Game of Thrones (book talk edition)

[pissedpissedofferson]

Yeah, Targaryen names seem dated-gothy and affected to me, like what a goth would call themselves in the 90s. "I'm Rhaegar Targaryen, Shadow of the Dark Abyss."

Someone once did a breakdown of how different areas of Westeros lined up with real world medieval cultures. It was pretty interesting. I'm pulling these from memory, but I think Dorne is Moorish Spain, the Reach is southern France, the Vale is an alpine kingdom (Switzerland and/or Liechtenstein), the Stormlands are Germany, the West is basically England, the Iron Islands are Scandinavia, the Riverlands are (I think) Scotland, and the North was like a mix of Ireland and assorted parts of Scandinavia.

[Umlaut]

Jojen and Meera look perfect.

[ArchStanton]

THAT'S ON THE TV

[StrangeLight]

so, it's been a while since i've read book 5 (where we actually see what happens to theon) so... wtf is happening to theon? is the show taking it in a different direction and actually freeing him, or is the bow and arrow guy ramsay bolton and he's just playing the long game to fuck with theon's head?

[pissedpissedofferson]

so, it's been a while since i've read book 5 (where we actually see what happens to theon) so... wtf is happening to theon? is the show taking it in a different direction and actually freeing him, or is the bow and arrow guy ramsay bolton and he's just playing the long game to fuck with theon's head?

I think they're just trying to find something for Alfie Allen to do. Remember,

Spoiler:  

nobody knew what happened to Theon in books 3 & 4, he only resurfaced again in 5.

[ImAScooby]

so, it's been a while since i've read book 5 (where we actually see what happens to theon) so... wtf is happening to theon? is the show taking it in a different direction and actually freeing him, or is the bow and arrow guy ramsay bolton and he's just playing the long game to fuck with theon's head?

I thought the same thing until he killed other Bolton men. I don't know if Ramsay would go that far just to mess with Theon. I think they are just making up a storyline for him so audiences don't completely forget who he is by the time season 6 rolls around. Although it would be a cool reveal for non-book readers who had to wait 3 years to find out what happened to him.

[StrangeLight]

i tried to see if the bow and arrow guy was listed on imdb as ramsey bolton, but no luck there.

theon doesn't really get to do anything until book 5, and i don't know if i can watch 2-3 years of him being tortured. so, i sort of hope that they either change his storyline (because reek isn't much of a plot point by the end anyway) or that theon's gone from the show for a season/season-and-a-half before they revisit him. with so many stories to follow, i don't know if it's worth checking in on theon every 2-3 episodes to go "oh yeah, still being tortured."

[Monty]

Going by the book timelines, he might have shown up in season 5. As I understand the plan, they're dividing the third book into two seasons (3 and 4), but since books 4 and 5 happen at the same time, they're combining them. So seasons 5 and 6 are combinations of books 4 and 5. And I wouldn't be surprised if that also stretched into season 7 and maybe 8. And by that time, there might even be a new book!

[TimBuktu]

I am wondering what is happening with Theon too. I don't know if all of that torture makes it in to a TV show. It would suck if he never goes by Reek though.

[jesterobobman]

Is anyone else really, really looking forward to Dany pulling off the awesomeness with the Unsullied in Visual Form. Next episode.

[Weinerslave]

Oh hell yeah. During that whole scene with Kraznys, I was thinking: you're gonna get your face melted, son! You don't even know!

[TimBuktu]

I was hoping it would happen Sunday. Basically my favorite part of the whole series.

[ImAScooby]

I read through all 5 books for the first time last year I think taking all that information in over such a short span of time made me forget a lot of events. I honestly have no idea what you guys are talking about with Dany. All I remember is her going lesbian for a bit and Jorah making a move on her. My terrible memory is actually making this season pretty enjoyable, actually.

[Umlaut]

The guy is Ramsay. It's the show's way of introducing what a truly sociopathic level this guy is on where he doesn't just physically torture, but breaks a person down emotionally over a long period of time. He'll build trust with Theon through this escape only to have the whole thing upended, or even use it to start on the "Reek" stuff. I do think he becomes Reek, in some way, even if they abandon the name because it makes less sense when not hearing his inner thoughts, that transformation of him from cocky asshole to completely broken down, terrified servant is central to his character. But we don't see the torture happening in the book besides some quick passing details in his memory. However, it's clear that the torture happens over a long period of time (at least 1-2 years), so there are more twists to come. I'm pretty sure that guy is Ramsay, though, the show just wants to surprise the viewers in the same way the Reek into Ramsay reveal (which happens at the end of ACoK in the books) shocked book readers. I agree it would suck to keep checking in with Theon to see "yup, still being tortured" if this torture is always the same. But I don't think that will happen. I do hope once they reveal the game with the Ramsay character, they do keep Theon off of the show for at least a handful of episodes to check in with him again and see how he has completely transformed.

