In our first (and, very possibly only) filmed Dialogue, Luka and I chat about our origin stories as Game of Thrones mega-fans, share our hopes and worries for the inevitable series finale and address some of the criticisms of season 7. If you were wondering what we looked and sounded like trying to speak over coastal winds without a microphone, well … here you go!
So, how did you get involved in the Game of Thrones fandom? And which filming location do you most want to visit? Tell us below.
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Luka! Petra!
Nice to hear and see you!
Great place to do the Glass Candle Dialogue.
Nice to hear you roar! 🙂
I really liked the video. Good and fun editing. 🙂
Although I kind of disagree that the field of fire battle has no consequences. From the top of my head I can think of:
the Tarlys
a part of the Lannister army and in further consequence to that I assume
the Golden Company
But I agree that the immediate consequences were underwhelming.
Cliohna,
It had strategic consequences that may have dramatic consequences for our characters. But it had no immediate character-related, drama-related consequences. I still liked it a lot, though, much more than Petra, but she’s right about this point.
So nice to see you, Luka and Petra!
You two have such nice chemistry going on in your interaction. And what a gorgeous and meaningful backdrop for your video dialogue! :envious :
I really liked Luka’s idea of seeing an entire house as a character, whereby deaths of individuals become only setbacks for the character. And Petra quickly pointed out that we have the three main characters (=houses) uniting in the form of Dany, Tyrion and Jon.
Very nice and fun editing, especially with Stannis’s “fewer” when Petra says “less”, haha!
How did I get into this fandom? Well, I’d been hearing vague but very positive comments about GoT from some friends and also on a “serious” website/board focusing on real life politics. So when I noticed that the public broadcaster in my country was doing a binge of S3 in January 2014, I decided to give it a go even though I watch very little TV.
I was immediately hooked!
Though it was a bit difficult to figure out who are all these characters and what in the hell is going on… 😀 Remember, I had NO book or S1 or S2 knowledge during that fateful, first binge watch of S3 over a weekend!
I then went and looked at the Wikipedia episode summaries for S1 and S2 for the (for me) backstory, got the S1-S3 boxed set DVD and binge watched that and loved every moment. S4 was about to start on HBO, but I didn’t have HBO at the time so I’d have to wait till the DVD release and I just couldn’t wait so I went and got all five books and gobbled them. And reread them more slowly before S4 finally came out on DVD.
For S5 onwards, I’ve had HBO for the GoT season.
My first GOT/ASOIAF related online activity was after I’d finished my first, very hurried read of all the five books. You see, I had this really ingenious theory that Jon’s parents were actually Lyanna Stark and Prince Rhaegar Targaryen! I was somewhere along the third book, ASOS, and it just came to me. It wasn’t triggered by any of GRRM’s carefully placed little hints, but my subconscious must’ve been working on it. So after I finished all 5 books, I went online to see if others had figured it out, too, and what they thought of it. Major lol!
My first GOT/ASOIAF dedicated website/forum was that behemot run by a couple in Sweden, mostly focussed on the books and (by then) disparaging of the show. You know the place I mean. It was there that I got links, and after those were banned, vague hints to this site. After I found Watchers on the Wall, it’s been my GOT “home”.
So when did I change from an ordinary person who likes a show/series of books into a “nutter fan” (Petra’s words, not mine!) I don’t know. It’s not an on-off switch but rather a slider and depends where you place the border between just a casual fan and a committed superfan. For myself, I place my descent into “nutter fandom” at when I started regularly actively engaging with GOT/ASOIAF online fan communities (and thus became a part of the community… er… subculture, as Petra put it).
Sorry for the stupidly long post, but you did ask. It’s like asking a person in love about their love story and you’ll get reams and reams. So it’s your fault, so there! ;-P
Anyway, thank you Luka and Petra for your lovely video glass candle dialogue. You two have become friends through GOT fandom, and we’re getting to share some of it.
Oh, and the final “Is that a Greyjoy ship?” cracked me up!
Hey Petra and Luka!
