HBO schedule has been updated to confirm titles and casting info

This week has been very busy with updates surrounding episode titles, and the crowning confirmation is that the HBO schedule has been updated with the reported titles of the first three episodes.

Episode S5E1: The Wars to Come

Episode S5E2: The House of Black and White

Episode S5E3: High Sparrow

Additionally, each season 5 episode lists the regular and significant recurring cast members as usual. This is notable in this instance for one particular reason which I’ll tuck below a cut for spoiler reasons.

HoBAw

The cast listing confirms the return of Tom Wlaschiha. I first uncovered Wlaschiha’s return last summer on a news listing on his German agency website that was later deleted. However the actor was not spotted on set and so his return has remained officially unconfirmed until now. It’s commonly speculated that his character Jaqen H’ghar may surface in Braavos, the home of the Faceless Men, but there are other possibilities, as his character travels to other places in the books. The most popular guess, though, is that he may take on the role of the Kindly Man from the books.

The cast listing is identical for each week on the HBO schedule, so we cannot draw any conclusions from an actor’s name appearing on the episode 1 list. (Or episode 2- which is what I happened to screencap.)

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I was confident Wlaschiha was returning, based on the agency news, but having it officially confirmed is fantastic!

Sue the Fury
Susan Miller, Editor in Chief of WatchersOnTheWall.com

156 Comments

  1. I hope they do not include Wlaschiha in the episode cast list just for the recap before the episode begins!

    I’ve seen shows do that before, but never really expected it in this case despite Tom never having been sighted during production season…
    Here’s hoping we see his face even if it is for a brief face-changing scene!

  2. Oh, that’s awesome! 😀

    I met Wlaschiha at a reading in 2013 and it was such a great night! He read the whole chapter where Arya and Jaqen escape Harrenhal (in german), answered questions and stayed after the official event for autographs and photos! A very nice man! I always hoped that he might get a chance to come back to the show once. Bring him on!

  3. So does that mean Iwan Rheon and Michael McRooseBolton are upgraded to main cast this year or the list of actors on the schedhule has nothing to do with that ?

  4. Darquemode: Tom never having been sighted during production season…

    Arya’s scenes will happen in the House of Black and White, it’s indoor studio scenes!
  5. Arkash,

    The press releases usually list the series regulars, then the new cast members. This seems to suggest that–along with the previously announced Huisman and Emmanuel–that Indira Varma, Tom Wlaschiha, Michael McElhatton, and Diana Rigg are now main cast.

    Keep in mind, though, there is often a distinction between Official Regulars (actors in the main credits), and Press Release Regulars. Rigg and McElhatton were regulars on the press release last year, but still end-credit guest stars in the show. Ditto Gwendoline Christie in Season 3.

    Hannah Murray wasn’t on the press release last year but ended up in the main credits, and she’s not listed this year either. Sometimes you just don’t know the actual list until the episodes air.

  6. Moka,

    Exactly!
    That’s why I never worried too much, but the occasional doubt creeps in nonetheless…. More so that his appearance will be quite limited to a brief “now-you-see-him-now-you-don’t” face-change

    during Arya’s introduction to HoBW.
  7. I would like to take a moment to extend my deepest and heartfelt gratitude towards the people responsible for delivering the prince that was promised.

    Sincerely,
    #HappyGoTFan

  8. Curious that he wasn’t spotted on set. My thought process was that they would use him only for voice work for a particular scene…book readers know what I mean by that 😉 Though that scene would have happened toward the end of the season. Having him near the beginning could make him the Kindly Man after all. I’m intrigued…a major divergence from the books is possibly in the offing.

  9. Maester of Ceremonies: Curious that he wasn’t spotted on set.

    Stuff shot in indoor sets can be kept secret pretty well. For example, Tom Baker’s cameo appearance in the 50th anniversary episode of Doctor Who was kept secret until Baker accidentally blabbed the day before the ran! (Doctor Who fans held out hope for dozens of other returns being done that way, but those hopes amounted to naught.)

    At any rate, this seems like a very sensible adaptation to me. I really doubt that

    whatever is happening in Oldtown is going to lead to anything important in the story: at most a plot point or two will arise from that, and it is always pretty easy to redo those; moreover, whyever Jacquen is there (if that is really him!) probably is secondary even to that.)

    Sue the Fury: If he was going to randomly pop up somewhere he wouldn’t particularly be in the opening credits.

    I don’t think that they would get credit for that, as the “previously on Game of Thrones” scenes are not part of the “permanent” version of an episode. Moreover, those things are done shortly before the episode each week: they have not done them yet, so they wouldn’t know if someone was appearing only in one of those yet.

  10. The more and more I look at the behind
    The scenes episodes and the extras , I’m convinced that bron ain’t making it past episode 6 , and I think areo hotahs gonna chop
    His head to pieces with that axe

  11. Totally love how the title of episode #1 references statements by Stannis (in the books) and Varys in the show (ICE and FIRE). Thanks, Greenjones, for the Stannis catch… (“…battles yet to come.”). The best of both worlds. Much anticipation!

    Have there been any interviews with the directors yet? Too early? Still in post-prod/vfx-integration? Gag rule?

  12. The people who have not read the books have no idea of what is the House of Black and White, so I don’t know why it’s considered a spoiler to talk about it… But well, okay!

  13. Aaaaaaahh! Wonderful news! I mean, I was pretty sure Tom was coming back, but it’s so great to have a confirmation. I am, if possible, now even more excited about season 5. Bring it on! *happydance*

  14. Exciting! Now that the official schedules are getting updated, the season is feeling more and more real and I’m eager to watch it pan out.

    I’m sure Tom will be used as one of the faces the Kindly Man puts on when explaining the concept of FM to Arya. Seems like a nice tie in-especially if the Kindly Man makes a point of saying something along the lines of “I’m not actually Jaqen, but I can still take that face and assume that identity”
  15. Maester of Ceremonies:
    Curious that he wasn’t spotted on set. My thought process was that they would use him only for voice work for a particular scene…book readers know what I mean by that Though that scene would have happened toward the end of the season. Having him near the beginning could make him the Kindly Man after all. I’m intrigued…a major divergence from the books is possibly in the offing.

    I don’t know where, but I remember reading the Kindly Man would use his face and voice but that it would not be the actual character taking over for/as the Kindly Man, rather talking to her through someone she recognizes.

