[Book Spoilers] Arya's future

[Hiram McDrogon]

Boy! Is that right, Sam should have been fighting 12 foot Whitewalkers (not these 7 footers) every episode, and Gilly could have taken care of 20 Wights , she can build a fire , you know. Where are the random explosions and car chases (opps, I mean Elk chases) and more random explosions.

Give that good old slack jawed slick brained comic book mile a second action so I can eat my popcorn.

To hell with narrative, dialog and character development!

You're misreading: I wasn't complaining. I said the slow pace does usually work; it's just when you sit back and look it's kind of surprising how little has really happened in an individual storyline. Of course, that's a function of fitting around ten stories into the TV show.

[aceluby]

You're misreading: I wasn't complaining. I said the slow pace does usually work; it's just when you sit back and look it's kind of surprising how little has really happened in an individual storyline. Of course, that's a function of fitting around ten stories into the TV show.

That happens with most shows though. My favorite show is Dexter and there are many episodes where very little happens to progress the story line. I read somewhere else about someone who watches a series like this. The series is good, but we all have our favorite seasons, we all have our favorite episodes, and we all have our favorite scenes. Many of our favorite episodes may not be in our favorite seasons, and many of our favorite scenes may not be in our favorite episodes or seasons. Not to mention this also happens in the book series as well.

[silentwanderer]

Anyone else think it would be great if Arya met up with Jaqen when she makes it to Braavos and gets her teachings from him instead of the old man?

I assumed that's what would happen once Barristan Selmy re-appeared in Dany's story a season later.

There's no point to introduce another character to fill the same role as Jaqen when the audience is already familiar with him.

[boojam]

You're misreading: I wasn't complaining. I said the slow pace does usually work; it's just when you sit back and look it's kind of surprising how little has really happened in an individual storyline. Of course, that's a function of fitting around ten stories into the TV show.

Your are the one who used work 'slow' without defining what it meant to you as narrative drama.

Are you a reader of GRRM's books? If you think this 'slow' then I can't imagine what you think of the prose on the page , because George goes on and on , maybe 10 times as much with this stuff as the show does.

I happen to like it because I consider GRRM a brilliant story teller , I like the travelogues.

I can't say I like a lot of the closed loop narrative in ADwD , but it also does not seem awful to me.

[Greywolf2375]

Boy! Is that right, Sam should have been fighting 12 foot Whitewalkers (not these 7 footers) every episode, and Gilly could have taken care of 20 Wights , she can build a fire , you know. Where are the random explosions and car chases (opps, I mean Elk chases) and more random explosions.

Give that good old slack jawed slick brained comic book mile a second action so I can eat my popcorn.

To hell with narrative, dialog and character development!

You didn't actually read the post, you just saw the world "slow" and reacted.

Nothing in what was typed said anything about needing the hyperbolic response you gave. The Sam and Gilly storyline was slow - and like he (or she) said, when you sit back and look at it, not a lot happened to them in the trek back. No where did it say more action was needed, more fights weren't needed.

It's actually being said almost as a compliment that not a whole lot happens, but you don't notice it until the end when it can all be put together.

[King Snow]

I think Arya and the Hound will be together the entire season. Arya won't see a ship until episode 10 at the earliest - Hound + Arya = awesome.

I'm not so sure that that will be the case. After the red wedding, Arya doesn't really stick around much longer. And based on her holding on to that coin in Mysha, it seems like she would be heading there sooner, rather than later. Also, from what the show runners have said, season for will also include stuff from AFFC and ADWD so I'm assuming that they meant Arya's story.

[Weeping Sore]

I'm not so sure that that will be the case. After the red wedding, Arya doesn't really stick around much longer. And based on her holding on to that coin in Mysha, it seems like she would be heading there sooner, rather than later. Also, from what the show runners have said, season for will also include stuff from AFFC and ADWD so I'm assuming that they meant Arya's story.

If Arya leaves for Braavos early, watch for her to return to Winterfell by the end of S5 as Ramsay's bride. Maybe "blue eyes" are Bolton eyes.

[silentwanderer]

If Arya leaves for Braavos early, watch for her to return to Winterfell by the end of S5 as Ramsay's bride. Maybe "blue eyes" are Bolton eyes.

I think this could be an interesting change from the books: to use the real Arya - instead of a fake one - as Ramsay's bride.

To set up Theon and Ramsay's plot this early, opens the door for an entire new game in which Arya could be the force that decimates Bolton's garrison before the wedding.

Not to mention, it opens the gate for Theon's redemption arc, if he escapes with Arya the very day of her wedding.

[boojam]

You didn't actually read the post, you just saw the world "slow" and reacted.

Nothing in what was typed said anything about needing the hyperbolic response you gave. The Sam and Gilly storyline was slow - and like he (or she) said, when you sit back and look at it, not a lot happened to them in the trek back. No where did it say more action was needed, more fights weren't needed.

It's actually being said almost as a compliment that not a whole lot happens, but you don't notice it until the end when it can all be put together.

What you said was:

"

But then again, the show sometimes surprises me with just how slow it is with the different storylines. I've been rewatching Season 2, and it's kind of absurd just how little happened to Sam between the beginning of that season and the end of Season 3: basically two whole seasons to walk a bit, get scared by Walkers, walk back, get Gilly out, defeat Puddles, walk under the wall, and get to Castle Black. That's, what, 30-40 minutes of TV? Because there are so many different stories, the "slow" pace does usually work, so while part of me thinks "Crap, ANOTHER season of Arya wandering around?!", the show can probably pull it off. It's just when you sit back and look that you realize that, in many of the individual plots, not much has actually happened. "

It's that just see too much of this. I really find this kind of exposition just fine, and in the books there is 10 times this.

