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Game Of Thrones Season 5 TV Only Discussion (Spoilers)

I always figured Westeros to be the size of the British Isles. The map looks like a fantasy analogy of Britain and Europe, with the Narrow Sea being the Channel.
 
Remember, Westeros is a continent the size of South America, if not bigger. The trip from the wall to Winterfell is many hundreds, if not about a thousand, miles. It takes a long time for a large infantry force to move with supplies, and on foot, those distances, particularly in continuous driving snow several feet deep. They're slowed by dying horses and dying men and loss of morale tends to slow things too. Personally, I think Melissandre should build one of her big bonfires for the troops instead of asking to sacrifice Stannis' daughter.

Also, remember, that people move around the world at the Speed of Plot. :D

The speed of plot is one thing that I agree with - however I don't think the TV series has ever successful sold the idea that the places we are seeing are that massive.
I agree. Especially as quickly as Tyrion has gotten from Pentos to Meereen. The continent of Essos is even bigger than Westeros - Asia big (and prone to its eastern stereotypes as well) - and it should have taken him at least the whole season to get there. This was significantly abbreviated. Stannis' movement from Dragonstone to Braavos to the Wall was another feat of an exceptionally speedy advance, only to now be conveniently slowed on the way to Winterfell, the most recent leg of that journey being the most realistic, and the one boring most viewers. :shrug:

I am genuinely interested in what they'll find at Hard Home, though. An interesting diversion from established plot with much potential. Previews look like Rattleshirt may be returning - which I find intriguing.
 
Also, remember, that people move around the world at the Speed of Plot. :D
Speed of plot is necessary. Sometimes writers tend to go too far with it (wounded Maximus riding a horse from Germania to Spain in what seemed like a few hours at most, Enterprise reaching Vulcan from Earth in like half an hour), and sometimes they practically cheat (the transwarp beaming thingy in STID honestly irked me).

The plot in GoT S5 moves at an annoyingly slow pace. I was tempted to fast forward through every scene Gilly was in. It just felt so dragged and completely redundant. I mean, yes, WE KNOW, Castle Black is no place for a woman, the Night's watch is made of bad people, rapists included... Come on, you guys established that years ago!

70% of the season is already done, and it still feels like it's just getting started.
 
I've not read the book but I've flicked through them, and isn't there a note at the start of a lot of them that not all the ongoing plots are necessarily taking place at the same time? I don't see why the show can't be different, certain plots could be taking place weeks/months after or before others.


One thing I thought was interesting was Myrcella saying she'd been in Dorne for years. On a similar note to above that's the only other thing about the show; you never really get a sense sometimes of how much time has actually passed.
 
One thing I thought was interesting was Myrcella saying she'd been in Dorne for years.
Myrcella was sent to Dorne in Season 2, this was three years ago. They changed the actress since then. The one who plays her now is actually younger of the two.
 
I like the slower pace of this season. Allows for more character moments and ups the atmosphere. If big plot points happen in every episode then they won't seem so big anymore.
 
70% of the season is already done, and it still feels like it's just getting started.


Not only that, it feels like there's been a lot of talking, less doing. In previous seasons, you'd hear lots of talking, sometimes in reference to things that were done. But this season seems all talk, no action. It seems like all season 5's done so far is position itself for season 6, where hopefully things happen. Whatever happened to show, not tell?
 
One thing I thought was interesting was Myrcella saying she'd been in Dorne for years.
Myrcella was sent to Dorne in Season 2, this was three years ago. They changed the actress since then. The one who plays her now is actually younger of the two.
Yeah I know, but exactly three years for us doesn't necessarily equal exactly three years for them
 
One thing I thought was interesting was Myrcella saying she'd been in Dorne for years.
Myrcella was sent to Dorne in Season 2, this was three years ago. They changed the actress since then. The one who plays her now is actually younger of the two.
Yeah I know, but exactly three years for us doesn't necessarily equal exactly three years for them
This is one of those things that go without saying.
 
