First Production Stills from Season 3

[Baelor Swyft]

I would just like to say that the stone dragon behind Stannis is absolutely gorgeous. Rather than the the Iron Throne they have for sale, if I had thousands of dollars to burn I'd want to buy something like that!

[boojam]

I really like the way they presented her story in the first 5 episodes, I'm talking about the last 5.

That's hardly all she did once she arrived at Harrenhal, scrub stairs. She went through hell, and she showed spirit throughout that, too, but it was so much more realistic and meaningful to her story than those scenes with Tywin. Those were nice scenes, but overdone, and went nowhere.

She practiced swordsmanship in the godswood, she said the prayer nightly, she was privy to horrors that explained her choices for Jaqen, she remembered Jon Snow and Syrio, she killed a guard, but instead, we saw her waiting on Tywin. Those scenes took up time.

And Weasel soup showed character development, too. Those were northern men. She was a participant, and Jaqen said a girl must be bloody, too. That was a lesson. And later when she killed the guard, she imagined Jaqen, Jon Snow, Syrio, and Yoren were walking with her. But she did it.

How in world were they going to fit that into one season with 10 episodes?

Interesting on the page, no go for a TV narrative.

This is Tywin we are talking about, the guy who ordered the gang rape of Tysha, the guy who let the Mountain and Vargo Hoat loose to rape and pillage, the guy who presented the battered bodies of two kids and a raped woman to Robert. He was not a good father at all, much less a good person.

But suddenly, he's nice to Arya. Telling her personal stories about his son, and

we know what happens to him this season at the hands of one of his men

. And he knows she is not what she seems, she's northern and high born, and yet he lets her hang out while he's talking to his top political and military strategists.

They have put a little different spin on Tywin than GRRM did, makes him more complex in my eyes.

We don't know if he figured out who she was or not? Makes for nice little mystery.

Even if he , he would have figured there was no way she could escape.

After all he had a lot, a whole lot on his mind.

Seems he could also have figured out there was a FM in in Harrenhal, yet he didn't.

Or maybe he did, and knew the effort it would take to ferret him out.

Tywin has already not given Tyrion credit , and I think there is more Tywin-ness to come.

We can expect, I am thinking Season 4, GRRM's fate for him, to much for D and D to resist.

[Le Cygne]

How in world were they going to fit that into one season with 10 episodes?

Interesting on the page, no go for a TV narrative.

And yet they managed to convey so much the first 5 episodes. They could have done the same with the second 5, easily.

They chose instead to go with Tywin and Arya hanging out together, and in the end, they just went back to the original story.

[Sour Billy Tipton]

How in world were they going to fit that into one season with 10 episodes?

They sped up Arya's storyline. She'll be in Braaavos next season.

They could have easily created 15 more min of her at Harrenhal.

Maybe show less Littlefinger, Margaery, Ros, and Shae.

Also they could have done without the Littlefinger, Tywin, and Arya scene. And the Armory Lorch chase scene.

[Mr Fixit]

I don't think they changed Tywin at all. Books, limited by POV structure, simply never had the opportunity to show Tywin's behaviour when he's not around his children or his lords, making sure his legacy goes on.

I'm willing to bet money that most fans would think his sexual adventures with Shae are grossly out of character, had they not taken place in the books, but D&D choose to depict it on screen.

[Frumpus]

I don't know why people were making a big deal out of the Westerling typo. Since they haven't introduced that family, they could completely change its roots/origins.

Also you can clearly see how unsuitable Ciaran Hinds is for Mance Raydar. Too old and fat. It's a huge pity that Dominic West turned down the role.

how can a "mistake" like that happen?? There has been no mention of any Westerlings in the show as far as I can remember, so how would someone accidentally write Westerling? How would that name even enter their brain?

Obviously the writer who made the mistake in the first place is probably a book reader and didn't think to double check if the character had an official last name. It's kind of stupid to assume that HBO's employees behind the GoT page haven't read the books.

Also they could have done without the Littlefinger, Tywin, and Arya scene.

They could have, but that scene made for great TV. Also, there is no point to extend Arya's time at Harrenhall since the ownership of the place was changed. People need to stop wishing Weasel Soup had been filmed. It would have made no sense to show that scene given the changes made.

[Sour Billy Tipton]

They could have, but that scene made for great TV. Also, there is no point to extend Arya's time at Harrenhall since the ownership of the place was changed.

In that scene we found out that Amory Lorch can't read, Tywin ponders an alliance with Highgarden after Petyr brings it up(thus ruining the suprise element in Ep. 9), and Littlefinger may or may not have noticed it was Arya and NOTHING resulted. It was a pretty cliche pointless scene. And it took almost 5 min.

