THE GAME OF THRONES/ASOIAF SPOILER THREAD (WARNING: SPOILERS)

it needs to feel like oberyn might actually beat the mountain, in fact it needs to feel like fuck yes he's gonna beat him. But they've done nothing to establish his combat bona fides. He is coming off as a badass, sure, but mostly an intellectual one.

how many gd times do we need it established that he is a sensualist

dedicate 1 minute of that time to showing him practicing with his weapon ffs

The bit where the Dornish send what's-his-name

His name was Oliver or something.

But they've done nothing to establish his combat bona fides.

That scene in the brothel where he stabs a Lannister guard through his wrist?

they need a little more than that. I mean he reveals his plan to use a poison spear doesn't he?

Balon's not dead yet, right? Didn't Mel make a bloodleech with his name on it?

still alive and yes there was a balon leech. given how the show likes to roll things up i wonder if they will have jaqen kill him.

well, he should be dead already, but considering the show changed the plot of the books of having Theon's sister be "I must save my baby brother" -- in the books, she goes back to the mainland because of the outcome of the succession, right?

it needs to feel like oberyn might actually beat the mountain, in fact it needs to feel like fuck yes he's gonna beat him. But they've done nothing to establish his combat bona fides. He is coming off as a badass, sure, but mostly an intellectual one.

― Khamma chameleon (Jon Lewis), Tuesday, May 13, 2014 5:46 PM (2 hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

how many gd times do we need it established that he is a sensualist

― Khamma chameleon (Jon Lewis), Tuesday, May 13, 2014 5:46 PM (2 hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

dedicate 1 minute of that time to showing him practicing with his weapon ffs

― Khamma chameleon (Jon Lewis), Tuesday, May 13, 2014 5:47 PM (2 hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

otoh, is there not an argument that they're deliberately wanting to make that a bit of a reveal in and of itself? Like, having viewers respond to his volunteering to fight the Mountain with a raised eyebrow - "What, this guy's going to fight the Mountain?!"

And then have them all be bowled over when he turns out to be a supremo-badass? idk, I feel that the "Fuck yes he's gonna beat him!" moment can come during the fight itself rather than in the build-up

Perhaps they want to turn his poisoned spear into a METAPHOR first, do you see.

all METAPHORS must be underscored by Littlefinger voiceovers

Using his Treacle Jr. voice/accent.

good point Windsor. That'd be dramaturgically sound.

Rate they're going, doesn't seem like there'll be much AFFC material sneaking in this season. Guessing Mountain v Viper will be key event piece of S8, the battle of the wall of S9, and Tyrion offing Tywin of S10.

depends on the story though. They're already deep into Dany and Theon's ADwD material and bran, presuming no more detours, isn't far behind really. Brienne, too, is already beginning her AFFC stuff.

Just checked and the final episode is called 'The Children', so we have a rough idea of what to expect from Bran's storyline in that one.

Good job consolidating Rory and Biter - I forget what happens in the books, they follow Brienne onto some hill or something?

Brienne runs into Gendry and the brotherhood and ends up assaulted by those two, or something like that and I believe barely survives? who knows, that book is so bad.

They meet Brienne at the Inn at the Crossroads, which has been taken over by children and Gendry. Brienne kills Rorge, is attacked by Biter, passes out, and is picked up by the brotherhood without banners.

I dropped the show and started reading book four instead. I'm mainly interested in the world and the backstory, and the show skimped on that to make place for all the rape. I liked most of book four, but I'm quite amused at how GRRM ever thought this strategy would be okay with his audience. Waiting five years, and then half the story has been held back, to make place for four Dorne-chapters which is basically Arianne trying to do something but being imediately foiled. Like, what was he thinking? Just write until it seems like a book, release, keep on writing. Man, it is weird.

Oh I guess that's how Brienne ends up there

Can't help thinking of the Simpsons "I call the big one Bitey" when Biter is mentioned

Similarly, next episode I am for sure going to be thinking "His name is Robert Paulsen"

http://insidetv.ew.com/2014/05/21/game-of-thrones-spain/

TV’s most globe-trotting series is preparing to add another country to its passport. Sources say HBO’s Game of Thrones is looking to film part of season 5 in Spain. The HBO fantasy hit is currently scouting locations in the Andalucia region of the country and is deep in talks with a local film commission.

[...]

While fans of George R.R. Martin’s novels will certainly have their theories, we cannot reveal which part of the increasingly expansive world of Game of Thrones that Spain will help depict.

That's the flimsiest SHHHH I've ever seen.

Spain feels a little too on the nose tbh

Everything about Dorne is on the nose

it could be Braavos

Aah yeah, kind of assumed they'd already filmed on location after the Daavos speech scene.

Good point. I always pictured Braavos as Venice, though.

Mixed with Amsterdam.

Yeah, where would they film Braavos in Spain? Could be Pentos and the roads that Tyrion are travelling on. But nah, it's Dorne.

Aren't we getting close to the point in the story where Arya goes to Braavos?

i always thought of highgarden/the reach as spain but iirc nothing happens there in the books ever

isn't Highgarden more like France to Dorne's Spain?

the reach does seem more frenchy. tbh tho you can make a very strong case for everywhere in westeros being britain with dorne then tacked on the bottom, which i imagine is m/l exactly what the creative process was. dorne being spanishy seems p straightforward. braavos being broadly venetian seems right too. pentos they have already filmed of course, altho i don't know where that was.

as for book action in the reach, we have the oldtown chapters i guess. it is funny the odds and ends that the show is going to have to find a way to deal with or ignore. the stuff in oldtown as an example seems like it is going to be consequential at some point, but who's to say they can transplant that elsewhere.

She probably will be/should be in Braavos by next season, but it's probably going to be Dorne that is set in Spain

Looking forward to seeing Areo Hotah and Arys Oakhart, what rich characters

Looking forward to seeing Arianne Martell/whichever starlet they cast as her nakked.

Which one is she? The main princess?

I'm probably the only person who found the dorne stuff a snooze but got into the Ironborn business.

Yeah, Doran's eldest and the heir to Dorne.

I have completely forgotten the machinations of that plot. A coworker is reading books 4 & 5 together, alternating chapters. I don't know that it would clarify the narrative but it might make the sloggiest parts a little easier to take.

In AFFC, Arianne abducted Myrcella to make her queen because she was mad at her father for wanting to disinherit her several years before. It didn't make a ton of sense, and didn't amount to a lot.

i always thought of dorne as sicily - deep south, sun-bleached, full of vengeful princes

She only thought Doran wanted to disinherit her -- he's supposedly in on Varys's Targaryon restoraton scheme and was saving her Aegon.

Well, Doran was saving her for Viserys. Once Viserys died he wanted Oberyn to marry Daenerys instead. Haven't read the Dorne-chapters from ADWD yet.

You're right -- Viserys.

You can make a very strong case for everywhere in westeros being britain with dorne then tacked on the bottom

Or everywhere in Westeros being Britain through a mirror, with the Lands of Always Winter being tacked on the top.

http://i.imgur.com/S4INh.png

Stereotyped European climates/cultures extra, no charge.

Making King's Landing, what, Liverpool?

http://winteriscoming.net/2014/05/23/characters-confirmed-game-thrones-season-5-new-details/

i wonder if they could've done the dorne and iron island storylines outside the main series, like mini series spinoffs on one-off specials or something. i guess that gives them even less material for the main series but there is something narratively satisfying about the idea imo.

The Sand Snakes, Oberyn Martell’s bastard daughters (with ages ranging 18-25):

I see the producers are keeping their options open.

braavos is more like amsterdam than venice i think