"Game of Thrones fight scenes" Topic

Food for thought here:
link

One thing that seems to be a recurring theme is when the Hero (or Heroine) is fighting, they are knocked down, and lose their sword. Just as they are about to be despatched, someone stabs the erstwhile killer in the back.
Tyrion vs Ser Mandon Moore, rescued by Podric Payne.
Jon snow vs Karl, rescued by one of Craster's wives. And then Jon rescues the wife by stabbing Karl in the back of the head.
Podric vs Bolton Minion, rescued by Theon.
Ned vs Ser Arthur Dayne, rescued by Howland Reed, who stabs Dayne in the back.

I am getting tired of the Good Guy dropping his sword after getting knocked down. Brienne vs Minion, Jon vs the White Walker…

Is this a deliberate theme, to show that combat is dirty? Ned and his Seven Merry Men had no qualms about taking on two (only 2? ) Kings Guard. Or, four against Ser Arthur.

Perhaps I am expecting stylized duels. Robin Hood would NEVER allow Little John to stab Sir Guy of Gisborne in the back of the head!

add the Dornish prince with a spear thru the back of his head :-(

You expecting fair fights? In a GRRM book? On a tv show based on such a book? " snort"

If they wanted a fair fight, they shouldn't have come here

Fair fight isn't the issue. It's the repetitive choreography that's annoying.

+1 Darthfozzywig

Yes why is it a spear or sword through the back of the head, for one thing.
That must be s very hard nut to crack.

I hadn't noticed because I only made it through 1 and a half seasons before I saw they were using a template for the story. I had not noticed in the short time I did watch so I can only take your thoughts as gospel. geiven that the season follows a generic template-outline I am not really all that surprised that the fights scenes are equally templated. YMMV.

SPOILER ALERT

The fights are very formulaic. It would be okay once in a while but it happens almost every time. Didn't Jorah (SPOILER ALERT)drop his sword in the fighting pit last season? You think that by now people would have started putting lanyards on their weapons. Now admittedly its done for "suspense", the hero is in bad shape, he can't get out of the situation and then "boom", he's saved. It's easy to write scenes like that. I also imagine that it's easier to choreograph. It's one of the reasons why when I see someone talking about how GRRM will be studied like Shakespeare I say "wait a second, hold up there on that carwash".

As for the fight at the Tower of Joy, weren't the previous Kingsguards (pre-Robert) supposed to be the best Knights in the land, and IIRC Ser Arthur was the best of the best (kind of the Lancelot of a really mini Knights of the Round Table)? And I think in the book there were three KG there so the odds weren't quite as long. Still I think that this is about teaching Bran stuff, we don't even actually know if this is truly the way that the fight went or if it's merely what the 3 eyed crow wants Bran to see. Just my opinion, I could be wrong, I've been wrong before.

The three at the tower were Ser Arthur Dayne, Ser Oswell Whent, and Lord Commander Gerold Hightower – why were they not at the battle of the Trident defending their leader ? Did it need all three to protect her ??

Yes. I forgot that scene with Ser Jorah. His foe also got stabbed in the back.
I bet I missed a few more.

Had the tale run only 3 seasons it might not be so noticeable. I'm sure we will see many more examples before Ramsey Bolton takes the Iron Throne.

Pretty common trope throughout media, I'd say. It's a rare action movie that a hero (or other protagonist character) DOESN'T get knocked down and then saved when his assailant is taken out by somebody else.

The three at the tower were Ser Arthur Dayne, Ser Oswell Whent, and Lord Commander Gerold Hightower – why were they not at the battle of the Trident defending their leader ? Did it need all three to protect her ??

Rhaegar wanted them guarding Lyanna – and very likely his infant son and now heir.

You fight to win.

Oh and when the Sword of Morning was surrounded if I was fighting and behind him I would have thrown my sword at the back of this legs.

You fight fairly you are fighting to lose.

Karl knew this but he made another mistake when fighting…

Never turn your back to an opponent.

The Dornish Prince forgot this as well but he was young.

But I would never have allowed one of the Sand Snakes to be behind me.

The thing that get me is the Howland Reed must be pretty strong since he was able to punch his dagger through Ser Arthur Dayne back armor through his body and out his front armor.

Oh and Ser Arthur Dayne was one of the better Kings Guards.

He made a promise to his Prince and he was willing to die for it.

Though they should of had the 7 against 3 – instead of the 6 against 2.

The fight scences are different in the books so you can not blame GRRM for re using the stab in the back (though Gendry does put a spear through the back of the head of one of the Mountain's thugs).

Both the trial by combats, for instance, have far different endings than "stab in the back".

But fights to the death tend to be messy – long on savagery and short on ballet.

TomT

With all due respect it's pretty hard to have a third person perform a "stab in the back" when only two people are fighting.

True, but when they stop and stand in one place it does make it easier.

Ser Arthur watched his back a lot better when he was fighting 4. When he thought it was one on one, he got a bit careless.

Plus Rowland was armed with a +5 Armor Piecing Dagger.

Actually, he poked it through the space between the helmet and back armor.