The Trial of Benioff and Weiss

AxeyFabulous returns with a vengeance! Benioff and Weiss have gotten away with their fanfiction* for far too long! The smallfolk have spoken! It’s time for a reckoning!

*not actual fanfiction according to George R.R. Martin. But what does he know?

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Axechucker

259 Comments

  1. Anastasia.. Hermione … ahhhhh what did I just see?? I cannot wash it out from my brain! I. CANNOT. WASH. IT. OUT!!!!

  2. My favorite part was the rant at the end there, around 16 mins onward.

    And all the Axechucker. So much Axechucking. Trolls, all of them.

  3. Rygar’s Penis:
    FaB!

    I’ve missed you!

    And I’ve missed you.

    Oh! One thing I forgot to mention: VELA, the wonderful young woman who does my music, has a Soundcloud. It’s HERE! Believe it or not, she does more than just curse and throw things.

    FaBiOut

  4. This video was just silly…

    … I loved it! Worth it for the ending alone; did not see it coming at all.

  5. I know “shocking” is their advertisement tag word, but it gets a bit old when they keep saying it.

  6. I think my biggest issue with D&D is from what I can gather from interviews, I don’t think they thought they’d ever get this far. They basically made it sound like they were just aiming to get to S3’s ending. Now that the show has become what it has become they seem over it in a sense. Obviously they still love the story and show, but it’s like they’re counting the seasons until they’ll get a break, at least that’s how I take some of their comments.

  7. Tumblr told me D&D are horrible and completely guilty because the characters from Dorne aren’t dark enough and Arienne was the best thing since Jesus. And Tumblr is never wrong, right?

  8. Jon Snowpenhauer,

    Might be right but I think its also that the scale of the production is just exhausting to work on. I do think theyre committed to ending it well though.

    FyI that was HILARIOUS.

  9. Jon Snowpenhauer,

    I agree they want to do other projects when anyone asks them about other projects their eyes light up. And now they don’t have clear cut source material so they are pushing to end the show asap.

  10. crabbers son:
    Jon Snowpenhauer,

    I agree they want to do other projects when anyone asks them about other projects their eyes light up. And now they don’t have clear cut source material so they are pushing to end the show asap.

    I worry that the story from here until the end will suffer due to them taking a hard-line on how long they’re willing and able to continue the production schedule. I get that it’s exhausting, but there are other avenues that could be explored for the show and story’s benefit that don’t include cramming everything into a preset number of seasons because that’s all they can stomach. Not to mention if they weren’t going into it prepared & understanding it could be a success, and thus wildly time consuming to put out a quality product, boohoo?

  11. Jon Snowpenhauer,

    I think they are more than committed to finishing this in the best possible way they can. Watch this season before you judge. I think they want to finish it in 7 seasons because they truly believe that 7 would be the best.

    They might be a little tired, but come on…. they know this is the biggest thing that has ever happened to them and probably will ever happen to them. I think they are over the press stuff tho

  12. HelloThere,

    I mean already everyone wants more than 10 episodes a season but they were the ones who refused to do it. I dont believe that the last two books are going to have less events than storm of swords which was split into two seasons.

  13. HelloThere:
    Jon Snowpenhauer,

    I think they are more than committed to finishing this in the best possible way they can.Watch this season before you judge.I think they want to finish it in 7 seasons because they truly believe that 7 would be the best.

    They might be a little tired, but come on…. they know this is the biggest thing that has ever happened to them and probably will ever happen to them.I think they are over the press stuff tho

    I’m not doubting that is the case, I’m simply saying that I don’t believe that what is best for them, is necessarily best for the story and show. I mean I still think the show will be awesome, but that’s not to say it wouldn’t be better without limiting it like I believe they have. George isn’t even sure if it will end in 7 books, I think it serves the story more if the ending comes organically from telling the story adaption rather than limiting themselves to shoving in x amount of story into y amount of seasons. Even if we consider it the best TV ever, that doesn’t mean it didn’t suffer or it couldn’t have been better.

    It’s one thing to get to 7 having told the story and ending it there, it’s quite another to say this is a lot of work, I have 7 in me and no more.

  14. Crabber’s Son: I mean already everyone wants more than 10 episodes a season but they were the ones who refused to do it.

    What a silly way to phrase it. You make it sound like 10 episodes is just a choice rather than the result of very real limitations, like the number of days in a year they can film for.

  15. crabbers son: I agree they want to do other projects when anyone asks them about other projects their eyes light up.

    I’d be pretty impressed if you could find even 3 examples of this happening in interviews. Because it’s a load of nonsense.

  16. Crabber’s Son,

    They have never said they didn’t want more than 10 episodes per season. They’ve said it is not possible to produce more than 10 episodes per year and have them ready for release every Spring.

    I think the argument that they are rushing to finish the series so they can move on to something else incredibly insulting. They’ve said since season 2 that they viewed the series as a 70-80 hour movie. 7 or 8 seasons was always their plan. As for TWOW and ADOS being as big as ASOS, that is possible, but I would say season 3 dragged because ASOS was split over 2 seasons. 14-15 episodes would have been the sweet spot, IMO. So if AFFC/ADWD are pretty much used for season 5, a split 7th season would allow 24-25 episodes to tell the story from the final 2 books, which don’t even exist, BTW.

  17. Tyrion Pimpslap,

    In other words, if someone wants more than 10 episodes in a season, they have to accept a decrease in production value along with it.

    Also, people should note that they didn’t *have* to split Storm, they were *able* to. Storm is unique in the series thus far in that it has a end-season climax-worthy event in the middle of the book. We have no idea if Winds and Dream would have that.

  18. Episodes 1 to 4 spoilers according to “Axel” user from this site.

    There’s really a wintry atmosphere to Winterfell this season, and the Vale and Riverlands begin to show signs of winter too.
    Sansa is to marry Ramsay as part of the LF-Roose deal, but no actual wedding yet.
    Possibly best scene of the season yet is a Sansa and Reek moment where they recognize each other but can’t acknowledge their real identities (they’re both “playing” a role).
    No LS in sight. Brienne’s still in the Riverlands by ep. 4.
    Varys mysteriously vanishes in ep. 3. No allusion to Aegon.
    A first glimpse into the inside of the White Walker empire (not just their rituals as in season 4 but their actual ice cities), where a gathering takes place, presumably at the behest of the White Walker Queen, who looks amazing.
    Roose mentions Balon as someone who is still alive. No mention of Euron/Victarion.
    Jon namedrops the Greatjon in conversation with Stannis and Davos. Stannis says they will seek the allegiance of Last Hearth.
    Great battle of wits between Aemon and Melisandre.
    Loras is arrested for “debauchery”.
    A major R’hllor uprising is about to burst in Essos according to Varys.
    Ellaria specifically wants Cersei’s blood.
  19. Yivo:
    Jon Snowpenhauer,

    Yes, the only alternative to not complaining is pity. What a dumb thing to say.

    Who said it was the only alternative, do you need them all listed or is that really the only reply you’re capable of? Not to mention it was a question not a statement. You seem awfully defense over such a benign comment.

  20. Arghhh… is funny.

    D&D aren’t quite riding the rape train! They’re just taking some proportionally good chick scenes out, because they’re men, and adding rape.. because I dunno, but the books/universe are rapey, so can’t say much. Boobs are fine, but we ladies need more to cheer for, especially lately! The Craster wives didn’t get to kick ass. Molestown ladies didn’t get to defend the wall. Yara ran away from a shirtless guy (go shirtless Ramsey, but not in battle, poor editing). And that one other badly edited scene that altered a major character so much? Ummm…

    Podrik’s penis is funny as hell though. Leave my Casanova out of this!

    This Dungeon Master says… D&D are guilty of not writing as well as George for women. D&D need more bitches on their staff is all… How’s a girl supposed to enjoy seeing Drogo/Dany or Cercei/Jaime if the ladies don’t say very clearly and out loud they wanna be there…

    I wonder if we’ll see a shift this season? Unsullied being raped? Cercei or Dany or Marg with the lady lovin? All boy brothels?

  21. Jon Snowpenhauer,
    Well, let’s see

    Nymeria Warrio Queen says: Are you really complaining about their attitude toward the production schedule? Wow.

    You then say: Why not, should I pity them for having a super successful show and having to put a lot of work into it?

    I don’t see how it can be interpreted any other way. She says nothing about pity, you do. You also say “why not”, implying that there aren’t many reasons not too that are reasonable. So yeah, that was exactly what you were implying. So cut the bullshit.

  22. Yivo:
    Jon Snowpenhauer,
    Well, let’s see

    Nymeria Warrio Queen says: Are you really complaining about their attitude toward the production schedule? Wow.

    You then say: Why not, should I pity them for having a super successful show and having to put a lot of work into it?

    I don’t see how it can be interpreted any other way. She says nothing about pity, you do. You also say “why not”, implying that there aren’t many reasons not too that are reasonable. So yeah, that was exactly what you were implying. So cut the bullshit.

    I’m well aware of both what she said, and my response. Perhaps you didn’t understand what you yourself said.

