I know what some of you must be thinking: One episode, Unca Axey? And it’s true, we’ve never bent the knee to any actor or actress who was ever one-and-done before, much less one-and-done in less than half an episode. There was hardly time to blink; there she was, and then there she wasn’t…
(…and then there she was again.)
But this isn’t about screen time or length of stay. No, this is simply about one woman who (with initial skeptical eyebrow raised) strode into our collective lives and won us over, stealing our attentions as easily as a spearwife might steal a prospective mate–boldly and with weapons bared in the cold light of day–with nary a thought of the shattered hearts she left in the wake of Karsi’s brutal passing.
In that short time she showed us all we needed to know: strength, poise, and a killer knack for dual-wielding with the short-blade and what seemed to be a cross between Gaul-era Druid sickle / ice-pick… thing…
Oh, and a desperate love for children (for both her own and others’) that proved to be her ultimate undoing. Karsi was a chieftainess who clearly cared for all, going so far as to rush back into the teeth of danger in order to aid the elderly and infirm, and I was left wondering if a few of those wight kiddies were children she recognized from her own tribe. To me, Karsi was all about family–and not just her own. Karsi’s love seemed to extend to the whole of her tribe, and beyond.
And though we mourn Karsi’s passing, Birgitte Hjort Sørensen is not done. Not by a longshot. Some already recognized her from Shakespeare’s Coriolanus, where she played Virgilia opposite Tom Hiddleston’s lead, or Katrine from Borgen, or–most recently–as the villainous Kommissar in this year’s massive hit, Pitch Perfect 2.
Lover, wife, mother, ice-queen, Birgitte can play them all. And though we bid farewell to Karsi, Birgitte will surely be seen again. Her star burned bright and true, and she left us only wanting more.
Thank you, Birgitte. From the bottom of our chilled hearts. Karsi was only with us a short moment, but you will be with us forever.
Give ‘er your love, Gatewatch!
Y’all know the rules for Curtain Calls. This is about celebrating the character and actor in question.
That is all.
Amazing write-up for an amazing character and actress. Also Birgitte is really beautiful.
Wonderful actress. I look forward to seeing her in the new HBO project she’s involved with. I was really rooting for her character to survive even though she was doomed from the moment she told the kids she was right behind them. 🙁
Amazing actress. She made an incredible impression over the course of just half an episode. I miss her already.
I saw her in “Kraftidioten” (In Order of Disappearance) a few months ago. A Norweigan film starring Stellan Skarsgard, very much like a combination of Fargo/Taken. Highly recommended.
Great actress, but you knew she’d die when she said to her children that she was right behind them.
GoT created its own clichés, they need to watch out, because the series is getting more and more predictable.
Val!….I mean Karsi! We hardly knew ya! I wish she could have been saved. Can Mel revert the undead?
Thx, Birgitte, for your contributions! You represented the wildling leadership well.
Might need to do another curtain call for her later, as we saw her rise up as an undead. Maybe her time on the show is not through after all 😀
Sue the Fury,
What other projects is she involved in HBO with?
Oh, no love for Loboda ?
Gush much? I was pleasantly surprised by Loboda. Hated his look preseason but he was a good dumb character. Did they not have experience with or knowledge of WWs & wights or whatever?
Arkash,
Is that the Thenn ?
Arkash,
I was rooting for him in the end and just like Karsi, I fookin hate Thenns!
As for Karsi, marvelous acting and amazing to have us so invested in her in such a short time! I fear she will be back though. She’s not dead Axechucker, just undead. And she’ll be right behind her children…
She is beautiful and has that tough Norwegian Viking look.
I honestly thought we had another major female player at the wall, was hoping she’d live. Was kind of excited she was being added, so I thought.
She is an amazing actress and made every tiny second of her screen time work.
Awesome character and awesome actress! It’s writing for characters like Karsi that made the Hardhome sequence so emotional and relatable. This is the first time I’ve seen Birgitte in anything; I sure will keep a lookout for her from now on.
