Well, well, well. It’s in-season Looking Forward time which means that a new episode of everyone’s favorite family drama is but a few short hours away.
But before we commence with the pleasantries, we must do what all houses do prior to becoming a home. Most good houses demand structure, and all new homes require a proper housewarming…
Although WotW has been on the map establishing itself now for the better part of eight months, this will of course be our first run during the in-season. And over the past eight months, the staff at WotW has been busy making sure that our new home at the Wall is ready for company.
And now the time has come. The only other instance in which people wait this hastily during a nine-month period may be when they are expecting child.
The inevitable yet seemingly impossible wait for the premiere is essentially over. And through the work and consistency of this group and the loyalty of this community, here we are. The collective “we” have built something to be proud of. And it is primarily due to good people like you who have chosen to visit this prestigious plot of internet property.
The result is somewhat unintentionally appropriate…
If you consider where Season 5 is most likely taking us, the correlation between the two is fitting. One of this season’s themes seems to be depictions of old names in new locations, much like the contributors and the community here.
Stannis at the Wall; Jaime in Dorne; Arya in Braavos; Tyrion and Varys somewhere in Essos; you get the point.
And here we are, continuing a tradition with a community that could have easily been disbanded and lost in the tumultuous mountains of corporate obsession that attempt to capitalize on the creations of others.
Yet, we have endured.
And while I will never fault a man on a quest for fortune (so long as it not based on someone else’s ideas or plagiarism or outright infringement), I wholeheartedly believe this to be true: if you do things for the right reasons, and you are truly guided by things that you undeniably hold a passion for, then good fortune and prosperity will find you.
It may not always be in the semblance of money, but rewards in the game of life come in many forms. After all, he who dies with the most money still dies.
So let’s get to it. The Wall is cold, and this house needs a warming.
Communities breed traditions regardless of location. And if you are new to our realm, then welcome to our humble abode. Wipe your feet at the door and put your covered dish on the table. Grab a cocktail (so long as it is not a tiny Tyrion-tini) and indulge. This Wall was built for you, and all Sers and Ladies are welcome (so long as disrespect and confrontational dispositions are checked at the door).
Tentative WotW Schedule
Sundays are Game days, which means an open chat post regarding the night’s upcoming episode (today’s will be up shortly).
Sunday night/Monday morning brings the Sullied Episode recap from our own Lord Commander, your EiC Buckeye Sue (Buckeye is an inside joke that she will likely edit out of this post).
Monday morning will also bring the Unsullied recaps by yours truly. My knowledge comes from the show alone, so take it for what it’s worth.
*Editorial Note: If you are a new recruit for the Watch, our lingo may be somewhat perplexing. Basically, Sullied = book readers; Unsullied = non-book readers. And that is just the tip of the ice on the Wall. And the Wall is large. I highly recommend taking a minute to venture to our version of the Castle Black library on the Lexicon page. Our own Dame herself put it together and it has proven to be quite a useful tool in site navigation and comprehension.
Monday afternoon will bring the review round-up, a comprehensive collection of reviews from around the World Wide Web of Westeros brought to you by the incomparable Bex.
Tuesdays mean viewing numbers assuming the numbers are available, and Marko excels with Excel and attractive charts and comparisons.
Tuesday Night/ Wednesday morning will mark the return of the infamous Twitter recaps, brought to you by the most dangerous man with a laptop… the loose cannon, axe-wielding Wilding and converted Crow, Axechucker. A man has been informed that Axe is aiming to up the game this season, although it is unclear as to what these plans entail.
Thursday is analysis day, brought to you by the quite intelligible Marc Kleinhenz. The analysis post always proves to be one of the best retrospective looks at the past week’s episode and tends to stimulate complex discussion among fellow Crows.
On Friday, we begin preparations for the next episode with a preview and synopsis post either by Bex or one of our other trusted henchmen.
Friday Night/Saturday morning means in-season Looking Forward for the next episode, where again, yours truly types up some insignificant rants along with what the army of Unsullied may be interested in seeing in the next installment.
Saturday may also mean installments of Wall Nuts, an assortment of comical Game of Thrones pieces collected again by the Marko that Roareth.
