GAME OF THRONES S08E02 CHITCHAT THREAD

4/21/19 | George R.R. Martin_Fierro

[martin_fierro]

Hard to see how Clegane Bowl happens at this point, but whatevs.

[martin_fierro]

[martin_fierro]

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[Nateman]

I've come across some interesting theories about the Night King. Anybody have any guesses on the history of this villain?

[butlerweave]

I saw 1 episode the one where Sean Bean was killed

[JPJones]

The first thing that popped into my head was that HBO would try to connect him to Donald Trump.

[Nateman]

Maybe some orange haired king making a deal with some evil force?

[martin_fierro]

My completely speculative opinion is that things go so badly for The Living in the coming war that Bran has to time-travel back, become the Night King, and hobble The Deads’ effectiveness. < /guess >

[martin_fierro]

You should continue watching, because nobody gets killed after that.

[Pete Dovgan]

Pure speculation, but I suspect he is a relative of Bran. Bran is the oldest living male Stark now, rightful heir to Winterfell. The night king was/is house stark, probably related to Bran the builder, the first men, and potentially the first leader of the Knights Watch. Bran, as the three eyed raven, can see through time. So can the Knight king(knight not night), so they may be relatives or the same person.

[BlueStateRightist]

The pervasive online theory is that Bram is the Night King. Somehow.

I can’t help but wonder how the leftist producers will insert an anti-Trump message into an episode this season. It WILL happen, as leftists in Hollywood have to earn their bona fides.

[Hatteras]

Definitely thinking the Night King is a Stark. Bran's Uncle Brandon, perhaps? But first, I do want to see what becomes of the little stare-down between Bran and Jaime Lannister

[ChinaGotTheGoodsOnClinton]

Didn’t Jamie cause Bran’s injury? That was what I thought.

[sphinx]

I gather that the Battle of Winterfell is slotted for episode 3. I hope for some creative plot development in episode 2, because at the moment Jon Snow -- who is again proving that he has no business commanding an army -- has placed everyone in a trap for a needless battle that they will certainly lose, and badly. This may be nothing more than an arbitrary simplifying device to kill off most of the characters we care about, since that is what GRRM likes to do. Now, I don't object at all to killing main characters if it serves to advance the story. But given all the time and effort devoted to character development over a good many years now, it would be a shame to see our favorites slaughtered simply because Jon Snow is an idiot. It was terrible the way the showrunners threw away Benjen Stark -- the magical doppelganger of the Night King himself -- in a pointless rescue scene that should never have happened. It would be even worse to do this to a wagon load of main characters in a battle that shouldn't be fought to begin with.

The Night King has a dragon. Dany has two dragons and now, in Jon, a second dragon rider. With all due respect to the Dothraki and Unsullied and Westerosi knights and the Night's Watch … well, they're irrelevant at this point. And Bran is a greenseer and warg with an unexplained connection to the Night King. That matters as well. As long as the Night King has a dragon, the ONLY reason to place the army of the living in harm's way would be if the show plausibly explains why this is necessary to bring the Night King on his dragon to battle against Dany, Jon and their two dragons. And that would be a real stretch.

So, unless episode 2 shifts to a different path, Jon is about to throw away most of his army for no reason other than that the showrunners are drunk on battle scenes. We will then be left with a shattered remnant of the living, with Jon and a couple of others as fugitives. The endgame will then become an Alfred the Great in the swamps story, with the survivors hiding out until they stumble on the piece of magic that was the solution all along.

The only plot-worthy justification for the mass slaughter that seems to be in store in episode 3 would be to establish the psychological premise for breaking Dany's pride, and perhaps her sanity, in order to prepare Jon and Dany to play Azor Ahai and Nissa Nissa. I can think of more credible ways to bring them to absolute despair, but these would not involve the big battle scene the showrunners, and maybe GRRM, want to stage. The AA-NN business would occur in the last episode, after the White Walkers have reached King's Landing and Cersei, Qyburn and Gregor Clegane have been settled. But that said, the right way for Jon to fight this war, at this moment, would be to withdraw and keep his army intact while he and Dany go dragon hunting with whatever assistance Bran can offer. If they can kill the Night King's dragon, or if Bran can control it by warging, they can then torch the army of the dead. But military logic apparently is not much in demand.

[Nateman]

The problem with Bran doing anything with the Knight King is that this icy fellow knows when he is being watched. Remember that episode where he actually touched Bran?

[dragonblustar]

I remember that too.

[BeauBo]

The Night King is a Stark, and is periodically replaced by another Stark in an ancient agreement - the Prince who was promised, from the family of the Kings of Winter. Night King is coming for Bran, his replacement, who has the necessary warging qualifications.

Times have changed though, and modern surveillance techniques result in him getting busted while stalking his prey.

[Nateman]

Jon Snow is a Stark and a Targaryen. I figure the two at least get into combat with each other. Jon , already being ‘undead’ means the night King has no power over his dead body.

[Ceebass]

But military logic apparently is not much in demand....

Military logic is this series, died with Ramsey Bolton, as detestable as he was.

[BenLurkin]

“All blonde characters are evil,
and the brunettes are good people.
The one blond character that you like,
is actually a brunette in real life.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nopc6wY35J0