Winter is Coming in April

Chat about a topic supported by books, TED Talks, podcasts, personal experience, philosophies of mankind mingled with humor (shout out to IOT), and maybe we’ll even do a google hangout or conference call once a month.
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Just This Guy
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Re: Winter is Coming in April

Post by Just This Guy » Wed May 01, 2019 5:04 am

Watched Episode 3 When it was released Sunday night. I do wish they would move the release time up. It was released at 9:00 PM Eastern time for me. So between that, the hour and a half run time, and a short power outage in the middle (had to wait for the router, modem, & Roku to reboot) it was nearly 11:00 before we finished. That had us so worked out that it would take nearly two hours to be able to get to sleep. And the alarm still goes off at 5:15 AM. Needless to say, I was going extra hard on the coffee the next day.
"The story so far: In the beginning the Universe was created. This has made a lot of people very angry and been widely regarded as a bad move." -- Douglas Adams

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Corsair
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Re: Winter is Coming in April

Post by Corsair » Wed May 01, 2019 10:54 am

Just This Guy wrote:
Wed May 01, 2019 5:04 am
Watched Episode 3 When it was released Sunday night.
That was an amazing episode. I was astonished that they went as far as they did with the plot. It certainly sets the stage for a very different direction for the last episodes of this season.

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moksha
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Re: Winter is Coming in April

Post by moksha » Mon May 06, 2019 10:36 pm

Too bad Cersei Lannister was born in Westeros or she might stand a good chance of unsetting Trump at the GOP convention.
Good faith does not require evidence, but it also does not turn a blind eye to that evidence. Otherwise, it becomes misplaced faith.
-- Moksha

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moksha
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Re: Winter is Coming in April

Post by moksha » Sat May 11, 2019 9:01 am

Large Flightless Bird wrote:
Mon May 06, 2019 10:36 pm
Too bad Cersei Lannister was born in Westeros or she might stand a good chance of unsetting Trump at the GOP convention.
"Speculation that I will not run against Donald Trump
at the convention is FAKE NEWS! Just ask Fox and Friends.
They love me more than Donald Trump (if they want to keep
their heads)."

-- Queen Cersei, Kings Landing, Westeros, 4th Era
Good faith does not require evidence, but it also does not turn a blind eye to that evidence. Otherwise, it becomes misplaced faith.
-- Moksha

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Mad Jax
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Re: Winter is Coming in April

Post by Mad Jax » Sun May 12, 2019 3:54 pm

That's a pretty good analog to Hilary Clinton right there, I have to say. Trump kind of reminds me of show Euron (but not book Euron of course). If they had worked together instead of against one another...
Free will is a golden thread flowing through the matrix of fixed events.

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moksha
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Re: Winter is Coming in April

Post by moksha » Fri May 17, 2019 3:27 am

Does anyone else feel burned out by episode five? Now I am thinking Daenerys should challenge Trump for the Republican nomination. Daenerys could swoop down into the RNC arena mounted on Drogon and while Trump could be riding John Bolton. Which one could create the greatest carnage? Stay tuned.
Good faith does not require evidence, but it also does not turn a blind eye to that evidence. Otherwise, it becomes misplaced faith.
-- Moksha

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Mad Jax
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Re: Winter is Coming in April

Post by Mad Jax » Fri May 17, 2019 4:52 am

moksha wrote:
Fri May 17, 2019 3:27 am
Does anyone else feel burned out by episode five? Now I am thinking Daenerys should challenge Trump for the Republican nomination. Daenerys could swoop down into the RNC arena mounted on Drogon and while Trump could be riding John Bolton. Which one could create the greatest carnage? Stay tuned.
I just have to ask, what "carnage" is Trump guilty of causing?

Aside from that, I'm #TeamMadQueen all the way. I've been wanting this since Storm of Swords and especially since A Dance With Dragons. However the sad thing is that this could have been a great capstone to a fallen hero arc, had the pieces been put together better. GRRM would have done it right. If he could be bothered to have done it.
Free will is a golden thread flowing through the matrix of fixed events.

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Just This Guy
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Re: Winter is Coming in April

Post by Just This Guy » Fri May 17, 2019 5:26 am

Episode 5 was weirdly both completely surprising and utterly obvious at the time time.

Surprising in that there was almost no narrative build up to the big "twist". It is completely out of character for what has been established for the last 7 seasons. Completely predictable in that the way the utterly lazy writing has been going, you could see it coming from an episode away.

The stories of Arya & Jammie area equally as bad.

I will say that the Clagane bowl was worth it. That was about the only enjoyable part of the episode. The
"The story so far: In the beginning the Universe was created. This has made a lot of people very angry and been widely regarded as a bad move." -- Douglas Adams

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moksha
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Re: Winter is Coming in April

Post by moksha » Sat May 18, 2019 7:46 am

Mad Jax wrote:
Fri May 17, 2019 4:52 am
I just have to ask, what "carnage" is Trump guilty of causing?
The carnage that would result when he swooped down on the back of John Bolton and rained fire on the convention floor, all the while repeating the phrased "Darned Daenerys" while she fired back "Dementia Donald".

I've seen writers blow a great book before due to their editors wanting things wrapped up and the book pared down a hundred pages. Mostly they kept the good parts and wrote a hokey disjointed ending.

As Just this Guy pointed out, the actions were both completely out of character and at odds with the other seven seasons. Ruining the story for a "you didn't see that coming" ending.

