The Spanish shoot for the last season of Game of Thrones is behind us and what’s ahead of us won’t last for much longer. With filming nearly finished, it appears production is now re-focused on Belfast’s fictional neighbourhood, the streets of King’s Landing, with the crew shooting its newly demolished wall from an epic bird’s-eye view.
Yesterday, A Red Priestess took photos of the capital set as production was underway. In these pictures you can also appreciate the end result of the recent construction work:
We can’t see much, but it’s exciting to know this setpiece shoot is past a turning point in which the city is breached. Whatever is being filmed exactly, we should expect lots of epic crane shots; I can’t blame them for wanting to showcase this set in all its glory.
As for the sudden reappearance of the vertical Lannister banners on the Red Keep gate, I wouldn’t advise you to read too much into it. After all, the banners were only stripped from the gate for a short time, and the show isn’t filmed in any coherent order anyway. In fact, the green screen behind the Red Keep battlements could indicate yesterday was the first time anything was shot directly on the gate. Because of all this, the inconsistent flags could have absolutely nothing to do with the story and be all about production.
Hodor
Again, i Hope the filming last until August, but It seems wont be until August , but really until june and Thats It. =(
the gods have deemed that cersie’s final offering in terms of offspring will be a dwarf.
Is there any way of telling which dragon is doing the damage? There doesn’t seem to the be snow and fog typical of the Night King and undead Viserion, which could suggest Daenerys and Drogon? Or am I off?
With the charred bits of the set, it’s really weird that the dragons haven’t been spotted in the area. I mean, they’re pretty big, and I would assume it would be hard for them to not be seen at their hotel or restaurants.
😜
Lol,
Why do you hope that, the longer the shoot lasts the more we will have to wait until it airs ?
Cutango,
Well because with 10 months of filming the Episodes for SURE would be super long.
Why? The sooner they are done the sooner we get to see it. The only downside is we will shortly enter a real long night not knowing if leaks are real and with more chance of things getting out as they go through post production and we are probably 2-3 months away still from the first teaser trailer.
Lol,
That’s not how it works , the episode runtime has nothing to do with the lenght of filming, the lenght of filming has mostly to do with battle scenes being very time consuming, we know that just one battle lasted 55 days to shoot and the post production that follows is even harder .
The tower crane cameras suggest lots of Dragon action during the battle for Kings Landing.
After undead Viserion’s ‘flames’ blew the wall to pieces, I just can’t imagine them burning anything. They seem to be made of jet-powered ice and snow rather than fire so hot it’s burning blue, but that is just my total assumption. Going off that, I would say this looks more like the work of Rhaegal or Drogon. My theory is that Rhaegal is lost in the battle up North, so I imagine this is Drogon’s handiwork. How long he lasts afterwards is very much up in the air, as like many, I don’t believe the dragons (or direwolves will survive the series).
Perhaps this is Dany pulling a similar “effective move” from 0610: “kill everyone, allies and enemies alike.” Since this wording is from the S7 script outlines, D&D know what Dany is capable of, but they have Cersei judge Dany as being restrained because she wants to live up to her glorious titles that make her look like she’s not an invader. If that’s all that’s holding her back from “Death from Above,” I’m doubtful she’ll restrain herself in S8 – when she may decide to embrace “Slayer of Lies” “Daughter of Death,” or “Bride of Fire.” She is scary and powerful at the same time.
I get fooled every time. I scroll through new articles with photos captioned “Red Priestess”, and immediately think: “Yay! Where! Is Kinvara back? Or the Volantis street priestess (Rila Fukushima)? I’ve gotta enlarge the photos and see if I can spot them!”
My brain knows “Red Priestess” is the pseudonym for the contributor of the photos. My inner fanboy doesn’t have a brain; he jumps to conclusions based on wishful thinking.
The good news is that despite these set photos, I still have no idea what is being filmed. Who’s fighting whom? Who’s attacking and who’s defending? No inkling. Did someone blow up something or burn it down? For all I know, Robyn Arryn found a pot of wildfire, thought it was lime Jello, and accidentally dropped it and burned down half the city.
Ten Bears,
I know you hate Robyn as he was an annoying little creepy kid, but I think it would be kind of nice if, now that he’s been away from his nutjob mother and her boob, he turns out to be a surprisingly well-adjusted man who has been mentored by stable and worthy people. Everyone would be like “Wait, what???”
MMJ,
Ugh,rolls eyes at yet another Dany is a mad queen theory for the milionth time even though there is absolutely no evidence for this and it would be terrible storytelling . I guess people who desperately want this just don’t care about the logistics .
Che,
Remember, the walls of Harrenhall melted from dragonfire.
I agree that the dragons won’t likely survive the series, and that’s bad enough, but please.. no more dire wolf deaths. I can’t take it! Our family had three huskies when I was growing up..
That thought had crossed my mind. The bitter irony.
To make it worse, she dies in childbirth, just like her mother.
————————–
I do not hate Robyn Arryn, but I should stop joking about his character. Let me say this:
• First of all, Lino Facioli has done a credible if not commendable job for a child actor tasked with playing a maladjusted boy suffering from arrested development.
• The show itself has often played his character for laughs, e.g., as having absolutely no aptitude whatsoever for learning the kinds of skills boys from noble families are expected to master, like archery and swordfighting.
• Looking past his strange behavior (eg his preoccupation with the Moon Door and throwing anybody and anything through it), the character himself is really a tragic figure. He became so weird because he’s a victim of Littlefinger’s predatory behavior and evil schemes: LF abused and exploited his mother’s love to assassinate Robyn’s father, turn his mother into a paranoid, insecure, overprotective “helicopter mom” … then murder his mom. The poor kid was left an orphan by dirtbag LF.
• All the while, LF has been lurking around pretending to be caring “Uncle Petyr” to a boy in desperate need of a father figure.
• It’s rather sad that a little boy had to grow up unwittingly seeking approval of the psychopath who murdered his father in S1, and then his mother – who herself became a whacko because of LF.
• Robyn had no way of knowing LF was just using him and his mother to take control of the Vale, and then turn Robyn into his puppet by exploiting Lysa’s murder to assume the role of “Lord Protector of the Vale.”
• As much as I and others joke about Robyn flying out the Moon Door, it would’ve been poetic justice if Robyn had booted LF out the Moon Door. (And the only reason Robyn was so anxious to “make the bad man fly” was because he’d been brainwashed with propaganda that Tyrion killed his father and tried to kill Bran.)
• LF’s practice of always bringing Robyn special gifts and toys reminded me of a pedophile grooming his target.
• Finally, allow me to follow up on your thoughts about Robyn exceeding expectations and turning out to be a surprisingly well-adjusted young man [if] mentored by the right people:
Wouldn’t it be a nice ironic twist if the words LF spoke to Lord Royce without a shred of sincerity in S4e8 turned out to be an accurate prediction?