I haven’t read or watched this GCD yet, but I was both pleasantly surprised and mildly disappointed to read that this will be your “first (and, very possibly only) filmed Dialogue.”
As you may recall, I have been lobbying (pestering?) you to make videos. I’m glad that you’ve filmed this one, but wonder why it’ll “very possibly” be the only one.
I should read on and watch before I comment further. (I don’t want to sound like an impatient GRRM book reader: “C’mon you two! You OWE me more videos!”)
I mean, at the very least this one will be the only one with both of us together in the same place, physically, for the forseeable future. If we ever do another video dialogue, it’ll have to be over Skype. Usually a big ocean separates us!
Maybe we can cook something up for Con of Thrones? We’ll see 😛
Ten Bears,
You do know that Luka and Petra live on different continents, separated by a not so narrow sea. The whole “glass candle” idea was that they’re not physically together but communicate through a glass candle = Skype or similar for their insightful dialogues, which are then presented to us in written and edited form.
Even the past written, edited transcripts of their dialogues conveyed a sense of good camaraderie and chemistry, bouncing ideas off each other for the benefit of us all. It’s lovely Luka and Petra got a chance to do this video glass candle for us, at “Dragonstone”, no less! (I’m not even trying to spell Castelugatxe beyond the first 3 or 4 letters.)
I’m looking forward to even more of their written conversations, even during this long night of an off-season. I like Luka’s and Petra’s observations because they’re not looking at things from a narrow character fan perspective but look at story-telling logic, while admitting they like some characters/storylines more than others. They’re also not shy to point out where the show has had some problems, they’re not sycophantic fans.
All in all, the Glass Candle Dialogues were my favourite new feature of the WotW offering for this season. Sue the Fury, take note.
Ten Bears,
Also, my dear bearie, I remembered that you’re not a book reader. Glass candles are a book thing, never mentioned in the show, so this “glass candle” talk should – wheeeooo – fly right over your head.
In the books,
Whatever, glass candles are like LOTR Palantirs, allowing long range vision/communication. Much like our modern mobile phones. Are we magical?
Thanks both, really enjoyed watching that!
Also agree that Bronn should have died at the field of fire, I can only assume he survived because he has a defined ending given to him by GRRM which the show runners are keeping him around for.
So cool to have a video edition! Thank you! Much like Petra, I read ASOIAF very late but I definitely watched the show since season 1. I read AGoT, took a pause, read ACoK, another pause, then read the last three books within a month. I enjoy fantasy and dragons (Dragonriders of Pern anyone?) but hadn’t heard about ASOIAF until the show I’m sorry to say.
As for locations I’d like to visit- I’ve already visited Dubrovnik + Lokrum which was UH-MAZING!! But would definitely like to visit Northern Ireland, Spain, or Iceland next. I see myself visiting Northern Ireland next as it is the cheapest and nearest option (I’m based in the UK).
I also understand the criticisms for season 7. While I do love GoT, D&D could have easily made this a better season by adding more episodes, and subsequently, had a more evenly-paced season.
Oh yes, I see. Thanks for the explanation. 🙂 I still like it too.
So nice seeing and hearing you. Enjoyed it very much.
Love the video and I always enjoy the written dialogues. One of the best analysis series that this site puts out!
As for stories of initiation to the fandom, I swear this is true: I’m a wolverine biologist and I started watching the show on a break during a field expedition in Mongolia, where I just wanted to sit around eating and resting after weeks in the backcountry. Despite an initial “This is so predictable” when I got the whole R+L=J thing on episode two, I kept watching because I was trying to assess whether any of the characters’ fur cloaks were wolverine or not. Then, somewhere between squinting at the screen and assessing fur characteristics, I realized the story was amazing, got the books for the plane ride home, noted that Arya had a wolverine thing going on during her sword training, and have been a huge fan ever since.
