The final Game of Thrones Hall H panel at San Diego Comic Con may not have delivered any big revelations, but the con did provide an opportunity to show off the newest GoT merch and it brought out the show’s stars for a round of appearances and autographs, as always. Here is the panel recording, and the new products we have to look forward this year! Thankfully, the official Game of Thrones/HBO Facebook saved us all a trip to California by snapping pics of all the major GoT-friendly booths at SDCC. Let’s have a look!
USAopoly offers a sneak peek of their custom Game of Thrones chess set (booth #1028), coming soon and available for pre-order now. I love the look of this and I’m pretty excited about it.
The Chronicle Books booth ( booth #1506) displays several items, most of them already available such as the coloring book and Twin Pin sets. The new item is Game of Thrones: A Guide to Westeros and Beyond, The Complete Series, by Myles McNutt, available for pre-order currently and set to be released in November. Chronicle’s site describes the book as offering a “a unique and exciting visual exploration of the world of Game of Thrones,” and says the book is filled “with bold infographics, illuminating timelines, stunning photography and insightful essays.”
Check out the new Mega Construx sets at Mattel’s booth (#3029) featuring a full battle of ice and fire:
Take the Iron (gold?) Throne for yourself at Factory Entertainment’s booth (#2743), and enjoy their other Game of Thrones-inspired pieces while you’re there.
Insight Editions has an attractive array of merch on display with Game of Thrones: The Storyboards, by William Simpson, The Photography of Game of Thrones, Lovepop cards, and Dragon Egg candles.
Swing by booth 2544 to check out these new GoT figures created by The Loyal Subjects.
There’s a detailed new Daenerys figure at the McFarlane booth (#917). The 6-inch scale toy is available now. If House Stark is where your allegiances lie, head over to booth 2615 to check out the Stark Sigil Mini Sculpture from Dark Horse Comics.
Three Zero is continuing its incredible collection of Game of Thrones figures with Season 8. Visit them at booth #1929.
Titans is showing their new products including this exclusive three-pack of dragons at the con:
On Friday, at 5:30PM Pacific time, Game of Thrones stars Isaac Hempstead Wright, Conleth Hill, John Bradley, Maisie Williams, Jacob Anderson, Liam Cunningham and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau took to the stage in Hall H with Entertainment Weekly‘s James Hibberd acting as moderator. The cast did not field any audience questions this year (probably wisely since people were booing early on in the panel; not sure why anyone thought they would allow a Q&A after that?) but responded to a light set of questions. The cast seemed to have a good time, as they usually do when gathered. This appears to be a lighthearted and somewhat tentative victory lap rather than a serious postmortem. Given the hostile vibe from a portion of the crowd, it was probably a strange thing to walk into, as a moderator, an actor, or as a viewer. Overall, the cast handled themselves deftly.
Frankly a lot of media outlets have been twisting some of the comments from cast with their interpretation so I think it’s best to watch the panel for yourself to see what they had to say.
But yes, Jacob Anderson did confirm once again that Grey Worm has a dick. No balls, but dick. Anyway!
The cast swung by TVInsider for a fun round of photos and EW has a great photo gallery of photo highlights from the panel before and after. Meanwhile Maisie Williams is living her best life, attending afterparties and looking the cutest.
Safe to say there will be no Thrones-ian presence at SDCC next year! (Unless you count the inevitable panel for The Eternals– good on you, Richard Madden!) Some of us were speculating at Con of Thrones about the release of the GoT prequel, assuming the pilot is successful and ordered to series. We probably won’t see a spinoff-connected SDCC panel until 2021 at the earliest, would be my guess.
ASNAWP!
👸🏻
That chess set looks pretty cool. (AotD vs. Northern Alliance?). For $99, I think I’m gonna pre-order it…
There is no way that Three Zero Drogon is worth that much money. I like my shelf warmers, but not THAT much.
Thanks for the roundup, Sue! The three dragon set reminds me of when they were babies looking up at Dany in the House of the Undying.
Also, I too do not blame the panel for not taking fan questions, given how toxic a portion of the fandom got. I mean, the moderator teeechnically said “we ran out of time” and said it was his fault but like, *wink**wink* not really.
I absolutely love Conleth!! He’s so funny!
“Jacob Anderson did confirm once again that Grey Worm has a dick. No balls, but dick.”
— And Liam’s hilarious response after Jacob said “Dick, no balls”: “That’s actually how Jacob was described, not his character.” Bahahahaha!! What a hilarious group.
If S1 of GoT spin off airs in 2021 I could see them having a panel next year for promotion. Like The Witcher did this year.
D&D didn’t show up…no fan questions allowed…GoT failed…only sad emptiness remained…
HBO would give them at least 10 seasons with 10 episodes and those two cowards ”wanted a life instead”…instead of the show what supposed to be the greatest of all time…they threw the logic out the window and f*cked up everything.
Tell me that you didn’t need that +27 hour for this series. Tell(lie to) me please.
And don’t say they didn’t have source material…they could still include Arianne, Victarion, Aegon…etc. for the show because they were written.
For me, there’s only pain after season 8. Nothing else.
Dark Sister,
It wasn’t toxic, according to Nikolaj:
https://twitter.com/nikolajcw/status/1152652240697511936
well, they are allowed ‘a life’ The solution was to find two or three who could take the place to finish the show instead of something that felt rushed and did not feel finished
rhard,
D&D have been saying for years that this was going to be a 70 hour story, and I have absolutely no problem telling you that’s all they needed. There’s never been a show that’s maintained its quality after surpassing 8 seasons, so I’m they didn’t milk it. I loved season 8 and I loved the finale.
Those characters were terrible and underwritten. Sure, they could have added them, if they wanted to run into the same problems Martin is dealing with now and turn their story into a convoluted mess. Luckily, D&D were able to avoid Martin’s mistake. There’s a reason they managed to complete their story while whether Martin will finish is a huge question mark.
rhard,
It’s these kinds of comments that I really don’t get. Not the fact that you didn’t enjoy season 8 – while I disagree with how you feel about the season, it’s your prerogative to decide whether you enjoyed it or not – but calling the show runners ‘cowards’? They devoted a decade of their lives to the show, and they were always consistent with how many episodes they said it would run. They told the story that they wanted to tell. If that story wasn’t to your liking then that’s a shame, but their job wasn’t to tell the story that *you* wanted.
I don’t post here very often, I like to just read the articles, but the vitriol in the comments section has been pushing me away from the site ever since season 8 ended, and I kind of want to say something about it. For me, when I see commentators personally attacking the show runners or the actors or the directors of whoever worked on the show, I don’t think it reflects very well on those commentators.
