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Alerra's Replies
Cavalry isn't used in defensive formations, they're used to charge the enemy -- as was done to great effect in the Battle of the Bastards. And the Dothraki consider themselves nothing without their horses, so the best way to use them would have been on a cavalry offensive move. There would have been no room for them to maneuver if they were inside the gates or trenches.
But I agree it wasn't handled well -- those trebuchets should have been fired before the horses started in order to give them a little more visual help, or the dragons could have swooped down and set something on fire. Or maybe the Dothraki could have been moved around to another area to try and come at the wights from another angle rather than just straight on into the darkness.
But it was a great visual. And it set the tone too -- it was downright creepy watching those flames die out one by one.
Yes, and they allude to this back in Episode 1 when she reunites with Jon. But I wish they maybe had had a couple more very brief scenes where -- just like with the White Walker at the end -- someone feels something and turns to look, or something moves, just a little, that shouldn't necessarily. (Or maybe even just, in the very beginning when they do the "Previously on GOT," show the scene with Jon asking how she sneaked up on him) The way it wouldn't have seemed so Arya ex Machina. I don't have a problem with her doing the killing, but she literally comes out of nowhere.
I suppose it depends on what you mean by racism. It doesn't treat communities of color badly -- most of the people are just as good or just as bad as any of the white communities. Missandei is one of the few truly unambiguously good people on the show, and all of the really bad villains (Cersei, Ramsey, Joffrey, Viserys) are all white. But I have gotten a sense that there is a White Man's Burden going on. The Unsullied and common people of Mireen, Yunkai, and Astapor are all slaves...until the whitest person on the show comes along and frees them. (That scene at end of Season 3 where Dany crowd surfs with the freed slaves is still weird to me.) The Dothraki are uncivilized, raping hords...until Dany comes along and civilizes them. And of course, none of them are capable of leading their own people, but she is.
It doesn't bother me that Westeros is mostly Caucasian (yes, this is a fantasy world, but if the Andals, Roynar, and the First Men were all historically white, then it is at least consistent), but the presenting of Dany as this Great White Savior of the poor uncivilized non-whites does.
It is intended, so it probably is not bad acting. IHW said in an interview that he took inspiration from the character of Dr Manhattan, and that he intended to be an emotionless speaking brain.
That said, yeah, it's getting rather annoying.
I feel like I read somewhere that GRRM had said that Arya would survive. That could just be my faulty memory though. It doesn't exactly sound like something that GRRM would actually do.
He has at least one sister. And there's precedent that women can inherit castles/titles (Alice Karstark, Lyanna Mormont). So probably, if Sam doesn't want it, his sister gets it. Or maybe it could be given to Little Sam.
I was surprised he was going alone too. He has to go through the Riverlands on his way north, so I figured he would might pick up the Tully's.
Planets that orbit two suns have unpredictable seasons, so even though we've only ever seen one, it's possible that there's a star somewhere close enough to affect the seasons. It also might have a really long, elliptical orbit around its sun, which causes uneven seasons. Maybe.
Also, a planet's axial tilt affects the length of seasons. The tilt is caused by the moon, and the larger the moon, the more stable the tilt, and the more stable the seasons. Earth's moon is pretty big (for the size of Earth, anyway), so if Planet X's moon is much smaller, it may be that it wobbles more on its axis, causing the seasons to be a little wonky. Also, we know that, according to myth, there used to be two moons, but that one suffered some cataclysmic event and was destroyed. So that may have caused the seasons to be thrown out of wack as well.
Probably, though, if one wanted to get all scientific about it (and as you said, it IS a fantasy world), it's probably a result of multiple factors. If you have a planet that wobbles significantly on its axis as it travels around its sun in an elliptical orbit and comes close enough to another star to be affected by its gravity, you may end up having some weird seasons that the astronomers of Westeros haven't figured out yet.
Except the valonquar was not mentioned in the show, just in the books, so I'm not sure it will come up at all. Which is an absolute shame, because it opens up so many possibilities for her demise.
I was thinking about this the other day about who could be the valonquar. Dany...Arya...Tyrion...Sansa...Euron... Jon, Bran, and Gendry are all younger brothers. And the men of the Nights Watch are called brothers, too, so even Sam could be in the running.
However, the prophecy talks about the valonquar wrapping its hands around Cersei's throat, which implies A) the death is personal, and B) Cersei has allowed her murderer to get close to her. Based on those two factors, my fave is still Jamie.
