[BOOK SPOILERS] Predictions for TV series: Season by Season

[xanman]

Has anyone tried to flesh out/predict the whole season with everything we learned from filming taken into account yet?

[Ghosts Lunch]

I just simply think there is no need at all for that kind of logical stretching.

Show Varys wants what is good for the Realm. Early on, his idea of Dany came via Illyrio, and he thought she was timid, weak, and good for nothing much. This is what she was to him at the point of the attempted murder.

She proved herself later. So Varys's idea she might be good for the Realm is a NEW thing, based on her later reputation. Suddenly she has shown the ability to inspire loyalty, a moral compass, and she has dragons.

He didn't care if she died before, in fact her baby was a threat. But now the situation has changed and Varys sees her as a better bet than Cersei and co.

Has to be remembered that if they are thinking of what's good for the realm, the assassination attempt is put in motion when Viserys is the Targaryen candidate and Varys or Illyrio would not have thought much of him, hence the idea of marrying Dany off to a Khal who is unlikely to cross the water etc etc

In the books this is perhaps because they are interested in putting Aegon into power over Viserys, but when Dany comes into her own and shows some good leadership potential Illyrio sends Ser Barristan who is no spy ala Jorah Mormont to her instead of to Aegon and asks him to fetch her back to Pentos from Qarth. So it is from this point they probably want to marry/merge Aegon and Dany with eachother which puts Aegon in power and legitimises him and his progeny even if he is a Blackfyre b ut Dany obviusly goes to Slavers Bay instead

In terms of the show they can make it much simpler, Varys is loathe to let someone like Viserys on the throne because he wouldn't be good for the realm etc so he tries to kill of their cause because of the devestation a war of return would bring, but Dany with her slavery abolishing ethos would presumably be more inclined to care for the smallfolk etc etc and there has been a massive war and devestation now anyway and the current regime is hardly much better than the mad King Aerys so by the end of season 4 at least he can be arguably fully committed to helping her cause

[alcasinoroyale]

My Predictions for Season 5

Arya Stark

Arriving in Braavos and Meeting the Kindly Man (Episode 1)

House of Black and White (Episode 1 - 2)

Initiated into the Guild of Faceless Men (Episode 3)

Arya’s First Assignment (Episode 5)

Training with the Waif and Becoming Blind (Episode 6)

Dreaming through Nymeria and Regaining Sight (Episode 8)

First Apprenticeship with Izembaro (Episode 10)

Killing Meryn Trant (Episode 10)

Cersei Lannister

Maggy the Frog Prophecy (Episode 1)

Tywin’s Funeral and Burning Tower of the Hand (Episode 1)

Tommen and Margaery’s Wedding (Episode 2)

Cersei creates a new small council (Episode 3)

The High Sparrow and the Faith Militant (Episode 4 - 7)

Margaery and Cersei Feud (Episode 4 - 7)

Cersei and Margaery Arrested (Episode 8)

The Walk of Shame (Episode 10)

Daenerys Targaryen

Sons of Harpy (Episode 1 - 3)

Marriage Offer to Hizdahr (Episode 5)

Daenerys and Daario Romance (Episode 6 - 8)

Daenerys and Hizdahr’s Wedding (Episode 8)

Daznak’s Pit and Flying on Drogon (Episode 9)

Battle of Meereen and Sailing for Westeros? (Episode 10)

Jon Snow

Being Offered Winterfell and Legitimacy (Episode 1)

Winning Election as Commander of Night’s Watch (Episode 2)

Beheading Janos Slynt (Episode 3)

Sending Stannis south to reclaim the north (Episode 4)

Melisandre warning Jon of her visions (Episode 5)

Convincing wildings to join Night’s Watch (Episode 7)

Hardhome Battle (Episode 8)

Wildings come over the wall (Episode 9)

The Pink Letter and Daggers in the Dark (Episode 10)

Tyrion Lannister

Arriving in Pentos and Meeting Illyrio (Episode 1 - 2)

