Oh yes… can you hear it? The bells are tolling. For whom you ask? For you. For me. For Tywin.
The time is upon us. And in nine short days we shall reconvene and commence in discussion related to 501, all at our new home at WotW. It is predominately the reason this Wall was built. Our first season at the new apartment is coming… now is the time to prepare.
Decorate your House. Fly your banners. Prepare your meals. And take in Unsullied trailer thoughts, because they just haven’t been dissected enough…
Welcome to Looking Forward, where Unsullied rule is invoked and we shall forever demand trial by combat (that three-judge shit is for the ravens).
Why a “trailer of tears?” Why is a man secreting liquid discharge from his eyes? A number of reasons… tears of joy; tears of happiness; tears for whatever the hell that is in the picture on top of this post.
We’ll get to it momentarily. But first…
Game of Assumptions
First and foremost, we know that Dany aims to break the wheel assuming her wheel doesn’t get broken first. But we’ve discussed her, and I still believe that her storyline has the potential to be the most intriguing of S5 despite our variation of personal feelings regarding Khaleesi.
Eternal optimism at it’s best.
Now…
I’ve commented on this in the past and my stance on this is firm: If Red Velvet sacrifices Shireen in the name of the Lord of Light, or for the sake of Stannis’ claim, or for any damn reason, you may see a man unleash hell on someone’s ass. I don’t know what that means, but you get the point.
Perspective: Yes, it’s a TV show. A fantasy-based TV show. And the show has a track record of harvesting emotion and fondness for its characters only to see them have their heads smashed into small projectiles.
But that is exactly why I have reason to believe it is inevitable. And killing little girls in the name of power is ruthless, even if you are Stephen Dillane. The stage has already been set. Velvet will believe she is doing the child a favor since the past victims of sacrifice are in a “better place” and the only “hell” is the one they live in now (Ep. 402).
Mommy dearest Selyse will presumably allow it (since she allows pretty much everything else), while Stannis will be coerced into believing that it is the best solution for everyone.
And Davos will be outraged. Again.
Hopefully, this assumption is wrong. Maybe this framework is for something else entirely. But Shireen was dragged north for a reason, and it wasn’t to battle Wildlings or due to a shortage of babysitters at Dragonstone.
Then again, maybe it’s for Jon Snow. Mel has her eyes on him, and Jon may have a natural affinity for reds. In the clip, she is about to get naked with somebody (Giantsbane?). Most likely, no. But it would be entertaining nonetheless.
If it is Jon Snow, then here are a couple of potential spin-offs (feel free to insert your own): A Song of Snow and Fire or Red Wedding 2: Leeches on Snow. We’ll poll it later for no good reason.
Speaking of weddings…
Tommen and Margaery take the plunge because there remain at least two ways to bond Houses in Westeros… take it by force or force it by marriage.
One would think that the ceremony alone would hold very little dramatics (haven’t we endured enough epically tragic wedding episodes?) dependent of course on the amount of wine consumed by the mother of madness. I think it is safe to assume that pigeon pie will not be included on the caterer’s menu options.
But the merger itself is intriguing due to the involvement of Lysakiller (many of you still refer to him as Littlefinger), and his new “friends.” LK>LF. And since this new friendship is blossoming, it would not surprise me to see LK/LF back in the KL to see the Tyrells while keeping it on the DL and checking on his broth-els while the knights of the VL ride into the…. Is that the Dreadfort?
Don’t answer that.
Regardless, LK is on the prowl once again and we know his capabilities. He started this shit storm in the first place, not to mention throwing a mentally ailing woman out a moon door. Shithead.
And where does this leave Sansa? At one point she and LK are involved in deep discussion about avengement on a hillside that looks similar to that of where Ramsay became a Bolton. And it seems like a “parting ways” kind of speech (maybe with another LK smooch in tow). You hear that? It is the Sugar Daddy radar going berserk. The location could lead one to believe she is heading to Winterfell or at least somewhere to north, most likely with a trail of Vale knights on her heels.
And then there it is… Sansa is briefly shown underneath what appears to be Winterfell, and I can’t wait to see how the hell that happens. Otherwise, she is shown in a dark room with candles. But hell, that could be anywhere. The Eyrie. The crypt. The Dreadfort. The dungeon at KL her father sat in if they installed a bathtub. The Sullied likely know. The Oz knows nothing.
One of my biggest questions from the trailer is, who are the men in black confronting Tommen on the steps?
Don’t answer that either.
In theory, King’s Landing could be a vulnerable location in S5 with no Tywin, Tyrion, or Varys there to play the Game.
