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wild_turkey

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Posts posted by wild_turkey

  1. Loved the episode overall and it exceeded my expectations. The entire episode had my heart racing like watching the 4th quarter in a close Horns game. Probably the most tense episode of TV I’ve ever watched.

    What I liked:
    -Arya fighting on the roof and later getting the final kill. She’s been my favorite character since she said “A girl is Arya Stark of Winterfell and I’m going home.” So glad it wasn’t John killing the Night King.
    -Jorah defending Dany to the end. If he was going to die, this was his perfect end.
    -Lyanna Mormont killing the giant like a boss. One of the most fearless people in the show.
    -Melisandre lighting the Dothraki swords on fire only to see them extinguished in the dark.
    -Pretty much all of Melisandre’s scenes for that matter - lighting the trenches on fire, telling Davis she would die before dawn, giving Arya a critical pep talk, and walking off to her own death.
    -Theon protecting Bran. I’m anti-Theon but he definitely completed his redemption story in my book.
    -Dragon vs. dragon fighting was pretty cool.
    -The music, or in some cases the silence, was great.

    What I didn’t like:
    -No shocking deaths. Jorah, Lyanna, Theon, Berick, and Eddison. They all seemed predictable and expendable. Didn’t really feel like GoT to have all top characters survive the battle of all battles, especially given that many of them seemed completely overwhelmed in combat.
    -Dany was sort of meh. She burned some stuff with Drogon but spent far more time being lost and out of place.
    -Bran still seems worthless. He was bait and that’s it. If the Night King had killed him, so what? Seems like the world would go on just fine without his smug 3ER nonsense.
    -I wish Tyrion would’ve had a stronger role. Kept thinking his wits would provide a crucial turning point but he did nothing. I guess he’ll finally get his moment against Cersei?
    -The dead coming alive in the crypt was kinda stupid given the fact that a wight couldn’t punch through a wooden crate in season 7. The episode would’ve been just fine if that hadn’t occurred.
    -What dumbass decided that Ghost should charge into the night? Hoping Ghost survived somehow but that was a poor use of a direwolf and continues the trend of underutilizing then throughout the series.
    -No one ever fought one of the WW generals or whatever they’re called. Would’ve liked to see Brienne or Jaime go head to head with one.
    -Tormund was MIA most of the episode unless I just missed it.

    Maybe that seems like a lot of gripes but overall the high points far outweigh the shortcomings and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Hope the final 3 episodes can come close to this.

    • Like 5
  2. 22 minutes ago, Rougarou said:

    Go to info -> Hide Alerts

    I do that, which stops the phone from dinging or vibrating, but is there a way to actually hide the red number notification that appears in the corner of the messaging app? Otherwise there will always be a red number there from this one particular group text, which could cover up an actual notification of a text I do want to read.

  3. Curious what other people think about this or what your experiences are. Also curious about etiquette, if such a thing even exists in the smart phone era.

    I think group texting was a great development and makes a lot of sense in the right situations. For instance, if you're trying to coordinate plans with multiple people, it can greatly simplify things. I also have group texts among colleagues where we discuss work-related stuff to help each other out, which is very useful.

    Then I have certain groups that text just for the hell of texting about random stuff. Some of it is enjoyable or amusing at times, annoying at other times, but tolerable overall.

    Finally, there's the dreaded group text with my wife's family. There are 8 adults on this text including myself. Certain participants feel the need to text out 5 pictures of their kids every day. The grandparents (wife's parents) and some other people will then "love" each of those pictures. Certain participants will update us on every aspect of their lives, which just seems like people are fishing for praise or attention. Lately when 2-3 members of the group text are involved in something together, it's become standard procedure to discuss this with the group. Wife's parents are traveling to visit her step brother this weekend and we are getting constant updates of that trip. Why does everyone need to know that you are stopping for gas and you will be there by lunch?!? I think Facebook exists to fill this need for people and I don't use Facebook because I don't like attention whoring. Yet now it has invaded my phone. I've removed myself from the text before but people add me back in. I put it on Hide Alerts but I still get 30 red notifications on my message app every morning and I'm OCD about those red numbers. What to do? Be a complete asshole and send out a message telling people to stop sending daily kid pictures and learn to text more appropriately?

    That turned into a small rant but it's partly therapeutic and partly intended to start some discussion.

    • Like 2
  4. The situation with the Golden Company sort of annoys me. Most of the Lannister army was destroyed in season 7 so Cersei just buys another one from Essos. They make it seem like there's an Amazon Prime for ordering armies. It kinda takes away the consequences of a devastating battle if the survivors can replenish seemingly overnight. 

    Euron is a similar situation with his Iron Fleet. He was down to nothing but now he magically has the biggest fleet in the world because...the writers said so.

    • Like 1
  5. Given that we as viewers know the number and lengths of the remaining episodes, it seems highly unlikely the NK outright wins the war in episode 3. If the humans in the north are completely defeated, that would leave us 3 episodes and 4 hours of sitting around waiting for the NK to fight Cersei, which would be quite boring. There wouldn't be much to fill that time.

