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*UNMARKED SPOILERS ALL BOOKS* Game of Thrones |OT| - Season 5 Offseason Thread

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Fast track production on a prequel/spin-off and promote it alongside the series finale, and you can dive right into new stories the year after the mainline story ends.
 
Doran_Martell_Prince_of_Dorne.jpg

And this is definitely the chair shown in the video, right?
 

-griffy-

Banned
Who's fArya again?

Fake Arya, AKA Jeyne Poole in the books. In AFFC it's mentioned that Baelish dressed someone up as Arya and sent to marry Ramsay.

In ADWD she is married to Ramsay at Winterfell, under the guise that she is in fact Arya Stark. Theon/Reek knows she's not really Arya and doesn't help her before the wedding despite her pleas. It goes on from there.
 

Iksenpets

Banned
Turns out I have a coworker who is an EW subscriber, so I got to read over the piece. There wasn't as much as you would expect given the page count, but here are the bits that stood out to me:

They confirm sexual tensions between Jon and Mel in season 5. They refer to Mel's attempts to seduce him, and Kit Harrington remarks on his character's love of redheads.

They once again confirm no Iron Islands and no Stoneheart.

There is a shot of Dorne appearing in the opening credits. There's a snake coiling up a big, lance-shaped central spire, and rippling pools in front of the castle. The text on the map labels it as Dorne, instead of Sunspear. This upsets me more than is reasonable. Also, they confirm Winterfell is getting a makeover in the opening credits.

There's a bit of dialogue between Tyrion and Varys. Varys, trying to convince Tyrion of his worth, tells him he has Tywin's political instincts and he has compassion. Tyrion questions the compassion point, arguing that he did just strangle Shae and shoot his father. Varys replies: "I didn't say you were perfect".

Some Ellaria-Doran dialogue. Ellaria tells him that everyone in Dorne is furious and wants to see how he's going to avenge his brother.

There are some small character portraits. For the most part unremarkable, except for Theon, who is now sporting well-groomed hair, and fancy clothes highly reminiscent of what the Vale lords wore in season 4. I have no fucking idea wha this means. Maybe Ramsay gives Reek to Alayne (a wedding gift?) and she dresses him in Vale style?

They have an interview with a cast member who just filmed their death scene. Their character has no yet died in the book. They say it's a cast member of "several" years. In the interview they say that they had read the books, and they were excited because they thought they were going to get more material this year. But then they got their filming dates, and it seemed like way too few. Then the producers called to let them know they were being killed off. Running through the options in my head that fit what's there, I fear for Sam.

Producers won't confirm if the Hound is alive or dead, but Rory McCann is not it this season.
 
Sam's been kinda mismanaged by the show as too stupid/incompetent (in the books he's at least intelligent and well-read). And yeah, I don't know if I expect to see much of the Oldtown stuff happen at all in the show.
 

foxtrot3d

Banned
Sam's been kinda mismanaged by the show as too stupid/incompetent (in the books he's at least intelligent and well-read). And yeah, I don't know if I expect to see much of the Oldtown stuff happen at all in the show.

Really? I actually prefer Sam in the show than in the books, he's still too much of an unbelievable coward in the books. At least in the show he's somewhat capable of defending himself and doesn't complain of paper cuts. So I'd be super surprised if they killed his ass off in the show, that'd mean that the Oldtown stuff may not go anywhere in the books.

I'd kinda assumed they'd cut that if only cause Siddig doesn't at all look like he'd be in poor physical health.

Yeah, I really don't know what the hell Sid eats because his ass looks just as lean and in shape as when he did DS9 all those years ago. Tell me your secret, Dr. Bashir!
 
Really? I actually prefer Sam in the show than in the books, he's still to much of an unbelievable coward in the books. At least in the show he's somewhat capable of defending himself and doesn't complain of paper cuts. So I'd be super surprised if they killed his ass off in the show, that'd mean that the Oldtown stuff may not go anywhere in the books.

In the books at least he managed to get the damn horns/knives box. In the show we get that famous "you had one job" moment. He's much more competent in the books.
 

