• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

Game of Thrones *NO BOOK SPOILERS* |OT| Season 6 - Sundays on HBO [Read the OP]

Status
Not open for further replies.
But they didn't want to destroy the fleet, they only wanted to demonstrate on a single ship. Once the Masters surrendered they could take that fleet as their own to replace the one they lost.
Very true. Payment in full.

Anyone have a gif of Grey Worm taking care of the two slavers? That was some sweet and ruthless business.
 

Broken Joystick

At least you can talk. Who are you?

Grizzlyjin

Supersonic, idiotic, disconnecting, not respecting, who would really ever wanna go and top that
This episode is a good example of even a predictable outcome can be enjoyable to watch if executed properly.

Exactly my thoughts. There were really no surprises. Even the hounds eating Ramsay is something people could have predicted months if not years ago. It's just an appropriate way to finally get rid of him, the Chekhov's gun of the show.

But the entire episode was still extremely satisfying. Especially the moment with Jon almost getting trampled to death. It wasn't a pretty and graceful fight.
 

Skux

Member
The trampling sequence was absolutely suffocating. The way it was shot was just perfect. You could barely tell what were you looking at between the glimpses of light flashing between the bodies everywhere.
 

Nameless

Member
lol what? Cersei ripped a piece of paper. She's a dumbass. Her actions allowed Ned to get killed, which started a huge war against the Starks. The only reason she's not dead is because she's had more capable people saving her dumbass.


Considering it happened the next morning, we do know.

She also got her dad killed by pushing for Tyrion's trial. Got Jeoffrey killed because she thought she could use him as a puppet to rule by proxy and couldn't actually influence him at all...

I think you guys are grasping and straws with those examples. If you reach down in the line of causation deep enough every act in this show ever eventually yields unfavorable results. It's like blaming Ned for Sansa's rape because he took her to KL which eventually led to her ending up with Ramsay.
 

Symphonia

Banned
Just got done watching it. The best episode of this season so far, and one of the best episodes of the entire season, bar none. Everything was absolutely spot on. The score, the acting, the cinematography, the action, the payout. HBO really went all in on this episode, and it shows. There wasn't a single scene where I wasn't fearing for the safety of Davos, Sansa, or Jon. I expected at least one major death this episode, but was surprised when I got two, and the death of a background character too. All in all, Bastard vs Bastard is an amazing episode, and ranks up there with TV's greatest episodes of all time.
 

pestul

Member
The trampling sequence was absolutely suffocating. The way it was shot was just perfect. You could barely tell what were you looking at between the glimpses of light flashing between the bodies everywhere.
That was a standout to me.. I was shouting at the screen "Don't let Jon get trampled to death.. he can't go out like that in this battle!". And then the suffocating part started. The whole thing was filmed beautifully from beginning to end. I was kind of hoping Wun Wun would just grab one of the pikes and start skewering the Boltons. Dude should have brought a tree trunk to this fight like the one The Hound was carrying earlier. It also would have been awesome had someone forged him a giant axe or blade.
 
The trampling sequence was absolutely suffocating. The way it was shot was just perfect. You could barely tell what were you looking at between the glimpses of light flashing between the bodies everywhere.

Yeah, I really liked how this battle showed the horrors of medieval warfare.
 

ASIS

Member
This episode is a good example of even a predictable outcome can be enjoyable to watch if executed properly.

The tension was high because of all the shit that happened before though. Just because Jon and Sansa won the battle doesn't automatically make GOT predictable.
 
So since we are the end game here and there isn't much left of the story to tell here is what I think it's going to happen.

GRRM has been stated that he views the flaws of people to be fighting over petty shit when a much larger threat awaits. Just solely on that I think the White Walkers will come and destroy much of Westeros. Also I'm fully expecting Jon to die. Again GRRM said the price of war is high, heroes die, etc.

As for things that might happen in between, the worse I'm expecting is for Sansa to be pregnant with Ramsey's devil spawn. This story is twisted enough that I could see her giving birth, and the White Walker King taking the kid, turning into one of his commanders, and then killing Jon.
 

pestul

Member
I just don't want to see a character wig out and then have it revealed that it was actually Bran from the future warging into that character lol
 

Yaari

Member
Damn what an episode. Had me on the edge of my seat for the majority of it. That camera angling on Jon Snow's shoulder was amazing.

I really feared for him making it through the episode at several points.
Watched it twice this evening. Great stuff.
 
Without Tyrion, Dany would've gone mad already.

Also, again, I am now part of you. She pregnant?

I interpreted that as Sansa will carry the emotional (and probably physical) scars for the rest of her life, as is common for people who go through trauma. When he said it I immediately thought of This is England, there's a character who is abused and she sees/hears the abuser as if they were still there.
 
