Game of Thrones - TV Series (NO BOOK SPOILERS)

Page 436 - Seeking answers? Join the AnandTech community: where nearly half-a-million members share solutions and discuss the latest tech.

TheAdvocate

Platinum Member
Mar 7, 2005
2,561
7
81
Also, there seem to be two types of grunt undead, wights (zombies) and skeletons. I generally took skeletons as just greater forms of decay on a wight, but they may actually be different.

Bold is correct. They're both wights (unless the show decides otherwise).

Remember the Children of the Forest rescuing Bran last season by destroying the wights with magical fire?
 

Phoenix86

Lifer
May 21, 2003
14,644
10
81
it was a skeleton IIRC, not a zombie.
Skeletons don't have the blue eyes either.
I guess they are two different things, and skeletons have to be smashed enough to die.

Also maybe the arrow didn't reach the part of the brain attached to the spine, which is the only one that matters in zombies right?

I think we're starting to split hairs here, and I'd have to check a bunch of shit to see if this was intended, but at a glance an arrow to the head seemed to affect the more fleshy ones more than the more bony ones. It could be randomness in the costumes, or it might have been intentional.

I'd bet these types of differences are just different directors spin.
 

Red Storm

Lifer
Oct 2, 2005
14,233
234
106
Kind of annoying that a ten episode per season show only gets very interesting in the last few episodes. They take way too long to set things up. There should be absolutely zero filler with only ten episodes.
 

Phoenix86

Lifer
May 21, 2003
14,644
10
81
Bold is correct. They're both wights (unless the show decides otherwise).

Remember the Children of the Forest rescuing Bran last season by destroying the wights with magical fire?

I think most people are going to see them as different, especially because that attack was only skeleton looking ones. This is the first fight we have seen with both. It's a tad confusing.
 

Dr. Zaus

Lifer
Oct 16, 2008
11,764
347
126
DC said:
"I don't think she's ready"

"Maybe she is, Maybe she isn't, If she isn't she'll have to jump from a tower into a cart filled with straw"
faceless man didn't say that.

Yes he did, here's the video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LTTCLKUxbmw&t=33s

Kind of annoying that a ten episode per season show only gets very interesting in the last few episodes. They take way too long to set things up. There should be absolutely zero filler with only ten episodes.


Excepting the plodding in Danny's plot, there hasn't been filler, there's actually been much more speeding up of the story than there has 'worthless' episodes.

Unless anything not involving a lord-of-the-rings fight seen is 'filler' to you. In which case you're simply watching the wrong show.
 

Newbian

Lifer
Aug 24, 2008
24,769
864
126
I think most people are going to see them as different, especially because that attack was only skeleton looking ones. This is the first fight we have seen with both. It's a tad confusing.

I am guessing the storm is the case so it gave them the ability to do mass slaughter to the people outside the gate fast but it also made them weaker to being defeated, as we saw them being taken down easier then the other ones, and decayed them like that while the ones raised at the end were mostly intact but in a smaller amount and required the walker king or what not.
 

zinfamous

No Lifer
Jul 12, 2006
111,165
30,117
146
Kind of annoying that a ten episode per season show only gets very interesting in the last few episodes. They take way too long to set things up. There should be absolutely zero filler with only ten episodes.

From what I've heard, the books are basically 700 pages of filler, with 300 pages of stuff happening, so that seems about right, no?
 

Rhezuss

Diamond Member
Jan 31, 2006
4,118
34
91
Damn...last episode this week? Already?

And I can't see where they are going with this, season 5 is far less structured than the other ones...

But I still have my hopes for an awesome season ending.
 

KeithTalent

Elite Member | Administrator | No Lifer
Administrator
Nov 30, 2005
50,231
117
116
Damn...last episode this week? Already?

And I can't see where they are going with this, season 5 is far less structured than the other ones...

But I still have my hopes for an awesome season ending.

2 more episodes, one this upcoming Sunday and one the Sunday after that. Finale is on the 15th AFAIK.

KT
 

zinfamous

No Lifer
Jul 12, 2006
111,165
30,117
146
it seems to me that the undead soldier zerglings can be incapacitated in battle, but not defeated/killed, as they can always be raised again by the WW king dudes. The only way to stop them/end them for good is to burn them?

When it comes down to it, the White Walkers are really just those 12 dudes--however many we saw in that scene with the baby. They basically have one primary magic--necromancy, and their army is whatever corpse they can roust up. I suppose this is one main reason it takes them so long to initiate an invasion. If the land north of the wall is desolate except for scattered wildlings, then it takes many years for that army to regenerate.

I'm also starting to think that due to the random nature of winter, it has more to do with the strength and desire of the White Walkers. Pretty clear those dudes created the ice and snow storm. I'm guessing that winter is a gauge of their current power whenever it happens. They don't always invade, because they don't always have the army to do it, but whatever is happening beyond those walls during the winter years must have something to do with their magic and actions.

The wildlings certainly know more about them, as they have lived with them for generations, and they were never a forgotten legend.

...so there are 12 or 10 of those WW Lords? How many houses are there in all of Westeros? :hmm:
 

Phoenix86

Lifer
May 21, 2003
14,644
10
81
I am guessing the storm is the case so it gave them the ability to do mass slaughter to the people outside the gate fast but it also made them weaker to being defeated, as we saw them being taken down easier then the other ones, and decayed them like that while the ones raised at the end were mostly intact but in a smaller amount and required the walker king or what not.

I'm 99% sure the storm was just a plot device used to kill a ton of wildlings at once w/o having to show it. Basically, they were overrun and killed, not unlike a charging cavalry which wiped out the free folk in seconds.
 

