HBO's Game of Thrones season 6 discussion thread- airing 4/24/16 (No book spoilers)

[zinfamous]

Can we all just take a minute and laugh at Jaime waving his golden hand trying to get past the gates? WTF was that?

I was half-expecting there to be a special hand-shaped keyhole just for his hand that would open some secret gate somewhere.

 

[Homerboy]

I hate being on the bandwagon...but I'm there. This season is a speed run of chaos and just a forced mess of lazy tactics, on/off plot devices and just stupid character "growth". I want to be objective about how this is wrapping up. But after 8 years of growth with all of the intrigue and subterfuge, we just have battle porn and empty shells of characters.

It's not a "bandwagon" per se. We've all just come to the objective truth of it. Some held out longer than others. But most will get here with us eventually.
I can get past the "tactic" faux pas and such - as most battle scenes have serious issues (though GoT seems to be more egregious than most). To me the biggest problem will always be the change in what the show was about and how it changed it's style completely. It was never about the battles - so we shouldn't even have to be bitching about the shitty tactics because we should hardly be aware of them.

Go back and watch season 1.. the dialogue, interactions... just so good. It was "simply" displayed too. Fuck D&D. Just horrible.

 

[z1ggy]

I thought this was a visually pleasing episode but I kind of agree with the sentiment that this season has just gone to total sh!t.

Logic from episode to episode is just tossed aside. Character traits from just last season (and all seasons up until now) have drastically changed with no real (or weak) explanation. Build up and drama with weak pay off.

This writing team took an absolute masterpiece of a story and just took a giant, steamy dump all over it. It's got nice CGI and 'splosions, and that's about it.

 

[z1ggy]

I hate being on the bandwagon...but I'm there. This season is a speed run of chaos and just a forced mess of lazy tactics, on/off plot devices and just stupid character "growth". I want to be objective about how this is wrapping up. But after 8 years of growth with all of the intrigue and subterfuge, we just have battle porn and empty shells of characters.

This is well said, and is basically how I feel. It's going for shock and awe like a Hollywood film. That's not what the books (show) were meant to be. I feel like this has turned into a giant Michael Bay film.

 

[K1052]

Spoiler

I'm not thrilled with how we ended up here but fine with that we did. The character turns for Danny were not well done at all even though it's been clear for a long time it could happen this way.

Jamie's arc ending as it did was a big WTF. Cersei's ending also a lot less than the character deserved.

John spends his time standing around. Not a lot do do with that, kind of a waste.

Cleganebowl and the scene just before it where Sandor saves Arya's life (not entirely unlike how Syrio saved her) was the best part of the show.

 

[DAPUNISHER]

Who is running this show now? Micheal Bay? 'Splosions!!! The hell with character motivations, complex relationships, and masterful subterfuge and skullduggery. 'Splosions!!!!! Fire!!!! chaos!!!! more 'Splosions!!!!

 

[DAPUNISHER]

This is well said, and is basically how I feel. It's going for shock and awe like a Hollywood film. That's not what the books (show) were meant to be. I feel like this has turned into a giant Michael Bay film.

Dammit! Make some coffee, type a reply, and you beat me to it.

 

[vi edit]

Yeah it was certainly a visually entertaining 93 minutes last night. On par with almost any mid-budget popcorn flick. But that's not what I really signed up for. Book wise as others have said, the real "meat" of the plot is the power vacuum created in the aftermath of conflict. The constant tug and pull as warring houses try and out fuckery each other. The books are one massive build up to the white walkers taking over Westeros and the looming doom building north of the wall. Even some of the most obscene acts of brutality in the books (red wedding for example) are a short part of the book with consequences that run the length of the series.

Then we get a 76 oz, gristle laden, over cooked sirloin with side of ketchup served to us this season.

 

[zinfamous]

Yeah it was certainly a visually entertaining 93 minutes last night. On par with almost any mid-budget popcorn flick. But that's not what I really signed up for. Book wise as others have said, the real "meat" of the plot is the power vacuum created in the aftermath of conflict. The constant tug and pull as warring houses try and out fuckery each other. The books are one massive build up to the white walkers taking over Westeros and the looming doom building north of the wall. Even some of the most obscene acts of brutality in the books (red wedding for example) are a short part of the book with consequences that run the length of the series.

Then we get a 76 oz, gristle laden, over cooked sirloin with side of ketchup served to us this season.

The more I think about it, it all kinda makes sense: we have now long been left with the dumbest plot characters that were pretty well established to be the dumbest ones from the beginning: Cersei, Jon, Jamie, and Dany. All of them stupid, never really learned from any of their mistakes, still being stupid. I said this way back when it happened that the death of Tywin would be the end of this show in spirit because he was the last real villain and, as it seems pretty clear now, the last awesome character in the show.

It's now dumb children doing the stupid dumb things that you pretty much knew they would do. But then there are the unexpected disappointments in dumbness that make absolutely no sense: Tyrion is suddenly very dumb and doing everything wrong. He is just...really really dumb. It seems like they are pushing the "Cersei loves her children and will do anything for them" explanation for his blind dumbness, which he has argued since forever, but it really doesn't make much sense anymore. And then Sansa--she was the dumbest of dumb from the beginning, but obviously got very wise, cunning, and simply brilliant. She's sort of the "neautral good" version of Tywin, and she really is portrayed that way...but they have completely removed her from any of the decision making. She is now the only smart person in all of Westeros (Saving maybe Bronn who wisely decided to fuck off until everybody kills each other and he maybe gets his castle full of whores), but she has been removed entirely from the strategy and the plot action.

