Game of Game of Thrones: season 8, episode 1, Winterfell - The Verge

We’re baaaaaaaaack! The final session of our fantasy sports league Game of Game of Thrones, which is run by Fantasizr, is upon us. It’s time to batten down the hatches, obsess over whether you got a worthy lineup, and pray to the Westerosi gods that your drafted characters don’t happen to cross paths with a couple of angry, hungry dragons. (Or if they do, that you’re given the bonus points for memorable deaths.) Before we jump into the episode, here’s a reminder of how the score breakdown works and the changes we’ve made for the final season. The season 8 premiere was fairly easy to score. It was the equivalent a hot tub you ease yourself into until your body adjusts to the temperature. There shouldn’t be any wild surprises that leave us debating whether points should have been awarded. We can save that for next week.

The season 8 premiere was a little lackluster when it came to the violent devastation we’re used to in Game of Thrones, but that’s okay. It’s better to treat this final season like a marathon, not a sprint. The premiere opens up with Daenerys, Jon Snow, her inner circle, and the impressive army she’s collected over the last few seasons riding into Winterfell. It’s not exactly a warm welcome by any stretch of the imagination, but at least Tyrion and Varys have each other’s company — though perhaps that’s not as delightful as it seems. Tyrion opens the episode by poking fun at Varys for being a eunuch. When asked why it’s acceptable for Tyrion to badger Varys but not the other way around, Tyrion responds, “Because I have balls and you don’t.” (+5) Look, I’m a sucker for a good balls joke. Is it because I’m perpetually 10 years old at heart? Probably.

Varys may not be pleased with Tyrion’s constant taunting, but at least he’s not the only one in Winterfell working overtime to suppress a grimace. Jon Snow returns home to hugs from his sisters and an emotionless acknowledgment from Bran (who truly has become a case example in the ongoing study of whether sociopaths are a byproduct of nature or nurture), but that’s all. Lyanna Mormont, my new personal hero, eviscerates Jon in the Great Hall for leaving Winterfell as King in the North and returning as Daenerys’ arm candy. Even when he tries to defend himself, it’s clear that riding into town beside Daenerys has lost him the respect of his black-clad countrymen and women. Poor Jon. He should adapt his best Tina Turner, and yell out to all those judging him, “What’s love got to do with it?” (It, in this case, being the prevention of Winterfell falling.)

Even those on Winterfell’s main council, however, have their concerns with Daenerys. Sansa Stark, Lady of Winterfell, tells Daenerys, “Winterfell is yours” upon their arrival, but that doesn’t mean Sansa’s going to shut up and stand by. For example, she wants to know how Daenerys and Jon plan to keep the citizens of Winterfell fed when there are thousands more mouths to feed now. And what about the dragons? What do dragons even eat, Sansa not-so-politely asks. “Whatever they want,” Daenerys replies, in an even, “Oh, this is how you want to do it?” tone.

I’m not one to pit two incredibly amazing women against each other, but I thrive on the drama. If this were an episode of Real Housewives, Sansa and Daenerys would have gotten into it already. I’m not saying Game of Thrones needs to become Real World. I’m just saying Winterfell could learn a little from Bravo and MTV reality shows.

It doesn’t matter that Jon Snow’s girlfriend and sister are fighting. Being a stoic male stereotype, he avoids it all by going for a solitary walk and running into his sister Arya. Finally, he thinks as they embrace, someone who’s not fighting with my girlfriend! But it turns out, that isn’t quite the case. After Arya confesses that she’s a murderer now (which Jon ignores), she also gets on his case about his family duties. Jon has just returned to Winterfell, and before he can have a bowl of goat stew, he’s having to defend his dragon-riding girlfriend to the rest of his family — except Bran, who’s too busy staring at people in the courtyard to care about the inner workings of their family drama.

