Game of Thrones Season 3

They did the same thing with "The Rains of Castamere" before, though it was less overtly modern than this one.

I was surprised by the tune of "The Bear and the Maiden Fair." It was quite different in my head. And (dare I say!) better.

I didn't mind the tune of that closing credits rendition -- it was just the electric guitars. And I liked the song as a song -- just felt jarring, as Sean said, and this show hasn't really done that sort of thing before. They're careful to keep this world as its own world, much as Martin does. I mean, he doesn't even use the term "Adam's apple" because it would hearken to our world.

However, I did like the nods to the Great Pyramid and even what I thought might have been Stonehenge in AFFC.

They are definitely going to have a tough time keeping viewers' attention with AFFC since it diverges so much from the stuff we're used to and attached to. Am curious to see how they start mixing things up to possibly avoid that issue -- seems they've done a little shuffling already....

__________________
Linda's Author Website
Linda's Amazon Author page

You've not read Dance, have you? Should work as they can merge the timelines in the show and throw in the more exciting bits. They wouldn't be able to a Season with only half the cast, TV can't cope with the frustration book readers had!

__________________

I havent read the books, but from the comments i see most often from those that have, the only way the producers could cover all the bases is to have 22 2hr episode seasons for each book.

Which isn't at all remotely realistic.

anyways, for the chuckle factor :

In a World where Game of Thrones ruled the airwaves:

__________________
"The greatest danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss it, but that it is too low and we reach it." - Michelangelo.

I've finally started A Dance With Dragons ... and Martin does say right in the beginning that it's concurrent with A Feast for Crows, but with mostly the OTHER characters. Makes sense, and makes me feel better.

And makes me realize I'd just better catch up with Martin ASAP so I don't see something on the show that they have rearranged from the books (like the Theon stuff already this season!)....

Too soon I am going to be playing the waiting game for The Winds of Winter with everyone else. And that'll be two major authors I'm following who are writing lengthy, big-book series who take 3-4 years between books! Why can't I follow authors who churn out two books a year? LOL

Implying Ned is actually Jon's father lel

__________________

hapax has received a two day ban for posting spoilers, albeit mild ones, shortly after I warned him about posting those exact same spoilers. I've deleted the post in question, as well.

Thanks. I got that email notification of his post and read part of it. I realize we're posting here about the TV show, but that shouldn't mean someone should be allowed to post spoilers about the books.

Ironically, the show itself gave us some spoilers for the books by putting some things out of book-order, even if they might be in chronological order. And that was my point, even if he tried to deny that it had happened.

Terriffic episode, however im thoroughly flummoxed over these story arcs :

1-Margery dangled her brother as a suitor to sansa, but, A- He doesnt like girls, and B- he's a member of the Kings guard, which to my understanding means he gave up the right to marry or be in line for titles. (now most of the last part i got from teh tywin/trion confab, so maybe thats just the rule of the Lannisters)

2-Theon. so he was on the cross getting tortured, was sprung free, and then returned.

What the ever loven heck? At first i thought the torturer guys wanted to know for sure for sure that bron and his brother are indeed dead, but watching it a second time, Theon volunteered that nugget.

Theres a neat parallel between Theon and Jon Snow going on. Both men are profoundly indebted to the man that raised them, while neither truly has a home to call their own.

and the men without banner guys that captured the hound. If they have no allegiance to anyone that is waging war to get to the throne, then why is Arya held in such high regard?

And finally my sweet Khaleesi, Kings landing is a long long long ways away. You have the army, but wheres the fleet of ships to carry em all coming from?

Dexter, you're asking the right questions, I think. From the books, let me clarify a little of what I can (some, I can't):

1. Yes, you're right on all counts. Loras doesn't like girls. Offhand, that wouldn't keep him from marrying Sansa, though, in this culture/world, would it?

Also, yes, the Kingsguard swear to not hold land or title or to marry. It's part of what Tyrion was asking of his father: Since Jaime can't be heir to Casterly Rock, Tyrion is the logical heir. Except, not to Tywin's mind.

Margaery is, I think, mostly trying to win Sansa's favor and trust.

2. Think about the Theon story a bit, the way they've shown it. He helps Theon escape, knowing the others will follow. When they catch up, he kills them all and, unbeknownst to Theon, escorts him right back where he was. He announces that he got Theon but that Theon killed the others. So, not only does Theon look worse than before, but HE looks like the hero for capturing Theon.

As for the men without banners: Just because they have no strong allegiance doesn't mean they disregard the caste system that's been in place for centuries. A lord's daughter (unless he was a despised lord) would still mean something to them all. And as keeps coming up, Ned Stark was at least respected by even most of his enemies. The Starks are not universally hated like the Lannisters seem to be.

My take on it, anyway.

As for Dany and her army... We will have to wait and see how she gets 8K soldiers back to Westeros. LOVED watching her start spewing Valyrian, finally! HA!

Khaleesi speaking Valryrian is the stuff girl girl dreams are made of.

