At long last our respective watches have ended...
SERIES FINALE (because nothing needs to be said about Ep 5)
Well, here we are, after 10 years 5 books and 1 throne. These last 2 episodes have been the most lacklustre bunch of shots ever to follow the GOT opening sequence. Seeing it was directed by D&D left me with no hope and it seems the sweet part of the bitter sweet ending was that Jon finally petted Ghost and they rode off into the sunrise.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/16287595/Screen_Shot_2019_05_20_at_12.09.51_AM.jpg)
1. As with everyone else in the world and clearly D&D themselves, I am also wondering why there is still a Night's Watch? yes, we need a place for bastards and broken men pending the development of the prison-industrial complex but...really, why? and where was Jon going with the wildlings? ranging? or running away? I am so confused
2. You don't look for dragons, dragons look for you. Why are they looking for Drogon? and why didn't Drogon burn Jon while taking shots at the throne room? Yes, the throne had to go, but it would have been the PERFECT ending between a fire breathing mythical beast and the un-dead Queen-Kin-slayer heir to the iron throne. Jon could plausibly be an impervious to fire Targ and survived, and unspoken truce settled on and everything else that could have transpired as written-with more sense.
3. Why are the Iron Islanders and Dorne are OK with the North being independent? Didn't the Vale also join in both the battle of the bastards and the battle of Winterfell? After NEVER joining a battle in a generation?
4. Where was Bronn during the burning of Kingslanding? Of all the people who should be dead and of all the people who shouldn't be mater of coin. Unless he strong armed the team into agreeing to keep him on till the end, in exchange for only having to appear in 1 scene with Cersei, there is absolutely no reason why he should still be here with irrelevant dialogue to make a bad situation worse.
5. We're not going to talk about the regenerating Dothraki and/or unsullied but...it kinda looks like...hear me out...in short, Dany the Andal 'freed' some slaves who fought loyally for her to bring about a new world order.Things changed mightily for a few and only marginally for most and in the end the freed slaves decide to resettle in a tropical paradise.
6. We couldn't let Dany sit on the chair could we? How would we sleep at night? Her speech scenes were the best out of the whole episode (in addition to Tyrion mourning his dead siblings) but are we really going to condemn someone to death because they don't sound like they're done fighting? Remember, Tyrion only spoke restaurant Valyrian as of episode 5 and no one really gave her a chance to map out what a broken wheel would actually look like.
7. In the end, Samwell suggests democracy and we laugh (the one joke of the episode, besides the whole episode), some rando kid who barely used his gift of foresight, hindsight and all around sight to help anyone is made Prime Minister, allows his sister to secede, allows his murdering brother to walk and barely attends a small council meeting just like his predecessors. Basically the only difference between New and Old Westeros is the the pseudo-abolition of the monarchy.
On a lighter note, the best Easter Egg of all, is the mention of good sewerage and health on a show with a guy called Jon Snow.
EPISODE 4
If you think this is a fairy-tale, you really really haven’t been paying attention
1. The fairy tale ending ended with Margery-Tommen’s end. Neither Jon nor Dany nor Cersei would make good rulers of Westeros. Varys of all people should know this. Tyrion x Sansa looked promising for 5 minutes but given his gaffes over the past 3 seasons, it’s a ‘no’. All of the drama in S8e4 is warranted, the conflicts have been set up over many seasons and they appear to have come to a head in this episode (albeit a heavy handed one). Dany’s rule was always going to be threatened and her acceptance by Westerosi lords, ladies and common folk was always going to be an uphill battle. There are no chains to break here and no un-burnt theatrics to sway non-believers. The sheer irony of Varys not being in favour of a strategic marriage this time, claims of Dany being too strong for Jon etc are warranted, annoying and necessary for the story to be what it is-not a fairy tale- yet coming from him? It sounds out of character, personality and precedence. But given the very narrow relevant character list, who else would have said it? It’s becoming difficult to tell writing errors/biases from character errors/biases that are intentionally written for ‘close-to-real-life, fallible characters. Making Jon’s riding of a dragon that one time a bigger deal that Dany’s whole hatching, rearing, taming and ‘been riding’ of dragons is just the kind of double standard we face today. Was Dany being aloof because she’s bitter or was she keeping her distance because a drunk queen isn’t as cool as a drunk king and she needs to do more (read; over and above) to maintain some semblance of authority?
