Spoiler: GoT What an episode! I must admit I did think they would kill off at least one of the main characters (Sansa or one of the Lannister's for example). I'm pleased the battle isn't being dragged out into multiple episodes - I'm really looking forward to the consequences. Cersei is going to be pissed!
Spoiler: GoT The White Walkers were obviously directing the Dead , so had their hands full. Arya ran off from where she was with Melisandre and the Hound after Mel explained that she had got through so far for a reason. And try turning the brightness on your TV up, it worked for me!
The other day, at work, a Romanian colleague started talking about the George Orwell book, 1984. I have never read the book, but the things he mentioned, about it, really tweaked my interest. A couple of days ago I downloaded the book, and despite not having had much time for reading, I have read approximately 25%. Wow. I had previously seen comments on social media asking if George Orwell was a time traveler, and based on what I have read, I can understand why the question has been raised. Communication via tv screens - FaceTime, and beer being sold in litres and not pints, as just two examples. I can’t help but think that the Tory handbook is based on this book, with the “proles” being kept well and truly in their place, and history being rewritten to cover up errors and to show the ruling party (Big Brother/the Tories) in a good light. Not to mention the reduction of allowances/benefits being reported as increases - so very current. And as for the “Two minutes of hate” sessions. For Goldstein I can picture Corbyn, only he gets more than 2 minutes of hate per day. Loving the book so far.
Spoiler: GoT Nobody died!?! Wtf. The entire good army is dead...except for the main characters. That’s a big deviation from GoT of old and full on plot armour Hollywood guff. There’s also no reason for it, I love the characters but they had to die! So many character arcs were completed but didn’t get the pay off in dieing fighting the biggest fight that the entire show has been building towards. I mean, how the hell does someone like Sam survive that. He’s not a fighter! It was so almost an excellent episode but it let itself down imo. Frustrating. There’s also no way the Cersei fight should be bigger than the threat of the White Walkers. I find it hard to believe that the Night King was defeated in one showdown and the only person he killed was Theon. That was full arc complete for Theon and should have happened to more characters. Would have made the win more satisfying and this unwinnable battle seem as perilous as it was to everyone except the main characters.
Spoiler: GoT Yep, totally agree. But you have only scratched the surface there. I was disappointed watching it, and on reflection my frustration just keeps growing. They absolutely sold-out on this episode. Feels like they just wanted to cater to the Avengers-type crowd. The Night King could have become the coolest villain in history if he had somehow outwitted the living for another couple of episodes, but he just walked into a basic as **** trap, and got killed easily, while his generals did absolutely ****-all. Dany felt guilty about the Dothraki all dying - but then why didn't she make the first move with her dragons and start destroying the undead hordes prior to sending in her own people? GoT became the series it is for its shocking main-character-deaths, but this had none. The Hound turned into a puddle of piss, Bran did nothing yet again. They gave the most heroic moment to a complete non-character (Lyanna). The Giant's death should have been given to Arya, and the Night King should have taken a seperate army of undead around Westerfell and onto King's Landing, or better, flown there on his dragon, while his generals attacked Westerfell. The Night King/undead being killed in a single battle, kind of proves Cersei right; that they weren't much to worry about after all (despite seven seasons of build up).
A reminder to people that several Southampton roads will be closed for the marathon, on Sunday. https://www.dailyecho.co.uk/news/17605054.southampton-marathon-2019-road-closures/
Oh, and some more road disruption, but only until Spring 2020. That’s my route to work and back, with doubts as to whether or not it will be open at times of travel. Signposts giving notice better be good. https://www.dailyecho.co.uk/news/17...-on-redbridge-roundabout-will-begin-tomorrow/
Spoiler: GoT Yeah I agree. Just didn't want to go into a full on rant about it. Have done that plenty to the people I watch it with! I'm not really that surprised that this is how it went down, just disappointed. The show has been on a downward spiral for the last few seasons with the dialogue getting less complex, less mysterious and less hard hitting in general. Characters suddenly losing any sort of mysterious sub plot they might have had and getting really dumb and or unimportant. I'm fine with the time travel that they developed in recent series because that's just to speed things along and get stuff done. But then theres charcters that you love that ultimately shouldn't have a big part to play anymore developing Hollywood style plot armour for no reason. It's like a bigger scale version of the episode last season when they did the stupid plan to steal a White. The majority of that gang that went North of the wall should have died. But only Thoros did. It just turns GoT into an average story with visually stunning scenes. There were so many fan theories about how this episode would go down that were far better than what actually happened. It was a difficult episode to get right, but they really wussed out of doing anything much meaningful with it. Why did Podrick survive? Briennes character arc was completed in episode 2, she should have died. Davos? Gendry? The Hound? Samwell? Greyworm? Tormund? Nobody died or did anything heroic in the crypts that they were building up last episode. Why couldn't Varys or Missandei have died? Or even one of Tyrion or Jaime could have gone. The Night King and the army of the undead and 'The long night' which as it turns out, was just an average length night, should have been the ultimate boss. The Night King didn't really do anything amazing this episode to prove himself to be this ultimate evil magic being. He made a storm. Good. Smirked at Dany when dragonfire didnt affect him. Then killed Theon and stared at Bran for a bit before getting quickly stabbed. The other White Walkers literally did nothing. The army of the dead was as fearful and unbeatable as it should have been,...until they came up against the main characters who somehow managed to survive for 30 minutes or so of being completely surrounded when the entire Dothraki hoard (who are fabled for being almost unstoppable charging on horse back) died instantly. Visually looked amazing. Upped the tension which I liked, but didn't make sense. They would have slaughtered a lot of whites before they all died. But okay I can live with it as the opening part of the battle to show how perilous their situation was. But then how do the likes of Sam, Davos and Podrick survive? It's so stupid. Arrrgh. Theres so many other bits that I could rant about for time. Bran the other ultimate magic being just flew around with birds for a bit. Even Jon didn't do much. Right near the end he was running about with no obvious purpose, even looking at Sam who looked like he was being killed for the 5th time in the episode, and leaving him. If that was for a bigger reason, then fine, but it wasn't. He was just running around aimlessly at that point, not that it mattered because Sam is invincible anyway. I'm going to stop now because I'm getting really rambly and I need to get on with some work!
