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It’s the last day of 2016, and good riddance to you, ya great big bastard of a year! Even George R.R. Martin is completely done with 2016, and we know how much he loves random slaughter.
We thought it would be fun to look back at the year that was for Watchers on the Wall, sharing with our readers 2016’s most popular posts, based on views. So without further ado, let’s get to it: your favorite posts of 2016!
Surprising probably no one, the most popular posts are the ones presenting lots of new Game of Thrones photos. In fact, seven of the top ten biggest posts this year were our weekly articles containing official pics from the new season six episodes. That makes sense because, in addition to fans being excited to check out the latest photos, our readers always have a lot to say about them.
Top Ten Most Viewed Posts of the Year
1. New photos from Game of Thrones Season 6, Episode 9 “Battle of The Bastards”
The Battle of the Bastards winning something- big shocker, right?
2. New photos from Game of Thrones Season 6, Episode 7 “The Broken Man”
The return of the Blackfish, Ian McShane’s appearance, and the anticipated return of the Hound had fans excited this week.
3. New photos from Game of Thrones Season 6, Episode 6 “Blood of My Blood”
For episode 6, readers were stoked about Jaime Lannister and the Tyrells marching on the sept, and speculating about Arya Stark’s next move with the theater troupe in Braavos.
4. New photos from Game of Thrones Season 6, Episode 8 “No One”
In one preview, a quick glance of an extra in a Braavos scene convinced some fans that Syrio Forel was returning in season 6. That led to some fun discussions for a week!
5. New photos from Game of Thrones Season 6, Episode 5 “The Door”
The preview photos for episode 5 teased Bran Stark’s visions but fans had no idea what was really in store for them, with the terrifying cave attack and Hodor’s devastating death. GoT did a great job at hinting something big for the episode while not spoiling the ending or ruining its emotional impact.
6. New photos from the Game of Thrones Season 6 Finale “The Winds of Winter”
There’s over a thousand comments on this season finale photo post, so I’m guessing you all were pretty psyched for “The Winds of Winter,” and rightly so.
7. Jon Snow filming with main characters in Basque Country! MAJOR SPOILERS!
Our first non-season-6 post to make the true top 10! This post is packed with massive spoilers for season 7, and photos giving us a sneak peek at what Jon Snow is up to next year. Click with caution!
8. New photos from Game of Thrones Season 6, Episode 3 “Oathbreaker”
The aftermath of Jon’s resurrection and the Tower of Joy’s rumored placement in episode 3 had fans buzzing about “Oathbreaker.” The photos officially confirmed Bran and the Three-Eyed Raven’s presence there in this episode.
9. The latest Belfast sightings, and an exclusive Game of Thrones season 7 spoiler report!
Another season 7 post! Some cast sightings from this September, and in the lower half of the post, exclusive WotW spoilers concerning Euron Greyjoy and a few other characters.
10. Game of Thrones spoiler report: Daenerys in season 7
Our exclusive Daenerys Targaryen spoilers from August take the number ten spot this year. Filming spoilers have since confirmed this report.
If we exclude the season six photo articles from our top ten, the list shakes out like this:
1. Jon Snow filming with main characters in Basque Country! MAJOR SPOILERS!
2. The latest Belfast sightings, and an exclusive Game of Thrones season 7 spoiler report!
3. Game of Thrones spoiler report: Daenerys in season 7
4. The First Shots of Game of Thrones Season 7 Have Arrived!
5. HBO releases new info about Game of Thrones episodes 606 and 607
6. Game of Thrones season 7 casting has begun!
7. Another season 3 cast member confirmed to return for Game of Thrones season 6
8. First images of a monumental meeting between major Game of Thrones characters! (A season 7 post- beware of major spoilers!)
9. HBO confirms episode 608 title, reveals synopsis
10. Game of Thrones chaos in Seville, plus major Italica spoilers! (Season 7 Spoilers!)
Comments-wise, the most popular posts are usually the photo posts and the in-season Open Chat posts. The weekly free-for-alls during new episodes of Game of Thrones rack up hundreds of comments easily, with the “The Winds of Winter” post nearing 1200 comments. So I think the lesson here is that every post is the sum of its commenters, the community that creates the discussion and energy.
Happy New Year to all you watchers on the wall, and we look forward to another year with you!
Hmm, why am I humming “Every Breath You Take” right now?
😀
Oh, and a Happy New Hodor to all….
Rhaegar?
Thanks Sue and every one at WotW for yet another amazing year of all things GoT! Your efforts are so very much appreciated by all your followers! WotW have the best followers and I love reading all the comments and discussions brought about by very post, big or small! Happy New Year to all the GoT fans and every one at WotW! Bring on 2017 and season 7!!??????
All great posts! Thank you Watchers! Happy new year everybody!
