While Game of Thrones is busy over in Spain with season 6 filming, production continues around their home base of Northern Ireland, and today’s update brings exciting news.
In Instagram photos published online by user Jamcall, and spotted by WotW reader Morgan, Game of Thrones appears to be constructing the front facade of a castle in Corbet, N. Ireland.
The castle is located by a river, and has a drawbridge. The most interesting part is over the entryway of the castle is a trout. The sigil of House Tully is a trout. The Tully castle Riverrun is located waterside and has a drawbridge.
It’s not yet officially confirmed to be GoT filming at the location (with pink GOT signs sighted), but given that only a handful of productions are in N.I. at the moment, and rarely do you see castle fronts being constructed, it’s a safe guess that the set is for Thrones.
Earlier this month, our sources confirmed for us that several characters would be journeying to the Riverlands this year. If this Corbet sighting is indeed for Game of Thrones, I think we can say that someone is headed for Riverrun.
Update 9/25: This photo has turned up as well, posted online a few hours ago, displaying many Lannister red tents outside the castle set:
Also, it’s been confirmed that GOT pink signs have been spotted in the area, so this is a Game of Thrones location as everyone suspected.
PINK SIGNS ON MAIN ROAD: GoT S6 Ireland Filming- Linen Mill Studios at Tullyconnaught- Corbet, Banbridge (PIC 7) pic.twitter.com/JH9QfiCSsy
— Irish Thrones (@IrishThrones) September 25, 2015
Speaking of Spain- these images turned up today, of the sets in progress in Peñíscola. They include a setpiece labeled “Meereen granary.” (The second image tells us it’s for Dragon Unit filming.) That’s one more piece of evidence in the growing pile indicating that the city’s locations will be standing in for Meereen this year.
En las maderas de los decorados de Peñíscola pone "Meereen". Peñíscola será Meereen. @JuegoDeTronosTM pic.twitter.com/PHvv8gbCR2
— Cersei. (@Queency83) September 24, 2015
DECORADOS DE GAME OF THRONES EN #PEÑÍSCOLA EMOCIÓN #GOT pic.twitter.com/BxVXG9FAhd
— Cersei. (@Queency83) September 24, 2015
Hodor?
I’m getting hyper by the minute!
TULLY’S!!!
A girl is getting geeked from the leaks…?
Blackfish please!
Gotta be Riverrun. House Frey is going DOWN!!!
I’m I the only one seeing a ”trout leaping” on the top of the door!!! HYPE Lvl9000
I saw an article on a Spanish website indicating that foot traffic around the Peniscola filming had been heavily restricted by the GOT filming crew. Considering how (relatively) chill they were about the pedestrians gawking at the huge cathedral scene being filmed in Girona and the theatre troupe, I wonder if there’s something really spoilery about the Meereen scenes they’re preparing to film.
“Meereen granary”…huh.
The Twitter user who posted the picture of the Peniscola decorations has posted other photos, too.
https://twitter.com/Queency83/status/647107152016994304
Also there’s a note that on some of the decorations there are notes saying “Burnt out buildings.” DRAGONS IN MEEREEN…? Or just a riot and general chaos?
The use of a granary with the sacks of food and all makes me wonder if there’s going to be some sort of food riot or something.
Sue – Just thinking about the article you linked to. Any more info about who’s playing Aeron Greyjoy? Surprised we got confirmation on Euron’s actor, but not Aeron.
Family, Duty, HYPE!
that is definately Riverrun and those tents could totally be a siege camp surrounding it
M,
They were not chill at all, there were barricades as far as 100 metres from the set and the guards were tring to avoid even far away pictures, some of us were just too stubborn to let them stop us 🙂 a lot of pictures from the cathedral scene are shot from resident’s houses
Yeah there’s enough dots to connect to safely say that it’s GoT property. I wonder what they plan on doing with it after it serves its use
As I remarked over in the other thread, it seemed to me like the previous seasons were setting up to pick up with the Blackfish doing whatever he’s going to do in TWOW (or some alternative version), since Season 3 ended with him on the run (as he was after he left Riverrun) and in Season 4 Brienne acted like the Freys already owned Riverrun. And it feels very odd, pacing-wise, to suddenly act as if Riverrun has been under siege for the last [vague amount of time] without any mention of this.
Conversely, this could be the beginning of whatever the TWOW story in the Riverlands is. If we’re going to see Lord Walder again, perhaps he’s taken up residence.
I did not know that. Thanks for going the extra mile.
It seems like the Meereen stuff filmed in Peniscola is going to be some fairly spoilery stuff.
May there be the BwB, Blackfish, Nymeria and Jaime nearby! Freys better watch their backs. There is that issue regarding “guest right” that needs attention.
Riverlands matters.
I guess they could explain it with Kevan being all “Walder left X in charge of Riverrun, and the fool got himself killed by the Blackfish, who now holds Riverrun. We’ve been laying siege to Riverrun to take it back, but I need you to go and blah blah blah.” Not exactly elegant, but it would explain a lot.
If Jaime is still in KL in 6×06, I’m wondering when this Riverlands business will happen. After he’s secured Margaery’s release, I guess…? It doesn’t seem to leave a lot of time. I suppose Riverlands stuff could happen without Jaime needing to be there, because the show isn’t forced to depict things through POVs.
Seven Hells! WotW is on a roll with news today! Definitely looks Riverrun. I mean that is a fish on the plaque over the gate entrance.
HAHA You made me snort!
What are y’all thinking of this
Hodor’s Bastard,
There are only 3 things I care about, or can even think about when I think of the Riverlands: The Blackfish, Gendry, and most of all…Nymeria!
I hope you weren’t drinking a carbonated beverage!
(it made me laugh, too)
tkk- that’s awesome!
selena,
those tents seem too close to the walls and within the reach of archers/crossbowmen
Wow, I hope we’ll get the Jaime-Blackfish scene + the one with the trebuchet
Get hyyyyype
Blackfish confirmed. Don’t think those tents are for the siege though, they are way too close to the walls.
Looks pretty much like a siege outside RR to me, although only one Lannister tent amongst the other less colourful (possibly Frey?) tents. Or perhaps these are just troops camped outside…
Auren,
I agree. There will be no siege IMO.
What if they are replacing Clive Russel with Ian McShane?
Is Season 6 the “double-back on some plots”/”tying up loose threads” season? Not complaining mind you. Many of these storylines have the potential to be great. I’ve got my fingers crossed about the Iron Islands especially. Just hope everything works somewhat organically.
I would love to see the return of the Blackfish to GOT or the books, but I can’t get excited until I read he is in town filming or something leaks about his specific return.
Looks like Clive Russell opened a theatre a few days ago near or in his hometown…. I wonder if he got some tips from GRRM! XD
http://www.fifetoday.co.uk/what-s-on/game-of-thrones-star-to-open-cinema-1-3886985
I wonder what episode this is supposed to be from. Jaime being in KL in 6×06 does make me wonder which side of 6×06 this scene occupies (front half or back half of the season).
It’s looking more and more like Season 6 will be what we were hoping Season 5 was going to be.
People should stop thinking about AFFC plot as the only possibility for the Riverlands in S6.
Rastafarian_Targaryen,
How?
One of Roose Bolton’s 20 good leeches,
They could easily make the river wider with visual effects.
This is all so exciting. I hope this means Walder gets his comeuppance fairly soon.
tkk,
If Eddie Eyre is Arthur Dayne, I can’t see Bean being used as younger Ned, unfortunately. Judging by his reaction, I think it’s safe to say he hasn’t been contacted about season 6. That, or he did the best sell job ever.
Newbietothegame,
I hope not. He is interesting character. He can die in s7.
S6 is for Boltons.
Depends on the storyline:
Bran: ADWD cleanup to a certain extent (we’ll get tweaked versions of some of the ADWD visions), TWOW material (Tower of Joy vision)
Jon: TWOW (resurrection and abandonment of the NW), except for the part about him wanting to go after the Boltons, which happened in ADWD
Northern lords: ADWD cleanup to a certain extent as to bringing the viewers up to speed on Northern politics, but the events will likely be TWOW spoilers
Dany: TWOW (Dany wins over the Dothraki)
Tyrion: ADWD (taking on Barristan’s storyline trying to handle Meereen), TWOW as Meereen slides into chaos
Cersei: TWOW or non-book material, since there’s no leftover material from AFFC/ADWD
KL: Some ADWD cleanup (Kevan and Pycelle are still alive), but it seems like there will be a lot of non-book material (Loras imprisoned, Margaery stuck in the Sept until 6×06, etc.)
Jaime: some non-book material (springing Margaery from lockup in the Sept) plus cleanup from AFFC/ADWD (Riverlands, Riverrun, maybe meeting up with Brienne, etc.)
Brienne: AFFC/ADWD cleanup minus Stoneheart, since it sounds like she tangles with the BWB 2.0 (thuggish, grueling fight scene), we know the Hound is back, etc. etc.