I've read that nearly a million people have signed the petition for HBO to redo the final season or at least episodes 5 and 6. That show certainly has a lot of dedicated fans.

https://www.change.org/p/hbo-remake-gam ... nt-writers
Good faith does not require evidence, but it also does not turn a blind eye to that evidence. Otherwise, it becomes misplaced faith.
-- Moksha

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Mad Jax
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Re: Winter is Coming in April

Post by Mad Jax » Sat May 18, 2019 5:24 pm

moksha wrote:
Sat May 18, 2019 7:46 am

As Just this Guy pointed out, the actions were both completely out of character and at odds with the other seven seasons. Ruining the story for a "you didn't see that coming" ending.
Ehhh... I mean I won't defend this season or even the last couple of seasons as "good writing" but the building blocks of Danaerys' story are there from book 3 on. They're not as well done in the show IMO, but reading the books makes you aware of them in ways others may not be. They're there, is all I'm saying, not that they're arranged all that well. It's more a change of frame, as I see it, to show Danaerys as she really is. For the first 7 seasons she was framed as a Joan of Arc figure, but her actions in other contexts would often be considered evil. That frame puts viewers in a mindset that she's "living the reality of her times" or "it's difficult to make those choices when ruling a population" and then they abruptly switch it. There are better ways to reframe, but I see it as having been that, rather than a sudden reversal of character.
Free will is a golden thread flowing through the matrix of fixed events.

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Just This Guy
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Re: Winter is Coming in April

Post by Just This Guy » Sun May 19, 2019 10:41 am

I think the problem is that okay, maybe the building block are there in the books, but I haven't read the books. I can't go off of them. All I can go off of is the TV series. If you have to refer to the books to justify the story on TV, that just makes the writing all the worse.

I'm actually half tempted to skip watching the finally tonight. Staying up to 10:30 to 11:00 to watch a show with a 5:00 alarm has been rough the last few weeks. The idea of waiting to see if the show is even worth watching is tempting.
"The story so far: In the beginning the Universe was created. This has made a lot of people very angry and been widely regarded as a bad move." -- Douglas Adams

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moksha
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Re: Winter is Coming in April

Post by moksha » Tue May 21, 2019 9:12 am

I can accept the two show runner's ending in the final episode, but I can't help wishing for a more satisfying ending. Not a Princess Bride ending, but still, one that felt less compelled to go against all tropes. Wonder how George R.R. Martin will end his book?

Game of Thrones still leads all other shows in IMDb's list of top TV shows.
Good faith does not require evidence, but it also does not turn a blind eye to that evidence. Otherwise, it becomes misplaced faith.
-- Moksha

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RubinHighlander
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Re: Winter is Coming in April

Post by RubinHighlander » Tue May 21, 2019 10:03 am

Seems to be lots of negative press for the last couple of seasons. I enjoyed the whole series and watched it twice. I liked the final season, no complaints. Perhaps what helped make it so enjoyable was the jazz cabbage, a good soak in the hot tub, a stack of munchies after a long work day and crappy commute. The cabbage really does increase the entertainment value of just about everything! I really don't have time for critical analysis of these TV series and movies; to me it's just good entertainment and I don't feel the need to diminish it by over thinking it. But if that's your thing, especially if you read the books and it's there are so many annoying divergent liberties, I get it.
“Sir,' I said to the universe, 'I exist.' 'That,' said the universe, 'creates no sense of obligation in me whatsoever.”
--Douglas Adams

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YzmYP3PbfXE

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RubinHighlander
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Re: Winter is Coming in April

Post by RubinHighlander » Tue May 21, 2019 11:32 am

Also, I guess you can do whatever the hell you want beyond The Wall:
IMG_5060.JPG
IMG_5060.JPG (109.93 KiB) Viewed 8278 times
“Sir,' I said to the universe, 'I exist.' 'That,' said the universe, 'creates no sense of obligation in me whatsoever.”
--Douglas Adams

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YzmYP3PbfXE

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Mad Jax
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Re: Winter is Coming in April

Post by Mad Jax » Fri May 24, 2019 4:26 am

Just This Guy wrote:
Sun May 19, 2019 10:41 am
I think the problem is that okay, maybe the building block are there in the books, but I haven't read the books. I can't go off of them. All I can go off of is the TV series. If you have to refer to the books to justify the story on TV, that just makes the writing all the worse.
I guess what I meant to say is that the blocks are there but they aren't as well placed as they are in the books. Dany forcing Hizdahr into a marriage-in-name-only, burning people alive with the dragons, feeling entitled to having their advisors be flawless in their advice, destroying a supply line that she could have simply taken for herself (which would have been immensely beneficial) and a few more, all kind of point to Dany being more despotic and destructive than the "Mhysa" image she attempted to cultivate. Danaerys is shown to have extreme narcissism, but only if you really look for it. Your objection is completely fair. I was only watching for these signs because of the books, otherwise I may not have noticed them myself. The writing needed to be a lot better and the need to "wrap up" is stupid. The show is based off of historical events, is structured like a historical drama, and history never wraps up.
Free will is a golden thread flowing through the matrix of fixed events.

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RubinHighlander
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Re: Winter is Coming in April

Post by RubinHighlander » Fri May 31, 2019 11:38 am

This was pretty funny!

Full House Lanister

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_cont ... kvxcV3F3jU
“Sir,' I said to the universe, 'I exist.' 'That,' said the universe, 'creates no sense of obligation in me whatsoever.”
--Douglas Adams

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YzmYP3PbfXE

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