And IF Jaime and/or Cersei are gone to Dorne (judging by Jaime’s dapper assumingly Dornish attire), there could be an open door for Red Keep conflicts (enter LK). You have to believe that one if not both Jaime and Cersei are going to retrieve Myrcella and save her from the backlash of the death of Oberyn.
Speaking of Dorne, it looks fantastic. And if meeting Doran is half as good as when we met the Dead Viper, then we all have something to look forward to.
I’ve got a million questions about Dorne but know very little of substance. I do recall that Oberyn had 8 children and only three have been shown in the previews, also known as “Sand Snakes” (or what I’m sure will be redundantly referred to as the “Charlie’s Angels” of Dorne). There will be an explanation regarding the number, right? Because, you know, details.
Moving on, either winter has come quickly or Brienne and Pod have also traveled north, even as far as the Wall.
More importantly, we get the first inclination that Stannis and the Wildlings might join forces through the words of Jon. And honestly, this makes a lot more sense than fighting each other when ol’ Blue Eyes and company are closing in.
What difference does it make now if the Wildlings are on the south side of the Wall? Yes, I know they are Wildlings. And I know they’ve killed innocent men, women, and children. They’re not Nicelings, or Cordiallings. And I’m sure they will hold a grudge for a long time for being trapped behind a cold wall and will eventually demand reparations.
If the frozen (let it go) enemy is as dangerous as advertised, surely Stannis possesses the logic to make the informed decision that joining forces may in fact be the most strategic choice, assuming of course that Mance will go along with it (under terms I’m sure). Unite the clans = the Stannis Clannis.
However, maybe the most compelling part to the “new” north is a potential confrontation between James Bond Bolton and the Mannis himself.
Again, logic attempts to trump reason. Given the circumstances, Stannis would be better off agreeing to allow Bolton to remain as Warden of the North in return for the pledge of his bannermen in the quest for the Throne.
Unfortunately, these two likely won’t be meeting for drinks in Mole’s Town, or sharing a round of golf at the Westeros Country Club. And something tells me that Bolton won’t be bowing to anyone by choice, especially when he is informed of the Tywin privy details. Furthermore, there’s no reason to suggest that Stannis would allow it anyway.
UFC 12,931 Main Event: Bolton v. Baratheon: The Player meets The Flayer. I’d PPV for it. Wait, I already do.
Other burning questions (and NOT seeking direct answers, so please refrain)
Who is this wise elder gent in the street?
Is Tom Cruise behind one of those golden masks?
And who are those guys? They no likey Dany.
What is that snowy village on the waterfront?
Is Tyrion actually seeing a dragon or is it cut to make it look like he is seeing a dragon?
In Trailer #2, whom are these people trying to touch at 1:22?
And why is Selyse crying in the snow? (Probably because someone is sacrificing her freaking daughter!!)
No sign of that recreated FrankenMountain deal, compliments of mad scientist Qyburn. But bring it on. No more loose ends… we’ll discuss loose ends in a future post, because they drive me batshit crazy.
Personal Note: No excuses. Sometimes the trials and limitations of life get in the way of hobby and passion for pastime. Cranking out a mere four chapters of the off-season Looking Forward series is damn near pitiful. And for that, a man owes an apology to the many readers who for some absurd reason, actually look forward to them.
However, the Oz always pays his debts, and I’ve got a special little segment lined up for next week as part of “Game Week” (it’s an unofficial title for everything site related next week… and has not been approved). So stay tuned.
Also, the In-season Looking Forwards will begin next Friday/Saturday as we prepare for the premiere followed by the Monday morning quarterback Unsullied recaps.
Until next week, tell a GoT friend about WotW, stay thirsty, and may there always be peace in your realm. –Oz
“Unbowed. Unbent. Unsullied
Follow Oz of Thrones on twitter.
REMINDER: Please be mindful of the Unsullied and refrain from any spoilery in the comments!!
Part 1: A Blind Attempt
Part 2: The Story That Shan’t Be Told
Part 3: Dany Targaryen
Fannis! Fannis! Fannis!
You should really just read the books man.
but DON NOT READ AFFC/DWD skip those!
#goodadvice
Hello,
Here’s a casting call for season 6 I’ve just been sent. The shooting is set in France, and they want people with a “strong French accent”. (Not that hard to find over there…)
Any idea what part of the world might be portrayed there? I was thinking Highgarden, but what’s with the accent…?
Forgot the link, obviously…
http://bit.ly/1Hj1SrE
Hoyti Von Totiy,
Sue won’t let me.