Greyjoys: AFFC cleanup (introduction of Euron, Kingsmoot, etc.)
Sam: AFFC cleanup (Oldtown), possibly TWOW (Tarly family drama)
Dorne: TWOW, or whatever’s left of it with Arianne being left out of the show
Sansa: who the fuck knows anymore, in Winterfell at some point, possibly dies
The only “pure” TWOW arcs I really see are Jon’s and Dany’s. Everyone else is on “cleanup duty” to a greater or lesser extent.
Agreed. I want to see him suffer and die a slow and painful death…and not of old age.
M,
I still don’t see Brienne going back to the Riverlands. I could certainly be wrong, but I’m guessing she stays up north.
It’s that band of outlaws and the Meribald figure that throw me. The show is free of having the need to show events via a POV character, but I’d be surprised if we saw a lot of stuff going on in the Riverlands with this group of characters without Brienne being present.
Gwendoline Christie also mentioned that terrible “thug” fight it took her a while to film. It could be that we’re getting a delayed version of the horrible Biter fight from AFFC.
Interesting. I suspect Edmure will be paid a visit from Jaime. Naturally, a fair share of Edmure’s lovely in-laws will be there to greet Jaime as well.
SerDuncanTheTall,
Seems fishy to me…
I hope Jaime didn’t leave his jetpack in Dorne otherwise he’ll never make it from KL to the Riverlands on time.
Tyrion Pimpslap,
Really? I thought the seemed to get a bit nervous there and got away from the question
I’ll be listening for your howls of delight during S6!
M,
I absolutely get why you’re thinking in that direction, but I’m focused more on the sword Brienne is carrying and thinking she probably ends up in the north in TWOW. It just seems a lot to have her that far north, then turn around and send her all the way back to the Riverlands.
Tyrion Pimpslap,
Yeah you’re probably right but I had the same reaction as Shane Snow did.
If it happens, I will definitely be howling loudly enough the whole neighborhood will hear me. 🙂
tkk,
Come on now, stop trolling Sean!!! You could have just said NO and we’d be looking at who’s cast as a younger Ned. “Umm, I don’t think so?”
Thanks for the clip 🙂 And to answer you question: I think he probably was contacted.
Nymeria Warrior Queen,
I wasn’t. But I know what you mean!
M: The use of a granary with the sacks of food and all makes me wonder if there’s going to be some sort of food riot or something.
My first reaction as well. A scene where Tyrion insists on rationing out government stockpiles of food to the starving populace would be a good way to reinforce his leadership credentials.
It could be a false parallel, but that’s pretty much what we know they’re doing with Jaime (shipped him off to Dorne for Season 5, bringing him back to the Riverlands for Season 6). Why couldn’t they be doing the same with Brienne, albeit in the opposite direction (heading north for the filler arc instead of south)? My theory is that the writers came up with filler arcs for Brienne and Jaime, because it was too early for their AFFC/ADWD material, and they didn’t want to get them back together again too soon.
I don’t know the whys and wherefores of why she would head back to the Riverlands unless Sansa openly rejects her assistance AGAIN (or unless she believes that Sansa is dead), but that doesn’t mean it won’t happen.
I watched it three times and by the third time I was feeling like he was actually sort of embarrassed, being put on the spot and knowing nothing. I don’t think he is going to be in S6 in any flashback. I had hoped they might use him, but now that I see this, nope.
Hopefully this means we’ll finally be getting some of Jaime’s AFFC material. Can’t wait for the golden pimp slap.
Among all this Blackfish cheers, I’m sparing a thought for Edmure.
I’d really love to see him back. Tobias Menzies is a great actor and Edmure is a really interesting minor character.
Given that the writers seem to think that Tyrion can do no wrong AND that the thing Tyrion’s trying to prevent, Meereen spiralling into chaos, is almost certain to occur, I wonder how Tyrion’s failure to keep the peace in Meereen will be presented: as the failure of someone struggling with forces beyond any one person’s ability to control, or as the result of his own personal failings. The show has told us over and over again that Tyrion is a capable administrator, so how are they going to present it when he inevitably fails?
I agree- I really hoped we’d get Sean in S6 but it’s pretty clear that he is genuinely bemused by the journalists question. Think we need to let that hype go 🙁
mau,
A few storylines that were absent from S5 (Iron Islands, Jaime going to the Riverlands, the North Remembers) many fans (including myself, unfairly) assumed were cut. It appears as though that’s not the case and we’ll be getting those particular plots in S6, which is fantastic.
Rastafarian_Targaryen,
Great SN! 🙂
M,
I doubt they are going to linger much on Meereen stuff,as we have seen in previous seasons that boring and dull stuff that nobody likes is usually left to the books,i guarantee they aren’t going to spend much time on that subject . If you want to read the filler material just wait until TWOW .
So that pretty much confirms that Riverrun is back. Most of us trusted WOTW’s sources, of course, but it’s nice to see the evidence in person.
So… yup. I guess we’ll see a condensed (and necessarily different, as the Freys already have Riverrun in the show) version of Jaime’s AFFC/ADWD and maybe some TWOW material in the Riverlands, right? We know Jaime and Arya will end up in the Riverlands at the end of the season; we know a Frey has been cast; we know outlaws have been cast; we know Walder Frey is probably back; and now we know Riverrun is back. And this time, we’ll get a good look at it, instead of… this!
So now the question is whether Tobias Menzies and Clive Russell return as Lord Edmure Tully and as Ser Brynden ‘Blackfish’ Tully respectively. If we learn that they will, we’ll have a better idea of what they’re doing. If we learn for a fact that they won’t be back, then it’s more of a mystery.
Holy shit are we gonna get the Blackfish and Edmure?? I’m so excited about the Riverlands! This is awesome.
Does Tobias Menzies being in Outlander affect his possibility of returning to the show ? Because i think Outlander and GOT film in the same time period although i guess from the second book in Outlander, his characters that he plays, Blackjack Randall and Frank aren’t going to have much of a role so that may make him available to film .
Interestingly, that’s pretty much how I imagined the gates of Riverrun and the bridge and the tents on the other side. You can see one of the tents is a Lannister tent, by the way. So I guess we can expect Nicolaj to film there soon.
Marcus,
Edmure in the books has little more than a cameo in AFFC. Imagine the show condensing this storyline, and the result is an incredibly small cameo. If Edmure appears at all, the actor could probably film his stuff in a day, even if they were 100% faithful to the books.
Marcus,
Meereen is not a “subject”; it’s an object. Tyrion is, however, a “subject” (a story) of the show. We will see Meereen, because Tyrion is leading it. That simple.
That’s what I’m assuming is going on. The tents are too close to the walls to be siege tents, probably Frey-friendly men, the red tent maybe belonging to Genna Lannister (or show-equivalent). Jaime may still interact with characters in whatever scene is being filmed here, but I think he’ll be dealing with House Frey of Riverrun, and not a Tully of any kind.
Oh, I so hope Russel is back in.
Luka Nieto,
What i meant is that they aren’t going to spend the whole season with Tyrion and Varys sitting on their ass and just talking while the city gets destroyed from within like Martin did with Dany in ADWD,even people who liked that book admit that was a mistake,do you really want to see that nonsense in the show ? I personally think Dany will return in Meereen much sooner than people expect and hopefully we get straight to action because i can’t endure another whole season in Meereen,just please have mercy on us viewers .
The title of this article is strangely cautious. I mean, too cautious. That’s a Castle with the Tully sigil, in the exact same design as we’ve previously seen in, for example, the Blackfish’s armor —so it is definitely a Game of Thrones set. Then there’s the obviously Lannister tent. This is Riverrun, there is no doubt about it.
Marcus,
Oh, I agree! I think Dany will be back to Meereen with an army of Dothraki and ready to depart West around the mid-season. Maybe a bit earlier, maybe a bit later. So Tyrion will have a half-season arc in Meereen, I’d say.
I bet Team Dany’s season ends in Volantis, having taken it over, enlarging their army with millions of Volantene freedmen and the whole Volantene fleet, quite ready to depart to Westeros. Or maybe it goes even further and the season ends with them arriving. Not sure.
Nah, Walder has to get it this season. He’s already, what, 90? How ripped off would we feel if they just say Walder Frey died in bed with his new wife? Even if he is old, I’d much rather have Arya climb through his window to say hello and goodbye than have him think he got away with killing Robb and Cate.
It’s a wedding. Lord Walder’s going to marry some Lannister cousin to strengthen the alliance.
Perhaps the first look we get into the Riverlands is through Nymeria with the help of Arya whilst Jaime is in KL (and then Arya physically gets there at the end of the season).
If these outlaws are the BwB, surely there has to be at least one member we recognise – Thoros or Anguy.
Yes…the Riverlands matters!! And fish swim, even black ones. And the “she-wolf of monstrous size” will appear.