And I do get why people are unhappy. As fans, we invest massively in the show. After episode 3 aired I was miserable for most of the following week because it hadn’t matched my expectations for how I wanted to story to play out. It was only after a period of reflection that I realised I was the one at fault, not the episode, so I went back and watched it again, but this time on its own merits rather than my own expectations, and I found it to be brilliant. Instead of my favourite TV series making me unhappy because it wasn’t pandering to my wishes, I was able to watch it with a more open mind. Did I find it to be perfect? No, there are aspects I could critique, but critique and debate – and not liking something – is fine and what art is all about. Heck, it’s even making me re-think my initial reaction to The Last Jedi, which I disliked when I saw it at the cinema – but even though I was unhappy with it, I think the abuse dished out to Rian Johnson is just as wrong as the abuse Benioff and Weiss are getting. He told the story he wanted to tell and I respect that, even if I didn’t like it – and more power to the people who did like The Last Jedi. There’s more integrity in Rian Johnson making the Star Wars film he wanted, and in Benioff and Weiss telling the end of the story in the way they wanted, than just doing what the audience wants.
Would I have wanted a ninth or tenth season? Quite honestly I’m not sure I would have, simply because it would have ended up being dragged out. Maybe another episode or two in season 8 would have helped, I’ll accept that particular criticism of the show. But as it stands I think the series was able to build to a crescendo and end on its own terms, an ending that I personally found to be fantastic and enriching. But what disappoints me most is that those people who are turning the critique of the show toxic can’t see that some of us actually got a lot out of the show. I respect the fact that you personally may not have enjoyed season 8, and I defend your right to say that you didn’t enjoy it, but please show that same respect back to those of us who did enjoy it, and to the people who made the show.
I can’t tell you how many shows jumped the shark after a season or 2…. or after 4 or 5… For me, there was never a time when I felt GOT jts. I did notice a pretty big difference after they completed the existing books. But that difference wasn’t all bad to me. I thought D&D added a different tone with their own humor (for example the Dothraki’s dialogue). I had issues with certain decisions along the way, such as not showing certain things onscreen (i won’t go into the Waif fight again), but I never thought the show lost its stride where I couldn’t stand to watch it anymore. That’s what happens to a show when it jts. It happened to me on many many other series. I just couldn’t stand to watch it anymore, and I turned it off never to watch the series again…I won’t list them all here. I always loved watching GOT through to the end of season 8. Yeah, I wish I was part of the writing team to shout out my ideas, but I didn’t take that career path! That being said, I’ll never forget Arya surviving “The Bells” as ash rained down from above (and there are many many other never forget moments for me.)
Keith,
Tron79,
Very well said.
If they released a print of the dragons above the moonlit clouds from the midst of the battle in S8E3, I would be buying that no questions asked. Or at least included it in a calendar or something. Whew, one of the best scenes ever.
Love all of those people for being there. Small group, but some of my favourites for sure.
Well, how about that. Much less fun to report, I guess. 😉❤
Pigeon,
Oh yes, or a calendar. I loved watching those dragons grow through the seasons, the work put into the CGI to make the dragons real was amazing. Would love pics of them during different season
So much of the action in S8e3 was frenetic – on purpose – that I didn’t really soak it in the first time around. Here’s a clip that has the gorgeous scene of the dragons above the moonlit clouds. And of course, Arya and Sandor. 👸🏻🐓
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5EklvOGEUI
(0:22 – 1:06) Arya fights wights with DG tipped spear
(2:00 – 2:28) Sandor about to give up.
Beric: “Clegane! We need you!” Sandor impelled to keep fighting by seeing Arya battling.
Sandor: “…You can’t beat death.”
Beric (pointing to Arya): “Tell her that!”
(4:23 – 4:39) Dany and Jon on dragons above the moonlit clouds
please please folks (rhard) do not hit us all up with all the great material George had in the last two books that could have been used. I am fine with anyone upset with the last season. But it is incredibly disingenuous to throw that out there to the vast majority who have not read the books. First three were excellent and for most part done very well by DnD in the show. Last two books were not even mediocre. Be honest. They were not good. And no none of us wanted to see an Aegon plot that went nowhere which as reader could clearly see was the case. Thanks George for the waste of time. And not many of us were upset that DnD did not go through all the same shit for Tyrion as was in the books. Thanks for sparing us the dwarf shows and the character of Penny. Did DnD do a bad job on Dorne? Yep tried to salvage and wrap up all the terrible loose ends but who wants to cut the great Oberyn character which was the one great highlight of the books? They should have had 2 to 3 more episodes and not rush the last season and yeah this will taint it overall. But do not wax poetically on George having had all this great material not used. Simply not true. And if he had truly kept on writing well then ending would have been better flushed out but clearly they got a barebones sketch from him and thought they could finish it in 6 episodes waded in and were flat out wrong… And as for a different ending George initially said that they got all the broad strokes correct then backtracked later when he saw the fans response to the last season…
I know it’s in vogue to go GRRM bashing on this site in defense of two people who were brutally mocked by their own Hollywood peers over the last 48 hours….but you show me where GRRM ‘backtracked later when he saw the fans response to the last season’.
Maisie looked gorgeous!
Keith, I don’t know how anybody is being “disrespectful” but oh well for a general comment I wanna say I find it A a bit surprising how steadfastly positive this place is even when much of the rest of the internet did not have much praise, to put it mildly, regarding the last season.
Pigeon,
Luca,
Oh I wasn’t referring to the panel itself – I watched it all. Only a few boos but generally good natured. I was referring to the environment leading up to SDCC which perhaps prompted organisers to make it more structured and not take fan questions.
Young Dragon,
There’s a reason they managed to complete their story while whether Martin will finish is a huge question mark.
Very short:
– the story is not complete;
– the books are ready;
– the finale is not that bad (especially the first half); second half is kind of a mess… kind of…
– the same finale for the books makes no sense: “it’s not right”, it doesn’t feel right”. Long discussion here. You’ll see very soon, when the books will come out.
(to think that Martin is in mess now is very, very wrong. Since 1996 he had the whole story clear in his head. He knew since 1996 how Hodor became Hodor and he is confused in 2019??? Are you kidding me? He paused the books release until the series is over. Now the series is over.)
The dragons were fantastic – they captured the bird-like nature that I see in so many of the little feathery beasts that I rehabilitate. 😊
Just so beautiful.
No, I understand, I was referring to Nicolaj referring to how it’s a more attention grabbing headline to turn it into “actor bood!!!” 😆
Bood? Booed? Boo-d? 🤔🤔🤔🤯
rhard,
I am glad that they finished GoT now. For me, season 8 did not feel rushed (if you do not believe me, see my previous comments at this site).
More seasons would have meant also that probably some main actors would not have prolonged their contracts. They seem to be happy that it is now over. A lot of them reported how they struggled with the pressure and that they were exhausted. 20-25 episodes would have meant 3 to 5 more years, probably with different main actors which I would have found quite disruptive.