Yeah, this puzzles me somewhat. I loved the characters of both Karsi and Loboda and I thought Zachary Baharov did exceptionally well too. I mean Jon was all badass killing the WW, but imagine if Loboda had not been there at all. He took charge, closed the gates and fought and sacrificed himself to give others (and dragonglass) a chance. Yet almost a total silence about the character and actor…….
Kind of off topic, but I was wondering if Grey Worm is actually dead? You never did a curtain call for him but he hasn’t been seen or mentioned since the scene where Missandie kisses him on the bed. That felt like a farewell kiss to me
Kellie is Coming,
Haha came here to say the same thing. We f***in’ hate Thenns.
Arkash, Kay,
Honestly, I was on the fence with Zachary Baharov. My second (and third) viewing of the episode showed me how strong he was; in fact, Loboda had just as much of a story arc as Karsi did. Fookin’ hate the Thenns or not, he was fantastic.
If I get enough of a cry from the smallfolk for it, I’ll do one up for him as well.
That’s both weird and completely correct.
She only appeared for an episode and she immediately caught my attention as a great character! But yeah, we all saw what happened next…Haha~
I was a fool to think she’d make it.
Axechucker,
Might there be a Rattleshirt/Lord of Bones curtain call too? Has anyone asked for that yet?
Hah! It could be the first curtain call for a re-casted role! Would we need to honor both actors? 🙂
Oh, and just to echo the common sentiment…Fuckin’ hate the (show)Thenns!
Hodor’s Bastard,
Doh, I can’t believe I forgot the recasting. I think it’s the mask making me careless.
Rat Kook,
Only problem with Rattleshirt is that he’s been played by two different actors.
Edit: And I’m late!
She’s really making a break in “Hollywood”, good for her. I’ve seen her in several roles, those mentioned in the post and by commenters, always memorable. Thank you, Birgitte!
Yeah, I loved her wise, world-weary, world-wary advice; the way she was a distinct personality, yet not so ego-driven that she couldn’t ask questions to get to the bottom of the dilemma. Obviously, a combination of excellent writing and even more excellent delivery by the actress. I was sure she was going to be a new favorite of mine. Sigh.
Axey, any idea on the proper pronunciation of the actress’ name? First name I think I have “Burr geet a.” But middle and last names, no clue on how to say them. Can you help? Have you heard her name actually voiced somewhere?
I actually love the Thenns. Styr was probably one of the best few-episode roles and Yuri did a great job. Zachary was also good. But Soerensen did the best female tertiary role. Just impressive!
She is HILARIOUS in Pitch Perfect 2!
A great actress.
Then we are fools together.
Loved that line, too.
The obituary is for Karsi but Bigitte is not done with GOT as I had suspected it. Just saw her twitter! And that is very, very, very good news… Karsi is dead, long live Birgitte in GOT… Looking forward to it
Loboda was great, yeah. Zahary Baharov did a very good job as well.
Thank you for this, Axey! She was worthy. And I agree with what others have said, I was sad they set up her death so predictably. The actress is brilliant – she and Flula made PP2 more enjoyable when my tween made me take her to it.
And even though Karsi’s sweat may not smell like cinnamon (c’mon, hardhome?) Birgitte is physically perfect and commanded her scenes.
I’m bummed we didn’t get to enjoy her longer.
I really liked her. Like many, I expected her to become a major character, and I was really sad when she died. My mom was pretty upset too.
I think it’s amazing how they were able to create a character so many people loved in just half an hour. Major props to D&D, and of course Birgitte!
And yeah, I think Zachary Baharov deserves a Curtain Call too. Loboda was cool.
Don’t really think we need one for Rattleshirt though.
dothrakian raven,
She clarified:
Birgitte H Sørensen @BHjortSorensen 4m4 minutes ago
Just to clarify: I’M not done – the fate of Karsi is yet unknown.
She was talking about herself with that comment, of not being done. In other interviews, it was clear this was as much as filming as she had done. Karsi is a wight and that’s pretty much it for now.
Outstanding performance by Birgitte. I was really intrigued by Karsi’s short time on screen and feel she would have been great as a long term charactor.
I loved Pitch Perfect, so can’t wait to see her in PPII.