And if that wasn’t enough…
Zack and the GOO crew will return with at least one if not two installments of THE Game of Thrones podcast, Game of Owns.
Conditions at the Wall are forever changeable, and so in between all of the regularly scheduled programming, there will be interviews and videos and special features and reviews sprinkled in. Our oath to you is that WotW will be your most comprehensive source of news, commentary and analysis available.
Our trusted Ser Spiffy (a.k.a. Cian, pronounced “keen” but unaware of the band “Keane”) will be covering breaking news and notes. And to ensure that we hold the tunnel, we’ve recently added two more contributors to the fold. Help us welcome Geoffery and Nathan, two experienced contributors with a vast knowledge of ASOIAF that will serve to make this Wall even stronger.
On top of that…
Don’t forget our Tumblr page run by Blaqfyre, Bex, and our newest addition Jess. I admittedly don’t know shit about Tumblr, but these fine ladies do an excellent job updating it.
Our consistently updated Facebook page is here. And many of the contributors are on twitter, as well as the site twitter page here.
We are all stewards and will serve as moderators as to protect the Unsullied. Another important note: The Wall is safe for non-book readers, so invite a show watcher today and sponsor an Unsullied.
Find us. Follow us. Like us. Hate us. Or whatever your heart may desire. But understand that our goal here was to build a Wall that you would be proud of.
Many of those who once knew us at the old apartment may still be unaware of our new address. Help us let them know we are here.
The day has come. The time is now. Rally the troops. Ready the scythe.
And say the words, damn ya:
“Night gathers, and now my watch begins. It shall not end until my death. I shall take no wife, hold no lands, father no children. I shall wear no crowns and win no glory. I shall live and die at my post. I am the sword in the darkness. I am the watcher on the walls. I am the fire that burns against the cold, the light that brings the dawn, the horn that wakes the sleepers, the shield that guards the realms of men. I pledge my life and honor to the Night’s Watch, for this night and all the nights to come.”
We may stumble along the way. And there may be technical issues here and there as well. But you can bet your sweet ass that someone will be in the background saying this:
“I said nock and hold, you cunts! Does ‘nock’ mean ‘draw? Does fucking ‘hold’ mean fucking ‘drop? Are you all planning to die here tonight? That’s very good to hear!”
Tonight… we fight! And in the morning I promise you that WotW will stand. Are you ready? With me now! Now with me!! Season 5 starts now. Bring me the breastplate stretcher!
And may there always be peace in your realm…
–Oz
“Unbowed. Unbent. Unsullied”
Follow Oz of Thrones on twitter.
REMINDER: Please be mindful of the Unsullied and refrain from any spoilery in the comments!!
Night gathers, and so our watch begins
For anyone who hasn’t bothered to read to the bottom of Oz’s post:
DO NOT POST ANY SPOILER DISCUSSION IN HIS POSTS.
At all.
No leaked episode discussion, no links, nothing. These are 100% Unsullied posts.
My favorite time of year is here! Hooray!
I got really depressed, really sad, when the old site got wrecked in Season 4. Drink videos?! Idiot D-list actors prioritized over the actual writing staff?
Now the wiki has blacklisted that other site for being so desperate for “writers” that they were *copying Game of Thrones Wiki verbatim*.
Now you guys are our news source (along with Westeros.org’s less frequent but more in-depth books-to-TV scrutiny).
I’m redesigning the wiki front page, you guys should be in our “recent news” listings all the time now…
I’m even more excited now that I’ve read this, oh my gods…
Oil on the ramp!!
I was stunned that on that other site….they were putting out open requests for Unsullied recappers….as recently as LAST WEEK.
This does not instill confidence that they are remotely prepared.
Love WotW! So excited for today!
Was tight but I managed to get my full rewatch of all 4 seasons done! Seeing as I won’t be seeing it until I get in from work tomorrow night ( GMT!) then I shall see you all on the other side!
Haha ‘Oil on the ramp’ is actually the inside joke between me and my dad when watching Thrones….
I’m so happy to be here on this site and you guys can be so proud of yourselves. <3
Can't wait for tonight… well the emphasis lies on night actually…
Can’t wait for the fun to begin, especially the Twitter recaps! Thanks for all of your hard work!!
