Main Cast by Number of Episodes

[oierem]

Was surprised Kit and Emilia shared the same episode account... I would have said that Kit had one more (him being in 9 episodes this year, whereas Emilia only has 8). But actually Emilia was in 9 in season 1 (whereas Kit was only in 8), so they are on the same page since 503.

Yeah, actually I was sort of hoping that this season would bring them into balance: I like the fact that they've appeared in the exact same number of episodes.

It was strange in season 1, when there weren't that many storylines and most characters appeared in all the episodes. The decission to exclude Jon from two consecutive episodes was odd. Normally main characters never miss two consecutive episdoes (cue for Arya fans/D+D haters to scream about Arya's episode count this year).

[Borodin]

Normally main characters never miss two consecutive episdoes.

Bran is missing 10.

[WheelofIceandFire]

I hope next season the focus shifts away from D&D's two poster children (Peter Dinklage and Lena Headey), both of whom have FAR too much screentime, and gives more attention to other storylines (and I don't mean Jon Snow, who also has more than his fair share).

I'd like to see more of Arya (criminally underused for the importance of her character, although her plot has moved at a snail's pace this season), Jaime and just overall a more balanced representation of storylines.

Dorne for example, whilst horribly done this season, is partially because it has been given exceptionally little screentime. There has been no opportunity to develop the characters.

Oberyn Martell got way more screentime than the Sand Snakes and especially way more than Doran (way way underutilised). At this point, we know nothing about Doran from the show other than he has a more moderate temperament and approach than Ellaria/Sand Snakes. They really should have explored more of his motivations before the last 2 episodes.

I really hate the approach of super slow build up then the last 3 episodes are full of big moments/reveals and shocks. A little more consistency and some action earlier would not hurt.

Like i said before, it will be interesting to see what happens next season as most of the major locations will go through some changes and lose/gain different characters. The Wall could potentially not feature at all if they decide not to revive Jon until later in the season. Meereen will be home to Tyrion and possibly Jorah and Daario but Dany will be off doing her own thing. Winterfell is hard to predict as it could still be home to The Boltons and we dont know what will happen with Sansa, Theon and Stannis. Kings Landing will have hardly anyone left but Cersei and Margaery and i dont see the two of them getting a big storyline next season. Then there is Dorne, the Riverlands and (hopefully) the Iron Islands which will probably feature a bunch of new characters. Bran should be back next season but will probably have similar layout to Arya in season 5 (missing a bunch of episodes etc). Arya is the hardest for me to predict. She could (and i think should) still be in Braavos but will likely leave towards the end of the season (ive made it clear that ive been disappointed with the number of episodes she has been in, so i hope they actually give her plenty to do next season)

[Colonel Green]

I hope next season the focus shifts away from D&D's two poster children (Peter Dinklage and Lena Headey), both of whom have FAR too much screentime, and gives more attention to other storylines (and I don't mean Jon Snow, who also has more than his fair share).

They've definitely been overrepresented at various point, but their screentime this season is perfectly reflective of the books at that point.

The main losers relative to the books at this particular point are Brienne and Jaime.

[Lion_Eyes]

I imagine next Season will really be shaken up in terms of who appears in the most episodes. Other than Peter of course, he is gonna fly ahead. When you watch back as awesome as he was in Season 2 is ridiculous how much screentime he has had compared to everyone else! Particularly as I would say Tyrion is one of the 3 main characters with Dany and Jon. According to IMBD (don't know how reliable it is but props to whoever made it up!) he has had 44 minutes more screentime than the next most featured actor Kit! - that's almost a whole episode! Ned was different as he essentially was the main character in the first season.

Regardless of where his storyline is going next year Tyrion is getting a big chunk of screentime. Heck he coulda sat out a couple this year but looks to be in all 10 although his scenes haven't been particularly lengthy I suppose.

I think I predicted 6 for Sophie so wow I was wrong! It's great for her (not so much for Sansa and Theon's character progression).

I can't see any of the big 7 characters (in the show) dying next Season (or not until the very end). The big shake up next year will be potentially with Jon and Cersei's storylines. Jon's depends on what the outcome of "For the Watch" is, if he is gonna be a wolf half of the Season (would they really have Kit sit out half a Season? Can't see it - he did so much promo this year I reckon he is kinda becoming the poster boy for the Season and will be until the end (if Jon survives). And I imagine Lena having a baby due in July will limit her involvement with the next Season (particularly as she lives in LA) unless they push all her scenes towards the end of filming but I imagine that sort of thing has been organised for months.