And wow, she is really beautiful.
I loved her character the moment I saw her scene. It’s strange and rare for me to like a character right off the bat. She was great! Wished GoT would had kept her.
Sue the Fury,
Ok, I see the context of the message. But I am still hoping. She is the new LSH for me…
FAB character and actress!!!
Oh, and she was brilliant in Coriolanus. As was Mark Stanley (Grenn).
They will be replaying it in select theaters this fall – if you haven’t seen it, I highly recommend it.
Axechucker,
Definitely, I think many people liked Loboda (myself being one of those people). Nice write up btw!
Boose Rolton,
The new Martin Scorsese project- also has Olivia Wilde, Bobby Cannavale, Juno Temple. It centers on the 1970s rock and roll music scene.
Good writeup. I’m in the rare place of having figured she was a goner the second she showed up, but don’t ask me why, because I couldn’t give you a decent answer. Still, fantastically played.
Loboda was cool, too. I honestly liked his little “arc” even more.
Axechucker,
What was well-done about Loboda and the Thenns is that they helped emphasize that, as different and self-superior as some peoples might be, in the end they are all in the same fight. And when faced with the attacking Wights, the Thenns dropped their feud immediately and joined in the fight quite valiantly. I mean, he had to know that he was a dead man when he took on the Walker, but it might have bought time for Jon to retrieve the obsidian. (It didn’t: but that does not change the intent of the deed.)
Karsi was well-done, too. That is sort of how I envisioned Val in the book: a character I knew had to be cut, but that I would have liked to have seen.
Does anyone know where I can find the screen caps of the episode 9 trailer? Everyone keeps talking about Sylese wailing on the ground but I must keep missing it
Would they be on the WOTW tumbler?
She was the emotional core of the Hardhome scenes. Brilliant, unforgettable and heart-breaking. She certainly made the most of her brief time on screen and that is a testament to her talent.
She was soooooo good. Glad there’s a curtain call for her, she deserves some appreciation. Best one episode appearance (that I can think of…)
thinking what everyone else already said; amazing acting, I figured she was going to die, but I cheered her from the moment I saw her. Once again, an example of the excellent casting that this show has managed to do, even for small parts. I wasn’t planning to see PP2, but I think I will just for her.
What mariamb said – she’s the emotional core of the Hardhome scenes.
How is it possible that she could have achieved this in just a few minutes of screen time? I mean, we had a curtain call for Dan Hildebrand, who was awesome as Kraznys, but he at least had 3 episodes to work with.
This actress had one – 15 minutes, really. And I was with her the whole way, completely invested in every move, I liked her at the beginning, I appreciated the fighting skills, I liked seeing yet another Wildling female who wasn’t merely derided as something less than the others because of her gender (dear Westeros: take note of what’s going on north of the Wall, maybe? Other than the abomination of Craster, most of the Wildlings seem to have a more equal society – Ygritte, Osha, and now Karsi are arguably 3 of the toughest females we’ve seen).
And I’ve been watching TV and movies a long time. And somehow, the show had me fooled on this one. When she said good-bye to her daughters, I didn’t in the slightest think she wasn’t getting out of that one. It completely skipped by me. And in my head I’m shouting, “Put up the weapons! Fight!” when she saw the children wights. Which scared the holy friggin’ crap out of me. How was I so fooled? HOW??
Fuck.
Hats off. We will not see her like again. Great one-and-done.
When we finally reach the ultimate end of this thing of ours, the WOTW awards should do a “best one-and-done” character. She’ll win in a landslide.
Arkash,
No big surprise, this place is full on racist against the proud Tenns. You eat one human arm ONCE and suddenly its like you’re a pestilence to be shunned. IT WAS WINTER TIME AND IT TASTES JUST LIKE HAM!
I didn’t want to feel things, Birgitte! Damn you, damn that was good! Emotional core of Hardhome, indeed. Well done and we’ll drink to you many times over. My plants are all female with “book-only” names… but this year I have a Karsi <3
She just commented on her Twitter that she is “not” done with the show. Methinks she might become “The Nights Queen”!
