[Book Spoilers] Season 3 character arc's

[victim]

I wanted to start a friendly debate about some character arcs of Season 3, seeing as Storm is being cut-in-half so to speak there's going to be less finality to most of the stories of the season. D&D will have to pull stuff out of the hat and this is where I think the major stories may end at:

In terms of Jon, the perfect ending of his arc would be to have Ygritte dying in his arms. So, it's not the Battle for the Wall, just the first fight with the auxiliary forces that he was once a part of. I don't think they'll have him spend more than one season with the Wildlings, just as I don't see the season ending with him arriving at the Wall and telling someone that Wildlings are coming. There's no finality to that arc. Also, Rose Leslie is signed on for two seasons, not three. I don't have a trusted source on this though, she let slip in one of her first interviews about the show. This, of course, all hinges on who they get as Mance, if he's a big-name like Purefoy or West then I think we'll see much more of him than was in the books and Jon will stay with the Wildling's longer, perhaps scaling the Wall as the finale.

Arya is difficult because her storyline is tied directly to the Red Wedding, so either they'll rush the BwB or they'll move stuff around. I'd prefer they do the latter. It'd be much easier for the Brotherhood to try to take her to her mother and then end her season by being captured by The Hound, that's a great cliffhanger with the promise of adventures next season. I don't know how this shuffling could affect characters, though I'm sure it'll give us more sympathy to the Brotherhood if they choose to help out this poor little girl. Enter Hound, who still wants to take her somewhere to get a reward, he just doesn't know where.

Dany's season arc will likely end with Dracarys, but I don't know what she'll be doing for most of the season beforehand, travelling on a boat? This is why it makes no sense as a season finale from a book-reader standpoint. Obviously they've already taken various liberties with her story so I'm assuming it'll go in some other direction and really focus on why she hates slavery and all that stuff. Her siege of Meereen could be an adequate end to her season, or perhaps even dismissing Jorah after he clashes with Barristan.

Bran is very difficult, because he needs to meet the Reeds while travelling. The danger with his story will be that it becomes very travel-heavy. Are we really meant to believe it takes him two seasons to get to the Wall when it took Jon one episode last year? I believe he'll make some kind of important rest stop at the show equivalent of the Queenscrown with Rickon, Osha, Hodor and the dogs. Meera and Jojen will meet them there, and it likely won't be deserted as it was in the books. They're will be a lot of scenes where Bran is worried that the Reeds know who he is until it is revealed what and who they are. Bran still won't have the largest part in the season, but it should end with him deciding to trust the Reeds and they begin their journey to the Wall.

I'm predicting a very slow season in King's Landing, as it recovers from the War and gets used to it's new dynamic. I'd love for the PW to be in Season 3 but don't want them to gloss over other fantastic stories happening elsewhere to focus on this. which is why I think it's perfect Season 4 material. Tyrion will marry Sansa and they'll show a lot of the development of these characters around this to give them as much screentime as possible. They'll also show Joffrey being an ass and Cersei becoming more unhinged and some other stuff, I just don't know what yet. This could feel strange, seeing as King's Landing is the central location of the two first seasons. I personally feel like the news of the Red Wedding should be an adequate enough ending to this season's King's Landing story. If they do attempt to rush the PW for lack of other material, then I expect this arc will end with Sansa leaving with Dontos/Littlefinger and Tyrion being accused of Joff's death.

I don't think we'll see Theon and Ramsay and we'll have to say goodbye to Alfie for a year. There's not enough concrete material there to justify appearing this season; seeing Theon flayed and attempt escape is not enough. My favourite part of this story is that Theon was away for such a long time and we didn't know what was going on. They should keep audiences guessing as to what happened here, it's not like they're going to forget who Theon is after a year anyway. Enter Reek, it rhymes with Leek in season four.

Stannis, Davos and Melisandre should end the Season sailing away from Dragonstone, on an unknown voyage. This arc should centre around Stannis' pride and his "fury" about being cast aside by many houses after his defeat. There will be a great leech scene, and Davos will learn to read!

The season should start with the Young Wolf going to Riverrun with Talisa and Cat while Bolton moves to capture Harrenhal with the assistance of the Mummers. Jaime and Brienne need to be captured by at least episode episode 3 of the Season, with the rest of the time left to the audience of wondering what Bolton will do with them. There's a lot of prisoner dynamic that can be played out, and Brienne and Jaime can get quite close in the Harrenhal bathhouses -- awesome King Aerys story cue -- after he loses his hand and becomes more feeble. The season should end with Jaime going back to Harrenhal and saving Brienne from the mummers.