UglyLittleDuck,
*chin rub* *ponder*
UglyLittleDuck,
Hard to say.! Season 6 will be the first season that’s not going off the books seeing how TWOW and ADOS aren’t out so everything is going to be speculation. If they want the accents then it’s probably one of the Free Cities but who knows
Khaleesi? It’s Danaerys.
You’re the mannis Oz!
UglyLittleDuck,
It says they’re filming on 11 and 12 april. I think that’s fake.
I wonder which charachter hes talking about
http://www.ew.com/article/2015/04/03/george-rr-martin-winds-date
Oh.. I thought.. there was a new trailer. Okay then.
Hoyti Von Totiy,
( ͡° ʖ̯ ͡°)
Melisandre won’t harm Shireen. Melisandre is the Gandalf of ASOIAF. She is the hero we have waited for.
Galli,
How long have you been a member of The Lord of Light’s church?
I hear fire is a fantastic cure for Greyscale. 🙂
This isn’t really the place to discuss season 6 or the books. There are other threads for that.
On topic: I can’t believe we’re nine days away… And then we enter the on-season, which will be as crazy as always. Good to see you posting again, Oz. And those theories of yours…
On Sansa, the show has already surpassed the books in her storyline. We know are out of the loop in everything that happens to her (but obviously, there are things that happen in other storylines that could affect her- so we still can’t speculate together :/).
WTF Tywin is dead? I was hoping he would survive.
OZ!!! Glad you’re back. Love your observations. Nine days and counting…
Fun read Oz, and don’t worry about not being able to write as many “Looking forward” posts as we wanted, I forgive you, hehe.
Nine more days!
look at the date it was published (april 1)
on topic. I wait to see the Wheel speech with more context. Right now for me it felt cheesy
When you’re smart-assing you have to do it right – it’s Daenerys.
Great read as always Oz, I love your unsullied reviews and am very much looking forward to your in-season posts. <3
Great read OZ!! I swear, if Mel harms Shireen (And Stannis allows it and/or doesn’t try to stop it), I will have a fit. Equalling those fireballs thrown by the COTF in S4E10. PS~ THIS….. “Is Tom Cruise behind one of those golden masks?” = Hilarious!!! 😀
There’s no way Stannis would allow his daughter to be sacrificed, I won’t believe that. That’s where his line would be drawn. All the awkward, uncomfortable, don’t-know-how-to-show-it love he’s capable of, he’s put into that little girl.
Of course, that doesn’t mean Melisandre wouldn’t go behind his back to do it while he’s off fighting Bolton or White Walkers… Yeah, that shot of Selyse on the ground scares me for Shireen.
As for Oberyn’s other five daughters, perhaps they don’t all get along, perhaps some of them are far away and won’t make it home until next season, perhaps some of them are still children, perhaps some of them are sickly and can’t be warriors, perhaps some of them are hiding behind those Meereenese masks…
And obviously, Tom Cruise is behind all the golden masks. He wanted to be on GOT, so he made it happen.
I loved this article, Oz!
And I agree on Petyr Baelish; he’s totally going to be Lysakiller from now on.
Balerion The Cat,
Many thanks Cat… the road to hell IS paved with good intentions, apparently.
Ashara D,
Time to start counting hours, I suppose 🙂
minty,
I love when people do that, especially when its THE Jack Bauer.
Lyanna Mormont,
I believe that about Tom. He even went as far as to get Noah Taylor and Tony Way in Edge of Tomorrow. He would deny any casting involvement, but we know the truth. He can’t handle the truth.
Queen of the Keys,
Thank you for your support with this movement. Titles breed titles indeed. 🙂
Can’t believe I only found this site last week – somehow I missed it completely and have been looking desperately for Oz & co on the old (rotten) one.
So happy to have found this in time for 501! Keep up the good work 🙂
balron,
Welcome to the party, balron! Better late than dead.
Oh Great and Powerful One, fear not, your chapters are that much sweeter for the waiting. So far, it looks like S5 will not disappoint – with your posts as an enhancement, it will probably be the best yet. Oh, and you won the interwebz with “Mountainstein” 😀
A great post, Oz. As always.
If anything happens to my girl, Shireen, I’m right there with you.
I have just been thinking again about Selyse on the floor in agony. From season 4 we know that Red Velvet has something in store for Shireen so the trailer may lead us to believe that her mum is crying because something happened to her. What speaks against it for me is Stannis clearly loves his daughter and Davos as well and we know what he risked to save Stannis’ nephew… he would clearly do anything to prevent something horrible happen to the little princess.
