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Spoiler-Fest: Game of Thrones S6

MineOwnKing

Maester
I enjoyed this episode. The ending with Hodor was good.

I'm a fan, I love it, but...

Unfortunately I have to say, if this was a major motion picture, most of the scenes would have found the cutting room floor.

The meeting with Varys and Kinvara was okay but does it move the plot along or just add more mystery to mystery? Why not just tell us what the voice in the flames said as the wizard threw his privates in the fire? How does her knowing the past prove that she's any better than Melisandre?

Now if Kinvara would have summoned the demon and ordered it to eat Varys and Tyrion, that would have been exciting. Also, if she is chosen by the Lord of Light...why not lock her in with the dragons and test her power under dragon fire? Bilbo did it.

I found the parting of Danaerys and Sir Jorah weak, drawn out and not very moving. Iain Glen is outstanding as always but I just didn't feel the love from Danaerys. There was 10 minutes wasted that could have been trimmed down to 1 minute.

I still don't understand the purpose of the old dude in the tree. Didn't he have any power? What will Bran do with his new power...that really isn't very powerful? Can he use it to control the minds of dragons? That would be cool.

There was also 10 minutes lost to Jon and Sansa considering a map. This scene should have been cut. The Greyjoys should have been cut too. The Spanish, desolated forests to create 130 ships for their Armada....how are the Greyjoys going to build 1,000 ships? Boo.

Why is the undead army waiting to attack? I think the ensemble cast is too stretched to the corners of the world.

All we really need is Danaerys riding a dragon to defeat the white walkers. At this point the rest is just filler. We don't need to see another scene of her coming of age and coming to power.

Green light means go, Yellow light means go faster....
 
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I've read some scattered comments about the episode, mostly on Twitter, and watched a few reaction videos. A lot of people seem to blame Bran for Hodor's condition. But really, wasn't the Three-Eyed Raven more to blame?

  • He probably already knew what was going to happen.
  • He took Bran to that particular past in a moment of crisis to...what? Watch his father be told not to fight or if he fights, to win?
  • He tells Bran to listen to his friend—get Hodor to help.
  • He's watching Bran the whole time, sees Bran looking toward the young Hodor.

There are also some funny reaction videos to the deaths. Some people were very angry or upset when Summer died. When Leaf (the main Child helping them) died, lots of people wanted her to throw her magic grenade; why is she just standing there to die? But both were cases of buying a few seconds for Bran, Meera, and Hodor to make it out the door, since apparently the wights like to stop and stab a lot when given the opportunity. That was a close call, barely getting the door shut, so those seconds of delay worked.

But this also explains the whole Hodor situation. Bran had to create a time loop (even if the Raven had more of a hand in making sure that happened) to buy Bran and Meera a chance to escape into the frozen mist. And Hodor's situation holding the door was tenuous. Anyone else might have failed, and even Hodor might have failed if Bran/Raven hadn't created that self-reinforcing resolve, that loop which basically translated into absolute focus on that one task when said focus was absolutely necessary.

The people angry with GOT and GRRM should step back and think about it. Here were four White Walkers and thousands of wights versus about 10 individuals, in the middle of a wilderness and pretty much nowhere to run. OF COURSE many of the good guys had to die.
 
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Legendary Sidekick

The HAM'ster
Moderator
I think all seven knew there wasn't a way they'd survive this battle, and Leaf being the last of her kind chose to die in the way that would wipe out as many as possible—like Vasquez in Aliens, only she didn't say, "You always were an asshole, Hodor." [1:25]

 
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MineOwnKing

Maester
I'm confused why we didn't get to find out more about Jon's mother. We had that cool sword battle leading up to it, then everything just fizzled.

Extremely annoying.
 
You know the first half of this episode was awesome. The last half was meh. But I always find the 7th episode in a game of thrones season the be the boring one. So I'm glad at least the beginning had some well done moving forward the plot/ character moments.

I'm actually more excited for next week's episode. Then the ninth is always the best episode on the season- at least as I've found, so I'm excited to see what the mic drop moment for this season is going to be.
 
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Legendary Sidekick

The HAM'ster
Moderator
I agree it was an episode that basically just sets things up for the end of the season.

