Geek alert: Game of Thrones on HBO

[PNWbrit]

Why You Couldn’t See a Damn Thing on This Week’s Game of Thrones

several prestige-TV cinematographers explained to Slate back in 2016, the switch to digital filming and post-production made it easier and faster to work in low light than it had been on film. Simultaneously, the switch from cathode-ray tubes to high definition televisions made that same low-light cinematography look worse than it ever had before, especially on lower-end models. Meanwhile, cable companies switched to digital distribution, applying their own video compression to the already-compressed signals they got from networks. Streaming services like HBO Now do the same thing in order to fit HDTV signals into as little internet bandwidth as possible. Every time lossy video compression is applied to the video, the image quality drops. And guess what kind of scenes current video compression techniques do the worst job with? It’s a perfect storm: Every recent advance in television technology seems to have been designed specifically to make “The Long Night” difficult to make out.

There are ways for a home viewer to mitigate the damage, first and foremost by darkening the room. Watching over internet streaming is better in many cases too, because it means cutting your cable company out of the loop, and the compressed versions of HBO Now episodes, which can be encoded in advance, might undergo a little more quality control than the versions cable companies create on the fly from HBO’s live feed. And calibrating your television, even if that just means using the signal patterns on a THX DVD or Blu-Ray to set the brightness and contrast, will do a lot to help. (As a bonus, paying attention to any or all of those things will make everything you watch look better, not just Game of Thrones.) But there’s just no way to feed images like the ones in “The Long Night” into the current television distribution system and have them look good in everyone’s living room.

So can anything be done? Well, there’s a tradition in the music industry of taking the final mix of a recording and testing it out on a car stereo, to see what the beautiful music playing out of the expensive monitor speakers in the studio sounds like when it’s filtered through crappy car speakers, competing with engine noise. The reason audio engineers do this is not because they love the way music sounds in a 1989 Honda Civic. It’s because they have no control over the listening environment where their work will eventually be heard, and they want to make sure it’s tolerable even under the worst of circumstances. There’s a trade-off, of course: a car radio–friendly mix might sound a little worse than the original version when it’s played on a high-end stereo in a soundproof room. It’s lowering the ceiling to raise the floor, and normally I’m not very sympathetic to that kind of approach. But we’re on Game of Thrones’ eighth season: If the general public were going to calibrate their televisions or darken their rooms in order to appreciate the cinematography, they would have done it by now. So if TV directors aren’t already making a point of running their work through the worst compression algorithm any cable company uses, then watching it on a cheap LED screen in a room with plenty of natural light, it’s probably time to start. If they need an unsuitable-for-Game-of-Thrones living room to use as a model for their test environment, Game of Thrones Twitter is full of potential volunteers.

[JimmyCarter]

WHAT WAS BRAN DOING THE ENTIRE BATTLE????

There better be some more explanation for Bran. Why is he so important that the Night King would make himself (and thus his whole freakin' army) vulnerable??? The Night King shouldve just stayed in the north and let his Lieutenants lead his army south, and they would've just steam rolled over whoever got in their way. But noooo he goes right into Winterfell himself to kill Bran. Nobody else could've killed the kid in the wheelchair?? I mean come on. The show raises more questions than it answers

And if no one else was going to kill bran/3iR then why the fuck did theon have to be there to kill a quarter million zombies?

[Supermoon]

Everyone assumes Bran is either a good guy or indifferent. I’m not so sure. I was half expecting the NK to kneel at his feet or something at the end there

[Self Jupiter]

I posted that I thought he was a bad guy a few pages back and now I have even less of a clue what he is or does. He continues to not be very useful considering his powers. Wonder if he had a vision of Arya killing the NK with the Valyrian Steel dagger.

[Djongo Unchained]

Do the dragons have a limited tank of fire or something? Seemed that they spent a fuckton of time NOT burning the Night army. I know they were looking to intercept the NK but hell, he wasn't trying to sneak past them; He attacked them first...
Lots of strategic idiocy in a plot that revolves around savvy strategizers.
The burning moat was good for about 3 minutes.
Dragon glass seemed more effective when Samwell first exploded the ice guy.
Dothraki charge to immediate annihilation. Khal Drogo's widow didn't lift a hand/claw to help.
Lady Mormont was cool, stood down for no one, not once. Apparently not a single archer could put one in the lethargic giant's eye.
Arya and Melisandre knowing each other? Hmmm, was she the crazy chick wacking A Girl daily while blind?
And Jon running so far and mostly getting nowhere, wtf?
Nobody but the little scarred girl take a weapon into the crypt?

