Amph A Song of Ice and Fire Discussion Thread

I finished reading "The Princess and the Queen" today. Great stuff.

I thought it was particularly interesting that Rhaenyra gave birth to a stillborn daughter with deformed dragon features. I thought that Dany's incident in A Game of Thrones was a one-time thing, but I guess not. I wonder just how deep the connection between Targaryens and dragons actually goes, and what caused it.

Anyways, cant wait for "The Rogue Prince" in a few months. In the meantime, I need to get my hands on the Dunk and Egg stuff...

 

I'm more annoyed with how out of character Stannis was. He would never burn loyal followers for still worshiping the Seven. It's BS, and there was literally no follow up on the events that occurred the last time we saw Team Dragonstone. D & D are really dropping the ball when it comes to Stannis (even if they do get some things right, like forbidding Selyse from harming Shireen, as a whole they are screwing him up).

 

You leave that Cersei/Brienne scene alone. We have a lot of feelings about that right now.

And while I kinda saw it coming, having Bronn train with Jaime instead of Ser Illyn? *sigh*

 

Doesn't the actor who played Ser Illyn have terminal cancer or something? I think that is why he hasn't been around since season 2.

 

The actor for Illyn is dying of cancer, so I understand that one. It's believable enough for Bronn to keep his mouth shut in exchange for a pile of gold.

 

Also, RE: Jaime/Brienne. I think they definitely have feelings for each in other in the books and probably the show. But they're never, ever really going to act on them in a romantic capacity. Hell, one or both of them has a good chance of dying in WoW.

 

They've recast so many other actors that I wouldn't be surprised if they recast him as well. Sad to hear that, though.

And don't you dare crush my hopes that they're my only ship that will make it out of these books alive.

 

they'll die so much that there'll be nothing left but bitter memories.

That's punishment for shipping.

 

Sadly, that will depend on everyone forgetting and not re-watching. The show went in to way too much detail, at too great a length, for previous season's final Melisandre/Stannis scene. They announced that they were going to the Wall, and exactly why they would do so.

 

Yeah, I'm surprised they didn't handle Joffrey's by letting the responsible party just tackle and strangle him in the middle of the ceremony. They don't really do subtlety well at all.

 

I swear to the Gods old and new that I read that sentence as "enough to even notice that Bronn and Jaime had feelings for each other."

 

Strong start to the season so far.

Yeah, but at least the realm wouldn't go to crap under his watch. Well, more to crap. I guess I'm just saying that he knew how to rule, and that his malice served some greater purpose. I'm not sure even he could handle the North at war, the Ironborn going nuts, Dorne plotting, Young Griff landing, and, someday, an Other/White Walker invasion. Though if Kevan was doing a good enough job to be targeted for assassination, I guess Tywin would have an even better chance.

Plus his chemistry with Maisie Williams.

More than Catelyn, too?

Interestingly, the Stannis arrival didn't surprise me as much when I read the book, so spelling it out more in the finale last season just kind of makes me excited. I was spoiled on the RW in book and show, so I missed out on the shock, but the dread was still there. I think I could relate to your frustration, though, if they end up somehow spoiling Catelyn. The clues were certainly there in the book, but that one caught me completely by surprise. The show seems happy to have left out Nymeria so far, so I'm hoping we get nothing until that reveal. Hopefully at the end of the season.

I feel like the Tyrells are smarter than trying to go to war with the Lannisters right now. Margaery and Olenna seem like they're practically running things, Mace probably didn't even pick up on the slight and would likely be too hesitant to openly oppose the Lannisters, and Loras... well, he was certainly offended, but it seems like he's actually experienced a little bit of character growth since wanting to personally fight is way to Stannis. It seems like he's getting into playing the game, or at least being there for his sister as she does it. Not really in line with the books, but I don't mind it if it gives him a little more dimension.

I have to agree with The_Forgotten_Jedi in being disappointed with Stannis' scene. Burning his brother-in-law for sticking to the Seven instead of treason just makes it look like he's seriously kowtowing to Mel. It seems like the seeds of a turnaround could be there as he clearly cares for Shireen and Davos is still around, but at this point it's much more about my own hope than anything's that's been presented on screen. I'll see how it goes, though.

 

I'm going to try to watch Ep2 tonight, may not be until tomorrow. One question: does a certain female dwarf appear in the wedding festivities?

 

Nope, all five of the dwarfs were male. That doesn't mean they can't put Penny into the show later, though.

All the clues regarding the QoT's involvement were there. She walked up, straightened Sansa's hair, then slipped a stone off the necklace. On all the subsequent shots of Sansa, if you look closely near her left shoulder, you can see a stone is missing. Then of course when Joffrey snatches up his cup to have a drink, it was sitting next to the QoT the whole time. That's a level of subtlety I never thought the show was capable of.

 

I really don't like the way they're dealing with Shae this series - it's clearly implied that she's being pushed towards betraying Tyrion (plus the handmaiden reporting on her in Ep 1 suggests that the Lannisters weren't completely aware of her existence in KL) - while in the book, it's left open that she might have been in the employ of Tywin all along, which I think makes her 'betrayal' far more savage.

 

At least it will be obvious to the viewers as to why Shae testifies against Tyrion, though.

 

Really? I never picked up on that at all.

 

One big clue is that Tyrion finds Shae waiting in Tywin's bedroom. Another is that given how loudly Tywin proclaims his hatred of whores, it could merely be a cover for him partaking in them.

 

Well, unless she really did get on the boat like Bronn said, We'll find out how convincingly she can say "Giant of Lannister". I thought that scene in the trial one of the most brutal in the entire series. How the hell stupid was she to try to use it in a positive sense when he finds her in his father's bed?

I find it hard to believe Tywin knew all along. I guess it's certainly possible that he found out well before the PW.