Game of Thrones: 7.02 - Stormborn

[ctg]

and the schedule of writing for TV is probably as much to blame as the ability of the writers themselves,

How much was written, filmed and left on the editing room floor?

 

[Khuratokh]

@posters above, I agree with your sentiments which is why i've mostly given up on a sense of realism on certain things. Which is a shame really since that is what to a certain extent the series has been about. A more realistic approach to a fantasy world. Still good fun to watch and above all I want to know the end of this story know. I didn't like hearing next season was delayed to 2019. Another forced wait. I understand the reasons behind it, but that doesn't mean I fully like it. Them last 5 episodes better be good.

@Emilia, not the best actress in the world, but not sure what emotions she is asked to show. At the end of the day she does manage to give me the same feeling Dany of the books give me. That of a megalomaniac.

The leader of the second sons is currently ruling over Mereen and what is left of 'Slavers' bay' in Daeny's stead.

I have to say I won't be missing the Dorne delegation
Yara on the other hand. Such a waste of a good character.

I'm guessing Euron will be the next Ramsey Bolton. I'm not looking forward to that. I like the villains to have some depth. Cersei is now full blown evil, but I can still understand where she's coming from.

I agree that at least one dragon will die by shis kebab.

Maybe poppies don't grow in that part of Westeros?

As for the characters jaunting huge distances in a few days, I'm guessing the show writers hope we won't notice. Not enough episodes anymore to show the prolonged journeys.
Remember how long it took for Arya and crew to travel from King's Landing to The Wall? At least 5 episodes and even then, they didn't make it.

As for the enemy fleet in Stealth-mode.
Look up our national hero Michiel de Ruyter.
By sailing up the thames with but a few ships, he destroyed and stole a number of English vessels.
It can be done.

 

[Freydis]

Well, he might have lost his plums, but I don't think they did anything with his sausage. If I turn my brain on I start to wonder why he haven't grown a pair of tits like Bob in the Fight Club?

Oh, I thought they were bereft of the whole 'meal', plums and sausage? But can't actually remember reading it anywhere, so maybe I'm just making that up.

The books can get away with this sort of thing, as single chapters can often cover quite long periods of time (although they don't always do so). The expectation in a TV show is that, unless there's a caption saying "48 hours earlier" (or some sort of hint that a flashback is being shown), there is at least some sort of temporal relationship between the scenes and that, specifically, they're not whole weeks or months separated in time.

You're absolutely right, I know I can't have the same expectations of timelines from book to tv-show. It just felt like Dany's story is moving a long faster and covering way more ground than what is happening elsewhere in the kingdoms, but probably I just need to not be hung up on that

It feels to me that because they're not adding fluff around the dialogue and the events, everything we see and hear is deliberate. The pacing is fast moving and there is no time for anything extra. Everything has to move forward and nothing can stay waiting.

yes, I agree that the show has definitely picked up in pace, things are happening very fast now - which is an advantage to the show as hopefully we'll get two action-packed last seasons. However, I still think the show suffers from the fact that the plot-lines are no longer coming from GRRM, and it was quite evident that the ninja-at-sea-attack by Euron was a somewhat poorly thought out way of dealing with the fact that Dany was getting too strong and Cersei too weak. So the writers send Dany on a round-about trip to Dragonstone where she then sends her ships back to Dorne, not a plot that made much sense to me... except for the fact that we need Cersei stronger and Dany weaker to keep the excitement going for another 11 episodes. Or maybe I'm being too critical of that particular plot line, it just didn't sit well with me, as I couldn't understand the reasoning for it. Why would Dany go past Dorne where her allies are to settle on a tiny rock unable to feed an army? If she was a sobby nostalgic maybe, but more than anything she is now portrayed as harsh and tough.

I think the main flaw compared to early seasons is that the conversations between characters are not really dramatic, funny or particularly interesting. The dialogue isn't great. It is more functional with each conversation having some plot point. As George didn't write the conversations that is surely why.

I agree on the missing army in the boats being a problem, and also the craziness of none watching out for the rival Greyjoy navy. Are the Tyrells and Martells now supposed to be mostly wiped out after they were taken out on other vessels?

The two Dornish sisters was an easy character removal as they didn't offer much. They even made sure the prettiest sister was left alive.

Yes to all of this really

 

[Mr Orange]

i just had a look at a map of Westeros and Dany not stopping at Sunspear looks even more silly.

i think that @Ursa major is right regarding the presumed immediacy of TV. i have always tried to accept the apparent speed of travel by allowing for unshown time gaps. which works in most cases. littlefinger is a flaw in this theory though as he seems to teleport over hundreds of miles in the time it takes others to walk across kings landing.