Meeting Young Griff and Griff (Episode 3 - 4, if included)

Brothel Scene in Volantis (Episode 5)

Meeting Jorah Mormont (Episode 5)

Tyrion and Jorah Adventures (Episode 7, 8)

Sold to Yezzan (Episode 8)

Fighting in Daznak’s Pit (Episode 9)

Joining the Second Sons and Sailing for Westeros? (Episode 10)

[Hippocras]

Well I won't specify by episode, but this is what we will likely see for each character in season 5 IMO:

Jon

Dynamics with Mel and Stannis: something that makes Jon fear for Aemon (Mance burning?)

Wildling prisonners pass, Winterfell offer, news of "Arya" wedding, early wildling-Watch tensions

Election

Tensions between wildlings and Watch escalate. Grumblings and insubordination. Slynt beheading

Planning sessions involving rest of wildlings, the Boltons and the North. Stannis leaves the Wall

More wildlings pass maybe, more Watch grumbling, Sam and Aemon sent to negoiate with IB, then Oldtown

Show version of Hard Home (White Walkers and wights cast in episode 8)

Possibly the pink letter and the Ides of Marsh, but these may also be early season 6

Stannis

Settling in and meddling at the Wall, Mance burning or replacement, overtures to Northern lords

Northern lords want a Stark. Winterfell offer to Jon

Slynt beheading and Stannis approval of Jon

Planning sessions. Leaving the Wall

Yara becomes Stannis's prisonner?

Freezing and starving army makes camp near Winterfell

Theon brings Stannis fArya

Inconclusive preliminaries of the battle for Winterfell, no resolution this season

Sam

Helps Jon get elected

Wildling diplomacy

Leaves Wall with Aemon

Ambassador to the Iron Bank for loan to feed wildlings (No Tycho at the Wall). Arya helps him.

Aemon sick

Leaves Braavos for Oldtown (arrives season 6)

Aemon dies

Arya

Arrival in Braavos, intro to HOBAW

Becomes trainee, gets rid of stuff and hides Needle

Lie detection training, HOBAW duties

More training, wolf dreams

Becomes Cat of the Canals

Gets to know urban scene of Braavos, whores at brothel etc., adapts to being Cat

Sam arrives in Braavos. Arya rescues him from bullying Braavo or helps some other way.

Trant arrives as Lannister envoy. Arya kills him.

Arya goes blind.

Sansa

Touring the Vale as "Alayne" with brown hair, discussions with LF on politics of the Vale, strategies

Strange dynamics with Robin Arryn

Possible Gulltown wedding for Corbray noting who attends, who doesn't (indirect in books)

Possible visit to seat of House Royce to drop off Robin for fostering (discussed season 4)

Mishap involving Robin, possible name drop of Harry the Heir (not cast so mentions only)

Possible visit to the Fingers

Someone unexpected shows up in the Vale (Sophie familiar faces comment)

Brienne

Follows Arya to Satpans where she left from. Finds aftermath of massacre with Sparrows burying victims. Arya presumed to have died also.

Despondent Brienne hears rumours on who is responsible for massacre. Arrives at village with podium (set pics leaked). Meets future HS or other Sparrow/Septon who she tells all.

Possibly some BWB, possibly some nasty outlaw action but might be skipped.

With no word on Sansa and low on funds, agrees to guard a caravan headed to the Vale as a hedge knight (alternately she goes there because she hears Sansa is there).

[Hippocras]

Cersei

Maggy dream, news of Tywin's death, tense scene with Jamie, Qyburn implicates Olenna

Glimpse of Mountain's recovery, first signs of Sparrows in KL street scenes

Funeral, attended by Lancel, Bronn and Lollys, Tyrells - tense exchanges with each

(Sparrows protest outside funeral)

Council meeting with new appointees, Jamie sent to Dorne, Mace to Braavos, discussion of new HS

Loras's lover seized and tortured by Qyburn. "Convinced" to confess to HS, tell lies about Margery.

