Game of Thrones (TV, fantasy) Thread

[The Walrus]

Sansa and Dany dislike thing is a bit odd.  I understand the North not wanting to rally behind Dany, but like, come on.  They kind of need the dragons and her armies and Sansa should know this better and not be so annoying.  It almost feels a bit like her drama with Arya last season, unnecessary.

I think the Dany-Sansa tension makes a lot of sense if you look at it from Sansa's POV, and I only want to lay it out there because I think it's far more realistic than the Arya-Sansa drama last season (and I need to keep talking about the ep  ). So first of all, she has extra armies and two dragons, but like she said, she has to figure out some magical way to feed them all, and this especially harsh winter is already taxing Winterfell's food stores for their own population (as they said in season 7). On top of that, you have the King in the North, to whom the northern Lords swore fealty, bending the knee to a Targaryen heir and then bringing her, her dragons, and her army of Unsullied to their home, to break the news that 1) he is no longer King in the North, 2) Dany is the rightful queen, and 3) he has bent the knee to this Targaryen queen. And now this person they've just met, the heir to the throne, is walking right into their ancestral home and capitol of the North with the expectation that she is everyone's queen (like she tells Jon later in the episode) although she has yet to even visit King's Landing once and the war isn't over. Sansa's power is threatened, the loyalty of all the lords in the North is shaken (also seen later), and faith in Jon is rapidly fading.

I'm with you, they definitely need to shake it off for the time being, but remember, the North not only distrusts outsiders, they especially distrust Targaryens. It's going to get super heated when freaking Jaime Lannister of all people enters the picture next week.

[cramx3]

Yea, I understand there is tension and there should be.  Just seems Sansa doesn't get it specifcally where they say she is the smartest person in westeros.  Also, I understand the north being weary of Tyrion and eventually Jaime, that makes a lot more sense than Dany.  Sure food rations are an issue, but I mean, that's more than just a problem because of Dany's armies, you have the rest of the north there too during the winter.  There's no way this hold out in Winterfell can or will last long anyway.

[The Walrus]

I agree, I don't see any outcome in which Winterfell and the vast majority of its people aren't annihilated in the upcoming fight. Episode 3's going to be tragic.

[gmillerdrake]

I agree, I don't see any outcome in which Winterfell and the vast majority of its people aren't annihilated in the upcoming fight. Episode 3's going to be tragic.

This. My buddies this morning were texting saying ' there's only (5) episodes left...when are people going to start dying?'      Ummm.....be patient. That battle is going to wipe out a lot of folks.

[Grappler]

Quick shoutout to Tormund's line of "I'VE ALWAYS HAD BLUE EYES!"   

As much as I laugh at all of Tyrion's quips, this line had me fully cracking up. 

[gmillerdrake]

did anyone get a good look at that mystery weapon Arya asked Gendry to build? It looked like something detached.....like maybe it was a sling shot of some sort or maybe a blow dart gun that shot dragon glass?

[The Walrus]

Saw a comment on Reddit just now predicting that Jaime will kill Bran, because he thinks Bran = Night King, and Jaime = Kingslayer. Never thought about that before. That would be very interesting.

did anyone get a good look at that mystery weapon Arya asked Gendry to build? It looked like something detached.....like maybe it was a sling shot of some sort or maybe a blow dart gun that shot dragon glass?

Here it is:



Some kind of projectile for sure. Doubt it's a gun, but a blow dart/slingshot type thing... that would be really cool.

[RuRoRul]

did anyone get a good look at that mystery weapon Arya asked Gendry to build? It looked like something detached.....like maybe it was a sling shot of some sort or maybe a blow dart gun that shot dragon glass?

I think it is essentially a staff or double spear with dragonglass at either end (which she can wield like the staff she practiced with in the House of Black and White) that can be detatched in the middle so that the individual ends can be used like daggers. Maybe not a great example but think a bit like Darth Maul's lightsaber  She was scene using a weapon like that in the trailer.

[gmillerdrake]

Saw a comment on Reddit just now predicting that Jaime will kill Bran, because he thinks Bran = Night King, and Jaime = Kingslayer. Never thought about that before. That would be very interesting.

did anyone get a good look at that mystery weapon Arya asked Gendry to build? It looked like something detached.....like maybe it was a sling shot of some sort or maybe a blow dart gun that shot dragon glass?

Here it is:



Some kind of projectile for sure. Doubt it's a gun, but a blow dart/slingshot type thing... that would be really cool.

Cool...thanks for the screenshot. Certainly looks like something detaches....just the manner in which it's triggered doesn't seem clear.