Area betraying the House of Black and White was my favorite moment. The whole sequence was awesome—her expressions during the stage performance, the interaction with her target, the heroic betrayal, getting needle, and knowing that the waif will come after her. (Hypocritical: making her mission to kill Arya personal when the test was to see if Arya can kill with indifference.)
 
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I thought Bran's and Arya's sequences were the best. Arya for the reasons Legendary gave, Bran's because Uncle Benjen's new abilities are freaking awesome. I already "knew" (strongly suspected) that Benjen would show up to save Bran and Meera, after last episode, but I had no clue he'd be an anti-White Walker. Song of Ice and Fire, eh?

Dany's part at the end was pretty much the lamest thing so far this season. No build-up, just an "oh!" meaningless glance ahead, which pretty much telegraphed where she was going and what she was doing since there was no other possible reason for her taking off. But what makes it worse: We were led to believe that the Dothraki had fully joined her out of devotion after the scene at the end of ep. 4, but here she has to return riding the dragon and telling them they are all her blood riders in order to stoke that hurrah! hurrah! hurrah! devotion to her plan. It was extremely counterproductive, from a creative viewpoint, and seemed entirely tagged on at the end of this episode.

I also found Margaery's utter lack of concern for her brother to be silly, given what we've already been shown. So she and Tommen are now converts—no doubt, she's just playing the High Sparrow and also sticking it to Cersei at the same time—so good for them; but I don't think that the writers did well in entirely ignoring the fact that she's walking off with Tommen, safe, but leaving her brother behind. Logically, yes, I can see why she would have to do that, in order to secure her safety first, but ignoring even a hint of her plans for saving her brother was a misstep I think. Basically, the writers wanted to "surprise" the viewers in the way Jaime et al. were surprised, so they played it out from his perspective. This was not quite as obvious a contrived set of events as the Dany scene, but felt close to it.

Overall, I thought this was a very weak episode, one of the weakest I can remember from any season. I turned it off afterward and went about doing other things with hardly a thought about it. Maybe the previous episode's strong ending set this one up for automatic failure.
 
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Legendary Sidekick

The HAM'ster
Moderator
one of the weakest I can remember from any season.
I don't know… season five had quite a slump.

I totally agree the Dany scene was the lamest. I asked my wife what she did with the white horse, and my wife said it was a snack for the dragon. If my wife and I are making comments during the episode, that means we don't give a shit. It was unnecessary because her peeps were hers the moment they saw her standing naked in the fire like a Goddess of Awesome. Now it's like, "And I ride dragons too! I'm all kinds of awesome!" And they're like, "YEAAAAAAAAAH!"

Maybe next episode, she'll ride a flaming dragon in the nude. "YYYYYEEEEEAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH," the crowd will say.
 

Ben

Troubadour
No comments on the visit to Horn Hill?
The internet seemed to love seeing Sam stick it to his mean old dad by stealing his sword. I guess I enjoyed that too but for the most part I'm not into the Sam and Gilly storyline. We'll see if it pays off later.
Off topic -- I binged watched Narcos on Netflix and loved it. As good as Pedro Pascal was on GoT, I liked him even better in Narcos.
 

MineOwnKing

Maester
I enjoyed this episode best.

In fact, there was nothing I didn't like.

It flowed well and had an epic feel to it.

It was more like a movie and less like a soap opera.

Cinematic and sweeping.

Loved it.
 
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No comments on the visit to Horn Hill?
The internet seemed to love seeing Sam stick it to his mean old dad by stealing his sword. I guess I enjoyed that too but for the most part I'm not into the Sam and Gilly storyline. We'll see if it pays off later.

The Sam/Gilly storyline is boring me and comes late into the overall story. I actually had the sense that the writers are checking boxes off on a list. Sam needs a Valerian steel sword? Check!
 
Who let the dog out? Who, Who Who?

I really enjoyed the little montage sort of thing with Sansa, John and Davos going to northern houses to get help. It was slightly comedic to see the trio, trying to get help, but doors are just shutting in their face.

