Discussion of the Season 5 storylines - Implications of the Casting News from San Diego

[Oriolesmagic]

Actually I think she'll survive her encounter with LS in the books so if there's no LS, I expect Brienne to go where ever it is she heads to in the books. That might be to continue looking for Sansa but let's face it, Brienne's oath will be impossible to keep given how things are now since there is no where to free Sansa to. I don't think anyone expects Brienne to take Sansa away from the Vale, in the books or the show. She's safest in the Vale at the moment. Sophie mentioned Sansa meeting familiar people in an interview so it might be Brienne and then she might head some where completely different once she finds Sansa. Brienne needs a new mission in both the books and the show. That's hardly fanfiction.

Well, that wouldn't work.

She does survive. We see her at the end of ADWD in Jaime's chapter. But she wouldn't go looking for (and eventually find) Jaime if LS never happened. Unless the show writers were to have her chase after him for romantic reasons (which wouldn't fit her character at all).

I don't expect Brienne to take Sansa away from the Vale but she's gonna have to do something different from her book character if there's no LS. That's not necessarily a bad thing though, it just depends on what they have her do!

[Ser Pounce FTW]

Well, that wouldn't work.

She does survive. We see her at the end of ADWD in Jaime's chapter. But she wouldn't go looking for (and eventually find) Jaime if LS never happened. Unless the show writers were to have her chase after him for romantic reasons (which wouldn't fit her character at all).

It would work because Brienne doesn't have to find Jaime in the show. Also, we don't know yet what whether Brienne will survive in the books since it (Brienne/Jaime/LS showdown) hasn't happened yet but yes, I do think she does survive it. Also, no one says Brienne and Jaime will remain a team after their encounter with LS in the books so they don't have to have any chasing for any reason on the show.

We really don't know how it will turn out in the books so it's rather premature to start saying it will be fanfiction on the show. Having said that, I really get the feeling the show will skip over or edit some parts of that storyline.

[SecondWhisperer]

A.

I don't get the sense in Trystane/Aegon with respect to the characters of Varys or Doran. Both are careful and subtle. Doran has a wife and that wife has to be pregnant and bear the child close to Aegon's age or the whisperers of the lords and ladies of the realm will know Doran has a boy while his wife was not pregnant in the right time to make it hers.

B.

Aegon, whether he will be Trystane or not, needs Daenerys to be a Targaryen. Aegon as Young Griff is viewed as a sellsword plot. Aegon as Trystane will be seen as a Dornish plot to gather allies for their justice/revenge. Dany is the indisputable Targaryen in the eyes of the lords and ladies of the realm and Aegon needs her to give him credence or he has to get support by virtue of strength (which admittedly is what he is doing in the books).

Here's my take on the Dornish cauldron if ever Trystane is the one and only heir of Doran Nymeros Martell:

Doran is portrayed as he is in the books and won't commit Dorne to war. The Sand Snakes gets angry with him and tries to win Trystane by pointing out that Doran's weakness shames all Dorne or that Trystane has a fondness for his late uncle, Oberyn. Then they try to crown Myrcella with Trystane as king. Somebody loops off Myrcella's ear, and Cersei withdraws Myrcella from the marriage against all of Jaime's warning. (I got a feeling Kevan will be taking Harys Swyft's place judging by the portrayal of Kevan on Season One and Two). Trystane goes to Meereen with someone, probably Obara or all the Sand Snakes if Cersei doesn't want a Martell on the council. It could prolong the series and buy Martin some more time. Meanwhile, Asha/Yara could rule the Iron Islands for all Season 5 until Season Six brings the Crow's Eye to contest her since she is a woman.

[Frumpus]

No, everyone would see it that way if D&D were to go insane and do such a ridiculous thing that makes zero sense for the character of LF, for the character of Sansa as portrayed in season 4, for the politics of Westeros, for the future plotlines etc. etc. Which is not going to happen.

Yes, Jeyne is "random", not a daughter of the Ned, not a daughter of a great house, and doesn't "matter". Kind of like those two boys Theon had killed and roasted to pass of as Bran and Rickon. She is just "Jeyne, her name is Jeyne, it rhymes with pain", the fellow victim of Ramsay and innocent girl who wouldn't matter to anyone else if they knew she was not Arya. Congratulations for completely missing the entire point of Theon's ADWD storyline. You must have thought it made no sense, what with him caring about "a random girl" "he didn't care about in Winterfell". Luckily, the vast majority of readers feel the opposite, that it's one of the best storylines in the books and a great and poignant story of redemption.

