Game of Thrones Season 8

[Momma There Goes That Man]

20 hours ago, Voice_of_Reason said:

1.  I loved the new opening credits.  They were always cool, but they had gotten a little repetitive/stale after 7 seasons.  I like what they have done which is essentially a march south from the wall, mirroring the Night King's path south. 

 

Agree, absolutely loved it. I've been a total nerd for the intro from the very beginning and have thought it was amazing. Like, I love it to the point that it really bums me out that in season 7 the Barratheon stag is shown in King's Landing instead of the Lannister lion for Queen Cersei. So i was really hoping they did something new or special with the intro for season 8 like add snow because of winter and they blew me away. All of it. It's set in the night, starts at the wall, flies through the missing section and follows the NK's march with the flipping tiles. Just fantastic.

 

There is an article on the ringer with an interview from the guys that make the intro where they said they always wanted to do the tiles idea showing army/troop movement throughout the series like during the War of the Five Kings but couldn't since they had so many places to get to each episode. The new astrolabes were great too especially for a world building lore nerd like me. I am curious why they appear in reverse chronological order though. 

 

20 hours ago, Voice_of_Reason said:

2. In the great hall, and it's possible I'm in the minority, but I don't mind Sansa and the other northern lords and ladies being salty that they elected Jon Snow king, he went away, and came back not a king and with a queen. 

 

I like this too. It's on brand for the North after everything we've seen from them during this series.It was hard for them to trust another King after Robb and the Red Wedding. They were wounded and yet they believed in Jon and now he bent the knee to a foreign Targaryen that has butchered their liege lords in the past. 

 

22 hours ago, Voice_of_Reason said:

And that's all well and good EXCEPT her father was overthrone and the monarchy was transitioned to another line. I'm honestly not sure WHO is the rightful successor to Fat King Robert. He had no children (and the ones he thought he had are dead anyway.  Both his brothers are dead. Cercei basically took the throne because she could.  Maybe Gendry actually has a strong claim to the throne?  Not really sure.  BUT, honestly, the Targarians (Danny and Jon) really don't have any claim.  They were defeated.    So they have just as much of a right to the throne as anybody who wants to try and overthrow the king. 

 

I think if you want to look at it like this, the only King Westeros had ever known was Targaryen. That establishes that royal bloodline. Robert was a usurper but even still, he claims some distant relation to the Targaryens so that he could "claim" the throne. Cersei basically has none of that. Still, for the people and times of this world, that bloodline is what matters and is significant. While technically, anyone can take power with enough force behind it, at this point in history there is only one real true line of royalty and that is Targaryen. If the Lannisters sit the throne for 100+ years that would change. 

 

On 4/18/2019 at 3:08 PM, Voice_of_Reason said:

A lot of people are worried that Sansa is just going to be extremely catty and petty towards Danny.  I think she OWNED this episode. 

 

Yep she killed it. I love seeing her this strong and set of mind. This was a natural reaction both to Dany and Jon. I don't think it will have huge implications on their relationship but I understand her cold reaction to them and anger. 

 

On 4/18/2019 at 3:08 PM, Voice_of_Reason said:

I'm done with dumb Tyrion. 

 

I agree and hope he will return to form at some point. But really, he has only screwed up when it's come to his family. It's a noticeable blind spot for him and probably comes with the switch in roles he has been given. He is no longer the powerless little brother fighting for survival. He is alongside the power, the favored in this battle. It's made him overestimate himself and misjudge the intentions of his family viewing them in this new perspective where he has to delicately balance honoring the queen he believes in while not wiping his entire family off the map forever. Ive always thought he dies and I've often said Dany might be the one to kill him to cement her heel turn. 

 

On 4/18/2019 at 3:08 PM, Voice_of_Reason said:

Let's talk about the Bran Bot 9000.  (Compliments to James Hibberd of EW for that nickname.). i get that he's now the 3 eyed raven and not a person, but damn if he isn't creepy.  I'm very much looking forward to his interaction with Jamie, since he made a point to go out and "greet" him.  Jamie keeping his head is going to require a pretty deft hand from somebody, and I think Bran is going to (shockingly) do what is needed to keep him alive so he can perform some service.  Everybody is going to want to kill Jamie.  He killed Danny's father.  He fought Ned in the streets. He's been the top general in Cercei's army.  He is, in fact, probably the second most hated person in the north next to Cercei (Night King aside.) 

