Game of Thrones II

[Fat Tony]

Now that I've had a few days to digest, gotta admit it was a poor season, and it's starting to get a bit walking deadish. There was no shock or twists, everything was entirely telegraphed. It was like the show makers lost their balls and gave into fans requests, unlike doing stuff like have hodor die a tragic death or have catelyn watch her son die in front of her.

 

[Walt Flanigan]

Now that I've had a few days to digest, gotta admit it was a poor season, and it's starting to get a bit walking deadish. There was no shock or twists, everything was entirely telegraphed. It was like the show makers lost their balls and gave into fans requests, unlike doing stuff like have hodor die a tragic death or have catelyn watch her son die in front of her.

I always expected those sort of plot-twists to fade away in the last season or two. It's just war now. There will be plenty of main characters die in Season 8, all plot armor goes out the window.

 

[Fat Tony]

I always expected those sort of plot-twists to fade away in the last season or two. It's just war now. There will be plenty of main characters die in Season 8, all plot armor goes out the window.

Yet it's all out war where no one important dies. A pair of Tarly's and a fire priest but no one else. We've had Bronn, jamie, Jon, Jorah, the hound, tormund, dany, gendry, beric, grey worm all in the thick or action yet none have gone down. Tyrion watched at the edge of a battle, he was also alone in a room with cersei and the mountain yet walked out. Arya killed people in the opening scene and in one of the closing scenes and no one in between.

 

[Parra Pride]

Yet it's all out war where no one important dies. A pair of Tarly's and a fire priest but no one else. We've had Bronn, jamie, Jon, Jorah, the hound, tormund, dany, gendry, beric, grey worm all in the thick or action yet none have gone down. Tyrion watched at the edge of a battle, he was also alone in a room with cersei and the mountain yet walked out. Arya killed people in the opening scene and in one of the closing scenes and no one in between.

Olenna, the Sand Snakes, Ellaria and Littlefinger are all dead (or as good as dead in Ellaria's case), and they also killed a dragon. Tell me again about only three people dying.

 

[Parra Pride]

The dumbarse has learned nothing from Tyrion. Trial by combat FTW.

I actually wanted this to happen. No one would step forward for Littlefinger and Arya would get to kick his ass, would've been great.

 

[perverse]

Olenna, the Sand Snakes, Ellaria and Littlefinger are all dead (or as good as dead in Ellaria's case), and they also killed a dragon. Tell me again about only three people dying.

Sand snakes and Ellaria were basically non-entities in the show. A small step above flat out red shirts. No one remembers or cares that they died. Maybe book readers care, I wouldn't know.

Littlefinger and the dragon were the only 2 deaths of consequence, or with any impact at all.

 

[Fat Tony]

Sand snakes and Ellaria were basically non-entities in the show. A small step above flat out red shirts. No one remembers or cares that they died. Maybe book readers care, I wouldn't know.

Littlefinger and the dragon were the only 2 deaths of consequence, or with any impact at all.

Book readers were happy the sand snakes died, after the complete cluster f**k that they did to dorne.

Olenna was a secondary character, but i guess she counts as a character killed off.

Every season we've had a king killed off except this year

 

[Timbo]

I dunno, I was pretty upset when Olenna carked it. Badass boss bitch.

 

[Cherry_poppins]

What a shitload of f**k

Olenna is hardly secondary she was one of my favorites

The Tarleys got f**king cooked i mean that's Sam's family

I'm not even sure if my favorite survived the attack on the f**king wall

 

[Game_Breaker]

Yet it's all out war where no one important dies. A pair of Tarly's and a fire priest but no one else. We've had Bronn, jamie, Jon, Jorah, the hound, tormund, dany, gendry, beric, grey worm all in the thick or action yet none have gone down. Tyrion watched at the edge of a battle, he was also alone in a room with cersei and the mountain yet walked out. Arya killed people in the opening scene and in one of the closing scenes and no one in between.

If they killed more people off then it will just be Jon leading an army of red shirts against the Night King in season 8

 

[Tommy Smith]

Again, what is this obsession whereby main characters must die? Do people not understand how story works?

You can only kill off so many. Unless you wanted Drogon to fry everyone in the Dragonpit and leave Dany to just chill on her own.

Besides, as has been pointed out we still saw about half a dozen characters of note die this season.

 

[GC_Gladiator]

It is that all the significant moments in this season were fairly predictable.

 

[Fat Tony]

Again, what is this obsession whereby main characters must die? Do people not understand how story works?

You can only kill off so many. Unless you wanted Drogon to fry everyone in the Dragonpit and leave Dany to just chill on her own.

Besides, as has been pointed out we still saw about half a dozen characters of note die this season.