  16. Lion of Night,
    Jon Snowpenhauer,

    Good point.

    So will Tom’s face be used just for Arya’s comfort and the viewer’s recognition? Are the two faces that we saw in S2 only his “glamours”? I wonder if we will ever know what his real face is? Should make for an interesting faceless demonstration!
  17. Lion of Night,

    Hey Mods: I typed in spoiler code but my computer isn’t showing it as being covered for some reason. I think its probably just my comp, but if it actually did not cover up I’d appreciate a fix, thanks 🙂

  18. Excellent news!

    I don’t care if he is playing Arianne, I’m thrilled to get confirmation that Tom is back in the show. Speculation that The Kindly Man will use Jaqen’s face/voice makes sense, especially since the Pate/Oldtown story line may be skipped. Congrats to WOTW and Sue for breaking this info months ago.
  19. Jon Snowpenhauer,

    You’re right, according to the leaked script summary released all the way back in August. We believe in it because the trailer confirmed specific dialogue (“Good luck finding him.” / “Who said anything about ‘him’?”) and events (Cersei being sent a viper with a lion necklace in its jaw) that simply couldn’t have been predicted.

    The Kindly Man will put on Jaqen’s face, as the Faceless Man Arya knew did, and he’ll probably spend most of the season with it, because why waste the actor for a cameo (also, there is the fact that he was announced back in Summer as a starring cast member.) And yes, it will be clear he’s not actually the same Faceless Man: according to the summary, Arya asks the Kindly Man for help, who eventually relents after refusing for a while, and decides to train her. Then, he puts on Jaqen’s face, and tells her that he’s not actually Jaqen, “but no one”, and that Arya “must become no one too.”
  20. Does anyone know if any previous seasons have had characters show up in multi-episode roles and still not show up in these official cast lists? Like if Yara or Greatjon or someone were going to be back for a couple of episodes later in the season, would they typically show up here, or would they keep them off these lists? Just wondering if their returns could be safely disregarded at this point or not.

  21. Afeastfordances,

    Nah, those are not even all the series regulars. It seems to include most of the starring cast and a few other recurring actors, but certainly not all of them. I wouldn’t worry.

  22. Any news on if HBO plans on promoting its most expensive show this year i.e., with a second trailer?

  23. Jofrey’s Cunt:
    I know it’s a bit out of context but you guys should check this out. In case you don’t know them, these guys make 60 seconds summaries of films and tv series with these funny animations, they will start uploading game of thrones episodes, this is some sort of a trailer for what can we expect.
    http://www.entertainmentbuddha.com/creators-of-speedrun-videos-take-on-game-of-thrones/

    they already created one https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fe_w2LRADJQ

  24. Josh,

    They don’t need to promote it. The very fact that people are begging for another trailer is a good indicator of that.

  25. Yivo: The very fact that people are begging for another trailer is a good indicator of that.

    Well, you’ll always get hardcores begging for that sort of stuff. There was a fury among Doctor Who fans 18 months ago when a trailer for the 50th Anniversary episode was shown “to the Americans” first at the International Comicon instead of to them “as promised” (no such promises had been made: as was noted, part of what the box fee gives them is freedom from this sort of thing!).

    However, you are right that it does not need advertising. The ratings and audience approval marks were higher than ever last year. I don’t think that the show can go too much further up from there: and if it can, then it will be because of the perpetual advertising offered by Binge Watching on HBOGo and other internet/cable services. The first 4 seasons are a much bigger advertisement than any 3 minute clip HBO can make now could possibly offer.

  26. Most of the characters who only appear in max 3-4 episodes are listed as “guest actors” and therefore not in the main or recurring actor categories. You wouldn’t see them listed anywhere until the end credits of the episodes they appear in.

    So, no. You aren’t going to get any hints about possibly returning characters like Yara, Gendry, Thoros, Greatjon etc unless there are leaks ahead of time.

    We know for sure that

    Kevan and Lancel

    are back (and most likely in multiple episodes) but they are nowhere to be seen on these cast listings, as an example.

  27. Wimsey:
    King Tommen,

    I thought that we had also gotten confirmation (or at least strong evidence) that

    was back, too.

    That was by me but it was a false alarm. A makeup artist tweeted back in September that she was working on something with Clive Mantle for a television show that hadn’t aired yet and she wasn’t allowed to talk about.

    When asked directly on Twitter about whether the show was GoT, she said no, it was a different project. Then, when diving into Mantle’s CV, a new Jack the Ripper show for BBC airing later this year was discovered. It was shot in London where the makeup artist was so all the pieces fit at that point.

    So, yeah, that’s almost positively not happening unfortunately.

  28. ace,

    oh thanks a lot for that man, I was checking on their page but there wasn’t nothing there yet, guess it’s becaus they’re doing it with vanity fair

  29. Tom Wlaschiha, well it was a logical deduction from season 2.
    Not a surprise to fans or the unsullied.
    So why the secrecy?

  30. FYI, on a side note, the exact USA sales figures for week 1 of GAME OF THRONES season 4 are out:

    Game of Thrones: The Complete Fourth Season sold 526,851 DVD/BD units for $17,219,744 in sales.

    Breakdown is:
    BD – 285,610 units for $9,984,926
    DVD – 241,241 units for $7,234,818

    It was the #1 home video seller for that week.

  31. King Tommen: Clive Mantle

    Has anyone ever asked Clive Mantle what the deal is?
    We know he had a conflict for season 2, but apparently not for season 3.
    Everybody who has a conflict for GOT get blacklisted by HBO?

  32. King Tommen,

    So we’ve confirmed at this point that the Jack the Ripper series already filmed during the time period in question? I thought we had just confirmed that the Ripper show existed and was a plausible alternative to GoT. Bummer if it’s completely confirmed.

  33. Boojam: Has anyone ever asked Clive Mantle what the deal is?

    As Season 2 worked fine without him, they probably didn’t bother to worry about him or his character after that. Incidental characters like the Greatjon are easily replaced in narratives. Authors often flip-flop them around quite a bit in different drafts of books for no obvious reasons. (Many big “continuity” errors in book series involve incidental characters like this, as authors forget that they shouldn’t be some place or something like that; authors tend to not get anywhere near as hung up on details as fans do!)