2. Why doesn’t anyone ever listen to Sansa when she says ‘wait’? If your enemies are getting stronger then, so will you with time? Dany? What’s the hurry? Me thinks shoring up the North is in your best interest? You haven’t even settled the question of Northern Independence.
Sansa Sidebar: Did the one minute convo with the Hound had to happen? Many think the misogynistic condescending dialogue was out of place, and it was, but mostly on his part. Sansa has long made peace with her trauma, and the Starks are all about ‘everything happened for a reason, that’s why we’re all here etc’ However talking about being broken in rough is for the old Clegane, not the ranging beyond the wall, Arya saving, priest avenging, rando burying Cleagane. Again, it seems like something needed to be said and the writers couldn’t think of a better set up.
3. And yes until this point the Night King was the only person “alive” to kill a Dragon, but they’ve been wounded by projectiles many a time. You would think they would make it a point to fly beyond the range of anti-aircraft missiles.
4. I’ve played a lot of awkward ‘never have I ever’ drinking games, but this one takes the cake, and makes no sense whatsoever. I know we’ve shipped them since season 4 and there are only 3 episodes left but Weiss and Benioff could have orchestrated a MUCH more plausible hook up. Why would she be upset by this question? This isn’t the first time it’s come up and she’s a grown ass Knight who survived the Long Night. Much has been said about the fem-deaf writing on this show and this is yet another glaring example. And somehow, a storming off, chasing sequence ought to look a little different from a come-hither-pursue me sequence. #shrugs Doesn’t Tormund have 2 daughters somewhere? Double #shrugs
And there are so many way this could have gone:
Tyrion: You’re a virgin
Brienne: *drinks*
Everyone moves on
OR
Tyrion: You’re a virgin
Brienne: Yes, it would seem a dead, gay would-be king isn’t in the cards for me
Everyone moves on
OR
Tyrion: You’re a virgin
Brienne: *drinks*
Brienne to Tyrion: minus the times you paid for it, you’re also a virgin
Brienne to Jaime: minus your sister, you’re also a virgin
Podrick: *leaves the chat*
Sidebar, did he drink cos he’s a virgin?
5. Jon ghosted Ghost, and this is why he will die. You’re sending him off beyond the wall with one ear and a janky leg?
6. #spoilerlaert If you’re Euron and you’re not wondering how Ty-ty already knows about a baby you just found out about then….
7. “If 8 people know, its no longer a secret, its information”. Let that be a lesson to all of us. Jon thought it important to tell his fam, but Dany couldn’t tell her advisors? None of this is surprising (family>defectors) but perhaps the best solution would have been to get ahead of this and use it to your advantage rather than attempt to suppress it. Besides the obvious, did legitimizing Gendry and granting him Storm’s End legitimize his father’s usurping of your father? Doesn’t that de-legitimize your claim?
Season 8 Episode 1
1. As expected, S7E1 begins the end with how it all started in the beginning: the line up and introduction at Winterfell and arrival of the foreigners. Now we know what Arya was staring at into the distance. Does anything apart from a dragon inspire such a mix of awe+fear? There's so much to be uncomfortable about and I just have a sinking feeling that the 2 year hiatus will be their undoing. Rather than pleasing a couple thousand book readers, GOT must please millions with sever single minute detail. It's a tall order for the team. We've had more than enough time to debate and run through a myriad of scenarios that have somehow become the way things should play out in our minds.
a. Euron can get it on a Friday
b. Jon being the rightful heir isn't even really that big of a deal. Both inheritance and conquest have been recognised in Westeros so regardless of her claim...Dany is gong to usurp the usurper's widow.Robert had no claim (even though he's distantly related to the Targaryens) and Jon can abdicate like many before him. The lead up of the reveal of R+L=J was interesting however I'd rather all of Jon's reactions be captured in one episode rather than spreading them out. The development of the emotions will ofcourse take time, but what's the value of postponing the incest convo till later?
c. I too wanted elephants. Is it b'cos 90% of the CGI budget went towards rehashing scenes from the never ending story?
d. Secret Targs is one of the main 'mysteries' of GOT so Jon's super casual riding of Rhaegal should have been more than just a joy ride to a sexy rendezvous. Why was Drogon flaring his nostrils at him?