I am hopeful!
Luka Nieto,
1. Are you seriously going to nitpick article titles?
2. People complain about spoilers a lot. And the return of Riverrun/the Riverlands is that, for now. Hence, the vagueness.
It wold be soooooo nice to finally see what riverun looks like. I’m still mad as hell at season 3 for having Robb stay at riverun for three episodes and not showing the castle once!
I didn’t even realize he was at riverun till my second viewing.
Sue the Fury,
Just found it strange until you said… well, yeah —Duh; spoilers. Sometimes I forget that not everyone wants spoilers. Sorry about that. Didn’t mean to nit-pick.
batfan,
Technically they DID show Riverrun. In the distance. In a matte painting.
I think that by however the Boltons react, Brienne will learn that Sansa escaped Winterfell and logically, she will think Sansa is heading south because why would she go North? It’s almost full-on winter in the North. I don’t think Brienne would put it together that Sansa would try to get to Castle Black where Jon Snow is (not even sure Brienne knows anything about him).
So to me, I see Brienne doing what she did in AFFC, asking around for a maid of however many years, she’s my sister blah blah blah, and then she runs into Meribald.
Luka Nieto,
What the hell? I saw this scene at least ten times and never realized it was there. Thank you so much!
But I just checked and it is sooo small. A proper look would be nice.
The forests are dark, the waters are deep, the fishes aplenty, wolfpacks tear apart. But then all of a sudden the sigh of a mother shadow rises in the thin air…
You’re playing with some hazy and arbitrary lines, there. When does a personal failing turn into a failure beyond someone’s control? When someone is in charge of a city, are not the limits of their control the very definition of their failings? What about personal failures that lead to growth? What percentage of choices must an administrator make correctly to be considered “capable”?
Tyrion is depicted as highly capable. He’s also spent a lot of time willfully drinking himself to death. He alienated the one person who truly cared for him at the same time he killed his father. Complex hero who mostly gets positive light, yes, but it’s absolutely wacky to say Tyrion is written as doing no wrong.
Oh, and TULLYS!!!
Considering that Brynden’s show!post-RW status is virtually identical to his current status in the books, I really can’t see them backtracking. When you think about it, Jaime’s story is somewhat similar to the books: he’s traveling away from KL with a trusted sparring partner to smooth out some diplomatic issues and grow into his life as an ex-great warrior. There’s no need to rehash any of his Riverlands adventures from the book for the sake of character development, so I think that almost of what we see there will be from TWoW.
So, will the Freys be in charge? If I recall, then they are occupying Riverrun by the end of Dragons. I know Walder was not there in the books, but they might cut corners and have him relocate there. (Didn’t he become Lord of the Riverlands on the show, effectively deposing the Tullys?)
A couple of notes on the Riverrun set:
1. The battlements are “real” (as in, they have a floor); the crew are walking on them and apparently adding details to the interior.
2. You can see the inside of the gates, and the set goes on for a while.
So it’s probably not only the set of Riverrun’s facade, as was the case last year with the House of Black and White. We may see real people, extras and/or actors, on the battlements and inside the gates —if not, why bother building the insides and functional battlements?
Maybe Walder marries Jeyne Westerling.
And then we’ll discover that she is carrying Robb Stark’s child! (Who now is about 24 months overdue, and will be named Wun Wun II.)
RIVERRUN!!!
OMG OMG OMG OMG … how much more EPIC can season 6 get!!!
I really hope they revisit the Tullys and Freys – the Siege of Riverrun subplot, with the Blackfish commanding the garrison and disgusting Freys besieging them.
It doesn’t even need to be a LONG subplot, I mean just one episode maybe two, a B-plot just “checking in” on how the Tullys and Freys have been doing since three seasons ago.
Brienne mentioned Jon explicitly in Season 4. She and Pod were originally going to the Wall to look for Sansa, before deciding on their detour to the Vale.
Wimsey,
Yep! (This is one of those scenes I end up posting often on here because no one seems to remember.) Roose & Walder have a conversation in 310 that explicitly establishes Frey control over RR. I think it makes sense to pick up with a Frey-occupied RR.
Lion of Night,
I doubt the Freys actually got control of Riverrun overnight on the same night as the RW. That’s a little too unrealistic for me. Walder was probably just assuming and being overconfident.
Now regarding the castle under construction and what this might mean for the Blackfish – that Tully sigil above the gate appears to be black. Didn’t Brynden Tully also fly his personal banners over Riverrun during the siege? I think the Freys will still be laying siege to RR in S6.
Lion of Night,
Matt,
That scene established that the Freys would be the new Lords of Riverrun, not that they already got the castle. However, the scene that DOES establish that the Freys run the castle is the conversation between Brienne and Podrick in season four in which the reason for not looking for Sansa in Riverrun is that the Freys control it.
Matt,
Frey mentioned he’d been made Lord of Riverrun in 310. Seeing as that was the day after the Red Wedding, he obviously didn’t have physical possession of it yet. But in Season 4, when Brienne and Podrick are contemplating where to go to look for Sansa, Brienne simply remarks “Walder Frey is Lord of Riverrun now”, and it really doesn’t make sense to rule out her going to Riverrun on that basis unless he actually has Riverrun (“Walder Frey is laying siege to Riverrun” would have worked fine, if that was what that was meant to mean).
I think it could broadly be either one – the writers are often intentionally vague. Either way – if Pod knows Riverrun is “besieged” by the Freys he knows it’s not a good place to check because Sansa wouldn’t flee there.
Absolutely
That may take place at Castle Frey
Could relate to re-taking of Riverrun perhaps, doubt they are doing the siege, the farmer Arya + the Hound came across effectively said the Freys were in charge of the Riverlands
Whatever is happening, will be a few months until filming, as Riverlands will be getting wintry by this point in the story
What about the opposite for the show? Perhaps the Freys have taken RR but the BF/BwB (and maybe some Vale forces) siege and infiltrate RR, take it back and hold some Freys captive? Perhaps Jaime is called to RR because of the standoff, with many Freys dead and Lannister armies amassing outside? We would still get the BF/Jaime bridge parlay with that scenario.
Oh no…. I hope that recent casting call for a “haggard-looking lord” is NOT a recasting for the Blackfish…
Intelligent? – Yes, I’d say so.
Wry? – Yes.
Incisive? – Yes.
Articulate? – Mmm, I guess so?
A hard man and a realist? – Absolutely.
Has a lot of “wattage”? – Probably.
Doesn’t sound good, but the one positive thing is I don’t think a BF/Jaime parlay is a long scene with the haggard lord mostly talking. Plus I’m not sure about the shoot dates for this Riverrun set… the haggard lord shoots first two weeks of December.
Matt,
That character is only filming in December. If that was what this set was for, it’d be quite a head-start.
Sean C.,
Yeah that’s what I was thinking. I don’t know but I really hope I’m wrong. Recastings are a bummer and Clive Russell was/is an amazing Brynden Tully.
I reckon she does, with Sansa
In the books I reckon she fetches Sansa out of the Vale and takes her to Riverrun/Harrenhall (Riverlands), but in the book they merged her and Jeyne Poole so this will occur with her being fetched from the North instead
People wonder if Vale soldiers will be in the north, IMO they won’t they and SR will be involved in whatever is happening in the Riverlands in both books and show, eg Blackfish leading guerilla Tully forces and the Vale boot the Freys out of RR and back Sansa as figurehead while the Lannisters/Tyrells are preoccupied with KL and Southron issues.
In this case the Blackfish is the answer to the Hounds question to Brienne regarding as to “who is she safe with?” (their Uncle which applies to Sansa also)
While in the north a civil war erupts between Karstarks and Boltons vs the Umbers and Wildings backing Rickon
If the Freys hold the castle itself, and have held it for some time, wouldn’t they remove the Tully sigil? Or would it remain due to Edmure being “part of the family”?
How quickly they got control of it is rather moot by now: about 2 years have elapsed since then, after all.
Well, the Freys hold it at this point in the books. Stuff like that might happen in Winter: we probably should see the War of Umpteen Kings get tied up so that the War for Everything can get the focus of Spring.
Of course, the forces outside of it might not be besieging the castle. If the Freys are mustering forces for some reason, then there probably would be lots of them outside of Riverrun. But that is also something that could happen in Winter.
Sunfyre,
Good point.
Wimsey,
Not to get too book technical, but that’s the whole point of the Siege of Riverrun. The Blackfish and the remaining garrison harvested most, if not all, of the remaining crops in the Riverlands so they could withstand a siege for a very long time. Not to mention Riverrun is one of the top castles in Westeros and can hold out for a long time to begin with.
If it’s really been two years, shouldn’t Baby Sam be Toddler Sam? 🙂
There is no indication that they are bothering with this on the show. It seems that just as much more of the Northern forces were eliminated at the Red Wedding, much more of the Riverland forces were, too. At any rate, Brienne mentions that the Freys now hold Riverrun last year.