  34. GeekFurious: FYI, on a side note, the exact USA sales figures for week 1 of GAME OF THRONES season 4 are out:

    Game of Thrones: The Complete Fourth Season sold 526,851 DVD/BD units for $17,219,744 in sales.

    Breakdown is:
    BD – 285,610 units for $9,984,926
    DVD – 241,241 units for $7,234,818

    It was the #1 home video seller for that week.

    Seems, I think?, this is a record?
    Compared to the other three seasons?

  35. Afeastfordances:
    King Tommen,

    So we’ve confirmed at this point that the Jack the Ripper series already filmed during the time period in question? I thought we had just confirmed that the Ripper show existed and was a plausible alternative to GoT. Bummer if it’s completely confirmed.

    The only thing we had to go on was the Makeup artist’s tweet and when asked she said it was for a TV show that wasn’t GoT. That and the fact that he is indeed appearing in another TV show that filmed near her and that would require the kind of makeup she does (he’s playing Jack the Ripper) would seem to close the door.

    I guess if you want to hold out hope you could say it wasn’t 100% confirmed but I’m more than satisfied this is the case. It was already a pretty flimsy clue in the first place.

  36. Speaking of The House of Black and White… Anyone knows what happened with The Waif? She was listed in that characters-being-cast file along with Doran and all the rest… But there wasnt any announcement of an actress being cast, right?

  37. Wimsey: As Season 2 worked fine without him, they probably didn’t bother to worry about him or his character after that. Incidental characters like the Greatjon are easily replaced in narratives. Authors often flip-flop them around quite a bit in different drafts of books for no obvious reasons. (Many big “continuity” errors in book series involve incidental characters like this, as authors forget that they shouldn’t be some place or something like that; authors tend to not get anywhere near as hung up on details as fans do!)

    While that’s true, we have more info about Conan Stevens and Ed Skrein than Mantle.
    Either he’s been asked and declined or he’s never been asked.

  38. GeekFurious:
    FYI, on a side note, the exact USA sales figures for week 1 of GAME OF THRONES season 4 are out:

    Game of Thrones: The Complete Fourth Season sold526,851 DVD/BD units for $17,219,744 in sales.

    Breakdown is:
    BD – 285,610 units for $9,984,926
    DVD – 241,241 units for $7,234,818

    It was the #1 home video seller for that week.

    Also for information purposes, look at how much the past season’s bluray/dvd cumulative sales had so far (at least as of 2014 season 3 release)

    http://www.the-numbers.com/home-market/packaged-media-sales-chart/2014/02/23

  39. I do not think that Rickon and Osha being directed to the Umbers (as opposed to Skagos) was a coincidence and nor do I think that the show would bother to explicitly state (through Cogman) that the show-version of the Greatjon was absent from the Red Wedding while given alternate off-screen adventures detailed in supplemental materials unless the plan was to reintroduce either the Greatjon or his relatives at a later point.

    I suspect this later point is S6 when the hunt for Rickon really gets going but maybe we’ll see some kind of hint of this in S5.

  40. Arianne may still appear. Here’s why:

    What we may now know is a whole lot of Tristayne and Myrcella a la Les Miz flubby luvvies. This is a neat archetype which, per cannon, is a facade for what Arianne’s role is really all about (being the “true” heir of Sunspear, with Trystane as a decoy.) This allows her a certain level of discretion and gives her the advantage to influence the Hellholt situation safely from her Tower (Hellholt- which according to production is one of the confirmed scouted locations). This also means that there is room for exposition, us visiting Dorne for the first time.

    At this point I think it’s safe to assume HBO will allow the story to continue to unfold, as Martin has confirmed more seasons than expected as the projection of the show in general, and HBO execs have confirmed their support for the show as many seasons as it will continue (source is somewhere).

    Also, there was a production video from a surviving Jamie, Episode 509 Jaime seen meeting with Doran, Trystane, Areo, Myrcella, Ellaria, and I quote loosly “a cast memeber who cannot be filmed”, by the camera crew. Could this be a Arianne? I’m not sure why she would be revealed to Jaime, but it could be a ploy for neutrality.
    Possibly, Dan and David keep with their original work with professional actors and fleshing out the beautiful story, Ellaria may walk in place of Arriane for this scenario, and we may even see them take that walk together once the season is through. Its possible Arianne will be a central figure in the Wars to Come.
  41. A MAN HAS RETURNED 🙂

    psyched!
    If they make that switch I will be fine with it- just making things easier for unsullied to follow and more screen time for Tom!

  42. I think David and Dan were once asked about the Greatjon, and they said he was a casualty of not wanting to take screentime away from other characters, specifically Ser Rodrik and Blackfish. They did emphasize that he was not killed at the Red Wedding, and is still alive on the show. Make of that what you will.

  43. King Tommen: I guess if you want to hold out hope you could say it wasn’t 100% confirmed but I’m more than satisfied this is the case. It was already a pretty flimsy clue in the first place.

    The clue really was not very flimsy. If he had been returning, then we should have expected to see something like this. Of course, if he had been doing something else in the same area at the same time, then we would expect to see something like this. The odds of the latter were pretty low, and as we knew that GoT was happening and we didn’t know about other projects with which Mantle is involved filming in the same area at the same time, it seemed a likely, probable AND simple explanation!

    However, now that we know about Ripper, this becomes by far the more probable and simpler scenario. (They remain equally likely, obviously!) We know Mantle is in that and we could expect to see tweets like you found if he was in that.

    This was also fueled by the false premise that goings on at Winterfell require “named” characters. They really don’t, at least for a cinematic version. (Books are a different issue.) We probably will just get a Greek Chorus up there: it’s a cheaper and equally effective tool for communicating the plot and story up there.

  44. Greenjones,

    Ah, good to know. After I read your post a few days back, I re-read that particular ASoS chapter (Jon XI) and got all giddy. I love this cross-over stuff (whether it was intentional or not).

    Major props go to Stannis!

  45. TW as J’H was always a scene stealer, much like Oberon in season 4.

    Very stoked for his return!

  46. King Tommen,

    I share your thought that it wasn’t a coincidence. Looking very far forward, I do wonder if the parties who are concerned about finding/supporting Rickon and the parties who are concerned about finding/supporting Sansa will surprise each other…possibly not ending as we would hope.

