[Book Spoilers] Nitpick With Impunity

[Charlie Of House Bucket]

LOL. Final Fantasy VIII? I don't get it. It's a black dress (mourning) with Arryn feathers on the shoulders.

It was a low-cut black dress with feathers in the shape of pauldrons and a high rear neck band. You can't blame people for seeing the witch bit in it.

I don't know that I'd argue they're showing her being all of a sudden "bad" quite like the above poster, but they are showing a definite and undeniable sea change to the audience, and not just in the dress. The way she says "Shall we go?" has a definitely sly delivery, she has a rather mischievous look in her smile, and make sure to listen to the dramatic musical cue that for some reason suddenly starts playing when she enters the scene and cascades down those steps.

Or maybe I'm just wrong. Surely, it must be all innocence, nothing very new, just a (mature) woman wearing a simple mourning dress. This show isn't the most subtle in the world about these things.

[Buckbeak]

I agree with mostly everyone else about the beetle scene. Did not see where that was heading, then it just cut to another scene and I was like 'eh?'

I also found the Jorah scene was not portrayed as well as I would have liked. It was a big deal to Dany when he betrayed her, she was just cold and I felt it was rushed.

The Sansa/LF scene made LF look like he was foolish. My boyfriend has not read the books but even he mentioned that it seemed out of character for Littlefinger to be so unprepared and clueless. LF is so manipulative and devious and I hated how he was portrayed!

[DarkAndFullOfTurnips]

It was a low-cut black dress with feathers in the shape of pauldrons and a high rear neck band. You can't blame people for seeing the witch bit in it.

I don't know that I'd argue they're showing her being all of a sudden "bad" quite like the above poster, but they are showing a definite and undeniable sea change to the audience, and not just in the dress. The way she says "Shall we go?" has a definitely sly delivery, she has a rather mischievous look in her smile, and make sure to listen to the dramatic musical cue that for some reason suddenly starts playing when she enters the scene and cascades down those steps.

Or maybe I'm just wrong. Surely, it must be all innocence, nothing very new, just a (mature) woman wearing a simple mourning dress. This show isn't the most subtle in the world about these things.

The witch thing never crossed my mind upon watching. If they wanted her to look "evil" or "dark" they didn't do a great job. To me she just looked like someone in a more adult dress (Cleavage) that happened to be black and feature feathers. Since someone linked an article on here about the detail they put into dresses I'm pretty confident the feathers aren't a coincidence. You're not wrong at all, the scene is supposed to mark a change in attitude, maturity, etc., but not a "Sansa is capable of evil now" like everyone seems to think, and honestly it's a really childish way to interpret that scene.

[The Prince of Newcastle]

As much as I enjoyed Sophie's monologue and appreciate the showrunners are trying to speed up her transition from pawn to player, I felt they did Litttle finger a great disservice by placing him entirely in her mercy as if he had no real plan to consolidate his control of the Eyrie. At this point in the books Littlefinger is at his most devious and overtly powerful position manipulating the Lords Declarent- not expecting to be removed as Lord Protector.

Jorah begging for forgiveness was also a subtle yet significant scene change. Whilst book Dany desperately wanted to forgive him, she felt his stubborn refusal to admit he was wrong could not be overlooked without undermining her authority. In the show, however, the ever haughty Emilia Clarke dismissed him far more ruthlessly as he pleaded for mercy. Of late I have found show Dany to be very irksome, she seems entirely lacking of any warmth or vulnerability and far too black and white in the way she interacts with people.

I agree with all of this.

Watching it, I was thinking "as if Littlefinger wouldn't already have this situation fully under control before it even began". It was cool to see Sansa being all awesome though.

[Charlie Of House Bucket]

The witch thing never crossed my mind upon watching. If they wanted her to look "evil" or "dark" they didn't do a great job. To me she just looked like someone in a more adult dress (Cleavage) that happened to be black and feature feathers. Since someone linked an article on here about the detail they put into dresses I'm pretty confident the feathers aren't a coincidence. You're not wrong at all, the scene is supposed to mark a change in attitude, maturity, etc., but not a "Sansa is capable of evil now" like everyone seems to think, and honestly it's a really childish way to interpret that scene.

Again, there's more than the dress going on there. As for how childish it is to interpret the scene that way, I think that's more of a veiled insult than an astute remark, but okay. See it that way if you like.

[northernwind]

Since it's one of my favourite quotes, I was disappointed they left out "If you don't say her name before you die ser, I will hunt you through al seven hells".

As YourLady said, they should have mentioned the role of the Crannogmen regarding Moat Cailin. BOOK SPOILER AHEAD

And why would Victarion be out of Moat Cailin if Balon hasn't died yet.

[I'll pay the iron price]

I liked the Dany/Jorah scene.

Dany was so upset and angry she wouldnt even look at him until the end when she expelled him!

[Ser Not Appearing]

Sanslivia Newton-John

[Good Guy Garlan]

Sanslivia Newton-John

Sansniss Everdeen

I thought Littlefinger's sigil was a mockingbird, not a mockingjay ;)

[Cas Stark]

Here's my theory on how the show will handle that. There's no Wex, right? Instead of Manderlay producing Wex for Davos, Stannis will offer Jon Winterfell, Jon will tell Stannis Bran (and maybe Rickon?) is alive and Stannis will send Davos - either to Manderlay to offer finding Bran for his help or simply send Davos to find Bran and sway the northern Lords to his side, eliminating Manderlay at all. Thoughts?

If they eliminate Manderlay and "the North remembers" and everything about that chapter I will picket HBO myself.