 

Bran is the one person on the show that won't care at all about what Jaime has done before, even when he pushed Bran from a window. He is beyond that now. the Bald Move podcast brought up a good point. Essentially, our memories are our experiences right, and those experiences/memories/lessons learned define who we are as people. Bran now has access to literally everyone's memory through all of time. He can't be himself any longer. It's no surprise he acts the way he does. But as Binge Mode said, they really have to elaborate on what it is the 3 eyed raven is supposed to do. they can't just watch history from the sidelines throughout all of time. What is the point to it all? So I hope that is explained. 

 

On 4/18/2019 at 3:08 PM, Voice_of_Reason said:

Also, let's not forget the Rober's Rebelion was built on a lie.  Unless I'm mistaken, the match that lit the powder keg was the rumor Rhaggar kidnapped and raped Lyanna.  This didn't happen.  If that hadn't happened, would all the subsequent events leading to Robert's rebbellion taken place, and would the Targarians still have the throne?  

 

Well, after this happened Ned's father and older brother rode to King's Landing to demand Rhaegar release Lyanna and the Mad King executed them, rather cruelly. This was something I thought was mostly book stuff until rewatching with my wife for her first time and being prepared to have to explain this to her. I was surprised how much season 1 really goes into more detail than I remembered on what happened to Ned's father and brother. And I don't think it was built on a lie, it was built on a misunderstanding. That misunderstanding led to the death of two Starks, the warden of the north and the heir and at that point, nothing could put it back in the bag after that. Especially since after that the Mad King demanded Jon Arryn bring him the heads of Robert Baratheon and Ned Stark. There was no going back. 

 

On 4/18/2019 at 3:08 PM, Voice_of_Reason said:

Jon has now ridden 2 dragons.

 

This was probably the only thing that bugged me about this episode. It just felt like riding Rhaegal or a dragon at all should have been a bigger deal. This is a massive development, a huge seminal moment for the people in this world's history. Daenerys first riding Drogon to escape the fighting pits in Mereen was handled beautifully. I wish this moment had the same majesty attached to it somehow. Maybe they should have saved it. Not a huge deal, but kinda annoying. 

 

On 4/18/2019 at 3:08 PM, Voice_of_Reason said:

I enjoyed playful, in-love Danny

 

Agree, even my wife said "wow, she smiles a lot now" 

 

She's definitely in love in a way we haven't seen from her before. 

 

On 4/18/2019 at 3:08 PM, Voice_of_Reason said:

I really don't think there's going to be a big rift between Jon and Danny about the reveal of who he is. 

 

I don't think Dany will believe him. It's coming from his weird brother and his friend who just found out that she executed his family. There is a clip of them in the crypts for next episode. I don't think Jon will be so  quick to kiss and cuddle her now and she will notice the hesitation. She will believe in Jon but that maybe this just isn't the way to go. She might even give him back his own words to her "no offense but are you sure they are the most reliable source for this?" or whatever he told her in the dragon pit about having children. 

 

Then what I think will happen is that they will be interrupted by the arrival of the NK so they can't finish their conversation/argument about this. After the battle they will retreat south and when they get to the neck they will encounter House Reed, more specifically, Howland Reed who can confirm what happened at the Tower of Joy. This will ignite the surviving houses of the North around Jon and stoke the flames of a clash with Dany as her army is decimated and she doesn't have the power she so recently did. 

 

 

4 hours ago, HooHog said:

Random thought I just had as pertains to succession from Robert Baratheon.  It's established in both the show that a king can legitimize ****s.  So lets say Dany dies somehow (I don't think this is likely, but with GoT you never know).  Jon has made clear he has no desire to rule, but he would be a king in theory.  Jon could then legitimize Gendry (Robert's only known remaining **** after Cersei had the others purged way back when), abdicate the throne, and Gendry as the then only legitimate Baratheon, could be elevated.  Again, don't think this is likely, just spitballing.

 

Gendry is a nobody blacksmith that disappeared for 4 seasons. This would be a supremely unsatisfying way for the story to unfold for me. 

[Voice_of_Reason]

46 minutes ago, Momma There Goes That Man said:

This was probably the only thing that bugged me about this episode. It just felt like riding Rhaegal or a dragon at all should have been a bigger deal. This is a massive development, a huge seminal moment for the people in this world's history. Daenerys first riding Drogon to escape the fighting pits in Mereen was handled beautifully. I wish this moment had the same majesty attached to it somehow. Maybe they should have saved it. Not a huge deal, but kinda annoying. 