Because it makes things predictable. If a main character always survives then it makes things easy to guess. When tyrion walks into cersei's room and you know he'll come out it takes all tension out of the situation. The fact that any character could die at any time, so every scene and every situation was tense was what made this show what it was. It gave it an edge on every other show.
It's the thing that got me hooked. Midway through season 1 the show did something amasing. Visery's was being set up as the guy you love to hate, someone you could see being a long term thorn in Dany's side. Then suddenly out of nowhere he was dead. It happened so sudden in fact that at the time i didn't realise the character was dead. I thought Visery's would be physically scared for life, as fitting of the big bad, and i wondered how he'd get his revenge. yet as i clicked on the next episode and had dany and jorah talking about his death it was like wtf! How could the just bump of a important character like that. Then they doubled down on that by going even bigger. Everything I'd seen about game of thrones had been about how this was Sean Beans new show, all promotion was set around Bean. So when he's up on the executioners block you were waiting for him to somehow get out of that. So when his head came off you suddenly realised this was no ordinary show. Anything was possible.

Now we know Jon will return from north of the wall, now we know Dany will walk out of the dragon pit unarmed, now we know tyrion and davos will sneak into kings landing and come out, now we know tyrion will survive being alone with cersei and the mountain. And not even that, we know must of the fan favourites will make it through to, you get the sense that beric and tormund will magically survive the attack of the wall because the show has become walking deadish.
The only thing we didn't know this season was whether baelish would survive or not, but you still had the sense that arya will not attack her family. And in the end the show played it safe on that subplot as well.

 

[Walt Flanigan]

So neither Jon, Dany, Jaime, Tyrion or Cersei will die next season?

 

[Apey]

The only thing we didn't know this season was whether baelish would survive or not, but you still had the sense that arya will not attack her family. And in the end the show played it safe on that subplot as well.

I'm not sure how they played it safe given that was the whole point of the subplot in the end, to unify the Stark children.

So anyway who do you think should have died this season that didn't?

 

[Fat Tony]

I'm not sure how they played it safe given that was the whole point of the subplot in the end, to unify the Stark children.

So anyway who do you think should have died this season that didn't?

Tyrion for starters. He's passed his usefulness anyway. He's not the character that we fell in love with in seasons 1-4. It would have certainly made things between jamie and cersei even more tense. Any one of the characters that went beyond the wall. Sure Thoros died but that is pretty much the weakest character they took beyond the wall. Maybe jorah giving his life to save dany would have beem epic. Dany would have to pick herself up from losing a dragon and her oldest friend. Bronn shouldn't have survived the loot train attack. Great character, but jeez he can keep getting himself out of impossible situations.

As for winterfell, it would have created an interesting story line if one of the sisters killing the other. For starters you'd finally have a stark do something despicable. It would create drama for jon that everything he helped build in the north will fall apart.

There will be deaths in the last season, but unlike before they are to be expected. We know cersei will die at the hands of a brother, we know the clegane bowl is coming, we know most of the generals/offsiders will die fighting the white walkers. It's become predictable.

 

[Timbo]

I could have seen Tyrion dying. His arc is essentially over - I had very real anxiety in his meeting with Cersei.

For that matter, ditto Jaime. You knew he wasn't going to die during the battle with Dany because he had the information he had to pass to Cersei from Olenna. But I was quite nervous when The Mountain started to draw his sword.

 

[Sénior Slippyfist]

I must say i enjoyed Theon being taken to dick kick city only to smile like a freak

Ironborn, no. Ironcrotch, yes.

 

[perverse]

I'm pretty jealous of those of you that had no issues with this season. If you can't see how the writing quality has dropped significantly into predictability and how the stakes don't feel as real with so much plot armour... then all I can say is power to you. I envy that and wish I enjoyed the show now like I used to.

As for Apeys question of who should have died - if you have an answer to that question then it kinda defeats the point of answering. Someone I didn't expect or that seemed to have a major role in the plot would have been nice. Someone I didn't want to die. The deaths aren't necessary by themselves, it was the subversion of expectation that made the deaths interesting, and by extension the show as well. My expectations have not at all been subverted this season aside from Littlefingers demise - and even that was a little clumsily/forcibly handled in order to deliver something unexpected. I would still say that scene was my highlight of the season, though.

I don't get why everyone is getting heaps precious about it, anyway. No, people don't necessarily have to die... but the entire show is built upon the subversion of expectation of the audience - and death was a major vehicle up until this season. Without the unpredictability, its just another fantasy show for mine. I watch it to see the characters stories come to a close, characters I'm invested in, but to pretend it's anywhere near as good as the earlier seasons is borderline denial for mine.

 

[perverse]

I dunno, I was pretty upset when Olenna carked it. Badass boss bitch.

Cool, but largely unnecessary character at this stage for mine.