@@sage18000 well if I were Jaime I would learn either a curved one handed sword like a saber or shamshir or a side sword. At the same time I would learn to use that metal hand like swinging it like a mace or using the opening to hook swords when in close or in a bind. That bit where he catches the sword at full swing was luck but I could think of other ways
@TheMan-je5xq Curved blades are nice, I wield katana and wakisashi myself, but you don't see a ot of curved blades in Westeros. Mostly we see the Dothraki blades in Essos.
I believe Maisie's performance as Arya is one of the greatest by a young actor that I've ever seen. And her dedication is commendable as she is naturally right-handed while Arya is a lefty.
I love Eddard's expression when he sees his daughter sword fighting, he's proud but at the same time he remembers his own fights. I hope he was happy that his daughter was taught to defend herself, given the circumstances.
One of the things that is most impressive about Syrio is just how good of a teacher he is. He knows how to motivate Arya with a combination of seriousness and wit, never lets her become too frustrated, and always makes sure she know *why* they are doing something. A skilled teacher imparts a feeling of "I want to learn how to do that!" in a student.
Agreed. In studying martial arts, a lot of it doesn't make sense to a beginner which can lead to intense frustration. "Why am I doing this?" Mixing in practical knowledge with rote muscle memorization can help immensely. It's one of the reasons the scene in the original Karate Kid "Daniel-san...show me...paint the fence!" resonated with so many Westerners, because they honestly didn't have the context to understand what Miyagi was doing or why; they just thought he was being an ass. But when they saw what it really was, it was a huge "A-ha!" moment that elevated the character for the rest of the movie.
fata muijna Except, where he explains the lead in the sword, says she's as skinny as a spear, the discussion about the grip... There's actually, a LOT different between the two, though I do like this syrio much better.
Being the same as the book isn't perfection. But what it instead does is show action and words, while the books don't. So a paragraph introduction which feels clumsy in the books feels a lot more competent in the show.
It took me all this time to realize that Syrio knew exactly what was going to happen when he went to teach her that last time. That's why his last two lessons to her were to say "Not today" to death and not to trust what people told her. Such a great character.
@@LvngBrd He could have been paying attention to rumors floating around the castle and city, and there was already fighting on the day of their last lesson. Plus he's a trained fighter, he has to have learned to read situations and anticipate violence.
I really wish Syrio was Jaqen and not a throwaway character. It would make so much more sense that Jaqen would be willing to bring her into his order, and would have been such an excellent twist that he didn't die after the training.
5:07 "Syrio says every hurt is a lesson and every lesson makes you better." To get a young kid to accept that hard lesson... that Syrio must be one heck of a teacher.
What's really cool is that in the books Arya has been getting closer and closer to actually landing a hit on Syrio, but when he goes full out on the Lannister soldiers, she realizes that he was just humoring her and building up her confidence. As good as this performance was, they would have needed to hire an Olympic gold medalist in foil, sabre, and épée who ALSO is a champion HEMA practitioner AND a gymnast to really encapsulate just how amazing a sword fighter Syrio Forell was.
Ned's reaction to their lesson is perfect. He always knew who Arya was, who she wanted to be. And he knew how horrible it could be. When he expressed his desire for her to be the lady of some castle, it wasn't disrespect or disregard, it was an experienced soldier who'd lost far too much that way trying to keep his daughter away from a life he no doubt wishes he could have kept away from if he could. Hence, the visceral PTSD.
I love the scene with Ned watching, as the camera slowly pulls in on Ned, and we hear the sound of battle over the sound of the training... as Ned remembers the battles in which he's fought... lovely way to make the scene about dual things.
They're both awesome characters, but can we just talk about what a great teacher he is please? He's not condescending, not even a little bit, so when he tells her she's doing it wrong she just smiles like, OK, whatevs brah I shall take your advice on board. SO rare.
ö. . , Maybe he didn't want to risk bending down to pick one up?, besides real life swordsman Miyamoto Mushashi was supposed to have won plenty of fights using a wooden sword .
