[Updated] More Game of Thrones Cast Arrive in Northern Ireland for Season 6

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Some of our favorite cast members have been spotted as more and more of them arrive to read through the scripts for Season 6!

Included in this update are Nicolaj Coster-Waldau, Alfie Allen, Emilia Clarke and Nathalie Emmanuel, and an update on Harington #HairWatch.

UPDATED: Additional pics of Sophie Turner, Maisie Williams, Tom Wlaschiha (Jaqen H’ghar), John Bradley (Samwell Tarly), Jacob Anderson (Grey Worm), Gemma Whelan (Yara Greyjoy), and Brenock O’Connor (Olly)!

First up is the Kingslayer himself who was seated next to a very lucky couple on his way to Dublin:

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Next, a certain bastard was seen walking off that dreadful wound from the season finale:

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Also, Reek has been enjoying the view as he too has arrived in Belfast:

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Finally, The Mother of Dragons herself reunited with her beloved confidant Missandei as Emilia Clarke and Nathalie Emmanuel pose for a selfie in the Belfast airport:

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Additionally, Clarke also reveals in her hashtags that the initial read throughs of scripts has begun and also that she and Drogon might’ve done a little ‘dragon gliding’.

UPDATE with MORE CAST MEMBERS

Sophie Turner and Maisie Williams with fans:

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Also Gemma Whelan (Yara Greyjoy), Tom Wlaschiha (Jaqen H’ghar), John Bradley (Samwell Tarly) and Jacob Anderson (Grey Worm) with a very lucky fan!

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Also, Brenock O’Connor (Olly) shared a photo on Instagram showing he’s also back in Belfast!

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So many familiar faces only fuels the excitement for Season 6! It’s exciting to see Whelan especially as we can expect a Greyjoy return in the spring!

This certainly feeds our Game of Thrones fix while we await the next season and it’s great to see the cast as excited as we are! It’s already looking to be a promising season as Clarke also shared her enthusiasm about the new material in an interview following her emmy nomination. Are you looking forward to the new season? Let us know in below!

260 Comments

  1. So do we know when filming starts? I was thinking this coming week, but now I’m not that sure.

  2. I would take any Kit sightings in Belfast with a grain of salt. A lot of that floating around Twitter. He’s become like the GoT Bigfoot.

    Off topic: I don’t know how you guys feel about posting to other GoT sites, but I thought this was an interesting look at Dany’s word “Valahd”, and I couldn’t find it anywhere else. Apparently, it was a mistake on set by Emilia. http://winteriscoming.net/2015/07/17/valahd-the-odd-story-behind-daenerys-command-to-drogon/

  3. The One:
    Wait,why is Nikolaj going to Dublin,are they filming in the other Ireland as well ?

    That’s where the read throughs are (production office HQ) and don’t they shoot the majority of their interiors at the Titanic soundstage?

    EDIT: Sorry. I got Dublin and Belfast mixed up. Carry on.

  4. Ravyn,

    It wasn’t a mistake by Emilia, rather a collective one. Everyone was there while filming, if she’d made a mistake they would’ve fixed it in a retake. They just hadn’t thought ahead to get the Valyrian word for ‘fly’ (though not sure how they couldn’t have just called David Peterson, but anyway…). I think they could’ve easily just left the original line, I doubt anyone would’ve cared either way.

  5. NCW is getting the Prince Charming hair again – he always seems like such a good sport in fan photos. 🙂

    Those clouds are gorgeous! I know Belfast has been the subject of a few jokes, but it’s my kind of place.

  6. Exciting! 😀 Somehow it brings Season 6 a bit closer to us. I also love, love “dragon gliding.” Season 6 is gonna be super expensive, CGI-wise.
    I wonder what the Kingslayer will be up to, at the beginning of the season?

    Ravyn,
    David Peterson, the creator of languages on GoT, explains all on his website.
    http://www.dothraki.com/

    The crew during production should have called him to ask him the Valyrian command. But I actually like that a Dothraki word ended up being used, showing that Drogon is used to a few bilingual words, and especially because they are both on their way to face the Dothraki hordes. Valad = horizon in Dothraki.

  7. Who knows about all the Kit Harington “sightings”. I have a feeling everyone in the area is going to “see” Harington. It is interesting to me with all the cast in the area there seems to be more “sightings” of Harington than anyone else. True or false who knows.

  8. Kit Harington is quite similar to Bigfoot…….everybody sees him but there are no pictures! Duh! Like Bigfoot, I’ll believe the sightings when there is visual proof.
    (Side note:Doesn’t Rose Leslie live in Belfast? Might she be the reason Kit has been spotted??????)

  9. María,

    I am looking forward to Dorne appearing again and thy trying to correct the horrible mistakes of season 5 there. I am glad he will appear because it won’t be a loose end, but only 5 minutes again?! Common, I hope they don’t make it horrible like this season, but with this time it will be hard to develop the character.
    Maybe they will just make him in the show like a peace making guy like he was pretending to be in the books and not the smart patient revenging guy he really is in the books. I just hope he doesn’t kill any Sand Snake or even Elaria.

  10. doug,

    Kit could be there if they’re going to have a “funeral” type thing for Jon, like they did with Tywin last year.

  11. clk: I am glad he will appear because it won’t be a loose end, but only 5 minutes again?!

    I wouldn’t take that too literally. He sounded like he was being jocular to me. His story about Nikolaj was funny, though. I’ve heard that in other interviews about him which kind of surprises me as I always thought Kit had the GoT hunk role cornered.

  12. Beware, some bold predictions regarding Season 6/7 below:

    I have never seen this pointed out anywhere, so I’ll post it here… but I worry that the deleted scene from Season 4 between Missandei and Dany (in which Dany asks Missandei to never betray her) was a typical GOT moment where the exact opposite ends up happening; and it was just too obvious a foreshadowing, resulting in its removal.

    Missandei will ultimately betray Dany (and I’m sure she’ll have her reasons). I fear even the fact that they needed to reinstate the deleted scene in a more subtle way in Season 5, is an even bigger give away. In S5E10, Dario is the one to tell Missandei that she’s the one that Dany trusts the most, even more so than she trusts Dario

    The first time the deleted scene was revealed, it was obvious for me that it was one of “those” GoT moments, but I shrugged it off since I saw no one ever mentioning it or talking about it, until I just realised having watched the Season Five finale again that they basically reinstated the exact same scene in a much more subtle way.

  13. The One:
    Wait,why is Nikolaj going to Dublin,are they filming in the other Ireland as well ?

    My first thought was that the flight has a layover in Belfast before moving on to Dublin – or perhaps a layover in Dublin before moving on to Belfast.

  14. Come on, people. Jon Snow isn’t dead. I appreciate the uncertainty they’re trying to create but if he is I’ll eat my hat!
    Wonder if the other cast are being more blatant than usual with their comings and goings to draw attention from Kit as they try and smuggle him in and out!

  15. Siddig’s story about Nikolaj getting swarmed in public because he didn’t want to be rude to him was great.

  16. TheTouchOfFrost:
    Come on, people. Jon Snow isn’t dead. I appreciate the uncertainty they’re trying to create but if he is I’ll eat my hat!Wonder if the other cast are being more blatant than usual with their comings and goings to draw attention from Kit as they try and smuggle him in and out!

    Jon Snow is dead, and he won’t be back until the end of the season when the Night’s King raises him as a White. Yes Jon Snow-White. If we take into consideration that he warged into Ghost in the books, he’ll warg back into his body later, kill the Night’s King with Long-Claw, and lead the army of the dead down towards Winterfell. But having spent so much time in Ghost, he will change almost entirely, only a piece of Jon will be left in him. He’ll be more Ghost than Jon. That’s my other bold prediction for today.
  17. TheTouchOfFrost,

    Ok, he’s not left the show then!

    Mustafa. S.,

    I’m going with the more simpistic but far more sensible, Mel rezs him…not that long after his death either. I don’t think warging will be touched upon for any other character except Bran. Would be too far out of left field for Jon as there have been no hints of him being able to in the show at all.

  18. HotPinkLipstick,

    Mophie looks so irritated to be in those pictures. I imagine it must be hard to be trying to just relax and hang out with a friend, then have everyone run up to you and ask for a picture (see: Siddiqs’s previous Nikolaj story).

  19. M,

    It’s the curse of the pale. Get a little tired or uncomfortable and we morph into minor zombies with remarkable speed. 😛

  20. Pigeon,
    Northern Ireland is gorgeous, the skies, the sea, and the evergreen
    countryside – I’m so glad GOT discovered my homeland and I can
    see it all over GOT while sitting in the US.

  21. Jennifer Arenskjold,

    I’ve always thought so! I’ve never been, but will be making a trip in the next couple of years which I’ve wanted to do for years. 🙂 I’m especially fond of cool weather, so will have to pick my times.

  22. Ravyn,

    So, this shows that Dragons understand Dothraki as well as Valyrian! Another 15 year old internet debate solved…..

  23. clk: I hope they don’t make it horrible like this season, but with this time it will be hard to develop the character.

    Well, given that the Dorne episodes didn’t do particularly poorly in audience or critics rankings, I think that this is an issue only in the minds of some fans. But only some fans: remember, a lot of us were going “well, at least it was not as bad as Book Dorne!”

    However, don’t expect any development of Doran. He gets very little in the books, after all, because he’s very much a background character. If things are going to be happening in Dorne, then the question is: for which character’s story? Will Jaime return to (or never leave) Dorne? And, of course, there is the question: where is Ellaria going? It is possible that the answers to both questions are linked, although I’m not sure how.

  24. Maelina,

    Only one of those is a spoiler: the others are basically old news. And even the “spoiler” is hardly too surprising.

    The question is: what will he/she be doing? B&W had the advantage of know the basic Winter plots and story, so they could “fast-forward” that character a bit. My bet is that

    given that it looks like whatever happens with Asha + Theon and Stannis in Winter probably is a segue to something else. So, what is that something else? OR…. is Yara going to take a (?the) plot-point of her uncle and turn up in Slaver’s Bay with a fleet? Of course, I seem to recall that Daario already had procured a fleet. Still, viewers aren’t dumb: 100 or so ships might seem a bit few.

    Or will she turn up in the north and provide Theon & Sansa (?& Brienne & Pod) with some succor? That would have the added advantage: it might anastomize several character threads, which has to start happening soon.

    (None of these are spoilers, of course, as they are all speculation: but the presence of the character is technically one. It would behove the conversation if we just talk about what the character might do in Winter / Season 6!

  25. Mods, please, could you create more content for the off season? More original content, more opinion pieces, more editorials, more analyses, more specials, more features, more of the well reasoned, well argued, well thought out, educated and intelligent, thought provoking and stimulating pieces. Many of your readership eagerly awaits a new, interesting piece and greedily drink up the limited words of wisdom which tumble forth from the pen of your various contributors. From basking in the pleasure of reading Ozs well articulated but refreshingly unsullied predictions to gulping down the thoughtful and intelligent analyses of Marc’s anatomy of a throne, the content is the warm sweet nectar that keeps the readership going throughout this long dark cold throneless winter. Is ittoo muchmuch to ask for just a little bit more of your quality content to whet our thirst and cool down our parched pallet as we await the first rays of a teaser?

  26. Mihnea,
    That’s him in the middle of the picture, between Tom and John. Mind you, I was expecting someone a bit larger and more manly looking…. 😉

  27. Wimsey,

    We’ll see her with Euron (and maybe Balon, depending on how events are handled) in the Iron Islands. Where she goes from there, I really don’t know. The North at this point in the story is such a jumble of characters that I have a hard time seeing how they’re all going to fit together.

  28. Wimsey,

    Yeah, I wasn’t sure if Gemma’s return was already announced as I haven’t been following the news as closely as I usually do. It is going to be very interesting to see what they’ll do with Yara. Whatever it is, I hope Gemma gets great scenes since she really has done great job with the character, IMO.

    Greenjones,

    Yep, I hope we’ll find out soon who’ll be playing Euron.
  29. I wonder where Nicolaj was flying from? Denmark? Maybe he couldn’t get a direct flight to Belfast, so decided to just go to Dublin instead.

    I read previously that a fan had spotted Kit in Belfast and he declined to have his picture taken as he ‘wasn’t supposed to be there’. Stinks of BS to me, he’d have to at least do some sort of post death scene a la Joffrey/Tywin, unless they’re just ignoring the wall arc for now.

