[book spoilers] Your non-reader friends/family thoughts and their predictions.

[liefde]

Mormont: 'He (GRRM) really does kill everyone...'

Ramsay: 'Whaaat? No, don't tell me.'

[Pinkie Baelish]

My friend is still convinced that Theon "deserves everything he gets and more". I don't know what's stopping me from grabbing a copy of ADWD and rubbing his face in Reek's chapters, screaming "SEE! YOU STILL THINK HE DESERVES IT? DO YOU! DO YOU!"

....okay, not really. But it is becoming increasingly difficult not to blurt out the details of Theon's torture.

[The Ghost of Winter]

My poor mother has no clue what is going on, who the characters are and so on. I need to make her a picture book or something.

[Peptalk]

My friend is absolutely certain that Robb will win the Iron throne and that Daenerys will invade Westeros. She also thinks the Starks will be reunited soon and is looking forward to that. Poor creature.

[Peptalk]

And my sister didn't buy into Daenerys selling her dragons and was thrilled at the ending. She is convinced she will invade Westeros. She also liked what Brienne did for Jaime and felt for him this episode. My mother is also starting to reluctantly sympathize with him now. "Now that he's lost his hand he perhaps isn't as bad anymore..."

[MsLibby]

My poor mother has no clue what is going on, who the characters are and so on. I need to make her a picture book or something.

As a Librarian, I've had people come in asking for the Coles Notes for Game of Thrones. Like a "for Dummies" *giggle*

They want to be spoon fed and just can't keep up with all the characters, dialogue, etc.

[hollowcrown]

"So excited for Daenerys to invade the Seven Kingdoms and team up with Robb to destroy Joffrey!!"

Ha. haha haaAAAA.

*sobs*

Generally though, everyone thinks Daenerys is so awesome, sadly this is the high point of her story for the next 3 seasons at least.

[Eric Xayavong]

Ah. All these Robb/Daenerys hopes remind me of my own reading into aSoS. Daenerys proving herself and Robb forgiven of his slight.

Any my friends general thoughts are:

Daenerys is bad ass.

LF is a big player.

What is going on with Theon.

So many questions like,

When is Joffrey going to die?

And I replied he's too powerful, the world is not fair. :D

[Nymeria's pup]

I love this thread! I wish I had some non-book people to regularly watch the show with. I would just love to see their reactions. I will be spending time with a non-book reading show watcher this week. I cannot wait to ask her what she thinks! Hopefully I will have something to add to the thread. Keep the info coming.

[Don Roberto]

My wife's thoughts:

1. "Good thing for Jaime that he can fight with his left hand". I understand where that comes from, and agree that it was poorly done in the show. Coster-Waldau displays too much skill with his left as he unsheathes the blade, and the scene makes it look like he succumbed for being tired.

2. "Omg, that's the most evil thing anyone has ever done on TV", to Boy's psychological torture of Theon by bringing him back. Though I did explain to her prior to this season that Theon had been captured by the bastard of Bolton, so she's not entirely clueless as to where he is and who's torturing him (though I don't know if she has identified Boy as Ramsay yet, or just one of his cronies).

3. "Wait, Arya was taken captive?". Arya did say so last episode, but I agree it could have been done more emphatically.

4. "Are Jaime and Brienne going to fall in love now?"

5. "Hell yeah, finally things are getting real", to Mormont's death. Not that she disliked the character, but I get where that came from, season 3 had so far been quite eventless, especially the bold and shocking ones that change everything. She also cheered on Craster's death as quite well deserved.

6. "Wow, the Tyrells will completely take over the Lannisters", to Margaery's blatant manipulation of Joffrey and the marriage proposal to Sansa. She also thinks this marriage to Loras is a scheme, since he's so obviously gay.

7. "That's so unfair to the other houses", do Dany's army acquisition. She thinks Dany got a huge army too easily (I disagree, it was a genius and bold plan), and that now she'd easily crush the other houses. This comes partly from her not paying too much attention, since it is said that it's 8,000 Unsullied and in season 1 there's talk of 20,000 Stark men alone (after I corrected her on the numbers, she was more accepting of the situation), but it's also true that, visually, this is the first time the show paints a good picture on the scale of the war, and can be quite intimidating compared to the scant soldier lines shown marching through Westeros.