Yea there’s always someone….
http://persephonemagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/chris-rock-huh-face.gif
Although I’m not a fan of fights or anything zombieish, as everyone has said she was really memorable for someone we only met briefly and hadn’t had any real build up for (as in not a book character as far as I understand it?). Pitch Perfect 2 sounds like quite a departure for those of us who are new to her work. Perhaps she is their secret weapon – if you don’t acknowledge our awesomeness our new recruit will hack you to death! 0_0
I have a question about free folk maths and if anyone knows the answer it’s going to be you guys, so your starter for ten fellow Watchers….I seem to remember Mance telling Jon there were around 100,000 Wildlings in total. When discussing HH before going there Tormund tells him that’s where most of them went after the attack on the wall. Once there Jon says something like there’s about 5,000 people here. Presumably this was the first wave of the evacuation, so unless I’ve got Mance’s estimate completely wrong or misheard Tormund’s “most of them”, where are the remaining 90-odd thousand? That’s a lot of people to misplace!
Apologies if this is a really stupid question but I’ve been fretting about Shireen and Sansa and plotting hypothetical revenge against Boltons etc, so may well have missed the explanation as my mind was on other things 🙁
If anyone needed reminding.
Bless you, Axey, for doing a curtain call for Karsi! Birgitte knocked it out of the Westeros ballpark and beyond Esteros. And kudos to you for being so attuned to eulogize a character who (arguably with less screen time than many) indelibly affected so many viewers. Thus heavily underscoring “In Nina Gold We Trust”. Well done!
Loved Karsi! I was so sad she died!! It’s so strange how much we all came to care about her in such a short period of time!! Charisma!!
DonalNoyesArm,
That is excellent news! It was easy to like her character. I am curious what her tweet means. We haven’t seen consciousness in a zombie. Will that change? Why is it even important to have a zombie we KNOW or liked I wonder.
Tormund’s Woman,
Guys, scroll up. She already clarified, she was talking about herself, not her character.
She clarified:
Birgitte H Sørensen @BHjortSorensen 4m4 minutes ago
Just to clarify: I’M not done – the fate of Karsi is yet unknown.
Chump force 1,
https://gfycat.com/FamousActualBluet
She’s gorgeous! She’s got a bit of a Lauren Cohen vibe to her…….
Farewell Karsi, we hardly knew ye. Birgitte brought the fierceness you would expect from a Free Folk. Also wanted to point out that I saw her in a decent scifi movie called Automata with Antonio Banderas and Dylan McDermott.
Hodor’s Bastard
What you said about can Mel revert the undead. I suppose it’s unlikely but what an interesting idea.
Glad to see a curtain call for Sorensen. She did made a big impact in a short time and that was crucial for making the episode work since Jon, Edd and Tormund all survived. The audience needed to care about her. And we did. I’m sure I’ll get around to watching Pitch Perfect 2 and will look for her in it.
I was under the impression Ralph Fiennes was the lead in Coriolanus. Though I haven’t actually seen the film. After Kurosawa I think maybe Welles should be the next Shakespeare adaptation to see.
That does make me want to talk about the general topic of adaptation. I think Hannibal is a better show than Game of Thrones in part because it’s not as constrained by adherence to the original work, and is free to pursue the vision of its showrunner while making use of existing material. Of the three Tempest adaptations I’ve seen (Forbidden Planet, Prospero’s Books, and Julie Taymor’s Tempest), my favorite is Greenaway’s since he goes in the strangest directions to focus on his own interests. Admittedly, part of that is that I don’t think it’s a very good play. Titus Andronicus is often considered one of Shakespeare’s worst, but Taymor’s Titus is great fun (if very 90s) for how she makes it her own by changing the setting. It’s not really fair to compare Hannibal to Game of Thrones because all Harris novels have been adapted into films, even if another adaptation already existed or the book wasn’t any good. Once it’s already been done, there’s less demand for fidelity, although there was initial skepticism of how something already run into the ground could be any good.