  30. Sean C.: We’ll see her with Euron (and maybe Balon, depending on how events are handled) in the Iron Islands.

    I doubt that we’ll see much (if anything) in the Iron Islands themselves. There is no reason to include the Kingsmoot stuff, after all: that was relevant to the story only if you are trying to make Yara/Asha a protagonist, and even then it is relevant to the Crows/Dragons story only. Winter will be a different story.

    That does leave the “out” of keeping it if it can be modified to fit the Winter story: but that is really hard to say given that we do not know what the Winter story is going to be! (I am still betting on being caught between sides: but that’s just an educated guess.) However, as it is, there is no reason to not just have Euron appear leading a large pirate fleet: whether he’s king or how he got to be that way is a trivial detail.

    At any rate, we did read that Yara’s failure to rescue Theon is going to affect where she goes from here. My bet is that we’ll see something similar in the books, too: albeit from a different failure-to-rescue scenario. That leaves a LOT of options open, however! But as such, I am doubting that we’ll see her with Euron: she will be doing her own thing.

    My question regarding Euron is, who’s storyline will he be affecting?

  31. Maelina,

    It had not been, but we had been told that his/her character was returning at some point. As there are only two more seasons left, and as it was more probable that she’d return for this season than for the last one, we should have been expecting this.

    Still, “expecting” and “knowing” are two different things, so strictly speaking you probably were right to put it in spoiler tags.

  32. Ginger_Giuly11,

    He will be rowing into Meereen soon….

    Actually, weren’t there people here convinced that Gendry was the “handsome young man” that Littlefinger gave the Church?

  33. Maelina,

    Ah, we now can stop worrying about spoiler tags!

    So, let the educated guessing begin: what will Yara be doing this year? We have a small hint from one Winter chapter, and we also have comments from the producers about how Yara’s failure to rescue her brother is going to affect her future plotlines. We can be pretty sure that the show will not attempt to make her a minor protagonist in the way that the books did: moreover, as she now is back with Theon who is a much more important (really, a 3rd tier out of 5 tiers, with Yara/Asha being a 5th tier one) protagonist than Asha/Yara, she might cease to be that in the books, too.

    I lean towards her somehow stumbling on Theon and Sansa at this point. However, I’d bet a plugged nickle on it, tops: I can envision several other scenarios.

  34. Wimsey,

    I don’t think we’ll see Euron appearing out of the blue, that’ll just be a sort of reverse-deus-ex-machina and bad storytelling. I think we’ll begin in the Iron Islands with Balon’s death/assassination, then have the introduction of Euron, Kingsmoot (probably heavily modified to make it more suitable for TV, perhaps a one-on-one duel?), and then possibly an attack on Oldtown in the latter half of the season.
  35. Tori Targaryen:
    Ravyn,

    It wasn’t a mistake by Emilia, rather a collective one. Everyone was there while filming, if she’d made a mistake they would’ve fixed it in a retake. They just hadn’t thought ahead to get the Valyrian word for ‘fly’ (though not sure how they couldn’t have just called David Peterson, but anyway…). I think they could’ve easily just left the original line, I doubt anyone would’ve cared either way.

    Agree totally! I haven’t heard any complaints that she said fly. Everyone I knew was like ‘Hell yeah!’ lol They shouldn’t have tried to fix it because now they made it a thing when it wasn’t a thing before.

    Also a fan posted a pic of Michiel, Nathalie, and Emilia yesterday on twitter so Michiel Huisman is there as well.

  36. Sam,

    I would argue the opposite: it is bad storytelling to spend too much time on the background of tertiary characters. After all, the character is not going to be important – it is much too late for that – but what he represents (pirate naval power that is on nobody’s side but his own) does.

    Remember, B&W only keep things if it is relevant to that season’s story: they do not do plot for the sake of plot or for world-building. So, what was the purpose of the Kingsmoot in the Crows/Dragons’ story? That was Asha/Yara reaching high…. and falling flat on her face. That basically was Cersei’s and Arriane’s story, too. (B&W wisely cut it to just one bellyflopping storyline.) Later, it began to parallel Jaime’s storyline, albeit very obtusely: we begin to see signs of Yara/Asha “growing a soul” in Dragons.

    Now, we don’t know the story of Winter, but we have to take educated guesses. My guess is that it’s going to be about feeling caught between 2 sides you like OR hate. As such, I do not see how the Kingsmoot would fit into the tale: after all, no protagonists are forced to choose between sides there. Indeed, no protagonists will be present there: and there have been only a low frequency of “protagonist free” scenes on this show.

    Or do you think that Winter will tell a very different story into which the Kingsmoot could easily fit?

  37. Wimsey,

    But imagine this. You’re watching season 6, let’s just assume Euron is going to be heavily involved with the Oldtown storyline. Sam is hearing rumors about a pirate with a big fleet about to attack the city. Who is this pirate? Why does he have a fleet? Suddenly, boom, there’s Euron Greyjoy, who’s now king of the Iron Islands because Balon died. Balon, yeah, that season 2 guy. He died. Apparently.
    Euron is attacking Oldtown, because, eh, it’s an attack! Be invested, son! A main character is in danger! Also, hey, there’s Yara. Who’s Balon’s daughter, but accepts Euron. Because… it’s logical?
    Euron is driven out of Oldtown and the good guys win. So, did you enjoy that battle? Were you invested? No you weren’t, because Euron turned up out of the blue without any character development at all. He suddenly appears out of nowhere like some sort of reverse deus-ex-machina, like I said.
    This is how that story is going to look without any proper build up like you (seem to) suggest. But now, there is a way to properly build that up and you could even use a main character for that: Stannis.
    If Stannis is alive (though I honestly think he’s not), basically his only purpose could be to re-introduce the Iron Islands for us. Have Roose mention in the premiere that they’ve driven a group of ironborn out of a random Northern castle or something; next episode, show Stannis crawling through the snow and have him be captured by a group of ironborn. Then Stannis could be our POV in the Iron Islands. And yeah, Stannis wouldn’t really have a character arc if he’s basically a glorified Areo Hotah, but did Theon have a big character arc last season? No, he really didn’t. He basically was there to save Sansa in the end. You could say that his arc was his road to redemption like ADWD, but so much of that was cut that it wasn’t really a road, more of an abrupt turnaround (something that still makes sense in a story kind of way, I’m not trying to shit on D&D here).
    But all in all, if Stannis lives to introduce the ironborn for us he still has to be killed off later; I still think it’s better to just let Yara be the protagonist that re-introduces the Iron Islands to us.

  38. zoomzoonzom,

    I call b.s. on this. I know its been observed that Maisie (while amazingly talented) hasn’t yet gotten the big screen bump that Emilia, Sophie, Kit, and Alfie have, but that she’s resorting to plastic surgery sounds like the worst kind of rumor mongering. There’s no doubt she’s trying to glam up her tomboy image (see the EW interview and photos), but resorting to plastic surgery just sounds like salacious rumoring without any basis in fact. Isn’t her mom heavily involved with her career? Why would she allow that?

  39. Wimsey,

    The show has kept Balon around well past when he exited the narrative, which strongly suggests they’re saving it until the point where the main Ironborn plot is going to enter the show’s narrative again. I expect that the season will start with that, Euron’s rise, and the fallout for Yara (who, as Cogman previously said, is now considered a failure among her people). I wouldn’t expect a big Kingsmoot akin to the books, but the story is going to start on the Iron Islands, and from there Euron will presumably head to the Reach and/or whatever else he’s going to be doing, while Yara will probably head North (hard to see where else she fits in).

  40. Sam: Who is this pirate? Why does he have a fleet? Suddenly, boom, there’s Euron Greyjoy, who’s now king of the Iron Islands because Balon died. Balon, yeah, that season 2 guy. He died.

    That works for me. I mean, didn’t Daeny just run into a large cavalry of Dothraki? Who is the Khal? Where did he get that cavalry? Does it matter? Not in the least: we know that Dothraki exist, so that works. Jon just got whooped by the Night King. Who/what the bleep is the effin’ Night King? No idea: but it does not matter.

    It is the same thing here. It has been established that the Iron Islanders are basically Viking/Pirate types. They pillage en masse. So, having one of their “great captains” lead a major assault would hardly be too surprising.

    Now, am I invested? Yes: because presumably it is affecting one of the principle characters. When things affect a principle character, then I am invested regardless of the source. It is not like “Protagonist X has some serious choices to make because of Y! Now I: A) care because I know about Y; B) don’t care because I don’t know about Y.” It begins and ends with “Protagonist X has some serious choices to make.”

    Conversely, no matter how much they build up Euron, if he does not affect a character in whom I am invested, then I do not care. This will be true for most of the audience: that is why it is so difficult for TV shows to introduce new leads later in a show’s history.

    The interesting quesitons here are not about Euron. Instead, the interesting questions are about X: who is the character (or the characters) that will be affected by Euron? What internal conflicts will he somehow introduce or facilitate that will feed a GRRM story?

    But, again, one of the big questions is: what do you think that the story will be this year? For the first time, you cannot get it from the book. And we know that B&W focus on story above all else. Without knowing the story, it is tough to predict what will happen!

  41. Wimsey: That works for me.I mean, didn’t Daeny just run into a large cavalry of Dothraki?Who is the Khal?Does it matter?Not in the least.Jon just got whooped by the Night King.Who/what the bleep is the effin’ Night King?No idea: but it does not matter.

    Everything around the Night King is a mystery. So is what will happen with Dany next season. That’s not the same as introducing a radical change in the status quo of established characters without any explanation.

  42. Deesensfan,

    If I don’t see his photos, I won’t believe. That’s quite possible that it’s just a corpse. However, Kit said he’s not going back this season (so, it appears it’s not true, even if he just wanted to confirm he’s dead). But perhaps we will wait a while till we see his photos because why would they spoil is if he will live or not?

  43. Sean C.: he show has kept Balon around well past when he exited the narrative, which strongly suggests they’re saving it until the point where the main Ironborn plot is going to enter the show’s narrative again.

    This is the one line of evidence that they do plan to show his death, I agree. However, a Kingsmoot for Euron is as necessary as a “Khalmoot” for Khal Whoever that Daeny is about to meet.

  44. Sexy Jesus is back in Action. I’m sure there are jealous women right now after seeing that Jaqen H’ghar pic

  45. If D&D intended to write out the Kingsmoot, Yara’s failure making her a joke among the Ironborn might explain it if TV Euron just assumes the crown without Yara vigorously contesting it.

  46. Wimsey,

    I didn’t say there was going to be an extended Kingsmoot. But there’s clearly going to be some sort of succession dispute at the Iron Islands, even if it’s as simple as Yara claiming the throne is hers and being driven away.

  47. zoomzoonzom: Maisie’s an adult now. And it’s pretty obvious that she doesn’t think of herself as pretty, regardless of whether she is or not.

    Well, what she seems to recognize is that she’s not going to be classically “beautiful”: but hopefully she realizes that a lot of men (and women of that persuasion) will think her attractive. I can understand why she is sick of being called “cute”: “cute” gets the BFF role, not the leading lady role.

    At any rate, I would not be surprised to see Williams shoot for fairly daring roles in order to break any “cute” stereotypes. She seems very committed to her craft and she seems to be quite conscious of these sorts of things in general. Do not be surprised to see her in Indy films, or perhaps follow the path that Dan Radcliffe has taken to try to break his “cute” Harry Potter image. However, I would be surprised to see her get plastic surgery: she seems more intent on making the world accept her than on becoming what the world quickly accepts.

  48. Sean C.: But there’s clearly going to be some sort of succession dispute at the Iron Islands, even if it’s as simple as Yara claiming the throne is hers and being driven away.

    But that was last year’s story! If it does not play a part in this year’s story, then they probably will not do it. At any rate, they have yet to include things that were just for background and not part of a season’s story.

    At any rate, why is is any more necessary than explaining how Khal Whoevero got his khallasar?

  49. I’ve changed my name because there’s an other Sam hanging around here and it would be confusing, to say the least, with two people nicknamed ‘Sam’ here, especially if we have different opinions.

