[Book Spoilers] Season 3 character arc's

[jlk7e]

Jon, Sam, Davos, Stannis, Bran - Episode 8 - Queenscrown Episode 9 - Sam & Coldhands meeting Bran at the Nightfort, Episode 10 - Wildlings vs Night's Watch at Castle Black, ending with Yigrette dying and Stannis'army showing up at the Wall. It don't leave much for Bran in later seasons but that can't be helped

Ygritte dies long before Stannis arrives at the wall - you've completely skipped three very eventful chapters of Jon's story.

[Knight of the Red Chicken]

Just a question, but does anyone know if aSoS going to be broken up into two separate seasons, or a 3A/3B thing like so many HBO shows have before? The reason I ask this is because if it goes the two part season route just broken up over two years, the way the dynamics play out could be very different. The season long developments wouldn't actually have to be contained into the one season and instead would stretch out over the two

[victim]

Just a question, but does anyone know if aSoS going to be broken up into two separate seasons, or a 3A/3B thing like so many HBO shows have before? The reason I ask this is because if it goes the two part season route just broken up over two years, the way the dynamics play out could be very different. The season long developments wouldn't actually have to be contained into the one season and instead would stretch out over the two

Yeah, Season 3 will consist of the first half of Storm and Season 4 will consist of the second. Obviously, D&D have a tremendous juggling act to do with this show, so we'll start seeing some things occur earlier and some events occur later, many assume a lot of Feast for Crows and Dance With Dragons will end up in Season 4, for example.

[JagLover]

Robb/Cateyln/Arya-a good Ep 9 I feel is the RW. This could then set up a character progression for Arya in Ep10 as she kills in cold blood for the first time. If you think about it the deaths of her Mother and Brother changed her little in the books. She was a killer before it happened and merely resolved to go to Bravoos afterwards. The TV show may be planning to change her more slowly.

Jon-A natural endpoint as said above is Yygritte dying in his arms (and in the context of a TV show it makes allot of sense to having departing characters killed off towards the end of a season)

Dany-I hope she actually does something in S3 and really there has been too much waiting around for her character. Given that the war is dying down in Westeros if the writers have any sense her season will be taking cities, ending with the fall of Yunkai.

Kings Landing-PW Ep10 please, which will still leave Tyrion's trial for S4.

That does leave S4 without enough material based only on ASOS, but there are events that happened at the same time chronologically that can be brought in, as well as other parts of AFFC and ADWD

[Warhawk137]

Theon doesn't have to be completely absent. Jaime wasn't around that much in Season 2, but when he was the scenes were great. Just scale back his involvement somewhat and give him a couple juicy scenes.

I also like the idea that Dagmer had above on page 1.

[Maizel]

I have a pesimistic feeling that the fourth season will be the end of it.

I think we'll see some accelerated character development, when compared to the books, as the developers will try to make a decent ending to their adaption.

It's just a gut feeling, and I base it on absolutely nothing.

Well maybe a little bit on Rome being killed.

[jlk7e]

The ratings for Game of Thrones are much better than those for Rome, aren't they?

[Gaius Martell]

Arya REALLY doesn't have much to do. Wander the Riverlands, meet the Brotherhood, leave with the Hound, get to the Red Wedding. That's her season.

Bran has very little to do, as well. Meet the Reeds, split up with Osha, head to Queenscrown, save Jon, warg Hodor for the first time. Weave some conversations with little prophet boy into it.

Tyrion becomes less in control of what's going on in King's Landing, but perhaps they'll start showing some of his darker scenes. Singer soup and the like. Give him a bit of a dark descent that forshadows his last scene in the next season. He'll probably conspire with Varys on the Small Council or something, and fight with his dad a lot. His marriage to Sansa will be the climax of their combined storyline, methinks.

Sansa's story in King's Landing will be more interesting than Tyrion's. She'll make friends with Olenna Redwyne, and continue conspiring with Littlefinger/ Dontos if they bring him back into this arc. Toward the end, she'll be found out, and the marriage will happen.

Robb/ Catelyn will actually get to Riverrun and we'll meet Brynden and Edmure. Not sure what will happen, since the time for Edmure's big blunder has passed. We need to collectively as an audience see the Blackfish as a badass and Edmure as a slightly-mediocre guy who loves the smallfolk, and have Hoster's funeral, I guess. End this arc with the Red Wedding this season.

Sam needs to witness the FotFM battle that we saw starting in s2e10 and head back to Craster's for Gilly. Coldhands and Sam the Slayer will be awesome, and we'll see the cool door in the Nightsfort, hopefully. I hope the season ends with him meeting Bran in Queenscrown or something, and taking him to the Nightsfort.

