CONTINUATION GAME OF THRONES. EPISODE 5 as at 15 May

[OneInAMillionYou]

welcome citizens of the Realm!

I will open the thread for Episode 6 on Sunday.

All discussion welcome. We post different views but respect each other's contributions.

No spoilers from elsewhere on the net, please.

There where normal Targaryens, quite a lot of them. When there where signs of madness in any of the heirs they would skip over that King and crown his oldest brother, so there where periods of time where the Targs seemed a lot less mad, but really it was just that it was well hidden.

I think Joffrey backs up the claim that they where mad because of incest, like him, most of the mad Targs weren't schizophrenic like Aerys or insanely delusional like Aerion, they where sociopaths or sadists.

In Season 1 (has just rewatched!) Cersei confides to Tyrion that she worries that Joffrey is how he is because he was born of incest and Tyrion consoles her that she beat the odds with Tommen and Myrcella. So in the show at least, invest is definitely proffered as a cause of madness and she cites the Targs as evidence.

I’m rewatching season 1 too. So many nice little pointers to what is to come.

Some fans are definitely over-invested in their favourite theories. I don’t think this story has a ‘happy ending’ but it is interesting how deep that ‘hero’ archetype is in our collective psyche. Even though GOT doesn’t work that way, there is still an expectation of a heroic figure who will save Westeros. When I read the books, I was so angry when Jon was stabbed by the Night’s Watch! It made me realise how a ‘good’ story for me is tied up in the idea of someone battling against the odds before triumphing. I’m already prepared that I won’t feel happy with the ending but can appreciate it from a story-telling point of view instead.

Oh cool I didn’t know that about the heirs.

I would love it if they made a prequel spin off about the Targaryen’s in old Valyria.

Leontine "I really must get round to reading Fire & Blood because I want to know if their were any normal ones apart from Maester Aemon."

There were a couple,well, normal by their standards which as you know isn't quite the same or tame as say normal by Windsor standards, but they were constantly in contention with messed up in the head type Targs so life was never boring for them. I was actually pleasantly surprised at how readable and engaging F & B is given some online reviews weren't very enthusiastic about the history rather than novel treatment.

Just read this. It’s an interesting read...

www.reddit.com/r/asoiaf/comments/bppv6s/spoilers_extended_grrms_purpose_for_danys_arc_how/

That was a great read. Thanks @sweetsummerchild

That’s very interesting

I think people were going to be pissed off no matter what they did

Disagree. Lots of hugely popular shows remained hugely popular to their very end.

I feel that in a few years, it will be remembered as one of the greatest shows ever and the gripes will mostly be forgotten

Nah, I think it will be seen as one of the greatest shows that went off the rails and couldn't maintain its greatness. It's the new Lost.

There is obviously a section of the fans who are very angry and disappointed by it but there are a lot of us who have loved this final season so far. I think it’s very much divided the fan base but I certainly feel it’s maintained greatness and so do lots of other people.

I love GRRM's questions.

I just watched the episode with the Battle of Blackwater and it’s so good. No reason for this post really. It’s just good 😁 Cersei getting hammered in her gold breast armour is the best.

I enjoyed the bells too
In fact I've enjoyed the whole season despite the teleporting

I certainly feel it’s maintained greatness and so do lots of other people.

I have really enjoyed this season. I made a decision back in season 5 - when book material ran out and storylines started to fall off by the dozen - that I needed to accept that the quality of the writing and dialogue was not going to match that of the earlier seasons.

I still have gripes with pacing and characterisation. There are mysteries that I would have liked to see resolved. However, I can accept that D&D (as is their right) actually want to move on to something else. They have finished the series - something GRRM has failed to do. Actors are ageing and wanting to move on. Nikolai and Rory, in particular, do not look like the ‘warriors’ that they should.

I do think the ire this season is due to the popularity of Dany and not due to any noticeable decline in writing compared to, say, season 7.

BurntSausage Blackwater is still my favourite episode ever (written by the big man himself).

I would still have liked to see that chain!