It is indeed one of the best storylines in the books.

However, D&D utterly guttered the foreshadowing set in place for the storyline when they cut Jeyne Poole and changed Ramsay's introduction and relationship with Theon. To expect the fArya story now is the utter epitome of foolishness. Theon will have a story but it'll likely be nothing like in ADwD.

Just answer me this, why would the writers, who have changed several characters' storylines already (Arya and Sansa come to mind, not to mention Theon himself) due to missing/cut characters, suddenly decide they need to replicate Theon's story exactly when doing so would make ZERO sense to non-book readers?

[Colonel Green]

Just answer me this, why would the writers, who have changed several characters' storylines already (Arya and Sansa come to mind, not to mention Theon himself) due to missing/cut characters, suddenly decide they need to replicate Theon's story exactly when doing so would make ZERO sense to non-book readers?

Nothing about Fake Arya would be nonsensical to non-book readers. Knowing Jeyne beforehand adds to it, but it's not essential.

[Annara Snow]

It is indeed one of the best storylines in the books.

However, D&D utterly guttered the foreshadowing set in place for the storyline when they cut Jeyne Poole and changed Ramsay's introduction and relationship with Theon. To expect the fArya story now is the utter epitome of foolishness. Theon will have a story but it'll likely be nothing like in ADwD.

Just answer me this, why would the writers, who have changed several characters' storylines already (Arya and Sansa come to mind, not to mention Theon himself) due to missing/cut characters, suddenly decide they need to replicate Theon's story exactly when doing so would make ZERO sense to non-book readers?

They didn't cut Jeyne Poole. She was mentioned in season 1 by Sansa, which means she exists in show canon, and according to the DVD commentary, appeared in the pilot, played by an extra. Of course, she's going to be recast, but why would they be talking about her before her storyline actually starts? Is this how the show is normally doing things? Did they talk about Edmure and Blackfish in seasons 1 or 2? Did anyone mention the Reeds before season 3?

And what does Ramsay's introduction have to do with Jeyne/fArya?

As to Arya's and Sansa's storylines, they didn't cut anything from those storylines due to "missing characters", they cut stuff because they wanted to cut stuff. Dontos was there all the time, but they didn't want to feature that storyline before season 4. Marillion could have easily been replaced by anyone, but they didn't want to. And which cut characters are you talking about regarding Arya? The biggest change in her storyline came in season 2, and it had nothing to do with any missing characters (which wouldn't be missing in the first place if they had needed them, since they were only to appear and be cast in that same season) but with them wanting Arya to have cool conversations with Tywin and wanting to give Charles Dance more screentime.

And of course, there's absolutely nothing about fArya that would "make zero sense to non-book readers". What are you even talking about? It's very simple and makes as much sense either way. The Boltons don't have Arya, so they use another girl to impersonate her so Ramsay could marry "Ned's daughter" in Winterfell, to justify their rule. What's not to understand? Especially after season 3 already featured a major plot all about the Lannisters trying to do the exact same thing with Sansa and her forced marriage to Tyrion.

[Tyrion Hand of the King]

So to sum it up they're basically fucking with almost every awesome part in AFFC & ADWD. No Arianne for the whole Dornish plot and the lead up to "Vengeance. Justice. Fire and Blood." No Manderly for the great reveal of his secret plans to Davos. Is (F)Arya even involved in the storyline for Reek to save her? Victarion and Euron being gone ruins most of the Kingsmoot & IB storyline. Don't get me wrong I love Asha/Yara but her uncles are excellent characters, and IMO, vital to the storyline. Oh but Daario got some ships so no need for the Iron Fleet anymore right?? God knows where (F)Aegon is so I'm not sure who Dorne will be supporting in the future, not to mention that he is shaping up to be a major contender for the IT.

I hate to say it but I have a bad feeling that this could be the season where the show starts taking a nosedive. They haven't had a great success rate when straying from the books and now they seem determined to stray more than ever.

ETA: I know I'm most likely overreacting, but I had to vent somewhere. Here's hoping there are still some big casting announcements to be made.