Regarding the source material of the books: If books 4 and 5 would have been faithfully adapted it would have meant the end of the TV show, in my opinion. I know a lot of people who struggled with reading these books. I did not but find book 4 and 5 not as good as 1 to 3. And there were really some plots which I hated and would have been awfully on-screen e.g.:
– Brienne wandering aimlessly around
– Tyrion in Essos watching turtles and wondering where whores go
– Penny and the circus troop
etc. etc.
I also do not share the love for Arianne. For me, Arianne was a cheap version of Cersei. Personally, found Arianne incredible stupid and boring.
I liked a lot of show-only stuff or things they changed like Tyrion’s journey through Essos, I loved the scenes in Old Valyria with Ser Jorah which never happened in the books. Two of my favorite episodes are show-only (6.10 Winds of Winter, 8.02 A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms), one of my two favourite season is season 6, also show-only. In season 2 one of the highlights were the scenes between Arya and Tywin, also show-only.
Ygritte,
I left communities of the GoT-fandom which are toxic and I know that other people did too. The only people who are writing there now are people who did not like season 8. Here it is still a little bit more positive and the reason why people who are more positive are still writing here. I also have the feeling that a lot of people have to reassure themselves again and again how justified there negative feelings about season 8 are. I wrote a lot in another forum the reactions regarding season 8 were mixed but now only the people who hated it are still writing. But other communities exist and have grown. People like me are now writing there.
The assumed internet-hate does not mean that season 8 was hated worldwide. WotW had an article about a survey regarding season 8 and it showed that season 8 was not as hated as some parts of the fandom want to believe.
orange,
They were so mocked by Hollywood that other writers nominated them for Outstanding writing.
Ygritte,
No matter what you think about S8, it’s pointless to be angry about something you can’t change.
All the little things promoted here are the reason why we got the ending that we got…
What story? This is a marketing success. This will be textbook case for studying a variety of subjects in the future, lol, including sociology and TV adaptation.
Still I don’t quite get how this report on the SDCC became a discussion about the books.
ADWD and its forerunner AFFC is a masterpiece. It’s a difficult book like all masterpieces. It’s all about character development and you can’t see where the characters stand after so much war, or are going in the future, without it.
It’s a book about ruling, patience, cooperation, justice, or the lack of it.
You won’t get what Tyrion is unless you see how resentful he is of people, when you see him interact with Penny and Young Griff. You do that in ADWD.
You don’t see what Dany is unless you reach the point where she decides that it’s ok to torture little children to get the results she wants; not unless you go through her line of thinking to end up at “if they are monsters, then so am I”.
You won’t ever understand Jon unless you see how cruel he can become with handling the babies, unless you see what a masterful negotiator he is. “What do you know of my heart, priestess”?
You won’t ever understand Jamie unless you read how he felt about Rhaegar. “My prince, please, take me with you”.
You won’t ever understand Sansa unless you get inside her head to think “oh, it would be so sweet to see him again”.
Or Arya, unless you see that she kills for Jon in Braavos.
The little they adapted from ADWD was poorly done and it was in line with the over-the-top sentimental and shock-value approach. Dany is a hero in her own mind, not for those parent’s children; Jon made grave mistakes and his murder was much more gruesome because he was literally stabbed in the back; and the girls always wanted their family back, and the farther they travel, the more they want to go home.
The repercussions of the poor adaptation are felt even in season 8. Arya travelling west of Westeros? Please, that was show-only invention. Arya wants her home and her family back, she wouldn’t leave just like that.
But the reason for the problematic adaptation of ADWD is not its complexity, it’s that D&D don’t do character development. They’re interested in the adventure and the shock and the unexpected twists, which is perfectly legit because they’re on TV, they’re not writers, and they are not addressing the book readers. Of all Martin’s characters they chose those that would be the “catch” of the show, Dany, Tyrion, Cersei, and put all they had on them for seven seasons. And then they ditched Cersei and that’s it.
The Dany and Tyrion show.
All the rest of Martin’s characters were simply accomodated.
What books? What story?
(sigh)
Pigeon,
Hahaha very true. There were a few outbursts when he defended Jaime’s plot but it was more amusing rather than “toxic.”
rhard,
I think HBO wouldn’t let a 10 episode season happen after the actors got paid already half the budget, if it were 10 episode the big stars would get around 80% of the budget. Meaning there is almost nothing left to give the show a real vibe. Of course HBO will make a public speech how they will give the creators this and that, because that’s how they make sure people will remain their subscriptions, and if the last season failed for many it make sure people will watch the prequels. If HBO would say: sorry guys we decided to give only 6 or 7 episodes per season. People wouldn’t watch the prequels.
As for 10 seasons, of course HBO wanted 10 seasons, of course they wanted 50 seasons or more. GoT was their cashcow, as long as GoT will make a lot of money, HBO wants more seasons. Same thing happen to other shows, but they were forced by their network. And those shows become horrible.
I agree with that I hoped Arianne and Griff would be in the show, but that’s not a problem of season 8. That’s a problem of season 5 till 7 which people seem to love more then 8.
orange,
They were mocked by people who needed to bump their own careers. Many peers of them who have careers that are running smoothly were praising them.
And nobody is bashing George. But I think it’s a fact that the show is done but the books are not. 8 years for a book to be made is long, that means there a problems to coming to a good ending. Unfortunately D&D didn’t have that luxury. HBO wanted a season every april, with lots of filming and editing meaning little time to write them, lot’s of hard working and stress. If George would have been under that pressure he would have been forced by his publisher to give them a book every 3 years.
Personally I don’t care the books are not done yet. Still having something look forward too, and George write as one of the best.
Iul,
If he already have finished the books it would be so wrong of him to not share his books with D&D what he had written. Personally I think he finished wow but is busy writing dos.
JessicafromMunich,
That’s also something that’s true. Many actors are done with the show. Wasn’t peter not one that stated season 8 needs to be where it ends no season after.
Look at this what if they made a season 9 but the following characters wouldn’t be in it (just speculation): Jon, Tyrion, Cersei.
How would season 9 look then? Or are we going to give the big stars 90% of the budget?
And also getting into every little detail can also be very bad writing, look at the walking dead, that needs to focus onto every little detail. Those 9 seasons could have been told in just 6 max with even 12 episodes a season instead of 16. It’s dragged to much, that could happen if it would have been 2 seasons of 10 episodes.
kevin1989,
Look how many actors left TWD after S8. I know it’s hard for fans to accept, but for a lot of people this is job.
Look how many roles Richard Madden got after he left GoT. And a lot of GoT actors are stuck with this story and these characters. Who knows how many roles they had to refuse because of GOT.
Emma Watson wanted to leave Harry Potter after 5th movie. As I said, it’s hard for some fans to accept that, but a lot of actors are not in love with the show like we are. They like it, but they don’t want GoT to become their entire life. A lot of them don’t even watch the show lol
Iul,
The story is complete, hence why the show is over. You say Martin was holding the books until GOT is over? Well, it’s over, and still no sign of them. I don’t know why people continue to think this. They have absolutely no evidence and Martin’s past writing behavior indicates that he is simply a slow writer.
kevin1989,
“Look at this what if they made a season 9 but the following characters wouldn’t be in it (just speculation): Jon, Tyrion, Cersei.
