You might have heard of the four-book Game of Thrones art book collection from Insight Editions and HBO, announced back in March, which aims to highlight the show’s absolutely beautiful photography, storyboards, art, and costumes. “The Storyboards” is out now (Buy Now!, etc), and “The Costumes” is coming soon, but what we bring you today is a sneak peek of Michael Kogge’s book on Helen Sloan’s iconic photography, as well as the striking cover for Jody Revenson and production designer Deborah Riley’s volume on the imaginative art created to inspire GOT’s production design.
“The Photography of Game of Thrones”, written by Michael Kogge, offers you a window into the world of Westeros and Essos through the work of Helen Sloan, the principal stills photographer for the series. This deluxe, 320 page-long hardcover compendium, which will be available on November 12, 2019 for $75.00, gives fans a rare behind the scenes peek at some of their favorite characters and moments in gorgeous detail.
Here is a preview of what the tome will offer:
Helen Sloan has compiled the most iconic shots from the acclaimed show. The best of her collection, along with the work of the unit photography team, is featured here.
Bold and gorgeously crafted, The Photography of Game of Thrones captures in striking detail the scope and nuance of the show, celebrating a world of iconic characters, shocking moments, breathtaking locations, and much more.
Finally, there is “The Art of Game of Thrones,” with this astounding cover featuring the concept art for the early Daenerys scene in the show’s final episode. Written by Jody Revenson and Deborah Riley, this 320-page book is filled with gorgeous illustrations and artwork, and will be available later in November 2019, for $75.00 as well.
Deborah Riley, who started working on Game of Thrones as its production designer for the fourth season, has earned four consecutive Emmy Awards, three Art Directors Guild Awards, and a BAFTA for her work on the epic, groundbreaking series. This beautifully crafted book presents a visual chronicle of the early concept stages of Riley’s team; all the meticulous work done by artists to bring the world of Westeros to life on-screen.
Fans will recognize thrilling moments and stunning locations from the show. Showcasing a multitude of fascinating and beautifully rendered images and previously unpublished works of art, this collectible book contains the visual legacy of Game of Thrones and is a must-have for fans of the show.
hodor!
So, it’s iconic then?
When these were first announced, I was in for these…With a different season 8, I would be in. They would be nice additions to my library.
But after that complete clusterfuck of GOT8, particularly 8.4, 8.5 and 8.6 – I would stop use these as a doorstops.
Even day I enjoy Season 8 less than when I hated watching it – and I have not re-watched it. The appalling handling of the characters and storylines are not aging well with me. Geez.
Hear, hear, Mango. For the most part…D””-x
Mango,
“Even day I enjoy Season 8 less than when I hated watching it – and I have not re-watched it. The appalling handling of the characters and storylines are not aging well with me. Geez.”
SO. TRUE. MY GOD.
Its the first time in my life I havent rewatched a season of GoT, in fact, ever since season 4, I watched the episode and right after I was watching clips on youtube, obsessively overanalyzing them.
But I didnt feel that urge in season 8, I just couldnt, the moment I watched a clip I found yet another plothole and my nerd hurt couldnt take it anymore lol.
Now, with that being said, I still plan on buying some of the books! Because even though I was not pleased with the writting, The CGI, Costumes, set designs were nothing but extraordinary.
I like that they put “her satanic majesty” scene on the cover.
Whenever I think about Daenerys’ ending I have in head that Missandei and Dany’s meme using those iconic lines from Infinity War.
– Did you do it?
– Yes.
– What did it cost?
– Everything.
Mango,
https://66.media.tumblr.com/56a663de0e1236ffd2905304ddcd4fea/tumblr_nyybmuO6531tdzqsio8_250.gif
So we can’t even look at a book now without the moaners wading in.
Stop it. Please.
What plot holes would those be?
Grandmaester Flash,
I know it can be frustrating, but it’s important to remember that their constant complaining is doing more of a disservice to themselves than anyone.
Young Dragon,
I really dont wanna bring down the mood in this comment section and I wanna say that I will always be grateful to D&D for introducing me to this amazing world that is ASOIAF and its fanbase.