...or maybe that is the point. Jon and Dany will both die off or kill each other somehow, and so Sansa slides onto the Iron Throne?

 

[K1052]

(Saving maybe Bronn who wisely decided to fuck off until everybody kills each other and he maybe gets his castle full of whores)

Given how things have gone down I would have stolen Cersei's money and fucked off to Essos for the rest of my life were I him. Somebody you think is soon to be dead is unlikely to come looking for you.

 

[Drako]

Who is running this show now? Micheal Bay? 'Splosions!!! The hell with character motivations, complex relationships, and masterful subterfuge and skullduggery. 'Splosions!!!!! Fire!!!! chaos!!!! more 'Splosions!!!!

When I read that 3 of the 6 episodes this season were directed by Miguel Sapochnik, I figured that there was going to be a bunch of silly action sequences.

 

[zinfamous]

Given how things have gone down I would have stolen Cersei's money and fucked off to Essos for the rest of my life were I him. Somebody you think is soon to be dead is unlikely to come looking for you.

yeah, that whole scene with him showing up with Tyrion and Jamie in Winterfell last week was just stupid. I hated every second of it. It was just fan service for let's toss Bronn in there for some reason in a scene that is completely meaningless.

 

[soulcougher73]

The dragon fire is a bit OP. It literally cuts through things like a lightsaber. Hits a boat and instantly explodes it. So lame. Ive never seen a fantasy dragon have fire like they portray in GoT.

Another meh episode. This season is garbage.

 

[soulcougher73]

Dumb question, who does Arya have left to kill?

This season has been pretty bad all around.

Dany it will be is my guess. At Jons request.

 

[Exterous]

we just have battle porn

It's not even good battle porn because the power of various things change wildly from one day to the next.

 

[vi edit]

Arya kills Dany. Jon is offered throne. Turns it down. Gives it to Sansa. Queue the porky the pig "Tttttthats all ffffolks!"

 

[soulcougher73]

Can we all just take a minute and laugh at Jaime waving his golden hand trying to get past the gates? WTF was that?

He also needs to learn how to use that as a weapon. He could have caved Eurons face in.

 

[Homerboy]

He also needs to learn how to use that as a weapon. He could have caved Eurons face in.

Heck, I never understood why he didn't have a "weapon attachment" for it. I mean if he knows he's going into battle or something, strap a blade onto the stump.

 

[brainhulk]

 

[Aikouka]

Hm, had someone suggest to me that killing Dany won't go terribly well because you'd have to kill Drogon too. Their reasoning was that without Dany, who will take care of Drogon? I suggested Jon given his heritage, and there seemed to be contention because Drogon is tied so much to Dany.

 

[s0me0nesmind1]

The real question is: Why does everything have to suck more with age?

Music, movies, TV shows.... It seems like an inevitable conclusion that the longer something continues the more it will suck.

Either that or we are all just old and don't know how to appreciate the new stuff.

 

[dr150]

The lack of enough episodes spoiled the whole story telling.

Everything is too rushed destroying the richness of the characters and turning them into cardboards.

Too much deus ex-machina by conveniently destroying a looming 8 season long threat in 82 minutes (Night King/Whitewalkers, yet another cardboard). And turning Dany into a psycho bitch in 20 minutes, destroying her whole "character programming/evolution" with a few on-sensical paragraphs of the script.

And Drogon? WTF is up with his overpower?! Earlier seasons of the dragons power never had them cutting thru boats with a SPIT and tearing through 25 yards of brick like jenga (Golden Co. scene--another cardboard enemy). They made Drogon look like the Death Star for crissakes!

And of course the battle tactics are *facepalm* stupid, but forgiveably overlooked to move the rushed plot along. But it's the characters that people care about and they destroyed them.

I'm sure people were wrecked seeing Cersei/Jamie die by brick. LOL! No revenge/vengeance story line here. Just an oops(!) death. Unfuckingbelievable!

The last two episodes have gotten crucified in the user ratings, btw:
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0944947/episodes?season=8&ref_=tt_eps_sn_8

How could the Producers destroy a property like this in one fell swoop?

.......And the Ep6 story (leaks) is reportedly supposed to be guttingly/infuriatingly worse!!? Oh brother!

 

[Mayne]

I don't know about you guys, but i fucking loved episodee 5

 

[Homerboy]

I don't know about you guys, but i fucking loved episodee 5

Did you like Transformers?

 

[clamum]

Quite the battle scene in the last episode. I agree with others who've said this season is rushed; I kinda figured that's what would happen when I first learned it was only six fricking episodes long.

I guess they're going with Dany taking after her father (rather than previous "good" Targaryens) but jeez it was sure a quick turn-around for her. Granted she's never been a goody two shoes type, but I'm pretty sure in the past she at least wrestled with decisions like that, or had regrets. Last episode she just frickin murdered thousands of innocent civilians wholesale, in the name of vengence against Cersei I guess.

Ugh. I'm still enjoying the series but it's a bit of a disappointment. I just wish GRRM would finish that damn next book (I'll probably be dead by the time the final one comes out; I mean I'm already 35).