I’m still convinced that the best surprise-twist ending would be an enormous army of wolverines stampeding out of the north to eat all the zombies. Wolverines, after all, are huge fans of carrion. They would solve all of Jon and Daenerys’ problems, and not a single fan would see it coming. 🙂
I stream and record classes with YouTube Live/Google Hangouts (via Events), which I think would be easier than Skype. https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/2853700
Videos from the con would be much appreciated. I would love to see more picture and video coverage of the con this year, especially since we won’t be going. Daily summary articles would be awesome!
What’s the “website that shall not be named”? That bothered me cuz of my curiosity lol. Even a hint would be nice.
To give you a clue, I would guess the website run by the ‘Dynamic Duo’ (one of who is very obnoxious) which I believe was the first to cover the ASOIAF novels and then later GOT. I’m sure you can work from that info which one it is 😛
Petra and Luka – A great video Glass Candle Dialogue from you both. Hope there will be some more, but appreciate the problems due to you living on opposite sides of the Atlantic.
I have never read the novels and came across by chance seeing back in 2011 that Sky Atlantic (UK) were going to air a new HBO show called Game of Thrones. I saw a trailer with Peter Dinklage saying it would be ‘monumental’ (which it certainly has been) and as I’ve always enjoyed watching historical dramas decided to give it a go. After watching the first episode – I was hooked and been a fan of the series ever since.
I have to admit at first it took me a while to get into it – Who were these wildlings? – Who were the white walkers? – as the first season darted back and forth between the North (Winterfell and Castle Black), Kings Landing and to Dany over in Essos. Once I got into it, things fell in place.
Its a shame the next season will be the last, but hope that HBO will continue to keep things going with prequels (or perhaps sequels) in the future.
Black Raven,
Ahhhh thank you sir! I know exactly what you’re talking about.
I also make videos and I know that even a “simple” impromptu one is quite the work actually, so THANK YOU for the lovely video!
Right now there is this discussion about ” who will live and who will die” and I must say that I think we should look at the 3 main characters- Daenerys, Tyrion and Jon- and think about Family legacies and consequences.
Tywin Lannister first speech was about legacy; their lives did not matter, just the Family names. The Red Wedding ( and this point is even stronger in the books) sealed the destiny of House Lannister IMO.
Even if Tyrion survives, he will not father children, so House Lannister will die.
This leads me to conclude that from Jon and Dany, either they both will survive or just one of them will die. At first, I though Daenerys would die in childbirth, but I changed my mind. ASOIAF reads to me as a tale of parents dissappointing their children, either by not preparing them to life or by seeing them as non-beings.
In this sense I think both Jon and Daenerys will achieve what their parents could not, namely, Jon will defeat the Others and Daenerys will survive to see her children grow.
As for the endgame, my feeling is that “democracy” is too strong a word. Historically, one does not go from Absolutism to Democracy in just one go…Fench Revoltions took decades and have different phases and the French Monarchy just died a century after.
GRRM keeps saying he is aiming at a Lord of the Rings ending where the heroes defeat the Evil, but are forever changed and the world is not made instantly perfect. So, maybe we get to see a Constitution with representants of the main sectors of society elected. In this sense Tyrion idea of having an election or Kingsmoot might be pointing to Parlamentarism and not to actually electing the Head of State.
Democracy the way we understand can only be achieved with a higher level of edcuation, otherwise it is just another way of playing game of thrones…elections can be rigged, people told whom to vote if they cannot read etc…so, IMO it would be a bit of naive ending on GRRM, because he is not giving Westeros the tools to survive something akin to democracy.
You guys are adorable! You both make me feel like an old-timer though – I also read the books in college when I had no time (shout out to the Audiobooks!)… but it was um… 12 years ago?
I also liked the idea of the houses-as-characters motif. however in the show i think it is less clear than in the books that Tyrion is one of the main three characters after Season 7. To some extent I think this is a side-effect of him having joined Dany’s team (which is probably why GRRM kept putting that reunion off in the book version of the story).
I do hope and believe we will see a lot more dramatic action from Tyrion next season (and what we got this season was good, but it was mostly about his internal conflict between his family and doing what’s right). He really should be the Lannister that we care most about, whose actions have the most consequences… but I think that by this point it can easily be argued that either Cersei or Jaime has more going on dramatically and character-wise.