That being said, I found lots of plotholes that took me out of the story and frustrated the hell out of me, and no, weirdly so, I am not including the coffee or water bottels, its a show with a ton of people involved and well, things like this happen.
I am gonna mention a little list because I dont wanna overtire you and, especially, dont get more frustrated:
– The Ice dragon being able to destroy the wall with ease yet not being able to destroy a simple castle wall where jon was hiding.
– Cersei telling Jaime “OMG you are bleeding babe!” episodes after she sent an assasin (Bronn) to kill him.
– Jaime and Cersei diying because apparently the entire building colapsed on top of them… yet when Tyrion can very easily walk amongst the ruins, in fact, he just takes two bricks and finds them, just like that.
– The Dothraki were practically obliterated (said it by D&D themselves) yet in the next episode they are all magically alive!
– Euron being able to kill Rhaegal by throwing a massive arrow towards him, in the open see, while Daenerys is in the air, with perfect ability to see everything…
– The incredibly stupid plor armour, Not really sure if that was a plothole, but everyone should have died in the battle at WF, if the battle had ocurred following the logical path of previous seasons.
– The lanscape of KL, it was supposed to be surrounded by mountains… but in season 7 there was green grass and I pressume there was a great fire or something because by season 8 there was none of it.
-Missandei being kidnapped… I dont know…. maybe? but, my god, that Euron is a lucky bastard.
– Also, everyone knew about Euron, but everyone kind of forgot about him by the end of epsode 4, basically to surprise us. yay
– Bronn being master of coin when he said that he didnt know anything about money and loans, like…. seriously.
– Bronn being Lord of HG when he is just a cutthroat, when you have houses like Tarly, Hightower, Oakheart, Rowan, Florent… who have way better claim.
– Bronn and every single character being able to teleport so freaking easily.
– the scorpions being deathly against Rhaegal but competely useless with Drogon.
– Yara or the unkown prince of Dorne not declaring their independence when they should have. Especially when Sansa became queen.
-Everyone approving of Bran the Broken when they didnt even mention Jon, wtf?
– GreyWorm not killing Jon or Tyrion after he has proven to be incredibly ruthless towards random soldiers who had nothing to do with the death of Missandei, I would never want to imagine what he would do to the people who killed his beloved queen Daenerys… oh, wait, nothing. okay.
– the people of KL not wanting to kill Cersei after blowing up the westerosi Vatican…
And I am afraid the list goes on and on and on. I am sorry for being so negative lol.
Photography was amazing, but one can’t help but be a bit nostalgic because everything nowadays is so digitized. Whenever I see art like this, big or small screen, I remember epic movies for some reason: how about Out of Africa, or Lawrence of Arabia? Or Spielberg’s Jurassic Park which was fantasy and had dragons? Or Oliver Stone’s Platoon, a war movie?
But anyway behind the finished product which is the photograph there’s imaginative creativity, thought, implementation and execution, which recquires precision and focus on detail and all this means many work hours that an artist devotes to any piece of art, and that is always admirable and commendable. I will always admire these people for having the determination and the skills to pull off something so demanding and difficult.
People dealing with this type of art will find the books very useful.
Texts and narrative, however, is another type of art and the two are not comparable.
Efi,
I think action scenes in GoT will generally age well, because it was done in a practical way. Dragons will probably look dated 10 years from now, but everything else will be fine.
I hate to be that person, but aren’t they a bit pricey? I was thinking about getting the costume book and was shocked to see it was £60. I’ve never paid that for a book before. Am I being cheap lol
These books certainly do look lovely. I’d like to get both, though they are pricey. I’d heard the storyboard book only goes up to season 7, so I’m glad that the Deborah Riley book looks like it goes to season 8, and hopefully the Helen Sloan book too.
Max,
If I may, I think a lot of that list is either answered in the show itself, or in the scripts, or can be deduced from watching the show.
