Season 3: Episode 3 * Have READ the books/SPOILERS

Kzamll1992

they do need to give Pod a bit of screen time... with the future in mind!

Dubhlinner

I was actually expecting Edmure to be more pathetic but also more likeable/less smug. IIRC in the books he missed because he was hungover after turning to booze over his father's death?

Thought Blackfish perfect though

Gbear

Dubhlinner wrote: »

I was actually expecting Edmure to be more pathetic but also more likeable/less smug. IIRC in the books he missed because he was hungover after turning to booze over his father's death?

Thought Blackfish perfect though

Pretty small snapshot of him so far.

I'm not into archery but I can't imagine hitting a moving target on a windy day with that sort of lobbed shot would be easy.

Thought the similar bit with Anguy was a little bit far fetched.

If archery was that accurate I don't think firearms would've replaced bows.

username123

Gbear wrote: »

If archery was that accurate I don't think firearms would've replaced bows.

My (limited) understanding is that archery is extremely accurate at short range.

Really the biggest issue with bows and arrows is having to retrieve your arrows or having to have a massive supply of them.

Gbear

username123 wrote: »

My (limited) understanding is that archery is extremely accurate at short range.

Really the biggest issue with bows and arrows is having to retrieve your arrows or having to have a massive supply of them.

Easy if you're just shooting straight. Firing directly up in the air and it landing where you want it to 3ft away from you seems like it would be a bit too difficult, even if Anguy is the best archer in Westeros.

Retrovertigo

Gbear wrote: »

Thought the similar bit with Anguy was a little bit far fetched.

If archery was that accurate I don't think firearms would've replaced bows.

You could say the same about Dragons, Zombies, Wights, Manticores, Wildfire etc.

It is fantasy after all so a suspension of disbelief is pretty much par for course.

Mickeroo

Yeah you kind of expect some people to have this riduclously high prowess in fantasy sure. I didn't find the stuff at Hoster's funeral unrealistic though, I thought thats pretty much how a "viking" funeral was supposed to be? The boat is a pretty big target too and I would have thought an accomplished archer wouldn't have had much problems making the shot.

Gbear

Retrovertigo wrote: »

You could say the same about Dragons, Zombies, Wights, Manticores, Wildfire etc.

It is fantasy after all so a suspension of disbelief is pretty much par for course.

Magical archery wasn't part of the deal up until this point.
We've heard of magical (valyrian) steel but so far as we know no magical swordsmanship.

A mistake is often made when considering fantasy that the series doesn't have to follow any internal logic.


For example, imagine if one day Melisandre turns up and shows a hither-to unmentioned ability to transform into a dragon and kill all of Stannis' enemies. Yes it's fantasy, but because they hadn't mentioned this before and just arbitrarily added it it renders all the previous problems Stannis faced as nonsensical because why didn't Melisandre just destroy Kings Landing herself?

Now, Anguy's feat doesn't necessarily break the notion of physics entirely in the show, because it was probably just a throwaway scene made for the laugh. So long as he doesn't do something that's total bull****, like hitting a fly at 100 paces or something, I'll happily overlook the minor dalliance with magical archery. It was a minor foible that I was reminded of because the reference to the Edmure/Blackfish scene.

On Edmure missing, I was saying that Edmure missing wasn't really that silly because it's not like he was just shooting an unmoving target. And he didn't miss by miles either. And even hitting it in one go wouldn't have been outrageous (other than how any really impressive shot, like a half-court buzzer shot in basketball, is).

Liam O

I think that this issue is been thought of too much. It seems like a shot that they would practice a lot if used at funerals. I'm a sporadic watcher of the show so haven't seen the other scene that was talked about but it's hardly magical archery if you don't know how many times they've practiced that shot or a similar one.

Duckworth_Luas

My recollection is that Edmure was emotionally affected by his father's death and missed. The Blackfish, made of the sternest of very stern stuff, took over while also being sympathetic to his nephew. However, we have to look at it from the producers point of view.