There's so much material still to touch upon. What do you guys think will happen in Season 3 and have I left anyone major out?

[oierem]

Some very good observations, some that I don't agree with ;)

-Jon: I agree entirely, and I think most people agree that Ygritte's death is the natural ending point of his storyline. Jon's arc in Season 2 has been way too slow for non-readers, so they need something really exiting here (so, please, don't give us a full season of Jon with the Wildlings).

-Arya: that's a nice turn, having the Brotherhood go to the RW, hadn't thought of that! But it does have the risk of giving her a very slow-moving season,so it might be better to show her with the Hound earlier.

-Dany: one of the biggest difficulties, since Dracarys isn't so different from this season finale, in which she'll use her dragons to burn THohU. her story has been way too slow in season 2 as well, so we need something more here! I'd say: turn things around, have Jorah banished in season 3 at least. And I don't know if they'll build 3 different cities, all of them similar to Qarth...

-I disagree with you in KL. A "very slow season" is not a good option (shouldn't even be an option). "They'll also show Joffrey being an ass and Cersei becoming more unhinged and some other stuff, I just don't know what yet." Mmmm... we have already seen that in season 1 and 2. Even more of Joffrey being an as??? And what about Shae, Littlefinger, Varys, Tywin.... Random scenes with no progression at all? Please, have the PW as the finale!

-I agree with no Theon this season. Having him absent for one season and then come back in Season 4 is a good option IMO. He comes back changed anyway, so, skipping a season (like Claire in Lost) is Ok.

[Mediumjon Umber]

Yeah, Theon will probably be absent next season. But having him as a servant to the Bastard at the Dreadfort already in S3 is a possibility, however small one. This way the audience won't lose another main character. But if this happens, we won't get the shock we got when we realized what happened to Theon in the book, it will be more of a gradual change.

I think a lot of what happens to him in DwD can be moved forward to S3. Ramsay torturing him, his attempt to escape with Kyra, Ramsay finding them and Theon betraying the Ironborn at Moat Cailin requires only him and Ramsay and with minimal input from Roose, who doesn't need to be the one to order them to take Moat Cailin or can do so by raven. All these events can very well be spread out over 6-7 episodes and if his story archs begins towards the end of the third season and continues in S4 it can still come as a shock to the audience to see how Theon has changed from the previous season. This way more time can be used for Asha on the Iron Island and Theon's time in WF, not to mention all the other Greyjoys, in season 5, which will cover most of aFfC and DwD. If the writers decide to move stuff from later books way forward, then Theon's earlier story as Reek is optimal for that shift.

Anyways, my two cents.

[jlk7e]

With the way season 2 ended, I think we'll definitely be getting Theon and Ramsay next season. I don't think it will involve Moat Cailin, though, which hasn't been mentioned yet, and which, if it is, would be something you'd only want to resolve after the Red Wedding.

[Iotun]

- Jon: I agree. And it would be very undramatic for Ygritte to die at the start of S4, given how her relationship with Jon will be developed next year.

- Dani: They could beef up Astapor a lot, and have her spend the entire season there. What I would prefer would be for next season to end with her victory over Yunkai, so we get her conquest of 2 cities. The climax of her story would the freed slaves calling her mother. We know that Daario is cast for next season, so unless they somehow merge Yunkai and Astapor, the season can't end with just her first conquest. Then season 4 they could build up Meereen (giving us a Blackwater style episode for its capture), show us her travel there, and expand her siege. The climax of her story for that season could then be her banishing of Jorah.

- Rob, Cat etc, will be killed off around episode 6 - 8 I think. I'd go for 8. I don't think the RW will be the end of the season, as I think we'll need to see Joffrey's death as well to give something back to the viewers after the brutality of the RW. That would also give a good closure for some of the other characters. Sansa's story would end with her escaping King's landing, Tyrion's with being arrested. I think a good season ending scene then would be a Frey brought before an UnCat who order's them killed.

- Joffrey/Cercei/Tyrion: As above, will end with Joffrey's wedding and death.

- Jaime/Brienne: I think the climax of that story will be Jaime jumping into the bear pit to save Brienne (as I think Jaime won't be arriving at KL until the start of Season 4), and then them riding out of Harrenhal.