    Yivo:
    Jon Snowpenhauer,

    Yes, the only alternative to not complaining is pity. What a dumb thing to say.

    I can’t even take you seriously, you think because I offer a counter example of how I should feel that it somehow means I believe it’s the only alternative? The question was asking the very question if I shouldn’t be put off by it, how should I feel? I’m not stating it’s one or the other. I think that’s pretty apparent, and a dumb thing not only to say, but how one would come to that conclusion is beyond me.

    I said, “why not” because I believed it to be a reasonable, if there was another option please offer it up and we can discuss that, otherwise to pretend you’re so dumb that you think there are only those two options leave us with little to truly discuss.

  23. Funny as always, Axey! Thanks!

    Arthur Dayne,

    Greetings, kinsman!
    Also taking this with a grain (or 10) of salt, but

    Sansa and Theon eyeballing each other in cognito would be awesome! Aemon and Mel matching wits–also awesome! GreatJon and Last Hearth, check! Brienne in the Riverlands: where could that gravedigger be? 😉 But a WW QUEEN? Granted, I’m fuzzy on the organization of WWville in the books, but I thought it was Night’s KING that rules there. Confused…hmmmm.

    Thanks for passing on the info, tho.

    We need something more official to go on. Even some titles would be a hint…maybe that’s why we don’t have them yet…this is going to be a long 10ish days!

  24. Gotta remember 3&4 also included bits from Clash and bits from Feast/Dance, not solely Storm.

  25. King in the North Carolina,

    Moreover, there should be fewer events, as GRRM supposedly is concatenating plotlines. Add to this that the show has cut some of the plotlines completely, and there is good reason to think that less filming will be needed. We should be getting more scenes with multiple main characters in them than ever before in Seasons 6 and 7.

    At any rate, the show could just focus on resolving the war for Westeros in Season 6 and the resolving Ragnarok in Season 7. (If GRRM is wise, then that is what the books will do.)

  26. Arthur Dayne,

    All of that sounds awesome, if true!

    Well, the Ramsay/Sansa thing still confuses me. But the rest is great, and the Ice Queen stuff is quite surprising.
  27. That was entertaining, and well executed. Thanks Axey! Can’t wait for the twitter recaps.
    Two nights in a row of funny thrones related video media. Very cool. Waaaaaaaaaaay cooler than watching a bunch of blowhards discuss the show or make drinks.
    Cheers!

  28. I started reading the books. I spoiled myself with the wikis but still. I just completed A Clash of Kings and am waiting for ASOS to come. Honestly, the more I read the lower my opinion for the book purists get.

    Take Qhorin Halfhand for example, since so many complained about the show version. Well, there isn’t really much of a whole difference. Most of the important dialogue he has is in the show. Most of the stuff in the book is in the show. Was he memorable? No, but he wasn’t memorable in the book either. I mean, sure Jon calls Halfhand a legend a couple of times but we don’t see anything legendary. Basically the only thing we see him doing is climbing mountains with Jon. Big deal.

    The chain, same thing. Daenerys’ storyline in S2 sucked but that’s because it sucked in the book. GRRM didn’t give her much to do with the books either.

  29. sati,

    LSH isn’t in… So… Yeah. You’ll be much happier with the show if you quit believing she will appear. You won’t, of course. I’ve seen that thread in Westeros.org… *shudders*

    And I did say “if true.” It’s nice to think about. Also, sorry for not considering it’s April Fools Day, a day surely celebrateted in the whole worl… Oh, it isn’t, is it? No, it isn’t. I won’t complain if you’re not aware of El DĂ­a de los Santos Inocentes, which is pretty much the same thing but not today. And I won’t mock you for not expecting to be fooled on the 28th of December. Could you give me the same courtesy? Thank you.

    Charles M,

    Agreed on all counts. Particularly Qhorin. I like the guy, but he’s not amazing or anything. Not much was lost in the show, and it’s understandable that Jon spent more time with Ygritte, considering where things would go. It’s the same reason that Tormund took Styg’s role during the climbing of the Wall and the scouting in the Gift, and the reason he was taken prisoner at Castle Black instead of Rattleshirt. They have limited screen time, so they’ve got to plan for the future.

  30. I still roll my eyes at all the childish LS fanatics. LS is GRRM’s biggest mistake in the books and even he regrets putting her in the story, so I’m glad D&D have cut her. She’s such a boring character….

  31. sati,

    Cry all you want. I’ll enjoy drinking your tears once the S5 finale credits roll and your terrible LS character is nowhere to be seen.

  32. sati,

    Hey, sati, please, chill 😉

    Honestly, we are not as grimly serious about this —or any other issue— around here. This is not Westeros. And yes, “*shudders*” is the appropriate response to the kind of unnecessary malice that goes on in that place. Even a thread purely about show news has constant bickering and insults towards the creators of the show. It’s a toxic place. Don’t bring that vibe here, please.

    As for “not deserving courtesy”, I haven’t seen you be courteous towards anyone who has ever disagreed with you, so I’m not particularly surprised. I only asked you to be more understanding towards other people who might not share the same culture you do. I’m aware of April Fools Day, but I only experience it on the Internet because it’s not a thing where I live. I simply hoped you got why I may fall for these kinds of things easier than most.

    sati,

    Do you actually believe they haven’t cut the character? At the very least, the character is “cut for now.” If said person appears eventually, rejoice! But, as I said, you’ll be happier if you don’t expect it.

  33. Sati’s probably always grumpy because she’s an insecure ugly fat chick lmao. She’s got nothing better to do than whine about a show she doesn’t like on the internet 24/7, and she calls us toxic lmfao.

  34. sati,

    Lol don’t deny it missy. Whats wrong, westeros.org is offline at the moment so you came here to troll and vent your frustrations?

  35. sati,

    I haven’t made any personal attacks against you. Nevertheless, I’m sorry if I offended you personally. You mean what I said about not seeing you be courteous towards anyone who disagrees with you? Well, considering how you and a few others have hounded people who dissent in that thread, and how it’s been used for pages and pages to criticize and nothing else, I don’t think that’s an unfair criticism. I can’t answer for OrtMeyer‘s words, which are completely uncalled for. He’s being an arsehole. As for assumptions… what assumptions? I know your stance about the show and LSH, as explained by yourself here and in that Westeros.org thread. Have I misrepresented it in any way? Unless criticizing Westeros or your opinion on LSH somehow constitutes a “personal attack against you”, I’m just lost here.

    As for considering Westeros “toxic” —well, the insults D&D and others involved with the show receive in there are unnecessarily vile and have created quite a toxic (violent, cruel, hurtful) environment in which to discuss the show. I wasn’t even aware that was a controversial statement, to be honest. It’s how that page is seen in other sites, it seems to me. Are they unaware of this?

  36. Luka Nieto,

    you assumed I mocked you, which was not my intention at all and that I am NEVER courteous towards people disagreeing with me. Don’t accuse me of bringing any vibes here, the poster above you is a good example of the vibes that are already here.

    I am completely fine with people saying they think she is cut but you? You just had to follow the summary of my stance with “ha ha ha”. Who is mocking here?

    In 2 years posting on westeros.org I’ve never got a comment as vile as those from the poster above you.

  37. sati,

    I didn’t assume you mocked me. I worded that strangely; I meant to say I wouldn’t mock you if you’re not aware of el dĂ­a de los Santos Inocentes, not that you did mock me. If I was accusing you of anything, it was of assuming I had to know about April Fools; not of mocking me. As for the “ha ha ha”, it was wrong of me. I edited it as soon as I could. I only meant to say I find it funny that people are still expecting the character after two season finales, despite all evidence. And I do find it funny (funny “ha ha ha” and funny “strange”.)

    And I have seen you be really “discourteous” (and more than that) towards certain people in that Westeros.org thread. As for OrtMeyer, I can’t and won’t defend him. Trolls are trolls —here, in Westeros, everywhere. His insults are not representative of the vibe here. True, book purists get a hard time here; but fanaticism and literalism, religious or otherwise, is in itself toxic.

    Being intolerant of intolerance is not contradictory, though it may sound like it: it’s not a bad thing that most people here don’t welcome those who take changes from canon in a fictional world so seriously. It reminds me of those fundamentalists who say we are not “respecting their religious rights”… to oppress other people, that is (Indiana’s new “religious freedom” law is a great example of this —it’s about the freedom to oppress LGBT people.) And no, I’m not comparing the seriousness of these two very different issues, just the kinds of mentalities and arguments that are used —fundamentalism, literalism. Book purists, be it of the Bible, ASOIAF or anything else, care more about the letter than the spirit of their book. Though, of course, they will argue the adaptation misses the spirit as well.

  38. Luka Nieto,

    …apologizes for being “discourteous” but are you done editing now?

