the reason why grrm’s shocking and brutal plot twists (thinking specifically of the death of ned and the red wedding) actually work isn’t because he pulled the most gruesome scenario out of his ass every time the story was slow, it’s because they are excellently written and properly foreshadowed. the purpose of a plot twist of this sort shouldn’t be to say “HEY, GOTCHA, BET YOU NEVER THOUGHT WE WOULD BE *THIS* STUPID TO TAKE THE PLOT IN THIS DIRECTION” to the audience. Watching a plot twist unfold shouldn’t make you think “what the hell, where did this come from?”, but rather “how could I not have seen this coming?” It’s just so painfully obvious that the show is no longer worthy of or able to tell this kind of epic tale. “plot twists” in got now are unsatisfying, void of purpose and impact on the story and rely on shock value to maintain the reputation as “the show where everyone dies”. the reason why “no character is safe” is such an interesting concept in asoiaf is because it means no one can escape the consequences of their actions, not that at any time anything can happen to anyone.
