Jump to content

sweetsunray

Members
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    10,400

  • Joined

  • Last visited

 Content Type 

Everything posted by sweetsunray

  1. sweetsunray
    https://sweeticeandfiresunray.com/2015/10/30/the-cursed-souls-of-eddard-and-robert/ KoF and his "mare" wear blue-forget-me-nots. More on the tourney scene during Ned's POV in this essay: Ned Stark's wrong bet
  2. sweetsunray
    The show played the dream sequence out as if it was the literal truth, yup. We can toss that aside, since George reminds readers it's a dream, not an actual account of the events that took place.
  3. sweetsunray
    the conversation in the dream is symbolic and a synopsis because it's a dream, not a memory. George has said to not take the conversation completely literal. Once Ned found Lyanna and her child, he knew the child would be regarded as heir. My point is that Ned got to Lyanna first, and that the KG didn't oppose him saying goodbye to a dying Lyanna. They did however wanted to stop him from taking her child to hide him so Robert could sit the throne instead.
  4. sweetsunray
    Up to a point yes, but all the other Lyanna allusions in aGoT, including the one at the tourney, are about Ned starting to doubt whether Robert was the king to back or not, and often always versus Lyanna. It's there with the Knight of Flowers (wearing blue flowers) and the "black" horny stallion that Clegane rides at the tourney. It's there when he remembers Lyanna's words about Robert. So, Ned's mind is mostly working overtime on whether he made the right choice to believe in Robert. The sole alternative at the ToJ was Jon, whom the KG backed.
  5. sweetsunray
    Agreed with the latter.
  6. sweetsunray
    Kingmonkey posted an essay "Eddard in Wonderland" here several yaers ago, and I posted mine here and on my blog back then too: https://sweeticeandfiresunray.com/2015/10/30/the-cursed-souls-of-eddard-and-robert/ Think Lady Gwyn of Radiowesteros also suggested such a possible reading of the ToJ dream in her essay about it. It's based on the question-answer formula between the KG and Ned, that are typical for Arthurian literature. You've got a person who wants to gain passage into a tower or to cross a bridge, but he has to get past guards. The guards ask questions, the hero needs to give the correct answers. However, in the dream it's the other way around: Ned's asking the questions, the guards answer. This suggests that the hero is not seeking entrance, but a reversal, and thus wants to leave. In my analysis I point out that the dream suggests Lyana is already dead during the battle, and thus Ned finding her happened before. You get rid of the awkwardness of KG not letting her brother through... they did allow him in. But after she's dead, you end up with 2 guardian profiles - those who regard him as king, and the other who doesn't but still wants to protect him because he's family.
  7. sweetsunray
    I hated the Tarly burning scene in S7, but imo it was the set-up for Dany "mad queen" perception. The maesters at the Citadel hadn't told Sam about it in S7, and now we know why... d&d were keeping that info for Dany to reveal to Sam, and since it was son and father, that was used by Sam to question her when he talked to Jon: she did the same thing that her father did... roasted a father and son.
  8. sweetsunray
    In the books he wanted to declare for Stannis and send a letter by raven to him IIRC. He wanted to protect Jon, but he didn't want to make him king. And that imo was what the fight with the kg at ToJ was about... that the fight happened after he found Lyanna and her son, that the KG wanted to make him king, but Ned didn't.
  9. sweetsunray
    I meant there is no NK at present in the books. There's only a legendary Lord Commander of the Nigth's Watch who took what may be a WW-female to wife, and that guy was dealt with.
  10. sweetsunray
    Actually I did not criticise the epi 6 dialogue. Did it? After all, she was tricking Tyrion, and she still blames Tyrion, and all this season Tyrion as Dany's hand served her well. Why would she murder her enemy's hand when that same hand ended up costing Dany. There is no actual growth, just pretense for her own strategic advantage, and Tyrion fell for it hook line and sinker. I agree that the Jon-Theon scene was up there with the Hound-Brienne dialogue. That conversation did for Theon what we witness in Theon's chapter of the Ghost of WF, when he hears Bran's voice through the weirwood tree at WF and admits that he partly wants to be a Stark and that Ned was more his father than Balon ever was + Theon hearing the ravens in Stannis's possession call his name. So, it's another delayed progression as with Jaime, but I have less of an issue with that delay for 2 seasons in the way they wrote him, and because I don't believe Reek is entirely dealt with for Theon at the end of aDwD.
  11. sweetsunray
