[BOOK SPOILERS] Episode 9 Preview

[Masamune]

In series 1, either Keven or Tywin points out that the Freys are not marching with the main Stark force, but are moving behind as support. Thus, its not so hard to believe that they turned back after Whispering Wood.

I had a quick flick through the eps and only found this line in: S1 E9:

Kevan: "Our scouts tell us the Stark host has moved south from the Twins, with Lord Frey's levies in tow."

That's not the same as what you're suggesting. And why would they turn back after the Whispering Wood? Did that happen in the book?

Also, this is a show with dragons, and demon babies. Lets not think TOO much into things

Yeaah... No. The series should still work on its own internal logic, fantastical elements or no.

[Talbot]

I had a quick flick through the eps and only found this line in: S1 E9:

Kevan: "Our scouts tell us the Stark host has moved south from the Twins, with Lord Frey's levies in tow."

That's not the same as what you're suggesting. And why would they turn back after the Whispering Wood? Did that happen in the book?

Yeaah... No. The series should still work on its own internal logic, fantastical elements or no.

You have to realize that the show is a different beast than the book. The characters are altered a bit, the plot is altered to play as a dramatic television series, etc.

If you keep on hard comparing every scene/detail to the book, you're going to find irregularities, and it's going to screw with you.

[Masamune]

You have to realize that the show is a different beast than the book. The characters are altered a bit, the plot is altered to play as a dramatic television series, etc.

If you keep on hard comparing every scene/detail to the book, you're going to find irregularities, and it's going to screw with you.

Any mention to the books is a sidenote. This still doesn't make sense even taken on its own merit.

[Dragonstoned]

Robb breaks his marriage pact with the Freys. They are (understandably) pissed and go back to the Twins. Robb loses a good portion of his army.

Why doesn't he attack Casterly Rock beforehand? I don't know, there might have been a larger garrison there, maybe he wanted to take out Tywin's armies in the field where he was winning all his battles?

I'm still in the process of rewatching S1&2 (starting 1x07 today), so I should be able to get more out of it then.

Also, I was referring to why people didn't understand why Robb had to go back to the Twins to reclaim the Freys, it wasnt that hard to figure it out.

Don't think anyone has questioned why Robb is going back to get the Freys though? You're preaching to the choir and the confusion is over the difference the Freys would make to his attack on CR, especially as they were fighting for him for over a season with not a mention of them. I think that will remain unexplained and as I said, it doesn't pay to try to make sense of the military side of the show (or, to a lesser extent, the books).

[Talbot]

Don't think anyone has questioned why Robb is going back to get the Freys though? You're preaching to the choir and the confusion is over the difference the Freys would make to his attack on CR, especially as they were fighting for him for over a season with not a mention of them. I think that will remain unexplained and as I said, it doesn't pay to try to make sense of the military side of the show (or, to a lesser extent, the books).

Yea I agree that the show and the book just kind of threw numbers at us haphazardly regarding the size of Robb's force. The whole Karstark forces being half of Robb's army threw me off, and at that point I just said screw it, I'll just watch the show and not be bothered by it.

[Dragonstoned]

If they include Robb's mutilated corpse, when and where do they put it?

I'm thinking they open the season finale with the hall in the Twins, just the carnage and corpses left in there, and Robb's corpse still with the crossbow bolts in and the hole through the heart sitting on the high chair, Grey Wind's head on, as though surveying what has happened. Similar to the way they opened s1e10 with Ice dripping Ned's blood.

Maybe after show some Freys chucking an unidentified woman's body into the river or something.

[fuseprime]

I think it's got to be Casterly Rock since the Ironborn have not really been mentioned, if they had then it's been vaguely. The TV audience assumes since "Ramsay" took back Winterfell and Theon was captured...well no more Ironborn. It's more of an attention span issue if anything. The Lannisters are more prominent in the show and since they've been "winning everything" this season, well perhaps this is where the tide will turn. They assume the Ironborn are on the run or had left after their reavings.

[protar]

I think it's got to be Casterly Rock since the Ironborn have not really been mentioned, if they had then it's been vaguely. The TV audience assumes since "Ramsay" took back Winterfell and Theon was captured...well no more Ironborn. It's more of an attention span issue if anything. The Lannisters are more prominent in the show and since they've been "winning everything" this season, well perhaps this is where the tide will turn. They assume the Ironborn are on the run or had left after their reavings.

So the Ironborn haven't been mentioned, so...let's not mention them? Sorry What?

Aside from being a far more thematic, and tactically logical decision, including Moat Cailin as part of Robb's plan would have been a perfect way to continually include the Iron Born in season 3 without actually having any scenes in the Iron Isles. It's really not that difficult to comprehend. It's simply a matter of "you know that family that was massively important in S2? The ones who betrayed Robb? They have a castle Robb needs to reach the north and he doesn't want a load of peeved off Freys at his back."

Anyone who can't comprehend something as simple as "enemies in castle, need castle back" are not worth the effort of catering to imo.

[Ser Steven]

Care to explain to all us beings of lesser intellect what's going on then? Just in case they forget to address it in the ep. It's not like Robb saying 'take his home, talk his gold, take his power' sheds light on why he didn't do this with a larger army the first time round.

Because Tywin Lannister and the whole Lannister force was sitting at Harrenhal and could have easily broken the seige. Now Tywin and most of the Lannister forces are defending KL and therefore cannot stop Rob. If you stop trying to spend so much time trying to figure how bad the show is because it's different from the books and actually think about things, then they are not that hard to figure things out.

