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How would you have introduced Aegon or an Aegon-like character on the show?


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On 10/4/2016 at 9:46 PM, Lyin' Ned said:

Obviously this ship has sailed but I'm interested on what could've been. I mean, I think bringing Aegon into the show posed significant difficulties, given how he (and Jon Connington and the rest of their crew) shows up out of nowhere really, five books in, with little to no build-up or foreshadowing, with a convoluted and soap operesque backstory (baby switch!) and an even more convoluted motive and plans for Varys and Illyrio, not to mention the possible Blackfyre angle. 

So, I think I would've either tried to find a better way to introduce Aegon and do it EARLIER, or I would've given his storyline to another character altogether, say to Gendry or even Edric Storm. 

What about you? What would you have done? 

I would have introduced Griff, Young Griff and the crew just like GRRM did in the book.

Although there are some things the show did better than the books (in fact, I started a whole topic on the subject), overall the books are better (still, though, I'm not knocking the show, it's my favorite show of all time)

I think when a lot of people read ADWD for the first time they are so anxious and impatient to find out what happens next to the characters they are already very familiar with and love (the main characters from the first four books) that they give new characters like the Grfffs, Arianne, Darkstar, Hotah, et cetera short shrift just cuz they don't know them and don't really want to waste time learning about and investing in a whole new slew of characters.  Personally, I felt a little bit like that the first time I read ADWD, but when I read it again I enjoyed the scenes with the Griffs, Arianne, Darkstar, et cetera a lot more, cuz I wasn't anxious and impatient to find out what happens in the book to the main characters, cuz I already knew.  So I was relaxed, and enjoyed getting to know the new characters better.

I definitely would have kept the Griffs (and Arianne and Darkstar and the rest) in the show, BUT, if in fact Young Griff is a fake and his story in the books doesn't go much beyond what we saw in ADWD, then I can understand the decision to leave him out of the show.  If in fact we find out that Young Griff is really Rhaegar's son Aegon, though, then I think that leaving him out of the show was a much bigger mistake.  

(My personal opinion is that Young Griff is the real deal.  I'm in the camp that says if Young Griff is a fake, then Varys' words to Kevan Lannister as Kevan dies are flat out inexplicable.  I do not buy the theory that Varys said all that "just in case there were eavesdroppers."  That makes zero sense to me.  IF there was ANY chance of eavesdroppers, Varys was implicating himself in the murder of Kevan Lannister itself just by being in the room and casually talking at all to Kevan while he was dying.  In my opinion, IF GRRM tells us Young Griff is a fake, then I think GRRM has got some really fancy explaining to do in order to convinced me that what Varys did and said while Kevan was dying is plausible, especially for a master planner and super careful guy like Varys)

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Well, I started the books after season 6 but I think it was very clear they never intented to include (f)Aegon in the show. It would have been nice for the books readers maybe to include him but it would had been terrible for only show watchers.

My friends who never read the books or any related ASOIAF forum didn't even manage to know/remeber who Rhaegar is in the end of season 6 despite the fact he had been mentionned several times in the past seasons, they even thought Lyanna had the mad king's son. If I am not mistaken, even Rhaegar's children names had never been mentionned in the show.

If they wanted to include this arc, they could have built up his backstory at season 4. With Oberyn arc, they could have digged more about his motives. I know the show already presented Oberyn motives and all, it is very clear for book readers. But "simple" show watchers only could easily forget about it or not connect the stories together if you consider how complex and connected all the stories are.

And it gets more complicated if Aegon is after all fAegon. In this case, they would have to subtlety build up the Blackfyre or any other explanation they will use later, which would have been away more and more complicated for the watchers, specially with the 10 episodes/season choice.

I can't yet say if cutting his story arc is good thing or not depending on how the story will go for him in the books, specially if he ends up being "real". So, my opinion is, for the show to properly introduce him, at least Rhaegar and the Targaryen story from before the rebellion should have been better explained first, the way the show has been adapted untill the end of season 4 left no room for his story...

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On 05/10/2016 at 4:00 PM, Dolorous Gabe said:

Just to point out, people were predicting the emergence of another claimant to the throne well before ADWD and mentioning Aegon as a possibility given the story of how the corpse was unrecognisable.

 

To be fair, people have been predicting every possible scenario about the story.

I will admit I would have enjoyed Aegon on the show simply because, assuming they would have aged him up like Daenerys, he would probably have been played by some good looking mancandy. And that is just my private opinion but his side characters trump Daenery's annoying entourage any day.

that being said the book character DID steal Danery's thunder and the sailing on the Rhoyne was, while more entertaining than Meereen, pretty pointless. Like a lot in ADWDFFC.

