Jump to content

[Book Spoilers] Yara?


Lord Hodor

Recommended Posts

I don't care for the name change either. I know that GRRM said that now because of the first season that Osha is going to play a bigger role in TWOW, and as someone stated, Theon will interact with Osha later this season. Yara does sound very strange though, but oh well!

What is more important is that I am definitely not sold on her yet in the show. She did not look or sound at all like I envisioned so far, and I came out very unimpressed by her. I hope this will change, and I am sure the next episode will tell more considering the title of the episode.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think Asha was described prettier in the books than Yara now turned out in the series. I don't mean that disrespectfully to the actress portraying her, I guess it is a question of make up and costume, and I actually think it works better. For her to command men at sea and in battle and have their respect, she needs to be tough and hardened rather than pretty. A woman who appears too attractive might have difficulties to convincingly play the part of a warrior woman in a male-dominated society such as Westeros. That doesn't mean attractive women could not play a tough fighter or leader, but with Emilia's Daenerys already falling into the warrior-queen category, audiences might find it hard to accept two beautiful amazon characters on one show, not to forget Arya, who, were she older, would make it three. As far as Asha/Yara is concerned, it will depend on the following episodes.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I really enjoyed the first scene we get on pyke, from brother-sister groping, disturbing but contextually sound, to sad Theon watching father and sister walk out on him.

I might have missed it but is Asha`s name ever mentioned in the scene? At first she didn`t introduce herself to Theon, then at the throne portion when she hugs Balon all Theon says is... "Yara?".

Having read the books I know who she is and that she is in fact not called Yara, but to non book readers was that made clear enough? Nobody that I noticed said Asha, so I`m wondering if people have any idea who that girl really is.

I really wonder if it was D&D who did the change, hopefully it's higher up.

Well went over this endlessly last year.

I think the main conclusion was since D&D have such a good ear for all else why not a less awkward sounding name?

The were a ton of suggestions all different from Osha that flowed with more melody.

Sure hope George did not suggest the name.

Maybe Theon will call her 'sis'.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think Asha was described prettier in the books than Yara now turned out in the series.

One of the rare examples of poor casting in GOT. She simply is not attractive enough to play Asha. I understand that is crude and perhaps even a bit shallow, but I stand by it.

It's really amazing how so many readers have build up Asha's beauty when reading the books. Some practically think she is a tomboy version of Dany/Cersei. BUT this is far from the case. This is Theon's description from ACOK, when he first sees her: (before knowing her as his sister)

"He liked what he saw. Ironborn, he knew at a glance; lean and long-legged, with black hair cut short, wind-chafed skin, strong sure hands, a dirk at her belt. Her nose was too big and too sharp for her thin face, but her smile made up for it."

I don't know about you guys, this seems like a fairly average looking woman. With a great smile. So far I think the casting works really well - this might even be a case of 'hollywood casting'. (actress being prettier than the character)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

People will rant about anything. CrypticWeirwood had a good roundup of why it's understandable. There were people mixing up names in the first season, where the names weren't that similar, so there's definitely a problem for some people. GRRM has also said himself that there's an unwritten rule that you don't name characters too similarly but that he ran out of names after a while because he had a ton of characters.

Some here have also missed the fact that it's quite a lot easier to separate names when you see them spelled in a book, rather to when you just hear them. Especially when it's completely new (fictional) names. I don't have any problems with it myself but I've come to realize that it's not very bright to assume that everyone sees things just like I do.

As for the name, I think it works. Yara sounds pretty harsh, while still clearly feminie, which works with the Ironborn setting.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It's really amazing how so many readers have build up Asha's beauty when reading the books. Some practically think she is a tomboy version of Dany/Cersei. BUT this is far from the case. This is Theon's description from ACOK, when he first sees her: (before knowing her as his sister)

"He liked what he saw. Ironborn, he knew at a glance; lean and long-legged, with back hair cut short, wind-chafed skin, strong sure hands, a dirk at her belt. Her nose was too big and too sharp for her thin face, but her smile made up for it."

I don't know about you guys, this seems like a fairly average looking woman. With a great smile. So far I think the casting works really well - this might even be a case of 'hollywood casting'. (actress being prettier than the character)

Thank you for looking this up, I appreciate it.

I believe a lot of book fans have built up their image of Asha as some sort of saucy sexy vixen type woman by our modern day standards. I never expected her to be that, but I think I do understand why some of the guys dislike the looks of the actress chosen to play Asha.

It's not really that the actor is not good looking, its that she's not playing Asha in the witty, sharp-tongued strong willed way that was described in the books and why so many readers came to love her so well.

To me, the actress has a dull heavy-lidded and insolent look about her. It's an arrogant look that doesn't come across as confident, but rather, entitled, cruel and bitchy. I'm not sure if this is how the actress is interpreting the script or not. Perhaps that's how the directors want her to act but I've heard many people say they're not really jiving with it from their book impressions of Asha. I don't think its attractive and almost makes the viewer wonder if maybe Theon's definitely the one being wronged. Perhaps that's what they want the viewer to think.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yara = Asha. The producers of the show just take watchers for utter idiots and thus think they might confuse Asha and Osha.

it is very easy to confuse them. I got in to this series by watching season one, then i went out and read all the books. before i read the books the names of the characters were very hard to follow. Other than the main ones, it is easy to forget the names of minor characters that this show is littered with. So it makes perfect sense to change the name, they changed the name not the character.