- Bran: I'd imagine would end with them meeting up with Coldhands. They could stay with Osha up until that point, and then just split up at that point, giving the actress a bit more to do.

- Davos/Stannis/Mel: I can't think of anything that they could do that could drag on for a whole season. I'd say they could have a mini-arc for them, where they show up for only a few scenes, much like Jaime's role in S2. They'll have a more important role in S4.

- Theon: Could either be removed entirely from the story at this point. Or they could keep him around for another season, and have his season arc be his final transformation into Reek, with a dramatic point at his failed escape attempt. Would allow us to be introduced to Ramsay, which together with Roose's betrayal, will be a well-rounded intro to the Bolton family.

- Arya: Could end after her being captured by the Hound, with her reclaiming Needle at the inn being the climax of her story (and for the TV show, her having her first conscious kill), and the Hound telling her she can keep it. They can then make up some extra scenes with the two of them at S4 so she doesn't abandon her right after that fight.

I wonder if we'll get a Yara arc, introducing us to Balon's brother and ending at the kingsmoot, but I think that will be kept for S4. We could also get some Dornish events pushed around, so we get some scenes from Dorne in S3 as well, but they could push them instead to S4.

I'm more worried about the arcs in subsequent seasons. I think D&D will have no choice but to cut out some characters alltogether from later seasons (Bran? Theon?), will have to come up with extra material for others (Tyrion, Brienne, Jaime, Cercei), and try to make the stories of the newly introduced characters from Books 4 and 5 more appealing.

What I would say is, I'd much prefer it if for characters that have nothing to do, they just give us few scenes of them, rather than us having to see filler scenes of them doing nothing.

[TheEvilKing]

Jon/Bran - Seems pretty simply. Either end these two stories with Queenscrown, or have that scene in ep 9 with ep 10 being Ygritte & co's attack on the Wall, and Bran travelling through the Nightfort and meeting Coldhands.

Sam - meets Coldhands in episode 8 and arrives at the Wall in episode 9. In 10 he meets back up with Jon Snow.

Robb/Cat/Arya - RW.

Theon - I expect we'll see some early scenes of him being the Bastard's prisoner in the first few eps, then maybe his escape attempt around ep 7, and Theon gradually become "Reek". Should all be very dark and disturbing.

Dragonstone - Early scenes with Davos plotting to kill Mel and his arrest. A scene in the middle somewhere where Stannis releases him, and the scene with the leeches. Then at the end Davos learning to read/letters from the Wall.

Jaime/Brienne - Jaime going back to Harrenhal to rescue Brienne from Vargo Hoat.

King's Landing - Difficult to say as there isn't much of an arc here until Joff's wedding and Tyrion's trial, which seems destined for s4. I think they may have to make a lot of stuff up. Tyrion and Sansa's wedding could be saved for the finale. Either that or they'll bring Joff's wedding forward, but I doubt it, as it would severely screw up the pacing for s4. Another option could be to attend season 3 with Prince Oberyn arriving at KL and make a big deal of building it up, but I suspect that will open season 4 instead.

Dany - The big question is how do you combine three cities into two? Do you combine Astapor and Yunkai? The problem is that either way, there's not a lot for Dany to do in season 4 unless they really extend the seige of Meereen. I say season 3 ends with the "Mother!" scene, as they've already used "Dracarys!".

[A Bear covered in Fluff]

Im so glad you guys made this thread. :)

I like your theories. Unfortunately I havent finished aFfC or DwD so i just got spoiled :X

anyway, I think there will be 3 weddings next season. :)

as for Dany, she needs to meet Arstan and Daario so there will be political intrigue and freeing of slaves for he arc. i have a feeling the only city they'll really have is Yunkai. S4, will be mereen and then ack! yunkai's a mess what to do? siiigh gotta stay in mereen and rule oh and seriously jorah? get out of my sight!

Arya's arc will not dissapoint me whatever they do with it :) they have a lightning lord and a reformed red priest! i cant be dissapointed! I know hound vr lord Berric will be later in the season and i CANNOT WAIT :)

edit: but im secretly hopping to see arya in an acorn dress

[Iotun]

I still can't see why they need to merge two cities for Dany. I'd rather it follows the structure of the book, with her conquering Astapor early, and then Yunkai second, which will be the climax of her season.