Jaime and Brienne will hopefully have the battle on the river, their own fight, and be abducted by the Bloody Mummers or whatever equivalent force is used. Jaime will get his hand chopped off, and Brienne will be in the bear pit. I imagine this will be the end of their arc this season.

Jon will hang out with Mance, get it on with Ygritte, scale the Wall, and have his encounter with Summer, I think. He could get back to Castle Black and kill Ygritte (which should be with his own arrow on the show), but I don't know if that leaves enough of his arc before the LC vote, which should end season four.

Davos, Stan the Man, and Melisandre have some cool stuff to do here. Davos needs to be imprisoned by Mel, Mel has to do the leech thing, and Davos needs to learn to read, particularly a certain maester's letter... Then they can set out on a journey to do a kings duty.

We need more Alfie this season, and there's plenty to do with him. Escorted by Ramsay to the Dreadfort, introduction to flaying, escape attempt can take two episodes, and perhaps some original content that lets us see the bastard for the... well, the bastard he is. We need closure to the Winterfell arc, to know that it was the Bastard's Boys that burned it.

Daenerys must meet Barristan and hop on some ships in approximately the first episode this season. Spend another one or two at sea; talks to Arstan and Jorah about what to do in each. Cue Astapor, where we pick up some Unsullied, and it's off to Yunkai, where the rest of the season is Daario swoon. Next season will all be about Meereen and exiling Jorah.

This seems to be sufficient for each character, and leaves plenty of room for Ros' sexposition.

[YTDN]

I'd agree with your plan, except I would place the Purple Wedding and Sansa's escape/Tyrion's arrest as the end to their arcs, and Ygritte's death as the end for Jon's arc.

[Gaius Martell]

I'd agree with your plan, except I would place the Purple Wedding and Sansa's escape/Tyrion's arrest as the end to their arcs, and Ygritte's death as the end for Jon's arc.

If the Purple Wedding is in season three, there's nothing for either character to do in season four.

[YTDN]

If the Purple Wedding is in season three, there's nothing for either character to do in season four.

Tyrion's Trial/Tywin's murder/Escape from KL, and Sansa in the Vale. They might have to beef it up a bit, or leave them with less screentime than previous seasons, but I think it's important thematically for both the RW and PW to be in the same season. Also, pretty much all the plotting in King's Landing leads up to the PW, so its the natural climax to Season 3, with Season 4 dealing with the fallout.

[Gaius Martell]

I think it's important thematically for both the RW and PW to be in the same season.

I disagree. I think it is important to put the PW in the following season, making the audience feel that Joffrey gets away scot-free again when Robb dies. It will endear Stannis to the audience more, which is always a good thing.

[YTDN]

I disagree. I think it is important to put the PW in the following season, making the audience feel that Joffrey gets away scot-free again when Robb dies. It will endear Stannis to the audience more, which is always a good thing.

Joff's been getting off scott-free for two seasons. After the RW, the audience needs to see someoneget their comeuppance.

[Silverx2]

my 2 cents.

Jon: his travels with the wildlings, climbing the wall, Battle at the wall

Sam: his travels back to the wall, rescues gilly, Watches Mormont getting betrayed

Ygritte: Travels with Jon, I think they will write Val out of the show and replace her with ygritte, This leads me to think Jon takes ygritte prisoner, sows discontent among the brothers.

Davos: wakes up on the fingers, picked up, brought to dragonstone, locked up, ends with watching the leeches

Stannis: locks up davos, burns the hand, releases davos, burns the leeches

KL: lots of sansa/marg/queen of thrones. loras escort "my sun has set" Ends with joff flaunting Robbs death

northern army: opens with the freys leaving, arrival at river run, blackfish/edmure, edmure accepts marriage, red wedding.

Jamie and brienne: attacked by the outlaws, fight in the river, captured by hoat, jamie loses a hand, ends with "send robb stark my regards"

Arya: captured by BWB, meets Jons milk brother, Her pack leaves her(hotpie to stay at the inn, gendry to become a BWB, trial by fire with the hound, hound kidnaps her, ends with the hound riding her down outside of the twins.

the hound: captured by BWB, trial by fire, "GIVE ME MY GOLD" steals arya, redwedding.

bran and co: runs into the reeds, learns new tricks, seperates and heads to the wall, Near meeting with Jon, takes over hodor, arrives at the wall, ends with them passing through.

[Gaius Martell]

Joff's been getting off scott-free for two seasons. After the RW, the audience needs to see someoneget their comeuppance.

