HAPPY FATHER'S DAY! There's not really much I can add to the Internet commentariat's reviews of last night's GoT season finale other than to say that I sure hope this Bran stuff is going somewhere, and that all that whining about That Thing That Didn't Happen Even Though It Happened In The Books has made it completely unavoidable, at least for me, to find out what That Shocking Thing was.
I will add this: The Big Swordfight was one of the best "fuck, marry, or kill each other?" fights I've ever seen in any medium, ridiculously tense, fun, and exciting. And yes, I'm very much in when are we going to get to the fireworks factory? mode with Dany, but it's going to happen, right?
The thing that didn't happen is really something I never thought was very good or interesting nor did it have very much payoff in Books 4 & 5. I'm glad it was removed.
ReplyDeleteThere are still 2 (3?) books in which that thing that didn't happen could pay off.
ReplyDeleteThere are still 2 (3?) books in which that thing could potentially pay off.
ReplyDeleteThat Bran stuff is clearly going somewhere, and that somewhere is southern Louisiana in the mid-1990s.
ReplyDeleteThere are some characters on this show that I'm sure must be more interesting in the books, but I find them dull as wood on the screen: Jon Snow, Bran, Stannis. When Stannis' story collided with Jon Snows, it was all I could do not to fast forward the whole thing. (Ciaran Hinds' presence made it bearable.)
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, the Arya /Hound scenes and the Tyrion/Tywin conclusion made the finale totally worth it. Any season that ends with Arya and Tyrion alive (and somewhat triumphant?) is a good one for me.
And yes, I'm very much in when are we going to get to the fireworks factory? mode with Dany, but it's going to happen, right?
ReplyDeleteIs this a rhetorical question?
Stannis is sadly actually more interesting on the show.
ReplyDeleteOverall, I agree with TPE. To date, I have found that thing to be pretty uncompelling. I also don't really like that thing, so it would need to have a really impressive payoff to win me over.
ReplyDeleteI have also been a little bit appalled by the fact that book readers have been spoiling non-book readers both on the thing that didn't happen this season, and on the thing that didn't happen in episode 9 but did happen in episode 10 (Stannis coming).
I'm on board with "that thing" and I missed it. Just saying.
ReplyDeleteI've read the books, and I'm not sure what That Thing is...
ReplyDeleteI had to look up That Thing because I wasn't sure what it meant, either. Mostly, I can't remember what things happened in any specific book (or timeline). But I'm torn; I don't think it has paid off so far in the books, but it has the potential to do so.
ReplyDeleteJon is more interesting on the page (at least to me) because a lot of his drama is in his internal monologue. Bran's storyline is used to fill in a lot of backstory and worldbuilding that doesn't really translate to television very. The main problem with Stannis is that he doesn't really appear much between Blackwater and his arrival at the Wall, which was two full seasons of the show.
ReplyDeleteI think That Thing will happen eventually, not so much because it's cool in and of itself, but because it creates such an awful dilemma for Someone Else.
ReplyDeleteI'm not a reader of the books, but have known about The Thing for some time (some sloppy web reading on my part), and, to be honest, when I read what it was, it really turned me off. Seemed out of place with the world we've seen GRRM building up to now.
ReplyDeleteI generally agree with this, but for whatever reason, I thought the Jon/Mance scene was extremely compelling.
ReplyDeleteOh, THAT Thing! I agree with you - it hasn't been huge yet in the book, and after reading the interview with the director I understand why it didn't happen, but I hope it does. It has the potential to be a HUGE Thing.
ReplyDelete