If we used the pacing of the last two seasons all the way to the beginning I just don't think the show as a whole would be nearly as good tbh.
All that assassin training and Arya's plan was just going to be to walk up to Cersei's room with maybe the most conspicuous guy in the show. I'm still not sure why she turned away at the last minute, maybe she feared death in that moment? Then the girl who wizzed passed the white walkers and killed the biggest bad in the show can't stop falling down trying to run away. But next week she'll be super bad ass and unstoppable again because the story will demand it.
Big shoutout to the D&D and staying true to the Dothraki, pillaging and raping cities. Dany hated it in season 1 but seems like she finally came around to it.
I’ll be spending all day refreshing gif searches for Cersei scooting by The Hound. I know I’m going to need it multiple times in this thread before this is all over.
That CleganeBowl is what happens when you don't have zombie fiction in your world. Sandor didn't even know you gotta get a zombie in the head to kill it
Waiting for someone to create a meme with Greyworm going on that massive kill streak, killtacular, killmanjaro. Etc.
I feel like someone could create a meme with Dany riding the dragon being US imperialism and Kings Landing being the US spreading democracy.
I can't speak from experience, but I would have to imagine trying to run through smoke while buildings are collapsing all around me might not be the smoothest marathon I run. But I do agree with walking side by side with the Hound isn't the wisest plan to kill the Queen lol.
Why ignore the whole context of what I said? I was annoyed by her part in the episode and expected more from her character if she was going to be a focal point. So yes, the part where she had no plan and then just ends up falling down a few times annoyed me. Some of those scenes did look pretty cool though.
I don't mean to be all negative either. I don't like where the story went for the most part but the episode was quite a ride. Aside from the action, I thought the scene with Tyrion and Jamie in the tent was excellent. I actually thought Jon Snow's scenes were really good, which is not something I usually think. Euron... well at least he's dead.
Jon's little speech last week was literally one of the only times I've liked his character so I'll give him that. Last episode he just looked dumbfounded. Rightly so - he knows nothing.
A good assassin uses the environment to their advantage. Nobody knows what Arya looks like, or if she’s even alive anymore, and the the city is in complete chaos. Nobody cares if the Hound is in the city, they’re too busy running for their lives. The easiest way into the castle was to blend in with the crowd scrambling to get in.
I agreed with everything you said leading up to that. Not sure where her deciding to turn back at the last minute or her being able to sneak up on TNK impacts her falling either way is all.
it’s a much better show haha, yes this is kinda something i was thinking about earlier. people keep trying to frame it in a “best tv ever” convo, which it’s never at any point of its run been a part of. it’s certainly near the “biggest” ever, but i don’t think anyone would honestly put it in a top 5 hbo series even. so comparing it to sopranos, the wire, deadwood even, etc. has always been a little silly to me.
do we really have to say “A kills D?” are we really fooling anyone with what A or D could possibly stand for? damn i can’t wait for azor ahai to kill davos!!!!
That’s a big reason why I said last night that how you frame the show has to be playing a big part in how satisfied you are. If you’re still watching it as if it’s the best series ever or in the same tier as the best character dramas of all time, I totally get the anger and the interest in breaking down every specific failure. But if you’re watching it as a big budget popcorn action movie with a good score, arguing about how it fails on a narrative level seems like a waste of time. The Cersei during Cleganebowl meme really is perfect for it. The Mountain is fans who love the show and will defend it against any criticism, The Hound is fans who defended it for the whole series but have turned on season 8 and are freaking out, and Cersei is someone like me who had major major problems from the start who is staying out of it now and just wants everybody to have a good time and be friends.
Reading different criticism and praise for this episode or this season and comparing them to how I felt about them is so odd, haha Like, there is probably supporting canon for nearly every decision but sometimes it works for me and I love it or it doesn't and I just roll my eyes. I'm just glad that I'm able to enjoy the "good" parts and ignore the stuff I don't like, so it's been a fun ride, including keeping up with this thread.