Open Bar: Drinks are on the Supreme Court

[Faust]

I think it's simpler then that. I think they meticulously constructed the character development scenes from the books, highlighting and using the dialog which gave the show it's strength.
They are not good at writing dialogue so they are not as adventurous with it. Without that connective tissue you get an acceleration from plot point to plot point. Take the dumb Euron vs Jamie fight. On both sides we could have seen build up, Euron threatened because he can't replace Jamie in Cersies heart, Jamie trying to move on with his life and be with Brianne but knowing thats not the right life for him. It wouldn't take much, a scene or two on either side to set up a dramatic tension. Without that connective tissue, it just becomes, asshole wanders out of the see and sees his girlfriends ex and decides to fight him for some reason.

[LMNO]

I think it's even simpler than that.  These guys have been doing the show for ten years, and want to move on and direct the next Star Wars film.  Time to wrap it up.

https://www.cnet.com/news/game-of-thrones-creators-get-next-star-wars-film-and-not-everyones-happy/

[Juana]

Mr Creepy Sociopath Uncle is dead? good. i've been on #TeamQueenYara since she turned up last season and i wanted him to die anyway.

I think it's even simpler than that.  These guys have been doing the show for ten years, and want to move on and direct the next Star Wars film.  Time to wrap it up.

https://www.cnet.com/news/game-of-thrones-creators-get-next-star-wars-film-and-not-everyones-happy/

i may not be all that invested in GoT but that's super fucking tacky, especially since this is the final season. jesus.

[Cain]

The hints were there, but with this mad rush to the finishing line (are HBO running out of money?), characterization is going out of the window.  [...]

I watched up to Season 6 and stopped not for any particular reason except that its too much of a time investment for me but what Ive heard/thought:

*They are running out of source material, apparently the books are still in the events of the city of Meereen, the creation of Reek, the walk of shame of Cersei, etc

*And isnt GOT like HBOs one trick pony? Why would they rush to get rid off it since it is its suscriber cashcow?

https://www.quora.com/How-much-profit-would-each-season-of-Game-of-Thrones-be-making

The only logic i see in the abruptness and twitchiness of the events unfolding is that the script writers have zero talent, and once the source material ran out, which was their guiding rails they just crashed and burned like a train without tracks.

Or perhaps theres a limited license that has an expiration date?

Or maybe the actor's contracts are expiring too and they dont want to renew?

These signs i could scavenge for all point to anything except economic reasons.

You're correct with the books. You can see the reduction in quality of writing from the point of departure from the books.  It did lead to two notoriously funny scenes (the Hound and the Chicken, and the Hound and Tormund Giantsbane), but little else of note.

And it is HBO's cash cow, but the actors and production team have been at this for the better part of a decade now. And they're famous as a result. Potentially famous enough to make breaking a contract to work somewhere else, somewhere more lucrative *cough*Hollywood*cough* seem more worthwhile.

Also, the CGI scenes are a massive drain on HBO's finances. The Battle of the Bastards cost somwhere around $11 million to film, and the season 8 episodes had a projected cost of $15 million per episode.  And they padded that out with two episodes of not much happening.

[Hoopla!]

Mr Creepy Sociopath Uncle is dead? good. i've been on #TeamQueenYara since she turned up last season and i wanted him to die anyway.

I think it's even simpler than that.  These guys have been doing the show for ten years, and want to move on and direct the next Star Wars film.  Time to wrap it up.

https://www.cnet.com/news/game-of-thrones-creators-get-next-star-wars-film-and-not-everyones-happy/

i may not be all that invested in GoT but that's super fucking tacky, especially since this is the final season. jesus.

Yara Greyjoy? She’s been in the show for years.

[Juana]

Mr Creepy Sociopath Uncle is dead? good. i've been on #TeamQueenYara since she turned up last season and i wanted him to die anyway.

I think it's even simpler than that.  These guys have been doing the show for ten years, and want to move on and direct the next Star Wars film.  Time to wrap it up.

https://www.cnet.com/news/game-of-thrones-creators-get-next-star-wars-film-and-not-everyones-happy/

i may not be all that invested in GoT but that's super fucking tacky, especially since this is the final season. jesus.

Yara Greyjoy? She’s been in the show for years.

I started watching last season and assumed she was new, incorrectly so apparently? I think I've watched most of season one and maybe part of season two so 🤷. Go me, lmao.

[chaotic neutral observer]

I felt like getting donuts today.  There's a lovely artisanal place halfway across town, but they close at 1600 on Tuesday, and I get off work at 1530.  I get distracted, and don't get away until 1540.  I take the fastest route I can think of, hit a good number of green lights, get held up briefly by a Lexus driving well under the speed limit  , drive casual past a couple of police officers  , and make it there with 5 minutes to spare.

The place has a number of elementary-school-aged kids hanging around inside.  For a second, I'm concerned that there aren't any donuts left; this place only makes enough for the day, and when they're out, they're out.  But, there are eight left!  I buy six (two each of the remaining three flavours), leaving behind one of their signature vegan chocolate donuts, and something with grapefruit sugar on it.

