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HBO - Song of Ice&Fire Series -Varsity Thread - no TV only whiners (8 Viewers)

I know this is practically impossible, but I think the show would be much better if it settled on 2 or 3 stories per episode instead of doing 10-11 scenes at 5 minutes a pop

 
I know this is practically impossible, but I think the show would be much better if it settled on 2 or 3 stories per episode instead of doing 10-11 scenes at 5 minutes a pop
You think the same thing reading the books.  You really get into a particular story and when the chapter ends, you can't wait to get back to that character.  Then as the chapters go by and you don't, you get into the ones you are currently reading.  Then, 100 pages later, you get back to that character and it's great.  Meanwhile, you've bookmarked your brain on all of the other stories too.  It's a great strategy.

 
massraider said:
Brother of Balon Greyjoy. About to begin power struggle with daughter.  Kingsmoot coming up
Though in the books it is implied that a Faceless man kills him - not his brother (at least not directly).

 
So, last night's episode makes it pretty clear that Tyrion will be one of the three dragon riders.

I think that leaves the third as either Bran via warging, or Snow - but I lean towards Bran controlling the third Dragon, and Snow leading troops on the ground.

 
Sabertooth said:
No but let's face it, he did this to himself.  As far as I'm concerned....the show is the story now.  I doubt I ever go back and finish the books.  He #### the bed here.  I made this thread 9 years ago.  He has come out with what, 1 book since then?   


Meh - the books are far superior to the show. And, I would say the show writers did it to GRRM. They have cut/consolidated/butchered a fair amount of material. I would much rather see Littlefinger plotting with Sansa, the "real" Dorne, Quentyn's storyline could've intersected with Tyrion's etc. etc. I think the Aegon angle was fine to leave out since that would be introducing another entire cast that may play minor roles. But a Quentyn + Tyrion story line would've nicely dovetailed into a Daenerys + Martell alliance. 

 
Meh - the books are far superior to the show. And, I would say the show writers did it to GRRM. They have cut/consolidated/butchered a fair amount of material. I would much rather see Littlefinger plotting with Sansa, the "real" Dorne, Quentyn's storyline could've intersected with Tyrion's etc. etc. I think the Aegon angle was fine to leave out since that would be introducing another entire cast that may play minor roles. But a Quentyn + Tyrion story line would've nicely dovetailed into a Daenerys + Martell alliance. 
That would probably require extending the show to at least 9 or 10 seasons. Can't remember the last show that managed to remain culturally relevant for that long, and if that's what GRRM expected, it's absolutely on him, regardless of what the book readers might have preferred.

 
That would probably require extending the show to at least 9 or 10 seasons. Can't remember the last show that managed to remain culturally relevant for that long, and if that's what GRRM expected, it's absolutely on him, regardless of what the book readers might have preferred.
 10 seasons is a little much - but 8 or 9 seasons seems pretty reasonable considering the amount of source material (both produced and expected). 

 
 10 seasons is a little much - but 8 or 9 seasons seems pretty reasonable considering the amount of source material (both produced and expected). 
When are you expecting the rest of the written work?  2030?  That's a long wait and of course that likely means an alternate author because by that time GRRM will have given in to his gluttony and exploded, his heart at least at any rate.

 
When are you expecting the rest of the written work?  2030?  That's a long wait and of course that likely means an alternate author because by that time GRRM will have given in to his gluttony and exploded, his heart at least at any rate.
I would still expect the show to finish before the books but I wouldn't have expected the show writers to go off the rails until after book 6 was released. 2020-2021 is when I would expect the last book to be released with the show finishing ~2 years before the final book.  

 
Ha.  "Books".

The minute this show deviated, and passed the books,  I stopped caring about the books,  and whether or not the show is true to the books or whatever.  

Now,  this is a show I am interested in,  with an amazing deep back story,  and I want to see how the show turns out.

The books come out when the books come out.  I don't care when they come out.  If GRRM dies before then,  hey I had the show to wrapup the story.  

And the fans are such ####heads about his health,  I hope he lives forever,  never publishing the books,  and sending out Tweets from Taco Bell.  

 
That was a good episode, maybe one of the best of the series so far for me. It actually got me to like Bran and Davos when I had been pretty ambivalent about them before. Tyrion's scene was fantastic.

The Arya story needs to start going somewhere. They don't seem to have a lot of show left to get her back to Westeros to do her thing, and I'm sure they haven't spent all this time with her just to have her sent out on random faceless man missions. Who's left on her list at this point? Cersei?

Hopefully the show can make the whole Ironborne thing more interesting than it was in the books - that storyline really sagged as Martin wrote it. Are they leaving Victarion out in the show?

Really looking forward to next week's episode. I'm sure they'll show us the battle but probably not the aftermath, at least not yet.