I always figured Westeros to be the size of the British Isles. The map looks like a fantasy analogy of Britain and Europe, with the Narrow Sea being the Channel.
George R. R. Martin described Westeros (from the Wall to the southern coast of Dorne) as being roughly similar in size to South America, IIRC.
 
Found this meme and had to share.

tumblr_nozs89ouDv1r4pq4io1_540.png
 
Also, remember, that people move around the world at the Speed of Plot. :D
Speed of plot is necessary. Sometimes writers tend to go too far with it (wounded Maximus riding a horse from Germania to Spain in what seemed like a few hours at most, Enterprise reaching Vulcan from Earth in like half an hour), and sometimes they practically cheat (the transwarp beaming thingy in STID honestly irked me).

The plot in GoT S5 moves at an annoyingly slow pace. I was tempted to fast forward through every scene Gilly was in. It just felt so dragged and completely redundant. I mean, yes, WE KNOW, Castle Black is no place for a woman, the Night's watch is made of bad people, rapists included... Come on, you guys established that years ago!

70% of the season is already done, and it still feels like it's just getting started.

Exactly, movie and TV writers have rarely paid attention to realism if it would slow down or hinder the story they'd like to tell.

Hell, 24 was built on this premise yet locals from LA routinely laughed at how fast Jack Bauer could travel from one end of LA to the other in the time it would take a normal person to walk to the parking lot and start uop the car.

So this abysmal slow development in season 5 has nothing to do with the vast distances in the geography, it's just a very slow season (that may ramp up but i'm kinda losing hope).

Found this meme and had to share.

tumblr_nozs89ouDv1r4pq4io1_540.png

One of the best lines Tywin ever had on the show and the most truthful statement :lol::techman:

I'd just wonder what Tywin would have made of th Sparrow if he were alive (he certainly would not have been so dumb to arm them).
 
Myrcella was sent to Dorne in Season 2, this was three years ago. They changed the actress since then. The one who plays her now is actually younger of the two.
Yeah I know, but exactly three years for us doesn't necessarily equal exactly three years for them
This is one of those things that go without saying.

It's still interesting. It signifies that within the show's lore, a couple of years have passed since the second season. I'm not so sure I'd have ever arrived at such an assumption without a verbal confirmation of the fact.
 
^ Exactly. How much time has passed since, say, the Red Wedding? It feels like it could be six months, or it could be two years. There's never really much indication.
(Apart from getting nitty gritty and looking at a map, working out how long it would take Person X to get from Place A to Place B, and Persons Y & Z to get from C to D, etc etc)
 
At which point allowances must also be made for Littlefinger in particular, who has long illustrated an uncanny knack for teleportation.
 
At which point allowances must also be made for Littlefinger in particular, who has long illustrated an uncanny knack for teleportation.

To be honest even with horses you can be pretty fast. A moderate speed and frequent change of horses can get you pretty far even then.

Though i highly doubt Littlefinger would ride like hell medieval messenger style to get from A to B ;)
 
Martin's suggestion that Westeros is relatively similar in landmass to South America doesn't even hold much water based on the texts themselves other than the slower movements of the King's party and some armies in the first book or two. A more likely comparison is that it is similar north to south at a little less than 4,500 miles and I would hazard to say something more like 3,000 is probably closer if we're just going from the wall to Dorne, with a landmass more similar to continental Europe, which is somewhat more than half the area of South America and far from small or easily traversed by foot or horse.

Martin's comments as to size seem like they were made because there isn't really an appropriate island continent to compare it to on our world and he wanted to get readers out of the mindset of thinking so small about his own. He may also not realize how big South America actually is. Either way, even if Westeros is as tall as South America, its landmass would be considerably less.
 
Speaking of geography, has GRRM ever said what the name of their world, like in an interview or something, outside the books? He's used the word "earth" several times in the text, IIRC, which I found kind of jarring, but I don't think he ever meant it to be the name of the planet.
 
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