Forget the North, though. It’s time to head south. King’s Landing has always been my favorite setting in Game of Thrones. It’s home to the messiest of messy people. This season is no exception. Euron Greyjoy, the worst goth boy who ever roamed the seas, has returned to King’s Landing with the army of mercenaries and horses he promised Cersei. (But he’s short on elephants.) They arrive at an opportune moment: she’s just learned that the White Walkers have busted through the Wall in the North. The monstrous undead can take care of her enemies, and, while she doesn’t seem to have thought about what happens after that, she’s feeling pretty, pretty, pretty good, as Larry David would say.

Euron’s barely back in town when he hits on Cersei (+5 for a bold come-on), and he also has a drink (+10) while telling his tied-up niece, Yara Greyjoy, that he’s going to “fuck the queen.” Euron sucks. He’s the type of guy you’d think is cute while sitting at a bar, and then he says literally anything, and you’re already faking a dying relative to escape. He more or less says Cersei owes him sex at this point, and I could barely contain my squeal of excitement when she perfectly responds by saying, “You want a whore, buy one. You want a queen, earn her.” Brutal. (+10)

The fact that she proceeds to hook up with him (+15, Cersei and Euron) anyway is questionable, but I get it. Look, it’s been a while, and a woman has needs. Plus, Euron has Big Dick Energy. His arrogance just gets worse after they’ve had sex. Cersei drinks some wine (+10) and reminds him that she’s killed other men for their insolence. Euron smirks and says, “They were lesser men.” (+5) He then promises to “put a prince” inside her before leaving. Is Euron twisted? Yes. Is he disgusting? Without question. Is he a key player in keeping the messy drama thriving? Absolutely. And for that, I am grateful he’s around.

If you thought Game of Thrones had moved on from over-the-top sex scenes, it hasn’t! We reconnect with shirtless, slightly pantless Bronn (+5 for PG-13 clothing loss) in a brothel. He’s with three prostitutes who mostly just want to talk about Daenerys’ dragons and what happened to Ed Sheeran’s Lannister soldier character. Bronn just wants to forget the battle entirely, hence the drink in his hands (+10). Just as he’s beginning to enjoy himself (+10 for random sex), he’s interrupted by old Qyburn (+10 for watching people have sex). Cersei needs Bronn to head North and find her brothers, Tyrion and Jaime. If they survive the White Walkers, she wants Bronn to kill them with the same crossbow that killed her father Tywin. Remember that death? While he was on the toilet? Imagine: Jaime has ridden north to try to protect Cersei and their baby, and here she is trying to kill him. In the immortal words of Tina Turner, “What’s love got to do with it?”

So far, Game of Thrones’ return has delivered the drama and sex we’re used to, but there’s been a noticeable lack of killing. That’s where Theon Greyjoy comes in. While Euron is out there, stirring things up, promising to put princes in queens, Theon and his band of merry Kraken men take out a couple of Euron’s soldiers. (It seems like about four of them die, but it’s unclear how many Theon killed himself, so we compromised with a +20 that assumes he personally took out at least a couple.) Theon makes good on his promise of rescuing Yara and heads home to the Iron Islands. This episode has reunions for everyone!

Speaking of reunions, back in Winterfell, the North’s new Gossip Girl team has united to talk about Jon and Daenerys’ relationship. Varys, Tyrion, and Ser Davos are watching the two lovebirds talk to each other, discussing the benefits of a marriage between two powerful houses. Alas, if only they knew what Bran and Sam know! But more on that later.

Out of prying eyes and ears, Jon and Daenerys walk around the courtyard. They have much to discuss. First, an army of grotesque zombies is on its way to destroy everything and everyone Jon loves. More importantly, Sansa has an issue with Daenerys, which means Daenerys has an issue with Sansa. Jon can’t just hike his way out of this one! What follows is something out of a teen drama (and I have watched many a teen drama).

Daenerys: “Your sister doesn’t like me.”

Jon: “She doesn’t know you!”

Daenerys: “I am her queen!! If she can’t respect me…”

I told you, I’m here for the messiness this season. None of this really matters anyway because, within the next few minutes, Game of Thrones’ eighth season gives in to temptation. We finally get to see Jon ride Rhaegal, the dragon named after his biological father. Who doesn’t love good narrative styling?

