Game Of Thrones - Book/TV discussions - WITH SPOILERS

I don't think we'll see any big names die in the show that haven't already died in the books. Too many connected threads and all. Probably what we will see is a continued compressing of timelines and events like they did with Arya and Harrenhal in S2- if they set it up properly they save money on casting and location shooting plus cut out smaller characters that die anyway in the future. Theon, Bran, and Rickon still have big parts to come so I think they're safe. Killing Asha would require someone else to lead the Iron Islanders during their bit in AFFC/ADWD in order to get the last battle parts with Ramsay to match up right, might be more trouble than it's worth. Plus I have a feeling she'll play a role in the end of Theon's tale somehow.

 

In a rather glorious moment of "life imitating art", the actor who plays Greatjon Umber had his ear bitten off in a bar fight:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-tyne-21927889

 

Whoa Grantland posted this YT video with the two showrunners about how they got the rights to the show from GRRM to make it. At the end of their talk he asked them a question quizzing them to check if they read the books. The answer isn't in the books, but he was thinking if you loved the books and thought about it, you'd have an answer. The question was "So who is Jon Snow's real mother?"

I'm about to gear up and read the books again to go through this to see if I can figure this out, but I googled and the popular theory seems to be

Spoiler

Lyanna. Other theories go on to suggest his father was Rhaegar.

 

I know I posted up a link to the whole John Snow's parentage question, but I can't find it. Gimme a sec...


Holy shit, it's angelfire. Spoilered for link:

Spoiler

http://www.angelfire.com/ma4/mlarchives/faq/jon.html

And I agree with Parker's statement:

Spoiler

Lyanna and Rhaegar

 

The popular theory would make a lot of sense moving forward in the story. I would say it almost has to be the correct theory but Martin likes to build things up just to fuck with us readers.

 

Yes. Don't click the spoiler if you don't want it spelled out more explicitly.

Spoiler

Rhaegar didn't kidnap her, they eloped and she died in childbirth. Hence the 'bed of blood' and 'promise me Ned' plus all the shit he put up with with his wife for his bastard and why he's a main focus in the books/show. Not confirmed by GRRM but seems to fit very well w/ the evidence while all the 'confirmed' in-world answers (i.e. what Ned told Robert et. al) doesn't work as well.

 

Yep, there's also a possibility he might be

Spoiler

Azor Ahai, the Prince that was Promised, which would mean that Melisandre might bring him back if his wound is as serious as suggested at the end of Dance with Dragons. Not quite sure how "Born Amid Salt and Smoke" would work though... Lyanna's tears? Still doesn't explain the smoke

 

I had a 30 minute window yesterday where I was feeling dumb because "Who is Jon Snow's real mother" was a question I wasn't actively asking while reading.

 

Tom, Ned recalls that he and Howland Reed pulled the tower down after their group eek out a win over the three Kingsguard with Lyanna. Pretty destructive, fire could have been literal or figurative.

Anyway.

 

Spoiler

Remember the 'reborn' part. I think if he is AA his resurrection will cover the salt and blood bit. One of the NW dudes that stabbed him was crying, that could be part of it. Also I don't have the book in front of me but I feel like some shit may have been on fire when he died, that would do for the smoke. Or there will be smoke at his 'funeral', who knows. Other theories point to AA and 'the dragon has three heads' being related so it may be that each head will cover a part of the prophecy. Lots of stuff still up in the air. I have a feeling though that the ultimate reveal will surprise us all somehow.

 

Funny pic

 

Seeing Qyburn just gave me super chills/shakes. Like, a full body shudder of horribleness.

 

ERMAGHERD GEMEFTHRENS!!!!

Seriously, for people who're planning on having 2 seasons just for Storm of Swords they're doing some serious storyline compressing. I swear Barristan Selmy doesn't show up until something like midway through Feast for Crows, what's he doing here? Not complaining though, some things

FUCKING MEREEN

Need to be compressed.

 

What's interesting to me is that Storm seems like you could cut out ~600 pages for the sake of a TV show and still be pretyt much on track storywise so I'm surprised they decided to do two seasons.

I can only dread them doing Dance in two seasons, unless they do Feast and Dance in two seasons overall (which would make sense chronologically), but Dance has so much pointless navel gazing on its own that I hope they don't drag it out.

 

The most interesting part is that they are carrying HBO right now. They could easily do 12 episodes a season, but they're sticking with 2. How dare they.

 

Holy shit I hope this is the direction they're actually going with this.

 

You know what? If they pull that off, I'd fucking applaud them. This is some clever shit that is actually WAY better than what happens in the books. They would have done something that is BETTER than what is in the books, that'd be a fucking feat.

 

Actually...(spoiler cut for huge nerdery)

Spoiler

In the books, it's heavily implied that Tywin knew of the Westerling wedding, and corresponded with her parents to fuck Robb's shit up. It's quite subtle and only comes up in a couple of places...

“The Crag is not so far from Tarbeck Hall and Castamere,” Tyrion pointed out. “You’d think the Westerlings might have ridden past and seen the lesson there.”
“Mayhaps they have,” Lord Tywin said. “They are well aware of Castamere, I promise you.”
“Could the Westerlings and Spicers be such great fools as to believe the wolf can defeat the lion?”
Every once in a very long while, Lord Tywin Lannister would actually threaten to smile; he never did, but the threat alone was terrible to behold. “The greatest fools are ofttimes more clever than the men who laugh at them,” he said

AND

From the last Jaime chapter in AFfC:

Jeyne burst from her chair and would have fled the room if the guard at the door had not seized her by the arm. “She is not with child,” said Lady Sybell, as her daughter struggled to escape. “I made certain of that, as your lord father bid me.”
Jaime nodded. Tywin Lannister was not a man to overlook such details. “Unhand the girl,” he said, “I’m done with her for now.” As Jeyne fled sobbing down the stairs, he considered her mother. “House Westerling has its pardon, and your brother Rolph has been made Lord of Castamere. What else would you have of us?

I figured Jeyne was innocent and her parents tried to placate Tywin.. would be interested if they went to make her full on complicit.

 

Holy shit, is anyone else watching that episode now 75% in the Talisa theory? I'm almost balls deep, watching the scene she had last night just fits into it so well.

 

How so? She eagerly joined the Blackfish and Cat in trying to talk Robb out of fucking himself. The video 99% convinced me but I don't see how that scene reinforces it.