Iksenpets

Banned
Sam's been kinda mismanaged by the show as too stupid/incompetent (in the books he's at least intelligent and well-read). And yeah, I don't know if I expect to see much of the Oldtown stuff happen at all in the show.

Yeah, they play up Sam for comedy a lot more in the show.

Further thoughts on the interview in the EW article:

So the character in question is 1. A character who's been around several years 2. A character still alive in the books, 3. A character who expected a bigger role this season, based on the book story, and 4. A character who ultimately ended up filming relatively few scenes this year. Going through the candidates...

Bronn: If Jerome Flynn read Feast, he'd come away shocked that he's getting screentime in season 5 at all, let alone the expanded role he's getting. I'd say he violates point 3.

Jaime: A major character, wouldn't be expecting more to do this season since he always has tons to do. Nope.

Any of the Martells: Haven't been around several season, so nope.

Grey Worm: Doesn't really do anything in the book, so why would he suddenly be expecting more to do?

Barristan: Well, ok, Barristan also fits. His interview about how he gets a good fight scene to show us how good he is gives me hope it's not him.

Daario: I don't think Huisman counts as several years, and we know he makes it to at least episode 9, so he doesn't really fit point 4.

Missandei: Doesn't so much in the books, so I don't know why she'd suspect more material. Plus, we know she makes it to episode 9.

Jorah: Makes it to episode 9, and based on the books, he'd be expecting a reduced role, not more.

Roose, Ramsay, Theon: Lumping them all together since we know little enough about their plot that I don't have anything concrete I could use to eliminate them. They all would have an increased season 5 role, and they've all been around for a while. But if any of them were to die, I think it'd be a season end thing, so they wouldn't have less filming than expected. I've got nothing to disqualify them, but I'm not feeling it.

Littlefinger: Reading the books, he'd expect a reduced role, not increased. And I don't think he reads.

Tommen: Don't think he'd expect any more of a role than what he's fetting, and the actor hasn't really been around for several years. Maybe if you count his turns the other Lannister boy.

Loras: If he read the book, he'd be expecting a possible death. And Loras' role doesn't really get any bigger in books 4/5, and the show looks like it's actually expanding him with some of Margaery's material.

Meryn Trant: Why in the hell would Meryn Trant ever expect more of a role?

Pycelle: Dead in the books.

Qyburn: Has seemed very pleased with his expanded role this season.

Mace: Season 4 addition, hasn't been around several years.

Varys: Has one scene in the book. Wouldn't be expecting much of anything.

Alisser Thorne: Wouldn't be expecting more of a role. And after taking two seasons off, not sure if he counts as several seasons.

Davos: Mayyyyybe. He could expect more of a role insofar as he expects Stannis to no longer be sidelined and maybe he thought he would get White Harbor and Skagos material. I think he would still film plenty though, and if he dies, would die toward the end of the season.

Tormund: Only really shows up in the last few chapters of Dance, and his role seems expanded for the show.

Mance: Ok, Mance could maybe be dying at his execution, instead of getting his Winterfell adventures. That'd maybe fit. Don't think Ciaran Hinds is a book reader, but I'll acknowledge the possibility.

Selyse and Shireen: Don't really see why either would expect a much expanded role.

Sam: Still think this is most likely. He comes in expecting to play a part in the election, have adventures at sea, meeting Arya, and going to Oldtown. Then gets told its all cut. Plus, he's one of the few I could really see getting an early-to-mid-season death.

Think I got everyone who's death has been speculated.

So yeah, in order of likelihood:

1. Sam
2. Barristan
3. Mance
4. Davos
5. Theon
6. Roose
7. Ramsay
 

Jacob

Member
In response to Iksenpets' speculation:

Since they're apparently moving Jaqen from Oldtown to Braavos, I wouldn't be surprised if they severely cut down or even entirely remove the Oldtown storyline. That would fit with Sam dying early in this season. I don't want that to happen, but it does seem like one of the more plausible possibilities.
 

joliefaire

Neo Member
^ Wouldn't Brienne be a candidate for that dead list? Since it seems there's to be no Stoneheart, that whole sub-plot involving Brienne falls by the wayside, so what is there for Brienne to do in upcoming seasons?
 