Here’s the exchange I’m referring to:
___________________
Lord Royce: “Who would you have us back, Lord Baelish?….”
LF: “I’d have you back Robin Arryn, Lord of the Vale.”
Lord Royce: “Robin Arryn is a sickly little boy.”
LF: “And sickly little boys sometimes become powerful men.”
Enharmony1625,
If I recall S1e1 correctly (and it seems like a lifetime ago), when Ned & his sons and their entourage came upon the dead direwolf and found her newborn pups on that riverbank, didn’t one of the entourage mention that it was unheard of for a direwolf to be south of the Wall?
If so, perhaps S8 will end not with direwolves dying off, but returning to and reestablishing their population in their “ancestral habitat” north of the Wall.
Yeah, that’s what I’d like to see. Then Arya can visit Nymeria whenever she wants, and plan ahead for extended stays whenever Nymeria gives birth to litters of newborn pups for Arya and her niece to play with.
Cutango,
Your version and my version of terrible storytelling differ. I think it would be terrible storytelling if Dany acted like a generic comic book superhero and saved everyone, made no morally questionable decisions, and got exactly what she wanted without having to kill innocents. And the more set reports we get, the more it looks like Dany is closer to that outcome – and she’s a more interesting character for it.
Ten Bears,
Yes, I you are correct. Robb says, “There are no dire wolves south of the wall” in that scene.
I would love that too, for Nymeria to return north of The Wall. Anything that keeps her alive really.
Tinfoil theory time in regards to Ghost: if Jon dies, his “ghost” will watch over Winterfell and his two sisters.
Enharmony1625,
Awww. I’d want Ghost to hang with his sister Nymeria and her pack north of the Wall. Whatever happens with Jon, I believe Sam and his family should make annual pilgrimages to visit Ghost in The Land of Always Direwolves (or whatever name they choose for it).
Sam owes Ghost big time. If Ghost hadn’t been around as Sam’s wingman when those two NW would-be rapists were assaulting Gilly and beating the crap out of Sam, Gilly might very well have been brutalized and Sam would’ve been killed trying to defend her. But thanks to Ghost’s intervention, Sam emerged a hero and Gilly, umm… expressed her gratitude to Sam in a way he will never forget.
Ten Bears,
Lysa was taken advantage of by LF as a young woman and later a middle-aged one because he was aware of her fixation with him, but I don’t blame him for her bizarre ‘parenting’ – she was loony of her own accord, fueled by obsession of and jealousy. Poor Jon Aryn. Or not, because it doesn’t seem he did a heck of a lot.
Ten Bears,
That would be amazing too. I would love to see Ghost and Nymeria reunite. Now I’m getting myself even more pumped up for dire wolves in S8!
This made me think of a YouTuber who is currently watching GoT out of order and trying to piece together the story. He’s a pretty funny guy and makes some hilarious comments in the videos. He also has nicknames for all the characters (Arya is “young sad girl”, Jamie is “handsome man in armor”, Pycelle is “old kinky chains”, etc.). Anyway, he recently watched this episode, and commented that since it was really Ghost who saved Sam and Gilly, “…shouldn’t she be having sex with… the wolf?” Made me laugh! 🙂
I sort of believe in Leaf, no room for magic in the realm of men, so Mel, Dragons, Direwolves ( maybe, they’re real, but extinct ) wargging etc. would be lost. How that affect the Starks, and Targs don’t know.
How I understood the excerpts, it looks like Robyn is thriving under Sansa, so it’s possible.Also LF in S4 talking about frail children can become strong seems to point that way also.
Ten Bears,
Yup!
Pigeon,
“Loony of her own accord.” I like that. I’m stealing it. (But l’ll be sure to give you attribution.)
You pose interesting (hypothetical) questions, and since I am not a behavioral scientist I am not qualified to try to answer them. I know there was or is a continuing debate about nature vs. nurture when it comes to forming behavior. I’m not sure what the prevailing consensus is.
But getting back to dear Aunt Lysa: If a young woman with loony tendencies and prone to obsessive behavior were fortunate enough to be paired up with a decent, patient, kind-hearted guy, would her loony tendencies be suppressed and her occasional odd behaviors be considered colorful eccentricities?
If that same young woman were forced into an arranged marriage with a senior citizen, would that be enough to make her lose all of her marbles? Or just become a bit bitter and resentful while devoted to raising a young son and future Lord.
Finally, let’s say that woman were unlucky enough to fall in the orbit of an opportunistic, megalomaniacal serial killer who convinced her the only way they could be together, or the only way he could be assured of her devotion, was for her to euthanize her over-the-hill husband and make it look like natural causes, but just to be safe, plant a few false clues so that any suspicion falls on someone else. Then, he starts absenting himself to take extended business trips (and check up on his chain of brothel franchises).
As a result, her looney tendencies manifest themselves with a vengeance, her obsessions and jealousies spiral out of control, and she turns into a complete whacko.
Q: How much of the blame should fairly be apportioned to her?
I mean, lots of people fall in with “the wrong crowd” and wind up doing crazy things they could never have imagined they’d do.
——–
? What excerpts?
Ten Bears,
Alayne excerpts, by GRRM a couple of years back.
———–
Is that The Winds of Winter sample chapter someone here described as “the tummy flutters” chapter?
Ten Bears,
yes I think I remember that term.
May 20, 2018
HoundWatch Day 11
Where is Rory McCann?
All I can think of is that Sandor is at the breached Wall at Eastwatch, frantically digging through the snow and frozen debris to try to
(S7e6)
Beric: “We’ll meet again, Clegane.
Sandor: “F*cking hope not,”
#PrayforSandor
Cutango,
One of the things that keeps many of us coming back to WOTW is that everyone is allowed to state their opinion without fear of being personally attacked. You can still make the same point your making without taking shots at MMJ.
Ha ha, that’s funny, Pigeon. Maybe their sleeping quarters are on a very large ship out to sea off the coast of Ireland.
Oh crumbs, I thought that chapter was pants. Mind you I haven’t been thrilled by many of the preview chapters. BTW, that’s not having a pop at people who have liked the preview chapters from WoW – different strokes/different folks and all that jazz. I’m saddened if anything that I have liked the later books in the series ASOIAF less than I liked the first three (AFFC and ADWD did have some parts that appealed to me to be fair).
Jay Targ,
He’s been dealt with.
I find asking myself what are the watchtowers of KL made off to go KABOOM! They´re not just burned. It looks like the top blew up to pieces!
Remember the force of dragonfire in Spoils of War. In terms of special effects, it’s not achieved just with a flamethrower anymore, but with explosions too.