Oz kinda buried the lede there, but we have three new staff members- Geoffery and Nathan helping out with the news and regular reporting, and Jess is joining our Tumblr team mainly. We’ll be adding more people to our Tumblr, I just haven’t had time to focus on that yet what with surgery and exams and being on my ass on Percocet and all.
So everyone welcome the newbies. They’re cool fun people, and I want to thank everyone who applied too. This community has a surplus of talent, really so I always feel bad that we can’t take everyone on because there’s a lot of smart GoT fans with a lot of to say.
loving watchers on the wall Love being British apart from this day every year. See you all tomorrow at 10.05 gmt
loving watchers on the wall Love being British apart from this day every year. See you all tomorrow night
The long night finally ends in a few more hours. It’s the best day of the year!
I’m staying moles town bastard I’m a retard I thought someone else had ironborn scum as it was saying duplicate post lol please let me off its my first post on here
Welcome to the new contributors!
I might have to stay in the unsullied threads for a few weeks because I don’t want spoilers from the leaked episodes. We’ll see if I’m brave enough to risk the other threads!
I’m watching season 4 and getting ready for the premiere. Here’s hoping HBO Go works and I don’t have trouble getting into my friend’s account.
Looking forward to my 3 favorite reads of the week, sunday “before the battle” expectations, Oz’s unsullied post and the twitter recap.
Aren’t there any .srt files with the twitter reactions ?
Sue the Fury,
Sue, Oz, everyone, I appreciate your efforts to keep this site safe for those you choose to remain unspoiled. I know it is a gargantuan task. Much thanks.
Now me, I prepping my chickens to be roasted and thinking maybe lemoncakes(bars) for dessert. I am trying to stay busy to make the day pass, but shit, I did all the laundry already, and can’t clean because the painters are coming soon. Maybe I’ll go cut the grass.
My 17 y/o son been threatened with death if looks up the leaked stuff and spills it. He loves to torment me so.
Enjoy the show everyone!
Runtime on “The Gift” went up to 59 minutes and episode 508 went up to 60.
Weirwood,
Just make sure you log on early to avoid the 8:45 rush.
The Family Name,
This makes me sad. And I wouldn’t be surprised if the screener availability is limited next year, especially if they can’t figure out who leaked…
But I’m happy to say that after a moment of hesitation, I decided not to go looking for those episodes. I said I would happily pay for HBO’s content if I didn’t need cable to get access to it, and now that I have the chance to do so I’d feel cheap returning to piracy.
Also, after 9 months of waiting, I don’t really feel like binging the first four hours in lower-than-usual quality (I read that the leaks are not 1080p) and then waiting another month for the fifth episode.
Oh, yeah, thank you WotW staff! You all do great!
Is it appropriate to mention that Jaime will be in Dorne in an Unsullied post about season 5?
So glad that HBO Nordic joined up for the simulcast, even though my beauty sleep will suffer.
The Family Name,
Delete that shit. Now.
Johan Sporre,
Just thought it was pretty obvious judging from the trailers. But hell, I’ve been wrong before.
This. I want to savor it week by week, not binge now and starve for another month!
You all are doing such a great job. When you started this site, I squeeed in joy, and it just keeps getting better.
Thank you for making a warm place at the Wall for all of us to gather and eat and drink and sit (bring out THE COMFY CHAIR) and talk and RANT and be with our fellow watchers.
Cheers!
Johan Sporre,
It’s in the trailers. You’re not actually trying to clock Oz for spoiling in an Unsullied post?
I’ll join the others on two points. Its been a long nine months but nothing will be as long as the next 11 + hours (Pacific time zone so I must wait 3 hours more) and I’m really pleased at the prospect of sharing the next ten episodes with everyone watching from the Wall. So now our watch begins.
I wish it was wine but I’ll take the water . . . and the mercy.
Chris,
It makes me sad too. I proudly pay for HBO Now, and will continue to do so (it’s worth it!), but I’m not excited having to dodge the torrent (pun intended) of spoilers for four weeks. Let’s be honest, even those of us that pay for HBO (or the equivalent foreign broadcaster) know lots of people that watch it via piracy… how are we (the legal watches) supposed to avoid literal water-cooler talk Monday morning of stuff we won’t see for weeks?
