The Official Game of Thrones [A Song of Ice and Fire] Thread (includes spoilers)

[Jack Brickman]

Dude could croak any day honestly.

I’ve seen nothing that tells me TWOW is imminent, but I like your optimism.

Literally anyone could croak any day. But he's a rich, famous person who presumably has high end healthcare, so 73 isn't absurdly old and he could easily live another twenty years.

 

[Chris]

Literally anyone could croak any day. But he's a rich, famous person who presumably has high end healthcare, so 73 isn't absurdly old and he could easily live another twenty years.

Yes, but not literally everyone is old and fat as fuck. So regardless of heathcare, I don’t like his chances.

I feel morbid discussing his death but I don’t care anymore. He has given me zero reason to show good faith when discussing his series.

 

[Jack Brickman]

Yes, but not literally everyone is old and fat as fuck. So regardless of heathcare, I don’t like his chances.

I meant that this is a guy who presumably goes to the doctor every year and is very well aware of his health.

It's pointless to worry about his mortality. If he dies, he dies and there's not a damn thing any of us can do about it. But provided he doesn't die in the next three years, I think we get Winds.

 

[Chris]

I meant that this is a guy who presumably goes to the doctor every year and is very well aware of his health.

It's pointless to worry about his mortality. If he dies, he dies and there's not a damn thing any of us can do about it. But provided he doesn't die in the next three years, I think we get Winds.

I wish I believed Winds was 3 years away at most.

I don’t really worry about shit anymore in regards to ASOIAF. Martin’s ineptitude combined with the absolute trainwreck ending to GoT sullied most of my interest in this series. I’ve felt a slight resurgence as of late, maybe with the new show coming, but on a microscopic scale compared to where my interest was for a decade prior.

I’m sure I’ll buy TWOW in a heartbeat and be super amped if it comes out, but can only say how I feel right now.

 

[The Human Q-Tip]

Rewatched the last few seasons.

The thing that jumped out to me as just odd was how the Dothraki got annihilated in their suicidal charge, to the point where you literally didn't see any for the rest of the battle. By the end of that battle, only a few of the other defenders remained, fighting back to back on top of heaps of bodies. Winterfell had basically fallen.

But then when it was over...Danaerys magically still had "half" her Dothraki and Unsullied, and there were still "thousands" of northern troops.

Huh?

 

[Jack Brickman]

Rewatched the last few seasons.

The thing that jumped out to me as just odd was how the Dothraki got annihilated in their suicidal charge, to the point where you literally didn't see any for the rest of the battle. By the end of that battle, only a few of the other defenders remained, fighting back to back on top of heaps of bodies. Winterfell had basically fallen.

But then when it was over...Danaerys magically still had "half" her Dothraki and Unsullied, and there were still "thousands" of northern troops.

Huh?

You clearly put more thought into it than the writers did.

 

[foucault87]

That was a pretty cimenatically good episode if you just throw out logic and ignore the plot. But the cinematography was very good

 

[The Human Q-Tip]

You clearly put more thought into it than the writers did.

It wasn't really as much thought as much as just the normal wondering of "what's going to happen" now that Danaerys forces and the armies of the North essentially have been wiped out. Only to find out that they're still stronger that what Cersei had left.

I guess it's just that they wanted the dramatic effect of seeing the Doththraki annihilated in that charge, and then having only a few people left at the moment Arya killed the night King. Then they were like, "well we need them to be strong again to take on the Lannisters", so they just ignored the fact that they 'd just wiped out a few armies.

Visually everything was great, and it was really nice being reminded about how excellent some of the casting was. Forgot how great Liam Cunningham was as Davos Seaworth. He'd have been my choice to be King.

 

[Rich]

It wasn't really as much thought as much as just the normal wondering of "what's going to happen" now that Danaerys forces and the armies of the North essentially have been wiped out. Only to find out that they're still stronger that what Cersei had left.

I guess it's just that they wanted the dramatic effect of seeing the Doththraki annihilated in that charge, and then having only a few people left at the moment Arya killed the night King. Then they were like, "well we need them to be strong again to take on the Lannisters", so they just ignored the fact that they 'd just wiped out a few armies.

Visually everything was great, and it was really nice being reminded about how excellent some of the casting was. Forgot how great Liam Cunningham was as Davos Seaworth. He'd have been my choice to be King.

There was no rhyme or reason to any of the battles.

Go back to season 7. The entire Tyrell army just gets wiped off the map in like a minute and a half. Just....so bad.

 

[Chris]

I don’t think any of the battles had much logic in the entire show.

 

[The Human Q-Tip]

I don’t think any of the battles had much logic in the entire show.

Well, that's true. They didn't make much sense in the books either sometimes.

I remember getting into these very long arguments on the old Westeros board about what was going to happen in terms of strategy, how battles would have fold, etc. I remember one debate in particular that probably lasted 2 years with a guy called Ran over exactly how the fords would/should be defended around Riverrun.

And I realized one day that GRRM was just a writer, not a military historian, and he could write the strategy and tactics any way he wanted even if they didn't make sense militarily. Felt like an idiot after that point.

 

[Rich]

I understand not everything may make tactical sense but I mean at that point in the story The Tyrells should have been the strongest house in Westeros and they just handwave that away with one line from Olenna: "We've never really been good fighters" or some absolutely horseshit explanation like that for why The Lannisters were able to wipe them out off the screen between scenes.

you go back to s1 when Robb defeated Jaime's army off screen.

They won a battle. They didn't just wipe out the Lannisters entirely.

Stuff like that kills immersion.



Also, and this is just my own theory, but I highly doubt Tarly ends up fighting for the Lannisters in the books. He was a Targaryen loyalist. I suspect he still turns on House Tyrell, but joins up with Connington and the boys. Sorta OT but again, just stuff that pissed me off considering Tarly's backstory as the ONE guy who managed to get a W for the Crown in the Rebellion. They lost every battle except the one he commanded.

 

[Chris]

If I recall from the books, the Tyrells are very strong but the Lannister’s and their bannermen are absolutely a more elite military force. Tyrell power comes from wealth.

May be wrong. I still agree with all those points though.

 

[The Human Q-Tip]

If I recall from the books, the Tyrells are very strong but the Lannister’s and their bannermen are absolutely a more elite military force. Tyrell power comes from wealth.

May be wrong. I still agree with all those points though.

I believe the Tyrells power basically comes from numbers/food. They have the largest population and the largest army in Westeros.

The Lannisters are the ones with $$.

 

[Sebastian]

Rewatched the last few seasons.

The thing that jumped out to me as just odd was how the Dothraki got annihilated in their suicidal charge, to the point where you literally didn't see any for the rest of the battle. By the end of that battle, only a few of the other defenders remained, fighting back to back on top of heaps of bodies. Winterfell had basically fallen.

But then when it was over...Danaerys magically still had "half" her Dothraki and Unsullied, and there were still "thousands" of northern troops.

Huh?

The only thing I can think of that makes even remote sense is that the initial charge was broken up and some of the rear squadrons peeled off and ran away. And that many of the riders were simply dismounted and fled on foot, and breaking up the tidal wave of dead to finish them off was less important that maintaining momentum.

Traditionally, cavalry losses are a lot lighter than an infantry charge.

As for other Northern troops... maybe some were elsewhere? En route, Bolton loyalists holed up somewhere? Mountain clans?

By the last few seasons the Dans went full JJ and threw all thought out of the equation.