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Game of Thrones' incredible "Loot Train Attack" scene (SPOILERS for last week's ep)

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Vyer

Member
Yeah, Bronn's plot armor was the only detriment to the battle. I like the character, but he kept getting into bad situations and somehow getting out of them unscathed.

this show has no problem with killing likeable characters. Hell we lost one of my favs last episode. At least give us one breather before we start screaming 'plot armor!' FFS
 

Einchy

semen stains the mountaintops
Anyone who doesnt watch the show on Sunday night should know by now that spoilers will be everywhere. i remember seeing shots of a dead Jon Snow on youtube and yahoo stories.
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wk0tcZpl.jpg


Came out a few days after the episode leaked. Game of Thrones is so big that you honestly can't expect to not see spoilers, especially for big events, if you're not watching it Sunday night.
 

mcfrank

Member
Yes I'm serious. I haven't had the chance to watch the episode yet, and it annoys the shit out of me when people start posting spoilers outside of the main thread.

Or it could not be a spoiler. I don't know, I haven't seen it yet.

If you haven't seen the episode, get out of this thread unless you are ok with spoilers.
 
I think we should avoid making threads with the name "Game of Thrones" in the title. From this name alone, we know that people will fight and conspire to take the throne, which is A HUGE spoiler
 
this show has no problem with killing likeable characters. Hell we lost one of my favs last episode. At least give us one breather before we start screaming 'plot armor!' FFS

A character that dies to advance the story like Olena doesnt count

This is supposed to be a surprise battle and the comedy character waltzing around while everyone dies just feels silly
 

RDreamer

Member
I think we should avoid making threads with the name "Game of Thrones" in the title. From this name alone, we know that people will fight and conspire to take the throne, which is A HUGE spoiler

Wait, the show's still running!? That could be a spoiler. Now I know it didn't end last episode. OMGFUCK
 

Slater

Banned
Light cavalry, not equipped to play a shock role, charging emplaced heavy infantry head on instead of hitting them in their flanks. Oh, and the battlefield is a wide open plain with no cover, and the cavalry hold the numerical advantage. And the cavalry possess a siege weapon that can tear up tightly clustered ranks.

Oh, Hollywood. You never change.

Aren't the Dothraki supposed to be the Westeros equivalent of the steppe peoples? They shouldn't be idiots charging heavy infantry with nothing but sabers.
They did that in the books against the unsullied in the backstory and got there ass kicked. Course no dragon with them that time.
 

Lulubop

Member
A character that dies to advance the story like Olena doesnt count

This is supposed to be a surprise battle and the comedy character waltzing around while everyone dies just feels silly

He's comedy? He's always been shown to be extremely competent in tough situations.


Coolest dragon moment on film, mother fuckers were being incinerated.
 
The ballista was in a covered wagon. They brought it along but weren't prepared to deploy it because the dragon swept down in like 10-20 seconds. The Dothraki who saw Bronn definitely tried to kill him but ate a bolt. Once Bronn got a shot off at Drogon, maybe someone other than Dany should have been watching and going "huh, that shot came from the Death Star, that thing is operational", but they were kind of busy killing stuff.

If they actually had a general there and not Tyrion, and a regular western army rather than Dothraki, they would have someone spot it and someone send signals to someone to go take it out. As it was, they didn't even know such a weapon existed and it was less than a minute before he could fire again. Dany was the only one who could target it.

The neat thing is now they know the ballistas exist.

ballistas were used at the battle at the wall with the giants and wildlings (maybe somewhat smaller) so its not a novel technology. and the dothraki have horse archers. if we have learned nothing else from actual history (mongols) its that those were basically unstoppable. one of them should have been able to neutralize the threat posed by bronn. i dont think its enough to say they were busy doing other stuff. their orders should have been 1. make sure nothing happens to the dragon 2. kill other stuff in your spare time.

I agree that Dany could have attacked way more efficiently from the dragon. In the end, they probably just wanted to make an exciting looking scene and didn't care about making it the most logical way possible.

On the second point, about the food, they are right outside King's Landing's gates. Do you propose they slooowly transport the food all the way back to wherever they would need it, all the way leaving themselves open to counterattack? There was no way they could have snagged the food. But at least, by burning it, they could ensure King's Landing wouldn't have it

probably a good point about the food. the show has never been especially tight on timelines, but i thought it might be possible that the unsullied had started marching and could get to it in time if the dothraki protected it for a bit. provisioning armies has come up all over the map so far so burning it seems wasteful given how crucial it will likely prove to be. agree it is better to burn it than let it get to kings landing though.
 
The escalating cinematography is definitely one of the strongest aspects of the show right now for sure, and as good as Bastardbowl was the script kind of soured me on it while this scene was serviceable from a writing standpoint.
 

duckroll

Member
Battle of the Bastards was better directed but this was still incredible and pushed the boundary of what's possible with the medium.