I think that would suit the flow of the season better. You can't have too many dramatic moments happening at the same time, and you don't want Dany conquest to happen at the same time as the red wedding. It also means that season 3 has things happening throughout the season, rather than having 9 episodes of buildup, with important events happening only in the last 2.

We could have Astapor at episode 5 or 6, RW at 7 or 8, fall of Yunkai at 9 (final scene could be Jorah returning to Dany to tell her the armies of the city are defeated, with her entering the city next episode, PW and Ygritte's death at 10.

That leaves plenty of dramatic events for Season 4:

- The battle for the wall early in the season.

- Tyrion's trial and the murder of his father

- The battle for Meereen near the end (perhaps set to the backdrop of Tyrion being sent off to find Dany by Illyrio)

- All Dorne events from book 4 could also be moved here (I think it would make for good tv to introduce the Dorne players at the start of the season and then have Oberyn die in the middle, so we get to see their reaction to that in the middle. That would make Arianne's story that more interesting as well, rather than have it displayed on a season on its own. She seduces ser Arys at the start of the season, learns of Oberyn's death in the middle, has her plans failing by the end, with the reveal that Doran has been planning the Targaryen return at the end of the season, just after Dany conquers Meereen).

- All Iron Island events from Book 4 (not much to be honest, but we can be introduced to Balon's brothers, and end with the return of Euron and his crowning as king.

-I would say that Bran can also reach the three eyed crow by the end of season 4 as well, having that be the climax of the season for him The fourth season can cover his travel's there.

- Brienne can have covered her book 4 events as well, ending with her capture by the brotherhood and near execution (at the start of the season she reaches king's landing, is given her mission by Jaime around episode 3 or 4, and then her travel's are condensed to 5 episodes only, rather than needing to cover an entire season).

- Sansa's season 4 story would then end with Littlefinger killing Lysa, and the reveal that he planned the death of Jon Arryn.

- Arya's season 4 story ends where her book 4 story ends. She leaves the Hound at the start of the season, travels to Braavos by episode 3 or 4, and we get the latter half of the season being introduced to Braavos, and the start of her training.

- As Theon has a lot to do in Book 5, they could even potentially try to split that up to cover two seasons (4 and 5). I stand by my prediction that season 3 we'll see his transformation into Reek, with the climax being his failed attempt at escape.

I think by the end of Season 4 they can have finished off book 3, and have covered a good deal of book 4 and book 5 material (depending on the character, and which book they appeared in). Then by the end of season 5, they can have covered everything remaining from book 4 and most, if not all of book 5 (in which two books, let's be honest, not much happens), and Martin will have hopefully finished book 6 by then, which will, again hopefully, have enough material for another 2 seasons.

[jlk7e]

Lotun - that would basically be my assessment of where they'll break, and of what will be in Season 4. There's not enough in Storm of Swords for two whole seasons, so significant parts of the fourth and fifth books will have to be moved up into season 4.

Note, though, that, for several characters, you'll have already run out of material by the time you get to Season 5. If you move up Brienne's entire story to the second half of Season 4, then you have nothing for her to do in Season 5. You also have very little for either Bran or Arya. Bran, in particular, is left with only his last chapter in Dance with Dragons for Season 5. But perhaps that's inevitable.

Also, moving Arya's Feast for Crow stories up to Season 4, while leaving Sam in Castle Black until after Jon is elected Lord Commander (which will presumably end Season 4) means that many of Arya's actions in Braavos (most obviously, the murder of Dareon) will still have to be delayed to Season 5. I'm not sure how to get around it. Arya has eleven chapters in Storm of Swords up to and including the Red Wedding, and then 7 chapters for the last part of Storm and the last two books. You're saying to compress those eleven chapters into Season 3, and then spread the 7 chapters out over seasons 4 and 5. It's hard to get around the necessity of doing something of the sort, but it's unfortunate. Arya's story is certainly the one that suffers most from putting the Red Wedding in Season 3.

A final issue I'd note is that ending Season 5 roughly where A Dance with Dragons ends means that you've provided no ending to it at all. Except for Jon's story, the climax to basically every plot line in the fourth and fifth books will actually be found in The Winds of Winter. I'm not sure how that is going to be dealt with. I suppose we should worry about even getting a Season 5, first, and hope that The Winds of Winter comes out by 2015.