Fantastic episode and I echo many peoples thoughts.

This is not technically a spoiler, more a theory on what I saw.

I have never read the books. And this is purely speculation on my part.

I initially thought that Sansa was the stupid naive one. She has grown up a lot, but still found herself caught up in emotion. When she stepped up to get additional support from one of the Northern families, she was shot down. You could see visibly how upset she was.

Then she sent a Raven, I assumed to Littlefinger. She knew she needed more men. She also didn't want to tell John.

There werea couple of opportunities, even in previous episodes, for Sansa to tell John. I kept telling myself Sansa was an idiot for not telling. Even if John would disapprove, they were men wiling to fight. Something John desperately needed.

Fast forward to the day before the battle. John offered out Ramsey. Ramsey is not stupid.

But what about Sansa's reaction?

She was adamant that Ramsey would 'die tomorrow'. It immediately stood out to me. More than just confidence or 'being strong'. At this point, I think she knew that the support would come.

Then in the War room. John thinking his plan. It sounded pretty good, but Sansa's shut it down. She knows Ramsey. John didn't.

They also discussed Rickon. Sansa said he was effectively dead already, even if he wasn't. She knew Ramsey 'plays games'. She knew he plays on emotions.

At this point, I firmly believe Sansa knew that support was coming. But why not tell John at this point? There was little John could to to change it if he disapproved.

We are now on the battlefield. Ramsey did exactly what Sansa thought. He teased John. He drew John out. John said himself that he needed 'them to attack us'.

But John acted like a Stark. A true Stark. And a good person. He did the right emotional thing. Taking emotions out of it though, he played into Ramseys hands.

As the battle continued, Ramsey was inadvertently killing his own. Their forces were being depleted. As were John's.

Then John is boxed in. All is pretty much lost. Time is up. Defeat is inevitable.

Ramsey had bullied John's army into submission. He could have ended it quicker. But he wanted the enemy to suffer.

Ramsey, for all his intelligence, his biggest weakness is also his strength. He knows how to make people suffer and he enjoys it.

With Ramsey exposed, and his army ready to deal the final blows, Sansa appears with Littlefinger and an army.

Ramsey was completely taken by surprise. John played into his hands completely. Sansa didn't. Remember, she knows Ramsey and how he works. Sansa played out her strategy brilliantly.

So, in my view, what was Sansas strategy? At a high level I think:

- Call on Littlefinger for support
- She knew they were coming well before they showed up
- If Littlefinger and his army had stood side by side with John at the start of the battle, it would have been a 'fairer' fight.
- Sansa wanted have the best chance of winning
- She accepted that her brother(s) could/would die
- She also knew that many others would die. She knew how John would react. She knew, for the most part how the battle played out.

I am saying, based on what I have seen, that Sansa won the battle with the best strategy.

She did not make the mistakes that her father and brothers had done before. She accepted that Rickon was dead. She knew there was little she or John could do to change that.

So she took advantage of Ramsey whole he was playing his game. When the battle was almost won, Sansa came in to change the rules of the battle.

This is why, for one of the few times in Game of Thrones, the 'good guys' won.

One final point,Sansa's end for Ramsey. Some will say 'deserved', but is that the Stark way? Starks have honour. They do things the 'right' way.

Sansa fed him to dogs and watched.

This is another reason why I believe Sansa is becoming a key player in the Game of Thrones. The good guys don't win. That is what everything in the show has told us.

So for the Starks, and more so Sansa to win, she had to change the rules. She put her emotions and honour to one side, so she could win back her home.

tl, dr

Sansa knew how John would react. She planned for Little finger and army to arrive later. This gave them best chance of winning.

She accepted there would be losses, including putting her brothers at risk.

Had she gone the true 'Stark' way, she knew they would lose everything.

Now she has her home back.
 
Surely that has to have been the most expensive TV episode ever ..... that long shot was fucking incredible (better than the one in Hardhome).

How far its come since the first season's unseen battles.
 

Timbuktu

Member
I didn't think Sansa knew exactly when the Knights of the vale were arriving. It was pretty much luck they showed up when they did.
 
Kind of disappointed Black Fish got it off screen, but probably for the best. I need less heartache with this show.

The Meereen siege was a bit anti climatic for me. I was kind of hoping it would be a bit more drawn out but I doubt they have the time for two battles in one episode. Still was good seeing Dany pulling an ace out of her sleeves again. Yara making a deal with Dany was cute.

That battle was a enjoyable. Jon proving he can slaughter his way through a battle but not lead one lol. Yea like many people, I was just waiting for cavalry to arrive but it was still an enjoyable wait. Would have been dope of Brienne made it just in time for the battle.

Jon should have given Wun Wun a sack of boulders or at least a tree log.

And poor Rickon.
 
