Is There Anything On The Show That You Think Is Better Than The Books?

[Meera of Tarth]

4 minutes ago, Ashes Of Westeros said:

I see your point and I don't hate Jorah at all neither in the books nor in the show. I just think that the show character used to be more nuanced in the early seasons.

I don't know how much freedom do actors usually (and in GoT particularly) have in portraing their characters.

yes I know it was just a general response to the acting vs script.

Sadly, I think there is not much freedom but hopefully GOT still has an extraordinary cast who tries to amend some errors.

[Cron]

4 hours ago, RhaeBee said:

No, I wouldn't say that. Both have their ups and downs and I've been  in that phase of fandom where I liked the books more as well as in the phase where I liked the show more. At the moment I would say I'm pissed AF at both so I mostly just bitch about both. I was perfectly open to devoting myself to the show this year, but season 6 was soooooooo bad for what it could have been that I just couldn't go back to loving the show more. I'm sure you were interested in the stormy relationship of my inner fan girl and ASOIAF in detail... Sorry about rambling. 

I'm a huge Targaryan fan but I didn't like the Young Griff story even when I had thought he really was Aegon. It was the same kind of drag as the deathly hollows. As for Jeyne Poole, imo it was obvious that she'll be either cut or Sansa will take up her story and imo that's much better than spending a whole season sitting around while Sweetrobin shoots arrows or God forbid introduce the Harry the Heir ordeal. 

Don't get me wrong I love that the books provide the characters and the story with more depth, that's an amazing thing - to a certain degree. But I think the writer just way way way overdid it to the point where there's no way out of the cobweb he created. 

Great comments, I read it all with a lot of interest.

(1)  Don't worry about the length, I can run on from time to time too.  Sometimes when I get to the end of a post I look back and am surprised by how much I wrote.  Sometimes I chop it down, and sometimes I just let it fly, thinking if anyone actually reads it all then great, but if not, oh well, no big deal.  I do try to read ALL of each comment addressed to me, though, and almost always can find the time.

(2)  You may spend a lot of time complaining, as I think you basically say, but you must have a deep love of the material, I believe, or I doubt you'd be on these boards, so that's cool.  For me, the "good things I like" in both the books and show WAY outweigh the "bad things I don't like," so I just try to keep it all in perspective.  Although I sometimes compare them, to me the books and show are "alternate universes," which are ultimately separate things in my mind.

(3)  Hard to say whether Young Griff really is Rhaegar's son Aegon or not.   I've done a lot of reading about it, and there seem to be plenty of arguments for both possibiliities.  Personally, I believe he IS the real deal, but I admit that makes it baffling that he was left out of the show.  Still, it's very difficult to know whether a change like that has any real meaning or not.  On the one hand, we know for a fact that GRRM has told the show runners certain things (so it's possible he said something like "don't worry about Young Griff, he's just a fake, no big deal if you leave him out"), but on the other hand we know GRRM hasn't told them other things, and in any event sometimes it doesn't even seem like they care whether changes they are making affect canon stuff or not.  And then, on top of all that, I guess Young Griff might still appear in the show, so nearly anything remains possible with his sroty line.

(4)  You make a very interesting point, I think, about how an author can overdo depth to the point many things are likely to be left unresolved, and I suppose it's true that more closure is sometimes desirable, but to me, I think part of the beauty of GRRM's work is that it has no real beginning in the books and no real end, since (a) the story actually started way before the first book, as we are given a lot of background information, and (b) the story will never fully end, b/c so many sub-plots will remain open-ended.    Some of that will be frustrating, I understand, but take heart, I believe GRRM has already created a world that will live on long after he is done contributing to the stories, so even some of that frustration may yet be relieved in the future

 

[NorthernXY]

Soundtrack

[Cron]

2 hours ago, NorthernXY said:

Soundtrack

Yeah, that's good stuff.

My favorite song is the one they play at the end of Season 4, when Arya is sailing to Braavos.  I think it's called "The Children," which is the name of that episode, too.

[RhaenysBee]

18 hours ago, Cron said:

Great comments, I read it all with a lot of interest.