 
That was a good episode, maybe one of the best of the series so far for me. It actually got me to like Bran and Davos when I had been pretty ambivalent about them before. Tyrion's scene was fantastic.

The Arya story needs to start going somewhere. They don't seem to have a lot of show left to get her back to Westeros to do her thing, and I'm sure they haven't spent all this time with her just to have her sent out on random faceless man missions. Who's left on her list at this point? Cersei?

Hopefully the show can make the whole Ironborne thing more interesting than it was in the books - that storyline really sagged as Martin wrote it. Are they leaving Victarion out in the show?

Really looking forward to next week's episode. I'm sure they'll show us the battle but probably not the aftermath, at least not yet.
In theory, I think Arya's story is a dead end.  I think she has only evolved because of GRRM's fascination with little girls :homer:

If we follow this through to conclusion, she becomes a faceless person who will have no specific ties to Westeros.

Someone may pay to assassinate someone in westeros, but my guess is she simply carries it out as she would any other kill, with no inkling of revenge.

 
In theory, I think Arya's story is a dead end.  I think she has only evolved because of GRRM's fascination with little girls :homer:

If we follow this through to conclusion, she becomes a faceless person who will have no specific ties to Westeros.

Someone may pay to assassinate someone in westeros, but my guess is she simply carries it out as she would any other kill, with no inkling of revenge.
I think Arya plays a critical role in the series. GRRM's initial concept had her, Jon, and Tyrion as major players in some sort of love triangle (not sure of the initial relations and whatnot). In the books, it is pretty clear she is pulling one over on the Faceless men and does not intend to ever become one of their true believers. She is using her warging powers, hiding needle, and killing those that she believes she should kill for betraying/harming her family. 

 
What if Arya ends up killing Danaerys or Tyrion. I can't believe she'd ever knowingly kill Jon, but maybe that happens on accident somehow. Martin's always said the ending is bitter sweet.

I really enjoy the Jaqen/Kindly Old Man character in the show. I think they give him to us in perfect amounts to keep it engaging, so I'll be partly sad if Arya graduating means we don't get that guy in the show anymore. Maybe she eventually shakes lose and goes on her revenge spree, he has to track her down and they have to have a showdown.

So is Littlefinger's spy network good enough to get him news of Ramsay offing big mamma Frey and her kid? Could he pick up the Freys en route to go give Ramsay the business?

 
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I think Arya plays a critical role in the series. GRRM's initial concept had her, Jon, and Tyrion as major players in some sort of love triangle (not sure of the initial relations and whatnot). In the books, it is pretty clear she is pulling one over on the Faceless men and does not intend to ever become one of their true believers. She is using her warging powers, hiding needle, and killing those that she believes she should kill for betraying/harming her family. 
I don't think they are easily fooled...

I also don't think this series is about the mundane goings on of Westeros - such that any revenge driven killings are essentially meaningless.  Ultimately, this is going to come down to Dragons v. Others - and I don't see a role for Arya to play in that battle.

She is easily my favorite character, but in the end, I think her exploits are just a distraction to the main story.

Where are you getting the love triangle?  I know Jon and Arya had a close relationship, but as brother/sister, and even in Westeros, I think Tyrion and Arya would be a stretch

 
There's no way they spend this much time with Arya if she didn't have a big role to play. Look at how they've vanished poor Rickon - if she wasn't important they could have just done that and given all that screen time to other stories.

 
There's no way they spend this much time with Arya if she didn't have a big role to play. Look at how they've vanished poor Rickon - if she wasn't important they could have just done that and given all that screen time to other stories.
IMO, Arya will probably be a prologue to the story where the whole thing is over....Cersei survives, gets punted back to Casterly Rock to serve out her days and Arya pops her....getting the last name on her list.  It'll be bittersweet because Arya will get no satisfaction or resolution out of it.....she'll have just become this shell of herself. 

 
Maybe she ends up getting sent on another mission to somewhere in Westeros to collect/destroy more info on dragons, possibly run into Tarly. Maybe she follows the money back to Varys and does him in. I like that she's a total wildcard, I just hope they get her going in a direction beyond training to be no-one pretty soon.

 
IMO, Arya will probably be a prologue to the story where the whole thing is over....Cersei survives, gets punted back to Casterly Rock to serve out her days and Arya pops her....getting the last name on her list.  It'll be bittersweet because Arya will get no satisfaction or resolution out of it.....she'll have just become this shell of herself. 
I could see that - Cersei gets killed by a random servant at Casterly Rock, only we all know its Arya...

