Off Topic Thread 4.0

prawnsambo

molloyjh wrote: »

That did no real damage in its first iteration. Which was kind of my point.

It required a forced landing and a good bit of amateur surgery. And put herself in grave danger. The existence of effective SAMs was well established.



Anybody not reading the spoikers will be scratching their heads at this point.

molloyjh

awec wrote: »

It’s a fantasy show that’s grounded in a medieval type reality. Things that happen are supposed to be believable.

The majority of characters are supposed to be normal people, with normal abilities, normal problems etc.

How does any of the many faces stuff come even close to "normal abilities"? Or surviving fire unburned? Or making hundreds of swords catch fire by touching one? What about the phantom that killed Stannis' brother?

Obviously suspension of disbelief only goes so far, but there is a very real element of nitpicking on some of this stuff. The specific trajectory of missiles is a bit much in a fantasy show tbh. Take it for what it's meant to be and move on. The last couple of seasons haven't been without fault but it's still just a TV show there to be entertaining. And broadly speaking it has been.

molloyjh

prawnsambo wrote: »

molloyjh wrote: »

That did no real damage in its first iteration. Which was kind of my point.

It required a forced landing and a good bit of amateur surgery. And put herself in grave danger. The existence of effective SAMs was well established.



Anybody not reading the spoikers will be scratching their heads at this point.

It was little more than an irritant though. Basically a thorn but little else. If anything that would give rise to overconfidence. They'd had ages to prepare for her arrival and they couldn't manage anything more than a pin prick.

Podge_irl

molloyjh wrote: »

How does any of the many faces stuff come even close to "normal abilities"? Or surviving fire unburned? Or making hundreds of swords catch fire by touching one? What about the phantom that killed Stannis' brother?

It doesn't. But the entire premise is essentially a touch of magic/fantasy in a grounded medieval reality. The characters themselves don't really believe in these mystical elements. There are clearly defined "normal" people and mystical people and Melisandre existing doesn't make

Euron's magical fleet

any less stupid and world-breaking.

prawnsambo

molloyjh wrote: »

It was little more than an irritant though. Basically a thorn but little else. If anything that would give rise to overconfidence. They'd had ages to prepare for her arrival and they couldn't manage anything more than a pin prick.

Ah come on. I certainly wouldn't consider something like that an irritant. It struck the target, caused damage and had to be destroyed. You'd be a fool not to conisder them a threat and act accordingly.

But on the other hand, you have these things on a constantly moving platform able to hit targets at least five hundred yards away. I can actually accept that, but I have real problems with them being close enough to hit those targets yet remain invisible to the target.

If I were advising Dany, I'd have her attack the walls of KL at night. Burn the damn things to cinders before they know what's happening.

Mr Tickle

molloyjh wrote: »

How does any of the many faces stuff come even close to "normal abilities"? Or surviving fire unburned? Or making hundreds of swords catch fire by touching one? What about the phantom that killed Stannis' brother?

Obviously suspension of disbelief only goes so far, but there is a very real element of nitpicking on some of this stuff. The specific trajectory of missiles is a bit much in a fantasy show tbh. Take it for what it's meant to be and move on. The last couple of seasons haven't been without fault but it's still just a TV show there to be entertaining. And broadly speaking it has been.

But even all of this sticks to a certain set of rules. And they're given a "reasonable" explanation. At the very least the characters involved with the faceless men and the lord of light are seen within the world as mystical or divine. There's disbelief and skepticism from characters until it's proven to them.

It's just frustrating when such a successful show with pretty much infinite cash could let their standards slide so much.

prawnsambo

molloyjh wrote: »

Obviously suspension of disbelief only goes so far, but there is a very real element of nitpicking on some of this stuff. The specific trajectory of missiles is a bit much in a fantasy show tbh. Take it for what it's meant to be and move on. The last couple of seasons haven't been without fault but it's still just a TV show there to be entertaining. And broadly speaking it has been.

