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(Spoilers) Best Stannis scene ever?


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Also related to this - the doll he bought for his daughter = assassination attempt or no? Sounded to me like the trader was clearly only selling one thing of interest to anyone and that was a toy for the new daughter of the ruler of Dragonstone, seemed he was specifically targeting Stannis for that sale. Did the trader not come from Dorne too, not all that long after the rebellion.

I doubt it. Shireen was the daughter of the younger brother of the king. She wasn't ever expected to be in a position to inherit the Throne. People may not have much liked Stannis, but out and out hate enough to lash at like that? I doubt it.

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They've still portrayed him badly on the whole and have made him look weak whenever possible, especially in comparison to the books. The desperation he shows Mel, the eagerness to burn Gendry, the indecisiveness when sentencing Davos. Really it's mainly season 3 - Just brutalization of the character. They also said Renly "certainly" would make a better king, which whether you believe or not I think shows that they certainly weren't fans of Stannis.

Stannis' popularity from the books isn't strange. He's makes a great anti-hero with a strong sense of hard justice. I think they've missed the boat on creating a hugely popular character and I think they're not trying to rectify it (very well I'd add, the scene was glorious) as he's now going up against the Bolton's. They need him to have some redeemable qualities for anyone to even care about this war in the North.

I also hate that they've taken the underdog element from his victory over Mance and this march on Winterfell.

"A betting man would back Stannis" - Yikes. That worries me. A lot.

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"A betting man would back Stannis" - Yikes. That worries me. A lot.

Im not that worried only because Littlefinger is the one who said it and he's still being portrayed as the all knowing planned everything genius and for him to be in a situation where Stannis just loses and the Boltons have Sansa, well Littlefinger would look very dumb to the TV audience.

Also it seems likely that Stannis is being set up to be killed by Brienne, at least in the show, which doesn't make me very happy but it's better then losing to the Boltons.

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"A betting man would back Stannis" - Yikes. That worries me. A lot.

Surely he can't be sincere and must be planning something else. If he wanted Stannis to win and rally the northerners to his side using Sansa, surely it would be smarter to just fucking give Sansa to Stannis before he marches on Winterfell. Far less risk of Stannis losing, far less risk of Sansa dying or being harmed, less political players to negotiate with. His plan is absolutely ridiculous if he isn't planning something else.

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I loved it. The best touch was how Stannis almost didn't hug her back but then did! D'aww.





Surely he can't be sincere and must be planning something else. If he wanted Stannis to win and rally the northerners to his side using Sansa, surely it would be smarter to just fucking give Sansa to Stannis before he marches on Winterfell. Far less risk of Stannis losing, far less risk of Sansa dying or being harmed, less political players to negotiate with. His plan is absolutely ridiculous if he isn't planning something else.





Littlefinger always plays both sides.



Sending Sansa to Stannis directly destroyed any hope of a Bolton alliance whiel keeping the upper hand (if they come crawling to the Boltons after Stannis loses they offer very little to the Boltons).



Anywah there are other threads about this.


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Im not that worried only because Littlefinger is the one who said it and he's still being portrayed as the all knowing planned everything genius and for him to be in a situation where Stannis just loses and the Boltons have Sansa, well Littlefinger would look very dumb to the TV audience.

Also it seems likely that Stannis is being set up to be killed by Brienne, at least in the show, which doesn't make me very happy but it's better then losing to the Boltons.

Except he'd be one of the reasons the Bolton's win. He's ensuring the North's loyalty through Sansa, who at this point he seems to have completely betrayed. He's probably hoping that they destroy each other so that he can raise Sansa up himself as Queen in the North. God I'd hate that.

I think Brienne's foreshadowing was almost too obvious for her to just straight up kill him. Maybe down the line but I think there's more chance it's setting up interaction between them.

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Meh. His scene on the ship with Davos in season 2 was way better. While this scene wasn't offensively bad, it came off as a cheap attempt to make up for the complete butchery of his character in the last two seasons. I would much rather have seen him talk about his motivations for coming to the Wall, or his plan for the Others. Which he still hasn't mentioned.

Agree with this the Horse before the cart line would be nice as would his real interactions with Jon with stannis' knights why can't we have just 2 or 3 farring or sugs Massey and horpe or storm

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I've always felt it was less about their hating my man Stannis, and more that they couldn't get over their unabashed Mary Sue interpretation of Daenerys.

Stannis is the only candidate for king in the whole story who actually seems worthy to rule. In the books he never burned innocent people, he burned traitors, murderers, rapists and cannibals. He burned a man trying to peddle his daughter to a Lannister bastard in exchange for a pardon. He burned men eating the dead flesh of one of his soldiers.

He's grown beyond his own narrow focus on winning the throne, learning instead he has to earn it.

In some ways Dany's and Stannis's stories mirror one another: Dany realizing she doesn't know jack about running a country and Stan realizing that rights and worth are different. Unfortunately Dany's story has tended to suck whereas Stannis actually seems downright invigorated by the challenges facing him. His Winds of Winter chapter was amazing.