I fear that if Mel could undo the WW capability to raise the dead, then the undead wights will simply go back to being dead. That could help in the coming battle to an extent. But the process could be taken further. Once a wight is “cleansed” and dead again, then Thoros could take over, do the Beric resurrection spell and Karsi would get to hug her children again.
The Red Priests need to start working together.
Hodor’s Bastard
It’s a possibility at least, isn’t it. They have made us sympathise for a character who has gone through this process. Maybe there will be a payoff story to that to follow.
That actress is magical and her character had an intense magnetism that resonated so much within such a brief appearance. I kind of secretly hope that
I know it’s completely out of the realm of possibility.
I loved everything about Karsi and the actress portrayed her beautifully. I only wish the writers hadn’t rendered her completely frozen when she saw those child wights. I understand that it was obviously jarring to Karsi, but Wildlings, regardless of gender, aren’t exactly faint of heart. Resigning herself to death and leaving her children without a mother seemed somewhat out-of-character for a woman who possessed such mental and physical fortitude. It was like the writers decided to override Karsi’s survival instinct with her maternal instinct, but in reality, the two instincts are very much intertwined. Other than that, Karsi was a flawlessly written and acted character.
Sue the Fury,
I saw someone the other day post a theory that she could come back as a twin. They mentioned her saying something to her children about some other woman watching after them.
“I’M not done” could imply that.
Though she’ll always be Katrine in my heart, I was enchanted by Karsi. And Lobodo! If anyone was on the fence about whether or not the Wildlings/Free Folk deserved to be given passage past the Wall, surely these two characters pushed them towards the Hell Yeah! side. The sincere devotion to their people were clear to see, and though the age old feuds overshadowed the meeting, when the chips were down they chose to protect those only a few minutes before they had sneered at.
Kudos to both for making me say ‘oh no’ out loud!
Just saw Pitch Perfect 2 today with my girlfriend and her character was probably my favorite part of the movie. She is really good.
And coincidentally, I’ve been looking for things to practice my Danish, so I might give Borgen a try. It looks like something that would be up my alley in any case.
Both Karsi and Loboda gave us characters to root for – and in Loboda’s case against then change our mind. Excellent acting on the part of them both.
I got that vibe as well.
I was hoping that Birgitte would receive a Curtain Call! She gave a wonderful performance as Karsi, and she richly deserves all of the adulation that she has garnered for the role.
Performances like Sørensen’s stand as a testament to the value of being able to cast a world-class actor in a minor role – a luxury few shows other than Game of Thrones possess. In less than half of an episode, Birgette established Karsi’s presence and made her indelible. She earned our respect, elicited our empathy, and subsequently broke our hearts when she fell (and rose again). That’s a tremendously impressive feat.
I know it’s been less than a week since “Hardhome” aired, but in my opinion, Karsi was the best single-episode character Game of Thrones has given us, original or not. So thank you, Birgitte Hjort Sørensen, for bringing such a great character to life on screen. Your tenure on the show was brief, but with your memorable performance, you have earned a permanent place in the hearts of Game of Thrones fans everywhere!
**********
Since several other commenters have already acknowledged him, I’d like to pay my respects to Zahary Baharov as well. His performance as Loboda hasn’t garnered the level of acclamation that Sørensen has for Karsi (for understandable reasons – Loboda was designed as an antagonist). But Baharov played the character extremely well, and did a fine job setting him up for his ultimate sacrifice. If you can’t garner at least a measure of redemption by daring to engage a White Walker in single combat, what’s the point?
Yeah Sorenson was fantastic
As I’ve said elsewhere it was nice to get a slice of Val from her character. Hopefully the same happens with Strong Belwas next week…
Same for Loboda, did the whole “Shut the Gate” like a boss – wouldn’t mind a write-up for him
Overall the character economy was good, Karsi dying meant the viewer felt something for those who were killed at Hardhome, LoB was good as face of resistance, and Loboda as face of resistance who comes around once the bigger threat imposes itself etc
Two actors makes LoB curtain call tricky, will say the new guy did quite well, even now on re-watches I still crack up watching him give it to Tormund
Me too.