[Dragonstoned]

Because Tywin Lannister and the whole Lannister force was sitting at Harrenhal and could have easily broken the seige. Now Tywin and most of the Lannister forces are defending KL and therefore cannot stop Rob. If you stop trying to spend so much time trying to figure how bad the show is because it's different from the books and actually think about things, then they are not that hard to figure things out.

If you're picking something to have a go at someone for criticising the show for, you could do better than something they have said is flawed in the books too (military logic).

Why not think through what you say instead of launching into a random attack on perceived 'book purism'. Defending KL from who? Stannis with his destroyed army? There's a royal wedding to plan but if it was Casterly Rock at stake then that could be put back. Another idea is to look at a map (e.g. http://www.sermounta...ulative_map.jpg) which shows KL nearly equidistant from CR as Harrenhal is, no Tully stronghold or Red Fork in the way, with easy access via the Gold Road, from a much larger army now than Tywin had in s2.

[Diehard_si]

It looked from that trailer to me that Jorah and Grey Worm had sneaked in, perhaps through the sewers. I hope this doesn't mean they are merging Yunkai and Meereen.

[jugdesh258]

Ughh.... went to DVR as per usual and it is Liberace!!!!! Booooo

[Conchobar]

Of all the episodes to have a two week wait, this one should NOT have been it. It is being spoiled for the unsullied by the hundreds, every day. It is ridiculous. Especially now, at the final week build up. I'm sure there is an in quantifiable number of dick heads out there who love spoiling the story for people.

[silentwanderer]

It looked from that trailer to me that Jorah and Grey Worm had sneaked in, perhaps through the sewers. I hope this doesn't mean they are merging Yunkai and Meereen.

They're already changing things just by confronting Yunkai before they take Meereen.

In the books, Yunkai was a threat to Daenerys because they weren't dominated just yet.

If she saves Meereen for last, the take over should be less gruesome yet still as bloody as it was on the books.

[ShigellaSand]

Of all the episodes to have a two week wait, this one should NOT have been it. It is being spoiled for the unsullied by the hundreds, every day. It is ridiculous. Especially now, at the final week build up. I'm sure there is an in quantifiable number of dick heads out there who love spoiling the story for people.

Why would putting it off one week make the difference between people being spoiled or not for the RW? I mean, if they've managed to stay unsullied for over two years, why is this one week so crucial?

On the other hand, if they aired this episode on a holiday, then the people planning to watch it a day later, because they were doing something else, would definitely run the risk of being spoiled by those who watched it as it aired...

[Conchobar]

Why would putting it off one week make the difference between people being spoiled or not for the RW? I mean, if they've managed to stay unsullied for over two years, why is this one week so crucial?

On the other hand, if they aired this episode on a holiday, then the people planning to watch it a day later, because they were doing something else, would definitely run the risk of being spoiled by those who watched it as it aired...

Because these two weeks everyone will be talking about the Red Wedding, there is more talk about it now than ever before. People are more likely to stumple on it.

[ShigellaSand]

I think that the people who were at risk for being spoiled - those who read comments on Youtube, for example, or those with loose lipped friends - have been so already. Generally, people who watch GOT know ever since Ned's death that there are big dramatic events which you'll need to be careful in order to stay unspoiled for. And really, the ones who'll know about the RW to talk about it are mostly book readers, who generally try not to accidentally spoil show viewers (unless they're assholes) and those who've been accidentally spoiled themselves, who generally don't want the same thing to happen to others.

So, I really don't think the risk is much bigger than at any particular time before. Those who will be going around spoiling things for others now, were already doing so.

[mystikherb]

I think that the people who were at risk for being spoiled - those who read comments on Youtube, for example, or those with loose lipped friends - have been so already. Generally, people who watch GOT know ever since Ned's death that there are big dramatic events which you'll need to be careful in order to stay unspoiled for. And really, the ones who'll know about the RW to talk about it are mostly book readers, who generally try not to accidentally spoil show viewers (unless they're assholes) and those who've been accidentally spoiled themselves, who generally don't want the same thing to happen to others.

So, I really don't think the risk is much bigger than at any particular time before. Those who will be going around spoiling things for others now, were already doing so.

I think the only way that the risk would be more now is that the show is bigger than it was in season 1. There's just generally more talk about it now, and people know that SOMETHING big will happen just based on the whole "Oh, you thought Ned was bad, just wait 'til book 3". Otherwise, I think you have really good points. No one who I watch the show with has been spoiled to it.

I also think that a lot of people who have read the books and keep thinking about how the RW will play out are underestimating the effect it will have (as other people have pointed out, as well). Of the people I watch with, a couple have mentioned that they don't predict good things for Robb. However, they've also said plenty to indicate that even if they think Robb might die, they aren't expecting it to be next episode, and certainly won't see it going down the way it will. Speculating that Robb will die will prove to be VERY different from actually witnessing it immediately. And I also don't think people are expecting two people to die. That should really give them a shock. I was spoiled to Robb's death, so the thing that blew my mind when I read the RW was seeing Robb and Catelyn dying within a couple paragraphs of each other. I'm expecting there to be at least a moment of speechlessness from those I'm watching the show with as the first few credits roll on "The Rains of Castamere".

[bacchusnl]

Not sure if this was mentioned but did anyone notice the snapshot of Edmure swaggering at his wedding, almost at the end of the previeuw ^_^? I really caught me as the perfect picture of ignorant bliss.

[Newstar]

Not sure if this was mentioned but did anyone notice the snapshot of Edmure swaggering at his wedding, almost at the end of the previeuw ^_^? I really caught me as the perfect picture of ignorant bliss.

Someone made a gif of that with the caption "PARTY IN THE HOUSE." Hahahaha.

He does look so happy, though. Aw, Edmure.