The Ice Dragon: when undead Vision and Rhaegal fought, you see Rhaegal tear away some of Viserion’s jaw and damage his throat. I can’t remember if it was said in the script or in production notes, but the injury limited his ‘ice blast’.
Cersei and Jaime: well, their relationship is complicated, isn’t it? And they’re both facing imminent death, I think Cersei was more than willing to let go of her anger at Jaime given what was about to happen. She was terrified. For all her plotting, all her machinations, in the end she never stood a chance, and never did have a chance, against Dany’s dragon, like a force of nature. She should have listened to Jaime and Tyrion in season 7 when they told her this.
Tyrion finding Jaime and Cersei: it’s not really a plothole, more of a shortcut in the script so Tyrion could find them, otherwise we might have had a whole episode of him excavating the bowels of the Red Keep looking for them. Besides, he does have to dig a little bit, but I think the point of that scene was to confirm for the viewer that they were dead.
Dothraki: fair point, we’re not clear on their numbers. But we do see a lot of them run back after their charge, so some do survive, and in King’s Landing there clearly isn’t thousands of them anymore, so I’m happy to fudge the numbers on that.
Death of Rhaegal, and everyone forgetting about Euron: I don’t think they literally forgot about Euron, it was more about Daenerys’ overconfidence and underestimating Euron. So I can buy that she wasn’t looking for him – I mean, even if she thought his fleet might be there, she probably didn’t expect the ships all to be armed with Scorpions. But yes, it was a hell of a shot – well, three shots really – to kill Rhaegal like that. But we saw that once Daenerys was ready for them, even Euron’s fleet didn’t have a chance against Drogon.
Plot armour: well, certain characters (Jon especially) have had plot armour throughout the entire series, not just season 8. I don’t think it’s any different to any other show or movie where the hero is constantly under attack but managing to survive. But yes, certainly the way the episode was directed – the ferociousness of the wight’s attack – I’m surprised anyone on the front lines survived.
King’s Landing: I think the surroundings are different depending on which direction you approach the city from. At least that was the impression I got from the show over the years.
Bronn: it was the debt that Tyrion owed him, as Tyrion says in that final Small Council scene. Plus, as I understand it, in the histories of Westeros, many of the great houses were started by less than savoury people. And there’s still positions on the Small Council that need filling, so those other houses may fill them.
Yara: the final episode script mentions that Yara opts to vote for Bran because her brother died protecting him, and it’s what Theon would have wanted. Dunno about the new Prince of Dorne. And Jon did not want the throne. Everyone knew that, and there’s no way Greyworm would have let it happen anyway. So Jon was a non-starter. Too divisive.
Greyworm and Jon: I think this was explained in the episode, as Sansa points out, if they harm Jon then the Northern Army camped outside the city would attack the Unsullied. The Northern Army, Arya and Davos were in King’s Landing the whole time, there’s no way they would have allowed Jon to be killed. You can imagine a scenario where initially Greyworm doesn’t know Dany is dead until Jon owns up to it, by which time Jon is already back with his troops and Arya. Greyworm wants to kill him, Arya and the Northerners defend him, Jon agrees to surrender to diffuse the situation until a solution can be found. I don’t think we necessarily need to see that to know what happened – Sansa just saying the Northern Army is there to protect Jon is sufficient information.
The people of KL not wanting to kill Cersei: they were frightened of her, as Tyrion tells Dany. Besides, why would the people want vengeance for the destruction of the sept? That building was for the rich elites, not for the commoners.
I do think a lot of the supposed plot holes are explained in the show, but sometimes the explanations are nuanced. I really wish they’d release books of the scripts as well as the art, storyboards and photography – I do think the scripts would clear a lot of things up.
Jenny,
Actually it’s rather cheap. There are books that cost 120 p. (see the Oxford books for example) and they contain no pictures (and if they do it’s all in black and white). Price increases with color pictures (it can rise sky-high), size of paper and pages (counted by 16 folds or its multiples).
Efi,
Oh really? Ive bought books at around £30 – £40 and I’m always nervous to touch them. These books need to be put in a glass case and only touched with rubber gloves lol. They do look very nice, I’d love to see pictures from earlier seasons, and I’m always interested in illustrations and concept art. Xmas presents perhaps.
