DaveyJoe

Hobb was mentioned earlier in the season so yeah, I think that was supposed to be him.

I think Neil Marshall is one of the archers on the wall. Here is a picture of Marshall: http://cdn.screenrant.com/wp-content/uploads/neil-marshall-black-sails.jpg

Honestly this episode was a great achievement in television. GoT has raised the bar yet again. People being up in arms because the show didn't change the books and shoehorn Stannis into this episode is sad. This episode was about the Night's Watch, and it was great.

http://static.giantbomb.com/uploads/original/12/122165/2587701-9733518266-13834.gif

Hobb the cook was a total badass. :bowdown:

Ok.

Yeah I think Sam was a highlight of the episode, he's really coming into his own, and he had some great one liners. I love Sam and Gilly and people here are calling it filler because their favorite character, Stannis, wasn't featured. Terrible. 50 minutes of fighting would be bad television without the character scenes to actually make viewers care. Also Tormund was a total beast.

Here you go: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Xv9Emwi1Cc Dany got 4 and a half minutes in Mhysa.

Yeah, if the posters here were in charge the episode would not have been called "The Watchers on the Wall" but "The Mannis."

People don't care if the show is faithful to the books if the show makes their favorite character look cool. Blackwater Stannis was nothing like the character in the books. With The Watchers on the Wall, people are pissed that the show didn't rush the initial skirmish, downplay the Night's Watch, and make the episode about Stannis. People say D&D let their biases get in the way but if some of the posters here were writing this episode, Sam and Gilly would have been killed by Wildlings, Jon is about to killed by Mance, when Stannis swoops in a dragon, chomping on a cigar and says "Hasta la vista, Wildlings."

You're kidding yourself if you think the Show Runners had little or no control over the biggest episode of their series to date.

Varamyr hasn't been on the show, I can only assume you're thinking of Orell from season 3? Varamyr is in a casting call for the 5th season, so he'll be introduced next year!

Why not? If you have read the books you should know what the events at the wall are ultimately more important than whoever's ass is on the iron throne.

Pacing.

How is that a plot hole? Two giants could have lifted the gate for what? A mammoth to lead the charge through the tunnel lead by regular wildlings? The beast of burden is there to provide brute strength, the rest are there for their skills in battle.. Let the mammoth rip the gate down so the rest can save their strength for actual fighting. Nothing about this is a plot hole.

They were trying to get the mammoth to rip the gate down to flood it for everybody to rush the tunnel. Again, it's a beast of burden situation. The mammoth is the strongest of the bunch, so have it rip the gate down, that plan failed, so the remaining giant lifts the gate and charges by himself. Just because he had the strength to lift the gate doesn't make it a plot hole. Giants are strong, but they have a mammoth, so have the beast rip down the gate and the giants can lead the attack through the tunnel.

How is that a plot hole? If you have a book bag full of supplies you need to lug up the mountain, strap it into the donkey. If the donkey gets set on fire and runs away, you have to lug up yourself. If you have a beast of burden, take advantage of it so you can conserve energy.

More character bias, why shouldn't Sam be fleshed out? George Martin made him a POV character after all.

There's nuance there, but you won't see it if you hate the approach. My friends were curious about the giant opening the gate on his own, but then we thought about and came to a consensus. He was running on adrenaline after being injured and watching his fellow wildlings and giant buddy die, and his mammoth run off in agony. It's like when a normal human finds the strength to lift a car off of a loved one. If you paid the same person a $1000 to do it for sport, it wouldn't be possible, but the human body can do amazing things when it's running off of adrenaline. Imagine what a Giant can do in a similar situation. Just because a Giant could theoretically lift a gate like that under certain circumstances, why waste your energy when you can have a beast of burden perform the same task? Have the mammoth open the gate so you can save your energy for the actual attack at the gate. When plan A fails spectacularly, go for plan B and open that shit yourself, because you're a giant.

Sorry, it was wrong of me to be emotional and irrational in an environment like this.

That wasn't in the books so it's probably poorly thought out garbage.

It also adds a level of weight to the battle that wasn't present during Blackwater. It's one thing that extras are getting killed off, but when known, likable characters are dying it seriously ups the stakes, and will make Stannis' charge that much more impactful.

Yes it was, it was all about Jon's growing role as a leader. If you think this episode was humorless, I encourage you to rewatch it. The first fifteen minutes of the episode was full of great comedic relief, Sam particularly was a scene-stealer that could give Dinklage a run for his money.

I'm amazed that I see comments like this from people who have read the books. Character moments are not "stupid filler." It's a different medium, and it's smart that the show fleshes out supporting characters that are tied to the story instead of including everybody and making them all two dimensional caricatures. I personally loved the Grey Worm/Missandei and Sam/Gilly scenes because they fleshed out characters that have been established. Sam and Gilly are important to the Wall storyline so it makes sense that they'd get some moments in this episode, along with Maester Aemon. Just wait and see how Stannis is handled next episode, I promise you he'll be featured.

Thank you, but I will drink a full horn of ale dressed as Robert Baratheon as I do every week.