One of my favorites parts of the book is Arya's travels with the Hound, I don't know what all readers think about this, as I said George tells these passages with engaging style.

I hope they do keep more of Arya's time with the dog. (Lord! I hope she gets her own horse, as she does in the book.)

Methinks in a 10 episode format they don't have time for it , well, I always have the novel.

I also find the storyline 'slow' but that's exactly what I want so as to get some character development.

[Hiram McDrogon]

It's actually being said almost as a compliment that not a whole lot happens, but you don't notice it until the end when it can all be put together.

Thanks. That's what I was trying to say. The TV shows (and books!) are sometimes slow, and not that much happens in terms of plot, but the ride is (usually) fun. As aceluby says, the slow pace can often be great time spent with characters (the whole Arya-Tywin thing was kind of useless in the overall story, but was wonderful fun).

boojam, I think you're conflating Greywolf2375 and myself in one of your responses.

[The Boar of Gore]

I think they should cut most of Arya's training out and have her reappear in Season 5 as a badass assassin on a mission.

I'm not saying cut her out completely - we need her goodbye to the Hound, her getting on the ship to Braavos, perhaps arriving at the House of Black and White - but after that very little, just a glimpse here and there to remind us she's still around.

[boojam]

I think they should cut most of Arya's training out and have her reappear in Season 5 as a badass assassin on a mission.

I'm not saying cut her out completely - we need her goodbye to the Hound, her getting on the ship to Braavos, perhaps arriving at the House of Black and White - but after that very little, just a glimpse here and there to remind us she's still around.

No her whole story in Braavos is more complex than just the training... but the training is bizarre enough and really entertained me.

I can't figure out how much travels with the Hound will take up in episodes, maybe 2 maybe 4 or 5, but one thing they have to have the fight at the Inn and Arya recovering Needle.

Needle plays an import role in the Braavos story, because she disobeys FM orders and keeps part of her past by hiding Needle.

Which has always made me think that Arya is destined much bigger things than being an assassin.

[silentwanderer]

I think they should cut most of Arya's training out and have her reappear in Season 5 as a badass assassin on a mission.

I agree, we might see her initiation and then probably watch her back to Westeros, without knowing if she completed her training, by the time she - hypothetically - catches up with Ramsay's plot.

Then the slaughter begins and neither Bolton nor the Frey can tell where its coming from.

[The Boar of Gore]

^ Yep. All we need is a hint or two. We know she's going to end up bamf.

I agree hiding Needle is crucial.

And maybe, if the Faceless Men's backstory is important for the audience to understand - connects with the theme of slave liberation - there could be a cool scene explaining some of that.

[silentwanderer]

^ Yep. All we need is a hint or two. We know she's going to end up bamf.

I agree hiding Needle is crucial.

And maybe, if the Faceless Men's backstory is important for the audience to understand - connects with the theme of slave liberation - there could be a cool scene explaining some of that.

They have already tied Jaqen to the Red God, and Valar Morghullis to the exchange between Melidandre and Thoros.

Perhaps the Faceless Men backstory will have something to do with R'hllor on the show.

Either way, I agree Arya has to get Needle back before her training begins.

[Weeping Sore]

They have already tied Jaqen to the Red God, and Valar Morghullis to the exchange between Melidandre and Thoros.

Perhaps the Faceless Men backstory will have something to do with R'hllor on the show.

I thought exactly the same thing, but it's not actually a change from the book:

"The Red God has his due, sweet girl, and only death may pay for life..." -Jaqen H'ghar, A Clash of Kings

I think because Jaqen and his two companions were about to burn to death, their lives were stolen from "the Red God". R'hhlor here is just one aspect of the Many-Faced God the FM worship.

They may very well end up simplifying it for the show, but my feeling is the FM probably don't like R'hhlor worshippers screwing with the sanctity of death by resurrecting people. (the Others either, for that matter)

[boojam]

They may very well end up simplifying it for the show, but my feeling is the FM probably don't like R'hhlor worshippers screwing with the sanctity of death by resurrecting people. (the Others either, for that matter)

This whole R'hhlor 'resurrection thing' is odd, unlike the book , in show Melidandre expresses her utter astonisment that Thoros can do this. Does that mean she has the same power and does not know it? We have no indication in the book that Thoros knew he could do it , just kind of lucked into it!

[Weeping Sore]

snip

[silentwanderer]

I think because Jaqen and his two companions were about to burn to death, their lives were stolen from "the Red God". R'hhlor here is just one aspect of the Many-Faced God the FM worship.

It also ties directly to "death by fire is the purest death", as Melisandre told Davos's son in season 2.

It's interesting to point out that, according to Melisandre, Arya is supposed to shut-down three set of eyes. The same amount she saved back when she saved Jaqen from the fire.

If I were to speculate, the Red God is not done with Arya.

[Weeping Sore]

It also ties directly to "death by fire is the purest death", as Melisandre told Davos's son in season 2.

It's interesting to point out that, according to Melisandre, Arya is supposed to shut-down three set of eyes. The same amount she saved back when she saved Jaqen from the fire.

If I were to speculate, the Red God is not done with Arya.

Well, I hope they don't make the Faceless Men servants of The Lord of Light; I like the whole Many-faced god thing. Can't wait to see Braavos in fact, hopefully in the latter part of next season.