Suspension of disbelief works quite well in a universe where the rules allow for the existence of dragons, a cult who can magically wear the faces of their victims and zombies that have to be walled away in the frozen wastelands of the north.

But inconsistency causes problems for the viewer. It knocks you back into the real world and undermines the contract you make with yourself to accept the fantastical stuff. Internal consistency only works if it's consistent.

Mr Tickle

prawnsambo wrote: »

Suspension of disbelief works quite well in a universe where the rules allow for the existence of dragons, a cult who can magically wear the faces of their victims and zombies that have to be walled away in the frozen wastelands of the north.

But inconsistency causes problems for the viewer. It knocks you back into the real world and undermines the contract you make with yourself to accept the fantastical stuff. Internal consistency only works if it's consistent.

I'd also add that it's worse when the issues are with things that can/did/could exist in the real world.
So if dragons can breathe fire that's fine. If a horse does it i'll take issue.

thomond2006

It's fascinating that a TV show has caused so many of us to care to nitpick.

thomond2006

thomond2006 wrote: »

It's fascinating that a TV show has caused so many of us to care to nitpick.

Meh, I actually don't care enough to nitpick at this point. It's hit "the walking dead" levels of **** writing, faux drama and poorly contrived action sequences.

I don't mind the odd thing here or there not stacking up, but they've really tarnished the legacy of one of the all time great TV adaptations by making an unmitigated mess of the final season.

My interest levels have flat lined.

Mr Tickle

thomond2006 wrote: »

It's fascinating that a TV show has caused so many of us to care to nitpick.

At the same time, we're on a an internet forum where we discuss, at length, what the men on the telly are doing.

Zzippy

I'm not too bothered about the arrows, or Brienne, or any of the minutiae. It's just the timeline is so obviously f*cked in the latest episode - one minute they are at sea (where?) being ambushed, while the northerners are only just mounting up to leave Winterfell, the next they have just washed up ashore but within minutes they're "laying siege" to Kings Landing with a tiny force, not waiting for any support from the north, or the other lords who have pledged support, or the Iron Islands. It was just so rushed. The capture and execution of Missandei was totally glossed over, she was barely an extra without any speaking part. And if Cersei was so ruthless when Tyrion tried to negotiate, why did she not just have the token force outside the walls destroyed? They really are in a rush to wrap up the story which means we have to suspend disbelief wayyy more than usual and accept huge holes in the plot. S8 is going to go down as a poorly-written end to the whole story.

Podge_irl

Zzippy wrote: »

I'm not too bothered about the arrows, or Brienne, or any of the minutiae. It's just the timeline is so obviously f*cked in the latest episode - one minute they are at sea (where?) being ambushed, while the northerners are only just mounting up to leave Winterfell, the next they have just washed up ashore but within minutes they're "laying siege" to Kings Landing with a tiny force, not waiting for any support from the north, or the other lords who have pledged support, or the Iron Islands. It was just so rushed. The capture and execution of Missandei was totally glossed over, she was barely an extra without any speaking part. And if Cersei was so ruthless when Tyrion tried to negotiate, why did she not just have the token force outside the walls destroyed? They really are in a rush to wrap up the story which means we have to suspend disbelief wayyy more than usual and accept huge holes in the plot. S8 is going to go down as a poorly-written end to the whole story.

Also you'd imagine Cersei just might be showing her pregnancy by now...

swiwi_

Is there something to be said for a dedicated GOT thread? F*ck me but I’d almost prefer a decent bit of gridiron banter.

Stheno

swiwi_ wrote: »

Is there something to be said for a dedicated GOT thread? F*ck me but I’d almost prefer a decent bit of gridiron banter.

+1

Squidgy Black

I fúcking hate Dublin Bus with a passion. Just spent almost an hour waiting for a bus that's supposed to run every 15 minutes.

Stheno

Squidgy Black wrote: »

I fúcking hate Dublin Bus with a passion. Just spent almost an hour waiting for a bus that's supposed to run every 15 minutes.

Do they not have live positions for their busses?