I really hope NCW and Gwendoline Christie get more screentime next year (or at least let Jaime show some of his traits off other than amputee jokes! They need to break him up with Cersei even if just to give him something to emote over! Plus their relationship influences most of Jaime's decisions). The Dragonstone storyline seems to do alright on not too much screentime (great acting helps) but Dorne has been a bit of a disaster which I think is due to a lack of screentime (not enough Doran) . If they are gonna do the Iron Islands (not my favourite plot I admit) I hope they give it enough screentime (minus gimmicks like the Sand Snakes' "fighting skills") to give it a chance to connect with audiences.

[Colonel Green]

And Sophie Turner exits the ten-episode derby, after an extremely impressive run (and nine episodes is nothing to sneeze at).

Based on next week's preview, we can crown Peter Dinklage the first winner of the derby since he previously won in season 2; Dinklage also pads his lead on Lena Headey in the overall episode count.

[WheelofIceandFire]

Does anyone think that any of the main characters will be left out of next season (like Bran in Season 5)? I was thinking that they might do that with Jon (until he is revived at the end of the season) or Arya but just don't see them leaving out one of the most popular characters in the series (I like Bran, but he isn't exactly a fan favourite)

Jon will likely be revived at the start of the season, and there is plenty they can do with Arya next season (that they could have done this season) and they could develop warging abilities for both characters, which would be an interesting parallel throughout the season. I know some people have said that they couldhave Arya's training take place off screen but I don't see them leaving her out for a whole season when they only want to do 7 seasons

[Colonel Green]

Jon, well, that depends on what's happening next with him in the books.

Arya, not a chance.

[Travy1991]

5x09 "The Dance of Dragons" Update:

I'm a bit late doing my update post. Apologies, I've been busy. Jumping right into the Top 10s...

Main Cast Top 10:

1. Peter Dinklage (Tyrion Lannister) - 45/49 episodes
   
2. Lena Headey (Cersei Lannister) - 43/49 episodes
   
3. Emilia Clarke (Daenerys 'Dany' Targaryen) and Kit Harrington (Jon Snow) - 40/49 episodes
   
4. Sophie Turner (Sansa Stark) - 39/49 episodes
   
5. Iain Glen (Jorah Mormont) and Maisie Williams (Arya Stark) - 38/49 episodes
   
6. John Bradley (Samwell 'Sam' Tarly) and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (Jaime Lannister) - 34/49 episodes
   
7. Alfie Allen (Theon 'Reek' Greyjoy) - 31/49 episodes
   
8. Aidan Gillen (Petyr 'Littlefinger' Baelish) - 30/49 episodes
   
9. Charles Dance (Tywin Lannister), Conleth Hill (Varys) and Rory McCann (Sandor 'The Hound' Clegane) - 27/49 episodes
   
10. Gwendoline Christie (Brienne of Tarth) and Jack Gleeson (Joffrey Baratheon) - 26/49 episodes
    

As reported by others on this thread, Sophie Turner does not have a perfect run this season with Dinklage all but assured to make a second perfect run (he previously appeared in all 10 episodes of Season 2) in the series, the only character to do so. Dinklage holds a perfect run title with Lena Headey and Jack Gleeson (who both made all 10 episodes in Season 1). Sean Bean physically only appeared in 9 episodes of Season 1 but his likeness was used in the final episode of Season 1...which kind of gives him a perfect run (not really!).

I'll call next week's numbers (which have been spoiled by previews and photos) as follows: 1) Tyrion (46); Cersei (44); Dany and Jon (41); Sansa (40); Jorah and Arya (39); Sam and Jaime (34); Theon (32); Littlefinger (31); Varys (28); and Brienne, Tywin and The Hound (27).

Guest Cast Top 10:

1. Julian Glover (Pycelle) - 26/49 episodes
   
2. Ian McElhinney (Barristan Selmy) - 25/49 episodes
   
3. Ben Crompton (Eddison 'Dolorous Edd' Tollett) - 24/49 episodes
   
4. Mark Stanley (Grenn) - 22/49 episodes
   
5. Kristian Nairn (Walder 'Hodor') and Daniel Portman (Podrick 'Pod' Payne) - 21/49 episodes
   
6. Finn Jones (Loras Tyrell ) - 18/49 episodes
   
7. Ian Beattie (Meryn Trant) - 17/49 episodes
   
8. Jacob Anderson (Grey Worm) and Ghost - 16/49 episodes
   
9. Dominic Carter (Janos Slynt) and Owen Teale (Alliser Thorne) - 15/47 episodes
   
10. Esmé Bianco (Ros), Donald Sumpter (Luwin), Natalia Tena (Osha), Drogon and Summer - 14/47 episodes
    

In terms of episodes, this has been a good season for the Night's Watch, particularly Ben Crompton who jumps up to 24 episodes (his line count this is probably relatively miniscule though and where's that dour Edd humour?!). Other movements come from Owen Teale who now jumps to ninth place with the departed Dominic Carter. Drogon breaks the Top 10 for the first time sharing the final position with Esmé, Donald, Natalia and Summer (that's Ros, Luwin and Osha in other words).