They are filming out of order, Rory has been spotted in Belfast at various times. Sandor was headed for Winterfell in the boat with the others, and there was a video of a very tall fighter at Winterfell. The Hound and the little bird have some unfinished business, their last scene together was filmed exactly like the parting scene in GRRM’s favorite love story, La Belle et la Bete (Beauty and the Beast). More to come, I think. 🙂
It’s only an excerpt, not a complete chapter, so it may not come out sounding great.
I had to look up slang dictionary for terms pants.
Grail King,
One can live in hope I guess. When I type I tend to type how I think so I should apologise – I should have remembered that not everybody here is versed in British slang and either add an explanation or find other wording to explain what I mean. For the avoidance of doubt I didn’t like the Alayne chapter from WoW very much – I was very disappointed when I read it.
Luka Nieto,
Thank you. Several days ago – to no avail – I had politely asked him to refrain from name-calling, and suggested: “Controvert what I wrote if you can. No need to make it personal. Fair enough?”
Dame of Mercia,
Is “pants” slang for “good”? I have not read that “Alayne” sample chapter. I have not read any of the books yet. I’ve read are a few “classic” passages like “The Broken Man” speech and Arya’s “Needle was Jon Snow’s smile” internal monologue. I also read the TWOW “Mercy” sample chapter GRRM posted on his blog.
I enjoyed the “Mercy” chapter. However, I got the impression the “Alayne” chapter wasn’t as… eventful. Or as well-written. Am I misinformed?
Explosives or munitions stored inside?
Canal Cat,
May 20, 2018, 11:36 am
HoundWatch Day 11
Where is Rory McCann?
Are you saying that …. now my watch is ended? 😁
• From the repeated callbacks to the Hound in Arya’s story (even while in Braavos in S5 and S6), I’ve always been convinced that we haven’t seen the last of the adventures of Sandor and his little Wolf-Girl. (I’m praying the show does justice to the scene when Arya is shocked to see him alive – and on Team Jon.)
• You wrote: “The Hound and the little bird have some unfinished business, their last scene together was filmed exactly like the parting scene in GRRM’s favorite love story, La Belle et la Bete (Beauty and the Beast).”
I’m intrigued. Yes, I agree Sandor and his Little Bird have unfinished business. (He really ought to apologize for being “hateful” when she tried to thank him for saving her life…)
But how exactly was their last scene together similar to the parting scene in Beauty and the Beast? (I’m not familiar enough with Beauty & The Beast to remember the details. Shouid I check out the 2017 film version with Emma Watson?) Also, my memory is hazy: Was the Hound’s last scene with Sansa when he tried, unsuccessfully, to take her away from KL the night of the Battle of the Blackwater?
From one Hound fan to another, I bet there’s good stuff to come! 🙂 More to come with both Arya and Sansa. Books and show, he’s got a thing for Sansa, and in the books, she’s got a thing for him. They included a bunch, like calling her the pretty sister in season 4.
Here’s the show scene GRRM wrote like La Belle et la Bete (there’s a lot more in the books, he’s got a super detailed story going on there, with kissing and marriage bed and all of that sort of stuff), and GRRM said “there’s something there” in the show, too:
https://romancingthecage.tumblr.com/post/90157713456
Dame of Mercia,
No need to apologize, I’m set in my ways, if I don’t get a word, or it seems out of place I look it up.
I’m sure we are on opposite side of the pond, so it’s a natural thing.
Ten Bears,
I think the animals were fleeing from the white walkers, so I guess if the walkers are defeated, they’ll return to their habitat.
Ten Bears,
No, the opposite, less then ideal.
I liked Mercy and Euron chapters.
I think it’s those large crossbows for killing certain beast.
Canal Cat,
Yeah and GRRM was a writer for the series, but if I remember correctly, they killed the beauty off 🙁
From a Sansa fan.
Ten Bears,
When it’s not meaning underwear (or outerwear) “pants” is (relatively new) UK slang for “bad”. The Arya chapter was okay I thought and was (sort of) incorporated into the show with some changes. Euron chapter I wasn’t so keen on.
Well, let’s hope that they don’t kill her on this show! GRRM didn’t want to kill her on his old show, the person playing her wanted to leave the show.
I wouldn’t use Disney for fact checking classic fairy tales, I check the brothers Grimm and the likes.
Yes Blackwater, I also have a different take on that, as GRRM replied to someone who picked up on the non kiss ( Book Version ) GRRM said there is something there, but it’s subtle; many jump to Sansa being Stockholm syndrome, I think Sansa unknowingly got into his head / thoughts. As it’s it the same Q & A where he states ALL the Stark kids are wargs, some more powerful then others, some show it quicker then others.ETA : I think Sandor is possibly thinking of his dead sister.
The Beauty and the Beast GRRM really likes is La Belle et la Bete by Jean Cocteau. That’s the one he borrowed from for the Blackwater show scene. He borrowed lots from that one in the books, there’s even a calendar picture he requested for Sansa and Sandor just like the movie poster. GRRM also said he likes Disney Beauty and the Beast, and the show borrowed from it, too, like the rescue scene and the thank you scene after.
Grail King,
Seems to me, as a book Sansa fan, that if she got into Sandor’s head, she did pick up hard on his wanting to kiss her! If it follows what’s laid out, then he’s her ‘dog’ and she may warg him to save him. Since she has this kiss in mind, I think there will be one. Since she did have the dream at the same point in the show she does in the books, I also think the dream is important. Why spend the time on it otherwise?
Show did a dirty trick to Sansa with Ramsay. Still, I expect they’ll plop her right back to her (future) book self and have the older, wiser Sansa choose her own future. Which definitely includes her Hound. Kiss, dream fulfillment and all.
They did what??? I watched The Beauty and The Beast TV series for a couple of years and really liked it. Sarah Connor and Hellboy – I mean Linda Hamilton and Ron Pearlman – had great chemistry. I liked Roy Dotrice’s “Father” character. (I think that’s where GRRM’s long collaboration with Roy Dotrice started, and probably led to Roy D. narrating the ASOIAF audiobooks and his role as Pyromancer Wisdom Hallyne on GoT.)
I didn’t catch the final couple of seasons though. I did not realize they killed off the heroine! I wonder if GRRM was still involved with the show when that happened.
(Caution: Mini-Rant may follow)
Dark Lark,
I’d like that too (Little Bird & Big Dog), but the show should’ve set that up already. Brienne’s chat with Sansa in S6e2 about Brienne encountering Arya and Sandor would’ve been the natural occasion for a Hound callback. Instead, Brienne inexplicably described seeing Arya with “a man” – without identifying him as Sandor Clegane.
And I was somewhat disappointed that after the
following exchange between Arya and Sandor about Sansa in S3e8, that Arya didn’t ask Sansa about Sandor when she finally arrived back at WF in S7.
