Way too many side characters?

[Nerevanin]

This might be a highly unpopular opinion but is it just me who thinks that there are way too many side characters alive at this point? Obviously we don't know what happens at the end (for example Gendry can have an important role as he is the last living (half)Baratheon) but there are many characters that I just don't see any use for at this moment. They were useful when the main characters were in different parts of the world but now almost everyone is in one place (but Cersei) and there are many supporting characters just wandering around for the 2 secs of screen time. I think it could have been better if some of them were killed off before (like Grey Worm or Missandei for example). Thoughts?

[Bronn Stone]

You act like those are the only choices.  A character need not die once their usefulness is complete.  If GRRM/D&D are done with a character, they simply can stop telling their story.  As the show did with Hot Pie.

[Euron III Greyjoy]

I have to disagree with you on this. I don't think there are enough side characters. So many great and small Houses have been dying out the last few seasons due to there apparently only being one heir to the entire family name. 

[Kajjo]

2 hours ago, Nerevanin said:

This might be a highly unpopular opinion but is it just me who thinks that there are way too many side characters alive at this point?

I love the show for its complexity and the many side characters. 

Many people we believed in the earlier seasons to be main characters were not. Many characters believed to be "just a side" became the major players. This is what made GoT so fascinating. Everyone can die, everyone can be important, it's not all about just a few main protagonists.

[frzpo4328v2h2aki]

aa bb

[nborders]

1 hour ago, Bronn Stone said:

You act like those are the only choices.  A character need not die once their usefulness is complete.  If GRRM/D&D are done with a character, they simply can stop telling their story.  As the show did with Hot Pie.

I think that’s what we saw happen with Yara last night

[mitch176]

I personally don't think there are. But, even if there are, there won't be for long. 

[The hairy bear]

In this first episode, Brienne and Podrick have been nothing more than extras. Many other previously significant characters have been reduced to one or two lines per episode.

[Nerevanin]

2 hours ago, Bronn Stone said:

You act like those are the only choices.  A character need not die once their usefulness is complete.  If GRRM/D&D are done with a character, they simply can stop telling their story.  As the show did with Hot Pie.

I completely agree with that but I think it is a bit more complicated with the show because it is is kinda omnipresent. While in the books you depend on the POV characters, which means that if a character is not near any of the POVs, you usually don't know what's up with them and you can simply cut them off if you have no more use for them (at least at the moment). The show on the other hand isn't bound to POV characters and so it is imo much harder to cut supporting characters because then people would immediately jump out of their seats yelling "where is Tyrion?!", although currently there isn't much use of Tyrion. And he is a main character. Look at what happened with Ghost. It's quite ridiculous that he hasn't been seen since Jon's resurrection or so. Think about characters like Edd, Davos, Jorah, Missandei, Grey Worm and more. Currently they are mostly talking extras.

 

1 hour ago, Kajjo said:

I love the show for its complexity and the many side characters. 

Many people we believed in the earlier seasons to be main characters were not. Many characters believed to be "just a side" became the major players. This is what made GoT so fascinating. Everyone can die, everyone can be important, it's not all about just a few main protagonists.

I do agree. Especially in the books the numerous side characters make the world what it is for me. But at this point in the show it seems that there are many characters who have nothing to offer at this moment but they still get a line or two that are mostly out of place / bring nothing new or important. It's kinda sad imo. Reminds me how I was feeling sad for Littlefinger the whole S7 - D&D let him wander around Winterfell talking utter nonsense just because they wanted to kill him in the finale.

[Nerevanin]

Just now, The hairy bear said:

In this first episode, Brienne and Podrick have been nothing more than extras. Many other previously significant characters have been reduced to one or two lines per episode.

They were in it? I honestly didn't notice them at all.

[Kajjo]

1 minute ago, Nerevanin said:

there are many characters who have nothing to offer at this moment but they still get a line or two that are mostly out of place

In my opinion, this is not a problem of too many side characters but of too bad dialogues.

[Nerevanin]

 

4 minutes ago, Kajjo said:

In my opinion, this is not a problem of too many side characters but of too bad dialogues.

I think it's both. I think that a lot of dialogues are pretty bad, whether it is main characters or not. Combine that with the fact that people want to see Davos, Jorah, Gendry and co. and it is almost bound to be really bad. Only an opinion, ofc. :)

[Danny-]

The arc of the story is in it’s conclusion and we already knew that everyone is descending upon Winter-fell so this was expected.The battle for Winterfell will start at the middle or the end of episode 2, i suspect it will continue through episode 3 but after that the characters might scatter once again.