    First, not all ranters agree on what they dislike. Secondly, the issue is more with regards to overall pacing: set-up was epi 5, and that was rushed then epi 6 we have character dialogue and action but so drawn out, with so much timeline fudging and faux-drama except for Viserion's death and Thoros being grabbed by a bear, finale minutae of everyone's face at the dragonpit meeting, with a flip-flopping Cersei for a plotline that made pretty much all of S7 pointless and after dragging their feet for seasons on LF's undoing a hasty dispatch. Most of the finale dialogue, especially KL related added very little, and was some version of what we already saw. It hardly showed character progress, or long overdue. Tyrion still tries to reason with Cersei, trying to get her to admit that he's not horrible after all, and Cersei blames him as much as she did in S2. Did we see or hear anything that could not just have been plucked out of Tyrion's time as Hand in KL? No. Jaime's convo with Cersei should have happened last season or start of this season. Keeping characters stationary for 3 seasons and then finally show progress of what should have happened seasons before is not fully rewarding dialogue. And the last issue also exists for Sansa at WF with regards LF. Brienne Hound convo was one of the few convos that actually followed a line of progress: Brienne sort of admitting that she messed up, giving feedback to the Hound about Arya, and the Hound giving a hint of pride as if she was a daughter to him. The battle of Spoils of Wars worked far better than the dragged out Beyond the Wall battle. I actually found the dialogue of epi 6 superior to 5 and 7. The criticism seems contradictory only on the surface. But the fundamental all-rounding criticism is that the quality of pacing and dialogue is various and often at the wrong moment.
  12. sweetsunray
    Agreed. I rated each episode on its own, not trying to have previous episodes impact the next one, whether positive or negative. But after a night of sleep I woke up with the feeling that the finale totally sucked the soul out of the story. They've done enraging and maddening stuff (Sansa-Ramsay marriage, Stannis, the North has Amnesia) and they've dragged their feet, but this whole season was beyond pointless and most of what wasn't pointless was done in haste and shoddily. I gave this episode a 5 yesterday, but in retrospect should have given it max a 4: the WF "we're gonna get LF" plot only deserved its points previous episode. It was a throwaway scene this episode and the should have perhaps given us a flashback with Bran and the sisters setting it up. It was still a let's drag this inevitabl death on for a whole season. As a conclusion to that whole plot it was very very underwhelming. For a finale episode, the whole dragonpit and Cersei "will she? will she not?" was just boring. Qyburn and the "hand", the Hound knocking on the chest in the boat, and apprehensive about the wight to come out of the box, the Brienne convo and his fatherly smile when he learned that Arya can hold her own that said, "That's my she-wolf" were the nice tidbits about it. I rewarded the episode for such small little tidbits, but as a season finale there was only 10-15 mins worth of watching these things. And when having 80 mins of time to do things, then I actually should detract a point, and end up giving it a 3.
  13. sweetsunray
    There is no NK in the books. There is an alleged Horn of Joramun that might take the wall down. Or Mel might end up tapping into the wall's magic and drain it from its power when she does something at the wall. There's a dragon horn in the books that might be able to steal a dragon, possibly Euron So, nope, no need for the Others to have a resurrected dragon. Besides, there is mention of the Heart of Winter having some type of ice dragons, but doubted by the Citadel whether that's true.
  14. sweetsunray
    Well, this was an emmy baiting episode for Lena Headey. She had so much screentime, from maybe, to no, back to yes, then no again. Another Lena-Dinklage scene. One we've seen several times in S2 again. Back then it was good. Now it's old news, repetitive, and Lena's in such an arc that she basically has to emote the same face all the time. Quite frankly, it was boring. Glad to see Jaime finally leave Cersei, but it took way too long, was nonsensical before, and underwhelming in this episode. Pffff: LF. Last episode I actually liked the execution of the Sansa and Arya plot, even though the overall WF faux-drama idea was weak. LF was completely ruined. There was no believable menace to him at all anymore. And while I'm glad he's dead, his death scene was pathetic. This was after all the man who was so brazen to insult Ned, once challenge Brandon Stark into a duel. I'll give 1 point to revealing it was a ploy by the sisters and Bran, and to see the sisters appreciate one another. Cleganebowl does nothing to me. Bronn stuff neither. Euron was stupid. Much of Jon's speech has been done and done. The wight scene and the other Hound scenes were good. So, 1 point for that. Was that the actor of Viserys who also took the role of Rhaegar? I'll give 1 point for that. Eastwatch CGI was almost solid. Though I have some issues with the aerodynamics of dragon wings with holes in it. With wings like that his flight ability would be seriously hampered. However, it was cool to see it come down. So, 2 points for that. I'm giving it a 5/10.
  15. sweetsunray
    Nope it's 10k. "And Elephants. Let's not forget the elephants" (quoting Lysono Moor). But not all are mounted knights. They're an alright bunch against the Lannisters in the books (Tyrells might switch) that have taken losses and are divided here and there and expected to take more losses in the Riverlands. If the GC manages to get the Tyrells on their side, KL will surely fall for Aegon, and Cersei will have to run for CR. But that's the books. I don't see how Cersei, a Lannister, will manage to hire the GC, against Dany + North, with dragons, Dothraki and Unsullied. It's totally "let Dany destroy good part of the Lannister army (who seemed to be the Westeros Clone army), but we''re gonna keep Lena in longer and we'll have to get her army from somewhere" ---- "Oooh let's take the GC and doubtle the numbers." So for the GC to be any threat we now know that Dothraki and Unsullied will take heavy losses against the army of the dead next season.
  16. sweetsunray
