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*UNMARKED SPOILERS ALL BOOKS* Game of Thrones |OT| - Season 6 Offseason Thread

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Moff

Member
I'm really looking forward to the tower of joy
but there are too many things they can fuck up
I still hope it's the cold opening of the season
 
How is Jon taking Stannis' place when we already know Stannis lost his Bolton battle? Stannis lost and is presumed dead in the books, and presumed dead in the show. His Winds material looks to provide more detail on what we've already been told happens through the pink letter. Most likely because something that happens during this time will affect other characters story lines, but in the end it's still shaping up to be a lost for Stannis.

I still can't get over how they fucked up S5 and now have to backtrack to cover their bases. How is Jamie dealing with Rivverrun going to work if there is a Northern army rallying in the North as evidence by these Jon Snow leaks. You're safe in your fortified castle and the enemy is outside dealing with the elements, with your allies regrouping in the North. Winter is here, or it should be. Certainly they can just make something up, but it'll take a lot of twisting for it to all make sense.

Stannis has not lost the battle in the book. Obviously the pink letter suggests a dire end for Stannis but there's plenty of reason to doubt the validity of the letter. Plus if you read Theon's first TWOW chapter it'll become even more clear something is up. Stannis is going to win that battle. And I think the next step will be to take Winterfell.

We're assuming the northern arc of S6 will follow whatever Martin has planned for TWOW; could be wrong of course. The fact that Jon is leading a northern army against the Boltons suggests to me the north will defeat the Boltons, and prepare for the end game: the Others. Book wise the equivalent is Stannis.
 
The real spoiler here is
that Jon is seemingly freed from his oaths and is not with the Night's Watch. How this happens will likely differ from the books, but the end result probably will not. I can't see D&D writing Jon as no longer being in the NW when he remains so in the books. The Boltons are obviously not going to be triumphant in either medium.
 
Why's that?

Because they are still aiming to end in the same general place as the books, at least for the major characters. Jon is too important for such a divergence to not matter. For all of D&D's changes, they've been pretty reluctant when it comes to restructuring the main plot.
 
Because they are still aiming to end in the same general place as the books, at least for the major characters. Jon is too important for such a divergence to not matter.

Regardless I think all paths lead back to the Wall. So whether Jon leaves the Wall to rally the north or stays at the Wall...ultimately the end result will be the same. I believe he'll leave the Wall but as an example: what if the NW disbands shortly after his stabbing? What if he's revived and the wildlings agree to stay and man the Wall with him. Then Stannis wins the village+Winterfell battles and brings the northern armies to the Wall.

By replacing Stannis with Jon I'm still assuming the end result will be the north riding to the Wall to face the Others in some form or fashion.
 
Regardless I think all paths lead back to the Wall. So whether Jon leaves the Wall to rally the north or stays at the Wall...ultimately the end result will be the same. I believe he'll leave the Wall but as an example: what if the NW disbands shortly after his stabbing? What if he's revived and the wildlings agree to stay and man the Wall with him. Then Stannis wins the village+Winterfell battles and brings the northern armies to the Wall.

By replacing Stannis with Jon I'm still assuming the end result will be the north riding to the Wall to face the Others in some form or fashion.

I'm in agreement with most of this.
D&D have clearly established Jon's importance in fighting the Others too (see Hardhomme), they'll have the plot will wrap around to Jon's end goal in the books even if he is temporarily taking Stannis' place.
 

Moff

Member
I'm still willing to bet
that stannis will win the battle in the snowstorm but with heavy casualties that lead to the same result as the 20 good men, including the burning of shireen and the defeat at winterfell. Why? because I still think that Melisandres "clear the storm" magic is too low key for D&D, that's from TWOW.
 
They could do a really cool scene, I'm telling you guys, but I doubt D and D have the vision to pull it off.

It's the end of the season. Theon (as Reek) hobbles into Winterfell, says he has news of Sansa.

He tells Ramsay he has been following her ever since she escaped, and knows where she is.

Ramsay takes his 20 (or however many) good men into the woods. They ride for days and finally come upon a hooded figure.

Ramsay looks as Sansa turns around. His men are ambushed in the woods.

*cue the Stark theme*

Fires light the sky. Men from all over the north and the Riverlands descend on Winterfell. Roose looks out onto the battlements in disbelief. He summons every soldier he can find to defend the castle.

Cut to the heads of he and his bastard being placed atop the castle walls.

Jon stands at the head of a massive host.