_______________
[Excerpt from S3e8]
Sandor: “…There’s plenty worse than me. There’s men who like to beat little girls, men who like to rape ’em. I saved your sister from some of them.”
Arya: “You’re lying.”
Sandor: “Ask her. If you ever see her again. Ask her who came back for her when the mob had her on her back. They would have taken her every which way and left her there with her throat cut open.”
_________________
From what I gather, the books really get into the heads of Ssnsa and Sansa, and portray some kind of attraction. I’m not sure why the show has bypassed opportunies to translate that to the screen.
Ten Bears,
Yeah, Catherine died in child birth If I remember correctly.
ETA : I think a new B & B coming to the CW.
Never apologize for British slang. 😊❤
I allways thougth that Martin´s B&B were Jaime and Brienne.
Because fortunately the weird fanfic shipping isn’t a thing on the show. Rory was seriously creeped out when asked about it.
Pigeon,
I don’t see where fanfic comes into a story that is already written as attraction. On both sides. I enjoy stories. As written.
Yeah. It’s a story that the author wrote and he loves it. Someone asked about Sansa and Sandor’s future together and he winked! He’s been talking up this story for years. He spent enough time on it, it’s all over the pages, and the show went there, too.
Rory said, about the love, yeah, there might be back in season 4. Now that she’s over 21, he’s fine with more. Ditto for Joe Dempsie, he said it was just awkward talking about it while Maisie was younger. The show will follow up for Sansa/Sandor and Arya/Gendry.
It’s mentioned for sure. Especially Sansa changing her memory of events. But it’s not exactly a big element. I must have missed where Rory said he was now ‘fine with it’, as he certainly wasn’t before. Ah well. I’ve always hated that ‘shipping” as much as the Sansa/Jon shippers (blurgh), and despite her experiences I certainly can’t see show Sansa going that route. 🤷🏽♀️
Unrelated, but I was reading an article about Natalie Dormer, and I really miss Margaery. She was such a fun, smart character.
Sansa Stark is shipping: “As the boy’s lips touched her own she found herself thinking of another kiss. She could still remember how it felt, when his cruel mouth pressed down on her own. He had come to Sansa in the darkness as green fire filled the sky. He took a song and a kiss, and left me nothing but a bloody cloak.”
And yeah, it was on the show. Rory knows why he said Sansa is pretty on the show. They all know.
Lena Headey even said on the DVD commentary “HE LOVES YOU” to Sansa when she asked Sandor why he is there. Peter Dinklage started singing “Beauty and the Beast” during their scene in Blackwater, that’s on the commentary, too.
Tale as old as time. The 2012 calendar art the author requested is Sansa and Sandor as Beauty and the Beast. He wrote the scene like Beauty and the Beast for the show, because they are quite clearly, Beauty and the Beast. That’s a love story.
The author said “there’s something there” on the show, too.
Canal Cat,
🙂
Hannah,
Pretty sure they’d add that in post tbh.
_____________
Oh, so it’s fan-concocted hyperbole? For years I’d been seeing references to “the Unkiss” like it was some exciting fantasy that Sansa couldn’t stop thinking about.
Is “SanSan” the romantic equivalent of Cleganebowl? Fanfic gone viral?
You know my preferences: No baby dramas. No weddings. No magic babies. No matchmaking. No couplings.* I don’t care who’s Queen or who’s King at the end or what kind of government emerges. It’s not imperative to me that Dany dies or Jon dies.
Only Arya is sacrosanct.
…………….
* Except Jaime + Brienne. It’s part of the story, not a cheap way to end it. For me, it’s been the closest thing to a real romance on the show, whether they ever physically consummate it or not.
——–
What a terrible thing to learn after all these years.
Is Sheldon still alive on The Big Bang Theory?
Absolutely! I like learning it. Or shouid I say, I’m chuffed that I’m able to learn new words from commenters overseas.
“I dreamed of you.”
Best romantic quote of the books.
Hee! Not really fan-concocted, no. In the books, Sansa has a couple of moments when she imagines Sandor has kissed her when he visits her and offers to take her away from the Blackwater schmozzle. And he obviously thinks she’s pretty. When he offers to take her with him, he’s drunk out of his noggin and demands she sing him a song. I think that later on, as things get weirder for her, she starts seeing that her vision of what a true ‘knight’ is is a little more complicated than a pretty man in shiny armor!
However the SanSan shipping went down a steep drop, and I find it as ‘uggghhh’ as the Lady Stoneheart Is Coming Back After Being Dead For Years theories. Not as ugh as the Sansa/Jon stuff though, that’s just weird as all get-out.
Of course, I have never been the type that needs to see everyone paired off as an end result, or feels it necessary. I do agree with Jaime/Brienne though, likely as it is to end sadly, there has been such a level of mutual trust and respect built up consistently over the years, particularly from a man like Jaime who starts off rather vain and callous. Brienne has improved his character in such an interesting way. That whole “fuck honour!” (or was it loyalty? I can’t remember now) from Brienne was one of the best faces I’ve ever seen Jaime make. 😂
Come to think of it, I tend to rave about Iain and Maisie’s ability to emote through a facial expression alone, but Nicolaj is pretty stellar at it.
Ten Bears,
That! I would need to ask the wife.
Per wifey: YES HE IS !
Pigeon,
“Unrelated, but I was reading an article about Natalie Dormer, and I really miss Margaery. She was such a fun, smart character.”
____________
I’m still waiting and hoping Natalie Dormer reprises her guest starring role as Irene Adler to Jonny Lee Miller’s Sherlock Holmes on CBS’s “Elementary.” She was in 4 or 5 episodes the first couple of seasons, and since then GoT and film roles have made it difficult to bring her back. She was excellent. And her New York accent wasn’t bad at all.
Personally I thought the Jaime/Brienne bath scene was one of the best scenes in the whole show. Jaime starts off trying to be as arrogant as he always has been, then telling the terribly story that led to the Kingslayer nickname while getting weaker from his wound, and Brienne slowly realising that he was not just the shallow, murdering bastard that everyone thought him to be. Pity and a kind of love slowly replaces hatred.
A classic scene. Kinda beautiful, too.
Ketlan,
You must be a mind reader. I had just typed out a long comment discussing that wonderful scene (along with two other “transformative” J&B scenes, i.e. going back to rescue her from the bear pit, and the way she addresses him as “Ser Jaime), but it got too long-winded so I zapped it.
One thing I’ve noticed is how Brienne brings out the best in him; when he’d go back to Cersei he’d often regress to his “f*ck the rest of the world” persona.
to be cont. maybe.
Ketlan,
Ten Bears,
I like how that bath scene ends with Jaime falling in Brienne’s arms too 🙂
Pigeon,
In the books, Sansa has a couple of moments when she imagines Sandor has kissed her when he visits her and offers to take her away from the Blackwater schmozzle. And he obviously thinks she’s pretty. When he offers to take her with him, he’s drunk out of his noggin and demands she sing him a song. I think that later on, as things get weirder for her, she starts seeing that her vision of what a true ‘knight’ is is a little more complicated than a pretty man in shiny armor!