D&D can't quite get past the whole DragonQueenJesus angle with Dany. That's my take anyway.

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They've still portrayed him badly on the whole and have made him look weak whenever possible, especially in comparison to the books. The desperation he shows Mel, the eagerness to burn Gendry, the indecisiveness when sentencing Davos. Really it's mainly season 3 - Just brutalization of the character. They also said Renly "certainly" would make a better king, which whether you believe or not I think shows that they certainly weren't fans of Stannis.

Stannis' popularity from the books isn't strange. He's makes a great anti-hero with a strong sense of hard justice. I think they've missed the boat on creating a hugely popular character and I think they're not trying to rectify it (very well I'd add, the scene was glorious) as he's now going up against the Bolton's. They need him to have some redeemable qualities for anyone to even care about this war in the North.

I also hate that they've taken the underdog element from his victory over Mance and this march on Winterfell.

"A betting man would back Stannis" - Yikes. That worries me. A lot.

I agree with you that he wasn't portrayed well earlier, but it's still stupid to say they have an irrational hatred for him so they chose to portray him badly due to their bias.

And I started following this board shortly after season 1 and Stannis was never a "hugely popular character" among the readers until the Blackwater episode. Only then was the "Stannis the Mannis" figure created and only then he started to get so many fans (and yes, I became one of them :lol: ), boosted by the release of the Theon I chapter of TWOW. Before that he wasn't really that popular around here. Dany fans still ruled the board.

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I've always felt it was less about their hating my man Stannis, and more that they couldn't get over their unabashed Mary Sue interpretation of Daenerys.

Stannis is the only candidate for king in the whole story who actually seems worthy to rule. In the books he never burned innocent people, he burned traitors, murderers, rapists and cannibals. He burned a man trying to peddle his daughter to a Lannister bastard in exchange for a pardon. He burned men eating the dead flesh of one of his soldiers.

He's grown beyond his own narrow focus on winning the throne, learning instead he has to earn it.

In some ways Dany's and Stannis's stories mirror one another: Dany realizing she doesn't know jack about running a country and Stan realizing that rights and worth are different. Unfortunately Dany's story has tended to suck whereas Stannis actually seems downright invigorated by the challenges facing him. His Winds of Winter chapter was amazing.

D&D can't quite get past the whole DragonQueenJesus angle with Dany. That's my take anyway.

I used to think that way too, but in the last couple of seasons they've been very unforgiving to Dany. In season 2 she was acting basically like Viserys, entitled and annoying. Season 3 built her as badass with Dracarys and her general behavior. However, in season 4 they began to portray her as far more ruthless, borderline cruel, and misguided. Now in season 5 everyone agrees she's a very shitty ruler. I follow a lot of non-reader forums and she's lost a lot of fans, while Stannis' popularity has been increasing immensely. Only the mindless KELLY C AND HER DRAGUNZ fans still love her.

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They've still portrayed him badly on the whole and have made him look weak whenever possible, especially in comparison to the books. The desperation he shows Mel, the eagerness to burn Gendry, the indecisiveness when sentencing Davos. Really it's mainly season 3 - Just brutalization of the character. They also said Renly "certainly" would make a better king, which whether you believe or not I think shows that they certainly weren't fans of Stannis.

Stannis' popularity from the books isn't strange. He's makes a great anti-hero with a strong sense of hard justice. I think they've missed the boat on creating a hugely popular character and I think they're not trying to rectify it (very well I'd add, the scene was glorious) as he's now going up against the Bolton's. They need him to have some redeemable qualities for anyone to even care about this war in the North.

I also hate that they've taken the underdog element from his victory over Mance and this march on Winterfell.

"A betting man would back Stannis" - Yikes. That worries me. A lot.

I always found Olenna's judgment of Renly to be the most cutting and accurate. Renly was handsome, charming and...not much else. He was also a horrible brother, a traitor and deserved his fate. Harsh, but true. Man was ready to raise arms against his kin and even joked about what to do with Stannis after he was found dead on the battlefield. I had no f*&#s to give for Renly, no matter how golden his oft-forgot scene of mocking Joffrey in book 1 was.

You're right about Stannis's popularity from the book. He has the most gripping character arc of any of the rulers. Dany rides from plot-armored victory to victory with dragons and invincible super eunuchs (which are rightly laughed at by anyone familiar with medieval armies) and a legion of great champions and the adoration of millions and....etc, etc...

Nobody likes Stannis, but everyone respects him. He begins from a position of weakness with only his determination to do what he believes is just. He stumbles, he listens to bad council and compromises, but he keeps going on and never stops either listening or pursuing his cause. Eventually he realizes his biggest error, and atones for it in the most epic hail mary move ever, and through it finds his cause has new life. He keeps listening, keeps learning, takes some hits and also scores some wins, and keeps going.

He went from hopeless and doomed to being a serious contender for the Iron Throne, even after being beaten down at the Blackwater. For a character who's always been described as grim and humorless, he's always made me feel more deeply and more consistently than Dany.