I do think the ire this season is due to the popularity of Dany and not due to any noticeable decline in writing compared to, say, season 7

You keep alluding to this and I can only presume it's because you spend a lot of time on fan forums or something? I have no more personal desire for Dany to "win" than any other character, nor do any of the major critics who continue to be disappointed by the show or any of the people I talk about in real life.

But anyway you basically said you made a decision to accept the show wouldn't be great, so you're agreeing with me and all of those people really (that it's not great anymore). Just that you have accepted it and other people don't want to.

But anyway you basically said you made a decision to accept the show wouldn't be great, so you're agreeing with me and all of those people really (that it's not great anymore). Just that you have accepted it and other people don't want to.

The series noticeably declined when it ran out of book material. I would never deny that. It is not as good as it was in the first four season. Season 6 was marginally better than 5 but season 7 was a car crash.

What I’m saying is that season 8 is in no way worse than season 7. So why is everyone moaning about it now when the things they are criticising were seen as nitpicking when people complained about them in earlier seasons?

It is suddenly ‘the thing’ to complain about the series and its pacing, logic, plot and character development this season. Yet the same reviewers who are giving it 4/10 now were giving it 8/10 last season.

Yes, I do spend a lot of time on fan sites and forums. Yes, there are people saying that they keep ‘randomly bursting into tears’ about Dany being ‘turned into’ a villain.

A re-watching of Series 1 is so rewarding, so many hints carefully laid.

Now I'm wondering if whoever tops Danaerys will be the Queen-slayer as Jaime was the Kingslayer. Though not many left to revile them for doing so, being all corpsified and all.

Echt, I reckon that could be Brienne as Queenslayer if D goes after either Arya or Sansa as she still sees it as her duty to protect Catelyn's daughters.

I've enjoyed this season too. I agree that the quality of writing tailed off when it outstripped the books, but it still stayed streets ahead of anything else on tv IMO.

I think there is just a particular type of over-invested fan that cannot cope when their pet theories don't play out.

In fact, half of the complaints you read about are 'oh they succumbed to pressure and that storyline is just fanservice' and the other half are 'waaahhhh play it how the fans want it to play.' Impossible to win really.

Sadly for them, GRRM gets to decide what happens in his story, D&D get to tell that story the way they want to, and the rest of us don't get to choose how our favourite tv show plays out.

Personally I'd like to see the complainers write something better. Off you go, there's a blank word document, looking forward to seeing your work.

I'm enjoying the season.
As long as they don't kill Tyrion.
Also Bronn needs to get his castle :)

Yes I am too, like sweetsummerschild I accepted the decline long ago and honestly I'm just happy it isn't a total shit show, I didn't expect them to improve for the last season but it has compared to 5/7, and we've known for a while now it would be shorter, so it was also fairly obvious it would be rushed and a lot of characters wouldn't have time to feel finished or explained- which for some is fine anyway I think.

My main gripes are still with Bran, I'm being overly hopeful in thinking there is still over an hour left and he may yet do something. Sansa too but she's a less important or complex character. And I do think Jon has been a bit of a background character this season, but as unpopular as it is, I haven't been a Jon fan for a while so I'm not all that bothered.

Even if this last episode was perfect, people will still pick it apart and others will jump on the bandwagon.

Oooh yes I'd like to see Brienne as queen slayer!
As I said earlier, I think dany is on the warpath with Sansa. Things were frosty before sansa told Tyrion about Jon and I think part of the burning of KL was to do with the fact she wants the throne and if she can't have it no one else can, all because Sana'a opened her gob! I know Misandei said dracarys but I very much doubt she meant kill the innocent people of KL.

I still think there's a twist but if not I still love it and have enjoyed every minute of it (I might just be easily pleased!)

My only real gripe about how this is all playing out is Bran. I'm a show only person.

All the time that's been spent on his storyline in previous seasons, most of it really dull. I hope he's got more to do that finding out who Jon's parents were. Otherwise what a waste of time!

Yes, Dany demands Sansa’s head, Brienne marches down to KL to tear her a new one. I love it.

Brienne taking Dany out would be a fitting end to her and Jaime’s arc. For all that I was convinced Jon had to do it, I’m warming to it being Brienne.