[Book Spoilers] Pre-airing Discussion

[protar]

About this "I need HIM dead" thing with Arya and Jaqen, perhaps she's just saying she needs someone dead, and then reveals that it's Jaqen.

[Arkash]

It's a possibilty too, yeah, I was thinking of it...

Or it is that Arya realize she just wasted her deaths and maybe asks Tywin or Gregor. Then, Jaqen tells her he can but it will take longer, so she backs up... but I much prefer she decides at first who she wants to kill and doesnt change that after...

So I hope you are right, protar.

[Chelly]

About this "I need HIM dead" thing with Arya and Jaqen, perhaps she's just saying she needs someone dead, and then reveals that it's Jaqen.

I hope so, too. I'd hate for one of Arya's most brilliant moments to be left out.

I wonder if we will get another mention of Bolton's "bastard at the Dreadfort". That would be so cool.

I think Robb and Jey...er Talisa are going to hook up this episode.

[CrypticWeirwood]

With the end of the season coming and the leaving of Jaqen H’ghar it does bring up certain questions.

1. Are they going to show that he can change his face?
   
2. Is it going to be the same actor with makeup/prosthetic, or a different actor?
   
3. Is this going to be the actual last time we see him? Clearly George has a plan which is why we see him in Feast, however what are they going to do for the two seasons he’s not doing anything?
   
4. Could we possibly get an early look at the House of Black and White on Braavos, maybe Jaqen telling the kindly old man to expect a young highborn visitor?
   

Those are all really good questions.

Yes, they have to show that he can change his face. I doubt they’ll use makeup and prosthetics, given that a different actor would be more believable as an unbelivable thing — so to speak. But two actors would cost more than one actor. I think your third point is really important, because we know they don’t like actors waiting around for reasons that aren’t yet greenlit — the fact that we may not see Ser Barristan again until third season nothwithstanding. I find it pretty unlikely that we’d see anything of the House of Black and White, since the set hasn’t been built yet.

[WhiteWalder]

We need a chain being made in this episode, and planning for the battle of Blackwater.

[The Monkey]

God, there is so much to fit in in this episode, I certainly hope they use the full 60 minutes.

Also, why is there a "previously in GoT..." at the start of every episode? Last season I only recall there being a recap in one episode. It takes up valuable time, and if people missed last episode, they could easily read up on it on Wikipedia before the episode starts.

[CrypticWeirwood]

God, there is so much to fit in in this episode, I certainly hope they use the full 60 minutes.

Also, why is there a "previously in Game of Thrones..." at the start of every episode? Last season I only recall there being a recap in one episode. It takes up valuable time, and if people missed last episode, they could easily read up on it on Wikipedia before the episode starts.

They have the “previously on Game of Thrones” segment not just because it refreshes people’s memories, but also because it points out which past elements are especially relevant to the current episode. Notice how they sometimes have things in their recap that aren’t from the immediately-previous episode, but from an earlier one.

The ridiculous notion that people “could just go to Wikipedia” is completely unworkable both for practical and for theoretical reasons.

1. You don’t want folks to have to sift through mounds of information to find the salient points.
   
2. You want them to know what the important stuff is without revealing spoilers.
   
3. And this numbskull notion that if you have a TV, or even a DVD player, that you ipso facto necessarily have internet connectivity is so staggeringly untrue that its conception beggars the imagination.
   

[Ferrum Aeternum]

Also, why is there a "previously in GoT..." at the start of every episode? Last season I only recall there being a recap in one episode. It takes up valuable time, and if people missed last episode, they could easily read up on it on Wikipedia before the episode starts.

It's for people who don't remember important details from one episode to the next, which seems to be a large segment of the audience if my conversations with non-book readers are any indication.

[CrypticWeirwood]

It's for people who don't remember important details from one episode to the next, which seems to be a large segment of the audience if my conversations with non-book readers are any indication.

Yes, indeed. It’s like why smart kids don’t have a problem jumping right back into the fall semester at school after summer vacation, but average / regular / normal kids don’t, because they never learned the material in the first place and have poor memories to boot.

No mass-market media production can risk shutting out the average — and thus, slow-witted — viewer. If half the people are below average, and you shut them out, you lose half your market share. It’s like the way Microsoft creates everything for stupid people, because doing things for smart people would offend the stupid people... and their bottom line.

Nobody worries about offending the smart people. Unfortunately.

[insertname]

Honestly, if I hadn't read the books before and only saw one hour GoT every week, I'd probably be happy about some reminders what happened as well. As a book reader, you spend a lot more time with the plot and thus are quite familiar with it, but it's absolutely understandable and nothing out of the ordinary if a show viewer forgets what exactly happened one week ago...or two...or three.

