Game of Thrones 4.9 - "The Watchers on the Wall" - Rate and discuss

[Skywalker]

Re: Game of Thrones 4.9 - "The Watchers on the Wall" - Rate and discus

Still a very solid action episode but somehow i don't get these tactics.. if Mance outnumbers them a thousand to one why not rush them full force, tire them out and blow past the wall? The only reason i can imagine is that his numbers are exaggerated too but if not it doesn't make sense (and yeah.. i'm talking about realism in a fantasy show ).

The main point of that attack was for the force led by Tormund and Styr to take Castle Black. Mance's attack on the other side of the Wall was meant to distract the Night's Watch, keep their focus there, and make it easier for the raiders south of the Wall to take the castle.

 

[sidious618]

Re: Game of Thrones 4.9 - "The Watchers on the Wall" - Rate and discus

I thought it was okay, but nothing special. It looked great, but there wasn't much in the way of depth and the stakes were never really there for me like they were in the book.

 

[Locutus of Bored]

Re: Game of Thrones 4.9 - "The Watchers on the Wall" - Rate and discus

Fantastic episode. Not quite up there with Blackwater, but damn close. Seeing the giants and mastodons come out of the woods was a perfect "oh shit!" moment.

I'm impressed that they gave a meant to be unlikeable character like Thorne such a badass showing in the battle when the usual choice would be to hand off most of those moments to the most sympathetic and likeable characters like Jon.

I was a little disappointed that we didn't get to see the giant fight in the tunnel, but it was understandable that they wanted to preserve the outcome from audiences.

And extremely well directed and acted episode all around, with some nice bits of humor scattered amongst the death and battle. The Maester's final comment to Sam about their impending deaths left me in stitches.

 

[JoeZhang]

Re: Game of Thrones 4.9 - "The Watchers on the Wall" - Rate and discus

I thought it was pretty dull to be honest, hairy men running around in the dark for 20 minutes is manageable - longer than that, not so much.

 

[publiusr]

Re: Game of Thrones 4.9 - "The Watchers on the Wall" - Rate and discus

And I never thought I'd be rooting for Thorne at any point, but damn, it was cool as hell watching him take on the Wildling leader.

Nobody ever likes their drill instructor, except at the end...seeing the giant and the other men together on the floor, shows that there is a certain brotherhood in death, if in no otherwise.

 

[Lonemagpie]

Re: Game of Thrones 4.9 - "The Watchers on the Wall" - Rate and discus

Good Game Of Thrones tonight- would have made a great season finale (so presumably the finale next week will be anticlimactic by comparison.

Who gave Alliser Thorne permission to have a personality? And it's a shame about her...

 

[Brolan]

Re: Game of Thrones 4.9 - "The Watchers on the Wall" - Rate and discus

Good Game Of Thrones tonight- would have made a great season finale (so presumably the finale next week will be anticlimactic by comparison.

Who gave Alliser Thorne permission to have a personality? And it's a shame about her...

There some events coming up that are anything but anticlimactic.

 

[Turtletrekker]

Re: Game of Thrones 4.9 - "The Watchers on the Wall" - Rate and discus

For anyone who lives in the Lakewood, Washington, area-- there will be a finale viewing party at Thornwood Castle, the same castle used in Stephen King's Rose Red.

 

[CaptainCanada]

Re: Game of Thrones 4.9 - "The Watchers on the Wall" - Rate and discus

Still a very solid action episode but somehow i don't get these tactics.. if Mance outnumbers them a thousand to one why not rush them full force, tire them out and blow past the wall? The only reason i can imagine is that his numbers are exaggerated too but if not it doesn't make sense (and yeah.. i'm talking about realism in a fantasy show ).

Strictly speaking, the "100,000" figure attached to Mance's host is the entire Wildling population (they're all moving south to escape the Walkers), not just people of fighting age and capacity, so his actual combat numbers would be considerably lower than that.

 

[Venardhi]

Re: Game of Thrones 4.9 - "The Watchers on the Wall" - Rate and discus

Loved the giant anchor sweeping the wall clean of wildings. I can easily see how a fully manned wall would be impregnable. The show needs more episodes per season seems like it just started.

Speaking of that giant anchor. To history buffs, has anything like that been used in our history in the defense of castles etc?

My only problem with the Anchor/Scythe is that they seem very well prepared for for a tactic that none of them are supposed to think is possible.

 

[Lonemagpie]

Re: Game of Thrones 4.9 - "The Watchers on the Wall" - Rate and discus

Good Game Of Thrones tonight- would have made a great season finale (so presumably the finale next week will be anticlimactic by comparison.

Who gave Alliser Thorne permission to have a personality? And it's a shame about her...