The issue is you kind of need him for Dorne and Varys to make sense.

I did not like Quentyn, but I agree he should have been present at least, he could have journeyed together with Tyrion and Varys. They might have even had him accompany Oberyn and Elaria to KL. He can still die in the Colosseum scene and at least establish the link between Dorne and Daenerys more naturally than it happened on the show.

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I am glad, that the show did not involved this character. It is, by far, the weakest plot in the story. You read four books, and then out of nowhere George just let another character be somehow important for the plot. It just feels pushed to hard. It is like this old TV commercials, where they show you a product and at the end, they go like "But wait, there is more...". Why does the story needs him? It is purely done to make another mystery in the story. Is he a Targ or is he not? Who cares? There are two options: 

He is a Targ: Then his intro is just a cheap way for Dany to have a "Dance with the Dragons", like her ancestors. This is bad writing, since the concept of repeating history is one of the easiest way for authors to write, without twlling anything new. It is copying from yourself. 

He is not a Targ: Still the same outcome. Then he is a pretender, and another War like it happened with the Blackfyres will occur. If you believe the theories, that he might be a Blackfyre, then the writing would be even worse.

It does not tell you anything new. Danny is gonna win, whoever he might be. 

He feels artificialy pushed in the story, without any necessity. Therefore I am glad, that they cut him out. 

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On 03/02/2017 at 7:49 AM, LordMiddleFinger said:

Since they changed so much in the show i would've done it in season 5. Since they made the BRILLIANT decision to send Jaime to Dorne in season 5, it was a good opportunity to introduce Aegon and reveal that Prince Doran Martell was hiding him all along.

 Jaime gets captured, just like in the show. But after he is released he meets a young man who reminds him of someone... Jaime asks the boy who he is and where is he from, the boy replies: " I am no one... important. " Is he a... could it be? 

 So anyway the young man tells Jaime that he always wanted to be a Knight and a great warrior and that everyone says that Jaime is the greatest swordsman alive. He asks Jaime if he could teach him how to fight. Jaime points out that he lost his sword hand ( but doesn't admit that he sucks now ) and tells the boy that he doesn't have time for games. As Jaime is about to leave, the young man tells him "You were supposed to protect my mother and my sister... Kingslayer." Jaime is shocked and lost for words. Aegon turns his back on Jaime, starts to walk away and whispers "Fire and Blood". End of episode 9.

That would have been amazing

 

I would have had Varys making subtle hints which all make sense when we Aegon is introduced.

One way would be to have it the same as the books.

Or changed the way he was introduced and had him show up with the Golden Company in Meereen to help Tyrion when Daenerys flew away. 

Too have a really drastic change have a character with Viserys and Daenerys who Illyrio had sent as a loyal guard, who we find out is Aegon, maybe with people saying he looks like Daenerys (probably really spooking Barristan when he shows up) and him helping her in Slavers bay by getting the Golden Company to join her.

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14 hours ago, T and A said:

Dorne was a complete disaster, but I don't know if a telenovela would have saved it :D

  How is that a "telenovela"? Have you read the books? Every other character in the story is or has pretended to be someone else at some point. It's not perfect but i think it's still better than Euron planning to win Dany over with his "Big cock".

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I just came up with an idea of how I would've introduced Aegon earlier in the show:

Season 3. Davos just got back to Dragonstone and gets thrown in jail. Stannis is in full depression mode and Melisandre (not Axell Florent) is calling the shots. She convinces Stannis to attack a House that remained neutral and didn't support him to teach a lesson to those who bent the knee to the Lannisters. So kinda like Axell's plan. The castle she targets is irrelevant, could be Claw Isle, Driftmark, whatever. The point is that the lord of said castle is a power hungry opportunist who sat out the Wot5K and a secret Targ loyalist who's been hiding Aegon for years disguised as a cook boy or something.

So the thing is, Mel saw Aegon in the flames in the shape of a dragon but she thinks it's because he's meant to be the sacrifice to wake the dragon. Or maybe she concedes he's got a bit of dragon blood like the dragonseed of old but she never realizes he's a ful blown Targ (or Blackfyre). So Mel's reason to come up with the attack was to capture Aegon so she could burn him, so he's a stand in for Edric Storm at this point. And just like in the books, Davos frees Aegon and gives him to Salladhor to smuggle him to safety. ( Obviously no one knows he's Aegon, he goes by another name).

But there's a twist! Salladhor was working for Illyrio all along, so he takes Aegon to his manse in Pentos, where he meets Tyrion. There the audience is inroduced to Jon and Lemore, and the rest.

 

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