Chekhov's Deepwood Motte/Iron Islands?

[Forlong the Fat]

We've been told (and reminded) of two facts: (1) Yara has gone to take back the Iron Islands for Danerys in case she needs to retreat there, and (2) the Glovers have not answered a summons and (apparently) remain at Deepwood Motte. We know from the books (and possibly the show--can't remember) that Deepwood Motte lies on the path the Ironborn would typically take after landing to go to Winterfell. And based on maps, this would probably the quickest escape route to get to the sea from Winterfell. 

There is speculation to do based on these points. Will the Glovers become important to help or hinder an escape to the Iron Islands? It seems they will do something, or why mention them? Will the Glovers turn out to be complete traitors-in league with Cersei perhaps?

[Adam Targaryen]

Good point. It's actually possible. I barely thought about that possiblity at all but yes, it could be so.

[Ser Hedge]

Great post, but credits D&D with more intelligence than there's evidence for - in the case of the Glovers at least! 

There is the chance they just couldn't fit Asha (Yarra) into the story anymore and ditto for Manderleys and Glovers, with WF already more crowded if you had Avengers Assemble all in one location.

But one can only hope there will be interesting developments and some twists and turns over the next episodes.

[darmody]

On 4/22/2019 at 5:45 PM, Forlong the Fat said:

There is speculation to do based on these points. Will the Glovers become important to help or hinder an escape to the Iron Islands? It seems they will do something, or why mention them? Will the Glovers turn out to be complete traitors-in league with Cersei perhaps?

Back when I first started watching, I couldn't tell the difference between any family but the Starks and the Lannisters. I don't even think I knew who Roose Bolton was when the Red Wedding happened. They throw around names on the show, and more often than not it doesn't matter. 

If they have any real importance, we'll be told later. But I don't think the Glovers are important enough. I remember them turning Jon down before the Battle of the Bastards, and that's about it. They haven't been established. 

By the way, somehow Little Finger got an entire army past the Bolton-aligned Glovers a couple seasons ago. Why couldn't Cersei do the same?

[Haskelltier]

On 4/23/2019 at 12:45 AM, Forlong the Fat said:

There is speculation to do based on these points. Will the Glovers become important to help or hinder an escape to the Iron Islands? It seems they will do something, or why mention them? Will the Glovers turn out to be complete traitors-in league with Cersei perhaps?

I think that's suicidal. The Glovers don't have a lot of men, they sided with the Starks after the Battle of the Bastards. Turning against them now would call the wrath of all other Northern Houses onto them and that would likely be their end (in the short or long run) because even an escaping army can be easily bigger than all men Glover can put against them, not including one or two living dragons. Secondly, there is nothing House Glover would gain from slaying a retreating army. If the combined forces at Winterfell can't defeat the White Walkers, the White Walkers will easily kill everyone at Deepwood Motte and that would be the end of House Glovers too. So the only reasonable alternativ is fleeing with them.

And I don't think that the showrunners want to establish a conspiracy of a relatively unimportant Northern House this late in the show. We have only four episodes left, one of which will be the Battle at Winterfell, so we effectively have 3 episodes left after the big battle to deal with the remaining White Walker threat (if there is any) and Cersei in the south. I don't see an additional conspiracy fitting into this small timeframe or the showrunners have to rush the show even more than they do now.

[Ser Hedge]

1 hour ago, darmody said:

Back when I first started watching, I couldn't tell the difference between any family but the Starks and the Lannisters. I don't even think I knew who Roose Bolton was when the Red Wedding happened. They throw around names on the show, and more often than not it doesn't matter. 

If they have any real importance, we'll be told later. But I don't think the Glovers are important enough. I remember them turning Jon down before the Battle of the Bastards, and that's about it. They haven't been established. 

By the way, somehow Little Finger got an entire army past the Bolton-aligned Glovers a couple seasons ago. Why couldn't Cersei do the same?

The Glovers are to the north-west of WF, away from the path of the WWs coming from the NE.

Little finger would not have had to get past the Glovers to get to WF. 

If he landed by ships near White Harbor, he needed to get past Manderleys or the Flints of Widow's Watch. If he came up the neck, he needed to get past the Reeds (should have no reason to stop him) the Dustins and the Cerwyns. You could argue that Ramsay had gathered his army at WF, and the North is sparsely populated anyway, so a cavalry force should have been able to get through in any event.

The timelines didn't make sense for LF to meet up with Sansa, go to the Vale, get the army and come back in time, but time logic was completely suspended on the show from Season 6 onwards anyway.

[Gendelsdottir]

1 hour ago, darmody said:

Back when I first started watching, I couldn't tell the difference between any family but the Starks and the Lannisters.

Fair point. I too struggled to distinguish between Stannis, Davos, Jorah, Roose, and Edmure in the early days. Continuing to watch the show was helpful, for certain, but it was reading the first few books that really brought these characters to life for me. And not just them, but others like Bronze Yohn Royce and Lady Anya Waynwood. Suddenly they're not just set decoration in a Sansa scene - they have a place, and a function.

Even in book terms, though, the Glovers are far from central to the action. Much as I'd like to see your spec somehow played out, Forlong the Fat, I suspect that Robett & co. have been shown the door and won't be seen again.

Now that I've said it, just watch it happen in Episode 5 or some-damn-thing.

[Kajjo]

On 4/23/2019 at 12:45 AM, Forlong the Fat said:

Will the Glovers become important to help or hinder an escape to the Iron Islands?

I don't think so, but it is possible nonetheless.

On 4/23/2019 at 12:45 AM, Forlong the Fat said:

It seems they will do something, or why mention them?

I believe the Glovers are just mentioned to demonstrate the point that people are angry about Jon bending his knee and that they swore loyalty to him, not to Daenerys or any other emporer to come.

On 4/23/2019 at 12:45 AM, Forlong the Fat said:

Will the Glovers turn out to be complete traitors-in league with Cersei perhaps?

The Glovers redraw their loyalty because Jon bent his knee. They certainly are not expected to conspire with Cersei. They are supposed to be "very Northern" and reject Daenerys as much as they would reject Cersei.

Compare that with Lyanna Mormont's "we know no king but the King in the North whose name is Stark". Glovers think along the same lines. They are in a way "too loyal", but not to little loyal.

 

[Tywin Tytosson]

On 4/22/2019 at 6:45 PM, Forlong the Fat said:

We've been told (and reminded) of two facts: (1) Yara has gone to take back the Iron Islands for Danerys in case she needs to retreat there, and (2) the Glovers have not answered a summons and (apparently) remain at Deepwood Motte. We know from the books (and possibly the show--can't remember) that Deepwood Motte lies on the path the Ironborn would typically take after landing to go to Winterfell. And based on maps, this would probably the quickest escape route to get to the sea from Winterfell. 

There is speculation to do based on these points. Will the Glovers become important to help or hinder an escape to the Iron Islands? It seems they will do something, or why mention them? Will the Glovers turn out to be complete traitors-in league with Cersei perhaps?

 

No.  Robett Glover stayed home in protest of Jon bending the knee and surrendering the Northern crown to a southern queen.

He wouldn't then ally himself with another southern queen who claims the North as part of her kingdom.  Glover wants Northern independence.

 

I don' think that Deepwood Motte is between Winterfell and the Iron Islands.  DM is to the northwest, between WF and Bear Island.  Torrhen's Square is on the way from WF to the Iron Islands.