Game of Thrones begins....

[grumbler]

Close quarter air defense is just putting as many bullets into the air as possible, right? I single spear from a ballista has a rather poor chance to hit a flying fast-moving, very maneouverable target like the dragons shown in the GoT.

The dragons hover when breathing fire IIRC, so a matter of timing perhaps

They don't have to hover when breathing fire.  They do so only when they want to concentrate on a target for more than a couple of seconds.  If someone could figure out where a target was that the dragon had to burn, and have to hover to do so, they could put one of these ballistas there and hope the crew had the balls to risk getting burned alive if they missed or were not fast enough.

Hitting a moving target with these would be pretty much impossible (how could you possibly calculate the proper lead, especially when you don't even know how fast the dragons fly) and hitting a stationary one would be very, very difficult on the first shot, because you don't know the range and its going to take a couple of shots to figure out the right elevation for the range.  You are not likely to get a couple of ranging shots before you are (literally) toast.

[Liep]

They don't have to hover when breathing fire.  They do so only when they want to concentrate on a target for more than a couple of seconds.  If someone could figure out where a target was that the dragon had to burn, and have to hover to do so, they could put one of these ballistas there and hope the crew had the balls to risk getting burned alive if they missed or were not fast enough.

Hitting a moving target with these would be pretty much impossible (how could you possibly calculate the proper lead, especially when you don't even know how fast the dragons fly) and hitting a stationary one would be very, very difficult on the first shot, because you don't know the range and its going to take a couple of shots to figure out the right elevation for the range.  You are not likely to get a couple of ranging shots before you are (literally) toast.

Pretty sure Cersei's people will kill one anyway. It'll probably be a lot of misses followed by a "strong" man, possibly Jaime or the Mountain pushing the former shooter away and then hitting a dragon with their first shot right before they're toast.

[HVC]

I don't even think it'll be Cersei's armies, since it will die north of the wall to be zombified. or I guess it could get injured and fly north after a battle. either way we'll have a zombie dragon controlled by a white walker this season.

[Grey Fox]

I don't even think it'll be Cersei's armies, since it will die north of the wall to be zombified. or I guess it could get injured and fly north after a battle. either way we'll have a zombie dragon controlled by a white walker this season.

I don't think that is possible. Dragons are creature of Rhaelor while the White Walkers are creatures of that other god.

[HVC]

Dany is too over powered with three dragons. Either there are dead dragons in the wall or something, or one of her trio dies, but either way the Nights king is getting a (ice breathing?) dragon. That and she's nailing her nephew, to keep tradition alive

[HVC]

and I guess technically the white walkers are creatures of the old gods, since the children made them.

[grumbler]

I don't even think it'll be Cersei's armies, since it will die north of the wall to be zombified. or I guess it could get injured and fly north after a battle. either way we'll have a zombie dragon controlled by a white walker this season.

I agree.  We already have seen some reported first cuts at a storyboard showing the Night's King on what looks like an ice dragon.  If true, this could be a dragon that has always been in the far north and was just now "awakened," but I think it is likelier that it is one of Dani's dragons, killed by the Army f the Dead and reanimated by the Night's King.

The ballista thing may wound a dragon, but think how unlikely it is that one shot will kill a dragon, and how unlikely multiple hits will be.  I think that Jamie's army will carry some of these ballistas when it gets wrecked, and one of them may hit a dragon, but  I think that only one dragon dies (Jon is going to become a dragon rider, after all, so two have to survive) and that that one dies north of the wall.

[grumbler]

I don't even think it'll be Cersei's armies, since it will die north of the wall to be zombified. or I guess it could get injured and fly north after a battle. either way we'll have a zombie dragon controlled by a white walker this season.

I don't think that is possible. Dragons are creature of Rhaelor while the White Walkers are creatures of that other god.

If a dragon is dead, it is no longer a creature of Rhaelor.  We've seen no evidence that red priests, for example, or other believers in Rhaelor, cannot be zombified.

[Grey Fox]

We've seen no evidence of the opposite either.

[grumbler]

Then an argument that something is impossible based on zero evidence seems a little premature.

[HVC]

Another good episode. Tyrion is smart, especially on the personal and manipulative level, but he doesn't have the strategical experience and its showing.

[grumbler]

Another good episode. Tyrion is smart, especially on the personal and manipulative level, but he doesn't have the strategical experience and its showing. 

Yes, it was telling that they did not consider where it would be worst for them for Euron's fleet to be (which was near the unsullied fleet) and use the dragons accordingly.  Strategic thinking comes hard.

At least the Tyrell defeat wasn't drawn out.  Now the defeat of the Lannisters and Tarlys can take center stage.

The portrayal by Jim Broadbent was the highlight of the show.  Even better than Diana Rigg!

[Admiral Yi]

Sailing the Unsullied all the way round Westeros while Euron was at large is pretty pinheaded.

[HVC]

The portrayal by Jim Broadbent was the highlight of the show.  Even better than Diana Rigg!

Yeah, sam's new surrogate dad was good. I also like euron. He's a weird amalgamation of the book greyjoy brothers, but the actor pulls it off. Especially when antagonizing Jaime. 

[grumbler]

Sailing the Unsullied all the way round Westeros while Euron was at large is pretty pinheaded.

No one know about Euron when they sent the Unsullied.  This is crap criticism.