My bet is that they are skipping all of the Crows stuff concerning the siege and just moving straight on to what happens in the Riverlands in Winter. And, quite frankly: it’s no loss.
Yeah, people have pointed out that this is the one “anachronism” on the show. It is almost ironic: the usual mistake is to have a baby one year be a wise-cracking 6 year old the next season!
However, whenever they refer to the time that has elapsed from events, they make it pretty clear that each season is about one year.
I disagree. Time is fluid and unclear in both media. For example, it is something like a 300 mile journey from the Twins to the Saltpans. Arya took from S3E09 until S4E10 to walk (and sometimes ride) this far. You couldn’t realistically be looking at more than a couple months on this plot line for all of S4 and change. Likewise, the KL plot of S4 seemed to only be on the scale of weeks, from Oberyn’s arrival through Tyrion’s escape. Most of the other plot lines are less clear but seem to be consistent with no more than a few months.
One season = one year might be “good enough”, but it doesn’t really fit the data.
Matt,
Luka Nieto,
Ah yes, I had forgotten about that one!
Matt-I’m thinking that the other extreme, that is, that the Freys have been attempting to take RR for a couple seasons, is equally unlikely. Is it April yet?
M,
It would be interesting if they played on parallels with his stint as hand in King’s Landing. Capable administrator, yes. He was the reason the city didn’t fall, but he was also seen as a troll by the populace, and blamed for everything bad that happened in the city. Also, Tywin was credited for the war victory.
I wonder if they will be making the point that you need the dashing figurehead and the capable administrator, else it won’t work. So, without Dany to inspire adoring fans and sell Tyrion’s policies, Meereen will get restless.
There better begin snowing in the riverlands this season.
I really hope that we will be spared that boring AFFC siege stuff. Blackfish can reenter the game in some different way. If Jaime had never met him, a cryptic stranger in a tavern would be perfect. Or someone who helps destroy that band of bandits.
Just move out of AFFC/ADWD already, plot.
Lion of Night,
Besieging RR for a couple of seasons only seems unlikely to me because nothing has been mentioned about the state of RR in any scenes, other than Brienne knows the Freys are probably there.
Scientifically or economically or whatever, it makes complete sense, but yeah story wise on this show it’s not likely, unfortunately. It would be great character work for Jaime plus a solid reintroduction to the Riverland characters, especially Blackfish. But yeah, it’d need to be streamlined somehow, I suppose.
Tatters,
In the show, I think the snow will only come with the White Walkers, at least to the more southern areas of Westeros. I was just happy to see that they finally had it snowing in the North last season.
Tyrion Pimpslap,
That is just lame.
It bothers me that John Snow did not bother to send Ravens out to all the houses about the impending WHITE doom.
He and Sawmill should have been doing that and rallying everyone instead of reminiscing about Sams first time etc.
dum and dumber…..
loolaa,
I’m startintg to feel ashamed, to be a book-reader. Why can’t people voice their dislikes in a polite manner?
Also, what does this have to do with the topic at hand? Did you just come here to throw insults?
Phil Necro,
They are fake. Sue confirmed it.
loolaa,
Grumpkins and snarks are here people. Like that? 😀 And who would believe them?
Thronetender,
I’d rather have him dieing of old age, but I don’t put much hope in it. The show is gonna have all the bad guys have their “comeuppance” and all the good guys their vengeance.
lalla,
I highly dount Walder Frey will die of old age, in either the show or books.
And some justice is needed. I don’t see whats bad in that. But of course we do need to hate the show so that explains it…
loolaa,
Could you not take your gripes to the forums? There is Divergence from the Books thread there – or you could always start your own thread.
Mihnea,
I have to say that ending would have been awesome. Interesting thing is, that I can see some of that stuff happening in next season. Vale being the decding factor, Ramsay or Daario with Jorah. Not so believeable things like LS, Olly or almost all of Widlings dying.
Dame of Mercia,
Whe have a thread like that? God this is ”rant & reave v98” all over again. I hope it doesn’t spill over like it did in westeros.org.
Geralt of Rivia,
Logically, as some of it is based on info reported directly by WOTW.
Geralt of Rivia,
With so much guessing someone is bound to get something right.
<a href="#comment-
439399″>loolaa,I tend not to argue with people who call D&D names because I know that there’s no point to it.
However, your post is a perfect example that many people who critizise the show don’t pay enough attention to it. The Nights Watch did ask for help multiple times going back to the season 2 premiere when it dismissed by the small council and in season 5 Sam and Jon debated whether to ask Lord Bolton for help.
Dragonslayer,
And planty of other smaller houses.
Don’t feed the trolls, folks. Not one morsel.
Off-Topic Otto,
Morsel. “A small piece or amount of food; a mouthful.” I learnt a new English word today 🙂
Mihnea,
who cares sue?
Phil Necro,
You don’t anyone to confirm it. Just look at the inconsistencies with newer reports. This supposed leak simply gets a lot of stuff wrong (e.g., the flashback with Ned as a kid; the big kid in the casting calls, assumed by some —including the guy who made this up— to be Robert, ended up being Hodor instead). Incidentally, it’s also full of lots of fan-fankery D&D don’t usually come anywhere near to (all the hilarious setup to Lady Stoneheart, for example.)
I don’t think it’s 100000% true neither, but many of them seems legit and possible. Because of the casting news and rumors.
Mihnea,
“some” is the key word there, I just don’t have that feeling. I hope I’m wrong of course!
Tatters,
Well unlike the books,the show has to deal with actual real weather climate so unless they have a weather have wizard somewhere they have to do what they have to do . And plus they are filming until late december now so maybe they are lucky to catch some real snow .
loolaa,
Hurr durr durr,books are awesome D&D suck,hurr durr durr. This is how i read most of you book purists .
lalla,
Well I guess it comes down too personale taste.
I for one can’t wait too see Walder Frey/Roose/Ramsey get what they deserve. I would be extremly dissapointed if Walder Frey dies in his sleep or something like that.
I have the urge to go fishing after looking at those images; are you sure they are for GoT and not a set for BBC America’s “Last Kingdom”; after all both series are more than likely being filmed concurrently.
Auren,
Concerning the tents being too close for a siege, remember your basic photography class, zoom shots will often pull the background forward, giving the illusion of less distance separation from foreground objects.
Phil Necro,
That’s why its fake. Someone has read the casting info here on WOTW and made some fan-fic. Altough he didn’t read well enough, as it is Hodor who apears in the flashback, not Robert, and many other confirmed mistakes.
Of course he could get some things right, but that doesn’t mean he has S6’s scripts, it only means he got lucky.
Mihnea,
I mean… I’m pretty sure I could do a better job. Get all the WOTW reports right, for a start, and have everything else be as vague as possible.
tyjon,
It’s a GoT set. Look at the Lannister tent. If that doesn’t convince you (it is, after all, just a red tent), look at the fish sigil. It’s the exact same Tully design we saw in Season 3; on the Black Fish’s armor, for example.
Marcus,
Ok
Tyrion Pimpslap,
There was also this qoute I liked:”do the WW come with winter, or does winter come with them”.
Having winter come only with the WW would be preaty neat, in my opinion.
…and then when they finally kill the white walkers, any semblance of balance in the climate is destroyed and every verdant pasture from the Highgarden to the Riverlands is turned to desert.
Bergey,
What a twist!
Marcus,
Like this?
http://33.media.tumblr.com/e44f7ad3a066c4ed77a076743563184f/tumblr_mm3i45y8aL1sppkdro4_250.gif
Obviously, Planetos = the new Arrakis.
With the dragons = the new sandworms.
🙂
selena,
Or the Tullys have called their banner men. They are within firing distance of the castle, unlikely a siege camp.
Paul,
What about the Lannister red tent, then?
Interesting. So another storyline from the books that was skipped in season 5. I am believing more and more that at least half of season 6 will be scenes from Feast and Dance or flashbacks from earlier books.
Who do the sheep belong to? The Lannisters or the Tullys?
Luka Nieto,
Good point, I thought it was a crew tent, and not part of the camp, then noticed the ropes in lieu of modern materials. With all the red tents, it appears the BF seized back RR from the Frey’s, and probably why Kevan sends Jaime, as WF is either threatening the small council, or making a winy nuisance of himself.
The scale of that set indicates major importance that is used for more than one scene, otherwise why not film at a real castle gate with drawbridge, there are plenty of them in the Isles. Perhaps there is a running shot of a fight from outside through the gatehouse and into the street, and they didn’t want to film at three locals and edit the shots together, think True Detective.
It always amuses me that they use House sigils to identify unit gear. Keepin’ it REAL!
