Still trucking on my AFFC/ADWD re-read and noticed something that I'd forgotten about. The book has a lot of relgio-populist uprising stuff on low simmer. In addition to the Sparrows obviously: Benerro of the Red Temple in Volantis is riling up slaves likely to overthrow the Triarchs and support Dany; the Damphair disappears after the Kingsmoot, pledging to rile up the smallfolk of the Iron Islands to overthrow the godless Euron.
In the early parts of this season I thought that was going to be kind of a theme, but they sort of set the Free Cities Red God stuff aside and just gave time to the Sparrows. I sometimes wonder how this show would have played in more of a The Wire style. Like keep up the stories of the Starks and the Lannisters but then have a season here that's mostly about the Brotherhood Without Banners and Septon Maribald and Dick Crabb from Crackclaw Point the desolation of the smallfolk, then a season there about religio-populist uprisings, then a season more specifically devoted to Occupation as a concept, like set up Dany and fAegon doing occupations at the same time.
As it is they're shooting more for one seventy hour work; seven ten hour works could have been cool.
Yeah, that's the whole reason fAegon even goes to Westeros.
In the early parts of this season I thought that was going to be kind of a theme, but they sort of set the Free Cities Red God stuff aside and just gave time to the Sparrows. I sometimes wonder how this show would have played in more of a The Wire style. Like keep up the stories of the Starks and the Lannisters but then have a season here that's mostly about the Brotherhood Without Banners and Septon Maribald and Dick Crabb from Crackclaw Point the desolation of the smallfolk, then a season there about religio-populist uprisings, then a season more specifically devoted to Occupation as a concept, like set up Dany and fAegon doing occupations at the same time.
As it is they're shooting more for one seventy hour work; seven ten hour works could have been cool.
I almost feel this is by design, though. With Tywin out the picture, Westeros lacks any truly powerful, unifying figures.
Yeah, that's the whole reason fAegon even goes to Westeros.