She also found the Olenna character much more amusing this time, having found her annoying in episode 2. I agree, Diana Rigg's acting was much more in character now, as was the script.

[GoldenFleece]

And my sister didn't buy into Daenerys selling her dragons and was thrilled at the ending. She is convinced she will invade Westeros. She also liked what Brienne did for Jaime and felt for him this episode. My mother is also starting to reluctantly sympathize with him now. "Now that he's lost his hand he perhaps isn't as bad anymore..."

I am so looking forward to the scene where Jaime and Cersei hump over Joffrey's dead body. I'm I a sadist :-) ?

[GoldenFleece]

"So excited for Daenerys to invade the Seven Kingdoms and team up with Robb to destroy Joffrey!!"

Ha. haha haaAAAA.

*sobs*

Generally though, everyone thinks Daenerys is so awesome, sadly this is the high point of her story for the next 3 seasons at least.

Nah I thought the battle of Yunkai was even more awesome that the Plaza of Punishment. She strummed her enemies, even though they knew how ruthless she could be. Dany has a knack of getting people to underestimate her.

[Pvish]

My friend thinks Arya will lead the Brotherhood, team up with her brother and Danny, crush Joffrey, and help Sansa.

Such a sweet summer child, I try to not telling him winter is coming.

PS. This episode really build hope up for many non-reader, they're really optimistic about the show, now.

[GallowKnight]

As a Librarian, I've had people come in asking for the Coles Notes for Game of Thrones. Like a "for Dummies" *giggle*

They want to be spoon fed and just can't keep up with all the characters, dialogue, etc.

I can understand them. I didn't read the books until after I had seen season 1 and I had quite a though time keeping track of all the elements in the show and I am not that much of an inattentive watcher.

I particularly had a hard time keeping track of the differences between the Kingsguard, the Lannister soliders and the City Watch in Kings Landing. So I can see how non-book readers could be confused by all the characters, places and other elements they are intrduced too.

[Myrddin]

I remember reading SoS 13 years ago and having similar thoughts. I was certain that Dany would be at least leaving fro Westeros by the end of the book and that Arya would be reunited with Robb and/or Catelyn (and when that fell through, then she'd be reunited with Jon).

[staten8808]

What makes me smile is how many people still think her name is "Khaleesi" after three years.

I get that all the time

[Stannis' shadow babies]

My mom is also very suspicious of Littlefinger, even before Varys called him one of the most dangerous men in Westeros. She's also quite certain that Robb is toast. In fact, she thinks all Starks are toast and that only Jon will survive (.....)

[Ross2013]

When Beric sentenced the Hound to trial by combat, my son said (referring to Beric), "well he'll die..." (I resisted the urge to say "yeah, he does that alot" and so didn't spoil that aspect anyway).

The TV show just hasn't had the time to build up Beric at all, so not sure if anyone thinks Sandor is in trouble. I think I remember being more uncertain about the outcome of that fight when I first read ASOS.

[The Monkey]

Yeah, people have been talking about Dany and Robb teaming up since S1. I think the show needs a Dany rant about the "Usurper's dogs" to make the Unsullied understand that's never going to happen.

[Maester Ruin]

Im so tired of arguing with unsullied who STILL think theon is deserving all the torture he can get. i mean seriously, if you have only watched the series, you should be able to feel some sympathy for him after his abuse from balon and his confessions about Ned right before being recaptured. I mean when i read ASOS i thought theon was dead for sure and that he deserved it, book theon was always less likeable but in the show he really feels three dimensional and sympathetic (to a degree) but the show watchers seem to hate him even more than the book readers.

i fear D&D has made the series too much of a "Justice league, consisting of Robb and Dany, vs the evil Lannisters" story. every non book-reader i know is a Stark/Dany fanboy who laughed at Jamies terrible abuse in this episode. Cant wait for episode 9