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I'm expecting to like this episode, but not be blown away. The stakes just don't feel too high to me, unlike Blackwater. Again, because it's basically just Ramsay vs 4 main characters. I'm far more excited for the Finale, King's Landing has been my jam this season.

Maybe part of my problem with this upcoming Battle is that Jon's plan is basically suicidal, and they don't seem to be employing any sort of tactics in that preview.

jentario wrote:

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I'm lowering my expectations to the floor. The last couple of episodes lost the momentum and ended up treading water IMO. First half of the season was ace, and then the last three episodes killed it. I'm not sure these last two will bounce back.

Like you said, I feel zero tension regarding the battle. Same was true for The Watchers on the Wall, and the Wildlings were far more fleshed out there than Ramsay's forces are here. The only time a battle had me off base was Blackwater, other times there was just too much plot armor.

Then we have the finale. Even the longest episode of GOT won't be long enough to deliver all the climaxes we need to wrap up the season's story arcs properly. Meereen especially is far from a conclusion. Then we have the King's Landing stuff, post battle North stuff, Bran (who is also far from any sort of conclusion- unless they just leave him hanging and just count on episode 5 as his climax- which would suck IMO), some Sam, some Dorne probably (which will suck as always) and god knows what to expect from Arya, Jaime and the Hound.

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It's true the Battle for the Wall had that problem, though I think the buildup here has been better since it wasn't just Jon and Sansa doing nothing for 8 episodes. And I still think that episode was very good despite that, so I still have fairly high hopes.

Finale's gonna have to be a whole bunch of climactic scenes, that's for sure. Which makes me think that this coming episode won't be 100% the North. 

I have a feeling that Jaime and the Hound will be left out The Hound material in particular seemed like Season 7 setup. Bran will probably get to the Wall, which could very well coincide with it collapsing. Arya, arriving in Westeros maybe? I think Dorne will come back with Varys negotiating an alliance, since I can't imagine where else he could be going.

Cosca wrote:

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Nymeria Warrior Queen wrote:

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Given the preview is posted at the top of this thread, I can't imagine why we wouldn't be allowed to discuss it.

I'm intrigued by what seems to me like Jon offering to fight Ramsay one on one in an effort to spare others from having to fight and die. Since there's a battle, it's obvious Ramsay will not take Jon up on his offer. I hope, though, we do get to see them fight one-on-one. We know Jon is one helluva fighter, plus he has the advantage of Longclaw. Come to think of it, I can't really recall seeing Ramsay fight. Am I just having a huge pbrain-fart?

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 Yeah, I think your mind has erased Yara's rescue scene (mercifully perhaps). Ramsay can handle himself. 

 

And yeah, I assume it's alright to discuss the preview, it's in the thread right?

-- Edited by Cosca on Wednesday 15th of June 2016 04:48:03 PM

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 Ah, yes, I had forgotten about that scene.  I'll have to rewatch it, because in thinking back on it, I don't recall seeing Ramsay doing much fighting.  I remember him having lots of blood on him, and I remember him releasing the dogs, but not much else.

Edit:  Having rewatched the scene, yes, we do see Ramsay fight a little.  What I had remembered most about that scene was how phenomenal I thought Alfie was.

I'm still wondering if this episode will be all Snowbowl, or if it will cut back and forth between Snowbowl and the battle in Meereen. As one who isn't a big fan of battles, not that I hate them, or anything, but an hour of nothing but a battle is a bit much for me, I'm hoping we'll have some smaller, quieter scenes. We have a conversation between Jon and Mel, it appears, and Davos finding Shireen's pyre. I'm hoping, whatever his ultimate fate, we get some dialogue with Rickon, and hopefully, we'll get some northern family switiching sides to the Starks.

Question: I'd like to mention some info. from filming/casting, but it says no book spoilers. Of course, this isn't from the books, but I'm erring on the side of caution and not even putting it under spoiler code. So, where would I put it? Book to screen adaptation doesn't really apply, since it isn't adapted from the books.

Alright, both of the battles this episode were insanely good. Battle of Winterfell had my heart racing. It was thrilling and awful and everything you could want from a battle. The Dany stuff was beautiful looking, and I liked the scene with the Greyjoys.

That said, I have a major complaint: Why the fuck didn't Sansa just tell him about the Army of the Vale? It would be the perfect way to stop Jon going into battle! She could have saved hundreds of lives. I really hope they address this next episode, in a major way.

Did Karstark die by the way? I lost track.

Best battle episode to date.
Meereen was a spectacle. Dragons gone wild, CGI budget through the roof. Didn't like the out of nowhere appearance of the Greyjoys in Meereen but the scene itself was good.
Winterfell was fantastic. Odd that Ghost was a no-show, but that's much better than dead which is what I expected. Jon being stomped was just hard to watch. I feel like one of Tormund and Davos should have died to stay true to the Thrones way but I'm glad they didn't.

Finally the good guys win. It's a pitty Rickon didn't have a single scene longer than twenty seconds or a single line. They really should have given both him and Osha more scenes to make their deaths impactful. As is they became plot devices. But that's a complaint about the season as a whole.

This episode was fantastic. Ramsay's death was great. Good riddance.

YvyB wrote:

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And it was still too small 😂😂

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 Yeah, I agree with that.