Considering how good this battle is for an episode 4 set piece, it'll be interesting to see how the episode 6 one compares. The penultimate episode of every season is crazy shit.
 

Vyer

Member
A character that dies to advance the story like Olena doesnt count

This is supposed to be a surprise battle and the comedy character waltzing around while everyone dies just feels silly

Of course it does. And no, it didn't feel silly. At this point a likeable character dying is more the rule than the exception to it. Hell, even the 'main' characters can't be completely counted on.
 

Corpsepyre

Banned
It was bad, in my opinion. They sacrificed a lot for that scene though. Felt like a Nolan action scene with little to no care given for continuity and sensibility for the sake of blowing budget. That final bit with Jaime was a real cop out, cheap and straight out of a Michael Bay film.

Also, you're telling me the only carriage that was not burned to a crisp was the one with the scorpion? Come on.

It was Bronn that made that entire scene special.
 

BreakAtmo

Member
I love Bronn, but for dramatic purposes he probably should have been roasted and what happens to Jaime could have been tweaked. Maybe the show will prove me wrong.

Maybe Bronn drowns, while the lake fills with the ashes of all those well-done Lannisters. Bronn of the Blackwater.
 

megalowho

Member
I kind of love the Jaime = prince that was promised/Azor Ahai theories that have been cropping up. It would be a really interesting way to subvert expectations while still being satisfying and plausible. His arc is low-key one of the more compelling and dynamic in the series, and the fact we're in the later stages of the narrative with key prophecies still left somewhat open ended is a credit to the storytelling.

Getting captured again, reuniting with Tyrion and getting to judge Dany for himself would all be welcome next steps in fleshing out his perspective at this stage in the game. Very excited now to see where he ends up.

As to the scene itself, fucking magic. Years of payoff unfolding on screen, morally grey, a striking clash of styles and the game changing power of of the dragons unleashed in all its glory and chaos.
 

Fercho

Member
Just realized, this means that the whole Lannister army is finished? i remember on episode 3 that Jaime took the army to Highgarden in order to trick the unsullied at Casterly rock.
 
wk0tcZpl.jpg


Came out a few days after the episode leaked. Game of Thrones is so big that you honestly can't expect to not see spoilers, especially for big events, if you're not watching it Sunday night.

It's always awesome how much foreshadowing this show has and its always really subtle. Like Jon dies and comes back and his wolf is named ghost

Sansa wolf was named lady and she is now the lady of winterfell.
 

Teletraan1

Banned
very enjoyable scene to watch, but if you have a dragon, why would you not attack, like, enfilade, rather than taking out a few soldiers at a time? she could have taken down that whole shield wall in ten seconds and let the dothraki run rampant (well, run rampant more quickly, they shouldnt have had to lose any horses to spear guys on the shield wall). also, that food she burned could have been useful for the unsullied, who now have to march across the entire continent.

it was awesome to watch, but im not sure it holds up to scrutiny that well. in fairness i know nothing about battle tactics but that is what occurred to me while watching it.

If she just flew in burnt the whole train and soldiers down in one shot it would be logical and boring and last maybe 20 seconds and nobody would be talking about how good it was and we would all probably be in a thread concerning how bad the writing, pacing, and acting was in whatever they filled that time with instead. I prefer the illogical fantasy battle where not everyone involved was a military genius.
 

Pastry

Banned
Just realized, this means that the whole Lannister army is finished? i remember on episode 3 that Jaime took the army to Highgarden in order to trick the unsullied at Casterly rock.

I think some made it through the gates? becaue they said the gold was throug
 

LakeEarth

Member
I think some made it through the gates? becaue they said the gold was throug

Yeah they made it a point to say that the gold made it in before the attack. I think it would've been more interesting if it didn't, but I guess the Iron Bank being on Cersei's side is important for the future plot.
 
If she just flew in burnt the whole train and soldiers down in one shot it would be logical and boring and last maybe 20 seconds and nobody would be talking about how good it was and we would all probably be in a thread concerning how bad the writing, pacing, and acting was in whatever they filled that time with instead. I prefer the illogical fantasy battle where not everyone involved was a military genius.

i should stop, because you are absolutely right, but im bored at work so too bad.

dany has legit military geniuses though. one of them is at casterly rock, but tyrion and the dothraki know enough to know the dragon is strategically important.
 
It was amazing and is another standard-setting action sequence for the show.

For all I criticize the show for its decline in writing and plotting, I can't speak a negative word about the large-scale set pieces it's now known for. Blackwater, Hardhome, Battle of the Bastards, The Spoils of War - all excellent.
 
I saw some other video had titled this sequence "The Field of Fire" which seems much more in keeping with the fantasy theme.