If the leeches being burned is made memorable, the audience will have hope that he'll die soon. The fact that he has a wedding coming will be a resonating talking point between the seasons for that very reason.

[Sir Hamish]

I like a lot of the ideas in this thread but I think the changes will be more extensive. If they want to stretch out a lot of the character arcs across two seasons they're going to need to add a lot more content. There's some good opportunities to explore stuff that wasn't really explored in the book. TV viewers have different expectations to book viewers so they might need to add some stuff in to satisfy them. I thought about two character arcs and what they might add

1. Jon.

They'll probably explore his time with the Wildlings more and have him develop a mentor relationship with Tormund, the same kind of relationship he had with Benjen and Qhorin in the books. He will probably need to give him a bit more to do that hunting in the woods with Tormund and having 'relations' with Ygritte so a good area worth exploring would be the Horn of Winter. I imagine Jon's arc in Season 3 will go something like this.

Episode 1 - Meets Mance Rayder, Tormund and the Weeper (they need an 'evil' Wildling). Is welcomed by the Wildlings.

Episode 2 - Attempts to spy on the Wildlings but generally keeps to himself. Is attacked by a group of wildlings but is saved by Tormund

Episode 3 - Spends time with Tormund in the forest and Ygritte back in the camp. In the forest Ghost catches up with him and Tormund takes him to meet the giants. At the end of the episode Mance calls a meeting, his scouts have located the Horn of Winter and Mance calls an expedition to recover it

Episode 4 - Absent

Episode 5 - Jon gets to know Mance during the expedition. Episode ends as they arrive at an ancient burial chamber Mance believes contains the horn

Episode 6 - Enter the creepy chamber/crypt/tomb. If they really want they can tie the ancient structure into the White Walkers to give the show some more mystery. Mance recovers the horn but they are ambushed by White Walkers and scattered. Jon manages to recover the horn and escapes into the snow

Episode 7 - Jon fights to survive in the wilderness with Ghost. Decides to try and commit suicide to destroy the horn by jumping off a cliff, but is rescued at the last moment by an expedition led by Tormund

Episode 8 - Recovers in the wildling camp and spends more time with Ygritte

Episode 9 - Rejoins Mance and Tormund. Learns that Mance plans to march on the Wall with the Horn of Winter. Realizing he needs to get back to warn the Night's Watch he volunteers to scale the wall. The Weeper objects and challenges Mance to single combat but Mance defeats him and lets him live on Tormund's insistence.

Episode 10 - Jon scales the wall with the Wildlings and Ygritte. Season ends as Jon looks out across the North at sunset

I think something like that gives viewers a bit more mystery and more white walkers, which is what a lot of them will want. We also get to explore the Horn of Winter a bit more.

2. Arya

A few of the more important parts of Arya's character development were skipped in season 2. She never got dragged around the countryside, which toughened her up. She never killed a guard, which showed she was developing a ruthless streak and she never helped capture Harrenhal, which displayed her ingenuity. You can get most of that in season 3, where she spends a lot of time with the Brotherhood.

Episode 1 - Arya, Gendry and Hot Pie search for food in a ruined village. They are spotted by Lannister soldiers who attempt to apprehend them, but they are rescued by the Brotherhood

Episode 2 - They are brought to meet Beric and we are introduced to the Brotherhood characters. Arya decided she wants to join up and convinces members of the Brotherhood to help train her

Episode 3 - The Brotherhood take her on a mission where she acts as a scout. They find another village ransacked by the Mountain's men and after an emotional encounter with a mortally wounded villager Arya convinces Beric they need to infiltrate Harrenhal and free the Stark prisoners, since Arya knows it is only lightly guarded

Episode 4 - Arya and a few Brotherhood members infiltrate Harrenhal

Episode 5 - Arya masterminds the freeing of the prisoners who rise up against the Lannister guards. Vargo Hoat also turns against the Lannisters and Beric tries to go after the Mountain but he escapes. Their work done the Brotherhood flee the castle but Arya is captured by Stark soldiers

Episode 6 - Absent

Episode 7 - Roose Bolton arrives and meets Arya in the dungeon. He takes her on as his cupbearer. She witnesses him leeching himself in his personal quarters and he asks her to leave the door to his room open so he can hear the screams of the captured Lannisters being flayed. Arya flees the castle, killing a Bolton guard

Episode 8 - Arya manages to make her way back to the Brotherhood.

Episode 9 - The Hound is captured and put on trial but defeats Beric and is allowed to leave

Episode 10 - The Hound kidnaps Arya

[jlk7e]

Arya REALLY doesn't have much to do. Wander the Riverlands, meet the Brotherhood, leave with the Hound, get to the Red Wedding. That's her season.

