[Primateus]

Ceda Cicero, on 08 June 2015 - 01:01 PM, said:

Though I'm overall far, far less attached to Shireen as a character than, say, Ned, Robb, Cat... Any of the many that have died... For some reason that scene was harder to watch than any of the others so far.

Agreed, it was really, really uncomfortable to watch.

[QuickTidal]

Re: Jon.

Spoiler

Here is how I see that going down. Ep 10, Jon will get Caesared and it will be ALMOST the last thing that happens and will shock anyone who doesn't know about it (non-book readers)...but then there is one more scene as epilogue. A cloaked figure is standing amongst the trees with bedraggled warriors all around. A warrior asks her a question "Where are we going?" and a virtually unrecognizable raspy voice replies "North. Winter is coming." and the cloaked figure pulls down the hood and turns to face the camera, and undead Catelyn Stark is stares into the camera. Enter Lady Stoneheart. EDIT: Also, the ep is called MOTHER's MERCY which is close to a Lady Stoneheart alias (Mother Merciless) as listed in AFFC...sooo maybe? I know D&D and Fairley said it was not happening...but maybe they are just pulling a Steven Moffat and lying to keep the secret?

The Jon event would be gaspworthy...but actually ending on a beat like what I've described above FOLLOWING it? That would be mind-melty and have audiences chattering like the Red Wedding.

This post has been edited by QuickTidal: 08 June 2015 - 01:37 PM

[Gorefest]

I guess I'm a bit late to the table when I exclaim in horror that new GoT episodes are not aired in the UK until Monday night?

[Ceda Cicero]

QuickTidal, on 08 June 2015 - 01:27 PM, said:

Re: Jon.

Spoiler

Here is how I see that going down. Ep 10, Jon will get Caesared and it will be ALMOST the last thing that happens and will shock anyone who doesn't know about it (non-book readers)...but then there is one more scene as epilogue. A cloaked figure is standing amongst the trees with bedraggled warriors all around. A warrior asks her a question "Where are we going?" and a virtually unrecognizable raspy voice replies "North. Winter is coming." and the cloaked figure pulls down the hood and turns to face the camera, and undead Catelyn Stark is stares into the camera. Enter Lady Stoneheart. EDIT: Also, the ep is called MOTHER's MERCY which is close to a Lady Stoneheart alias (Mother Merciless) as listed in AFFC...sooo maybe? I know D&D and Fairley said it was not happening...but maybe they are just pulling a Steven Moffat and lying to keep the secret?

The Jon event would be gaspworthy...but actually ending on a beat like what I've described above FOLLOWING it? That would be mind-melty and have audiences chattering like the Red Wedding.

Against my better judgment, I've been thinking something very similar, even though I gave up on Stoneheart a while ago. The MOTHER'S MERCY title is just too good--I know it's very likely that the title will relate most directly to Cersei's story, but the show has a pretty long history of having episode titles that connect to overarching themes across multiple storylines.

It's also true that the actor who plays Pod said the final scene of the season would "break the internet." While stabfest at the Wall might be a candidate for this, I don't know that it would "break the internet" given that it's what almost anyone who's read up to DANCE will be expecting--though who can say whether or not Pod knows this. Further, that makes me think that whatever the final scene is, Pod is likely (though of course not definitely) involved if the actor is chatting it up in interviews. And while I guess it's possible that through some developments and some of the show's trademark disregard of geographic distances Pod could end up on hand for stabfest at the Wall by the final scene, I think it unlikely, and far more possible that the Stoneheart arc would be supplanted to the North(ish) if (that's a huge if) it were to be included.

Either way my gut says the final scene will be something that will have book readers and show watchers alike Tweeting like mad--but we also know from Beioff that the final scene is a book scene, so... all that's to say, Stoneheart seems more possible than ever.

This post has been edited by Ceda Cicero: 08 June 2015 - 02:44 PM

[Traveller]

Managed to stay spoiler free all day; yes we do have to wait until Monday night in the uk.

I cannot believe what Stannis just did, especially after his reassuring talk with her in an earlier ep.

Nice dragon action, at last, finally some goddamn.. dragon.. action! Wtf is going to happen to Tyrion etc though? Unless a load of unsullied suddenly appear to protect them they're all pretty screwed.

I'm pretty sure Jon will be the big finale. And don't assume everyone watching has read the books, I know a lot of people at work that are just watching the show, and have even said stuff along the lines of 'Jon will be ok though, he's the closest thing to the main character'.

There's going to be an uproar.

[worry]

Final scene is Lord Manderly rising angrily from his bathtub, full frontal.

[amphibian]

The broad strokes of the story in that last episode were pretty good. However, the specifics are very clunky at times.

Would an assassin in training really stop in the middle of a Venetian canal-ish situation, pull out a suspicious looking bottle, glance meaningfully at a target, place that bottle in a pouch and then trundle over? Would that same assassin stare at critical doors to private places for long seconds at a time in a brothel where the bouncer was just immediately suspicious?

Would the Unsullied, infantrymen world renowned for being great when in the shitfog of war, be taken out by Sons of Harpies like that? Naaah. Why not have scattered ones be picked off, have most band together only to have the Harpies fade away and attack other non-Unsullied targets? That's more effective actual fighting and it preserves the Unsullied legacy, while emphasizing the smarts of the guerilla SoH organization.