Black Raven,
Actually I think it’s another show-related website he’s talking about rather than the book focused one you’re alluding to…
talvikorppi,
“All in all, the Glass Candle Dialogues were my favourite new feature of the WotW offering for this season…”.
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✔️✔️✔️
talvikorppi,
Oh, I’ve no doubt that so many things fly over my head. Not just because I haven’t read GRRM’s books. In life in general… 😧
Silly, selfish me. I hadn’t considered the practical and geographical obstacles. Since I started reading your GCDs I had gotten so wrapped up in the rapid-fire repartee between you and Petra that in my mind I kind of pictured the two of you sitting across from one another – even though I knew you’re on different continents.
I eagerly look forward to more GCD, in whatever medium you choose. Thank you both!
I call it “Pop-Ups Are Coming.Net”
Because if you click on it, your screen gets plastered with popup ads, banners, and video commercials faster than you can X them out.
Plus, the content frequently consists of articles plagiarized verbatim from WoW, with maybe a few typos by the underling rushing to re-type and post the ripped-off text as quickly as possible – usually without attribution.
Rant over.
talvikorppi,
Ahhh! Thank you! So that explains why Luka & Petra chose the name “Glass Candle Dialogues”: because they’re communicating over long distances as if by magic candles.
I will read the books someday, after the show concludes and after it has become clear whether GRRM will ever release “The Winds of Winter.”
(I’ve read snippets of oft-cited text and famous passages like “The Broken Man” speech and Arya’s “Needle was Jon Snow’s Smile” internal monologue, along with the TWOW preview of the “Mercy” chapter, so I am looking forward to binge-reading the novels.)
Well, you could be correct – i.e. The one that goes by Ned Stark’s well known saying 😉
Can’t say I’ve noticed that much plagiarizing goes on there and often the articles are different from what is shown on WotW. There has to be some overlap of course and did see recently they acknowledged Cathair’s images from WotW of the filming going on in NI. BTW, I don’t drop into that website very often (as you say too many ads) and never posted there.
However, I would like to believe “the website which shall not be named” was the one I hinted to previously and run by the ‘dynamic duo’ ! I guess only Luka or Petra can give us a clue as to what site it was 😛
Black Raven,
Nope, I meant WOTW’s predecessor 😉
Oh yes, I survived a year on that hotbed of book snobbery and one-upsmanship. I don’t know why anyone is still there.
Petra and Luka, thank you for sharing your trip as well as your insights. You even beat the fierce Spanish vientos. Much as I’ve enjoyed reading all the Glass Candle dialogues, seeing it was even better. FWIW, I was in Girona a few years ago, and it was amazing to see it appear several times in S6. Beautiful place.
Priscila,
Welcome back. I agree Democracy is not an overnight discovery. In western civilisations it took nearly a milennia, and is still rather disfunctional in places. The fact such a basically equitable system has regulary failed in third world countries reflects that it is more strong where it undergoes long-term, organic development. I do think the seeds will be planted by the new regime, perhaps based on the election process in the Iron Islands and the Night’s Watch–all part of breaking the wheel. I like your theory about the three houses, though I think Jaime or Tyrion will father at least one child. And I see the Starks surviving either through Sansa or Arya, and the Targs through J and D’s baby Targ. At least, I hope so.
Ten Bears,
Oh now I know lol. That’s odd though cuz I like that site but as of lately I’m starting to have issues with the content.
Stark Raven’ Rad,
If Tyrion will have a babe, maybe Peter Dinklage´s own baby could make a cameo as baby Lannister!
Art imitating Life!
Thanks!
Thanks for clearing that question up Luka – So Ten Bears was correct after all as was QueenofThrones
So that answers your question 🙂
TBH, I’ve never found a problem with it, but I would say WotW has a far greater following simply based on the number of comments from posters.
Always enjoy you two talking no matter the forum.