[Iotun]

As regards Jon's story for season 4, we can have him elected Lord commander earlier in the season. He basically becomes elected right after the battle for the wall, which considering will have began at the end of Season 3, would be an early climax point of season 4. Jon's story for season 4 could then end with him letting the first wildings through the wall, which will set him up for his 'murder' in season 5. I'll accept its not the strongest of points to end his arc for the character, but there's other stories in season 4 that can serve for the season high point. Jon's arc will continue from season 3, where he'll face the conflict of whether to stick with his vows or the wildlings and end with him making his choice and facing the consequences (Ygritte's death). Season 4, having made his choice, he'll become a leader among the watch, and having learned from his season 3 experiences, will reconcile the wildlings with the watch as his high point. Season 5 will be the story arc of his fall.

That leaves the door open for Dareon to be sent to Braavos within season 4, but to be honest, I think Arya's story in Braavos is one of the most flexible ones. She can definitely for example be made to kill somebody else, Dareon could very well be skipped as a character as he's such a minor one. And for season 4, she'll have enough to do, as she'll also need to cover the final chapters of book 3 for her. She probably will have to keep a smaller presense for season 5, true - I imagine D&D will expand her training in season 5 to show her becoming a bit more badass than in the books.

Bran, having just finished his journey at the end of Season 4, can spend the first half of season 5 in the caves, ending with him taking the place of Bloodraven. He can then spend the rest of the season talking to people through heart trees.

Brienne admitedly will suffer in season 5, but honestly, she just doesn't have enough material in the books so far to cover another 3 seasons. So she'll probably need to only make a cameo with Jaime.

I haven't though much about how Cercei's story to be honest, but I'm sure something can be figured out for her.

As for the problem of most stories in Season 5 not ending until WoW, that's a necessery evil I fear as that was an issue with the source material that will be adapted, unless George publishes his next book earlier. I'd guess they'll try to make a bit more of the new characters they introduce, and the climax of book 5 would potentially be Jon Connigton and Aegon starting their invasion of Westeros, and in the East, Dany getting some kind of control over Drogon, and meeting the Dothraki riders.

However I'd say that season 5 will potentially be one of the weakest seasons of the show, but that's inevitable given the material. If things are split as I imagine, I'd say season 3 will probably be the strongest, seasons 4 and 2 slightly weaker, season 5 will suffer from the introduction of too many new players, the shift in focus from Westeros to the East, and no satisfactory climax.

[jlk7e]

I don't see any particular reason to move up Jon's story, though - the election, and his rejection of Stannis's offer, is the climax of his arc, and there's certainly no reason to include half of his Dance with Dragons story in Season 4. Less stuff actually happens to Jon in Dance with Dragons than it does in just the post-Ygritte's death part of Storm of Swords. The defense of the Wall, Jon taking command, Jon's arrest by Janos Slynt and Alliser Thorne, his mission to Mance's tent, Stannis's arrival and saving the day, the election - that's plenty of material for a season; it's certainly more than they had to work with in the second season. By contrast, not much happens to Jon in Dance - he strategizes with Stannis, he sends Sam and Gilly off, he brings the Wildlings over, and then at the end he gets mad and gets stabbed. If you include half that material in Season 4, there's very little left for Season 5.

I agree that Arya's arc is flexible, and that you can get around the Dareon issue. A bigger issue is that her encounters with Sam are one of the more memorable parts of both their Feast arcs - you don't want to lose those, I don't think. I'd say that Arya definitely arrives in Braavos and begins her training by the end of season 4, but I'm not sure you want to include much more than that. Keeping her in Westeros for much of Season 4 is also good if you're bringing forward Brienne's story, because it means that Brienne can get on Arya's track before Arya leaves Westeros, which would give you a bit more tension.

As for Bran - are we so sure he's going to stay in Bloodraven's cave forever and become a tree? I mean, maybe he will, but there's certainly other possibilities of what could happen. Cersei's story actually works okay - her POVs make about a season's worth of activity in Season 5, I think. The big problem with Cersei is the general problem that we get less of King's Landing in Storm of Swords than any of the other books (besides Dance, of course), and that what we do get has less of Cersei than any of the other books. Spreading the King's Landing story of Storm of Swords over two books means that there's very little to work with for her character, particularly in Season 3 - Cersei is barely present in Book III before the Purple Wedding - she's at the Small Council meeting in Tyrion III, at Sansa and Tyrion's wedding in Sansa III, and at the meeting where Tyrion learns about the Red Wedding in Tyrion VI. And that's it. Those are her only appearances before the Purple Wedding. She doesn't interact with Sansa at all (she's at the wedding, but as a background presence), and her interactions with Tyrion and her father are limited to two scenes.