Jon and Daenerys are riding dragons through the air (+25 for both), swooping and soaring. It’s quite a remarkable feat to see on a television show. It’s also heavily reminiscent of Harry Potter riding Buckbeak for the first time in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban or any of the scenes in How To Train Your Dragon 2. That doesn’t lessen the beauty of this Game of Thrones moment, but I watched it with the instantly recognizable overture of the Harry Potter films running through my head.

They finally land, and Jon, in a moment of complete euphoric dizziness, turns to Daenerys. “You’ve completely ruined horses for me.” (+5). Jon and Daenerys are still in their honeymoon stage. They’re all lovey-dovey. They’ve already deleted the Westeros version of Tinder. It’s adorable.

Unfortunately, they can’t run away from their problems, and they have to return to Winterfell. Jon, riding high from his ride, confronts Sansa. She’s pissed. House Glover isn’t going to ride with them into war, and Sansa blames Jon. He abandoned his post! He was supposed to be King in the North, and now he’s come back with this outsider? “I’m telling you, it doesn’t matter who holds what title,” Jon tells her. “She’ll be a good queen. She’s not her father.”

I suppose that’s one way to get your sister to try and warm up to your girlfriend. It’s maybe not the way I would have suggested, but to each their own! Sansa asks Jon if he bent the knee to save the North or because he was in love, and he doesn’t get a chance to respond. Knowing Jon, he would probably say something like, “Can’t I love both?” Boooo! This is war, Jon! There’s no time for pedantic “both sides” arguments right now. And this is not how you win your sister over to the woman you’re in love with, anyway! Ugh. Where’s your inner Tina Turner, Jon? It’s because of Sansa’s snappy one-liners, rebellion against her new Queen, and her ability to make Jon Snow feel like dirt that I’m crowning her MVP of this episode (+20).

Somewhere else in the castle, Daenerys and Jorah Mormont are walking around like they own the place, which technically they do now. They seek out Samwell Tarly to thank him for saving Jorah. Then things get awkward. Sam may not know Daenerys is sleeping with her nephew, and he definitely doesn't know she killed his father and brother — until she tells him. The emotional punches don’t stop there, either. Bran, taking a brief break from staring creepily at people in the Winterfell courtyard, tells Sam he must alert Jon to his true parentage. If there’s one thing I’ve learned from Game of Thrones and The Lord of the Rings, it’s that friendly blokes named Sam always end up having to put up the most emotional labor.

First, though, it’s back to the North. Tormund, Dolorous Edd, and Beric Dondarrion are at House Umber’s keep, Last Hearth, where they walk into something out of a Satanic ritual put on by a bunch of bored suburban kids gone wrong. They find young Ned Umber, the boy who appeared early in the episode during the Great Hall scene, pinned to a wall. His men have been hacked to pieces and used to create one of those red spirals that White Walkers love to leave at the scene of their crimes. It’s pretty horrific, but then Ned Umber lets out an ear-piercing shriek that, according to people present at the New York premiere, scared the living poop out of attendees.

Beric, always the Solid Snake cosplayer of my dreams, lights up his magical sword (+50) and burns Ned Umber, killing him for good (+25). It’s one of the more spectacular deaths (+25 for Ned) we’ve seen in Game of Thrones. And although it’s unfortunate that Little Ned’s life was so short, at least now he can rest six feet umber.

Now that the demon-child is gone, we’re heading back to Winterfell. It’s time for Sam to tell Jon about his parentage. It doesn’t go over super well. Jon doesn’t want another dad. He had the best dad in the world! Jon went from thinking he was a bastard child to an outcast within his own family to a member of the Knight’s Watch to literally deceased, and he’s now being told he’s the rightful heir to the Iron Throne. That’s one hell of an identity crisis. Jon didn’t take any of it well. It’s basically a longer version of this:

At this point in time, there are only a few minutes left in the episode. If you’re like me, you’ve got one question rattling around in your brain: where the hell is God’s greatest gift to man, Jaime Lannister?