However the SanSan shipping went down a steep drop, and I find it as ‘uggghhh’ as the Lady Stoneheart Is Coming Back After Being Dead For Years theories. Not as ugh as the Sansa/Jon stuff though, that’s just weird as all get-out.
Of course, I have never been the type that needs to see everyone paired off as an end result, or feels it necessary. I do agree with Jaime/Brienne though,
I share these sentiments, Pigeon. SanSan was a real possibility in the books, especially as book Sandor was much younger. I always felt that he was attracted to her sexually, but even more because she brought out his gentler, more sensitive side and nobody else did. IIRC, he even said he was a better person around her. That’s quite a compliment. And while Arya was more of a companion (who also frequently challenged him), she also brought out his better side. She was no little bird, but a she-wolf pup! Ultimately, in his heart Sandor is a “verray parfit gentil knight”, but due to his disfigurement and bitterness disdained knighthood and became a bodyguard. Both sisters needed his protection, and he gave it willingly, putting himself in danger for Arya particularly. One of the sentimental highlights of Season 8 is sure to be the Sandor-Arya-Sansa reunion.
I find repellant the ‘shipping’ of unrealistic or unnatural pairings which have little grounding in the books or show. Jon and Dany, Jaime and Brienne, and Arya and Gendry have deep roots in the story. SanSan is also reasonable. But there are some rather delusional fans, many of whom influenced by Tinder, who pair off almost any male with any female regardless of the incongruity. It drives me barmy. BTW, Canal Cat rightly mentioned Beauty and the Beast. Obviously Sansa and Sandor fit that paradigm, but so do Jaime and Brienne. Tale as old as time…
You hit on a good point, and I think that something of importance is that despite being somewhat intimidated by him, Sansa treated him as a human being. I don’t imagine someone had actually asked him with genuine interest why he was so angry in a very long time. In the books of course, he is the one to tell her of how he got his burns (which were significantly worse), not Littlefinger. If I recall correctly, he was pretty brutal to her when he came to her room during Blackwater, unlike the show. I’m glad they changed that. The Stark girls, with their genuine initial naivete to the world, thawed him a bit. But I can only imagine how pleased he would have been to do to Meryn Trant what Arya did!
I think book-Sandor is maybe just about 30-ish? Gregor is 5 years older. Always amused me a bit since Thor Bjornsson (29) is a full 20 years younger than Rory. But Rory couldn’t have been better cast.
As for your point about pairing off, it seems to be a pretty common thing in almost any fandom. I don’t think many people consider that being single isn’t the worst thing to be. 😉
Ketlan,
About Jaime & Brienne: Books can use internal monologues and recollections to convey a character’s emotions. I would imagine it’s not always easy to translate them to TV.
That’s why I really appreciated that 2-3 second scene, when Jaime was on the deck of the ship to Dorne (S5e4?) and they were sailing past a land mass in the distance.
Jaime asked the captain: “Is that Estermont?”
When the Captain replied: “Tarth, Ser Jaime. The Sapphire Isle”, that wistful look and slight smile on Jaime’s face was worth a thousand words.
I know it sounds trivial. I just thought it was a nice touch, subtly done, to give a glimpse into Jaime’s head. Or heart.
I’d like to read that comment, no matter how long-winded it is. I really do believe that GoT has produced a TV series that is more muti-layered than anything that has gone before. So much is missed from a first watch, then a second and so on. It’s like peeling an onion – it could never be produced as a complete copy of the books but, by all the gods, it gets as close as any TV series has been able to.
It may come across as ridiculous hyperbole but I truly believe we are seeing a classic in the making. It’s my belief that GoT will be the most talked about TV series of many decades to come. God alone knows what’s going to follow it.
Which is why I get annoyed by people that complain about changes from the book. They don’t know how lucky they are. I really think that if literally anyone else had adapted ASoIaF other than HBO and D&D then the show would look a lot less like the books. Most producers would have cut a lot more of the characters and story lines than D&D did. It’s incredible how many characters they have successfully adapted from the books, from minor to major. The world and characters in the series feel like they were ripped straight from the pages of the book for the most part. But people still complain, it drives me crazy.
Ketlan,
… and a wonderful thing is that because of the genre and setting it really won’t become ‘dated’ or feel old like when we try to watch shows from the 80’s, 90’s, etc.
Undead Elephant,
I’m with ya on that. I can understand having some disappointment if something is left out, but going overboard and bitching about the adaptation continuously is ridiculous. I feel like the only alternative is that a show was never made. I truly don’t believe there is an adaptation that could have been better, especially considering all of the money HBO has poured into it. A much worse show would have been cancelled pretty quick, like all of those “our show is the next GoT” or “our show is better” entries that have fired up and burned out since this series hit.
Pigeon,
I’m not Getting into the SanSan argument, since it’s been covered as nauseam here, but I love your point about the Clegane actors’ age difference!!! It had never crossed my mind.
While we’re on the Jaime/Brienne wagon, just a shout out to how Jaime added to Brienne’s developement. His confession about the Mad King really helped Brienne see things in a shade of grey. Pre-Jaime Brienne would never be able to yell out “Fuck loyalty!” Growth wise, both really helped the other character to challenegge their perseptions.
And if they don’t get to snog just once I will scream.
Lol,
The episodes won’t be “super long”…people gotta stop saying this, you’re only setting yourself up for disappointment. I’m 110% sure they will be longer but more like 70-80 minutes long with a couple 60 minute episodes mixed in. Not like two hours each or anything lol. If they were really going to be so long they could have just written another episode or two instead.
We don’t know how long the episodes will be, Casey Bloys said this a while back: I imagine they’ll be longer but … I’m not sure [how long] We haven’t had that discussion yet because I don’t know how long the episodes are going to be. Two hours per episode seems like it would be excessive, but it’s a great show, so who knows?
And he stated that it’s up too D&D how long their final cut will be per episode.
and don’t forget what Daniel portman said. They could have made it a 10 episode season with the runtime but it wouldn’t be as exciting. Well normal episode runtime is around 50 minutes minimum. Total of 500 minutes. Means that season 8 will at least be a 83 minutes average.
What I expect is that we get 2, 2hours episodes. 2 episodes of around 80 minutes. and 2 around an hour.
kevin1989,
In order to avoid getting my hopes up for no particular reason, I’m going to just wait and see how long the episodes will be once the information is available. If they’re longer, great. If not, I might be a bit disappointed, but I’m sure it’ll have no bearing on the quality. There’s no reason to set any particular expectations yet unless one is trying to disappoint oneself.
