Season 5 Casting, News and Speculation V 6 [show spoilers]

[BearQueen87]

Well LS was TV gold but D&D cut her from the show.

As a book reader I love LSH but Cat's popularity pales in comparison to Dany's for the TV viewers. She's been planning to ride a dragon for a long time. If you're just a TV viewer, you have no idea what LSH is, but you know that Dany wants to mount one of her dragons.

And Dany's first ride is hugely significant to her arc in Meereen

[Le Cygne]

It could go either way, given how much of the story that we "have" that has already been apparently cut...Greyjoys, Aegon....I think it's very possible she sails for Essos at the end of this season. That ould give her 2 full seasons in Westeros, which would put her time there at almost a third of the series which is actually closer to GRRM original idea of a trilogy where she would have gotten there in the 2nd book and so would have been in Westeros for somewhere around 2/3 of the story.

I think you meant sail for Westeros. :) I see the story structure that way, too.

But I just can't see cutting the Drogon moment, under any circumstances.

[jentario]

^Well, Dany kind of already decided that in her last ADWD chapter. I think the show will get as far as that, it's a great way to end her arc while still leaving the wrap-up of Meereen for early season 6.

Speaking of the Meereen climax... What are they going to do there? I honestly have no idea. We have these players: Daario, Jorah, Missandei, Tyrion (who's already in Dany's inner circle or close enough) and Hizdahr (unless he dies in the Pit). Then we have the Sons of the Harpy, with Yezzan possibly being their leader (since he was deemed important enough a character to be cast alongside all the big ones, and since a big part of book-Yezzan's role is already being taken up by that Luther character).

Do they just duke it out? It doesn't seem like there's any room for Barristan's coup regardless of which character could replace Barristan there (and even if he IS still alive, fingers crossed), which is a shame. I'm guessing we'll have a better idea when season 5 airs.

[BearQueen87]

I think you meant sail for Westeros. :) I see the story structure that way, too.

But I just can't see cutting the Drogon moment, under any circumstances.

Agree 100%. It's hugely significant to Dany's arc and it's hella good TV watching.

[PrinceOfWesteros]

Seeing how they are streamlining everything, it would not suprise me either if Dany will decide to sail to Westeros in season 5 finale. I expect it will happen at end of TWOW in the books, but i can see them sending Dany there sooner. Especially if Aegon is cut, there will be story vacuum. KL season 6 story will probably require external threat, and Dornish characters expect Tyene and Nymeria will have nothing to do if Aegon is cut and Dany will not replace him. I can not see Trystane doing it, Doran will not start the War before he have a Targaryen ally just after he allowed Jaime to leave Dorne peacefully and it would screw up Nymeria mission.

Which is why aegon/substitute will be featured!

[jentario]

Well LS was TV gold but D&D cut her from the show.

LS is also a new plot element connected to much smaller characters and storylines than Dany. I also doubt they cut LS lightly, and I think they'll probably try to keep as many of these big moments in the show as they can while sticking to their long term plan (which doesn't seem to include LS, Aegon and most of the Greyjoys). Dany riding a dragon definitely is part of their long term plan, and it has to happen at some point.

[Cas Stark]

I think you meant sail for Westeros. :) I see the story structure that way, too.

But I just can't see cutting the Drogon moment, under any circumstances.

LOL, yes.

No, they won't cut that, I expect this season to be Dany heavy now that Varys and Tyrion are over there so early.

[jentario]

^you mean Jorah?

[BearQueen87]

Dany, Tyrion, and Jorah all in one place, interacting together. I have waited so long for this.... :)

[The Scabbard Of the Morning]

So do you not think that Dany will fly away?

She will fly, and burn some sons of harpy, but she won't fly away

[Hippocras]

She will fly, and burn some sons of harpy, but she won't fly away

Personally i think this opinion is a bit silly....not trying to be mean, but because:

Drogon is not WITH Dany in the show. He is missing. She asks for news of him. So this scenario doesn't take that into account so provides no way for them to reunite. What, he just happily goes into captivity in Meereen afer months/years of flying around freely?

[jentario]

Dany, Tyrion, and Jorah all in one place, interacting together. I have waited so long for this.... :)

I'm glad season 5 is looking exciting for you :)

It'll definitely be interesting. Seems a bit weird as a book reader, but once I wrap my head around it I think I'll be just as excited

[boojam]

Personally i think this opinion is a bit silly....not trying to be mean, but because:

Drogon is not WITH Dany in the show. He is missing. She asks for news of him. So this scenario doesn't take that into account so provides no way for them to reunite. What, he just happily goes into captivity in Meereen afer months/years of flying around freely?

Drogon was sort of 'missing' the Dance, just showed suddenly.

The scenario is the kind D&D like, tho the sequence will have to restructured to shorten it, looks as if they have something different going in the the arena now.

Interestingly after four years Drogon is the only dragon named on the show, don't know why.

[Fez]

I think that Dany will *land* in Westeros at the end of Season 6/TWOW. Season 6/TWOW will be her moving there. From Tyrion's adventures in ADWD/this season, we know that the trip is a one-season affair.