Fret not (as I did): he’s arrived in Winterfell. He’s looking scruffy and scraggly and oh so handsome. His moment of joy of finally reaching his destination is short-lived, though, as he makes eye contact with Winterfell’s most eligible serial killer, Bran. There’s no better way than this fantastic video to sum up the feeling of absolute dread Jaime must be feeling upon realizing that the little boy he pushed out of a 20-story building years ago didn’t plummet to his death. You done goofed, Jaime. You stupid, wildly handsome man.

Can you feel the drama circling the air? Can you taste the forbidden romances abound? Can anyone please help Bran leave that one spot in the courtyard? Game of Thrones’ final season may have just begun, but it’s already so much fun, isn’t it?

THE VERGE FANTASY LEAGUE STANDINGS

Julia Alexander: 75 points

Top scorer: Beric Dondarrion (75 points)

Note: It’s the final season of Game of Game of Thrones — and the first one I ever got to play as part of Team Verge. Best believe I am playing along.

Andy Hawkins: 60 points

Top scorer: Euron Greyjoy (30 points)

Liz Lopatto: 55 points

Top scorer: Cersei Lannister (35 points)

Shannon Liao: 50 points

Top scorer: Ned Umber (25 points)

Note: Who could have seen those Ned Umber points coming so soon?

Chaim Gartenberg: 45 points

Top scorer: Bronn (20 points)

Sarah Bishop Woods: 10 points

Top scorer: Qyburn (10 points)

Tasha Robinson: 0 points

Adi Robertson: 0 points

T.C. Sottek: 0 points

Let's block ads! (Why?)

https://www.theverge.com/2019/4/15/18310926/game-of-thrones-got-hbo-season-8-episode-1-winterfell-fantasy-league-fantasizr

2019-04-15 16:53:18Z
52780265784670

Lori Loughlin, husband Mossimo Giannulli enter not guilty pleas in college admissions cheating scandal - Fox News

Lori Loughlin and her fashion designer husband, Mossimo Giannulli, pleaded not guilty on Monday in the sweeping college admissions bribery scam, Fox News has learned.

In court documents obtained by Fox News, Loughlin, 54, and Giannulli, 55, said they are waiving their right to appear in court for an arraignment and pleaded not guilty.

The "Fuller House" actress also requested to waive her appearance for an arraignment in the college admissions scandal, the Department of Justice told us.

LORI LOUGHLIN IN 'PANIC MODE' AT POTENTIAL PRISON TIME

Loughlin and Giannulli did not appear in court and it is currently not known if the judge will permit the pleas without them present.

The couple is among 50 people charged in the nationwide scam, which authorities say also involved rigging college entrance exam scores.

It's the biggest college admissions case ever prosecuted by the Justice Department. The scandal embroiled elite universities across the country and laid bare the lengths to which status-seeking parents will go to secure their children a coveted spot.

The couple and more than a dozen other parents were hit last week with a money laundering conspiracy charge on top of the mail fraud conspiracy charge they were already facing. Several other indicted parents have also filed court documents entering not guilty pleas.

They now face up to 40 years in prison if convicted.

The former Hallmark Channel star and her fashion designer husband were arrested last month and released on $1 million bonds for allegedly bribing their daughters' way into the University of Southern California (USC) for $500,000 each.

Loughlin and Giannulli were charged with mail fraud in March after it was discovered they allegedly paid scam mastermind William "Rick" Singer to have their daughters Isabella and YouTube star Olivia Jade recruited onto the USC crew team despite neither girl being a rower in high school.

COLLEGE ADMISSIONS SCANDAL: THE MOST BIZARRE DETAILS

The girls' statuses at USC are reportedly on hold amid internal investigations into each student's case.

Giannulli and Loughlin rejected the plea agreement that "Desperate Housewives" actress Felicity Huffman, who was also implicated in the case, accepted earlier this month.

LORI LOUGHLIN FEARS GUILTY PLEA'S IMPACT ON HER DAUGHTERS, REPORT CLAIMS

Reps for the couple did not return Fox News' requests for comment. They have not publicly addressed the allegations against them.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Let's block ads! (Why?)

https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/college-admissions-scandal-lori-loughlin-mossimo-giannulli

2019-04-15 16:00:20Z
52780269276866

Lori Loughlin, husband Mossimo Giannulli enter not guilty pleas in college admissions cheating scandal - Fox News

Lori Loughlin and her fashion designer husband Mossimo Giannulli pleaded not guilty Monday in the college admissions scam, Fox News has learned.