Faddy

Banned
More speculation

Brienne is a candidate, maybe they kill her off as she is going North, Podrick could be another. That storyline is changing so either could meet their fate sooner than expected

Yara is another who could be getting the chop with no Kingsmoot or any other Iron stuff she might be finished after a couple of scenes with Theon. Book Spoiler*
She is in TWOW released chapter so maybe she expected at least another year.

Margaery also might be killed off, unlikely KL needs all the characters it can get.

Barristan is my bet though. He has POV in ADWD so maybe he thought he would get an expanded role but they gave him a fight scene for his exit
 
That's...kinda sexist.

Which is what I told him. He really needs to read about the "silk hiding steel" trope.
A character can be fluid, doesn't need to be a choice between a rugged gravel chewing outdoor-sy type and a more stay-at-home polite and political type.

Davos
is an uber easy kill, what is there in his story? What is left?
 

Iksenpets

Banned
More speculation

Brienne is a candidate, maybe they kill her off as she is going North, Podrick could be another. That storyline is changing so either could meet their fate sooner than expected

Yara is another who could be getting the chop with no Kingsmoot or any other Iron stuff she might be finished after a couple of scenes with Theon. Book Spoiler*
She is in TWOW released chapter so maybe she expected at least another year.

Margaery also might be killed off, unlikely KL needs all the characters it can get.

Barristan is my bet though. He has POV in ADWD so maybe he thought he would get an expanded role but they gave him a fight scene for his exit

Brienne and Pod I don't think would expect more material this year than they had last. They've been pretty major characters all along. And Pod would know thst he's very potentially dead at the end of Feast anyway.

Yara maybe fits, but I think she had to have realistic expectations about not getting the Kingsmoot this season, given she's been on a made up plot for two seasons now, and has never been signed on as an actual recurring cast member, as far as I can tell. Plus, I don't think they implausibly spared her last season to kill her now.

And Margaery has always been such a major character I don't think she would be expecting an expanded role.

I also forgot Stannis as a possibility. He fits, though he seems almost certain to make it until at least late in this season, and has lots of material, it looks like. Plus, I jus can't imagine Stephen Dillane reading the books, or being that bummed about being killed off. I really don't think he'd care, lol.
 

-griffy-

Banned
I don't know that the "expecting more material" thing means they expected more material this year compared to previous years, but instead their schedule seemed unusually short and they expected to have more material than that. Then they found out they died early.

Unless you can clarify more what it says in the article Iksenpets?
 
Yara's absolutely a good guess, especially since we already know the Pyke stuff is getting cut.

Sam's also a good guess because I'm pretty sure we aren't getting Oldtown at all. Between cutting out Euron, Victarion, Moqorro, and cutting out Marwyn, there's gonna be a lot less stuff converging on Daenarys. I'm strongly betting that they're going to handle most of the Dany/magic stuff that'd otherwise be approaching her through those characters whenever she eventually goes to Asshai, which is going to happen at some point like duh.

I think one of the Boltons is also actually a pretty good bet, given that they DO get a lot more material in the books at this point, even though they've already gotten increased screentime in the show. And if Littlefinger/Sansa are in Winterfell, they might end up doing a lot to reduce the Boltons to background characters. We'll see.
 

Iksenpets

Banned
I don't know that the "expecting more material" thing means they expected more material this year compared to previous years, but instead their schedule seemed unusually short and they expected to have more material than that. Then they found out they died early.

Unless you can clarify more what it says in the article Iksenpets?

Looking again, the exact quote is "I thought this season I was going to have more to do, and I was really looking forward to that." That sounds to me like a secondary character who was expecting a bump to a more primary role.
 

Enosh

Member
Yeah, they play up Sam for comedy a lot more in the show.