How would season 9 look then?”
_______
More Arya. Bring it on. 😋
It was good to see these brave few turn up to interact with the audience. Good for them!
I am glad that NCW had a bit of booing – good-natured or otherwise. He can now honestly say that he has taken some light wounds to defend this Season 8 and D&D. He has done his duty. He had some “exposure” due to previous comments and I think he has done enough that he should not have any penalty from D&D or others.
Do I think he thinks D&D made good creative choices in S8? That is another matter.
And, no. I do not think his years of feedback to D&D was because Jaime had a tragic arc. I found that viewpoint very useful when shared with me but not persuasive. (It did help me see another perspective.) Most actors will play almost any role. Their complaints are usually when the character starts behaving out of “character” and doing nonsensical things. Also as a creative himself, if NCW had a good relationship with D&D, he could have opined about storylines that are their “money shot.” Too late now.
Talking about Peter?
He must be working hard on other projects.
He has not said a word. Has he? He is the lead actor with 3 Emmys but he has simply carried on. Good on him!
And the jokes by others including Seth are to be expected. It is amusing! I think they know the ups and downs of this industry and take it in good humor. A good laugh will help everyone not become so defensive or angry.
“Money shot” in the sense that the storylines with big upside to make this series a success at the end.
Not money shot is any other sense. I know there are other usages.
That was one of the most annoying conspiracy theories of this fandom.
It’s not done. Accept that and read something else.
Efi,
why did you even watch the show then?
Wow, I can’t believe people were booing the panel, that’s ridiculous and annoys the hell out of me to be honest.
Jon Snowed,
I think they were booing when NCW said he was happy with Jaime’s ending. I don’t think people were booing the entire panel, but I can’t say for sure.
But she can’t have her family back. Her parents are dead, so are two of her brothers, and her other brother isn’t himself any more. I can’t see her being happy rattling around Winterfell with Sansa ruling the roost, can you? That just leaves Jon, and he’s left home too.
No, I think sailing west is perfectly consistent with Arya’s spirit. Independent and adventurous.
This is sad, but it is because negativity and hate spread faster then positivity. Seriously. This is how it works for everything.
I wasn’t there, but watching on YouTube it was just some boos because they wanted Jaime to end up with Brienne. It was a short thing and didn’t sound angry to me…
I get a kick out of NCW. My observation is that he puts some distance between himself as an actor and the idea of the show being like a family. Actors have to get used to shows ending and then going on to the next role. I think as a defense, they need to put some distance in. They enjoy the experience for what it is, and then it’s off to the next job and new role. If you think about it, it’s pretty rare for an actor to stay with the same role and cast for 10 years. This happens with actors on soap operas who get to stick around, but there are very few other cases where actors stay with a role that long. Actors can’t let themselves get that comfortable, because they need to be able to say goodbye and go to the next gig. I crack up at NCW because he admittedly knows very little about the actual show. He has trouble remembering which season his scene was in or even the names of the other characters. But he does take his role very seriously, and I think he’s a great actor. He’s able to act in the moment and make the most of his scenes (and then I think he lets them go). In one of his interview, a drama teacher asked him about his method. He didn’t really have one, but then he talked about research. I think he was thinking about his role in “Shot Caller” when he talked about researching what it was like to be in prison. I thought he was great in that movie btw.
Brave? seriously? haha come on.
Grandmaester Flash,
Exactly.. she is Nymeria!!!
Why?
I am happy to say a lovely group instead of brave.
I used “brave” because there have been a few comments here about toxic fans and D&D fearing for their safety.
Beyond that, I could easily have used another expression – no heavy sentiment behind the use of brave. So, not really seriously.
Nikolaj is always a joy to listen to on these, Conleth also. I really enjoyed hearing what they had to say and don’t blame them for not answering questions at the end. But oh boy! My co-worker who lives for Reddit’s free folk just told me it was all scripted and they all had to say that. I’d say I’m surprised but in today’s world some people are going to fabricate anything to make their opinion valid I suppose.
Even most of the people on this site who were unhappy don’t go to that extreme. Makes me really appreciate this place 🙂 He’s the type to get easily angered anyway and I’m sure with all fandoms that plays a huge role. I’ve long lost interest in TWD and felt season 3 of Stranger Things was redundant. But I’m all for letting people enjoy it if they liked it and won’t burden anyone with my opinion unless otherwise asked. Why ruin it for others with complaining or persuading? Let people enjoy it (or be unhappy with it) and move on in life.
…and I’m definitely going to have to splurge for that chess set!
Plus, it leaves the door open for an Arya spin-off a few years from now.
In the EW interview (I think), Liam Cunningham and Maisie Williams even half-joked about what it’d take to convince her to do a spinoff.
Of course, I’ve got my own fanfic scenario for Sandor to join her on her adventures. Abridged version:
(In rubble-strewn street of KL, Kinvara resurrects The Hound.)
Kinvara: “The Lord of light isn’t done with you yet, Sandor Clegane.”
Sandor: “Aw, for f*ck’s sake! What now?”
Nice way to throw in your opinion when you weren’t asked 🙂 lol. I’m just kidding.
I didn’t dislike season 3 of Stranger Things, but I’m not sure how much I enjoyed it either. They pretty much did away with all of the scares and suspense from the first season (and parts of season 2) and replaced it with comedy. I’m all for comedy, (and some of it worked), but, to me, it kind of made season 3 a parody of itself. IMO, the last episode saved the season and pulled it all together.
I do not watch any of these – no-one asked me, I know!!!
I just noted your final sentence on the ability/importance of the final episode, the ending, to frame a season.
Mr Derp,
Stranger Things did the same plot in all 3 seasons. I liked it, but internet strated hating TWD for this. I guess if they end the show with S4 not enough people will notice that lol
Characters are interesting, but it seems story has nowhere to go.
Yes, the end does set up sequels.
If they had made Deanerys and Jon leave together (alive!) on Drogon to find their red door in Valyria or elsewhere – that might have had set up some great fan reception for a sequel. No, I have no idea how the story would have worked to do that – just that it would be popular. More popular than Arya and Sansa in sequels.
Arya should have taken Gendry and Hot Pie on her boat. Hot Pie can cook. And maybe she can think of a few things for Gendry to do.
Mr Derp,
I really thought about that irony too! *and goes on to talking about it* I agree, it was like a parody of itself. It was still fun to watch and me and my husband had to chuckle at the end with Family Video since we still go to the one by us.
Gfx,
Maybe your friend means they would need to think of their careers as they spoke – like any other industry.
They are saying goodbye on behalf of their show, they needed to be as positive as possible.