I would of preferred seeing Arya walk around Harrenhal doing her duties, then encountering Gregors men as they discuss what's going on in the War. Which would lead to Chiswyck telling the rape story

[Abaddon]

Also you can clearly see how unsuitable Ciaran Hinds is for Mance Raydar. Too old and fat. It's a huge pity that Dominic West turned down the role.

There's a bit of an interview with him in costume where he doesn't look nearly as old and is not fat. I'd suggest not jumping to conclusions based on one picture.

[Nezzer]

There's a bit of an interview with him in costume where he doesn't look nearly as old and is not fat. I'd suggest not jumping to conclusions based on one picture.

Yeah, this picture of him in costume makes him look almost 10 years younger to me. I just wish his hair was longer.

[boojam]

And yet they managed to convey so much the first 5 episodes. They could have done the same with the second 5, easily.

They chose instead to go with Tywin and Arya hanging out together, and in the end, they just went back to the original story.

No they skipped a ton of Arya's adventures up to her getting to Harrenhal.

Sorry to see Weasel Soup go but what they created may have been more interesting, anyway seeing more Charles Dance is a delight and as Stephen King said lately it's hard to take one's eyes off Maisie Williams acting abilities.

[Le Cygne]

No they skipped a ton of Arya's adventures up to her getting to Harrenhal.

And yet they managed to convey so much.

[The Anti-Targ]

Thoros of Myr looks entirely too Westerosi. How are they going to differentiate him from Westerosi? They are clearly differentiating him from Melissandre in look (and no doubt manner), but he should still be priestly in appearance not man-at-arms-ish.

[Mauvka]

Thoros of Myr looks entirely too Westerosi. How are they going to differentiate him from Westerosi? They are clearly differentiating him from Melissandre in look (and no doubt manner), but he should still be priestly in appearance not man-at-arms-ish.

Accents, most likely.

[Conchobar]

Thoros of Myr looks entirely too Westerosi. How are they going to differentiate him from Westerosi? They are clearly differentiating him from Melissandre in look (and no doubt manner), but he should still be priestly in appearance not man-at-arms-ish.

There are many pale people on the west of Essos.

[Nezzer]

There are many pale people on the west of Essos.

Of course, the Andals came from the hills of Andalos and they probably settled throughout the whole western coast of Essos before invading Westeros. Most people from the Free Cities should look as Andal as the non-FM Westerosi.

[CKPS63]

Yes, it was Tyrion who told her.

In any case, Sansa should be married at this point (there is a ring as well), should be unhappy purely on that ground even if she doesn't know the other thing yet.

I suppose Ebevan may be right that Tyrion is about to tell her and we will see a change in her expression (maybe only after he leaves her alone).

Just re-read it -- it was actually Cersei who told her.

[boojam]

And yet they managed to convey so much.

I am not saying they did a bad job, but CoK has so much more elaboration even 12 episodes would have not worked.

Alas there was just not enough time to tell Arya's story as it is on the page, they did a good job with her.

[Ran]

There was actually plenty of time to tell her story. The incidents in Harrenhal could all have fit within the time alloted, less the "weasel soup" (which they weren't going to do for lack of time). Her being abused, her witnessing the same, her running errands, her "ghost of Harrenhal" routine, her fearing becoming a mouse again, her killing a guard in cold blood and saying that the rain would wash the blood away... Trim two of the three Tywin scenes and it'd be just fine.

They wanted to use Dance more, basically. That's the long and short of it, near as I can tell. And it's hard to blame them, since he's so good. But it left Arya in complete stasis for most of the season, frozen in amber.

[Biobiwan]

Just re-read it -- it was actually Cersei who told her.

Cersei told her she was

to marry Tyrion

Tyrion told her about the

RW

[The Anti-Targ]

There are many pale people on the west of Essos.

Nothing at all to do with skin tone. It's his overall look that's all Westeros none of the East. And the lack of a priestly vibe from the photo is also disappointing. To the uninitiated showing someone a photo of Thoros and saying "this is a character called Thoros" people would think he's some disposable minor lordling, or perhaps a master at arms. There's certainly nothing there that says "this dude has considerable mystical powers, is of the same order as Melissandre, but has a completely different approach to life, and the fate of Westeros."

It's a shame the didn't do the melee at the hands in S1 tourney and have the portly, jovial, heavy drinking Thoros weilding his flaming sword so as to juxtapose his Bob's best mate self from S1 with his reformed, pious rebel self in S3.