Squidgy Black

Stheno wrote: »

Do they not have live positions for their busses?

Those real time information displays are useless. 3 of them showed as due and then just disappeared.

prawnsambo

Squidgy Black wrote: »

Those real time information displays are useless. 3 of them showed as due and then just disappeared.

That seems quite accurate, given your experience.

Podge_irl

Ah GoT will all be over in two weeks anyway.

The Dublin Bus "live" info is really unreliable - dunno why it is so much worse than other places.

awec

Squidgy Black wrote: »

I fúcking hate Dublin Bus with a passion. Just spent almost an hour waiting for a bus that's supposed to run every 15 minutes.

Squidgy Black

awec wrote: »

Several times I've contemplated switching jobs just to be able to drive to work again.

Podge_irl

I don't really get the appeal of driving to work. You can do other things while on public transport - get a start on work, watch netflix, post **** on boards. In a car you can listen to the radio and that is about it.

awec

Podge_irl wrote: »

I don't really get the appeal of driving to work. You can do other things while on public transport - get a start on work, watch netflix, post **** on boards. In a car you can listen to the radio and that is about it.

On the bus you're stuck pressed up against big hairy Walter with his odorous oxters and flatulence.

b.gud

Podge_irl wrote: »

I don't really get the appeal of driving to work. You can do other things while on public transport - get a start on work, watch netflix, post **** on boards. In a car you can listen to the radio and that is about it.

I have a relatively handy commute bout 30 mins into work and 40-45 mins home. I'd love if there was a reliable bus service I could use for exactly the reasons you say, it'd be a much more productive use of my non working time

Squidgy Black

awec wrote: »

On the bus you're stuck pressed up against big hairy Walter with his odorous oxters and flatulence.

Not to mention you've to make your way to said bus stop and then stand around waiting for it to be squashed in like a tin of sardines, compared to walking out the door into your clean car and not have to simmer in the smell of a junkie cracking cans of druids that hasn't washed his tracksuit in several days.

Ideally would like to be able to cycle in but lack of facilities in our shít offices and having to wear suits on customer sites made that option a pain in the hole.

And I actually like sitting in the car just listening to podcasts etc. Not a hope in hell I'm working outside of the hours I'm paid for.

Neil3030

Emigrate you fools!

troyzer

Podge_irl wrote: »

I don't really get the appeal of driving to work. You can do other things while on public transport - get a start on work, watch netflix, post **** on boards. In a car you can listen to the radio and that is about it.

I can drive to work in 25 minutes. The same journey by bus takes at least an hour. Usually closer to 90 minutes.

I'd much rather take public transport for the reasons you say but I can't justify that level of difference.

Podge_irl

troyzer wrote: »

I can drive to work in 25 minutes. The same journey by bus takes at least an hour. Usually closer to 90 minutes.

I'd much rather take public transport for the reasons you say but I can't justify that level of difference.

Well that's fair enough. I have a feeling that a lot of people take the opposite approach though, where the car ride is longer than the bus. I've only ever lived reasonably close to the city centre on well serviced bus routes and never understood the people I saw getting into their cars in the morning to drive into town. You could easily spend an hour on a trip that the bus would do in 20 mins - even if you have to add a walk on either end it doesn't make much sense.

troyzer

Podge_irl wrote: »

troyzer wrote: »

I can drive to work in 25 minutes. The same journey by bus takes at least an hour. Usually closer to 90 minutes.

I'd much rather take public transport for the reasons you say but I can't justify that level of difference.

Well that's fair enough. I have a feeling that a lot of people take the opposite approach though, where the car ride is longer than the bus. I've only ever lived reasonably close to the city centre on well serviced bus routes and never understood the people I saw getting into their cars in the morning to drive into town. You could easily spend an hour on a trip that the bus would do in 20 mins - even if you have to add a walk on either end it doesn't make much sense.

Driving when the bus is quicker is madness.

I would much rather sacrifice an extra 10-15 minutes just for the convenience of being able to read my book during a commute.