That would be awesome, but by my math that would be 520 minutes of screen time, not 500, so you’re already adding on extra time that you yourself admitted shouldn’t be expected. I guess what I’m saying is that we all love GoT and want to see as much of it as possible, but it would only serve to set oneself up for disappointment by expecting 2 hour run times, etc. I hope you’re right though!
Ketlan,
About Jaime & Brienne:
Part of that long-winded reply I zapped quoted a line from one of my all-time favorite “guilty pleasure” movies (unfairly derided as a “chick flick”) about a hotshot troublemaker
His mom questions why he’s hanging around with a good girl.
He answers: “She makes me want to be different. Better.”
That to me describes Brienne’s influence on Jaime.
Oh, and for those who don’t recognize that quote, it’s from
. Also, her character’s name is Jamie, and she has a list.
David,
Does it really matter what the episodes’ running times are? S7e4 was the best episode of last season – and the shortest.
It’s what they do with the precious minutes that counts. I’d rather watch 5 minutes of the Hound telling various people to “f*ck off” than listen to the High Sparrow bloviate for an hour and a half.
Mr Derp,
We will see, if all are around 60 minutes, it’s ok, everything else would be amazing.
For me 7×07 was the best last year. I loved the dragonpit scene. 7×04 after that. But both couldn’t compare to 6×10 WoW in my opinion.
But if they continue to have scenes like the introduction of Dany and Jon, and the dragonpit scene (long scenes that are interesting, I personally hope the episodes are a bit longer, I don’t want to watch 3 scenes and the episode is done)
But we will see, first they need to finish filming, maybe then we get a estimate time from some actors or D&D that they give us a hint. But the real runtime we won’t get before christmas I think.
I’m a guy, I like chick flicks LOL
My wife loves slasher horror flicks
and per our kids older then dirt ( well close to it ).
I think we can definitely expect the episodes to at least be longer than average. Like you said, 70-80 minutes or so. However, there is a legitimate argument to be made for why they might go with a “super long” (90+ minutes) episode somewhere in S8: pacing reasons, especially for the climax. It could be much more effective storytelling-wise to have it go, go, go without a break as opposed to splitting it into two episodes and have to wait a week in between.
Ten Bears,
I agree — quality over quantity. Although I’m in favour of longer episode lengths next season because there is so much story and character development to get through, and I don’t want the bullet points. I want to see reunions fleshed out and handled properly. And the more time I get with all the characters next season before it’s all over, the better.
The dragon pit shoot will be worth it
if the Clegan brothers fought ’til one was dead
and if Jaime, in his full regalia,
lopped off crazy Cersei’s head,
with Bronn standing near
to quip sarcastically on the scene,
“With your golden hand you can’t jerk off,
but still you decapitated the queen.
… So anyway dude, where’s my castle?”
Wolfish,
Wolfie, when do you get to Dallas and what part of the city are you staying in? I thought that if you have a free moment, it might be fun to meet over coffee. If we can’t, we should at the Con itself. I hope WotWers–and there should be quite a few– can meet up.
Ten Bears,
It seems the Brienne/Jamie dynamic got to a LOT of people. A surprising amount really as their on-screen together-time hasn’t amounted to much plus we had/have the hysterical though unlikely Tormund complication.
It’s pretty clear that the showrunners and GRRM keep an eye on the various forums and blogs that are based around the series and I’m reasonably sure that some changes have been made over the years because of the fans. If that really is the case, I’m hoping that, even if one or both of them are doomed, they go out knowing that they are loved by the other.
Ohmigod, I’m an old romantic.
Ketlan,
I gathered from interviews that the showrunners were surprised that what started out as an incidental stage direction (Tormund making eyes at the impressive woman who rode into WF with Sansa) got such an enthusiastic reaction from the fandom. I assume they ran with it, and decided to add more Tormund-crushing-on-Brienne scenes.
I laughed along with everyone else; the Hound-Tormund exchange added some levity to the wight hunt episode; and it was refreshing to see Brienne admired for her looks after going through life being perceived by many as unfeminine and unattractive.
However, I fear if the show continues on with the Tormund-Brienne sideshow, Tormund will be in danger of coming off as a lovesick fool cartoon character; and it will detract from the final act of the Jaime-Brienne story.
Tormund said gingers are beautiful; kissed by fire. There’s a tall redheaded character who so far has had only one line consisting of three words. (“Now and always!”). Alys Karstsark (Meg Parkinson) would be a good match for Tormund, and it’d be a good way to give the actress some meaty dialogue.
I just don’t want to see Tornund freindzoned by Brienne , or kvetching to his cohen when she rebuffs him in favor of Ser Goldenhand.
Ten Bears,
cohorts? Not “cohen.” Damn Auto Correct
I just thought you were using a Yiddish dictionary. 😉
I rather suspect that Tormund is going to be one of the many popular characters who will fall during one of the upcoming battles. At the moment we appear to have more battles on their way than we have friendly characters.
I’d never given Alys Karstark a moment’s thought and my immediate response to your suggestion was that Tormund would be way too old for her. On the other hand, the show plays fast and loose with ages and relationships so who knows.
Frankly, I had assumed that the Karstark holdfast or keep wouldn’t last long against the AotD, making the matter moot.
I take it you’re assuming, as am I, that Tormund survives the disaster at Eastwatch. At least, I hope that’s the case, though as it’s the final season, all bets are off. 🙁
What’s even crazier is that had Thor not tripled his body mass over a few short years, it’d be super weird. Well, except then he wouldn’t have been cast!
https://www.newsoficeland.com/images/Hafthor_9gag.jpg
Off topic: This evening I’m going to Game of Thrones Live Concert Experience in Antwerp (Belgium, Europe). I also have a meet and great with Ramin Djawadi and we can ask questions. I’m very excited. We can also take a picture on the Iron Throne.
I’m going to wear my dragon earings and necklace and my ‘mother of dragons’ shirt.
Chilli,
If you can, ask when he Will start to compose for season 8, and If he knows when the filming for season 8 Will end, like its june or August. Hehe.
Lol,
That’s a good question. I’ll try to remember if I’m not too nervous.
Ketlan,
I take it you’re assuming, as am I, that Tormund survives the disaster at Eastwatch. At least, I hope that’s the case, though as it’s the final season, all bets are off. 🙁”
___________
I’d just find it hard to believe that they’d give a colorful character like Tormund Giantsbane a Blackfish-style, off-screen send-off. At least have him fall in an epic battle with a wight baby seal. Anything but an off-hand, second-hand remark by another character like “Tormund? The ginger with the beard? His body’s buried under a pile of rubble over there.”
