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[BOOK/TV SPOILERS] Shae


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I agree about TV Shae being off putting. They tried to hard to make her her own character and she becomes someone else completely. The drinking game, her threat to Tyrion just had me WTFing all over the place.

She is pretty, but that's about it.

:thumbsdown:

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Series Shae is definitely not book Shae. When she was introduced, someone suggested that maybe they were making her a Sandsnake? I could buy that. If they're going to include all seven of the seven kingdoms, better to introduce the Martells early and give them more to do. I'd rather have the Martells appear in some form, then have them mentioned in passing as "you think the plight is bad now, wait until next season when the Martells show up". ASOIAF is not True Blood where you have a new and campy adversary each season. Well, there is Stannis/Mel...

In her guessing game with Tyrion, Shae came across as something more like one of the courteseans of Braavos than a simple camp follower. Another possiblity is this character is a combination of Shae and Lady Merryweather (because we need Lady Merryweather more than we need Lord Merryweather)

I'm sure there will be more to come... we've been spoiled in how closely season one followed the book.

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Also worth mentioning (I'd forgotten this until I re-read it this weekend) - Shae does reveal a tiny bit of her background. In book two, Tyrion's gotten word about Stannis taking over Storm's End from Varys (after that, whatever it was - out of Melisandre as we readers know - killed Ser Cortnay) while visiting Shae, from Varys, dressed as a beggar. Tyrion wants to send her to the Red Keep disguised as a kitchen maid, and Shae protests this vigorously. She said her Father made her be his kitchen wench too, and Tyrion, respond that her Father also mader her his whore or so she had told him. Shae acknowledges it, and says she didn't like her father doing that to her anymore than she liked being a kitchen servant... as if both were equally miserable in her eyes.

I doubt we'll see this scene next season in the show, because its the same scene in the book where Tyrion spills his story of Tysha to Shae, and we've already had that story done differently (to Bronn) in the show. Perhaps they have decided to change Shae's background or story entirely since they are not tied to that telling scene or story and have chosen to make her seem more mysterious as a tool to keep watcher interested in her relationship with Tyrion. His need for love and acceptance (from a whore or otherwise) isn't explained at all in the series, where its repeated quite a few times in the books.

Just offering up a suggestion of how or why the producers may have chosen to portray Shae so differently. Maybe in the next book we find out something different about Shae's true identity or heritage and the producers already know this so they've taken the liberties with her character for the sake of brevity in character plot.

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  • 3 weeks later...

I saw the TV episode where she was introduced before I got the books, so I got to experience Shae's character in reverse. When I saw her interactions with Tyrion on the show, I thought, "Wow! This 'mere whore' is going to give Tyrion a run for his money! What a great match."

After I saw her in the book, I can see why fans don't like the TV version, but I still prefer her. A man as smart as Tyrion would be more intrigued by a woman who challenged him with wit and confidence, and that made me respect him more as a character. Of all the male characters in the show, he seemed like the one most likely to be able to appreciate someone like TV!Shae.

Yes, it changes the character dynamics and will likely change the downstream storyline, but I like it and look forward to more interesting interactions than in the books. This is one aspect I like to see in book->screen adaptations: how do the directors transform the written media into a visual, active production, and can the changes breathe more life into the work in the process?

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  • 2 weeks later...

I dislike the TV Shae, but I think it make sense to change her character for TV. In the books, she's basically a shallow, vapid, money-grubbing whore, and Tyrion's infatuation with her is nothing short of delusional and pathetic. But we're still able to sympathize with him because 1) in the books we get into his head and see his thoughts, and 2) in the books he's truly hideous, so his craving for -any- kind of love is understandable.

On the show, short stature aside, he's a reasonably attractive man. And while the TV medium can hint at Tyrion's thoughts, it obviously can't convey his feelings in the same way as the books. If they gave us book Tyrion - a guy who raped Tysha and then lost himself to Book Shae - the character would just come off terribly, IMO.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Just been watching episode 9 again and being reintroduced to Shae after re-reading the books and I've noticed a little something. A theory has now cropped up into my brain.

I'll grant the mysterious aspects of Shae's past and her history are all to allure Tyrion but I'm going to assume she's in cahoots with Tywin from the beginning. I say this because of her reaction to Tysha's tale.

Being a whore she is more aware of sexual relations than anyone with men. But she denies that Tysha would jump into bed after being attacked unless she was a whore. We learn later of the truth of Tysha but perhaps Shae was trying to distract Tyrion from the truth.

Another thing is that she was found in the Lannister camp, it's easy enough for Tywin to plant her there. Tywin then explicitly declares that Tyrion isn't allowed to take 'that whore' with him knowing full well his son would likely disobey him, then just to stick the knife in Shae reacts vocally and encourages Tyrion to take her along. It's a master manipulation by any standard but not above Tywin I believe. I'm just not sure to what end.

There is also a theory she is in cahoots with Varys, but that bears later in the plot. For now I think they are setting her up as a snake in the grass connected to Tywin. Maybe not, that's just my gut feeling though.

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I saw the TV episode where she was introduced before I got the books, so I got to experience Shae's character in reverse. When I saw her interactions with Tyrion on the show, I thought, "Wow! This 'mere whore' is going to give Tyrion a run for his money! What a great match."

After I saw her in the book, I can see why fans don't like the TV version, but I still prefer her. A man as smart as Tyrion would be more intrigued by a woman who challenged him with wit and confidence, and that made me respect him more as a character. Of all the male characters in the show, he seemed like the one most likely to be able to appreciate someone like TV!Shae.

Yes, it changes the character dynamics and will likely change the downstream storyline, but I like it and look forward to more interesting interactions than in the books.

THIS is what I was getting at, back in the thread. Thanks.

Being a whore she is more aware of sexual relations than anyone with men. But she denies that Tysha would jump into bed after being attacked unless she was a whore.

?

She was saying that, if the whole thing was a ruse & Tysha was really a prostitute, then she would have had sex after a faked attack where she was almost fake raped --because it would have all been an act & not real.

If it wasnt, then she wouldnt have had sex with Tyrion. Whether she was a prostitute or not.

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