Darkstar,
Delete what? A link to one of the million news articles about it? I didn’t link to a torrent or site that provides them. Don’t be such a jerk; WotW is supposed to be a friendly site, right?
Thanks so much WotW for keeping the flame burning and rising again harder and stronger and all that good stuff!
So excited! And for the first time can watch at the same time with the US!
“Night gathers, and now my watch begins. It shall not end until my death. I shall take no wife, hold no lands, father no children. I shall wear no crowns and win no glory. I shall live and die at my post. I am the sword in the darkness. I am the watcher on the walls. I am the fire that burns against the cold, the light that brings the dawn, the horn that wakes the sleepers, the shield that guards the realms of men. I pledge my life and honor to the Night’s Watch, for this night and all the nights to come.”
I’m trying to 🙂
If you haven’t watched behind the scenes footage for this season (so you’d recognize characters, weapons, architecture) there’s nothing really in the trailers that points to Jaime being in Dorne rather than some other new place (could just as well be Essos). Someone who’s tried to be Unsullied and hasn’t been soaking up knowledge would be spoiled I think.
Your post I referred to has thankfully been deleted. Sue clearly asked for “No leaked episode discussion, no links, nothing”. The subject has been discussed elsewhere and does not need to brought up here. WotW is very friendly until someone can’t contain themselves.
Niice!! You guys rock, have a good one!
Oz posts are a safe zone, 100% Unsullied. No spoiler content, no leaked episode, no nothing. Fans here can discuss what was in the trailers or teasers, that sort of common knowledge, but please leave everything else out of these posts entirely.
People avoiding leaked episodes I think will appreciate the safe zone. I understand that some will watched the leaked episodes- please do not post in these Oz/Unsullied threads if you are doing so. We will have other posts where the discussion can be more open for you. It’s the best solution I can think of to this predicament.
Darkstar,
Yes, “thankfully” the best Game of Thrones website isn’t covering the biggest Gane of Thrones story. Those lesser websites like Entertainment Weekly, Variety, and The Guardian can do that.
At least you picked an appropriate user name.
… and the festivities shall be open !!! Look, the pigeon pie !
The Family Name,
Oh, ouch. Grow up.
Let’s just cut past the arguing and get back to the part where the show we love is returning officially tonight. 🙂
Thanks WotW for this solution. I’m going to stick to Unsullied threads from now on to avoid spoilers, until episode 4 airs. I’m not unsullied but I really don’t want to be spoiled just a few days before the episodes air. I’m watching them in HD every Monday morning thanks to HBONordic, and after that I’d love to come here and talk about what we’ve just watched without anyone suddenly forgetting how the spoiler tags work.
Keep the great job, WotW!
How do we categorize spoilers now? I have always felt free to read sullied posts because I have read the books, but I don’t want to know anything about the leaked episodes. This site is about the show but I’m sure other sites will have to cater to those who have stopped watching until the books come out, which I am not going to do. It’s not so black and white with sullied / unsullied, show watcher / book reader anymore.
What do we call ourselves, book reader but no leaker, book waiter, show watcher but still don’t tell me about the things that happened in book 3 and might or might not happen on the show? There are endless possible permutations.
Good luck with the season guys, and a warm welcome to the new writers.
Very exciting times; this season really promises to be the best yet,
Maester_Blaster,
Leakage free book reader?
Seven Hells!
Why the leak? Just why? I really hope that doesn’t affect the quality of production for the next season. Damn! and I was really looking forward to seeing how HBO Now fares because finally, we can be rid of those cable company assholes. Does anyone know how badly this can affect future Game of Thrones production if they don’t make at least half the money they were expecting?
So glad that all of you decided to create this site after the unfortunate decline of the other place. Prepping my stuffed turkey breast and lemon cookies and chilling my 3-Eyed Raven to hoist a glass in your honor before the festivities begin. Cheers! Looking forward to the features on here as much as the show itself.
I will do my best to avoid spoilerage, but there is NO WAY I’m going to stay out of threads discussing the episodes as they air. I enjoy them too much, so I’m BEGGING all who are reading this: PLEASE do not spoil anyone here by adding any ill-gotten information to those discussions. You are free to spoil yourself, but try not to spoil it for others. If you feel you must (which you shouldn’t) clearly mark the information as a double spoiler at the very least. PLEASE. Thank you for your consideration. [end PSA]
Cheers, fellow, Wallies! It’s finally here!
