# Game of Thrones 5.08 "Hardhome" 5/31/15 \[Show discussion\] **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 1, 2015, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/game-of-thrones-5-08-hardhome-5-31-15-show-discussion/721309 "2015-06-01T02:12:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Half\_Man\_Half\_Wit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/half_man_half_wit/32/21766_2.png) [@Half\_Man\_Half\_Wit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Half_Man_Half_Wit)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2015, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/game-of-thrones-5-08-hardhome-5-31-15-show-discussion/721309/81 "2015-06-01T17:57:08Z")
> [@Biggirl](#): > > That last scene with the white walkers made Tyrion and Dany’s political chat seem very quaint. Yes! I thought for sure I was seeing the high point of the episode (and it was really well done, and all the Tyrion awesomeness one could hope for), and then they just went and blew it out of the water. > [@Shakester](#): > > So we know fire kills Wights, and Dragon Glass & Valyrian Steel kill White Walkers. All else is speculation at this point. Or spoilers. Giant stomps seem to help, too. > [@Furious\_Marmot](#): > > This episode, we were shown wights being “killed” by head shots (mostly arrows) Actually, I don’t think they were killed by the arrows—in the ensuing fight scene, there were several skeleton-y types with arrows through their heads, apparently unencumbered. (Well, it could have been several shots of the same guy, they all kinda look the same. Is that racist/speciesist/discriminating against the vitally challenged?) ---
**Author:** ![River\_Hippie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/river_hippie/32/26_2.png) [@River\_Hippie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/River_Hippie)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2015, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/game-of-thrones-5-08-hardhome-5-31-15-show-discussion/721309/82 "2015-06-01T18:09:43Z")
Didn’t it get mentioned once that the place Stannis comes from had dragon glass? ---
**Author:** ![The\_Evil\_Prince\_Zorte](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@The\_Evil\_Prince\_Zorte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Evil_Prince_Zorte)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2015, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/game-of-thrones-5-08-hardhome-5-31-15-show-discussion/721309/83 "2015-06-01T18:21:42Z")
I keep wondering if Stannis’ conversation with Sam ended with “I know what dragonglass is, we have it where I come from” Or did he send off a few ravens with orders to ship whatever dragonglass they could find up to the wall? He took the White Walker threat seriously enough to go there, Sam told him what they needed to kill them, did it not occur to him that they were going to need a bunch of the stuff? ---
**Author:** ![Gothic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/839c29/32.png) [@Gothic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gothic)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2015, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/game-of-thrones-5-08-hardhome-5-31-15-show-discussion/721309/84 "2015-06-01T18:32:55Z")
Dragon glass only works on white walkers and there only seems to be a few of those. The wights Jon hit with his sword did not crumble. I guess they don’t need to make a return trip? It seemed like over fifty thousand free folk just perished, but I am not good at counting. ---
**Author:** ![Doyle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doyle/32/439_2.png) [@Doyle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doyle)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2015, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/game-of-thrones-5-08-hardhome-5-31-15-show-discussion/721309/85 "2015-06-01T18:45:43Z")
What body of water were Jon and the Wildlings using to escape from to White Walkers? ---
**Author:** ![Push\_You\_Down](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/push_you_down/32/9095_2.png) [@Push\_You\_Down](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Push_You_Down)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2015, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/game-of-thrones-5-08-hardhome-5-31-15-show-discussion/721309/86 "2015-06-01T18:49:39Z")
> [@Doyle](#): > > What body of water were Jon and the Wildlings using to escape from to White Walkers? The Shivering Sea? ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2015, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/game-of-thrones-5-08-hardhome-5-31-15-show-discussion/721309/87 "2015-06-01T18:52:43Z")
> [@Biggirl](#): > > It seemed Caster’s babies were changed but were not killed. I surmised they became Walkers. It has been a while since I saw the scene but I had assumed the Walker killed the baby while turning it. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2015, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/game-of-thrones-5-08-hardhome-5-31-15-show-discussion/721309/88 "2015-06-01T19:04:45Z")
> [@Half\_Man\_Half\_Wit](#): > > …Actually, I don’t think they were killed by the arrows—in the ensuing fight scene, there were several skeleton-y types with arrows through their heads, apparently unencumbered. (Well, it could have been several shots of the same guy, they all kinda look the same. Is that racist/speciesist/discriminating against the vitally challenged?) They prefer “Low-Temperature Undead-Westerosi,” I’ve read. ---
