What will Danaerys be doing in Season 4? (book spoilers)

[Ser Tahu]

The way I pictured it is a sack of charred bones that are emptied onto the floor, with a few pieces of charred flesh still on a few bones. The shot would focus on the charred child's skull.

[Lannister Hamster]

That timeline was basically my model for the season as well. The episodes without Dany can be moved around a bit but there should be a sizeable gap somewhere after Dany settles in as queen to allow the dragons to grow. Season 5 should take several months on her end.

I can see it your way as well.

I disagree though it would weaken as Dany has several interesting themes from the book to explore even though it may not explicitly have been written in the book.

[Dogs]

Dudes, use your visual imagination. Instead of a child's bones or a child's body being presented to Danaerys, just show Drogon burning an innocent child into an inferno. It could call back to the last scene of Episode 1 of Season 3 (where Danaerys assumes a child is innocent but is actually an assassin) by having a child approach her in the street but have Danaerys freak out instead, thinking it's another assassin, and Drogon rears up and attacks the child, and then after she looks at the child's body and sees that the kid was just bringing her flowers.

[DaveyJoe]

Dudes, use your visual imagination. Instead of a child's bones or a child's body being presented to Danaerys, just show Drogon burning an innocent child into an inferno. It could call back to the last scene of Episode 1 of Season 3 (where Danaerys assumes a child is innocent but is actually an assassin) by having a child approach her in the street but have Danaerys freak out instead, thinking it's another assassin, and Drogon rears up and attacks the child, and then after she looks at the child's body and sees that the kid was just bringing her flowers.

I know the show hasn't shied away from much, but I doubt we'll see an innocent child roasted alive.

[fehler]

They stabbed babies, what's a little CGIBBQ?

[DaveyJoe]

They stabbed babies, what's a little CGIBBQ?

They cut away before showing anything though, you only saw the mother's reaction. Even if they use a bit of CGI they'll have to hire a young child to scream in agony and act like she's being burned alive. Doing a full CGI child is too much of the budget for such a small moment. The CGI budget needs to go to more important things.

[The Idiots Lantern]

Dudes, use your visual imagination. Instead of a child's bones or a child's body being presented to Danaerys, just show Drogon burning an innocent child into an inferno. It could call back to the last scene of Episode 1 of Season 3 (where Danaerys assumes a child is innocent but is actually an assassin) by having a child approach her in the street but have Danaerys freak out instead, thinking it's another assassin, and Drogon rears up and attacks the child, and then after she looks at the child's body and sees that the kid was just bringing her flowers.

I think you're kind of missing the point of GRRM handling the dead child event the way he did. We didn't see it so that there can be some question in our minds (if not in Daenarys's) as to weather the dragon really did kill the child, or whether this is another conspiracy to diminish the queen's power. And the lesson Dany takes from those bones is that she's neglected her dragons too long and now they are too wild and dangerous to be allowed to roam free. So although it breaks her heart, she allows them to be locked up to protect her people from her mistakes.

Your scenario would require a panicky, paranoid Danaerys and an overprotective Drogon. We have never seen Dany "freak out," at a perceived threat to her safety that way. She has her flaws, but she's no coward. And so far, Drogon has never actually attacked anyone without being ordered to. His mother was being chained up in front of him and he still needed a "drakarys" before he'd attack.

I have a hunch it'll happen in the show the same way it happened in the book.

[Lannister Hamster]

I think you're kind of missing the point of GRRM handling the dead child event the way he did. We didn't see it so that there can be some question in our minds (if not in Daenarys's) as to weather the dragon really did kill the child, or whether this is another conspiracy to diminish the queen's power. And the lesson Dany takes from those bones is that she's neglected her dragons too long and now they are too wild and dangerous to be allowed to roam free. So although it breaks her heart, she allows them to be locked up to protect her people from her mistakes.

Your scenario would require a panicky, paranoid Danaerys and an overprotective Drogon. We have never seen Dany "freak out," at a perceived threat to her safety that way. She has her flaws, but she's no coward. And so far, Drogon has never actually attacked anyone without being ordered to. His mother was being chained up in front of him and he still needed a "drakarys" before he'd attack.

I have a hunch it'll happen in the show the same way it happened in the book.

For me the scene works in that there is the possibility of it being a political trick to eliminate the dragons.

Showing Drogon killing the child would be a mistake - they should just show the bones as they did in the book.

[fehler]

Ah, but remember the Manticore scene? She was almost assassinated by a young girl (well, a fake young girl). Could see a call-back to that scene in this context.

Also, its hard on TV to show bones/dead bodies and be able to identify them as "young girl", without context.

[The Idiots Lantern]

Ah, but remember the Manticore scene? She was almost assassinated by a young girl (well, a fake young girl). Could see a call-back to that scene in this context.

Remember when Dany didn't "freak out" even when the Manticore was coming right at her face? She was clearly terrified but she kept it together. Having this incident give her an uncontrollable fear of children makes no sense.

[Dogs]

Don't take "freak out" literally; my vision of the scene had a lot to do with how Danaerys perceived her own safety and control of the city of Meereen after she had taken it over. She wouldn't be sure if people are there to kill her, or to cheer her. Given the amount of people out to get her, Danaerys would at least be alert and on guard if someone burst through to approach her without warning or announcement, and so would her dragons, as seen in Episode 7 of Season 3 where the dude from Yunkai tries to grab back his gold but Drogon freaks out (literally this time) on the guy's slaves for getting too close to her. The difference between the Kraznys scene and this hypothetical scene would be that Drogon would sense a threat to Danaerys, and not to himself, and so act to protect her when the child approaches her without Danaerys' consent and holds something out at her (which is a gift, not a weapon, as it would turn out after the child is roasted).

