya is the most likely candidate to actually get the job done.

I'm still hoping my theory of ghost eating dany and becoming king comes true.

[Ifreann]

Well she's become a bit of a public menace, clearly someone has to do something about her. If Jon doesn't then Arya is the most likely candidate to actually get the job done.

I'm still hoping my theory of ghost eating dany and becoming king comes true.

It's possible that you're a bit too attached to the CGI dog.

[Tarsonis]

From the looks of it, they're setting up Arya to be the one to kill Daenerys. If this is true, this show is gearing up for what may be one of the worst endings ever.

Maybe she tries, and John kills her. Then the northman rebel and kill John. Then Dany burninates the entire 7 kingdoms, until Drogon dies of exhaustion. Then the Iron Bank moves in with an aggressive real estate plan, and takes over all of Westeros.

[G-Tech Corporation]

From the looks of it, they're setting up Arya to be the one to kill Daenerys. If this is true, this show is gearing up for what may be one of the worst endings ever.

Maybe she tries, and John kills her. Then the northman rebel and kill John. Then Dany burninates the entire 7 kingdoms, until Drogon dies of exhaustion. Then the Iron Bank moves in with an aggressive real estate plan, and takes over all of Westeros.

Supporting a resurrected Stannis, of course, the guy they were backing all along. That’s why it took Melisandre so long to get to Winterfell.

[The New California Republic]

Well she's become a bit of a public menace, clearly someone has to do something about her. If Jon doesn't then Arya is the most likely candidate to actually get the job done.

Understatement of the century, considering she went full Genghis Khan mode by killing everyone and razing the city to the ground.

I knew that she would, as she couldn't keep that whole "breaker of chains" act going forever.

Jon is the most likely candidate to kill her, as he is likely the only one that'd be able to get close to her if Drogon is with her. Drogon would fry anyone else when ordered to, but I'm willing to bet that it wouldn't fry Jon, even if ordered to, on account of his blood.

[Andsed]

I'm still hoping my theory of ghost eating dany and becoming king comes true.

It's possible that you're a bit too attached to the CGI dog.

No it is not a possibility... It is a fact. Honestly I don't give a shit if 2000 people get killed. But you hurt a dog then I will fucking riot.

[Tarsonis]

Maybe she tries, and John kills her. Then the northman rebel and kill John. Then Dany burninates the entire 7 kingdoms, until Drogon dies of exhaustion. Then the Iron Bank moves in with an aggressive real estate plan, and takes over all of Westeros.

Supporting a resurrected Stannis, of course, the guy they were backing all along. That’s why it took Melisandre so long to get to Winterfell.

but what’s this? A resurrected Ned Stark coming down the ramp and RKO’s Stannis out of nowhere!

[Ifreann]

Well she's become a bit of a public menace, clearly someone has to do something about her. If Jon doesn't then Arya is the most likely candidate to actually get the job done.

Understatement of the century, considering she went full Genghis Khan mode by killing everyone and razing the city to the ground.

I knew that she would, as she couldn't keep that whole "breaker of chains" act going forever.

Jon is the most likely candidate to kill her, as he is likely the only one that'd be able to get close to her if Drogon is with her. Drogon would fry anyone else when ordered to, but I'm willing to bet that it wouldn't fry Jon, even if ordered to, on account of his blood.

Jon distracts Drogon with bellyrubs, Arya does the stabby, the day is saved.

[Holy Tedalonia]

Fun Fact: Dany was traumatized by bells as a kid. Giving her this bipolar reaction to bells.

[G-Tech Corporation]

Supporting a resurrected Stannis, of course, the guy they were backing all along. That’s why it took Melisandre so long to get to Winterfell.

but what’s this? A resurrected Ned Stark coming down the ramp and RKO’s Stannis out of nowhere!

Honestly not sure if Ned would make a better king. Stannis was a bit crazy, but shrewd in being honorable at least.

[Ethel mermania]

From the looks of it, they're setting up Arya to be the one to kill Daenerys. If this is true, this show is gearing up for what may be one of the worst endings ever.

Maybe she tries, and John kills her. Then the northman rebel and kill John. Then Dany burninates the entire 7 kingdoms, until Drogon dies of exhaustion. Then the Iron Bank moves in with an aggressive real estate plan, and takes over all of Westeros.

and trump builds a wall around kings landing, it's a terrific wall, beautiful views of a smoldering kings landing, a marina on Blackwater's bay, all the great houses take a condo in it.

[Des-Bal]

Nah it tracks with what I've been seeing on social media. Once people sit back and thing about it, they tend to come around. Most people are fine with the trajectory, is just the season is rushed.

I mean it seems pretty obvious what happened, GRRM told them how things should end and they had no fucking idea how to get there and no idea how to make the necessary emotional connections for everything to come together. GRRM has said that he wanted things to end with something like the scouring of the Shire where after the big climactic battle they have to deal with something pretty low and petty. They also got obsessed with generating hype, writing episodes and stories that get people pumped for the next episode even if they make the actual quality suffer more. We get more excited for a big final battle between Cersei and Dany but that's never what they were delivering. Imagine telling a group of kids you're taking them to Disney World and driving most of the way there but at the last minute you cut across four lanes of traffic, do a u turn, and stop in front of an ice cream shop. We weren't going to bitch about ice cream until you said Disney World.

