Game of Thrones Bookreader Thread: ***TV SPOILERS ITT*** - Page 481

Much as I admire Tolkien, and I do admire Tolkien — he’s been a huge influence on me, and his Lord of the Rings is the mountain that leans over every other fantasy written since and shaped all of modern fantasy — there are things about it, the whole concept of the Dark Lord, and good guys battling bad guys, Good versus Evil, while brilliantly handled in Tolkien, in the hands of many Tolkien successors, it has become kind of a cartoon. We don’t need any more Dark Lords, we don’t need any more, ‘Here are the good guys, they’re in white, there are the bad guys, they’re in black. And also, they’re really ugly, the bad guys.

-- GRRM

Edit: I don't interpret this, as some people do, to mean that GRRM never writes black and white. Joffrey is basically just a monster. So is Ramsay. But I think the idea of introducing something like the Night King (who is literally a Dark Lord who presides over an army of inhuman monsters) will be something that GRRM heavily steers away from. I expect the Walkers to continue to play the role of a natural disaster or supernatural force. I don't expect individual members of the Others to be turned into characters. Perhaps right at the end of the plot if they're working a pact out or something.

Last edited by ChrisV; 04-27-2019 at 04:23 AM.

Quote

04-27-2019 , 10:41 AM

#12002

Bluegrassplayer

Carpal \'Tunnel

Join Date: Sep 2007 Posts: 38,637

I dont think that means that there wont be a night king. I think that means that the night king will have some qualities which make the reader sympathize with him, even if they dont agree with his goal of ending the world.

As mentioned, the show is not able to address that in its limited time, especially when half the season is wasted on total nonsense.

Quote

04-27-2019 , 11:09 AM

#12003

ChrisV

Carpal \'Tunnel

Join Date: Jul 2004 Posts: 40,336

I still think it's an underdog that there will ever be characters from the Others but if there were, then I agree with your take. (I'd then argue that that is a functionally different character from the NK, who can't communicate to the audience in any way).

Quote

04-27-2019 , 12:28 PM

#12004

IMDABES

veteran

Join Date: May 2012 Posts: 2,335

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bluegrassplayer

I think the Lord of Light and the Great Other will both be expanded on a great deal in the books. The showrunners have proven incapable of doing any plot writing beyond what GRRM had given them, so both these plotlines are falling completely flat. If the NK/GO do exist, they will be something more than just the endgame-badguy-boss to kill to scatter the army of the dead.

BTW sorry if I'm quite the debbie downer, I'm just so disappointed with these last two seasons. I hope others are enjoying it, but I am not. I really wish I could avoid watching the season and be unspoiled for the books but I think it's just impossible.

As so I, but a big part of me worries also that this is the only ending we'll ever get.

Quote

04-27-2019 , 12:57 PM

#12005

SenorKeeed

mew mew mew

Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 37,478

I was holding out for the books but then decided what the hell, might as well watch the lat few seasons. I probably won't even remember the ending 15 years from now when the final book comes out so who cares

Quote

04-27-2019 , 03:18 PM

#12006

hair loss at 19_

veteran

Join Date: Apr 2014 Posts: 2,753

did you guys see Martin's 60 minutes interview. youtube it. Show ending IS his ending

Quote

04-28-2019 , 11:45 PM

#12007

IMDABES

veteran

Join Date: May 2012 Posts: 2,335

Meh.

Quote

04-28-2019 , 11:49 PM

#12008

Dynasty

Carpal \'Tunnel

Join Date: Sep 2002 Posts: 25,941

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dynasty

Dany is leading all the Dothraki khalasars to Mereen and eventually to Westeros. Every single khalasar was at Vaes Dothrak. Right?

So, a random thought popped into my head.

Aside from the chaos Dany will create in Slaver's Bay and Westeros, she's leaving a massive power vacuum in the Dothraki Sea.

The Dothraki Sea may be the largest (by area) nation on Planetos. It's looks to be about the size of Westeros. And it will shortly be without anybody ruling it.

Thanks to the brilliant leadership of Daenarys Targaryen, the Dothraki now appear to be an extinct culture.

It's possible a few small khalasars have been formed by weak members who stayed behind in the Dothraki Sea.

And, a few Dothraki may have survived fighting in the vanguard at the Battle of Winterfell.

But, it looks like she's wiped them out.

