[Book Spoilers] The Tickler - did he scare you?

[Elfangle]

I thought the look was great but his attitude and actions were way off. In the books he is the one who tickles ( in the inn, he even says to arya that he will tickle her). Second at certain points he is clearly smirking and he even expresses (feigned) surprise when the boy starts making up things to save himself. Book-tickler shows no emotions at all. He just tickles and does not care at all what the prisoner says or does.

[FiveByeSeven]

How terrible can a rat scrabbling and biting at your chest be? I mean, I guess they were supposed to be so desperate to get out they were eating through the victim's chest? Weird.

Haha. You try it.

That was one of the grossest forms of torture I've seen. Imagine that rat clawing and burrowing a bloody cavity into your chest just so it can escape the flaming bucket. It bites and tears into your pulpy sternum, bringing it with infection and possibly the plague.

[aimlessgun]

Unfortunately I've seen that torture method used elsewhere, so it was pretty meh for me. It really is sickening the first time the idea is presented to you though.

I liked the tickler. I agree that he maybe should have been doing some tickling himself though.

Also cannot wait for Arya to meet him later on...

"Is there gold in the village?..."

[Gurney Halleck]

Gendry was about to get tickled so good as well :cool4:

If they had killed him off then it would have been such a scandal on the forums.

[Prince of Dragonstone]

This particular form of rat torture was an actual method used during the Dutch revolt against the Spanish Empire in the 1500s. Other forms of this has been used starting way back in Ancient China. Kudos to the writers/producers for foraging up this obscure method. It actually fits in perfectly with The Tickler and what we'd imagine "tickling" could really be.

[FiveByeSeven]

Unfortunately I've seen that torture method used elsewhere, so it was pretty meh for me.

Intriguing. Where did you see this?

[Slingingstones]

The Tickler apparently doesn't derive any psychological gratification from his work as most known serial killers of our time. (Manson, Gacy, Dahmer, Bundy, to name a few) Joffrey Baratheon, however, is just about ready to enter their league. He is detached from any form of humanity and totally remorseless, reminiscent of WWII SS and concentration camp guards. Well acted and disturbing.

[kungtotte]

That's exactly why the Tickler is scary, Slingingstones. Gacy, Dahmer, and Bundy are scary in that "Oh god they might kill me" kind of way, but the Tickler is scary because he will do unspeakable things to you and feel nothing.

[Ser Dermett Corbray]

Intriguing. Where did you see this?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rat_torture - My girlfriend mentioned seeing it in 2 Fast 2 Furious.

Preferred the book adaptation, leaving it to your imagination and that.

[FiveByeSeven]

http://en.wikipedia....iki/Rat_torture - My girlfriend mentioned seeing it in 2 Fast 2 Furious.

Preferred the book adaptation, leaving it to your imagination and that.

Oh. I thought you meant in real life. That would have been quite a tale!

[Slingingstones]

That's exactly why the Tickler is scary, Slingingstones. Gacy, Dahmer, and Bundy are scary in that "Oh god they might kill me" kind of way, but the Tickler is scary because he will do unspeakable things to you and feel nothing.

I agree with what you say, kungtotte. I was just searching for the Tickler's gratification trigger...it might be he has an eating disorder (lol) and can only enjoy his food when doing harm to others.

Looking for gold or silver and BD is his mission, that I can understand, but the torture/killing, I cannot find the trigger. GRRM has taken me down a fearful path...again.

[teemo]

I'm kind of curious. I thought one of the most badass scenes in aSoS was Arya repeatedly stabbing The Tickler to death and asking all of his questions. But the show did not show Arya's disdain for the Tickler...he wasn't even on her list. So they'll have to do something else with The Tickler to make that work.

[Morvran]

It's possible that they're not going to develop him much further. They already took his 'tickling' away and let someone else do it while he munches on fruit. They didn't name him at all. We'll see. I will say that Arya's storyline has already plunged into darkness, and that's a good thing.

[Carne]

I have a feeling both the Tickler and Polliver will be killed off in this season.

[CrypticWeirwood]

I have a feeling both the Tickler and Polliver will be killed off in this season.

Good point. Arya has to pick people we already know.

[Arkash]

I guess The Tickler will die... not Polliver... the other ones will be a new character soon to be meet, I guess.

[The Monkey]

Aww, they can't cut the scene where Arya kills the Tickler! That's probably my favourite chapter in the whole damn saga.

[Drowned Priest]

The actor was fine, but he didn't seem all that creepy - a little too likable I think.

Was the rats in the bucket thing in the book? I don't remember that and it just seemed a little tame by comparison to what I got the impression they did to those they were interrogating. How terrible can a rat scrabbling and biting at your chest be? I mean, I guess they were supposed to be so desperate to get out they were eating through the victim's chest? Weird.

Rats can bore through stone. They do it to keep their teeth from growing too much (teeth never stop growing). A man's chest is no problem for a rat. That thing bored through his chest.

[Arrogant Bastard]

I have a feeling both the Tickler and Polliver will be killed off in this season.

Yeah, that seems pretty likely. Weese obviously wasn't cast (which is a shame, his "All I want to smell from you is fear" is a great line), neither was Chyswick, and they might not want to hold on to the actor who plays the Tickler for another season, or probably two.

[kephv]

I doubt they'd ruin the chance of us seeing one of the bests deaths ever. I agree she might kill Polliver this season (possibly slicing his throat to escape Harrenhal, making the kill more personal), but the Tickler will be saved.