[Dagmer Cleftballs]

I think Theon's arc in Season 2 was probably the best one, and ended anti-climactically (for him, at the very least). That, coupled with the "mystery" of what happened to Winterfell, makes me think/hope D&D will keep Theon around in S3 as Ramsay's prisoner, and very slowly develop him into Reek. In their first few interactions, the Bastard could be seen to be punishing Theon for his crimes against the Starks, and around mid-season it becomes clear that Ramsay is the one who actually burned Winterfell, and his treatment of Theon has nothing to do with vengeance and more pure sadism. It would be a nice twist for tv viewers, who start out thinking Theon is receiving justice, then fully pity him by the end as they see that Ramsay is the real villain. They don't need to be in every episode necessarily, but seen often enough that his degradation into Reek feels like a realistic progression.

[Former Lord of Winterfell]

The two defining events of ASOS are the Red Wedding and the Purple Wedding. If I had to guess, I think that the former will be more the focus of Season 3, and the latter more the focus of Season 4. I suppose they could bump off both in one season or the other, but I think putting them in different seasons makes more sense.

[Iotun]

I think the two weddings should be kept linked personally. Joffrey's death balances out somehow the outrage over Robb's death, and gives a nice soty of finality to the book and (hopefully) the season - both competing kings are dead, and both houses are to some extend left shattered.

I don't see any particular reason to move up Jon's story, though - the election, and his rejection of Stannis's offer, is the climax of his arc, and there's certainly no reason to include half of his Dance with Dragons story in Season 4. Less stuff actually happens to Jon in Dance with Dragons than it does in just the post-Ygritte's death part of Storm of Swords. The defense of the Wall, Jon taking command, Jon's arrest by Janos Slynt and Alliser Thorne, his mission to Mance's tent, Stannis's arrival and saving the day, the election - that's plenty of material for a season; it's certainly more than they had to work with in the second season. By contrast, not much happens to Jon in Dance - he strategizes with Stannis, he sends Sam and Gilly off, he brings the Wildlings over, and then at the end he gets mad and gets stabbed. If you include half that material in Season 4, there's very little left for Season 5.

I agree that Arya's arc is flexible, and that you can get around the Dareon issue. A bigger issue is that her encounters with Sam are one of the more memorable parts of both their Feast arcs - you don't want to lose those, I don't think. I'd say that Arya definitely arrives in Braavos and begins her training by the end of season 4, but I'm not sure you want to include much more than that. Keeping her in Westeros for much of Season 4 is also good if you're bringing forward Brienne's story, because it means that Brienne can get on Arya's track before Arya leaves Westeros, which would give you a bit more tension.

Agree actually. I think I didn't remember much of what happened in Jon's story after the battle at the wall and before him getting elected. It seems however that he's got enough material to make it through season 4, with the finale of that season being his election. I actually think the book 5 material however is enough for more than 1 season then. As for Arya and Sam, that could easily be fixed by having the meeting later rather than earlier in her training (to be honest I can't even remember this)...

[victim]

In terms of Dany next season, I don't think I could handle her just chilling in Astapor for a year like she did with Qarth this time around. We need to see her do some more conquering, it's far more entertaining. The 'Dracarys' moment in Astapor should probably come half-way through the season, leaving a siege of Yunkai/Meereen for the end.

In terms of Jon in season 4, there is literally so much material. It could start with the Wildlings on The Wall and Jon being told that nobody else is left to defend it. Given how many Wildlings there are, it's believable that some sort of siege/occasional barrage of warriors happens over the course of the first four or five episodes, during this time we finally see that he knows how to lead men. Stannis could appear as late as half-way through, in which case we've got plenty of great material for Jon.

I've been thinking, and I feel as though Seasons should be built around a single character. Say for example, if Season One focused mostly on Eddard and Season Two focused mostly on Tyrion, who draws the focus for each respective season in the future? Perhaps Catelyn next year? There really isn't too much source material to go that way though.