I’m thankful they did because that’s exactly what made me find this site since I was shocked that they looked for an other unsullied recapper (“Wait, what about Oz then?”).
Ashara D,
You have my word. Although I cannot restrain myself, to be honest, from watching the leaked episodes, I promise I will not be a troll (not that I contribute much anyway).
So, so, so excited!
A huge thanks to all at WotW for giving us all such a great place. As someone who was part of a large message board community which was unceremoniously scattered to the 4 winds when the message board was shut down without warning (fuck cBS), it’s even more meaningful to me to see what y’all have done here. Thank you, again.
For anyone in the US who is not in the eastern time zone, but has HBO, don’t forget about HBO-east. I’m on the west coast, but will get to watch the premiere at 6pm because of being able to watch it on HBO east (which will air the episode at 9pm eastern).
Oh, and while I don’t have a recipe for lemon cakes, I did make lemon bars. I wish I could share them with everyone! 🙂
Right on!!! I am psyched! 😀
Thank you for all you do here, and welcome new staff!
I’m newish here (showed up around the time you got the new digs in the summer) so after an entire off-season visiting and seeing what a stellar website this is, I’m psyched to see it in game-time-mode! Season 5 is going to be a blast! 🙂
::silent prayers to the old gods, the new gods, the lord of light, etc etc for Jaime living through Season 5::
Darkstar,
I’m interested whether after this season people can actually post spoilers from the books? I mean the show will have gone past them or changed things so all they can spoil really is what happens in the books. If folks haven’t read them by now then I doubt they will.
Welcome to the new reporters!
I live for Axechucker‘s Twitter recap posts, can’t wait for those.
Sue the Fury, I hope you’re feeling better. Thanks for all your work here on the site.
Thanks for the warm welcome everyone 🙂
The Dragon Demands,
Dragon, this may be cold comfort (and sorry if I’m telling you something you already know), but plagiarism on the internet seems to be widespread; that doesn’t make it right of course. I know of a couple of sites I visit periodically (one is the “History Behind Game of Thrones” site and the other is one about finding work that can be done from home) where the copying of content has been disabled on the sites. Could you disable copying on this site; I am not sufficiently au fait with the internet to know how that is done but there must be someone who does…..
I’m excited enough I’m having a tough time focusing, heeheehee.
I forgot to welcome the newest contributors.
Welcome to the Wall Geoffrey, Nathan, and Jess!!!
Also, welcome to those from the “old apartment” who have found the new place. Spread the word!
The seed is strong with ‘Watchers on the Wall’. Thanks go to Oz for demonstrating it.
Be as strong and don’t succumb to leaked episodes! You’re worth more than leaked episodes! The show is worth more than being seen leaked! YOU are the Watchers on the Wall, persevere!
Spaniard SheBear,
I feel the same way. Im also going to hang out here so I don’t get spoiled (which is funny because for 4 years I didn’t care one iota about it!) tho it will be hard to avoid on other social media, I suspect esp since I plan on reading the posts about the most recent televised show and hope Sue and company can keep the spoilers out (btw, feel better!) Its been a long 8 months, and in that time Ive enjoyed reading everything the good folk here have found to keep my interest in the series and keep my curiousity at full tilt. Im not going to just blow it now. Only a few more hours for heavens sakes. Time to finish chores, get some stuff done for work tomorrow and make popcorn. Then I’ll sit back and watch the fun begin for the next 10 weeks!!
At long last, the wait is over! My favorite (and, in my opinion, the best) show on TV returns tonight. Bliss.
A warm welcome to the new contributors – Geoffrey, Nathan, and Jess! It’s always exciting to add new voices to the conversation.
Holy Moses, you guys have more staff than the actual Night’s Watch at the moment, keep it up you pack of legends.
The Family Name,
I have more respect for WotW than Entertainment Weekly.