I predict the Top 10 line-up for next episode will be: Pycelle (27); Edd and Barristan (25); Pod and Grenn (22); Hodor (21); Loras (19); Meryn (18); Grey Worm and Ghost (17); Alliser (16); Janos and Drogon (15); and Ros, Olly, Luwin, Osha, Summer and Viserion (14).

Going back to this week's list:

Made the List: TOBY SEBASTIAN (Trystane Martell) and ALEXANDER SIDDIG (Doran Martell) finally make the list, each appearing in three episodes of the series, both in Season 5 only. Both actors/characters have appeared in Episodes 5x02, 5x06 and 5x09. Hopefully, they'll appear in next week's episode too or the whole Dorne arc in the show will have been for naught. They can both be found under the Dorne section. Also making the list this episode is SARINE SOFAIR (Lhara), and she can be found under the Braavos section. Lhara first appeared in Episode 4x06, accompanying Salladhor Saan in a bathhouse. She has since interacted with Arya/Cat of the Canals Lana in Episodes 5x07 and 5x08.

Departures: It's time to say goodbye to KERRY INGRAM (Shireen Baratheon) and JOEL FRY (HIzdahr zo Loraq)! I'll be very sad to see both Ingram and Shireen go. Kerry Ingram is a fantastic young actress and Shireen was such a sweet character. Her death has to be the cruelest one on the show as she was betrayed by a father who she presumed would do everything to protect her. I have to say...I thought the show did an abysmal job of this story point...I'm sure if/when Shireen is killed in the book (nice one on putting some heat on George by spoiling that in the books), it will make more sense. The show failed to convey the severity of Stannis' situation and I found his decision to kill his only heir and beloved daughter completely out of field and over-the-top. I don't buy that the Baratheon is suffering, especially as they've only been camped for a few weeks. Stannis survived a year-long siege for God's sake. I've had my issues here and there with the show's writing but this is one of their biggest errors in my eye. Ingram closes the series with a minor but memorable 10 episodes between Seasons 3 and 5.

It also looks like Hizdahr's a goner so goodbye Joel Fry. I actually found Hizdahr likeable enough and actually quite dignified compared to his sleazy, craven book counterpart. Fry gave a great performance and while people are reeling over Shireen's death, Fry's work on the show should not go unnoticed. He ends his run with 8 episodes between Seasons 4 and 5.

[Travy1991]

5x10: "Mother's Mercy" Update

Hi guys, late with the update post for the Season 5 finale of Game of Thrones. Overall, I felt this was the weakest season of Game of Thrones in terms of writing but I don't think you've come here to hear my opinion. Let's just jump into the Top 10s.

Main Cast Top 10:

1. Peter Dinklage (Tyrion Lannister) - 46/50 episodes
   
2. Lena Headey (Cersei Lannister) - 44/50 episodes
   
3. Emilia Clarke (Daenerys 'Dany' Targaryen) and Kit Harrington (Jon Snow) - 41/50 episodes
   
4. Sophie Turner (Sansa Stark) - 40/50 episodes
   
5. Iain Glen (Jorah Mormont) and Maisie Williams (Arya Stark) - 39/50 episodes
   
6. John Bradley (Samwell 'Sam' Tarly) and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (Jaime Lannister) - 35/50 episodes
   
7. Alfie Allen (Theon 'Reek' Greyjoy) - 32/50 episodes
   
8. Aidan Gillen (Petyr 'Littlefinger' Baelish) - 30/50 episodes
   
9. Conleth Hill (Varys) - 28/50 episodes
   
10. Gwendoline Christie (Brienne of Tarth), Charles Dance (Tywin Lannister) and Rory McCann (Sandor 'The Hound' Clegane) - 27/50 episodes
    

Guest Cast Top 10:

