Poll: Winter Is Coming - HBO's A Game of Thrones [READ WARNING]

[neoboy]

I was just thinking, is the whole Lord of Light thing still relevant? Way the show has been I just assumed it went away in Episode 3 with Melisandre dying.

 

[Tombstone]

Interesting analogy with the real world. The military leaders of the western world post ww2 aren't held in the same contempt or revulsion as their German equivalents.
Despite dropping nukes and firebombing German cities to ashes, the latter after the war was effectively over.

A proof of the saying that history is written by the victors

 

[SPG]

I enjoyed it, nothing better than a full on rage quit witha dragon.

I want to change my vote to Sansa for what is left of the throne

 

[DrToffnar]

Ozzy man review, similar to last week, had me nodding along as felt largely the same. Rather bemused by the backlash.
That episode, taken in isolation, would in other seasons be absolutely lauded. What's changed? Maybe because the series is ending?

I really think it's peoples thoughts about how it should end not meeting expectations that's triggering some of this. Especially after how the NK was dealt with. Every. single. thing. is getting picked apart. "The dragon seeking ballista don't work anymore!" "AHMAHGAWWWD, how's that horse alive trolololol, this is last jedi bad."

You're always going to get comments picking the little details apart. That stuff either bothers you or it doesn't. However, I think a large portion of the criticism is based purely around these last 2 seasons feeling far too contrived and rushed. The audience just hasn't had any time to breathe between the 'big' moments and as a result it's left a lot of the fans (including myself) feeling largely indifferent towards things that would have otherwise had our hearts pounding 3 o 4 seasons ago.

The term 'lazy' is coming up a lot which I don't think is strictly fair. I commend D&D as well as the other writers and showrunners for their efforts. It can't be easy, any of it. I will however say that they've not done themselves any favours with regards to these comments. It is VERY clear that they just want it done and dusted now, plausibility and character development be damned. The quality of the writing and direction hasn't necessarily gotten any worse, it's just gotten a great deal more hastened and you can feel that in each episode.

Tbh, I'll be glad when it's over next week. I'm getting sick of the endless debates online (the irony, I know) as well as the usual internet hyperbole surrounding the show in general. It's either the best the shows ever been or the absolute worst, no middle ground or nuance to the discussion at all in most places.

 

[Mak3R]

My 2 main gripes with that episode were the absolutely useless golden company. There were apparently 20,000 of them but we saw, what? A few hundred at most get roasted by the surprise rear dragon attack then suddenly no more of them. I was hoping to see golden boyos VS unsullied in a proper battle. Other issue was Dany just roasting the entire city after winning, after an entire series of helping the weak and oppressed etc. But oh well. Cleganebowl was cool at least.

 

[Richdog]

The term 'lazy' is coming up a lot which I don't think is strictly fair. I commend D&D as well as the other writers and showrunners for their efforts. It can't be easy, any of it. I will however say that they've not done themselves any favours with regards to these comments. It is VERY clear that they just want it done and dusted now, plausibility and character development be damned. The quality of the writing and direction hasn't necessarily gotten any worse, it's just gotten a great deal more hastened and you can feel that in each episode.

Reading some of the comments in this thread makes me swear I will never take my good judgement and common sense for granted ever again. To even for a second think that the quality of the writing has not decreased is so monumentally stupid that it almost defies belief, if I did not understand that you were completely serious when you wrote that. You seem to lack a sense of judgement and perception that allows you to see the myriad of things that prove the writing has got significantly and materially worse.

• The actors all hate the season and it shows in what they are doing with their stilted and emotionless interactions
• The story arcs have been ignored and thrown away
• The plot points are no longer even pretend to be logical, in fact they insult all of our (except the unfortunate minority such as yourself) intelligence
• The scripts are out of character and awkward
• 99% of critics think it is a disgrace
• 99% of fans think it is a disgrace

I feel genuinely sorry for anyone that cannot see and understand that the writing of this show is now truly appalling, because life cannot be easy if your judgement is so bad.

 

[Jono8]

One big issue I have is that Dany clearly could have taken Kings landing all by herself with one dragon, the moment she arrived in westeros.

 

[CaptainRAVE]

One bog issue I have is that Dany clearly could have taken Kings landing all by herself with one dragon, the moment she arrived in westeros.

She didn't even need to gather an army and do half the stuff she did. Could have just waited for them to grow, flown across, burnt it to the ground with 3 dragons and no defenses.

 

[Steedie]

One bog issue I have is that Dany clearly could have taken Kings landing all by herself with one dragon, the moment she arrived in westeros.

The dragons are as powerful as they need to be to serve that particular plot point. They've been made to look weaker than we expected previously, then as you mentioned, made to look unstoppable at other points. If she could do all that with one dragon then with three, surely she could have just won every war going at the same time in parallel

 

[FrankJH]

This. It helps if we imagine missing scenes which might have turned credulity into credibility, but... but we got what we got; a season built around two incredibly ambitious fantasy action movies. On a scale of one to Pulp Fiction, it's right up there with Bruce Willis taking out a helicopter with a car, and makes perfect sense. All that was missing this week was The Mountain's helmet coming off to reveal Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Now that would have subverted a few expectations. I might even have forgiven D&D if they'd broken the 4th wall and fessed up like that.

I still think after 7 seasons of murder and mayhem Cercei deserved a lot more violent/ painful death than being crushed by buildings (which the viewers don't even see)

 

[Steedie]

Yeah I didn't really get why we're made to feel sorry for Cersei in the end, given how they made us hate her, I thought she was going to get a brutal Joffrey style death to give the viewers that payback that we've got with other characters too, like Ramsey Bolton.

