Larger than Average Finger

1 minute ago, Krishtotter said:

Agreed, it may be that the showrunners selected Bran because a TV show needs a familiar face. Although, we won't know for sure for a while. 

But the "theme" will be the same, as I noted in my above post. Someone, whether Bran or other, will fulfil the same purpose with the same fantasy-subverting, anti-Aragorn elevation to the throne. 

On the other hand, once the North leaves the Kingdom, it makes some sense for a Northerner who will have no heir to be the one chosen, because it will force this to happen again.

4 minutes ago, Krishtotter said:

Absolutely loved this final episode. I rated it 10/10. 

What a pity much of what had come before it was worse than rotten, and I rate a lot of it 1-3 out of 10.  Especially episode 3 with its appalling termination of the Night King plot and episode 4, with its numerous plot holes and logical implausibilities.

But I could tell that this was George RR Martin's ending to the series rather than D&D's. They merely executed his wishes. And they didn't "get there" particularly well but the there when reached was actually very good.  

 

...

 

Bran becoming King of the Six Kingdoms of Westeros (sans the Iron Throne) after an election by the nobility - I honestly thought, when I first reader the spoiler, that this was going to be absolute bollocks. Only it wasn't. In fact, it made perfect sense and fitted in with the overarching thematic agenda of the show and books, that no "divine right/born to rule" stock fantasy heroes like Aragorn (i.e. Dany or Jon Snow) win the throne but that a disabled boy, who would be a far better rule because he actually has the requisite qualities and skills, is appointed to the role on the basis of merit rather than by inheritance. It's a great subversion of fantasy tropes, which typically exude an almost kind of "fascist" feel in supporting the claims of "destined" Chosen Ones. 

Very ASoIAF that surprising result. 

 

 

I am not convinced Martin will have Bran be the one who sits on the throne, but the ending will be a council selecting the next king, and the person selected will not be the head of a major house.  

I rated it fairly highly, but I wonder if its because I liked it so much more than 4 and 5, which I felt were very weak.

At least in this I saw people making decision they way I would expect them to.

I do believe that the intent was for at least one more season, to give more time to build up to this finish, and that some outside forces made them end it a season or 2 early.

That limited the ability to build properly, but its no excuse for all of it.

At a minimum, if they were limited to 2 final seasons and struggling to finish the story why reduce the number of episodes per year?

I gave it 6, because I thought the descent to be a Mad Queen was not justified by the plot. She has been through too much to go this mad over a couple more losses.  Burning those who wrong her is what she does always has.  Burning others just to do it is not.

That said the rest of the episode was pretty good, and the resolution of the Hounds story was satisfying to me.  His finally getting Arya to step away from her vengeance was good, and was Arya mirroring what Bran said to Theon.

My one complaint from a suspense point of view is that once we got past the point where the NT raised the dead on the field, the only way anyone could survive is if the plan worked.  We didn't know how he would be defeated, but there was no lose the day but regroup, because everyone would be gone.

6 minutes ago, Magnamax said:

I think this is the case of the episode in a vacuum being very tense and enjoyable, but the larger context of it feels like a let down. I gave it a nine because it felt incredibly tense and had some amazing visuals but I felt the ultimate resolutions were much more neat than I thought they would end at.

Exactly how I feel, there are really only a couple maybe 3 of large picture questions in the show, how will the NK be defeated, who will rule Westros (or how will it be ruled) and how will the wheel be broken. My expectations to answer each of them is huge. 

I gave it a 7, because it feels like too soon to kill the NK, but in truth, its only too soon if the next episodes do not work.

Not know what is coming, I am more than willing to give it a chance.

3 minutes ago, Anthony Pirtle said:

That happened? I was hoping Ghost escaped like Jorah and the others.

He'll show up with Nimeria's pack to save someone in Ep 5

3 minutes ago, #teamNightking said:

Until such time as GRRM proves otherwise, I'm becoming more and more suspicious that the book series will never be finished. Maybe not even Winds. 

Agreed, and I take that into account when thinking about these episodes.

Martin seems to have written himself into a corner he can't seem to get out of, Hard for me to be too judgmental of writers tasked with doing that task.

They do need a major twist to end this though. 

3 minutes ago, Lord Godric said:

What do you have to back this up? Like I said, Martin himself said a few weeks ago that "But there may be – on certain secondary characters, there may be big differences.” Suggesting that he told them more than what you're claiming for the major characters. 

All I am really saying is that its not certain that the same charterer will do the same things in the books. Frankly I would be willing to bet that for some details Martin will write it differently just so its different, if he ever write an ending.

1 minute ago, Lord Godric said:

I'm curious about this. We all know GRRM's "broad strokes" comment and recently he went even further and said "their ending in my ending" but in the aftershow D&D something like "we've known that Arya was going to be the one to do it for three years now." If it was GRRM's ending, shouldn't they have known since they sketched out the series before the show started? 

The know the dead are defeated, probably by killing their leader, but who kills him was probably not done by Martin.

They were told which side won not much more.

It feels too early to kill the night king to me, but in truth, after season 5, I expected it to end season 7 and the whole last season be about the fight for the throne,

The next twist will need to be a good one for the show to end without these final episodes seeming insignificant.

Martin will have the same issue at the end (should he ever actually get there) in that from a strategic point of view they have to defeat the dead first, but after facing that, its hard to worry about who sits in what chair.

I gave it 8, and might have made it 9 had I waited to vote after watched again.

The show is about characters, and this episode advanced characters.

13 hours ago, Anthony Pirtle said:

On the wall with Edd, Jon, and Sam. 

Looking Like a Medium sized Husky.  He looked 1/3 the size they made Nymeria to look list year.

I gave it 8. I thought it was a tiny bit rushed, and given their ability to vary the length of the show, they could have added perhaps 2 or 3 more minutes. 

Very minor complaint though, it was a good episode

IS it possible that to Kill the Night King, they will need to do something that undoes the Magic that allows resurrection, and in doing so all things resurrected would die?

Charles Dance(Tywin) narates the add for a new Nat Geo show, almost in character.