e. Sansa's out here gifting burns
f. If the preview of E2 is anything to go by, then we're in for yet another sham trial that we really don't have time for #Bran. Are the Lannister bros going to pull a Scofield and prison break each other out? Will Dany sentence Tyrion to death by burning and will he survive? Is that how his Targiness will be revealed?
g. Dolorous Ed should be the last person making jokes in this economy
h. Let's all agree that the White Walker's artistry is clearly more than just taking a scenic route towards death and destruction. As many have said, this is all possibly because of the humans failing to hold up their end of a deal and I can't think of a better reason for these 'messages' to have been sent repeatedly all the way from S1E1. This is probably the symbol of the pact. Sidebar, the internet did well to recognise Ned Umber, cos all I saw was a creepy undead kid
i. FYI, the opening credits have changed
Episode 2
1. Well...we've always known about Gendrya haven't we? Also, is this why the Baratheon sigil is still trending? He's the Smith and all but I'm really hoping for more from Gendry
2. Brienne can't decide between the wild wild thoughts of a wildling, the Backstreet boy of all our dreams and Clegane (yes he's an option)...and Pod the singing sex god?
3. Jon Snow stay on the dramatic tip!
4. So...are the Northerners racist? Asking for myself
5. Someone taller eh? These short jokes Dany...
6. How does one sneak around a horde of undead? Also, quick question, can the NK only reanimate folks that died at the hand of wights/walkers? if not, should all the dead from the beginning of time be in his army by now?
7. Lyanna needs to make peace with her cousin, Winter is here and we don't have time for all this
Episode 3
This was the Longest Night Ever. As someone who makes it a point to avoid pointless horror flicks...I wasn't ready for the insomnia. The noise and lighting gave me a headache and the QUESTIONS! kept me up at night
1. What are we going to do over the next 3 episodes? Yes yes the last war is coming, but think it's safe to say we're all suspensed out. The biggest baddest bad guy is history is dead. It seems Cersei is, and had been positioning for the role and will have to fill it...there has to be and will be another big battle sequence. This won't take more than 1 episode so what happens with the remaining two? I mean they can't just revert to good old 'talking in rooms' now!?
2. We need a flashback to the WW origins. The guy smiled and he and Bran looked like they communicated via telepathy. NK can't just die like that
3. After Lyanna's bad ass Giant take down, I wasn't surprised by Arya's kill move. It's almost cliched that she was the one to do it but TBH, even though this was part of the plan (luring NK into the godswood with Bran) I'm not clear on how Jon was going to kill him. He was lingering on the wall for a bit but what happened afterwards? You would think Bran would have more than Theon to protect him. What was Arry doing in the library anyway? Was she trying to get to the crypts?
4. IDK how well-fortified the crypts are, besides being underground. We know wights can break through doors, so perhaps there really was nowhere to hide, but in retrospect and should have been seen in prospect...a crypt is a terrible hiding place when you're hiding from the dead.
5. Melisandre had to come back, yes. Light some fires, yes. Was her taking of Beric Donadarrion's innovation to scale and glorious tool of suspense? yes, was it a great was to start the battle? yes, Did the Demise of the Dothraki make for iconic cinematography? hell yes! Was that whole thing stupid? yes. Why ride into the unknown, into darkness? why did Theon charge NK? why catapault balls of fire into nothing? How was fighting an ever-replenishing army a plan to begin with? why meet them on the battlefield in the first place? Why not fortify the castle and set up some Thai Cave type situation? Why not simply light the trench from the jump off and have the dragons continuously circling to keep the fire burning? Why not incorporate dragon glass into armor? Why not create dragon glass bombs? Am I straying into the realm of the Maesters? I wonder who has a crazy as Maester? then again, some experts beg to differ.
6. Pour some ale for Lyanna and Arya though
7. To crown it all off I will say that the POCs did die first and the age old horror movie trope lives on. Strangely we all have this uneasy feeling of...not enough top billed characters dying and the crew deserve all the awards and accolades. They might want to release the Long Night as a standalone movie so we can actually appreciate it on a large screen with appropriate compression (or lack thereof)
SERIES FINALE (because nothing needs to be said about Ep 5)
Well, here we are, after 10 years 5 books and 1 throne. These last 2 episodes have been the most lacklustre bunch of shots ever to follow the GOT opening sequence. Seeing it was directed by D&D left me with no hope and it seems the sweet part of the bitter sweet ending was that Jon finally petted Ghost and they rode off into the sunrise.
