Discussion Thread for Leaked Episodes (1-4) [** Spoilers **] - HAVE read the books

MrWalsh wrote: »

Absolutely agree, although youd think Slynt would have known better seeing as he had commanded the City watch?

Slynt was promoted through the City Watch for being a toady... not for being an effective commander. He moved from Lannister controlled Kings Landing where being a sycophant to Cersei had it's rewards to a military brotherhood that democratically elects it's own commander. He was out of his environment and too stupid to realise it.

Clever move putting Sansa as Ramsays betrothed. There will be uproar if he treats her the way he treated fake Arya!! I dont think they could get away with those initial scenes with Ramsay/Fake Arya/Reek - I was quite shocked when reading them, cant imagine them onscreen!! Presume it will be Brienne/Pod who rescue Sansa with help from Theon who will then fall into Stannis's hands?

Part of me hopes they have Ramsey treat her exactly as he treated Jayne Poole. It was shockingly brutal in the books. Just utterly sadistic and depraved and that's the way Ramsey has been raised. There'll be outrage from third wave feminists if they do it, conveniently overlooking the way Theon has been treated and this, I think, might make for an interesting point about the world being portrayed.

It's a much more brutal world than ours but, despite the claims I'd expect to see, the brutality isn't based in misogyny: it's simply a violent, brutal world. Given the choice of enduring the humiliation and rape that Ramsey subjects Jayne Poole to or the flaying and dismembering he subjects Theon to, I think most of us would consider the former as the lesser torture (despite how our own society often perceives rape to be on a par with murder).

Someone earlier in the thread mentioned Balon Greyjoy being alive - I must have missed that bit?

I think it's a reference to the fact we've heard nothing of him being killed. In the books he's had his "fall" by now. I suspect we'll hear of it on Yara's return to the Iron Islands.

Just finished watching the first 4.

Can't believe how much it's deviating from the books and to be honest it makes me think any predictions or things people may think will happen in the rest of the season is gone out the window.

I can't remember the trailers but is there anything to suggest the High Sparrow/Cersi story will go anything like the books? As it stands it could continue the way it is and go completely against them.

I do think the sparrows is happening very fast. If I hadn't read the books I think I would be very confused about who they and the high sparrow are.

I can't see what way they are going to play out Doran and his big plans with no Arianne or Quentyn.

It's definitely lining up for a show down between Hotah and Jamie/Bronn.

I am enjoying the show but like many people I feel there are so many key things being left out. They aren't even things you could say, "fine that's only minor details" it huge plots in the books. Plots that make the books what they are, the little twists, meetings of certain characters etc...

An interesting idea appearing in the non-readers thread spurred by the Maegi Flashback linking Cersei's telling Caitlyn Stark of a dark haired child she had with Robert Baratheon (back in Season 1/2) and the suggestion that Gendry could be that child i.e. Robert's true heir. It'd be a really nice twist imo.

I know how far-fetched it is, I just enjoy well reasoned tinfoil hat theorys

The child never existed in the books and at the time, we were wondering if it was something Cersei was making up to toy with Caitlyn or if it was a departure from the books.

Sleepy wrote: »

The child never existed in the books and at the time, we were wondering if it was something Cersei was making up to toy with Caitlyn or if it was a departure from the books.

I picked up on this before.

I reckon they put it in to reinforce the idea that any true born child of Robert Baratheon would have black hair.

IIRC didn't Cersi say a drunken Robert called her Lyanna on their wedding night.

Nim wrote: »

Really not liking the Sansa story line. I don't think I could watch her get abused like "Arya" did in the books. She'll be married to a bigger monster than Joffrey.

Judging by this Alfie Allen quote you could be right

"There's something that happens about halfway through this season that is really going to make huge waves, and people aren't going to be happy about it,"

"It's hard to watch. I bear witness to this thing, and it's crazy, sort of having to portray how messed up everyone's situation is through my own reactions to what happens. Get ready for it."

That sounds pretty rough

Then again I'm just presuming it will be some sort of rape/torture scene involving Sansa, but I can't imagine what else Reek would bear witness to that would upset viewers as much as he's suggesting.

Dragon buried in the wall perhaps?

I doubt Ser Barristan would be killed off now as he still has a role to play according to the books. But god knows they may just scrap the books altogether.

Gbear wrote: »

That's without mentioning the amateurish depiction of Tyrell as the token gay. Can't understand how they could reduce such a powerful character to a "prancing fairy" cliché. As if a shower of oafs with hammers could capture the greatest swordsman in Westeros.

In what way has he been depicted as a prancing fairy

I always thought he played a much bigger role in the show than the books. He's one of the few guest stars to have appeared in every season.

Barry!

Liam O wrote: »

Every time you see him it's about how gay he is. This is someone who's a phenom swordsman, compared to a young Jaime Lannister. Where are the scenes that show him schooling Tommen in swordfighting? Could have had some with Joffrey, maybe one with Bronn who he is also probably better than. Instead, unfortunately like they've done with a lot of characters they've made him one note and stereotypical. If he was sent away to battle and was reported back gravely injured like in the books would it have been shocking in any way given what we've seen of him so far?

He's had a few mild love scenes, but not every scene he's been in is about how gay he is - Defeating the mountain at the hand's tournament, the confrontation with Jaime at Joffrey's wedding, his role in the battle of blackwater etc.

Plus his sexual relationships have actually served a purpose in terms of the plot. His grief over Renly's death is what drives him to align the Tyrels with the Lannisters, to get revenge against Stannis. His relationship with Olyvar is how Littlefinger finds out that Loras intends to marry Sansa, which in turn leads to the arranged marriage of Sansa and Tyrion. His latest scene with Olyvar was a lead in to Loras getting arrested, which is obviously going to strengthen the rivalry between Marg and Cersei.

So he's far from a cliché or a token character in my eyes. Most definitely not a "prancing fairy", it's not as if Louie Spence is running around King's Landing!