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[veloxStrix]

So I haven't watched the new season or the last yet, but is Victarion really not included? Because he quickly became my favorite characters from when he started getting chapters in Feast for Crows.

 

[biosnake20]

Interesting potential Arya easter egg in the last episode

Also I just noticed in the last episode's final shot Jon isn't leaving castle black because the entrance is the other way.

 

[Pein]

I mean, correct me if I'm wrong, but in the books Varys sends the little birds to kill Kevan, right? Qyburn having control of them is messing with my head. Also, now it seems everyone knows the kids are the spies so doesn't that make them seriously less effective? Maybe Qyburn just doesn't get how spies are supposed to work.


Fuck this Rickon/Shaggydog business. Really hope it's a trap. I'm so exhausted from all this Ramsay torture business and everyone's complete idiocy around him.

no, I'm pretty sure varys kills him himself with a crossbow or something. The little birds finish him off but how much is left after a arrow in the chest?

yeah, I needed to see ramsay get reckless and desperate and start doing some shit but nah lets give him another person to fuck with because they don't want us to forget he's a sadistic monster.

 

[News Bot]

Fuck this Rickon/Shaggydog business. Really hope it's a trap. I'm so exhausted from all this Ramsay torture business and everyone's complete idiocy around him.

This is D&D we're talking about. They are Ramsay fetishists because he provides most of their shock value through sheer gratuitousness.

 

[ponpo]

You know who short-hair Cersei reminds me of?

Switch. Is it possible Apoc shows up to save her and the entire Game of Thrones series was the awakening of Cersei into the Real World where she becomes Switch aboard the Nebuchadnezzar?

 

[Kain]

I mean, correct me if I'm wrong, but in the books Varys sends the little birds to kill Kevan, right? Qyburn having control of them is messing with my head. Also, now it seems everyone knows the kids are the spies so doesn't that make them seriously less effective? Maybe Qyburn just doesn't get how spies are supposed to work.

He kills him himself but we see for the first time what the little birds are, complete with how they move between the walls of the Red keep and they can listen to everything. The description of them in ADWD was creepy to me and I thought the concept was very cool. And Qyburn never got control of them, he even says that the birds have flown from KL when Varys left.

Here they are just a bunch of dirty kids who want candy that everyone and their mothers know they are spies. Qyburn is supposed to be more ruthless and remorseless than bright, and in the show I don't really know what he is.

 

[Gigglepoo]

Martin posted a new Winds chapter. It doesn't seem to have any relevance to the show so don't bother mining if for clues. This book better come out soon. I'm really itching to see where this is going.

http://www.georgerrmartin.com/excerpt-from-the-winds-of-winter/

 

[Oldest Snake]

New chapter from TWOW posted on GRRM.com

I think he's read this at a con before but never made it available online.

EDIT: Beaten.

 

[Moff]

Yep, Tower of Joy. The dialogue part was too short. They didn't give the viewer enough information. The dialogue failed to capture the sad mood or feeling of importance of the scene, so it was just Ned fighting two guys with swords. That to me is a nothing scene. It really needed "our knees do not bend easily", "the Kingsguard does not flee", and "our false brother would burn in seven hells" to build atmosphere and to let you know something more about the people than that they're just great fighters.

No mention that they were the Kingsguard. No mention that their King had just been killed by Jaime. No mention that had been expected to bend the knee or flee with Viserys.

I don't see how viewers who haven't read the books or studied the show would know who Ned was fighting or why. I don't know why they would care about that fight.

You said you were expecting them to butcher it. I was expecting them to get a easy home run. The lines are already written for them. How could they screw it up?

Also, Sean Bean should have been Ned again.

I love all the lines from that scene so I certainly would have loved it if they were all in but I knew they could not have done it as subtle as GRRM for the show, the secret of the saga is about to be lifted and show watchers need to know what's coming. Judging from the show watcher thread it was the right balance between the original quotes and make it easy to understand those knights were not at the important battles to win their kings war but were guarding something in that tower.

But if I understand you correctly you think it was too subtle or had less information than the book scene? I don't know, usually people complain that D&D are not subtle enough and I think it was the same at the tower of joy. Ned directly asked them why they were not there to protect their prince and king, he also asked them about lyanna and them answering their prince wanted them here. I think that's a lot more in your face than the book scene.

 

[cartoon_soldier]

Someone post this already?

http://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/game-of-thrones-art-parkinson_us_5730d3c3e4b016f378968aee

Very interesting answers.

Also sad

 

[timetokill]

He kills him himself but we see for the first time what the little birds are, complete with how they move between the walls of the Red keep and they can listen to everything. The description of them in ADWD was creepy to me and I thought the concept was very cool. And Qyburn never got control of them, he even says that the birds have flown from KL when Varys left.