I'm not sure why, but it seems like the GoT writing staffs/directorial units are actually kinda bad when it comes to planning out and depicting violence. I get that they don't have unlimited budget, but the occasions where they've gotten it right (most Jon Snow fights, because Kit Harington actually gives a shit about being an action actor and learning silver screen/real sword fighting, most Brienne, Hound, Jaime, Arya single fights) are becoming fewer.

Honestly, the GoT writing staff isn't producing work as top notch as it could be.

[Terez]

I just checked the ASOIAF page on Facebook (which I don't follow because it's too much stupidity in my feed), and apparently Linda Antonsson had a "meltdown" on Twitter because B&W revealed that the Shireen scene came from GRRM. I was personally appreciative that they revealed that; it saves me from thinking they went there on their own, which would have been very controversial. She said that's just "cover[ing] their asses", which is true, but it's hard to blame them for doing that. I don't see how anyone can expect to watch the show from here on out without book spoilers. Of course, if I were a trufan, I might feel differently.

[QuickTidal]

Good gods, what a child she is (Linda). Her twitter feed is bizarre.

[worry]

Sounds like she needs to give up the ghost.

And amph, you're right. That Arya with the poison scene stood out like a sore thumb. And I really wondered if the Harpies vs Grey Worm/Selmy was covered by a 2nd unit or something cuz it was so bad, but THIS final scene surely wasn't, so I don't know what to say. The Unsullied are getting the shaft.

[blackzoid]

Damn it Stannis!
How has it come to pass that Roose is a better father?

This post has been edited by blackzoid: 08 June 2015 - 10:55 PM

[worry]

Exclusive look at the episode 10 screenplay:

Spoiler

[amphibian]

blackzoid, on 08 June 2015 - 10:51 PM, said:

Damn it Stannis!
How has it come to pass that Roose is a better father?

This is an interesting question: who is a better father - Stannis or Roose?

Roose didn't accept the bastard for a long time, but kinda embraced and encouraged Ramsay to be the violent sociopath he is out of something resembling paternal love and familial attachment/geopolitics. He's definitely keeping Ramsay alive and well as long as possible.

Stannis provided for Shireen's physical wellbeing, sought treatment for her greyscale, and allowed her some good to great companions, but remained very distant until he finally killed her for a possible magical power boost.

All in all, who's the better father?

[Gorefest]

Briar King, on 09 June 2015 - 01:09 AM, said:

Good thing they wrote Davos going back to the Wall or he may have pulled a Jaime move. Going to be interesting seeing his reaction.

Surely he knew what was to come? I'm not sure about the TV series Davos, he seems awfully weak-spined compared to the books. The book Davos would never have left, knowing what was to happen, despite Stannis ordering him to.

[Gorefest]

amphibian, on 09 June 2015 - 03:10 AM, said:

Stannis provided for Shireen's physical wellbeing, sought treatment for her greyscale, and allowed her some good to great companions, but remained very distant until he finally killed her for a possible magical power boost.

Well, to be fair, he did ask her permission.

[Terez]

Gorefest, on 09 June 2015 - 08:52 AM, said:

Briar King, on 09 June 2015 - 01:09 AM, said:

Good thing they wrote Davos going back to the Wall or he may have pulled a Jaime move. Going to be interesting seeing his reaction.

Surely he knew what was to come? I'm not sure about the TV series Davos, he seems awfully weak-spined compared to the books. The book Davos would never have left, knowing what was to happen, despite Stannis ordering him to.

I don't believe they ever discussed it in front of him. They would have known better. Davos was just trying to get Shireen away from battle and starvation.

This post has been edited by Terez: 09 June 2015 - 09:01 AM

[blackzoid]

amphibian, on 09 June 2015 - 03:10 AM, said:

blackzoid, on 08 June 2015 - 10:51 PM, said:

Damn it Stannis!
How has it come to pass that Roose is a better father?

This is an interesting question: who is a better father - Stannis or Roose?

Roose didn't accept the bastard for a long time, but kinda embraced and encouraged Ramsay to be the violent sociopath he is out of something resembling paternal love and familial attachment/geopolitics. He's definitely keeping Ramsay alive and well as long as possible.

Stannis provided for Shireen's physical wellbeing, sought treatment for her greyscale, and allowed her some good to great companions, but remained very distant until he finally killed her for a possible magical power boost.

All in all, who's the better father?

I am somewhat comparing them based on Rooses talk with Theon in Dance with Dragons, where he seems to be at a loss to the possibility of Ramsey killing any male children that Roose and Walda have. Based on that (and as you said, Roose weirdly did attempt to raise Ramsey in a horrible way) and Stannis's actions, I'd put Roose as been a better father then Stannis. So far. But honestly, if Roose was put in the same position as Stannis, I really struggle to see Roose saying no to burning Ramsey to get some weird magical boost.

Stannis in my mind is now a worse father then Tywin,Roose and Balon Greyjoy. Which I never thought to see.

[Cause]

The weird thing is in Westeros it should make little sense to someone like Stannis to become King if he has no heir and by this stage it seems unlikely he can make a new one.

[Terez]

He's a man; he can put aside his wife and make heirs as long as Walder Frey if he likes. Or he could legitimize Gendry. Show Melisandre would love that.

[Traveller]

So did anyone else think about the greyscale when Dany took Jorahs hand? I thought it was transferred by touch; is greyscale linked to dragons in anyway, making Targs immune?