It’s been a little while since I’ve watched the last season. Did Jaime know that Cersei tried to have him whacked in the last season by recruiting Bronn?
If so, Jaime willingly went back to the woman who just tried to have him killed.
Max,
These aren’t plot holes, these are simply things that are keeping you from liking the final season. That’s fine and all, but like I said, I feel you’re doing yourself a disservice.
-Viserion used his body to destroy Winterfell’s wall, whereas he was using his fire to attack the wall Jon was hiding behind.
-Cersei was about to die, of course she would be happy to see the man she loves. The thought of death changes your view on things.
-They were buried under a lot of rocks, but the entire ceiling didn’t collapse on Jaime and Cersei. Tyrion knew where they were headed, so that is how he was able to find them.
-Most of the Dothraki was obliterated, and no, they were not all magically alive. There were a lot fewer of them at King’s Landing than there were at Winterfell. Also, it doesn’t matter what D&D say. All that matters is what is presented on the screen. That is canon.
-Euron was hidden from view behind rocks, as we can see in the show.
-Every show has plot armor. Even the earlier seasons of GOT had plot armor. And no, not everyone should have died. They may have been on the verge of being overwhelmed, but Arya got to the Night King just in time.
-This isn’t the first time the set of King’s Landing has changed. It comes with the territory of being the biggest show in the world. To be honest, I don’t even remember what the front of King’s Landing is supposed to look like.
-Missandei was ship wrecked, so of course it would be possible for Euron to pick her up.
-No one forgot about the Iron Fleet. They were mentioned previously in the very same episode. It was only surprising because it was an ambush. Danerys was taken unawares because Euron’s fleet was hidden from view.
-Tyrion became master of coin despite openly admitting not knowing how to be responsible with money. I’m not saying Bronn is the best option, but a precedent had been set for inexperienced people to take over the position.
-Unless one of those lords is related by blood to the Tyrells, they don’t have a better claim than Bronn. Lann the Cleaver, another cutthroat, somehow became lord of Casterly Rock. Again, a precedent had been set.
-They are not teleporting. They are travelling off screen. I can’t believe people are still having trouble comprehending this.
-Rhaegal was injured and didn’t see the attack coming. Drogon was healthy and was aware of the attack, which made it much easier for him to dodge it.
-Yara had already given up her independence when she told Theon she was going to take back the Iron Islands in Queen Dany’s name. Also, Theon died for Bran and wanted to honor his memory. As for Dorne, not once in the entirety of the show have they had any desire to gain independence. Not once.
-Jon was currently a prisoner for regicide and wasn’t a viable option.
-Grey Worm was following Dany’s orders when executing those prisoners. He wasn’t doing it for the sake of Missandei. As for Jon, this is answered in the show. Sansa said, “There are thousands of northerners at the gates of King’s Landing who would tell you why it’s a bad idea to hurt Jon Snow.” Without Danerys or Drogon, the Unsullied can’t hope to hold King’s Landing and Westeros, so they kept them alive as leverage.
-the official story is that the Sept of Baelor blew up by accident. Besides, Cersei’s timing was perfect. Danerys had just landed with a foreign army and three dragons. The people of King’s Landing were more afraid of Danerys than they were of Cersei, so they looked to Cersei to keep them safe.
I’ve never seen or heard this official version. Where did you come across it? I don’t believe this was ever said in the show. Even Hot Pie knew that Cersei blew it up on purpose…
Hot Pie – Where you heading?
Arya – King’s Landing
Hot Pie – Why?
Arya – Heard Cersei’s Queen now
Hot Pie – Heard she blew up the Great Sept. That must’ve been something to see. Boom! I can’t believe someone would do that.
Arya – Cersei would do that
Why would people of KL rebel against Cersei after she destroyed Sept? To provoke her even more? To die for High Sparrow and some lords and ladies? To lose their children for Tyrells?