Here they are just a bunch of dirty kids who want candy that everyone and their mothers know they are spies. Qyburn is supposed to be more ruthless and remorseless than bright, and in the show I don't really know what he is.

That's right. Man, I really need to do another read through, but I putting it off until the next book had a release date.

 

[Koko]

Martin posted a new Winds chapter. It doesn't seem to have any relevance to the show so don't bother mining if for clues. This book better come out soon. I'm really itching to see where this is going.

http://www.georgerrmartin.com/excerpt-from-the-winds-of-winter/

I like the pace of it.

 

[A Fish Aficionado]

This is D&D we're talking about. They are Ramsay fetishists because he provides most of their shock value through sheer gratuitousness.

I'm pretty sure there is enough viewers that love that Ramsay nonsense for them to continue on. Just look at the attention the actor gets for it.

 

[timetokill]

I'll never forgive DD for what they've done to the Dorne stuff . By far my biggest disappointment coming from the books.

 

[Apt101]

Really liked the actor who played Dayne. He made a big impression in the few scenes he's in, and I'm not just talking about the ones where he's fighting. There's the face of a man who's fully prepared to die because he's sworn a vow. There's no malice here against Ned & his party.

The way he quickly scanned the men ahead of him, looked down in what appeared like acceptance, and then continued, was great acting. All with nothing but his eyes. He screamed chivalry. It's a shame he didn't have the milkglass sword full of stars and all that but man, that actor brought Dayne to life.

Edit: also, I'm pretty sure Dayne threw Dawn down and tried to say "do it".

 

[News Bot]

I'm pretty sure there is enough viewers that love that Ramsay nonsense for them to continue on. Just look at the attention the actor gets for it.

I haven't met a single person who likes it. It got old fast. They gave him extreme and nonsensical amounts of plot armor.

 

[Kain]

Even losing Myranda was a joke to Ramsay. Everything goes according to his plans or he has the fool's luck and he gets away with stuff without consequences. A bad guy who triumphs over anything, is all powerful and has all the luck is never a good idea, that's just bad writing.

Except if that bad guy is Aizen. But Ramsay is not Aizen.

 

[SteveWD40]

The way he quickly scanned the men ahead of him, looked down in what appeared like acceptance, and then continued, was great acting. All with nothing but his eyes. He screamed chivalry. It's a shame he didn't have the milkglass sword full of stars and all that but man, that actor brought Dayne to life.

Edit: also, I'm pretty sure Dayne threw Dawn down and tried to say "do it".

Yeah, I loved how Luke Roberts did so much with very little.

GoT Wikia still names the other as Hightower, when I would have said it was Oswell Whent, not sure if they left Hightower out for logistical reasons or maybe they just couldn't find an older sword guy who also acts.

 

[H.Cornerstone]

Yeah, I loved how Luke Roberts did so much with very little.

GoT Wikia still names the other as Hightower, when I would have said it was Oswell Whent, not sure if they left Hightower out for logistical reasons or maybe they just couldn't find an older sword guy who also acts.

Just looks nothing like Hightower, Hightower is tall and strong. I am guessing they are saying Hightower since he doesn't have a bat on his helm.

 

[Sean C]

Just looks nothing like Hightower, Hightower is tall and strong. I am guessing they are saying Hightower since he doesn't have a bat on his helm.

No, they're saying Hightower because the actor confirmed he was playing Hightower.

 

[H.Cornerstone]

No, they're saying Hightower because the actor confirmed he was playing Hightower.

ohh my bad, still looks nothing like hightower.

 

[Cornballer]

A few recent items:
- Onion A|V Club's Polite Fight video analysis: This week’s Arya montage is Game Of Thrones’ best editing work yet
- Access Hollywood: Robert Aramayo On Playing A Young Ned Stark
- THR: The New Ned Stark Speaks About Bringing a Westeros Legend to Life
- Ned Stark vs. Arthur Dayne (Lightsaber Edition) (youtube edition)

 

[Ratrat]

I haven't met a single person who likes it. It got old fast. They gave him extreme and nonsensical amounts of plot armor.

I think people stopped liking him when they started feeling bad for Theon. Also his 'luck' generally depends on suspension of disbelief and the idiocy of others.

 

[ryseing]

I'll never forgive DD for what they've done to the Dorne stuff . By far my biggest disappointment coming from the books.

Agreed. Butchered a great character in Doran and refused to show any part of Dorne outside the water gardens.

 

[SteveWD40]

Agreed. Butchered a great character in Doran and refused to show any part of Dorne outside the water gardens.

Also wasted a fine actor.

I think it's the worst thing they have done, like why the fuck would Oberyn want his brother and nephew killed? If I had to guess, the "Fire and Blood" / Faegon plot must go no-where in the books and they know that so they left one out and killed the other off.