What we should have done was drop all the shit that happened to level the playing field. Every beat in the last two seasons has been setting Cersei up as a competent and dangerous enemy who could bring matching force to bear. The moment s8e5 starts the characters immediately know it's totally hopeless and the tension is just about whether or not Cersei will surrender before the city gets wrecked too hard. If this was what they were going for then setting Cersei up as the final boss after the final boss really only helps with hype. People get excited because they think "oh Dany still has a dragon but her army is tried and Euron can teleport anywhere" that shit gets people talking but it's not the story they were telling.

Cersei is sadistic, paranoid, and rash but she never showed any sign of competent leadership before she sat on the throne. Every leader has things they struggle with and every leader is shown very quickly that just doing what they want doesn't work. Robert fucks up the kingdoms because despite being a solid military leader he's a glutton with no financial sense, Joffrey's petty cruelty sparks a war and almost gets him ripped apart and killed, Stannis being Stannis makes everyone hate and abandon him, Tywin's military prowess and diplomatic skill are totally irrelevant when one of the children he's abused shoots on the toilet. Despite her many flaws Cersei's leadership seems pretty much fine after we leave book territory. Cersei's best moment was getting wasted in the Red Keep and breaking down into a mass of hateful neuroses. That's the character, a ball of issues so twisted she fucks one of her brothers and tries to have the other one murdered not the evil queen who threatens to rule all the realm.

Some of the best stuff in Game of Thrones was when Tyrion was setting up the defense against Stannis even though nobody appreciated it. What we should have had is that same basic framework but with Cersei who lacks Tyrion's intelligence, patience, and willingness to stomach disdain. Kings landing goes to shit, her rule is in peril, and her evil wizard advisor doesn't have much of a plan besides "scorpions everywhere." Everybody knows Cersei is incapable of putting up a fight and she is spared exclusively because Daenarys wants to unite all seven kingdoms bloodlessly and then then take her throne because people want her, not because she crushed them.

Dany is off rallying the other kingdoms to her cause. Instead of just making and then forgetting her break the wheel speech Dany decides to bring the kingdoms to her side through diplomacy, using her image the same way she did in Mereen to rally the slaves. Here though she is pressed on all sides by two of the most consistent themes in the story, people don't care who sits on the throne, and the Seven Kingdoms are not ruled by honor but by fear and blood. We watch as Dany becomes increasingly frustrated and relies more and more on brutal tactics becoming more and more emotionally unstable as she suffers loss and indignity all in the name of trying to save these people. Spend more time with her after she loses Viseryon, her child was killed and sent against as a rotting vanguard of the apocalypse and she never really has a significant reaction to it. If you have that emotional through line then when Missendai is executed and Rhaegal is killed and Varys betrays and once again tries to poison her it's not just Dany flipping the dead eyed psycho switch; it's her shattering after the the cracks that have been developed over time open up. Then there's no mistaking why she goes on tilt and the fact that she's killing the innocent as well makes sense. She came to be their salvation but they made her a conqueror.

[Des-Bal]

From the looks of it, they're setting up Arya to be the one to kill Daenerys. If this is true, this show is gearing up for what may be one of the worst endings ever.

I hope Arya marries her first so they can pretend they didn't just chuck out all the prophecies.

[Tarsonis]

but what’s this? A resurrected Ned Stark coming down the ramp and RKO’s Stannis out of nowhere!

Honestly not sure if Ned would make a better king. Stannis was a bit crazy, but shrewd in being honorable at least.

He burnt his daughter at the stake. yeah nah.

[Tarsonis]

From the looks of it, they're setting up Arya to be the one to kill Daenerys. If this is true, this show is gearing up for what may be one of the worst endings ever.

I hope Arya marries her first so they can pretend they didn't just chuck out all the prophecies.

...what prophecy is that from?

[The New California Republic]

Understatement of the century, considering she went full Genghis Khan mode by killing everyone and razing the city to the ground.

I knew that she would, as she couldn't keep that whole "breaker of chains" act going forever.

Jon is the most likely candidate to kill her, as he is likely the only one that'd be able to get close to her if Drogon is with her. Drogon would fry anyone else when ordered to, but I'm willing to bet that it wouldn't fry Jon, even if ordered to, on account of his blood.

Jon distracts Drogon with bellyrubs, Arya does the stabby, the day is saved.

If the bellyrubs don't work, then Jon can give Ghost over to Drogon as a snack. To distract it of course.

I think that after the shock of seeing the city being razed wears off, Tyrion will be hopping mad; especially since his murdered friend was exactly right about Daenerys becoming a tyrant.

[Des-Bal]

...what prophecy is that from?

Azor Ahai reforging lightbringer.