I read somewhere that science in a fantasy narrative doesn't have to make sense to us, but it DOES need to be consistent. So if the sky is purple instead of blue in book/season 1, it should continue to be purple throughout the series. GOT isn't entirely consistent -- gravity, for instance, limits how big a flying reptile can get before its non-hollow bones get too heavy for its wings, or how large an ice structure can be before the bottom starts to sublimate. But since the dragons and the Wall have always been explained by magic, that doesn't really bother me all that much.
But with Arya and the Bravosi canal, the precedent had already been set that bacteria exist, and that an open wound can get nasty infected and turn gross. Khal Drogo was proof of that, and his injury was much more minor than Arya's. I think that's what makes her injury (and miraculous recovery) so incongruous -- to me anyway.
But I am glad you liked that scene.
Don't forget her joust with Loras. We often forget just how good a sword fighter Loras was because he's a lover, not a fighter -- we very rarely ever see him fighting. But way back in Season 1, he defeated the Mountain, so that should give us an idea of just how good he was.
Brienne's character development has taken a nosedive, for sure -- although I'm not certain if it's better or worse than what's in the books -- but I like her interplay with Pod. And I love seeing Tormund making his googly eyes at her.
Another great scene, made all the more poignant, given what happens later --
During one of the scenes where Shireen is giving Davos a reading lesson, and teases him about mispronouncing "knight." I love the chemistry between those two.
My jury is still out on who actually is AA reborn -- I really want it to be Jon, but that seems too pat and simple for Martin to do. It could be Beric, for all we know. But...you do know that the dude has had a flaming sword for years...right?
I'm curious where he, Tormund and Ed are in that brief scene. There's been a suggestion online that they're at the Night Fort, and I REALLY HOPE that they bring more of that history in, given how important the Walkers are going to be this season.
I doubt it will be Ellaria, because Indira Varma has said that she is no longer on the show. They could change actresses, of course, but in this particular case I don't think so.
I like the idea of Euron, though. That would be interesting.
Although, I'm still holding out for Jamie. We know he's willing and able to kill a king for ordering done what Cersei actually did. And it would be the ultimate coup for her, because I think she's convinced he'll come back to her. For him to kill her would be amazing irony.
Ok, let's assume, for the sake of this argument, that the "good guys" -- Tyrion, Jon, Dany, and Sansa -- all survive, and that the "bad guys" -- Euron, Cersei, and the Others -- are all defeated. I doubt it's going to be that simple, but let's say it does. That means that Jon and Dany have also gotten over all their aunt/nephew/legit heir issues and are co-ruling Westeros together
Jon and/or Dany will legitimize Gendry, make him a Baratheon, and give him the Stormlands.
Who gets the Reach depends on the specifics of how the war ends. If it ends with the Others being banished back to the Land of Always Winter (like it did the first time), they may want to repair the Wall and reinstate the Watch. If that's the case, it can't be given to Sam, so, possibly Sam's sister (or somebody else entirely) will.
Edmure Tully (or his son) will be reinstated as ruler of the Riverlands.
Sansa will be given the North, because Jon will be in King's Landing with Dany.
I'm curious in how Jaime's meeting Dany will go though. Among the many themes present throughout the show, two have been A) Breaking your oath is bad stuff, and B) Jaime has a past. Jaime killed Dany's father, and Dany knows this. Granted, she also knows that Ole Dad was a terrible person, but still, JAIME KILLED HER FATHER. And he killed him after he swore an oath to protect him with his life. And unlike us, Dany probably doesn't know the reason (I doubt she would have talked to Brienne about it before he arrives). And even if she did, would it be enough for her to let bygones be bygones?
I'm not saying it will go badly. But I am interested in seeing that aspect play out.
I don't think Ned was stupid. Blind or naive, and completely out of his element, yes. But not stupid.
I don't believe anyone is COMPLETELY stupid. We all do dumb stuff from time to time.
But that's how. They were brought. They wouldn't have been able to enter on their own once they turned, but other members of the NW carried them in before they turned.
(Also, that happened in Season 1.)
There are so many, but...
When Davos and Tyrion arrive in Kings Landing:
Davos, while walking away: I have some business in Flea Bottom
Tyrion: But what if somebody steals the boat???
Davos: Then we're f!@#$.
Or pretty much anything with either of those two. They have the best lines.
*every Night King takes on the form of the first (probably a stretch).*
That's not unheard of in fantasy though. In the Belgariad series, the Queen of Nyissa is always chosen based on how closely she resembles the first one.