**Author:** ![DigitalC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2015, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/game-of-thrones-5-08-hardhome-5-31-15-show-discussion/721309/89 "2015-06-01T19:04:48Z")
> [@Quimby](#): > > It has been a while since I saw the scene but I had assumed the Walker killed the baby while turning it. There seems to be very little point in a turning a baby that was just born into a zombie, the zombie army is for fighting. That was clearly meant to be a white walker like them. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Kobayashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4af34b/32.png) [@Mr.Kobayashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Kobayashi)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2015, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/game-of-thrones-5-08-hardhome-5-31-15-show-discussion/721309/90 "2015-06-01T19:20:35Z")
From what I gather the Night’s King can turn alive babies into more White Walkers and the dead - of any state of decomposition and more than one species, since we see skeletal humans and undead horses - into wights. ---
**Author:** ![Furious\_Marmot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/dfb087/32.png) [@Furious\_Marmot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Furious_Marmot)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2015, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/game-of-thrones-5-08-hardhome-5-31-15-show-discussion/721309/91 "2015-06-01T19:31:11Z")
> [@Half\_Man\_Half\_Wit](#): > > Actually, I don’t think they were killed by the arrows—in the ensuing fight scene, there were several skeleton-y types with arrows through their heads, apparently unencumbered. (Well, it could have been several shots of the same guy, they all kinda look the same. Is that racist/speciesist/discriminating against the vitally challenged?) You damn dirty deceasist. You are very likely right. In a fantasy setting, there’s no good reason for an arrow in the head to stop a monster made entirely of bones and malevolence. It’s better that way because it helps distance these bad guys from the tired zombie tropes that are everywhere nowadays. I was so excited by the whole sequence that I could have missed it if they slipped in JD Salinger singing La Bamba in Hebrew. > [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > Not enough boats, once people started to panic. You just know the Free Folk aren’t any good at standing in line, even in non-emergencies. > [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > And I assume the Lord Commander was worthy of a powerboat. Hence no need for rowers. It made for a cool shot, which always trumps physics or common sense. > [@Wile\_E](#): > > … > You know what else I wanted to see? Ice Spiders. Sadly, it sounded like even the Wildlings think spiders the size of dogs are a bullshit story. There was another callback to a throwaway line from years ago: Giants really are shy, and belligerent about it. Why did Jon Snow puke (possibly blood?) after killing the white walker? Internal injuries from falling off that mezzanine? Magical feedback from shattering a dude? Just worn out? ---
**Author:** ![Gothic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/839c29/32.png) [@Gothic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gothic)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2015, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/game-of-thrones-5-08-hardhome-5-31-15-show-discussion/721309/92 "2015-06-01T19:44:58Z")
He took a blow to the chest from the non lethal part of the WW’s spear. ---
**Author:** ![Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de053/32.png) [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackknifed_Juggernaut)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2015, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/game-of-thrones-5-08-hardhome-5-31-15-show-discussion/721309/93 "2015-06-01T19:46:18Z")
> [@Furious\_Marmot](#): > > …Why did Jon Snow puke (possibly blood?) after killing the white walker?.. Didn’t he get whacked by one? I assume that they’re pretty strong. ETA: Not ‘whacked’ in a Sopranos sense, but whacked in the chest. ---
**Author:** ![Furious\_Marmot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/dfb087/32.png) [@Furious\_Marmot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Furious_Marmot)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2015, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/game-of-thrones-5-08-hardhome-5-31-15-show-discussion/721309/94 "2015-06-01T19:48:25Z")
Aha. Thanks. I’ve got to watch this again. ---
**Author:** ![Dale\_Sams](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/779978/32.png) [@Dale\_Sams](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dale_Sams)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2015, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/game-of-thrones-5-08-hardhome-5-31-15-show-discussion/721309/95 "2015-06-01T19:52:43Z")
> [@Gothic](#): > > Dragon glass only works on white walkers and there only seems to be a few of those. The wights Jon hit with his sword did not crumble. > > I guess they don’t need to make a return trip? It seemed like over fifty thousand free folk just perished, but I am not good at counting. Were there really that many there? Initially only 5 thousand out of 50 agreed to come? That sucks. Westeros is \*\*\*\*ed. Season 7 finale…the undead army has reached Dorne and millions of wights start swimming east. ---