[gmillerdrake]

did anyone get a good look at that mystery weapon Arya asked Gendry to build? It looked like something detached.....like maybe it was a sling shot of some sort or maybe a blow dart gun that shot dragon glass?

I think it is essentially a staff or double spear with dragonglass at either end (which she can wield like the staff she practiced with in the House of Black and White) that can be detatched in the middle so that the individual ends can be used like daggers. Maybe not a great example but think a bit like Darth Maul's lightsaber  She was scene using a weapon like that in the trailer.

Oh yeah.....very good observation.

[The Walrus]

Oh man that would be the coolest thing if Arya was Darth Maul-ing everything to death

[cramx3]

Saw a comment on Reddit just now predicting that Jaime will kill Bran, because he thinks Bran = Night King, and Jaime = Kingslayer. Never thought about that before. That would be very interesting.

Wouldn't really be fitting of his character's journey to righteousness but maybe if there is more reasoning to this.  But it does make me wonder how he will interact with Bran.

Picture definitely made me think projectile, but maybe it's just a replaceable head to a staff? 

[gmillerdrake]

Bran is just flat creepy now. Reminds me of that puppet in Poltergeist. Just staring at you....all....'dead eyed'.....

[Chino]

Here's a slightly better quality pic.

 

I don't think it's got dragon glass on both ends as she specifically only called for it on one end. The non-dragon glass end looks kind of funny. My money is on a trigger mechanism like the crossbows we've seen in the show thus far.

[cramx3]

Bran is just flat creepy now. Reminds me of that puppet in Poltergeist. Just staring at you....all....'dead eyed'.....

Yea, he is really creepy now.  Thought his short talk with Jon was kind of funny, sad, but like funny how Jon didn't have to say it but you could read his face of "wtf happened"

[The Walrus]

Dragonglass projectile... Maybe it's for Zombie Viserion, since Bran dropped that bomb.

Also, did anyone catch Tyrion's great dig at Davos as the Karstarks arrived? "One of the better sigils. Beats an onion, anyway." Davos, the onion smuggler, the Onion Knight 

[cramx3]

And of course I just read a theory on it now, the other end could be Valyrian steel from her dagger, and the replaceable/projectile end is obviously dragonglass since it says so.  Essentially it would be a white walker killing machine type of weapon since both can be used, the glass could break being used so that makes sense for it to be replaceable or even cooler if it's a projectile, but the valyrian steel end would make the staff useful regardless since that won't break.

[gmillerdrake]

Here's a slightly better quality pic.

 

I don't think it's got dragon glass on both ends as she specifically only called for it on one end. The non-dragon glass end looks kind of funny. My money is on a trigger mechanism like the crossbows we've seen in the show thus far.

that end looks like a version of a cord or something coiled up....to where you pull it and the dragon glass shoots out.

[gmillerdrake]

So....does Dany 'bend the knee' when it's revealed to her that Jon is actually Aegon and the 'rightful heir' to the throne? Or, are we going to see something happen like Jon will be the one eventually kill Dany because she starts getting a bit too much 'mad king' in her decisions and actions?

[KevShmev]

I think the Dany-Sansa tension makes a lot of sense if you look at it from Sansa's POV, and I only want to lay it out there because I think it's far more realistic than the Arya-Sansa drama last season (and I need to keep talking about the ep  ). So first of all, she has extra armies and two dragons, but like she said, she has to figure out some magical way to feed them all, and this especially harsh winter is already taxing Winterfell's food stores for their own population (as they said in season 7). On top of that, you have the King in the North, to whom the northern Lords swore fealty, bending the knee to a Targaryen heir and then bringing her, her dragons, and her army of Unsullied to their home, to break the news that 1) he is no longer King in the North, 2) Dany is the rightful queen, and 3) he has bent the knee to this Targaryen queen. And now this person they've just met, the heir to the throne, is walking right into their ancestral home and capitol of the North with the expectation that she is everyone's queen (like she tells Jon later in the episode) although she has yet to even visit King's Landing once and the war isn't over. Sansa's power is threatened, the loyalty of all the lords in the North is shaken (also seen later), and faith in Jon is rapidly fading.

I'm with you, they definitely need to shake it off for the time being, but remember, the North not only distrusts outsiders, they especially distrust Targaryens. It's going to get super heated when freaking Jaime Lannister of all people enters the picture next week.

I agree, regarding Sansa.  Jon Snow seems like a noble guy who could concede certain things for the greater good, especially when you factor in his feelings for Mother of Dragons, but with the revelation that he is a Targaryen, Sansa chirping in his ear about Danny cannot be trusted is now going to mess with his head in a big way, and that will ultimately factor into how that plays out, I think.

