Maybe, but I haven't seen much from Benioff and Weiss that makes me think there's any deeper motivation behind most of the stuff they pull on the show. The whole rape thing was bulllshit to begin with. It wasn't in Martin's version, and she didn't get married to the abusive bastard either. The tv show seemed to do that mostly because they didn't have much else for the character to do at that point in the story. In the books she's still residing at the Gates of the Moon.

Thats true about B&W and it makes me wonder how they'll manage this season without a book to guide them. "Hey guys what if the white walkers could rape women with big icicle dicks?"

Surely Martin is sharing his scaffolding for the rest of the story with them? Or has there been some kind of statement the show and books are going to head in completely different directions now?

I think they have confirmed that Martin has shared his intentions with them, and the general story is going to go down the same route as a result, but events may unfold differently and minor/supporting characters might be written out or ignored altogether (consider Lady Stoneheart, for instance).

Like qs I worry about what B&W will do now that there's nothing to really hold them back. On one hand I think they mostly made a good decision when they decided to cut away a lot of the tedious stories last season. I fucking hated Jorah and Tyrion's shared journey in the books. But the show-exclusive stuff that they gave us in return, like Jaime and Bronn's kidnapping quest or the Sansa/Ramsay rape-marriage, was pretty hamfisted and all around terrible. They don't strike me as particularly good storytellers.

I'm entirely sure that they'll royally fuck everything up. I'm still majorly peeved that the next bit of the story is being portrayed on television first.

The bright side of getting ahead of the books is they wont have to drag out nothing stories with whoever isn't doing anything in the books just to keep their stars on screen. So now maybe Dany can stop being a tiresome, sanctimonious bore.

Tottenham Hotspurs - White walkers. 😆

That's exactly how it'll fucking feel if they win.

Arsenal should be Lord Varys, after all we're run by a gaggle of eunuchs.

Varys is a highly intelligent tactician though. Arsenal are more like that Lannister cousin, Orson, who was sitting in his garden and crushing beetles all day with a rock while shouting his own name. And the fans are like Tyrion, who observes him closely and becomes obsessed with finding a rational explanation for the mindless behaviour to the point where he almost goes mad.

Well, at least when we think of Wenger we have the consolation that valar morghulis.

😆

Good stuff fellas good stuff.....

6 days later

When the review was finally completed we were treated to plenty of killing and some more hot nude shots of the Red Witch, but we are still no clearer on Jon Snows fate.

Just watched it, and I'm pretty underwhelmed so far. Needs to pick up a lot of speed.

is this thread a safe space for spoilerful chat about the latest ep?

Gazza M wrote:

is this thread a safe space for spoilerful chat about the latest ep?

[font=Source Sans Pro]Yes.[/font]

Biggus wrote:

When the review was finally completed we were treated to plenty of killing and some more hot nude shots of the Red Witch, but we are still no clearer on Jon Snows fate.

Did you like her more before or after she took her necklace off Biggus?

HomeSteak wrote:

Shit first episode.

I thought it was ok. Just reminding us all where shit is up to.

After, she looked more in my age group.

Rooney has rushed off a preorder for the blu-ray, no doubt.

Pile of rubbish. What are they doing in Dorne? 😆

Yeah I couldn't give any less of a fuck what goes on in Dorne with a bunch of characters I know fuck all about.

I really hope after all that place setting they stop trying to fit every storyline into episodes. It slows things to a halt and allows no depth to any of the story lines. Such a terrible way of structuring a TV episode.

They totally put me off with the season 5 finale. What i saw yesterday didn't excite me either. Watching dany tooling about with the dothraki, the dornish harpies vs the lannisters,  and arya 'daredevil' stark, i can see multiple threads I'm not keen on

Really im only looking forward to sansa getting to the wall and (hopefully) the return of jon snow

Enjoyed it myself, it's a good start. The Sansa and Castle Black story lines look promising. The Dorne stuff you would think is building up to a confrontation with the Lanisters which I reckon could get interesting providing they don't faff about like they usually do.

The Dany story is the big frustration, looks like another season dedicated to wheel spinning. In fact we've actually gone back to season 1 by the looks of it.

Hopefully the Arya thread gets about as much screen time as it did in this episode, preferably less.

Just hope we get less wheel spinning in general this season.

Too many characters, too many threads to weave together.

Oh ffs what do you want, the young and the restless?

It's a little annoying how they continually waste 1-2 episodes per season on episodes that serve only to recap prior action and "set up" what's coming next. And then they'll rush to stuff every major plot turning point in one episode towards the end.

More Arya training and Mereen adventures. I blame mostly Martin, as the HBO show runners are still using him as the template, deviations and all

Actually having her training almost in real time, on camera, is clumsy storytelling of a very "epic fantasy" variety.

We've got a limited appetite for the clichéd story of Arya's slow aggregation of wicked assassin skills, it'd be better off as a montage followed by more of her actually being a wicked assassin—and even that sounds hackneyed.

It's just incredibly tedious and redundant. I'd rather they showed more of Bran's training to be honest, at least there's a more explicitly fantastical element and intriguing possibility of Bloodraven's arc being woven in more coherently with the rest of the story's history/mythology

El Genio de Oviedo wrote:

It's a little annoying how they continually waste 1-2 episodes per season on episodes that serve only to recap prior action and "set up" what's coming next. And then they'll rush to stuff every major plot turning point in one episode towards the end.

I'd agree with that Genio, if people don't know whats going on they should watch something else.

Solid episode, moved the plot along and continues placing charters where they need to be.

A few important points: Jon's body is safe and unharmed. They seem to be setting melisandre up to resurrect Jon just like thoros and beric. I'm convinced it's a red herring though, she won't be able to. Jon will be resurrected by flame, coming back as AA.

I also didn't like the Thorne scene and the manner of jon's death. In the books his murder was understandable and arguably justified.

The dorne plot was surprising.

I'm glad that brienne found sansa quickly, hopefully that story arc can advance quickly now.

Biggus wrote:
El Genio de Oviedo wrote:

It's a little annoying how they continually waste 1-2 episodes per season on episodes that serve only to recap prior action and "set up" what's coming next. And then they'll rush to stuff every major plot turning point in one episode towards the end.

I'd agree with that Genio, if people don't know whats going on they should watch something else.

Or just give a 5 minute "previously on" instead of an hour long one.

the only thing good about the first episode was the dothraki conversation.

The Jaime on the show seems to be going quite a different way from Jaime in the books if what he said meant anything.

Disappointed they killed of Doran Martell, as I found him one of the better written characters in the books. With him out of the way it seems inevitable Dorne will march on King's Landing, but I bet they will take their sweet time doing it. Maybe that will be the big 9th episode this season? Could be.

GoT is decent enough, this episode too IMO. Personally, I don't see the fascination with the Sansa arc; she is the ultimate victim character where things just happen to her without her doing anything to affect anything. She is dragged through the story, and often literally dragged, by someone else who does everything for her. Weak, boring character IMO who hasn't, to my recollection, made one, single decision for herself for over 5 seasons now.

Yep there is nothing to her beyond what is happening. No real character there at all. And this week she complained about being cold, I thought she was a fucking Stark.