But "Loot Train" appears to be what the fans are grabbing hold of?

I think this is because there is an important battle in Westerosi history known as "The Field of Fire" and fans don't want to confuse the two, but I might be overthinking it.
 

Kin5290

Member
There's a featurette about the unsullied narrated by Jorah where he talks about the dothraki. They have no respect at all for foot soldiers so they try to run them down rather than out maneuver them.
So, not the Mongols then. The Mongols at their height excelled at battlefield command and control and tactics. They weren't just a mass of individual warriors charging in mindlessly.
 

Pastry

Banned
I saw some other video had titled this sequence "The Field of Fire" which seems much more in keeping with the fantasy theme.

But "Loot Train" appears to be what the fans are grabbing hold of?

They call it the loot train scene in the making of thingy that airs after the episode.
 

hoos30

Member
The book purists are just seeming sad these days. I peeked my head in the Book Spoilers thread and actually saw a handful of them lamenting how the show is so acclaimed. Literally saying "Why can only book readers recognize how terrible this show is?!? :("

Move on guys.

Check out asoiaf one day, it's a hoot. They literally had a guy who rated this episode 1 / 10!
 

RDreamer

Member
Yeah they made it a point to say that the gold made it in before the attack. I think it would've been more interesting if it didn't, but I guess the Iron Bank being on Cersei's side is important for the future plot.

It's weird though, because... how the fuck does the Iron Bank guy leave the city with gold? I mean sure it's there but what good could that even do him. I guess he'll send a raven to get help for Cersei or some shit...

The book purists are just seeming sad these days. I peeked my head in the Book Spoilers thread and actually saw a handful of them lamenting how the show is so acclaimed. Literally saying "Why can only book readers recognize how terrible this show is?!? :("

Move on guys.

I ain't a book reader but the writing has dropped into a Westerosi stream after about Season 4.
 

Parch

Member
LOL at the edgelords who have to nit pick everything. Fuckin' internet, man.

Game of Thrones is setting new standards for TV. It's a tough act to follow for so many other TV shows who are never going to get that type of budget for effects. That will just be fuel for the whiners to complain even louder.
 
very enjoyable scene to watch, but if you have a dragon, why would you not attack, like, enfilade, rather than taking out a few soldiers at a time? she could have taken down that whole shield wall in ten seconds and let the dothraki run rampant (well, run rampant more quickly, they shouldnt have had to lose any horses to spear guys on the shield wall). also, that food she burned could have been useful for the unsullied, who now have to march across the entire continent.

it was awesome to watch, but im not sure it holds up to scrutiny that well. in fairness i know nothing about battle tactics but that is what occurred to me while watching it.

She wanted to demonstrate the Dothraki could fight armored Westerosi just as good as any army. Also she was strategic about it. She burned a line through the shield wall for the horses then used the wagons as tinder to entrap the army between the fire and Dothraki.
 
Just realized, this means that the whole Lannister army is finished? i remember on episode 3 that Jaime took the army to Highgarden in order to trick the unsullied at Casterly rock.

No, this was more like the rear guard

A significant portion of the procession made it to King's Landing with the gold
 
I enjoyed it, but it's probably one of my least-favorite battle scenes in the show. The CGI of the canyon didn't wow me, I questioned Khaleesi not burning the men horizontally all at once, and Bronn was a bit too invincible for my tastes. He shot a fucking dragon and almost brought it down. It's okay to go out like that. It encapsulates a growing feeling in me that most players are now safe, and that takes away some of the thrill.
Pretty sure the scenery wasn't CG... Watch the making of.
 

hoos30

Member
very enjoyable scene to watch, but if you have a dragon, why would you not attack, like, enfilade, rather than taking out a few soldiers at a time? she could have taken down that whole shield wall in ten seconds and let the dothraki run rampant (well, run rampant more quickly, they shouldnt have had to lose any horses to spear guys on the shield wall). also, that food she burned could have been useful for the unsullied, who now have to march across the entire continent.

it was awesome to watch, but im not sure it holds up to scrutiny that well. in fairness i know nothing about battle tactics but that is what occurred to me while watching it.

Because the scene would have been ten seconds long.
 

Einchy

semen stains the mountaintops
Check out asoiaf one day, it's a hoot. They literally had a guy who rated this episode 1 / 10!

At that point that person is just judging the show because it's not part their canon. If a critic watched that episode, and honestly thought it was a 1/10, then their opinion is completely worthless since they don't know shit about shit.
 

rudger

Member
It was interesting how little build up there was to this scene. I was not expecting an epic battle to suddenly take place. Even when you hear the army rumbling, I was taken aback by just how long and involved this battle ended up being. I expected them to just try and retreat once the dragon appeared, yet it kept going and going
 
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