[FalseKnight]

So to sum it up they're basically fucking with almost every awesome part in AFFC & ADWD. No Arianne for the whole Dornish plot and the lead up to "Vengeance. Justice. Fire and Blood." No Manderly for the great reveal of his secret plans to Davos. Is (F)Arya even involved in the storyline for Reek to save her? Victarion and Euron being gone ruins most of the Kingsmoot & IB storyline. Don't get me wrong I love Asha/Yara but her uncles are excellent characters, and IMO, vital to the storyline. Oh but Daario got some ships so no need for the Iron Fleet anymore right?? God knows where (F)Aegon is so I'm not sure who Dorne will be supporting in the future, not to mention that he is shaping up to be a major contender for the IT.

I hate to say it but I have a bad feeling that this could be the season where the show starts taking a nosedive. They haven't had a great success rate when straying from the books and now they seem determined to stray more than ever.

ETA: I know I'm most likely overreacting, but I had to vent somewhere. Here's hoping there are still some big casting announcements to be made.

Departing from AGoT, ACoK, and ASoS is not the same as departing from AFfC/ADwD. In the latter books, departure is per se good now.

[JagLover]

Departing from AGoT, ACoK, and ASoS is not the same as departing from AFfC/ADwD. In the latter books, departure is per se good now.

Yes and no

Cutting out travelogue, plot padding and unnecessary new characters is good. But there are some great plot lines in those books that I hope they are reasonable faithful too.

I really hope there is a Manderly for example and that his scenes are similar to the books. For Theon he needs to redeem himself and rescue someone, that doesn't necessarily need to be Farya. His sister could be captured on the show and he rescues her for example.

[FreeParking]

Yes and no

Cutting out travelogue, plot padding and unnecessary new characters is good. But there are some great plot lines in those books that I hope they are reasonable faithful too.

I really hope there is a Manderly for example and that his scenes are similar to the books. For Theon he needs to redeem himself and rescue someone, that doesn't necessarily need to be Farya. His sister could be captured on the show and he rescues her for example.

If Yara was going to be captured, it would have been when she attacked the Dreadfort.

[Tyrion Hand of the King]

Yes and no

Cutting out travelogue, plot padding and unnecessary new characters is good. But there are some great plot lines in those books that I hope they are reasonable faithful too.

I really hope there is a Manderly for example and that his scenes are similar to the books. For Theon he needs to redeem himself and rescue someone, that doesn't necessarily need to be Farya. His sister could be captured on the show and he rescues her for example.

Yea I agree. A lot of the travelogue was in Brienne's chapters, which have already been altered quite a bit for the show. Yes there is plenty wrong with AFFC & ADWD and I have no problem making changes, but when you are potentially cutting out 6 Major characters that is not a good thing. I am with you with the Manderly thing and I hope to god he is included, however I think I might be even more dissapointed with cutting Euron & Vic. The only reason I say that is because if Manderly is indeed cut, his role will no doubt be replaced by someone like Greatjon. That wouldn't be ideal, but they could still realistically do a lot of the same scenes from the book. However, I really don't see how merging Euron and Victarion into Asha/Yara would work well.

[Frumpus]

They didn't cut Jeyne Poole. She was mentioned in season 1 by Sansa, which means she exists in show canon, and according to the DVD commentary, appeared in the pilot, played by an extra. Of course, she's going to be recast, but why would they be talking about her before her storyline actually starts? Is this how the show is normally doing things? Did they talk about Edmure and Blackfish in seasons 1 or 2? Did anyone mention the Reeds before season 3?

And what does Ramsay's introduction have to do with Jeyne/fArya?

As to Arya's and Sansa's storylines, they didn't cut anything from those storylines due to "missing characters", they cut stuff because they wanted to cut stuff. Dontos was there all the time, but they didn't want to feature that storyline before season 4. Marillion could have easily been replaced by anyone, but they didn't want to. And which cut characters are you talking about regarding Arya? The biggest change in her storyline came in season 2, and it had nothing to do with any missing characters (which wouldn't be missing in the first place if they had needed them, since they were only to appear and be cast in that same season) but with them wanting Arya to have cool conversations with Tywin and wanting to give Charles Dance more screentime.