Just been out driving on the Island...because I am going to Niton on Thursday and having only lived here 33 years had no idea how to get there. On the way had to negotiate a single file road governed by traffic lights...not unusual...no, but the reason for the lights was a nearby badger sett. And recently a Shanklin road was closed because of a dangerous tree which couldn't be removed for months because a squirrel was living in it. Last I heard they were trying to lure her away with promises of a squirrel box filled with nuts.
Spoiler: GoT Absolutely agree on everything. I feel your pain too. So many that should have gone, especially Brienne, Greyworm, and the Hound. Samwell, fair enough, the plucky fat dude surviving adds a bit of humour. Tyrion and Jaime will have their big moment against Cersei, so fair enough leave them too. Now I just kind of resent a lot of the characters that I used to care for. Bronn, Tyrion and Jaime are the only good ones left. I particularly dislike Arya and Dany as they are the ones everyone is rooting for. One of those two being killed would have been a real Thrones episode, lol.
Spoiler: GoT I'd be fine if Sam survived, but not in the manner he did. They showed him time after time being covered in Whites and grimacing without really fighting them off. You don't survive that. It would have been much better for him to be on the front line, get saved by Ed. Ed helping him up as happened, Ed dieing as happened and then as Sam ran off, he ran back inside and went to the crypts and survived in there. It would have been classic GoT if one of the Lannister bros died. At this point I think it should have been Tyrion as I think it would be the perfect ending to Jaimes arc to be the one to kill Cersei. But yeah, don't really mind that both of them survived. But just way too many survived, especially as they have no real importance to the story anymore. I don't agree with the White Walkers and Night King dieing 'so easily', but if that was going to happen. Arya should have died killing the Night King. I initially thought she had died. And shes not now going to be the one to kill Cersie ASWELL as the Night King, so she might as well have died killing him. I'll be annoyed if one of Jon or Dany doesn't die before the end!
Spoiler: GoT Gonna take a good few episodes to make up for this first half of this season. The North now has next to no army left. If we suddenly see the North with big numbers again on the battlefield, I will be switching off.
Spoiler: GoT First episode was meh, but was fine as a reminder of who's doing what where. I actually enjoyed the second episode. But it was let down by episode 3 not following through with what it was setting up. The North will still somehow have an army. Probably a few thousand still. It's like the Lannister army, despite the fact that they have been through war after war after war, there always seems to be loads left. I'll watch the rest of the season regardless because I'm so invested and I still love a lot of the characters (even if I don't agree with them still being alive). Still hoping for some kind of twist with the Night King/Bran thing. But it's pretty doubtful. Only 3 episodes left!
Spoiler: GoT Just a feeling. As you say, the North’s resources are massively depleted without them, and it did seem a bit odd that after being a major protagonist practically all the way from Season 1 they should just fizzle out like a damp squib. No idea how they survive, but then the whole thing is a fantasy, so why should we worry about implausibility? I can’t remember whether it was you or RSS who described something as being “unrealistic”, but it made me smile. The writers can’t please everybody obviously, but as I say, I found the episode hugely entertaining, perhaps because I had no preconceptions about what should or shouldn’t happen. I admit I did find Dany and Jon’s complete ineffectiveness a bit irritating but maybe they’ll have their moment in the next 3 episodes. As for the Night King, maybe we haven’t seen the last of him, or maybe Bran takes his place, or something. Who knows?
Spoiler: GoT Just because it is of the fantasy genre, doesn't mean that you can't criticise it for being unrealistic. Are you saying you'd be happy if the dragons just suddenly started speaking English in a high-pitched Scouse accent while Dany breaks into a song and dance about her love for Jon? Of course not. The reason I love GoT and yet can't stand Lord of the Rings, is that the plot, and particularly the dialogue, are both much more realistic. Note we're using the word 'realistic' and not 'real', by the way. Anyway, regarding the Dothraki. I guess Dany could have left a few hundred back at Dragonstone.
