Game of Thrones: House of the Dragon!

[Jess]

One thing that was missing from this season (as a whole, not the finale!): Rickon Stark.

Fine that we didn't see him this season, but they could have at least mentioned him a few times.

I watch the show with non-book readers and a few times they've been like 'who the crap is that?' when somebody turns up again when they haven't been seen or even mentioned for ages. It's a complex story with a ton of characters! And seeing that Rickon hasn't played a huge part of the story so far and wouldn't necessarily be remembered automatically; it would be nice to remind people that he is also a living Stark (well, as far as we know - as he went off with Osha)

[Shaibana]

I watch the show with non-book readers and a few times they've been like 'who the crap is that?' when somebody turns up again when they haven't been seen or even mentioned for ages.

be happy with that, becaus my bf cant even name the main characters :P

[Dr Unne]

Me too. However, she might have really started to hate him after he tried to get her away, so who knows maybe her feelings of love disappeared and she went back to just whoring.

I never thought her betrayal was an act of revenge. I perceived it as self-preservation.

I dunno. I can't say for sure. When I first saw her speak at the trial I think I thought it could be out of self preservation just as much as it was revenge, or a combination of both. It's just in this final episode that I started thinking she might have been really mad at him for reals.

Shae's a smart girl. She saw the army on the move, and went there in search of someone to protect her or keep her, likely hoping to find some general or lord to dote on her. She was perfectly happy to go from the dude Bronn brought her from to Tyrion without a fuss because she knew who he was and that he was a powerful man in the kingdom, and she played her part well. She made the same transition from Tyrion to Tywin easily enough, and you can hear her calling him "her lion", etc. She was angry at being sent away from King's Landing because I believe she feels the need to be around powerful men who will care for her and make sure she is taken care of. When Tyrion sent her away, she viewed that as a threat to her motives, so she returned to find a better place for herself and when she saw him again as she was in Tywin's bed, she instinctively tried to kill him instead of apologizing or begging for mercy as I think she would have done if she had ever actually loved him.

I suppose that it could be interpreted either way, though. Seems to me like she was trying to climb the ladder. That's how I see it, based on the progression of her character.

GRRM quotes on Shae:

"Some of the other characters, Sibel Kekelli's version of Shae, TV Shae, is very different from book Shae. I've come to, initially I didn't like it very much, but then I came to particularly in the episodes late in the second season, really like TV Shae, but there's no question of that having any influence on future portrayals (I won't say more than that), so that's just a question of which version you like better. But certainly, they're two different characters."[2]

Supposedly in the commentary for season 3, GRRM says book-Shae was 100% after money/status and never cared for Tyrion, whereas show-Shae did care for him to some degree. I don't know if he really says that, I just read it somewhere. We don't know her motives for sure, and her feelings are probably not 100% black and white, which is why this story is so good.

One thing that was missing from this season (as a whole, not the finale!): Rickon Stark.

And nothing of value was lost.

Can someone explain to me how Stannis' story is deviating/combining with other things from the book? I can't remember...thanks!

For the part where Melisandre is going to sacrifice that blacksmith kid (whose name I forget) to her god, in the book they were instead going to sacrifice some nameless relative. So that was different. It's following the books pretty closely though, from what I remember. He does show up at the Wall in the books etc.

[Del Murder]

I like that they are combining the Stannis/Jon storylines, but they countered that with splitting Tyrion off of the other King's Landing crowd. So we are left with the same number of splintered storylines. :/

I wish Arya & The Hound would have combined with Brienne & Pod permanently and they could have foursome adventures!

[Jinx]

I do remember that, Dr. Unne!

[Psychotic]

King's Landing has never really been just one storyline - you'd have several different character interactions going on in each episode. With Tyrion, Tywin, Shae, Sansa, Bronn, Pod, Joffrey, Littlefinger, Oberyn and Varys all departing for one reason or another there should be less emphasis on that area now anyway.

[Ayen]

I wish Arya & The Hound would have combined with Brienne & Pod permanently and they could have foursome adventures!

They might have if she didn't have that sword. They're getting closer to the Eyrie. I wonder how they'll interact with Littlefinger and Sansa if they meet.

[Del Murder]

King's Landing has never really been just one storyline - you'd have several different character interactions going on in each episode. With Tyrion, Tywin, Shae, Sansa, Bronn, Pod, Joffrey, Littlefinger, Oberyn and Varys all departing for one reason or another there should be less emphasis on that area now anyway.

Yes but the character interactions are what made it so great. The strength of this show is when the main characters play off of each other rather than having splintered storylines with one main and several side characters. I hope that happens more and more often.

Really I just hope for a lot of Varys/Tyrion interaction next season and not that they reach shore and go their separate ways.

[Psychotic]

I won't go into any detail other than give a one word answer, but if you want to know whether to expect what you want: (SPOILER)don't.

[Freya]

Look! Special Effects!

[Shlup]

Yeah I was just tired and grouchy with it last night. My main issue with this season is that a lot of the fleeting jokes I've made to colleagues about what I think is going to happen ("Joffrey totes gonna die at his wedding" and people were like no way man. "Tyrion's totally going to get busted out and kill his father") most of these actually happened, and that broke my immersion a lot in the show - that these big pivotal moments were something I actually called weeks beforehand with flippant jokes.

But after sleeping on it and chatting over coffee at work this morning, it's grown on me again.

Well quit trying to predict everything, smartass!

Looking forward to next season:

• Arya's adventures in Braavos.
• Tyrion & Varys adventures in wherever the hell they are going.
• What the hell Stannis is up to at the Wall.
• Cersei making a royal muckup of King's Landing without Tywin, Tyrion, or Varys there to keep her reigned in.

King's Landing, and by extension Westeros, just lost it's three most sensible people in one episode. I hope that has dire consequences.

Agreed on all points. I do hate to see things get overhyped, but I have to say I really like this next branch of Arya's storyline in particular. I hope they do well with it in the show.

Me too. However, she might have really started to hate him after he tried to get her away, so who knows maybe her feelings of love disappeared and she went back to just whoring.

I never thought her betrayal was an act of revenge. I perceived it as self-preservation.

He set her up with her own estate in Essos. She's just a stupid asshole.

Also as a character it shows you Stannis's worth. The Night's Watch calls for help and nobody else cares - they even laugh at them - even though the White Walkers are the true threat to the realm, even bigger than Danaerys. Not Stannis. He could've made another attack on King's Landing with his new army but instead he's putting his ambitions to one side to save the realm. A true smurfing King.

This is why he's called Stannis the Mannis. They've done a lot to damage his character in the show (in the book he's more honorable and doesn't burn heretics at the stake) but you can't take this away from him! He's pretty boss.

Can someone explain to me how Stannis' story is deviating/combining with other things from the book? I can't remember...thanks!

Events are pretty much the same, just details are different. In the book he laments killing Renly, is an athiest, doesn't burn heretics at the stake, is all about duty and there's no evidence in particular that he lusts for the red woman.

I wish Arya & The Hound would have combined with Brienne & Pod permanently and they could have foursome adventures!

Yeah, I really wanted Arya to be all "Stop, guys! We can all adventure together! No need to fight!"

[Pike]

I really wanted Arya and Brienne to go on girlbro adventures. You know, they enjoy sunsets, walks in the rain, and killing men.

Sadly it was not to be.

[Shaibana]

Look! Special Effects!

they dont even fire real arrows, i feel decieved


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another edit:
end of the season :(

[The Man]

[Ayen]

Not complaining or anything, I just saw this on Facebook today and thought it was funny:

Game of Thrones Facebook post.png