Just because women/LGBTQ persons/people of color DO all the heavy lifting does not mean they SHOULD. You’re confusing the practical reality with the ethics of social progress. They’re not synonymous.

And David Harbour was in that Woody Allen television show for Amazon so he, of all people, should have showed up prepared for that question.

Women of course have agency but given the sorry state of reproductive choice (which amounts to very little choice at all) in the US I would not dare to guess at the sister’s reasons for having children young, with two different partners, etc. No, it is not cool (and definitely not feminist) to judge women for their…

I recently overheard a conversation at my favourite coffeeshop between two graduates complaining about job-hunting. Barrista pointed out they were hiring and grads broke out laughing, embarrassing barrista who grew red in the face. That was my first (so far, thankfully, only) “ugh, millennials” moment.

Yes. If you’re spending 8 hours a day, any day, playing with a cat you can be spending 8 hours a day working at a suboptimal job, or even volunteering or interning for your resume or, I dunno, doing some house or yard work for your parents who provide you with free room and board at the age of 24.

After Tootsie in 1987 Dustin Hoffman finally understood that even ugly women exist to be sexually assaulted by Dustin Hoffman.

I might have gotten my replies confused; this thread is starting to get unwieldy!

My partner calls him Falcor, for some reason

The way the wall splintered and fell did suggest super-freezing.

I wouldn’t bet against the books being completed, but I would bet in favour of them being completed posthumously. Either “edited” from copious notes a la Christopher Tolkien prepping his dad’s unfinished manuscripts, or completed by a second writer authorised by the estate. (What has worried some is that Martin…

I’m in the camp that believes that the forces of wild success, perfectionism/procrastination, aging/health issues are conspiring to ensure that George RR Martin is never gonna finish his saga. YMMV, and that’s okay.

Agreed. The show moved past internal logic long ago. It’s a shame, especially since it’s looking increasingly likely that the books will never be completed.

It’s good to study confused (if profitable) storytelling. So many examples of deus ex machina, plot armour, fan service, etc. What’s most fascinating is how this show started out subverting tropes, but now is just advancing them unironically.

I’m not totally sold on the idea that the ice dragon spits fire so hot it’s blue. What if it’s... wait for it... ice magic?

The most surprising thing about the Dragonpit was how small it was. Now wonder those poor dragons became small; no way their larger ancestors could fit there comfortably and still flex their wings, let alone fly.

My ship for Brienne is that several of Westeros’ most eligible bachelors end up vying for her hand, in a subversion of her very bad prom night where only Renly was nice to her.

How to spot a pretentious blowhard:

You write: “It’s quite the opposite, it’s mainstream, at least in liberal circles such as ours.”