Edward Corran Well, Musashi never had to fight enemies in full plate armor. Syrio could have easily pick up a sword, but maybe the answer why he did not is quite simple. The westerosi longsword has probably not much to do with a Bravoosi sword. It is like offering a lumber axe to Musashi.
I mean the footwork requires a lot of coordination. Memorizing moves is like learning a dance. Though it’s not as fancy as dancing, since sword fighting is based on effectiveness rather than artistic expression.
The more I hear that sound of metal when Arya turns back, the more I think of Meryn Trant's sword falling from his hand and collapsing to the ground. Syrio also could've defeated the kingsguard and left him alive, as he did to the other guards.
Chris Lucas He defeats five fully armed guards with a wooden sword in less than a minute, and you think he lost to Ser fucking Meryn Trant? Even with plated armor, I highly doubt that.
William Jefferson half a wooden sword by the end of it. Meryn Trant survived, so either he ran, or for some reason disarmed or knocked Trant out and left him there.
Ned's mixed feelings, proud of his daughter learning to defend herself, fond memories of himself first training in single combat...only to recall the horrors and tragedy of actual war...and subsequently the dread in the realization that Arya will likely face death in battle many times in her lifetime.
Techniclaly there are many dialogues that repeat in last 2 or 3 seasons from prior 5 seasons , don't know writers couldn't write new or were giving reference of previous scenes .
I love Ned at first being proud of Arya being taught to fight only to start flashbacking to his days of war and becoming uncomfortable. Certainly a 180 from Robert's view of war.
Syrio Forel= The Kindly Man? Faceless man? I doubt Syrio died, we heard several screams that wasn't Syrio's and metal cling when Syrio had a wooden sword. Meryn probably ran after Syrio let him live to tell a false tale of Syrio losing.
He probably realized how pathetic Meryn Trant was and let him live. (And killing some Lannister soldiers and leaving for Braavos would be a lot easier to get away with than murdering a Kingsguard ).
Syrio could still be very well alive, but I don't think he was The Kindly Man or a faceless man. The Many Faced God is the central religion of Bravos, and Syrio probably just saw his very... practical teachings when he was First Sword of Bravos. Minus Arya, the Faceless Assassins abandon their name when they take up their service to the Many Faced God, and Syrio seemed very proud of his.
@@Bayard1503 Nah it was heavily implied but not confirmed. Like you said, it is GoT and if you don't see the death on screen there's a chance they can still be alive even if they don't come back to the main story. I haven't read the books but according to a lot of people there have been nods to a man that resembles Syrio in Essos.
To me, the greatest line in the show is... "There is only one god, and his name is Death. And what do we say to the god of death..? 'not today'!" This line encapsulates the series which is all about the theme, All Men Must Die, and foretells Arya's fate- that she will not die in the show.
In GoT, when the death of a character is not explicitly shown on screen, chances are that the character isn't actually dead. And even if it is shown ... there's still a chance that he comes back. Syrio for president.
That's true in all Horror movies as well as Soap Operas; if you don't have an easily identifiable body, suitable for an open casket funeral so everybody can see, then the character is not really dead and WILL return to haunt you. Of course even if you do it could turn out to be an unknown twin or clone and they could still return.
@@psychojoe4764 Syrio was actually Jaqen H'ghar, and after Arya left the House of the Faceless Men, he returned to Westeros and took Bran's place, so he actually is king.
oh tch tch tch i see we made a little mistake here, a spill of blood ? thats no mistake here...there, this needa little friend there .... a corpse peraphs '...swisssh swiish ...perfect.... :D"
When I was learning to type on a typewriter, our teacher taught us where the keys were and how to touch the right keys without looking at them. Syrio was Arya's typing teacher, giving her the foundation she needed for what was to come. It's a shame they never made an eighth season.