On a lighter note: I foresee a Tormundienne of Tarth baby. Prolly 6' 17" tall and bipolar as fuck. The act of courting and making said bebe would be it's own episode. Strawberry blonde fosho...

[Brock Landers]

Arya and the red woman met in season 3 when that piece of fucking ass kidnapped Gendry and brought him to dragonstone. She told Arya then that they would meet again, and there was a darkness about Arya. Also, she would kill many with brown eyes, blue eyes, and green eyes. Blue eyes was the NK. Green could be Cersei.

Also, we saw the knife drop trick in season 7 when brienne and Arya are sparring.

[prsboogie]

Just rewatched and just before Arya jumps the show the hair of one of the NK men move with no sight of someone passing him. Really was a very good episode.

I did adjust to picture setting on my plasma (yes I still have one) a little and watched in the dark, it was better.

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using TGR Forums mobile app

[Rip'nStick]

By the Seven God's this is why I love TGR, some funny as fuck critique, seamlessly of both plots and TVs. Some military analysis from Summit (agreed), plot holes and cinematic critique from DJSapp, list goes on and on, haven't been able to finish thread. Gart Bimble "Tyeion gets more ass than a toilet set"

Y'all some funny fucking dorks. And yes, I am too, y'all just covered it already. I wanted to see what the deal was after I watched it so I came here. You got it nailed

How are the superfriends going to build another army is the question.

You guys make laugh, thanks

[Rip'nStick]

I posted that I thought he was a bad guy a few pages back and now I have even less of a clue what he is or does. He continues to not be very useful considering his powers. Wonder if he had a vision of Arya killing the NK with the Valyrian Steel dagger.

My thoughts on that are that Bran is an oracle that can see all of time but can only interact limitedly with it. Slaughter House Five. The former Three Eyed Raven only interacted with Bran and since then he's gone mostly silent except what other characters found out for themselves and he confirmed.

The NK looked into his eyes, and seeing his complete acceptance of the situation, NK was a little perturbed. And then Bran looks past him, waiting for his inevitable death.

I am not sure in the real world I don't believe in fate. Or infinite fates but if you could see which universe you were in....or even cared. It's all going to go down in one way or another

[robnow]

No way Dany kills Cersei. The prophecy says that it will be one of her brothers. Personally, I hope that King Slayer becomes Queen Slayer, too.

Yes, but not directly. I think she dies while giving birth to Jamie’s baby.

[DJSapp]

How are the superfriends going to build another army is the question.

I was rewatching it tonight and I caught something. With the dothraki and unsullied completely annihilated, Dany is down to Grey Worm and 2 dragons, and one of them is partial to Jon.

Sansa controls the survivors of the North, and Jon has the respect of the wildlings. Dany doesn't really have a card to play here. Maybe they don't go South and they let Cercei go bankrupt paying for the Golden Co. to sit on their thumbs.

Sent from my Pixel XL using TGR Forums mobile app

[billyk]

So why was Bran warging during the battle? Well, one simple answer is the NK can see him while he is having visions. So maybe he needed to be on a warg-about to lure the NK in.

But there is another theory making the rounds of the interwebs. Maybe Bran is evil, after all, and Arya spoiled the plan between NK and Bran. Guess we won’t have to wait long to find out now.

[Supermoon]

I posted that I thought he was a bad guy a few pages back and now I have even less of a clue what he is or does. He continues to not be very useful considering his powers. Wonder if he had a vision of Arya killing the NK with the Valyrian Steel dagger.

But there is another theory making the rounds of the interwebs. Maybe Bran is evil, after all, and Arya spoiled the plan between NK and Bran. Guess we won’t have to wait long to find out now.

SJ said that like two pages back!

[billyk]

SJ said that like two pages back!

Didn’t say he didn’t. Plus, that theory was all over the interwebs on Sunday, like I did say.

[Supermoon]

Didn’t say he didn’t. Plus, that theory was all over the interwebs on Sunday, like I did say.