Cersei’s Brain,
Riverrun is a place, not a storyline. A place that will presumably also feature in TWOW. We don’t know if the Riverrun material in Season 6 is from AFFC/ADWD or TWOW, or both. I’d say probably a bit of both, but that’s just speculation; anything is speculation until we see some more context (the actors involved, to start with.) To be fair, a Lannister camp is some context!
And bowls of brown (or Hotpie’s gravy) = the new spice.
🙂
Mihnea,
ita. It does a good job of combining fan theories with the show, the books, the spoilers, but it’s almost certainly a fake. Having said that, if the season is anything like it, I won’t complain 🙂
The trout above the door is black, not white…Blackfish anyone?
Finally. The two important questions to me are whether the Blackfish makes an appearance, and if we are going to see the Ghost of Winterfell being included in the Northern plotline?
If there’s no GoW, I’ll begin to doubt it’s relevance for the north remembers plot in DwD and tWoW…
Sean C.,
In terms of the show you may be right. The show has certainly portrayed lord Frey as petty enough to take residence at riverrun just out of spite
If this is not the Siege (in some way) and the Freys control it, why would the Lannisters be camped outside?
I’m really hoping some locals will continue to look closely at filming. We might spot some actors!
I don’t think we’ll have a siege as the tents are within firing range (as tyjon noted) and the Freys do probably control Riverrun already. I think the tents are for guests who don’t have a place inside. Think the Stark forces at the Twins (though maybe less bloody).
Yeah totally agree here- the detail within the drawbridge arch insdicates that at the very last there’ll be some shots of someone going in or coming out of that drawbridge. Not so sure about the battlements as these are large scaffold riggings so it’s reasonable to expect to seem the crew walking around up there.
Dragonslayer,
My guess aswell.
https://twitter.com/IrishThrones/status/647386855227420672
OT: Don’t know if this as been posted before but if your Downunder, GoT has come to your local Track.
Equine GoT
Everyone bitching about time are way off- in the books only 2 1/2- 3 years have lapsed since between AGOT and ADWD. Y’all need to stop translating the fact that one season/year in HBO world is one year in Planetos. That’s just simply not the case
loolaa,
You read the books (I presume), you feel the need to insult the showrunners but you can’t even spell one of the major characters’ name right…
a57se,
I don’t think we will see the ghost of winterfell since theon is gone
Well, shepherd management does not give any clues on Blackfish: From his CV:
http://www.shepherdmanagement.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/CLIVE-RUSSELL-Theatrical-CV.pdf
GAME OF THRONES Blackfish Tully HBO & Sky Dir. Various
No years, various dirctors… guess we will have to wait!
No comments on the fact that Eddie Eyre has arrive to Spain and is going to film in armor (according to his twitter)? Arthur Dayne complitly confirmed…
Except that every time the refer to past events from past seasons, they refer to them as having happened years before. Jaime spent nearly a year in captivity. Joffery tormented Sansa for years. Arya let Kings Landing years ago. Etc. Stuff from the end of last season was months ago at the beginning of the next season. Indeed, even within seasons, it is pretty clear that many events are taking many weeks after things from just a week or two before in TV time.
Remember, there is one huge difference between the books and the show: real actors. They cannot be pretending that Arya is prepubescent or that Sansa is 14 with the actresses visibly so much older than that. They cannot pretend that Bran is 10 when he’s shaving. Hell, ditto that for Rickon.
I suspect that much of the “jet-pack” complaining is simply people doing things backwards: instead of looking at long distances travelled as communicating big blocks of time, they feel that characters are spending as much time traveling as they see on TV. Use travel as a time metric, and a lot of time has to elapse on this show every year.
Why? Sending ravens is a plot point, not a story point. Jon and Sam talking was a story point and a plot point. Besides, they did show a scene where Jon was sending out letters and he balked about sending one to the Boltons. Why show something like that again?
They would have done that during the main way. At any rate, both show and books point to Riverrun being occupied by the Freys at this point.
Lordy Reed,
Pretty much, yeah. Or at least someone involved in the Tower of Joy.
So I guess Ser Alfred Hunrith is just a fake name?
M,
I think that Sansa is getting her book storyline back, and that they gave her the Jeyne Poole role just to have her doing something in season 5, I mean, more than just sitting in the Eyrie and waiting for winter to come. If Ramsay is about to be killed in this northern battle, she will be free to marry anyone else so, why not some Harry the Heir? or something like that. Maybe she manages to get her hands over the knights of the vale and use their force to aid the north…
OK. I just figured the whole thing out – the show in particular but it’s gotta apply to the books as well.
The fact that the GoT signs in the shooting locations are pink is a dead giveaway that …
The Boltons will it all in the end.
: )
Blackfish, come back to me!
#Backfish2k16
Thanks for the article, fun read. (Although poor Stannis. He can’t win on the track either.)
A lot of GoT would make great racehorse names. I wonder if that will ever catch on in American racing, I haven’t heard of any horses in the US with GoT names.
Ignacio,
I highly doubt that, if they would have done the Harry plot, they would have at least mention him this season.
And I doubt Sansa will marry anyone LF tells her, after what happened with Ramsey.
The more I think of this, the more I think in truth it’s Ramsey who took Harry’s plot, rether then Sansa taking Jayne’s.
Queen of the Keys,
Yes please!
Ignacio,
I think that it’s probably more that book Sansa will be marriage-raped by Harry the Heir, and then LF will take the Vale armies North, at which point (LF in WF) the book/show paths will converge. Harry will probably only last long enough for the rape, that’s why they cut him.
Although I don’t share the attitude of the other poster, I agree that an urgent msg or two to specific locations about spreading the WW word quickly (as a follow-up to Aemon’s original distribution) could have been integrated as Sam’s last task. As we discussed before, this is the NW’s primary mission (in case folks have forgotten)…but admittedly, there may be a lack of ravens at CB these days.
Yaga,
That is exactly what I think!!
Altough I doubt he will rape her the way Ramsey did, but he will definetly not be gentle.
Ignacio,
Ramsay can’t die before episode 9, and in any event, the point of the Harry the Heir plot in the books (seemingly) is to gain control over the Vale, which has already happened in the show.
This is so exciting! Last season a lot of people thought the Riverrun section of the story would be cut and replaced or spliced with someone else’s storyline, but it looks like we’ll be getting a show line that will at least stay within the line of sight of the story shoreline.
Hodor’s Bastard,
But why would anyone belive him?
He sent revans in S2-3. The answer? ”LOL no.”
What would he say know? ”Hey guys we just saw an army of the dead, could you abandon all your other problems and come help us? Oh by the way, I saw the night’s king.”
Also in the last scene, we see him with letters on his desk. So him not sending revans right away, does not mean he never planned to send them eventually.
He had other things to think of. Settling the wildlings, dealing with the NW guys who clearly hated him.
So give him a break, if his first tought wasn’t to beg help from people who already refused him.
Flora Linden,
I checked the Jockey Club eligible list; an American horse cannot be based on a trademark, commercial, artistic or creative name that has or can be used for commercial success, no Mickey Mouse, Scooby-Doo, Sith Lord, Doritos, or Mamma Mia and sadly Night’s King, which would be a cool name for a pale racehorse.
Yeah…I know he already initiated the recruit request….but this is a warning. Whether it is believed or not is beside the point. It is the LC’s duty. But yeah…he was a bit preoccupied.
If Godzilla came ashore in Japan and destroyed a few cities, I would expect the Japanese authorities to alert the United Nations at some point.
jentario,
We miss him so much! He needs to come back to bless us with his formidable presence… and to tell us about the piss that saved his life! http://i.imgur.com/HrTf6Vn.jpg
I seriously need infos about Clive Russell, where is he??
#Blackfish2015 #LiveTheHype
I think that it is a cost benefit thing. They should show things only if they are going to be relevant to events later that season. And this wouldn’t have been. After all, what purpose would having Cersei read a letter about White Walkers returning while everybody laughs at the absurdity of that do? Are the grumpkins and snarks coming, too! Oh my! Oh my!!! But, at any rate: guns, firing, yada yada yada….. 😀
Now, if they could have used it to show Cersei being clueless again about something, then it might have been worth it: but this is one case where Cersei’s cluelessness is a near-universal one. As I suspect that universal cluelessness is going to be important (remember, even Ned Stark scoffed at the idea of the Others returning; well, it was as much of a scoff as Ned could do!), that probably would not have been helpful in the long-haul.
It probably will not quite be like that, but given how Harry is developed in the one Alayne chapter, we should not be surprised to see him at least attempt to force himself on her. He is a philanderer and he also is a classist-pig. Because Alayne is only a bastard (and because bastards are assumed to be sexually licentious in their world), he will feel quite at liberty to do so.
At any rate, I am betting that we won’t be getting the Vale stuff. Instead, I am betting that B&W have decided to make Sansa the chief protagonist in the Restore Rickon plotline.