My totally uninformed guess (and therefore not a spoiler) is that her twin (Val??) escaped Hardhome, becomes attached to Jon and they fall in love. Meanwhile, the Night’s King turns his reanimation magic up a notch on undead Karsi and (almost) completely heals her … to be used down the track as a switcheroo ice princess for Jon as some have already suggested.
Just my flight of fanfic fantasy …
Rygritte,
Yay! I’m really relieved someone else thought of that, because I was a little worried my theory was a bit too crazy.
Whoa!!! I like this idea a lot, too. Especially because Val is involved.
Karsi was fierce, smart, and tender hearted. I saw myself in her. I’m not sure I could have fought the wight walkerlings either. Mad respect.
As much as I liked her character, I really hope GOT is way above the cheap “character being brought back as a twin” thing…
Wonderful actress.Karsi was brave, beautiful, smart and tough.Most of all a caring mother.I never thought, I would care for minor character like her in just 6 minutes.I would gladly see her in another role in Game of Thrones, if it’s possible.Maybe as blonde widling princess.Just kidding. 😀
Same goes for Zahary Baharov as Loboda.I would like to see more Thenn leaders from now on.I hate them, but they are so fun to watch…Styr, Loboda truly nice job.This episode made fall in love with widlings and feel for them.They’re up against unstoppable force.Jon is their last hope.
Loboda was badass too. Definitely the most likable Thenn we’ve seen on the show thus far. That’s not saying much. But he did sacrifice his life and distracted the WW while Jon tried to find the Dragonglass.
Completely deserving of any and all praise. Such a memorable character. Everyone I know who watches the show can’t stop talking about her.
I don’t think we’ve seen the last of her. Same goes for the slaver and the Asian red priestess girl.
I just want to say, gone too soon: “er helt nede i kulkælderen”
I think I would like to see a curtain call for Laboda and Rattleshirt too.
The guy who played Laboda was awesome and played a vital role in the whole Hardhome experience. I thought he would be a throw-away extra with maybe 2 lines but he really pulled it together. I think he had more of an arc in 1 episode than Styr did in the whole of season 4 (no disrespect, he was an awesome crazy Thenn).
Also Rattleshirt may have been played by 2 actors but the character has technically been in 3 seasons and 5 episodes perhaps? Seems worthy to do one for the character as a whole and a bit on each actor.
For myself I thought the actress put in a worthwhile performance – and I don’t think people are just praising her because she is pretty. There have been a lot of nice-looking actresses on GoT. Also, the fact that a lot of people are saying they are impressed with her performance from all corners of the world makes me think she genuinely did strike a chord with many viewers.
Note: the name assigned to the character was perhaps a tad unfortunate in that in British slang the “karzee” (sp?) is a word for the toilet (as indeed is the “throne”).
If all guestactors were like here, people would just skip to all the parts of the main cast just to see how the gueststars are doing 😀
I hope they cast Val for the next season.
Shes saying on her twitter we are going to see her again this season? 😮
Yep. I guess the returning Watch and wildlings will be pursued, then? I can’t see how else she could re-appear. Perhaps during the finale the Others (and wights) will attack, just as things are going, er, wrong.
Thats way my inital tought.
I doubt it will be in ep9, but for us to see her in ep10 could only mean the Wall will be destroyed in the finale.
Exciting times! Maybe (re the 509 preview) there will be more made of them arriving outside the wall. We have that shot of Ser Alliser looking down after all. Mayhaps he only opens the way when he’s, um, ready.
It’s a testament to the creative effort of all involved that a character that is in less than half of a half of an episode caught our collective heart and then broke it.
Well the name rhymes with D’arcy at least (or so I was led to believe), not khazi (which is the spelling I know of) as in unleashing a Mersey trout into the khazi –sorry for that image!
GeekFurious,
True – the casting for the series has been spot on from the start. With such a large cast, there have been few, if any missed
Just a thought: perhaps she will take on a Coldhands-like role, the self-aware wight, and be some kind of help to Jon or Bran.
Ashara D,
Except that role is already done! If Coldhands does anything in Winter, then I really doubt that it will be so uniquely important to the plot that it would have to be him.