**Author:** ![puddleglum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puddleglum/32/137_2.png) [@puddleglum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puddleglum)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2015, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/game-of-thrones-5-08-hardhome-5-31-15-show-discussion/721309/96 "2015-06-01T19:59:08Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Yeah, that part didnt make sense to me. Why the faceless men wanted him killed was due to the fact “The Gambler” didnt pay out on a claim to the insured heirs. But the scene with the captain trying to press money on the “The Gambler” and being dragged away made no sense. My problem with that scene is that if the widow does not get paid off, she just has to let the other ships captains know that Kenny Rogers does not pay off and they will stop using him. So he can pay off the widow or lose his business. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2015, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/game-of-thrones-5-08-hardhome-5-31-15-show-discussion/721309/97 "2015-06-01T20:22:27Z")
> [@Dale\_Sams](#): > > > [@Gothic](#): > > > > Dragon glass only works on white walkers and there only seems to be a few of those. The wights Jon hit with his sword did not crumble. > > > > I guess they don’t need to make a return trip? It seemed like over fifty thousand free folk just perished, but I am not good at counting. > > Were there really that many there? Initially only 5 thousand out of 50 agreed to come? That sucks. > > Westeros is \*\*\*\*ed. > > Season 7 finale…the undead army has reached Dorne and millions of wights start swimming east. Perhaps if the head White Walker (what someone upthread called the Night’s King, although I don’t know where that name comes from) is killed, all of the wights and zombies drop dead immediately, since they’re only animated using his magic. ---
**Author:** ![EllisDee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellisdee/32/4531_2.png) [@EllisDee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EllisDee)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2015, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/game-of-thrones-5-08-hardhome-5-31-15-show-discussion/721309/98 "2015-06-01T20:27:20Z")
I got the faint impression that white walkers suppress fire by their very presence, in that the one walking through the flaming tent seemed to be passively suppressing the fire near him. Did anyone else notice something similar, or was that just me? If so, I’m imagining a visually appealing scene where Dany’s dragons try to barbecue the head walker dude but their dragon breath fails to penetrate his aura of coldness. EDIT: And then one of the dragons goes down, gets turned, and head walker in charge mounts an undead dragon to turn the tide of the fight. _swoon_ ---
**Author:** ![Wile\_E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c37758/32.png) [@Wile\_E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wile_E)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2015, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/game-of-thrones-5-08-hardhome-5-31-15-show-discussion/721309/99 "2015-06-01T20:30:47Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > Perhaps if the head White Walker (what someone upthread called the Night’s King, although I don’t know where that name comes from) is killed, all of the wights and zombies drop dead immediately, since they’re only animated using his magic. That’s an interesting theory. I also don’t know where the aforementioned name came from, I don’t recall if a story was told in previous episodes that gave him his name. I don’t remember if it was. > [@EllisDee](#): > > I got the faint impression that white walkers suppress fire by their very presence, in that the one walking through the flaming tent seemed to be passively suppressing the fire near him. Did anyone else notice something similar, or was that just me? > > If so, I’m imagining a visually appealing scene where Dany’s dragons try to barbecue the head walker dude but their dragon breath fails to penetrate his aura of coldness. > > EDIT: And then one of the dragons goes down, gets turned, and head walker in charge mounts an undead dragon to turn the tide of the fight. _swoon_ Ah, but dragon fire is different from regular fire. ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2015, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/game-of-thrones-5-08-hardhome-5-31-15-show-discussion/721309/100 "2015-06-01T20:31:36Z")
> [@EllisDee](#): > > I got the faint impression that white walkers suppress fire by their very presence, in that the one walking through the flaming tent seemed to be passively suppressing the fire near him. Did anyone else notice something similar, or was that just me? > > If so, I’m imagining a visually appealing scene where Dany’s dragons try to barbecue the head walker dude but their dragon breath fails to penetrate his aura of coldness. > > EDIT: And then one of the dragons goes down, gets turned, and head walker in charge mounts an undead dragon to turn the tide of the fight. _swoon_ Nice fantasy, but given that White Walkers explode on contact with dragon glass, I’m thinking that actual dragons are going to be even more lethal to them. I kind of assumed that at some point Danerys and her dragon kids are going to wind up fire-hosing the White Walkers and their army in a big way. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/game-of-thrones-5-08-hardhome-5-31-15-show-discussion/721309.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/game-of-thrones-5-08-hardhome-5-31-15-show-discussion/721309.md?page=6)