It was Cersei’s version of Rains of Castamere After that no one rebelled against Tywin.
It would be suicidal.
Mr Derp,
She told the official version to Tycho in 703. It was “tragic mistake”.
Thanks for the reminder. I forgot about that scene.
However, even Hot Pie knew Cersei blew it up on purpose…
“tragic accident” is the new “poisoned by his enemies”
I doubt Tycho believed her at all when she said that, but that’s up to interpretation.
Mr Derp,
I don’t think anyone believed that Epstein committed suicide but here we are.
Mr Derp,
It’s what Cersei told Tycho Nestoris when she was applying for a loan, so that’s the story she had been telling people. Of course, people knew the truth, just like they knew the truth behind Joffrey’s true parentage. They just couldn’t prove it.
Max,
”Everyone approving of Bran the Broken when they didnt even mention Jon, wtf?”
_____
Well, my only mini-gripe is that if the test was who had “the best story”, it would’ve been nice to at least pay lip service to:
(a) Jon Snow: united Free Folk, Northern houses and Team Targ to fight the AotD, after dying and being resurrected by the Lord of Light.
(b) Arya Stark, “the Hero of Winterfell”, who eluded manhunt for seven years, personally avenged the Red Wedding, and oh by the way…SAVED THE WORLD!
(c) Arguably, even Gendry Baratheon, Davos Seaworth, Brienne of F*cking Tarth, and Robyn Arryn had good “stories.”
Bran the Broken? Sat out S5. Reduced to spacing out at inopportune times, speaking in riddles, spouting variations of “everything happens for a reason,” and doing f*ckall to defeat AotD.
More like Bran the Useless 🤖, as cogently observed by Mango. 😄
Keith,
”The Ice Dragon: when undead Vision and Rhaegal fought, you see Rhaegal tear away some of Viserion’s jaw and damage his throat. I can’t remember if it was said in the script or in production notes, but the injury limited his ‘ice blast’.”
____
I had just assumed that undead Viserion was able to melt the Wall because the magic spells protecting the Wall were not impervious to dragon magic. (Like many others, I had thought wrist-marked Bran’s passage through the Wall would render it susceptible to the NK & WWs just like the 3ER cave, but that did not happen…)
Max,
Yes, your criticisms are valid. Nonetheless, Beric, Sandor and Arya had satisfying S8 story lines, didn’t they?
Jenny,
Sure, they’re pricey. Give it a few months. I’m sure you’ll be able to find these books at a discount.
I’ve put my GoT Entertainment Weekly special editions in acid-free plastic sleeves. Lots of great photographs to preserve for posterity – without having to spend $$ on hard cover coffee table books I’d be reluctant to have anybody touch without latex gloves.
Didn’t crossbow-wielding Bronn expressly tell Jaime and Tyrion that Cersei had paid him to whack both of them?
What point are you trying to make? I was pointing out that no one believed the “official” version that Cersei gave. It wasn’t any deeper than that. I wasn’t intimating that the people were supposed to do anything about it.
That’s what I thought, but, like I said, it’s been a while since I’ve watched the last season, so I couldn’t remember for sure.
I understand the reasoning D&D gave for why Jaime went back to Cersei, but it just made me lose all respect for Jaime. In the end, he went back to the woman who just tried to have him killed.
Ten Bears,
I think in the case of the Wall, I agree I assume that the magic of dragon fire is able to counteract the magic of the Wall. But in The Long Night, we see the Night King and Viserion swoop down and destroy part of the walls of Winterfell with a blast so he clearly had the power to destroy ordinary walls at that point. Then Jon and Rhaegal intercept, and they fight over the Godswood, and as the dragons fight you clearly see Rhaegal rip away part of Viserion’s jaw and throat. After that, when Viserion keeps Jon out of the Godswood, his ice blast no longer has the strength that it had because of the injury inflicted by Rhaegal. I wish I could find the reference, but someone from behind the scenes on the show confirmed that was why Viserion’s ice fire couldn’t kill Jon while he was hiding behind a stone wall.
