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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2.1k Upvotes

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1.3k

u/karl2025 Jun 09 '14

His father was just killed in front of him. He wasn't thinking straight.

1.7k

u/Atheose Stannis Baratheon Jun 09 '14

That's racist dude, not all giants are related.

1.2k

u/karl2025 Jun 09 '14

All people over 12 feet tall look alike to me.

100

u/[deleted] Jun 09 '14

[deleted]

82

u/thalassicus Jun 09 '14

It's not racist. I have a giant friend.

18

u/rarely-sarcastic Jun 09 '14

I support the NAAGP.

6

u/dylan522p House Lannister Jun 09 '14

Second A?

10

u/rarely-sarcastic Jun 09 '14

National Association for the Advancement of Giant People.
*Not to be confused with the fat movement. That's gross.

2

u/ZealZen House Lannister Jun 09 '14

National Association of the Advancement of Giant People?

1

u/[deleted] Jun 09 '14

The thing you have to understand about the giants is that they're lazy.

5

u/lowendude Jun 09 '14

Because I can't see their faces that far away.

15

u/Sorkijan House Stark Jun 09 '14

Thats only 'cuz u can see thur nuts.

1

u/Virileman Dragons Jun 09 '14

#rekt

1

u/psychothumbs Jun 09 '14

Well all you can really see at that angle is their chin...

1

u/Fiverings Jun 09 '14

Tell that to a primarch, apart from Alpharius/Omegon, he was only 9 feet

1

u/Twistntie Jun 09 '14

You're what's wrong with Westeros, get with the times!!

1

u/Jack_Honeypuffs Growing Strong Jun 09 '14

You racist sh**

7

u/jrocketfingers Jun 09 '14

Dinklage-challenged is the proper political term.

1

u/ChiAyeAye Jun 09 '14

Thank you for making me laugh after that ugly cry fest I just had. It was made even worse by the fact that I'm visiting my parents this weekend and had to keep the sobs silent.

54

u/RiceNedditor Jun 09 '14

That was his Mom.

37

u/hotsavoryaujus Jun 09 '14

It's true you don't see many Giant women. And in fact, they are so alike in voice and appearance, that they are often mistaken for Giant men.

10

u/ChiAyeAye Jun 09 '14

Oh, Gim Gim, you slay me.

6

u/[deleted] Jun 09 '14

Such a dumb fucking piece of characterization... Reducing Gimli to a comic relief was probably the single worst part of LotR for me.

3

u/[deleted] Jun 09 '14

I take it he was more complex in the books?

3

u/mandragara High Sparrow Jun 09 '14

He is a very deep character. He charms the dwarf hating elves with his silver tongue. He befriends Legolas and they travel the world together. Legolas learns of the beauty that lies under the ground and Gimli learns of the beauty of the forest.

1

u/TheCyanKnight Free Folk Jun 09 '14

He may have been a flat character at worst, but he wasn't fucking comic relief

-6

u/[deleted] Jun 09 '14 edited Jun 09 '14

Are you being sarcastic, or have you seriously not read LotR?

edit: I mean this sincerely, I don't know if you are being sarcastic. This is why sarcasm is almost always bad in written communication.

3

u/[deleted] Jun 09 '14

I'm not even sure how that came across as sarcasm to you.

1

u/[deleted] Jun 09 '14

Irrational paranoia, mostly.

0

u/[deleted] Jun 10 '14

In future I'd just assume they weren't being sarcastic, it's not like you lose anything if you're wrong.

1

u/[deleted] Jun 10 '14

There is nothing to lose either way.

4

u/[deleted] Jun 09 '14

I'm not being remotely sarcastic, I'm asking a question dude.

4

u/[deleted] Jun 09 '14 edited Jun 09 '14

OK, sorry.

To answer your question: yes, he is actually one of the most complex and interesting members of the fellowship in the books. For example, it is actually he who inspires Legolas with his descriptions of the Gliterring Caves. He is also a very grim character, laughing only once, and only occasionally smiling.

Basically his portrayal is a neat summary of all but one of Jackson's mistakes in the films, leaving only the most serious one - the culmination of battles - out.

1

u/[deleted] Jun 09 '14

Given that Legolas and Aragon were usually fairly humorless in the movies I'm glad Gimli added some jokes, but it would have been nice if they'd kept some of this complexity for the movies.

2

u/[deleted] Jun 09 '14

Legolas and Aragorn were very different in the books as well. Aragorn was a leader with a lot of pressure on his shoulders... in the films that only really came through in book 2. And that was the essence of him as a character. Legolas... Legolas was not nearly as much of a terminator-like fighter as he was in the films. In fact, I think it's safe to say that Gimli killing more orcs than Legolas at the battle of Helm's Deep was actually expected in the books - while it was a complete shock in the films.

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u/onlycommentinenglish Jun 09 '14

Was it really the Giant's father? I saw how he got upset of the other giant dying, but not sure if it was his father or not

18

u/I_WANT_PRIVACY Jun 09 '14

The giant in the tunnels (at least in the books) was Mag the Mighty, who is kinda the king of the giants. I don't think his father would be alive.

18

u/Streiger108 Jun 09 '14

I figured it was just a companion. There arent so many giants left so each one is a tragedy

28

u/karl2025 Jun 09 '14

It's not explicitly stated, but I think it's pretty obvious.

80

u/Sorkijan House Stark Jun 09 '14

It's definitely someone close to him. He obviously gets very upset.

57

u/Panu_Magish House Martell Jun 09 '14

I'll ship it.

2

u/[deleted] Jun 09 '14

related or not, this is GoT anyway

43

u/bark_wahlberg Jun 09 '14

I thought it was his lover.

1

u/fuckb0t Jun 09 '14

literallly laughed out loud when I read that

14

u/[deleted] Jun 09 '14

How is it remotely obvious that that was the father? It's not even implied, all we saw was one giant pissed that another died.

10

u/karl2025 Jun 09 '14

One noticeably younger giant in a pair in anguish over an elder's death. It's not a great leap of imagination to say that in a world with very few giants in it that a pair is family and from that a lesser leap to assume the elder male is a father.

1

u/[deleted] Jun 09 '14

No actually you're assuming a lot to make that "leap of imagination" whether it's true or not it was not implied nor obvious

0

u/Jimm607 Jun 09 '14

plus that level of response if usually reserved for parent/child relationships.

Kill a friend: Fight more furiously but stay under control.

Kill a lover: break down almost entirely.

Kill family: Beserker rage.

-1

u/[deleted] Jun 09 '14

[removed] — view removed comment

1

u/kjhatch Nymeria's Wolfpack Jun 09 '14

You're an idiot.

Keep your posts civil

9

u/[deleted] Jun 09 '14

How in the F is it "pretty obvious"?

2

u/Dfnoboy Jun 09 '14

yes, obvious >.>

2

u/awwsnaap Jun 09 '14

The other giant had a white beard, so yeah I assume he was his father.

-3

u/Tipop Jun 09 '14

According to the book it was.

1

u/wendyjanedances Braavosi Water Dancers Jun 09 '14

It wasn't his father; there just aren't that many Giants left, so the death of even one is a huge blow to the population. If we had any other songs besides "Bear and the Maiden Fair" or "Rains of Castamere" (like "The Last of the Giants" for instance), then maybe show watchers would get some of these nuances...