Is this GRRM's big twist that he just came up with?

[UnFit Finlay]

1 hour ago, myhalfgroat said:

agreed.

the Mance = Rhaeger theory has always struck me as poor writing. even if people can point to (semi-plausible) foreshadowing, it's still cheaper than a dollar store pregnancy test for George to say "well sure, I said Mance's eyes are brown, but I never said they weren't purple". that and the fact that nobody would take any notice or make any mention of a clearly rare physical characteristic.

I agree.

The amount of mental gymnastics the reader would have to do to make it work is incredible. I mean, Robert hated Rhaegar to the point that he still holds a grudge over a decade later, yet he didn't make certain that he was dead? Nobody thought to keep a close guard over his body? Then there's the fact that people actually know Mance. He has an entire backstory. The only way he could pull it off is if the entire Watch at the time were willing to go along with the lie ("Oh him. He's been here his entire life") AND stick with it even after he betrayed them. You'd think with Mance gathering forces and the Watch's strength dwindling someone would have come to clean to Robert in order to save the realm? As for Rhaegar himself - What the hell would be the point?

Plus it adds nothing to the story. Not a thing. It'd just be a twist for the sake of having a twist and GRRM is a far better writer than that.

For me, it's another example of Syrio Forel syndrome. People just can't accept when interesting characters are killed off too soon and desperately look for ways that they could still be alive, no matter how contrived.

[myhalfgroat]

20 hours ago, UnFit Finlay said:

As for Rhaegar himself - What the hell would be the point?

I thought this over as well and the only thing I could come up with is: prophecy told him to. there's just no other solid explanation I can think of

but as you say, it wouldn't add to the story and that's my worry with GRRM getting all excited about cramming in another twist. he's clearly one of the most engaging modern writers so I don't doubt his ability to pull it off, but there are just some aspects of the story that feel unnecessary. particularly, Stoneheart and Quentyn come to mind. I'm not knocking the people that like them (just like I'm not knocking on M=R fans) but unless one of them plays a pivotal part, it just seems like fat that could have been trimmed. as the story fattens up I worry that more twists will be "needed" to keep it exciting.

[TheHouseHB]

On 4/9/2017 at 10:31 PM, Good Guy Garlan said:

That's just one of the many problems with this, another one being that Rhaegar would never in a million years be stupid enough to crash a feast where there's Ned Stark, Robert Baratheon and the Lannister siblings. 

Rhaegar not stupid enough?

[Princess Daenerys]

On 4/9/2017 at 8:04 PM, Victarious2 said:

http://ew.com/article/2016/02/25/george-rr-martins-game-thrones-twist/

He mentioned a character who died in S5, and that it involves multiple characters, and that he'd come up with a twist for one in particular.  Could it be that it involves Mance Rayder, and the twist being that he is actually Rhaegar Targaryen in disguise?  After all, he is a musician, a good fighter, and he has an interest in the Winterfell crypts for some reason (perhaps to visit Lyanna's tomb?)  George has faked plenty of character deaths by now, so I'm not sure he'd rule out a twist that Rhaegar is alive.  Besides, it's a good way to reveal to Jon Snow his true parentage.  And if Jon Connington ever meets Mance and recognizes him then there's more proof.

Rhaegar has the Targaryen physical appearance.  He would stand out like a sore thumb among the wildlings.  I don't think there is much of chance that he's Mance. 

The twist likely involve the parentage of Jon.  Mance and Lyanna are his parents. 

[John Doe]

How would it be possible? Robert smashed his chest in. That's not the type of death you can easily fake. 

[Sigella]

Totally hoping for it to be a fAegon-Sansa-lovestory! Then Dany comes along and Sansa gets the Anne Boleyn.