If they were going to kill off Tormund, they should’ve made him a casualty of the wight hunt Frozen Lake battle, and with his last words tell Jon: “See? I told you this was a stupid f*cking idea.” Or just have him disappear under the ice as the wights pulled him underwater. Instead they had Sandor Ahai – I mean Sandor Clegane – clobber the wights and save Tormund.
If Tormund wasn’t able to survive the collapse of the Wall at Eastwatch, then I expect to see S8 open with a long-range shot of a solitary figure trudging through the snow with the breached Wall behind him. The camera gradually zooms in closer and closer, and then the figure stops and turns around and we see that it’s….
….Wight Tormund.
*As theme music starts, TB throws tomato at TV*
————–
And I’m sure he was able to accomplish it simply by lifting weights and avoiding processed sugar.
[Note to stupid Auto Correct: Why didn’t you at least try to change “weights” to “wights”? You convert other real words into gibberish all the time.]
Chilli,
That sounds awesome! Ramin is so good for Thrones. I don’t know if you watch Westworld or not, but he has really been killing it with their score this season as well. Not as epic of music as he makes for Thrones, but he does some awesome renditions of more modern music. I’d check it out before hand to get pumped up 🙂
Ten Bears,
There’s absolutely no chance Tormund is dead. Haven’t we head casting news of him? Like a fair amount of it. Maybe not.
But either way, Beric is supposed to be a super important character, so he can’t be dead. And to have him survive and Tormund die after that scene… just doesn’t make a whole lotta sense for D&D.
______________
Wasn’t there a warm-hearted farewell scene between Beric and Sandor at the end of S7e6 when Sandor left in the boat with Captured Wight? Something like:
Beric: “We’ll meet again, Clegane.”
Sandor: “F*cking hope not.”
Based on that, I’m sure they will meet again. Plus, Beric can’t die until he teaches the flaming sword trick to Sandor so he can ignite Lightbringer when necessary. 👨🚀
Re: shipping.
I’m not especially a ‘shipper’ but as the show concludes we will all want to know what is going to happen to the survivors and thus I’m sure we’ll at least be given hints of certain ‘pairings’. I’d really like some of these love stories, such as SanSan, to be left on an ellipsis – maybe a cheeky, suggestive smile from the little bird or something along those lines.
Of course I’m hoping for nothing farcical but I think we can trust the showrunners by now to not have a Bran/Asha marriage as the final scene, for example.
Basically, all will be well folks!
Jaehaerys,
Ten Bears,
Kristofer was spotted several times between October and January; with other cast in Belfast for the read-through in October, Belfast in November and traveling with others to film in Iceland in January. Tormund is definitely alive for at least part of the season.
I don’t recall seeing any signs of Richard… If there was it wasn’t much (yet). It would be a guess for what that means for Beric. I’ve never thought that he’s “suppose to be a super important character.” Since they’ve changed his path for the show we can’t say what their plan is for him. Perhaps he completed it in S7 or will very early in S8. I’ve been assuming both were alive on top of the Wall and will travel to Castle Black along it. Unless he was gravely injured I’ve figured he’d go where ever Tormund does…
If Lightbringer is an actual sword after all then it better be something more special than the “standard” red priest ‘trick.’ Everybody does that. 🙂
Chilli,
Did you buy the Kings Landing tickets? I am off to London on Sunday but coming from Flea Bottom I’m sitting with the small folk😦
Clob,
True, we don’t really know if he will be important or not. I just figure that since they changed his path (yes, this could just be because of the absence of a Lady Stoneheart), and since the Lord of Light has brought him back so many times, that D&D would have some scenario in mind to bring some importance to his resurrections. That is a hung gun that has yet to be fired, for sure.
I would be disappointed if we don’t see him have a somewhat significant impact in the final war.
Jaehaerys,
I will go ahead and predict that Beric will die during the battle for Winterfell, if indeed said battle happens.
I base this on absolutely nothing 🙂
I agree that his character needs to have some significant importance since he’s been resurrected so many times. I doubt he’d die as simple cannon fodder for the AOTD, but you never know.
A reminder if you missed it – Emilia was on with Jimmy Fallon last night (clips on The Tonight Show Youtube channel). She of course didn’t give any GoT info. Flippin’ Jimmy still introduced her calling her “Khaleesi” and I don’t think he said Daenerys at all during the entire show…
She’s on with Seth tonight. She’s there to promote Solo though so I suppose this visit wouldn’t be appropriate for a GoT skit like the ones with Jon and Melisandre.
Carole H,
I’ve bought the Dragonstone package. It’s the only expensive thing I bought this year. I was so happy GOT is in Belgium that I wanted to experience all.
I’m already at the entrance waiting. A bit early I guess since I’m the only one here.
Mr Derp,
Yeah, I for sure expect Beric to die. Especially after that Sandor line to him after Thoros bit the dust about him being on his last life (this made me chuckle. It’s like he’s a cat 🙂 ).
I’d expect that he at the very least goes out sacrificing himself for Jon/Bran/Dany to live, in that order. I’d be a little surprised if they went the resurrection route like the books and had him bring someone back… but I can definitely see a sacrifice to the WW’s going down, where he is in turn saving one of our hero’s lives so they can eventually stop the AotD.
On another line of thought… I wonder if we’ll see a little bit different side of Jon and Daenerys early in the season than the typical brooding and single-minded rigidness they’ve been like. I hope so. They have to be feeling a bit more positive about things despite the looming NK threat. They just had a… umm, rather nice little boat cruise, Jon is heading home to see his family again, they think they’re getting help from KL. I’d like to see at least some happiness and fun between them before the rotting shit hits the fan and everything goes to the seven hells one level at a time.
Clob,
I think they’ll have a positive moment…for like 30 seconds 🙂 Once they reach Winterfell it’s going to be all about the Jon/Dany drama and the AOTD/Cersei threat, so I hope they enjoy it while they can! Reunions will get squeezed in there somewhere too I’m sure, but the way they brushed through some other reunions in season 7 doesn’t fill me with confidence that they’ll change that for season 8, though Im hoping otherwise.
Yeah, I’m hoping they don’t rush through ’em like that. Specifically referring to Jon & Arya of course.
(I still like my own little scenario I concocted in my head where Arya doesn’t wait for them but instead goes undercover to meet/join them along the Kingsroad, waiting to reveal herself until they arrive at Winterfell. One reason to do that being that she can’t wait to see him but also to find out what Daenerys is really like and her relationship with Jon without anyone knowing it’s Arya traveling with them.)
Chilli,
Have a fab time, well you will have seen it now, so I hope you enjoyed it. Let us know how you went on. 😀
___________
…. But Jon and Daenerys get ambushed on the King’s Road. They’re surrounded and outnumbered and then….