To the folks saying Asha was described as prettier, it was just your imagination. If recall it is said that she has a large nose, which is also very thing ad a large jaw. The actress looks the part but was uglied up with makeup so it is not an offense on her

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I didn't have an exact image of what Asha looked like in my head, but I definitely found her character attractive due to her confidence, her spunk, and her cunning wit. I didn't get any of those things with Yara. The character lost all non-physical attractive appeal because she was dull.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I didn't have an exact image of what Asha looked like in my head, but I definitely found her character attractive due to her confidence, her spunk, and her cunning wit. I didn't get any of those things with Yara. The character lost all non-physical attractive appeal because she was dull.

For “spunk” to combine with “cunning” takes two parties, with one back.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It's not really that the actor is not good looking, its that she's not playing Asha in the witty, sharp-tongued strong willed way that was described in the books and why so many readers came to love her so well.

To me, the actress has a dull heavy-lidded and insolent look about her. It's an arrogant look that doesn't come across as confident, but rather, entitled, cruel and bitchy. I'm not sure if this is how the actress is interpreting the script or not. Perhaps that's how the directors want her to act but I've heard many people say they're not really jiving with it from their book impressions of Asha. I don't think its attractive and almost makes the viewer wonder if maybe Theon's definitely the one being wronged. Perhaps that's what they want the viewer to think.

Yep, that's what is wrong with her.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I posted the following in another thread, but, I think it more appropriate here:

Yara/Asha's (Ms. Whelan) look is what I expected of a strong female sea captain, nine years before the mast, commanding a tough crew and having killed men in close combat. It tends to mess up one's mascara and lipstick. bathing in salt water toughens your hide and frizzes your curls; and, beneath all that a body to arouse a long lost brother. It really doesn't say much for Theon though, who would screw a snake if someone would hold it's head...or, screw a pile of rocks if he thought a snake was hiding therein.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I was more distracted by her terrible posture than by her name change. She did have swagger though; I'll give her that.

Really? Really? Posture? Is that what nipickers are resorting to these days?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Really? Really? Posture? Is that what nipickers are resorting to these days?

I think he's trying to say what I elaborated on - the woman playing Asha seemed slouchy and insolent, like a petulant teenage girl sneering because Daddy likes her best... it wasn't portrayed the way Asha was in the books. Asha was very proud, very in your face, feisty and full of herself. There's a difference between confidence and insolence. I don't care if this "Yara" is blonde and plain faced at all... I care that she acts like a spoiled brat instead of the confident sea captain Asha knew she was.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

She wasn't as I'd pictured her, but neither are any of the Lannisters (and they look better as portrayed in the tv show).

What bothered me about this exchange was the physical affection between Asha/Yara and Balon Greyjoy. I just didn't imagine him as a hugging type. Maybe it's in the books and I missed it, but I thought of him as cold and hard, like his Seastone Chair.

I think Theon's struggle with trying to belong comes across well, and that's probably the most important thing.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It's nice that we've come back around to hating a casting because an actor isn't attractive enough. I was worried for society when we complained that the actor playing Brienne wasn't as ugly as described in the book. I'm releaved to see that we're still as shallow as ever.

Thankfully some people know that the real injustice here is the loathsome name change. I know that's what will irk me when I watch her scenes in the coming years, and not that she doesn't turn me on enough.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You have to know her name! They told us she was Yara, but that was a lie. Her name is Asha.

That was wonderful.

Regardless, my initial reaction to the name change was something of disbelief. I had to put on headphones and watch it over just in the vain hope that Theon's actor had pronounced 'Asha' badly. No deal.

After reading this thread and taking note of some of the comments about pronunciations of names sounding quite different from how names are read, my horror has been sated. Somewhat.

I still think it was unnecessary. Of all the changes the tv show has made, this is somehow one of the ones which bugs me more. It just reminds me sourly of bad anime dubbing in the 90's.

I think that physically, Ya-sha looks good. The hair is really the only thing I had any kind of issue with. She wasn't supposed to be beautiful and her nose is -- well, proportionate, but hawklike enough to suit the character.

Her cockiness and coarseness is there, but I do hope we get to see more examples of her wit and she doesn't come across as some 'daddy's little princess with dirks'.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

"He liked what he saw. Ironborn, he knew at a glance; lean and long-legged, with black hair cut short, wind-chafed skin, strong sure hands, a dirk at her belt. Her nose was too big and too sharp for her thin face, but her smile made up for it."

Though we can of course counteract this with the following.

Theon wants to do her

Half of her crew allegedly want to do her

Tris Botley still wants to do her many years on.

Qarl the maid really likes doing her (is it said that he's good looking?)

The Lysene sailor (the beautiful Lysene sailor, admittedly from Asha's viewpoint, but he is stated as beautiful none the less) liked doing her.

Justin Massey wants to do her.

No, call me cynical, but being a man and knowing men, I can't see half of Westeros queuing up to do someone based on a smile alone. GOT Asha is incredibly unsexy. Once more I realise that is crude and possibly even sexist (though I would say the same if Jaime wasn't the megahunk he is), but Yara is I'm afraid incredibly lacking in sex appeal, with her doughy face and sour pout.

To me, the actress has a dull heavy-lidded and insolent look about her. It's an arrogant look that doesn't come across as confident, but rather, entitled, cruel and bitchy. I'm not sure if this is how the actress is interpreting the script or not. Perhaps that's how the directors want her to act but I've heard many people say they're not really jiving with it from their book impressions of Asha. I don't think its attractive and almost makes the viewer wonder if maybe Theon's definitely the one being wronged. Perhaps that's what they want the viewer to think.

Yeah I got this too.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...