Oh I know. Just busting your balls. I had the same theory and then SK told me he’d already mentioned it.

[billyk]

Oh I know. Just busting your balls. I had the same theory and then SK told me he’d already mentioned it.

My meager contribution was in my first paragraph, which I haven’t seen mentioned much, but seems like the obvious innocent explanation. He warged to draw the NK towards him.

Either that, or he’s evil.

[Woodsy]

These rankings of the players @ battle as if it were a football/soccer match are hilarious
https://www.joe.co.uk/entertainment/...terfell-229662

[Diamond Joe]

^ that was pretty funny

Read this yesterday, why Bran is the Lord of Light and several of the good guys who have been resurrected are "fire wights", the opposite of the Night King's Ice Wights. To wit: Beric, Jon Snow, possibly The Hound:
https://www.reddit.com/r/gameofthron...ght_theory_is/

[schindlerpiste]

Love this theory taken from an article in Entertainment:
"Now, this might initially seem to contradict Cersei's Valonqar prophecy, which, if you're not familiar, was part of the witch's prophecy about Cersei insinuating that "a little brother" would murder her. The most obvious candidates would be Tyrion or Jaime, both of whom are still alive. There's another theory out there that she'll die in childbirth. But now fans think that Arya will take Jaime's face and use it to impersonate him and finally kill the Mad Queen for good, which would keep the Valonqar prophecy intact. It would also give more credence to the theory that Arya is legendary warrior and "princess that was promised" Azor Ahai.

[Brock Landers]

My theory...bran went back in time (like with hodor) to cause everything to happen as it has. Like he told Theon, everything happened for him to be there. Starting with the mad king and the revolution (he was whispering to “burn them all” so Jamie kills him). And engineering jon to be a bastard cared for by Ned. Everything happened for a reason for the NK to be there and be killed by Arya. He engineered reek/Theon. All of it so he could kill the NK because there was no other way.

[DJSapp]

So why was Bran warging during the battle?

It's a lot simpler that all that shit. He was bored, couldn't see shit, and went out for one last joyride rather than listen and watch everyone die.

BECAUSE BRAN HAS NOT DONE A GODDAMN THING EVER. BEYOND BEING A MAGUFFIN.

[Diamond Joe]

My theory...bran went back in time (like with hodor) to cause everything to happen as it has. Like he told Theon, everything happened for him to be there. Starting with the mad king and the revolution (he was whispering to “burn them all” so Jamie kills him). And engineering jon to be a bastard cared for by Ned. Everything happened for a reason for the NK to be there and be killed by Arya. He engineered reek/Theon. All of it so he could kill the NK because there was no other way.

Thats almost exactly what the Reddit thread said. The whole show is Good and Evil, Light and Dark, Fire and Ice. The Night King is evil, the Ice, and the "Lord of Light" is good, the Fire. The Night Kings nemesis is the 3 Eyed raven, or the Lord of Light. So Bran is the Lord of Light, or at least his physical representative. Bran was the one who brought Jon back (recall he didn't come back after Melisandres prayer, she had given up and it happened awhile after) Bran was the one who ignited the trench (again, recall how Melisandres words werent working and she was confused/frustrated), Bran was the one who brought Beric back again and again (recall how both Melisandre and the priest said he shouldnt have that power)

Bran is the Lord of Light and he has been engineering everything to happen as it has, in order for his nemesis, the Night King, to be destroyed.

[DJSapp]

So it's the complete revisionist history idea then?

How does that work for Berric and Jon Snow though? Bran wasn't the 3er at the time of their death(s), the dude in the tree was. Time travel and fixing the past to make the present we know gets messy in every screen genre. Just walk away from this theory.

[Self Jupiter]

3er warged into bran

[::: :::]

...a lotta words that didn't play out in the show...

I think the show does fail in explaining the Bran story
but it has a lot of other successful and engaging story lines

I hope the Bran magical deus ex machina BS is done for now. The whole NK story arc seemed to lead only to a cliched good-guy-triumphs-over-evil that this show has worked studiously to avoid.

The palace intrigue and sneaky interpersonal vendettas and relationships are far more satisfying to see resolved, or at least worked out to some cathartic splattering of bodily fluids (good & bad).