(1)  Don't worry about the length, I can run on from time to time too.  Sometimes when I get to the end of a post I look back and am surprised by how much I wrote.  Sometimes I chop it down, and sometimes I just let it fly, thinking if anyone actually reads it all then great, but if not, oh well, no big deal.  I do try to read ALL of each comment addressed to me, though, and almost always can find the time.

(2)  You may spend a lot of time complaining, as I think you basically say, but you must have a deep love of the material, I believe, or I doubt you'd be on these boards, so that's cool.  For me, the "good things I like" in both the books and show WAY outweigh the "bad things I don't like," so I just try to keep it all in perspective.  Although I sometimes compare them, to me the books and show are "alternate universes," which are ultimately separate things in my mind.

(3)  Hard to say whether Young Griff really is Rhaegar's son Aegon or not.   I've done a lot of reading about it, and there seem to be plenty of arguments for both possibiliities.  Personally, I believe he IS the real deal, but I admit that makes it baffling that he was left out of the show.  Still, it's very difficult to know whether a change like that has any real meaning or not.  On the one hand, we know for a fact that GRRM has told the show runners certain things (so it's possible he said something like "don't worry about Young Griff, he's just a fake, no big deal if you leave him out"), but on the other hand we know GRRM hasn't told them other things, and in any event sometimes it doesn't even seem like they care whether changes they are making affect canon stuff or not.  And then, on top of all that, I guess Young Griff might still appear in the show, so nearly anything remains possible with his sroty line.

(4)  You make a very interesting point, I think, about how an author can overdo depth to the point many things are likely to be left unresolved, and I suppose it's true that more closure is sometimes desirable, but to me, I think part of the beauty of GRRM's work is that it has no real beginning in the books and no real end, since (a) the story actually started way before the first book, as we are given a lot of background information, and (b) the story will never fully end, b/c so many sub-plots will remain open-ended.    Some of that will be frustrating, I understand, but take heart, I believe GRRM has already created a world that will live on long after he is done contributing to the stories, so even some of that frustration may yet be relieved in the future

 

Yeah, keeping comments short is not always easy and yeah I do read every comment directed at me too. 

And sure, I wouldn't hang out here all the time if I didn't like GoT. I like it, I'm just a tad bit disappointed at the moment and so it's the negative aspects my mind focuses on. 

As much as I would like him to be Rhaegar's actual son, I don't think he is. A character shows up in book 5, he claims to be the son of Rhaegar, nobody ever heard or hinted at the possibility that he might be alive, nothing ever suggested there was something fishy about his death... If it's for real, it's some cheap writing imo. 

I know it's a bit of shallow thinking, but lack of closure drives me insane. ASOIAF is a fantasy fiction, a story you read for the plot and not the literary orgasm that you read Orwell or Tolstoy or Gogol for. Therefore I neeeeeeeed closure. This is the general reason why I'm pissed at the books, closure is nowhere in sight at the end of book 5 and god knows when/if there will be a book 6, let alone 7. I jumped on the ASOIAF bandwagon quite late, essentially after the show aired and got me hooked, and even that has been 5 years. Can't imagine readers who were there from the first couple books. And sure, these stories live on and inspire the fantasy of readers to complete sub-stories the author neglected or close plotlines and characters the way they imagine. Still, an actual canon closure is always coveted, in my opinion. 

 

[Cron]

1 hour ago, RhaeBee said:

Yeah, keeping comments short is not always easy and yeah I do read every comment directed at me too. 

And sure, I wouldn't hang out here all the time if I didn't like GoT. I like it, I'm just a tad bit disappointed at the moment and so it's the negative aspects my mind focuses on. 

As much as I would like him to be Rhaegar's actual son, I don't think he is. A character shows up in book 5, he claims to be the son of Rhaegar, nobody ever heard or hinted at the possibility that he might be alive, nothing ever suggested there was something fishy about his death... If it's for real, it's some cheap writing imo. 