Who remotely cares? Are a investor or stock-holder in this site that lives or dies by how well “that other site” (WINTER IS COMING) does? If not, why is it so important for you to discuss it here? Geez, let it go already…
Lars,
Sorry, but given most of the people on this site came from the old site (yes, it’s called winteriscoming) it’s inevitable it will get mentioned from time to time. I’m not sure why you feel the need to be so defensive about it, but whatever.
Bring on season 5 and all WotW content! So glad to have found your new home guys. I can’t wait for my favourite instalments, Oz’s recap and the Twitter recap. My bow is knocked and ready to loose on command! Let’s warm this house!
Linno,
Welcome!
Under an hour to go…
Wooooooooooo-hooooooooooooo!!!
Defensive? No, I have no stake in this site fan insecurity contest. I read whatever site has interesting content. (which this site does, and WiC does as well on occasion) I’m just amused by some site fans/visitors being so glad to be off WiC yet they can’t seem to move on themselves. The site owners here seems to have moved on, too bad many readers have not.
I am tempted to respond with a URL every time someone talks bout “that other site” or “the site that must not be named”. It would be amusing, but I won’t.
Since the post to which I was responding was deleted, I deleted mine, as well.
Everyone enjoy episode 1!!! 🙂
Oops…I guess it wasn’t deleted. My excitement must be toying with my vision.
OMFG 2 MINUTES!!!
Somehow the flayed man in Winterfell is worse than smoking Winterfell.
Ahhhhhh I came here to check in, and give praise and thanks for this unspoiled zone…….. and then I read your post. :/ Drrr. Crushing! Out west we’re not yet watching…
No ill will towards you, but even that minor spoiler stings a bit…. gotta avoid the net awhile
Regardless, get STOKED! And now our watch begins… Fire em up!
Oh, crap, sorry. And I came here to avoid the people who watched the leaked footage. Thought this was the right thread for live commenting.
Sister Kisser,
I’m out west, and I just watched it.
All I’ll say is I thoroughly enjoyed it!!!
Blind Beth,
The way I understand it, the other thread is for live chatting, but anything from unreleased episodes (so 2,3, and 4, now) must be spoiler tagged.
Yes! That was soooo worth waiting for!
Lars,
Hahaha…it sure seems like you’re fretting about what people call the other site. Ooooo…I referred to it as “the other site.”
You keep fretting, and I’ll go enjoy discussing the new episode.
Have a great night.
The episode has aired- can I suggest that people who have watched it please move on over to the new posts I’ve published? We have the new Oz safe-zone post, and the new Book Reader’s recap post. Thanks!
Nymeria Warrior Queen,
Besides, no one is stopping people posting links to the other site here. I’m contrast, there is a ban for this site over there. Make of that what you will.
I believe people will go where the community is. That is us and westeros. org (albeit, they have a higher proportion of book readers, and the book purists). No one can deny that, because it us backed up with stats. I’m happy to read every great GoT article, but I also like discussion too. This site has both.
Blind Beth,
No worries! I should’ve avoided anything till the watch……. and to be honest, I had no clue what the hell was going on. I just don’t want to be spoiled by anything having to do with the leaked stuff…
WOW. STOKED!!!!
* drums fingers impatiently waiting for 9 pm tonight *
Oz. Very glad I found you and WotW should feel grateful to have found you. Your posts are fun and witty and keep one coming back for more. The posters who comment to your “Unsullied” read are just as clever and that is what makes a site fun to come to.
I am Sullied, but enjoyed your thoughts the most over at the other website. You can credit a poster there who turned me in this direction.
I don’t know your name, but I bow down to you. Thanks.
Cheers and here is to a great season. Welcome to all those like me who are noobies to this site and to those who are veterans. Also to the newest contributors Geoffrey, Nathan, and Jess!
Sue, I am hoping that you are recovering and remember, they make those pain pills for a reason!! *goes out of mom mode*
*bows out*
I agree. I had not visited the other site since the end of last season, once Oz stopped his recaps and Looking Forward pieces. After the first episode Sunday, I only went there to see his recap again and was very upset that his name was not on the “Unsullied Re-Cap.” A quick Google search for Oz of Thrones (which came up very quickly, so I wasn’t the only one!) led me here. What a relief to find the old familiar format and the quality writing again. So glad I found you again, Oz, and that Watchers on the Wall is here. Now my watch begins too!
The Dragon Demands,