    By reminding it is April Fools, which it is, I was pointing to a reason the info may not be true. What makes me doubt that is the

    [spoilers]Night Queen’s information, but who knows, in light of Oathkeeper’s ending there is a chance it may be happening.[/spoilers]

    edit – sorry no idea how to mark spoilers here

  39. I don’t really believe those episode spoilers tbh.
    Im gonna wait till actual reviews come out.

    Also LSH, expect nothing for now…. I shifted my excitement over to Walk of Shame and Daznak’s Pit
  40. sati,

    It’s how you did it, but in singular, instead of plural. “spoiler”, in brackets 😉

    And I like to edit my posts after posting. The button is there to use it, after all. There’s 10 minutes to do it; usually it’s enough and people are not confused. Maybe I should just edit before posting, but oh well, we all have bad habits.

    sati,

    I don’t think the embargo date has been made public. Maybe that information in itself is part of the NDA. Hopefully it’s soon. Looking forward to the reviews!

  41. Luka Nieto,

    Thanks, gonna remember how to mark those now!

    I hope at least we get confirmed summary for episodes soon, based on that at least it’s gonna be easier determining which “leaks” are false, there are more of those with each year

  42. sati,

    They are increasingly subtler, too. At first they were quite explicit and told us everything we wanted to hear; now the trolling is more sophisticated. I fall for it often, I admit.

    Even if we don’t get comprehensive summaries, we should get reviews soon enough. Most won’t have any spoilers at all, but still, they usually do imply things, which should help us dispel or confirm some rumors and speculation.

  43. Seriously, people? Yesterday there was an argue at A Forum Of Ice And Fire / westeros.org about WotW and WICnet, and now people are criticizing westeros.org here?!

    @sati, OrtMeyer is a troll (and an arsehole), don’t even care about him/her.

  44. HelloThere,

    “Shocking” is everyone’s advertisement tag. If a bug gets crushed on a show, The Hollywood Reporter, Entertainment Weekly, Variety (etc.) would deem it a shocking twist. Believe me, I hate the overuse of the word shocking when it comes to movies and television, but at least Game of Thrones can “brag” about it being shocking. Most other shows versions of shocking means introducing characters and the killing them off, just for shock value. Game of Thrones doesn’t kill off characters for shock value, but for the story (it’s still shocking though, but that’s just the way they make it, not the way it was written). The cast and crew are just telling the public what they want to hear (more deaths, more shocking moments etc.). It’s not their fault. It’s just that the general public enjoys unpredictability in shows.

  45. Yivo:
    Messy Justin Massey,

    Difference is that westeros.org is awful, and this place is not.

    AFOIAF is a great place to discuss and speculate about the books and it even has some cool speculation between the seasons and before episodes air. I mostly lurk there and once the season starts I stay away from the episode threads because the purism grows too strong.

  46. Yivo,

    It used to be ok. However, it definitely got taken over by a “this is a documentary, not a story” hardcore crowd.

  47. Dragonslayer,

    Even the book discussions went to hell in a handbasket. Some years ago, you could have some decent discussions about SoI&F as literature there. That was not possible as of a couple of years ago: everything was “Mount Molehill” conjecture filled with the worst Procrustean reasoning imaginable. I am told that it has only gotten worse!

  48. There are many more insults and trolling here than on westeros. And I think that is how it should be.

    This is a great site, a well run site. I come here mainly for the articles and the scoops. Can’t wait for axeys twitter summaries after each episode.

    I do read the comments here and I post content too, but I go to westeros to discuss and speculate.

    I like both sites.

    @ Sati:

    As for Luka, he’s Spanish. They don’t have April fools. That’s French and English. They have the holy innocents day in December. But I don’t see that as any argument against you as this is an American site and one can assume that any American or UK spoilers that are released today in jest are from people April Fooling.

  49. Arthur Dayne,

    Ignore this Axel. Another troll. I mean it’s clear they’ve taken some of their info from leaked/filming spoilers. (For instance, most of us saw the video a fan took in Croatia of Loras) but I’ve seen the screener and no, this person is adding in some lies.

  50. Messy Justin Massey:
    Yivo,

    I disagree, I think both sites are very great.

    No it’s not a great place. Evan without a comments from a book purists.

    For example, it is forbidden to criticize GRRM in the book section. I don’t speak about troll posts like “FAAAAT MONSTER WHEN WILL YOU DIEEEEEEE ??”

    I’m talking about civilized criticism of his work. It is censored there.

    Why? Because Elio and Linda are fanatics .

    The meaning of life for many people there is to prove that every change in the show doesn’t make sense. And especially those changes that are not even seen yet.

    They act as if it is a personal insult to them.

    They hate the show, but follow all about it constantly. They follow the live premiere, all synopsis, all informations about everything . It’s insane!

    I respect the book purists who do not like and do not watch the show, but these hypocritical fanatics I can not stand.

  51. Messy Justin Massey:
    Seriously, people? Yesterday there was an argue at A Forum Of Ice And Fire / westeros.org about WotW and WICnet, and now people are criticizing westeros.org here?!

    @sati, OrtMeyer is a troll (and an arsehole), don’t even care about him/her.

    There’s a fansite war coming. I don’t know when, I don’t know who’ll be fighting in it, but it’s coming.

  52. I really hope that LSH is cut from the show. I never liked that plot twist. Cat had a great culmination with RW, everything after that was anticlimactic.

  53. And people- be excellent to each other.

    The season hasn’t even begun, things are only going to get wilder. So let’s not lose our shit now.

    (I mean honestly the overlap of posters between this site and Westeros and other ASOIAF/GoT community is large. Any competition/insulting of the commenters is pretty silly. All GoT communities are linked.)

  54. ctid:
    There are many more insults and trolling here than on westeros. And I think that is how it should be.

    This is a great site, a well run site. I come here mainly for the articles and the scoops. Can’t wait for axeys twitter summaries after each episode.

    I do read the comments here and I post content too, but I go to westeros to discuss and speculate.

    I like both sites.

    @ Sati:

    As for Luka, he’s Spanish. They don’t have April fools. That’s French and English. They have the holy innocents day in December. But I don’t see that as any argument against you as this is an American site and one can assume that any American or UK spoilers that are released today in jest are from people April Fooling.

    I agree with really everything you said, that’s exactly my opinion, too!

    (We in Germany also have April Fools’ Day, and I guess sati in Poland, too.)

  55. KrakenDaughter,

    Again with the insults. This is not about s5, this is about s1-4. You made a screenshot from different site, linked it here, ridiculed and personally attacked me and you say that posters from westeros.org bring negativity here?

  56. Sue the Fury,

    I know you can’t say much Sue, but in your opinion, how happy were you with the episodes you saw (good – great – excellent – crazy good)?

  57. Dutch maester,

    I’ll save my specific thoughts for the writeups I do, but I enjoyed the episodes as I usually do. I don’t see a decline in quality.

  58. sati,

    That was the whole point , it was about S 1-4 , and your complaining about too much SS when they haven’t even appeared yet.
    Maybe your confusing me with someone else but i didn’t insult you in anyway or form , unless showing same thing you posted yourself counts as in insult? Then yeah i am.

  59. mau,

    She mentioned in Tumblr (or Twitter?) that they were good, that there wasn’t any need to worry, though she didn’t specify any more.

    Sue the Fury,

    When will the writeups be uploaded?

  60. Sue the Fury:

    (I mean honestly the overlap of posters between this site and Westeros and other ASOIAF/GoT community is large.)

    True. But it will get nasty after episode 1 airs, both here and over there.

    Btw, why did they close the “Season 5 Casting, News and Speculation V14” thread?

  61. KrakenDaughter,

    My bad. I guess saying someone looks “relatively sane comparing to someone else” and that you cannot take me seriously because of my opinion on 4 things in the show is a compliment then.

    Your post got deleted, go figure.

  62. Bard: There’s a fansite war coming. I don’t know when, I don’t know who’ll be fighting in it, but it’s coming.

    Haha, awesome.

    I have visions of anchorman now. It should happen. How do we make it happen? Axey?

  63. Sue the Fury:
    And people- be excellent to each other.

    The season hasn’t even begun, things are only going to get wilder.So let’s not lose our shit now.

    (I mean honestly the overlap of posters between this site and Westeros and other ASOIAF/GoT community is large. Any competition/insulting of the commenters is pretty silly. All GoT communities are linked.)

    We are much more mellow at fleabottom.net. And we have strudel.

  64. Bard,

    I reckon it’s going to be pretty tame for the first episode. Doesn’t seem like there’s any earth shaking changes or TWOW spoilers. Things are definitely going to get ugly this season though

  65. Bard:

    Btw, why did they close the “Season 5 Casting, News and Speculation V14″ thread?

    I may have inadvertently started that one. I’d had a slow work day and still no signs of [b]Deepwood Motte!![/b] so I mentioned

    Sansa marrying Ramsay struck me as a bit of a lazy sexist decision of they took it.

    Then it was a case of who let the trolls out and the mods got excited. Shouldn’t have been locked really, they already deleted all the offending posts.

    My bad.

  66. sati,

    It probably was deleted because i said westeros.org folks are negative , which is an understatement and i stand by it.
    And yes i can’t take seriously someone who judges a show before it even airs , and that’s my opinion .

    Sue the Fury,

    Should i be worried this gets deleted too?