And re-reading the scene from the book, to me it's pretty obvious that the guy who presents the bones is in shock and just witnessed someone get burned alive and eaten by a real live dragon, and that it's not a political trick. Consider: "He stood with his head down, gazing at the marble floor as if he had quite forgotten where he was," "His eyes were red and raw as open sores," "His tongue flicked nervously over chapped, cracked lips." Also, the way he cannot articulate himself very well. Come to think of it, the guy doesn't even come out and say that they're a child's bones, it's Barristan and Danaerys who come to that conclusion on their own. Someone deliberately trying to disturb her control would be more vocal about her dragons killing innocent people, I think.

I guess my vision of the scene incorporated themes of Danaerys' relative control of Meeren as well as her loss of control over her dragons. The burning alive of an innocent child inside the city would involve a bunch of fallout and outcry by the citizens of Meereen to chain up or kill the dragons, blah blah blah, Danaerys is conflicted and wants to placate the citizens and keep them happy and safe but also doesn't want to oppress her dragons, but she chains them up anyways, blah blah. I just think that a visual signal to the audience that she does not have control of either situation (dragons, and city) works better for the show.

And, seriously, considering how many people the FX department has lit on fire throughout the show, I'm sure one other stunt person screaming in agony for a few seconds is easy as pie to them by now.

[CakeOfTheMorning]

NOOOOO!!! DON'T BRING BACK THIS ARGUMENT!!! :P

I have always rejected the notion of her getting far into ADwD material in season 4 based solely on how that would either require her season 5 stuff to be really slow in a season that won't be the most eventful of season, or ruin the pacing and severely rush numerous other arcs (Quentyn, Victarion and Tyrion (which would in turn effect Aegon, Dorne and King's Landing's pacing)). I never even considered the size of the dragons before. So I think that point is another reason why Daenerys going deep into ADwD in season 4 is unlikely.

It doesnt because she vanishes at the end of season 5. They can spend as many episodes as they want on the Khal storyline while those other.characters catch up, if they have to. Also, it doenst mess up KL because the main link is Tyrion, who has ample time if he leaves KL in 4x07. 1.3 season to be anywhere between Volantis and Mereen is far more than enough.

The dragons are magical creatures, they can grow however they want. Nobody objected that it took Drogon only two years to be ridsble, when it was meant to be 7 years pre-knot.

[Ser Tahu]

It doesnt because she vanishes at the end of season 5. They can spend as many episodes as they want on the Khal storyline while those other.characters catch up, if they have to. Also, it doenst mess up KL because the main link is Tyrion, who has ample time if he leaves KL in 4x07. 1.3 season to be anywhere between Volantis and Mereen is far more than enough.

The dragons are magical creatures, they can grow however they want. Nobody objected that it took Drogon only two years to be ridsble, when it was meant to be 7 years pre-knot.

Yes, Tyrion would be able to get there in time if he leaves by 4x07. But it would be absolutely stupid to have him leave that early there has been no indication of him getting into ADwD material in season 4, so having Daenerys leave at the end of season 5 would require Tyrion's stuff to be rushed. And Daenerys leaving at the end of season 5 would require Quentyn would have to arrive in Meereen around mid season 5, which would essentially require him to teleport, and for the battle to take place in the first half of season 6 would require Victarion to teleport there.

Overall, the best way to keep the pacing of the show consistent would be for the knot (Quentyn and Tyrion's arrival) to take place in the first half of season 6 and have Daenerys leave mid-season.

[The Idiots Lantern]

I like how we're planning Dany's TV season arc around events that haven't even happened in the books yet. C'mon guys, what are the odds Dany's gonna get back to Meereen, hook up with Victarion and Tyrion, reclaim her dragons, disentangle her forces from the city, and leave for Westeros without anything else going wrong?

[Lannister Hamster]

There are some things that others of you see as problematic that I really don't.

For example:

Tyrion does not leave KL until the last episode of Season 4. In Season 5 he meets Young Griff, about half way through (ep4-6) he meets Ser Jorah and then gets to the death matches in episode 9 when Dany gets taken off by Drogon.

Quentyn I think is a lot easier. S5 will see the introduction of Arianne and Doran anyway. Have the first half of the season be AFFC and explain all the plot and then when Doran reveals that Quentyn has been sent to marry Dany, immediately jump to him arriving in Mereen and then put in all the events from ADWD (minus all the exposition about his journey and being a fake sellsword) until his eventual demise in episode 10. I appreciate this does weaken him as an individual character in himself as he'll only really be an agent of Doran and not an individual like he is in the books, but some sacrifices must be made.

[The Idiots Lantern]

So Hazdir IS going to be in Season 4. This means she will make it into Meereen this season. Who knows how much time she'll spend there. Are they going to pull a Shea and make Hazdir's part bigger?

[fehler]

I hope so. With a recast Daario, I want to see some fire coming out of this story.

[Jrogo]

I'm very excited to see Meereen in the show. I can imagine that they will make it look very pretty

[Arkash]

Same here !

Since she doesnt have that much chapters in Storm, it is the perfect opportunity for them to create a lot of material to have the viewer being interested in Meereen !

Could be interesting and give D&D the opportunity to create something were needed (many people dont give a shit about Meereen in the books, they can do something of their own to make it thrilling !).