Game of Thrones begins....

[grumbler]

Rode back....where?

If you need a specific place, then I'll say Hardhome.  The chains were what the Wildlings used to move the logs they built their palisade out of.

Of course, we probably should not think too much about what kind of infrastructure, support, and societal structures and foundations undead armies might have at their disposal.

Probably, but we shouldn't assume that just showing them with some chains is some grievous plot hole.  There are plenty of actual plot holes without stretchig for this one.

Like, who makes their weapons? Are there Night King moms and dads and civilians out there somewhere? Are there those blue eyed blacksmiths out there somewhere to be diverted from making shitty weapons for zombies to making giant chains? And miners for the ore needed? What do they all eat, anyway?

The Night King weapons?  They are made out of ice that has been magically infused to be super-cold and super-sharp.

What is taking them so damn long, by the way? Seems like they've been marching south for...years and years now? The Nights Watch rode out from the wall, fucked around for a while, ran into them, rode back to Crastors, had a mutiny, stumbled back to the wall...and that all happened, according to the age of Gilly's child, literally years ago. It would seem that even at the slow, shambling pace of the walkin dead, they should have reached the wall by now.

Maybe they are "recruiting" by visiting all the graveyards and whatnot, as well as killing off and thus "recruiting" stragglers from the Wildlings, Thenn, etc.  They have no need to go to the wall until they can destroy it, which they cannot do until they have their dragon.  Remember, the Night King is a greenseer, too (and might well be Bran).  The whole way they dealt with the Magnificent Seven tells us that that was a trap to kill and thus recruit a dragon.

[grumbler]

Oh, but as long as we are on plot holes, why the fuck does Jon not take a shitload of dragonglass arrows north with him?  What's the point of mining it and making weapons if you are not going to use them?

Jon and company having dragonglass arrows could easily have been used to explain why the White Walkers did not over-run the MS on the island.  Then, it would have been a surprise that this was all a trap.

[viper37]

Of course, we probably should not think too much about what kind of infrastructure, support, and societal structures and foundations undead armies might have at their disposal.

here's an undead village

What is taking them so damn long, by the way? Seems like they've been marching south for...years and years now?

Yeah, years.

The Nights Watch rode out from the wall, fucked around for a while, ran into them,

It was only a small group, not the whole army.  In the first episode, the 3 guys from the Nightwatch stumble onto them too.

rode back to Crastors, had a mutiny, stumbled back to the wall...and that all happened, according to the age of Gilly's child, literally years ago. It would seem that even at the slow, shambling pace of the walkin dead, they should have reached the wall by now.

I don't think they go for a straigth line.

We know they're going around, transforming any living being they can inton zombies (Hardhome).  And it seems they also convert animals too.  And they're raising babies (Crastor), I doubt they use actual babies for the fight, even zombified, they don't seem that useful, so maybe they grow into walker?  I've no idea at what speed though. So maybe, it's like Moses walk in the desert, they are simply waiting for their army to grow.

Since we know they are linked to Winter, wich is more magical than natural in this land, it might be that some magic is needed, for winter to grow, before they can fully advance on the wall.  Or it may be they are searching for something, we just don't know (the Horn of something in the books, but never alluded to in the series).

[viper37]

Oh, but as long as we are on plot holes, why the fuck does Jon not take a shitload of dragonglass arrows north with him?  What's the point of mining it and making weapons if you are not going to use them?

Jon and company having dragonglass arrows could easily have been used to explain why the White Walkers did not over-run the MS on the island.  Then, it would have been a surprise that this was all a trap.

I figured it wasn't ready yet.  It would have been a much better use of Gendry.

[HVC]

I thought the dragon glass only killed the white walkers and not the zombie horde? but I could be misremembering.

[viper37]

I thought the dragon glass only killed the white walkers and not the zombie horde? but I could be misremembering.

It ain't clear:
http://awoiaf.westeros.org/index.php/Dragonglass
http://gameofthrones.wikia.com/wiki/Dragonglass

[grumbler]

I thought the dragon glass only killed the white walkers and not the zombie horde? but I could be misremembering.

Regular weapons can kill zombies (though I doubt arrows would do much to them). 

Still, they know they will be going up against walkers.  Why not have the weapon that is effective against them?

And did anyone else think that there were too few walkers at the big battle?  If their main army only has five White Walkers with it, maybe they only number something less than a dozen.  With such limited numbers, it is strange that the Night King would sacrifice one to bait his trap.

[HVC]

yeah, the number of white walkers seems to be off. The knight king is several thousand years old, and assuming subsequent walkers are also immortal there should be a lot more. and even if they aren't immortal, Crastor had a ton of daughters, so he should have had more sons too.

[viper37]

And did anyone else think that there were too few walkers at the big battle?  If their main army only has five White Walkers with it, maybe they only number something less than a dozen.  With such limited numbers, it is strange that the Night King would sacrifice one to bait his trap.

He might have more behind him.  We didn't see any giants this time, and we know he has some, as per Bran's vision. 

[Berkut]

I don't really think it was a trap anyway. More taking advantage of an opportunity.

[grumbler]

I don't really think it was a trap anyway. More taking advantage of an opportunity.

It's possible that it wasn't a trap, and just a large series of coincidences.  If the dragon ends up being responsible for breaking the Wall, though, I don't think the coincidence theory will stand.

[Josquius]

Probably less break the wall and more breath ice to freeze the sea and let them go around IMO.

[grumbler]

Probably less break the wall and more breath ice to freeze the sea and let them go around IMO.

That's possible, but
(1) if freezing the sea was all it took, the Night King could have done that thousands of years ago,
(2) the dragons are special because they are magical, and so one is presumably needed to overcome some other magic.  That implies the Wall
and
(3) having the crisis come from freezing some water would be anticlimactic to the max.  The Wall is the Chekhov's Gun of the book and TV series; it wouldn't exist except to be destroyed.

We'll know tomorrow, I think.

[HVC]

Kind of displeased with how little finger went out. And poor Jorah, forever friend zoned.

And now we wait a year.

[Habbaku]

No lie, I thought for a second or two they were going to kill Jaime.

Short of that, no surprises this time around. Can't wait for the Targaryencest memes.