This was my first year with WotW. Thank you for making GOT even more enjoyable. Sorry for being too rude and/or too obsessive in some post: I’ll try to be more polite and open-minded next year. Anyway, happy New Year to all the fandom and looking forwards new season! The waiting is halfway over!
I have to agree with GRRM re 2016… It was ‘shite’ year in ALL respects! Not only for me personally, but the world in general. Britain opting to come out of the EU was crazy decision, not forgetting to mention Trump getting elected as the next US president. How much worse can things get 🙁
Thank god for GoT (S6 was excellent) and to this website WotW. A place where one can escape the real world crap for a few hours and make life a bit more tolerable!
Happy New Year to all on WotW and to the ‘guys and gals’ who run it. I hope 2017 will bode better for all of us.
Black Raven,
As a US citizen shuddering to think what the post-Inauguration Day future holds, I agree that we are going to need a lot of escapism in 2017 (whenever we run out of energy for the Resistance). Glad to have WotW as a place to turn when contemplating and coping with reality becomes too painful.
Much. After all, the consequences of Brexit and Trump will start in 2017. And the damage from these will last long, long beyond 2018, etc.
But, at least we (probably) will get 7 or 8 hours of great TV.
Hey! Has Hodor’s Bastard been around lately?!?!?!?
For the life of me, and the ale in me, I can’t recall who exactly coined the term “Qyburn’s Candy Corner,” but I raise my pint glass in gratitude to all the times I laughed out loud whenever it was uttered on Game of Owns.
2017 will no doubt be dark and full of terror, nay make that Cheeto-colored and absurdly combed-over, but WOW and all who post here are sure to be a haven as always, and I salute you all and wish you the happiest of new years.
Happy New Year! We can finally say Season 7 is this year!!!
For me personally, it wasn’t a bad year at all. Nothing went wrong at university (way less stressful), I spent some great time on this site with people who are actual GoT fans, not some whiners who constantly complain about the book changes. And there was S6 which was really amazing for me, even compared to other GoT seasons. “The Door”, “Battle of the Bastards”, “Light of the Seven”… these are incredible pieces of TV.
It saddens me a bit that I cannot spend more time on the site during the off-season era, but I made my decision to keep away from serious spoilers. So there is nothing I can really do about it.
As for my favorite posts, I think I would choose Memory Lane posts. These kinds of posts really kept my hype for S6 and I got inspired by them to make my own Memory Lane posts for LOST episodes in LFU, my personal favorite fansite where I spend a lot of my time, and its members really enjoy them. A really great job by all who wrote them on WotW
So, I wish you all Happy New Year 2017 and I hope this site continues to be great and full of positivity. I may not be around for much these days, but if not sooner, I will defintiely return when S7 airs to write my reviews. This site is a reason why I enjoy GoT even more.
With best regards from Lord Parramandas!
Black Raven,
Yep, 2016 was crappy. Thank goodness we had GOT and WOTW ?
Catspaw Assassin,
Cheeto-covered ???
Happy New Year everyone 😀
S7 approaches!
Lord Parramandas,
Agreed 🙂
Happy new year:)
Lord Parramandas,
Good call on the Memory Lane posts; those commemorations were some of my favorite WOTW articles of 2016 as well! They were a ton of fun to read, and occasionally to write (as I was fortunate enough to do for two episodes). Some wonderfully insightful and productive discussions happened in the comment sections of those posts; it was great opportunity for everyone to revisit old episodes as a community, with the benefit of hindsight and experience.
All in all, that series helped to make the final two months leading up to the premiere of Season 6 into a extended celebration rather than a grind. It would probably be overkill to do it all again in the lead-up to Season 7, but I think I may go back and revisit some of those articles once I start my annual rewatch.
Firannion,
Agreed! I need something to look forward to! Season 7! My sanity is in your hands.
Black Raven,
Depends on your point of view. I thought both of those were fantastic!
Jared,
I agree – The 2016 Memory Lane posts were excellent and certainly helped to pass the time until S6 finally aired. It was ages before any official trailers from HBO were released and I recall us all complaining about it 😉
Perhaps the WotW team, yourself and the others who wrote those articles could do a similar write up/recap for the Season 6 episodes? The GOT50 archive then becoming GOT60 😉
If so, it would probably be better to wait a few months or to spread it out over a longer period as S7 is still a long way off? Just a suggestion…
Well, we all have our own thoughts on these real world issues and although our points of view may differ, everyone has a right to their own opinions.
However, as British ex-pat and having worked and lived a good part of my life in Spain (now as a pensioner), Brexit has done me no favors whatsoever 🙁
As for the situation in the USA, I dread to think what will happen with Trump in as the next president. Having little or no experience in politics or diplomacy along with his ‘gung-ho’ and bombastic attitude, he would be the last person I would hope to see as the next US commander-in-chief !
