max Game of Thrones, The Final Season

[Myficals]

When you boil it right down, getting your panties in a twist about TV shows and movies getting things "wrong" is a mug's game. Reality in Drama Land is not the same as reality in Real Life. For every immersion breaking moment that one pinheaded expert or another finds to whine about, there are probably 50 things that same expert doesn't even blink at but that nonetheless, runs just as counter to real life as whatever it is they think is important. I'm not even talking about "obvious" stuff like weird battle plans or surviving half a dozen stabs to the gut here. Even simple things like the way people talk to each other in your typical 45 minutes of TV drama rarely bears much relationship to real life. There were probably half a hundred things that happened in that episode that would never happen in reality, none of them involving zombies, dragons or fire magic. The only reason it's the battle plans under scrutiny is that a slew of Youtubers who think that playing Warhammer makes them a military expert have been doing videos on why the fighting was wrong, wrong, wrong!

To paraphrase Terry Pratchett, the most essential and abundant element in Drama Land isn't hydrogen or carbon; it's narrativium. The writers of something like Game of Thrones aren't trying to provide a lesson in medieval battle tactics; they're trying to tell an engaging story with a cogent narrative structure. They're not trying to adhere to the rules of reality; they're trying to follow the rules of drama, which are a very different set of concerns. Getting hung up on details that maybe one person in a hundred will notice, and one in a hundred of those people will get angry enough about to post on the internet, isn't what the writers are focused on and nor should it be.

 

[Myficals]

Lots of interesting stuff about GoT in tor.com, including this analysis by a military historian.

That was a good read, thank you. It's always nice to see an expert in a given field turn around and say "Yes, in terms of realism things were hinky but you know what, that's pretty unimportant..."

 

[Free]

To paraphrase Terry Pratchett, the most essential and abundant element in Drama Land isn't hydrogen or carbon; it's narrativium.

What is that made of?

 

[Zaida Gearbox]

‘Game Of Thrones’ Creators Tease More White Walkers

As ‘Game of Thrones’ approaches the series finale, creators of the show, D.B. Weiss and David Benioff tease the possible return of the White Walkers

heroichollywood.com

I think The Hound should have a chat with Gendry about his intentions toward his (the Hound's) little girl because that would be funnier and scarier than Jon Snow doing it because let's face it - Gendry could totally take Jon.

 

[Cindy Claveau]

Lots of interesting stuff about GoT in tor.com, including this analysis by a military historian

https://www.tor.com/2019/04/30/breaking-down-the-battle-of-winterfell-from-a-military-perspective/

tl;dr Jon and Dany: Let's create the most screwed-up battle-plan imaginable.
Night King: Hold my beer.

I loved this write-up. He hit a lot of things on the head if one gives a crap about "realism" in a fantasy show. But this line echoed with me - my Master's thesis in college was based on the Custer battle, and it kept running through my head as I watched the show.

My friend Kelly (mentioned above) texted me afterwards, likening the episode to what it must have been like to be the last man at Custer’s Last Stand or at Thermopylae. He’s exactly right. And yes, he and I both know that the truth about Custer and the 300 (don’t get me started) is nothing like the racially driven propaganda that’s been built around them. But to talk about the lived last moments of those men we must set aside the myths about why their last stands were taken. The last men at the Big Horn or the Hot Gates were unlikely to be thinking of the politics that would surround their deaths. If they didn’t succumb to the despair, folding up and waiting to die, then they were fighting on with ever-increasing determination. They wanted, above all else, to survive.

I also recalled the old worn-out joke, "Holy shit Sarge, look at all the Indians!"

 

[Cristalle]

This episode.... wow. So many feels.

 

[Ann Launay]

One order of Mad Queen, coming right up.

 

[Beebo Brink]

Cersei must die.

 

[Myficals]

One order of Mad Queen, coming right up.

Spoiler

I think we may be getting a two for one deal.

 

[Ann Launay]

Spoiler

Tragic deaths aside, man, that Jaime/Brienne situation was a let down. I know it probably had to happen, but couldn’t he have left like next week? At least let us have one happy moment to hold on to this episode!

 

[Jolene Benoir]

Spoiler

Why, oh why did not Dany go in burning those boats up? No civilians would have been hurt and if her dragon had to die at least they would have been taking out some of Euron's fleet. She flew in with them on a sunny day giving them a perfect shot. At least if they had been shooting flames at those boats, it would have been more difficult shooting through flame and smoke.

