[Book Spoilers] Why didn't the WW kill Sam?

[LordofWinter]

There's no need to over think it or waste time trying to defend it. It was clearly either a case of bad writing or editing. Pick your poison. They'll probably try to salvage it by using it to segway into "Sam the Slayer"

But if you really want to f*** with your mind, try to explain HOW Stannis managed to make it out of KL alive and unscathed?

[Jayce]

In the books the Others attack armed people who attack them. In that scene Sam was neither armed (that I could see) nor did he attack. He bowed his head which kind of looked like a sign of deference or respect (though we know it was out of fear).

[Jayaris]

As far as I know the Wights are never seen killing the babies, I think of WW similar to Predators in that :

What ever happened to the Predators only killing people who are armed?

In the original film, Dutch said to Anna "Leave [the gun]. He didn't kill you because you weren't armed. No sport." Dutch was theorizing this. In fact, the Predator will kill an unarmed person if they are a threat or worthy of combat.

Warrior Culture etc.

[SelaBela]

Basically, my point is that if the Others truly don't want living beings dead, they wouldn't be making wights who we've never seen let an innocent person go free.

I definitely understand where you're coming from with this. I'm starting to chalk this scene up to bad editing. But, as far as them "making wights" are we sure that this is a deliberate process

As far as I know the Wights are never seen killing the babies, I think of WW similar to Predators in that :

Warrior Culture etc.

Reminds me of this:

[Kaitscralt]

Next season, Sam will be with the NW group or traveling to a new locale. It won't explain what happened and we'll just have to assume they passed him by.

[Sam with Hooters]

johnny_turbo wrote:

The only issue with the dragonglass theory (which I think is currently the most plausible) is that I don't think wights are vulnerable to dragonglass so unless they changed that in the show or something there'd be no reason for the wights to not go after him.

I have a sneaking suspicion -- with absolutely no evidence to back it up -- that once Sam kills both WW with dragonglass, the wights will collapse, reverting from undead to normal-dead without WWs nearby to control them.

Another reason the WW might not kill Sam even if it saw him is that it seems to be in a terrible hurry (not the best thing when your army is composed of shambling zombies!). This particular WW may be a special individual, resistant to sunlight -- the other WW in the scene is covered up completely in Wildling-style armor, including a hood, and carrying a crystal sword.

They may well be planning to time the horde's arrival for after nightfall, when they'd have a clear advantage over the humans anyway.

[Istakhr]

Since they introduced dragonglass they are probably going to do Sam the Slayer part. But how are they going to justify a WW following and attacking Sam when they left him alone here?

[Horus Ex Machina]

I definitely understand where you're coming from with this. I'm starting to chalk this scene up to bad editing. But, as far as them "making wights" are we sure that this is a deliberate process

Reminds me of this:

I was thinking of the same thing. :lol:

[kephv]

Since they introduced dragonglass they are probably going to do Sam the Slayer part. But how are they going to justify a WW following and attacking Sam when they left him alone here?

Considering all the things they didn't even try to justify this season, do they even have to try justifying that?

[Jayaris]

Since they introduced dragonglass they are probably going to do Sam the Slayer part. But how are they going to justify a WW following and attacking Sam when they left him alone here?

Grenn, Paul and Sam are walking the WW comes up on a dead horse and dismounts, Grenn threatens it with a Torch it cuts the top of the torch off. Small Paul then charges at it with an Axe and it kills him, losing it's sword in the process - Then Sam fumbles into it with a dragon glass dagger, subsequently killing it.

Grenn threatened the WW with a torch, he removes the threat. (When he could just as easily of killed Grenn)

Paul tries to kill the WW, Paul is a sizeable man and could be considered a worthy opponent. (So he kills Paul)

The WW might of been looking for a fight, but he didn't maliciously start killing them.

The justification for the WW not killing Sam is already in the books.

[bardgal]

Why should the WW & the wights bother with Sam? He's scared. He's fat. He's not likely to go anywhere, or get very far if he tried. If they move on to their business at The Fist, he's likely to be dead of hypothermia by the time they're done (since the übercold follows them), and they can make him part of their army afterwards.

There's really a lot of ways this can go, and still get to where the story needs to be. I've no doubt Sam has a piece of Dragonglass on him. Will they continue to ignore him? Will one of the last WW who are bringing up the rear of the army try to take him on? Will Sam run?