Has anyone seen Peter Dinklage lately?
I think this will happen at some point. Even GRRM said that he wants to write Arya’s murder mistery set in Braavos, covering events 10 year after the end of ASOIAF.
It can be show with clear main character and only one storyline with occasional cameos from big GoT stars, like Sophie, Peter, Isaac, Liam and so on. Even Kit.
They don’t even need large budget for that.
I’m sure Jane Goldman’s show won’t be the last show set in ASOIAF world. 10 years from now we will still be watching some GoT content. I expect GoT to become big TV franchise.
Mango,
You’re always welcome to chime in. I do feel bad going off topic 🙂
mau,
I had no idea people started hating TWD. This is the only fandom I really stay on top of I suppose.
Gfx,
Liking TWD is the biggest crime on Reddit for years now. lol
I mean internet eventually turns on every show that lasts long enough. I already saw popular videos on YT criticizing Stranger Things. If the show lasts more than 2 more seasons it will turn into hate-fest, like it happened with House of Cards after S3.
Especially is people start to make theories for what will happen in the future, or theories about The Upside Down. Fan theories are cancer of every fandom. We saw that with Lost, GoT and Star Wars. Even Westworld.
I’ve never watched TWD, but it seems like that show is at the point where it needs to have an ending. You can only string people along with a work of fiction so far before they lose interest. GoT is a very rare exception. It seems like TWD is going to have them walking forever without an ending. IMO, shows need to work towards an ending otherwise it’s worth asking what the point of continuing the story is. I get the sense that’s where TWD is right now.
As far as Stranger Things season 4 goes, as long as Eleven doesn’t turn into the mad queen then I’ll be sticking with that show. It has gotten somewhat repetitive, but I still enjoy what I’m watching. At the end of the day, that’s what it’s all about.
mau,
You say conspiracy theory. I have very clear indications that is true and it makes sense. I don’t want to convince anyone. It would take more time than until the books will be released.
For some, the story is complete, for me it is definitely not. It is fine.
I can’t wait until next year when Winds of Winter will be released.
Why do some people take for granted the official statements ? Almost the entire Westerosi history was false in so many aspects. Why do some people think that GoT spoiled the ending of A song of Ice and Fire ?
That would mean no big surprises in the remaining books. Is that something we expect from GRRM ?
That’s true. Ratings started to fall in S6. S9 had lower ratings than S1.
But source material was finished recently, so I think it’s expected that show will be over after S11 or S12.
And I think Stranger Things is close to asking this question – is there a point of this story or it just goes on because it’s popular? I don’t see what the climax of the story will be? Even bigger monster? Lord of all monsters?
Mango,
He meant word for word scripted but I do agree that they would for sure keep it on a positive note. I thought the opinions were genuine though. Even Jacob Anderson’s comical reply to why Greyworm didn’t kill Jon Snow was great. Light-hearted and funny but still an honest answer of “I don’t know.”
mau,
I’m looking ahead five or ten years from now, turning on my TV and hearing Maisie Williams’s voice at 9:05 PM:
“West. The final frontier. These are the voyages of the Stark ship Nymeria. Its five-year mission: To explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations.
To boldly go where No One has gone before.”
#MakeItSo
mau,
Man I sure am out of the loop lol. Makes me glad I stayed away from other places to be honest.
I just saw a cool trailer for another HBO series coming soon and I’m already preparing to enjoy it by myself and look nothing up on it haha. I’m half joking but also not.
100% this! And how many times do GRRM and D&D have to say that the endings for the main characters are consistent with the books? George has had this worked out for many many years. It’s the details of how he’ll get there, and in many of the supporting characters and plot lines that are very not set in stone.
Ten Bears,
I think in her spin off show Arya will go all over the world, not only west of Westeros.
Gfx,
Every fandom ruins experience if you don’t learn how to just turn some people off lol First time it happened to me was Harry Potter. Just constant whinging about director David Yates, writer Steve Kloves and ofc Michael Gambon and his Dumbledore lol.
But TWD is still more popular in it’s 9th season than Better Call Saul, so this shows the amazing strength of that show. I’m sure AMC will give it 3 more seasons at least.
mau,
I could see that. Most people I know who still watch TWD have no complaints. It’ll be interesting to see if the GoT prequel series will have as large of a following.
I hope not lol
But they need less than 20% of GoT audience to still be the biggest HBO show at the moment. This really shows how insanely popular GoT was.
I expect E1 to be the biggest debut in HBO’s history, beating that record from 2016 and Westworld’s first season.
The rest depends on Jane Goldman’s writing.
I knew a number of people that hated the second version of Dumbledore. Some people just can’t handle change for some reason, though, I admit, I preferred the first Dumbledore, but I didn’t dislike the second either. I just hated the juicy-mouth thing he had going on every time he spoke.
Mango,
Okay thank you for clarifying.
Because I dont think they needed bravery to be there. I think they are all proud of the show till the very end.
Soo happy they didn’t go with that.. that would have made no sense to either character hahaha
Watchmen? Or his dark materials?!?!?! I’m excited for BOTH!!!!!!!
Mr Derp,
The same fake stories and narratives that we now hear in GoT fandom were there in HP fandom as well. Like complaints that Michael Gambon didn’t read the books. Which was true, but Richard Harris didn’t either and no one cared. Majority of actors haven’t.
Or taking his jokes how he just plays himself seriously. Every fandom is the same lol. And that fandom was filled with children, so it made it worse.
And ofc stories how JK Rowling hates the movies. And when she supported them it must be that WB forced her.
So just replace D&D BAD with DAVID YATES BAD.
Dee Stark,
his dark materials looks interesting.
mau,
Yes it does, I am going to watch that for sure.
Dee Stark,
His Dark Materials! Watchmen looks good too, I liked the movie.
I would actually pay a subscription to CBS All Access for that one!
The Starkship Nymeria has a really nice ring to it! That’s awesome.
New interview with Maisie about Arya’s spin off show.
‘I can hand-over-my-heart say that I don’t think there’s going to be a spin off,’ Maisie said. ‘The show was only what it was because of David [Benioff] and Dan [Weiss], the show’s creators.
‘They brought me into this world and it would be strange to do something without them.
‘But I do think playing Arya again would be wonderful. I miss her a lot. I think the show needs to stew for a little bit, but maybe a ways down the road?’
‘I don’t want to sign another ten year contract for awhile. A lot of TV is incredible right now but those shooting schedules are just wild.’
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-7272691/Maisie-Williams-rules-Game-Thrones-spin-off.html –
mau,
“… But I do think playing Arya again would be wonderful. I miss her a lot. I think the show needs to stew for a little bit, but maybe a ways down the road?’
‘I don’t want to sign another ten year contract for awhile. A lot of TV is incredible right now but those shooting schedules are just wild.’”
__________
“Maybe a ways down the road” is good enough for me right now!
