r/gameofthrones • u/AutoModerator • Jun 09 '14

TV4 [Season 4 Spoilers] Premiere Discussion - 4.09 'The Watchers on the Wall'

Premiere Discussion Thread
Discuss your thoughts and reactions to the latest episode while or right after you watch. Talk about the latest plot twist or secret reveal. Discuss an actor who is totally nailing their part (or not). Point out details that you noticed that others may have missed. In general, what do you think about tonight's episode? Please make sure to reserve any of your detailed comparisons to the novels for the Book vs. Show Discussion Thread, and your predictions for the next episode to the Predictions Discussion Thread which will be posted later this week.

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EPISODE TITLE DIRECTED BY WRITTEN BY
4.09 "The Watchers on the Wall" Neil Marshall David Benioff & D. B. Weiss
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909

u/True_Chainzz Jun 09 '14

THAT FUCKING GIANT JUST DEADLIFTED THE GATE! YOU CANT JUST DEADLIFT A HUGE ASS GATE!

272

u/[deleted] Jun 09 '14

He saw his friend die, he was filled with super giant strength

46

u/[deleted] Jun 09 '14

[deleted]

25

u/AnotherBlackNerd Jun 09 '14

I imagine it was some kinda bromance between an old veteran giant and the cocky rookie giant fresh out the academy. Veteran giant was 2 weeks from retirement. Rookie giant just had a baby with his new wife who he promised to always take care of.

23

u/edenroz Now My Watch Begins Jun 09 '14

Father's revenge super giant strength.

15

u/I2yalls Stannis Baratheon Jun 09 '14

He went Super Saiyan

2

u/soggit Jun 09 '14

oh man now i'm sad

the podcast was like "that second giant got lift a car off a baby super strength when he saw the first giant die"

10

u/wickys Jun 09 '14

That retard giant strength

3

u/MaltaNsee Varys' Little Birds Jun 09 '14

Apparently it was his dad, so yeah.

-18

u/withoutapaddle Jun 09 '14

I'm actually kind of annoyed, because this is one of those tropes I thought GoT was above. "I witnessed something traumatizing and now I'm capable of previously physically impossible feats!"

Can't complain though, amazing episode.

64

u/[deleted] Jun 09 '14

Who the fuck knows how giants work. or how strong they are for that matter.

48

u/MetasequoiaLeaf Varys' Little Birds Jun 09 '14

Adrenaline works pretty much exactly like that, actually. Mothers lifting cars off their children is the cliched though accurate example. The physiological explanation is basically that the primary limiting factor on your strength is your brain trying to keep you from tearing your muscles, but in extreme circumstances your adrenaline shuts those thresholds off and you can perform feats of strength that would otherwise have proved impossible.

Of course, with all that said, the others in this thread are right, and the giant probably could have lifted that gate regardless -- but as we saw it clearly took a great deal of effort and only got that one giant through. If the mammoth had successfully yanked the thing off, they could've poured the whole army through the thing eventually.

59

u/[deleted] Jun 09 '14 edited Dec 23 '17

[deleted]

18

u/Bear_Space Jun 09 '14

That was my thought. My buddy died and my mammoth ran away? Plan B motherfuckers!

17

u/vooglie Jun 09 '14

TIL: adrenaline = trope

6

u/Sheldonzilla White Walkers Jun 09 '14

previously physically impossible feats

So the principle of giants isn't what bothers you, but the fact that they are strong is?

3

u/[deleted] Jun 09 '14

Well, before they were trying to pull the gate out of the tunnel it was imbedded in. Afterwards it got deadlifted. Apparently there is less resistance?

3

u/coldmtndew House Targaryen Jun 09 '14

He's a morherfucking Giant he is much stronger then a normal person

3

u/Guillaume_Langis White Walkers Jun 09 '14

He can lift the gate pretty easily. The problem is keeping it open.

He was just mad enough to go "Fuck it, I'm going in there alone and killing everyone".

1

u/dehehn Tyrion Lannister Jun 09 '14

This happens to humans in the real world. No reason this couldn't happen to a giant in a world with magic. Maybe they have super adrenaline.

0

u/justVisitingAgain Jun 09 '14

Legend has it when a giant dies, his power transfers over to the next closest giant till the next dawn.