So, I imagine that she will move over the land to Westeros with the Dothraki while Daario, Tyrion and whoever else survives will go on the ships.

That's the thing though. The way I see it, the big story movement for S7 will involve the Others, and that will overshadow everything else going on. Therefore, for Dany's arrival in Westeros to have the space to breathe on its own and have impacts it needs to occur in S6 (assuming she has any plot purpose in Westeros beyond just fighting Others at the Trident). And not at the end of S6, where there's no time to see fallout, but earlier on, like by S6E6 at the latest. Because Tyrion's journey looks like its taking somewhere between 6 and 8 episodes, that means Dany absolutely needs to be leaving for Westeros herself either the end of this season or at the very start of next season.

Also, I agree with the thought that the Kings Landing story will be ready for an outside threat during S6. Otherwise next season is just a rehash of all the infighting going on this season. Dorne alone can't be that threat, the Others surely won't be in the South yet, and Aegon looks like he's cut. And for that outside threat to be relevant to the season arc of KL, the city needs to know about it/it needs to happen, by midseason.

I do think the start of next season is probably more likely than E10 of this season for Dany to leave, but either way, there isn't much time for a Dothraki adventure. I think you're right about how they all get there in the books, but I think they'll just all board ships in the show; much faster that way.

[sj4iy]

Martin can't tell them how the show is ultimately going to deal with it however. During season 1 D&D might have played with ideas like dealing with the Slaver's Bay arc in the course of two seasons, or other things like that. Saying that Rhaego will be TSTMTW during a few scenes isn't a difficult choice, and it also adds to shock of his death, and establishes that prophecies in this series should be taken with a grain of salt. I don't see a reason why they would cut it just because Dany might not unite the Dothraki.

They can't write the show without knowing what to keep and what to drop. They certainly aren't going to write the first season without knowing what's important later on.

[Guard of the Rainking]

They can't write the show without knowing what to keep and what to drop. They certainly aren't going to write the first season without knowing what's important later on.

But the prophecy that Rhaego is TSTMTW is important in season 1.

[boojam]

^Well, Dany kind of already decided that in her last ADWD chapter. I think the show will get as far as that, it's a great way to end her arc while still leaving the wrap-up of Meereen for early season 6.

Speaking of the Meereen climax... What are they going to do there? I honestly have no idea. We have these players: Daario, Jorah, Missandei, Tyrion (who's already in Dany's inner circle or close enough) and Hizdahr (unless he dies in the Pit). Then we have the Sons of the Harpy, with Yezzan possibly being their leader (since he was deemed important enough a character to be cast alongside all the big ones, and since a big part of book-Yezzan's role is already being taken up by that Luther character).

Do they just duke it out? It doesn't seem like there's any room for Barristan's coup regardless of which character could replace Barristan there (and even if he IS still alive, fingers crossed), which is a shame. I'm guessing we'll have a better idea when season 5 airs.

I can't kind of figure that out in the book either. The Sons of the Harpy may be sympathetic to the siege armies but not the Meereen slave population. Remember Barristan has that fledgling home grown 'army' of former Meereen slaves as well as most of the Unsullied army , and I guess whatever sell swords Daario can supply.

George has set up a big dust up at Meereen with the Iron Fleet arriving, with ...maybe... Dany arriving with the Dothraki ... seems GRRM said two battles in Winds? We can kind of guess what they are.

What the show does with Dany's story. In the books there seems to be a lot of looping about with Sons of the Harpy and well just looping about.

Even if the Quentyn story is kind of zero sum, it's an interesting diversion.

How season 5 fills episodes 1-8 in Meereen I don't know....

[Guard of the Rainking]

I can't kind of figure that out in the book either. The Sons of the Harpy may be sympathetic to the siege armies but not the Meereen slave population. Remember Barristan has that fledgling home grown 'army' of former Meereen slaves as well as most of the Unsullied army , and I guess whatever sell swords Daario can supply.

George has set up a big dust up at Meereen with the Iron Fleet arriving, with ...maybe... Dany arriving with the Dothraki ... seems GRRM said two battles in Winds? We can kind of guess what they are.

What the show does with Dany's story. In the books there seems to be a lot of looping about with Sons of the Harpy and well just looping about.

Even if the Quentyn story is kind of zero sum, it's an interesting diversion.

How season 5 fills episodes 1-8 in Meereen I don't know....

She can be absent in a few episodes. As for the rest, there are a few interesting things. Barristan telling her about her family, wedding build up, the Yunkish threat, the Sons of the Harpy threat... There should be enough for ~6 episodes.

[sj4iy]

But the prophecy that Rhaego is TSTMTW is important in season 1.

No, she only THINKS it's Rhaego.

I myself believe that it's Dany, and they simply thought it was Rhaego because females aren't "khals" in Dothraki culture. But I fully expect that Dany will be the one to unite the Dothraki and take them to the ends of the earth, as in the prophecy.

[Lord Carson]

Question for the book readers. How many times have you read the books and how many times have you watched each Season?

Currently finishing up my first re-read and I've seen season one about 6 times, 5 for season 2 and 3 and twice for season 4.