I think they'll ignore him, and he'll run. And like 99% of everyone in Sam's life, the WW will have underestimated him.

I'm actually excited to see how D&D&GRRM resolve this.

[Trinket2]

Next season, Sam will be with the NW group or traveling to a new locale. It won't explain what happened and we'll just have to assume they passed him by.

I re-watched the first episode of the show today and I realized that this is pretty much what they did with Will. The wight kills the knight (Royce), and when Will and Gared are just a couple of meters from eachother, a wight slits Gareds throat and Will doesn't even run. The next time we see Will, he's made it south of the Wall. There's no explanation why the wight didn't kill Will, or how he got out alive, as the last time we saw him he just sat down on the ground completely in sight of a wight who's just a few meters away and the horses had run off.

So I gues either the Others/the wights in the show are more picky than those in the book, or the script writers just didn't care about the breach of logic.

Edit: Oh, and in that first episode, wights/Others HAVE killed children among the dead that Will discovered, so it's definitaly not about a warrior instinct with them only killing dangerous persons. Besides, we know that they do something with the kids that Craster sacrifices. I find it highly unlikely that they keep the kids alive for any long period of time, or that they just leave them in the snow.

[Jayaris]

I re-watched the first episode of the show today and I realized that this is pretty much what they did with Will. The wight kills the knight (Royce), and when Will and Gared are just a couple of meters from eachother, a wight slits Gareds throat and Will doesn't even run. The next time we see Will, he's made it south of the Wall. There's no explanation why the wight didn't kill Will, or how he got out alive, as the last time we saw him he just sat down on the ground completely in sight of a wight who's just a few meters away and the horses had run off.

So I gues either the Others/the wights in the show are more picky than those in the book, or the script writers just didn't care about the breach of logic.

Edit: Oh, and in that first episode, wights/Others HAVE killed children among the dead that Will discovered, so it's definitaly not about a warrior instinct with them only killing dangerous persons. Besides, we know that they do something with the kids that Craster sacrifices. I find it highly unlikely that they keep the kids alive for any long period of time, or that they just leave them in the snow.

On the TV show there is a little girl, in the books there is no mention :

"The camp is two miles farther on, over that ridge, hard beside a stream," Will said. "I got close as I

dared. There's eight of them, men and women both. No children I could see. They put up a lean-to

against the rock. The snow's pretty well covered it now, but I could still make it out. No fire burning, but

the firepit was still plain as day. No one moving. I watched a long time. No living man ever lay so still."

Also

"Did you see any weapons?"

"Some swords, a few bows. One man had an axe. Heavy-looking, double-bladed, a cruel piece of iron.

It was on the ground beside him, right by his hand."

Even when Waymar fights the Other later in the chapter he is the one who lifts his weapon up and challenges him, the (other) Others allow Waymar and the first Other to have a duel - Until it's clear that Waymar has lost and they moved in to put him out of his misery.

[baxter]

I've rewatched it several times, Sam and the Other make eye contact. I think someone said it early in the thread, but it comes across to me as the Other thinks he is so pathetic it isnt even worth bothering with him.

[bardgal]

I re-watched the first episode of the show today and I realized that this is pretty much what they did with Will. The wight kills the knight (Royce), and when Will and Gared are just a couple of meters from eachother, a wight slits Gareds throat and Will doesn't even run.

The WW doesn't slit Gared's throat, it cuts off Gared's head, then tosses the severed head at Will's feet. Will then sinks to his knees.

[Adar]

My crackpot theory is because Sam forsake his father's religion and prayed to the Old Gods, to the godswood tree. I think the old gods of the children of the forest are strongly related to the White Walkers. The White Walkers are awake only now because the people of Westeros cut down the godswood trees and worshiped the Seven instead.

[Ewan]

I've rewatched it several times, Sam and the Other make eye contact. I think someone said it early in the thread, but it comes across to me as the Other thinks he is so pathetic it isnt even worth bothering with him.

Yeah, I think they leave cowards. Just like the person in the very first episode who they let free because he fell to his knees?

[bringerofhope]

My wife is a non reader that isn't big into fantasy but LOVES GoT and to have it end with a "Walking Dead" feel left her confused and kind of turned off.

Same situation here. Didn't flow with the rest of the episodes IMO. Most of the series has been about politcial/relational drama not zombies.

[Aerys Blackfyre]

the others know something that we don't, that's why he is still alive

[ShowOverBooks]

They are afraid of wizards?