Game of Thrones Season 8 Discussion Thread

[Samoa Looch]

Also... the story and characters might be the problems about this season, but the cinematography sure isn't. I remember being in awe about this third episode, The Long Night, back in the day and yea... it gives me the goosebumps again.

Only 13 minutes into the episode, but the Dothraki cavalry just got snuffed out by... well, the pure darkness, basically. Such a great moment and clever way to underline how bad the White Walkers are, since the Dothraki were always shown as basically unbeatable. Really, that scene and the whole episode should've been watched on a movie theatre screen.

 

[Samoa Looch]

Daenerys never even made it out of Mereen in the books lol I'm pretty satisfied with the major developments of the ending with the show and can see how they're probably the plans, but GRRM isn't sure how to get there and the show runners couldn't figure out a way to do it either (and bc they got lazy and disinterested)

Yea, the books basically end with season 5, I think? With season 6 still being based on those last novels, but already laying the groundwork for diversions... or something like that. I mean there's always been some diversions.

 

[Chris]

Yea, the books basically end with season 5, I think? With season 6 still being based on those last novels, but already laying the groundwork for diversions... or something like that. I mean there's always been some diversions.

Seasons 1 and 2 are almost perfect in line with books 1 and 2, very faithful adaptation. Book 3 is long so it's mostly half is season 3 and half is season 4, but they start to dip into later stuff for Daenerys.

Book 4 and 5 are weirder bc book 4 is only half the characters, book 5 is the other half before it catches up and then the book 4 characters POV continue as well.

 

[Samoa Looch]

Only 13 minutes into the episode, but the Dothraki cavalry just got snuffed out by... well, the pure darkness, basically. Such a great moment and clever way to underline how bad the White Walkers are, since the Dothraki were always shown as basically unbeatable. Really, that scene and the whole episode should've been watched on a movie theatre screen.

For reference sake... My absolute favorite movie scene of all time that I did watch in the cinema was the Isengard army marching onto Helm's Deep... so that explains my love for these scenes probably

 

[Samoa Looch]

Seasons 1 and 2 are almost perfect in line with books 1 and 2, very faithful adaptation. Book 3 is long so it's mostly half is season 3 and half is season 4, but they start to dip into later stuff for Daenerys.

Book 4 and 5 are weirder bc book 4 is only half the characters, book 5 is the other half before it catches up and then the book 4 characters POV continue as well.

I see. That sounds complicated. But it makes sense they took so much to run with from the last two in that case.

 

[Chris]

I see. That sounds complicated. But it makes sense they took so much to run with from the last two in that case.

Yeah book 4 is pretty universally the least liked. I just group it with 5 in my head. It was when they got too complicated for him to finish tbh but man the world building was so great, just got too big lol

 

[Samoa Looch]

That is exactly how it would go if I were to write a fantasy series... I love world building in itself, I probably wouldn't ever get out of that stage.

 

[Chris]

That is exactly how it would go if I were to write a fantasy series... I love world building in itself, I probably wouldn't ever get out of that stage.

That's why he stopped writing the main novels and started doing prequel novellas set 100 years prior or the kayfabe history books in universe (I would recommend both but they do read like legit history books, not a narrative story)

 

[Samoa Looch]

So they'd be perfect for me

 

[Samoa Looch]

And there goes Lyanna Mormont.

I'm not a fan of most child characters, but Lyanna was one of the few really, really good ones. Shame she didn't have even more screentime overall...at least she went out as a Giantslayer.

 

[Chris]

And there goes Lyanna Mormont.

I'm not a fan of most child characters, but Lyanna was one of the few really, really good ones. Shame she didn't have even more screentime overall...at least she went out as a Giantslayer.

Show only character if I remember right too, maybe mentioned in the books but not seen

 

[Samoa Looch]

Show only character if I remember right too, maybe mentioned in the books but not seen

According to the Westeros Wiki:

In the A Song of Ice and Fire novels, Lyanna Mormont is the youngest of Maege's five daughters, and the only one to remain at Bear Island during the War of the Five Kings. She is ten years old at the time King Stannis arrives in the North.

The TV adaptation simplified this to omit Dacey, and condensed Maege's younger four daughters into just Lyanna. Nonetheless, even in the books it is specifically Lyanna Mormont who sends the letter to Stannis, as she did in Season 5 of the TV series.

So she's basically 5 daughters condensed into one person. I guess it's likely she, or one of her sisters could end up being in a similar important role in the books.

 

[Samoa Looch]

It would make for a good story arc, if the books went down the same route as the show when it comes to the children of the Northern houses take over, in my simple opinion.

 

[Chris]

I can't say I remember a lot of the characters combined and reduced for the show being bad deviations from the books, a lot actually helped

 

[Samoa Looch]

I can't say I remember a lot of the characters combined and reduced for the show being bad deviations from the books, a lot actually helped

Overall of course. You only have so much screen time and the world is an immense one.