  67. Stop trashing each other- what part of no personal attacks is unclear? I probably would have deleted more if I didn’t have to go drop my son off at school.

  68. Rygar:
    Sati,

    I never thought of Sansa as being sexist.

    Bahahaha.

    I never heard her criticise Bran over his needlework!

  69. sati,

    I’m sorry for jumping to conclusion if it’s all a misunderstanding .
    I’m just a bit frustrated with hate and bashing that the show get ( and for some reason Dorne now ) even before the season starts and people from westeros.org are infamous for that.
    Can we be friends??

  70. Bard,

    Probably because of major spoilery info that could be false (April 1) or true or in between, but the info is so BIG, it’s creating feedback into Mel’s flames, and thereby affecting Melannis’s ability to effectively conquer the North.

    Though I do love and am intrigued by the one concerning Jaime.

    WOWWWW! Take a look at this awesome photo of Sophie/Maisie, NYT article, the pic says it all.

    Sophaisie

  71. The person who posted who posted as Axel is the same person who posted as Arthur Dayne in this comment thread. So yeah, definitely a troll. Ignore Axel’s fake recap.

    sati,

    Someone is trying very hard to make people think that

    LSH is happening. There are no ‘scary noises.’
  72. Whoa! What the heck? I go to bed and all hell breaks loose. Thanks, Mods, for restoring order.
    Sad that someone is impersonating honorable Daynes…:-(
    Sue the Fury,
    Thanks, Sue, for debunking the trolls. So glad to read that you liked the eps. I think I’ll just ignore all “summaries” until you-all provide us with the vetted truth. Looking forward to more funny stuff to pass the time.

    Peace, Watchers.

  73. Sue the Fury,

    Always sounded too Lord of the Rings, didn’t it? Anyway, I never understood how that was supposed to point to LSH. Just because she’s supernatural doesn’t mean that any kind of supernatural thing points to her. So, I don’t see how “scary noises in the woods” could possibly mean LSH was going to appear.
  74. tyjon:

    Take a look at this awesome photo of Sophie/Maisie, NYT article, the pic says it all.

    Thank you for the link. Great article and photos. Stark sisters FTW! Hopefully NY Times will do a similar profile of the Lannister brothers.

    Only 11 days! So excited.
    🙂

  75. Does anyone know if some critics get to screen the first 4 like in previous seasons? If so, when do those articles get published?

  76. Sue the Fury

    I’m not going to give any episode spoilers, I can’t do that. Just disregard their post altogether, please.

    Yes, you can. Use another nick. Or just tell the truth – u don’t want to give spoilers.

  77. Uknow0,

    She can’t, actually. That’s how these things work.

    I’d be very surprised if there is no embargo and other terms. May have been unofficial, or a proper NDA, but whatever the case, those who leak stuff aren’t likely to get any more screeners in the future.

  78. Yivo,

    Unless you are a showrunner or a writer you really are in no position to state things with absolute certainty

    Uknow0,

    She has no obligation to tell us anything, stop being so demanding.

  79. tyjon:
    Bard,

    Probably because of major spoilery info that could be false (April 1) or true or in between, but the info is so BIG, it’s creating feedback into Mel’s flames, and thereby affecting Melannis’s ability to effectively conquer the North.

    Though I do love and am intrigued by the one concerning Jaime.

    WOWWWW! Take a look at this awesome photo of Sophie/Maisie, NYT article, the pic says it all.

    Sophaisie

    It’s “Mophie”. 😉 :p

  80. Thanks for clearing things up about Axel’s post, Sue!

    I’m just ready for the season to start so we can stop dealing with all these false spoilers that people are trying to spread around.

  81. Hah! The conversations in this thread accurately reflect the content and accusations contained in AxeyFab’s nutty video post. Very well done, AxeyFab! Spot on! 😉 Loved the ending…and I’m a fervent CH optimist. Do carry on with the mayhem!

    Although I am still worried about Joey.

  82. sati: Unless you are a showrunner or a writer you really are in no position to state things with absolute certainty

    All it takes is a modicum of common sense to realise that she’s cut, and that it would never be in any of the first four episodes if it was included, which it won’t be.

  83. sati,

    There are so many exciting things in this season.
    Get your hopes for something else, and if it happens, it becomes bonus!

  84. mau,

    Precisely. The only reason this still continues is because LSH has rabid fans. People don’t keep expecting Strong Belwas, and he was actually been a bigger part of the books than LSH so far.

  85. sati

    She has no obligation to tell us anything, stop being so demanding.

    I’m not talking about obligations, I’m talking about solidarity.

    Administrators start websites in ‘effort to create a community for fans’, but any fan-site without fans’ participation is – meaningless. Fans’ cognitive ‘n affective ‘work’, fans’ enthusiastic activities are the ones that produce sites’ surplus value. Fans are those ‘geezers’ who really make/maintain particular site alive. So, GoT fans are the ones who should be rewarded with episodes’ screeners in the first place. But they’re not. The administrators got the stuff. Almighty ‘high-born’ producers of GoT share secrets with their loyal servants, administrators of GoT fan-sites. Fans, on the other hand, are just ‘small folk’ for them both the producers ‘n the webmasters. Sadly, the webmasters knee for the show-runners, not for ‘small’ fans of GoT.

    Morgan:
    Thanks for clearing things up about Axel’s post, Sue!

    I’m just ready for the season to start so we can stop dealing with all these false spoilers that people are trying to spread around.

    What if spoilers, that Axel had posted, are real, what if the webmistress’s fooling us.

  86. Uknow0,

    You are not actually serious, are you? o.O

    You do understand they cannot share the screeners, right? That it is piracy? And in this case it could even be prosecuted, since the show hasn’t aired yet, making it a big deal. Even spoiling all of it, without actually leaking the episodes, would probably mean they won’t get any more screeners. Journalists and fan reviewers get screeners because it’s their job (in this case a volunteer job, too.) Thanks to these, they can write reviews early. That’s how it works, and it’s a good system, for TV shows, videogames, everything. Do yourself a favor and stop feeling so entitled and jealous… I mean, envious.

  87. Uknow0: I’m not talking about obligations, I’m talking about solidarity.

    Administrators start websites in ‘effort to create a community for fans’, but any fan-site without fans’ participation is – meaningless. Fans’ cognitive ‘n affective ‘work’, fans’ enthusiastic activities are the ones that produce sites’ surplus value. Fans are those ‘geezers’ who really make/maintain particular site alive. So, GoT fans are the ones who should be rewarded with episodes’ screeners in the first place. But they’re not. The administrators got the stuff. Almighty ‘high-born’ producers of GoT share secrets with their loyal servants, administrators of GoT fan-sites. Fans, on the other hand, are just ‘small folk’ for them both the producers ‘n the webmasters. Sadly, the webmasters knee for the show-runners, not for ‘small’ fans of GoT.

    What if spoilers, that Axel had posted, are real, what if the webmistress’s fooling us.

    Is this for real? Sue and others get screeners because they are considered media and have a platform from which to promote the show (in either a good or bad way, that’s the risk when you let writers see things in advance). And they get them on the condition that they not spill any beans except in very vague ways. That’s just the way things work.

  88. Yivo: All it takes is a modicum of common sense to realise that she’s cut, and that it would never be in any of the first four episodes if it was included, which it won’t be.

    Or the fact that D&D have implied without outright saying that they cut it.

  89. sati,

    Annoying trolls are people who create false hope that LSH will appear(false synopsis, tweets, rewievs,…)

    I wasn’t talking about normal fans of LSH.

  90. I won’t do real spoilers but I’ll share a few of my notes from my watching:

    “DCC is the luckiest 17 yr old ever”

    “I kind of want Ellaria + Areo to fuck”

    “Remember that time a 10yr old told Stannis B. to go fuck himself”

    “Dornish are super dramatic”

    “McKee- not Griff”

    “Sansa’s bringing her Courtesy armor game hard”

    “LF’s ravens have jetpacks too”

    Hey here’s an actual piece of info: Rila Fukushima is the red priestess we see in the trailers. Since she’s in the trailers, I don’t think that’s violating anything to share. Has anyone mentioned that yet? Anyway there you have it. I haven’t picked through the credits for other names, and I don’t have the time right now, I have to study for my boards. But I think she’s the only interesting one, really.

  91. mau,

    I’ll write up some spoiler-free impressions (or very light on spoilers- it’s a little subjective what people consider spoilers) over the weekend to share Monday. That’ll give me time to rewatch. This just happens to be a crazy week for me in real life. The stars are aligned weirdly.

  92. Hang in there peeps! Just 11 more days to go, keep it in mind and heart. Let’s not Stone each other when we have yet to see an episode to which I’m sure it will be a great season!

    SH fans, please let it go and rewatch season 1,2,3 with no volume or on Mute to get your fix. Thanks! 😉

  93. Sue the Fury:

    “DCC is the luckiest 17 yr old ever”

    Margaery is still winning the battle of Tommen.

    Sue the Fury:
    “Remember that time a 10yr old told Stannis B. to go fuck himself”

    I bet Melisandre is setting someone on fire and Shireen disapproves, or Olly is still pumped up from that battle.

