GRRM on Season 3

[Abaddon]

I'm still hoping they keep the PW for S4, EP 2 or 3. Otherwise, I think S3 is just too packed, and the front-end of S4 is going to be really slow. I could see it going either way, though.

[Drowningfish2304]

The front-end of S4 will be showing the battle at the wall with jon, and him being arrested by Slynt and Thorne, and it'll show dany dismissing Jorah and the drama surrounding that. Along with her trying to take meereen. Also it'll have the scene with stannis trying to behead davos and him reading the letter from the wall. I reckon it'll have balon's death in there too, and the introduction of Aeron, Victarion and Euron Greyjoy too, the second half would then be about Tyrion's trial, Sansa at the vale, Arya leaving the hound and getting on the boat to Braavos, and Stannis arriving at the wall.

[Padraig]

...

Given D&D's comments about spiltting the book over 2 seasons, putting the PW in S3 does unbalance things. The RW happens 2/3 of the way through after all, so it's difficult to see how they could move more into S3 and still leave enough material for close to 1 more season.

[Drowningfish2304]

Yeah I know I do think that, but in order to make a good season 3 for TV, i believe D&D will have to take liberties, and in order to make a satisfying season 3 with a conclusion to Catelyn & Robb's storyline, and Tyrion and Sansa's storyline, the RW and Joffrey's wedding are pretty vital. Plus the AFFC and ADWD books are pretty heavy-on-detail-and-information, so that leaves space in S4 to add detail from those books in to make S5 and S6 less confusing for the audience.

Plus, having the RW and the PW in early S4 to have it more like the books would make the TV show unbalanced for the audience. D&D said themselves that they want to keep the TV program and the books separate, so they'll want to make changes in order to make it easier to take in for the audience, and to add more drama.

[Padraig]

Well, the RW will definitely have to be in S3. No doubt about that. I'm just not sure of the PW yet. If they were going to move a lot of aFfC and aDwD stuff into S4 then I would have thought we would have heard it hinted at already. They may just be coy though.

I think you could end S3 without the PW. Its going to be difficult to do as it could be seen as a total downer. But if they pull it off then it would be a great end. Sansa's devastation. Tyrion's shock too, especially if they throw in the bit about Joff and Bran to hammer home what the victorious king is really like.

Having the PW and the RW will reduce the impact of the RW. We'll have a whole year to savour it otherwise! :)

[Drowningfish2304]

They have said in an interview that they will be covering some of AFFC and ADWD in the next two seasons, yeah true, in episode 10, just before the wedding you could find out the fact about joffrey and bran, that would make pretty good drama.

I don't feel like the PW would reduce the impact of the RW, it would just be that both events are powerful, like in season 1, the birth of the dragon's still didn't reduce the impact of Ned's death. They were just both big events! I really think they'll pull of the PW otherwise you'll have all the build up for it in king's landing for nothing, and then it would have less impact coming in S4 around the beginning.

[Abaddon]

I will just have to say I disagree. I think the PW coming early in S4 would be a huge shock to people who have come to expect big things at the ends of seasons. I also think that S4 should end as it does in ASOS for maximum effect, as far as the King's Landing and Eyrie storylines go. If we want S4 to end with those two BIG events, then we can't push the KL story line that far forward in S3 as it will be a very boring KL season in S4 if we do.

It really feels like people just want to rush through the series as fast as possible... "hey we can get to AFFC and ADWD sooner!". The adaptation of A Storm of Swords, the best novel to date in the series, should be given time to breath and to have the subtleties explored with more nuance than we got in the sadly compressed S2.

[Drowningfish2304]

Thing is that so far, each season has shown a story for each of the characters that has a suitable beginning, middle and conclusion. If there is no suitable conclusion for the KL storyline in S3, the ending of the season wouldn't really have a satisfying effect. A suitable conclusion for the KL storyline is the PW, which the season will build up to in S3, without it, it would just be Sansa and Tyrion getting married half way through, then mulling about the RW at the end, which is a conclusion to another character's story, then in S4 the story would have a good beginning of Tyrion after he is arrested, trying to get out of it alive. I'm not saying that if they use some of AFFC and ADWD, S4 won't end with Tywin's death and Lysa Tully's death, because some storylines like the storyline in the Iron Islands in AFFC, and Theon's storyline in ADWD with Ramsay - can be switched around to happen before Tywin's death because that won't affect them.

I think the directors of the series want to rush through the series as fast as possible, because if we kept each series to one book, splitting ASOS and ADWD into 2 seasons like they do with the books - overall we would end up with 9/10 (probably 10, as one of the 2 last books is bound to split into 2) seasons, and they want to get the story in as little seasons as possible, seeing as HBO's longest running TV programme (Entourage) in the past ran for 8 seasons. That is considered a long-running TV programme. Sadly what you're looking for in the TV programme, exploring the subtleties, isn't going to happen, as they've already mixed Season 2 up quite a lot, involving some ASOS in the Catelyn & Robb storyline, like they are bound to involve some AFFC and ADWD in the S4 storyline.

I know PW coming in S4 will be a shock, but PW coming at the end of S3 will be a shock enough as it is. PW coming at the beginning of S4 will just be confusing for the audience, because they would feel like there hasn't really been enough build-up for it, as that would have all been in S3. A build-up that would lead to nothing in the season.

