But where's the "symbol of inescapable light of the land," as it were? And why is having an unstoppable force representing everything shitty in the world inherently less corny? It feels like certain antagonists have curried favour with the gods/writers, are using cheat codes, have unbelievable luck - whatever you want…

Oh, I know the difference; I was simply posting while overtired and suffering from allergies. The general sentiment remains, though! At any rate, I suppose we'll just have to wait and see what Martin's "overarching thesis" is, but my point is that I'm not remotely confident that it'll be particularly hopeful (or even…

I appreciate that, I do, but it's not as though the single- and simple-minded Mountain suffered terribly for a lifetime of being the closest thing the series has had to a literal monster. He even got the last laugh with Oberyn, for fuck's sake! And that, to me, is where the imbalance lies; the minute any protagonist…

The problem, for me, is that this is yet another episode that just left me feeling drained and basically crappy. I left a comment a couple of weeks ago wherein I posited that Oberyn would serve as the counterpoint to the Nedd Starks of the world: He's a man who wants justice, who's willing to fight and die for it, but…

Hahaha! I just now wrote a scathing reply to this subthread - before reading your own. I'm glad you posted this; now I feel a little less crazy myself.

Really late to the party, here, but this thread is driving me insane. Even ignoring the fact that Piper was put in solitary, which a) drives most people batty, and b) is really a disgusting abuse of power by Healy, there's nevertheless an obvious imbalance of power inherent to the relationship between the two…

Yeah. That perspective is why I'm amongst the hoards who hated Hannibal Rising; not only does he get an 'origin story' (which is mundane enough), but it makes his personality traits (such as his desire to eat human flesh) reactive. I would much rather believe that it comes from inside him - a part of his code, his…

Sounds like we're mostly on the same page! While violence against women has been a part of the show since episode one, it's only recently that it's sort of piled-up in a way that's a bit difficult to ignore. And that's unfortunate, especially because I remember Fuller talking about wanting to avoid those shitty,…

Yeah. The tone of the series is different from Silence of the Lambs, to the point where I'm not sure Mikkelsen's portrayal would play there any better than Hopkins' in Hannibal. But even having acknowledged the apples and oranges, I definitely agree that Mikkelsen's performance is probably the best one. It's…

Yes, he kept her as a 'gift' to offer Will, because he's a sick, sick puppy - something else I'm glad they reinforced. Hannibal is not a sane person; something deep inside him is missing. Hence all of the "human suit" talk previously.

Fuck him and his eyebrows!

I don't really care about Macklemore or Seth Rogen, but lol at the notion that making dumb comedies is a moral crime. If anything, trying to draw a connection between his character/personality and his film roles is demonstrative of that strange ownership toward celebrities being talked about above.

Now I really want to tell someone that I think about them when they masturbate.

In fairness, I don't think that the show was necessarily taking the Hound's side over Arya's. He made a good point, and the direction acknowledged that, but we also know that, say, Syrio Forel, First Sword of Braavos, was a certifiable badass in his own right. The Hound assumed the worst of Syrio, but we saw him take…

I don't know why I am replying to you (you're not guilty of what I'm gonna bitch about, I don't think), beyond the fact that you reminded me of a weird phenomenon:

This will likely remain buried under a thousand comments and never read, but…

Perfect.

Thanks! I felt a bit bad after writing it because it might've come across (at least initially) as a bit harsh/indignant. Tone and text and all that. As a lurker and sometimes-poster, I actually really enjoy your contributions, and appreciate the push-back against the dinguses who show up just to tell everyone how much…

"I'm defending her because I don't think she deserves to be treated any differently than Varys …"

"IT'S CALLED BUILDING AN EXPANSION, ASSHOLE. STOP TURTLING!"