As I'm leaving, a couple of the kids approach the counter.  Not to buy the remainder, but to survey the damage.  I overhear some disconnected phrases.  "..divide it..."   "...unless someone else comes..."

I add two and two together.  When the shop closes, they must give the remaining donuts away *free*.  I just swooped in and deprived those poor kids of their bounty at the last second.

I feel like kinda a jerk, but if I had known...I would have done exactly the same thing.

And I can live with myself.  I can live with myself.

Because they're really good donuts.

[The Johnny]

I felt like getting donuts today.  There's a lovely artisanal place halfway across town, but they close at 1600 on Tuesday, and I get off work at 1530.  I get distracted, and don't get away until 1540.  I take the fastest route I can think of, hit a good number of green lights, get held up briefly by a Lexus driving well under the speed limit  , drive casual past a couple of police officers  , and make it there with 5 minutes to spare.

The place has a number of elementary-school-aged kids hanging around inside.  For a second, I'm concerned that there aren't any donuts left; this place only makes enough for the day, and when they're out, they're out.  But, there are eight left!  I buy six (two each of the remaining three flavours), leaving behind one of their signature vegan chocolate donuts, and something with grapefruit sugar on it.

As I'm leaving, a couple of the kids approach the counter.  Not to buy the remainder, but to survey the damage.  I overhear some disconnected phrases.  "..divide it..."   "...unless someone else comes..."

I add two and two together.  When the shop closes, they must give the remaining donuts away *free*.  I just swooped in and deprived those poor kids of their bounty at the last second.

I feel like kinda a jerk, but if I had known...I would have done exactly the same thing.

And I can live with myself.  I can live with myself.

Because they're really good donuts.

If you werent such an unpatriotic commie, you woulda bought all of them and gorged on them right in front of them like a real american should.

Show those damn Obama loving mooching rascals. 

[The Johnny]

So funny enough, the final balance does point GOT ending this way due to economic reasons, but not the ones we discredited, just that everyone involved except HBO wants to move on.

Thx for the insight everyone.

[chaotic neutral observer]

If you werent such an unpatriotic commie, you woulda bought all of them and gorged on them right in front of them like a real american should.

Show those damn Obama loving mooching rascals. 

Well, I'm actually Canadian.  Being an unpatriotic commie is pretty common up here.  Canadians aren't particularly patriotic, as a group, although we are united in a smug sense of superiority where Americans are concerned.

(I'm only a commie by American standards.  My personal economic ideal tends more toward "socialism for natural monopolies, capitalism for fungible commodities."  It's probably a good thing I'm not in a position of power).

[Hoopla!]

If you werent such an unpatriotic commie, you woulda bought all of them and gorged on them right in front of them like a real american should.

Show those damn Obama loving mooching rascals. 

Well, I'm actually Canadian.  Being an unpatriotic commie is pretty common up here.  Canadians aren't particularly patriotic, as a group, although we are united in a smug sense of superiority where Americans are concerned.

(I'm only a commie by American standards.  My personal economic ideal tends more toward "socialism for natural monopolies, capitalism for fungible commodities."  It's probably a good thing I'm not in a position of power).

We seem to be getting pretty damned patriotic recently. Despite my best efforts.

[Cramulus]

just gonna toss out my ideal GoT ending that definitely won't happen

Jon gets eaten by the dragon
Arya kills Dany
Bran becomes the King

Bran would be the perfect king because he knows everything - wouldn't even need advisors.

Failing that, Jon can be king and Bran can advise him.




also

yes, the writing is clumsy and rushed. A lot of these scenes feel real paint-by-numbers.

But I still enjoyed the twist of Dany going apeshit on everything. I'm actually real glad I didn't see it coming. The show had built her up to be such a savior, I really thought the payoff was going to be that she and her lady friends "break the wheel" and lead in the new era of matriarchy. It's nice that the show doesn't just wrap everything up in a nice little package.


also

just want to take a momen to marvel at the fact that there are only like 11 characters left alive. I think the show has had something like 150 characters? all toast.

[Hoopla!]

My wife asked me on Sunday night who I thought Varys was writing the messages to, and I immediately said “All the major houses in the 7 Kingdoms”, then I realized that almost all the major houses have been decimated... Lannisters, Tyrells, Tarlys, Tullys (well, Cat’s brother might still be alive?), Arryn, Baratheon, Mormont, Frey..... like its sort of just Starks and Yara Greyjoy at this point. That’s a pretty massive power vacuum.

[LMNO]

y'know, that's a good point.  Who was he writing to?  The Citadel?

[Cain]

Bronn, with a promise of gold that Varys has stashed away with one of his "little birds", should he kill Dany.

That's what I'd do, but Varys has kinda dropped the ball lately, between "not noticing your queen is insane" and "being burned alive".