    Wimsey,

    But the Dothraki are different. They’re basically an entity, and their purpose is to be an entity and strengthen Dany’s army. Khal Jhaqo/Pono/whoever it is in the show does not have a purpose. Euron does; he’s the leader of a massive upcoming faction that works independently from all the other storylines. And you could argue that they’re going to ‘Jhaqoify’ him, but according to the casting calls they’re keeping his basic personality fro the books. Also, about the Night’s King, the Night’s King is a mystery guy working for a mystery faction. We’re not supposed to know a lot about the White Walkers because they’re not human and we’re not supposed to know about their motives; but the ironborn are just humans, the show invested us in them in S2 and Euron is supposedly their king, meaning that we know full well what they’re trying to do: attack Oldtown/*insert region/city here* and try and conquer Westeros. Euron is much more of a character than the Dothraki or the Night’s King, at least in the books, and according to the casting calls in the show as well.
    Regarding your X/Y-argument, I don’t agree with you, but I think that is something personal; you get invested because a protagonist is in danger, I get invested when a protagonist is in danger by someone I know about. This is something personal (because you’re invested faster than I am) and I’m not going to argue about that, because take one look at the internet and you know that’s pointless. 🙂

  50. While a lovely woman, Maisie’s features are still very child-like, whereas Sophie can cake on a clown-car worth of makeup and play seductress. It’s got to feel limiting for Maisie. Her height and her adorable pug nose will limit her available roles to “spunky kid, tragic urchin, manic pixie” and that type of thing.

    In five years, she’ll probably grow into her face, but I can imagine she’s impatient.

  51. Wimsey

    Maybe there’s a chance Asha/Yara joins a group (with Theon) around a returning Jon as part of a gradual uniting the north narrative?

  52. Anyone from Riverlands back? Or they completely wiped it off the map of Westros?
    A nuke went off there? Or Blackfish, Brotherhood and the Freys were all sucked into a black hole ?
    Well, at least we know Gendry drowned!

  53. Sam the Slayer: But the Dothraki are different. They’re basically an entity, and their purpose is to be an entity and strengthen Dany’s army.

    That makes the Dothraki and the Iron Born equivalent in these stories. Both are basically plot elements that affect the decisions of main characters. In both book and show, Euron is basically going to be the face for a force of people that affects X’s (and possibly Y’s and Z’s) storyline in some way. How? We don’t know! But Euron as a character (i.e., the “why” of Euron) is not going to be important. It’s much too late in the game to develop one.

    chamush: A nuke went off there? Or Blackfish, Brotherhood and the Freys were all sucked into a black hole ?

    Yes: the Red Wedding! Remember, this is a story about people, not places. And the people about whom the story is are not in the Riverlands.

    Look at it this way. In the conclusion, the story is going to hinge on how much Jon, Daeny, Tyrion, Arya, Brann and (maybe) Sansa have changed since Season 1/Book 1. The Riverlands already has contributed everything to the evolution of these characters as it is going to do.

    LordDavos: Maybe there’s a chance Asha/Yara joins a group (with Theon) around a returning Jon as part of a gradual uniting the north narrative?

    I do not think that there will be much of a “uniting the north” narrative on the show. However, I do expect there to be a uniting of major and minor characters, given GRRM’s and B&W’s comments, and just the nature of multiprotagonist stories. That’s why I am leaning towards this idea right now. However, this is a very tenuous “lean”: don’t give me too much credit if I’m right or too much “ha ha” if I am wrong! There are so many plausible scenarios that it is tough to guess.

  54. Sam, Jaqen and Yara in the same picture? Reminds me of Sophie going out with Team Bolton last season, these three seem to be on a collosion course if the books are anything to go by (Gray Worm too, to a lesser extent- if I am correct in guessing that Dany will go to Oldtown shortly after reaching Westeros).

    Bring on the battle of Oldtown!

  55. Wimsey,

    Eh, you’re basically skipping the counterargument that I already gave in my last comment. I would agree with you, if it weren’t for the casting call, that clearly states that they’re planning to give Euron all the traits he has in the books.
    Also, I don’t think they’re done with the Riverlands. The Blackfish should have died at the RW if they were.

  56. Wimsey:
    But that was last year’s story!If it does not play a part in this year’s story, then they probably will not do it.At any rate, they have yet to include things that were just for background and not part of a season’s story.

    At any rate, why is is any more necessary than explaining how Khal Whoevero got his khallasar?

    Um, no. This year’s story is stuff that was delayed from last year, where there’s a succession crisis among the Ironborn and Euron and Yara kick off whatever their new plots are. I expect it will be dealt with quickly, but it’s necessary to set up the plot and where the characters are. Also, I don’t recall many succession crises last year, and not every single moment of every plotline is organize around one idea.

    The new khal is one of the successors of Drogo. We saw Drogo die, and we were told there were new khals roaming the plains. That’s all established. Conversely, the Ironborn are an established group of characters with a status quo. Things with Euron and Yara need to be properly depicted to get the characters from Point A to Point B.

  57. zoomzoonzom: Being near Sophie, someone whose looks are favored by many more people and who gets more roles of better quality and popularity, would make anyone insecure.

    Oh, trust me: I have several ex-girlfriends who were very attractive women in their own right, but who had the “pretty” sister or best friend. There are two key points here: one, despite the fact that these women were quite accomplished on their own, they had these hangups; and, two, I was still interested in having sex with them, and I never was the first guy to do so, either!

    Given Williams comments, she seems to be acutely aware of this: but I also get the sense that she will try to break that mold. Of course, just breaking the stereotype of “tom-boy” will be tough for her: any actor/actress with first success in a show or film like this will have troubles getting other people to think of them in a different light.

  58. Sam the Slayer,

    They’re not done with the Riverlands. The writers said as much, per David Bradley. We haven’t heard whether he’s back this season or not, specifically, but a lot of the casting information certainly indicates the Riverlands are back in play. How, I really have no idea.

  59. Sean C.: Um, no. This year’s story is stuff that was delayed from last year, where there’s a succession crisis among the Ironborn and Euron and Yara kick off whatever their new plots are.

    No, this year’s story is going to be the Winter story, whatever that is. They’ve been pretty clear that they were doing Crows and Dragons in one season, and that they intend to do the last two stories in the next two years. Moreover, neither Euron nor Yara will have plots: they aren’t lead characters. They will be part of the plots for existing lead characters.

    (And, yes, all of the plotlines in each season contribute to the story for that season: they do not do plot-for-the-sake-of-plot. That is the big complaint of people who lament the loss of world-building, although they would phrase it differently.)

    As for the new Khal, why will he be a successor to Drogo per se? He could be any khal. Moreover, if he is a successor to Drogo, why is it any less important to show how he came to power than it would be for Euron? I would say that they are equally important: which is also to say, unimportant.

    My point is this: the audience will no more wonder about the origins of one than the origins of another. Cavalries, fleets, etc. have leaders: that is the nature of such entities. (And if you expect the audience to have the same obsession that some fans have with Euron, then I would counsel against that!)

  60. zoomzoonzom:
    Ravyn,

    Maisie’s an adult now. And it’s pretty obvious that she doesn’t think of herself as pretty, regardless of whether she is or not. If she wants to do it, then fine. But it’s tragic that looks are valued over talent when it comes to getting acting jobs. Maisie has little chance of getting a large movie role like Sophie and Emilia.

    They’re making a movie version of the very popular video game “The Last Of Us” and everyone involved with it has made it explicitly clear that they want Maisie for the lead, so yes, she could get a large movie role. She’s also said that she’s gotten offers, she just isn’t interested in those type of roles. As has been said, she still looks quite young so at this point, she’s not going to be getting any roles in the “big” movies other than as the “cute, spunky kid” type ones and there’s no way she’d be interested in that.

    Maisie Williams is arguably (alongside Dinklage) the most popular actor from the cast and she’s been filming a bunch of diverse roles (comedic, dramatic, doing different accents, etc.) to show her range in independent films. And using the press/red carpets from GOT to show that she’s growing up into a woman while the show is showing her talent. She’s setting herself up nicely.

    Sure, Clarke, Harrington, etc. got the “big” roles, but they didn’t exactly burn up the box office or do anything for their careers because they weren’t good choices. Maisie Williams is trying to make good, long-lasting choices for her career.

  61. Pigeon,

    I’ve always said that the UK (and Ireland) doesn’t get the credit it deserves when it comes to natural beauty. The countryside here can be breathtaking and the national parks we have are glorious too.

  62. Wimsey:
    No, this year’s story is going to be the Winter story, whatever that is.They’ve been pretty clear that they were doing Crows and Dragons in one season, and that they intend to do the last two stories in the next two years.Moreover, neither Euron nor Yara will have plots: they aren’t lead characters.They will be part of the plots for existing lead characters.

    Yes, but the Winter story requires setup that was in AFFC, and was omitted from last season. Like I said, it’s not going to take up a lot of space, but the Iron Islands have a status quo, as does Yara. The show clearly, due to its handling of Balon, intends to dramatize the changes to it. Doing so makes complete sense, as it builds up Euron as a villain and provides Yara with the impetus for whatever her plot trajectory this season will be (if it is, as people suspect, going to the North, where her book character already is, there has to be a reason for that).

    As for the new Khal, why will he be a successor to Drogo per se?He could be any khal.Moreover, if he is a successor to Drogo, why is it any less important to show how he came to power than it would be for Euron?I would say that they are equally important: which is also to say, unimportant.

    He’s a successor to Drogo because Drogo was the master of an enormous khalasar that broke apart on his death. Which we saw. And Dany then runs across one of the splinters, hence, why they recognize her. And more to the point, even if it was a new khalasar completely unrelated, that’s no problem; they’re characters we’ve never seen before. Euron takes over leadership of an existing group of characters we’ve already seen on the show, and there are consequences of this for Yara. All of that is important to the story.

  63. JenniferH: As has been said, she still looks quite young so at this point, she’s not going to be getting any roles in the “big” movies other than as the “cute, spunky kid” type ones and there’s no way she’d be interested in that.

    That is why I would not be surprised to see her go the low[er]-budget Indy or small studio film route. A lot of the time, these focus on pretty strong character drama, so they are a good format for expanding one’s acting chops. Indeed, that is where you will find stories that involve how women that look like Williams are every bit as “woman” a women that look like Turner!

    JenniferH: Sure, Clarke, Harrington, etc. got the “big” roles, but they didn’t exactly burn up the box office or do anything for their careers because they weren’t good choices.

    The choices were not necessarily bad: it is just that they did not pan out. Both films had the potential to be hits and/or good films: however, for every film that has the potential to do so, only some succeed in doing so. It is not as if these should have screamed “don’t touch this with a 10 meter pole!” at the start.

  64. I can’t see Sansa going to Pyke – too dangerous – so if Theon sticks with her they will most likely go to Jon initially. It depends if Asha/Yara goes on a find brother trip. Or maybe she is sent to Winterfell to find out what’s happening.

  65. JenniferH,

    Unless its changed in the past month, Maisie said in Entertainment Weekly that the Last of Us role is probably history as she hasn’t heard anything and “I’m probably too old to play it now anyway”.

  66. LordDavos,

    Littlefinger coming North with the Valemen is a pretty obvious signal that Sansa is staying in the North. I expect she will go to the Wall first, which will put her and Theon in touch with Davos (and who knows whatever else will be going on there), at which point they’ll have to assess next moves, and presumably get word of the Vale army arriving. Sansa and Theon may split up at this point; I really have no idea.

  67. Sean C.: Yes, but the Winter story requires setup that was in AFFC, and was omitted from last season.

    One, the plot might, but the story does not. Two, how do you possibly know this? What do you think that the story of Winter will be?

    At any rate, I think this highly improbable. The lead characters all received important setup for their Winter stories in Crows: and I cannot see how the Iron Island stuff is going to affect any of the lead characters. If it does not affect a lead character, then it’s not part of a story: all stories are, after all, identity crises in lead characters. Yara is not going to magically become a lead character this year. Euron might be an antagonist (not a “villain”), but he also might just be the face of a “Greek Chorus.” (That is, after all, pretty much what he is in the books.)

    Sean C.: Doing so makes complete sense, as it builds up Euron as a villain and provides Yara with the impetus for whatever her plot trajectory this season will be

    Unless they turn Yara into a lead character, they will not be doing that. She will be part of the plotline for someone else’s story (as she has been throughout the series).

    Sean C.: He’s a successor to Drogo because Drogo was the master of an enormous khalasar that broke apart on his death.

