UKC

There is no spoiler in the OP, and I hope people enter into the spirit of the subject and not ruin it for others.

But Fec me, this is the most powerful piece of entertainment I have ever seen. Hollywood should rightly be quaking in its boots at the quality and production of this final series.

Each episode has got more and more intense as the plot develops. Usually I don't notice the soundtrack when I'm engrossed in the action but the Musical Director deserves an award for the choice of soundtrack and how it ramps up the tension. Who'd of thought that classical music would be so grand especially during the major battles.

The last three episodes have been feature length movies in their own right and a project that Hollywood would have strung out over several years between instalments, yet Netflix has dropped them every week.

I do agree it's been amazing but I must say I was disappointed with last week's episode. There were just a few too many "why would you even do that you berk?" moments, most glaringly with Rhaegal. 

Today's more than made up for it though. Just wow.

It's very impressive, however i feel this series and last are too rushed, and should both have been full series (10+ episodes) covering the same ground, and as a result I think the story has suffered a bit and that has resulted in seemingly odd/obviously wrong decisions

Mm. Are you a stranger to classical music then? Go listen to, say, Holst's Mars, to pick a well known tune.

The joy of the music through the whole series has been the emphasis on the cello. A magnificent instrument enjoying an overdue renaissance.

T.

Surely you mean HBO rather than Netflix. 

Exactly. HBO have been knocking out great box sets for years and this final season of GoT is up there with the best of them. 

Doh!

My bad. The idea still stands though that Hollywood is being threatened by the quality and quantity of content that Cable Channels create.

Most anticipated by me is the full length final episode of Deadwood, created to tie up the loose ends left by the premature axing of the show. It's set ten years after the previous action and most of the actors remain , including G oT's finest critic, Ian McShane.

Coming early June, I believe.

I guess I'm not the target demographic (seems to be Chinese teenagers) for most Hollywood blockbusters but feature films have lost my interest for about the last decade. Too often just a formulaic, rushed, three-act arc with a tidy resolution.

Long-form drama (really started IMHO with the Sopranos, which to my shame I've never seen, but planning to watch, or The Wire) but the launch of streaming services just means episodes can be as long as they need to be and you don't need a cliffhanger every 60 minutes. Often (but not always) much better character development and pacing can match the dramatic need rather than the network schedules.

That said, as mentioned elsewhere this final season of GoT has felt rushed. Yesterday's episode seemed like watching a computer game. Visually stunning and moving in places but a little bit too much shock and awe.

Annoyingly we're going on holiday when the last episode is on and doubt my streaming provider will work outside of France. Need to invest in a VPN maybe.

Tell you what not to do. Don't track down the south park episode that does a similar storyline about men guarding the mall black Friday. I think it was called 'a song of ass and fire'.

There's a bit where George RR Martin is conducting the theme tune, and it's all about floppy weiners. Once you hear it, you can't unhear it. 

Defo don't look on YouTube forgame of thrones floppy weiners 

I though this weeks episode was crap. This series has been crap. It’s gone from a deep story (first 4 series) to a series of Hollywood b movies that went straight to Netflix. This week even the computer generated stuff was crap. 

Mall the payoffs we have been waiting for we’re handled appallingly and there is not a single character with any interest any more. 

And what the f*ck is BRAN DOING!!!

I enjoy GoT, but have not seen this season (waiting for the DVD).

Personally I prefer The Last Kingdom (BBC2 / Netflix) which has 3 seasons on Netflix. probably worth a go once GoT is over.

Based on the Bernard Cornwell Saxon novels and fiction based in historical fact (King Alfred, invading Danes, Guthrum converting to Christianity, Alfred burning the cakes etc are all thrown in to the plot)

The sets and costumes and battle scenes are excellent IMO. The main character Uhtred is (so I'm told) very easy on the eye, although his acting abilities are probably not quite grade A. Mainly filmed in Hungry in full Saxon village sets. I absolutely love it.

I’ve not seen any of it but from the title I guess it’s just a jazzed up version of Musical Chairs? 

Actually, you're just about right.

Try Vikings, much better than The Last Kingdom. Then try Norsemen (also Netflix), which is much better than both.

*GoT spoiler: Who'd have thought Jamie would get it on with Tyrion to complete the Lannister sibling triad? And where the hell did he get the special "Sex Hand" made?

I got chatting to this fellow last year when i was carp fishing. He mentioned he worked in the film industry and when i questioned him about this it turned out he was an armourer and worked on a few big films. presently he was working in ireland on GoT but wouldn’t give anything away, secret hush hush type of thing but he did say a prequel was going to be filmed 

Sean Bean will be chuffed.

They'll be milking the GoT cash cow for years to come.

Vikings is in my watch list. Started Black Sails the other day. So far ok...

As a wargaming nerd I find the shows baffling (i.e. stupid) battlefield tactics a bit irritating

Black sails is slow burning but one of those that all comes together in the final series. Vikings was/is excellent 

Had a colleague talk to me in great and EXHAUSTIVE detail about everything that was wrong tactically with the defence of Winterfell. I'd quite enjoyed the episode and preferred to be in the dark about its shortcomings!

I do think overall the final season is a disappointment so far. Too rushed, too much out-of-character stuff just to force drama, not nearly enough shagging.

I’m with you. Found that after many many hours build up the confrontations between key characters have been left wanting and seem to be not in keeping with characters previous actions - and yes what the hells with Bran ? No longer interested in what happens just shows time is better invested outdoors. 

As the seasons progressed, the shagging got less and less.

You know nothing John Snow.

Is this post a joke? There is no way it's not with this much obvious bait.

Game of thrones is dead, and it has been killed by the totally w*nk writing in this season that has murdered any semblance of a decent plot or non-rushed, non-ham fisted attempt at character development. I still watch it and enjoy the pretty pictures, but I now watch it wearing no expression, having absolutely no emotional attachment to what's happening on screen, unlike the previous 8 years.  I had a terrible feeling before the season started and prepared myself to be disappointed because of the amount of wrapping up to be done and the weird decision to do it in 6 episodes. I was still unprepared.

Oops, looks like I took the bait...

Is your surname Dancer?

Somewhere I read a review that said the series started following Martin’s rule of action and consequence- you murder catlin stark, your whole family gets murdered. It now follows the Hollywood rule of buildup and payoff. Basically, everything that happens is only happening so something big can happen later.

It explains the complete lack of depth for every character, the bonkers pacing, poor storytelling. The writers basically wanted to set up two big fights and used the other 3 episodes to move people to where they needed them, regardless of logistics, logic or motive. 

I have no idea why they made that choice. The reason the show was popular was (other than the tits and sex and dragons) the politics, intricate emotional characters and sudden unforeseen shocks. The first 3 series had all the battles off screen (cut to character wiping brow and say ‘phew, that was a tough battle’) and we still loved them. 

I wrote a story in primary school, as we came to the end of the lesson I finished it off with the line “and then they all fell down dead - the end” the teacher was understandably disappointed in my ending. Fifty years on and “and then Arya stabbed him and they all fell down dead" - should I sue for plagiarism?

I’m in complete agreement with you it’s so clear that the show runners and not GRRM have finished the series, one dimensional characters replacing previously complex and interesting characters, story line that a teenager could have written. 

All we can hope for is the final book from GRRM which will have the real ending, and this juvenile super hero’s marvel comic ending will be nothing but a bad dream.