I know it's a bit of shallow thinking, but lack of closure drives me insane. ASOIAF is a fantasy fiction, a story you read for the plot and not the literary orgasm that you read Orwell or Tolstoy or Gogol for. Therefore I neeeeeeeed closure. This is the general reason why I'm pissed at the books, closure is nowhere in sight at the end of book 5 and god knows when/if there will be a book 6, let alone 7. I jumped on the ASOIAF bandwagon quite late, essentially after the show aired and got me hooked, and even that has been 5 years. Can't imagine readers who were there from the first couple books. And sure, these stories live on and inspire the fantasy of readers to complete sub-stories the author neglected or close plotlines and characters the way they imagine. Still, an actual canon closure is always coveted, in my opinion. 

 

(1)  Young Griff:  Im not saying I can guarantee he's Rhaegar's son Aegon, but probably the most compelling evidence is what Varys says to Kevan Lannister as he's dying.  Varys is involved in the Young Griff plot (whether Young Griff is fake or not), and basically tells Kevan what they did.  The question is, "why would Varys bother to lie to a dying man?"  In my view, IF Young Griff is a fake, that would be a very odd thing for Varys to do.

(2)  Well, we are going to get at least some closure, including lots of little closures and, I strongly assume, closure for the big picture (the threat from the WW/Others, which I strongly believe WILL be resolved in the current run of books and show), but sure, somet things will remain unresolved.  However, I've become pretty strongly convinced that the current run will NOT be the end, and we will get more GOT, maybe even with no interruption (meaning that, possibly, the next series or run will start 1 year after the current run ends with Season 8).  I've heard quite a bit of talk about this, and I'll be surprised if it DOESN'T happen, cuz as I understand it HBO gets better ratings for GOT than anything else.  Indeed,  I've also heard, GRRM is already signed on for something beyond GOT (although last I've heard, it's not guaranteed to be in the world of ASOIAF).  So hang in there, if we're patient maybe we can get a lot more satisfaction.

(3) I read the first 4 books shortly after AFFC came out in paperback, I'm guessing maybe about 10 years ago.  I finished all 4 books (that were then out) maybe in a month or so (I had been looking for something to read while on an exercise bike, stumbled across the ASOIAF secion of the bookstore, decided to give it a try, was blown away by the first 100 pages or so, and then tore through it all).  I was ecstatic when it was announced that they were making the show, and even though there are plenty of things in the show I would have done differently if I had been the show runner, it has exceeded my expectations for what HBO would do.   Despite its shortcomings, it is by far the best book-to-screen adaptation I have ever seen.

(4)  Canon closure would be ideal, but as much as I love GRRM's work, I'm confident others can deliver too.  I'm a huge Star Wars fan, and for many years could not imagine movies being made that were not "canon George Lucas," but Disney and JJ Abrams knocked it out of the park with Episode VII.  Indeed, we are now going to get a new Star Wars movie every year for at least 5 more years, and it's quite possible that's just the beginning (I've heard Disney has said both the Star Wars franchise and Marvel movies are on indefinite green light status, meaning they have plans to continue both lines indefinitely).  ASOIAF could each that point, too, and I think that would be great, but GRRM can't do that alone, just like George Lucas could not possibly do by himself what Disney is doing (not even close).

(5)  I'm not even sure we'll get a Book 6 in ASOIAF, much less a Book 7.  At the moment, even though I prefer the books to the show, I'm thinking the best way for us to get as much canon ASOIAF out of GRRM's brain as we can is for HBO to pay him to be the master show runner full time.  In that way, maybe we could get a full season every year from him, rather than one book every 6 or 7 years.  This could also be critical b/c of GRRM's age (he's certainly not ancient, but he's no spring chicken, either)

(6)  Finally, I've been curious about what "C + L = A" means.  May I ask, or is it private?

[Lord Greenhood]

Joffrey is a lot more fun!

[dsug]

expanding upon what I said earlier:

Cersei is exponentially more well rounded in the show. I know her shameless evil and arrogance in the books is what makes her so endearing to many readers, myself included, but that wouldn't translate well to screen for a main character. She has all the bad qualities she does in the books, but it's topped off with some genuine struggles and heartbreak. She's a wicked woman, to say the least, but she's also more than that. She's a protective mother, a child desparate to please her father, a resentful wife and daughter. 

Her complex writing and flawless portrayal have made her one of the most iconic characters on the show, and in recent television. 