And of course, there's absolutely nothing about fArya that would "make zero sense to non-book readers". What are you even talking about? It's very simple and makes as much sense either way. The Boltons don't have Arya, so they use another girl to impersonate her so Ramsay could marry "Ned's daughter" in Winterfell, to justify their rule. What's not to understand? Especially after season 3 already featured a major plot all about the Lannisters trying to do the exact same thing with Sansa and her forced marriage to Tyrion.

lol you make an awful lot of assumptions, its like you are an avid book reader who only started watching the show recently.

i don't need to explain everything to you, if you paid any attention at all, you'd know what cut characters/storylines i'm refering to, and assuming Jeyne Poole is going to be cast just because she was mentioned briefly in S1 is meaningless.

You yourself mention changes they made as good things, and yet you can't wrap your head around the fact that they will be changing almost everything in S5. What makes you think that of ALL the storylines that won't change, it will be Theon's?

[Annara Snow]

lol you make an awful lot of assumptions, its like you are an avid book reader who only started watching the show recently.

i don't need to explain everything to you, if you paid any attention at all, you'd know what cut characters/storylines i'm refering to, and assuming Jeyne Poole is going to be cast just because she was mentioned briefly in S1 is meaningless.

You yourself mention changes they made as good things, and yet you can't wrap your head around the fact that they will be changing almost everything in S5. What makes you think that of ALL the storylines that won't change, it will be Theon's?

Do you actually have a point and/or some semblance of an argument, or are you just going to hurl poor attempts at a personal attack? I mean, really, if you can't think of anything better than "its like you are an avid book reader who only started watching the show recently " (oh dear, I am so hurt) :lmao: - and "i don't need to explain everything to you, if you paid any attention at all, you'd know what cut characters/storylines i'm refering to" (meaning: shit, I don't have anything to counter this with so I'll just play arrogant to cover it up)...

[JagLover]

Yea I agree. A lot of the travelogue was in Brienne's chapters, which have already been altered quite a bit for the show. Yes there is plenty wrong with AFFC & ADWD and I have no problem making changes, but when you are potentially cutting out 6 Major characters that is not a good thing. I am with you with the Manderly thing and I hope to god he is included, however I think I might be even more dissapointed with cutting Euron & Vic. The only reason I say that is because if Manderly is indeed cut, his role will no doubt be replaced by someone like Greatjon. That wouldn't be ideal, but they could still realistically do a lot of the same scenes from the book. However, I really don't see how merging Euron and Victarion into Asha/Yara would work well.

We don't need to merge them into anything, we just don't need to see them on the screen.

The Ironborn can be present on the show in how they impact on others, not in following them as a plotline.

Manderly is awesome and his inclusion would take very little additional time and is mostly at a location we will be going to anyway. the Ironborn have some great moments (Kingsmoot for one) but would require allot of additional time and expense to bring into the show.

[Tyrion Hand of the King]

We don't need to merge them into anything, we just don't need to see them on the screen.

The Ironborn can be present on the show in how they impact on others, not in following them as a plotline.

Manderly is awesome and his inclusion would take very little additional time and is mostly at a location we will be going to anyway. the Ironborn have some great moments (Kingsmoot for one) but would require allot of additional time and expense to bring into the show.

I think I'm on the Ironborn bandwagon because I just reread AFFC. Euron is extremely interesting to me and when I read the Reaver chapter I was desperately wanting to see Victarion splitting skulls on screen. I still enjoy Manderly more. All I was saying is I've seen the idea thrown around that Umber would replace him (possibly even one of the directors mentioned it?), and although it wouldn't be as good as the books, with this scenario they could at least replicate his actions with a different character. Umber could still treat with Davos with cold courtesy in front of the freys, pretend to execute him, then later reveal the true plan and that the North Remembers. I just don't see that storyline being thrown out, regardless of who plays the part of Manderly. However, Euron and Victarion's storylines could very well be thrown out entirely and that's what I'm worried about.

ETA: Having said that, I'm still desperately hoping that Manderly will be cast.

[SoManyVows]

The theory that several people in this thread have put forward "Trystane Martell" will be revealed to be "Aegon Targaryen" is one that I've been thinking about a lot lately. I should state right here and now that I don’t necessarily believe that this is what the show will do. But unlike several other theories about how Game of Thrones might adapt or work around the Aegon plotline (like say, replacing him with Gendry), I find myself unable to dismiss this one out of hand. I’d like to list the reasons that I think that theory might make sense as an adaptive choice for the show, and why it might not.