It didn't bug me because it looked so good. And I think they put it in there so they could use it as a piece of evidence Jon is a Targaryen. "Danny, for God's sake.  Drogon and Rhegal even know. I wasn't just up there for a joy ride, he was doing what I was thinking.  That's a trait specific to Targaryans.  You know that.

 

It's the only reason I can think of for the joy ride.

 

48 minutes ago, Momma There Goes That Man said:

Agree, even my wife said "wow, she smiles a lot now" 

You smile a lot more when you're getting nookie.  It's just a part of human behavior that crosses time and space.  Everybody likes nookie, all the time, everywhere.

 

49 minutes ago, Momma There Goes That Man said:

Then what I think will happen is that they will be interrupted by the arrival of the NK so they can't finish their conversation/argument about this. After the battle they will retreat south and when they get to the neck they will encounter House Reed, more specifically, Howland Reed who can confirm what happened at the Tower of Joy. This will ignite the surviving houses of the North around Jon and stoke the flames of a clash with Dany as her army is decimated and she doesn't have the power she so recently did. 

The problem with running into Howland Reed is that if you're show only (and not a listener of Binge Mode, Bald Move, or one of the other million podcasts out there which delve into this stuff), you'd have NO IDEA who this guy is.  He showed up in a flashback, and he's the father of those 2 kids who helped Bran. That was SO long ago, I don't think anybody would even remember that.  They just haven't set it up. 

 

I'm curious as to how they are going to pull it off to make Danny believe Jon.  One theory I have is she somehow already knows, or suspects.  Based on the way she off-handedly asked him to hop on the dragon.  Like she figured it out when Drogon sniffed him, and wanted a more complete test.  Not that she knows her brother is his father, just that he has some Targaryen blood so they have to be related in some way. So when he says, "yeah, so about this snogging and boot knocking, you're my Aunt" she's like, "oh, really? I knew we were related already,  that's kinda cool.  Let's go take over Westeros.  But I'm still queen because Dragons and armies." And he's like, "ok, sounds good." And gives her the Lord's Kiss. And because Jon Snow is kinda dumb, he doesn't quire realize that he has dragons and armies too.  Though I don't think he has any desire to be King of anything.  

 

56 minutes ago, Momma There Goes That Man said:

Gendry is a nobody blacksmith that disappeared for 4 seasons. This would be a supremely unsatisfying way for the story to unfold for me. 

But he's an Olympic class rower AND long-distance runner.  So that's something.  

[Momma There Goes That Man]

55 minutes ago, Voice_of_Reason said:

I wasn't just up there for a joy ride, he was doing what I was thinking.  That's a trait specific to Targaryans.  You know that.

 

I don’t remember which pod it was but they mentioned a deleted like from that scene where Jon says “it’s like he knew where I wanted to go” which speaks to the bond they have with their chosen rider and makes it more obvious. Not sure why they took that line out tho, maybe too on the nose. 

 

And maybe he has to hop on heroically in battle and do some figure 8s in the air and they didn’t want him to appear like a Mary Sue dragon rider so they stuck this scene in here 

[Momma There Goes That Man]

1 hour ago, Voice_of_Reason said:

The problem with running into Howland Reed is that if you're show only (and not a listener of Binge Mode, Bald Move, or one of the other million podcasts out there which delve into this stuff), you'd have NO IDEA who this guy is.  He showed up in a flashback, and he's the father of those 2 kids who helped Bran. That was SO long ago, I don't think anybody would even remember that.  They just haven't set it up. 

 

Nah, I think they could pull it off. We know exactly how this would go. It’s the same thing as showing Edmure at the red wedding before a random episode in season 6 after not showing him for 3 full seasons. “Oh yeah, that guy. I remember” 

 

thats all we need. So a previously on will just show the 3 eyed raven and Bran watching outride the tower of Joy when the 3ER says “that’s Howland Reed, Meera’s dad” then it will show Howland stabbing Arthur Dayne so we remember he survived the battle. Then show Meera leaving Bran while saying she had to go be with her father. That’s all the Howland Reed references in the show and would take 20 seconds max. 