[Chino]

So....does Dany 'bend the knee' when it's revealed to her that Jon is actually Aegon and the 'rightful heir' to the throne? Or, are we going to see something happen like Jon will be the one eventually kill Dany because she starts getting a bit too much 'mad king' in her decisions and actions?

I think that we're going to find out very soon that Dany isn't all that different than Cersei. She want power more than anything else, and the whole "help my people" thing has been an act from day one. I wouldn't be surprised if the dragons turned on her. Her dragons are hungry and when Sansa asked what dragons eat, Dany replied "whatever they want" (or something along those lines). 

[cramx3]

Dany going mad king has been a big theory all along and while still possible, the look in Dany's eye when she realized she burned Sam's father and brother made me think maybe she had regrets about being so vicious.  Obviously her handling of Jon's heritage will tell the truth.

[The Walrus]

Dany going mad king has been a big theory all along and while still possible, the look in Dany's eye when she realized she burned Sam's father and brother made me think maybe she had regrets about being so vicious.  Obviously her handling of Jon's heritage will tell the truth.

Yeah, I think Tyrion's lecturing on how to be a 'good ruler' when she was preparing to torch the Tarlys came back to her in that moment. Boy I can't wait to see her face when she finds out the truth of the Targaryen lineage. Talk about 

[cramx3]

Bran is going to have to tell her something to make her believe it too, got to admit that is really hard to believe without some proof and would be such a huge system shock to everything she thought about herself.

[Indiscipline]

Very nice setup, and a lot of classy symmetry with season one's very first episode.

Anyone got chills when Arya whispered that incredibly menacing "Don't forget it" in Jon's ear?

[The Walrus]

Bran is going to have to tell her something to make her believe it too, got to admit that is really hard to believe without some proof and would be such a huge system shock to everything she thought about herself.

I wonder if Sam brought with him the book in which Gilly read about the High Septon and the marriage. That would be convincing.

[cramx3]

Bran is going to have to tell her something to make her believe it too, got to admit that is really hard to believe without some proof and would be such a huge system shock to everything she thought about herself.

I wonder if Sam brought with him the book in which Gilly read about the High Septon and the marriage. That would be convincing.

Oh true, he did say he wanted a pardon for stealing books.  I can't imagine where else they would be, but is that even enough?  Being that the book was pretty much hidden and unknown, is that believable even if from a maester?  Maybe, I'm just wondering if she'll need a little more, like Littlefinger was denying his charges until Bran gave him the details of how he betrayed the Starks. 

[RuRoRul]

It's great to have so many things to talk about from it. I didn't want to expect to much from the first episode back since the first episode of each season is normally quite slow burning and contains a lot of setting up for the rest of the season. Even though that's still true here, felt like this episode had a bit more to it than the opening episode of most seasons. For example in Season 7 the first episode had Jon Snow making a couple of decisions about ruling the North such as returning the young Karstark and Umber to their positions (incidentally both returned this episode with the Karstark Lady seen bringing her people to Winterfell, and poor Ned Umber who we started out the episode with although things spiralled a bit out of control for him by the end), Euron meeting Cersei, Bran arriving at the Wall, Sam doing routine tasks in maester training, and the lengthy visual sequence of Daenerys arriving at Dragonstone. The only big event was Arya finishing off the Freys. Compared to that this episode was packed.

One thing to mention from this episode since it's basically already done is Theon's rescue of Yara. A pretty sudden victory for Theon, I suppose we didn't really need to see any more of him planning after his decision to go after her at the end of season 7. Nice callback to "old Theon" who was very skilled with a bow with the guards being shot down. And a good conclusion to Theon and Yara's relationship that's played out over many seasons. With Yara going to reclaim the Iron Islands while Euron and his fleet are "gallivanting" around, I suspect we probably won't see her again until the end of the series where they might tie up some loose ends. Holding the Iron Islands as a fallback gives her something useful to do that keeps her out of the action. I think this was one of those storylines that could get wrapped up quite quickly so it was dealt with in the opening episode alongside the setup for the main season story.