*season end*

You gave me chills.
 

RatskyWatsky

Hunky Nostradamus
Because they are still aiming to end in the same general place as the books, at least for the major characters. Jon is too important for such a divergence to not matter. For all of D&D's changes, they've been pretty reluctant when it comes to restructuring the main plot.

I'm sure they could figure out a way to do that while still keeping Jon's endgame intact.
 

Iksenpets

Banned
How is Jon taking Stannis' place when we already know Stannis lost his Bolton battle? Stannis lost and is presumed dead in the books, and presumed dead in the show. His Winds material looks to provide more detail on what we've already been told happens through the pink letter. Most likely because something that happens during this time will affect other characters story lines, but in the end it's still shaping up to be a lost for Stannis.

I still can't get over how they fucked up S5 and now have to backtrack to cover their bases. How is Jamie dealing with Rivverrun going to work if there is a Northern army rallying in the North as evidence by these Jon Snow leaks. You're safe in your fortified castle and the enemy is outside dealing with the elements, with your allies regrouping in the North. Winter is here, or it should be. Certainly they can just make something up, but it'll take a lot of twisting for it to all make sense.

The evidence in the books that the Pink Letter is false is too neatly laid out for me to not think something fishy is going on there. Ramsay demands Theon and Arya be returned, except the last Asha chapter in Dance exists entirely to establish the fact that they are now with Stannis. Anyone who has defeated Stannis should have them. Then the Theon preview chapter establishes that Stannis has captured a Dreadfort maester, and Stannis sends Massey off with warning that "you may hear that I've died", before he talks to Theon and implies that he has some I revealed trick up his sleeve. Various theories trying to explain all this are everywhere, but I buy into the idea that Stannis beats the Frey army, but then writes to Winterfell using the captured Dreadfort maester to claim that the Freys were victorious and are returning. That way his men can pose as returning Freys and the Bolton's will open the gates for them. Ramsay wrote the Pink Letter based on misinformation fed to him by Stannis, and the Intel he had gathered from captured spearwives and/or Mance.

But like PhoenixDark has been saying, for show purposes none of that matters. They're concerned with getting to the same end, which is a liberated North eventually turning to face the Others. The show is willing to drop Stannis from those events because they needed a neat end to season 5, and they needed to clear space in the character roster for the Northern Lord characters, and whatever Stannis' future story is must be easily cuttable.
 

bengraven

Member
Some new major details from Tower of Joy filming

Bran is there, two actresses are there, and maybe even a young Barristan. Lyanna is one of the actresses probably but I wonder who the other is.

Big news about that Season 6 battle

Battle of the six armies sounds sick. Looks like we can see Stark, Mormont, Hornwood, and maybe some others.

OOOOOOHkay I'm officially going on media blackout.

That's too much awesome story spoiled for me so far.

For your first spoiler:
two actresses - Willa with Lyanna?

For the second:
I wonder where Sansa is? Bran going to tell him what he finds out? JonSa confirmed?!
 
I'm still willing to bet
that stannis will win the battle in the snowstorm but with heavy casualties that lead to the same result as the 20 good men, including the burning of shireen and the defeat at winterfell. Why? because I still think that Melisandres "clear the storm" magic is too low key for D&D, that's from TWOW.

minor TWOW spoiler in first paragraph (Theon sample chapter)
My issue with that is that there are two "magic systems" involved here - one with the old gods, and one with R'Hollor. At the end of Theon's first chapters the ravens start calling for Theon to be beheaded at a weirwood that's in the middle of the village. I'm not sure whether it'll happen or not, but if Stannis is going to make a sacrifice it'll be to the old gods, not to R'Hollor; the vast majority of his army is northern and they're demanding a blood sacrifice. He has access to ravens to send letters, but they only go to Winterfell; ie he can't send something to the Wall demanding Shireen be burned. And even if he could it wouldn't arrive anytime soon.

On the other hand Shireen is at the Wall with Melisandre, who has spent two books obsessing over waking a dragon from stone. If Shireen is sacrificed it'll be to resurrect Jon. Perhaps it'll happen inadvertently - for instance maybe she sacrifices Shireen in order to resurrect Stannis (who the letter claims is dead), and instead Jon wakes up.

TLDR: We know Shireen is burned in TWOW, we just don't know the context. I'm assuming it will have nothing to do with Stannis, and instead be able waking dragons from stone. Meanwhile Stannis is in a situation where he has to use a blood sacrifice to the old gods in order to appease his army. The end result could be the snow storm ending
 

Showaddy

Member
Do you think D & D just realized recently that people really wanted that chapter? I mean, why wasn't it in Season 1?

