first three seasons were an easy 9/10, maybe 10/10. Fourth season a solid 8/10. the last couple seasons were good spectacle, albeit rushed. the weak stuff was largely in 5&6 iirc.
― omar little, Tuesday, 25 June 2019 21:06 (four years ago) link
philip pullman set out to 'write against' CS lewis, and that turned out pretty well
― goole, Tuesday, 25 June 2019 21:08 (four years ago) link
Moorcock's Elric is essentially an inversion of Conan, he still managed to stick some ideas in there (granted there the ideas he stuck in p much every book - conflict between order/chaos, and the costs of choosing one over the other but still)
― Οὖτις, Tuesday, 25 June 2019 21:10 (four years ago) link
idk how the books are gonna end, but the whole thing with the white walkers seemed to suggest a theme of "people will struggle to put the interests of their nation or planet over their own ambition and self-interest." the way that whole plotline ended in the show casts a bit of doubt on that idea.
― old cloud yells at man (voodoo chili), Tuesday, 25 June 2019 21:21 (four years ago) link
I admit the first few seasons were pretty well executed. They stuck to the books, and the books seemed to be very much about de-romanticizing the fantastical (there's magic and god stuff, but no one really understands or believes in it and it's messy and ugly and doesn't always work) and subverting hero-quest tropes (villains win, etc.). Still silly, but at least it seemed to stick to its guns. I can't remember when I stopped watching, but it was getting simultaneously too soapy and too bogged down in more traditional wheel-spinning TV tropes. Plus killed off many of the more interesting stories/characters. Plus started selectively bringing people back from the dead. Plus reveled in gratuitous sex and sadistic violence, which is to say, even when there *was* a story to tell, the salacious stuff was a big distraction. Plus relied to much on mythology as a mostly unexplored crutch. And after a while, once I stopped watching, I mostly heard the show described in terms of its scale and spectacle, which, again, is a pretty banal accomplishment, imo. Like people who drive six-figure cars. OK, so you spent all that money on a car, bfd.
― Josh in Chicago, Tuesday, 25 June 2019 21:32 (four years ago) link
but isn't it amazing, the amount of money they spent
― Οὖτις, Tuesday, 25 June 2019 21:33 (four years ago) link
And yet ... it often still seemed cheap!
― Josh in Chicago, Tuesday, 25 June 2019 21:40 (four years ago) link
was gonna say, they coulda spent more!
― old cloud yells at man (voodoo chili), Tuesday, 25 June 2019 21:40 (four years ago) link
This is a ridiculous argument. As much as they have budget they only have so much time to produce what they do.
― nashwan, Tuesday, 25 June 2019 21:44 (four years ago) link
I couldn't really give a shit how much they spent other than through appreciating the quality where they did demonstrate that which was most of the time.
― nashwan, Tuesday, 25 June 2019 21:47 (four years ago) link
Josh and Shakey definitely holding up their end up on this argument by continuing to post
― El Tomboto, Tuesday, 25 June 2019 21:54 (four years ago) link
It's very important that we unwrap this enigma that is Game of Thrones.
xpost If we can be in agreement about anything, it's that by the end the show runners and probably much of the cast really didn't give a shit, either.
― Josh in Chicago, Tuesday, 25 June 2019 21:56 (four years ago) link
They've got a Death Star to rebuild dammit
― nashwan, Tuesday, 25 June 2019 22:00 (four years ago) link
It's not a death star! It's... bigger than the other death star.
― DJI, Tuesday, 25 June 2019 22:02 (four years ago) link
A deather star.
― Josh in Chicago, Tuesday, 25 June 2019 22:16 (four years ago) link
A Game of Death Stars
― Οὖτις, Tuesday, 25 June 2019 22:17 (four years ago) link
i think i'd rate the seasons like this
S1: 10S2: 10S3: 10S4: 9S5: 8S6: 7S7: 5S8: 2
― i will never make a typo ever again (Karl Malone),
S1: 10S2: 9S3: 10S4: 9S5: 7S6: 5S7: 4S8: 6
― chap, Wednesday, 26 June 2019 09:38 (four years ago) link
I enjoyed 7/8 more than 5/6 as wholesale entertainment, as long as I ignored my extremely let-down expectations as to how the plot would dénoue
― flamboyant goon tie included, Wednesday, 26 June 2019 18:05 (four years ago) link
curiously i thought as the show expanded its visual scope to epic levels it also felt more sparsely populated, like what was implied offscreen in the first several seasons (the show at the time being confined to smaller locations and discussing events that occurred offscreen more) gave the sense of a much larger world that didn't end outside the frame (and which seemed well-populated inside the frame, too).