Cersei meets with High Sparrow, smears Tyrells. Loras arrested. Faith Militant legitimized.

Lancel brings evidence against Cersei to HS.

Both Margery and Cersei arrested by Faith, deprivation tortured

Cersei agrees to walk of shame for Lancel affair and is released

Cersei finds herself in weak position after walk.

Dany

Struggles ruling Meereen escalate (peddler?). First signs of SoH. Hizdahr wants fighting pits.

Barristan can't quite replace Jorah. Persistence for fighting pits from Hizdahr. Escapism with Daario.

Wondering about whereabouts of Drogon. Visiting unhappy chained dragons. Restless unruly city.

First news of plague at Astapor. Refugees set up camp outside Meereen.

SoH murder Unsullied. Agreement to marry Hizdahr if he makes SoH stop.

Slave market appears in refugee camp. Plague arrives at camp.

Plague escalation, dispute over slave market but no more SoH attacks. Wedding agreed.

Dorne proposal presented, refused. Tyrion somehow joins Hizdahr.

Wedding combined with opening of fighting pits. Dany flies away on Drogon.

Dany back in Red Waste.

[ADanceWithCats]

I posted some of mine in the Casting thread. Here's them, plus more.

Jon:

E1: The election. The election is the set-up this season: it sets up Jon's new circumstances.

E2: 'Atmospheric' talks. Specially, Melisandre with Aemon, Jon, Stannis; Sam with Aemon, Shireen. The second episode serves as the second set-up episode of the season. So, while a lot of other arcs are set-up, we get a bit of atmosphere for this one.

E3: Stannis leaves. The Winterfell infiltration unit leaves. Jon makes some decisions. Some sort of a war counsel - decisions taken.

E4: pass The lack of an episode in the storyline serves to denote the passing of time.
E5: Jon makes more decisions (letting wildings in through the Wall, sharing food with them). There is some grumbling about this, especially on the part of Janos. More set-up.
E6: Master Aemon dies, Sam and Davos are sent off. Jon is losing moral support.
E7: More grumbling from the Watch. Jon executes Janos, which seems to have the desired effect - his authority is reestablished. False season climax.

E8: WW attack on the wildings. Call it show!Hardhome, if you will.

E9: pass This episode would have important stuff on the Stannis front.
E10: For the Watch. True season climax.

Sam/Davos (branching off from Jon after E6):

E8: Sam and Davos travel down the Wall towards the East. They discuss fatherhood, bond.

E10: Sam and Davos encounter a person (peasant / wilding) who saw a boy with a wolf. Sam tells Davos about meeting Bran, and they decide it's Rickon. Davos decides to follow the trail.

Stannis (branching off from Jon after E3):

E5: post-battle, encounters Yara. Snark.

E7: snark, continued.

E9: Battle of/on Ice. Resolution unknown until next season.

Yara (merging with Stannis around E5):

E2: meets Balon, is exiled to the mainland.

Theon:

E1: the Boltons settle in Winterfell

E3: flavour

E4: the Bolton wedding

E6: the Winterfell infiltration unit enters Winterfell

E7: weirwood scene

E8: Theon escapes with the Winterfell infiltration unit

E9: Theon meets Stannis and Yara just before battle

------------------------------------

Cersei/King's Landing:

E1: cold open dream, Tywin's funeral, news of the Faith, Cersei sends Jaime to Dorne (set-up)

E2: pass

E3: Tommen/Marge wedding, Cersei meets Qyburn, the Faith Militant raid brothels

E4: Loras vs. Faith Militant, Cersei/Marge snark, Littlefinger enters King's Landing

E5: snark

E6: snark

E7: Cersei and Marge arrested

E8: Cersei tormented in the cell by the septas, they extract a confession

E9: pass

E10: the Walk of Shame, Robert Strong revealed

Jaime (branches off from Cersei in E3):