Matt,
Yes, as others have suggested on this thread, my guess is that the Riverlands plot is set up with a Frey occupied RR running into trouble with rogue bands of outlaws and BF. The Lannisters might be called for help. This could act as a means of further weakening the Lannister hold on KL (resources spread thin, etc.)
Of course, it could easily be a scenario that neither of us has considered! Ultimately the showrunners will do whatever they see as fitt in order to tell the story the show version is telling.
Hodor’s Bastard,
I don’t think your metaphor is very good, it would be good if the WW had attacked the wall. Not a remote settlement at the end of the world.
For goodness sake, most of his own men don’t really belive Jon. They still think the wildlings are the threat, So why should the lords of Westeros do.
So I’m sorry, but I simply disagree here with you.
The WW are still beyond the Wall, and even the wildlings seamed suprized at their attack. From that I conclude that they never attacked in such numbers before.
While they are the bigest threat, wich I admit and supported since long ago, I would understand Jon if he felt he had more time, before they attack the Wall itself.
Thanks, tyjon. Good old copyright infringement, of course. That’s too bad, it would be cool to have a future Triple Crown winner with a GoT name.
Forget Godzilla – after four years, Fukushima is still dumping lethal radiation into the Pacific. No United Nations alert or any warnings of that, and how dangerous it will become if it isn’t stopped.
Flora Linden,
You reminded me of Chernobyl. Wich most people didn’t know, even 2 months after it actoully happened
Picture taken today in Peñiscola!
http://oi62.tinypic.com/k0ipu1.jpg
Karolyne,
Well that outright confirms that it’s Mareen.
Queen of the Keys,
I actually think the BF excused himself because he realized what was about to happen, and did not conjecture they’d kill them all, but felt Robb, Talisa and Cat would be hostages.
Concerning a siege, Riverrun is the ideal castle to withstand one, with the river flowing through it, the occupants have an unlimited supply of fresh water and fish, therefore they can’t be starved out. It would be outrageously expensive to build a damn, especially if the water was fast flowing and would take years to construct, thereby the costs outweigh the benefits.
Flora Linden,
That’s because if truth once the radiation levels in the north Pacific reached a certain level the Pacific fishing industry would collapse, costing corporations tens of billions and adding millions to the unemployed. The money made by the industry and the economic benefits to the countries involved are more important than the millions of lives that could be lost over the next century.
tyjon,
Hm, I don’t know, I never thought he could just going away knowing that his niece and his grandson could be taken as hostages… Maybe he just wanted to go outside for any reason and found himself in the position of escaping the carnage? I can’t believe he could leave his family in the Freys’ hands, if he had any suspect about that.
I can’t imagine Brynden doing that, I never could.
I reckon this will be a major scene in the latter half of Season 6. In the books, there’s enough characters in place to suggest that a “Red Wedding 2.0”-event is happening in Riverrun. In particular some agents of the Brotherhood without Banners.
Jaime sends hostage Edmure into Riverrun to surrender the castle from the Blackfish, one of the terms is that the hostages from the Red Wedding get sent to King’s Landing. After the surrender Brynden escapes Riverrun. As there are several BwB-men at the sight, it is speculated that Brynden(+BwB)? recovers the hostages that are being brought to Kings Landing. This opens up the Umbers in the North to go against the Boltons. Aka, what they’re currently been filming at Saintsfield: SnowBowl.
In addition, as there are BwB-men posing as Lannister-men (and as Arya gets to the Riverlands in S6), they can infiltrate the castle and cause an upcoming Lannister+Frey-wedding to go horribly wrong, or for the show: Just a Frey-wedding, as Lord Walder has been named Lord of Riverrun and he does need a new wife.
Thus the lifting of this siege can allow for SnowBowl to kick off (at least taking into account the Umber’s hesitation due to Greatjon being a hostage), and could serve as an opening for the season finale for Arya and Jaime – and in the process tie up lose ends with the BwB and Edmure.
Highly hypothetical and more of a bookstory, because I can’t believe that the show would shoot the Blackfish+BwB saving some hostages the audience does not care for much, especially if Edmure (the most notable hostage) is at Riverrun at that point – even if we’re told by a Northern Lord that the Frey’s still have hostages and that they thus won’t do anything yet. It’s something that is conceivable to happen in the books, but the show won’t likely do.
Mihnea,
Yeah. Hardhome is quite a ways from the Wall. We actually haven’t seen any evidence that the WW are planning to attack or cross the Wall. They’ve never crossed the Wall before, or even attacked it. They’re clearly building an army. But I don’t think we know enough yet to say why they’re doing it, after 8000 years of…nothing.
Luka Nieto,
Thanks for being fair. When the new season starts I will be tracking scenes from existing books, existing book reworked scenes, and all- new scenes (WOW).
Lisa0527,
This is why I’m giving Jon a pass. After all, people rarelly want to admit that the end of the world is coming.
Cersei’s Brain,
I probably will, too, for the wiki, as I did for Season 5. Unless TWOW is released before Season 6; I have decided I’d rather watch the show first and read the book later. So if TWOW is released first, unfortunately I won’t come near the “In the books” sections of the wiki, or the “Differences” pages. You might want to help out, as it seems you are already doing the work anyway 😉
Luka Nieto,
Sounds like a plan! :-). Now we just have to wait for S6. Argh
Looks like important parts of AFFC/ADWD haven’t been cut, but merely shifted to season 6. I’m wondering how this will work out with the timeline of the story. And how can they wrap everything up in 7 seasons when AFFC/ADWD will still be heavily adapted in S6? There has to be an eight season!
Mihnea, et al:
Ok…But frankly, I’m stunned at the “do nothing is best, no one will believe anyway” perspective.
Wimsey,
I think that book Sansa may be revealed as Sansa to the Vale in TWOW (which is possibly why the show felt at liberty to reveal her identity in S5). On the show, we’ll also be getting some Vale in S6, given that Yohn Royce is in.
I think that something like this will happen on the show:
– Sansa will manage to escape. She will decide to go to the Northern Lords in support of Rickon, send Theon to Balon to get the Ironborn armies, and Brienne south to Littlefinger in the Vale and/or to find Arya in the Riverlands. (Theon and Brienne will go on to their own plotlines.)
– Roose will send Ramsay against the armies of the North. This will end up being Saintfield, and will be a hecatomb on both sides.
– Meanwhile, LF will turn up at the mostly undefended Winterfell, kill Roose.
– Sansa will somehow rejoin LF, possibly with Rickon, possibly hiding Rickon from him.
Bard,
It’s not like they’re winging it. Obviously they didn’t have enough material for Jaime, Brienne and a few others, but weren’t willing to let them go for a whole season (like they did with Bran) or spread their storylines thin, so they put Jaime in Dorne and Brienne in the North. Makes sense to me. I suspect the chronology will be just fine by the end.
Luka Nieto,
For some reason, my response to you is awaiting moderation… But
A-OK to tracking S6!
Yaga,
Since we discovered that Jaime will definitely go to the Riverlands, we’ve all been wondering why Brienne would go there; I mean, they’ve gotta meet again, eventually, right? I hadn’t found a satisfactory reason… until now. It makes perfect sense! Once Sansa has her shit together and plenty of protection, and even some of her family back, of course she would send Brienne in a mission that is not only pretty much the quest Jaime sent her in (finding the Stark girl; it’s just the other one) but also in keeping with her original oath to Catelyn. It’s so obvious I didn’t know why I didn’t think of it earlier. As far as Brienne knows, Arya was last seen in the Vale, so there’s a missing link here, of course… but obviously, we don’t have all the information. It’s just something that makes sense, character-wise; why would Brienne abandon Sansa now that she has found her? Because Sansa has ordered her to find her other sister!
Cersei’s Brain,
Take a look at the latest example here, if you haven’t seen how we do it. There is a different page for differences; this only tracks what’s been adapted.
Bard,
There is an 8 season. It has been confirmed.
Hodor’s Bastard,
I’m not saying Jon would never have asked for help. Him sending Sam to the Citadel proves that he thinks or at least hopes, that he has more time until the WW attack.
What I’m arguing is that him not sending pleas for help the same day he returned from HH is not ”bad writing”/”plot-hole” or that it ”doesn’t make sense”.
Bard,
Uhh,no offense but have you been sleeping under a rock ? An 8th season has already been confirmed or at least in the works .
Luka Nieto,
Thanks – but I can’t claim authorship of this idea. I read it here. It’s a neat one, I agree! (Especially since it gives Sansa some of that vaunted ‘agency’ thing.)
Obviously, it’s also possible that the show will decide to do some sort of a ‘close miss’ thing – although I’m not sure why Brienne would decide to return South in that case. Handwaved bad plotting, I suppose? Or maybe they will find another good reason. 🙂
Chernobyl had a major effect on the plant and animal life in the area – genetic mutations and such. I believe there’s a nearby city that’s completely deserted, it’s really spooky, with empty, rotting buildings, like something out of a movie. Chernobyl is nothing compared to what’s still going on at Fukushima, though.