In court documents obtained by Fox News, Loughlin, 54, and Giannulli, 55, said in the filing they are waiving their right to appear in court for an arraignment and plead not guilty.

The "Fuller House" actress also requested to waive her appearance for an arraignment in the college admissions scandal, the Department of Justice told us.

Loughlin and Giannulli did not appear in court and it is currently not known if the judge will permit the pleas without them present.

LORI LOUGHLIN IN 'PANIC MODE' AT POTENTIAL PRISON TIME

The former Hallmark Channel star and fashion designer husband were arrested last month and released on $1 million bonds for allegedly bribing their daughters' ways into the University of Southern California (USC) for $500,000 each.

Loughlin and Giannulli were charged will mail fraud in March after it was discovered they allegedly paid scam mastermind William "Rick" Singer to have their daughters Isabella and YouTube star Olivia Jade recruited onto the USC crew team despite neither girl being a rower in high school.

COLLEGE ADMISSIONS SCANDAL: THE MOST BIZARRE DETAILS

The girls' statuses at USC are reportedly on hold amid internal investigations into each student's case.

Giannulli and Loughlin rejected the plea agreement that "Desperate Housewives" actress Felicity Huffman, who was also implicated in the case, accepted earlier this month.

The couple was then indicted on additional charges of fraud and money laundering. They now face up to 40 years in prison if convicted.

LORI LOUGHLIN FEARS GUILTY PLEA'S IMPACT ON HER DAUGHTERS, REPORT CLAIMS

"The second superseding indictment also charges the defendants with conspiring to launder the bribes and other payments in furtherance of the fraud by funneling them through Singer’s purported charity and his for-profit corporation, as well as by transferring money into the United States, from outside the United States, for the purpose of promoting the fraud scheme," the Department of Justice previously said in a statement.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Reps for the couple did not return Fox News' requests for comment. They have not publicly addressed the allegations against them.

Let's block ads! (Why?)

https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/college-admissions-scandal-lori-loughlin-mossimo-giannulli

2019-04-15 14:45:56Z
CBMiYGh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmZveG5ld3MuY29tL2VudGVydGFpbm1lbnQvY29sbGVnZS1hZG1pc3Npb25zLXNjYW5kYWwtbG9yaS1sb3VnaGxpbi1tb3NzaW1vLWdpYW5udWxsadIBZGh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmZveG5ld3MuY29tL2VudGVydGFpbm1lbnQvY29sbGVnZS1hZG1pc3Npb25zLXNjYW5kYWwtbG9yaS1sb3VnaGxpbi1tb3NzaW1vLWdpYW5udWxsaS5hbXA

See Star Wars Galaxys Edge Merchandise from the Droid Depot - /FILM

Over the weekend Star Wars Celebration gave us a look at the exclusive merchandise that will be on sale at Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge at shops like First Order Cargo and Resistance Supply. Plus, we got a glimpse at the stuff you’ll be able to get at Toydarian Toymaker, the Creature Stall and Black Spire Outpost. Now you get to see what’s coming from the Droid Depot, including your own customizable robot companion, a few collectible statues, and some gear decked out in droids. Check out the latest Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge merchandise below.

Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge Merchandise at Droid Depot

As we previously learned, Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge will offer theme park attendees the chance to build their own custom droid at the park. Not only that, but you’ll be able to roll it around Galaxy’s Edge, and it will react to and interact with the environment, and thanks to Star Wars Celebration, we got a little more information on how.

First of all, you’ll be able to customize the look of either an R-series droid (like R2-D2) or a BB-series droid (like BB-8). As you can see, there are a variety of custom pieces with different colors to create the droid of your choice. The body, head, and legs of the droid can all be different colors. The R-series droid has more customization options, including what color panels the droid has, what kind of tools are hidden inside his body (including blasters and jets). You can even give it a drink carrying tray like R2 had on Jabba’s sail barge in Return of the Jedi. You can see the various choices below.