E3: meets Bronn, leaves King's Landing

E4: arrives in Dorne

E6/E7: some minor issues resolved on the front, whatever they be

E9: Dorne finale

------------------------------------

Tyrion:

E1: with Illyrio in Pentos

E3: in Volantis, gets captured by Jorah in a brothel

E4-E7: travelling with Jorah, the Sorrows, gets captured by slavers

E8: sold to Hizdahr

E9: with Hizdahr in Daznak's Pit, watching Dany fly away

E10: participating in some sort of a Meereen resolution

Dany:

E1: Meereen, Hizdahr and Daario return, news of the Sons of the Harpy

E3: more news of the Sons, Hizdahr proposes a political marriage

E4: Dany orders the execution of a slave

E5-E8: Meereen snafu continued

E9: Dany/Hizdahr wedding, Daznak's pit

E10: Dany on the steppe

------------------------------------

Sansa/Brienne:

E2: Sansa, LF and SweetRobin travel to whatever will be their destination this season (the Fingers, maybe?). Littlefinger leaves.

E4: Brienne and Pod show up

E6/E7: Sansa mulls through joining up with Brienne and leaving

E8: Sansa tells Brienne to leave, decides to stay with Littlefinger

E10: Littlefinger returns

Arya:

E1: Arya enters the House, meets New Jaqen (AFFC Arya I); set-up

E2: some basic training, burning clothes, hiding Needle (Arya II); Assassination 101

E3: pass; (time passes)

E4: Arya on the streets. She kills someone, who probably won't be Sam's companion (Cat of the Canals); some minor setbacks in training

E5: pass; (time passes)

E6: a blind episode (The Blind Girl); training ctd

E7: pass; (time passes)

E8: killing the insurance salesman (The Ugly Little Girl); graduation exam

E9/E10: Mercy + Mercy denouement (Mercy). personal life gets in the way

------------------------------------

Now, for the huge, 'explosive' moments...

E1 Arya entering the House of Black and White

E2 ???

E3 would have a war council in the North, the Tyrion capture in Volantis

E4 the Sorrows, Dany ordering the execution of a slave, maybe, the Bolton Wedding, maybe

E5 ???

E6 Master Aemon dies

E7 Cersei's arrest, Tyrion sold to slavers

E8 Theon's escape, the WW attack in the North

E9 Mercy, Daznak's

E10 the Walk of Shame, For the Watch

Eh, it's half done, I will have to think a bit more...

[Roose is Azor Ahai]

I agree with almost everything Hippocras and ACatWithDragons said.

[ADanceWithCats]

OK, given the recent news, it seems that Sansa's and Brienne's stories will be separate. Based on this, I've worked out a Sansa in the Vale prediction:

Sansa/Littlefinger:

E1/E2: Sansa, LF and SweetRobin travel to whatever will be their destination this season (the Fingers, maybe?). They meet Brienne on the way. The meeting leaves Sansa shaken; Littlefinger promises vengeance. Sansa is supposed to marry SweetRobin to become Lady of the Vale.

Littlefinger leaves. The story forks.

E3-E7: In King's Landing, LF works the technicalities of annuling Sansa's marriage to Tyrion. In the Vale, Sansa considers her future.

E8: Littlefinger returns

E9/E10: Sansa marries. What happens afterwards is anybody's guess. She may take the power as the Lady of the Vale, or she may... run from Littlefinger and scheming and all that, possibly. That depends on the plot in the coming seasons.

reference posts:

first phrasing of theory

second phrasing of theory

explanation of some points

explanation of some additional points

final additions

This also calls for a Brienne prediction. So here's a (half-tongue-in-cheek) possibility...

Brienne:

E1/E2: meets Sansa, gets turned down

E4: becomes disillusioned (as per the raven promotion)

E6/E7: "old woman" helps her in "dangerous territory"

E9/E10: ??? changes career?

[Oriolesmagic]

In the Jon storyline, both of you guys are missing the Mance burning, which takes place sometime before Janos' beheading and sometime before Stannis leaves. Due to them both being present in the still we saw.

