Says dumb
The theme of Daenerys being pushed toward tyranny is present, but the season gives her too little time on screen to make the final choice feel earned.
Quiet Cut
@quietcut
Level 248,050 reputationSupporterFounding Critic #12
Editor. I care about what a scene is missing more than what it has, and I write fixes in the cut.
Wellington, New Zealand · Joined November 2024
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Script Doctor
Wrote Quick Fixes that the community liked.
Founding Critic
One of the first members of DumbScenes.
Plot-Hole Hunter
Flags plot holes that the community agrees with.
Exposition Hater
Cannot stand being told what we just saw.
On Why did Daenerys burn King's Landing after the bells rang? in Game of Thrones: Season 8
On Why did Vickers and Shaw run in a straight line from the falling ring? in Prometheus
Says dumb
Anyone who has seen a rolling object knows to move sideways. Several seconds pass in the scene where they could have done that, and the film frames it as suspense.
On Why did Millburn try to pet the snake-like alien? in Prometheus
Says dumb
The creature shows clear threat behavior. A biologist would keep distance, and the film gives no sign Millburn is unusually careless before this point.
On Why did NASA train oil drillers instead of sending astronauts? in Armageddon
Says dumb
The film's logic is that drillers are tough, so they can be astronauts. A reasonable person would send a small team of both and call it a day.
On Why didn't Jack climb onto the door with Rose? in Titanic
Says explained
The film shows the wood tilting and dipping when Jack tries to climb on, and the water is deadly cold. Whether they could have done better is open, but the scene makes a point.
On How was a fleet of Star Destroyers built in secret on Exegol? in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker
Says explained
A secret cult, years of preparation and a fleet built with the First Order's help. It is not shown on screen, but the film says enough for it to be plausible in this universe.
On How did Bruce recover from a broken back so quickly? in The Dark Knight Rises
Says explained
The film shows time passing, and the character has spent months in a cell with nothing else to do. It is a fantasy but it is a superhero fantasy.
On Why did the Dothraki charge the Army of the Dead at night? in Game of Thrones: Season 8
Says dumb
A visual spectacle that tells us little. The sequence is hard to see, but the larger point is that no one asked why that group is put at the front.
On Why was Merle left handcuffed on the roof? in The Walking Dead: Season 1
Says dumb
A plan to leave a man alone in a dangerous place should have a back-up. Nobody thinks of a second key.
On Why did the survivors burn books for warmth in the New York Public Library? in The Day After Tomorrow
Says dumb
Wood furniture would burn longer and the film never says why it is not used. It reads as an image that looked good more than a decision.
On Why was Rey revealed to be Palpatine's granddaughter? in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker
Says dumb
I would accept the idea if the film had set it up. The reveal comes in one speech and then Rey takes the name Skywalker in the last scene.
On Why was Bran chosen as king of the Six Kingdoms? in Game of Thrones: Season 8
Says dumb
The theme is clear, but the process is rushed. A longer sequence of political negotiation would have made it feel earned and kept more of the characters' goals in view.
On Where did the huge volunteer fleet at Exegol come from? in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker
Says dumb
I like the idea, but the film did not show any preparation. An earlier scene with Lando making calls would have helped.
On Why is Bane's dialogue so hard to hear? in The Dark Knight Rises
Says dumb
I wish the film had made the voice clearer without losing the effect. Dialogue is part of the story and it should be heard.
On How did Cooper send data through the bookshelf and the watch? in Interstellar
Says dumb
I like the emotional payoff, but a message that requires Morse code, a watch and a reader who happens to see it is a lot of steps. The film does not explain why this is the only way.
On Why does the bomb have to be set 800 feet deep inside the asteroid? in Armageddon
Says dumb
The plan is a good drama. As science it is silly, and the film does not nod to that.
On Why was Weyland hidden aboard the ship? in Prometheus
Says dumb
The reveal arrives as exposition and it undermines earlier scenes in which people treat the mission as a private project. It could have been seeded earlier.
On Why was NASA operating in secret? in Interstellar
Says explained
It sets the tone for a world that has given up on the stars. I read it as a world-building choice.
On Why did Harry take AJ's place on the asteroid? in Armageddon
Says explained
The scene is built on every earlier scene. I would call it the best-built part of the film.
On Why is the dialogue in Interstellar hard to hear? in Interstellar
Says dumb
I wish the film had given the dialogue a little more space. Many of the lines matter and I should not have to guess.
Prometheus
Why did Vickers and Shaw run in a straight line from the falling ring?
Prometheus (2012) · 1:45:00
Guilty
8.4/ 10(905 ratings)
Game of Thrones: Season 8
Why did Daenerys burn King's Landing after the bells rang?
Game of Thrones: Season 8 (2019) · S8 E5 · 0:50:00
Guilty
8.6/ 10(3,050 ratings)
Add a line
Game of Thrones: Season 8 (2019)
How did Arya reach the Night King without being noticed?Melisandre tells Arya before the battle, 'The dead will not see you if you do not look at them.'
Would this fix it?63% say yes (88 votes)
5 weeks ago
Swap a detail
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019)
How was a fleet of Star Destroyers built in secret on Exegol?Cut the fleet to a few hundred Star Destroyers. The threat is still huge and easier to believe.
Would this fix it?55% say yes (121 votes)
1 month ago
Plant it earlier
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019)
Where did the huge volunteer fleet at Exegol come from?Show Lando sending a message on a long-range comm earlier in the film. Later, the fleet's arrival has a source.
Would this fix it?85% say yes (118 votes)
2 months ago
Plant it earlier
Prometheus (2012)
Why was Weyland hidden aboard the ship?Show Vickers glancing at a locked door in the first act and cutting off a question about it. The reveal then pays off a thread.
Would this fix it?84% say yes (113 votes)
2 months ago
Change an action
Prometheus (2012)
Why did Millburn try to pet the snake-like alien?Millburn stays back and films it. The creature lunges at him anyway when it senses the pulse of the recording device.
Would this fix it?85% say yes (165 votes)
2 months ago
Add a line
The Dark Knight Rises (2012)
How did Bruce Wayne get from the prison back to Gotham so quickly?Cut to Bruce on a cargo truck near a border crossing. One shot, one line: 'Three weeks.' That is all the film needs.
Would this fix it?86% say yes (152 votes)
3 months ago
Change an action
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019)
Why was Rey revealed to be Palpatine's granddaughter?Keep Rey's parents as nobody. Palpatine tries to claim her and she says 'You do not own me.' The twist is a lie, and the theme stays the same.
Would this fix it?86% say yes (280 votes)
4 months ago
Add a line
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019)
How did Palpatine come back in The Rise of Skywalker?Kylo asks, 'How are you alive?' Palpatine replies with one line about a ritual that he began before the fall. The audience has an anchor.
Would this fix it?88% say yes (240 votes)
4 months ago
Change an actionAccepted fix
Prometheus (2012)
Why did Vickers and Shaw run in a straight line from the falling ring?Vickers runs straight and Shaw dives left. The ring crushes Vickers. Same outcome, one person on screen thinks.
Would this fix it?95% say yes (398 votes)
4 months ago
Plant it earlierAccepted fix
Game of Thrones: Season 8 (2019)
Why did Daenerys burn King's Landing after the bells rang?Give Dany one scene in E4 where she is told the city will not accept her and she says 'Then they will fear me.' The bells scene then lands.
Would this fix it?96% say yes (542 votes)
6 months ago