No matter which one you choose, you’ll be able to pick out one of three personality chips for your droid: First Order, Resistance and Smuggler. Depending on which personality chip you get, your droid will react appropriately in different parts of the park. If you have a First Order droid, he might get scared if you head to an area controlled by the Resistance or vice versa. And you’re not just carrying the around, but there’s a remote control so you can roll them around with you.

If you’re not up to the task (or cost) of building your own droid, there are pre-built droids that will behave the same way, including BB-8, R2-D2, C-3PO and even cantina droid DJ Rex.

If you’re a little too grown up to get yourself a custom droid companion, maybe you’ll want to dabble in the collectible kind of droid memorabilia, like these statues of R2-D2, BB-8, IG-88 and even a Destroyer Droid. Plus, check out that picture frame on the right. No, that’s not the Infinity Gauntlet, but rather the hand of C-3PO holding up a picture frame that you can put a Galaxy’s Edge memory in.

Or maybe you’ll be satisfied with some shirts that show your love for droids. The droid builders in the crowd at Star Wars Celebration were certainly excited about the idea of more shirt options dedicated to the love of droids. They even have shirts that make it look like you’re some kind of droid mechanic at the depot.

There are also some standard housewares you’ll be able to get, inspired by the droids of Star Wars. You’ll notice a mug that looks like an oil can for your Astromech droid, another one that looks like it could be part of a droid itself. There’s a little pen that looks like R2-D2, and a notebook that looks like a repair manual.

Of course, the big theme park fans will be interested in yet another set of collectible pins that you’ll be able to get from droid depot. There are also some patches and keychains. But my personal favorite item from that collection on the right is the restraining bolt, which is a magnet you can put on any metal surface so it can’t get away from you.

Finally, on the more traditional toy front, you’ll be able to get two different packs of color-changing droids, as well as a factory playset for them. The droids change color in hot water and can be changed back with cold water. The playset features a dunking tank to dip them. You can pretend it’s an oil bath so get all the gunk out from in between their panels. They’ll really appreciate it.

Let's block ads! (Why?)

https://www.slashfilm.com/star-wars-galaxys-edge-merchandise-droid-depot/

2019-04-15 13:00:58Z
52780268799421

Game of Thrones season 8: Researchers create algorithm to predict who dies - The Verge

Death in Game of Thrones has always been gloriously unpredictable. Just when you’re getting to like a character (or, at least, grudgingly respect them), they end up beheaded, impaled, barbecued, or exploded, leaving you wondering: who’s next?

With the final season of the show underway, a team at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) has attempted to answer this question using basic data science and some fancy machine learning.

Their top prediction to survive season 8? None other than the Mother of Dragons herself, Daenerys Targaryen, with a slim 0.9 percent probability of dying. The character most likely to kick the medieval bucket, meanwhile, is everyone’s favorite sellsword: Ser Bronn of the Blackwater, with a 93.5 percent chance of dying.

Warning: Spoilers ahead for the previous seasons of Game of Thrones.

To make their predictions, the team at TUM used approaches familiar to medicine and life insurance. They mined statistical information about how long people lived, along with biographical data that might correlate to when they die. In real life, that might include information like whether someone is a smoker or how frequently they exercise. But in the world of Game of Thrones, the more relevant information is what house a particular character belongs to, whether they’re married, and who their allies are.

With the help of fan-maintained Wikis, TUM’s data scientists combed through the lives of hundreds of characters. Along with collecting in-universe data like their gender and location, they also included what we might call metadata: information like whether someone is a major or minor character and how often they’re cited in fan Wikipedias.

This data revealed some basic truths about mortality and the Game of Thrones universe, such as the fact that being male is more dangerous than being female. (Men have a 22 percent death rate, compared to 11 percent for women.) Certain houses are more long-lived than others, reflecting their ascendancy in Westeros. Being a Baratheon, for example, makes you 5 percent more likely to die than the average character, while being a Lannister makes you 45 percent more likely to survive.