    From an entertainment and storytelling standpoint, the only plausible outcomes are A) The North conclusively defeats the NK and the army of the dead or B) the battle results in heavy casualties to both sides, but each side continues to exist in some capacity.

  6. Some of my favorite surly hot takes:

    1. Why don't they use the dragons against the Night King? The dragons are obviously highly effective and the Night King doesn't have an answer for them.

    2. Jon can't be burned and that will be important. Or can he? Or was he?

    3. Bran is secretly the Night King. No wait, it's Sam. No wait, maybe Benjen. Or perhaps Dany will simply take over for the Night King. wtf people? Can't the Night King just be the Night King?

    4. Littlefinger faked his own death. This is seriously a theory floated around.

    I'm just waiting for someone to suggest that Hot Pie was a Targaryen and somehow the true heir to the throne.

    • Like 2
  7. Regarding the dragons, I'm sure they will be involved in the battle on both sides, but it's hard to imagine how Dany will be able to use her dragons know the Night King can easily throw a javelin into them. They seem extremely vulnerable at this point.

    I hope the direwolves get some action. We know Ghost is around, curious to see if Nymeria makes an appearance or if her interaction with Arya was the last we'll see.

    Surprised that Melissandre hasn't shown up yet. I would also expect Bronn to arrive in the middle of the action next week.

  8. The first 2 episodes were slow but isn't that somewhat expected? For the last 2 seasons everyone was complaining the pace was suddenly too fast, now people are complaining the story is not advancing fast enough.

    I think when a show gets to the final season, especially a short final season, the viewers become kind of frantic knowing there are few episodes remaining. They expect fireworks every single episode because, dammit we only have 6 episodes left to finish everything.

    The thing is, this massive story is very close to its conclusion already. If we skip all the dialogue that some of you seem to hate, it could be over in 2 more episodes - one for the White Walker battle and one for the Cersei battle. Something has to occupy the remaining 4 episodes and it's only natural that we will have a lot of screen time spent on giving closure to various characters.

    For the past 7 seasons we've had tons of different characters and plots spread all across the map - Winterfell, The Wall, north of The Wall, King's Landing, The Vale, Dorne, Meereen, Braavos, etc. With so much going on, it's easy to have a somewhat shocking conflict situation in one of those places in any given episode. We now have everyone converged in 2 places - Winterfell and King's Landing. There are no shocking developments to occur until the fighting begins, which we all know is next week.

    Just sit back and enjoy the ride. Wait to complain after the final episode when your favorite character didn't get the sendoff you wanted.

    • Like 1
  9. Got married really young and the ring + wedding were probably under $8k total. We were the first among any of our friends to take that plunge so there was nothing to live up to. I’ve gradually watched friends and family spend waaay more than that on rings and weddings and I’m so glad we’re not in that game of trying to outdo our peers with more and more extravagance. I’ve unfortunately seen some of those same marriages fail during that time, whereas our humble start is going solid in year 14.

     

    I’m not against extravagant things by any means and I’ve even considered upgrading her ring at some point. If you can spend $14k comfortably and you want her to have a particular ring at that price point, then have at it.

     

    Just keep in mind a couple of things:

     

    1. Money is one of the leading things that couples fight about and it eventually leads to divorce. Don’t be the couple that overspends up front but then lives paycheck to paycheck and ends up miserable because of poor finances.

     

    2. If you’re thinking a 2 carat ring, or any size carat for that matter, will somehow keep interested men away, you are sorely mistaken. Drop that mentality immediately. In fact, when I see a girl with a huge ring and a designer bag and a brand new Range Rover, my impression is that she must have some dynamite pussy that some guy is spending tons of money on her. It could have the opposite effect of what you’re envisioning, making her even more attractive to certain types. There will always be guys with more money that could steal her away if ring size is all that’s keeping her locked down.

     

    Buy the ring you want her to have and try not to fixate on dollars or carats so much. Good luck.

     

    • Like 1
  10. Yeah panther city has been getting tons of good reviews


    Went to Panther City today for the first time. Had brisket, pepper sausage, and potato salad. The BBQ was great and the setup was pretty cool. This is my new go-to BBQ spot in FW.
    • Like 1
  11. Pretty underwhelmed by the first episode. A lot of annoying teams from previous TAR seasons plus some BB/Survivor teams I know nothing about but seem obnoxious. Not sure why they couldn’t throw in a few of the more likable teams from years past.

    The challenges were also weak - 2 needle in haystack situations followed by climbing a slippery hill that most people got immediately. That border patrol guy must feel like a real chump, especially after proclaiming himself to be in great physical condition.

    As someone who has watched almost every season and missed TAR for over a year, this is a disappointing start.

    • Like 1
  12. Why complain about the rules? You chose to attend the university!