They must have gone to Dorne for the sandsnakes, who obviously do figure in it (sadly).

 

[Gigglepoo]

Also wasted a fine actor.

I think it's the worst thing they have done, like why the fuck would Oberyn want his brother and nephew killed? If I had to guess, the "Fire and Blood" / Faegon plot must go no-where in the books and they know that so they left one out and killed the other off.

They must have gone to Dorne for the sandsnakes, who obviously do figure in it (sadly).

Or the Dorne/fAegon plots are important but take more time to develop than D&D want to spend. Remember, those plots require intricate knowledge of the Blackfyre rebellion. It would be hard to fit that information in. That's the same reason it's not Brynden Rivers in the tree with Bran but just some random old dude.

EDIT -- If they had included those plot lines, on the previously on you'd have a character say, "They were pretenders to the throne" and then it would cut to fAegon, removing all doubt.

I don't think fAegon's legitimacy will ever be answered in the books. What matters is who people believe he is.

 

[Ratrat]

I wonder why they bother keeping Sam/Oldtown/Citadel stuff if they are paring shit down fast.

Maybe they should return to Riverrun before bringing Randyll Tarly into the mix.

I guess something important for the endgame is there.
isn't it some manual for dragons?

Some Maester/dragon conspiracy and one of the Sandsnakes, I think its still all speculation at this point. But thats quite a lot for a side character so close to the end.

 

[Moff]

I wonder why they bother keeping Sam/Oldtown/Citadel stuff if they are paring shit down fast.

I guess something important for the endgame is there.
isn't it some manual for dragons?

 

[Emerson]

I wonder why they bother keeping Sam/Oldtown/Citadel stuff if they are paring shit down fast.

Maybe they should return to Riverrun before bringing Randyll Tarly into the mix.

Problem is they really aren't paring things down overall, they've doubled up on storylines that could easily been told more efficiently. Sending Jaime to Dorne last year (everyone assumed, instead of Riverrun) and then to Riverrun this year makes no sense if you're trying to accelerate towards the endgame. Same with the Iron Islands stuff.

 

[Gigglepoo]

I guess something important for the endgame is there.
isn't it some manual for dragons?

Sam or another character could have found that book outside of the Citadel. That's not a reason they have to include a storyline.

My guess is that, once they introduced Sam and Gilly as characters, they had to give them something to do. This idea that D&D only include plots for the "endgame" is false. That would be awful storytelling.

 

[Moff]

Sam or another character could have found that book outside of the Citadel. That's not a reason they have to include a storyline.

My guess is that, once they introduced Sam and Gilly as characters, they had to give them something to do. This idea that D&D only include plots for the "endgame" is false. That would be awful storytelling.

would it? if they just lived on a farm for the rest of their lives and we would see 10 minutes of them feeding pigs in every episode from now on that would be good storytelling?
I'm pretty sure whatever is going down in oldtown will have some importance to the main plot, and the "endgame".
jaqen is there too. maybe they'll sned him and arya there while sam is visiting his daddy.

 

[Forkball]

Euron and Daario haven't been in the same episode this season.

 

[studyguy]

Someone post this already?

http://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/game-of-thrones-art-parkinson_us_5730d3c3e4b016f378968aee

Very interesting answers.

Also sad

IT'S A RUSE...

Spoiler

A ROOSE!

 

[Ratrat]

Problem is they really aren't paring things down overall, they've doubled up on storylines that could easily been told more efficiently. Sending Jaime to Dorne last year (everyone assumed, instead of Riverrun) and then to Riverrun this year makes no sense if you're trying to accelerate towards the endgame. Same with the Iron Islands stuff.

I thought they did that because they didn't want to introduce a new setting without familar faces(no one cares about Ellaria). And that plot has been simplified as a baffling murder spree. Im sure Riverrun and the Iron Islands will be similarly shortened. We're hoping the Northern Conspiracy thing will happen, but who knows. You can't kill Stannis, Doran, Roose and Balon in the space of 3 episodes and not feel like its rushing towards the conclusion.

 

[Gigglepoo]

would it? if they just lived on a farm for the rest of their lives and we would see 10 minutes of them feeding pigs in every episode from now on that would be good storytelling?
I'm pretty sure whatever is going down in oldtown will have some importance to the main plot, and the "endgame".
jaqen is there too. maybe they'll sned him and arya there while sam is visiting his daddy.

Why would pig feeding be good storytelling? Unless it's a funny and interesting scene that tells us more about the characters somehow. Sounds kind of boring, though. Pigs are gross.

I do agree that Sam's story will have some relevance to the White Walkers. However, I do think he could have come across that information in other ways. I'm just saying that keeping Sam at Castle Black would stunt his character. Dropping Gilly off doesn't really matter but it gives them something to do and let's us see Sam
in another context.