To turn these trends into predictions for individual characters, the team analyzed this data using two separate models: the first used a fairly straightforward statistical approach known as Bayesian inference, and the second relied on fancier techniques involving machine learning and neural networks.

Based on these methods, the character deemed most likely to survive is Daenerys Targaryen. She’s followed by Tyrion Lannister (2.5 percent chance of death), Varys (3.2 percent), and Samwell Tarly (3.3 percent). On the other end of the spectrum, Bronn is deemed most likely to die, followed by Gregor Clegane (80.3 percent), Sansa Stark (73.3 percent), and Bran Stark (57.8 percent). For a full list of predictions, you should check out the dedicated site where you can look up the survival rates of individual characters.

The question is, of course, how good are these predictions? It’s impossible to say for sure, but they’re certainly not a bad start if you felt like laying some bets on season 8.

The team at TUM created a similar model back in 2016, which predicted that the five characters most likely to die were Tommen Baratheon (97 percent chance of death), Stannis Baratheon (96 percent), Daenerys Targaryen (95 percent), Davos Seaworth (91 percent), and Petyr Baelish (91 percent).

Looking back, we can see that most (but not all) of these predictions came true: Tommen jumped out of a window at the end of season 6, Stannis was finished off by Brienne of Tarth at the end of season 5, and Petyr was a recipient of Stark justice at the end of season 7. But both Dany and Davos are still very much alive and kicking, despite the algorithm’s grim predictions, showing the ultimate fallibility of such models.

Speaking to Wired.co.uk, one of the data scientists involved in the project, researcher Christian Dallago, noted that the predictions were muddied somewhat when the plot of the TV show overtook writer George R.R. Martin’s source material, A Song of Ice and Fire.

“So Daenerys is right now, according to aggregate, predicted a 0.9 percent likelihood of death, and three years ago, we predicted her to be 95 percent likely to die,” said Dallago. “But since that season, George R.R. Martin has lost control and other writers are writing the story. It’s a little bit differently from originally intended, and that seems to have really had an effect on the data.”

One of The Verge’s resident GoT experts, Chaim Gartenberg, agreed, noting that death in the show was much more unpredictable when following Martin’s “vicious hand.” As the show has gone on, certain characters, like Daenerys, have become much safer, simply because they’re essential to moving the plot forward.

Also, because the models the researchers created are using historical data to make their predictions, they’re necessarily blind to any future political twists and turns. For example, while being a member of the current ruling clan, House Lannister, might be good for your survival rates now, once the various armies in play in season 8 start marching on King’s Landing, it could turn into a bit of a liability.

In other words: the final moves in Game of Thrones have only just begun. Don’t be too sure about any predictions, even if they do come from an algorithm.

Let's block ads! (Why?)

https://www.theverge.com/2019/4/15/18311157/game-of-thrones-got-season-8-hbo-characters-death-prediction-algorithm

2019-04-15 12:59:44Z
52780265784670

AT&T accidentally streamed 'Game of Thrones' hours before it was supposed to on Sunday - CNBC

AT&T accidentally streamed the highly anticipated Season 8 opener of "Game of Thrones" four hours early for some customers on Sunday evening.

Most people needed to wait until 9 p.m. local time to watch the episode. However, news website Insider spotted people on Twitter who were able to watch it beginning right around 5 p.m. ET. While it's a relatively minor flop, it's an indication again that streaming services are still struggling with reliability.

AT&T owns HBO through its acquisition of Time Warner, which was completed last year after a year-long merger process. The Department of Justice attempted to stop the merger after it went through, but its case fell apart in February.

tweet

tweet

"Apparently our system was as excited as we were for 'Game of Thrones' last night and gave a few DIRECTV Now customers early access to the episode by mistake," AT&T told CNBC. "When we became aware of the error, we immediately fixed it."

Subscribe to CNBC on YouTube.

Let's block ads! (Why?)

https://www.cnbc.com/2019/04/15/game-of-thrones-season-8-episode-1-streamed-early-by-att.html

2019-04-15 12:45:13Z
52780265784670