    I’m not sure how much of a choice it is when they are brainwashed from infancy to believe complete devotion to the LDS church is the only correct path in life. It’s all they ever know, then they leave their family home and attend a university where the message continues.
    • Hook 'Em 2
  13. I thought the episode was good enough and fit my expectations. Nothing shocking occurred, but there was a lot of setup that needed to happen.

    This is the first time that Daenerys has been to Winterfell and there is obviously going to be some drama and a power struggle. It would be more frustrating to watch her waltz in with her dragons, Unsullied, and Dothraki and everyone welcome her with open arms and bend the knee. The North are a proud group of people and their support has always been hard to win, so we needed to see those discussions to some extent.

    The dragon riding was meh but it was 2-3 minutes and I won't let one scene ruin an episode for me. They're trying to strengthen Daenerys and Jon's relationship before dropping the bomb on it.

    Speaking of which, I'm really glad Sam confronted Jon about him being a Targaryen last night. I hate it when there's a big secret left in limbo for an entire season.

    The biggest annoyance I have with Game of Thrones right now is the role of Euron. I complained about this in the previous season, but he seems like a cartoon villain to me. He showed up out of nowhere, killed Balon, chased off Yara, and magically earned the respect of the remaining Ironborn. Yara stole their fleet (along with presumably a large percentage of their men), then Euron gave one of his stupid speeches and motivated his guys to build a new Iron Fleet, seemingly overnight from a land with very few resources. Somehow this guy went from having no ships to having the biggest fleet in the world. Meanwhile, Daenerys needed 6 seasons to get any ships.

    I've always referred to the Ironborn as Westeros Aggy and I still think that fits. When Jaime and Cersei were discussing them, Jaime said:

    "They're not good at anything. I know the Ironborn and they are bitter, angry little people. All they know how to do is steal things they can't build or grow themselves."

    Euron is their Johnny Football and I eagerly await his spectacular demise.

    • Like 6
  14. 3 minutes ago, Nice Guy Eddie said:

    im still uncertain why it took Sam to inform Bran that Jon’s parents were actually married. Was it just to allow it to be explained to the audience or does bran really have gaps in his knowledge?  Why didn’t bran see that scene before Sam told him.

    My understanding is that Bran still has major gaps in his knowledge. He said something last season about needing to get better at seeing things.

  15. 1 hour ago, Trey3216 said:

    You’re naive 

    Most of the stories I hear about this, including many in this thread, involve Facebook ads. I don't use Facebook and I don't recall ever having one of these moments when a topic of conversation manifested as an ad on my phone or computer. I've even spent time trying to make it happen by talking very openly about wanting to buy a random object, hoping it would somehow show up. It just doesn't happen for me.

    So maybe I am naive, but I also think a lot of it is connected to each person's online habits and Facebook seems to be a major culprit. That Reply All episode from above did not reach the conclusion that Facebook is listening to us, but they did determine that Facebook aggressively mines data using plugins that run in the background on a high percentage of mainstream website. Basically, when you are on espn.com or cnn.com, Facebook has the ability to monitor your usage and all that data feeds into your Facebook user profile, which then gets used for targeted ads. I'm not sure if these methods work if you aren't a Facebook user or if you aren't logged in on that particular device.

  16. They're listening thru any smart device - do you already own a phone, tablet or smart TV?


    Call me naive, but I don’t think my iPhone or iPad are inherently set to mine my audio data through the device microphone. I know Apple and Google both log my location data and web browsing, but that feels slightly less intrusive to me than having unlimited access to every conversation I have.

    I also think it’s entirely possible that certain apps collect audio, but I don’t use Facebook and I don’t leave the Amazon app open when I’m not actively using that. Maybe other apps are doing it and I just don’t realize it.

    Regardless of all of that, it’s one thing for tech companies to secretly mine data. It’s quite another thing for me to pay them for a high quality microphone that I put in a prime spot in my house for them to listen continuously. I can check the weather and sports scores on my own without going down that path.
  17. Don’t have an Alexa or Google Home for exactly this reason.

    I also randomly google things that I have no interest in, just to add some chatter to whatever file Google has on me. Now that I think about it, I’m overdue to shop for hockey equipment and baby clothes on Amazon. Might need to do a little browsing before bed.

    • Like 1
  18. I missed the free preview start on HBO so I have seasons 4-7 set to record in the next few days. However it won’t allow me to watch 2-3 and I’m late to this party. Anywhere to see those seasons without having to pay per episode?


    Sign up HBO Now ($15ish/month) or just regular HBO through your TV provider. Then you can watch all episodes on demand. No need to pay per episode.
  19. I forgot how awesome The Winds of Winter (S06E10) was.

    That opening ~15 minute sequence - the trial, Cersei casually drinking her wine, Pycelle getting his comeuppance, Lancel dying, and finally the Sept blowing apart, all with that gorgeous piano in the background - was simply incredible.

    The episode then went on to show Jon being recognized as King of the North, Arya killing Walder Frey in glorious fashion, the Tower of Joy revelation regarding Jon’s birth, and finally Daenerys and her army crossing the Narrow Sea.

    One of the best episodes of the series.

    • Like 5
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