[BOOK SPOILERS] Season 2 new characters

[j52y]

The only plot reason to keep Rorge and Biter around is for when they take up the Hound's helm in A Feast for Crows. Yes, they establish a mood, and thus aren't irrelevant, but they're the type of character to get written out. I'd personally like to see them both, but I won't be too sad to see them combined or cut.

Though if they decide to keep the Hound's helm story, it would be good to have a recognizable character taking the helm.

[Ferrum Aeternum]

LadyMary, there are plenty of female book fans. On this board and elsewhere.

I like Dany's character development and story okay, but personally when I'm reading about the latest events in Westeros - where Robb's fighting here and Stannis has just assassinated Renly and Arya's trying to escape from this place or all the events leading up to the Red Wedding, every time I read Dany's chapter it's like switching gears too fast. All of a sudden all of those events get to be put on the back burner to read this entirely different story with basically no connection to the main story. And it's a good story! But it's not the main one.

It's similar in some ways to the narrative structure of Lost with the flashbacks, if you've watched that. Except even less connected directly with what's going on. And in a book that's tough to deal with, but in a TV show where you only have 10 hours per season, a lot of people will complain that Dany's tale, while interesting, doesn't have anything to do with the main plot.

Another way to put it is this: you could reasonably cut out all the Dany chapters from the first three books and not miss a single important detail about the story in Westeros. You can't say that about cutting out any of the other PoVs. Similarly, you could cut out all the stuff except Dany and basically have a nice standalone story - and you can't do that with any other character either.

Right.

The important thing to remember about the TV series is that with a limited budget, and (perhaps more importantly) a limited time allotment in which to tell this story, the series will necessarily focus on the action. What is happening, where it is happening, and to whom it is happening.

I like Dany's story too, but let's face it - not much happens to her in ACOK, nor does she make very many things happen, at least not things that would be interesting to portray on television. I'm an advocate of accelerating the pace of her story into the 2nd season, where some of her events from ASOS are brought forward to maintain her story's impetus. The TV audience isn't going to care about her struggles of wandering through the Red Wastes. Ergo:

- House of the Undying - yes

- Assassination attempt /Arstan Whitebeard & Strong Belwas - yes

- Everything else - cut bait and move on to ASOS material.

The story MUST have forward momentum or it won't work in the medium of television.

[Hyper]

Yep - and moving some Dany ASOS chapters into season 2 will also have the benefit of giving more room for other ASOS plotlinws to fit into season 3.

[Kalbear]

It also gives Selmy some balance between the seasons too - having him in most of S1, almost none of S2, and all of S3 is a harder schedule to balance.

Thinking of what happens in ASOS, they could do the trip across the desert (easy to film), the undying, the pickup from Illyrio and Selmy, then do her trip to slaver's bay and then possibly finish with Yunkai and the Unsullied yelling her name? That'd be a nice reference back to S1 and the King in the North! bits as well as a good cliffhanger to end on, and give some big fights and whatnot. As well as ending the season with dragons literally frying people.

Yeah, that might work. It does mean S3's 'stay, rule, and be a queen' isn't as big a hit, but that might be okay too, and it'd likely allow more action of Dany's from ADWD to move into ASOS.

[Prince of Dinas Emrys]

The only plot reason to keep Rorge and Biter around is for when they take up the Hound's helm in A Feast for Crows. Yes, they establish a mood, and thus aren't irrelevant, but they're the type of character to get written out. I'd personally like to see them both, but I won't be too sad to see them combined or cut.

Though if they decide to keep the Hound's helm story, it would be good to have a recognizable character taking the helm.

I could conceivably see Rorge and Biter being combined into one character. In AFfC, of course, Brienne kills Rorge (who is wearing the Hound helm) first, then gets attacked and mauled by Biter.

But in the adaptation, I could see where the same character could wear the Hound helm and maul Brienne into unconsciousness.

[EddieLarkin]

In the first season, the official cast consisted of 77 characters (and 11 featured extras we know about, though there will likely be more). 25 of these characters will not be returning in season 2 due to death or absence from the plot (Illyrio, Lysa, Walder etc). This leaves 25 characters that can be cast without having a bigger main cast than season 1. I'm thinking:

Melisandre

Stannis Baratheon

Davos Seaworth

Jaqen H'ghar

Qhorin Halfhand

Meera Reed

Jojen Reed

Brienne

Ygritte

Roose Bolton

Ramsay Snow

Biter

Rorge

Ser Dontos

Edmure Tully

Bryden Blackfish

Vargo Hoat

Asha Greyjoy

Balon Greyjoy

Pyat Pree

Xaro Xhoan Daxos

Podrick Payne

Strong Belwas

Craster

Gilly

The only other characters I can think of that can be argued as important are:

Mace Tyrell

Margaery Tyrell

Maester Cressen

Cleos Frey

Aeron Greyjoy

Dolorous Edd

Amory Lorch

The Tickler

Polliver

Weese

Cortnay Penrose

The Kettleblacks

Mandon Moore

Rattleshirt

Hoster Tully

An additional 17. Half of these can be filled by featured extras though, or be delayed until a later season. This shows they can have all the major characters and storylines from CoK without even having a bigger cast than season 1. I really think any major cuts will be unnecessary.

