Game of Thrones - mostly

[Kath]

Still think they could and probably will fuck up the ending, but this was strategically necessary to give the ending any chance of being good.

How about if they just go to black screen, mid-sentence, right before we are thinking we get to know who sits on the throne?

[BjornP]

A being that has lived for thousands of years, that used to be human, that had a backstory as the vengeful biological weapon of the Children of the Forest in their ancient wars against mankind, is killed... that easily, and really feels the need to kill Bran before the castle is secured?

And yeah, agree about several points about the battle. Urealistic medieval and medieval-like battles (and everything else) is common for the tv and movie industry, though.

[Kath]

A being that has lived for thousands of years, that used to be human, that had a backstory as the vengeful biological weapon of the Children of the Forest in their ancient wars against mankind, is killed... that easily, and really feels the need to kill Bran before the castle is secured?

They were in a pretty tricky spot. If NK waits until the castle is secure, the living loses the world, which was not an option. I think that's why they kept tying him so closely to Bran. For whatever reason, he was drawn to Bran. It could be that Bran really is Bran the Builder, and he wanted revenge for the wall. Bran went off warging to lure him in. It worked.

I don't see how they had any other choice but to create a do or die situation and then off the NK.

Every battle in the fantasy genre that I've seen, ended via some method like this. Didn't the dead/not dead men solve everything in LoTR after all hope was lost?

[DBTrek]

The one ring was destroyed.
But the role of the one ring was also clearly defined and central to the story.
Woulda been a lot lamer if Frodo/Gollum destroyed the ring and - oh by the way, that also destroys Sauron and disperses his armies, we forgot to mention that.


But yes, almost every fantasy/sci-fo epic I can think of resolves massive battles with the same lazy tactic: the destruction of this one *thing* ends the war.
And the one thing is always at the battle.
Lazy.

[Ex-California]

Still think they could and probably will fuck up the ending, but this was strategically necessary to give the ending any chance of being good.

How about if they just go to black screen, mid-sentence, right before we are thinking we get to know who sits on the throne?

Some dickbag Hollywood editor I know was saying that it was made that way so "true fans would KNOW how it actually ended"

[Kath]

Woulda been a lot lamer if Frodo/Gollum destroyed the ring and - oh by the way, that also destroys Sauron and disperses his armies, we forgot to mention that.

Well, they didn't forget to mention it. This lil' factoid has been known for several seasons. A wight can't live without the "person," who created it being around. Everyone knew the only way to win was to kill NK, to shut the entire Ponzi scheme down.

[DBTrek]

Woulda been a lot lamer if Frodo/Gollum destroyed the ring and - oh by the way, that also destroys Sauron and disperses his armies, we forgot to mention that.

Well, they didn't forget to mention it. This lil' factoid has been known for several seasons. A wight can't live without the "person," who created it being around. Everyone knew the only way to win was to kill NK, to shut the entire Ponzi scheme down.

Cool.
I wouldn’t know, so thanks for mentioning it. I read the first three books, and it wasn’t mentioned in there.
Less lame if everyone knows killing the NK will destroy his armies.
Seems like he should probably stay off the battlefield if that’s the case.
Like having a nerd with a robot/drone army controlling his battle bots from the middle of the combat zone.

[Kath]

Cool.
I wouldn’t know, so thanks for mentioning it. I read the first three books, and it wasn’t mentioned in there.
Less lame if everyone knows killing the NK will destroy his armies.
Seems like he should probably stay off the battlefield if that’s the case.
Like having a nerd with a robot/drone army controlling his battle bots from the middle of the combat zone.

Bran was his weakness. The draw was too powerful. Bran knew it, which is why he put himself out as bait. They had a Voldemort/Harry type of relationship.

[BjornP]

A being that has lived for thousands of years, that used to be human, that had a backstory as the vengeful biological weapon of the Children of the Forest in their ancient wars against mankind, is killed... that easily, and really feels the need to kill Bran before the castle is secured?

They were in a pretty tricky spot. If NK waits until the castle is secure, the living loses the world, which was not an option. I think that's why they kept tying him so closely to Bran. For whatever reason, he was drawn to Bran. It could be that Bran really is Bran the Builder, and he wanted revenge for the wall. Bran went off warging to lure him in. It worked.

I don't see how they had any other choice but to create a do or die situation and then off the NK.

Every battle in the fantasy genre that I've seen, ended via some method like this. Didn't the dead/not dead men solve everything in LoTR after all hope was lost?

The NK and other white walkers control the wights. They could have instructed the wights to kill everyone but Bran, and only then would the NK appear. It was a rather odd departure from him earlier, leading from the back. That he is drawn to Bran, doesn't mean he needed to rush toward him.

Or...rather, that actually depends on whatever Bran possibly did while he went out of his body. Maybe he was having some sort of conversation with the NK, who also has the ability to interact with the spiritform version of Bran as we saw when he touched Bran in one of his visions in the 3YR's cave.

As for realistic battles, I wasn't referring to Deus ex Arya, but to the stuff already mentioned like sending off cavalry to charge at an enemy they can't even see, and thus determine whether it's a dumb move to charge or not. Same with shooting artillery without having a target point where you can see the enemy either are, or will be by the time your ammunition hits. Or stuff like cavalry charges where cavalry uses swords as their main weapon, as their charging weapon or the wearing of thin leather armor with...studs that serve no apparant usage. Or the idea that everyone in the middle ages apparantly wore...brown. And loads and loads of other small annoyances I know will never change.

Still, I kinda liked the way everything was dark - even if I actually couldn't see much. It added to the atmosphere of death and darkness. And it at least tried to be suitably epic. A shame that the series Mormont house is now extinct. The book-Mormont house had more siblings than the one that died at the Red Wedding and the little girl - but there had be a some tragedy in the show and this was ok tragedy.

[Kath]

The NK and other white walkers control the wights. They could have instructed the wights to kill everyone but Bran, and only then would the NK appear. It was a rather odd departure from him earlier, leading from the back. That he is drawn to Bran, doesn't mean he needed to rush toward him.

Or...rather, that actually depends on whatever Bran possibly did while he went out of his body. Maybe he was having some sort of conversation with the NK, who also has the ability to interact with the spiritform version of Bran as we saw when he touched Bran in one of his visions in the 3YR's cave.

As for realistic battles, I wasn't referring to Deus ex Arya, but to the stuff already mentioned like sending off cavalry to charge at an enemy they can't even see, and thus determine whether it's a dumb move to charge or not. Same with shooting artillery without having a target point where you can see the enemy either are, or will be by the time your ammunition hits. Or stuff like cavalry charges where cavalry uses swords as their main weapon, as their charging weapon or the wearing of thin leather armor with...studs that serve no apparant usage. Or the idea that everyone in the middle ages apparantly wore...brown. And loads and loads of other small annoyances I know will never change.

Still, I kinda liked the way everything was dark - even if I actually couldn't see much. It added to the atmosphere of death and darkness. And it at least tried to be suitably epic. A shame that the series Mormont house is now extinct. The book-Mormont house had more siblings than the one that died at the Red Wedding and the little girl - but there had be a some tragedy in the show and this was ok tragedy.

If they did as you wish they did, the only episode left is the White Walkers and their wights to head to KL and kill everyone else. End of story, end of man, at least in Westoros, until the dead figure out how to use boats. Essos doesn't have a shot; they don't even know the enemy exists. Who wants to watch that?

99.5% of viewers are totally pissed off, and B&W are now in fear for their lives.