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"Edd, fetch me a block," and other book dialogue:


Davos is King

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Eh, doesn't bother me that much. It's pretty much D&D teasing the book readers whenever they change a really beloved line from the books, such as "Your sister' instead of "Only Cat" for example. The scene was well handled even without that line.



I'd like it if they include Aemon's words before he dies. "Egg, I dreamed I was old". Oh the feels. I should think they will, considering I recall one of D&D saying that that is one of their favorite last words of any character in the series.


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I wanted the Stannis and Slynt convo when Stannis is asked by one of Slynts little puppets............"Who else would be better then Lord Janos? Who commanded the gold cloaks in Kings Landing, he commanded the gold so who better then to command the black?"



Stannis......."Any of you I would imagine.......Even the cook'



Also after the battle of castle black I really wanted.........."STANNIS STANNIS STANNIS!!!!!!"



As far as scenes I really wanted to see Godfry the giant slayer hack of a giants head in the battle. I just wish at least 1 of Stannis knights was cast in the show, Justin Massey, Clayton Suggs, The Giant slayer etc, just any of them. Its only Stannis Mel and Davos from his camp. With Selyse every once and awhile


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Say whatever you want about the show, whether you like it as an adaptation or on its own. But remove character's iconic lines and replace them with similar ones is... silly. Really, it serves no purpose.



In the case of "Edd, fetch me a block", putting aside all the scenery of Jon cleaning his sword, which makes a nod to Ned in the first book after he killed the deserter, the phrase itself takes the reader by surprise a bit after he mentions this. "Edd, fetch me a block? A block? How can you hang a man with a b--- oh... he's beheading him? Like Ned. He's doing it on his own!". Even GRRM himself realised it was a mistake to make Jon hang Slynt instead of doing the work on his own*. We're supposed to come to that conclusion.



"Olly, bring me my sword" plainly tells you what he's doing.




*somewhere in the archives of the board there is one thread about a reading of Martin of that one chapter of Jon. Jon here actually orders to hang Slynt, and it was the audience who made Martin remember he shouldn't have done that but kill him himself.


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Say whatever you want about the show, whether you like it as an adaptation or on its own. But remove character's iconic lines and replace them with similar ones is... silly. Really, it serves no purpose.

In the case of "Edd, fetch me a block", putting aside all the scenery of Jon cleaning his sword, which makes a nod to Ned in the first book after he killed the deserter, the phrase itself takes the reader by surprise a bit after he mentions this. "Edd, fetch me a block? A block? How can you hang a man with a b--- oh... he's beheading him? Like Ned. He's doing it on his own!". Even GRRM himself realised it was a mistake to make Jon hang Slynt instead of doing the work on his own*. We're supposed to come to that conclusion.

"Olly, bring me my sword" plainly tells you what he's doing.

*somewhere in the archives of the board there is one thread about a reading of Martin of that one chapter of Jon. Jon here actually orders to hang Slynt, and it was the audience who made Martin remember he shouldn't have done that but kill him himself.

I have always wondered how GRRM could have forgotten that...

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*somewhere in the archives of the board there is one thread about a reading of Martin of that one chapter of Jon. Jon here actually orders to hang Slynt, and it was the audience who made Martin remember he shouldn't have done that but kill him himself.

I agree with you and I remember hearing about Martin's thought process on this (oh, those clever, helpful fans!) I would also point out that throwing a man from the top of the Wall with the end of a long rope around his neck is also just plain silly. It would just be beheading him in a different manner (i.e. his head would very likely be torn clean off under those circumstances).

Yes, having Jon remember Ned's teachings and do the deed himself is so incredibly appropriate and another great bit of characterization...that was simply skipped in the show because characterization apparently doesn't matter.

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I agree with you and I remember hearing about Martin's thought process on this (oh, those clever, helpful fans!) I would also point out that throwing a man from the top of the Wall with the end of a long rope around his neck is also just plain silly. It would just be beheading him in a different manner (i.e. his head would very likely be torn clean off under those circumstances).

Yes, having Jon remember Ned's teachings and do the deed himself is so incredibly appropriate and another great bit of characterization...that was simply skipped in the show because characterization apparently doesn't matter.

Except that in the show Jon did do it himself... And it was very reminiscent of both Eddard's deserter scene and his own beheading in season 1. Not to mention Robb beheading Karstark, Theon beheading Rodrik, and Jon attempting to behead Ygritte.

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Except that in the show Jon did do it himself... And it was very reminiscent of both Eddard's deserter scene and his own beheading in season 1. Not to mention Robb beheading Karstark and Theon beheading Rorick.

Um, I didn't say that Jon didn't do the deed himself. You've just said, basically, that all those things have one thing in common: they're all beheadings. Imo, the show lost a great chance to really accentuate that Jon was remembering Ned's teachings (i.e. being a Stark) when they didn't have him first say to hang Slynt and then change his mind to do the deed himself. The changing of his mind on how to execute Slynt would have been the call-back to Ned's teachings. Another deliberately skipped opportunity on the show that would have been so easy to include.

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Eh, doesn't bother me that much. It's pretty much D&D teasing the book readers whenever they change a really beloved line from the books, such as "Your sister' instead of "Only Cat" for example. The scene was well handled even without that line.

I'd like it if they include Aemon's words before he dies. "Egg, I dreamed I was old". Oh the feels. I should think they will, considering I recall one of D&D saying that that is one of their favorite last words of any character in the series.

I suspect D&D estimated that the average viewer would be confused by who Edd was and/or what block meant in that context, or who was Lysa's sister.

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I really don't understand why people get so worked up about stuff like this.

+1

Let's see what the line actually signifies (in the book). Jon decided to hang Janos Slynt; Slynt made a show, meanwhile Jon changed his mind and decided not to hang Lord Janos. And to behead him instead. Enter the block, fetched by the always helpful Edd. The true wham line of that scene was a few paragraphs earlier. The neglected, unloved, "...and hang him". Wham! Jon Snow decided Janos Slynt's fate, and that fate was death, right there, right then! That was the big one. And yes, a moment later Jon decided on the sword instead of the noose. Still minuscule in comparison.

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I have a feeling D&D change these lines needlessly because they want to be seen as the creators of HBO's A Game of Thrones and not the adpators of George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire.

There was an interview with the other writer of the show besides D&D (can't remember his name) where they were talking about Renly's peach. He said something along the lines of "oh, well we just forgot."

If the show changes lines because they think they have something that fits better into their dialogue I don't mind. I thought Oberyn's "the Lannisters aren't the only ones who pay their debts" line was freakin awesome. But if they just forget or don't even think about the iconic lines from the books that legitimately bothers me. I've been waiting since season 1 to hear "Ed, fetch me a block," and I was pissed when they left out Renly's peach cause of the later dialogue between Stannis and Davos, "I will go to my grave thinking of my brother's peach."

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Edd fetch me a block was important and so is this quote ''Laws should be made of iron not of pudding.''

Yes.

However, if they had simply had Jon say after Slynt's admission to being afraid, "But that is the only time a man can be brave" it would have been even better than "Edd, fetch me a block"

The missed opportunity is too stronk and painful...

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