[Cron]

13 hours ago, Lord Greenhood said:

Joffrey is a lot more fun!

Yeah, Jack Gleeson did a great job as Joffrey.

Wonder if he'll return to acting...last I heard he had stopped acting to return to school.

[RhaenysBee]

19 hours ago, Cron said:

(1)  Young Griff:  Im not saying I can guarantee he's Rhaegar's son Aegon, but probably the most compelling evidence is what Varys says to Kevan Lannister as he's dying.  Varys is involved in the Young Griff plot (whether Young Griff is fake or not), and basically tells Kevan what they did.  The question is, "why would Varys bother to lie to a dying man?"  In my view, IF Young Griff is a fake, that would be a very odd thing for Varys to do.

(2)  Well, we are going to get at least some closure, including lots of little closures and, I strongly assume, closure for the big picture (the threat from the WW/Others, which I strongly believe WILL be resolved in the current run of books and show), but sure, somet things will remain unresolved.  However, I've become pretty strongly convinced that the current run will NOT be the end, and we will get more GOT, maybe even with no interruption (meaning that, possibly, the next series or run will start 1 year after the current run ends with Season 8).  I've heard quite a bit of talk about this, and I'll be surprised if it DOESN'T happen, cuz as I understand it HBO gets better ratings for GOT than anything else.  Indeed,  I've also heard, GRRM is already signed on for something beyond GOT (although last I've heard, it's not guaranteed to be in the world of ASOIAF).  So hang in there, if we're patient maybe we can get a lot more satisfaction.

(3) I read the first 4 books shortly after AFFC came out in paperback, I'm guessing maybe about 10 years ago.  I finished all 4 books (that were then out) maybe in a month or so (I had been looking for something to read while on an exercise bike, stumbled across the ASOIAF secion of the bookstore, decided to give it a try, was blown away by the first 100 pages or so, and then tore through it all).  I was ecstatic when it was announced that they were making the show, and even though there are plenty of things in the show I would have done differently if I had been the show runner, it has exceeded my expectations for what HBO would do.   Despite its shortcomings, it is by far the best book-to-screen adaptation I have ever seen.

(4)  Canon closure would be ideal, but as much as I love GRRM's work, I'm confident others can deliver too.  I'm a huge Star Wars fan, and for many years could not imagine movies being made that were not "canon George Lucas," but Disney and JJ Abrams knocked it out of the park with Episode VII.  Indeed, we are now going to get a new Star Wars movie every year for at least 5 more years, and it's quite possible that's just the beginning (I've heard Disney has said both the Star Wars franchise and Marvel movies are on indefinite green light status, meaning they have plans to continue both lines indefinitely).  ASOIAF could each that point, too, and I think that would be great, but GRRM can't do that alone, just like George Lucas could not possibly do by himself what Disney is doing (not even close).

(5)  I'm not even sure we'll get a Book 6 in ASOIAF, much less a Book 7.  At the moment, even though I prefer the books to the show, I'm thinking the best way for us to get as much canon ASOIAF out of GRRM's brain as we can is for HBO to pay him to be the master show runner full time.  In that way, maybe we could get a full season every year from him, rather than one book every 6 or 7 years.  This could also be critical b/c of GRRM's age (he's certainly not ancient, but he's no spring chicken, either)

(6)  Finally, I've been curious about what "C + L = A" means.  May I ask, or is it private?

Yes, that's the main (only?) argument in favor of RAegon over FAegon - why would Varys lie to a dying man? I don't know, Varys being the spy master of multiple kings knows full well that there is always someone watching and listening in King's Landing. If he was going to pull a Bond villain speech, it'd better not be the truth. But then who knows..? 

Sure we are, in the show. Which is good enough, don't get me wrong, only, five thousand-page books read and I will never know how that ends (would it be better or worse than the show's ending?). I am of Generation HP, I'm used to aging with Harry Potter and getting to see if he really was the chosen one or just dreamt it all, if snape really killed Dumbledore or he is a "hero" (which he isn't, for the record, I'm sticking to that, always). I don't want to turn 30 one day while I'm still waiting for Sansa to turn bloody 15. Not that I believe I will ever see that, and therefore agree that the best possible canon ending could have been achieved if the writer was involved in the creation of the show a bit more as the end approaches, however, in reality the opposite has been/is happening. I have my own little personal view on why this is so, but that's not for public discussion, especially that it's no more than a hunch. 