[Elrond Hubbard]

For Theon's arc, I'm hoping it goes something like this:

When we pick up, he's imprisoned in a dungeon. Maybe the dungeons of the Dreadfort, but for economy's sake he'll probably be held in a dungeon of the burned-out ruins of Winterfell. Theon and the other prisoners are regularly taken from the cells to be tortured by a hooded Ramsay Snow, and a scene or two of this is depicted. "Reek" (and maybe Kyra, too) is introduced as a fellow prisoner in the dungeons, who befriends Theon and slowly gains his trust. Reek confides in Theon his plan to escape from the dungeon, and they successfully break out in the night and run for freedom. Reek leads Theon to a clearing in the woods where they are surrounded by Bolton men, and Theon is recaptured. Theon is tortured some more, and he loses a finger, which is given to Robb by Roose at the Twins. Ramsay removes his hood and reveals himself to have been Reek all along. At the finale of the season, Ramsay taunts Theon. Robb and his men are dead, and Roose controls the North now. Balon Greyjoy is dead, and the Ironborn have gone home and are fighting each other. No one is coming to rescue him, and no one is coming to take his head in vengeance and end his torment. An utterly broken Theon becomes Reek. It's not revealed until after the Red Wedding that it was Ramsay and his men who sacked Winterfell.

[Rhaquentis]

They left the audience with so many cliffhangers and they will have to give closure to all of them next season because that's how they work; they don't exactly keep their audience wondering where this character might be and leave them out of the show completely for a year or something. This is more about Theon though, as Robb will have to know what has happened to his home and his traitor friend. But in my opinion, it's also an excellent opportunity to show the complete transformation of Theon into Reek and be creative about it at the same time, as it is something we never see happen until the 5th book. They can do so many different things with his arc and we won't even complain about it this time :P

[jlk7e]

I

For Theon's arc, I'm hoping it goes something like this:

When we pick up, he's imprisoned in a dungeon. Maybe the dungeons of the Dreadfort, but for economy's sake he'll probably be held in a dungeon of the burned-out ruins of Winterfell. Theon and the other prisoners are regularly taken from the cells to be tortured by a hooded Ramsay Snow, and a scene or two of this is depicted. "Reek" (and maybe Kyra, too) is introduced as a fellow prisoner in the dungeons, who befriends Theon and slowly gains his trust. Reek confides in Theon his plan to escape from the dungeon, and they successfully break out in the night and run for freedom. Reek leads Theon to a clearing in the woods where they are surrounded by Bolton men, and Theon is recaptured. Theon is tortured some more, and he loses a finger, which is given to Robb by Roose at the Twins. Ramsay removes his hood and reveals himself to have been Reek all along. At the finale of the season, Ramsay taunts Theon. Robb and his men are dead, and Roose controls the North now. Balon Greyjoy is dead, and the Ironborn have gone home and are fighting each other. No one is coming to rescue him, and no one is coming to take his head in vengeance and end his torment. An utterly broken Theon becomes Reek. It's not revealed until after the Red Wedding that it was Ramsay and his men who sacked Winterfell.

I don't disagree with the basic idea, but I don't see how it would make any sense for Theon to still be in Winterfell. They created the Twins for one episode in Season 1, and the Eyrie for only a couple of episodes. It would mostly involve interior shots, anyway, which you don't need to build a whole castle for.

[DurararaFTW]

Jon, Sam, Davos, Stannis, Bran - Episode 8 - Queenscrown Episode 9 - Sam & Coldhands meeting Bran at the Nightfort, Episode 10 - Wildlings vs Night's Watch at Castle Black, ending with Yigrette dying and Stannis'army showing up at the Wall. It don't leave much for Bran in later seasons but that can't be helped

Tyrion, Cersei, Joffrey, Sansa - Joffrey's death in episode 10

Jaime, Brienne - I could see them arriving in King's Landing at the very, very end.

Arya - depends on how early they do Red Wedding, but I'm guessing she'll leave Sandor for dead by the end of the season

no Theon for this season, Theon is reintroduced in episode 1 of season 4 with Ramsay telling him of his fathers death.

[Iotun]

Theon's story arc could turn out to be a nice subversion of the genre. Him trying to help Kyra and his potential escape would be read as his redemption and escape arc - only for that to fail, Kyra to be killed off, and Theon monstrously tortured, with the escape revealed to have been a game by Bolton all along. His redemption arc will be turned on its head to be the story of his fall, and it'll surprise viewers who would have been convinced he'd escape.