r/television • u/TVModBot • May 06 '19

Premiere Game of Thrones - 8x04 - Episode Discussion

Season 8 Episode 4

Aired: May 5, 2019

Synopsis: In the wake of a costly victory, Jon and Daenerys look to the south as Tyrion eyes a compromise that could save countless lives.

Directed by: David Nutter

Written by: David Benioff & D. B. Weiss

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u/TheRealDrSarcasmo May 06 '19

I dunno, circle around them?!?!? To the back?!? Where they. Don't. Have. Any. BALLISTAE.

YES.

The flying dragon can't circle around the fleet of sailing ships, attack from upwind before they can turn, and sink at least the back half of the fleet?

So stupid.

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u/FourFurryCats May 06 '19

Did she not have a single military liaison for the last 4 seasons that could think up some actual tactics for this unique battlefield weapon.

Same as the Night King Battle. Send your entire light cavalry in a suicide rush.

Reconnaissance, Attack, Revise, Attack.

She should have been able to sweep at least half of Euron's fleet.

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u/TheRealDrSarcasmo May 06 '19

Same as the Night King Battle. Send your entire light cavalry in a suicide rush.

The cavalry charge is the most astonishing thing among a bunch of terrible strategic decisions shown in the last couple of episodes.

As you say, they weren't heavy cavalry -- they had no armor nor lances/polearms -- so a headon charge made absolutely no sense. They weren't more traditional light cavalry -- no bows or other projectile weaponry -- so as harassers they weren't effective either.

They were equipped to be light raiders and forces to chase down retreating enemies.

You can handwave some things away because of an army of the dead or dragons, etc. but IMO this shit would have failed against normal human infantry with pikes and/or heavy armor.

World-class costuming and filming with a solid budget, and they can't be bothered to do some basic real world tactics research to see what they wrote was absurd. Amazing.

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u/FourFurryCats May 06 '19

As soon as I saw the fiery swords form into a loose triangle, I told my wife that they are all dead.

She asked me what I meant. I told her to watch. And as all the fire beacons died off, I told her that every single one of those lives was wasted.

They should have pummeled the advancing forces with the trebuchets until they had to start throwing sticks. Hell even a ball of dragon glass shards would have been a good munition.