68 replies to this topic

[Valyarian rose]

This is just a question that formed in my head today; were there any characters' deaths that you as the reader felt were unnecessary?

I have no one in particular that comes to mind I can think of to say his/her death didn't have to be ... mostly because I can't come up with a good reason to *why* exactly the person not dying would've still kept the story as challenging and twist turning as it is.

[Raven King]

Dick Crabb. He might not have had anything more to contribute, but he was offed kind of unnecessarily, in my opinion.

Edited by Raven King, 07 August 2012 - 11:11 PM.

[Jem]

Lady's death. I really just wish that Ned had smacked her on the rump and sent her on her way. For ages I really hoped that this was the case (I know, I was very naive!).

[Mr Motte]

Maester Aemon. Sure he was old and it was natural but there really wasn't a reason for him to die. I guess he must have had nothing left to contribute to the story.

I agree with Raven King about Dick Crabbe.

There are some I find "unnecessary" but it adds to the reality of things; Masha Heddle is an example.

[Foxhound]

Lady's death was very necessary, it helped set the tone of the series (that no one is safe, and bad and unfair things will happen).

Aemon had to die because the old wise figure generally always dies, so that the other characters can no longer rely on him and have to act on their own.

[Jolene Brown]

I don't know if he had to wipe out quite that many of Davos's sons.

[Winter's Knight]

Raven King, on 07 August 2012 - 09:43 PM, said:

Dick Crabbe. He might not have had anything more to contribute, but he was offed kind of unnecessarily, in my opinion.

Yes. It was such a "Kick the dog" moment.

[Rheagar Prime]

Yoren why oh why man i don't know every death kinda lead to something no matter how much i hated it. Elia's and oberyn's, robb, cat, rhaegar, robert, ned, tywin, old bear etc

[TNine]

Foxhound, on 07 August 2012 - 09:59 PM, said:

Lady's death was very necessary, it helped set the tone of the series (that no one is safe, and bad and unfair things will happen).

This could have been done with a person just as easily.  Actually, i wouldn't really be annoyed if Lady's death wasn't so freaking unique--but Sansa it the only Stark to outlive her direwolf.  If Nym or Ghost or Shaggydog or possibly even Summer or Grey Wind had been knocked off too, i wouldn't mind it nearly as much, but Lady gets knocked off before anything interesting can happen with her, and all the other Starks grow close to their wolves while Sansa is just left out.

[Give Cersei some LOVE]

Joffrey. Comedy value is ++++++++++++

[Lazydrunk]

Jolene Brown, on 07 August 2012 - 10:01 PM, said:

I don't know if he had to wipe out quite that many of Davos's sons.

Right? I kinda liked the older two.  I guess they were in the story to illustrate that Davos is a good father.

[Field of Asphodel]

Mr Motte, on 07 August 2012 - 09:54 PM, said:

Maester Aemon. Sure he was old and it was natural but there really wasn't a reason for him to die. I guess he must have had nothing left to contribute to the story.

Actually, quite the opposite. GRRM needed to isolate Jon from all of his councilors, so that he could struggle and succeed (or fail) on his own. This is common in fantasy, Tolkien used to have Gandalf disappear for conveniently long periods of time without any explanation beyond, "Yeah, I got an important meeting to get to, see ya!"

In-universe though, it seems Melisandre might have been persuaded to not burn Maester Aemon (if she was even considering it) like she was persuaded not to burn Mance Rayder. Sending Aemon away seemed like a necessary precaution, but it looks like it wasn't that necessary.

Edited by Field of Asphodel, 08 August 2012 - 12:59 AM.

[Field of Asphodel]

TNine, on 08 August 2012 - 12:53 AM, said:

Actually, i wouldn't really be annoyed if Lady's death wasn't so freaking unique--but Sansa it the only Stark to outlive her direwolf.  If Nym or Ghost or Shaggydog or possibly even Summer or Grey Wind had been knocked off too, i wouldn't mind it nearly as much, but Lady gets knocked off before anything interesting can happen with her, and all the other Starks grow close to their wolves while Sansa is just left out.

I totally agree, but I also believe that if Lady had lived, Sansa would've been braver and less trusting in KL, so from a story point of view, Martin needed Lady to die.

[TheWizard]

Not so much unnecessary but i didnt like the way Renly died.  It makes sense story wise. I guess its because i liked him in GOT and him getting killed by a damn shadow felt like a cop out to me. A fucking shadow :/

[Thunderfist]

Oberyn Martell, couldn´t he just have been knocked unconcious or something

[Jolene Brown]

TheWizard, on 08 August 2012 - 03:18 PM, said:

Not so much unnecessary but i didnt like the way Renly died.  It makes sense story wise. I guess its because i liked him in GOT and him getting killed by a damn shadow felt like a cop out to me. A fucking shadow :/

That's how I felt about the Kevan thing - I guess any way of murdering someone is scummy, but not even really giving them any chance whatsoever to defend themselves especially sucks.

[dtones520]

Thunderfist, on 08 August 2012 - 03:20 PM, said:

Oberyn Martell, couldn´t he just have been knocked unconcious or something

His death was necessary to spark the Sand Snakes uprising in Dorne, leading to Arianne trying to run off with Myrcella.

[Swiftraven]

I don't think any death was really "unnecessary".

But Oberyn....jesus, that was unexpected. Especially after how my friends kept talking about how freaking awesome he was. And he was. But it was just such a major sucker punch.

Edited by Swiftraven, 08 August 2012 - 03:25 PM.

[dtones520]

I thought the death of Lymun Darry was unnecessary as he was a kid. But I guess it showed off the Mountains brutality.

[Alisa]

I think all of the deaths can be argued as necessary in some way, otherwise GRRM wouldn't have written them in.  Whether it's to cause an uprising, pluck us out of our false sense of security or to show us how twisted a character has become, they all have a purpose.