They had a no flashbacks policy before which they've gone back on now they're running out of material.

Also kinda pointless when they're just getting round to R + L = J stuff 5 years later.
 
Agreed about S1, there was no need for that flashback. Whereas now it makes more sense, even though the show has barely touched on the issue of Jon's parenthood or Rhaegar. Still, S5 had enough references to Rhaegar for avid viewers to at least get a general idea of him ("Barristan is a good guy, and he says Rhaegar was a good guy too").
 

Lothar

Banned
The reason it should have been in Season 1 is so that
Sean Bean would be in it .
If it was in Season 1, he probably would have been.

I wouldn't care about what season the flashback was in other than that.
 

Turin

Banned
I'm pissed we probably won't get to see
Sean Bean delivering "Now it ends.". Also, I've long had the image in my head of Ned petrified with grief at Lyanna's bedside as Howland tries to snap him out of it in Sean's image. It'll feel weird seeing someone else do it
.
 

Loke13

Member
None of the books or chapters are god tier writing, and GRRM himself would be the first to acknowledge that. Tower of Joy is a great scene, but that doesn't mean "god tier writing".
Maybe not for you but others may have different standards. I for one thought it was a very stand out little section with some impressive prose and imagery.

What I'm most excited about is a Dany/Jon meeting.
 
Some new major details from Tower of Joy filming

Bran is there, two actresses are there, and maybe even a young Barristan. Lyanna is one of the actresses probably but I wonder who the other is.

Big news about that Season 6 battle

Battle of the six armies sounds sick. Looks like we can see Stark, Mormont, Hornwood, and maybe some others.


First spoiler related...
Wylla makes sense IMO, expected she was actually Lyanna's midwife since I read the books.
 
Stannis has not lost the battle in the book. Obviously the pink letter suggests a dire end for Stannis but there's plenty of reason to doubt the validity of the letter. Plus if you read Theon's first TWOW chapter it'll become even more clear something is up. Stannis is going to win that battle. And I think the next step will be to take Winterfell.

We're assuming the northern arc of S6 will follow whatever Martin has planned for TWOW; could be wrong of course. The fact that Jon is leading a northern army against the Boltons suggests to me the north will defeat the Boltons, and prepare for the end game: the Others. Book wise the equivalent is Stannis.

My point was that Jon isn't taking Stannis place in the show when the books and show are essentially at the same place in this regards. The show ran through Stannis' material already. The pink letter told us what happened to Stannis even without showing it to us. There's no Sansa standing in for FArya here. It looks like Jon's material will be new, and have nothing to do with Stannis.
 

Imperial

Member
Some new major details from Tower of Joy filming

Bran is there, two actresses are there, and maybe even a young Barristan. Lyanna is one of the actresses probably but I wonder who the other is.

Big news about that Season 6 battle

Battle of the six armies sounds sick. Looks like we can see Stark, Mormont, Hornwood, and maybe some others.

Fuuuckk, everything about this upcoming season sounds amazing. So as of right now we have no idea who's playing young Ned and Howland Reed?
 
Did they do that in the show? I know in the books Maege Mormont has his letter he wrote before he died but I don't remember that part in the show at all.

Seems there wasn't much need for it in the show, because homegirl was pregnant and there wasn't a pressing need to think about heirs.
 

Tuffty

Member
so if
R + L = J is true, that means he is the first in list
to heir to the throne?

No, Rhaegar, Viserys and Dany were children to King Aerys so they would be next in line in that order. Jon being Dany's nephew would probably be next at this point unless Dany has a child, which we see she can't do. Even if Jon was first in line, there would be people who would fight it because he swore an oath to the Nights Watch where he gave up any claims to land or titles.
 

Moff

Member
so if
R + L = J is true, that means he is the first in list
to heir to the throne?

I think Jon is pretty far away from being the first in line, that's why I never got why his heritage is even important.
1) The Targaryens have no claim anymore, their claim was destroyed by Robert Baratheon when he crushed their dynasty.. He took the throne by conquest and the Targaryens would have to do the same again, just like they did 800 years ago and like Dany is doing now.
2) Even if the Targaryens had a claim, Jon was born out of wedlock, he is a bastard. Dany is not, she has the better claim.
3) His nightwatch oaths prevent him from being heir to anything, so far at least.
4) who will ever prove anything of this? Not even Jon himself knows it.

which makes me believe that their will be some other reason why his heritage will be important, maybe some magic, prophecy stuff.
 