That whole bit with Jamie and Cersei was just bizarre, it was well done from an acting point of view but in the context of what has happened with both of them and the build up, it was just so anti-climactic

 

[wolfie138]

maybe next ep you'll find her half-crushed under rubble beside the pulped mess of her bro, and she'll have been suffering all that time.

 

[DrToffnar]

Reading some of the comments in this thread makes me swear I will never take my good judgement and common sense for granted ever again. To even for a second think that the quality of the writing has not decreased is so monumentally stupid that it almost defies belief, if I did not understand that you were completely serious when you wrote that. You seem to lack a sense of judgement and perception that allows you to see the myriad of things that prove the writing has got significantly and materially worse.

• The actors all hate the season and it shows in what they are doing with their stilted and emotionless interactions
• The story arcs have been ignored and thrown away
• The plot points are no longer even pretend to be logical, in fact they insult all of our (except the unfortunate minority such as yourself) intelligence
• The scripts are out of character and awkward
• 99% of critics think it is a disgrace
• 99% of fans think it is a disgrace

I feel genuinely sorry for anyone that cannot see and understand that the writing of this show is now truly appalling, because life cannot be easy if your judgement is so bad.

Aha, that rabid straight out of the gate huh?

It is pointless debating with someone who is already so vehemently on the attack from the off.

 

[ZG002]

Loads of it's been anti climatic lol.

I didn't mind the whole NK thing, but that's because I thought "ok, they will expand on that next ep with Bran flake and if he wasn't the real threat we are in for a great battle at kings landing"

Erm no....

So I'm now not only disappointed with how that went down but I'm now ****ed at the NK side of it.

Can't win.

 

[ianh]

I would suggest that most people complaining (like myself) are not complaining about "What" happened (Dani goes mad for example) but instead "Why or How" it happened i.e "Why did she go mad so quickly? How was her descent into madness shown - too rushed, too long etc?".

Thats one thing the earlier seasons got very right, the "whats" were never a problem because the "Why/How" was written so well, so it made sense. Yet since S7 that "Why/How" seems to be "we need it as a plot point so do it" and that lack of consistent behaviour, gained from 10 years and 8 seasons of watching these people interact, really stands out to folks hence the complaints.

Take Breaking Bad as the "anti-Complaint" example - the writing was consistent from S1 Ep1 until the end, and when they wanted to finish the writers didn't start making the characters do things "at odds" to the way they were written previously just to get the plot advanced to the finale. "What" the characters did felt "natural" because the "why/how" was still well written.

 

[something daft already!!]

I would suggest that most people complaining (like myself) are not complaining about "What" happened (Dani goes mad for example) but instead "Why or How" it happened i.e "Why did she go mad so quickly? How was her descent into madness shown - too rushed, too long etc?".

Thats one thing the earlier seasons got very right, the "whats" were never a problem because the "Why/How" was written so well, so it made sense. Yet since S7 that "Why/How" seems to be "we need it as a plot point so do it" and that lack of consistent behaviour, gained from 10 years and 8 seasons of watching these people interact, really stands out to folks hence the complaints.

Take Breaking Bad as the "anti-Complaint" example - the writing was consistent from S1 Ep1 until the end, and when they wanted to finish the writers didn't start making the characters do things "at odds" to the way they were written previously just to get the plot advanced to the finale. "What" the characters did felt "natural" because the "why/how" was still well written.

Series 5 of Breaking Bad was just an add on to get more money. It should have finished at series 4 imo.

 

[Washout]

Aha, that rabid straight out of the gate huh?

It is pointless debating with someone who is already so vehemently on the attack from the off.

Wouldn't worry about it. Can hate an episode or aspect all you like, it's a free world. But for ep4 he listed 12 or 13 things that were outrageously bad. Seemed to think it was the worst episode of GoT ever.
Problem was at least 10 of them were wrong. As in, wasn't watching what was going on wrong.

Was pointed he'd erred but never responded. Odd for someone who's so clearly "intelligent".

Edit: @ the rabid one: The dialogue is just as good in most cases as it's ever been. Tyrion and Varys, Jaime and Cersei, Arya and the Hound off the top of my head from that last ep - all very good and written by the same folk who've written previous series.
If the dialogue is at the same level then the writing must be too. What you're complaining about and the point DrToffnar was trying to make is the major story, plot points are all a lot more condensed due to the smaller number of episode. Case in point Euron's forced encounter with Jaime on the beach. The dialogue during the scene was good - them bumping into eachother... not so much.

 

[Richdog]

Aha, that rabid straight out of the gate huh?

It is pointless debating with someone who is already so vehemently on the attack from the off.

Zero rabidity, just a bit of emotional investment in a show and I stand by every word. If you cannot see that the writing has deteriorated dramatically in the face of overwhelming evidence then there is something deeply lacking in your judgement and perception. I know it sounds harsh, possibly even arrogant, but it is also completely fair and honest.

 

[gettothechopper]

that jeremy jahns guy just put up a video saying exactly what i (and others on here) have posted over the last couple of days,
that her going evil is a good storyline, but the execution of it is poor and doesn't take the audience on the journey to justify her sudden change
he even makes the same Anakin skywalker point that i made earlier this week

 

[G-MAN2004]

People that refuse to see the writing has gone massively downhill are the same sort of people that still think Apple products are the best of the best and haven't turned to crap since Jobs died There's no reasoning with a blind fan boy.