SPOILER ALERT! So am I the only one excited about a new round of GoT?

[Hammers]

SPOILERS!!!

I enjoyed it. More skullduggery and politics, with some good dialogue. ‘She’s hateful - and so am I’. Nice.

But really, the whole teleportation thing is in full flood again - one minute the half drowned survivors of the Euron Greyjoy’s ‘ambush’ are hauling themselves ashore on a beach near King’s Landing. Next scene they’re all reunited and dry in council back at Dragonstone like nothing’s happened...

And honestly - what is the point of dragons if they are that easy to kill? Doesn’t it just undermine the entire point of the story?

And again, the whole military tactics thing has just been fried on the altar of storytelling expediency. So Dany would ride her dragon straight towards Euron’s ships and into the teeth of his giant, dragon-killing crossbows, but wouldn’t fly around behind them with her air superior manouverability, and unleash dragon fire on the whole fleet?
I appreciate the story needs to be served, but it surely needs to cling onto some kind of internal logic, otherwise it just becomes nonsensical.

It’s still great - looks great, great characters, great lines, great overall story - but the glaring plot conveniences, teleporting, ridiculous non-tactics, and general preposterousness of how events unfold are getting increasingly silly, and feel at odds with the kind of gritty believability (for a fantasy story) of the first few seasons.

So - still enjoying the ride, but despite myself, getting increasingly disenchanted with all the short cuts and daft, illogical occurrences... 

I agree, that whole bit felt a bit with the dragons/Greyjoys/scorpions felt a bit rubbish and leaves the story full of holes. Sure, you understand they need to wrap things up but this was rather unelegant. The dragons have so far been dispersed with in a manner which is consistent with GoT lore (by dragons, by magic, by scorpions) but episode was very shoddy cinematography compared to the fight between the three dragons in episode 3. In fact, there was no strugle at all just a quick dispersing of a main strategic factor to get out of a plot conundrum.

What I still like about the show is that it is still able to convey a feeling of real loss, in this case as Theon, Berric Dondarrion, Dolorous Edd, Jorah and Lysanna Mormont. Even during Rhaegal's demice, even if off hand, I felt a pang.

[beefcake]

They should have just left the dragon dead at the hands of the Night King. That would have been a fitting end for it although it wouldn't have shown the importance of the Scorpions I guess. But yes, I felt it was a bit too quick and didn't have any lead up to the death of the second dragon.

[Captain Blood]

Is thought the ambush took place before Dragonstone? Will have to watch again to check, but they were supposed to be sailing there before linking up with Jon at Kings Landing.

You’re probably right. I thought they were heading to KL, but it may be they were ambushed outside Dragonstone. Even so, that just opens up more plot holes. Like how did Euron teleport with an entire fleet from KL and get into position unseen just outside the enemy stronghold? And when we last see Tyrion apparently drowning at sea, Grey Worm and a few bedraggled survivors hauling themselves ashore on an isolated beach, and who knows what happened to Varys, with every one of their ships sunk - yet suddenly they are all warm and dry and having a conference back in Dragonstone and no time has elapsed... and Euron didn’t try to finish off the survivors?

Anyway, it’s pointless really moaning about it I accept. You just have to take it at face value, enjoy the ride and the things which are great about it, and ignore the fact that they’ve clearly given up on any sense of internal logic when it comes to where people and armies are, how they got there, and behaving in any ways that make logical sense when they do get there.

[Belligerentparrot]

Anyway, it’s pointless really moaning about it I accept. You just have to take it at face value, enjoy the ride and the things which are great about it

Yep, agree with that 100%. I am just looking forward to an ending now, hoping to enjoy it as much as I can.

Though my favourite meme from ep3 was "The night is dark and full of errors".

[Captain Blood]

 

[Silent Invader]

Anyway, it’s pointless really moaning about it I accept. You just have to take it at face value, enjoy the ride and the things which are great about it, and ignore the fact that they’ve clearly given up on any sense of internal logic when it comes to where people and armies are, how they got there, and behaving in any ways that make logical sense when they do get there.

That’s pretty much how I’ve viewed it from S1E1. I find it’s much better to view it with a less than fully enquiring mind and a nice beer. I expected it to ‘jump the shark’ for me well before now, but it hasn’t so I’m happy just to roll along enjoying the final two episodes come what may. 

[McMordain]

Unfortunately they went beyond the point where I can suspend my disbelief. 
I don't understand why is it so hard to write the show in a way that is logical and internally consistent.

[AKULA]

Unfortunately they went beyond the point where I can suspend my disbelief. 
I don't understand why is it so hard to write the show in a way that is logical and internally consistent.