Why “Trystane Martell” Being Revealed as “Aegon” Could Make Sense For The Show

1. Combing “Trystane” and “Aegon” into one person streamlines the narrative by consolidating Aegon’s forces with Dorne’s, and maintains Dorne’s clear motivation for supporting Aegon’s claim to the Iron Throne. This is a development that the books may be heading towards in The Winds of Winter anyway if Arianne and Aegon are in line to broker an alliance, as the sample chapter hints. It would also explain why Arianne has not been cast – if Aegon has been under Doran’s protection this whole time, then there’s no reason for the two of them to negotiate an alliance. And if Arianne’s primary purpose in the novels is to negotiate that alliance, then there’s little reason for her to exist on the show.

2. It allows Varys and Doran’s individual objectives to remain more or less intact while consolidating their schemes into a single formidable conspiracy. Doran wants to get revenge on the Lannisters by bringing “fire and blood” back to Westeros. Varys wants to place someone on the throne who will understand that he must rule because it’s his duty to serve the realm, not because it’s his birthright. “Trystane”/”Aegon” can accomplish both objectives. The only complication could be if Aegon is truly a Blackfyre, but Varys could have kept that knowledge from Doran. Alternatively, the potential Blackfyre aspect could be dropped from the show, and Aegon could simply be a random boy that Varys has cultivated to serve his purpose.

3. Casting Doran in the role of Aegon’s protector and mentor removes the need to cast Jon Connington and explain his motivations. Obviously Connington is a cool character and it would be a shame to lose him, but at this point it’s a given that concessions and cuts have to be made. Furthermore, while some may not like it, there is a way for the show to justify why Varys might place “Aegon” under the protection of his supposed uncle in the show, rather than his father’s exiled friend.

4. Removing “Aegon” from Tyrion’s arc would enable him to reach Meereen faster, thereby allowing the show to accelerate that plotline. It might even give them time to fit the Battle of Meereen into Season 5, if the budget allows. This alters Tyrion’s arc a bit, but it’s plausible that Varys’s intentions in sending Tyrion to Meereen could still be for Tyrion to retrieve Daenerys, with the plan being to arrange a marriage between her and Aegon once she arrives. This would have the added benefit of setting Daenerys up to sail for Westeros much sooner than she will in the novels.

Why It Doesn’t Make Sense to Combine Trystane and Aegon

1. Placing Aegon in Dorne rather than in Essos makes it harder to justify how Varys could have both kept him hidden and cultivated him to rule without attracting attention. Varys has well-established roots in Essos. He doesn’t have those same roots in Dorne, and disguising Aegon as a prince and heir to one of the Seven Kingdoms is obviously a much higher-profile cover than "peasant boy in Essos". We’ve seen no hints that Varys and Doran might be in communication in the show. That doesn’t mean they haven’t been, but the show would have to lay the groundwork for this alliance very early in Season 5 to make it seem feasible and not a random development. It also minimizes Illyrio’s role in the whole plot – if Aegon has been in Dorne rather than Essos this whole time, it’s harder to imagine how Illyrio may have kept tabs on him, and why he’s relevant to this conspiracy at all.

2. Even it if can be justified by the logic of the show and the pressures of adaptation, making this consolidation inevitably alters the characters and motivations of both Doran and Varys to a certain extent. I don't view this as a prohibitively bad thing – the show is the show, the books are the books, and the objective of the show at this point is to replicate the endgame of A Song of Ice and Fire to the greatest extent possible, even if it has to take a different route to get there. But I know that keeping the characters in the show as close as possible to their book counterparts is extremely important to many people, so I’ll acknowledge their concerns here.

3. Turning “Trystane” into “Aegon” leaves Doran without any heirs at all, unless he legitimizes a Sand Snake. Granted, unless Doran is going to die before the end of the series, who will rule Dorne after him is a relatively minor concern in the grand scheme of things, and it isn’t something that the show absolutely has to address.

4. Oberyn clearly believed that Gregor killed Aegon alongside Elia and Rhaenys, which would mean that Doran never told him and allowed his brother to suffer with that belief for years. Granted, Doran is an extremely cautious man and Oberyn is a hothead, so it’s conceivable that Doran might have decided to keep such plans from Oberyn until he thought that the time was right. Doran has a history of keeping such secrets - we know that he kept information from Arianne in the novels that might have precluded her from making such a rash attempt to secure her birthright. However, Oberyn might have been ever-so-slightly less determined to seek revenge on the Lannisters if he believed that his sister’s son was alive and under his brother’s care, and that there was a plan in place to unveil him in opposition to the Lannisters eventually. It seems needlessly cruel.