[Abaddon]

Again... just have to disagree. We'll see what the producers decide, anyway, in ~200 days and counting ;).

[Drowningfish2304]

Guess that's the answer to all our questions!

[Padraig]

They have said in an interview that they will be covering some of AFFC and ADWD in the next two seasons

In the same way that a bit of aSoS snuck into S2 (and aCoK into S1). But of course, some of aCoK wouldn't happen until S3 (Barristan, the Tully's, the Reeds etc). Anyhow, they haven't suggested large scale movement of aFfC/aDwD into S4. A year ago I would have said that S3 would stop at the PW but the sugggestions since then have been contrary to that. Maybe it was partly because they felt that S2 was a bit rushed or maybe they always planned it like that. We don't know that. But we do know what they have said.

Sure, splitting aSoS in 2 means more seasons. OTOH, they haven't said that they are rushing the TV series along because they fear it will be cancelled. They have said that they want to do the books justice and that aSoS will be shown over 2 seasons. This seems to be a book they really enjoyed, so I could see why they might want to stretch it out.

I don't feel like the PW would reduce the impact of the RW.

I think the RW and the PW are bigger events than Ned's death and the dragons. They are basically the climaxes of the first 3 books. And Dany's dragons did take away from Ned's death. People ended up talking about both events, not just the one. They are still both big events (so its not a flaw) but by design it will split the conversation. Nothing wrong with that per se but if you can avoid it, then why not? If you are splitting a book in 2, its logical to split the 2 biggest events also.

Its not that the PW would have to be in the first couple of episodes of S3. E3 or even E4 would be fine. We know the Martell introduction is postponed, so there is plenty things to do to build up the drama in S4. I can't see how that could be confusing.

If you really wanted a climax to Tyrion/Sansa's story in S3, one could delay their wedding to the end of the season. Or end of E8 say. The Red Wedding would follow in E9 and then the consequences of everything in E10. I'm not sure will they do that but its possible. They are definitely well capable of playing around with the timeline.

They could bring forward stuff from aFfC but those threads involving the Ironborn or Martells are never going to take up much time. Things will always revolve around Tyrion/Dany/Starks etc. And dragging out Tyrion's trial over the whole of S4 wouldn't work. They either have to bring forward a lot of Tyrion's story into S4 from aDwD or they stop at the RW in S3. I'm pretty sure about those two options. We'll see.

[The Lost Lord]

If you really wanted a climax to Tyrion/Sansa's story in S3, one could delay their wedding to the end of the season. Or end of E8 say.

Well, now look what Winter-is-Coming has posted:

Sources tell us that the wedding of Tyrion Lannister and Sansa Stark was filmed this week, with a few hundred extras and many main cast members present. Their wedding will appear in episode eight.

[Florina Laufeyson]

Hmmzor! That means Joff's wedding wont happen until Season 4. Oh poopnaka. I was really hoping for the Purple Wedding cliffhanger of awesome.

[Tall Tyrion Lannister!]

That would put the RW in episode 9 or 10 wouldn't it? I don't remember Tyrion doing much between his Wedding and the RW.

[Abaddon]

We've known for a long time the RW would happen sometime in Ep8-Ep10 timeframe. I've been hoping for closer to Ep8 and we could see both weddings happen then. Ep9 would fit with the S1/S2 pattern of having the "big" episode in the 9th episode of the season.and therefore seems a bit predictable. Ep10... ending the season with the RW... would be a bold move and I could see that working. Painful for show-only viewers to end on the RW though.

If the RW happens in Ep8 the PW could still happen in Ep10. But it does seem less likely that the PW will be in this season.

[Arkash]

Or they can make something really daring :

GW : episode 8.

RW : episode 9.

PW : episode 10.

[SecretNegative]

Or they can make something really daring :

GW : episode 8.

RW : episode 9.

PW : episode 10.

That'd be insane and awesome at the same time.

I don't know about putting Sansa's wedding at episode eight, I mean, what does she do before that?

[oprahnoodlemantra]

That'd be insane and awesome at the same time.

I don't know about putting Sansa's wedding at episode eight, I mean, what does she do before that?

Sansa will be meeting Ser Dontos in secret until the Queen of Thorns befriends her and offers her a marriage to her grandson. Then she'll be forced to marry Tyrion and continue meeting Ser Dontos.

The PW will be towards the beginning of season 4. Then the rest of the season will be Tyrion's trial and escape while Sansa goes to the Vale with Littlefinger.

Splitting ASOS into two seasons will be really good because there's so much that happens and a lot of character develop that needs to happen to set up for AFFC/ADWD. Books 4 and 5 will be difficult to adapt because everyone is so spread out and there's so many new characters.

[PatrickStormborn]

Sansa will be meeting Ser Dontos in secret until the Queen of Thorns befriends her and offers her a marriage to her grandson. Then she'll be forced to marry Tyrion and continue meeting Ser Dontos.

Dontos won't be in season three, so Sansa will have nothing to do between her wedding and meeting the Queen of Thorns.

[Myrish Swamp Thing]

If they're really putting Tyrion/Sansa in 3.8, there's no way they put all three weddings in S3. A risky but interesting idea from the WIC comment thread is to split the Red Wedding into 3.10 and 4.1.