I feel ya - I binge-watched Season 4 again a few weekends ago. ;)

The is the first time I've rewatched and it's blowing my mind. So strange to go back, knowing what is known.

Was anyone else a little disappointed with season four? I'm not sure exactly why, but I didn't find myself as invested in it this time around. Maybe I'm just getting used to the plot mechanics, but there were several moments during season four in which I knew intuitively what was going to happen before it unfolded... and it just kind of took the fun out of watching.

There was one episode that I found really, really tedious (which I won't be specific about, out of respect for others who have yet to catch up). The entire episode was one long, grueling battle. Usually I'm an insanely patient person, but even my limits were tested. I found myself thinking, okay, I get the idea... let's move on... but it kept going. And going. And going.

Random thoughts:

I do like that Sansa is finally participating...

Dany seems to be making a whole string of bad decisions, though she believes that they are wise decisions...

I loved the Moon Door scene! You know the one of which I speak...

Lastly, for the first time this season, I thought that there were a few instances in which the gore lost all shock value and became completely redundant.

Are you thinking of the episode that was just the battle at the Wall? Episode 9, I think it was. They usually move and cover different characters, but that one was 100% Wall.

The only thing I found tedious was Tyrion's trial. Not the actually scene, that was amazing, but I felt they drug out the whole ordeal just to make it all last longer. There were also certain book spoilery details that I had already spoiled myself on and was looking forward to, only to have them leave them out.

Bam, yes- the Wall episode. I wish that episode had been something more along the lines of 70% Wall and 30% other characters/plots. Or maybe more of a half and half kind of thing, but perhaps the show creators were just trying to emphasis the importance of that battle by having it take up the whole episode. Or maybe they didn't want to break the momentum of it up by cutting away to other things. I've purchased some of the books but haven't read them yet, so I'm not sure how significant this battle is to the overall story.

I'm in agreement with you about Tyrion's trial. I too felt that it was dragged out a bit. And speaking of elements that are left out thus far, I've heard about a certain character named Lady Stoneheart (might be spelling her name wrong)... I hope that she isn't left out of next season.

I'm bumping this because it seems to be a general Game of Thrones discussion thread

HBO Eyeing Multiple Game of Thrones Spinoffs

Cool :tcool:

George R.R. Martin Talks Game of Thrones Spin-Offs, Confirms They’re Prequels
Read more at http://www.comingsoon.net/tv/news/84...MvXkB156cH6.99

lmao @ Dick Direwolf :lol:

Hmm. I was hoping that at least one of these "successor series" was gonna be set after the events of Game of Thrones but oh well. It's interesting that he confirmed that Dunk & Egg and Robert's Rebellion will not be explored. I guess I'm glad about that though, both of those events are pretty well covered already.

I'm most curious about the statement that not all of these series will take place in Westeros. More exploration of Planetos would be very cool

No live action adaptation of Robert's Rebellion because there won't be anything to be explored once the next two books are out?

**** off GRRM. First, we both know you'll never release Winds of Winter or A Dream of Spring. Second, what does knowing information about it have to do with making a live action adaptation? It's no different than the actual series currently airing on HBO.

Season 7 Trailer

Season premiere was LAME! Isn't there only like 7 episodes this season? It took all of the "players" and moved them exactly like one inch.

I agree with the exact opposite of this statement.

It's called "setting up the board" and it's pretty necessary after a year-long break, reminding everyone of where the various characters are and what they're trying to accomplish.

But I agree, I wish we could have gotten to see more happen in the first episode. There have been worse season-openers though.

Not really... Showtime replayed all the last season's episodes right before it came on. And the first five minutes of the episode LITERALLY recap the last season finale. It's one thing if this was a standard season... but it's like 7 episodes! They don't have time to putz about.

And all that talk about "we need to delay production to wait for snow," there's a grand total of like 2 scenes in this episode with snow. And one of them I'm pretty sure is largely FAKE snow/heavily CGIed.

If anyone is interested in all the big spoilers for the rest of the season, check this out:
https://www.techworm.net/2016/11/spo...ed-online.html

It was posted last November and, now with episode 3 done, appears to be completely accurate so far.

So what did everyone think of the season?