 
I think I have mentioned this in this thread before. I see bittersweet more like Dany dies, Jon dies, Tyrion dies (assuming he is a Targ - which I hope he isn't), the dragons die, the Wall falls, the Others are completely destroyed but it is a Pyrrhic victory for most of the players, and Bran remains a root. The Starks come back to power at some point based on foreshadowing in the books (Rickon) - but Martin doesn't write hollywood happy endings.

I see Arya's major role as being a foil to whatever the Faceless men are planning (or whoever they are working for if not self-motivated) and being something of a lie detector. She will still play the same minor role as the judge, jury, and executioner of individuals she thinks has harmed her family - but that won't be what drives her character.

 
Although, I really do think the revenge list is just Arya holding on to her past, and that eventually she will let go and truly become no-one.  

 
I don't think they are easily fooled...

I also don't think this series is about the mundane goings on of Westeros - such that any revenge driven killings are essentially meaningless.  Ultimately, this is going to come down to Dragons v. Others - and I don't see a role for Arya to play in that battle.

She is easily my favorite character, but in the end, I think her exploits are just a distraction to the main story.

Where are you getting the love triangle?  I know Jon and Arya had a close relationship, but as brother/sister, and even in Westeros, I think Tyrion and Arya would be a stretch
1) I don't think they are easily fooled either - but that is sort of the point of her character.

2) Agree and disagree - I don't she is playing a direct role with fighting at the Wall, but she might be set against the Faceless men (or their employers) and I could see her being attached to Tyrion and Dany.

3) Love triangle - don't recall the source but I generally have a pretty good memory for those sorts of things.

 
3) Love triangle - don't recall the source but I generally have a pretty good memory for those sorts of things.
I think Martin had said what you wrote was how he envisioned things initially but eventually he decided to go in a different direction.

 
Maybe she ends up getting sent on another mission to somewhere in Westeros to collect/destroy more info on dragons, possibly run into Tarly. Maybe she follows the money back to Varys and does him in. I like that she's a total wildcard, I just hope they get her going in a direction beyond training to be no-one pretty soon.
I like this.

Or, maybe she gets high enough in the org where she starts calling the shots.  Not sure what the reporting structure is right now with the Faceless Men.

 
Tommen imo
That was the theory - and last night's show certainly set the stage for him getting stronger, leading him to kill his mother at some point.

But, the prophecy does state that her kids would have gold crowns and gold shrouds - maybe implying that Tommen is dead.  If so - then my money would be on Jamie killing Cersei because she did something to cause Tommen to die.

 
That was the theory - and last night's show certainly set the stage for him getting stronger, leading him to kill his mother at some point.

But, the prophecy does state that her kids would have gold crowns and gold shrouds - maybe implying that Tommen is dead.  If so - then my money would be on Jamie killing Cersei because she did something to cause Tommen to die.
Forgot about that part.  You're right. 

 
I talked the wife into watching this season with me by saying I'll make a drinking game out of it.  (she's not into fantasy stuff or fun)

Here's what I have so far, thoughts?

GAME OF THRONES DRINKING GAME (work in progress)

Hodor says "Hodor" - drink

Anyone says "incest" or "*******" or "imp" or "half-man" - drink

Arya is called a boy - drink

Arya says needle - drink

Faceless Man/Arya uses third person - drink

Dragon/Dragon Fire! - drink (fireball?)

Decapitation! - big drink/shot, yell off with their head

Brienne grunts or growls or screams - drink

Brienne refers to an oath she took - drink

Someone rises from the dead - drink

Three eyed-raven - drink with one eye closed

Fratricide/Matricide/Patricide/etc drink

Too much?  Too little?  Probably need something with the Dothraki in there.
Episode 1:  Hardly any drinking.  Mostly for the Brienne grunts and noises as she rescued Sansa.

Episode 2:  Added a couple because I was disappointed with week 1...this one was pretty much constant drinking.  Was only drinking beer, not bourbon thanks jebus.  

Still probably need something for the Sparrows and the Dothraki.

 
Episode 1:  Hardly any drinking.  Mostly for the Brienne grunts and noises as she rescued Sansa.

Episode 2:  Added a couple because I was disappointed with week 1...this one was pretty much constant drinking.  Was only drinking beer, not bourbon thanks jebus.  

Still probably need something for the Sparrows and the Dothraki.
Somebody says It is Known.

 
Episode 1:  Hardly any drinking.  Mostly for the Brienne grunts and noises as she rescued Sansa.

Episode 2:  Added a couple because I was disappointed with week 1...this one was pretty much constant drinking.  Was only drinking beer, not bourbon thanks jebus.  

Still probably need something for the Sparrows and the Dothraki.
Drink when High Sparrow says 'Mother'

 
We can now bury the arguments from a year back about GRRM being so subversive that Jon Snow could actually remain dead, and how it would make so much narrative sense.

 
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