Small Council Shat

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Hey Guys,

Ok, a couple of quick things, I’m sure you guys are overwhelmed. But listening around to reactions, two things bother me–FYI I thoroughly enjoyed the episode:

* Everyone needs to get off Bran’s back. “He just sat there!” “Useless POS!” “Thanks for all the not helping, Bran!”

First off, what was his part in the plan? To sit on his ass in Godswood like a worm on a hook. Done.

Secondly, can I point out that this was HIS plan after he told everyone to shut up? “Just stick me by the tree, and kill the NK when he shows up.” Done. None brilliant, witty Tyrion’s plans pan out; Jon and Dany are emotional children who abandon EVERY plan about 2 seconds in case they’re easily baited hero/morons; but Bran has one plan, it works perfectly, and all he gets is shit.

Not to mention that he’s the coach in this situation: you send in the play and hope it works. No one blames Bill Belichick for not rushing on the field to help when a play gets blown. It’s no coincidence that when he warged the birds above Viseryion that’s when the NK detected him and zeroed in and IMMEDIATELY did that awesome poster-shot gesture that sent the wights to bridge the flames to get at Bran. That was his job. Be bait and draw him in. And give Arya the dagger.

* Secondly, looking at you Dick Ebert. You are a military guy and can’t not be one. GRRM has stated repeatedly that he hates war, particularly the tropes of war, particularly the ones associated with macho bullshit, heroics, and the glorifying of something terrible. The point of Sam, and the fog, and the dark, and the confusion, and the cuts, and the smoke, and the chaos is to show the lack of glory. You’re a soldier and therefore may have a reasonable expectation of how you might behave under those circumstances, but most people don’t. However–and you can see this in comments sections whenever there’s a mass shooting, or a public assault videotaped or something: so many think they know how they’d act, that they’d be heroes who’d step in and kick ass.These are the guys who wouldn’t want to go in the crypt either. We all think we’ll be heroes cause everyone is in the stories. Because they never show the Sams because it irks people like you that they exist and unrealistic heroes are more fun.

But studies showed WW2 era soldiers had a +50% rate of freezing in combat condition and never even firing their weapons. Trained soldiers. This is how most people react; that is how Sam reacted; in a situation where you have to make decisions that can kill you, many won’t decide. There are way more Sams than Dick Eberts in the world. It’s misleading to never show them. That people know when they are and when they aren’t heroes and behave appropriately sort of seems like part of George’s point.

Also, the Unsullied’s retreat choreo was so badass.

Mike T.

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