[Konradsmith]

In the Jon storyline, both of you guys are missing the Mance burning, which takes place sometime before Janos' beheading and sometime before Stannis leaves. Due to them both being present in the still we saw.

I'd say it's in 502 since the facebook summaries have Stan giving Jon a short amount of time to convince Mance to kneel to him in the premiere ep. (Which was also what the Jon-Mance clip in the last Sight clip was).

[igrewupinKL]

by the end of season 5 i think for each character will be at this stage:

Jon: 'for the watch'

Sam: Sent away to oldtown

Stannis: outside winterfell, start of battle of ice

Theon: Is Theon again and with Stannis

Yara: with Stannis

Davos: sent away on a mission (rickon)

Melisandre: lights a fire....

Arya: Gets first training assignment as a mummer

Tyrion: working with Barry to restore order to Mereen as Hizdahr's either dead or arrested

Dany: in Dothraki sea

Jorah: alive, either helping tyrion and barry or still a slave in the pits

Sansa: after the death of sweetrobin, they plot taking over the vale

Cersei: Shaken by the walk but still crazy especially after Varys offs kevan

Jaime: still in Dorne, heading back with Myrcella and Nymeria to KL

Brienne: obtains fatal wound in a fight, dies/left ambiguous

Margery: awaiting trial

Loras: Badly damaged after imprisonment, made KG

[Red Tiger]

I really, really, really hope the series just jumps ahead of the book and we get a resolution to the battle of ice.

[igrewupinKL]

I really, really, really hope the series just jumps ahead of the book and we get a resolution to the battle of ice.

This is actually quite likely. We know Stannis is marching on Winterfell this season. So there's only two options

1) battle is set up, Stannis sees an army approaching but it cuts off there (battle appears next season)

2) Battle is somewhat shown, and it shows who wins winterfell

There's no way they are leaving the battle half done between seasons, they just don't do that

[Razha]

This is actually quite likely. We know Stannis is marching on Winterfell this season. So there's only two options

1) battle is set up, Stannis sees an army approaching but it cuts off there (battle appears next season)

2) Battle is somewhat shown, and it shows who wins winterfell

There's no way they are leaving the battle half done between seasons, they just don't do that

I think, they can show most of the battle in ep 10. and end it on a cliffhanger/some unexpected twist ending/maybe even a scene that would lead us to believe than Stannis is dead... - that would lead directly to a scene of Jon receiving the Pink Letter, followed by the Daggers in the Dark....

Both cliffhangers to be resolved in the Ep 1 of Season 6.

[Razha]

North: As I already mentioned, they can show most of the Ice Battle in ep 10. and end it on a cliffhanger/some unexpected twist ending/maybe even a scene that would lead us to believe than Stannis is dead... - that would lead directly to a scene of Jon receiving the Pink Letter…Season end with Jon's Caesar scene

Sam: I think, it is quite possible that they won't show the Citadel in the series, it might be mentioned but not necessarily shown... instead , a Large Library can be located in Bravos s o Sam and Co are sent there....

Another further option - in the books maester Aemon wanted to go and meet Danny, but he dies and we have maester Marvin sailing to meet her instead - what if they merge this characters and have Aemon (and possibly Sam) really sail to Danny?

Theon: last seen with Stannis, Theon's Sacrifice scene from TWOW

Yara: same as Theon

Davos: is sent (before the Battle of Ice and maybe even much earlier) to find Rickon (they can skip Manderlay and have Stannis give this order), ,

Arya: I think they might end her season ark with her waking up blind….:

All we know from books and TV spoilers – killing Trant (updated TWOW Mercy chapter) is the only major thing she does after becoming apprentice of the Faceless Men. Mercy episode can be her main action at the end of the season (I don’t think they will have Dareon so I guess she can end up blinded as a consequence of killing Trant without consent of the Faceless) .

