Game of Thrones Maesters Thread

[Brian Fowler]

The thing GRRM said way way back in the first season is ringing true.  It's the butterfly effect.  The small changes they made in season one (i.e. not having Jeyne Pool go with them to King's Landing) are turning into massive changes now (Ramsey marrying the real Sansa Stark instead of Jeyne posing as a fake Arya Stark in that example.)

 

The first season was remarkably faithful to the book, and the second season was almost as close.  But those little bits, dropped characters, skipped over minor subplots, combined two characters into one, etc....  They've added up.  Plus, of course, now that they are running out of books, well, this is what we get right now.

 

I think this season is still salvageable with a strong finish, and there are pieces in place.  We're on an odd numbered season, so we're back to episode nine rips your heart out (as opposed to even numbered seasons where episode 9 is one fucking huge battle) and the stabbing of Jon Snow is right there.  The downfall of Cersei.  Maybe the murder of Ser Kevan by Varys? 

 

Hell, maybe Dany finally fucking does something, which would be a huge improvement on both the show and the books so far.  (Early on she was my absolute favorite character, but christ she's just been half-way round the world biding her time and getting into quagmires for decades now I think.)

[Jrag]

We will see how this all plays out, but I find myself more upset with Martin than the HBO guys. This dude has spent the last 5 years going to conventions, working on side projects and raking in the HBO $$. Dude hasn't lived up to his end of the bargain in my mind. It's why I will give the HBO guys a long leash.

[Hail Sabin]

The Girl who hosts a local Trivia night is a massive Dany fan and yeah Dany needs to do something which is why for the season 4 Blu Ray I wanted any other house besides Targaryen but sadly they sold out of all the other houses before I got there.

[J.T.]

I am not sure why folks are so outraged over Sansa's rape.  Yes it was distasteful but I think we all knew that given the Bolton's track record, bad things were going to happen to her under Bolton stewardship.  I think that people focusing on the act itself are not appreciating the the bigger narrative. 

 

The lesser of two evils for Sansa is marrying the son of the man who killed her mother (kinda sorta) and brother rather than stay in King's Landing and risk facing Cersei's wrath for Sansa's assumed role in Joffrey's assassination.  Totally tragic but Sansa lived long enough to see Joffrey snuff it and Ramsay may get his as well sooner or later.

 

I hope I will be surprised by Theon growing a pair (pardon the pun) and snuffing Ramsay.  Assholes may hold high cards at first but eventually they all seem to get what's coming to them.

 

I am digging the seeds being sown for Cersei's walk of shame.   It will be a thing of beauty when her smug attitude gives way to a shaved head and walking butt naked through the streets.

 

So, Jon will get his ass stabbed in the second to last episode and Lady Stonebrow will show up in the season finale.  That is my prediction.

[Brian Fowler]

Finally, something might happen with Dany.

Plus Cersei getting hers and seeing Jorah be a bad ass and Sam trying to be a bad ass and Ghost and... You know what? This here was a damn good episode.

[Raziel]

Considering the outrage over the Sansa rape, shit, I really don't want to be near the net when the Walk of Shame happens.

[EVA]

I would bet that ends up being significantly different from the books. Definitely much smaller. I would be extremely surprised (impressed?) if an actress of Lena Headey's stature committed to going all the way on the book's version of that.

[odessasteps]

Considering the outrage over the Sansa rape, shit, I really don't want to be near the net when the Walk of Shame happens.

The walk of shame is a heel getting their comeuppance.

But yeah, im sure it will be villified in certain quarters.

[goodhelmet]

I would bet that ends up being significantly different from the books. Definitely much smaller. I would be extremely surprised (impressed?) if an actress of Lena Headey's stature committed to going all the way on the book's version of that.

 

Body double

[Hail Sabin]

I Loved Ser Friendzone kicking all kinds of ass and Dany was loving it to until he revealed himself to her.

[odessasteps]

I would bet that ends up being significantly different from the books. Definitely much smaller. I would be extremely surprised (impressed?) if an actress of Lena Headey's stature committed to going all the way on the book's version of that.

 

Body double

She does have a lot of tattoos to cover up to go naked.

[J.T.]

Finally, something might happen with Dany.

Plus Cersei getting hers and seeing Jorah be a bad ass and Sam trying to be a bad ass and Ghost and... You know what? This here was a damn good episode.

 

 Now that Dany has met Tyrion, navigating uncharted waters is becoming the norm.

 

Ghost warging out of thin air is the Jon Snow Is Not Dead out that you all will need at the end of the season

[Raziel]

Cersei's smug look slowly turning into an "Oh Shit" face as her meeting with the High Septon went south, then seeing Lancel appear was great.  

 

Fucking annoyed that they rendered the ending scene last week meaningless as Theon just ratted Sansa out and no Brienne-signal.  

[J.T.]

I forgot all about Brienne.   There is hope for proper Sansa vengeance yet.  She will make Ramsay her bitch and all will be well in the North.

 

This is the one time where I prefer the novels to the new divergence.   Sansa in the hands of the Bolton's makes me sad.  I prefer Sansa being safe and unviolated as Mistress of the Aerie.

 

Speaking of Brienne, I don't miss Lady Stoneheart not being in the series.   She really added nothing to the books IMO and I didn't like Catelyn Stark as a character anyway.  

 

The lynching of Podrick and Brienne would've been a nice cliffhanger though and the "Fuck This Show" people would've been rewarded with Pod and Brienne's survival.... which wouldn't be poetic license since it happens in the books.

