21 replies to this topic

[Rickon is FIERCE]

SerMixalot, on 20 May 2012 - 09:53 AM, said:

WRT to Arya, we have lost much of her fouindations for becoming a super ninja. Her needlework, her leadership on the road, her being a mouse and a sheep all serve as the foundation for becoming a FM later in the series. IN the book these things went towards her losing her identity and becoming a shadow with many identities. Her becoming a ruthless killer which happens when she escapes Harrenhall should now come as a completely out of character moment. By this time in the book she had killed several men at her own hands

Exactly.  I watched the throwdown scene where Yoren's killed and the Night's Watch recruits are captured and when it was over...WTF??? Felt like ALL the air and the drama of that interlude was missing.  Way too short.  Way too dull.  It was a non-event.  And whilst Yoren's death was cool and important to see, what happens with ARYA is the point of the scene, and all she did was run around and look scared and hand over an axe and then run away and fall down.  Really irked me that the cage with Jaqen wasn't inside a barn...there was practically no suspense or danger element to her just waltzing over and handing him an axe, without having to take much personal risk.

Edited by Rickon is FIERCE, 20 May 2012 - 10:57 AM.

[Rapsie]

SerMixalot, on 20 May 2012 - 09:53 AM, said:

For me alot the characterization has changed with the series

WRT to Arya, we have lost much of her fouindations for becoming a super ninja.  Her needlework, her leadership on the road, her being a mouse and a sheep all serve as the foundation for becoming a FM later in the series.  IN the book these things went towards her losing her identity and becoming a shadow with many identities.  Her becoming a ruthless killer which happens when she escapes Harrenhall should now come as a completely out of character moment.  By this time in the book she had killed several men at her own hands

The whole point (I always felt) about her being the Ghost in Harrenhal was that she had just gone through being the sheep and without anyway to defend herself with Gregor's men, but in Harrenhal, she began her path to the FM by realizing the advantages of striking from the shadows. We haven't seen her practice her sword work at all. Given the events in the 4th and 5th book, the fact that Needle is the only tangible connection to Winterfell and her last link to who she is, they have not made all that much of a point about it.

Personally I have loved the scenes with Arya and Tywin as pieces of great acting, however they have now completely made Arya not realizing she should have Jaqen H'ghar kill Tywin unbelievable. She never interacted with Tywin in the books, so it made sense, but now it is sort of a dumb move on her part. Also it may not have anything to do with the plot, but a certain man in a bath scene might have been nice after all the Ros we have faced.

But going back to the OP, last year GRRM said he didn't want them to do what they did to Marillion and not to kill Mago as he is important in the next book: HBO did it anyway. I sometimes suspect that HBO now have thought they can write the story better than GRRM. Certainly the recent changes have badly effected the way Cersei, Sansa, Jon, Dany and Cat have been portrayed and I think it has damaged Arya's storyline development.