NOoOo ARYA HEAL GIRL HEAL. YOU CAN'T DIE. I BELIEVE IN YOU. (I know she's probably going to be fine. Its just hurts to see my favorite character get hurt)

Over all I enjoyed this episode. Not as good as episode 5 but much stronger then 6.
 
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Legendary Sidekick

The HAM'ster
Moderator
Arya surviving will be as surprising as Sandor's new friends being slaughtered.

That said, I liked this episode. It's probably one of the better "set up" episodes, even though most of it was unsurprising. Margery is playing the Sparrow—I knew that, but am glad to see it confirmed by a drawing of a rose. Speculation: I wonder if Tommen will die, putting High Garden in power.

Sandor seems to be a better man. Not surprised he's going to chop something other than wood next week, but lord of light followers taking out peaceful people from other religions… Sandor standing up to that would be a nice change.

Brienne vs. Jaime……… ahhhhh shit. (I'm referring to the preview of next episode.) How she ends up against Jaime makes more sense in the show than in the book, but it's still a rivalry that can't end well unless it can be resolved without a fight. I like Brienne, but Jaime is on the "safe" list. "No one is safe" is bullshit. The Lannister siblings and remaining Stark children/teens will all survive well into book 7.

Arya surprised me by getting taken down, but that's a good surprise. She shouldn't take out the waif so easily. We've already seen Arya get her butt kicked by the waif. I expected a blind fight when she slept in the dark, and now I don't know what to expect other than Arya somehow surviving this.
 
My guess is that Arya is going to that actress, who will help her. I didn't like the way the waif was obvious to viewers, on approach. I'm like, "Nooooo!" But I do think it'll be interesting to see how Arya comes out of this.

I did not like the time leaping in the Jon/Sansa/Davos montage. A little too comedic for my taste, combined with the fact that Jon and Sansa for the most part stood as ignorant, overwhelmed mutes. Hey, here's a guy who has fought a White Walker, who has seen the scope of the overwhelming undead army that will be heading south soon; but instead of using that as a reason for aid, when soliciting aid, the half-brother half-sister combo were like Oliver Twist holding forth an empty bowl:


Preview for next episode looks great.
 
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Ben

Troubadour
I enjoyed this episode, despite it being low on the action scale. They stuck to the storylines and characters I am most interested in and set things up for some upcoming showdowns.

Strangely, when I read the books, I didn't register Riverrun Siege as a major event, but they are hyping it up big time -- some impressive shots from the next episode preview. I was wondering how they would resolve it and have it make sense and resemble the book, and then I remembered Brienne was coming, and I see the way forward -- I am assuming book spoilers and speculation still ok on the spoiler fest thread -- when she gives Blackfish the news, I could see him abandoning the castle to Edmure and the Lannisters/Freys, and sneaking his army out the back door to go aid Sansa.

Really love Ian McShane and was excited to see he Hound back, so those scenes were a hit with me. Wondering where he goes from here -- I don't see the much hyped Cleganebowl happening (would be going backwards for him to fight his brother again, and I don't see him becoming a true believer in the High Sparrow), but he may bust up he Brotherhood which could bring him face to face with a certain lady with a stone heart.

Yes, the Starks begging for men scenes had issues with them not putting their best foot forward, I agree. And yeah, the badass little kid running House Mormont was a little hokey, but all in good fun.

For a minute there I thought they really might kill off Arya, but she's running around and jumping off buildings in the previews so I think she'll be ok, probably some trick involving, as someone mentioned, the troupe of players.

Have high hopes for the final episodes :)
 

MineOwnKing

Maester
I liked this one.

I did get the vibe that the story isn't going to end anytime soon. I'm surprised by that. I thought we were heading for a wrap up. Now it looks like many more seasons.

I think I would lose interest if they choose to drag it out. I like an epic but...throw the ring in the lava and be done with it.

One of the reasons I would lose interest is because of the cameo roles. Ian McShane steps in front of the screen and we immediately see the difference in his professional acting compared to the child actors that have grown on us, but really are lacking in depth. They could be replaced by other actors and I wouldn't even care.

James Faulkner is stunning as Randyll Tarly. That's what I call intensity.

Amateur acting is dampening the energy. I found myself caring more about Ian McShane's character than the rest of the plot lines combined.