So much depends on what hasn't been written yet, ya know? I tend to think that Bran isn't coming back from the far North and the Weirwood tree, which means it has to be Rickon on Skagos. But since we don't know what happens with Davos and Rickon...who knows.

I don't think there was a Wex, but they could make "Wex" any random IB or just have Davos go to White Harbor to get support from the Northern lords...where he will then learn that Bran and Rickon are alive.

Well, except that it won't be big news to anyone...since Jon will know it, so presumably Stannis will know it and around and around we go with the butterfly effect.

[Charlie Of House Bucket]

Sanslivia Newton-John

LOL.

[Bridgeburners]

The Dany & Jorah scene is a great testament to how a show of this scope cannot survive the 10 episode per season 50 minute per episode (yeah, average episodes are around 50 minutes, many are less; it's not a full hour like other HBO dramas) format. Nothing can be set up properly, and all the scenes seem to just happen scattered at random. There was no rift building up between them nor indication in the recent past that Jorah had any remorse over his secret history of being a spy. Yet the writers were thinking "oh shit, we're getting close to the end of season 4, how do we make this happen?" And then BOOM, BOOM, two scenes and five minutes later, Jorah goes from her most loyal advisor to being banished from Mereen forever. And for all we know, this was all the same to Dany as decreeing for a farmer to get triple the price of his burnt sheep.

[BearQueen87]

The Dany & Jorah scene is a great testament to how a show of this scope cannot survive the 10 episode per season 50 minute per episode (yeah, average episodes are around 50 minutes, many are less; it's not a full hour like other HBO dramas) format. Nothing can be set up properly, and all the scenes seem to just happen scattered at random. There was no rift building up between them nor indication in the recent past that Jorah had any remorse over his secret history of being a spy. Yet the writers were thinking "oh shit, we're getting close to the end of season 4, how do we make this happen?" And then BOOM, BOOM, two scenes and five minutes later, Jorah goes from her most loyal advisor to being banished from Mereen forever. And for all we know, this was all the same to Dany as decreeing for a farmer to get triple the price of his burnt sheep.

Good point. in fact, if you're a casual audience member who has not read the books, and all you've seen for the past few seasons now is Jorah doing his hardest to get Dany home and believes in her with his whole heart (his words!), would you even remember the deal he made with KL back in S1?

[DarkAndFullOfTurnips]

Again, there's more than the dress going on there. As for how childish it is to interpret the scene that way, I think that's more of a veiled insult than an astute remark, but okay. See it that way if you like.

That wasn't meant to be an insult, but I must be in the minority for not seeing the witch thing since basically everyone is talking about it. I'm just glad the relatively incompetent and uninteresting Sansa is now a thing of the past.

Good point. in fact, if you're a casual audience member who has not read the books, and all you've seen for the past few seasons now is Jorah doing his hardest to get Dany home and believes in her with his whole heart (his words!), would you even remember the deal he made with KL back in S1?

That's what the previously on segment is for, which airs before each episode. By the way the period of time between which book readers and show watchers get that information is even greater.

[Miodrag]

The witch thing never crossed my mind upon watching. If they wanted her to look "evil" or "dark" they didn't do a great job. To me she just looked like someone in a more adult dress (Cleavage) that happened to be black and feature feathers. Since someone linked an article on here about the detail they put into dresses I'm pretty confident the feathers aren't a coincidence. You're not wrong at all, the scene is supposed to mark a change in attitude, maturity, etc., but not a "Sansa is capable of evil now" like everyone seems to think, and honestly it's a really childish way to interpret that scene.

Childish? Really?! More childish than, say, thinking she's wearing black because she's in mourning?

[Veltigar]

That wasn't meant to be an insult, but I must be in the minority for not seeing the witch thing since basically everyone is talking about it. I'm just glad the relatively incompetent and uninteresting Sansa is now a thing of the past.

You're not the only one ;) I didn't make the witch connection myself. I got what they were trying to do (and I didn't like that Sansa didn't wear black when questioned by the Lords declarants), but I just didn't like her new outfit. But that was just a nitpick ;)

[Tytos Lannister]

Jaime wondered how there is no word for cousin killing, I think kinslayer just about covers it!

[Charlie Of House Bucket]

That wasn't meant to be an insult, but I must be in the minority for not seeing the witch thing since basically everyone is talking about it. I'm just glad the relatively incompetent and uninteresting Sansa is now a thing of the past.

That's what the previously on segment is for, which airs before each episode. By the way the period of time between which book readers and show watchers get that information is even greater.

I believe it's a matter of degrees. There are those of us (I am one) who immediately thought of witches when we saw the outfit just by simple association, but who also didn't think they were necessarily implying that she's now ultra witchy or bad by it. Then there are those who think this is definitely what's going on. Probably a bunch in between, and a bunch like you.

My interpretation, for what it's worth: I think they're showing a Sansa who is now willing to lie (which she does), willing to potentially manipulate others (which she does), and who is learning from Peter, who doesn't hide his amoral tendencies from her even if his goal is unknown to her. The books don't show how far down the road she goes yet. We'll have to see. And yes, the books and show give information differently. But the books are not entirely ahead. The show has hinted at a few things the books haven't yet. For instance, Melisande saying to Arya that they'll meet down the road (presumably after Arya has done with her assassination training).

[Reinzer]

Is Emilia Clarke even trying to act?

[SerMixalot]

Was it established that Oberyn likely poisoned his spear, cause D&D said (in inside the episode) he poisoned the mountain in the duel, somewhat sloppy to reveal that info that way, either make it clear in show and then Inside the Epi is fine or if it is a subtle thing, don't mention it in Inside the Epi