    Of course, everything depends on how Stannis fares in his daunting snow battle at WF…..and, lest I forget, those dastardly WWs.
  47. Maester of Ceremonies:
    Curious that he wasn’t spotted on set. My thought process was that they would use him only for voice work for a particular scene…book readers know what I mean by that Though that scene would have happened toward the end of the season. Having him near the beginning could make him the Kindly Man after all. I’m intrigued…a major divergence from the books is possibly in the offing.

    If the scene you’re talking about is in the show, I’m pretty sure it will only be in season 6, not season 5, because that particular storyline doesn’t really take off in AFFC/ADWD, only gets introduced with the payoff to come later, so the obvious thing would be to save it completely for the next eason.

  48. Tom: At this point I think it’s safe to assume HBO will allow the story to continue to unfold, as Martin has confirmed more seasons than expected as the projection of the show in general,

    GRRM has not “confirmed” this: instead, he has expressed an almost delusional wish that the show will slow down and let him complete his series. However, it is optimistically 6 years before that will happen. (Remember, when this started 8 or so years ago, it was assumed that the book series would be completed by now.) There is no way that the show can keep Harrington, Clarke, Dinklage, etc., too much longer: they are lucky that they managed to ink them in for 7 years! Recasting primary protagonists probably would not be a good idea: but as the stories are about those characters, they cannot continue the show without those characters.

    At any rate, I wouldn’t hold my breathe on Arianne. She is a lesser protagonist in the book series, and I doubt that she’ll ever be important to the story. Whatever contributions she makes to the plot can be done by others.

  49. great news about Tom!

    on a side note, is The Hound definitely not coming back? I mean is he dead? *sob* I miss the Arya roadtrip.

  50. King Tommen,

    Yeah, the Cogman thing is what really got me. The last time he dropped hints like that was when he was talking about Jaime and Tyrion’s relationship in season four, and how it made sense to give Kevan’s role in the trial to Jaime, since viewers weren’t very attached to Kevan “yet”, implying they would be later. Then, lo and behold, Kevan is back for season 5. The Greatjon hinting from him on Twitter seemed even more heavy-handed, and there seems to be more plot need for a Northern lord than there ever was for Kevan, who could’ve been removed pretty easily. So yeah, that, plus the extent that season 3 went to to name drop the Last Hearth and the Umbers seemed to be building up to something. Maybe it’s all season 6 material, I don’t know.

    But with Kevan and Lancel back, and assuming the Brotherhood and Blackfish will someday crop up again, Greatjon is pretty much the biggest dangling thread in the series right now.
  51. fernysapple: on a side note, is The Hound definitely not coming back? I mean is he dead?

    We are all Unsullied there. Obviously, there are those who think “yes” and those who think “no.” He is Schrödinger’s Hound just now.

    afeastfordances: So yeah, that, plus the extent that season 3 went to to name drop the Last Hearth and the Umbers seemed to be building up to something. Maybe it’s all season 6 material, I don’t know.

    This might simply have been a case of keeping doors open. If Mantle can come back and it works for the production, then they use him. Otherwise, a family member gets used. One thing to keep in mind is that there is no way that 99% of the audience remembers a detail like that. Moreover, there is always the out of “things didn’t go as planned.”

  52. fernysapple,

    Well showing his name would be way to big of a spoiler if he were still hobbling about.
    Therefore expect the show producers to go the Jason Momoa route concerning the Hound character’s possible return. This is not a spoiler, because everyone knows that if you don’t actually witness a character’s death, then it’s open for interpretation.

  53. >
    Best news ever! The beautiful eyes, luscious lips, bedroom voice and gorgeous body of Jaqen H’ghar is returning to GoT! Maybe we will even get to see Jaqen languishing in the baths of the HoB&W, since the bath scene at Harrenhal was left out. Kindly Men get dirty too, don’t they? Can’t wait to see Tom Wlaschiha again ~ like someone above said: The Prince That Was Promised has returned!

  54. The marketing for this year sucks. I think I’ll just not watch S5 live or maybe read the show wiki to find out what happens. I’m losing interest in this series with how much they’re diverging from the books… D&D are just not talented at all.

  55. Interesting that the list misses out Gilly, Bronn, Grey Worm and Ser Barristan. Were they missed out from these lists in previous seasons?

  56. ctid,

    Bronn is on there! And I think last season Barristan, Grey Worm, and Gilly were in the official press release, but not listed in every episode like this?

  57. Biscotti Knight,

    I’ll take the cookie in his stead, if you don’t mind. I don’t think he’ll appreciate it at all —he’ll claim your cookie simply isn’t authentic enough, and shows your complete lack of cookie-making talent.

    EDIT: it was a good cookie.

  58. OrtMeyer,

    They are actually very talented, but thank you for sharing your opinion. Everyone has an opinion on the internet, and some people just like to D&D bash because they have issues with themselves. If you’re losing interest then don’t watch the show, it’ll be your loss. They don’t need to market the show much, the show markets itself by being consistently excellent all around.

  59. Nymeria Warrior Queen,

    He certainly is. Still, mocking the troll is the perfect way of acknowledging their profound wrongness without actually ‘feeding the troll.’ So thank you, OrtMeyer, for giving us a good chuckle 😛

    Anyway, who else is incredibly excited for the action this season? We got a couple of great surprises last year, such as Brienne vs the Hound. It seems we’ll get to see

    Jorah fight as a gladiator, and Barristan’s actor said he had a great fight at last. Don’t know why, but lately I’m really excited about that sort of thing. Jorah, Barristan, Hardhome, and whatever else there is.

    Any suggestions?

  60. OrtMeyer,

    I am upset over a few changes mainly

    the lack of LS and Wyman, but I will still continue to watch the show. I’m fine with changes like Jaime in Dorne and Jon in Hardhome, but leaving out LS is something that really is irking me. She is a revived POV character of course she is going to do something important, maybe even survive long enough to see one of her children

    I hope I’m not going to be shunned for being a “book purist”

  61. One of Roose Bolton’s leeches,

    To be fair, she’s an ex-POV character. She’s not a POV character now that she’s come back to un-life, and I very much doubt that will change. There is not much of Cat left in her, is there? My point being: though Stoneheart may be important for the plot, I very much doubt there will be much to explore about her as a character. We won’t get her internal thoughts, and she’s basically someone else anyway. I wouldn’t blame Michelle Fairley for choosing not to return if that was her decision, nor D&D for not including the character.