    Sue the Fury:
    “Dornish are super dramatic”

    I hope that means not incredibly cheesy. But it sounds like Ellaria is at least still fun.

    Sue the Fury:
    “McKee- not Griff”

    Someone needs to get this information to r/asoiaf stat.

    Looking forward to the review. Love getting clues like this and hopefully the internet will soon be full of them.

  94. Sue the Fury:
    mau,

    I’ll write up some spoiler-free impressions (or very light on spoilers- it’s a little subjective what people consider spoilers) over the weekend to share Monday. That’ll give me time to rewatch. This just happens to be a crazy week for me in real life. The stars are aligned weirdly.

    You can tell them its because of our dinner plans. Its OK. 😉

  95. Excellent work, Ser.

    Dear god, I have in-laws who use reddit, and they’re JUST like that, NPR crowd.

    I don’t really use reddit, too hard to follow the site structure.

    One point I will raise is that in terms of “it got better with each season” — many think Season 1 was the best, though admittedly the structure was a lot tighter when centered around Ned so that’s more on the source material. More importantly, even the writers think Season 2 had some structural problems as they were balancing out how to deal with a diverse ensemble cast no longer centered on Ned — but they then took steps to fix this by Season 3 (having the courage to not just insert filler Arya or Tyrion scenes but let Arya take an episode off).

  96. Sue the Fury:

    “I kind of want Ellaria + Areo to fuck”

    “Remember that time a 10yr old told Stannis B. to go fuck himself”

    Lyanna Mormont?

  97. Sue the Fury,

    “DCC is the luckiest 17 yr old ever” Margaery finally seduces Tommen?

    “I kind of want Ellaria + Areo to fuck” Angry fucking, I assume.

    “Remember that time a 10yr old told Stannis B. to go fuck himself” Is Olly so bold? Either that or they’ll adapt when the Mormont girl writes to Stannis to kindly fuck off. But I doubt it.

    “Dornish are super dramatic” We knew that reading the books, didn’t we? Can’t wait!

    “McKee- not Griff” Of course he isn’t.

    “Sansa’s bringing her Courtesy armor game hard” I want to see that.

    “LF’s ravens have jetpacks too” People criticized these “jetpacks” a lot from season 2 onwards, but season 1 had the most of them, I think. I mean, three months go by within the first episode. That kind of thing just doesn’t happen anymore.

  98. Sue the Fury,

    Oh, that’s who Rila Fukushima is! I had to look her up but I recognized her immediately. She was awesome in The Wolverine.

    I assume she has a minor role? A speech to the slaves or something similar, as implied by the trailer? First Mr. Eko, and now this. It’s awesome that recognizable actors are getting these small roles.

  99. mau,

    Well, they don’t necessarily want to see the trips. I think they simply wished that their departure and arrival were more spaced-out, so that they don’t have to suspend their disbelief. In season 2 Petyr traveled quite a bit. However, I never had a problem with it. Between episodes, there’s usually an implied passage of time. In one episode he was told to go to Catelyn in the Stormlands (2×03); in the next episode he arrives (2×04). We see him last in the Stormlands in 2×05, and the next episode he arrives at Harrenhal to meet Tywin (2×06.) He never arrives at his destination within the episode, so I never had a problem with it. There’s no actual “jetpack”, in my view. The same goes for all other examples in the show.

  100. Luka Nieto:
    “DCC is the luckiest 17 yr old ever” Margaery finally seduces Tommen?

    Wow…I guess it’s bound to awkwardly happen. I naively thought that the only pussy Tommen would ever get is Ser Pounce.

  101. Can’t wait for a “the ending to episode x will blow the audience away” reaction from a critic to get pumped about!

  102. Luka Nieto,

    As far as suspension of disbelief around travelling in Westeros goes, I think it’s easier to wrap your head around it if you accept that someone travelling on horseback by themselves (or with a very small group) can get from one spot to another 10x faster than a larger army or fleet or with individuals that seem to be mostly trudging along with their horses.

    Additionally, there is some travel that is done by ship and that again can last as quickly or slowly as the slow requires mostly because of the size of the group travelling.

    There’s never going to be a completely realistic passage of time otherwise the storylines would never link up the way they should but if you can buy that a guy riding full tilt on a horse unencumbered by a travelling entourage can make some damn good time, then the travel times on the show should satisfy your suspension of disbelief.

  103. The Dragon Demands,

    Rewatching em I like season 4-3-1-2 – 2 I thought is the worse season with the best episode in it . Black water . Overall d n d are doing a fine job on it , the casting is pefect I don’t know 1 person that disagrees with that. People r way to critical on them , no other show has people going on websites and talking about em the way game f thrones does .

  104. So I think I’m ready to make my best guess on Sansa’s story for the first half of the season. We still don’t have a ton of info so I’ll speculate a little as well but I’m pretty sure that this is close to how it goes.

    E1 is the stuff at Royce’s as we all know with Robyn being left there and LF/Sansa leaving in the carriage through the Vale that passes by Brienne and Pod (without them knowing who’s inside).

    In E2, Brienne and Pod do interact with LF and Sansa in the carriage (“Brienne and Pod run into trouble on the road”). Brienne makes a plea to Sansa, but much like with Arya, she’s unsuccessful because of her association with the Lannisters. Brienne and Pod leave and LF orders a group of Vale knights to chase them down as he doesn’t want word to get back to Cersei that Sansa is with him. I’m thinking the whole action scene with Brienne and the knights on horseback happens later in this episode as well where she takes care of them or escapes.

    So either later in E2 or the start of E3, LF has either learned about Brienne not being dealt with or just assumes she won’t be and he tells Sansa that he can’t risk Brienne reporting back to Jaime/Cersei about her whereabouts so he has made arrangements to stash “Alayne” away somewhere that Cersei won’t think to look for her. He will tell her that he has already spoken to Roose in order to make a deal in exchange for the Vale’s help in fortifying Roose’s Winterfell forces, who know they’re facing an imminent attack from Stannis. LF has demanded that his bastard niece be married to Ramsay in order to legitimize her and put her in a position of power in the Northern hierarchy. Roose begrudgingly agrees as he needs the Vale’s men in order to repel Stannis. (I’m guessing this is what Sue’s “even LF’s ravens have jetpacks” comment is about)

    LF then gives Sansa his “revenge” speech that we see in the trailer and explains to her what his plan is. I assume it will have to do with keeping her safe from Lannister clutches but also, the marriage pact allowing for something in the future. Whether this is to spy or undermine the Boltons from within or to have the marriage set up a future coup where LF will have her eventually reveal herself as Sansa already being installed in a position of power at Winterfell so that the Bolton’s can be overthrown. This would probably set her up on whatever the books have her doing with Harry the Heir but in a more simplified fashion.

    I imagine it will be made clear that she will have Vale forces with her in Winterfell in order to protect her from any Bolton shenanigans but that she’ll have to play her “Alayne” meek role in order to fulfil her part of the plan (hence the “Sansa wears her courtesy armour” remark by Sue).

    Later in E3, LF arrives at Winterfell with Sansa, they’re met in the courtyard by the Boltons, Alayne is presented and Theon and Sansa end up recognizing each other which will set up their interactions for the remainder of the season.

    LF will then leave Winterfell to go to King’s Landing. Either it’s to deal with the trouble his brothels are in with all the Sparrow business or perhaps he wants to check on what the lay of the land there is and whether Brienne has made it back in order to report to the Lannisters about Sansa. In any case, there will be urgent business he needs to attend to and he’ll arrive back there in E4 to do whatever he’s going to do for the bulk of the rest of the season. This makes sense because Sansa’s storyline this season will be about Theon and Ramsay and having LF around complicates that. Additionally, King’s Landing has seen an exodus of characters recently and bringing players like LF and Olenna back there will help.

    I don’t rule out LF coming back to Winterfell by the end of the season to interact with Sansa again but there’s just too little we know about what happens at Winterfell in the 2nd half of the season to know with any kind of certainty. LF works best at King’s Landing so I imagine they’ll have him there stirring up shit for quite a while.

    In fact, if you asked me why they brought back Olenna for this season, I’d say that having LF kill her would be the best reason since she knows a secret that he desperately wants to conceal.

  105. mau,

    According to this map (flight) distance between the Wall and KL is almost 2200 miles. Ravens can fly about 25 mph. So, it takes 3 days and 14 hours for ravens to cover the distance. One raven couldn’t conclude the task, but more of them (probably) with ease.

    Luka Nieto

    You do understand they cannot share the screeners, right? That it is piracy?

    I assume piracy isn’t alien to the webmistress.

    Hodor’s Bastard: Wow…I guess it’s bound to awkwardly happen. I naively thought that the only pussy Tommen would ever get is Ser Pounce.

    C’mon, Tommen’s 13 yrs old in season 5. Not baby anymore.

  106. Uknow0,

    the ‘pirate’ thing is a reference to my original screenname which was Steve the Pirate. I still use variations on it.