[Crown]

I swear I hear Arya saying 'I need you dead right now'.

[simethos]

The omission of the Reeds is really upsetting me. I can't seem to grasp how they mean to continue on with Bran's storyline without them? I'm really hoping they introduced later, and are not completely taken out of the story. I just don't see how Osha is a worthy substitute for Jojen, and all that he knows. Also, how are they going to separate the boys when the time comes? Like I said, I really hope they introduce them in some unique way or I'm going to be really upset with the producers of this show.

They have really taken a lot of liberties with the characters story lines, and I'm surprised there is not a lot more outrage. In fact, for the most part, the Daeny changes are getting mostly positive feedback and that is just mindboggling to me. Talk about skewing something for dramatic effect. WOW is all I had to say, after I screamed at the tv "that never happened!".

I'm sorry...I love the show. I love the books, but this season is giving me an ulcer.

[tryagainlater]

It would make sense for the House of the Undying to be in this episode but people seem to think it's been moved to episode 10. What's up with that?

[simethos]

It would make sense for the House of the Undying to be in this episode but people seem to think it's been moved to episode 10. What's up with that?

The House of the Undying has to be in the next episode, unless they're going to give Daeny a break. But realistically, how could they? She finally knows where her dragons are, and after the scene with the 13 getting the knife, they can't just give her the night off and leave everyone hanging.

[protar]

The House of the Undying has to be in the next episode, unless they're going to give Daeny a break. But realistically, how could they? She finally knows where her dragons are, and after the scene with the 13 getting the knife, they can't just give her the night off and leave everyone hanging.

The preview for E10 says "Dany goes to a strange place" so that sounds like The HOTU. I reckon we'll get a brief Dany scene in E8 with her agonizing over what to do, maybe revealing where the hell Doreah is, then she'll disappear for E9, and then we'll get the HOTU in E10. This gives her arc a dramatic climax and it also allows them to put the remainder of the Qarth stuff in S3, which will allow them to stretch out her arc if (as I think.) they're aiming for S3 E10 to end with Dracarys.

[Crown]

The preview for E10 says "Dany goes to a strange place" so that sounds like The HOTU. I reckon we'll get a brief Dany scene in E8 with her agonizing over what to do, maybe revealing where the hell Doreah is, then she'll disappear for E9, and then we'll get the HOTU in E10. This gives her arc a dramatic climax and it also allows them to put the remainder of the Qarth stuff in S3, which will allow them to stretch out her arc if (as I think.) they're aiming for S3 E10 to end with Dracarys.

Or the strange place is the Slavers Bay ...

EDIT: E8 HOTU, E9 Arstan Whitebeard and her flee from Qarth, E10 arrival at Slavers Bay.

[zippypoodle]

We already had Jaime killing Alton for no reason...

They already said f*** to logic.

I want Dagmer = Ramsay.

If Jaime had killed Alton and then made no attempt to escape, I'd agree with the "no reason", but since that's not what happened, I cannot agree. Maybe it wasn't well planned, but it was a reason.

[protar]

Or the strange place is the Slavers Bay ... EDIT: E8 HOTU, E9 Arstan Whitebeard and her flee from Qarth, E10 arrival at Slavers Bay.

Possibly. Though as I said, I think that Dany's arc in S3 will be ending with Dracarys so I don't see them pushing any of Slavers Bay forwards. It just makes more sense to be the HOTU. There's nothing wrong with having a couple of episodes of build up, especially as E9 will probably focus almost entirely on KL. So I doubt we'll get any Dany for Blackwater.

[Crown]

Possibly. Though as I said, I think that Dany's arc in S3 will be ending with Dracarys so I don't see them pushing any of Slavers Bay forwards. It just makes more sense to be the HOTU. There's nothing wrong with having a couple of episodes of build up, especially as E9 will probably focus almost entirely on KL. So I doubt we'll get any Dany for Blackwater.

It would be better for TV purposes.

[Howling Mad]

Those are all really good questions. Yes, they have to show that he can change his face. I doubt they’ll use makeup and prosthetics, given that a different actor would be more believable as an unbelivable thing — so to speak. But two actors would cost more than one actor. I think your third point is really important, because we know they don’t like actors waiting around for reasons that aren’t yet greenlit — the fact that we may not see Ser Barristan again until third season nothwithstanding. I find it pretty unlikely that we’d see anything of the House of Black and White, since the set hasn’t been built yet.

If they swap out actors instead of makeup/FX then there is no need for an actor to wait around between season as they can simply recast when needed and expalin the change as a face change. Much easier than the new/old Darren routine.