Holy shit bro, it’s been like 5 years. Get over it, man. I read the first 4 books back in ‘07, then the 5th book when it came out. GRRM got that HBO money and completely stopped writing. The only reason the show was so good for the first 5 seasons was because they had some of the best books ever written as direct source material. If you want to blame anyone for why the show in your opinion went downhill, blame GRRM for selling out. It’s hard to keep the same quality when your writer completely bails on the series and they have to make do with just Hollywood writers. But at some point, stop the whining over the last few seasons. Appreciate what you got while you got it. And put the blame where it belongs.
@@TalkingThrones I’d be bitter too if my entire financial future was based on milking GoT for everything it’s worth. Have a backup plan, little man. That’s not even a complaint, though. That’s the reality of what happened to the show. Sorry I don’t whine about GoT’s last seasons like the rest of you. I can’t be a part of the cool bitch and moan on social media club, oh no. 😂
Actuall,syrios waterdance lessons are pretty practical.In general because they help you work on your movements and for fencing,because you get a new connection with your weapon and you learn to be more swiftly
"Syrio Forel" is indeed dead, but the faceless man behind him not. We may meet him again in the future but no as Syrio, maybe Jaqen, maybe the Alchemist but I doubt Syrio is back again because he's accomplished his first "duty" with Arya, although I'd like it because it was a great character.
Syrio Forel- another brilliant character sadly killed off by that sadistic genius George R. R. Martin. He is one of the most interesting, enigmatic characters of the first series. Fingers crossed, maybe he's alive, perhaps in prison, and he'll escape and return to finish Arya's training as a water dancer.
We don't see him die, either in the books or the show. A popular rumor is that Syrio and Jaqen H'Ghar are the same person, that the Faceless Men of Braavos have been watching Arya for a long time, in an attempt to recruit her.
reallytall midget Fencing, i.e Defencing and Offencing, i.e fighting with weapons, that's where the term fencing originates and it describes all close combat with weapons.
Also, I wish it showed how Ned met and asked Syrio to teach Arya. It would be so cool if Robert hired Syrio as a sellsword to assist him and Ned in fighting Rhaegar!
I hoped syrio survived and is alive. But if he's dead... you can't help but hate him for being so stupid. He's full of all that knowledge but when it counted most... he didn't pick up a real sword from one of the downed soldiers.
He's definitely still alive 1. We never see him die 2. The only person left standing was Meryn Trant and that guy is a fucking pussy I'm guessing she runs into Syrio when or if she goes to braavos
S1deshowRob ermm... not sure aout the running into syrio when in braavos... part of arya's escapades in braavos is written already. But we both want that to happen. When they didn't show Syrio die, and we just heard screaming I just had that jump of hope.
well the book series isn't finished yet. If how syrio died in the books is like the way he died in the tv series then there is still hope. Unless that bastard of an author decides to make him live just so he can die again.
So he turns his back on his enemy to pick up a sword? That seems the less intelligent move than continuing to fight with a damaged sword. No matter how he does it, he has to turn his back against a guy that was clearly a cut above the others he had taken down.
I think it’s fair and logic that Syrio died at the beginning of the series. He taught Arya the first steps of fighting, but she had to learn that sometimes the simplest strong armor can help you survive against the best sword, and that was taught to her by his second master, The Hound. And his last master, Jaqen, taught her how to sneak and murder.
Golden rule of movie making is that if you don’t see a death, they can be alive. Syrio is too strong to lose to those oafs. He escaped back to bravos. I expect a mini sequel “the adventures of bravos’ s first son, Syrio”
@@makasete30 Well, obviously you were wrong. And the whole point was that he gave is dying breath to slow them down & give Arya time to flee. He wouldnt have stepped aside and let them catch up to her
I like the changing expression on Ned Stark's face as he is at first happy to see his daughter learning a new skill, then the realization setting in that there are people who would kill his 8 year old daughter.
My 2 favorite lines " my father wouldn't send you. & I don't have 2 go with you, If I don't want 2 " & " what do we say 2 da god of death? Not 2day. ". Absolutely love this clip.
i find it interesting that arya's teachers always fuck with her identity. syrio: i don't care about your gender, you are a sword. many faced dude: i don't care who you think you are, you are what you have to be.