    And we were shown this… when? It wasn’t on TV, so the audience does not know about it. Moreover, the audience will not care. Big cavalries of horsemen have leaders. Big fleets of ships have leaders. The backgrounds of those leaders is not important to the story.

    Look at it this way. If you are watching a film that involves naval action, then the movie does not take the time to develop the admirals of the fleets unless one or more is a lead character. The “other” fleet (and maybe your fleet if you are an underling) has an admiral because fleets have admirals. The how/why they got there is not relevant to the story unless the story involves the evolution of someone who is an admiral.

  68. I think they’ll have to give some closure to Balon and having Yara to introduce Euron makes sense. Maybe a massively streamlined Kingsmoot to introduce Euron and what he’s about. I think Yara could possibly tkae some of Vic’s role as a being under Euron’s sway but planning on betraying him. Depends on how important the interaction between her and Theon is. The demise of Stannis has really changed a lot in the show as he was central to a number of characters.

    Chimeny,

    Indeed. It seems a lot of people don’t seem to think beyond London when visiting our shores when there’s so much else on offer.

  69. Wimsey: The choices were not necessarily bad: it is just that they did not pan out. Both films had the potential to be hits and/or good films:

    Uh…there was no potential for Pompeii to be a hit. In all seriousness, fans are wondering because Sophie has X-Men, Nathalie is in Furious 7, Alfie is in John Wick, Kit got good notices for Testament of Youth, Emilia is getting so many offers she can turn down 50 Shades of Grey, Gwendoline is in Star Wars and Hunger Games with Natalie Dormer. Even Nikolaj just finished a movie. Dinklage is always in demand. It leaves one to wonder where’s Maisie’s big screen offer. Frankly, someone as distinctive as her, I think, will get her chance. She fits comfortably into the Ellen Page/Winona Ryder quirky role. There aren’t many of them, but when they come along, they can make you a star overnight.

  70. Ravyn:
    JenniferH,

    Unless its changed in the past month, Maisie said in Entertainment Weekly that the Last of Us role is probably history as she hasn’t heard anything and “I’m probably too old to play it now anyway”.

    The point was that you said she can’t get big movie roles, and that right there in the fact that everyone involved wanted her for what would be a big movie role shows that, yes, she can get big movie roles. And she has said that she’s gotten scripts for big movie roles. But, again, as I said because she still looks young, she’s probably gotten ones where she would be playing just a 2-dimensional kid/bratty or shallow teenager role, and she wouldn’t be interested in anything like that. That was my point.

  71. JenniferH: The point was that you said she can’t get big movie roles

    No I didn’t. I said she “hasn’t yet”. I actually think the opposite. I think you’re responding to the wrong person.

  72. Ravyn: there was no potential for Pompeii to be a hit

    There was: it was hoping to be a Titanic-type of hit (in terms of reception, not ticket sales). It’s not the first film to try (and fail) to do this, either.

    It didn’t work, but my understanding is that the direction was the biggest problem. I’ve read that several of the performers actually did good jobs with what turned out to be bad material. And direction is key here: a bad director with a good script is like a bad performer playing a good song, after all.

  73. Wimsey:
    At any rate, I think this highly improbable.The lead characters all received important setup for their Winter stories in Crows: and I cannot see how the Iron Island stuff is going to affect any of the lead characters.If it does not affect a lead character, then it’s not part of a story: all stories are, after all, identity crises in lead characters.Yara is not going to magically become a lead character this year.Euron might be an antagonist (not a “villain”), but he also might just be the face of a “Greek Chorus.”(That is, after all, pretty much what he is in the books.)

    Unless they turn Yara into a lead character, they will not be doing that.She will be part of the plotline for someone else’s story (as she has been throughout the series).

    I know you don’t like AFFC, but if you can’t see the setup there, it’s because you don’t want to. Euron is set up as the next big villain (and yes, the word is “villain”; he’s a pirate king who dabbles in sorcery and is trying to conquer the whole continent, and whose pastimes include slaving), and his interest in magic and dragon-control strongly suggests he will be facing Dany eventually (there’s been a lot of discussion on this point in the fandom, since we’ve had over a decade to analyze the clues GRRM has provided). He’s also very likely going to sack Oldtown (or try to do so).

    Likewise, Yara not being one of the “lead characters” doesn’t mean she doesn’t have scenes of her own, and her own development. By your logic, the sequence with her at the end of Season 3 should not exist. It establishes her motivation for going to get Theon, as well as the fact that she’s going against Balon in doing so, and that Balon has written Theon off, and teases the viewer with events to come. The probable Iron Islands scenes at the start of Season 6 will follow this pattern. Establish the villain and the new political situation amongst the Ironborn, which kicks off their new plot, and sends Yara off into what will presumably be Theon’s story again.

    And we were shown this… when?It wasn’t on TV, so the audience does not know about it.Moreover, the audience will not care.Big cavalries of horsemen have leaders.Big fleets of ships have leaders.The backgrounds of those leaders is not important to the story.

    Look at it this way.If you are watching a film that involves naval action, then the movie does not take the time to develop the admirals of the fleets unless one or more is a lead character.The “other” fleet (and maybe your fleet if you are an underling) has an admiral because fleets have admirals.The how/why they got there is not relevant to the story unless the story involves the evolution of someone who is an admiral.

    If the fleet in question showed up in Season 2 and was led by one guy, and then reappeared later with a new leader who had completely changed their goals, I would expect there to be some explanation, at a bare minimum, for how this came to be. And the way they’ve handled Balon indicates the show agrees with me on this point.

  74. Sean C.,

    I think her going to the Last Hearth and being reunited with Rickon there is more likely than her going to the Wall. Then she could be involved with the Umber and the other Northern lord (from the casting calls) who are presumably involved in rebelling against the Boltons. I haven’t really kept up with AFOIAF since the “ranting and raving” hate-watch circlejerk reached its apex there (I’ve found greener pastures forum-wise since anyhow), so I don’t know if that possibility for Sansa has been brought up there, Colonel, but I think she’s poised to have a big hand in the ousting of the Boltons. Which will then reunite her with LF when he shows up thereabouts.

  75. Chimeny,

    That surprises me, as I’ve always been envious of the ability to live in a place with so much beauty and history and proximity to so many OTHER places with so much going on as well. Any big city has bad areas, but honestly I’ve never heard anyone I know saying anything but good.

  76. Sean C.: I know you don’t like AFFC, but if you can’t see the setup there, it’s because you don’t want to. Euron is set up as the next big villain (and yes, the word is “villain”; he’s a pirate king who dabbles in sorcery and is trying to conquer the whole continent, and whose pastimes include slaving), and

    I am sorry, but there is no such setup. He’s barely in Crows. He does not directly affect any of the major characters. The Iron Fleet might be a factor: but that is a very different statement from saying that Euron will be a factor. (And, no dabbling in sorcery does not make you a “villain”: villains exist only in very different types of stories than GRRM writes.)

    What are you assuming that the story of Winter will be? You must be thinking that it will be quite different from what I am predicting (people being caught between sides that they like/dislike equally or nearly equally). That is going to be critical, because B&W have focused on story first and everything else afterwards. And, unlike either you or me, they know what GRRM’s Winter story is.

  77. Ravyn: Yeah, Paul Anderson is no James Cameron, that’s for sure. That whole movie was sold on Kit’s abs.

    The shame is that it could have been much more than that. Obviously, it was trying to tell the same story as Titanic, and Pompei is an equally powerful backdrop for telling that story. When they realize that the best thing they have for selling a film is someone’s body, well, you know that it went very wrong! Still, I did read a few places that Kit’s performance (and also Akinnuoye-Agbaje) turned in good performances. They got a decent cast (Carrie Ann Moss, Kiefer Sutherland), so clearly other actors thought that this could be a good film, too.

    Oh well!

  78. Greenjones:
    I think her going to the Last Hearth and being reunited with Rickon there is more likely than her going to the Wall. Then she could be involved with the Umber and the other Northern lord (from the casting calls) who are presumably involved in rebelling against the Boltons. I haven’t really kept up with AFOIAF since the “ranting and raving” hate-watch circlejerk reached its apex there (I’ve found greener pastures forum-wise since anyhow), so I don’t know if that possibility for Sansa has been brought up there, Colonel, but I think she’s poised to have a big hand in the ousting of the Boltons. Which will then reunite her with LF when he shows up thereabouts.

    I think she’ll become involved with that group somehow, but I expect she’ll go to the Wall first. It seemed to be set up last year, and the character has no reason to go to Last Heart at present; moreover, I tend to think she’s going to draw Davos into this story, since he’s sort of involved in it in the books, albeit in a very different context, and the show tends to do that sort of thing. Though I would be amused if she just went to Last Hearth for shelter and met Rickon there, since that would make her learning about Bran and Rickon’s survival from Theon, which many people argue was one of the plot justifications for her story last year, completely pointless (though that would be true in any plot except one where Rickon wasn’t at Last Hearth and needed her intervention, frankly).

    Wimsey: I am sorry, but there is no such setup.He’s barely in Crows.He does not directly affect any of the major characters.The Iron Fleet might be a factor: but that is a very different statement from saying that Euron will be a factor.(And, no dabbling in sorcery does not make you a “villain”: villains exist only in very different types of stories than GRRM writes.)

    No, there is such setup. That’s why GRRM introduced a “dark lord” archetype with an interest in dragon control and dark magic, and who launched an invasion of the Reach. The fact that he’s only on-page comparatively briefly doesn’t matter; we’re into TWOW. And that’s why he’s showing up now in the show, because he’s an important villain.

    I’m comfortable calling a man who engages in deliberate campaigns of rape and murder a villain for his own personal aggrandizement. I’m not sure why you focused on “dabbles in sorcery” as the reason why he’s a villain.

  79. TheTouchOfFrost,

    Exactly. And while London is great, it’s as you say, there is plenty more to see of this country than just London. The Yorkshire Dales for example, they are absolutely fantastic and I really would love to live there one day.

  80. I think Nikolaj Coster-Waldau’s Gods of Egypt looks like a total shitshow. Not even semi-naked hot guys will save it.

    And yeah, on the Euron thing, he’s not a major player. He’s a plot mover for other characters, just like about 1860 of GRRM’s other named characters. They can introduce him in 90 seconds and 10 lines of dialogue.

  81. Sean C.,

    I think she’ll be headed for the Wall (with Theon and potentially Brienne and Pod) initially but that they’ll either get side-tracked (maybe because of Rams chasing after them) or hear that Jon’s died and choose to try the Last Hearth instead.

  82. Pigeon,

    Oh right, well that is true for you, indeed, but I have found some people thinking the UK is like a giant city or at best, we don’t have much natural beauty (I have heard some of this out first-hand just to let you know) and our weather is always grey and drizzly…
    Anyway… yes, it is great to be around so much history and to be able to visit Medieval castles and towns, Roman baths and ancient Briton/Celtic relics, Dark Age (or High Medieval I guess) Gothic churches and forts and ships from the time of the British Empire. We are lucky to have such a rich history right on our doorstep yes, I just wish more people here respected and enjoyed our history… and European history in general too.

  83. Greenjones,

    Those Northern lords are only appearing in 2 and 3 episodes, respectively. I tend to think they’ll be appearing more toward the middle/end of the season, as the Northern plot moves toward its conclusion, not at the beginning. That’s another thing that I think militates against them going to Last Hearth immediately.

  84. Sean C.,

    If anything, that would give the theory more credence, as

    if they bothered to adapt a line that specific from the books, there must be something significant about it. Keep in mind D&D almost NEVER take dialogue directly from the books. I’ve always thought Dany would die shortly before or shortly after reaching Westeros, like Moses (who she has some parallels with)–now I wonder if Missandei might be involved somehow.
  85. Since they’ve purposely kept Balon Greyjoy alive (3 seasons after he should have died), then the whole issue of succession and a Kingsmoot isn’t going to play out. Balon still controls the Iron Islands and I imagine he will continue to do so (hell, he was JUST mentioned last season–by Sansa–as being the Lord of the Iron Islands). Thus, when Euron is introduced, he’s going to retain all of his book characteristics, just not his book storyline. I’m going to guess that when we see him, he’ll be on a boat sailing to The Reach to attack them (which has the added bonus of connecting Lady Ollena (who we already know won’t be in KL this season), Randyll Tarly and Sam), at Balon’s command.