I know. All of that wonderful setup, from Jaime’s early insults of Brienne, to their long road trip when begrudging respect turns into much much more, and the emergence of the “honorable Ser Jaime”… all erased in one underdeveloped episode.
Regardless of what I think of the last season, I think the cinematography in GoT was second to none. I also love behind-the-scenes info, so I might be interested in these books after all.
He went back to try and save his twin sister and his unborn child. When put in those terms, doesn’t it seem just a little bit more understandable?
Even if he hated Cersei and was really in love with Brienne, surely saving the life of his child would override everything else.
Sure. I get what you’re saying, but if saving his unborn child was priority number 1, then he shouldn’t have left Cersei in the first place
Besides, Nik explained that Jaime didn’t love Cersei anymore, so it woul;d seem odd for Jaime to suddenly make a 180 and decide that he wants to die with her.
Jaime also chose to stay with Cersei after Tommen committed suicide because of what Cersei did. He chose Cersei over his child.
Damn edit timer.
His motivation for going North was generally to save humanity for his unborn child, so he’s always had that child in the back of his mind.
Anyway, I get it. Jaime, in the end, just couldn’t quit Cersei. I get it. I’m just disappointed by it.
Mr Derp,
I’m not saying that the child was the only reason he returned to Cersei, but it must have been a contributory factor. He didn’t talk about the child much, but throughout his life he’d never talked about his children to hide the fact he was their father, and it must have been ingrained in him to just not talk about them. But, ultimately, like Tyrion, he wanted to save his family. I’m not sure he really believed all those things he said to Brienne about him being hateful, but he knew if Brienne followed him, she’d likely have died in King’s Landing, so he had to say what he had to say to cut his ties with her. And I think she ultimately understood that, given the respect she still held for him when she filled in the White Book.
Mr Derp,
They also filmed a miscarriage in S7, but realised that Cersei needed to be more sympathetic in her death scene and cut it. The baby was the only plausible reason for Jaime to return, but apparently it is Cersei that he wants, despite sleeping with another woman 20 minutes earlier for the first time in his life. I remember looking online after episode 4, and so many people thought he was going to stop her, she had just scored a huge victory (killing Rhaegal) and apparently that meant she needed to be rescued? It was a mess. Why am I talking about this? It annoys me so much lol.
For me, the only way it works at all, is if we go with an article that NCW tweeted post season, Jaime hated himself, and couldn’t forgive himself for what he did to Bran, so he didn’t deserve to be happy with Brienne even though it was an option. So he went back to Cersei to either die, or be miserable with her. This is far more compelling that what we got in the show, so this is now my canon. It would have been nice to actually see it on screen but there we are. I think the vast array of interpretations for a relatively simple plot show that whatever they were going for, wasn’t exactly clear. It felt like they changed their minds 3 times in the writing room.
Imo, I thought it was weird that he stayed in Winterfell at all, I would have expected him to go South with Tyrion to at least be aware of what was happening between his siblings. He then could have come up with the plan with Tyrion and had the same ending. They could have shown him explaining this to Brienne before he left with his brother and she would have understood and not been treated like dirt. Don’t get me started on ‘what is she like down there’ FFS.
Mr Derp,
Good question. We speculated that he’d arrive with an army of the Riverlands or at least Freys, lol.
What can a man alone do? Cynical Jamie wouldn’t ever fight alone because he “pledged”, he wouldn’t keep his promise (for once in his life) under these terms. In GOT it is stated over and over that it’s stupid to fight a fight you can’t win. In the end, going to WF apart from keeping his promise served no reason apart from sleeping with Brienne and pushing Dany a little further down the dark side.
They changed the plot by taking out of season 7 the miscarriage scene, which was filmed. Thereafter saving Jamie wouldn’t be possible so long as there was a child in the picture. But at least it’s an indication that they were going for another plot when it comes to Jamie/Cersei.
HPNN: “The Hof Pie News Network can exclusively confirm that Cersei conspired with Qyburn to use wildfire to blow up the Great Sept.”