    Knock it off. Screeners are watermarked for each individual recipient, so no one with sense would ever upload one. Drop the subject and move on.

  107. King Tommen,

    If I remember Sue said somewhere that Ramsey is not as bad and nasty as he was in past seasons.

    If they want a marriage between Ramsey and Sansa this makes sense because she will not be a victim again. She will manipulate him.

  108. Sue the Fury:
    Uknow0,

    the ‘pirate’ thing is a reference to my original screenname which was Steve the Pirate. I still use variations on it.

    Knock it off. Screeners are watermarked for each individual recipient, so no one with sense would ever upload one. Drop the subject and move on.

    I’m sorry for accusing you of piracy, Steve.

  109. OrtMeyer:
    LS is GRRM’s biggest mistake in the books and even he regrets putting her in the story, so I’m glad D&D have cut her.

    George regrets putting LS in the story? Where do you take that from?

  110. mau,

    Why not? Toy can mean a lot of things and it can just as easily be someone he perceives that way as opposed to something that happens.

    I took that little paragraph to mean that instead of Ramsay be exclusively fixated on Theon this season, he’ll have someone else to draw his attention away. Which was going to be true of Sansa regardless as soon as we knew she was going to Winterfell.

  111. mau: If I remember Sue said somewhere that Ramsey is not as bad and nasty as he was in past seasons.

    I was addressing someone’s concerns about being triggered by the torture scenes. I said

    in the first 4 eps, there isn’t “any horrifying triggering Ramsay behavior. As for the episodes beyond that, I don’t know. ”
  112. King Tommen,

    They said that he will have a new toy instead of Theon. That means physical torture. You could interpret this as a psychological torture if you want.

    But Sansa and torture does not belong to the same description. It makes no sense.

    I still belive there will be fArya. Or some other girl who won’t be Ramsey’s wife and who will be tortured and saved by Theon, but Sansa won’t go to Stannis, I am sure.

  113. “DCC is the luckiest 17 yr old ever” Margaery finally seduces Tommen?

    What’s with this seduction bullshit, she’ll be his wife, no matter how much Cersei will be bitchin.

    “I kind of want Ellaria + Areo to fuck” Angry fucking, I assume.

    Yeah, that could be hot.

    “Remember that time a 10yr old told Stannis B. to go fuck himself” Is Olly so bold? Either that or they’ll adapt when the Mormont girl writes to Stannis to kindly fuck off. But I doubt it.

    Thought of Olly first too but the Mormont thing is a great option too.

    “Dornish are super dramatic” We knew that reading the books, didn’t we? Can’t wait!

    We did indeed. Drama their name is Doran Martell.

    “McKee- not Griff” Of course he isn’t.

    O.O Now that’s just mean.

    “Sansa’s bringing her Courtesy armor game hard” I want to see that.

    Doesn’t she always.

    “LF’s ravens have jetpacks too” People criticized these “jetpacks” a lot from season 2 onwards, but season 1 had the most of them, I think. I mean, three months go by within the first episode. That kind of thing just doesn’t happen anymore.

    Well, the “teleporting” is a bit ridiculous, but then time and space really doesn’t make much sense on the show anyways.

  114. Sue the Fury,

    Sue, the Red Priestess is in 5×03, right? In the trailer she seems to be in the Long Bridge, and that’s when the bridge will be showcased, according to the summaries and previous information we had. It’s for the wiki. I’ve got to create a page for her, but “Red priestess” redirects to “Red priests”, so I’ve got to specify an episode. So, if I’m not mistaken, it would be “Red Priestess (High Sparrow)”, right?

  115. mau:
    King Tommen,

    They said that he will have a new toy instead of Theon. That means physical torture. You couldinterpret thisas a psychological torture if you want.

    But Sansa and torture does not belong to the same description. It makes no sense.

    I still belive there will be fArya. Or some other girl who won’t be Ramsey’s wife and who will be tortured and saved by Theon, but Sansa won’t go to Stannis,I am sure.

    Clearly you aren’t going to change your mind until you see it for yourself.

    It’s been clear to me for a couple seasons now that they wouldn’t have a character posing as Arya and the only question was who they were going to put in that spot instead and how they would change it up to match the story they wanted to tell.

  116. King Tommen,

    I understand that you love your theory about Sansa and Ramsey, but there are some holes , you have to admit that,

    It is possible that Sansa will be married to Ramsey and that there will be a toy for torture, but there is no chance that Sansa would be tortured in any way.

    It is possible that Roose will forbid Ramsey to have sex with Sansa at the beginning of their marriage, because Roose knows Ramsey’s “eccentricity” in bed and alliance with LF and the Vale is too important.

    Instead, Roose finds some other girl for Ramsey to abuse. Sansa will find out and she will be horrified, she will recognize herself in that girl(Sansa and Joffrey S2) and she will convince Theon to save her and go to Stannis.

    But with this scenario it is necessary that Boltons are defeated this season. It would be bad to leave epilogue for S6.

  117. mau,

    Sounds good to me. We know there is a wedding, we know Ramsay will have a new plaything, and you and I both suspect Sansa will not be anyone’s torturee this season, so your theory fits pretty well with the facts and the speculation, I’d say 😉

  118. “Toy” does not necessarily mean “torture”. If you want to interpret it that way, go to it. Ramsay’s going to be interested in Sansa this season, and as a result, he’s not going to be as interested in Theon. That’s why he has a new toy. Pretty simple.

  119. King Tommen,

    You’re misremembering the EW quote, I’m afraid.

    It was “a new plaything for Ramsay to torture, in the context of Reek finding some brief respite. Ramsay is torturing someone, and it’s not Reek. So either it’s Sansa or a new character. Or hell, maybe it’s Myranda. But he’s torturing someone, that’s for sure.

  120. “Rape is cannon” lol

    I have a feeling we haven’t seen the worst of the trolls. Especially considering there are suppose to be huge changes this season.

  121. Luka Nieto:
    King Tommen,

    You’re misremembering the EW quote, I’m afraid.

    It was “a new plaything for Ramsay to torture“, in the context of Reek finding some brief respite. Ramsay is torturing someone, and it’s not Reek. So either it’s Sansa or a new character. Or hell, maybe it’s Myranda. But he’s torturing someone, that’s for sure.

    Yeah, I mean physically torture. Is he going to go creepshow on his future bride Alayne and make her uncomfortable? Undoubtedly. Is he going to chain her up on a cross and rip off her fingernails? No, of course not and that’s not what’s being implied.

    Ramsay plays a lot of headgames. He’s into headgame mode way more with Theon than physically torturing him. You’re misinterpreting the quote.

  122. Grand maester giz:
    The Dragon Demands,

    Rewatching em I like season 4-3-1-2 – 2 I thought is the worse season with the best episode in it . Black water . Overall d n d are doing a fine job on it , the casting is pefect I don’t know 1 person that disagrees with that. People r way to critical on them , no other show has people going on websites and talking about em the way game f thrones does .

    The problem, like in that IGN “best season” discussion video, which I reject automatically, are those who try to rank seasons but only discuss GOOD moments from each season…without weighing at all what they thought were BAD moments. Not even “criticisms” I disagree with.

    I mean, when you’re ranking seasons, you have to weigh the good with the bad, not just focus on comparing the good parts from each.

  123. Sue the Fury:
    Luka Nieto,

    Yep.

    I wonder if they’re trying to imply that Red Priests originate in the east? Doesn’t matter.

    Question: I hope it isn’t spoilery to ask but we only want confirmation about basic biographical details: was there *any* reference in dialogue confirming Trystane’s status as Doran’s “heir”? I.e. did they say “he’s Doran’s only son”?, or call him “THE heir”, etc.? Or, was it left deliberately ambiguous if Doran has other children? A “yes or no” would do, but if you feel comfortable giving any further detail that would be great (and if “no”, that’s kind of all the detail there is).

    Question: ….okay this might be on the verge, but if Shireen is in these episodes, did they point out in dialogue that she’s actually Samwell Tarly’s cousin? They came near to meeting in the books and I’m fanboying that they might meet (both have the Florent book worm genes)

  124. King Tommen,

    I don’t know, man. Neither of us can know for sure, but I can say this: I’m choosing to interpret the quote about a known torturer torturing someone literally. You’re the one interpreting it more loosely and figuratively. You may be right, of course, but having the limited information we have, if we’re told “Ramsay has someone new to torture”, at least for me the thought that leaps to mind is that… well, that he’s gonna torture someone, not that he’s gonna be generally unpleasant and play mind games with someone.

    The Dragon Demands,

    That’d be good to know. If we settle that at last, will it finally be time to update the family tree? Generally the Martell-related pages, too. I suggested so in the House Martell talk page. Considering 3 of the Sand Snakes are major characters this season, it’s a bit odd to have the 8 of them bunched together as “Sand Snakes”, when by now we know who’s the mother in all cases.

  125. King Tommen: Yeah, I mean physically torture. Is he going to go creepshow on his future bride Alayne and make her uncomfortable? Undoubtedly. Is he going to chain her up on a cross and rip off her fingernails? No, of course not and that’s not what’s being implied.