    As a side, I don’t think we can continue trying to fit the book storylines into the show. Some of those storylines CANNOT happen on the show anymore because they’re not cohesive with where the show is, and what the show has done with these characters/narratives. If the show has purposely kept Balon alive, its not to kill him off next season. It seems to me that they’ve kept Balon alive so they can skip over the entire question of Iron Island succession and just get to whatever his ultimatle purpose is in the books.

  86. outdoorcats,

    Direct adaptations of book dialogue have gotten rarer and rarer, but they do happen. Regardless, it can’t have been that important, since they cut it and then released the deleted scene (deleted scenes they think are too spoiler-y never see the light of day).

    RosanaZugey,

    That’s really counterintuitive. Euron is nowhere near as threatening as a villain if he’s just some lackey. Balon was kept alive because the show, as it often does, wanted to keep the moment closer to when they were going to follow it up in the plot. They also included his name amongst the leeches (even though, ironically, he has actually outlived Stannis now).

    Greenjones,

    Yeah, like I said in my earlier post that you responded to, Davos is off looking for Rickon in the books, meaning he’ll be involved in the future of the Northern politics plot somehow, presumably. Stannis is gone in the show, but this still gives Davos something akin to his book plot, albeit with some pretty marked differences (as the show often does). The fact that Davos is still alive means he must have something to do, and I don’t think much more time is going to be spent with the Night’s Watch, given how it’s been emptied of its core castmembers. It all fits together pretty neatly (so watch it be wrong).

  87. Chimeny,

    Well, people have actually said to me, “Oh, you’re in Canada? Do you know *insert person’s name*. Honestly. So the one big city idea, I definitely hear you on that! 😉

  88. Sean C.: No, there is such setup. That’s why GRRM introduced a “dark lord” archetype with an interest in dragon control and dark magic, and who launched an invasion of the Reach.

    This is not that sort of story. GRRM has been very clear about the type of story he is writing, after all, and there is no place for “dark lords” in it. As for the “organized rape,” that is called “viking”: it was a verb before it was a noun!

    Look at it this way. Jon, Daeny & Tyrion are (probably) over 50% of the story. Of what remains, Arya, Bran and (probably) Sansa are over 50% of what is is left. The stories are (in GRRM’s words) different types of internal conflicts for these characters.

    So, what internal conflict is Euron going to offer any of the “Big Six”? What “this is right/wrong” dilemma can he introduce? Euron is nobody to any of these characters. Even if we go further down the list, he is nobody to even Theon: yes, he’s Theon’s uncle, but Theon never has any direct interactions with him.

    Just doing unpleasant things is not enough to make someone a major antagonist: he/she has to directly and adversely affect important characters. But if he is not going to affect the characters that are (combined) probably greater than 3/4ths of the story, then how important can he be?

    You obviously are thinking that Winter is going to be a very different type of story than GRRM’s prior stories: but after 4 Faulkneresque stories, why do you think that he would go in such a radically different direction?

  89. Sean C.:
    outdoorcats,

    Direct adaptations of book dialogue have gotten rarer and rarer, but they do happen.Regardless, it can’t have been that important, since they cut it and then released the deleted scene (deleted scenes they think are too spoiler-y never see the light of day).

    RosanaZugey,

    That’s really counterintuitive.Euron is nowhere near as threatening as a villain if he’s just some lackey.Balon was kept alive because the show, as it often does, wanted to keep the moment closer to when they were going to follow it up in the plot.They also included his name amongst the leeches (even though, ironically, he has actually outlived Stannis now).

    I don’t believe he has to be portrayed as Balon’s lackey to be equally threatening and effective. I’ve always considered the driving force of the Greyjoy threat to be their unrelenting ambition to take all of these Kingdoms and ultimately sit on the Iron Throne. Euron could most definitely still display that ambition and threat, even if its at Balon’s command. Or, even better, he can go out at Balon’s command, but have a different agenda for himself (i.e. to move on from The Reach and march towards King’s Landing). If Asha/Yara is with him, they can even create the same sort of conflict between them (and even introduce elements of Victarion) by having the same sort of debates that the KM brought up (i.e. What do/should the Iron Islanders want in a King and for themselves).

    I think they can very much capture the essence of these characters and their personlities without having to mimic their book storyline. Tell you the truth, I think that’s what they’re going to do with any and every character they “introduce” from here on out. They’re going to try and capture their essence while moving away from their storyline.

  90. zoomzoonzom:

    Maisie’s an adult now. And it’s pretty obvious that she doesn’t think of herself as pretty, regardless of whether she is or not. If she wants to do it, then fine. But it’s tragic that looks are valued over talent when it comes to getting acting jobs. Maisie has little chance of getting a large movie role like Sophie and Emilia.

    You need to quit with this bullshit now. Maisie is a beautiful young lady and comments like yours make women around the world doubt their beauty and individuality. Just fucking stop.

  91. Chimeny,

    It’s great there. Actually going camping in Whitby over the summer with my friends which I’m really looking forward to ( don’t worry I’ll watch out for Dracula!). Actually thought Whitby could have been a decent Oldtown if they’d had gone that way!
    I live on the doorstep of the Peak District which is a hidden gem. Plus there’s the Lake District, the Welsh Valleys, The Scottish Highlands and Cornwall amongst other places. All of them dotted with history from as far back as the Bronze Age (often find Bronze Age ruins when I go wandering around the Peaks!). Hopefully GoT will encourage people to come and wander around Britain and Europe as the world it has created is so heavily influenced by the history here. I know GRRM certainly loves it when he comes over visiting! I’ll stop before I start gushing about my home town ( world’s first factory/start of the industrial revolution and all that!).

  92. Wimsey,

    Euron is very likely going to be Dany’s main opposition in her invasion of the south, because it’s suggested that his interest in magic, etc. will allow him to try to control the dragons (who are Dany’s “children”, and kind of important). That’s the most obvious conflict he brings (you can’t conquer a continent without it) — as for what else, I don’t know, seeing as I can’t predict everything GRRM will do.

    In addition, of course, to threatening Oldtown, where Sam will be.

    You obviously are thinking that Winter is going to be a very different type of story than GRRM’s prior stories

    Er, no, I’m not.

  93. Unlike 20 years ago, a time when if you weren’t a classic beauty, you were mostly relegated to “best friend” or/and “quirky sidekick” roles, and you sure as hell couldn’t land a magazine cover, things have fortunately, at least to some extent, changed. The definition of beauty has expanded. Women no longer have to fit the cookie-cutter mold to be considered beautiful. It’s rather refreshing.

    Maise is growing into quite a striking young woman. As some have pointed out, yes, she still looks very young, and for the time being that will limit her, somewhat, but with her talent and her looks, she should have quite the successful career ahead of her.

  94. Pigeon,

    Toats
    ______
    I don’t know why, but I was never interested in the greyjoy story. I see “yara” in one of the photos so I guess they’ll be back next season.. Like there wasn’t enough storylines already!

  95. Who cares what Maisie looks like. Beauty is subjective but I don’t think anyone can claim she’s ugly. The important thing is that she seems a sweet kid and she acts well which is what I want from my actors!

  96. Reminder: Please be respectful in your comments and discussion with others. You can review our moderation policy here. Thank you.

  97. zoomzoonzom,

    Just look at it the other way. Maisie has a chance of actually getting good roles that will help her bettering her acting abilities.

    There is this very simplistic view of Hollywood I’ve been sorta served on a silver platter since childhood that all those blockbusters are a worthless pile of crap. And while I’m not saying Kit Harrington and Emilia Clarke will have their careers in ruins after Pompeii and Terminator Genysis, the relative box-office failures sure won’t make them the go-to lead actor candidates for another multi-million production anytime soon.
    Maisie Williams might have a safer albeit longer route in front of her. It’s all up to her, although definitely a lot of pressure from her surroundings.

  98. Sean C.

    Yes. When Sansa hears of the Vale army she will most likely come back and there will be a ‘catch-up’ with Littlefinger. There was Mel’s vision of Bolton banners coming down. I think from memory that was mentioned twice.

  99. At the risk of sounding like a tabloid gossiper, I just want to add that one of my longtime friends from college lives and teaches in the area where most of these guys and girls are seen each season and keeps me updated on what occurs and who is seen around town. Well, it is true that Rose Leslie lives in the area, and she and Kit Harington are routinely seen around town, and in the general area and are often not bothered by the locals. She personally has not seen Kit in recent days but if he is there, it’s entirely possible he is visiting Rose. She tells me he is a frequent visitor usually spending 3 or 4 days a week up in that area with Rose Leslie. Of course it’s possible sighting of him have to do with the show too, but I just wanted to add that piece of info that’s not a guarantee either as he has additional reasons for being seen in the vicinity.

  100. Ravyn: No I didn’t. I said she “hasn’t yet”. I actually think the opposite. I think you’re responding to the wrong person.

    You’re right, I’m sorry. I was thinking of someone else.

  101. Brilliant observation Sir. It would be great because no one sees it coming. The last betrayal should be the best of all. This would be scrumptious.

    Mustafa. S.,

  102. Rose Leslie’s actually at the London Film & Comic Con this weekend, so if Kit really has been seen in Belfast this weekend, it wasn’t to visit Rose.

  103. Sean C.: Euron is very likely going to be Dany’s main opposition in her invasion of the south, because it’s suggested that his interest in magic, etc. will allow him to try to control the dragons (who are Dany’s “children”, and kind of important). That’s the most obvious conflict he brings (you can’t conquer a continent without it) — as for what else,

    There is no conflict here: Daeny would have no qualms at all about what to do. Euron would just be another enemy. Daeny has to have some sort of reservations and/or second thoughts about what she is doing: otherwise, it’s just action and not story.

    At any rate, it is much, much too late to make Euron an antagonist. You probably have not read the “How to Train Your Dragon” series, unless you have young kids. I have a 7 year old son, and they are great books for getting young kids to read for two reasons. One, they are written at the “early reading” level, and, two, the stories themselves are pretty good despite the narrative style! One great thing about kids stories is that they frequently do not just tell stories: they introduce kids to what stories are. This one is no exception. At the conclusion of the penultimate book, the narrator stops and basically summarizes just how different Hiccup (the protagonist) has become over the series. Then it emphasizes just how much the primary antagonist (Alvin the Treacherous) has become. Alvin is introduced in the 2nd book, and most (albeit not all) of the stories stem from some conflicts between Hiccup and Alvin that lead to the further evolution of both stories. As the tale simply states, this has not been just about how Hiccup got to be the young man that he is: it’s also about how his arch-enemy Alvin came to be the man that he is, and the protagonist made the antagonist just as much as the antagonist made the protagonist. (This is a common theme in that type of story, after all.)

    This is simply stating for kids a basic rule of storytelling: in a protagonist vs. antagonist story, you have to develop the protagonist and antagonist throughout the story, or over the course of the stories in the case of a series. In a way, it’s just Chekhov’s Reverse Gun: the gun fired late must be hung early. However, 6/7ths of the way through the series, and the Euron gun has not been truly hung. Daeny probably has next to no idea who he is. Can you imagine Harry Potter if Harry did not discover who Voldemort was until the 6th book, or His Dark Materials if Lyra did not discover what the Church was until partway through the third book? Yes, we have read about him a handful of times: but the key is that Daeny has not.

    Moreover, GRRM’s tale is of a very different sort than “protagonist vs. antagonist”: this is not about enemies making each other, but about people evolving in convoluted messes of conflicting demands on their character. There are antagonistic relationships: but no true antagonists here.

    Sean C.: Er, no, I’m not.

    And yet what you are describing would be very, very different! Again, I think that this is going to be a story about choosing between equally likable sides. I might be wrong, but it would be a very GRRM story to tell. I guess that I am not seeing a plain simple statement of what you think that the story will be, or how that story will be like the kill the child, become the adult, love hate relationships, conflicted loyalty or conflicted values stories that we’ve gotten in the first four tales. That makes it much harder for me to see why you think Euron will be important enough that his background need be developed.

  104. TheTouchOfFrost: Come on, people. Jon Snow isn’t dead. I appreciate the uncertainty they’re trying to create but if he is I’ll eat my hat!

    It’s days like this where you appreciate that chocolate hat that I bought you!