[Progmetty]

What I liked:
- Jaime's arrival at Winterfell, this actor started out slightly above average in season 1 but now I think he's the best actor on the show.
- The Night's Watch/Brotherhood/Wildlings scene with wight Umber was very well done.
- The intro sequence is great.
- Sam scene- another amazing actor btw- with Dany and Jorah was very moving.
- Sansa & Tyrion's exchange about Jofferey's wedding was good, I honestly assumed they weren't gonna bother showing us that.
- Jon & Arya's reunion.
- I like that Sansa didn't take to Dany, it makes sense as it seems like Sansa's strategic thinking has become a composite of Little Finger and Ramsay Snow's minds.
- Sam's reunion with Jon was very heart felt.
- The breaking of Cersei when she stopped and realized Euron is the last of her reliable allies so she'd better make him happy. The actress is still phenomenal.

Laughed:
- Bron trying to get a hard on while the girls are discussing burnt soldiers and dragon fire.
- Jon trying to get a hard on while the dragon watches with great interest.

Disliked:
- Significant CGI downgrade on everything, the dragons for sure but also all wide shots of Winterfell looked bad.
- At first I thought I didn't like the Jon/Dany dragon riding scene cause it was very cheesy but on second viewing I realized that it could have been done neatly and it's not that cheesy in it's very nature but it just didn't work for me or didn't strike me as the epic event it should have been when Jon finally rides a dragon. They did it when it was unnecessary for them to do it, felt like something out of The Astonishing heh
- Sam's reveal to Jon, another HUGELY ANTICIPATED moment, maybe the biggest of this universe, was lackluster to me. Possibly because Kit Harrington is a very average actor.

On the teaser for the next episode:
So it looks like Jaime is going on trail of some sort for his shit ton of crimes against everyone who's in charge in Winterfell right now, that should be interesting.

[KevShmev]

Dany going mad king has been a big theory all along and while still possible, the look in Dany's eye when she realized she burned Sam's father and brother made me think maybe she had regrets about being so vicious.  Obviously her handling of Jon's heritage will tell the truth.

I also noticed she smiled last night like I never had seen her character before. It was a joyful and playful smile (basically, Emilia Clarke's natural smile) in being with Jon.  And now the revelation that is coming will ruin that short-lived happiness.  Oh, those writers...

[The Walrus]

Huh. I thought the dragons looked better than ever. Those shots of Drogon staring at Jon for exampled looked extraordinary.

Did anyone else catch a lot of grey in Yara's hair? Thought that was a nice touch. Shows how much time has passed in the show, as well as how much stress she's gone through in however long she's been in captivity.

[Chino]

Speaking of Yara, how the hell did Theon get to her? Was the fleet left completely unguarded while Euron was putting the moves on Cersei?

[cramx3]

Speaking of Yara, how the hell did Theon get to her? Was the fleet left completely unguarded while Euron was putting the moves on Cersei?

It's funny because I thought her attempted rescue of Theon a few seasons ago was terribly executed, it was exciting to watch but kind of made no sense logistically.  This was even worse.  It kind of just happened. Also, didn't Theon think Euron was going back to the Iron Islands as that's what Euron publicly stated?  I guess Theon's small crew could have tracked them to Essos and back or had some other intel they gathered along the way, and then got super sneaky to make the move, but they showed none of it and it just happened seemingly very easily.

[gmillerdrake]

- At first I thought I didn't like the Jon/Dany dragon riding scene cause it was very cheesy but on second viewing I realized that it could have been done neatly and it's not that cheesy in it's very nature but it just didn't work for me or didn't strike me as the epic event it should have been when Jon finally rides a dragon. They did it when it was unnecessary for them to do it, felt like something out of The Astonishing heh
- Sam's reveal to Jon, another HUGELY ANTICIPATED moment, maybe the biggest of this universe, was lackluster to me. Possibly because Kit Harrington is a very average actor.

While I enjoyed the episode and generally didn't mind either instances of these two moments.....for me....I tend to agree that both kind of 'fell short' of how I'd have envisioned them going.

Specifically Jon riding Viserion felt a bit 'forced' in that moment. I'd have liked to have seen that moment happen at a more crucial or inspiring time. I 'think' the writers may have been going for something along the lines of Dany trusting/loving Jon so much she is comfortable with him with 'her baby's'....and that moment was meant to signify how much she cared for him.....but, I do think it missed the mark a hair.

As far as the reveal to Jon that he's in fact a Targaryn and the rightful heir to the throne....same sentiment. I'd have liked to see that happen in a more impactful environment....being revealed to more than just Jon in the moment.

I'll trust it'll all work its way out in the end but those two moments deserved to be something more grand scale IMO.

[The Walrus]

Alt Shift X brought up an interesting point on his livestream after the episode. In the books it's explained that Targaryens can ride dragons because it's in their blood. I guess TV show Dany didn't know that when she let him ride... otherwise she would be aware he has the proper claim to the throne.