Cersei tweetstorm: “Fake news! The failing HPNN is an enemy of the people! Beloved Queen Cersei has a 90% approval rating among KL residents! The corrupt Tyrells conspired with the Night King to destroy our great Sept! Investigate them, not me! People are saying that ‘Cersei is the best thing to happen to King’s Landing!’ Lyin’ leakin’ Hot Pie should go back where he came from and get some exercise. No collusion!”
Mr Derp,
My point is that’s how politics work even in modern days.
“I Can’t Quit Her” – Blood, Sweat & Tears (1968)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NJZjTx7eCMA
“I can’t quit her.
She’s got a hold on me,
She’s got her hand on my soul,
I can’t quit her.”
Keith,
”…I’m not sure he [Jaime] really believed all those things he said to Brienne about him being hateful, but he knew if Brienne followed him, she’d likely have died in King’s Landing, so he had to say what he had to say to cut his ties with her. And I think she ultimately understood that, given the respect she still held for him when she filled in the White Book.”
——
I think you’re right. Jaime’s “hateful” parting words to Brienne reminded me of the nasty things Tyrion said to Shea, which he didn’t really mean, in an unsuccessful attempt to persuade her to leave KL for her own good.
Ultimately, Jaime went back to a woman that:
* tried to have him killed
* slept around with other people when he was away
* called him stupid
* was at least partially responsible for Tommen’s death; something that Jaime apparently forgave her for rather easily.
* used wildfire in KL to commit mass murder, something that Jaime sacrificed his honor to stop from happening during Robert’s Rebellion in the first place. Why in the world would Jaime be ok with this?
So much time was spent on Jaime’s backstory with The Mad King and why he had to take him out. Cersei’s actions at the end of Season Six perfectly mirror those of The Mad King and yet Jaime barely reacted to that. This is a huge story error when you think about it. If any event was to turn Jaime on Cersei, it should have been this one.
This is why I lost respect for Jaime. Of course, others feel differently and that’s fine. I found Jaime’s arc throughout the show to be one of the more compelling ones, but it ultimately left me disappointed in the end.
Ten Bears,
“Never Gonna Give You Up” – Rick Astley
This right here is when he should have gone all Valonqar on her, and probably killed himself because he couldn’t live with the guilt. But there was nobody to replace them with because they cut fAegon, so they stuck around. Those two characters over stayed their welcome imo, when their story had come to a fitting conclusion. No way would Jaime stick around after that, even NCW went to the writers and asked them to explain, but they told him not to worry, because Jaime would leave at the end of the season… It didn’t stick though.
Keith,
Thanks for that explanation about wounded undead Viserion’s weakened blue dragonfire.
I have to admit that I was distracted by Jon’s inexplicable ducking out from behind the rock just to yell at undead Viserion…and then duck behind the rock again. I didn’t question why Viserion’s blue dragonfire didn’t just vaporize the rock – and Jon along with it.
The quick jump cuts of the camera then left Jon and Viserion, and returned to NK staring down Bran the Useless in the Godswood … right before ASNAWP materialized out of thin air to fly into NK’s grasp and deliver the fatal stab with her nifty hand-to-hand dagger flip.
To be candid, I did not understand what Jon’s ducking out, yelling, and ducking back was supposed to mean.
(I thought at least he’d try to neutralize undead Viserion by impaling him/it with Longclaw; otherwise, why have Jon Snow carrying a Valyrian steel sword if he wasn’t going to use it against NK, White Walkers, or wightened creatures? Unlike Valyrian steel and dragonglass, shouting wasn’t established as a means of destroying any of the AotD.)
———————
Another entry for the Cersei-Jaime tribute album:
ELO – “Evil Woman” (1976)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f-8Axt71p5M
“You made a fool of me,
But them broken dreams have got to end.
Hey, woman, you got the blues,
‘Cause you ain’t got no one else to use.
There’s an open road that leads nowhere,
So just make some miles between here and there.
There’s a hole in my head where the rain comes in,
You took my body and played to win.
Ha, ha, woman, it’s a cryin’ shame,
But you ain’t got nobody else to blame.