    😀

  105. “Also, Reek has been enjoying the view as he too has arrived in Belfast:”

    NOT REEK, NEVER REEK. HIS NAME IS THEON GREYJOY. YOU HAVE TO REMEMBER YOUR NAME.

  106. TOIVA,

    I think not being the go to actor for a big franchise might not be the worst thing for a burgeoning acting career. If anyone’s getting the blame for Genisys its Alan Taylor, who’s likely to return to TV after this. It also might advance the narrative that Arnold’s waaaayyy past his prime and that the entire T franchise should be put out to pasture, a realization that came three movies too late, if you ask me.

  107. Wimsey,

    I’m not a book reader, so I probably shouldn’t comment, but from this protracted discussion, I fear Euron (if he’s even in next season – remember: NOT CONFIRMED), will turn out to be another Stannis character: Damned if the show does, damned if they don’t. Nobody will be happy and we’ll get more internet griping from both sides.

  108. Wimsey:
    At any rate, it is much, much too late to make Euron an antagonist.

    And yet, he’s going to be one. Why else do you think he’s in the show, pray tell?

    However, 6/7ths of the way through the series, and the Euron gun has not been truly hung.Daeny probably has next to no idea who he is.Can you imagine Harry Potter if Harry did not discover who Voldemort was until the 6th book, or His Dark Materials if Lyra did not discover what the Church was until partway through the third book?Yes, we have read about him a handful of times: but the key is that Daeny has not.

    Neither of those comparisons work, since the ultimate foe in the series is the White Walkers…who Dany hasn’t heard of at all, either (almost none of the characters have). Indeed, Dany knows hardly anything of any of the people she will encounter in Westeros. Euron is merely very likely to be the main threat she faces when she invades the south (or before that, if some of the theories relating to his destination are true). And it’s rather important to keep in mind that we’re just entering the “second act” of GRRM’s original three-act structure; the first act just massively expanded beyond his original conception.

    That makes it much harder for me to see why you think Euron will be important enough that his background need be developed.

    As I’ve outlined repeatedly, Euron’s entry into the plot constitutes a major change to the status quo of one of the players in the game of thrones. It’s bad writing to just have him suddenly appear without explanation, and it’s nowhere near as effective as actually dramatizing it would be in establishing him as a threat. It doesn’t need to be more than a couple of scenes, which also serve to re-establish Yara and set her off on her own path.

  109. HotPinkLipstick: While a lovely woman, Maisie’s features are still very child-like, whereas Sophie can cake on a clown-car worth of makeup and play seductress. It’s got to feel limiting for Maisie. Her height and her adorable pug nose will limit her available roles to “spunky kid, tragic urchin, manic pixie” and that type of thing.

    The only thing possibly wrong with the way Masie looks is her eyebrows. They are way too heavy and way to dark for her face. She actually has a pretty, delicate face – look at pictures of her from the first few episodes – she had way thinner, more arched brows that did not overpower her face or her adorable smile. I don’t know if those heavy brows are required for Arya, but if they don’t have a contract like Kit’s hair does, someone ought to thin those out.

    goodkinghenry: From basking in the pleasure of reading Ozs well articulated but refreshingly unsullied predictions to gulping down the thoughtful and intelligent analyses of Marc’s anatomy of a throne, the content is the warm sweet nectar that keeps the readership going throughout this long dark cold throneless winter. Is ittoo muchmuch to ask for just a little bit more of your quality content to whet our thirst and cool down our parched pallet as we await the first rays of a teaser?

    Yes to more content! We know you guys are volunteers, and do a smashing job of it, but additional topics of discussion would be lovely, and provide a lot of us with our daily GoT fix. Please no smacks in the face with a ladle, or ringing of the shame bell, but I confess, in my quest for news or different points of view on the cast or plot, I have been known to visit other sites. This is by far my favorite, though.

  110. So what I want is someone to watch for any non Game of Thrones actors arriving in the Belfast airport.
    Because then we may have a casting scoop there.

  111. honeyimhome,

    Tim,

    Rose Leslie lives in London. She’s not in Belfast now; she just attended LFCC. She was filming Morgan in Belfast since the end of May. It looks like she wrapped about a week ago though.
    Kit was only spotted in Belfast during two weekends since the finale (and then again this past Thursday and today). He hasn’t been in town much yet, but now that production is moving along that will likely change.

  112. Bojac,

    The new parts this season will, by and large, be played by character actors that most people wouldn’t recognize in an airport.

  113. Bojac:
    So what I want is someone to watch for any non Game of Thrones actors arriving in the Belfast airport.
    Because then we may have a casting scoop there.

    Yep! Especially any that could fit the casting calls!

  114. This is coming from the Arya/Gendry shipper in me, but bring Gendry back and give Arya a romantic subplot. It would give Maisie a chance to show us Arya as a young women, growing up from the little girl we first met.

  115. “‘No more frequent. You’ll find a scene in the script, you’re like, “OK, wow, that’s a special effect, that’s a special effect, oh that’s another fight, that’s another battle. Oh, my God, that’s more people coming back from the dead … right.'”

    Thats Emilia Clarke in her LA Times interview. Whose coming back from the dead I wonder…..

    http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/herocomplex/la-et-hc-emilia-clarke-emmy-nomination-game-of-thrones-20150716-story.html#page=1

  116. Wimsey

    Of course.

    It shows 1) GRRM’s relevance and 2) the media’s desire to mention GoT because of its popularity at every chance.

  117. Ugh! I had a lovely response about the Euron question that got swallowed by the “your response timed out” monster! Grrr…

    Anyway, the gist was that Euron is important to the greater story in that he (along with the maesters, Mirri Maz Dhur, servants of Rhollor, etc.) are links to the knowledge needed to oppose the main antagonists (protagonsits?)–the White Walkers. He will be introduced to us (probably via Yara?), but we will certainly not get a Kingsmoot, brotherly love, etc. None of that junk that bored me to tears in the books is relevant to the greater conflict involving the main characters. Once introduced, he’ll be on his merry way to contributing to the enlightenment of the characters and watchers concerning the Fire side of the equation. He’s set-up for the final conflict (and an antagonist to some of the characters in the meantime–Sam and Oldtown, I’m looking at you).

    Not as good a post as the first one, but eh…what’s a gal to do? 😉

  118. It’s so cool to just see them sitting on a plane with regular people (like me). That’s not me in the pics, but it could have been. 😉

  119. I wouldn’t trust anything random people say on twitter, if it’s not backed up by a photo. I’ve seen my fair share of false twitter sightings of many actors. It’s suspicious that quite a few people have seen Kit there and yet there’s no proof.

  120. phantomstrife:
    I wouldn’t trust anything random people say on twitter, if it’s not backed up by a photo. I’ve seen my fair share of false twitter sightings of many actors. It’s suspicious that quite a few people have seen Kit there and yet there’s no proof.

    Not that people still wouldn’t snap photos, but I could have sworn reading somewhere he was asking not to have his picture taken. Take it with a grain of salt though because can’t confirm it even if he did say it, and I don’t even remember where I read it.

  121. Esmail,

    LSH confirmed. I’m just kidding, but it’s interesting “more people coming back from the dead.”

    CD,

    Kit was spotted in June after the finale (there is even photo) and at the beginning of July (not now).

  122. Esmail: She was referring to s5 greenscreen and Hardhome with that ‘more people back from the dead’ comment. So not that interesting really.

    Guessing things will only get warm for the 0.(0?)1% remaining chance left on the LSH front if Paul Kaye or Richard Dormer turn up in Belfast to be spy-pic’d alongside someone under a hood …

    No doubt there’ll be the customary red herrings and fake tweets from Black Walder’s twitter feed in due course …. before she doesn’t (ever) show up.

  123. Esmail,

    Did she actually say “coming back from the dead”? She probably cannot reveal that.. so that’s a lie clearly!

    Ugh, just read the actual interview. She meant Hardhome .. wights!

  124. Excuse the mistype on my “handle”. it should be Arya not (Ser) Arys!

    I did consider changing it to “Varys’ Missing Man Parts” though…

    TheTouchOfFrost:
    Who cares what Maisie looks like. Beauty is subjective but I don’t think anyone can claim she’s ugly. The important thing is that she seems a sweet kid and she acts well which is what I want from my actors!

    I read an interview once where she said she knows that she’s “not conventionally beautiful” but she has the right to say this since she’s talking about herself! She’s also not interested in romantic leads because “that’s not the kind of person that she is”. I’d rather that she is cast for good, strong roles and her acting ability than just as the leading female who is there to show that the leading male is a hunky heterosexual alpha male who can pick up hot chicks!

    As an over 50-year-old I could get in trouble for saying it but I think she has very appealing looks in an “ordinary” way, not every girl has to look like a supermodel or some supposedly universally predefined ideal. Love those eyebrows, I hope she never feels she has to trim them back to please anyone else.

  125. ILol that blind item looks like typical garbage from people who want to fabricate some Maisie v. Sophie rivalry. Maisie has stated that she’s fine with her appearances and doesn’t dwell on that aspect of her being. I’m actually impressed by her self-confidence in looks at that age because I was too insecure in that department to make such statements at 18/17. It’s almost like she has healthy self-esteem. Go figure.

    Anywho, here’s another Maisie/fan sighting from Belfast posted today.
    https://twitter.com/brendy555/status/623045104635396096

  126. I’m deleting Zoomzonwhatever’s trolly comments about Maisie. Actually, all of their comments because they’re not welcome here. This person has used multiple names over the past couple months to start shit, always having to do with Maisie and Arya.

    Get a life, jackass.

  127. Ian,

    Shitting on actresses’ appearances and in particular Maisie’s is just not interesting to me, and I really don’t welcome that behavior here.

  128. The One,

    Belfast is only 80 miles from Dublin. Depending on the plane carrier, it may be more convenient or cheaper to fly to Dublin from wherever Nikolaj was and then train or car it to Belfast.

  129. Deesensfan:
    M,

    Why do people think the hound is still alive?
    Is this a book spoiler?

    We didn’t actually see the Hound die on the show, and whether or not he died offscreen is a great mystery. You’d think no one could survive his predicament–bleeding out from a dangerous injury with no one around to administer treatment–but by soap opera rules, no body = no death. Emilia Clarke also mentioned people coming back from the dead.

  130. M,

    I think she mentioned it in terms of Hardhome. She was talking about special effects.

    Anyway I think it would be silly to have so many people come back from the dead LOL. Not that the hound would be resurrected, rather he just never died. The Hound seems like he died to me… I mean, whats the point of him coming back? Unless he is going to be the one to get revenge and kill his brother.

    I don’t know, all I care about is jon! LOLs;)

  131. Deesensfan:
    M,

    Anyway I think it would be silly to have so many people come back from the dead LOL. Not that the hound would be resurrected, rather he just never died. The Hound seems like he died to me… I mean, whats the point of him coming back? Unless he is going to be the one to get revenge and kill his brother.

    I don’t know, all I care about is jon! LOLs;)

    It is a book theory thing. It is called Cleganebowl. If you want to spoil yourself, then Google it and find out.

  132. Angela,

    no, I wont spoil
    I always thought the Hound was dead, even though they didn’t show us.
    But now that the Mountain is back and alive and really scary, I can see more that the hound would show up and likely be the one to finish the Mountain as revenge

  133. Ashara D,

    Ashara D:
    …Euron is important to the greater story in that he (along with the maesters, Mirri Maz Dhur, servants of Rhollor, etc.) are links to the knowledge needed to oppose the main antagonists (protagonsits?)–the White Walkers. He will be introduced to us (probably via Yara?), but we will certainly not get a Kingsmoot, brotherly love, etc. None of that junk that bored me to tears in the books is relevant to the greater conflict involving the main characters. Once introduced, he’ll be on his merry way to contributing to the enlightenment of the characters and watchers concerning the Fire side of the equation. He’s set-up for the final conflict (and an antagonist to some of the characters in the meantime–Sam and Oldtown, I’m looking at you).

    I agree that he’ll be involved in the Oldtown story when he takes his fleet to attack it. I’m not sure about his value as an “enlightener,” as there are too many of those right now. Bran knows things, and is coming back season 6. Jon might return from the dead, enlightened about the Others. Sam, at the Citadel, has access to the largest library on Westeros. To add Euron as enlightener, you need to pay more attention to him than necessary, add all manner of motives, and add a new batch of sorcerers.