I have heard rumors of a potential prequel series which would potentially be Dunk and Egg, as Robert's Rebellion is/will be(?) brought to the screen through flashbacks thoroughly enough that it would be repetitive to grant the story its own mini series. I myself didn't read the Dunk and Egg stories and so I'm not sure I would even tune in for the on-screen version. 

As for others delivering, it's better than nothing and I could certainly put up with it, however it is heavily dependent on the writer's consent, who has, if I understand correctly, previously stated that he wouldn't have his works finished by anybody else should it be necessary for any reason. 

Oh that's just a S6E8 silliness made into a joke theory.  Catelyn + Logan = Arya 

[Woman of War]

1 hour ago, RhaeBee said:

Yes, that's the main (only?) argument in favor of RAegon over FAegon - why would Varys lie to a dying man? I don't know, Varys being the spy master of multiple kings knows full well that there is always someone watching and listening in King's Landing. If he was going to pull a Bond villain speech, it'd better not be the truth. But then who knows..? 

 

Did Varys speak to a dying man?

Did he speak to Kevan because he suddenly felt like confessing or because he loves his own voice so much?

No,  Varys did not speak to the dying man before him, he spoke to the ears hidden in the walls,  his own little birds or some other informer who was to be convinced of having heard a big secret. He counted on them to transport the message about Aegon to those whom Varys wanted to believe the story.  This  does in no way mean that he, Varys, himself believed what he said to Kevan.

[RhaenysBee]

8 minutes ago, Woman of War said:

Did Varys speak to a dying man?

Did he speak to Kevan because he suddenly felt like confessing or because he loves his own voice so much?

No,  Varys did not speak to the dying man before him, he spoke to the ears hidden in the walls,  his own little birds or some other informer who was to be convinced of having heard a big secret. He counted on them to transport the message about Aegon to those whom Varys wanted to believe the story.  This  does in no way mean that he, Varys, himself believed what he said to Kevan.

I like the way you think.

[lancerman]

The biggest problem for me with Dorne is that in both mediums it was a massive waste of time and misdirection to set up an event at the end.

People plotting around Myrcella's safety and future only for all the plans to go bust in the end. Then in the books it's revealed that Doran has his fire and blood speech and is still plotting, and in the show Myrcella is killed and it's revealed that the Sand Snakes will be taking their revenge. Both ultimately leading to Dorne allying with a Targaryen (Aegon in the books, Dany in the show).

If we are being technical, Arianne's plot was a waste of time and a complete failure only to get scolded by her father. But it was presented better. While the Sand Snakes in season 5 eventually did kill Myrcella, take over Dorne, and facilitate an alliance with Highgarden and Danearys, But it was presented worse.

 

 

 

[Cron]

3 hours ago, RhaeBee said:

Yes, that's the main (only?) argument in favor of RAegon over FAegon - why would Varys lie to a dying man? I don't know, Varys being the spy master of multiple kings knows full well that there is always someone watching and listening in King's Landing. If he was going to pull a Bond villain speech, it'd better not be the truth. But then who knows..? 

Sure we are, in the show. Which is good enough, don't get me wrong, only, five thousand-page books read and I will never know how that ends (would it be better or worse than the show's ending?). I am of Generation HP, I'm used to aging with Harry Potter and getting to see if he really was the chosen one or just dreamt it all, if snape really killed Dumbledore or he is a "hero" (which he isn't, for the record, I'm sticking to that, always). I don't want to turn 30 one day while I'm still waiting for Sansa to turn bloody 15. Not that I believe I will ever see that, and therefore agree that the best possible canon ending could have been achieved if the writer was involved in the creation of the show a bit more as the end approaches, however, in reality the opposite has been/is happening. I have my own little personal view on why this is so, but that's not for public discussion, especially that it's no more than a hunch. 