1. Julian Glover (Pycelle) - 27/50 episodes
   
2. Ian McElhinney (Barristan Selmy) - 25/50 episodes
   
3. Ben Crompton (Eddison 'Dolorous Edd' Tollett) - 24/50 episodes
   
4. Daniel Portman (Podrick 'Pod' Payne) and Mark Stanley (Grenn) - 22/50 episodes
   
5. Kristian Nairn (Walder 'Hodor') - 21/50 episodes
   
6. Ian Beattie (Meryn Trant) and Finn Jones (Loras Tyrell) - 18/50 episodes
   
7. Jacob Anderson (Grey Worm) - 17/50 episodes
   
8. Owen Teale (Alliser Thorne) and Ghost - 16/50 episodes
   
9. Dominic Carter (Janos Slynt) and Drogon - 15/50 episodes
   
10. Esmé Bianco (Ros), Brenock O'Connor (Olly), Donald Sumpter (Luwin), Natalia Tena (Osha) and Summer - 14/50 episodes
    

Made the List: Hannah Waddingham who plays Septa Unella joins the list with three episodes. She was first introduced in 5x07: "The Gift" and subsequently appeared in 5x08: "Hardhome" and 5x10: "Mother's Mercy".

Departures: We have three definite departures this episode and four which are likely/possibly departures. We've definitely seen the departures of Tara Fitzgerald (Selyse Florent), Ian Beattie (Meryn Trant) and Charlotte Hope (Myranda) who were all shown to meet their makers in this episode. They finish with 10, 25 and 7 episodes respectively. Beattie is the longest serving cast member, appearing in all five seasons. Fitzgerald and Hope have both appeared sporadically in every season since Season 3.

The more ambiguous departures are Kit Harrington (Jon Snow), Stephen Dillane (Stannis Baratheon), Nell Tiger Free (Myrcella Baratheon) and Faye Marsay ('The Waif'). Starting off with 'The Waif', this character didn't really die per se. It was actually the second incarnation of Tom Wlaschiha's 'No-One' with Faye Marsay's 'No-One' then taking on Tom Wlaschiha's 'No-One' - thanks Game of Thrones for making categorisation easy. Basically, Wlaschiha is staying and unless some other character assumes Marsay's 'No-One', we won't be seeing her again. Marsay appeared in four episodes of Season 5.

Now production stills, HBO viewer guides and the producers themselves may have 'confirmed' that Jon, Stannis and Myrcella are dead for real but I'm not buying it until we get confirmation in Season 6. So their fates will remain unknown (and italicised) until we see how the plot moves forward next year.

I don't think anyone is really buying that Jon is dead - he's one of the Top 5 main characters in the show and there's still much of his story that remains unfinished. If Jon is dead, Harrington ends his run a series regular for five seasons and 41 episodes.

I have mixed feelings about Stannis. I don't think there's any coming back from burning his own daughter whom he presumably loved so, in a way, I was happy to see the remaining Baratheons get wiped out so soon after Shireen. However, I think there's still a little bit left of Stannis' storyline so I wouldn't mind him surviving for a little bit more of Season 6. If Stannis is dead, Dillane has been a regular since Season 2 and ends with 24 episodes.

The death that irritates me the most this season is Myrcella's. I was critical about Nell Tiger Free's performance initially but after watching subsequent episodes, my mind was changed by as Free embodied a kind and intelligent Myrcella, who still had certain mannerisms that were similar to Lena Headey's Cersei. I totally bought Free as Cersei's daughter and was excited by the two having some actual substantial interaction in Season 6.

While I have no doubt both Myrcella and Tommen are doomed in the long game, I think killing of Myrcella now is a poor decision. She was barely a character this season but had potential to be something interesting next year. Instead, they decided to further ruin the Dorne plot by making Ellaria and the Sand Snakes successfully carry out their pointless act of revenge in an obvious way which will surely have them imprisoned/executed and endangering the life of their family member Trystane. Top that off with the contrived moment where Myrcella is okay with her uncle being her dad and it's just - ugh! Dorne, a very interesting part of the books, was just inane, silly and simplified plotting at best this year.

I'm hoping they can salvage Dorne and extend Myrcella's life a little further (please let Bronn have some antidote) so they can salvage the mess they've made. But that's for another post. Anyway, if this is Myrcella's last appearance, the character will have appeared in 13 episodes over Seasons 1, 2 and 5. Nell Tiger Free, of course, played Myrcella in Season 5 while Aimee Richardson played her in Seasons 1 and 2.

P.S. Why even recast the character if she barely played a role going forward? Richardson was eager to come back so why not let her come back and play that simple part if they had nothing more complex planned for a more experienced actress. I do not understand some of the decisions on this show.