Beyond the Wall Takeaway’s

Published August 23, 2017 · Updated July 6, 2022

Hi guys,

I’ve been listening to you all since the WW podcasts and I just want to say thank you for taking on Game of Thrones. I enjoy what you do and it’s always interesting to hear your points of view. Below are just two of the MANY questions I have as a result of “Beyond the Wall” and a suggestion/concern. Please excuse any typos or grammatical error’s as I typed this in a hurry.

Viserion/Ice Dragon – I have heard some conjecture as to whether or not the Night King’s dragon will breathe ice or fire. I have heard some people speculate that he will use the dragon to break/melt through the wall. I don’t see this a as a viable option for reasons that while they may seem exceptionally nerdy, make sense to me. Viserion appears have an internal explosion when struck with the “ice javelin” which resulted in a massive gapping hole (insert sophomoric joke here) in his chest cavity. Leading me to believe that the fire-producing part of his anatomy has been damaged beyond repair, leaving only the ice breathing option since the Night Kings minions appear to fight in the same condition they die. Which now brings another problem to the forefront, “How is the Night King going to use an ice dragon to get through a 300 mile wide, 700 ft high, 300 ft thick (on avg.) wall of ice”? I myself don’t believe that the dragon will have much of a role in the breaching of the wall (I think they now have that ability thanks to Bran), but then again I have been surprised by D & D’s writing in the past. Maybe the dragon can breathe fire after such a wound… Arya appears to have no lasting effects from her little stab to the gut in season 6. What thoughts, if any, do you guy’s have?

The largest hurdle that I see now is that there is no conceivable possibility for a hand to hand fight with the Night King in season 8. If he has the strength to hurl that spear that distance and hit a target with such an incredible amount of force like he did with Viserion how could he fight a person? If he were to fight someone he could knock any weapon out of an adversary’s hand with sheer force and God help anyone if he decides to punch/kick them. I only see a few options left here. 1) Dragons kill him. Boring, the dragons can kill anything and it hardly makes for good drama to have one/both just melt/burn him next season. 2) Use dragon glass via arrow, spear, etc or valerian steel axe/sword/dagger/ninja star, assuming you can hit him first or hold onto the weapon for a fight, the latter doesn’t appear to be possible. 3) Magic. Ugh, no thanks. I didn’t sign up for Harry Potter/Lord of the Rings. I appreciate the physicality demanded of the characters in this show too much for that. 4) Maybe we end up with a Black Knight-like death scene al la Monty Python and the Holy Grail. So, now that it appears he has super-human strength how do you guy’s think he can be defeated and are the remaining options (I’m sure I’ve overlooked some i.e Kryptonite) satisfying to you?

It has become painfully evident over this past season that George has taken a step back from his role as a resource for D & D. I hope that he moves back into that role again ASAP. I hope season 8 is as well written and suspenseful earlier seasons. It is becoming tiring to watch D & D write their way into a rock and hard place simply because they want to have blockbuster scenes(Drogon and the magic disappearing-reappearing Jaime) and manufactured conflict(Arya and Sansa and that sloppily written,catty bullshit).

P.S. I tried to use all 3 votes in the death poll for Robin Arryn and it wouldn’t let me. Please remedy this.

Thanks, Nate

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