Indeed, a fine performance. I was hoping she’d stick around the series for a while (well, in living form). It’s a testament to the writing and acting that she made such an impression in such a short time.
Annie Wilkes,
Val’s primary contribution to Jon’s story has come and gone. I have to admit, I was torn about her: the fanboy in me would have liked to have seen her, but the cold cool critic in me thought that she not only was not necessary, but that including her might bog down the storyline. Given how much they have managed to cram into 8 hours so far, it’s difficult to imagine how they could have gotten her into the show, have her be a proper foil for Jon and still be where they are now.
However, if it had been possible to include Val, then this portrayal would have been the building blocks for a great performance. Oh well! (Now I hate Dorne even more for existing! However, I realize that, it’s not “Dorne” we got, but Jaime’s storyline, and as one of the main characters, he had to have one: they couldn’t cut Jaime or not invent a storyline for Sansa or something like that just to add a new character.)
She cannot make it any clearer, this poor woman lol
@BHjortSorensen
So, my clarification needs to be clarified: Me, Birgitte, I’m not done acting in general. What the future holds for GOT I really don’t know!
She hasn’t done any other filming for GOT this year. She said in some interview already that she only did that one episode.
She can bite me to death anytime.
But thats kinda pointing out the obvious … of course she will continue acting on other projects … unless ………..
she tought this curtain call was for her acting career? LOL
#thepowerofwatchersonthewall
Hoyti Von Totiy,
She can act on me anytime.
Sue the Fury,
Sue, Sue, Sue…. any good fan can read between the lines and recognize that this is a bluff! It’s exactly like how the Doctor Who fans were able to show that every denial by an old star that he/she would be in the 50th anniversary special was confirmation that he/she would be in it! (Unfortunately, their scenes must have been cut or something….)
😉
Ashara D,
Wimsey,
And yet something is still nagging at me regarding the way Karsi acquiesced to the child wights. Could she have been a warg? I’m starting to think that she pulled an Orell and is still flying around somewhere.
Hodor’s Bastard,
You cant be serious, Shirley.
Rygar,
I always stand by my nonsense, Leslie.
Hodor’s Bastard,
I stood by nonsense once. Jeepers, I am tall.
We know the character was male in early versions of the script. Was she originally Varamyr I wonder?
She also made it on to the Virtual Graveyard (a first for a 1 episode non named character I think)
http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/television/2014/04/game_of_thrones_deaths_mourn_dead_characters_at_their_virtual_graveyard.html
She said first ” I’m not done. The fate of Karsi is unknown”. This can comfortably mean that Karsi has an unknown fate after her death which might be revealed at some point. Then of course she had to clarify things further explaining that what she meant was that her acting career is not done. Of course not! Nobody thought that Karsi’s death would be the end of Birgitte’s career. That would be more than absurd. So there was no need for clarifications. In my opinion she said something that she shouldn’t have said.
But as we are all in the blind at the moment we will have to wait and see if there is more to find out about Karsi’s future in its presumambly new form…In any case we will have to have a closer look of the White Walkers at some point.
Rygar,
You are the Wun Wun in my field of Thenns!
Hodor’s Bastard,
No warg gun was put on the wall: for example, she was not shown with closely attending animals, or white-eying into one.
My thought was simply a parental one: if you’ve just put your kids on a boat for safety, and then are confronted with children that you could not save, then you would do a big double-take. I’m a pretty cold guy, but I know that I would have. (I sort of did one during that scene: it’s weird what being a parent does to your common sense.)
Hodor’s Bastard,
That just sounds kinky.
Amazing the impact she made on me in a single half episode. I wanted more, more, more! Fantastic work Ms. Sorenson. Well done and good luck in your future endeavors.
#BringBackKarsi
Yeah, I have no argument really…but something continues to nag at me about the way she laid down and crossed her arms before the child wights munched. You know…if Bran can warg Hodor (simple human)…I wonder what he can do with a wight? Also with Mel in the mix as I mentioned before, all sorts of possibilities exist! 🙂
[what is dead may never die!….especially when she is played by a gorgeous Danish woman! We must find a way!]
