Game of thrones season 5!!!9 sleeps!

[fireandblood]

Anyone else counting down the days! I actually get nervous thinking about it. I have re watched all series and reading the books to pass the time.

Can't wait to see what they do with Sansa and Tyrion this series. And will we see the hound again and lady stone heart?

Have to say finding the new series a bit lacklustre waiting for Sansa to turn badass can't say I'm that interested in daenerys or arya either.

Also loved Jon snows dinner party he's just so northern!!

I don't know, you see - I'm concerned that now the series is developing without the 'restrictions' of the books' plots I think they're actually going to start becoming a little more predictable. I think certain characters WILL become safe because the showrunners aren't going to be prepared to face the wrath of the fans if certain characters get chopped - they can't afford to lose certain fan favourites in the same way GRRM can (I think authors are more free to pursue artistic integrity in this manner than screenwriters). So Arta, for example, is safe - probably Jon Snurr, Cersei and Dany too. And definitely Tyrion. There is no way they will risk those cash cows until they absolutely have to.

For those who disagree, it has already happened with one character - Bronn. His character disappeared in book 2 I think, yet he proved to be such a popular character that they kept him on, making him replace other characters and now completely fabricating story lines for him. They simply couldn't afford to lose such a fan favourite. Same might be said for Jaquen H'gar, who also replaces a character (although that might prove to be an accurate replacement, given he is a Faceless Man) - feedback for the character has been so positive that he had to be brought back.

I think it's a big shame as the unpredictable nature of life, death and treachery as at the root of the whole story and I think it has been removed for the sake of commercialism.

*Arya

Maybe they should send in for the Spooks writers.

Bronn wasn't killed off in the book though, was he?

And they've killed Barristan Selmy, who's still alive in the book, I think.

I really doubt that they'd hold back from killing a major character who is going to die in GRRM's version.

No, but my point about Bronn is that he is a ratings favourite so they kept him in despite the fact he no longer features in the books, even going so far as to completely make up a story in order for them to do so. And much as I love Barristan Selmy, he is a much more minor character.

My point is that the rest of the plot is as yet unwritten, so the writers have a much free-er reign over who lives and dies, and I think Tyrion/Arya/Dany/Jon/Cersei ARE safe until quite near the end, where they will die if they absolutely have to but will be avoiding doing so for as long as possible. These are the most popular big characters left and so I don't think they will risk killing them off until the bitter end, or maybe the very end of series 6 (if it truly is going to be 7 series long). Fan reactions are a big consideration for film/ tv, more than for books - films routinely have their whole endings changed based on test audience reactions. I think we'll see unexpected deaths now of more minor characters (Ramsey Bolton, Littlefinger, Tommen etc) or newer characters whose losses will not effect the show too much but still provide the much needed 'omg who's gonna die unexpectedly next??' Factor or, as I like to call it, the Hollyoaks factor (bringing lots of new characters in purely to have people to kill off dramatically in the not too distant future).

The only ones who I think might be exempt from this who could be considered 'at risk' are:

• Jaime and Sansa - both wild cards as they are long standing 'big' characters who have fanbases but who aren't quite as integral as the 5 I listed above.
• Jorah and Davos - both popular and longstanding, but more minor characters.
• Stannis - I think he's had such a slow burning build up with a growing fanbase but is ideally placed as an unexpected death - I can see it being a turning point as he is touted as the only real hope.

Bronn is the show's creation really though. He didn't randomly become a fan favourite, it's because he was given some killer lines. They consciously adapted him to provide a bit of light relief, IMO.

You are probably right about the return of the Jaqen actor, because as a Faceless Man he could be anybody. But it is less confusing for viewers to use the same actor, so I can see why they did it this way.

By "unwritten", I think you must mean that the rest of the plot is not available for the public to read. But the show writers don't have a blank sheet.

It is very interesting to speculate how far they might go independently of GRRM's plans. However, there are some constraints.

If they killed off Stannis, would his daughter (Sheereen?) be a credible claimant for the Iron Throne in his place?

If they killed off Tommen, Marcella would be his heir unless Margaery was pregnant. Similar issues there, but I suppose Marcella would have the Lannister machine behind her.

I think Bran will be in there to the bitter end because he clearly has some kind of mystical/magical role to perform, probably to do with the White Walkers.

Still waiting for Nymeria to return! But I doubt we'll see that till Arya returns to Westeros, if/when that happens. I want to see more of the direwolves in general. Are we seeing much of Ghost at Castle Black?

In a way we're getting "spoilers" for the books by watching the show.

GRRM says he has given them some guidelines.

If Ser Baristan is dead, it means he wsn't intended for anything super-critical in the books.
The things he willl do in the books will either be unimportant or can be covered by other characters.

e.g. He's not going to be the one to tell Jon about his true parentage, he's not going to be a dragonrider, he's not going to end up as king on the Iron Throne, he's not going to kill the ultimate white walker and in doing so kill all of them.
(not that any of those were extremely likely, but now we know they are not going to happen)

THe last two GoT novels are so full of new characters I didn't find I wanted to know about that I think the scriptwriters have made some good cuts--making the narrative arc more convincing.

Yes, I'm not feeling the loss of the endless Greyjoy shenanigans on Pyke!

Me too, not a likeable character among them. Although Balon Greyjoy hasn't been killed off so far as we know, and wasn't he one of the "three usurpers" in Melisandre's leech spell that supposedly saw off Robb and Joffrey? Seems like a dangling thread there.

I also felt the whole Griff party seemed to have been shoehorned in, so I'm not missing them. Sounds like they're a red herring then.

I think it's a bit of a shame Arianne Martell has been "absorbed" by the Sand Snakes. I mean I can see why they've made that choice, just...I liked her as a character.

I have no problem with Bronn being kept around, fan-service or not, tbh. I enjoyed the Bronn / Jaime shenanigans last episode

I love Bronn and Jaime. I do find Jaime attractive. He and Jon Snow really do things to my blood pressure. One is so naughty and one is so stern in that appealing very young man's way.

DOn't get the Stannis love. This is a man who lets Mel burn people alive and send horrible shadow 'things' to kill his enemies. But agree that at least he would be hot on grammar if he won the war.

The Sand Snake that interests me most is the one in Oldtown. Whether or not she makes it into the show, I'd love to see Oldtown. Sam's mention of it this week gives me hope that we might get to see it.

Abraid agree about Jamie and Jon!

I've only read the first book so I know nothing (!) but why doesn't melisandre just keep doing her black smoke trick to all of stannis's challengers? Surely if she did it once with such success that's the easiest way? Someone with much more knowledge come and tell me why this isn't possible please?

Feel like this season is slower moving, they seem to concentrate on 2 or 3 characters in an episode rather than flitting around between them all, still liking it though!

Wondering at the lack of griff and his son.... They probably aren't destined for anything interesting in the books then.

But agree that at least he would be hot on grammar if he won the war.

Will we see him burn people for saying less things instead of fewer things, though?

I suspect we will. And he'll let Mel experiment on people who don't use they're/their/there correctly.

Firm, but fair.

I wouldn't like to see how they'd deal with people who write of when they mean have. I think Stannis would give Melisandre a free hand.

Ooooh, do you mean the shadow baby, even? It would mean a lot of shagging for Mellie.

Think it just took a lot out of Melissandre so she can't do it too often. Plus they need royal blood (which is possibly why she's got Shireen with them, seeing as how Davos let Gendry go). I think she needs a lot ie it would need to be a sacrifice in order for it to work, which is presumably why she hasn't just used Stannis.

Ups missed that bit, but surely she could conjure up some octuplets.

Stannis is a man after my own heart.