 

[Dave]

Littlefinger is a flaw in this theory though as he seems to teleport over hundreds of miles in the time it takes others to walk across kings landing.

And as one of the most hated men in Westeros, he does it alone, or with one other person, and he never gets challenged as other travellers do by bandits, crazies, wolves, random soldiers (or singers.)

 

[Judderman]

I think she's trying to act like a proper queen, showing outside only restricted emotions. I have completely forgotten, but what happened to her Second Son lover?

Tyrion told her to leave him behind in Mereen and she did... Yeah was not as dramatic as their breakup would be expected to be.

 

[Judderman]

@...Still good fun to watch and above all I want to know the end of this story know. I didn't like hearing next season was delayed to 2019. Another forced wait. I understand the reasons behind it, but that doesn't mean I fully like it. Them last 5 episodes better be good.

I didn't know about the delay. I'm surprised if they are doing a short season again. I would have thought they had written the last series already and that is why they knew about the season length. It seems not.

 

[Judderman]

I have to say I won't be missing the Dorne delegation
Yara on the other hand. Such a waste of a good character.

Well at least as is shown Yara, and the Dornish Queen and one of the Sand Snakes sisters are still alive. Euron may not kill all of them. I would have thought the Queen would be the gift from Euron for Cersei as she was a rival for the Westerosi crown. Unless Euron somehow knows the remaining Sand Snake sister was responsible for the poisoning of Cersei's daughter.

 

[Judderman]

As for the enemy fleet in Stealth-mode.
Look up our national hero Michiel de Ruyter.
By sailing up the thames with but a few ships, he destroyed and stole a number of English vessels.
It can be done.

Although a great achievement many of the larger English ships didn't have full crew on board and were in port. And the potential for a Dutch attack must have been underestimated. While on GoT the Greyjoys etc should have been on the lookout for the other Ironborn. There are many examples of stupid generals and admirals in history so I suppose that Yara, Dany and co have stupid moments is kind of realistic.

 

[Marvin]

So in summary the script and details are suffering because of the increased speed of the story telling, but at the same time others on here are frustrated that things are not moving along fast enough...

 

[Dave]

So in summary the script and details are suffering because of the increased speed of the story telling, but at the same time others on here are frustrated that things are not moving along fast enough...

Yes, that's about it! However, they were working from an existing series of novels before. Now, who knows what they have?

 

[zmunkz]

So in summary the script and details are suffering because of the increased speed of the story telling, but at the same time others on here are frustrated that things are not moving along fast enough...

lol. Yeah, I think the anticipation for the season misaligned some people’s expectations. I’m very much enjoying the season so far, despite some nitpicking I’ve done which implies the contrary.

 

[Vaz]

I'm loving the season so far. Really looking forward to the King in the Norf meeting Mother of Dragon's.

v

 

[pete997]

[/QUOTE
so who is the traitor. as presented Yara's ships were on the way south to Dorne when intercepted. not impossible but given the expanse of ocean, a bit unlikely. but if someone told Euron the course Tara was taking, much more likely. so who talked?]

 

[Judderman]

If there was an informer to Euron then surely it must be a significant character. I doubt this role would be given to a random in the background. Probably not the Dornish Queen as she hates the Lannisters. Nor likely Lady Tyrrel. Tyrion doesn't seem inclined and obviously it is not Yara or Reek as they were attacked. There was quite the pointed interrogation of Varys by Dany. Though I don't see why he would have turned against her. The Red Priestess had turned up as well but I still don't see the incentive.

 

[WaylanderToo]

 

[anno]

Does GOT need a logistics manager? All this talk of getting about is funny,there are many fictional accounts that bend those rules.
As for Sandsnakes not being missed I must be the exception and think that the demands of scheduling meant that a cull took place that George wouldn't necessarily condone.
The main players approach the board but I think that ego and memory will mean the alliance will fail...

 

[Brian G Turner]

Was a bit underwhelmed by this episode, too.

Nice tension at the start - but I've completely forgotten when Varys joined Dany!

A couple of minor characters stripping off for simulated sex felt like a producer wanting to tickbox a tally, even if it meant all the nudity was awkward and unnatural.

The Greyjoy/Dorne moment felt just as artificial.

Dany's war council - that was put together quickly! I presume in the books it would take a number of chapters, and there would be a grand tournament involved.

The sea battle at the end was pretty but felt silly - setting fire to ships and then boarding them is not a great strategy! It looked like one ship wrecked a fleet, but there were too many missile attacks for that.

Never been a fan of the Greyjoy plotlines anyway, so am happy to look past them.

Star moment was Arya and Nymeria - as soon as that scene opened I knew what was coming, and almost felt emotional.