dex14

I don't know... I found the finale of Breaking Bad pretty predicable, but excellent in terms of execution.

dom56

Can't wait for next episode so I can see what Euron was looking up at the sky on the preview. Emilia Clarke posted that fans should watch episode 5 on the biggest tv screen. Is there a fourth dragon? If you watch the opening you see a large dragon and three smaller dragons. Could the large dragon be the big mamma ?

dex14

Or the big dragon represents Dany.

bralph

It would be pretty disingenuous to me to introduce a fourth dragon at this point in the series.

coli

Bastard Dragon!

eXcentris

Now think about other series that went past 4-5 seasons, and that chart would still be accurate. 4-5 is optimal, anything more sees a drop in quality. So I surmise that even if GRRM had finished the books, we still would see an inevitable decline, although most likely not as bad.

eXcentris

Apparently Jon is Frodo and Danaerys is Gollum.

https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood...-ring-of-power

I could see Jon ending up back with Tormund and ghost with the Free Folk.

And Bran is now the betting favorite to end up on the throne.

LurkerDan

So, what you're saying is that you don't know how it's going to end up. You act like it's obvious, but the best you can do is say that 2 characters won't be on the throne, and it will be one of 3. And you have your best guess. Which really just makes Decker's point, because even though you think it's "pretty predictable", you clearly don't know.

melasnus

I don't see how sacking KL would put a dagger in her heart.
Wiping out a city's population during a siege is hardly novel.
She will have a big army and a dragon or 2 afterwards to control survivors.

eXcentris

It's easier to be less predictable when the plot is essentially a whole bunch of characters playing musical chairs with one chair. So I'm not sure comparing the "predictability" of GOT to other shows has much validity.

mwbmis

This article from the Ringer does a pretty good job of summing up the same thoughts that I have been having this year (and season 7). Personally, I much more enjoyed episode one and two than three and four. The articles brings up good points like why exactly did we not get to see the scene where Arya and Sansa find out Jon is not their brother. There was a point in this last episode where I legitimately questioned whether I wanted to finish the show (the arrival at Dragonstone).

https://www.theringer.com/game-of-th...quickly-pacing

eXcentris

That's pretty much it. There's a mad dash to the finish and plot and characterization suffer.

Example: If these were early seasons, Varys would have known about Euron's ambush and told Danaerys because he pretty much had intel on everything. So, what the heck happened to all his "little birds"? And without that, he's pretty much useless, aside from trading dwarf and cock jokes with Tyrion.

Decker

A couple of writers for the Ringer, on their Twitter show pointed out that Cersei first hinted at her pregancy midway through Season 7. So in the interval Dany and Jon went from Dragonstone to Winterfell, hatched "Bad Plan", went north of the Wall, captured a wight, went all the way South to Kings Landing, had a meeting with Cersei, went back North, got betrayed, had Jamie come up to Winderfell on his own, fought The Long Night, had a pyre for the dead, healed up (a bit), headed back South to Dragonstone, got ambushed, marshaled their remaining troops and returned to Kings Landing -- all before Cersie was showing, so like in 3 months.

Yes, it's a rush to the finish line now.

majorjoe23

Seasons are all wacky in Westeros, maybe pregnancies are like 36 months.

raven56706

careful on the net, spoilers for the rest of the season are out there.

mwbmis

The point I can really point to where the show changed and characters acted out of plot expediency rather than known established characteristics is where Littlefinger didn't know anything about Ramsey Bolton in Season 5...a patently absurd thing for Littlefinger (seasons 1-4). Needless to say that was because that didn't happen in the books.

Mild book spoiler

eXcentris

Shoot, now I have to worry about book spoilers too. I have them, but I'm waiting for the series to end before starting.

bralph

eXcentris

I wasn't that serious about the book spoilers but thanks mwbmis!

One wonderful thing about getting old is that I'm pretty sure I'll have forgotten that spoiler by the time I get to that point in the books.

dhmac

"Before the Internet"? That applies to none of these.
me
me
me (well, hated the movie more than his performance, but he was miscast.)
me
me
Ah, I bailed on that show before then because it was going nowhere.

Sounds to me like you know a lot people with good taste.

Decker

Just a thought here : Even though there has been somewhat of a backlash this season, assuming the finale is pretty well-received, don't you guys think this will sweep the Drama Emmys this year? We are in the final month of eligibility and I can't even think of a show to challenge it in the major categories. No more Americans, no The Crown, no Stranger Things, no Better Call Saul, no Handmaid's Tale. Most of the prestige programs this past TV year have been limited series or comedies. Seriously, I have no idea what Game of Thrones will be up against. Last year GoT was one of seven Best Drama nominees, this year only one of the other six even ran a season (This is Us).

Brian Gentz

Kind of weird how since the start of the show the only Emmy window they missed was between Season 6 and 7 which was 13 months between episodes, but not between 7 & 8 which was 20 months

spainlinx0

I don't want to sound like a hipster, but I have been calling them hacks for a long time. They even introduced some hacky elements in the beginning, but the book material was so strong they skated by. This show's lack of internal logic has annoyed me for a while, but I'm in it now, and I have to see how it ends.

I have avoided internet spoilers, because apparently there have been leaks. Careful out there, but the consensus out there for those who have read the leaks is...not good.