Really? That whole storyline leaves me a bit cold. I much prefer the characters that dominated the first book. I felt that the side arcs, while adding depth, weren't as compelling.
A Song of Ice and Fire/Game of Thrones Spoiler-Filled Discussion
- Thread starter Out Of My Vulcan Mind
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Really? That whole storyline leaves me a bit cold. I much prefer the characters that dominated the first book. I felt that the side arcs, while adding depth, weren't as compelling.
I'd agree about the side arcs. Arya's chapters in particular frequently feel like so much filler. I think they can be dealt with pretty swiftly in the series, a handful of scenes between leaving King's Landing and Harrenhal should do nicely.
But Stannis is simply one of the series' great characters. His iron will, overshadowed by his elder brother and not as well liked as his younger brother, the joyless teeth-gnasher who will be King not because he wants to, but because it is his by right.
Hell, the way he turns the discussion of supporting Melisandre's religion into one about how he once cared for a useless bird and things improved when he abandoned it is a wonderful little moment.
Brienne's chapters, for me, are the ones that drag along... Here she goes a-wandering, feeling all ugly and horsey about herself. *yawn*
Of course, she'll probably be back in ADWD or TWOW. *oy*
Cheers,
-CM-
Of course, she'll probably be back in ADWD or TWOW. *oy*
Cheers,
-CM-
Really? That'd make me sad... Arya's one of my favourite characters, and I'm always happy to see her name at the top of a chapter.
Oh Arya's a good character. But once she leaves King's Landing her story really drags. I didn't really get invested in it again until book four. She's kind of the inverse of Sansa, who can be a very annoying character, but has far more interesting things happen in her chapters.
True -- She was just sort of hanging around, saying Hello to a lot of folks there at the end of the Feast...
Cheers,
-CM-
Okay, that is fair. Much as I like her, I did start to get a bit tired of the way her story was playing out. "Arya is going somewhere, but is captured. Then she escapes and starts going somewhere, but is captured. Then she escapes and starts..."
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She had enough time to shout a word, the question is what it was and if that word was enough to change her fate.
Brienne shouts, "Bitch!" And then she dies.
True, true.
Since this is a spoiler thread -- any ideas?
I would bet 'Sansa', personally, but curious as to what others (or Others) might think...
Cheers,
-CM-
Amen to that, I strongly agree with both of you. The Arya chapters were a repetitive chore through ACOK and ASOS, and did not get interesting again until AFFC - when she actually went somewhere. Again, she is a great character but criminally underused/misused in book 2 and 3.
I have voiced opinions like that on Westeros.org, but that is heresy to 95% of the population there.
People just don't seem to understand the difference between liking/disliking the character vs. the events the character takes part in.
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^ I think part of it may be the fact that I like Arya enough to want her to be triumphantly successful in everything she does (and possibly for her to raise an army that wipes out the Lannisters). So when she's just scurrying around trying to survive (though that makes sense for her character) it can't help but be a little disappointing.
Time to 'wight' this thread.
So who was the character that dies in book 3 who died in S1? I was wondering did I miss it? I didn't notice anything so I did some searching today.
Apparently the bard who had his tongue cut-out was the same bard that was at the Inn when Catelyn captured Tyrion (which makes him Marillion)... but he didn't die... Unless he died off screen?
BTW I don't have access to watch the show while at work, but I'm reading that apparently the actor who plays Syrio was credited as appearing in this episode lending fuel to the long-held book theory that Jaqen is Syrio.
It could also be knowing all the long-running theories that exist they simply had the actor who plays Syrio appear somewhere in the background and then credited him... Or I guess he even could have been killed and his head was on a pike and I missed it (Sean Bean was credited and the only thing you saw of him was a CG head)
So who was the character that dies in book 3 who died in S1? I was wondering did I miss it? I didn't notice anything so I did some searching today.
Apparently the bard who had his tongue cut-out was the same bard that was at the Inn when Catelyn captured Tyrion (which makes him Marillion)... but he didn't die... Unless he died off screen?
BTW I don't have access to watch the show while at work, but I'm reading that apparently the actor who plays Syrio was credited as appearing in this episode lending fuel to the long-held book theory that Jaqen is Syrio.
It could also be knowing all the long-running theories that exist they simply had the actor who plays Syrio appear somewhere in the background and then credited him... Or I guess he even could have been killed and his head was on a pike and I missed it (Sean Bean was credited and the only thing you saw of him was a CG head)
Me neither, unless you count Marillion's "death" as a bard, so that he won't be able to settle at Lysa's court.
It was sad watching the final episode, knowing that all those heroic scenes of setup of things to come will end by almost everyone dying various horrible deaths. King In The North - ends with Red Wedding. Night's Watch marching north - almost everyone, including Mormont, died. Renly and Stannis plotting against Joffrey - one dead and one ran off to the Wall. Theon pledging loyalty to Robb - he betrays Robb and then is betrayed by Bolton's bastard.
Those books are fucking sad.
^I've been rereading the series in preparation for the new book, and having much the same thoughts. Characters keep thinking and hoping and praying about what they'll do in the future, and I keep saying to myself, "No, won't happen, he'll die and you'll be crippled and you'll be kidnapped and..."
Of possible interest to readers of this thread: an interview where, depending on how you read it, Sean Bean seems to confirm that Ned isn't Jon's father.
Of possible interest to readers of this thread: an interview where, depending on how you read it, Sean Bean seems to confirm that Ned isn't Jon's father.
Yep, not a series where it's beneficial to fall in love with any of the characters, for sure. Every time you start to like someone, and root for them to fix the mess that's going on, they usually die pretty quickly (and horribly) after that.
Then again, as the entire saga is called a song of Ice and Fire, I've always been operating under the assumption that most of the stuff going on in King's Landing is meaningless (although entertaining), and the important stuff is tied up in the Wall and Danys (and her dragons). Since the rest of the characters seem content slashing away at each other and/or self-destructing, Jon and Danys are likely to be the only two left standing anyway...
Then again, as the entire saga is called a song of Ice and Fire, I've always been operating under the assumption that most of the stuff going on in King's Landing is meaningless (although entertaining), and the important stuff is tied up in the Wall and Danys (and her dragons). Since the rest of the characters seem content slashing away at each other and/or self-destructing, Jon and Danys are likely to be the only two left standing anyway...
I'm pretty sure Tyrion, Arya, Bran and Sansa are safe too. Maybe even Rickon, if we'll ever meet him again. The rest of the "main" characters, those who are still alive by the end of fourth book anyway, will probably die somewhere along the way.
Since the Red Wedding scene I'm not rooting for anyone to fix the mess. The mess in Westeros cannot be fixed, and whatever was left more or less functioning when Tywin was ruling as Hand after Tyrion was injured, was destroyed beyond repair by Cercei's exponential stupidity. I'm actually rooting for Ironborn to conquer Westeros, because Crow's Eye's insanity is much cooler than anyone else's.
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