I think this is why I like Vikings better. Better acting makes a series great and memorable.

Vikings scene 1 Episode 1 is one of my all time favorites. The lightning strikes the tree and I'm thrown into the battle. Oden and the Valkyries walk among the fallen soldiers and I am there, walking with my Norwegian ancestors. My peeps.
 
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Ben

Troubadour
Great points, King.

When the better actors get on there it does highlight what the other actors aren't bringing to the table, doesn't it?

I saw the casting call for Randyll Tarly and it sounded like it was going to be a big part, so I'm guessing we'll at least see a lot more of Faulkner.

The scuttlebutt on sites like Watchers on the Wall is that there will be 2 more shorter seasons of 7 and 6 episodes respectively. I dunno, hard to believe they can get everything tied up in that time frame. Lots of people need to get off their assess (looking at you, White Walkers. And Dani).

That's a strong endorsement for Vikings -- I think I will give it a go. I don't have any Norse heritage but have always found Vikings fascinating (both in fantasy settings and historical).
 

MineOwnKing

Maester
Great points, King.

When the better actors get on there it does highlight what the other actors aren't bringing to the table, doesn't it?

Yes! I did pick up on it before when Charles Dance played Tywin Lannister, but he was in so many scenes I didn't realize the night and day quality of acting. Jonathan Pryce has great presence as the High Sparrow, but he plays a soft spoken character often in the shadows.


That's a strong endorsement for Vikings -- I think I will give it a go. I don't have any Norse heritage but have always found Vikings fascinating (both in fantasy settings and historical).

Vikings isn't perfect but there are many scenes of cinematic quality. It is filmed very differently. Travis Fimmel has a unique acting style that works well for Ragnar Lodbrock. It is not known if Ragnar actually existed. Both he and Legartha are part myth. Ragnar is almost god-like and we get that from Travis's facial expressions and strange speech patterns.

His supposed sons were real men, and their history is recorded.

 
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Legendary Sidekick

The HAM'ster
Moderator
I really like Brienne and Jaime in the show. Hopefully, book six is similar in the sense that neither wants to betray the other. I forget how the (almost) bloodless seige turned out in the book, but I like how it was handled in the show.

Arya, Sandor, Dany: all predictable outcomes but not in a bad way. Many heads and faces were ripped off.

Robert Strong looked like he was just teaching the guy a lesson. Then... nope! He just needed the voice in his head to say "Finish him!"

I have a feeling next place is another episode that happens all (or mostly?) in one place. Here's hoping Bastard Bowl ends brutally for Ramsey!
 
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I thought this was the strongest episode this season, overall. (The pathos and reveal combo of Hodor's death hasn't been surpassed, but this episode was more evenly strong.)

I'll have to watch it again...but didn't I see two candles in that room where Arya confronted the Waif? I thought there was one beside the entrance to the larger area, past the entry hallway, and one beside Arya. This left me wondering afterward how she put out all the light by cutting in half the candle beside her. Maybe my memory's off.

Dany's last two appearances this season have been perfunctory. It's almost as if she's temporarily stopped being a character and has become a prop—deus ex machina embodied, now? Hah. I wonder how she'll interpret Tyrion's temporary rule.

The Jaime/Brienne, King's Landing and Hound scenes were the strongest in this episode.

I am this close (fingers an inch apart) to believing that Cersei will order her own son killed—what culmination of the prophecy she once received! But then, that rumor she mentioned at the end may be concrete evidence that the High Sparrow is a charlatan. Hmmmm.

I was pleasantly surprised to learn that Dondarrion and Thoros are not only aware of the White Walkers etc. up north, they are preparing for it. They are the furthest-south people to be aware of the scope of the coming winter. Seems a collusion with Jon/Sansa after Winterfell is taken is in the works, and I'm guessing the Hound meets Arya again in Winterfell, although the timing would point to a reunion next season if it happens that way.

The preview for episode 9...I wish Jon could someday become something other than mopey. On another note, I think that chances are high we'll have an "OMG we're going to lose!" moment broken by the serendipitous arrival of the Vale's forces to save the day.
 
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