re: Game of Thrones Season 5 - Episode 8 :"Hardhome" Readers Thread (Spoilers)

I don't know. Reading the wiki may be grounds for expulsion

I told ole Cokes earlier this season that he had lost his touch. I remember the day when if someone just hinted at being in another thread, or posted anything that couldn't be proven came directly from the show and the show alone, he'd lead the pitchfork & torch army right to bansville. The Walking Dead non-reader threads were epic too, going 10 pages with just spoiler accusations alone. Those were the good ole days. Now I guess he and the other true Hodors have just lost the will to fight. It's a sad day, for sure.
.
.
.
.
.

quote:

---

Meh. Since I was positive that Jon would live, none of this was really compelling to me. The fighting was cool until the chick ridiculously let herself be killed. That was just stupid.

---

But this is more than just Jon. This is for Sansa's, Jaime's, Tyrion's, Arya's, Bronn's, Cersei's, and Dany's state as well. The episode is telling us that all our other characters are fricked, and only one of them really gives a damn about it and is trying to do something. It's not just Jon, and that's why it adds tension.

quote:

---

I was a Hodor until this past offseason. Your criteria seems to be based on whether or not you know the outcome, so I guess I can see why this departure from the book has a profound effect on you. Of course, if you thought Jon or anyone significant was going to die, you're nuts.

---

No it doesn't. I still feel the confliction of wanting Cersei and Joffrey to be burned alive. All I have in WotW is Janos Slynt who I want to die, and honestly I only care for Jon and Sam. I don't care about anyone else in that episode, and I feel pretty certain that I would know Jon is not going to die or lose the Wall. It just seems as if they built up the Others too high that the Night's Watch would fall to this. Even reading the books, you have the confliction since you know both Tyrion and Sansa want Cersei and Joffrey to be killed, but you want them to survive as well. I don't get this from the episode.

quote:

---

You and I must log onto different internets. WotW was very popular, and even if it wasn't, we're talking opinions here. I tend to make up my own mind about things and don't really give a shite about reviews, as most critics are jaded little weiners who hate everything anyway.

---

To be fair that it was a largely divided crowd: those who thought it was perfect, and those who thought it was overly extravagant bullshite that tried to one-up Blackwater and failed. Really can't think of too many reviews that were in between. You either love this episode, or you think it's mostly crap. I personally don't think it is any different than "The Battle of Five Armies", and I think if you look at it objectively, then it shows.

quote:

---

No it isn't. If the Others win, they're still on the wrong side of the Wall, but with a few more zombie soldiers, preparing for a fight that is going to come regardless of what happens at Hardhome. Nothing is decided by this. It's just masturbation, great masturbation as masturbation goes, but still just masturbation. Masturbation.

---

Well, if the Others fully win the battle, who is going to stand against them? Allister Thorne? Ramsay Bolton? Olly? If Jon had perished in this fight, then the war would for all intents and purposes be lost. He's the only one who really gets what they're up against and how to lead the men against them.

quote:

---

And several major characters die, snuffing out several crucial story arcs, including the one that is possibly, some say definitely, the most central, and the reason the series is named what it is. I don't see how the NW escaping zombies (which we knew was going to happen), dead people re-killed and the verification of dragon steel (which we all pretty much knew about as well) trumps the possible extinction of the entire story's likely central character.

D&D clearly wanted to do another battle episode (because the other one was so great and got massive ratings, like Blackwater), so they conjured one up where there was not one to begin with. Good episode. 7/10

---

But they learned from their mistakes. There was no tension in the Battle for Castle Black. They got cocky with Blackwater, and some people shot their loads when the episode premiered. But if you look at opinions on the episode now, a year later, they are not as positive. That battle could have contained 2 more major plots within it (particularly Tyrion killing Tywin), but they opted for filler near the Wall.

Can you say honestly that there isn't at least 15 minutes worth of filler in that episode? In this episode though, not wasted second. 7/10 for this episode is laughable. That's a C-. They did everything they needed to do here, and they learned from their past mistakes in WotW.

quote:

---

How many White Walkers are there supposed to be anyway? They never show more than a handful at a time and it seems like Sam and John alone have taken a good percentage of them out with their one kill apiece. Seems like a few archers with dragonglass arrowheads could end this thing pretty quickly.

---

I was wondering why at least someone wasn't shooting at the Night's King just in case they could kill him.

quote:

---

Whereas, in WotW, we get a big arse ice scythe that scrapes fools off of the Wall. The look on Edd's face when they're hauling it back up was hilarious. "Ha! Take that, you little ice-Mexicans! Try and climb my wall, will ya?"

---

This is just Michael Bay crap, and you know it.

quote:

---

I'm actually rooting for Cersei to kill all of the religious people now, marshmallow-headed, blank-faced little freaks.

---

Didn't know about them then though, but keep in mind she created them.

quote:

---

I'm equally certain that Jon isn't going to lose the concocted battle at Hardhome. In WotW, we get to see Jon become a real leader, the basis for his becoming Lord Commander, and we also get to see how good a sword fighter Kit Harrington is. He's gotten really good.

---

But he could lose everything he's going there for (which he more or less did). Jon isn't losing the Night's Watch or the Wall which was at stake in that episode.

quote:

---

Now you're just talking crazy talk. I like Jon too, but he's far from the only thing standing between the Others and the realm.

---

Name another person? The best I can come up with is Sam. Tyrion maybe, but as you said, he's in Mereen.

quote:

---

shite no. It's super badass from beginning to end. I liked Hardhome just fine. I just liked WotW better.

---

You really think Sam and Gilly hanging out downstairs is as important as what Sansa and Cersei were going through? Why even show what the Wildlings are really up to before the raid? It doesn't really matter, they're entering the fort regardless. It's kind of important on the other hand to get Davos and Stannis' POV from a distance on all this considering what is about to happen.

quote:

---

This is just Michael Bay crap, and you know it.

---

No, it was pretty awesome. I would like to have seen some titties, but you can't always get what you want.

quote:

---

Name another person? The best I can come up with is Sam. Tyrion maybe, but as you said, he's in Mereen.

---

The men of the Watch would be using the same tactics and have the same defenses regardless of what happens to Jon.

quote:

---

You really think Sam and Gilly hanging out downstairs is as important as what Sansa and Cersei were going through?

---

Those stories weren't really advanced that much. Cersei is still in jail, and Sansa is still trapped. Sam getting to first base is just about as significant, and Ygritte's inner conflict was well portrayed.

quote:

---

It's kind of important on the other hand to get Davos and Stannis' POV from a distance on all this considering what is about to happen.

---

We already had all of that info. Seeing that Ramsay is a dumbass didn't really do anything for me.

quote:

---

Ummmm, they haven't been, and the Night's Watch owes its survival solely to Jon and his instincts. Can't see why they'd suddenly rise to the occasion when they've been fricking up all this time.

---

Jon did well in WotW, which is why it's a great episode, but he's not essential to their survival. However, if the realm gets overrun after he's stabbed, I'll owe you a coke.

quote:

---

OK, I'm comparing "Blackwater" with "Watchers on the Wall", not "Hardhome".

---

I'm not arguing against Blackwater. I actually might have it higher on my list, but I haven't looked at the list in a while.

Anyone else think some type of super natural death awaits Ramsay? I think either he gets roasted by Mel or him and his men get intercepted by the Others.

At the beginning of the season I thought Roose would die and Ramsay would escape but now I'm thinking Ramsay does horribly and Roose makes it to the Twins in an escape.