[Kimbono]

I don't see a problem in to many side characters. Actually i loved the crowded Winterfell, as it really felt like a living city. Often enough the places were deserted or just 1-2 extras in the backround trying to give the impression of actual people living there.

Thats actually one problem with kingslanding. I know extras cost money and don't serve anything but the athmosphere but right now, the captial is just Cercei/Euron with their 5 Black Knights, it feels odd.

Also I'd prefer if they would give them something to do instead of letting them stand in the background. Like Brienne/Pod could be in the background training some recruits for the war to come. Varys could be rushing around / talking with some handmaidens (without any real story, just so we get the feeling he's working at "something").

[maiden of tarth]

I feel like it was the side characters that made Sunday’s episode. Tormund and Sam were my favourite parts of the first episode. 

[Ser Gareth]

On 4/15/2019 at 10:33 AM, Nerevanin said:

This might be a highly unpopular opinion but is it just me who thinks that there are way too many side characters alive at this point? Obviously we don't know what happens at the end (for example Gendry can have an important role as he is the last living (half)Baratheon) but there are many characters that I just don't see any use for at this moment. They were useful when the main characters were in different parts of the world but now almost everyone is in one place (but Cersei) and there are many supporting characters just wandering around for the 2 secs of screen time. I think it could have been better if some of them were killed off before (like Grey Worm or Missandei for example). Thoughts?

Yes, there are way too many side characters.  The books have the same problem, but the show gives them even more time because they've amalgamated plots to singular characters and because they want to emotionally build up characters in the show so their deaths appear even more shocking or gut wrenching.  I think even GRRM is succumbing to this, hence Quentyn's POV in ADWD.  In the show I also feel they've given more credence to certain characters as they've been well received by the critics and public (Lady Mormont, Ser Jorah and Bronn being prime examples).

One of the biggest fallacies of the books is that main characters can die at any time.  They really don't.  Eddard died.  Catelyn died and was then brought back as Lady Stoneheart.  The POV kids (which is what the story is about) from the original AGOT book are all still alive and will be until quite late into the season/books.  That's no good for the show though.

I'm hoping that by the end of the battle for Winterfell a lot of the side characters will be killed off, including some of my favorites.  There really isn't much point  of Beric, Tormund, Edd, Grey Worm, Missendei, Jorah, Podrik, Davos, Gilly, Gendry, (unless there is something longer term there with Arya) anymore.  I predict that at least four of those will be dead by the end of Ep3.  Varys has pretty much run his course too from what I can tell.  I think one kind of "major" character will die in Ep3 and my money is on Theon.  Or that just may be wishful thinking on my part!

In terms of the real major characters (Jon, Dany, Sansa, Arya, Bran and Tyrion), I'd be very surprised if they don't survive the Winterfell battle.  I think Sam, Jaime and the Hound are all pretty safe too.

[StoneColdJorahMormont]

The show shifting from Politics/plotting to war mode has left a lot of the best characters redundant and basically part of the scenery for the last season or so.. but as they have not died and are not going off to live somewhere in peace they still need to be shown to be there.

[Kajjo]

6 hours ago, StoneColdJorahMormont said:

The show shifting from Politics/plotting to war mode has left a lot of the best characters redundant and basically part of the scenery for the last season or so.. but as they have not died and are not going off to live somewhere in peace they still need to be shown to be there.

Showing people is no problem. It's nice to know a lot of people visible in scenes, even if they are just background in the moment.

[StoneColdJorahMormont]

6 hours ago, Kajjo said:

Showing people is no problem. It's nice to know a lot of people visible in scenes, even if they are just background in the moment.

yeah I prefer them to be shown than not shown, however I would prefer them to have a part to play more than anything and as said some characters were made for the politics side of game of thrones (more brains than brawn) and others for the war side of things(brawns more than brains).

There was a point in the show where both was perfectly balanced and both types of characters shined however as the story comes to an end there is no room for the plotting/politics stuff... but maybe there will be in the last 2 episodes post war and trying to rebuild things.. plan who sits where etc.

[Kajjo]

1 minute ago, StoneColdJorahMormont said:

There was a point in the show where both was perfectly balanced and both types of characters shined however as the story comes to an end there is no room for the plotting/politics stuf

Yes, it's a pity. They should have made 10 episodes of the last season and taken more time for subtleties. The reunions were pretty hastened and I'd like to enjoy them in more details.