Such a great character. They brought back the hound for less. But they have fucked up so much this season, I don’t think they will bring him back. Our best hope is in the books.
I was gonna argue that Jon is a pretty good swordsman in the show but then I remembered that he isn't neds son so it's completely correct, maybe Robb but I don't remember if we ever saw him fighting and bran isn't that good and Rickon is a child
@@DTheCritical Jon was widely described to be extremely proficient right from the start of their series. And Robb was described as being better than Jon. It's safe to say that at this point in time Arya was very far from being the best swordsman of his children.
Jon and Arya have such a touching relationship,even though they're really cousins they act like siblings,its probably because starks can sense each other,they have a deep mental connection not just with other starks,but with all other northerners,they're like a wolf pack which is really cool Also Syrio is hands down the most badass character that Arya meets in the series and the books...
Great actors. He reminds me of my gymnastics coach who was a Brazilian man, but less intense. Also reminds me of my Taekwondo instructor whom was ridiculously more skilled and diversified than he would let on. I was not hot-headed like Arya in my nature, however, I had a mentor whom tailored to exactly my element. I love this character and this scene. And my favourite scene in GOT of all time has to be when he defends Arya against troops with simply a wooden sword. This is a real man, a real Jedi, a real warrior for God. The protector of love and the vindicator of truthful justice. God bless.
Given Syrio's probable training as a First Sword, I wouldn't think it too unlikely that he managed to use the broken sword as a lethal weapon. Think about it. He was bodyguard to the most powerful man on that side of the Narrow Sea. He would be trained in the use of unconventional pointy objects as weapons.
Since Syrio was personally training Arya instead of some man at arms, that means Ned purposely chose Syrio to train her because he had a style that would fit her small frame, one that's better for self defense over fighting on a battlefield.
So I'm guessing the armor the Lannister are wearing don't do much since syrio hit them several times with his wooden sword and it seem to knock them out.
George Xie Armor has several weak points: shoulder, palms, elbow, neck, face, and knees. A highly-trained swordsmen would know how to exploit those weaknesses.
Despite wanting to agree with you, I think Syrio wouldn't have objected to Arya seeing blood, at least not how he would have spilled it. And now that I think of it, she wasn't in danger because they would have the guard's head on a pike if he harmed Arya. Syrio might have realized the odds of defeating him were looking way too bad and he merely wanted his sacrifice to mean something by not letting him take her. He saved Arya's life, not even knowing the circumstances, he's the bravest man ever.
Its so cute that she is scared even with wooden swords. Shows she takes it seriously. Also love how he seems like he is gonna comfort her then pulls the rug to get her to train. Hilarious and a great lesson.
***** Bohn, I agree. Didn't see him die "the death", in GRRM world if you don't see them die, don't count them out. The Hound makes a comment saying how bad of a fighter Trant was... makes one really wonder if Martin or the writers/directors (names?) are setting him up for a reappearance when Aria needs him in the near future.
+labrador 7373 I know this 4 years late, but it's still a fun discussion. Syrio's dead. The sounds of swords hitting the ground, and people screaming that Arya hears at the end of the video are the sounds of Lannister men slaughtering Stark men throughout the keep. It would be fun if he was alive, but there's like NO chance of that.
Amy H we didn’t see him die, and in movie making that means he could be alive(the unwritten rule) , despite the “confirmation” of the two poor directors. I imagine he made it back to bravos.
Casting my lot with the "Syrio is sipping piña coladas in Braavos" crowd. Martin loves brutal, unjust death scenes; Syrio is a better swordsman than Meryn; he chose not to pick up a sharp blade; "not today" is too ironic a last word; and Arya has been followed by an army of faceless, shapeshifting swordsmen from Braavos. If Syrio is dead, it's a failure in storytelling.
10:43 When Arya runs away, you can hear a number of screams and yells in the background, implying Syrio did actually manage to kill some Lannister soldiers with a broken wooden sword.