― omar little, Wednesday, 26 June 2019 18:10 (four years ago) link
it was kind of hilarious that there's this whole potential civilian revolt substory going on in King's Landing, but you never really meet any of the people who live in the city. they're all just anonymous angry hateful spitting doofuses. reminds me of literally every single peasant in monty python and the holy grail
― i will never make a typo ever again (Karl Malone), Wednesday, 26 June 2019 18:45 (four years ago) link
the only commoner you sort of meet is gendry from flea bottom, and then he turns out to have maybe the best claim to the throne in the entire show
― i will never make a typo ever again (Karl Malone), Wednesday, 26 June 2019 18:47 (four years ago) link
ser davos also from fleabottom, also karl tanner, leader of the mutineers at craster's keep
― VAR me to the end of yawn (jim in vancouver), Wednesday, 26 June 2019 18:52 (four years ago) link
yeah, i mean you get to meet a few, but except for tanner they all end up being exceptional people. (tanner is exceptionally evil, i guess)
this show is howard zinn's worst nightmare, a history told almost exclusively from the perspective of the elites
― i will never make a typo ever again (Karl Malone), Wednesday, 26 June 2019 18:55 (four years ago) link
There was that kid from Malcolm In The Middle’s subplot on the penultimate episode
― flamboyant goon tie included, Wednesday, 26 June 2019 18:57 (four years ago) link
and Hot Pie
― Muswell Hillbilly Elegy (President Keyes), Wednesday, 26 June 2019 18:57 (four years ago) link
Night Watch dudes were mostly commoners
― Muswell Hillbilly Elegy (President Keyes), Wednesday, 26 June 2019 18:59 (four years ago) link
still annoyed that apparently everyone in Westeros thought "Bran the Broken" was a name he'd be cool with.
― omar little, Wednesday, 26 June 2019 19:02 (four years ago) link
― i will never make a typo ever again (Karl Malone), Wednesday, June 26, 2019 1:55 PM (six minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
i think that's part of the point--the capricious whims of these elites literally crushes the lives of thousands. the fourth and fifth book takes a bit of time to appreciate the plight of the commonfolk, but alas, the show didn't have time for that.
― old cloud yells at man (voodoo chili), Wednesday, 26 June 2019 19:03 (four years ago) link
bran the "broken/head over heels/broken"
re: the "big idea" of the show, I think this is taken wholesale from Martin and only halfheartedly followed through on, but I think it's the hoary old conflict between "love" (coded as maternal, feminine, Cersei) and "duty" (coded as paternal, masculine, Ned). What made the "evil" characters interesting was that their actions followed from their concern for protecting loved ones, family, etc. What made the good characters dumb was that they couldn't see through "duty" as either something that is a fig leaf for power or something that makes you vulnerable if you take it too seriously.
Not saying the show does anything interesting with this but they did throw it out there occasionally and stated outright in the final episode if I remember right.
― ryan, Wednesday, 26 June 2019 19:36 (four years ago) link
― omar little, Wednesday, June 26, 2019 12:02 PM (thirty-four minutes ago) Bookmark
i feel like lots of kings have these nicknames but people probably weren't saying it to their faces. like charles the bald or wilfrid the hairy weren't addressed that way i wouldn't have thought
― VAR me to the end of yawn (jim in vancouver), Wednesday, 26 June 2019 19:40 (four years ago) link
i guess the writers thought it would be an inspiring name of some kind but i mean guys call him Bran the Unbroken, for total symbolic ownage of his broken-ness, this isn't hard.
― omar little, Wednesday, 26 June 2019 19:43 (four years ago) link
Bran the Flake
― Josh in Chicago, Wednesday, 26 June 2019 19:46 (four years ago) link
Bran the Halo 05
― ☮ (peace, man), Wednesday, 26 June 2019 19:47 (four years ago) link
Bran the ManBran, Slam, Thank You Ma'amBran-Y-Aur Stomp
― Josh in Chicago, Wednesday, 26 June 2019 19:48 (four years ago) link
Bran SoloBran WrapLast Train to Brancentral
― Josh in Chicago, Wednesday, 26 June 2019 19:49 (four years ago) link
Bran the Creepy Lil Fucker
― Fuck the NRA (ulysses), Wednesday, 26 June 2019 19:52 (four years ago) link
Bran the Suspiciously Absent During Battles
― Mad Piratical (The Cursed Return of the Dastardly Thermo Thinwall), Wednesday, 26 June 2019 20:06 (four years ago) link
Bran MorrisonThe A-Team's BranBrancakes Glenn Branca
― the public eating of beans (Sparkle Motion), Wednesday, 26 June 2019 20:11 (four years ago) link
Suggest Bran for all of you
― i will never make a typo ever again (Karl Malone), Wednesday, 26 June 2019 20:16 (four years ago) link
Bran The Wet Sprocket
― nashwan, Wednesday, 26 June 2019 20:18 (four years ago) link
you'll never be able to convince your bannermen to FPxp
― the public eating of beans (Sparkle Motion), Wednesday, 26 June 2019 20:19 (four years ago) link
PermaBran
― Mad Piratical (The Cursed Return of the Dastardly Thermo Thinwall), Wednesday, 26 June 2019 20:35 (four years ago) link
Raisin' Bran
― Οὖτις, Wednesday, 26 June 2019 20:38 (four years ago) link
Speaking of Breaking Bad, I guess Bryan Cranston just posted something about Aaron Paul that said "soon..." or something, and the radio DJs were going nuts.
― Josh in Chicago, Wednesday, 26 June 2019 21:24 (four years ago) link
Breaking Bran
Random observation when re-watching: for as prominent as Littlefinger was in the all the intrigue of the earlier seasons, it's odd how no one ever remarked on his death. One would think at least Varys would have a comment.
― blatherskite, Wednesday, 26 June 2019 23:40 (four years ago) link
Varys kinda forgot etc
― Vinnie, Thursday, 27 June 2019 00:54 (four years ago) link
I kinda feel like Bran would not have given six fux what anyone called him as he wasnt really all there anymore anyway.
― Stoop Crone (Trayce), Thursday, 27 June 2019 01:09 (four years ago) link
Bran was basically Dr. Manhattan by the end.
― VAR me to the end of yawn (jim in vancouver), Thursday, 27 June 2019 01:24 (four years ago) link