Out of interest what finally tipped you over the edge?

The 800 foot high wall of ice, the army of undead, the dragons, the seeming messing travel time/distances, or the fact that Winterfell has a Starbucks?

 

[Condottiere]

You’re probably right. I thought they were heading to KL, but it may be they were ambushed outside Dragonstone. Even so, that just opens up more plot holes. Like how did Euron teleport with an entire fleet from KL and get into position unseen just outside the enemy stronghold? And when we last see Tyrion apparently drowning at sea, Grey Worm and a few bedraggled survivors hauling themselves ashore on an isolated beach, and who knows what happened to Varys, with every one of their ships sunk - yet suddenly they are all warm and dry and having a conference back in Dragonstone and no time has elapsed... and Euron didn’t try to finish off the survivors?

Anyway, it’s pointless really moaning about it I accept. You just have to take it at face value, enjoy the ride and the things which are great about it, and ignore the fact that they’ve clearly given up on any sense of internal logic when it comes to where people and armies are, how they got there, and behaving in any ways that make logical sense when they do get there.

Varys was in the background with the others on the beach...

I would've thought a garrison would be left on Dragonstone, but if it was deserted, why didn't Euron land troops there? Instead of hopping on a boat, Missandei should've jumped overboard...   

[Hobgoblin]

There's a tragic irony in that Missandei, we can presume, is captured only because Grey Worm orders her to take the lifeboat. Had she jumped/been sunk with the rest of them, she might have had a better chance of making it to shore.

That strikes me as one of the better bits of writing in the episode, along with Tyrion's potentially giving the game away to Euron that the child isn't his.

[thebinmann]

Not sure I agree about the Dragon, he was clearly already wounded following the battle and a strong theme of GoT is everyone can die really easily. The point made by Sansa was rammed home as he took the plunge...

Not sure they were easy to kill either - the Night King was pretty tough with his javelins (though he had a big weakness and the standard bad guy weakness of arrogance leading to stupidity etc) and the second do go was severely weaken.

And I loved the shock value of it.

Something tells me neither Ayra or The Hound Will survive, pity I'd have loved a spin off film or series about those two....

[Blackwolf]

Whilst not a GOT fan (Joe Abercrombie is more my thing),I do enjoy this thread, it's the running synopsis ,reading events second hand,your comments the primary source; very amusing.

[McMordain]

Out of interest what finally tipped you over the edge?

The 800 foot high wall of ice, the army of undead, the dragons, the seeming messing travel time/distances, or the fact that Winterfell has a Starbucks?

 

The fact that people thought it is a good idea to hide from the undead and their leader who can raise the dead in the crypts, which is full of dead... And no one questioned it at all. I thought that they just want to bait it and will not go through with it. But of course they did that. Then no one of importance died in what should have been an absolute massacre... After that I just couldn't care any more. I only watch it now because I'm kind of interested how low they can go, and I doubt the books will be ever finished so this may be the only ending I will get.

I can accept magic and dragons and big icewalls if it is established as part of the word the writer is building. What I cannot stand is stupidity for the shake of drama, inconsistent rules of how the world works, characters acting in ways which are out of character just to further the plot or to fit the current narrative theme.
Even if this is a fantasy it could have and should have internal consistency and established rules of how things work. And the showrunners should not just ignore these rules when it does not fit into what they want. It lessens the stakes...
There is a lot of fantasy and sci-fi out there which does not have to sacrifice its established rules to have great scenes and emotional pay-offs. It is a bad argument in defence of a fantasy work, that you just have to accept it if it's bad (or turned bad), because you do not have any problems with the magic or dragons or any other not real stuff in it. If you think this way then what's the difference between the LotR films or the first season of GoT and the In the name of the King film (or it's sequels)?

I can enjoy bad movies but bad is not what I expected of GoT. Well at least not this level of bad.

[Captain Blood]

Whilst not a GOT fan (Joe Abercrombie is more my thing),I do enjoy this thread, it's the running synopsis ,reading events second hand,your comments the primary source; very amusing.

Love Joe Abercrombie. ‘Best served cold’ is one of my favourite books of all time. So good I’ve read it three times - which is more than I can say for any of George RR Martin’s tomes - although I like them too.
Would be interesting to see how Joe Abercrombie’s novels would make it through translation onto the big/small screen. I’m amazed nobody’s yet tried. Perhaps they have and I’ve just missed them. In some ways, they’d probably lend themselves better - the cultures and characters he has created in his First Law cycle of novels are very distinctive and already quite cinematic in nature...

[Blackwolf]

Oh indeed, read all his books many times; Heroes is my favourite, then I re-read one of the others..."You have to be realistic ".