1. As with everyone else in the world and clearly D&D themselves, I am also wondering why there is still a Night's Watch? yes, we need a place for bastards and broken men pending the development of the prison-industrial complex but...really, why? and where was Jon going with the wildlings? ranging? or running away? I am so confused
2. You don't look for dragons, dragons look for you. Why are they looking for Drogon? and why didn't Drogon burn Jon while taking shots at the throne room? Yes, the throne had to go, but it would have been the PERFECT ending between a fire breathing mythical beast and the un-dead Queen-Kin-slayer heir to the iron throne. Jon could plausibly be an impervious to fire Targ and survived, and unspoken truce settled on and everything else that could have transpired as written-with more sense.
3. Why are the Iron Islanders and Dorne are OK with the North being independent? Didn't the Vale also join in both the battle of the bastards and the battle of Winterfell? After NEVER joining a battle in a generation?
 |
| after all this |
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/49591167/GOT_MP_102015_EP601-6014_5B1_5D.0.jpg) |
| and this |
4. Where was Bronn during the burning of Kingslanding? Of all the people who should be dead and of all the people who shouldn't be mater of coin. Unless he strong armed the team into agreeing to keep him on till the end, in exchange for only having to appear in 1 scene with Cersei, there is absolutely no reason why he should still be here with irrelevant dialogue to make a bad situation worse.
5. We're not going to talk about the regenerating Dothraki and/or unsullied but...it kinda looks like...hear me out...in short, Dany the Andal 'freed' some slaves who fought loyally for her to bring about a new world order.Things changed mightily for a few and only marginally for most and in the end the freed slaves decide to resettle in a tropical paradise.
6. We couldn't let Dany sit on the chair could we? How would we sleep at night? Her speech scenes were the best out of the whole episode (in addition to Tyrion mourning his dead siblings) but are we really going to condemn someone to death because they don't sound like they're done fighting? Remember, Tyrion only spoke restaurant Valyrian as of episode 5 and no one really gave her a chance to map out what a broken wheel would actually look like.
7. In the end, Samwell suggests democracy and we laugh (the one joke of the episode, besides the whole episode), some rando kid who barely used his gift of foresight, hindsight and all around sight to help anyone is made Prime Minister, allows his sister to secede, allows his murdering brother to walk and barely attends a small council meeting just like his predecessors. Basically the only difference between New and Old Westeros is the the pseudo-abolition of the monarchy.
On a lighter note, the best Easter Egg of all, is the mention of good sewerage and health on a show with a guy called Jon Snow.
EPISODE 4
If you think this is a fairy-tale, you really really haven’t been paying attention
1. The fairy tale ending ended with Margery-Tommen’s end. Neither Jon nor Dany nor Cersei would make good rulers of Westeros. Varys of all people should know this. Tyrion x Sansa looked promising for 5 minutes but given his gaffes over the past 3 seasons, it’s a ‘no’. All of the drama in S8e4 is warranted, the conflicts have been set up over many seasons and they appear to have come to a head in this episode (albeit a heavy handed one). Dany’s rule was always going to be threatened and her acceptance by Westerosi lords, ladies and common folk was always going to be an uphill battle. There are no chains to break here and no un-burnt theatrics to sway non-believers. The sheer irony of Varys not being in favour of a strategic marriage this time, claims of Dany being too strong for Jon etc are warranted, annoying and necessary for the story to be what it is-not a fairy tale- yet coming from him? It sounds out of character, personality and precedence. But given the very narrow relevant character list, who else would have said it? It’s becoming difficult to tell writing errors/biases from character errors/biases that are intentionally written for ‘close-to-real-life, fallible characters. Making Jon’s riding of a dragon that one time a bigger deal that Dany’s whole hatching, rearing, taming and ‘been riding’ of dragons is just the kind of double standard we face today. Was Dany being aloof because she’s bitter or was she keeping her distance because a drunk queen isn’t as cool as a drunk king and she needs to do more (read; over and above) to maintain some semblance of authority?