Arya has 11 chapters in Storm of Swords up through the Red Wedding. That's more than any other character (although Arya XI is really short, admittedly). There should be plenty to do with her. It's post-red wedding that you start running out of Arya material.

[jlk7e]

Episode 1 - Arya, Gendry and Hot Pie search for food in a ruined village. They are spotted by Lannister soldiers who attempt to apprehend them, but they are rescued by the Brotherhood

Episode 2 - They are brought to meet Beric and we are introduced to the Brotherhood characters. Arya decided she wants to join up and convinces members of the Brotherhood to help train her

Episode 3 - The Brotherhood take her on a mission where she acts as a scout. They find another village ransacked by the Mountain's men and after an emotional encounter with a mortally wounded villager Arya convinces Beric they need to infiltrate Harrenhal and free the Stark prisoners, since Arya knows it is only lightly guarded

Episode 4 - Arya and a few Brotherhood members infiltrate Harrenhal

Episode 5 - Arya masterminds the freeing of the prisoners who rise up against the Lannister guards. Vargo Hoat also turns against the Lannisters and Beric tries to go after the Mountain but he escapes. Their work done the Brotherhood flee the castle but Arya is captured by Stark soldiers

Episode 6 - Absent

Episode 7 - Roose Bolton arrives and meets Arya in the dungeon. He takes her on as his cupbearer. She witnesses him leeching himself in his personal quarters and he asks her to leave the door to his room open so he can hear the screams of the captured Lannisters being flayed. Arya flees the castle, killing a Bolton guard

Episode 8 - Arya manages to make her way back to the Brotherhood.

Episode 9 - The Hound is captured and put on trial but defeats Beric and is allowed to leave

Episode 10 - The Hound kidnaps Arya

I don't think there's any way you're getting Arya back in Harrenhal in Season 3, or any service as Roose Bolton's cupbearer, or any weasel soup. I also don't think your story makes any sense - why would the Brotherhood want to free Stark prisoners? Why would Arya want to join the Brotherhood when she just told Jaqen she wants to find her family? Why would Roose Bolton make her his cupbearer?

[A Bear covered in Fluff]

Sir Hamish, that's an interesting story you've set up there. I doubt it will be that complicated however.

I agree there would be more to explore on the white walker thing for jon's arc tho. :)

[Sir Hamish]

I don't think there's any way you're getting Arya back in Harrenhal in Season 3, or any service as Roose Bolton's cupbearer, or any weasel soup

I'm not saying we will get them but they were pivotal moments that were missing from Arya's story in Season 3 and I think they could be re-inserted in Season 3 to pad it out. The writers have said the show is an adaptation of ASOIAF as a whole, not a book to book adaptation. Those moments were vital to Arya's development as a character and making them a focus in Season 3 would give the writers plenty of time to develop the Brotherhood characters and familiarize them with the audience. It would also let them have more action in the season which would satisfy the TV audience since I don't think viewers are really going to entertained if Arya sits around in a cave with the Brotherhood for 10 episodes

I also don't think your story makes any sense - why would the Brotherhood want to free Stark prisoners?

It makes perfect sense. The Brotherhood are outlaws striking out against the Lannisters. In Season 2 Tywin actually leaves The Mountain behind at Harrenhal to deal with the Brotherhood. It's probably in the Brotherhood's best interests to get rid of the Mountain since he's using Harrenhal as a base to hunt them from and go on jolly little raids in the countryside to murder innocent people. Enter Arya who say's 'Hey! I was just in Harrenhal, Tywin has left but its lightly defended and there's lots of Stark prisoners who would probably aid us retaking the castle if we were to free them'. The Brotherhood helping take Harrenhal makes perfect sense.

Why would Arya want to join the Brotherhood when she just told Jaqen she wants to find her family?

Jaqen wanted to take her to Braavos. The Brotherhood are staying put in Westeros. Also remember Harwin is a member of the Brotherhood, he's a Stark man. Maybe he promises to take her to Robb but she decides she needs to help the Brotherhood take Harrenhal first after seeing the atrocities the Mountain has committed in the Riverlands. Plus she teams up with the Brotherhood in the book.

Why would Roose Bolton make her his cupbearer?

Why not? She gets captured by Stark soldiers and locked up. Roose turns up and comes down to find some people to flay. He notices Arya and asks why she was in the castle. She says she orchestrated the uprising but served Tywin as a cupbearer. He may or many not believe her but decided to take her as his own cupbearer too