There some events coming up that are anything but anticlimactic.

I'm more wondering how much they can squeeze in to one episode and maintain the emotional impact, assuming the six things that pretty much have to happen now all happen in the one episode. I suspect some of it may be held off to the first episode of next season...

 

[Mr Light]

Re: Game of Thrones 4.9 - "The Watchers on the Wall" - Rate and discus

Excellent episode but "Blackwater" was better.

This is one of the two chapters I actually read from the book and I remember it being bigger. There's only ONE mammoth and TWO giants?! That's it?! Speaking of, I think it's pretty silly that we saw a giant ONCE before now and then they just conveniently disappeared until this battle.

Why didn't they blow the tunnel? What's the point of keeping it open? They're never going to invade the North. If they really need to slip one guy over, drop him over the Wall on a rope.

 

[Brolan]

Re: Game of Thrones 4.9 - "The Watchers on the Wall" - Rate and discus

Good Game Of Thrones tonight- would have made a great season finale (so presumably the finale next week will be anticlimactic by comparison.

Who gave Alliser Thorne permission to have a personality? And it's a shame about her...

There some events coming up that are anything but anticlimactic.

I'm more wondering how much they can squeeze in to one episode and maintain the emotional impact, assuming the six things that pretty much have to happen now all happen in the one episode. I suspect some of it may be held off to the first episode of next season...

You raise a good point. I will be majorly disappointed if I don't see certain events next episode.

 

[TEACAKE'S PLEATHER DOME]

Re: Game of Thrones 4.9 - "The Watchers on the Wall" - Rate and discus

Hella battle.

 

[FPAlpha]

Re: Game of Thrones 4.9 - "The Watchers on the Wall" - Rate and discus

Excellent episode but "Blackwater" was better.

This is one of the two chapters I actually read from the book and I remember it being bigger. There's only ONE mammoth and TWO giants?! That's it?! Speaking of, I think it's pretty silly that we saw a giant ONCE before now and then they just conveniently disappeared until this battle.

Why didn't they blow the tunnel? What's the point of keeping it open? They're never going to invade the North. If they really need to slip one guy over, drop him over the Wall on a rope.

Well, i could see the need for the tunnel to send out scouting parties. It's far too dangerous to have people rope down each time they need to peek beyond the wall (especially when you need to get them back up).

However it was still clichee to disregard the opinion of the guy who has extensive beyond the wall experience and a sound plan to make the Wall much more defensible just because the commander doesn't like him personally.. that was weak writing if it happened like this in the books too (TV writers get more leeway since they have to follow the books most of the time).

 

[Mister Fandango]

Re: Game of Thrones 4.9 - "The Watchers on the Wall" - Rate and discus

I still don't understand why they didn't just go around the damn Wall in the first place. Every map, picture, and description I've seen of the Wall shows that it's just a wall, that doesn't even come close to blocking the entire North. In fact, there's even a really convenient river going right by it, not to mention two bays and several islands they could take advantage of.

 

[EmoBorg]

Re: Game of Thrones 4.9 - "The Watchers on the Wall" - Rate and discus

Overall Excellent episode. Great Battle. Sad to see Ygritte and Grenn killed. Nice to see the battle from both sides's view point.

 

[TheSeeker]

Re: Game of Thrones 4.9 - "The Watchers on the Wall" - Rate and discus

I still don't understand why they didn't just go around the damn Wall in the first place. Every map, picture, and description I've seen of the Wall shows that it's just a wall, that doesn't even come close to blocking the entire North. In fact, there's even a really convenient river going right by it, not to mention two bays and several islands they could take advantage of.

How many shipyards do you think the Wildings have north of the wall?

 

[DarthTom]

Re: Game of Thrones 4.9 - "The Watchers on the Wall" - Rate and discus

I gave this episode an average rating. It's a personal preference but the John Snow story arc just isn't that interesting to me nor is the Wall.

The Lannister's and what's happening at the Vale is far more interesting. Dany and her dragons are also far more interesting.

 

[Uncle Sol]

Re: Game of Thrones 4.9 - "The Watchers on the Wall" - Rate and discus

I still don't understand why they didn't just go around the damn Wall in the first place. Every map, picture, and description I've seen of the Wall shows that it's just a wall, that doesn't even come close to blocking the entire North. In fact, there's even a really convenient river going right by it, not to mention two bays and several islands they could take advantage of.

Small parties of Wildling probably do manage to sneak around either side of the wall just as some manage to climb over it. Groups of thousands would be much more difficult when they could attack Castle Black, take the gate, and pass through.

Eastwatch-by-the-Sea is depicted as having several galleys and warships to defend that side of the wall. To the west the mountains and the Gorge provide some natural defence to the Shadow Tower.