powdeh415

June 21st, 2017 at 3:06 PM ^

Given the increase in production quality, they're probably going to make S8 an IMAX experience to compliment the HBO airings. ... This will do nicely until football season.

crg

June 21st, 2017 at 8:10 PM ^

Personally, I am far more interested in when the final books will be published. I don't care for Martin's style of publishing in piecemeal. Sure, it provides for a faster payday, but the overall quality suffers. A good comparison is lord of the rings: just as long and detailed (more so in fact), but published as one continuous, finished product.

Needs

June 21st, 2017 at 11:12 PM ^

It wasn't the tv money. It was plotting and narrative troubles that he created with book 4 (where he had to split one book into two) that really put the series off track. The sprawling narrative and the first person perspective became too unwieldy (and his publisher didn't help by not editing him forcefully enough, telling him to cut some of the multi page description of meals, etc)

To put it on a timeline, Book 4 was published in 2005. HBO didn't acquire the rights to Gt until 2008 and the pilot didn't air until 2011

kehnonymous

June 22nd, 2017 at 10:47 AM ^

Actually... the Lord of the Rings books COMBINED are only slightly longer than any single one of the GoThrones books.  Unless you're counting the Silmarillion, but no one's read that.  And if you have, then you'd have to count the appendices from the GoT books, the last of which topped out at ~100 pages.

BeatOSU52

June 21st, 2017 at 3:38 PM ^

But it seems to be a common thing for the all-time great shows...  Mad Men, The Sopranos, and Breaking Bad did similar things.  Okay they made into "Part A" and "Part B" seasons but basically it was the same thing.   

LKLIII

June 21st, 2017 at 5:48 PM ^

Not only can I not stand that it's only 7 episodes, I also can't stand that I now need to watch it in real-time.

I had avoided watching the show for years, then I convinced my (non-fantasy fan) wife to start from the beginning this past winter.  I think we tore through all 6 seasons in like a month.

Having to wait week to week will be murder.

On the up side, based on my suggestion that we watch GoT and her loving it, she has now also agreed to watch Breaking Bad, so we're now on Season 2 of BB (second time viewing for me, first for her obviously).

So based on the quality of GoT and BB, I'm now in a position to suggest most shows that we watch & she'll trust that it'll probably be pretty good based on my 100% track record thus far.

ken725

June 21st, 2017 at 3:29 PM ^

I like that idea, especially if you look at what Thoros of Myr said about the prophecy.

According to prophecy, our champion will be reborn to wake dragons from stone and reforge the great sword Lightbringer that defeated the darkness those thousands of years ago. If the old tales are true, a terrible weapon forged with a loving wife's heart. Part of me thinks man was well rid of it, but great power requires great sacrifice. That much at least the Lord of Light is clear on.

In the other mentions of the prophecy there is no mention of dragons.

There will come a day after a long summer when the stars bleed and the cold breath of darkness falls heavy on the world. In this dread hour a warrior shall draw from the fire a burning sword. And that sword shall be Lightbringer, the Red Sword of Heroes, and he who clasps it shall be Azor Ahai come again, and the darkness shall flee before him

grumbler

June 21st, 2017 at 8:40 PM ^

I think it is one of the dragons, but not wielded by Dani.  I thinki Dani dies fighting the Ice Dragon (one of her own dragons, killed and reanimated by the Night King), and that scarifice will be the final push that forces Jon Snow to become a dragonrider himself, and defeat the Night King.  So the sacrifice is Dani (we all know Dani and Jon are going to be lovers) and Jon is Azura Ahai.  Or the reverse, but I don't see Jon getting killed; HBO would lose a quarter of their subscribers.

ken725

June 21st, 2017 at 4:44 PM ^

Go to 1:22 mark. Looks like The Hound to me and looks to be south of the wall. Hard to say if this happens before or after him being in the north. Maybe we will finally get to see Clegane Bowl. 

ken725

June 21st, 2017 at 3:21 PM ^

"When the snows fall and the white winds blow, the lone wolf dies, but the pack survives”

Amazing line from Sansa. Who is the lone wolf? I really hope it isn't Jon. Maybe refering to Ned because he actually said quote in the books.

UM Fan from Sydney

June 21st, 2017 at 3:56 PM ^

LOL wow. That is excellent. I must say that if that were the real introduction and I had not seen the show that I know it is now, I would be disinterested in it. So cheesy, but because I know it's a joke, it's also so awesome.

ScooterTooter

June 21st, 2017 at 3:53 PM ^

Looks somewhere between 7 and 26 million times better than the previous season. Can we all admit now that that was boring and everyone knew where it was headed and most of it was a waste of time? 

Cool battle scene in Battle of the Bastards, but that was about it.