In less than four weeks, the final season of Game of Thrones will be within our grasp (I can’t believe it myself, but I assure you that it’s true; I wouldn’t joke about such matters.) And you know what that means? Now the fun begins. At least, it does for the geekiest of us who […]
Continue reading →I’ve seen it. You’ve seen it. Everyone’s seen it. Then we’ve all seen it again and again. Now it’s the time for the hype about the final season trailer to calm down and leave room for rampant speculation! So let’s dig deep into it frame by frame, shall we? But beware: this will be informed […]
Continue reading →In every season of Game of Thrones, there are important events that set the tone. Ned’s beheading. The Red Wedding. Anytime Daenerys says “dracarys.” These are dramatic moments that often redefine the political landscape of the show. Occasionally, there are moments that are not so revered. Jaime and Bronn fighting the Sand Snakes. Daenerys yelling […]
Continue reading →Ah, Valentine’s Day, a day celebrating love new and old. Flowers, candies, special dinners, declarations and tokens of love the world over. But a tradition steeped in the shadows of the past, no one quite sure what it actually is or what it used to mean. Only reacting to vague cultural recollections passed down from […]
Continue reading →From his first appearance on Game of Thrones (chastising Jaime while skinning a stag) Tywin Lannister was preoccupied with legacy, bringing up the topic every so often – usually whenever any of his children displeased him. Tywin’s mission statement for his children was to ensure that when he and his children and his children’s children […]
Continue reading →Cersei: Highgarden has bought us the most powerful army in Essos: the Golden Company. Twenty-thousand men, horses – elephants, I believe. At the end of the seventh season of Game of Thrones, Cersei Lannister confided in her brother Jaime that she planned to reinforce their position in the south with sellswords from across the Narrow […]
Continue reading →“So power is a mummer’s trick?” “A shadow on the wall,” Varys murmured, “yet shadows can kill. And ofttimes a very small man can cast a very large shadow.” Tyrion smiled. “Lord Varys, I am growing strangely fond of you. I may kill you yet, but I think I’d feel sad about it.” — A Clash of […]
Continue reading →The days are getting shorter and shorter (at least they are here in the northern hemisphere), leading us to the Winter Solstice and the longest night of the year. It’ll be a Long Night. Possibly because of the extra-long darkness, December has multiple traditions that celebrate with light. Maybe lighting candles is one’s thing, maybe […]
Continue reading →Within the Game of Thrones fandom, the term “plot armor” has popped up a time or two in discussions surrounding some of the less positively received action sequences of recent seasons. But is plot armor really the problem? In this video essay I take a look at scenes from Game of Thrones as well as Black Sails and Hemlock Grove to try to […]
Continue reading →Greetings fellow Watchers! This past Monday, I was lucky enough to head down to Jersey City and attend the Fire & Blood release event with George R. R. Martin at the restored Lowe’s theater put on by WORD bookstores. I live-tweeted the event on the Watchers on the Wall Twitter at the time, but for […]
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