[CryFenril]

Dany's story (for now) can be cut to a single slave-city in which she recruits the Unsullied, then decides to stay and learn to rule. Save a lot of locations which can be introduced tangentially (mentioned but not shown) or fully down the road as the story there expands. She can also meet Quaith there, as well as Xaro (who really can't be cut, as they both become important). Pyat could be cut with some story-juggling; she could experience her visions in another way.

The wildling "generals" can be cut down to Mance and a single lieutenant-sort, specifically Varamyr. If Qorin is left in this should still work, but realistically he could go too - all he really is, is a delivery vehicle for Jon.

A whole herd of KL nobles can be eliminated without too much trouble.

[seppuku]

I say get rid of the Blackfish so all the fangirls and boys will have conniptions :P

You're a terrible person with worse ideas. :)

[Maltaran]

You can't cut Tormund Giantsbane! Plus you need the Magnar to lead the raid on Castle Black

[j52y]

In the first season, the official cast consisted of 77 characters (and 11 featured extras we know about, though there will likely be more). 25 of these characters will not be returning in season 2 due to death or absence from the plot (Illyrio, Lysa, Walder etc). This leaves 25 characters that can be cast without having a bigger main cast than season 1. I'm thinking:

Melisandre

Stannis Baratheon

Davos Seaworth

Jaqen H'ghar

Qhorin Halfhand

Meera Reed

Jojen Reed

Brienne

Ygritte

Roose Bolton

Ramsay Snow

Biter

Rorge

Ser Dontos

Edmure Tully

Bryden Blackfish

Vargo Hoat

Asha Greyjoy

Balon Greyjoy

Pyat Pree

Xaro Xhoan Daxos

Podrick Payne

Strong Belwas

Craster

Gilly

The only other characters I can think of that can be argued as important are:

Mace Tyrell

Margaery Tyrell

Maester Cressen

Cleos Frey

Aeron Greyjoy

Dolorous Edd

Amory Lorch

The Tickler

Polliver

Weese

Cortnay Penrose

The Kettleblacks

Mandon Moore

Rattleshirt

Hoster Tully

An additional 17. Half of these can be filled by featured extras though, or be delayed until a later season. This shows they can have all the major characters and storylines from CoK without even having a bigger cast than season 1. I really think any major cuts will be unnecessary.

This is actually a really good point I hadn't completely considered. This is considering that they'll have the same casting budget, which may or may not be true. HBO may give them a bigger budget, but if they also give them more episodes, it may be there's less money per episode. It'll help that they won't have to make sets for places like King's Landing and Winterfell, but they need to make sets and designs for Pyke, Harrenhal, Riverrum, and Qarth at least. Plus, it's pretty unlikely that they'll cast someone with the celebrity of Sean Bean. His paycheck may be worth two or three normal cast memebers. So, they may or may not have a bigger budget for cast.

[Prince of Dinas Emrys]

I'm going to assume you meant "bigger budget", and leave it at that. ;)

[j52y]

I'm going to assume you meant "bigger budget", and leave it at that. ;)

My god, that's an embarrassing typo. I went and edited it!

[littleayrastark]

I can't imagine they wouldn't cast Asha Greyjoy, she's just such a cool character and would work well for TV. Some of the other random Greyjoys, Bannermen and people in Ayra's storyline could be cut or condensed fairly easily though. I wonder if they'll end up having to take an approach similar to Lost where the focus of the story shifts between characters every week. In that sense it is actually more like the book but with a large cast it might be necessary. The Reeds can be pretty easily condensed into one character. I'd say cut them completely but it depends on what GRRM has in store for them along with Bran. And all the Freys have "Extra" written all over them.

Didn't the producers talk about the issue of major characters disappearing for long lengths of time, for instance Jaime who rots in a prison for almost an entire book? Didn't they say something about writing it into their contracts?

Assuming Robb's role is expanded they will definitely cast Jeyne and her despicable mother.

I also get the feeling ADWD and AFFC will be condensed together since they take place concurrently. Dany's got to get to Westeros, even in the books it feels stalled. Emilia Clarke has impressed so far so hopefully she can work some magic to keep the viewer interested in Dany's story because its so far removed from everyone else.

[fitheach]

Is Dolorous Edd in season 1? If not, will he be in season 2? Yes, he's a minor character, but so funny! HBO really shouldn't cut out any of the humor from the books, or the show will end up being too grim.

[Bronn is God]

Cutting Dolorous Edd would be the greatest mistake mankind has made since DDT.

Also, dont cut anyone from Arya's list.

"Dunsen, Chiswyck, Polliver, Raff the Sweetling. The Tickler and the Hound. Ser Gregor, Ser Amory, Ser Ilyn, Ser Meryn, King Joffrey, Queen Cersei"