Heh, I usually have problems with people trying to talk themselves into believing something because they want it to be true: but much less so when that person admits it to him/herself!
As for warging into a wight, who knows? However, would she choose to do so? And could she do so under those circumstances? In the books, the one warg we see warging into another body at death does so deliberately: and he is the sort who would do anything to cling to life. Moreover, he wargs into one of his companions into whom he has warged many times. One point that is stressed is that breaking in a new “host” is sort of like breaking in a new horse: i.e., not easy even for an experienced warg, although easier with social animals like wolves and dogs than with solitary animals like bears. Doing it with a new host at death seems like a real long-shot.
Again, I think that she was just overwhelmed by “parental shock” at that time and the immense futility of their fight.
Conan,
Just saw your post. Interesting indeed. The graveyard website reminds me of the wherehaveallthewildlingsgone website, which contains lots of charts and stats about the adapted story.
WHAT OTHER WAY?! TELL US ABOUT THIS OTHER WAY!
Yeah…just pontificating. But I wasn’t wondering if Karsi could warg into a wight, only a nearby animal, which is improbable as you state. However, I am more interested in Bran and Mel’s capabilities to control or undo the wight/undead “spell”, much like the heavily theorized condition of Coldhands (who is probably BR’s wight). Could that apply to our dearly departed undead Karsi?
Rygritte,
See above. Come play along. There’s got to be a Varamyr and/or Coldhands angle in this topic somewhere! 🙂
Arya Havin’ a Larf,
I think you are right – but the slang word for the ‘loo’ came into my mind (though ‘loo’ is itself a slang word).
It looks as if my previous comment has been edited – sorry if I broke “the rules” dear moderators; if I did so ’twas quite unintentional.
But that brings us to the biggest tragedy of Hardhome: they never showed the tied up dogs being freed!!!!
I absolutely HATED that! Why the **** didn’t somebody cut the dogs loose? They could’ve swum to the ships.
Wimsey,
Maybe one or several of the children were hers?
I’ve listened to at least two podcasts in which some (probably very young and childless) militant feminist is complaining about the fact that she couldn’t fight the wight kids.
You cannot possibly know how most mothers generally feel towards children until you become one. My dad always said that 18 year olds know everything, it’s so true.
I guess it’s part of the growing up process that comes alongside or maybe just after rebellion.
One of them just seemed angry and touchy generally, like she had a huge chip on her shoulder.
Such a waste, the one time D & D seem to create a decent non book character they kill her off before the episode even finishes. Why oh why did we get multiple seasons of Ros instead of more episodes of this character?
I wish Brigitte could replace Gemma Whelon as Asha Greyjoy.
Sadly, it is too late for that but she would have been a fantastic Asha Greyjoy. I’ve never been a fan of who they cast as “Yara”, no charisma at all. If there was ever a role that needed to be recast it was that one.
I’ve come across a couple with the same mindset, and my counter argument has yet to be answered: What if Jon had had to face a wighted version of Benjen at Hardhome? Gives them something to think about.
I know! I kept calling out, “Not the pups, dammit! Free the pups, you fools!” Alas.
Al Swearengen,
OMG!
Don’t even talk about Ros or I’m going to start flipping tables again!
I am old, childless by choice, and a feminist (by definition someone who believes in equal rights), and have no trouble understanding why Karsi froze. Just sayin…
Lombardo and Rattleshirt should get one if Karso does. Period, end of story. Lombardo is a more imperfect character than Karso so more relatable
she should have been Val, Mance’s wife. One of her children could have been a male baby. She survives goes to wall with Jon. Then the whole switching babies with Gilly would have brought the show and the book closer together.
(Watching the episode with my brother sums it up perfectly)
Brother: “Oh new love interest! This should be good.”
*half hour later
Brother: “Well fuck, I guess not. What a waste of a good character.”
Karsi was a great Wildling. And so was Loboda.
Im binge watching Borgen just because of her. Shes great in it and the series is awesome too. This girl really needs more projects! She’s a great actress and a total eye candy 😉