I have heard rumors of a potential prequel series which would potentially be Dunk and Egg, as Robert's Rebellion is/will be(?) brought to the screen through flashbacks thoroughly enough that it would be repetitive to grant the story its own mini series. I myself didn't read the Dunk and Egg stories and so I'm not sure I would even tune in for the on-screen version. 

As for others delivering, it's better than nothing and I could certainly put up with it, however it is heavily dependent on the writer's consent, who has, if I understand correctly, previously stated that he wouldn't have his works finished by anybody else should it be necessary for any reason. 

Oh that's just a S6E8 silliness made into a joke theory.  Catelyn + Logan = Arya 

Your comments about the best canon ending being achieved if GRRM was involved more with the show is why I take the view that I think he shiould just stop writing novels and devote himself full time to the show.  It's the best way for us to get as much canon ASOIAF as we can, as quickly as possible.

Regarding the Dunk and Egg stories, I don't know if you know it, but I believe last October (2015) they were consolidated into one book which can now be found commonly, called "Knight of the Seven Kingdoms."

Regarding the spin-off possibility of Robert's Rebellion:  Well, I hear you, and I actually agree.   I used to think it'd be great to see Robert's Rebellion on-screen, but the more we see of it in "flashbacks" the less new stuff they have to reveal.  Still, movie makers sometimes do it anyway.  One pet peeve I have about super hero movies is how they have a tendency to just get stuck in a rut, and show the hero's origin over and over, movie after movie.  How many times have we seen Superman, Batman, Hulk and Spider-Man's origin over and over?  Quite a few.  I want to tell them "Yeah, I'm pretty sure we all know their origins now, please stop showing them."  I'd rather the screen time be given to new material, not the same thing rehashed over and over.

Hate to say it, but GRRM may not have a choice about who finishes his stories, especially since he IS likely to leave so many hanging threads.  Robert Jordan didn't (have you ever read his "Wheel of Time" series?  The early books are tremendous and it ended great, but there are 14 books and I'm sorry to say I felt it started to drag for 3 or 4 books in the middle.  It is "swords and sorcery" fantasy fiction, too)  Robert Jordan wrote a great, huge series, but died before he could finish it. (He did tell some people how it ended, though, and that information was taken and used to finish the story).  If GRRM does want control, though, then I think he should stop writing novels and get more involved in the show.

"Logan" as in "Wolverine"?  As in "mutant healing factor super power"?

 

[Cron]

2 hours ago, Woman of War said:

Did Varys speak to a dying man?

Did he speak to Kevan because he suddenly felt like confessing or because he loves his own voice so much?

No,  Varys did not speak to the dying man before him, he spoke to the ears hidden in the walls,  his own little birds or some other informer who was to be convinced of having heard a big secret. He counted on them to transport the message about Aegon to those whom Varys wanted to believe the story.  This  does in no way mean that he, Varys, himself believed what he said to Kevan.

This is interesting, but I'm skeptical.

This theory would hold that Varys ALSO wanted others to know that he personally murdered Kevan, AND that he wanted others to wrongly blame each other for it.

Frankly, I just don't see Varys operating that way.

[RhaenysBee]

2 hours ago, Cron said:

Your comments about the best canon ending being achieved if GRRM was involved more with the show is why I take the view that I think he shiould just stop writing novels and devote himself full time to the show.  It's the best way for us to get as much canon ASOIAF as we can, as quickly as possible.

Regarding the Dunk and Egg stories, I don't know if you know it, but I believe last October (2015) they were consolidated into one book which can now be found commonly, called "Knight of the Seven Kingdoms."

Regarding the spin-off possibility of Robert's Rebellion:  Well, I hear you, and I actually agree.   I used to think it'd be great to see Robert's Rebellion on-screen, but the more we see of it in "flashbacks" the less new stuff they have to reveal.  Still, movie makers sometimes do it anyway.  One pet peeve I have about super hero movies is how they have a tendency to just get stuck in a rut, and show the hero's origin over and over, movie after movie.  How many times have we seen Superman, Batman, Hulk and Spider-Man's origin over and over?  Quite a few.  I want to tell them "Yeah, I'm pretty sure we all know their origins now, please stop showing them."  I'd rather the screen time be given to new material, not the same thing rehashed over and over.