There were things I liked but I thought this season was really poorly written/plotted. The whole plan to get Cersei to call a temporary truce so they can fight the Night King was one of the dumbest things I've seen. I think that was the only thing they could come up with to get Jon, Dany, Tyrion, Cersei, etc. in one scene together. They just wanted that scene to happen even if it didn't make narrative sense.

The Sansa/Arya stuff was just nonsense to give those actors something to do all season leading up to the finale.

Thought the season was simply lazy writing just to get to the payoffs.

This season was alright. Not a whole lot I really sunk my teeth into, though. Glad to see Jora make it out alive another season.

Everything outside the initial meeting between Jon and Dany I couldn't stand. It just felt so rushed and forced and on the verge of pandering.

Sansa was a boring disappointment this year. And for all of Little Finger's treachery and misdirections, I felt he never really had a real big moment yet since season 1. So his demise felt either premature or long overdue.

I agree. Arya did nothing all season. Very disappointed.

Overall, this season was pretty meh. Considering the shortened episode count I was hoping for intense, amped up storytelling but instead it almost seemed to go the opposite way.

She killed all the Freys and killed muthf***ing Littlefinger. That counts for something, doesn't it? She did way more than, say, Varis. Varis literally did nothing except have 1 tiny scene where he had to kind of defend his loyalty for some reason (wasn't he already vetted?).

My season 8 predictions (*spoilers*... maybe):

* Cersei miscarries. Almost right off the bat. Goes into a rage. "Nothing left to lose" mode.
* Theon almost certainly dies rescuing his sister or during the escape.
* Jon Snow has "the talk" with Sam and Bran. Mind is blown. Maybe he keeps this under his hat for a while, though, at least from Daenerys.
* Jaime joins up with the combined Unsullied/Dothraki/North army just in time for the big battle. Brienne and Tyrion all vouch for him, that he's not just some mole.
* The great big White Walker battle. Lots of death. At some point, though, Jon (or someone) gets through to the Night King. We learn they want something other than just to wipe out the living. A truce/understanding (or something) is struck. Or maybe Daenerys kills the Night King and becomes the Night Queen to control all the army of the undead!
* Tyrion turns out to be a Targaryen, rides the other dragon at a critical moment.
* On their return back south, here's the big Lannisters vs. everybody that's left battle. It looks bad but... here comes the Night King (or Daenerys as the Night Queen!) and the White Walkers to help!
* During the battle, Daenerys goes a little too nuts. All that stuff they keep repeating over all the seasons about, "I'm NOT like my father, the Mad King!" turns out to be foreshadowing for, well, her becoming exactly like her father, the Mad King, and then she starts wiping out even Lannister civilians, children and all. She has to be stopped, but the Dothraki and Unsullied remain loyal to her... so they all become the enemy.
* If Daenerys becomes the Night Queen, Jorah or Jaime will be the one to kill her.
* Cersei gives up the crown willingly after, #1) Learning/growing a lot from recent events, #2) Hearing and acknowledging his right to the throne, leaving Jon Snow the King at King's Landing. Maaaybe even takes him as her husband... but that seems super weird. But maybe they're going for super weird.
* Sansa becomes officially the Queen of the North.
* Arya has a final visit from the faceless man Jaqen. Turns out he's been with her since the beginning, even using the face/name of Syrio Forel when he trained her during season 1.
* Happy ending for Tormund and Brienne. Probably.
* At least one more big time loop thing with Bran. I want the "Bran = Bran the Builder" theory to be true, but I don't know. Maybe he is the one that whispers in the Mad King's ear in the past, at least. *shrug*

Whatever happens, it won't just be as simple as... you know, Jon and Daenerys fight and defeat Night King, then go and fight and beat Cersei with her surprise reinforcements and probable surprise reinforcements for Daenerys (Daario does have to show up at some point, though... I expect "the Han Solo Save" at some point with him, no matter what happens, with the leftover armies Daenerys left across the sea), cue the happy ending. No way. Martin said the end will be "bittersweet."

I've also read compelling theories about "Arya was killed by the Waif, and the Waif has been masquerading as Arya ever since," but I don't think so. There is no good reason the Waif would bother to get revenge on Walder Frey.

So... between her first scene of the season and the last 15 minutes of the finale, you agree she did nothing then. You could also make the argument Little Finger's death was more something Sansa did than Arya (something she even states afterwards.)