And then there are only two people that Selyse really cares for – her husband and saviour and even more so Red Velvet. Thus I conclude that something happens to either of them, maybe even Red Velvet herself will bite the dust unexpectedly (by being blown off the Wall or something like that). haha
What is this Red Velvet fad? The Red Priestess if you please!!!!
Everybody relax. Selyse is probably on the ground because she’s terrified of the Ice Dragons that Shireen has just hatched after stepping into the fire at Mel’s instruction!
I know I know Oh Oh Oh,
I don’t take orders from patchface.
Galli,
Before I could see Shireen walking willingly into a fire by Mel’s orders, I rather see her whipping Mel’s ass with Davos’ bag of fingerbones. 🙂
I would welcome Shireen being burned, although Kerry is a terrific actress. This would top the Frey wedding for wow factor. It’s like something out of I, CLAUDIUS when Caligula cuts the fetus of his unborn son out of his pregnant sister. “There will be no pain, I promise!” – LOL, I can see Carice delivering this line with as much sincerity as John Hurt. Deliciously macabre and deranged.
“Stannis Clannis” – I LOVE IT XD
Thanks for this very enjoyable and funny article, Oz, you’re the best!
Messy Justin Massey,
Are you The Onion Sleight from westeros.org? can you give me your e-mail, or reddit profile or anything?
I have very interesting information for westeros.org but I don’t have account there to post it.
mau,
Yeah, I can confirm this. mau told me about it on reddit. But apparently we can’t post it here; against the rules. So someone should post it to Westeros.org. But we don’t have accounts, so…
It’s really good. About LF’s plans.
Or anyone else from westeros.org….? and trust me, you want this information…
A question for OZ, if I may:
Since you are Unsullied, do you have any interest in seeing the rest of Theon’s family in the show or does it not pique your interest at all?
I am curious
They deleted thread on westeros.org. Well, it seems that we must be silent … Ok…
Stannis the Mannis of Clannis?
Oh my… (Rygar might know of the next word to insert to that ‘title’ of Stannis.)
But hey, enjoyable read, Oz. Looking forward to all future looking forwards.
Directed fellow poster to my tumblr and BAM! got this “Your attitude isn’t helpful. You can sit out a couple of weeks. ”
Yeah, westeros is toxic all right.
sati,
Oh shit true. You have a tumblr. I can share the info with you there. What was the Tumblr?
Luka Nieto,
Can someone just give it to one of the facebook GOT avatars to post?
They are the ones who posted the original leak so I think they don’t get deleted
Come on, this is an unsullied thread. If you’re going to discuss things like this (which I disagree with anyway), this is the last place you should be doing it. We’re better than this surely.
Oz
My fellow Unsullied! So glad to see you, so to speak.
I was wondering about that scene with Selyse. My takeaway (hottake!) was that maybe she was the one who was in trouble with That Red Woman. I agree that Stannis would draw the line at Shireen being harmed. And Davos would kill (or die) before he’d let that happen. I also believe Jon Snow wouldn’t stand for anyone even thinking of harming a child on his watch. Speaking of the Watch, there’s no way he’s *not* their new leader. And what of Sam and Gilly? And Sam Jr?
I don’t think Robyn is going to like his new stepdad, LK, (noiicce!) very much. That is, IF he lives long enough to grow to hate him.
You neglected to mention that A Man himself, is returning! How? A flashback? A new incarnation?
Don’t know. But I couldn’t be happier that a Man is returning. I suppose you’re as intrigued by Arya’s storyline as I am. I have no idea what’s coming for up for our Lovely Girl.
Brienne and Pod may be headed North, but what has become of the chicken-loving Hound?
See you in 9 days, Oz. I can’t wait for those Unsullied recaps.
Great Pre-cap Oz!
I agree with your excitement for prospect of Stannis Vs Roose !
Is indeed an exciting prospect! We’ll have to see what happens…
UglyLittleDuck,
Highgarden could be a possibility, but the Tyrells have no accent, so that would be hard to explain. I’d bet in one of the Free Cities of Essos, probably one which either hasn’t been visited nor have we seen characters originating there. Qohor or Myr? Some place further east, near to Mereen but still not appearing this season?
Actually, think about that. Why on PLANETOS would Stannis leave his only daughter someplace and take his entire army elsewhere? I can’t imagine he left anything more than a garrison force at Dragonstone, which, you’ll remember, is right next to King’s Landing. Why? Because he barely has an army as it is, and he needs it. If someone wanted to take over Dragonstone, it wouldn’t be particularly difficult, with Stannis’s entire power in the North.