Further thoughts on the interview in the EW article:

So the character in question is 1. A character who's been around several years 2. A character still alive in the books, 3. A character who expected a bigger role this season, based on the book story, and 4. A character who ultimately ended up filming relatively few scenes this year. Going through the candidates...
that sounds like the very definition of Stannis to me
man this season is going to suck if they really kill of stannis on top of cutting the greyjoys for fucking dorne ..

Turns out I have a coworker who is an EW subscriber, so I got to read over the piece. There wasn't as much as you would expect given the page count, but here are the bits that stood out to me:

Some Ellaria-Doran dialogue. Ellaria tells him that everyone in Dorne is furious and wants to see how he's going to avenge his brother.
see what I mean, guy goes into perfectly legal and legit duel out of his own free will, looses because he is a moron and the Dornish whine about it as if some third person stabbed him in the back as he was winning

fucking dorne man
 

Judderman

drawer by drawer
They once again confirm no Iron Islands and no Stoneheart.

What the fuck are they waiting for?

that sounds like the very definition of Stannis to me
man this season is going to suck if they really kill of stannis on top of cutting the greyjoys for fucking dorne ..


see what I mean, guy goes into perfectly legal and legit duel out of his own free will, looses because he is a moron and the Dornish whine about it as if some third person stabbed him in the back as he was winning

fucking dorne man

You have a point, but don't forget the fact that they want vengeance for Elia as well.
 

RatskyWatsky

Hunky Nostradamus
http://www.ew.com/article/2015/03/1...f&hootPostID=9bddc191b381193166626c9ed0b3e61f

Sounds like a two-part seventh season is what they're leaning towards based on this article. HBO is definitely pushing back on only seven seasons.

Good.

They have an interview with a cast member who just filmed their death scene. Their character has no yet died in the book. They say it's a cast member of "several" years. In the interview they say that they had read the books, and they were excited because they thought they were going to get more material this year. But then they got their filming dates, and it seemed like way too few. Then the producers called to let them know they were being killed off. Running through the options in my head that fit what's there, I fear for Sam.

I too think that that is referring to
Sam. I just can't see them doing the whole Old Town arc (introducing a whole new location for just one of the lesser characters? Nah), complete with baby switching and Braavos detour, when it would be more practical (and cheaper) to just keep Sam at the Wall (or kill him off).

Plus, John Bradley-West is a fan of the books so it makes sense that he'd be expecting more to do this year.

I could also see it being Davos.
 
If that number 1 speculation character is true, I'm bailing out until I'm not pissed off anymore, which would be a long time. I think they've done a wonderful job with that character on the show and I want to believe they play a larger role in the ending of the story and need them around. Fuck that!
 

Iksenpets

Banned
Maybe they thought any adaptation of Dance wouldn't be complete without a Quentyn-level disappointing character arc in Meereen, so they decided to kill Barry before he had any real plot?
 
More speculation

Barristan is my bet though. He has POV in ADWD so maybe he thought he would get an expanded role but they gave him a fight scene for his exit

Unfortunately, I agree with this. I think it's Barristan. He fits everything we know about this mysterious dead character:

1. Ian McElhinney is one of the few cast members who has really read all the books.

2. Barristan's role get a lot bigger in ADWD.

3. From the stuff we have seen so far, it doesn't seem like Barristan has a lot of scenes this season.
 

RatskyWatsky

Hunky Nostradamus
Unfortunately, I agree with this. I think it's Barristan. He fits everything we know about this mysterious dead character:

1. Ian McElhinney is one of the few cast members who has really read all the books.

2. Barristan's role get a lot bigger in ADWD.

3. From the stuff we have seen so far, it doesn't seem like Barristan has a lot of scenes this season.

I'd be okay with it since
Barristan ain't shit on the TV show.
 

Iksenpets

Banned
I'd be okay with it since
Barristan ain't shit on the TV show.

That kind of makes it worse for me. He's at a point as a character where if you kill him now it seriously becomes a question of why was he even on the show in the first place? And I can't imagine any death that would be satisfying. If you kill him in a fight, well then all that talk about how he's the best knight ever just seems like a joke now. Murdered unexpectedly by the Harpy? So, you spent five seasons striving along a character doing nothing so that he can fall victim to a random murder?

