Game of Thrones: non-book-reading thread

I honestly still find Game of Thrones perhaps the most ennui-less show on TV. I think it really comes down to the show's almost monstrously large cast and vast variety of characters - it can do predictably epic stuff like 'Jon leads an attack on Craster's Keep', but also solid character work like Tywin and Cersei, Cersei and Margaery, Arya and the Hound, Brienne and Podrick, Sansa and Lysa. There's always so many different threads running through an episode that when that lone Night's Watch deserter fled the scene of Craster's Keep I had two guesses as to who might kill him and they were both wrong because I'd forgotten about Ghost, Jon's direwolf.

The sheer quantity of stuff in Game of Thrones - and that it keeps all this stuff spinning - makes it not really quite like anything else on TV.


I'm really happy to reach the Alayne Stone part of Sansa's arc on the TV show, and they've been doing really well with it so far.

(Sidebar: I never liked the TV show's Moon Door. The books describe it as more of a door in a wall past which there is nothing - a vast empty space in the middle of the ground raises questions about how exactly the castle is built. Ever see a castle built on a mountain with a giant hole beneath the castle?)

The show depicts it as atop an arch, you just assume the moon door was drilled through the middle:



Not saying I like it either, but at least it makes some sense.

And, no matter how much you may hate a particular character's story, you're only ever going to get like 5 minutes of them per episode.

nowimnothing And the showrunners have confirmed they will combine both books (actually, Dany's plot is getting into book five material already) so it's not something show viewers ever have to worry about.

I was going to say the same. Did anyone consult a damn architect?? Half those turrets have nothing supporting their weight!

Fah and Fie! There's no magic left in Westeros.

I sure hope somebody was fired for that blunder. 

You're saying you think Tyrion's gonna kill Jayme? I don't think that will happen.

Not at all sure what will happen, though. They seem to have painted themselves into quite a corner here, which is pretty exciting.

Still can't watch any scene involving Reek. The minute I saw that bathtub I clicked to another tab because I was so sure it would be full of acid or something. So, I guess, good job for making me feel almost as traumatized as Reek himself there.

I've been thinking about how this show is basically all about bastards, huh? All of whom feel abandoned by their dads. Jon Snow deals with it by becoming, we suppose, a hero; Reek seems about to betray his family; Tyrion is having a super shitty couple of weeks. And there's that awesome new guy, whats-his-name.

Jaimie is the last person on Earth to sympathize with Tyrion besides Bronn. He just revealed to Tywin "I spared your life so you could kill my brother?". Jaimie is head of the king's guard, so he'd be in the logical position to fight on behalf of the state (or able to prevent some other knight from doing it). Jaimie is either gonna fight for Tyrion against him.

Consider Tyrion's second choice, Bronn, as the latter termed himself. Bronn is fundamentally a sell-sword. He won't fight for Tyrion because he is as practical as Varys: Tyrion can no longer beat the price ("if the day comes when you should betray me..."). Bronn might conceivably be hired to fight for the crown as another twist of the knife, plus he's maybe a knight now? (season 3, ep 1: "knights get more"). If that happened I'm sure he would fight Jaimie, explaining the replacement of Illyn Payne in the book's lefty training. Bronn said earlier that if they used real weapons, he'd win.

I can see Jaimie sacrificing himself (out-schemed by Tywin, abandoned by his sister love) if Tyrion is mad enough to fight against him personally. I can also Jaimie being killed by Bronn while championing Tyrion. Or perhaps any other decent knight can kill Jaimie now. Either way, Jaime dies (the foreshadowing of his blank history of in the king's guard record, "there's still time"). That would cause Tyrion the most pain, so I think it's the most likely.

Not that this negates your theory, but for what it's worth, the reason they replaced Illyn Payne with Bronn is because the actor who plays Illyn Payne got cancer and decided not to seek treatment, so they retired the character.

You may have already known this.

Oof. I don't like this scenario at all, because I like both Jamie AND Bronn, and I'd hate to see either go, though Bronn would seem more likely in this scenario.

I think Tyrion dying at this point would be too much for the show and the audience, after last season's bloodbath. He's another fan favorite.

(Next episode: Tyrion, Bronn, and Jamie all die).

My only previous exposure to her was in the Tudors, so I was not expecting her to be this good. At all. 

Prisoner-slaves that have no choice in being his target practice. 

I am glad non-book readers were able to keep up with that given the actor changes. Perhaps Gregor's little speech helped remind everyone who he is.