I think her Season 5 story will be something like: Epp1-2: arrival in bravos, going to the House.. Epp 4-7: training, first killing.. Ep: 8 or 9 – "Mercy", Ep 10: consequences (is questioned by faceless and wakes up blind)

Tyrion: quite possibly is sold to Hidzar and witnesses/participates in daznak pit events in ep 9. In ep 10 he is the main witness of the aftermath of Danny's departure

Dany: in Dothraki sea

Sansa: (Somehow LF negotiates with KL her divorce from Tyrion and) She goes to Winterfell to marry Ramsey, as Sansa Stark (and not as fake Arya). She might be even trying to avenge her family but almost fails and is saved by Theon at last moment… after that she either ends up with Stannis or Somehow is returned to Vale (maybe with help of Brienne?)

Kingslanding: Cersei has walk of shame, Varys offs Kevan and Pizzel, and possibly Tommen. Loras can be also murdered somewhere inbetween.

Dorn and Jaime: After keeping Jaime prisoner for a while, Dornish somehow let him go back to KL and even allow him to take Myrcella with him. Trystan is either sent with them or is sent to Danny instead

Brienne:

1. Might become Sansa's guard, is killed during the attempt to escape Winterfell

2. Finds Sansa after her escape from Winterfell

3. Meets Sansa in the beginning of the Season, Sansa distrust her and Brienne ends up roaming country side till the end of Season, when she finally finds … Hound.

[igrewupinKL]

I think, they can show most of the battle in ep 10. and end it on a cliffhanger/some unexpected twist ending/maybe even a scene that would lead us to believe than Stannis is dead... - that would lead directly to a scene of Jon receiving the Pink Letter, followed by the Daggers in the Dark....

Both cliffhangers to be resolved in the Ep 1 of Season 6.

Yes if they do that then next season we will only see the resolution of the battle not the rest of the battle itself

[jbob]

I've come to believe that the purpose of this season is to delay the plots of most of the characters to give GRRM more time to write WOW. Jaime sent to Dorne instead of Riverlands, Bran not appearing, Jon sent to Hardhome and D+D having said in interviews that ideally they'd want GRRM to finish WOW.

An example, Stannis will be at the Wall till at last mid-S6, Jon stabbing end of S6, Jaime Riverlands mid-s6 and son on.

[shadow282]

I've come to believe that the purpose of this season is to delay the plots of most of the characters to give GRRM more time to write WOW. Jaime sent to Dorne instead of Riverlands, Bran not appearing, Jon sent to Hardhome and D+D having said in interviews that ideally they'd want GRRM to finish WOW.

An example, Stannis will be at the Wall till at last mid-S6, Jon stabbing end of S6, Jaime Riverlands mid-s6 and son on.

Sorry, not gonna happen because season 6 is Winds and season 7 is Dream

If they, for instance, push off Jon's Dance storyline to the end of season 6 that means whatever his Winds/Dream storylines are they'll have to do it all in 1 season. Which they won't do.

This isn't a delaying season. This is a "getting through the two worst books as quickly as possible so we don't lose viewers" season. Everyone's story will be either at or ahead of where their Dance material ends. That's the best possible way to do it.

Plus, I doubt George releasing Winds would matter at this point. Even if they haven't started writing the scripts now they will have started by the time Winds was released even if George announced he was finished today.

[aFeastForDragons]

I've come to believe that the purpose of this season is to delay the plots of most of the characters to give GRRM more time to write WOW. Jaime sent to Dorne instead of Riverlands, Bran not appearing, Jon sent to Hardhome and D+D having said in interviews that ideally they'd want GRRM to finish WOW.

An example, Stannis will be at the Wall till at last mid-S6, Jon stabbing end of S6, Jaime Riverlands mid-s6 and son on.

That would leave one season for the the last two books. Not happening!

[Arkash]

Yeah, at most what's gonna be left of Dance (and Feast) for season 6 will be the Ides, Euron Greyjoy and possibly LSH. All the rest will have been dealt with.