[Matt D]

I forgot all about Brienne.   There is hope for proper Sansa vengeance yet.  She will make Ramsay her bitch and all will be well in the North.

 

 

The issue that people have is that Brienne vengeance isn't the same as Sansa vengeance. Nor is Stannis vengeance. At the same time, Ramsey is so low on the totem pole. He's a monster, but so below the real bads. He's a mid-card heel at best. He's not Tully, let alone Flair. He's one of Paul Jones' goons. 

[supremebve]

Does anyone have any idea what is going on in Dorne at this point?

 

Why would Tyene poision Bronn if she was only going to give him the antidote?  This episode was a step up from the last few, but the Dornish plot still makes no sense to me at all.

[J.T.]

Why would Tyene poision Bronn if she was only going to give him the antidote?

 

Respect.  And Bronn would be dead as a doornail if he had not given Tyene the props she deserved.

[J.T.]

 

I forgot all about Brienne.   There is hope for proper Sansa vengeance yet.  She will make Ramsay her bitch and all will be well in the North.

 

The issue that people have is that Brienne vengeance isn't the same as Sansa vengeance. Nor is Stannis vengeance. At the same time, Ramsey is so low on the totem pole. He's a monster, but so below the real bads. He's a mid-card heel at best. He's not Tully, let alone Flair. He's one of Paul Jones' goons. 

 

Now that Stannis is biding his time, his menace has faded a bit and he's just another douchebag like Cersei enjoying petty torments.   Ramsay is the heel putting asses in seats right now.  If Brienne separated his frick from his frack in the most painful manner possible, the world would erupt in pure joy.

[BobbyWhioux]

Does anyone have any idea what is going on in Dorne at this point?

 

Why would Tyene poision Bronn if she was only going to give him the antidote?  This episode was a step up from the last few, but the Dornish plot still makes no sense to me at all.

 

And why would she use an ultimately lethal but slow-to-manifest poison when as far as they know they're going to be fighting Dornish people (incuding the crown prince Trystane) to get to Myrcella, who they want to make suffer in retaliation for Oberyn.

 

And why is their vengeance in Oberyn's name taking the form of something Oberyn himself was vehemently against (hurting/killing little girls).

 

And if she meant it for Jaime/whoever was coming with him all along, did she plan on intentionally failing and being arrested alongside them so she could save them and prove a point?

 

Did she sabotage the Sand Snakes plot just to get closer to Bronn, unable to resist his Latino Heat manly charms?  Is she turning on the other Sand Snakes?

 

Did the poison only effect boners?  Is that why she got naked for him?  Again, why would poison experts choose this sort of poison when the target is a young girl?  Did she really just want to strip all along?

 

Who fucking knows.  Who fucking cares.

 

Vince Russo is booking Dorne.

 

That's just how I deal with it.

[J.T.]

 

Does anyone have any idea what is going on in Dorne at this point?

 

Why would Tyene poision Bronn if she was only going to give him the antidote?  This episode was a step up from the last few, but the Dornish plot still makes no sense to me at all.

 

And why would she use an ultimately lethal but slow-to-manifest poison when as far as they know they're going to be fighting Dornish people (incuding the crown prince Trystane) to get to Myrcella, who they want to make suffer in retaliation for Oberyn.

 

And why is their vengeance in Oberyn's name taking the form of something Oberyn himself was vehemently against (hurting/killing little girls).

 

And if she meant it for Jaime/whoever was coming with him all along, did she plan on intentionally failing and being arrested alongside them so she could save them and prove a point?

 

Tyene had no intention of saving Bronn if he didn't show some respect.   She was toying with his life.

 

And that poison put some wear and tear on Bronn's ass before he got the antidote.  I imagine that Myrcella would've suffered a great deal before she died.   Bronn's dose hit him faster because Tyene's striptease was meant to arouse Bronn.  His increased heart rate made the poison act faster.

 

No assassin makes an attempt on someone's life with the intent to fail.  The Sand Snakes had the bad luck to have one and a half of Westeros's finest swordsmen there when they tried to kill Myrcella.

[Raziel]

As long as in the next two weeks, we get Doran's "You fucking idiot, you almost fucked up my shit.  I've been playing the long game for near 20 years and I'm almost ready to land the final blow." speech, I'll be decent with the Dorne shit.

[Matt D]

I was pretty okay with the Tyene shows her superiority scene. It fit the general sense of immaturity, but generally got them over as dangerous as nothing else has so far. As for why the dagger was poisoned? Maybe she had two? It was the emergency one? 

[Raziel]

And another thing:

 

Where the hell has Ghost been all season, and if Jon's heading off with the Wildlings beyond the Wall, why the hell didn't he take Ghost with him?

[J.T.]

And another thing:

 

Where the hell has Ghost been all season, and if Jon's heading off with the Wildlings beyond the Wall, why the hell didn't he take Ghost with him?

 

As much as I would like to think that Ghost is always close to Jon and hangs back far enough to not be noticed, I have to write Ghost's absence from last season as writer's being lazy and forgetting all about him.

 

Speaking of wargs where has Bran been.... shit.. actually I don't want to know nor do I want to see it in an episode this season.

[BobbyWhioux]

Well that's easy.

 

Ghost has adopted Sam.  It's a classic tale of a Dog and his Boy.

 

 

EDIT:  I mean this is at least the third time Ghost has saved Sam's butt, right?