Patriots7

Member
I think Jon is pretty far away from being the first in line, that's why I never got why his heritage is even important.
1) The Targaryens have no claim anymore, their claim was destroyed by Robert Baratheon when he crushed their dynasty.. He took the throne by conquest and the Targaryens would have to do the same again, just like they did 800 years ago and like Dany is doing now.
2) Even if the Targaryens had a claim, Jon was born out of wedlock, he is a bastard. Dany is not, she has the better claim.
3) His nightwatch oaths prevent him from being heir to anything, so far at least.
4) who will ever prove anything of this? Not even Jon himself knows it.

which makes me believe that their will be some other reason why his heritage will be important, maybe some magic, prophecy stuff.
1) When Robert says that Ned should've just claimed the throne, Ned rebuffs him saying that Robert had the better claim, being that his grandmother was a Targ. So while I agree that he won it by conquest (as Renly uses to justify his actions), he still used his claim to justify his rule.
2) Unless they married...and with the show cancelling out Aegon, then that leaves Jon. Now if Lyanna runs off to have a bastard with Rhaegar, after telling Ned that Robert would never stop whoring around and be a good husband...then I just don't even know.
 

Kain

Member
1) When Robert says that Ned should've just claimed the throne, Ned rebuffs him saying that Robert had the better claim, being that his grandmother was a Targ. So while I agree that he won it by conquest (as Renly uses to justify his actions), he still used his claim to justify his rule.
2) Unless they married...and with the show cancelling out Aegon, then that leaves Jon. Now if Lyanna runs off to have a bastard with Rhaegar, after telling Ned that Robert would never stop whoring around and be a good husband...then I just don't even know.


I'm pretty sure Ned was not king because he didn't want to become one. The Baratheon's claim that they were distant relatives of the Targaryens was always weak at least, and everyone knows it.
 
I'm pretty sure Ned was not king because he didn't want to become one. The Baratheon's claim that they were distant relatives of the Targaryens was always weak at least, and everyone knows it.
In the books there are non-baretheons that bring up the baretheons being related to the targs since Rayelle Targeryen (or whatever he name was) married Robert Baratheon's grandfather. I believe one of them was The Queen of Thorns who brought it up.
 

Pluto

Member
No, Rhaegar, Viserys and Dany were children to King Aerys so they would be next in line in that order.
No, Rhaegar's trueborn children come before his siblings, so the current Targaryen line of succession (ignoring possible fakeness, bastard status and nights watch oaths) would be Aegon, Jon, Dany.

The Targaryen's may have lost the throne but they can still make a claim through Robert, they are related to the Baratheons after all, Robert even used it to strengthen his claim. Robert's children being not his invalidates their claim and House Baratheon in the novels seems to only consist of Stannis and Shireen, if their line ends the throne would then revert back to the Targaryens.
 
so if
R + L = J is true, that means he is the first in list
to heir to the throne?

If he's legitimate, then yes.

No, Rhaegar, Viserys and Dany were children to King Aerys so they would be next in line in that order. Jon being Dany's nephew would probably be next at this point unless Dany has a child, which we see she can't do.
This is wrong. Rhaegar's children get priority over his siblings.
 

Tuffty

Member
^ You're right, thanks for the clarification.

Kinda weird to remember that all the Baratheons, in the show so far at least, have all been killed off except Gendry.
 

Iksenpets

Banned
My point was that Jon isn't taking Stannis place in the show when the books and show are essentially at the same place in this regards. The show ran through Stannis' material already. The pink letter told us what happened to Stannis even without showing it to us. There's no Sansa standing in for FArya here. It looks like Jon's material will be new, and have nothing to do with Stannis.

I would say that the show's decision to make the story told in the Pink Letter true is the same as them making Mance's death by burning true in the show. They take a fake out from the book and make it real as a way to end plots early while using actual book moments. As I said earlier, I just don't buy the letter as true in the books.

so if
R + L = J is true, that means he is the first in list
to heir to the throne?

Depends. If Rhaegar and Lyanna never married, then he's still a bastard and has no claim to anything. If they did, then he's still behind Aegon, since Aegon is Rhaegar's older child. Jon is heir only if Rhaegar and Lyanna married and the real Aegon is dead. That would put him ahead of Dany and Viserys.
 
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