Exactly. There’s a web podcast called Caravan to Midnight where the show host has been tracking the status of Fukushima since the earthquake. According to him, the outlook isn’t good.
And as Mihnea pointed out, some people just can’t face the reality of the world/civilizations ending or changing.
Anyway, back on topic – the Riverrun/Riverlands set looks great, really curious at where the TV show will take the storyline. I agree with the commenters who think Brienne will head back there because Sansa sends her to find Arya again.
I’m not sure if either can cause enhanced mental powers and clairvoyance though. Hotpie’s gravy will probably taste OK, but the bowls of brown will definitely have an effect physically. 🙂
Bard,
An 8th season was confirmed in August!
Yaga,
It’s not only possible, I think it’s probable that they will have Sansa and Brienne completely miss each other. For all everyone is talking about why Brienne would leave the North when she has found Sansa, they are forgetting that she essentially lost her by choosing her “avenge Renly” vow at a really poor moment. Just like with Arya – she found her, and then she lost her. To have Season 6 start with Brienne and Sansa in each other’s company would be a very weird choice given how they chose to highlight Brienne missing Sansa’s signal in Season 5. She lost her chance, and I’m not even sure she’s going to find her again at all.
Just wanted to add: since it’s part of Bran’s training, maybe Jojenpaste is the new spice, at least in the ASOIF books.
kit_hepburn,
This. Those assumptions are getting out of hand.
kit_hepburn,
I think you may be correct. It makes more sense to her story if Brienne misses her chance, placing revenge over duty.
ikr? My husband and I kept shouting at the screen after Hardhome “DUDE CONVENE EVERYONE AND TELL THEM THAT DEATH IS COMING ZOMG ICE ZOMBIES EVERYONE FREAK OUT NOW!” rather than explaining for the zillionth time that everyone should feel sorry for the wildlings and have courage and be kind blabla. When the apocalpyse is upon you, normal activity stops while everyone switches into crisis mode, no? HELLO MAN THE BARRICADES STAT. At least in any rational world I can think of…
On topic: Riverlands and Riverrun, yay! I also love Clive Russell and Tobias Menzes and if they’re filming, they’re doing a great job of keeping it under wraps.
I’m firmly believe that Cogman has had the Riverlands story planned out long ago, and the changes he made were done for specific reasons. He didn’t send the Blackfish to the Red Wedding and have him make his escape from there, only to have of him make another escape 3 seasons later in another castle.
RpCola,
I firmly belive they have all the story planned ahead, since at least S3 when they had their talk with Martin
chameleon,
Especially since they used Stannis’ naval ships to get to HH. On the way back to Eastwatch, Jon would have definitely planned the “End of the world is coming” message distribution. IT’S NOT LIKE HE HAD JUST A FEW HOURS TO PONDER THIS SITUATION!!! Several of those ships would have been directed to travel south and ravens at Eastwatch would have flown.
Hodor’s Bastard,
The answer: ”no”
Regarding Arya, we have it on WotW authority that she is returning to the Riverlands this season, we now have a Riverrun set being built, but there’s problem. In one of the interviews Maisie gave during the Emmies she says because of a technical hitch she has finished filming for the year.
So is she involved in the S6 Riverlands plot or not? There was filming for the Riverlands plot earlier in the summer, but at the time Maisie was filming Braavos scenes in Spain…
WRT Sansa, what about the rumor she died in the north storyline, could that also be why Brienne leaves?
I stand corrected! Finally, someone making sense! 😈
kit_hepburn,
Yeah. Sansa telling Brienne to go find Arya is only a possibility (albeit a cool one). We don’t know. Though, from a textual standpoint, both ‘missing an opportunity to fulfil one oath to fulfil another’ and ‘being steadfast in fulfilling one oath leading to fulfilling another’ are cool with me.
Osentalka,
Weasel words, possibly. “Arya Stark will be returning to Westeros’ Riverlands as well.” This does not mean that she necessarily gets there in S6.
Or she may dream.
Osentalka,
I’m pretty sure it was more like she has finished MOST of her filming but still has a little bit left.
Wow, had to catch up on all the posts. Now I have a headache and I don’t remember who said what.
I can appreciate the sentiment to keep Walder around a bit longer, but only so Arya can remove him personally from her list.
But, again, it is really a story-telling issue. If it is not going to be relevant to the story being told now, then they should not be doing it. On the other hand, if they do show Jon having Sam send a bunch of Ravens, then this should amount to something in Season 5.
That written, suppose that “are they kidding? White Walkers?!?!” is relevant to next season’s story and/or plots. If they show Cersei reading the letter and dismissing it to laughter, then we won’t go: “but when was it sent?” We don’t see Jon empty his bowels, either, but we assume that he does. (Although that might explain that expression of permanent angst: maybe it’s not a stick, but….)
Well, they’ve probably had it planned out basically from the start! However, obviously they had to work on the here and now initially.
If Arya is back there, then it will be at the very end of the season and thus not tied directly to the plot. Personally, I still am not ruling out that this will be how they show Arya warging with Nymmeria, at least in Arya’s head.
Audition tape for a member of Dosh Khaleen
https://vid.me/dsv6
Yes, and I appreciate the non-dismissive tone, W. Most of my conjecture on this topic is me mentally connecting the dots and filling in ambiguities in order for the acceptance bell to ring. Although it won’t happen necessarily, I am vastly interested in how each House would receive word that history is about to repeat itself. Furthermore, I really want to know the iron bank’s reaction to all this, given that their investments may/will soon be worthless! I would think they would react aggressively. 🙂
Redstar,
Ooh, spoilery.
Trying to get a handle on when the focus might shift to the Riverlands. We know if Jaime is involved in the Riverlands he should be arriving late in Season 6 since he is at the Sept freeing Margaery mid-season. And if Arya is going to make it to the Riverlands it will obviously need to be near the end of the season as well. Brienne in the Riverlands is pure speculation but if she has any hope of making it that far south of her current location sans jetpack it would take multiple episodes of travel time.
I know the show isn’t technically bound to POV but typically we’re introduced to new characters and major locations through the eyes of a major character (Jaime in Dorne, Arya in Bravos, etc.). Does anyone remember the number of episodes the new band of outlaws (and McShane) are filming? If they appear in fewer than five episodes we can lean more toward the Riverlands appearing in the latter half of the season. I say this because I can’t think of many other characters who are already in that area. Perhaps we will meet this group of outlaws through Jaime or Brienne (Arya seems less likely).
Just speculating wildly here but I’m beginning to see the appeal of a TWOW storyline, possibly a reverse Red Wedding involving Walder Frey, causing multiple characters to converge in the Riverlands. The main question I have is this: would Arya have enough time to make it all the way to Riverrun in time? Maybe the actual wedding event/setpiece won’t happen until early Season 7. Like I said, just spitballing.
All this Riverlands talk, and nobody even mentions her name?
You know who.
King in the North Carolina,
*sigh*
People are still going to hope she apears, even after the series ends..
Sunfyre,
I believe the only episode number we got for a probably-Riverlands-based character was that Frey son, which was three episodes, if I recall correctly.
Sunfyre,
Since I’m already speculating, what the hell… what if Arya uses her Faceless Men skills to impersonate Walder Frey’s new intended bride (maybe a Lannister girl?) and stabs him at the wedding ceremony. Too on the nose?
Sean C.,
Ahh okay. Thanks for that. Hopefully some of the actors and directors will be spotted at some point so we can get some clarity.
This would definitely work for me.
This notion has been floated previously and seems to appeal to a lot of people, though I think the consensus is more that it would likely happen in the bedchamber, so she would not be killed on the spot by onlookers. Personally, I like irony better than tit-for-tat revenge, and would prefer to have Walder croak of a stroke or heart attack or something just when Arya has him within striking distance. More Zen, you know?
Firannion,
Hmmm, I still think a girl needs to have her revenge.
Heck, I would feel robbed if he would just croak of old age, LOL.
Sean C.,
This must be the audition for the ‘young widow’ whose casting call was released last week.
Firannion,
Yeah I like that idea as well. I don’t envy GRRM. So many outcomes can seem predictable. There is probably pressure to continually subvert expectations. He definitely has a great track record when it comes to staging setpieces and making them memorable.
King in the North Carolina,
At winteriscoming.com she is who everyone is talking about. Sorry though, it’s not going to happen
I don’t understand why so many people are assuming that the consummation of Sansa’s marriage to Harry the Heir will be violent in the books, just because she was raped by Ramsay in the TV show. Sansa-as-eternal-victim is really getting to be a tiresome trope. Seems to me that with arranged marriages between people who care nothing for each other, the wedding night most often would be a cool, perfunctory, dutiful, not very satisfying, let’s-get-this-over-with matter rather than anything particularly shocking.