That said, I'm coming around the the idea that Barristan is more likely than Sam, just because his death would do less damage to the overall story.
 
Really? I actually prefer Sam in the show than in the books, he's still too much of an unbelievable coward in the books. At least in the show he's somewhat capable of defending himself and doesn't complain of paper cuts. So I'd be super surprised if they killed his ass off in the show, that'd mean that the Oldtown stuff may not go anywhere in the books.

I think it's a case of the ripple effect from trimming other stories. It might still be massive in the books, but as we stand right now:

Greyjoys are either cut or heavily trimmed, meaning the battle at Old Town Won't happen likely.

Ja'qen is gone from Old Town, implying that his arc isn't what D&D view as important.

Master Aemon is either rumoured to die early on by Melisandre or something.

So all in all, 90% of the reasons why Sam needed to be in Oldtown are gone. He's not there to serve as a PoV for the Upcoming battle, he's not there for the Ja'qen plot, and so he's expendable.

I also have to wonder if this is D&D's way of trying to get people to actually care about the Wall storyline, as the show watchers I know don't care for it at all. By killing off nearly every character in that storyline they can hopefully actually get people invested more in that plot.
 

joliefaire

Neo Member
Re the unexpected death that's coming, this from Benioff was posted at another site:

This one is going to hurt. A lot. "Game of Thrones" is known for its shocking twists and the sudden, horrific deaths of beloved characters the fifth season, which kicks off on April 12, will be no exception. "I hope when it comes out it's a real shock and a heartbreak," a production source told The News. "I really hope it is. It's like Joffrey's death or the Red Wedding. It's a scene that we want to have that kind of impact." Executive producer David Benioff, says

I'd say that points more toward
Sam, Brienne or Jon
rather than Barristan, since I don't expect the show runners would assume that level of audience response about Barristan.
 

Iksenpets

Banned
Re the unexpected death that's coming, this from Benioff was posted at another site:

This one is going to hurt. A lot. "Game of Thrones" is known for its shocking twists and the sudden, horrific deaths of beloved characters the fifth season, which kicks off on April 12, will be no exception. "I hope when it comes out it's a real shock and a heartbreak," a production source told The News. "I really hope it is. It's like Joffrey's death or the Red Wedding. It's a scene that we want to have that kind of impact." Executive producer David Benioff, says

I'd say that points more toward
Sam, Brienne or Jon
rather than Barristan, since I don't expect the show runners would assume that level of audience response about Barristan.

Ok, I've doubted that we'll get Jon's death this season, but that has to be describing that. I guess it's plausible that they would have Sam go out with him. A full slaughter of all of Jon's supporters, not just an assassination of Jon himself.

I don't think that necessarily discounts the Barristan discussion, since that speculation was based on a character who's not dead in the books. Jon's death is in the books, so it wouldn't count. I think we're discussing two different deaths here.
 

joliefaire

Neo Member
^ You could well be right. And Sophie Turner did say that even book readers will be shocked.
I like your spec that it could be both Sam and Jon--book readers know about Jon's 'death' but Sam going down, too? And perhaps because he acted bravely and tried to save Jon? A shocker for all, and very, very sad.

ETA: More tips and clues floating about re the unexpected death.
Pedro Pascal was a guest at last years Comic Con in August fresh off his Season 4 death. Ian Glen (Jorah) will be a guest at this year's Comic Con in August.
 

cj_iwakura

Member
Ok, I've doubted that we'll get Jon's death this season, but that has to be describing that. I guess it's plausible that they would have Sam go out with him. A full slaughter of all of Jon's supporters, not just an assassination of Jon himself.

I don't think that necessarily discounts the Barristan discussion, since that speculation was based on a character who's not dead in the books. Jon's death is in the books, so it wouldn't count. I think we're discussing two different deaths here.

There's no way they'll get to the end of ADWD that fast.
 
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