HBO: Game of Thrones (Song of Ice and Fire)

[Chris_H_2]

i still feel cheated with no real white walker action and this 8-season-long threat disappearing so quickly and relatively easily.

[Monkey_Driven]

i still feel cheated with no real white walker action and this 8-season-long threat disappearing so quickly and relatively easily.

Other than Winterfell and everything north of it being destroyed and thousands being killed...

But yeah, it felt unsatisfying in that way.

[Bi_3]

i still feel cheated with no real white walker action and this 8-season-long threat disappearing so quickly and relatively easily.

Other than Winterfell and everything north of it being destroyed and thousands being killed...

But yeah, it felt unsatisfying in that way.

Also lost the Dothraki, The unsullied, possibly Jon’s dragon, etc.

[Simple Torture]

[E.H. Ruddock]

The lighting up of the Dothraki swords was pretty cool. Right before I asked Mrs. Bam “are their swords made of dragon glass? I don’t think so. They’re gonna be worthless.”

Anyway WhyTF didn’t the two good dragons sweep over the zombie lines and burn ‘em all before either side charged?

Very convenient that nearly all our heroes survived...

Jon's plan was to hide the Dragons until the battle was underway and the night king was spotted.

Also, the blizzard

[Monkey_Driven]

And grumpkins!

[Chris_H_2]

I agree with this 100% from the Ringer:

Amid all this noise, one’s natural inclination is to search for the payoff that could make such excess, both financial and temporal, feel earned. Instead, the battle’s outcome felt strangely pre-determined by Thrones standards, with the emotional cost weighing in at a virtual steal. Given how early in the season the battle came, the White Walker threat was almost sure to be eliminated, the better for the show’s remaining humans to turn their attention toward Cersei and her allies in the South, not to mention that pesky “who has a better claim to the Iron Throne?” situation between our resident aunt-nephew lovers. Such a pivot bodes well for Thrones’ return to ethical gray areas over a flat, if titular, clash between ice and fire. But surely such a triumph would come at a steep, long-overdue price—a price which, disconcertingly, never materialized.

That Arya was the one to seal the deal is heartening, at least. It wasn’t Dany, with all her talk of saving the Seven Kingdoms from themselves, to dispatch their most formidable opponent. Nor was it Jon, who ended the battle near his breaking point and in a shouting match with a zombie dragon. Instead, it was the woman who learned to master death and, ultimately, reject it, wielding the very weapon that caused her family so much grief. And yet, by the time Arya leapt out of the shadows, I’d long since lost track of her or her trajectory within the castle. Like so much of Game of Thrones’ final seasons, the Battle of Winterfell worked backward from a dramatic conclusion, and undercut its satisfaction in the process.

[E.H. Ruddock]

Honest question, did you guys think that this wasn't going to end with "who gets to sit on the throne at the end?" Were people expecting the white walkers to be there in the end? This had to happen this episode, because if they all of the sudden made Cersei give in and align with the north to fight the zombies, that would have gone against everything they built her up to be. And quite frankly, after that pathetic "fighting" from the supposed true King or Queen, I kind of hope that in the end Cersei is the last one standing.

[Bi_3]

The lighting up of the Dothraki swords was pretty cool. Right before I asked Mrs. Bam “are their swords made of dragon glass? I don’t think so. They’re gonna be worthless.”

Anyway WhyTF didn’t the two good dragons sweep over the zombie lines and burn ‘em all before either side charged?

Very convenient that nearly all our heroes survived...

Jon's plan was to hide the Dragons until the battle was underway and the night king was spotted.

Also, the blizzard

I think the blizzard was summoned once the night kings guards spotted Jon on the dragon as a way to blind the good guys Air Force

[Revelator]

I've got the 75" Samsung Q9F model (supposedly their flagship 4K TV), thought I had mine calibrated nicely and never really had an issue until I saw last night's episode, felt like I was squinting and trying to figure out what I was watching for over half the episode. Glad to hear I wasn't the only one having this issue, it's all over the recap news feeds this morning....

Part of the episode was intentionally dark and confusing.

We're you watching on an app or via cable?

I was watching the HBO HD channel via cable. They often re run the show on a standard definition channel during the week (because Comcast fucking sucks), but given how last night looked on I'll definitely have to re-watch on an HD channel to make anything.

Totally understand that given the setting/situation the battle was supposed to be dark. In combination with the awesome musical score throughout, it worked to set the mood for sure. I for one loved the parts leading up to the battle. Just felt it was a bit too dark for too long, but perhaps once I rewatch I might feel differently.

[dimejinky99]

Just thinking. It can’t really be Arya that takes out Cersei now, can it?

[EJ]

Just thinking. It can’t really be Arya that takes out Cersei now, can it?

Nope, Jaime will.

[Chris_H_2]

Just thinking. It can’t really be Arya that takes out Cersei now, can it?

i said yesterday that the natural candidate is jaime

[epilogue]

Just thinking. It can’t really be Arya that takes out Cersei now, can it?

i said yesterday that the natural candidate is jaime

Everyone had said that for LITERALLY years now.

[epilogue]

I was all about Arya killing her until last night. I don't need that now and it would actually feel odd and relatively pointless, really.

[Anders]

Also, this one's for Joey: if they wanted to do the most "TV" ending to this conflict of all time, it'll be Arya who strikes the killing blow to the Night King, and when he looks her in the eye as he begins to crumble into ice chips, she'll whisper, "...not today."

Motherfuckers, I was CLOSE

[EJ]

Knowing that the actors despise each other in real life, it really should be Bronn that kills her.

[dimejinky99]

Just thinking. It can’t really be Arya that takes out Cersei now, can it?

i said yesterday that the natural candidate is jaime

Will he though? I can see him turning on anyone who tries to kill her.

She’s still pregnant with his kid no?

[E.H. Ruddock]

Knowing that the actors despise each other in real life, it really should be Bronn that kills her.

Except she has in her contract that she doesn't have to be in the same scene with him. But yeah, that would be hilarious.

I still say Cersei will be the one standing in the end.

[Simple Torture]

I haven't read anything about this today, so I can't be sure, but: there's been this story going around for years that when the showrunners met with Martin to discuss the series' end, he revealed 3 plot points to them that made them say, "Holy shit." They've confirmed that two of them have happened: the burning of Princess Shireen and "Hold the door!" I am wondering if Arya killing the Night King is #3. If it is, then I don't think it's on the level with the others. I also wonder (and this is a post I'm planning for the book thread soon) if there will even be an analogous moment in the books, since there is no Night King as of yet.