I hope you're right about Jaquen going to the Citadel. I'm crossing my fingers for Marwyn, too.

I just think we overrate the importance of the endgames. The finale won't matter if we don't care or understand how we got there. D&D have to craft an interesting story first and foremost even if they have to include scenes, characters, and plot lines that aren't directly related to the ending.

 

[benicillin]

Someone post this already?

http://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/game-of-thrones-art-parkinson_us_5730d3c3e4b016f378968aee

Very interesting answers.

Also sad

Fuck this show! The D&D hard-on for Ramsay continues to be alive and well.

 

[mantidor]

Agreed. Butchered a great character in Doran and refused to show any part of Dorne outside the water gardens.

I love to shit on the show and they have made some abysmal choices, but I do give them a pass on the locations because of how varied and well picked they are, they basically travel all over the world and are spot on for the most part. From what I've read the Dorne location was pretty problematic so they did what they could with it.

 

[Angry Grimace]

For some reason I now expect Max Von Sydow to ruin every plot reveal in everything.

 

[Neffarias_Bredd]

The way he quickly scanned the men ahead of him, looked down in what appeared like acceptance, and then continued, was great acting. All with nothing but his eyes. He screamed chivalry. It's a shame he didn't have the milkglass sword full of stars and all that but man, that actor brought Dayne to life.

Edit: also, I'm pretty sure Dayne threw Dawn down and tried to say "do it".

I really hope after they're done, HBO starts a new series based on Roberts Rebellion and brings back Luke Roberts

 

[JerkShep]

Martin posted a new Winds chapter. It doesn't seem to have any relevance to the show so don't bother mining if for clues. This book better come out soon. I'm really itching to see where this is going.

http://www.georgerrmartin.com/excerpt-from-the-winds-of-winter/

Not sure if I have to spoiler the name of the character but: is this

Spoiler

Arianne

I or II?

 

[ZeroRay]

II

Yay! A chapter he read 5 years ago that he probably finished 8 years ago.

Spoiler

pls george finish the book ;_;

 

[Dash_Riprock]

II

Yay! A chapter he read 5 years ago that he probably finished 8 years ago.

Spoiler

pls george finish the book ;_;

He might finish TWoW, but no way in hell is ADoS coming out within the next 5 years.

I still can't believe it: Both the Star War Prequel AND Sequel trilogies will have finished before ASoIaF does, to say nothing of countless other fantasy series.

 

[Gigglepoo]

I still can't believe it: Both the Star War Prequel AND Sequel trilogies will have finished before ASoIaF does, to say nothing of countless other fantasy series.

And none of them will compare to A Song of Ice and Fire.

 

[Faddy]

I like the pace of it.

Come on dude. It is literally "the Prince(ss) is in another castle" and that paragraph about trees and moss, ugh. More boring travelogue and this is the 2nd Arianne chapter.

 

[Dash_Riprock]

And none of them will compare to A Song of Ice and Fire.

 

[Eidan]

This GIF is sweeping GAF. And they fixed the neck!

 

[Cornballer]

Just a reminder that there's a dedicated book discussion thread in Community: A Song of Ice and Fire BOOK Discussion |OT2| Unmarked SPOILERS for Published Material

Please use that for TWoW talk.

 

[Euron]

New chapter from TWOW posted on GRRM.com

I think he's read this at a con before but never made it available online.

EDIT: Beaten.

Holy shit nice

Please release this year for the love of God

 

[Deleted member 17706]

Don't know why so many are thinking this is some vast Northern conspiracy to restore Rickon to Winterfell. This is the show. After what we just saw in Dorne, are you surprised? GRRM wasn't really doing snything with Rickon so the show is utilizing him to up the stakes between the Jon Snow vs Ramsay fight before the White Walkers smash down the Wall.

If they wanted to do a ruse, they would have used a commoner and not the little Lord knowing how dangerous Ramsay is. He even said how would he know it is him. Most likely he'll rape Osha, torture Rickon before killing him. We know from the show and books that those who lose their direwolves or turn away from them suffer bad luck. Sansa, Robb etc. Their direwolves represent them.

Getting tired of how conveniently overpowered Ramsay is. More luck than a leprechaun.

Totally agree with your sentiment about Ramsay. He's a bit too perfect of a villain for this show, which seems to be all about delivering "shocking moments" to the audience. I can see why the show creators love him. I'm just getting a bit tired of how everything seems to go so well for him.

Also a bit tired of at least one Stark always being in captivity. Hopefully Rickon gets some kind of redemption, because he's such a wasted character at this point.

 

[Gigglepoo]

Also a bit tired of at least one Stark always being in captivity. Hopefully Rickon gets some kind of redemption, because he's such a wasted character at this point.

"There must always be a Stark held captive in Winterfell."