I just love all the complaining in the other thread. Specifically Belknap's complaining about how ending this season at the midway point of the book will be a letdown. Man, that made me L O L. In all honesty, I've stopped trying to figure out exactly how each season will split, beyond guessing at what the possible BIG EVENT of Episode 9 this series has established will happen. It's blatantly obvious what that event will be this season, next season's is less clear, because I just don't know how it's going to time out. Some storylines are already jumping ahead in the books, characters are gone, it's all different. I think next season may very well move onto some A Feast for Crows and even A Dance with Dragons for certain stories (Arya's Faceless Man training, maybe get that Kingsmoot drama going with the Iron Islands). My best guess is

Spoiler:  

Joffrey's death happens early in the season, possibly even the first or second episode, the trials of Tyrion take up much of the season intercut with Jon defending the Wall and Dany setting her sights on and conquering Mereen, then the BIG EVENT episode starts with the Oberyn vs. The Mountain fight (by far the best one on one fight in the series) and ends with Tyrion committing patricide. The final episode is Tyrion fleeing King's Landing, Jon becoming Lord Commander of the Night's Watch, Dany deciding to stay in Mereen. The last shot of the season could be the reveal of Lady Stoneheart, though I've also heard it suggested that her reveal may be an better end of Season 3/ start of Season 4 (with Arya as Nymeria pulling the body from the river and Lord Beric Dondarrion doing his thing

This is all speculation on my part, though. I don't think the "Splitting each book into 2 seasons" will hold past this one. Especially if S4 starts going into the AFFC/ADWD stories, you could tie up both books in S5 (let's be honest, there's a LOT of padding and wheel spinning in those books (looking at you, Cersei and Dany (up until the Fighting Pits) chapters...). It's entirely possible that the show gets ahead of the books, but at that point, the story will be significantly different due to the adaptation, so the final books will still have a good deal of surprises in them for readers.

EDIT: no idea why my spoiler tag didn't work there. Oh well, we're all supposed to be book readers here.

[pissedpissedofferson]

About Ramsay:

Spoiler:  

Yeah, odds are almost even that Theon's escape is fake, and being orchestrated by Ramsay. Remember: Theon disappears at the end of book 2 and doesn't resurface until book 5, what's happening in the show right now amounts to a realtime account of Theon's slow torture at the hands of Ramsay. Theon even mentions the fake-hunts he endured multiple times in book 5.

[StrangeLight]

y'all are probably right. the guy freeing him and saving him is probably ramsay. i guess i don't want to believe it, in part because i actually feel badly for theon (might need to rewatch the first two seasons to remember what a dick he is) and in part because this guy isn't how i'd pictured ramsay at all. i'm looking forward to seeing where it all goes.

and umlaut, your spoiler tags didn't work because the first part of the tag you wrote "spoilers" instead of "spoiler."

[pissedpissedofferson]

y'all are probably right. the guy freeing him and saving him is probably ramsay. i guess i don't want to believe it, in part because i actually feel badly for theon (might need to rewatch the first two seasons to remember what a dick he is) and in part because this guy isn't how i'd pictured ramsay at all. i'm looking forward to seeing where it all goes.

and umlaut, your spoiler tags didn't work because the first part of the tag you wrote "spoilers" instead of "spoiler."

Yeah, I hate what happened to Theon in the later books. It was gross torture porn for the punishment-obsessed. People say he betrayed the Starks, conveniently forgetting that Theon was Ned's hostage and the Stark household took every opportunity to remind him of that in seasons 1 & 2.

[StrangeLight]

yeah, i think theon had enough psychological trauma pre-reek torture. taking over winterfell and killing the old dude were just his ways of getting his asshole father to love him.

the show has cut dany's actual-porn constant lezzing about (which i think was a good choice, even though i have the major hots for emilia clarke), so if the reek storyline continues i hope they do the audience a favour and make the torture more psychological than physical or keep most of it off camera.

or, you know, every time theon's skin gets torn off, daenerys and missandei make out. everyone wins!

[jesterobobman]

Adding to the Boy being Ramsay thing is the fact the the actor apparently playing the bow is Iwan Rheon(Simon from Misfits). I doubt he's popping in just to be a faceless man.

[anantp]

I'm positive its Ramsay as well. If I recall, part of his torture was letting him free multiple times, only to bring him back and torture him more.