A few thoughts:
1.) On the issue of consequences
I agree Bronn should have died. However, setting that aside I don’t really know if I agree this season didn’t have consequences. Looked at objectively, a dragon dying and the enemy getting his hands on it is potentially one of the biggest shifts in power that has happened in the entire show. It led to the wall coming down and is probably going to lead to a good part of the Red Keep if not King’s Landing going up in smoke next year.
The Field of Fire arguably had less consequences aside from shaping character motivations in the second part of the season.
2.) Houses as Characters
I thought this was a good analogy.
3.) Unpredictable Endings
This is a tough one. I am going to be honest. I don’t even want an unpredictable ending. I just want a good one, preferably one where the characters I like win and survive and that is thematically rich.
I think in terms of my continued interest in the material that is probably best. I remember I was so much more interested in rewatching the early seasons after Season 6 than I was after Season 5. And I think a big part of that was that Season 6 ended on that high of Dany defeating slavery and heading home, Tyrion being her hand, Jon retaking Winterfell and becoming King in the North etc.
Interesting reading about the other sites for this fandom, I started with the site ran by the Swedish couple and to be honest there is so much knowledge there however I lost interest due to the number of trolls and frankly well over the top criticism of the show as it passed the books. I then moved gradually over to the predecessor of this site until I found watchers and to be honest started to feel it was comparable with reading a tabloid newspaper versus a high quality reliable specialist paper, this is now my home and I really appreciate this site, I read all articles (apart from those with S8 spoilers) and subscribe to almost all comments threads.
TB don’t feel bad, I didn’t realize that either.
I was turned on to the books on a book discussion group called readerville. The sci fi fan group voted this their top ten greatest fantasy. I read the other nine thought I’d give it it a chance. We t through the first three like butter and agonized waiting for more. I found out about got in that group and were eager to discuss it. We found out about WIC site and that’s all she wrote…..I followed the emigration here by some good luck and have been here ever since. Along with the info and discussion this site kept me sane when I was laid up for a year!
Love these articles and would also like to see more videos!
It was nice to see you two, especially with the walkway up to “Dragonstone” behind you!
I came late to GOT even though S1 and S2 were on in my house at that time. I had the misfortune of only walking in the room when a brothel scene was on, it seemed. My husband (now ex) was watching. I figured it was some weak medieval porn with some story thrown in….I still have regrets.
I did catch a scene in S2 with Tyrion (didn’t know who he was) and Janos Slynt (didn’t know him either) where Tyrion says: “I’m not questioning your honor; I’m denying its existence.” Now, if I had the sense God gave a tree frog, I would have sat my ass down right then and started watching, but I didn’t.
Fast forward, husband is gone, and after being ‘needled’ by my brilliant daughter to watch this show, I finally did…..starting with S4. Yep, late to the party.
Suffice it to say, I loved it. The episode that hooked me, though, the one that began my elevation to, as Petra put it, “nutter,” status, was “Watchers on the Wall.” Go figure, right? Appropriate name for this site both from a logical standpoint and for me, a personal one.
I found this site after S6 ended and have been checking in regularly ever since.
So cool you guys were there in Basque country!! I’m dying to go there 🙂 I have been to a few filming locations when I was living in Europe for a few years (Dubrovnik, Seville) for GoT tourism but I’d love to go to Belfast and the surrounding N Irish countryside and to more of Spain 🙂 Croatia is gorgeous though and I had a fantastic tour by an extra when I was in Dubrovnik (mid way through airing Season 4 so a lot had already been shot there) and I highly recommend it! The Alcazar of Seville is amazing and you should go if you can apart from GoT 🙂 I got into the show because a friend of Esme Bianco (Ros) told me his friend would be in this new HBO show.. so we all had a viewing party for S1E1 and I was hooked when Jaime threw Bran out of the window! After Season 1 I started reading and was always ahead of the show. Thankfully I didn’t have the Red Wedding spoiled for me, I got to read it unspoiled, but I did have Jon Snow’s death spoiled since I was writing my dissertation during book 5 and was pretty slow reading… I became an uber-fan because of WotW! Right after the WIC to WotW transition. So thank you guys!!