Memo to HBO: Start loading up the Brink’s truck with 💰💰💰.
In somewhat related news, at SDCC CBS All Access released a “Star Trek: Picard” trailer.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eHrWlFO2cJw
Several nice surprises in it, including appearances by 7 of 9 (Jeri Ryan) and Data (an aged-down Brent Spiner).
Star Trek fans are geeking out.
mau,
PS Thank you for the info! I’m always interested in news about the ASNAWPiverse.
Ten Bears,
My sentiments exactly! And realistically that’s what I would expect right now. I do like that Maisie didn’t immediately shoot it down, however. That’s encouraging! Who knows.. 10 years down the road maybe Benioff and/or Weiss want to return to this world with Arya. I mean.. Benioff did want to name his second daughter Arya. 🙂
So do we, Maisie. So do we!
#ASNAWP
I would like to watch the new ST:P show but there’s no way in hell I’m paying for their service!
We can only hope and desire for a Arya sequel series. It’s fun to imagine the possibilities… even with the belief it will never happen. I like to see a lot of similar genre programs in the works right now, but I’m also hoping that they can make them good enough to keep the interest strong.
mau,
What do you mean? Why did D&D get mocked by Hollywood? I don’t understand.
JemFX,
It was a joke.
mau,
You just made my day! I’d definitely tune in for that!
ASNAWP 👑
It looks like they turned off that video. The link isn’t working, but sounds great if Jeri Ryan is in it too. I will admit that Jeri Ryan was one of the main reasons I kept watching Voyager! They did have a few great 7 of 9 centric episodes where they upped the production level, such as the Dark Frontier two parter.
I do hope someone approaches Maisie in a year (or less) about a spinoff. I know from her interviews that it was a relief that she wasn’t under such a long term contract anymore, and she was looking forward to having freedom to try new things. I love that I read on other posts here that she said she already misses Arya and would consider it. I would be the first to jump at seeing where “No One has gone before”…
I will also watch the new Picard series.
Speaking of Star Trek and GOT, I went into the best little store when I was visiting Berlin a couple of weeks ago. They had GOT, Star Wars, Harry Potter and probably a few other things in this cool little store. The guy at the counter and the lady who helped me were both covered with tattoos, but now I’m sorry I didn’t look at them closer to see if any had GOT themes. They were both really nice to me even though I didn’t speak a word of German. They had a ton of GOT jewelry and other collectibles. Anyway, I got a GOT thing for me to take home and a Star Trek com badge for a friend of mine. So yes, sometimes GOT and Star Trek go together!
mau,
You intentionally misrepresented what I said, which is a common tactic you like to use in an attempt to argue a point. I clearly said ‘the last 48 hours’ in my post, meaning at Comic Con this past weekend, which is true, as they were the butt of jokes in multiple panels by mulitple people something that was even pointed out by EW a friendly ally of HBO. I never made any blanketed statement about them not being nominated for awards, so the response to me is pointless.
By the way Liam Cunningham liked a post that called Benioff and Weiss cowards for not attending. I guess it’s time to not like him anymore.
Ten Bears,
Ten Bears,
You are the best commenter here! Thank you for your persistence!
orange,
Which multiple panels?
rhard,
jesus, give it a bloody rest already. your opinion does not equal fact.
Iul,
It took 5 years to complete Feast, 6 years to complete Dance, and it’s going on 8 years to complete Winds. His writing pace has slowed down considerably. There is absolutely no indication that he has already completed Winds. In fact, all evidence points to the exact opposite, including blog posts from Martin himself shooting down the idea. Besides, the show is over now. If that was what Martin was waiting for, why hasn’t he announced a release date yet?
The show won’t spoil the books completely, but it will spoil some of the big events and reveals that will occur. Sure, the journey may be different, but it will still be a lesser reading experience than if I didn’t know what was coming.
orange,
I only saw that Seth Rogen took shots at D&D, which I find to be very strange. I would think that writing The Green Hornet would disqualify anyone from criticizing anyone else’s writing. Who else criticized D&D?
And how do you know Liam Cunningham liked a post? Sources, please.
Young Dragon,
He has announced some sort release date, he stated a while back that when he comes to New Zealand (that’s july 2020) that if winds is not lying in the stores by then that they have the right to throw him in jail when he arrives there.
It’s a bold statement. And he missed multiple deadlines so it’s safe to assume that he is already finished with winds. But we know from Martin that he won’t released the book once he written around 200 pages of the next book, so he knows that his endings per character are the right chapter.
source: his blog, it was a while back that he was invited to that sport event he like that happen in NZ.
Young Dragon,
Personally I never found Seth Rogen to be funny, his jokes are told more funny by others. And I found him very annoying in Arrested Development when he was in season 4 and 5. And as you state somebody who haven’t written anything worthwhile shouldn’t throw stoned to one that did. Even if season 8 is the mess some say, D&D at least wrote 7 amazing seasons (for me 8). But I think it’s more likely that it was a easy way to get fans again and be relevant again. We are talking about him. So it’s probably a career-boost, not because of the amazing work you did yourself but by making fun about somebody else.
orange,
The actors did what they had to do at Comic Con.
I am sure each of them is proud of their own acting work and GOT as a series. It made some wealthy and well-known. This is great for them!
They are constrained in how frankly they can speak about the writing and D&D. It is important to their careers they do not show open dissent.
However, if you are a betting person, they have said enough to us to understand how they feel. Raliegh Richie (GW) gave a good-natured “whatever” response when asked about GW. Isaac was jolly when asked about ruling. They communicated their own predicament that they are actors paid to deliver what they got to deliver and are professional and completely OK doing that. I think NCW is sincere as well in the sense that what the script has re Jaime is perfect as all scripts by definition are perfect once the bosses make it clear this is what is to be done. I have felt the same way about all the final instructions from my bosses. Do it and get on with it if you want a career.
It will be years before we know what they think – if we ever do. Both Liam and NCW have defended fans in various tweets and “likes”. Two days ago NCW posted a long video clip of himself and his new Breinne doll sitting in his home. Both NCW and GC has been liking “Jaime/Brienne” tweets for years. NCW did interviews at the end of S7 about Jaime/Cersei – we know what he thinks. Two weeks ago, NCW’s stand-in, Matt, made some comments about the actors resigned acceptance of the S8 script and was shut down by HBO lawyers.
The actors need to keep their eyes on the long term. They did their bit.
Well, except for Peter Dinklage that has offered nothing yet. The entire panel flew here from Europe. Peter lives in USA and so far made no effort to support S8. He can do that given where his career stands – he is ok, whatever happens.
Mango,
Peter wasn’t very involved over the years, i think he only did one Comic con. dont think it has anything to do with season 8 that you havent heard from him
Lena…well, she is a wild one but she has been supportive as well. She did a Comic Con in Germany . She did say she wanted a different death for Cersei, besides that she also did her bit.