    (And no, I don’t think you’re a book purist for thinking otherwise.)

  62. One of Roose Bolton’s leeches,

    But that’s not quite correct:

    yes, she is “revived” but she is not revived as a PoV character. Catelyn Stark is not a protagonist in the story anymore. Background characters like what she now is usually are very interchangable: what is important is what they do (plot!), not what they think or feel, or how they evolve (story!).

    And, again, the question arise: what would the show have done with Character X in Season 5? Remember, Character X is not in the books save for two cameo scenes, and X does not do anything that affects any of the primary protagonists. This is not to say that Character X won’t do these things in Winter: but that means that it is too early to bring X back. TV audiences have very limited tolerance for stuff that does not pay off in this season.

  63. Wimsey,

    I don’t get that. You’ve made that point numerous times, but I don’t get it. It was a cliffhanger in AFFC; it can be a cliffhanger in Season 5 and get resolved throughout season six, or immediately, or whatever it is that happens in TWOW. It’s true that in a TV show it’s best to structure things so that they are paid off within the season, but cliffhangers are a pretty popular exception, I would say.

    That is not to say that I believe the character will be in season five. I don’t. I don’t think it’ll be pushed back to season six, either, as I guess you believe (we have similarly differing thoughts on YG.) In my opinion, the character is cut, though I’ll only be 100% sure if it’s not introduced at the end of the coming season. However, this time I will be going in with absolutely no expectations.

  64. Luka Nieto,

    I am probably more excited about

    seeing Barristan fight than I am any other scene like that. I’m guessing Hardhome is going to be exceptional, but I’ve been waiting to see Barristan be his badass self for a long time. I’m also really looking forward to seeing the SS woman-handle Bronn.
  65. Nymeria Warrior Queen,

    My ideal Barristan fight would involve him fighting a single opponent rather calmly and in a calculated manner, not breaking a sweat (the actor doesn’t seem particularly fit, so it shouldn’t really be a fast-paced action scene.) Then again, I’d love it if we “kinda but not really” see him fight, you know? Something like seeing the beginning of a fight against multiple opponents, then cutting to something else, and when we come back we see only the aftermath, in which all of his opponents have been brutally defeated.

    I’m writing Barristan fan fiction now… oh dear. Thank the gods I don’t write the show, right?

  66. I suppose the rumors about a new trailer coming out today were false. What time to the trailers normally come out?

  67. One of Roose Bolton’s leeches,

    The only rumors of the trailer coming out today we’ve heard were from Ortmeyer and he’s already proven himself a troll so… there you have it
    I’m disapointed we don’t have anything by now but that’s just my hunger for new footage, like everyone has being saying, the show doesn’t need much marketing, just our feeling now proves it.

  68. Luka Nieto:

    My ideal Barristan fight would involve him fighting a single opponent rather calmly and in a calculated manner, not breaking a sweat (the actor doesn’t seem particularly fit, so it shouldn’t really be a fast-paced action scene.)

    If you think of

    the ADwD Barristan fight, seen from outside as audience rather than from his POV, I think you basically just described how Barristan “looks” like fighting the pit warrior who’s a bodyguard for Hizdar when he goes to confront him after Daznak’s Pit
  69. Luka Nieto: It was a cliffhanger in AFFC; it can be a cliffhanger in Season 5 and get resolved throughout season six, or immediately, or whatever it is that happens in TWOW.

    Oh, sure: a cliffhanger at the end of the season would work fine assuming that Character X is going to be important in Season 6. (We are all “Unsullied” on that!) I was responding to the idea that X should have been a recurring character this season, or to the idea that there should have been a cliffhanger at the end of last season and then nothing this season.

    At this point, I honestly have no idea what will happen on this score next year. So, I do not consider it impossible that we will get this sort of cliffhanger. I also do not think it impossible that X might come back next year, and that they will tease the audience about who X might be for a while. I wouldn’t bet more than a yen on any outcome at this point! (I doubt that the actors involved know, either, given that B&W probably have not carved Season 6 into stone yet, and given that GRRM is still being glacial about the source material.)

  70. Luka Nieto,

    I hadn’t thought of how I’d like to see the fight happen, yet, but your both your scenarios sound good, and plausible, too (fan-fic, or not 😉 ).

    I definitely see him fighting in a calm and calculated manner…letting his opponent(s) do some flashy sword-work, parrying a couple of their attacks, then, boom, delivering the death blow.

  71. OrtMeyer:
    The marketing for this year sucks.I think I’ll just not watch S5 live or maybe read the show wiki to find out what happens.I’m losing interest in this series with how much they’re diverging from the books… D&D are just not talented at all.

    nobody cares………..

  72. I say we get a trailer sometime next week. 4-5 weeks before the premier is usually when a new trailer is released. Promo pictures and character posters during the week and a new trailer on Sunday.

  73. mau,

    I do find it funny how on one hand some fans believe that the audience will remember off-hand allusions to characters or places never shown from Season 1, yet on the other hand some fans think that the general audience is going to forget that the show exists without constant advertising. The truth is, as per usual, in between!

  74. Wimsey,

    I think that two trailers are enough.

    I want them to show the least possible footage.

    I believe that TWOW will not come out next year and I do not want to know anything about S6.

    No pictures , no videos , nothing…

  75. mau,

    There will be trailers for season six, though. And we will still get leaks and any information we can gather from filming pictures, though to be fair this time there will be less context, as it will not be based on published material 😉

  76. I wonder how big a role Kevan will play this season? I was really bummed he wasn’t in season 4, so I hope he gets a bigger role here instead, maybe as some kind of counterpart to Cersei now that all the other Lannisters are dead, fled or have left the city.

  77. Macharius,

    He had like four or five scenes in the whole book, and that is including his own POV, so I wouldn’t expect a particularly big role, to be honest. We know Qyburn’s actor will be in 5 episodes, and the character was in quite a few scenes in AFFC. So… maybe Kevan appears in like 3 or 4 episodes, at most? But that’s just a guess.

  78. Luka Nieto:
    mau,

    There will be trailers for season six, though. And we will still get leaks and any information we can gather from filming pictures, though to be fair this time there will be less context, as it will not be based on published material

    Well, if we get leak about emilia clarke in Dubrovnik….. well, that will say something….