    I think Euron will kill Balon, declare himself king, then pillage the Westerosi coast, adding to chaos. Attacking Oldtown also involves King’s Landing. Tyrells send men to defend Oldtown, weakening their presence at King’s Landing. That gives Cersei an opening to do her worst.

  134. As always, a day late…..

    Regards the Euron/Asha or whole Greyjoy story for that matter. I think some people are reading in what they “want” to see, similar to LSH or The Hound. Wanting a storyline, plot to appear in the SHOW just because it is a favorite and one will go down to the death defending why it will or should be in the show…doesn’t make it so.

    The book plot of the Greyjoy/Iron Island/Kingsmoot was boring and I couldn’t wait to get through it. The show has barely touched on that whole side of Theon’s background. When people mention Balon, I have to stop and think about who that is. Considering that the largest viewing audience are not book readers, they are going to forget who is who from show to show, year to year.

    While Euron and Asha have been confirmed for season 6, I have to think it is part of either Theon’s arc or Danys or OldTown. But I don’t have a clue how. I hoped it was gone for good actually, along with The Hound, Stannis, LSH. But they already made a FrankenMountain, they could do anything at this point.

  135. Deesensfan:
    Angela,

    no, I wont spoil
    I always thought the Hound was dead, even though they didn’t show us.
    But now that the Mountain is back and alive and really scary, I can see more that the hound would show up and likely be the one to finish the Mountain as revenge

    Ok. That’s fine. I was just answering the question as best as I could without spoiling you. That is what people are talking about. It is a book thing.

  136. Wimsey,

    I’ll eat anything if I’m hungry enough!

    Arys havin’ a larf?,

    I kind of get where you’re coming from. Being twice her age myself, I don’t find her attractive because she’s far too young but I can imagine if I was around her age I would.
    She comes over as having a great personality that, for me, is what makes someone attractive way more than their physical looks. I mean there’s plenty of beautiful looking women who I don’t find attractive as their personality is a complete switch off (too much of a gentlemen to give examples!). I’m a great believer in personality coming out through someone’s face for better or worse. Hey, if someone is just going to judge you on your looks then they’re not worth the time of day anyway.
    Weird conversation to be having in relation to Maisie as there is absolutely nothing wrong with how she looks from all but the most bizarre perspective!

  137. Jon Snowpenhauer,

    You’re right. Whoever uploaded the story (and photo, heh) of him in Belfast the day before the finale on Reddit said that he declined to take photos, as did someone who met him on the plane the next day. He turned down photos the next time he was there too, and he’s been declining them in London as well.

  138. Geralt of Rivia,

    Hmm? I mentioned that he was spotted the weekend of the finale. I think everyone saw the photo from Reddit; it made its rounds again this weekend. The second time was at the end of June, right before Maisie and Nell were seen there. Apparently he is there now too though.

  139. Maisie is cute. She wouldn’t win Miss Universe or anything, but she’s not unpleasant to look at either. Just my two cents.

    Also, I’m still eager to know about the Euron casting, even more now that Gemma Whelan is confirmed to be returning. Somebody get the scoop!

  140. outdoorcats,

    I also believe that Missandei will betray Dany in the books and show. She will be her third betrayal. The show has really ramped up the Greyworm romance so I wonder if she betrays Dany to save him in some way? She’s the clear choice as someone else said: she’s been portrayed as the one Dany trusts more than anyone. Her betrayal is the one that’ll have the most dramatic impact.

  141. Robb Snow,

    Do people think that with the return of the grey joys, bran and co as well as the freys that this could mean no Jon all season? Due to time constraints and many story lines

    As for the comments about Kit, why would he decline taking pictures?

  142. Tom Wlaschiha, is back…yay!!! Let’s hope this season he gets more screen time…and they explain more about this awesome man of mystery that is Jaqen H’ghar…a girl demands it.

  143. There is actually considerable evidence in the books that the Hound is not dead, if you look closely enough. Of course, even if he’s not dead, that doesn’t necessarily mean he’ll come back into the story.

  144. Olly is back??? Oh damn… are you telling the Wall storyline in season 6 will be a thing?
    I was ready to bet they were going to skip it…

  145. Deesensfan: Mean to say, the show gives no such hints except not showing us his fate.

    The show doesn’t but the official wiki for the series doesn’t list The Hound amongst the dead characters and D&D have said to assume a character is alive if the death isn’t shown.

  146. Deesensfan,

    If the Wall is in, then there’s no reason for Jon not to be. He’s coming back. Have faith.

    Queen of the Keys,

    There was a report that they were planning to film in that quarry where Wall scenes are typically filmed this season, and of course if Davos and Mel will be in then it’s likely the Wall will be as well.

    I bet that Alliser and the other mutineers will pin Jon’s murder on Olly so as not to rile up the men in the Watch loyal to Jon or the Wildlings. He’s a convenient scapegoat given his closeness to Jon and his history with the Wildlings, not to mention all of the stab wounds are conveniently at Olly’s height.

  147. Paul,

    Nah Daario wil be her thrid betrayel. Book Missandei is the only person who was holding her together a lot of the time!

  148. What if Jon’s king’s blood corpse becomes useful to Mel… and not in a way that brings Jon back… but affords her a power that helps fight the enemies of the Lord of Light?

  149. Robb Snow:
    I bet that Alliser and the other mutineers will pin Jon’s murder on Olly so as not to rile up the men in the Watch loyal to Jon or the Wildlings. He’s a convenient scapegoat given his closeness to Jon and his history with the Wildlings, not to mention all of the stab wounds are conveniently at Olly’s height.

    I would not put it past Thorne and the others, but remember the TRAITOR sign above Jon. Olly (most probably) cannot read and write, so I do not think the people at Castle Black would buy it, or if Thorne and co. would use that excuse because of it. I would like Olly to realise that Thorne and the others were using him and do not care about him and that Jon was one of the only people there who actually cared about him. Maybe he will feel guilty and let the cat out of the bag. That is, if Thorne and co. try to keep it secret at all. There were quite a lot of Night’s Watch men there when Jon was stabbed and all of the men in positions of power (First Ranger, First Builder and First Steward) had a hand in stabbing Jon, so maybe they will believe that the rest of the men will just fall in line and that they’ll be able to deal with the Wildlings pretty easily.

    Brenock O’Connor going to Belfast has got me pretty excited. I did not think they would skip the Wall for the season, especially seeing as Carice van Houten and Liam Cunningham are going to be in season 6, but Olly being there confirms that there will be some fallout from FTW and Jon will whoop their asses.

  150. GeekFurious,

    I think that the show will stick with the book when it comes to Jon’s fate, and I can’t see the book resolving the situation like that. GRRM breaks tropes, but he does it thoughtfully. There was preparation for Ned’s death. There was two books of foreshadowing for the Red Wedding. Jon’s death wouldn’t be like Ned’s death or the RW, but analogous to the Dothraki beheading Dany in the beginning of Winds. It would be, like, wtf???

  151. Maria:
    GeekFurious,

    I think that the show will stick with the book when it comes to Jon’s fate, and I can’t see the book resolving the situation like that. GRRM breaks tropes, but he does it thoughtfully. There was preparation for Ned’s death. There was two books of foreshadowing for the Red Wedding. Jon’s death wouldn’t be like Ned’s death or the RW, but analogous to the Dothraki beheading Dany in the beginning of Winds. It would be, like, wtf???

    GRRM’s foreshadowing also isn’t clear until you’ve seen how it plays out. And the whole Jon Snow storyline seems to be pointing too clearly at a resurrection… that I’m somewhat doubting it.

  152. GeekFurious,

    This is subjective, but the foreshadowing for the RW was, if anything, overkill. Ned’s death was more surprising, but it became clear quickly that he couldn’t function at King’s Landing, and the novel built up beautifully to his beheading. Jon’s death at this point wouldn’t work like that. It solves nothing, wastes pages, and there isn’t even a proper build up, which is why his story is pointing at a resurrection.

    …and then maybe not, as there is something of a buildup. Marsh is not happy. Mel keeps seeing snow and skulls in her fires, so you could be right. Your solution would explain Jon’s parentage, and make some use of him, even after death.

  153. I was of the idea the Wall was getting the Bran treatment, I don’t know… but I’m happy it’s not happening.

  154. When Jon returns and the fallout from For the Watch clears (which hopefully involves the demise of Thorne and the other mutineers), the rest of the season hopefully focuses on preparing for the impending White Walker assault. The Night’s King commands thousands upon thousands of wights and probably has other “weapons” at his disposal (ice spiders, anyone?) that we don’t even know about yet, and Hardhome is not too terribly far from the Wall. If he’s not already prepared to make his move, he should be very soon.

  155. doug,

    I don’t think Kit will be mentioned at all in season 6. I think they’ll skip the wall altogether much like they skipped Bran’s story last season. Then they’ll bring him back season 7. Just my opinion, of course.

  156. anon:
    doug,

    I don’t think Kit will be mentioned at all in season 6.I think they’ll skip the wall altogether much like they skipped Bran’s story last season.Then they’ll bring him back season 7.Just my opinion, of course.

    Not likely. They have to deal with it. The Wall is too important to skip for a season. It’s not a secondary story. It’s the main story.

  157. Bojac,

    I’ve always wanted to go to Ireland. If someone pays my ticket and goes to work for me I’d be happy to hang out at the Ireland airport taking pictures of everyone who passes through. It might irritate their airport people, though.

  158. O/T but in case anyone’s interested: there’s a small interview with Jack Gleeson (Joffrey) in today’s London Evening Standard. He talks a little about turning down offers from Hollywood and the theatre company he has set up with friends. (Their show Bears in Space involving “puppets and comedy” runs at the Soho Theatre, London from 3-22 Aug.)

  159. GeekFurious,

    You may be right – I stumbled on this on Twitter. Do we have this tweet up yet? It has a picture with it.
    Sian ‏@sianram_ 35m35 minutes ago

    Came across this. Kit Harington in Belfast saying he’s not allowed pictures is literally the biggest GoT spoiler
    https://twitter.com/sianram_

    Here’s another one – I’ll leave these up though I’m not sure they’re anything.
    Joseph O’Rourke
    ‏@JoeORourke_123

    Jon Snow in Belfast City Airport #ForTheWatch

    It has a blurry picture, too.
    https://twitter.com/joeorourke_123/status/615395801993314304

  160. anon,

    With everyone having a smartphone nowadays, you’d think there’d be a few dozen photos sneaked of him that don’t look like they were taken with a potato.

  161. Pigeon:
    anon,

    With everyone having a smartphone nowadays, you’d think there’d be a few dozen photos sneaked of him that don’t look like they were taken with a potato.

    Potatoes don’t take pictures. At all.

  162. Casting news I still really want next season is for the myrish swamp and dusky woman but that’s just me. I’m a freak like that. Someone please get some photo confirmation!!!

  163. They must be running a very tight ship over there this time around!…I noticed none of WoTW sources have been able to get any casting leaks or information.If I remember correctly we already knew who was playing Oberyn this time a few years back!

  164. TheTouchOfFrost,

    Exactly my point. Daario is suspect from the beginning and we’ve all been waiting for the knife to appear. But Missandei would be by far the most shocking and she still has two remaining unsullied brothers in the books. I’m betting that she betrays Dany to save them (and Grey worm in the show). Why else make a huge deal of their romance, if only to punch us all in the guts? This is Game of Thrones remember. 😉

  165. Paul,

    Meh. Personally I think that would be a twist for a twists sake. Missandei has no real reason to turn on Dany. They’re pretty much as close as any characters can be in the universe. Pretty sure , at this point, Missandei cares more about Dany than she does her brothers.

  166. Robb Snow,

    As much as I would like to see Jon get his revenge on the NW brothers who killed him, I don’t think that will happen. I think resurrected Jon will still think that defeating the WW is the most important objective and for that reason would not kill the NW brothers. He needs every fighting man he can find.

  167. Dame Pasty,

    I doubt the mutineers would suddenly have a change of heart and decide to follow Jon after murdering him in cold blood. I imagine they’d also be pretty freaked out that the man they just killed is somehow alive again.

    I could see Jon just saying “fuck this” and abandoning the Watch (especially since he would technically be released from his vows) and joining with the Wildlings instead, followed by Mel, Davos, and perhaps Edd and other brothers loyal to him.