-----Sorry, I didn't want this to be another Stannis fans rant. I mostly just wanted to express my admiration for the scene. It's refreshing just how many people loved it as well :)

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They've still portrayed him badly on the whole and have made him look weak whenever possible, especially in comparison to the books. The desperation he shows Mel, the eagerness to burn Gendry, the indecisiveness when sentencing Davos. Really it's mainly season 3 - Just brutalization of the character. They also said Renly "certainly" would make a better king, which whether you believe or not I think shows that they certainly weren't fans of Stannis.

Stannis' popularity from the books isn't strange. He's makes a great anti-hero with a strong sense of hard justice. I think they've missed the boat on creating a hugely popular character and I think they're not trying to rectify it (very well I'd add, the scene was glorious) as he's now going up against the Bolton's. They need him to have some redeemable qualities for anyone to even care about this war in the North.

I also hate that they've taken the underdog element from his victory over Mance and this march on Winterfell.

"A betting man would back Stannis" - Yikes. That worries me. A lot.

Oops, double posted cause the browser didn't reload.

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I used to think that way too, but in the last couple of seasons they've been very unforgiving to Dany. In season 2 she was acting basically like Viserys, entitled and annoying. Season 3 built her as badass with Dracarys and her general behavior. However, in season 4 they began to portray her as far more ruthless, borderline cruel, and misguided. Now in season 5 everyone agrees she's a very shitty ruler. I follow a lot of non-reader forums and she's lost a lot of fans, while Stannis' popularity has been increasing immensely. Only the mindless KELLY C AND HER DRAGUNZ fans still love her.

lol, basically everyone who only remember her name as Khaleesi...ugh, it's petty but I seriously want to slap people when they say that.

I wonder if the fan's own shift toward Stannis in spite of D&D's efforts, combined with Emilia Clarke's downright smug and moralist portrayal didn't steer them in directions they would have preferred not going. Call it the Loki effect: audience reaction actually altering how, and how much, a character is portrayed in the future based on their popularity.

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i also loved this scene, except the Stonemen are nearer Volantis, not in Valyria.

Valyria actually makes more sense. It doesn't make sense that the Stone Men would be tolerated on a major trade route, or that people would utilize a river frequented by Stone Men.

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Valyria actually makes more sense. It doesn't make sense that the Stone Men would be tolerated on a major trade route, or that people would utilize a river frequented by Stone Men.

There's also the symbolic satisfaction of planting the sick and dying of a disease created to spite the Valyrians in the ruined capital of their fallen empire.

I don't mind it, really, since they've likely jettisoned Aegon from the story there's no point in it, though I wonder if anyone else has picked up the possibility that this means a certain knight from Bear Island might be catching greyscale...

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lol, basically everyone who only remember her name as Khaleesi...ugh, it's petty but I seriously want to slap people when they say that.

I wonder if the fan's own shift toward Stannis in spite of D&D's efforts, combined with Emilia Clarke's downright smug and moralist portrayal didn't steer them in directions they would have preferred not going. Call it the Loki effect: audience reaction actually altering how, and how much, a character is portrayed in the future based on their popularity.

Stannis fans really have to get over this. Despite all hemming and hawing Stannis was not very likable before The Wall.

All the discussion of Stannis alwaus brought up the Wall and D&D were making it that Stannis will be made some huge villian. Well, it did not happen. Instead of continue these mental gymnastics that now D&D are forced to make him likable maybe is that ADWD was a new release and many wanted Stannis from that book immediatly and not allowing the character to naturally grow into it.

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Stannis fans really have to get over this. Despite all hemming and hawing Stannis was not very likable before The Wall.

All the discussion of Stannis alwaus brought up the Wall and D&D were somehosomehow making it that Stannis will be made some huge villian. Well, it did not happen. Instead of continue these mental gymnastics that now D&D are forced to make him likable maybe is that ADWD was a new release and many wanted Stannis from that book immediatly and not allowing the character to naturally grow into it.

That's a fair point except. My problem is that even getting him to the wall was changed far too much to justify it. A single tweak to the last Stannis scene at the end of Season 3 would've been enough. One or two sentences. That's all it would take. "You had the cart before the horse...." They've omitted material they had no reason to omit and every reason to include. There's no reason budget-wise, time-wise or anything actor age related (see Sansa and the Hound) to omit it.

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To me, season 2 Stannis was great. The only real 'WTF' moment I remember is when he burned Axell for not converting rather than for trying to marry Shireen to Tommen.

Well then people would at least say "Yeah, there was cause...." instead of just stacking the whole thing as Melisandre is turning Stannis into a religious fanatic. Thankfully we got glimpses of Stannis the religious pragmatist when he chided Davos for his stubborn atheism after basically watching Mel create assassins out of her uterus with her god's power. R'hllor is definitely a thing.

I saw a meme generator pic that pissed me off, it was a pic of Stannis that said "I am scum that turned against the Gods of my fathers"...there are no words. i could've left a rant about Steffon Baratheon, the trauma of losing a parent and not exactly being in a thankful mood to the Seven after that, but it didn't matter. He didn't know, because D&D never bothered to tell him.

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