D

Deleted member 325805

Unconfirmed Member
Well I'm not sure how they're topping that episode.
 

Aurongel

Member
Unbelievable how much of the battle was real shots instead of CG. Not just when the horses are charging, but even that long 30-40 second uncut take! You can see him doing it here:

https://youtu.be/B93k4uhpf7g?t=244

Plenty of CG added of course, but amazing how much of it was practical.

The take is actually comprised of 3 separate shots, they use horses in the foreground to mask the edits. It's not as seamless as something like The Revenant but it's a landmark achievement for television, that's for sure. Watching that scene in surround sound made me jump a few times, its' sound design is also pretty sharp.
 

dLMN8R

Member
The take is actually comprised of 3 separate shots, they use horses in the foreground to mask the edits. It's not as seamless as something like The Revenant but it's a landmark achievement for television, that's for sure. Watching that scene in surround sound made me jump a few times, its' sound design is also pretty sharp.

The thud of horses falling over stood out to me particularly.
 

Einchy

semen stains the mountaintops
The sound guys completely nailed the sounds in this episode.

Saw someone complaining that the editing was too spastic but after seeing it a second time, the editing is only fast in one scene and that's because they want to give you the feeling that you're being surrounded by the battle and that Jon has no idea what the fuck to do. Besides that one scene, all of the editing doesn't have a lot of quick cuts.
 

Aurongel

Member
The sound guys completely nailed the sounds in this episode.

Saw someone complaining that the editing was too spastic but after seeing it a second time, the editing is only fast in one scene and that's because they want to give you the feeling that you're being surrounded by the battle and that Jon has no idea what the fuck to do. Besides that one scene, all of the editing doesn't have a lot of quick cuts.

The lenses used get longer during the trampling scene to make you nauseous and sick. They widen back up after Jon climbs out of the heap, it's a breath of air for the audience in that sense when the camera dollies up. Like I said, crazy shit to see on television even by premium cable standards.
 

Jackpot

Banned
Can we talk about how rushed Theon and his sister's arrival at Mereen was? Even by recent GoT standards. We go from Dany in the midst of crushing a seaborne invasion in one scene to Tyrion in mid-conversation with Theon. Wouldn't surprise me if Arya is already back in Westeros as the Freys' most trusted servant-girl at this pace.
 

Deku Tree

Member
Can we talk about how rushed Theon and his sister's arrival at Mereen was? Even by recent GoT standards. We go from Dany in the midst of crushing a seaborne invasion in one scene to Tyrion in mid-conversation with Theon. Wouldn't surprise me if Arya is already back in Westeros as the Freys' most trusted servant-girl at this pace.

Well it is the "narrow sea". Nobody said they crossed the Atlantic Ocean.
 

Sadist

Member
I can't believe that Jon never got hit by one of those thousands of arrows that rained down on him.
Lord of Light yo

Anyway, amazing episode. Even the bits with Daenny weren't bad. "I'm up for anything" was awesome by Yaara. But the battle for Winterfell... Some great shots the scene where Jon is almost trampled, suffocating was breathtaking (pun intended) and I was on the edge of my seat. The final payoff was great. Expected, but great. Felt soooooo good. Die you sadistic little dork.

Also, Tormund <3
 

Einchy

semen stains the mountaintops
Jon knows has "lets make this into a good show" armor.

Can you imagined if he died during the first volley of arrows? Or the second? Or if the only thing he did was stand behind with Davos like Ramsay did.

This episode would've gone from being one of the best episodes in TV history to whatever. Most protagonists get lucky or are skilled enough to survive things others wouldn't because then the show would end in the first episode or be boring as hell.
 

stay gold

Member
What a great episode, best one yet.

Is it wrong that like 1 second before it ripped Ramsay's face off I was like "aww what a cute dog".
 

kiguel182

Member
Beautifully shot and directed episode with a plot that keeps being as formulaic as can be.

EDIT: Also, I've realised that I don't particularly care for any of the protagonists anymore. I start to care less and less about them dying or not every episode.
 

Einchy

semen stains the mountaintops
Do we know this for sure? Could the Red Priests or whatever just be tapping into some elemental magic and just interpreting it to have some sort of meaning or purpose?

We're not sure if any gods truly exist or if they're all just the same god.

I think it'd be pretty crazy, in a good way, if we end up finding out if there really is a "god".

Maybe it could be another Three Eyed Raven figure who is just much more powerful.
 
Well..... Thats probably as close to a happy ending we'll get in GoT, but I'll take it.

Poor Rickon. Though he might've tried weaving a bit as he ran..... Derp.

Nice little bit of narration by Tyrion reminding us all about that Wildfire stored under the Sept, Red Keep etc.... I'm sure that won't amount to anything next week.

:/
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top Bottom