Granted, book-Harry seems rather caddish and full of himself, but that doesn’t mean that he’d necessarily be a rapist. Him being just a user who pops his wad with minimal foreplay and then ignores Sansa at breakfast the next day seems more believable to me – not much different from a lot of guys in modern times.
Osentalka,
Maisie didn’t say she was done, she said that she was mostly done.
kit_hepburn,
Brienne leaving the North by any means other than Sansa sending her (which would work, I agree, assuming Brienne isn’t needed there for a while; given that Brienne would be going to the Riverlands to find Arya right as Arya herself is making her way back there, it’s in fact quite convenient) poses two challenges to me:
1) The logistics of why Brienne would leave.
2) The logistics of how Sansa and Theon, who have no food, no means of transportation, no other proximate allies, and are respectively not athletic and recently subject to years(?) of torture, are meant to outrun Bolton pursuit without her help. In the books they’re rescued by nearby Northerners and taken to Stannis’ army; in the show there’s nobody else nearby, and there’s no Stannis’ army to provide shelter.
I’ve been very busy the last weeks and months, so yeah, I’ve missed that entirely. But I’m very glad about it.
Firannion,
Because some of us choose to belive that the show stays very much close to the books. Even if it is a more streamlined version, but this is to be expected in a TV show.
I choose to belive that they are going the same way as Martin is, even if the road may be a bit different. Something like Sansa marrying Ramsey makes perfect sense, if she gets there after she marries Harry. It gives Sansa an actoull story unlike in the books, and she gets there much faster.
Also I never said he will outright rape her, but no, I don’t expect this to be something they will ”just do” I expect this to have an impact on Sansa. I fully expect him to be mean and hurt her. of course he will not make someone watch it, as he is not Ramsey.
Also there are many people who simply don’t belive in Sansa ”playing the game”. So no, it is not ulikely for her to be a victim too Harry, this would also give her reason to go against LF, You think this is unlikly, or simply don’t wish for this to happen. This is fine, I didn’t want to see Sansa having 3 chapters in 10 years, in wich she does nothing.
But just because you wouldn’t like it to happen, or don’t find it likely, doesn’t mean that it will not happen.
Yeah, different seasons cover different amounts of time. No way a year passed between Oberyn’s arrival in KL and his death, or Jon’s recovery at the Wall and the arrival of Mance’s army.
My vague hope for Genna Lannister remains alive! 😛
I apologize in advance if this reads as strained, I just feel like I’m seeing how this story is set up completely differently from everyone and it’s frustrating as I’m trying to get my point across.
To answer to your comments:
1) It doesn’t MATTER. If Brienne misses Sansa, finds out she escaped, doesn’t know where she went, then there are about million reasons why she ends up going in the opposite direction from her, either accidentally or based on erroneous information or assumptions. Which is what happens in the books.
2) People keep talking about this as though the show is bound by some kind of real-world logic and is not in fact a story that the writers themselves have created. I’m going to use an example that everyone kept going on about until recently: Jaime and Bronn on the Dornish boat. Everyone continually said that it made no sense that Jaime and Bronn would make it back to King’s Landing on a Dornish boat with Trystane, and Myrcella’s body, and the only plausible explanation was that the boat was actually headed for somewhere else (Meereen), or that the boat turns around. I argued at the time that it didn’t matter if it made sense – the show had SET UP the boat returning to KL in the finale. Ergo, that’s where the boat was going. And guess what we now know? That Jaime returns to King’s Landing. Apply this now to Brienne (and Sansa and Theon). The show SET UP Brienne missing the candle. Missing the candle meant failing to rescue Sansa at the precise moment she should have been. Ergo, because the writers are the ones that create the set-ups, Brienne will not find Sansa (or at least not right away). I don’t know who rescues Theon and Sansa, but it doesn’t matter. The show will find someone to rescue them if they need to be rescued. And I’m just saying that based on what they have written, it’s not going to be Brienne. The evidence that I’m looking at is not what’s based on what we want to happen, or what would logistically happen, it’s based on what will in all probability happen when considering the show is a thing that the writers have written in a certain way… and that last part sounds so existential when I re-read it, lol. But hopefully people understand what I mean.
kit_hepburn,
The candle is certainly a significant moment, but it’s already significant in that it meant that Sansa was left to fend for herself (well, I’m not sure what exactly Brienne was going to do had she seen the candle or if it would have mattered since Myranda was looking for her and they all know about the candle signal) and had to be rescued by Theon instead. It could certainly mean that Brienne missed Sansa, period, but it could also just mean that she’ll be playing the role of Mors Umber instead of Mance Rayder.
There really isn’t any other character in a position to help them out at this point, and just based on what we know of the season, in terms of casting, where the characters need to be, etc., there aren’t any other candidates. And I don’t think the show is going to pull a deus ex machina character we’ve never heard of into the picture (among other things, we haven’t gotten any evidence of such a role being cast).
Sean C.,
Well the show is casting Umbers, and Rickon is supposedly with the Umbers, so I think it’s perfectly plausible that there’s someone around that has to do with said Umbers that ends up aiding Sansa and Theon in some way.
This is also the part where I admit that this article posted awhile back http://www.ibtimes.com/game-thrones-season-6-bran-back-arya-learning-fight-blind-sophie-turner-jon-snow-2006896 is also strongly affecting my view of what is going to happen. Gwendoline Christie says that Brienne is “looking for redemption after failing to see the candle lit by Sansa and consequently failing to save her.” That really doesn’t sound like Brienne will immediately be in any position to help Sansa – sounds more like she’s going to be dealing with the emotional fallout of not doing so.
kit_hepburn,
With the Smalljon only in two episodes, it doesn’t seem like the Umbers are going to be appearing until more toward the end of the season.
Regarding the Christie interview, I guess we’ll see how it plays. But in a way what she says just to me makes Brienne wandering off to the Riverlands even less likely — if she learns that Sansa called for help and is now missing or whatever, why would she just pack it up and go home?
Seriously, how many times do I have to repeat myself? I didn’t say she packs up and goes home. I said that the show had her make a mistake, and as a result of that mistake she’s going to have to deal with the consequences, which are that she did not save Sansa, and is back at square one. When she fails to find Sansa for like, all of the books, does she go home? No. But she does make an error that causes her to head in the wrong direction. I don’t see what’s so hard to fathom about her heading in the wrong direction again.
The Umbers are at Last Hearth; one of them finding Sansa is less likely than Brienne, after killing Stannis (or not), seeing two figures running from Winterfell and one of them has red hair?
Folks, calm down…
Siege of Riverrun!
Looks like the casting for the (rumoured) Frey son will be a part of this Riverrun stuff. The shooting dates for the role posted back in August line up with when filming will likely commence in Corbet:
Week of 8/10
Week of 8/24 – same as the outlaw band
Week of 10/12
Week of 10/19
kit_hepburn,
I’m with you. Mostly because I just really want Brienne to get back to book material. I want her with Meribald, I want her at the Quiet Isle (plus Gravedigger), I want her running into the BwB & LSH (I want LSH!!!!!), and I want her and Jaime to cross paths again. She can’t be getting all mixed up in the Northern Conspiracy and fighting White Walkers and shit yet. Is that too much to ask for????
I’m on the fence about all of it. I’m excited to see such a complex set in a beautiful location, and red tents. Fingers crossed for Blackfish! But I’ll wait for more info to see if this is AFFC material brought around to S6, or if it’s somehow combined/moved forward as some have suggested with TWoW or new show material. I think there are a lot of ways it can go, but I hope it involves Blackfish and Jaime 🙂
I hope this means Blackfish is back. I hope they don’t recast him because Clive Russell is so good.
Is he filming anything that could interfere with GOT?
I know that Tobias did an interview saying he would work it out with the Outlander people to do a few episodes of GOT.
I hope this does happen. We need revenge for the RW.
Maybe we can also get Nymeria and her wolf pack too. That will result in even more dead Freys. When Arya comes back to the Riverlands, she can join up with her wolf and sick the pack on the Freys.
Matt,
Good. Now we need confirmation about Edmure, Blackfish and Roslyn returning. If they pull this off, this season will have crazy payoff.
With all the big news items up top, I’m not sure who will see this but I couldn’t resist the chance to comment on my other favourite passion: horseracing.
There actually are a few “Game of Thrones”-named racehorses running in North America. If the name is not a direct match it can likely get by the censors of the governing Jockey Club. In fact, there is a top-level filly running this Friday named “Dothraki Queen.” If she wins this important race she may end up competing in the Breeder’s Cup at the end of October which is considered horse racing’s superbowl. She’d likely get a lot of national exposure as one of the favourites.
Undefeated Dothraki Queen Set for Alcibiades:
http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/94772/undefeated-dothraki-queen-set-for-alcibiades
Sometime in the future Dothraki Queen may end up racing against another American filly named “Grey Stark”.
Didn’t Walder Frey’s wife survive the RW in the books?