KeithTalent

Elite Member | Administrator | No Lifer
Administrator
Nov 30, 2005
50,231
117
116
thought the faceless man said:
Maybe she is, Maybe she isn't. to the many faced god, it does not matter

Nope, it's what Dixy said. I remember that scene very well.

KT
 

Train

Lifer
Jun 22, 2000
13,572
66
91
www.bing.com
I'm 99% sure the storm was just a plot device used to kill a ton of wildlings at once w/o having to show it. Basically, they were overrun and killed, not unlike a charging cavalry which wiped out the free folk in seconds.

I was gonna post this.

It's easier on the budget to have 2/3rds of the wildlings instantly wiped out behind a wooden gate.

That scene was likely hella expensive as it is.
 

z1ggy

Lifer
May 17, 2008
10,004
63
91
it seems to me that the undead soldier zerglings can be incapacitated in battle, but not defeated/killed, as they can always be raised again by the WW king dudes. The only way to stop them/end them for good is to burn them?

To me, the most obvious way to kill and keep the dead, dead, is to simply kill the WW kings.
 

z1ggy

Lifer
May 17, 2008
10,004
63
91
You must not know what the word "simply" means.

I mean, theoretically it's easy; Use the Valyrian Steel sword or some dragon tipped arrows to kill them. Practically, of course it's not "simple".

They are the ones who control the army, so taking them out should be priority #1. Otherwise, there's almost no chance you could win, because any dead just make the army grow more and more.
 

JEDI

Lifer
Sep 25, 2001
29,391
2,736
126
Nope, it's what Dixy said. I remember that scene very well.

KT

hm.. I rewatched

blond girl standing by Death water well: and if she's not?
faceless man: it's all the same to the many faced god

or are we talking about 2 different scenes?


and the servants of the many faced gods dispense justice?
so that means there are corrupt faceless men out there too?

so any more insight as to why Jaqen H'ghar was in Westoros in the first place?
why was he in prison?
and after being freed, why was he wearing Lannister plate armor?
 
Last edited:

bunnyfubbles

Lifer
Sep 3, 2001
12,248
3
0
it seems to me that the undead soldier zerglings can be incapacitated in battle, but not defeated/killed, as they can always be raised again by the WW king dudes. The only way to stop them/end them for good is to burn them?

seems to me going monty python on them would be enough to effectively defeat the wights (i.e., removing enough limbs), the problem being that's a lot harder to do than defeating a living human opponent that suffers pain/fear and can be killed or incapacitated in many other ways

and of course the other major problem is that any living fighters you lose engaging the wights can then be used to bolster the undead forces as long as they died in such a manner where they still have enough limbs to be effective in combat (which should be the vast majority)

and considering all the skeletal wights we've seen, I imagine only the most thorough corpse burning would be good enough, and that it would ultimately be much safer to completely dismember corpses and then burn those remains
 

Phoenix86

Lifer
May 21, 2003
14,644
10
81
dragon tipped arrows

:whiste:

Yes, obviously kill the WWs is the goal. Now how do you get to them? Also, only a few people know HOW to kill them. It's only recently been rediscovered (and verified).

Sam and Gilly.
Bran and company.
Stannis.
Jon, and the survivors of the tent+whoever saw Jon kill the WW with his sword.
Think that's it...
 

zinfamous

No Lifer
Jul 12, 2006
111,165
30,117
146
hm.. I rewatched

blond girl standing by Death water well: and if she's not?
faceless man: it's all the same to the many faced god

or are we talking about 2 different scenes?

Did you ignore the shot where he then flashed a peace sign and jumped off into a bale of hay?

Have you been watching?
 

Train

Lifer
Jun 22, 2000
13,572
66
91
www.bing.com
I hate creepy kids. That was the worst. And the way that awesome wildling girl just gave up was sad. :'(

Ya I'm not buying that scene one bit.

Oh she's got a weakness for kids? Puhleease, she's a wildling, who can wield a weapon. She grew up in a pretty harsh environment, she's probably seen tons of kids die due to cold, hunger, or sickness. Odds are if she had 6 kids, 3 of them died young.

I was waiting for her to name of of the kids, implying it was her own, now zombified. But that would be waaaaay too much like The Walking Dead.
 

Remobz

Platinum Member
Jun 9, 2005
2,564
37
91
seems to me going monty python on them would be enough to effectively defeat the wights (i.e., removing enough limbs), the problem being that's a lot harder to do than defeating a living human opponent that suffers pain/fear and can be killed or incapacitated in many other ways

and of course the other major problem is that any living fighters you lose engaging the wights can then be used to bolster the undead forces as long as they died in such a manner where they still have enough limbs to be effective in combat (which should be the vast majority)

and considering all the skeletal wights we've seen, I imagine only the most thorough corpse burning would be good enough, and that it would ultimately be much safer to completely dismember corpses and then burn those remains



You guys need to relax about the wights army growing stronger and being a threat.

Don't you all see where all this is going?

The WW's and there undead army will be REALLY strong and almost to the point of victory when three dragons will appear and burn them all to hell.

Seriously, WW = winter and dragons = fire

Fire is stronger than ice and so guess what will happen in the end?


The wights could be a 200,000 strong dead army for all I care. Dragons always win.
 

zinfamous

No Lifer
Jul 12, 2006
111,165
30,117
146
Ya I'm not buying that scene one bit.

Oh she's got a weakness for kids? Puhleease, she's a wildling, who can wield a weapon. She grew up in a pretty harsh environment, she's probably seen tons of kids die due to cold, hunger, or sickness. Odds are if she had 6 kids, 3 of them died young.

I was waiting for her to name of of the kids, implying it was her own, now zombified. But that would be waaaaay too much like The Walking Dead.

I first assumed it was her kids or nieces/nephews, because of her speech at the meeting regarding her dead family. That show seemed to imply recognition more than plain old fear...but without her saying that directly, it's hard to say.