Hate to say it, but GRRM may not have a choice about who finishes his stories, especially since he IS likely to leave so many hanging threads.  Robert Jordan didn't (have you ever read his "Wheel of Time" series?  The early books are tremendous and it ended great, but there are 14 books and I'm sorry to say I felt it started to drag for 3 or 4 books in the middle.  It is "swords and sorcery" fantasy fiction, too)  Robert Jordan wrote a great, huge series, but died before he could finish it. (He did tell some people how it ended, though, and that information was taken and used to finish the story).  If GRRM does want control, though, then I think he should stop writing novels and get more involved in the show.

"Logan" as in "Wolverine"?  As in "mutant healing factor super power"?

 

I understand, but I don't think he would even if he was asked/allowed to. I don't think he would be allowed at this point, actually. 

And yes I know about the KoSK book, I'm just not particularly interested in reading it. I never read the Princess and the Queen story either. I'm just not drawn to it. 

Yes, it would undoubtedly be awesome, Robert's Rebellion is honestly the only spin-off story I would be excited to see brought to the screen. I just don't think it's likely to happen, especially if they devote a considerable amount of screentime to flashbacks in the upcoming seasons. 

I haven't read Wheel of Time, but it's good to know that finishing an unfinished story is not without precedent in the fantasy fiction world. 

Exactly. I had a good laugh at all the Terminator and Wolverine analogies at least after that horrendous episode aired. 

[Cron]

1 hour ago, RhaeBee said:

I understand, but I don't think he would even if he was asked/allowed to. I don't think he would be allowed at this point, actually. 

And yes I know about the KoSK book, I'm just not particularly interested in reading it. I never read the Princess and the Queen story either. I'm just not drawn to it. 

Yes, it would undoubtedly be awesome, Robert's Rebellion is honestly the only spin-off story I would be excited to see brought to the screen. I just don't think it's likely to happen, especially if they devote a considerable amount of screentime to flashbacks in the upcoming seasons. 

I haven't read Wheel of Time, but it's good to know that finishing an unfinished story is not without precedent in the fantasy fiction world. 

Exactly. I had a good laugh at all the Terminator and Wolverine analogies at least after that horrendous episode aired. 

Whoa, that's interesting.  You don't think GRRM would be "allowed" to take control of the show?  Not saying you're wrong, but why? Don't you assume HBO would think that's the best way to get the biggest audience?

One of my favorite spin-off ideas would be the continuing stories of Arya and Lyanna Mormont.  Other characters would be involved, too, but I think these two young, vibrant, and VERY popular characters would make great centerpieces.

Wheel of Time: Yeah, it's good. ASOIAF is better, but some of the WoT books are awesome too.   Aimed at a slightly younger audience than ASOIAF, but not like Harry Potter (nothing against Harry Potter, though, I'm pretty familiar with that stuff, too.  JK Rowlgn did something pretty amazing there, which is why she's now a billionaire).  Something in between, I think.

Arya/Logan:  I am holding out hope that Lady Crane had some magic or potions that made what we saw with Arya possible.  I'm hoping that scene where Lady Crane was reaching from something way up high, maybe even something hidden, was actually significant, and can explain how Arya can do what she did without leaving her intestines all over the streets.

[RhaenysBee]

14 hours ago, Cron said:

Whoa, that's interesting.  You don't think GRRM would be "allowed" to take control of the show?  Not saying you're wrong, but why? Don't you assume HBO would think that's the best way to get the biggest audience?

One of my favorite spin-off ideas would be the continuing stories of Arya and Lyanna Mormont.  Other characters would be involved, too, but I think these two young, vibrant, and VERY popular characters would make great centerpieces.

Wheel of Time: Yeah, it's good. ASOIAF is better, but some of the WoT books are awesome too.   Aimed at a slightly younger audience than ASOIAF, but not like Harry Potter (nothing against Harry Potter, though, I'm pretty familiar with that stuff, too.  JK Rowlgn did something pretty amazing there, which is why she's now a billionaire).  Something in between, I think.

