Escapist Podcast - Movies and TV: Bonus: Game of Thronescast, "The Mountain & The Viper"

[Team Hollywood]

Bonus: Game of Thronescast, "The Mountain & The Viper"

In this bonus Podcast, The Escapist crew talks about the Game of Thrones episode "The Mountain & The Viper". Obviously, there will be spoilers. Hodor!

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[the.chad]

About when you talked about the Mountain not "pressing his advantage"...

Isn't a man in heavy armor with a huge claymore going to take every breather he can get? Even just standing out in the sun like he was is a sweaty, tiring business under all that gear. Maybe he was waiting for Oberyn to tire himself out flipping and twirling around, or make a mistake (like say... getting within leg sweeping distance from a stunned giant...).

+1

That was a huuuuuuge claymore.
Even though the mountain's actor is the second strongest man in the world, I would think he still has the physical limitations of twirling his claymore around like Oberyn was...

Pretty cool video of behind the scenes of the fight:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wasxw0n0MNI#t=37

 

[Johnathon Burchett]

I agree about the Mountain possibly needing a breather, though it looked like he was simply approaching slowly rather than charging. Even when Oberyn was getting a new spear, it looked like he was coming closer to get within range. I'm sure he didn't want to try chasing him around the field.

As to the Ironborn and their discipline issues, they aren't an army: they're raiders. Yes, they have a chain of command, but that chain is based entirely on the strength of the leader. The Ironborn are, above all, independent-minded. "Every captain a king on his own ship," as I think Robb says in the books, and it would seem that feeling continues all the way through the ranks. They're disciplined when things are going well and their leaders are strong, but setbacks and weaknesses such as the conditions at Moat Cailin and being hopelessly encircled at Winterfell, when coupled with a sick and injured commander or a weak boy-prince, leads to mutiny. I thought the whole thing to be in character for the Ironborn.

 

[Archon]

About when you talked about the Mountain not "pressing his advantage"...

Isn't a man in heavy armor with a huge claymore going to take every breather he can get? Even just standing out in the sun like he was is a sweaty, tiring business under all that gear. Maybe he was waiting for Oberyn to tire himself out flipping and twirling around, or make a mistake (like say... getting within leg sweeping distance from a stunned giant...).

I don't think that's plausible.

The fight was not very long. A warrior trained his whole life for fighting in armor is not going to be exhausted that fast. The Mountain would have to fight for longer, more intense periods just standing in the battle line of a pitched battle.

Even if he was feeling a weary, a seasoned warrior doesn't take a breather at the very moment he has his opponent at a disadvantage - like, say, being disarmed or reeling backwards. Time enough to catch your breath after the opponent is dead.

And finally the Mountain is demonstrably able to pick up an armored man and crack his skull after being stabbed through the guts with a spear. It is unlikely he was too pooped to fight because he got sweaty.

 

[Elberik]

Jorah Mormont received the pardon in S01 just before the attempted poisoning. The show doesn't give any clue as to where the street urchin in S04 got it (or a copy).

 

[Right Hook]

About when you talked about the Mountain not "pressing his advantage"...

Isn't a man in heavy armor with a huge claymore going to take every breather he can get? Even just standing out in the sun like he was is a sweaty, tiring business under all that gear. Maybe he was waiting for Oberyn to tire himself out flipping and twirling around, or make a mistake (like say... getting within leg sweeping distance from a stunned giant...).

I don't think that's plausible.

The fight was not very long. A warrior trained his whole life for fighting in armor is not going to be exhausted that fast. The Mountain would have to fight for longer, more intense periods just standing in the battle line of a pitched battle.

Even if he was feeling a weary, a seasoned warrior doesn't take a breather at the very moment he has his opponent at a disadvantage - like, say, being disarmed or reeling backwards. Time enough to catch your breath after the opponent is dead.

And finally the Mountain is demonstrably able to pick up an armored man and crack his skull after being stabbed through the guts with a spear. It is unlikely he was too pooped to fight because he got sweaty.

I think it just comes down to how the scene was choreographed.

The Mountain is POS who was intent on killing Oberyn throughout the entire fight. He's just a moron who has developed a certain strategy for how to fight, it's like when the Terminator kills all the police, he does it slow and methodically, he doesn't speed through it, it is simply how things are done.

The Mountain is being taken to task here by a fighting style he probably has yet to encounter and he simply isn't used to it, which is what leads to his outburst when he finally gets to be the bully at the very end like he is used doing to weaker men all the time.

There is absolutely nothing honorable about how he is fighting, he's a dumb brute in my eyes, you're welcome to view the child murdering rapist as an honorable fighter if you want though, haha.

 

[K12]

Talking about Mole's Town being supported by crows sneaking down for a shag made me think, do the brothers of the Night's Watch actually get paid?

They have all their food, equipment and lodging supplied for them and they aren't allowed to have any lands/property/family or even clothes that aren't black. What would they be expected to spend their money on other than whores in Mole's Town?

 

[jhoroz]

Looks like Oberyn got a little too A-HEAD of himself this episode!


*dodges garbage thrown at him*

 

[bdcjacko]

Talking about Mole's Town being supported by crows sneaking down for a shag made me think, do the brothers of the Night's Watch actually get paid?

They have all their food, equipment and lodging supplied for them and they aren't allowed to have any lands/property/family or even clothes that aren't black. What would they be expected to spend their money on other than whores in Mole's Town?

I had that exact thought. Maybe it is some sort of barter system. With like a hand-jay being a buddle of wood from the haunted forest, a b-job being some smuggled food, a full f-job being some castle forged steel, and a z-job, well if you have to ask you can't afford it.

 

[DarkhoIlow]

That last scene was pretty tame if you ask me.

I've seen worst in anime or maybe is that I'm pretty much desensitized to gory stuff due to watching/playing so many TV shows/anime/games.

I really liked the episode, but I'm a bit bummed that Oberyn had to die. He was one of my favorite new characters.

 

[Insideout Ink Demon]

i thought after the thumbs to the eyeballs, the mountain smashed the vipers head into the floor, causing the head to pop

 

[Frozengale]

On your discussion of Females who are evil always getting the Sexy treatment, I would like to bring up that evil people are always powerful in some way and the easiest way to portray power is through physique. This is why you will usually typically if a male is big and brutish he is evil, because that is the Masculine form of power. The Feminine form of power is beauty. That's why usually evil females are portrayed as sexy and beautiful, it's the feminine short hand for power.

As for Tyrion's beetle speech I actually pulled something different from it. I got the vibe that it was about how people will always try to find a way to have power over others. His cousin was brain damaged and so the only thing in the world that he truly had power over was the insects, so he showed that power by killing the beetles as much as he could. It sort of parallels how his father treats the world. He has power over so many in Kings Landing, and he's going to use that power to crush Tyrion, because in the end anyone in Tywin's way may as well be an insect to him.

 

[Squeaky]

I don't think I've ever been so annoyed/frustrated at a charater's death ever before. I will just say I have not read the books so shame on me, but being stabbed below the sternum with a 6-7" kris spear and it being rammed home with the full weight of some one behind it your not going to live very long after even the mountain. It would have hit the stomach, liver and possibly nicked the lungs if in the books it hits lower more the intestines I hope the Mountian is constipated for a long time.... lol

 

[Infernai]

Looks like Oberyn got a little too A-HEAD of himself this episode!


*dodges garbage thrown at him*

Urgh, that Pun gave me a head-ache.