(srry yodes )

Loras Tyrell isn't currently a member of the Kingsguard in the TV series, though in the books he is (he's granted a place after the Battle of the Blackwater, especially since there are... ahem... some openings). For this reason, in the books Margaery and the Lady Olenna offer to have Sansa betrothed to Willas Tyrell, eldest son of Mace Tyrell and heir to Highgarden.

I'm guessing they'll just omit the Willas angle from the series entirely and focus instead on Loras, who viewers are already familiar with.

They've bungled this a bit, in my opinion. It seems the writers have wanted what's happening to Theon to be a tease, and I can see the value in that, but they've really drawn it out. The basic idea is... he's in for some rough treatment. The guy who seemed to be helping him at first is, unquestionably, a very very bad person. Those who have read the books already know this.

The Brotherhood Without Banners isn't totally neutral. They're primarily opposed to Lannister forces, who have burned villages and brutalized the smallfolk since the war began. Remember, Beric Dondarrion was originally sent by Eddard Stark (then Hand of the King) to hunt down Gregor Clegane (a Lannister dog) and stop his raiding in the Riverlands.

That said, in the books the Brotherhood does eventually start hanging Stark bannermen, but only those who have taken to burning and pillaging too. You can chalk these actions up to the wandering forces of Roose Bolton and others, not soldiers of Winterfell.

Also, in the book, the Brotherhood holds Arya because they want to ransom her to her mother's family, the Tullys, in Riverrun. (They need the coin, being an outlaw group and all.) This could be the reason they're holding her in the TV series as well, but I can see Austruck's reasoning too: that she's a lord's daughter (and that lord is Ned Stark, who sent them on their mission in the first place), so she'd be worth scooping off the road out of honor and decency.

I was reasoning based more on what little we've seen in the show. (I never know how much to post about the books here since we're really discussing the show ... but you can't really separate them well if you're engaging in both.)

I think there can be two reasons for holding onto Arya -- the money and not wanting to be the types who start murdering little lordling girls. I mean, c'mon....

Great post, Sleezy.

I wouldn't worry too much about the Tyrell marriage, it's all playing the 'game' - anything mentioned in Kings Landing is more conjecture/turn taking between characters than a definitive course of action.

The BwoB, i'd say, are keeping Arya more for themselves and gain than loyalty or honour, which their using more as a disguise to their goals. Whether the show will touch on this before her next chapter. Not sure where they'll take this group considering it seems Mel will be visiting them shortly. Only vaguely alluded to Thoros being a Red Priest.

The Theon story at the moment is trying to make amends for cutting out a chunk of book 2. The story of the 'boy' posing as an ally to Theon whilst he's captured Winterfell, only to be betray him served to set up a very twisted character and his mindset. And was also one of the many great twists. Up until now they seem to be putting in the groundwork for the 'boy' character as in the books. Dagmet (Finchy from The Office) took a lot of the 'boys' role over in Season 2.

Game of Thrones: Epic History: Lannisters: p1/2 Tytos and Tywin Lannister

A few things:

1. I got banned for a theory/speculation. None of this even happens physically in the books; it's only a visualization of some bits and pieces that were implied. Before last episode this was only a spoiler because it implied that the entire thing with Theon and the mysterious janitor was just a ruse. We now know that it was.
2. If you watch the show or have only read the first book, the name [REDACTED] means absolutely nothing to you, therefore you cannot be spoiled.
3. If you read the books from Clash onwards, then you already know that Theon's current storyline is show-only, and can piece together the same theory I posted without issue.

So thanks for deleting my post you dolt.

Theon has mentioned these type of "hunts" in Dance. I only think it would have felt drawn out if it lasted one more episode than it did. Which it obviosly didn't, fortunately. For something that is technically "made up", I'd say they are pacing it well, and doing a pretty good job so far overall with Theon's story. Remember, this "made up" story has to make it to the end of this season and carry on into the next without jumping too far into Dance.

Odd to start your paragraph by claiming you didn't post a spoiler, and then going on to explain the way in which it was, in fact, a spoiler. And the person still hasn't been identified, either.

Even so, I overlooked it the first time and sent you a PM about it. You ignored the PM and posted it again. So if you really wanted to clear things up or offer any clarification, you had a perfect opportunity to do it. You opted instead to do the exact same thing over again without explanation. That was bizarre. So you can direct any complaints to the nearest reflective surface.

Nope; the character in question is mentioned in the second season. And even if they hadn't been, it'd still be a spoiler, for at least two reasons, both of which you shouldn't need me to explain.

You can piece together lots of things that may or may not happen, and a great many of the show's watchers have not read those books. Thus, it's a spoiler. This isn't complicated.

This is your one freebie insult of a moderator for daring to enforce the rules. Next one's gonna be another ban; maybe temporary, maybe not.

Dexter, I just adore those fake Facebook posts. I laugh all the way through at the use of nearly every FB element -- and wise, hilarious use, too.

Thanks for posting those. I never want them to end. Loved the "Brotherhood without Due Process."