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/63737455/got_coffee2.0.jpg) |
| starbucksgate |
2. Why doesn’t anyone ever listen to Sansa when she says ‘wait’? If your enemies are getting stronger then, so will you with time? Dany? What’s the hurry? Me thinks shoring up the North is in your best interest? You haven’t even settled the question of Northern Independence.
Sansa Sidebar: Did the one minute convo with the Hound had to happen? Many think the misogynistic condescending dialogue was out of place, and it was, but mostly on his part. Sansa has long made peace with her trauma, and the Starks are all about ‘everything happened for a reason, that’s why we’re all here etc’ However talking about being broken in rough is for the old Clegane, not the ranging beyond the wall, Arya saving, priest avenging, rando burying Cleagane. Again, it seems like something needed to be said and the writers couldn’t think of a better set up.
 |
| #flashbackfriday |
3. And yes until this point the Night King was the only person “alive” to kill a Dragon, but they’ve been wounded by projectiles many a time. You would think they would make it a point to fly beyond the range of anti-aircraft missiles.
4. I’ve played a lot of awkward ‘never have I ever’ drinking games, but this one takes the cake, and makes no sense whatsoever. I know we’ve shipped them since season 4 and there are only 3 episodes left but Weiss and Benioff could have orchestrated a MUCH more plausible hook up. Why would she be upset by this question? This isn’t the first time it’s come up and she’s a grown ass Knight who survived the Long Night. Much has been said about the fem-deaf writing on this show and this is yet another glaring example. And somehow, a storming off, chasing sequence ought to look a little different from a come-hither-pursue me sequence. #shrugs Doesn’t Tormund have 2 daughters somewhere? Double #shrugs
And there are so many way this could have gone:
Tyrion: You’re a virgin
Brienne: *drinks*
Everyone moves on
OR
Tyrion: You’re a virgin
Brienne: Yes, it would seem a dead, gay would-be king isn’t in the cards for me
Everyone moves on
OR
Tyrion: You’re a virgin
Brienne: *drinks*
Brienne to Tyrion: minus the times you paid for it, you’re also a virgin
Brienne to Jaime: minus your sister, you’re also a virgin
Podrick: *leaves the chat*
Sidebar, did he drink cos he’s a virgin?
5. Jon ghosted Ghost, and this is why he will die. You’re sending him off beyond the wall with one ear and a janky leg?
6. #spoilerlaert If you’re Euron and you’re not wondering how Ty-ty already knows about a baby you just found out about then….
 |
| Tyrion gots da tea |
7. “If 8 people know, its no longer a secret, its information”. Let that be a lesson to all of us. Jon thought it important to tell his fam, but Dany couldn’t tell her advisors? None of this is surprising (family>defectors) but perhaps the best solution would have been to get ahead of this and use it to your advantage rather than attempt to suppress it. Besides the obvious, did legitimizing Gendry and granting him Storm’s End legitimize his father’s usurping of your father? Doesn’t that de-legitimize your claim?
Season 8 Episode 1
1. As expected, S7E1 begins the end with how it all started in the beginning: the line up and introduction at Winterfell and arrival of the foreigners. Now we know what Arya was staring at into the distance. Does anything apart from a dragon inspire such a mix of awe+fear? There's so much to be uncomfortable about and I just have a sinking feeling that the 2 year hiatus will be their undoing. Rather than pleasing a couple thousand book readers, GOT must please millions with sever single minute detail. It's a tall order for the team. We've had more than enough time to debate and run through a myriad of scenarios that have somehow become the way things should play out in our minds.
a. Euron can get it on a Friday
 |
| psychobae |
b. Jon being the rightful heir isn't even really that big of a deal. Both inheritance and conquest have been recognised in Westeros so regardless of her claim...Dany is gong to usurp the usurper's widow.Robert had no claim (even though he's distantly related to the Targaryens) and Jon can abdicate like many before him. The lead up of the reveal of R+L=J was interesting however I'd rather all of Jon's reactions be captured in one episode rather than spreading them out. The development of the emotions will ofcourse take time, but what's the value of postponing the incest convo till later?
c. I too wanted elephants. Is it b'cos 90% of the CGI budget went towards rehashing scenes from the never ending story?