  168. Maria:
    GeekFurious,

    This is subjective, but the foreshadowing for the RW was, if anything, overkill. Ned’s death was more surprising, but it became clear quickly that he couldn’t function at King’s Landing, and the novel built up beautifully to his beheading. Jon’s death at this point wouldn’t work like that. It solves nothing, wastes pages, and there isn’t even a proper build up, which is why his story is pointing at a resurrection.

    …and then maybe not, as there is something of a buildup. Marsh is not happy.Mel keeps seeing snow and skulls in her fires, so you could be right. Your solution would explain Jon’s parentage, and make some use of him, even after death.

    You’re saying there isn’t a proper build up to Jon Snow’s death? But there is. Jon is making enemies in the Watch left and right. The men of the Nightswatch don’t sympathize with Jon’s sentiments and therefore stab him to death. There was build up to FTW. What Jon’s death can do is the following: Jon represented the small faction that saw the danger of the Others and was willing to put differences aside in order to unite to form a final defense front. With him gone, their will be no leader against the Others. Just the ignorant Night’s Watch being overrun Hardhome-style in 3, 2, 1.. Which brings the Cold Invasion to Westeros. How is that going to happen if Jon is alive?

    Late on this, but also lol at Wimsey thinking that Yara or Euron are not characters worthy of their own plot-lines. Euron wanted to get slaves in Slaversbay, but Dany had just purchased all the Unsullied. I like Preston Jacobs’ theory on Euron, with the Valyrian horn being an extensive mindcontrol-weapon with which he wants to get the Unsullied on his side. So I think that Euron could be a “Slaver’s”-endgame for Dany. Also, we got an introduction scene to the Sandsnakes last season, so they’re not going to skip an introduction to Euron either.

  169. Jon will not return until after The Others knock the Wall down, take all of the North and pass past Winterfell on their march south. It’s going to be Bran and Bloodraven and not Melisandre that have more to do with Jon returning in my opinion. More to do with ice magic than fire magic. As a result in the TV adaptation, I think Bran has to have many visions first telling the audience the backstory, as well as The Others passing the Wall until Jon can return. So a limited season from Kit Harington in my opinion.

    I say this because, Jon’s dreams about the crypts is not a dream in my opinion, but an actual vision from his future. The reason it’s so dark and empty is the Long Night has come and everyone has evacuated the area. And while not exactly Coldhands, he’ll be similar. His body will have decomposed and it will show. Also he’ll never be warm again. That itself is foreshadowed in a Bran chapter where Bran has a vision and states “…his skin growing pale and hard as the memory of all warmth fled from him”, in regards to Jon. Also it is foreshadowed in an early Jon chapter in AGOT where it states, “In a few years he would forget what it felt like to be warm.”

    I’d also add while I’m not a fan of the Jon/Dany couple idea, it would not surprise me if the strange man from Dany’s dream whose face she cannot see but says “…and when he thrust himself inside her, his manhood was cold as ice” was this new ice cold Jon Snow I’m referencing.

  170. Thought process while reading this update:

    “Nice, Jaime, great, ah, of course, the Stark girls, looking happy per usual, ok, nice, good, that’s awesome, hey Gemma Whelan, we’re getting Greyjoys, cool, cool, this is, wait, Olly? FUCK YOU OLLY! FUCK YOU!!!!!!!!!!”

  171. Robb Snow

    Wouldn’t Edd be considered a deserter if he left the NW to follow Jon, presuming that happens.

  172. Reavers Wrath:
    Casting news I still really want next season is for the myrish swamp and dusky woman but that’s just me. I’m a freak like that. Someone please get some photo confirmation!!!

    The horse has bolted for the Myrish Swamp, surely? Another tertiary (if that) character dumped. And no Victarian at all it would seem.

  173. Pigeon:
    HermionePond,

    Interesting. http://alexcusackmanagement.com/listings/eddie-jackson/

    5’8″, blue eyes/brown hair/could play Northern…..

    5’8″? They pick a lot of verging-on-short guys for this show, all the younger ones (Alfie Allen, John Bradley, Kit Harington, Iwan Rheon; and Aidan Gillan/Conleth Hill aren’t much taller.) It makes Sansa look huge in comparison. She even makes The Hound look average! And The Mountain is supposed to be 8′ I think.

  174. Dame Pasty:
    Robb Snow,

    As much as I would like to see Jon get his revenge on the NW brothers who killed him, I don’t think that will happen.I think resurrected Jon will still think that defeating the WW is the most important objective and for that reason would not kill the NW brothers.He needs every fighting man he can find.

    It is feared that the noble, virtuous, logical Jon that we grew to admire and love, is gone forever, Dame. Those virtues would most likely be knocked askew; mis-treatment, betrayal and abuse usually severely erode self-sacrifice and bravery, changing them into something tougher, something less glowing and ethereal into something more common. He’ll be tougher, maybe even mean, but hopefully not a cold, decomposed ice man, as lou foresees.

  175. anon: You may be right – I stumbled on this on Twitter. Do we have this tweet up yet? It has a picture with it.
    Sian ‏@sianram_ 35m35 minutes ago

    Came across this. Kit Harington in Belfast saying he’s not allowed pictures is literally the biggest GoT spoiler
    https://twitter.com/sianram_

    That looks legit, the person who took that actually also has a lot of pictures with other cast members.

  176. Ashara Dayne,

    She’s 5’9″, which is the same as me, and I’ve never really THOUGHT I was particularly tall, but being paired with shorter men seems to be a trend with that character! 🙂 Then of course they go to events and wear heels, add a group shot with Gwendoline Christie (who is only 3″ shorter than Rory McCann), and hopefully the guys have a good sense of self confidence. 😛

    It seems like a good number of actors/actresses tend to be on the shorter side – the few I’ve met always seem smaller in real life than I assumed they were. Emilia and Maisie are pretty petite and Natalie and Lena are about 5’6″.

    Jennifer Lawrence is also 5’9″, and next to Josh Hutcherson she looks even taller.

  177. LordDavos,

    Indeed he would. Although maybe he wouldn’t give a damn after learning about what Thorne and the others did, and Thorne and co. would certainly be in no position to judge after murdering their own commander.

    I’m leaning more on a purge taking place after Jon comes back than him and others just up and leaving though. Thronetender is probably correct that the Jon we knew truly does die, and the risen Jon will be colder and less forgiving.

    Something needs to change anyway. Killing him and the raising him as exactly the same person would be pointless and a little anticlimactic IMHO.

  178. Robb Snow: I’m leaning more on a purge taking place after Jon comes back than him and others just up and leaving though. Thronetender is probably correct that the Jon we knew truly does die, and the risen Jon will be colder and less forgiving

    Yeah, being brutally murdered will do that to you. Jon seemed not to have the slightest sign of being vengeful or belligerent against a soul, truly caring and working toward the greater good. That will probably change. Vengeance is truly called for in this case. I never thought I’d be a fan of being vengeful, but being mentally bludgeoned with so much treachery and death, as GoT has done to its fans, will do that, as well.

    Alliser Thorne needs some severe schooling for this. Being kind and forgiving to that ass was disaster beyond measure. Too bad Jon didn’t ship him off, like Stannis had strongly suggested.

  179. Ser Oromis Locke: Looking at what he has stuck into his promo-reel, I really don’t think this will be a major casting. Sure, Vikings is a big show now, but he literally had no screentime outside of telling the other priests (among them Athelstan) that vikings were coming.

    Looks like they’re OK-ing minor cast members to announce themselves on Twitter. Might that mean they’re holding back the big ones for their own? It seems like there’s a real possibility there may be no official announcement, likely due to potential spoilers for Winds of Winter.

  180. Thronetender: It is feared that the noble, virtuous, logical Jon that we grew to admire and love, is gone forever, Dame. Those virtues would most likely be knocked askew; mis-treatment, betrayal and abuse usually severely erode self-sacrifice and bravery, changing them into something tougher, something less glowing and ethereal into something more common. He’ll be tougher, maybe even mean, but hopefully not a cold, decomposed ice man, as lou foresees.

    Perhaps, but I cant see the show going to far with that idea. The show has already white washed some of the characters, even Jon himself has been a bit white washed by the show. I could see Jon becoming darker or harder in the books. But even in the books there is the idea of warging into ghost to preserve his essence. There are already a lot of grey characters in the story, I am not sure it would serve much of a purpose to make Jon much more of a greyer character. Perhaps you need one relatively good character in a top position. Even before the assassination Jon did have some shade he wasn’t completely good. I dont think the show would turn Jon too much.

    LordDavos: Wouldn’t Edd be considered a deserter if he left the NW to follow Jon, presuming that happens.

    The Nights Watch only has 40-50 members or something, it is more likely that the Nights Watch will be completely dissolved. Jon could become the leader of the Wildlings, and the loyal Nights Watch members like Edd could just join the new group.

  181. Ah, back to the old sexist trope of judging a female actor by her physical appearance. Showing my age but the comments on Maisie’s looks remind me of the childish whining on LoTR boards about Cate Blanchett not being “pretty enough” to play Galadriel. (I’ll admit I was also a bit sad about the comments as she’s my celeb lookalike! Well, the red-haired version anyway). Her regal and ethereal performance transcended that basic crap and I doubt there were any critics remaining after the first film came out. Having unconventional looks hasn’t exactly hurt her career since. And not that it matters, but I think Maisie has a fun, impish beauty, like Nat Dormer.

    On a less grumpy note, I am so desperate for casting news, it’s getting ridiculous. I swear I’ve developed a pathological compulsion with respect to this site. Is checking it 20 times a day a bit too much? Not enough? Borderline insane? I do have a job I suppose, but doing that is much less fun.

  182. Robb Snow

    A purge sounds about right. He’ll be like Gandalf the Grey/White before and then after. In that case my pick is he will come back in a startling fashion that will inspire a bit of fear. Maybe while being burned.

    Boudica

    Maybe, but being released from his vows in death is often cited as a reason for Jon being killed by GRRM in the first place.

  183. Lundy,

    there only is 1 Ireland. more flights go to Dublin its 1 hour 30 mins to Belfast by car/bus from Dublin airport

  184. I think Boudica is right that whatever Jon is like in the books he’ll be softened a bit in the show. He’ll come across as more decisive and determind with a ruthless side but still the hero.

  185. dee,

    No,there isn’t,whether you consider Northern Ireland a country or not,either way it’s a seperate region from the Republic of Ireland,let’s not get political because it won’t end pretty .

  186. Seems like Kit was in Cadaqués, a beautiful coastal town north of Catalonia, in the Girona province, home of Dalí, but probably only vacationing…not sure if it has been mentioned before.

  187. lou,

    This is all book stuff (I haven’t read the books so I have no idea what youre talking about)
    The show doesn’t really point towards that…
    I do think that Bran will have something to do with Jon though. In the show, Bran has come close to Jon a couple of times… I think that’s a sign;-)
    ___
    Anyway, I am starting to get a sense from some comments that the likely hood of Jon staying dead is higher…. now!
    UGH!!!!!!

    Pau,

    Never heard that here!

  188. Deesensfan,

    It is hints from the books, but it’s not something that’s impossible for them to copy or re-arrange their own way in their adaptation. If the books hint that Jon is returning a certain way, it doesn’t have to be exact, they can still do something similar in the adaptation. The crypts for example, are important. You can even take the hints from the books out of it. It is foreshadowed in the show, last season when Shireen mentions wanting to see them with Davos and she states “all the Kings of Winter are buried there”. Right now that seems like a pointless scene since she is dead and Davos is no where near there. But it likely isn’t. It was likely a clever form of info dump for the audience for season 6. They will play into the ending and probably Jon’s return. What I referenced from the book was a recurring dream Jon has about visiting the crypts. But it is dark. Everywhere. And there is no one. Also what I referenced is dream Dany has in the books about sleeping with a man who is cold as ice. Might be a metaphor for someone distant, or might be a literal person cold as ice. It doesn’t have to be the same in the show, but it provides some hints for how they might tackle this in the show.

  189. lou,

    It is foreshadowed in the show, last season when Shireen mentions wanting to see them with Davos and she states “all the Kings of Winter are buried there”. Right now that seems like a pointless scene since she is dead and Davos is no where near there. But it likely isn’t. It was likely a clever form of info dump for the audience for season 6. They will play into the ending and probably Jon’s return

    Never thought of that line as being important… that’s interesting!

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