As the Red Priestess says: “The night is dark and full of terrors” but that could well become with Trump in power … ‘The WORLD is dark and full of of Terrors” 🙁
I sincerely hope not, but in a few weeks time after he get sworn in we’ll all find out soon enough?
What about Vladimir Putin? Oh, wait…..
Black Raven,
That lack of experience is where the appeal comes from. He’s not a cookie cutter professional class of politican that Americans are sick of.
That SOME Americans are sick of, perhaps. Most of us preferred an experienced, measured adult in that position.
No, he’s a businessman in it for nobody buy himself: of which Americans also should be sick! Seriously, this idea that businessmen should make good political leaders is one of the dumber ones that is out there. The one silver lining to this is that 2+ years from now, it will be held against people running for political office throughout the West.
Indeed, nearly 3 million more did!
Ah, Memory Lane posts. Those were really something, weren’t they? I remember being so excited for every one of those and even more excited about the very smart and lively discussion in the comment section. Much smartness and hilarity ensued.
Timaran,
Typical liberal response. He has different ideas so he’s a child.
Wimsey,
So the professional class of politician who spend 30 years in office and walk away millionaires are less self serving? Everyone is self serving, it’s human nature. It’s a matter of who do you agree with.
Gotta love the Electoral College.
Not when it foists a nationalist on us. And some of us are not so self-serving. For myself, I very much fear for what will happen to womens’ rights: the religious whackjobs are going to have a free hand, sadly. And, of course, given Trump’s utter disdain for things he does not understand (like, say, science) a lot of other things will get ugly.
Wimsey,
Yes yes the opposing party’s candidate won so the world is ending. You know who you sound like right? The nuts on the right in 08.
Nothing wrong with loving one’s country too FYI.
Loving your country is patriotism, not nationalism. Nationalism is something very different: it’s the assertion that your country is the best, most important, etc. Remember, the nationalists hate a lot of Americans, and purport that only their version of America is really “America.” (And, yes, I do hate Nationalists: but that is because being a nationalist is a choice that I respect even less than the choice to be religious; that, and their track record historically is pretty awful.)
Oh well: perhaps we can cash in our “we freed you from Nationalists, now you owe us” cards with Germany, Italy and Japan…..
Wimsey,
America is the best.
You mean real-life Littlefinger? I agree with your list of worries, Wimsey.
Seriously, GoT and WotW has helped keep me sane the last half of 2016. I spend way too much time on GoT stuff (a lot of it on Youtube tbh) because things are crumbling around me to some extent. So thanks Sue and staff and all you posters, even the ones I often disagree with. To be sure, WotW beats hitting the bottle!
Which one? The whiskey bottle or the one with the Valium tablets 😀
At unjustified self-esteem, I do agree.
heh, yeah, Putin really is that sort. His endgame is pretty nebulous: it might be pure self-interest, it might be that he’s a Loki-esque individual, it might be nationalism. I cannot think that he’s really behind a lot of the problems on which he has capitalized, but he is great at capitalizing on them. For example, Putin did not sew the seeds leading to the refugee issues: that all stems from the US invasion of Iraq 13+ years ago. However, Putin has capitalized greatly on it, supporting the regime that causes the refugees which cause turmoil in the EU and US. And he certainly has capitalized on the anti-intellectual nature of Americans for his own profit: he gets a lot of money from Russian oil.
He’s a clever guy, but a very dangerous one for that. And now we have Cersei Lannister with a Penis for president.
“That lack of experience is where the appeal comes from. He’s not a cookie cutter professional class of politican that Americans are sick of.”
WallyFrench,
This is one of the dumber ideas that’s been floating around. You do realize that politicians have been playing this game forever right? It’s the old “I’m not your typical Washington politician, so obviously I must be a better alternative” game. That’s how much of the current Washington establishment got there in the first place. It’s politics as usual and you’re falling for it.
Great stuff throughout the year
Got to the point now where scrolling the WotW live thread goes hand in hand with actually watching the latest episode
So really goes to show just how much I enjoy engaging with the editors and fellow posters etc
Generally speaking favourite pic that must sum the whole year and season up for me is Jon Snow facing the Bolton Cavalry sword in hand in an unedited image
Favourite little shot would have to go to the chaotic battle scene in the same episode as the Cavalry clash, I anticipate many directors in War films will start copying that technique etc
Favourite scene would have to be the start of E10 through to the Sept exploding
Sapochnik the man, here’s hoping he gets all 8(?) episodes to direct in Season 8 lol
Wimsey,
I don’t really want to go into Politics here as this is one of my escape sites but it is more ISIL and Merkel causing the refugee/migration issues (Push and Pull) than Putin supporting an established secular regime
Alternative is to have Syria like Libya