Now, is it going to be Jamie or is it going to be Arya who takes out Cersei? Arya can use one of her faces to gain entry perhaps, but there is the prophecy of a younger brother doing the deed.

Dany is quickly becoming like her ancestor. This will not end well. On the other hand, traitors everywhere. She went to fight the dead in the North and though it was Arya who saved the day, people like Sansar, the eunuch are and were so very willing to commit treason, though she does not know of it yet.

 

[Ariane]

Why, oh why did not Dany go in burning those boats up? No civilians would have been hurt and if her dragon had to die at least they would have been taking out some of Euron's fleet. She flew in with them on a sunny day giving them a perfect shot. At least if they had been shooting flames at those boats, it would have been more difficult shooting through flame and smoke.

Now, is it going to be Jamie or is it going to be Arya who takes out Cersei? Arya can use one of her faces to gain entry perhaps, but there is the prophecy of a younger brother doing the deed.

Dany is quickly becoming like her ancestor. This will not end well. On the other hand, traitors everywhere. She went to fight the dead in the North and though it was Arya who saved the day, people like Sansar, the eunuch are and were so very willing to commit treason, though she does not know of it yet.

Dany risked losing her last dragon by attacking Euron like that. The preview for next week hinted (and seems likely) that Drogon will attack when there is a fog and thick clouds, and Euron can't see the dragon. That seems to be the perfect way to attack the Keep as well.

 

[Vaelissa Cortes]

This second half of this episode was so satisfying.

Spoiler

I loved seeing Dany's expressions when things weren't going her way tonight, so much. I can't stand her character, and cheered when that dragon went down. One to go!

 

[Myficals]

Spoiler

As things stand now, my thinking is we'll see Cersei and Euron go next week, and Dany being the final boss in episode six. There's possibly still room for Dany to grow a bit of self-reflection, listen to what she's turning into and fly back across the Sunset Sea. I don't hold much hope of that happening though. People have been predicting for years now that Cersei might be killed by Jamie during her own "Burn them all!" moment. I'm coming to the opinion it's going to be Dany who ends that way. She's teetering on the edge of Targaryen madness as it is and if there's one more push, say, when she learns Tyrion and Varys know R+L=J, she's probably going to go full on crazy.

 

[Zaida Gearbox]

I thought we'd agreed to stop using spoiler tags? Anyone who hasn't watched the most recent episode need to stay out of this thread.

Fucking Jamie. Brienne should have gone with Tormund. Jamie only wanted her because he got some sick sad thrill out of cockblocking Tormund - maybe because he knows Tormund is the better man.

I think it was shitty of Tyrion to out Brienne as a virgin.

Seems that Clegane bowl is coming up. Arya and the Hound on another road trip together. I'm hoping Arya is successful in killing Cercei, lives, and changes her mind about Gendry. I think he'd let her be who she is meant to be in spite of being his lady. I guess that little conversation between Gendry and the Hound was the Hound giving his blessing.

When Dany called out to Gendry - Hubman and I both went, "Uh-oh!"

I'm actually wondering if Dany will die next week as Drogon gets killed with one of those giant dragon bolts, and it will end up being Jon on the iron throne.

 

[Beebo Brink]

Spoiler

The tragedy of Jaime is that he started out a monster without conscious like Cersei and then lost his amoral innocence. He began to see what he was through other eyes and to loathe his own actions. He became a better man, but it was too late. He'd done too much evil and by the end he didn't believe he deserved a happy ending with someone truly good and honorable, like Brienne. He's going back to King's Landing to die. I hope he takes his sister with him. In some ways, it would be a better ending than she deserves, to die with Jaime by her side. Or at his hand.

 

[Ann Launay]

When Dany called out to Gendry - Hubman and I both went, "Uh-oh!"

I feel like he now actually has a chance of ending up on the throne, but only if the other two die and the Lords of Westeros choose to respect his legitimization. They certainly wouldn't have to, given that Dany was only a claimant to the Iron Throne at the time.

 

[Beebo Brink]

 

[Myficals]

Holy Shit! It's actually real!

I mean there's been shots with coffee cups in them before, but afaia it's always been a production still, or a cut from a blooper reel. I just double checked the VoD though and the cup is definitely on the table. For anyone interested, it's from when drunken Tormund is praising Jon's dragon riding and Dany is realising how much of a threat he is to her.

This is gonna rate up there with camera rig reflected in the doorknob from The Matrix as one of my favourite production fuck ups.

 

[Romana]

I'd they haven't already, Starbucks should jump on this with some sort of Dragon-cino drink.