  79. Macharius,

    I’m guessing he

    will appear at the funeral (as confirmed by the Facebook summary) in E1, then have the awesome argument with Cersei and leave to bring Tywin’s body back to the Rock in E2. Then he’ll be back by the time Cersei’s been arrested to have a few scenes with her and possible the High Sparrow and/or Olenna (to set things right with the Faith and the Tyrells) in E8/E9. After that he’ll obviously appear in E10 for the WoS and (likely) his death. So I’m counting on at least four episodes, possibly five. They’re taking the trouble of bringing him back, so they will probably make good use of him.
  80. Renly’s Peach,

    It would be really lame to go to

    his HOUSE in freaking Pentos, and calling it Illyrio’s during production, but to not have Illyrio actually present. Then why go to his house in the first place? They could’ve picked any random house, or travel straight to Volantis…

    …so we will probably see him. 😀

  81. Thomas,

    No. The listing usually has to do with contracts. He’s young, not much experience beyond Thrones, he (and presumably his representation) haven’t negotiated bigger status or a spot in the opening credits.

  82. Soooo. I guess the Faceless Man has a face. And that face is Tommy W?

    And Girls was fucking hysterical tonight.

  83. Wimsey: GRRM has not “confirmed” this: instead, he has expressed an almost delusional wish

    A delusional person is the one who refuses to accept reality. HBO will make the final decision about how long the show runs, not D&D. And HBO has a lot of money to make with future GRRM projects. What do D&D have to offer beyond running GOT? At the end of the day, it is the shitloads of money GRRM may bring to them over the next few decades that will rule the final decision… not D&D.

    And if GRRM wants 8 seasons as opposed to 7… he’ll get that. However, he abandoned the “almost delusional wish” you mentioned some time ago. He’s already accepted that the show will pass him. GRRM wants more seasons because he wants the show to cover more of the story. That’s what many fans want too.

    P.S.

    I find it interesting how much “fans” love to shit on the person whose work they claim to love. Even treat that person like a fuckin’ moron in order to project some insane air of superiority over that creative mind they obviously admired but now, because a delivery date they invented in their mind hasn’t been met, is now target #1 for their personality disorder.

  84. So, I was just googling Tom Wlaschiha, and this headline came up from the old site:

    “HBO confirms Tom Wlaschiha in Game of Thrones Season 5 Episode 1”

    Of course, there is a possibility he will appear in episode 1, but I don’t think his name on the cast list confirms his appearance in that episode. Moreover, way to put a big ol’ spoiler in the title.

  85. OrtMeyer,

    I don’t understand, so do you like the show? Are you a fan? Do you hate it because of the changes, are you excited but don’t want to watch it?
    You’re upset because of this suppose marketing on the show, assuming you’re an eager fan, but yet you criticize D&D. Hmm….

    Allow me to put my Dark Knight detective skills and say you’re not really a book reader, but a wiki reader who pretends to be a book purist.
    We have all types these days.

  86. Grand maester giz,

    Why so impatient? The trailer is going to spoil a lot of cool shots it’s much more enjoyable to see it in the actual episodes. IMO it’s one of the reason why people here are not enjoying the show properly because they get to see most of the best shots in the trailers so when it comes out on the episodes they’re not impressed anymore.

    “The trailers for Season 4 were better than the actual season”
    If someone says that, the trailers have ruined the fun for them.

  87. GeekFurious: A delusional person is the one who refuses to accept reality. HBO will make the final decision about how long the show runs, not D&D. And HBO has a lot of money to make with future GRRM projects. What do D&D have to offer beyond running GOT? At the end of the day, it is the shitloads of money GRRM may bring to them over the next few decades that will rule the final decision… not D&D.

    And if GRRM wants 8 seasons as opposed to 7… he’ll get that. However, he abandoned the “almost delusional wish” you mentioned some time ago. He’s already accepted that the show will pass him. GRRM wants more seasons because he wants the show to cover more of the story. That’s what many fans want too.

    Yeah well, you’re delusional then. GRRM has nothing to say on the matter, as has been proven several times. Remember how he pleaded against some of the changes occuring in the show? Remember how he wanted a prequel season to give him more time to write? Remember how he wanted 3 seasons for ADWD and AFFC alone?

    At the end of the day, D&D are the ones who take the final decision, not him.. and it’s really stupid of you to think otherwise.

    I find it interesting how much “fans” love to shit on the person whose work they claim to love. Even treat that person like a fuckin’ moron in order to project some insane air of superiority over that creative mind they obviously admired but now, because a delivery date they invented in their mind hasn’t been met, is now target #1 for their personality disorder.

    It’s possible to admire someone’s work while disliking said person, you know.

  88. King Stannis:
    OrtMeyer,

    I don’t understand, so do you like the show? Are you a fan? Do you hate it because of the changes, are you excited but don’t want to watch it?
    You’re upset because of this suppose marketing on the show, assuming you’re an eager fan, but yet you criticize D&D.Hmm….

    Allow me to put my Dark Knight detective skills and say you’re not really a book reader, but a wiki reader who pretends to be a book purist.
    We have all types these days.

    I’m just trolling.

  89. GeekFurious: HBO will make the final decision about how long the show runs, not D&D. And HBO has a lot of money to make with future GRRM projects. What do D&D have to offer beyond running GOT? At the end of the day, it is the shitloads of money GRRM may bring to them over the next few decades that will rule the final decision… not D&D.

    You assume, for literally no reason, that HBO don’t care one iota about what D&D want or think. Sure, it’s ultimately their decision, but HBO has ended it’s popular shows at the wishes of it’s creators before and it will again (e.g. The Sopranos).
    Also, GRRM offers them practically nothing other D&E. Next few decades? What, they’re going to make a TV show out of Fevre Dream and Tuf Voyaging? Get real.

    GeekFurious: And if GRRM wants 8 seasons as opposed to 7… he’ll get that.

    What are you basing this off of?

  90. So I’ve gone through the comments of the last articles and I didn’t see much discussion about Patchface’s last revelation…
    Potential spoiler for book-readers ahead.