Peter does keep a private self and I know that his non-appearance is not any indicator how he feels about S8.
He seems to have a strong relationship with D&D and probably knew what the script had for the longest time. He may even be fine with it. It certainly has lots of good Emmy bait for him. If he cares – his arc is a bit ludicrous but his character turns out fine. I do not think all this means that much to him – it was a job and he is done. He has wanted to leave GOT for awhile if the industry gossip is to be believed.
Having said that, he is the real “lead’ of the series and has a good reputation in the USA. Given the furor, his participation at the SDCC this year would have had a positive impact of everyone seeing Dink supporting the Season and more importantly PLUS taking the time to say good-bye to the fans at the end of GOT.
I am sure he will say positive things when he appears for the Emmy publicity work and events.
Young Dragon,
GoT was the biggest show in history, which means everyone watched it, which means celebrities watched it, which means even some celebrities didn’t like it. Nothing strange. Stephen King liked the last season for example. He even said he loved it.
And I think D&D care far more for public support (in form of tweet lol) they got after finale from Bob Iger, who is the most powerful person in entertainment industry.
kevin1989,
Guy from CinemaBland who was covering Comic Con said he felt sorry for crew of Preacher, because their panel was after GoT’s and everyone left the hall. So I suppose they were just salty people don’t care about that show. I mean the main news from their panel were their rants about GoT. Nothing about their show, but about GoT.
If that’s not desperate, I don’t know what is. lol
Mango,
ya I dont think he needed to be at SDCC to try and defend GOT or any of the writing.
They put the Preacher panel in hall H after GoT? I’d be surprised if they could scrape even a few dozen from their meager viewership to show up and also have interest in the panel.
Clob,
Yeah. They had to talk about GoT so anyone would even report about that panel.
Ten Bears,
Have I told you lately how much I have enjoyed your comments, you always make me laugh~ Would love that!
Young Dragon,
I’m glad you believe that. You’re in for a surprise!
Iul,
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Winds_of_Winter#Publication_history
april 2019: In April 2019, Martin commented in an interview that the writing “has been going very well lately”,[67] and in May he jokingly told his blog readers that if he did not have a copy of The Winds of Winter in hand for 2020 Worldcon New Zealand, Air New Zealand has his permission to imprison him on New Zealand’s White Island until he finishes it.[68]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dddPmvuTQF0&t=573
http://georgerrmartin.com/notablog/2019/05/21/thanks-new-zealand/
Young Dragon,
Lesser experience. Terrible take. That kind of attitude makes one think that you probably downvoted the movie Titanic because history spoiled some of the big items for you and more than likely don’t read a book more than once… Lesser experience my ass.
kevin1989,
July 2020 is by no means official, so I don’t count that as a release date. Besides, it’s more than a year away. If Martin had truly finished Winds awhile ago and was waiting for the show to end, what is he waiting for now? Why not release it in a couple months?
Iul,
What surprise? It’s been 8 years, so even if he announced he was finished tomorrow, I wouldn’t be shocked. But that in no way means he had already written the book and was waiting for the show to end. If he had, we would have heard about it by now.
TormundsWoman,
I watch visual portrayals of historic events for the same reason I watch adaptations of books I’ve read. It’s a different medium and gives me a different experience. It’s not the same thing.
I reread books all the time, and guess what? The first time is always the best, making my rereads a lesser reading experience. That’s not to say I don’t enjoy my rereads, only that they can’t compare to the first time.
Young Dragon,
Lesser experience and different experience on a rearead is highly different. Second time reading is highly rewarding for me on its own. Many things I might have missed the first time, old shoe wonderful familiarity experience like enjoying an excellent cappuccino by the same coffeehouse type of thing. Experience the thrill of a good read that is coming, anticipating the exciting new scene that I know is in the next few pages. It’s not lesser by any degree.
Maybe for you a lesser experience is good. I’d be stopping at page 5 with such a heartwarming review:
“I read Asoiaf and it was a good 3 first books while I didn’t enjoy the last two and don’t recommend those. I do recommend the first three though especially as on a reread they can provide a lesser experience that you can enjoy” – review provided by Young Rascal
I think did not listen to the entire Seth Rogen session – but from what little I saw, I think he actually started by self-deprecating that his “Small potatoes” Preacher was following the mighty GOT. It was a bit of self-mockery that few would be interested in his session. Then noted that at least he came to his session.
The interviewer asked him if Preacher would provide a more satisfying ending than GOT. Seth ignored that, repeating that he actually turned up and avoiding saying he could do any better. He then went on the comment on the ending that he thinks D& regret making Bran king. He did get very mischievous by saying he was happy to answer GOT questions as well. He was asked about Jaime/Cersei and answered by saying it was a mistake. In all fairness, none of his remarks were surprising or malicious. I do not think it was a professional attack, just joshing.
TormundsWoman,
Re-reading can be an extremely rich experience.
It is also different if you re-read close to your first reading compared to if you read it years later as you yourself should/may have changed.
TormundsWoman,
Yes, rereads do have their merits, as I would pick up on hints and clues that I missed before. However, my first read is always superior to my rereads. There is nothing quite like reading a really excellent story for the very first time. I know that some of you care more about the journey than the end, but for me, the beginning, journey, and end are all equally important. That is why when/if Martin finishes the story, while I will still probably enjoy it, I would have enjoyed it more if GOT hadn’t spoiled the ending.
Young Dragon,
I think he is still writing his 200 pages from DoS so he knows where he wants to cut the story. He does that with every book. And if he had or hasn’t finish it already doesn’t matter. What matters is when it hits the shelves for us to read.
But I think his book will be finished before july 2020 simply because he stated a while back that he will not make a prediction anymore because he never got his deadlines on time. And that we will only do that if he knows that he will make it.
And if his books are finished you asked why he wouldn’t put his books to the stores right now? 1. People are still upset about the ending of the show. Better too let them cool off before showing us the books. 2. If it is true he had already finished the books and hbo made him (which I doubt so let’s make that clear) he must let it look hbo didn’t asked that off him so releasing just after the show ends is not that smart of a move.
3. I think it’s smart for winds to be released just before the promotion of the prequel. That way it will promote each other and saves promotion costs.
Grandmaester Flash, Dee Stark, Ten Bears–well said all about Arya’s spirit. I like to think Gendry is waiting in the bunk. But even if he’s not, all her life Arya never knew what her ‘vocation’ was, just that she had one. I think she discovered it when she got on that boat to Braavos, and it was not being an assassin. Some people are seduced by the allure of the sea. Queen Nymeria, Columbus, and Arya’s greatest literary counterpart were all seagoers for a while, but ultimately came home to family. Watch her in 4.10 and 8.06 as she moves forward on the deck and the camera stays on her for a moment then draws back towards the stern showing her steady at the prow as the ship moves forward. Excitingly, this ship has Stark sails. It’s perfect bookending, and a perfect ending for her: Queen of the Seas. Long may she reign. ASNAWP.