    Ramsay plays a lot of headgames. He’s into headgame mode way more with Theon than physically torturing him. You’re misinterpreting the quote.

    In your scenario , how do you account for the bedding . Vale knights can not stop ramsay from consummating his marriage, with a little help from good old reek. If this scenario comes to pass, I think they will be betrothed, but theon and her will escape before the actual wedding.

  126. monsieurxander,

    The actresses only share a continent, and the characters as well. I don’t see any other similarities, really. Can a Red Priestess also be a priestess of the Many-Faced God at the House of Black and White? Isn’t that like being a Catholic Priest and an Iman?

    Hath4,

    Roose’s actor confirmed there would actually be a wedding.

  127. Luka Nieto:
    King Tommen,

    I don’t know, man. Neither of us can know for sure, but I can say this: I’m choosing to interpret the quote about a known torturer torturing someone literally. You’re the one interpreting it more loosely and figuratively. You may be right, of course, but having the limited information we have, if we’re told “Ramsay has someone new to torture”, at least for me the thought that leaps to mind is that… well, that he’s gonna torture someone, not that he’s gonna be generally unpleasant and play mind games with someone.

    The problem that we run into is that there are no candidates that we can fit into this if true. The type of character this article is suggesting would be around for multiple episodes and be interacting with Ramsay for several scenes.

    I know your feelings about not all cast characters 100% being known and there could be a couple very minor ones (like say the R’hollor priestess) who do pop up but these are one-offs, like a quick couple of scenes at most. Even you don’t believe that there’s this secret female character being hid from all who will emerge suddenly to play this role?

    Sansa is really the only option we have to be someone who’s going to seriously interact with Ramsay. And she’s also the only real option we have if Ramsay’s getting married this season. So it stands to reason that’s who the article is talking about. And knowing what we know about D&D and their feelings about Sansa, as well as what Turner has said about her arc this season, is there anything there to suggest she’s getting physically tortured? Not really. So again, one throwaway line in an article could not be really stating things in the proper context and it is far more likely it is talking about the creepiness the audience is going to endure knowing that Ramsay has turned his attention to Sansa, knowing what he’s capable of. I don’t think this means that anything is actually going to happen.

  128. King Tommen,

    You may be right. I certainly don’t believe a new character is being hidden (or that some extra or another —”Winterfell worker— is gonna play such a major role.) We’re simply lacking any solid information on this storyline. Which is good, I guess. Even us, the obsessives in the fandom, should have a few good surprises left 😉

  129. Sue the Fury:
    I won’t do real spoilers but I’ll share a few of my notes from my watching:

    “Remember that time a 10yr old told Stannis B. to go fuck himself”

    Stannis/Melly mutual masturbation scene confirmed.

  130. Luka Nieto:
    King Tommen,

    I don’t know, man. Neither of us can know for sure, but I can say this: I’m choosing to interpret the quote about a known torturer torturing someone literally. You’re the one interpreting it more loosely and figuratively. You may be right, of course, but having the limited information we have, if we’re told “Ramsay has someone new to torture”, at least for me the thought that leaps to mind is that… well, that he’s gonna torture someone, not that he’s gonna be generally unpleasant and play mind games with someone.

    The Dragon Demands,

    That’d be good to know. If we settle that at last, will it finally be time to update the family tree? Generally the Martell-related pages, too. I suggested so in the House Martell talk page. Considering 3 of the Sand Snakes are major characters this season, it’s a bit odd to have the 8 of them bunched together as “Sand Snakes”, when by now we know who’s the mother in all cases.

    Oh yes, I was busy with midterms these past two days; Easter Break just started from school so I’ll have the Sand Snakes updated by later today.

  131. One of Roose Bolton’s leeches,

    Oh, I forgot about that. Good question. Those guys seem to have come back to Winterfell directly from a battle, though; one of the horses is completely covered in blood. So, I’m not sure how the hypothetical character we’re discussing fits such a scenario.

    mau,

    Did she say that? I missed it!

    EDIT: Found it. I did miss it, yeap. Can’t wait!

  132. Sue the Fury,

    Will we see Sand Snakes in the episode 2? From the description it is clear we will see Ellaria, Doran and Areo, what about rest of Dornish cast? Would be good to know to not be disappointed if they dont show up.

  133. GaiusB,

    I know you want Sue’s answer and not mine, but here’s my two cents: we’ll see them in episode 4… but unless I’m forgetting something, we can only expect Areo, Doran and Ellaria in episode 2. I may be wrong, of course. The Fury shall have the final word 😛

  134. King Tommen:

    The problem is that if there is an actual wedding , things will actually happen. Ramsay is going to want to consummate it. and Sansa can in no way stop him.

  135. Hath4: The problem is that if there is an actual wedding , things will actually happen. Ramsay is going to want to consummate it. and Sansa can in no way stop him.

    a) we have no idea when this wedding will happen and if it goes off smoothly and whether there will even be time for the “festivities” before an interruption

    b) Even if there is some kind of consummation, it doesn’t have to be depicted the way it is in the books. Show-Ramsay seems to be perfectly capable of (more or less) straight up sex as seen with Myranda. And it could be looked at as Sansa “taking one for the team’ in order to achieve whatever the larger goal is. And if it happens, I assume it would be almost entirely off-screen and more left to the audience imagination (Ramsay giving her a creepy leer while starting to advance on her, Sansa giving a resigned worried look, fade to black kind of thing).

    My thinking is that this impending act is what forces Theon to act and so it is stopped before it happens and Theon and Sansa escape in a way that kind of mirrors his ADwD chapter.

  136. King Tommen,

    If you’re right, I hope they handle it correctly. If such a scene exists and they leave it off as you suggest, it could very well be interpreted as something much worse than what your suggestion intended.

  137. Luka Nieto,

    Yes, hopefully it’s handled correctly. In any case, if the decision is to bring Sansa into this storyline, she’s definitely going to be put into a dangerous and uncomfortable situation, otherwise what’s the point?

  138. King Tommen,

    True, true. I simply meant they’d better tread carefully with the direction of the scene, especially if there’s ambiguity, because it’s a thorny issue. Especially after the rape controversies last season.

  139. If they go down the Sansa marriage route, I could see the wedding taking place towards the end of the season and theon helps her escape after the ceremony but before the bedding.

  140. Bard: True. But it will get nasty after episode 1 airs, both here and over there.

    There’s always the other….

  141. King Tommen,

    King Tommen, I’ve noticed something and I wanted to discuss it: when the possibility of Ramsay marrying Alayne is brought up, people say it makes no sense because she’s a bastard… but is she?

    In the books Littlefinger introduces Alayne as her own bastard daughter. However, in the show she’s only said to be Petyr’s “niece”, simply referred to as Alayne, never Alayne Stone. There’s no mention about her noble status or lack thereof. Maybe that’s how they do it? Marrying Sansa openly never made sense to me —she’s a fugitive from the Crown! But marrying a Lady from a minor House to the Bolton heir makes more sense. It would still be a horrible deal for the Boltons, but I’m sure Littlefinger will have something else to offer that Roose can’t refuse (the full force of the Knights of the Vale?). If they go about it this way, I’m beginning to like this theory!
  142. Luka Nieto,

    I always assumed she was posing as a bastard because she is in the books but on the show, she’s simply called Petyr’s niece “Alayne” so I’ve amended my thinking.

    The show is far less concerned with the hereditary claims on houses than the books are. I don’t think it’s a big deal for them to say that The Lord Protector of the Vale wants to marry his family members into more prominent houses and having control over the Vale forces has given him the leverage to do this, much the way Walder negotiated marrying off Frey’s to Starks and Tullys in exchange for military favours. Is this not the exact same thing?

    Additionally, going down the Harry the Heir path in the books, was LF’s plan to marry Sansa to Harry as Alayne Stone and then have her revealed as Sansa later to provide a claim on Winterfell? Or was he going to reveal Sansa in order to marry her to Harry?

    Regardless, I don’t see how this plan is a whole lot different than what he would be trying to do with the Boltons in this scenario.

  143. King Tommen,

    Shit, I’m beginning to like this theory a lot. I actually want it to happen this way now: Littlefinger marries off her Lady niece, and to sweeten the deal (you’re right; minor House or not, he’s the Lord Paramount now) he promises Roose the support of at least some Knights of the Vale, maybe even many Vale Houses. With Stannis approaching, Roose simply can’t refuse.

    As for Littlefinger’s motivations, I’d say they are what we see in the trailer —revenge against those who killed his dear Cat. I mean, I’m sure it’ll also somehow involve getting EVERYTHING as he admitted he wants a couple of times, but revenge seems to be a factor. At least to convince Sansa. So, Littlefinger, Sansa and the Knights of the Vale can also fill the Manderly role —a mole who will betray the Boltons. I don’t know the specifics, but I like this.

  144. Luka Nieto,

    I’d say yes but also the demand of a possible marriage strikes me as another part of the plan that has Sansa eventually being revealed in order to claim Winterfell. If the plan was simply vengeance, I don’t think going to the trouble of marrying Sansa to Ramsay is necessary.