So I’d say that Shireen was brought north with the rest of the family exactly because of that shortage of babysitters at Dragonstone, babysitters being men-at-arms.
Selyse wouldn’t cry over Shireen’s death. That’s why this speculation in nonsense; if she happily sacrificed one of her family in S4E2, then she’d probably have no problem doing it to a daughter she thinks is petulant and brattish.
Melisandre is going to have me to contend with too if she harms Shireen!!!!
sati,
Was that snarky comment from this site or another one, Sati? Could it possibly be a glitch in the software or has somebody thought (mistakenly obviously) that the link was “spam”. There have been a couple of times, both here and in the forums, that I have copied and pasted a link and the links have disappeared and I wondered if perhaps the links were (erroneously) deemed to me trying to sell something (I don’t actually have a website or blog at present; nor do I sell anything online but unfortunately there are bright sparks who try to spam any site which spoils things for people who post normally).
Edit for clarity: I’m not saying Sati made a snarky comment by the way – this is a reaction to something Sati said happened to him/her (sorry Sati I don’t know which) when he/she (sorry again) posted a link.
If Shireen has to die in order for Jon to live then, I’m sorry, the sullen little beast has to go. We’re talking about millions of lives at stake if Jon does not fulfill his destiny. Melisandre was right. What is one life compares to countless innocents? She would never harm Shireen out of sadism or pleasure – it’s all for the greater good. If this was a naturalistic show, I would be appalled but fire sacrifice is an imperative mystical entreatment in this show. After all, it birthed dragons.
Arya’s Nose,
Joffrey was a “monster.” Cersei still cried.
Syrio Fo-real,
I guess it would depend firmly on Theon’s continuing story arc.
Admittedly, The Iron Islands have never been an overwhelmingly interesting plot point to me in relation to the entirety of the story. Although I think Balon has always had higher aspirations, there is also a hint of contentment in simply remaining the main man in Pyke, so long as he is allowed to maintain control. I’m not implying that this line of thinking is correct, but my perspective is that even if Balon wanted to become a player in the respective Game, he would lack the manpower to have a major impact (unless he joined forces with someone else). This belief was further enhanced by what took place at Moat Cailin with Ramsay.
I do think Patrick Malahide played Balon with excellence, although I have no idea about how Balon is portrayed in the books.
Yara’s character was even more intriguing and Gemma played her exceptionally well, IMO. Her portrayal was not aided by the hiccup of the less than 4 minute “saving Theon” scene last season, especially after the buildup of including 50 of Pyke’s best killers in the mission. But that wasn’t her fault.
Damn, I could write an entire post on this. Maybe I should.
*Sigh.* I’ll just answer all of these, Ozzie, to save some trouble:
The answer, of course, is in your question.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0oFiSRM3Kw
That was easy. Next!
Depends what you were looking at. If it’s the bald dude with the axe, that’s a Thenn, and he’s not too old, and probably not very wise. So he’s neither. If it’s the guy with the red beard, that’s Tormund Giantsbane, and he’s not old. If it’s the guy who isn’t a guy, but is a girl, and carrying a small sword, that’s Arya Stark. If it’s this really old dude who looks like Santa Claus and wears a seriously weird-ass hat, it’s George R.R. Martin. If it’s a kid wearing an Uncle Sam hat and sunglasses and hamming it up on the dance floor, that’s me, at my bar mitzvah.
Yes. Good! Now, what is the password for the house?
Because normally, it’s awesome when someone burns down your fucking city with dragons.
That’s Arendel. Season 5 is the ultimate HBO/Disney crossover. If you think about it, Queen Elsa’s powers – impervious to cold, can freeze everything with the touch of her hand, creates ice castles out of nowhere – pretty much marks her as a White Walker. Why has nobody seen this before? We’re supposed to root for her?
Or is it really that its the dragon that sees Tyrion? Boom. That just HAPPENED.
Great post Oz!
I will also be pretty mad if Shireen dies.
In would also like it if the Nights Watch and the Wildlings unite. It never made much sense to me why they were fighting each other.
And hopefully Bolton gets his ass kicked!
I come here for news. Not dumb shit like this. Cut the fan pieces. You can find those on AFOIAF.
Greatjon of Slumber,
Beautiful. Never considered the Elsa correlation, but extremely strong argument.
The Wolves of Winter,
Thanks Wolves! Something will transpire with her regardless of whether or not it is in the written verse.
steve,
Always good to hear from you Steve! Still as original as ever, I see.
steve,
don’t read them then!
Jack Bauer 24,
“Khaleesi? It’s Danaerys.”
Daenerys! If you’re going to correct, get it right