BrianAu,
It is known. AFFC but especially ADWD were indeed mediocre. Both were also plagued with long, boring stretches. GRRM could not control his world-building when he should have been getting his Essos characters back to Westeros and getting on with the Game and the war against the Others. And fAegon had “red herring” screaming from with every chapter he appeared in. Dorne was mildly better than the show version. A key virtue of the telly series is the sense of an ending. I found the Englame results acceptable if rather rushed, but…at least we have closure. The show is over. God bless the show.
Oh, I dunno, Dorne was pretty awful in the book too.
I know Arianne has her fans, but I didn’t like her (OK, we don’t have to like all the characters). As for her plot ….
George fell into his usual trap of overdoing it – Arianne has too many friends, Quentyn has too many travelling companions, there are too many Sand Snakes.
I think one of the problems with the show Dorne was that they couldn’t resist being allowed to film in the Alhambra, but the time they were allowed there was too limited. So it was rushed and not as well done as it could have been without the time constraints.
A pity, but both versions ended up like “Let us not go to Dorne, it is a silly place”.
Stark Raven’ Rad,
For me Dance is my favorite book, followed by SoS. I loved Griff story and Theon story was amazing in Dance, it made me feel a lot. Bran had his best chapters there. I liked Dorne a lot and Iron Island story, both are my favorite parts of Westeros when it comes to Story. Arianne is one of my favorite. Cersei story from Feast was even better in Dance which I found one of the most interesting part of the whole saga.
The only problems I had with those 2 books was:
1. The split. But if I reread I read the combined version.
2. Dany’s story. It was too stretched for me. It could have been told with 3 or 4 less chapters.
3. The build up from Dance is moved to Winds. That should have been in Dance. And that could have been avoided if he didn’t split the story, or if he had more chapters in feast.
4. As much as I liked Arianne, I think it’s a shame he didn’t tell the whole story through her eyes in Dorne. Same with Iron Islands. Victorion and Asha should have been the only 2 characters there.
Grandmaester Flash,
The problem is that the books had an amazing Dorne plot about crowning a queen, that wasn’t about killing a princess but about given her power to take revenge. It was a very interesting storyline. Especially where it ended in feast. Fire and blood. It had great build up and a great ending. the show wanted Dorne to be action-full. And about revenge by death. They also wanted Jaime to do something outside of KL. That’s where the problem in the show lies. If they had given the Dorne story at the end of season 5 and in season 6 ending like the show did with fire and blood, and did the same with the Iron Islands. Given them the second part of season 5 and the rest in 6. I think those 2 stories were much better received by viewers.
Kevin1989,
But because book readers are upset, that makes them crave the books more. Show only fans who were upset may now pick up the books hoping for a “better” ending. Book sales will not be impacted due to the polarizing final season, so I see no reason not to release it now.
HBO asking Martin to withhold the books is an utterly ridiculous theory that has no basis in reality. Martin said so himself, so there’s no way he’ll try and justify such nonsense by allowing it to affect the release of his book in any way.
It would have made much more sense for him to release it in conjunction with the show ending. Before you say that the polarizing season may have affected this, release dates are revealed months in advance. There was no way he could have predicted the backlash.
To be honest, I don’t know why I get so worked up about this. Maybe I’m just sick of fans placing all the blame on HBO/D&D and always letting Martin off the hook.
Young Dragon,
Martin stated that the ending will roughly be the same. And it’s not only about getting the upset readers, also about the non-upset people who will want to read the books. And personally if the books were out now I would wait half a year until I read it. A want something else first then back to Westeros.
And it’s done before. JK rowling delayed one of her books a couple of months because it was too close to one of her movies. Or better stated, her publisher. The publisher know more about when people will read faster the books and when not.
As for the theory. It’s not really that dumb of a theory, if you know how business works. It’s all about the money. It’s the same with technology. The TVs on the market right now were already made a decade ago, but they release it step by step because of people wanted to buy every single step. It’s something new every time, it makes money for the companies. If it was released in one go it would only give them money one time. And that counts for every business. Also books and tv-shows. Lot’s of people would wait with the books once the show took over, or visa versa. Reading 2 different stories in one sitting is not what people want at least not all. And there are many more psychological factors. Do I think GRRM finished his books and waited? No, I don’t think his publisher would go with that. Do I think the theory is possible? Yes, if it would get out it is true, I’m not shocked, and I understand their business reasoning.
And I’m talking about Winds here. Talk about his whole story is done writing is not possible because then you are 100% right, it would have been a dumb move not to release both between season 7 and 8.
As for blame. Nothing is to blame in my opinion for the ending of GoT. D&D did a wonderful job with the budget, restrictions, time limit etc to shoot. The crew and cast were also amazing. As for GRRM, personally I wished he would have focused more on the main story, instead of every side story and other sagas. But for me even he is without blame. We don’t know what is happening inside his head, and that’s important to write a book. I’m still behind GRRM fully, like I’m 100% behind D&D. both are amazing in their medium.
ash,
Awww. Shucks. Thanks!
(*blushes*)
Lisa Stark,
Thank you too!!!
Somewhat off-topic, though I still say Rory McCann should’ve been nominated for an Emmy…
I always like callbacks and “bookends.” I noticed that Rory McCann’s very first GoT scene – his audition (circa 2010), and his very last appearance in S8e5 (2019), have The Hound bark the attention-grabbing line: “Look at me!”
—————–
Rory McCann audition
0:58 and 3:51 “Look at me!”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_jdCTuMbN_c
__________________
Sandor & Arya last scene (S8e5)
at 0:46 – 0:48: “Look at me!”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3DgACkATLvA
Sandor: “Go home, girl. The fire will get her, or one of the Dothraki. Or maybe that dragon will eat her. It doesn’t matter. She’s dead. And you’ll be dead too if you don’t get out of here.”
Arya: “I’m going to kill her!”
(Arya starts walking to go after Cersei when Sandor grabs her by the arm, and tries to talk to her about the corrosive effect of revenge.)
Sandor: “You think you wanted revenge a long time? I’ve been after it all my life. It’s all I care about. And look at me…”
(Arya still looks towards her target with anger on her face.)
Sandor (brusquely, finally getting her attention): “Look at me! You want to be like me?”
(He gently cradles her neck, looks into her eyes and speaks earnestly)
Sandor: “You come with me, you die here.”
(Her expression changes completely. Anger melts away into innocence and compassion. As Sandor walks away, Arya calls after him..)
Arya: “Sandor! … Thank you.”
What absolute idiots to go to a comic con and boo the cast, that’s totally disrespectful but sadly a sign of our Trump/Brexit empowered times where people can act in this manner without concern. I can accept some criticism of the season 8 writing but the cast were superb throughout the series and dedicated a decade of their lives to our enjoyment.