fujishig

I actually can't imagine fathom having to wait years and years to read pages and pages of descriptions of food and story lines that tread water just to get to the point where your favorite characters get screwed over or turn evil. I'm sure I'm just oversimplifying the life of a book reader but this reader's digest tv version is probably just what I needed.

Wait, besides the descriptions of food I just described the life of a soap opera (or wrestling) fan.

Draven

I for one never get so invested in a character that I can't deal with them dying. Especially since the book series has been doing this since the beginning.

I appreciate a more realistic approach where someone isn't automatically safe from harm simply because they are the "star" and there are enough characters in this thing that it could ultimately be Dany and her 3 dragons facing off against the White Walkers and I'd be like "okay, let's do this."

If the story is well told (and the Song of Ice and Fire is well told) then I'm along for the ride no matter what.

creekdipper

Can't wait until Season 7 in which it is revealed that either Bran or Bronn is the true Kwisatz Haderach who will train everyone south of the Wall to use weirding modules to defeat the armies of the White Walkers.

I agree that it keeps a reader/viewers more invested in no character is safe; otherwise, the main characters just endlessly dodge bullets & come out smiling in the end (the formula so often used in movies in which you can predict the order of demise within the first 10 minutes).

I don't mind unhappy endings, either, but I think that in the case of a multi-part epic such as SOIAF, most will expect someone who is remotely likeable to end up still standing (even if they're a more unlikely sort such as Sam). There are any number of 'surprise' endings that could be in store, but odds are great that it won't be the baddies who ultimately inherit the Iron Throne (if that "Wheel" doesn't get broken altogether). Likewise, I don't expect the behind-the-scenes schemers to come out on top although some, at least, may be among the survivors.

dalbowski

For a minute there I thought Drogon had flown all the way to the North since it seems that every place on Essos was arid. Maybe Dany can now get an army that actually knows how to fight?

I assume that Sansa and Reek will try to get to Castle Black since she's been told that Jon was Lord Commander of the Watch. Interesting trip since Bolton loyalists will be on the lookout for the escapees and Stark loyalists will see Reek as either a Bolton man or as Theon, the Ironborn who invaded and burned two Stark children. Then once they get to Castle Black is when the fun starts.

superdeluxe

Great episode.

So much happened in this episode.

For those freaking out about Jon snow, everything is speculation after he gets stabbed. There are several fan theories, but we are pretty much where non book readers are at.

My personal 'wins':

Ayra killing Merrin Trant
Brienne killing Stannis
Theon getting some redemption in saving Sansa
Tyrion and Vayrs together again.
Dany and the dothraki


Things that sucked:

Marcella looks to have been poisoned after her moment with Jamie
Looks like something happened to Ayra
Stannis king of going out meekly, but deserved after shireen

Other things:

I'd be more upset with Jon Snow if i honestly felt he was dead
That long walk for Cersei, man I actually feel sorry for her
Frankenstein has risen!
That sand snake has her claws into Bronn
Glad that Davos still alive

slop101

Walk of shame went on a bit too long.

andicus

How am I supposed to know it's not a spoiler, but only speculation, when I haven't read the books?

I know it now, since Jeremy517 was kind enough to point it out without being a dick about it.

fujishig

But you're assuming Dany makes it to the end as well. If anything she's been the most unrealistically overprotected person in the series. If we're being realistic she sucks as a ruler, she's mostly bark and no bite, and she should be dead multiple times over, and gets out of things having learned seemingly very little. Maybe the books do a better job showing why she deserves the adulation she's been given. Not to mention if Headey can do a scene like that in the finale, it makes the actress's contract demands seem a bit odd.

But ah we still have Bran. And rikkon can't forget him.

Forgot to mention that it's almost telegraphed that if you have a "happy ever after" sweet moment you're doomed. Myrcella, uniting two houses with love, revealing that she knew for a long time that Jaime was her father and she's so happy. Arya finally getting her revenge. Obviously Shireen and father of the year having a moment earlier this season.

dalbowski

So if we assume that Brienne killed Stannis (I don't think she went through with it), is Gendry that last Baratheon alive?

DthRdrX

That's why on this odd show I wouldn't be surprised if she does wind up the winner of the Iron Throne. If Jon is truly out of the way I look at it this way.

Stannis's army is done regardless if he is alive or not.

The Nightwatch will most likely be destroyed by either the white walkers, or the wildings who are not likely to trust them once they hear what happened to Jon.

Looks like the Lannisters and Martells will be busy fighting their own war.

House Bolton is just as likely to kill each other off.

That leaves Danny, who is the only leader surrounded by numerous trustworthy people, and may have access to dragons and two armies. Perfect battle against the white walkers.

dave94

Why wouldn't she kill him?

fumanstan

Good finale. A lot of deaths in this one. Kind of glad we're mostly caught up with the books so everyone can be surprised at once and there's less hints and notes from book readers that think they're being clever when referencing things and all the spoiler talk throughout these threads. I've never minded spoilers myself, but it has made the thread harder to read during each season.

dalbowski

She seems to be the type of person that only kills in self defense or in the defense of others.

fujishig

She's also one to stand up for her vows. We'll see.

Jeremy517

You can never be 100% sure of anything in this show/these books, but as close as you can get to 100% is how sure I am that Brienne killed Stannis.

General Zod

After her long winded execution preamble she better have killed him.

HN

For real. And her sword is Oathkeeper; not some shit like Ministry of Defense

Autotelik

I thought in the battle with the white walkers in episode 8 that Jon might die. After he escaped, I thought he would live. Killing him off now makes no sense at all.

superdeluxe

Well he is a bastard.

Josh-da-man

It certainly would be in character for Brienne to carry out the execution, but the scene cut before we saw what actually happened, so that kind of puts it up in the air.

There were a lot of ambiguous death scenes here: Stannis, Myrcella, Theon, Sansa, Jon (most book readers don't believe he's dead-dead - Billy Crystal has seen worse). Compare with Arya fucking up Meryn Trant's shit.

superdeluxe

Out of those 5, Theon/Sansa are the most likely to be okay. There was snow it looked like.

Jackskeleton

Eh, could easily realize that she could use Mannis as leverage to get Sansa back out of Winterfell in an exchange or something. Either way, she short sightedly choose to keep her oath in killing Stannis than saving a Stark girl. So who the fuck knows, but it's off screen, so unless you saw his head roll, there's really no way to tell if she actually went through with it.

davidh777

Wow, a whole lot of shit went down in that episode, and I didn't see nearly any of it coming. I'm disappointed to see what happened to Jon Snow, but certainly not shocked.

The way they filmed the Cersei scene just screamed body double in every way, until they got to the actual walk, then it's like "whoah!" But it's also not surprising to hear it was CGI. I wonder who gets that job, and if Lena Headey has any say in how it looks.

The overhead shot of the Bolton forces attacking Stannis' was a nice callback to 4.10's shot of Stannis attacking the wildlings.

Is the "episode 10 breaks the internet" thread safe to read now, or does it have un-spoiler-tagged book material?

Jackskeleton

At this point, there's not much of anything that the book readers could say in terms of shit that they know that you don't already know having watched the episode. You're at about the same page now.

dex14

I take back what I said now that I hear it was CGI.