What's on the idiot box?

[majestic]

I'd imagine House Tyrell was also still in quite a bit of disarray after losing so many people in the Sept bombing.

 

That's one of the strangest things about GRRM's houses in Westeros. They all seem to have been dying out for a while before the books began. The highborn in Westeros trace their ancestry back at least a hundred generations (or more, depending on the source) yet each house has only a handful of heirs at best - and the Houses in the show have, for casting and budgetarian reasons, even less family members.

[Rosbjerg]

Not historically uncommon either - very powerful houses sometimes didn't want to marry off younger sons or daughters too soon, in order to limit the number of potential future claimants.

 

That and it seems there's a tradition in Westeros for 'Cadet branching', like the Karstarks - meaning any family member not directly in line of succession or from the main family, would either seek different means of income and prestige or adopt a different name and start a new smaller house.

[majestic]

Not historically uncommon either - very powerful houses sometimes didn't want to marry off younger sons or daughters too soon, in order to limit the number of potential future claimants.

 

Maybe not, but they tended to make heirs by the bunchload. Queen Victoria had what, nine children and Empress Maria Theresa even 16. Having one or two viable heirs and no branches to pick up the slack seems terribly risky in a medieval society like Westeros.

[Zoraptor]

The 'typical' medieval noble family was a bit different from Victoria in the 19th century or Maria Theresa in the 18th though, while not modern they were far more advanced than 12th-15th century Europe where childbirth was frequently deadly to the mother and a majority of children died while young even in noble houses. Then you were very lucky to have three sons live to majority ('heir and a spare' was lucky) and if you did have more than two the tendency was to stick any extras into careers where they wouldn't breed- well, wouldn't legitimately breed at least- like the church. In a world without proper medicine even scratches could lead to death from infection so you could very easily lose the heir or spare, and then you did have a linear line. The history of the english royal family has a deviation from direct line on average about every 4 monarchs, and even if you amalgamate cadets like York/ Lancaster to Plantagenet you still get the longest run only being around 300 years.

 

The GoT/ ASOIAF situation is certainly not realistic though except in not having massive families, only nobility I can think of that can trace its roots directly anywhere near even a thousand years are the Percys at ~950 years. Some of the talk in the books about the animosity between the Boltons and Starks makes it very unlikely that one or the other would not have been wiped out earlier, though presumably you just don't hear about the houses that did get historically roflstomped unless they were important to the narrative like the Raines of Castamere.

Edited August 4, 2017 by Zoraptor

[algroth]

Holy ****, that new GoT episode.

[ShadySands]

3 or 4?

[algroth]

3 or 4?

4. Got convinced by some friends to watch it because they couldn't stop hyping it up. I'll definitely be watching it again on Sunday though, it was great.

Edited August 5, 2017 by algroth

[HoonDing]

I want to be a dragon.

[majestic]

The 'typical' medieval noble family was a bit different from Victoria in the 19th century or Maria Theresa in the 18th though, while not modern they were far more advanced than 12th-15th century Europe where childbirth was frequently deadly to the mother and a majority of children died while young even in noble houses.

 

Point taken, probably shouldn't have used medieval here. I mean society and technology in Westeros seems to be stuck on a medieval level but the Maesters have much more in common with more modern scholars than medieval guesswork, especially when it comes to medicine. No antibiotics of course but hey, Sam just cured GRRM's version of leprosy by following instructions from an old book. Quite a feat.

 

Besides if I recall correctly childbirth remained pretty dangerous until well into the 19th century when Ignaz Semmelweis figured out that proper hygiene helps to prevent childbed fever.

 

Anyway, uhm, Dany really has the most incompetent military commanders ever. Did she buy them from Jon?

[Chilloutman]

Bronn my man, still the best guy on the show. Hope next time he will impregnate that b*tch properly

Edited August 7, 2017 by Chilloutman

[Zoraptor]

To me Bronn will always be singing cheesy duets with Robson Green, which makes him a little hard to take seriously.

 

Seems like everyone's military leadership takes turns being hilariously incompetent in GoT. Robb was the only consistently decent commander, and he was as bad at politics as he was good at fighting.

[Chilloutman]

also, do you think Jon bend that knee in that cave? I think it was cut too obviously...

[Guard Dog]

Best line of the show: 

 

"Who taught you to do that?"

 

"No one"

 

Also for crying out loud, when air support assets are taking ground fire with friendly infantry on the ground mopping up a battle already won, remove them from the engagement. "We're taking AA fire, let's strafe the gun emplacement" said no pilot ever.

Edited August 7, 2017 by Guard Dog

[majestic]

Also for crying out loud, when air support assets are taking ground fire with friendly infantry on the ground mopping up a battle already won, remove them from the engagement. "We're taking AA fire, let's strafe the gun emplacement" said no pilot ever.