    For those who have missed it, he said that Tommen would die this season. Patchface has been right before so I choose to believe him -it is at least worth discussing. It seems likely that he’ll die soon in the books: if we believe Maggy the Frog, he has to die before Cersei. And seeing that the prophecy is introduced this season, it is quite possible that some payoff would happen in the same season.
    Now some people understand that as a confirmation that the Sand Snakes won’t kill him in the books. I agree that if Tommen gets killed by someone else than the Sand Snakes in the show, it probably means they won’t kill him in the books. Since they’re in the show, you would think that D&D would use them for that purpose. But do we have any confirmation that the Sand Snakes will still be in Dorne at the end of the season?
    We know Jaime has a scene with Doran, Ellaria and Myrcella in episode 9 if I’m not mistaken. The Sand Snakes are nowhere to be seen, and it is possible that some of them would be in King’s Landing -after all, Jaime himself will do the travel in a few episodes, and we know that some storylines will get accelerated. It wouldn’t surprise me that some WoW Sand Snakes-related content would be fit in season 5 (thus solving the problem of them not doing much in the book). As some have already pointed, D&D like to push back a character’s introduction to a time where they’re more relevant ; see Oberyn or Jojen. And yet the Sand Snakes are in now!
    It took them 8 episodes to take Oberyn from the “new cool guy” to the “most shocking death since Ned” last year. You’d think they could pull it off again with his daughters and make their actions really important to the plot by the end of the season.

    I’m just wondering what do you guys think about all this. And please forgive me for any language mistake I may have made.

  91. Jorn,

    People keep saying that Patchface had scoops in past years that have come true but I’ve never actually seen an actual example of this cited. Does anyone remember one from the old site?

  92. Jorn,

    what you say it makes a lot of sense. I only wonder how to fit all this stuff in 10 episodes only. I mean, even removing completely characters like Arianne, Aegon and the Greyjoys it still remains a huge amount of story… much more than what it was covered in Season 4 ( and in the other too)… Adding TWOW parts concerning the SS and Sansa is making this even more complicated.

  93. Greenjones,

    He said something about the return of

    Kevan, Lancel and Gendry

    before other news indicating the return of the first two hit. However, he (or was that an imposter) also said that an Croatian island would be used for

    the walk of shame

    and they never filmed there for season 5. Additionally, he stated something about an Ironborn raid at the set that later turned out to be Winterfell so I won’t necessarily believe anything Patchface says.
    His “scoops” (even the confirmed ones if the others were by an imposter) are all facts that could be guessed and not something that you have to know like the facebook skript summary.

  94. Dragonslayer,

    The facebook summaries spoke of Lancel and Kevan before Patchface ever did IIRC. (I distrusted them at the time too but now they’ve been proven correct). As for Gendry there’s been zero indication that he’ll be back for s5.

    I meant what scoops did he have in past years because when he made his first round of claims about s5, people lent him credence immediately having remembered him from previous years. Despite that though, I’ve still not been told what info he delivered in the past. There must’ve been something in the past otherwise people wouldn’t trust him like they seem to.

  95. Dragonslayer,

    I remember that after the fake Patchface had been uncovered, the scoops that remained from the real Patchface were all true. That’s why I’m trusting him, but I’m not a 100% sure of what I remember. Hope someone can help us on that.
    And a Croatian island did end up being used to film the season, after all. And to be fair, nobody trusted the Facebook summaries before the trailer aired.

    uff,

    I don’t think it would take that much screen time. Season 4 covered less time in the story than any of the other seasons, due to ASOS being split in two seasons. All we need is

    the Sand Snakes scenes in Dorne, the only confirmed one happening quite early (fight with Jaime), one scene where they leave for King’s Landing and around the end of the season, one surprise appearance behind Tommen’s back…

    I think the Sand Snakes filmed in Belfast, didn’t they? Did we get any sighting from any other actor involved in Dorne in Belfast? This could mean interior scenes for KL, because as far as I know, the interior scenes for Dorne were shot in Spain.

    Of course this is only a wild speculation.

  96. Jorn: And a Croatian island did end up being used to film the season, after all. And to be fair, nobody trusted the Facebook summaries before the trailer

    I’m pretty sure it wasn’t actually used in the end. IIRC tWoS was filmed where they initially planned to and the fuss about it shooting there was largely exaggerated.

  97. Does anyone know what the show is going to do with Sam? I mean, in the books he leaves the Wall and go on a travel. Do you know if that’s gonna happen in the show?

  98. Gendry…

    Just think, if he would be of any use for the present or future show…

    It was ok, to have him as arya’s side show gag with Yoren and his exit was elegantly solved, as they needed Mel interacting with the BWB/Thoros and it was a nice way to have the Edric Storm storyline happen…

  99. Greenjones:
    Jorn,

    People keep saying that Patchface had scoops in past years that have come true but I’ve never actually seen an actual example of this cited. Does anyone remember one from the old site?

    Hi there Greenjones. I certainly do not want to start arguing with you, but since you asked I consider it only polite to answer you briefly.

    On the old site I reported Arianne being cut way before anyone else and in fact even before they finished casting the SS and Doran (I believe my report was in early April I don’t remember the exact date, but it is easy to verify if you have the time and the inclination). On this site, I reported Mercy being included in Arya’s storyline for this season at least a week before they started shooting the Braavos scenes and certainly several days before any pictures of the actors on the set had leaked. Again this can be verified on this site with exact dates. To be fair I also reported that it was expected that GRRM will release another chapter that will be included in s5, which has not happened yet. (I hope it will be released soon enough…) I reported Kevan and Lancel independently of the ‘leaked script’, I have no idea when the script was out for the public but I certainly heard about it way much later. Finally, I reported that there was no real controversy with the “permit” for shooting the walk of shame even though several “news outlets” (well, TMZ is not really newsworthy but there were many other reports as well) have reported exactly the opposite of what I said. I even gave you the exact itinerary of the procession. Again this is easily verifiable. Just FYI, I also reported LadyLance for s6!

    Again I do not wish to start a debate or any sort of chest puffing, consider my answer to you as a simple courtesy from one polite fan to another. I do not mind if you remain a skeptic. Peace!

    @Dragonslayer: what turned out to be Winterfell? I missed that…

    As far as my reports go, I only said that “ironborn reaver” tags were circulating on the set. I did make a separate note that someone had reported seeing some sort of beach battle and provided link to that discussion, but that’s it… I’ll admit though I have been wrong about Volantis, though my sources insisted they never heard of it so I assumed there is no Volantis…(you know the saying assumption is the mother of all fkups), but other than that all my reports were accurate as far as I can tell.

    Anyways, I wish I would be so good of guessing, I would definitely play the lottery more often.