Quote

04-29-2019 , 12:23 AM

#12009

filthyvermin

Carpal \'Tunnel

Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 60,127

i would have stayed behind walls, built some anti air to shoot at the zombie dragon, and just had my two dragons fly around burning the zombie hoards

charging the zombies out in the open was pretty bad strategy.

Quote

04-29-2019 , 12:55 AM

#12010

Dynasty

Carpal \'Tunnel

Join Date: Sep 2002 Posts: 25,941

The show went all-in with the Lord of Light.

Connecting the defeat of the Night King all the way back to Thoros of Myr constantly saving Beric Dondarion gives the LoL remarkable foresight.

You can take it back even further to Thoros' mission to convert Robert Baratheon.

Quote

04-29-2019 , 03:05 AM

#12011

Kirbynator

Carpal \'Tunnel

Join Date: Aug 2006 Posts: 52,004

holy ****

i did think the last episode would be an epilogue but i did not see all of that happening in the 3rd

jesus

Quote

04-29-2019 , 03:49 AM

#12012

Kirbynator

Carpal \'Tunnel

Join Date: Aug 2006 Posts: 52,004

this made me laugh from reddit.

"Melisandre after the battle"

Spoiler:

Quote

04-29-2019 , 04:16 AM

#12013

Eltin

adept

Join Date: Sep 2012 Posts: 929

It was good, but i expected alot more.

How it all played out was the safest way possible and thats not really got.. No real important characters died, no suprises and the episode was way to dark. Arya that killed him.. meh.

Quote

04-29-2019 , 04:52 AM

#12014

dankhank

dankest of hanks

Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 8,114

They should've had Arya disguise herself as Bran instead of that crap.

Quote

04-29-2019 , 05:05 AM

#12015

Megloooo

Carpal \'Tunnel

Join Date: Apr 2009 Posts: 8,634

She can only disguise herself as those who are dead

Quote

04-29-2019 , 09:00 AM

#12016

Wooders0n

Carpal \'Tunnel

Join Date: Dec 2013 Posts: 24,820

It's funny you guys think the books will ever actually be written

Quote

04-29-2019 , 11:51 AM

#12017

prizminferno

Carpal \'Tunnel

Join Date: Aug 2004 Posts: 17,302

that was a good production but yeah, not my story

Quote

04-29-2019 , 03:57 PM

#12018

bortlicense

grinder

Join Date: May 2012 Posts: 458

"Season 8, Episode 3: “Can’t See ****” dir. Miguel Sapochnik"

Quote

04-29-2019 , 04:50 PM

#12019

prizminferno

Carpal \'Tunnel

Join Date: Aug 2004 Posts: 17,302

yeah seriously, that was awfuuuul lighting for a show filled with awful lighting already

Quote

04-29-2019 , 06:35 PM

#12020

Kirbynator

Carpal \'Tunnel

Join Date: Aug 2006 Posts: 52,004

from reddit again... have to post it.

to the people saying bran did nothing SMH:

Quote

04-29-2019 , 06:39 PM

#12021

Adebisi

veteran

Join Date: Apr 2006 Posts: 2,965

Just had a thought about the prophesies/mythology. Azor Ahai was some legendary figure from the past that was supposed to be reborn to end the long night. In the Faceless Man origin story, there were a bunch of people suffering horrible slavery. The first Faceless Man heard prayers to give some of the slaves the gift of death, so he did. Then he heard prayers to give the masters the gift of death, so he gave it to them too.

In the battle Arya starts on the castle wall killing a bunch of undead wights. Then she kills the Night King and all the White Walkers. First some slaves and the masters. Maybe Azor Ahai was the first Faceless Man.

Quote

05-01-2019 , 02:55 PM

#12022

ESKiMO-SiCKNE5S

What SN is this?

Join Date: Aug 2005 Posts: 29,325

Sort of stopped caring about this after the stories were ruined by the show in season 7, but finally got around to watching the first three episodes of season 8 last night.

It's just absolutely ****ing awful. All of it.

Quote

05-01-2019 , 10:28 PM

#12023

ChrisV

Carpal \'Tunnel

Join Date: Jul 2004 Posts: 40,336

It's been better than S7 so far imo, but that's an aggressively low bar.

Quote

05-02-2019 , 07:58 PM

#12024

filthyvermin

Carpal \'Tunnel

Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 60,127

so the night king spent thousands of years preparing an invasion of the south, took his massive army down there and died in the first battle.

i guess he wasn't much of a threat