As book readers, we know that Edmure is going to have to marry someone random in order to ally with the Freys. The viewers know that Robb Stark backed out on his arranged marriage to follow his heart and marry Talisa (Ahhhhh). A selfish act that we already know has dire consequences

The non-book readers will wonder, why is OK for a Stark to renege on a promise but not a Tully. For this reason it has to be made clear that Edmure is indebted to Robb due to his failure to follow orders.

He has received an extreme dressing down by Robb and Brynden Blackfish for his incompetence as a war leader. This is compounded by the reaction to his attempt to "bury" his father by all but Catelyn.

The viewer now knows the Blackfish is a no nonsense badass, Robb is considered an authority figure, Edmure owes Robb and Brynden big time and Catelyn is sympathetic towards her brother.

Now Catelyn makes a suggestion that mends all the bridges or "crossings".

Thargor

The torch at the Barcelona Olympics I think it was was lit by an archer with a burning arrow, I remember seeing him give an interview where he said he'd practiced so much he could do it blindfolded at the end.

Yep, Barcelona:

http://deadspin.com/5929130/the-greatest-olympic-cauldron-lighting-ever-happened-20-years-ago-today

Also in a lot of 'medieval' times like in GoT, archery practice was mandatory one or two days a week, for everyone including smallfolk.

Barna77

Thargor wrote: »

The torch at the Barcelona Olympics I think it was was lit by an archer with a burning arrow, I remember seeing him give an interview where he said he'd practiced so much he could do it blindfolded at the end.

And he "failed" as well. The arrow can be seen flying pass over the cauldron. It just ignited the gas.

Gbear

Liam O wrote: »

I think that this issue is been thought of too much. It seems like a shot that they would practice a lot if used at funerals. I'm a sporadic watcher of the show so haven't seen the other scene that was talked about but it's hardly magical archery if you don't know how many times they've practiced that shot or a similar one.

That's why I didn't call the Edmure shot magical archery and was perfectly ok with him missing the shot.;)

KJY

I don't think it has anything to do with the ease of the shot or anything, just how weak he looks once Blackfish gets it first half. A "Don't attempt it if you can't do it" kind of thing

Mr.Prodston

Considering this whole Edmure/Anguy/Archery debate I'd like to throw in another unrealistic skill from the episode.

I mean how the hell did Hot Pie manage to bake such a realistic looking Wolf for Arya? :pac:

username123

Barna77 wrote: »

And he "failed" as well. The arrow can be seen flying pass over the cauldron. It just ignited the gas.

Judging by what the article says, that was deliberate - it says his arrow actually landed in a sandbox set up outside the stadium.

I remember reading somewhere that the plan was for the arrow to pass over to ignite the gas, not to actually land in it.

Actually there is a great pic of it and a bit of blurb here.

Barcelona 1992

Paralympic archer Antonio Rebello lit the Olympic Flame with an arrow fired over the crowd and into the Cauldron.

Later, it was revealed that organizers told Rebello to shoot the arrow over the target, a safety precaution lest he undershoot the target and launch an arrow into the stands of a packed Barcelona Stadium.

I cant say I have perceived any of the GoT archery as magical, its not really been that impressive imo. Anguy was just a trick shot, I mean, throw something up, its gonna come down - no magic there! And for the Blackfish it was a fairly straight shot. More "realistic" perhaps was the chase after Theon where arrows were flying, and missing. But isnt Anguy supposed to be an amazing archer?

Duckworth_Luas

Mr.Prodston wrote: »

Considering this whole Edmure/Anguy/Archery debate I'd like to throw in another unrealistic skill from the episode.

I mean how the hell did Hot Pie manage to bake such a realistic looking Wolf for Arya? :pac:

Hot Pie, probably the most villainous and machiavellian of all the players in the Game of Thrones, realises he must separate from Arya and Gendry so his plots and schemes go unnoticed.

It will all make sense in the series finale in a few years when Hodor sits upon the Iron Throne with Hot Pie his Hand!

"Valar morghulis", Hodor will say with a knowing smile. Hot Pie will reply, "Valar dohaeris" and then cook up a fresh batch of lemon cakes!