Arya/Logan:  I am holding out hope that Lady Crane had some magic or potions that made what we saw with Arya possible.  I'm hoping that scene where Lady Crane was reaching from something way up high, maybe even something hidden, was actually significant, and can explain how Arya can do what she did without leaving her intestines all over the streets.

Not really. I never got the feeling, at least not since season 2 that the relationship between the writer and the show runners / HBO is particularly good. And I also don't think that HBO reckons that involving the writer would result in the biggest audience/best possible television. 

Arya and Lyanna Mormont, yeah, it would probably attract quite an audience. As I said, the spin off I would watch is Robert's Rebellion. 

Interesting. I liked that ASOIAF targets a more grown up audience than the classic PG13. Not that I don't love Harry Potter and YA series (I'm 10 years old at heart anyways) it was just a pleasant novelty. In between sounds like a fair compromise. 

I was all over the Internet theories about how Arya was actually Jaqen in disguise, how the waif was Jaqen in disguise, how Arya dreamt it all or how Arya had a split personality. And then... Nothing. There wasn't magic, there wasn't a trick, there wasn't a plottwist, it was just bad bad bad baaad writing.  

[Cron]

4 hours ago, RhaeBee said:

Not really. I never got the feeling, at least not since season 2 that the relationship between the writer and the show runners / HBO is particularly good. And I also don't think that HBO reckons that involving the writer would result in the biggest audience/best possible television. 

Arya and Lyanna Mormont, yeah, it would probably attract quite an audience. As I said, the spin off I would watch is Robert's Rebellion. 

Interesting. I liked that ASOIAF targets a more grown up audience than the classic PG13. Not that I don't love Harry Potter and YA series (I'm 10 years old at heart anyways) it was just a pleasant novelty. In between sounds like a fair compromise. 

I was all over the Internet theories about how Arya was actually Jaqen in disguise, how the waif was Jaqen in disguise, how Arya dreamt it all or how Arya had a split personality. And then... Nothing. There wasn't magic, there wasn't a trick, there wasn't a plottwist, it was just bad bad bad baaad writing.  

My understanding is that GRRM is already signed on with HBO for something beyond the current run of GOT.  It is not guaranteed to be set in the Planetos universe, but I can't imagine why HBO or GRRM would favor anything else over more Planetos.  I think it would be a mistake for HBO to lightly dismiss GRRM's involvement in more such material.  Many fans react negatively to certain changes in the show just b/c the fan is a purist, and if it's not GRRM, it's not canon.  As for GRRM, my understanding is that the show already is his major source of income, I don't believe he's likely to lightly try to walk away from the relationship either (last I heard, GRRM makes about $10 million per year from the books and about $15 million per year from HBO, which means the show is about 60% of his income)

Arya/Logan:  The matter could still be patched up with a "magic" explanation (e.g., Lady Crane had some sort of magic, probably in the potions she was giving Arya), but I never believed Jaqen was Arya or the Waif.  Jaqen is too tall, and to my knowledge Faceless Man stuff can't fix that whenyou're impersonating someone (but maybe someone on these boards knows otherwise, I guess).  I considered the Arya  Durden theories very unlikely, too, so I'm just holding out hope that it will be explained by magic.  Otherwise, I have to admit that while I liked the Arya and the Waif storyline overall, the notion that Arya could survive such injuries and activities would be ludicrous.

[The Onion Kniggit]

On 8/14/2016 at 2:41 PM, PyroclasticFlow said:

Boobies. That is all

I dunno, the book gives the impression that pretty much every female seems to have at least a DD bust size except for most of the main characters.

Of course given the fact that you could actually see them on the show, I guess it's better.... 

On 8/14/2016 at 8:08 PM, Stannis is the man....nis said:

I liked how Roose was played up as a harsh but loyal adviser to Robb in his introduction making his betrayal at the RW more shocking unlike the books were George made it obvious he was trouble from the start

While I agree with you on that point, I think it's too early to say yet. The way Roose met  his demise on the show pretty much ruined the entire character for me. I'm sure(or hopeful) that GRRM wouldn't do the same in the books or handle it much better....... that along with the whole Northern story-line in Season 5.