  145. King Tommen,

    Well, yes. I did say “revenge —at least to convince Sansa.” Because as we know, Littlefinger wants EVERYTHING 😉

    I understand completely if you don’t care at all, but inside I admit I want you to be happy that you convinced me at last 😛

  146. King Tommen,

    Given that marriage alliances are sort of the currency of the realm, I suppose it could be said to be necessary to make the deal not look suspicious. Which would allow Vale soldiers to be brought into the North unopposed.

    Of course, there’s also simply the Doylist view that a marriage is necessary to the plan because there was a Winterfell wedding in the books and the show wants to keep that setup even though it’s radically changing the context.

  147. Luka Nieto,

    I’d really hate it if the agency for vengeance of the north was given to Littlefinger. Sansa on the other hand I could deal with.

    I’d prefer it to be all the lords though, Glovers, Manderleys, Umbers, Mormonts and Reeds. Although I get that that would be messy as hell in the show.

  148. I’m getting hype about this. I didn’t think I would but I am.

    Also, I’m pretty sure it will be introduced as a surprise to the audience. Reports from 5×01 imply Littlefinger reveals his plans to Sansa, but we don’t get to see their conversation play out. I bet that the next time we see them, after that and the Brienne encounter in 5×02, is in that scene from the trailer —Sansa is all emotional because… surprise, surprise: she’s seeing Winterfell for the first time in years! And Littlefinger then goes all “avenge them”, and all that. I’m pretty sure he won’t detail his plans again there, whatever they are, so that their plan will be a surprise for us during the season.

    Anyway, I expect / hope that’s how it plays out.

  149. Luka Nieto,

    As long as it’s not done in a way which implies she could have handled Joffrey and her time in Kings Landing better I’d go along with it. That would suck for me because it would suggest that she could have done something about the abuse she suffered.

  150. Luka Nieto,

    I’m not going there on this thread though, already killed one thread on that subject. I personally don;t like the idea but I’ll see how it pans out.

    If they did do it it would be interesting at least, but so far away from the books I wouldn’t have a clue where they would be going with it.

    I’m just going to treat the show/books as two very different versions of the same story as I love them both.

  151. Although there’s no real evidence to say conclusively one way or the other, can we agree that it’s more likely that LF drops Sansa off at Winterfell and then spends the bulk of the rest of the season (if not all of it) in King’s Landing?

    I just don’t see him fitting into the Winterfell storyline if this is how it’s going to play out.

  152. Luka Nieto,

    LF’s motives are very clear and actually very smart. He will use that marriage to infiltrate the Vale army in the North as Bolton’s allies.

    It’s not just revenge for Cat. This is his plan to take over the North, just like in books.

    He will wait the battle to begin , wait for both sides to be exhausted and he will then slaughter the Boltons and he will open the gates of WF for Stannis.

    After all this, he will reveal Sansa’s identity to Stannis and Stannis will proclaim her lady od WF.

    Stannis will be grateful to LF for help. But he will also be too weak to eventually fight with relatively rested Vale army.

    But the following questions remain:

    – What will happen with Rickon?
    – Who is “torture toy”?
    – Will Theon escape alone?
    – Will Yara be involved?
    – Is”false” alliance between LF and Stannis something that would be able to fit with the storylines in TWOW?

  153. I’ have a theory also. Sophie Turner mentioned Sansa’s brothers in one interview about S5.

    What if Greatjon or some other Umber appears in this season and he tells Sansa that Rickon is in his castle?

    Then she hides that information from everyone waiting for the right moment to reveal?

    Perhaps Sansa will thus prevent some LF’s plans in S6?

    LF’s whole agenda is based on the fact that she is heir of WF. But she is not. If they belive that Bran id dead, Rickon is the heir.

    This may cause LF’s downfall.

  154. mau,

    Rickon will certainly be brought up, or else Turner wouldn’t have mentioned Sansa’s brothers in that interview, I believe.

    As for the elusive Umbers… my pet theory is that, halfway on their march to Winterfell, Stannis and Davos will court the Greatjon at Last Heart instead of Wyman Manderly at White Harbor, which would fit what you’re saying, except that I believe the role of the Umbers will be more analogous to the Northern mountain clans, while Manderly’s “mole in Winterfell” role will be taken up by Sansa and the Knights of the Vale. What I’m suggesting would happen late in the season, too late for the Umbers to then go to Winterfell by themselves as supposed allies of the Boltons. I think the Umbers will simply fight for Stannis (though for the Starks in their hearts, of course), and Sansa will handle the ‘Trojan horse’ duties.
  155. Luka Nieto,

    But the problem is if Davos goes to the Last Heart, Rickon would be there, and we know that the actor does not appear this season.

    It is possible that Umber get to Stannis and Davos, and not vice versa, and then at the end of the season he reveals that he have Rickon.

    But what does this mean for possibly alliances between Stannis and LF? Stannis will not accept Sansa if he knows that Rickon is alive.

    Rickon as Sansa wild card against LF is the most interesting. She will work secretly with Umber and they will conspire against LF.

  156. mau,

    If the Umbers tell Stannis about Rickon, maybe they stashed him elsewhere. Or maybe we were lied to about the actor being back. But you’re right, this doesn’t have to happen at Last Hearth. The details are not important 😉

    Everything points to Stannis using Rickon in TWOW to reestablish the Starks as the Lords of Winterfell and Stannis gaining control of the North, since Jon refused him. I assume the show will go the same way. Rickon will be Stannis’s pawn, which means Littlefinger can’t really ally himself and Sansa with Stannis, can he? That goes for the books and the show as well. Littlefinger’s plan in both seems to be the same, after all —though through different mediums, Sansa is gonna end up being the Lady of Winterfell in both book and show. Or that’s Littlefinger’s plan, anyway. Obviously this Stark conflict will be a big part of TWOW’s story, that much has been set up, so I cannot imagine this won’t be followed through in the show as well.
  157. I absolutely refuse to believe

    Sansa marries Ramsay

    until/unless I see it on screen.

  158. Luka Nieto:
    mau,

    If the Umbers already have Rickon, which is what season three implied would happen, they don’t need to tell Stannis or Davos, do they? Or even if they do, maybe they stashed Rickon elsewhere. But you’re right, this doesn’t have to happen at Last Hearth. The details are not important

    They don’t, but they need to tell someone. The most logical candidate is Sansa.

    As I wrote above, Rickon can be Sansa’s wild card against LF.

    She can conspire with Umber against LF.

  159. mau,

    I realized my obvious mistake and rewrote the whole thing:

    If the Umbers tell Stannis about Rickon, maybe they stashed him elsewhere. Or maybe we were lied to about the actor being back. But you’re right, this doesn’t have to happen at Last Hearth. The details are not important 😉

    Everything points to Stannis using Rickon in TWOW to reestablish the Starks as the Lords of Winterfell and Stannis gaining control of the North, since Jon refused him. I assume the show will go the same way. Rickon will be Stannis’s pawn, which means Littlefinger can’t really ally himself and Sansa with Stannis, can he? That goes for the books and the show as well. Littlefinger’s plan in both seems to be the same, after all —though through different mediums, Sansa is gonna end up being the Lady of Winterfell in both book and show. Or that’s Littlefinger’s plan, anyway. Obviously this Stark conflict will be a big part of TWOW’s story, that much has been set up, so I cannot imagine this won’t be followed through in the show as well.
    So, unless they are completely departing from TWOW (well, the little that we know of the Northern storyline in that book from what’s been set up), I don’t think Sansa can ally herself with Rickon. I don’t see how that makes much sense. Rickon will be the Baratheon pawn; Sansa will be Littlefinger’s pawn (or no one’s; she may be the Queen in the North for herself, who knows.) Either way, that conflict just has to happen; that’s how Davos’s and Sansa’s stories end in AFFC and ADWD. It will have to pay off in TWOW.
  160. Luka Nieto,

    There is another option. Stannis will have Rickon, and LF will have Sansa.

    Stannis will be too weak after the battle and he will have to temporarily accept an “alliance” with LF. He will use Rickon againts LF when the time comes.

    They will cross paths in the books also, because both of them are interested in the North.

    In the show they may at first be allies, and then enemies.

  161. mau,

    Yeah, that’s a possibility within what I was suggesting. There’s a conflict ahead, with different Stark pawns, but it doesn’t have to escalate immediately; there may be an uneasy alliance for a while.

  162. Luka Nieto,

    I think that relations between LF and Stannis will be very similar to what awaits us in TWOW.

    They will also interact in the books in some way, that’s for sure.

  163. mau,

    They both want the North. They have to intersect, even if they don’t personally interact. It’ll happen in the show and the books both, but maybe earlier in the show. We’ll see!

  164. I haven’t had a spit-take/beersinusrinse for a long time…so very cleansing.
    I other words, I loved this video!
    Thank you for the chuckles Axechucker. 😀

  165. The rant at the end was great.

    I think this video has GRRM syndrome when it comes to having too many characters. We didn’t need so many to get the point across.

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