    Henry VIII gave his in-laws good positions in his close council. He was still an absolutist. Tywin repealed Egg's laws when he was a lord. But when his grandson becomes king, he sure went out of his way to destroy houses, giving rewards to those who helped him, but nothing anywhere near the same feudal power: Freys kill off Starks at the RW, and are rewarded with Riverrun, but without the LP-ship of the Riverlands. No that is handed to Petyr Baelish who gets Harrenhal, a castle he cannot himself occupy, for he does not have the people and the surronding lands and village went up in smoke so he cannot get money from the related lands of HH at the moment. Boltons are given wardenship of the North, but a fake Arya (and they know she's fake), while Tyrion's married to the elder sister Sansa. Storm's End will be Tommen's to distribute to his sons, etc. Lancel gets Darry, a lower house in the Riverlands, but at a crucial position near the Crossroads. The fact that he gives his in-laws a set at the small council is not a sign that he isn't an absolutist. He simply didn't live long enough after arriving at KL and having victory over Stannis to start changing laws. Agreed on Egg: I used the wrong term. He's an absolutist, not a totalitarian. If Egg had managed to actually gain absolutist power and break down feudal power, a religious-fanatical great--great-grandson (religiously fanatical like Baelor I) could have gone totalitarian hypothetically, if he had a standing army and dragons.
  17. sweetsunray
    I wasn't actually saying or claiming they were near the Bridge of Skulls. More suggesting that according to the mountain range bare from any trees strictly speaking you ought to infer they're at the frost fangs. Obviously they are not. Hardhome has cliffs and in world-lore it's a volcanic area. But it's not an actual mountain range. I assume we are supposed to assume they are in a mountain range with passes north of the Haunted Forest, and thus yes relatively close to Hardhome and Eastwatch. But remember that the army of the dead didn't come from Hardhome, but 3ER's cave, with wights chasing them into the Haunted Forest, north of CB. My major point is that M7 had at least journeyed beyodn the haunted forest on foot by the time we catch up with them in the episode. Both Gendry and Jon Snow have passed through it. You can see it from the wall of Eastwatch. And yes, I know the NK was standing on the same production location in the vision than the last stand scenes. But it isn't supposed to be the same location in-world. Watch the production video HBO made on creating the quarry into the set makes you understand they used the same set but they very much wanted to make it look differently for the viewers. For one, the NK army is "on the move" in the vision scene. We get a bird view of a long ass army on the move, and the NK in the middle of it. It's now some bowl shaped surround, and that big ass army isn't marching on ice. What did you think they would do? Build a different set location just for the vision? No, of course not. Same set, but filled up with marching wights and no high CGI cliff walls on the side.
  18. sweetsunray
    So, a raven flying 125 mph (200 km/h)? That's a raven at the speed of hurricane 5 winds. Instead of tourneys Westerosi should be holding Formula Raven competitions between House Ferrari and House McClaren.
  19. sweetsunray
    A road that is pretty straight from North to South. 1/3 smaller doesn' t make Westeros the size of the UK all of a sudden. And again they were well beyond the wall, beyodn the haunted forest, and the wall is several hundreds of miles north of WF. So, being generous you still have about 1000 miles between Eastwatch and Dragonstone.
  20. sweetsunray
    It's 1000 miles from WF to KL according to Cersei in S1E1. WF is still several hundreds of miles south of the wall. And they showed us the M7 walking in a mountain range, beyond the haunted forest (which you see from the wall), and it must have been far away enough so the mountain looking like a fist isn't visible from atop the wall. And looking at a map they were closer to the Bridge of Skulls west of the wall (aka the frost fangs), than they were to Eastwatch. Willing to let the last slide, but euhm they certainly walked beyond what takes a day of walking distance.
  21. sweetsunray
    scatting review by the week: http://theweek.com/articles/719732/game-thrones-become-terrible-show
  22. sweetsunray
    I did Sorry not on purpose. I rated this one a 5 myself, but had to alter my score for the first from 5 to 4 because of the missing giants. So... corrected at present results: 33...1 19...2 27...3 23...4 33...5 24...6 27...7 28...8 40...9 28...10 total votes 282, total score 1606 => average 5.69 / 10 , 47.8% voted between 1-5.
  23. sweetsunray
    at present: 33...1 19...2 27...3 22...4 32...5 23...6 28...8 40...9 38...10 => 50.7 % rated it between 1-5, average score is 4.87/10 at the moment.
  24. sweetsunray
    The average rating for the poll in this thread was 6.1 the first two days and now stands at 5.9. Most polls of previous episodes this season had an average of 7. and something. So, that's a marked drop. In general the polls for this season have a lower average rating than previous season and the season before it. Compared to the ratings by those same critics of other episodes this season the 82% rating is an improvement. Most of the previous episodes got 97% and even 100% ratings with no criticism at all, but just "wow ravings" to sub-par writing.
  25. sweetsunray
    jumped the shark for me in S5 when Brienne said they'd go around Moat Cailin, but it now jumped the dragon with chains for sure!
×
×
  • Create New...