d. Secret Targs is one of the main 'mysteries' of GOT so Jon's super casual riding of Rhaegal should have been more than just a joy ride to a sexy rendezvous. Why was Drogon flaring his nostrils at him?
e. Sansa's out here gifting burns
f. If the preview of E2 is anything to go by, then we're in for yet another sham trial that we really don't have time for #Bran. Are the Lannister bros going to pull a Scofield and prison break each other out? Will Dany sentence Tyrion to death by burning and will he survive? Is that how his Targiness will be revealed?
g. Dolorous Ed should be the last person making jokes in this economy
h. Let's all agree that the White Walker's artistry is clearly more than just taking a scenic route towards death and destruction. As many have said, this is all possibly because of the humans failing to hold up their end of a deal and I can't think of a better reason for these 'messages' to have been sent repeatedly all the way from S1E1. This is probably the symbol of the pact. Sidebar, the internet did well to recognise Ned Umber, cos all I saw was a creepy undead kid
i. FYI, the opening credits have changed
Episode 2
1. Well...we've always known about Gendrya haven't we? Also, is this why the Baratheon sigil is still trending? He's the Smith and all but I'm really hoping for more from Gendry
2. Brienne can't decide between the wild wild thoughts of a wildling, the Backstreet boy of all our dreams and Clegane (yes he's an option)...and Pod the singing sex god?
3. Jon Snow stay on the dramatic tip!
4. So...are the Northerners racist? Asking for myself
5. Someone taller eh? These short jokes Dany...
6. How does one sneak around a horde of undead? Also, quick question, can the NK only reanimate folks that died at the hand of wights/walkers? if not, should all the dead from the beginning of time be in his army by now?
7. Lyanna needs to make peace with her cousin, Winter is here and we don't have time for all this
Episode 3
This was the Longest Night Ever. As someone who makes it a point to avoid pointless horror flicks...I wasn't ready for the insomnia. The noise and lighting gave me a headache and the QUESTIONS! kept me up at night
 |
| why couldn't we see anything? |
1. What are we going to do over the next 3 episodes? Yes yes the last war is coming, but think it's safe to say we're all suspensed out. The biggest baddest bad guy is history is dead. It seems Cersei is, and had been positioning for the role and will have to fill it...there has to be and will be another big battle sequence. This won't take more than 1 episode so what happens with the remaining two? I mean they can't just revert to good old 'talking in rooms' now!?
2. We need a flashback to the WW origins. The guy smiled and he and Bran looked like they communicated via telepathy. NK can't just die like that
3. After Lyanna's bad ass Giant take down, I wasn't surprised by Arya's kill move. It's almost cliched that she was the one to do it but TBH, even though this was part of the plan (luring NK into the godswood with Bran) I'm not clear on how Jon was going to kill him. He was lingering on the wall for a bit but what happened afterwards? You would think Bran would have more than Theon to protect him. What was Arry doing in the library anyway? Was she trying to get to the crypts?
4. IDK how well-fortified the crypts are, besides being underground. We know wights can break through doors, so perhaps there really was nowhere to hide, but in retrospect and should have been seen in prospect...a crypt is a terrible hiding place when you're hiding from the dead.
5. Melisandre had to come back, yes. Light some fires, yes. Was her taking of Beric Donadarrion's innovation to scale and glorious tool of suspense? yes, was it a great was to start the battle? yes, Did the Demise of the Dothraki make for iconic cinematography? hell yes! Was that whole thing stupid? yes. Why ride into the unknown, into darkness? why did Theon charge NK? why catapault balls of fire into nothing? How was fighting an ever-replenishing army a plan to begin with? why meet them on the battlefield in the first place? Why not fortify the castle and set up some Thai Cave type situation? Why not simply light the trench from the jump off and have the dragons continuously circling to keep the fire burning? Why not incorporate dragon glass into armor? Why not create dragon glass bombs? Am I straying into the realm of the Maesters? I wonder who has a crazy as Maester? then again, some experts beg to differ.
6. Pour some ale for Lyanna and Arya though
7. To crown it all off I will say that the POCs did die first and the age old horror movie trope lives on. Strangely we all have this uneasy feeling of...not enough top billed characters dying and the crew deserve all the awards and accolades. They might want to release the Long Night as a standalone movie so we can actually appreciate it on a large screen with appropriate compression (or lack thereof)
No comments:
Post a Comment