5. The show has mentioned the Golden Company several times already. If they aren’t going to appear in the show, there was little reason for them to do so.

The Jon Snow Factor

1. Hiding a lost Targaryen prince, the son of Rhaegar, with a man who is supposed to be his father but is actually his uncle? Hmmm, this sounds very familiar. Hiding “Aegon” with his uncle evokes draws an even stronger parallel between Aegon and Jon Snow, especially given the popular theory about Jon Snow’s true parentage (R+L=J). This could be a boon for the show, or it could muddy the waters considerably. On the one hand, if the reveals are handled well, then the similarity could be used to provide an additional layer of thematic resonance. This is especially true if “Aegon” is ultimately revealed to be a fake, and this unmasking is followed shortly thereafter by the reveal of Rhaegar’s “true” son - Jon. However, if this development is rushed or if the explanation is overly convoluted, it could also cheapen the reveal of Jon’s true lineage by making the show appear to pull the same trick twice. Oh look, lost alleged Targaryen princes who were sheltered by their uncles are suddenly popping up everywhere! (To be fair, this is a sticking point for me in the books as well).

Once again, I’m not saying that I subscribe to this theory. I just think that there are intriguing arguments both for it against it, as I’ve attempted to outline above.

[lokisnow]

Nice I fully agree. Especially your reasons why they might do it.

I would add:

5. Cost. Adding the connington aegon storyline on the river adds new locations and many more cast. River shoots are also very expensive. Combining them early is a massive financial savings.

[SoManyVows]

Nice I fully agree. Especially your reasons why they might do it.

I would add:

5. Cost. Adding the connington aegon storyline on the river adds new locations and many more cast. River shoots are also very expensive. Combining them early is a massive financial savings.

Good point. Money is always going to be a factor, even if we wish that it didn't have to be. With Daznak's pit, extensive location shooting, and a couple of potential battles to account for this season, even the most expensive show on television is going to have to make smart choices about its budget. Even if Aegon and Jon Connington are cast as their own characters rather than being combined into Trystane and Doran or cut, I can definitely see Tyrion simply meeting them in Pentos rather than on the river. The Stone Men are certainly cool and memorable on the page, and most likely they would be so on the show as well. But they aren't strictly necessary from a plot perspective. Connington could easily contract his fatal disease (be it Greyscale or something else) another way.

[Le Cygne]

She does survive. We see her at the end of ADWD in Jaime's chapter. But she wouldn't go looking for (and eventually find) Jaime if LS never happened. Unless the show writers were to have her chase after him for romantic reasons (which wouldn't fit her character at all).

Unfortunately, I think they would, they added a scene where Cersei tells Brienne she loves Jaime and Brienne sure looked like she knew it was the truth. She might want to go say hi, here's the status of our joint quest, if he's around. Or he might come to her. (I agree that Lady Stoneheart is much better, though.)

[Stannisaurus2]

Why “Trystane Martell” Being Revealed as “Aegon” Could Make Sense For The Show

I am a big fan of this theory and I think you make a very good presentation of both its strong and weak points.

I think most of the "why it doesn't make sense" do have some possible answers. I think (1) and (5) can be answered by Varys going to Essos with Tyrion in order to, first send him to Dany (maybe even as a messenger with news of Aegon and to arrange a Dany-Aegon marriage- though I doubt that) and then hire the Golden Company on behalf of Aegon. If GC travels to Dorne to join Aegon by the end of season five (with or without JonCon as the leader) then TrystAegon, after spending the season enacting Arianne's plot (trying and failing to crown Myrcella) is at the same spot as Aegon in the books.

Furthermore, Doran could have had a son who died as an infant during Robert's rebellion and was replaced by Trystane (kinda convoluted but not that far-fetch). It would make sense to teach TrystAegon, as Doran's supposed heir, how to rule (one more reason to cut Arianne)

I think you answered (2) and (3) yourself.

(4) Is harder to justify. Even if Oberyn is a hothead (I think in the books he is actually in on Doran's plans) it would still make sense to reveal to him that their nephew is alive.