 

I found it rather irritating that Dany kept strafing the supply wagons rather than break standing spear formations trying to hold off her advance. I mean if all you have is light skirmish cavalry and the enemy fields apparently disciplined, armored fighters with spears holding the line you should use your air support to break those.

 

Before charging several miles at full speed towards them. Good thing horses don't get tired. And maybe if you also have a bunch of horse archers harry the enemy before charging in. It's not like a line of spears with no support is mobile enough to do something about it.

 

Good thing that the Lannister army under superior tactical genius Randyll Tarly managed to forget to scout ahead while guarding a supply train. Imagine if they saw the Mongol Dothraki horde coming and had time to prepare.

Edited August 7, 2017 by majestic

[kirottu]

The invest return ration Lannisters are getting from Bronn is insane.

[Guard Dog]

 

Also for crying out loud, when air support assets are taking ground fire with friendly infantry on the ground mopping up a battle already won, remove them from the engagement. "We're taking AA fire, let's strafe the gun emplacement" said no pilot ever.

 

I found it rather irritating that Dany kept strafing the supply wagons rather than break standing spear formations trying to hold off her advance. I mean if all you have is light skirmish cavalry and the enemy fields apparently disciplined, armored fighters with spears holding the line you should use your air support to break those.

 

Before charging several miles at full speed towards them. Good thing horses don't get tired. And maybe if you also have a bunch of horse archers harry the enemy before charging in. It's not like a line of spears with no support is mobile enough to do something about it.

 

Good thing that the Lannister army under superior tactical genius Randyll Tarly managed to forget to scout ahead while guarding a supply train. Imagine if they saw the Mongol Dothraki horde coming and had time to prepare.

 

No kidding. Where were their outriders? The United States only exists as a unified nation today because two army generals John Buford and John Reynolds made smart use of cavalry scouts on July 1st 1863. At least in the books GRRM has a better grip on medieval tactics. If there is one thing TW gmes has taught me it's that charging spear formations with cavalry is stupid.  Plus do you recall a story in the 2nd book of how 1000 Unsullied broke and entire Khalasar? They did it with spears and staying in formation.

Edited August 7, 2017 by Guard Dog

[HoonDing]

wouldn't be surprised Bronn somehow saves the bad **** and ends up as ruler of Dorne

[Guard Dog]

And another thing, they dropped the name Golden Company. That is a mistake. They never introduced any part of the the Blackfyre plot line from the books, Varys connection to it, or you-know-who who is with the Golden Company now. And there is not nearly enough episodes left to get it in now. D&D should have picked a different name for the mercenary company Cersi wants to hire.

 

Just sayin'

[Blarghagh]

Why? If they were never introduced, what does the name matter?

[the_dog_days]

Finished Daredevil season one. I liked it much more than the Marvel movies.

[rjshae]

People of Earth is back, and as quirky as ever. Looks like the FBI is on the case now.

 

Jeff: still my favorite Grey.

 

[algroth]

Spiral motifs in Game of Thrones...

 

 

 

 

Also, because this joke had to be done...

 

 

 

[LadyCrimson]

Still completely addicted to K-dramas. I've practically forgotten there is a US (or anywhere else, really) television market.
 
I've binge-watched way too many series. So many good ones. I still love the fact most of them are self-contained single-season stories vs. series that are milked to death and never end (or are cancelled and have no end at all...).
 
Their remake of Criminal Minds has been rather mundane to me, so far, however. The actors are all good and I don't have an issue with over-comparing it to the US version...(they're using some of the same criminal stories, like Reaper)...since I was never a huge fan of Criminal Minds beyond the first couple years. Plus the flavor feels quite different even if the chrs are based on the US chrs. Yet the K-drama version of it is lacking something. The pacing and camerawork aren't appealing, perhaps. It's only been 4 episodes however, and it is improving a tiny bit.

[Volourn]

Not so good GOT episode. The battle was cheesy garbage where the main characters had plot armour. This continues with Arya who seems to be so 'cool for school' and Chosen One. I don't buy for a second that she can go toe to toe with Brienne. Total garbage.

[majestic]

Not so good GOT episode. The battle was cheesy garbage where the main characters had plot armour. This continues with Arya who seems to be so 'cool for school' and Chosen One. I don't buy for a second that she can go toe to toe with Brienne. Total garbage.

 

Mhm, at best Arya would be able to try and stay out of Brienne's reach and attempt to use the environment in her favor in some way. Although Arya is essentially a facechanging/shapeshifting magic ninja at this point, which does make it less bothersome than Dany flying straight at a scorpion after a near miss. *shrug*