 

I still really like the Lyanna crypt idea because it’s kinda sweet and I like the idea that it was there all along. Nobody is going to dig up her grave or open her tomb etc   But I could see it being smashed in battle and as they are escaping thru the crypts they see this and observe whatever evidence was in her tomb 

Edited April 19, 2019 by Momma There Goes That Man

[Nerm]

A few of the things I am interested in are:

 

1. If Jon will even want anyone to know he is a Targeryen?  I think that hurts him more than it helps him both with the Northerners and with Danny's armies. The Dothraki and Unsullied are not fighting for her because of the Targeryen bloodline.  The Northern people don't seem to think the bloodline means a Targeryen should be their leader, and the info may make them more skeptical of Jon.  I would keep the whole thing quiet if I was him.  The one way I can think of revealing the info in a way that would change public opinion may be if Danny ordered a dragon to burn Jon and the dragon refused or it did not harm him.

 

2.  How does Jamie not get killed next episode?  He killed Danny's father and tried to kill her as well.  The Starks have no reason to stand up for him.  Tyrion will stick up for him, but I don't know if that holds much weight with others.  It seems like Bran, of all people, will have to make a case for him to live.

[Yohan]

15 minutes ago, Nerm said:

 

2.  How does Jamie not get killed next episode?  He killed Danny's father and tried to kill her as well.  The Starks have no reason to stand up for him.  Tyrion will stick up for him, but I don't know if that holds much weight with others.  It seems like Bran, of all people, will have to make a case for him to live.

 

Tyrion once told Dany what her father, the Mad Kings plan was for Kings Landing. Burn them all with the wild fire, and that’s why Jaime killed her father. This prevented her from doing the same to Mereen. She is aware Jaime did the right thing, and this will probably be confirmed by Bran, plus Bran stating the greater role Jaime has yet to play.

[visionary]

 

 

 

Edited April 21, 2019 by visionary

[ksun247]

21 hours ago, Voice_of_Reason said:

 

But he's an Olympic class rower AND long-distance runner.  So that's something.  

 

Can't stop laughing at this. At work crying thinking about those scenes.  😂🤣 

[No Excuses]

Maybe the most boring episode of the series. 

[Hersh]

1 minute ago, No Excuses said:

Maybe the most boring episode of the series. 

 

I haven’t watched it yet but if so it’s cause the are about to kill off half the cast. Calm before the storm 

[StillUnknown]

they got a lot of work to do in these last 4 episodes

 

 

that Arya scene was uncomfortable. I know she's grown now, but still

[SkinsFanRob]

3 minutes ago, No Excuses said:

Maybe the most boring episode of the series. 

 

I thought it was awesome. 

 

The scene with arya was a little strange though. Weird having watched her grow up from a child. 

[CRobi21]

Was uncomfortable watching Arya strip..... Very uncomfortable.

[SkinsFanRob]

Just now, StillUnknown said:

they got a lot of work to do in these last 4 episodes

 

 

that Arya scene was uncomfortable. I know she's grown now, but still

 

I literally just said the same thing. 😂

Looks like we all felt the same way

[visionary]

Great episode.  There were some awesome scenes I didn’t expect to see.  I cried a few times.  Can’t wait until next week.  

[No Excuses]

Like almost everything about the episode was beyond corny. 

[visionary]

Also loved that we got to hear Jenny of Oldstones like that.  So good.

Edited April 22, 2019 by visionary

[CRobi21]

Wish we got to hear the Bran and Tyrion convo. Guess Tyrion got some insider Intel that should benefit him/them in the future.

[visionary]

2 minutes ago, CRobi21 said:

Wish we got to hear the Bran and Tyrion convo. Guess Tyrion got some insider Intel that should benefit him/them in the future.

True, I was curious about that, but I assume it was mostly things we already know, or they would have shown some of it.

[StillUnknown]

6 minutes ago, CRobi21 said:

Wish we got to hear the Bran and Tyrion convo. Guess Tyrion got some insider Intel that should benefit him/them in the future.

 

they need to contract Martin strictly to write Tyrion's parts on the show. The writers have somehow made that man into a boring character. 

[twa]

14 minutes ago, SkinsFanRob said:

 

I literally just said the same thing. 😂

Looks like we all felt the same way

 

Nice ass though.

 

she's older than she looks

 

 

[Dr. Do Itch Big]

Boring

[twa]

14 minutes ago, No Excuses said:

Like almost everything about the episode was beyond corny. 

 

you have no soul , not the episode I expected though

 

 

let's get to the killing

[Yohan]

Ghost made an appearance!

 

The song that Pod sang reminded me of Pippin from Lord of the Rings.

 

 

[Renegade7]

Did Arya lose her virginity or something worried she might die?  She's probably going to.

 

This feels like its about to go 0 to 100 real quick.