A crazy little ninja warrior comes out of nowhere, quiet as a shadow and quick as a snake, and with Arthur Dayne-like two-handed moves, carves up most of the attackers with a dagger while poking the rest full of holes with a skinny sword. Jon and Dany step over piles of dead bodies and severed limbs to address their savior:
Jon: “You fight with the strength of many men, Ser knight. I am Jon, King in the North…”
[Dany clears throat]
Jon: “…until recently, King in the North. I seek the finest and the bravest knights in the Seven Kingdoms to join me in my court at Winterfell. You have proved yourself worthy. Will you join me?”
Ten Bears,
Yes, that sort of thing! Somehow I’d like Jon to see what Arya can do without knowing that it’s her at first. My scenario for their reunion in S6 that didn’t happen involved that element too. 🙂
Mr Derp,
Bleh. Why is it that I’m not excited about “the Jon/Dany drama and the AOTD/Cersei threat”?
6 episodes/6 hours left. Give me:
Sandor & Arya – 40 min.
Sandor & Sansa – 25 min.
Jon & Arya – 40 min
Hot Pie – 5 min
Arya & Nymeria – 10 min
… And I wouldn’t care what they do with the remaining 4 hours.
What if it’s 4 hours of Arya Super Ninja Assassin Warrior Princess–ING!? 🙂
Works for me!
This has very quietly and yet been persistent in bugging me so I gotta ask:
How in the world did Direwolves range South of the Wall?
**Comments may range from logical to silly to lung busting hilarious**
The Last Dragon named No One,
Maybe pockets of direwolf packs were isolated south of the wall during its construction. The North is big but sparsely populated so they may not have had much interaction with men.
Maybe they made use of abandoned manmade passages through the wall.
The Last Dragon named No One,
a) Through an abandoned castle
b) Someone smuggled one through
c) Undetected wolves were always south of the wall
d) Can direwolves swim?
e) motherfucking magic
Choose any of the above. Thank you for playing 🙂
The Last Dragon named No One,
“How in the world did Direwolves range South of the Wall?”
______________
Damn good question! It’s not as if they have ropes and climbing spikes. I doubt they have ships or captains to pilot them.
The Wall stretches from coast to coast, right? (It wouldn’t be any good if it didn’t.)
Could there have been a small pack that lived in a secluded area in the North all along that nobody knew about?
Wolfs have no ropes, but “spikes” and they can pilote very well by themselves, and they can swim, of course…
They crossed the Alps, Dolomites, Carpathians…
If wolfs can do, direwolfs can better ;o)
The Last Dragon named No One,
They were sent to the Stark’s by the Old Gods! Or The 3-Eyed Raven/Crow. Who knows, those could even be the same thing.
But it seems to me some divine power sent them to the Stark’s to watch over them in the wars to come.
The Last Dragon named No One,
They must have used the passage at the Nightfort.
The Last Dragon named No One,
Maybe it was only the one pregnant direwolf, and she somehow snuck through CB’s tunnel when the gate opened briefly for rangers to go out on patrol.
Maternal instinct compelled her to get south to give birth because it was getting weird and dangerous north of the wall.
______________
Great. Now I’ve got this surrealistic soundtrack in my head of Ghost and Nymeria singing “Climb Every Mountain” from “Sound of Music”, and “Anything you can do I can do better” from “Annie Get Your Gun.”
*lol*
D&D should be jealous. I’d be entirely satisfied with either scenario. Mine is somewhat similar to Clobs, but with a twist:
WINTERFELL: Arya stands on the battlements looking contentedly out over the snowy countryside. She’s really home. Just as she spots movement on the horizon, she hears harsh cries above. Two dragons!!!! She whips down the stairs and runs to the stables: “Saddle my horse!” The ostler immediately throws the saddle on, and as Arya rides out she shouts to him : “And please tell my sister that Jon is coming.!” Heading to the main gate she whispers “Ghost!” The gate opens and as Arya gallops through, we see Ghost running beside her.
KINGS ROAD: About 150 riders huddled against the cold trot behind Jon and Dany. Jon sees someone far ahead on the road. As they approach, he rides forward. The figure is kneeling behind a small sword glittering on the snow. Seeing it, Jon runs forward, then waits. The figure looks up and says, “My sword is yours, my king.” They exchange a grin and then fall into each other’s arms, tears rolling down their cheeks.
After a small, joyous eternity, Jon notices Ghost and goes to greet him. Arya sees several riders close by. They’re smiling. She walks to the beautiful, regal blonde woman and says, “I am Arya Stark, Your Grace. Welcome to Winterfell.” Dany embraces her, saying, “Of course you’re Arya Stark. Jon wouldn’t have galloped forward for anyone else.” Before Arya can reply, a familiar voice growls, “Don’t I deserve a welcome too?” Arya is shocked but can’t suppress a grin. “I thought you were dead.” “So did I. No, I lived thanks to your bloody stubbornness.” As they share a wary hug, another voice says, “I lived too.” It’s Gendry, looking quite the man now and carrying a war hammer. Arya is so stunned she jumps into his arms and gives him a kiss. Which he returns. Impatient, Sandor grumbles, “It’s f**kin’ cold out here. Do you plan to leave us out here to freeze our bums off?” Everyone laughs.
WINTERFELL: Everyone is assembled in the main courtyard, waiting. Nervous, Sansa goes to a few people saying, “Where is she, where is she”? Sansa is out of sorts, so no one dares answer. Finally, Sansa stands beside Bran and whispers, “She pulled this disappearing act last time. Where is she?” Bran: “Here.” A horn blows and the gates open. In ride Jon and Daenerys, with Arya and Gendry, Davos and Tyrion right behind. Sansa gawps. As the riders dismount, Arya winks at Sansa. And Sansa grins back.
Stark Raven’ Rad,
I have a feeling I’d rather watch the scenes I’m reading here than the ones the show is filming.
Ten Bears,
Me too. And I’d rather see yours and Clob’s too. Obviously we have Arya in common, but it was enjoyable to get Sandor, Gendry, Dany and Sansa (in a good light!) in too. Con is tomorrow. Hold down the WotW fort. I gather alcohol will flow; I’ll probably be too exhausted to post.
they build burning roofs/!!!!
https://www.casimages.com/i/180531045241561424.png.html
As it’s been quite a while (pardon my absence), so I went through some older posts… And Ten Bears, I just have to tell you – Absolute the same reaction here!! 😀 And I love that feeling for a few brief seconds! <3
Really great idea, Pigeon! 😉 …and love your thoughts in your answer, Ten Bears – especially the quote between Lord Royce and LF!! …your angles and beautifully twisted minds makes my WotW return so worth while from the get go! 🙂
Ten Bears,
Canal Cat,
hi do you know where to look or what days they usually film on? I take it not on weekends or when they do the tours….
More like Dragon’s eye view
Enharmony1625,
which YouTuber? sounds like someone I’d like to subscribe to!
DEW,
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAtabJ0BMuIQ86DEP6AuX1w/