  100. Patchface,

    Aha. I still have some doubts but, yeah, I’ll keep ’em polite.

    Was it you or the imposter who posted about an s6 location in Croatia BTW?

  101. Greenjones:
    Patchface,

    Aha. I still have some doubts but, yeah, I’ll keep ‘em polite.

    Was it you or the imposter who posted about an s6 location in Croatia BTW?

    I do not recall what the impostor posted so I’m not sure what you are referring to… All I can say is what I have reported. Now, I’m not sure if this relates to your question, but at some point I did mention some scouting activity at a location about 20km outside Dubrovnik at a (Franciscan?) monastery with a large (and rather curious) tree in front, with some vineyards and hilly terrain in the surrounding areas. There was a link with some pictures. Not sure whether they will actually use it or for what purpose, just to be clear.

  102. Patchface,

    Yeah, that’s what I was referring to.

    At the time I believe I questioned whether or not they would scout locations a year in advance.

  103. GeekFurious,

    Dear defender of the Faith, you obviously don’t know the first thing about how film and TV production works. HBO’s money is invested in the show and therefore D&D, they signed a deal with GRRM, they and the producers now have rights over the material. If GRRM isn’t happy with it, it’s too late.
    What do D&D have to offer more than GoT, are you serious? They’ve now proven that they can successfully run such a huge series and make it a roaring success, I think their future job prospects, with HBO or other companies, are looking pretty damn good.
    And what a lot of fans want is tight, assured storytelling.

    I’d be curious to know the proportion, within the GoT series watchers, of book readers and Unsullied, or more importantly of people who enjoy the series as a standalone artefact and trust it to deliver the goods regardless.

    On another note, great to have it officially confirmed that the face of the Faceless is back!

  104. Greenjones,

    No, no, no. It is the 7th item named “Franciscan Monastery Pridvorje”… see my post above. There are 2 pictures, an outside aerial shot and a picture inside the monastery’s courtyard. There is also a phone number, someone could call…

    Here is a different link:

    http://viewthrumygloballens.blogspot.de/2012/01/graveyard-by-franciscan-monastery-of.html

    There is also a small church of St. Blaise in front of the monastery (visible in the first link) – this church is from Pridvorje, Konlave region, not to be confused with the church of St. Blaise in the actual city of Dubrovnik.

  105. A Girl Will Obey,

    So – I can give you my perspective as to your watcher ratio question. As a book reader, I was caught up on the series long before the show was ever announced. I now watch the show with a group of friends (usually 9 people). Of this group, two have read some of the books, one other has read all of them- but just since the show aired. So around 80% of our group are unsullied at this point. I suspect this is representative of the larger viewing audience. I am a huge book series fan but quite enjoy the show on its own merits.

  106. Whoa, whoa, whoa, Patchface. Was I reading correctly when you said

    LadyLance would be in Season 6? You mean Elia Sand? That seems really strange to me, as she appears to be in the middle of a storyline in TWOW where most of the characters who should be interacting with her–Arianne, JonCon, and Aegon–seem to have been cut…unless Aegon and JonCon ARE in after all. The plot thickens!
  107. Hodor,

    If so, I may have to bark at the moon!

    Seriously, I wonder if the topic of the Hound’s “demise” will come up directly when/if Brienne & Sansafinger interact or if it will come up independently in Sansa’s storyline. If Arya didn’t ride Stranger to Saltpans, then maybe a certain awesome horse is still in play. Iirc, there were a few early S5 pics of a woman attending a wounded man on a table, but maybe it was irrelevant.

    Since helmets are not deemed as valuable onscreen as they are on the page, I doubt the Hound-helm/Brave Companion mummery will take place either. I hope to be surprised at some point but if not, oh well…he had a good run.

  108. Ozymandias,

    That’s crazy last season was great. I can’t get enough , I for one like the show more than the books in a lot of ways and besides Ariane , im the biggest optimist that will get LS YG EG n VG , by the end of this seasons and the lack of the trailers maybe because last couple of seasons , a lot of people could geuss how each episode will go ,
    I for one beleive that there keeping more things under raps so people can’t spoiled the unsullied from
    The next book on cause they could tell you the wrong info . So I’m looking forward to the changes so far I love Briene fighting the hound all the one on one convos that weren’t in the books we’re great , I thought shae and tyrions tv relatonship made for a better trial . So far so good , no one really knows for sure about LS or YG being cut out , I for one think when it’s all said and done the show will make the books , not the books making the show, and I think everyone in this room will say it’s atleast in there top 3 favorite shows on tv or ever for that matter . It appeals to everyone . I can’t get enough

  109. M,

    Well, I should clarify this before it gets hyped.

    A long time ago I reported that LL (Elia Sand indeed) was being discussed. What that means is that someone heard someone else mentioning LL as a potential character for s6 (I have a bit of context, not much, but I cannot detail it here). At this time, I cannot confirm in any way shape or form that LL will be part of s6 and therefore, unless there are other corroborating reports, it should be treated as a rumor, nothing more. Whether it makes sense or not, again I am merely reporting what I heard. Personally, I was a bit surprised by the notion, why include such a minor character when other major character did not make the cut? But then again, see Locke, Miranda or Olly. Please understand that there are many things I have only partial info (bits and pieces) and others are just hearsay, that’s why admittedly some of my reports have been vague. I cannot confirm everything, it’s not like I’m Amanda Peet, but at least I am trying to make it clear what is cert and what should be treated as rumor. So, take it with a grain of salt, and certainly don’t get your hopes up for the Griffs.
  110. Hodor,

    Interesting, I never thought of that to be honest… I find the second link to be a bit deceiving, what is most striking about the monastery is the architecture, the huge tree in front of it and its outside walls that appear almost white especially from a distance (they are not actually white, but the sunlight makes the walls brighter than they actually are). So, my first thought was RavenTreeHall, but it can be anything, really, including a sept, a tower or some keep.

  111. Patchface,

    Yeah the gravedigger thing just came to mind at first, though your first link shows the surroundings better. Whatever it will represent in the show (or if the location will even be used) you gotta hand it to the showmakers, they are scouting some really impressing sites.

  112. There’s a new trailer and neither WIC or you guys have it up. I just saw it on iTunes.

    Narrated by Dany.

    Begin the nerd arguments. Have at it.

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