Evil woman…”
***
“Evil woman, how you done me wrong,
But now you’re tryin’ to wail a different song.
Ha, ha, funny, how you broke me up,
You made the wine, now you drink a cup.
I came runnin’ every time you cried,
Thought I saw love smilin’ in your eyes.
Ha, ha, woman, very nice to know,
That you ain’t got no place left to go.
Evil woman….”
By the way, I have not rewatched any of the last season’s episodes – except for Sandor, Beric and Arya scenes.
Ten Bears,
I would expect nothing less from Arya’s #1 fan 😉
Someone really should let Maisie in on the ASNAWP nickname that’s spread like wildfire around these parts.
I think I’ve re-watched “The Long Night” once and “The Bells” once, but none of the others. Surprisingly, with all the issues I had with the last season, my favorite episode was The Long Night, which seems to be one of the most polarizing episodes in GoT history.
Ten Bears,
I think it’s just frustration on Jon’s part when he gets up and screams at Viserion – and maybe hoping the dragon will get close enough for him to swing Longclaw at it. It would have been cool if Jon had got to kill the dragon at least, although I guess it would have be irrelevant anyway.
I’ve just watched the scene again. It reminded me of the end level boss on a computer game, where you have to keep avoiding their attacks and then try and hit them when they’re not facing you. Jon spends a bit of time trying to get past Viserion, but each time he has to the run and hide from the blue fire, and then when he realises he’s no options and no time left, he just gets up and shouts in pure frustration, while just maybe hoping Viserion will step close enough for Jon to swing Longclaw. But he doesn’t then duck back down again – he squares up to Viserion, Viserion cranes his neck back ready to kill Jon, at which point the Night King gets killed and Viserion collapses.
I can see how Jon would be frustrated: “They spent seven seasons building me up for a final showdown with the Night King…And instead I get marooned behind a rock while my baby sister takes out Night King? WTF? I never should’ve given her that sword and told her if she were quick enough she could poke an enemy full of holes.”
(from S1e2)
Viserion’s fire can be seen leaking out of his wounds. It’s obvious that he can no longer direct his fire, and that its power is diminished and dissipated. I saw and understood this the first time I watched.
No, I tell a lie, the second time I watched – after I had fiddled with the backlight! 🙂
Y’know what? I just remembered that I was able to buy the Hunger Games version of this book for $5 on Amazon months after its release. Incredible. It had been something like $75 or $50 originally. Of course by that time I’d already seen the images online, but the point is, if you are interested in actually purchasing one…wait. 😉
Keith,
wow, thank you so much for taking the time to answer my long rant-ish comment, it was very kind of you!
Yes, I suppose you are right, but I cannot help but think that in other seasons, things wouldnt had to be explained because the plot was so well constructed that just made sense.
Young Dragon,
I would also like to thank you for answering my comment in such a respectful and nice way!
“these are simply things that are keeping you from liking the final season” You understood me so well, this is exactly what happened, I absolutely love the show but there were things in the plot that took me out of the narrative and I dont think there is anything I hate more in this world than being taken out by a story, it really frustrates me.
Ten Bears,
OMG, I just remembered that I was yelling at the TV when I was watching that scene saying “Tyrion, literally ANYONE in the show has had a better story than Bran! even HOTPIE!!”
hahahah well, I would also include Sansa as one of the few with a moderately satisfactory arcs and very satisfactory endings, she is my fav female character along with Arya (I used to love Cersei and Dany until… well, until they decided to go full Bin Laden + Hitler), and I think their endings were pretty much in character.
Arya wanted to fight and defy gender rules and she did that and way more, she became the hero of WF (and Westeros if we are being honest)and then went on to do adventures, and Sansa became a queen in her own right, rather than doing so by marrying a man. Great ending for the Stark sisters I believe.
Yeah, know what you mean! I could see sweet FA in that episode and that was also after fiddling with the brightness/contrast levels. Ok, I appreciated it was at night – but for fuck’s sake, it could have been a bit brighter and clearer 🙁