BlackberryJam

Dany didn't lose her hair when she got torched ;) Jon lives. Not sure how and not sure I care, but he lives. We'll watch him die in Episode 9 then in Episode 10, someone will walk in a room and he'll be standing there, or we'll see his back and then he turns around ALIVE, but maybe with bright blue eyes or something.

Not sure if this is the read thread, but I saw this linked over at the Jaime Brienne Online board. http://w11.zetaboards.com/Jaime_x_Brienne/single/?p=8785496&t=10523808 https://m2.facebook.com/TheSheWolfOfWinterfell/photos/pb.1434015483507519.-2207520000.1424697623./1479376908971376/?type=1&source=42&refsrc=https%3A%2F%2Fm.facebook.com%2FTheSheWolfOfWinterfell%2Fphotos%2Fpb.1434015483507519.-2207520000.1424697623.%2F1479376908971376%2F&_rdr This person had some spoilers very similar to the Stannis the Mannis ones which have been shown to be pretty on point. https://m2.facebook.com/Stannisswagatheon/posts/814624378577731?refsrc=https%3A%2F%2Fm.facebook.com%2FStannisswagatheon%2Fposts%2F814624378577731&_rdr It could be a lot of really good guesses based on what we've seen so far. But it just sounds...like that's what could happen.

I've been listening to the Histories and Lore from the DVDs. Jaime's narration of the Kingsguard is pretty heartbreaking.

Maybe Rickon is secretly brilliant. :)

The problem isn't following some storylines to see where they go, it's LAND THE FUCKING PLANE ALREADY. He's had five books to plant seeds, explore stories, create worlds and characters, write food porn and travelogues. It's time to bring it all to a conclusion. He needs to start shrinking the world and pulling everything together rather than expanding it. I write and yes, I enjoy working a character or a b-story (or c, d, e, f, g...story) to see where it leads me, but I know damn well the story has to end. GRRM has put all the pieces in place. It's time to move them and stop adding more. Sorry, it's a mini-rant. I also came to the books late.

Not to mention his everchanging accent. UGH. I am no fan of Emilia Clarke's acting, but she looks like Katherine Hepburn in comparision.

Backing up a page, GRRM is apparently using Brienne (yeah, she's my fav) and Jaime for Beauty and the Beast, although I think it comes into play with Sansa and Sandor as well. http://tvline.com/2014/03/25/game-of-thrones-season-4-spoilers-gwendoline-christie-brienne-jamie/ As to the original outline, interesting that Cersei has all of the awful qualities of the original Jaime. George seems to have split that character in two, but at the same time, through the twincesting, kept them as one, at least initially. I hope Rickon gets more. Of all the living Starks, he's the one I hate least ;) Thought if Sansa goes full on devious, conniving, vengeful, I might actually like her. MIGHT.

http://www.heraldextra.com/entertainment/special/comic-con/fanx-keeping-up-with-the-lannisters-from-game-of-thrones/article_16b1c163-e208-5f0e-bd84-276fffac4c16.html Lena Headey and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau at Salt Lake Comic Con.

Yes, Brienne is older and yeah, they needed to establish her as a badass with a sword. I just wanted a little remorse for killing men, no matter who they were. Killing someone is an emotional thing. I wish we'd gotten a little of that. I did love the bath scene and GC played that vulnerability well. About the incest, yes, it seems like 20 years ago all of Westeros was "Yeah, Targaryens our kings and queens, sibling marriage, it's all good." And then Robert rebelled because of Rhaegar, who did not marry his own sister. The Rebellion wasn't about incest. But then JC are banging and it's all, "Stain forever on your name, you are the evilest!" Cersei, yeah...no. She doesn't deserve the Walk, but I don't think anything could redeem her.

For rampant, and most likely baseless speculation purposes, IMDB is right now listing Michelle Fairley as playing "Hooded Woman" in S5E10.

Can we talk about Oathkeeper? I think the Two Sword episode made it pretty obvious that Oathkeeper is Lightbringer. There is no other sword, other than Widow's Wail, which got so much attention.

Sam for the WIN! I love Brienne for a multitude of reasons, but her "Two quick deaths" scene in the show, while showing her badass side, ignores the remorse she felt in the book when she first kills. Show Brienne is a little too badass and not enough innocence. Brienne is totally going to be faced with the "Which oath do I betray" issue, same as Jaime, even if there is no LSH in the show. (And I'm not convinced LSH truly out.) Everyone will want her to protect Jaime because, as a show only friend said, "You don't have your characters see each other naked and bare their souls to each other if it's not a romance." Pod is also a good guy, but I am disappointed in his Sex God status, although I'd be happy if they paired him with Sansa. Dark!Sansa looks like she's going to be more interesting than regular Sansa ever was. Maybe a Stark will grow a brain! I have money on the Sansa bathtub scene in the trailer occurring right after she bangs LF. Ew.

Sam. Samwell Tarly is just a truly good guy. I wish they had made Tyrion's murdering of Shae a little more obvious on the show. Tyrion's an asshole, but he's a funny asshole. I love having him on my screen. I can't wait for the snarky lines he'll be spewing in Essos. *fingers crossed hoping he insults Daario*

While Bran is ill and Ned and Cat are with him, in the books, Tyrion is up all night in the library, reading. He also gives very clear instructions, twice to the Winterfell librarian guy, about the care of the book because of it's rarity. Tyrion, from the beginning, is portrayed as a man of learning and of books. It's after that when Tyrion goes out in the yard and Imp Slaps Joffrey.

Cersei behind the screen is also new. Everything else is...blah.

HBO released a teaser which could only be viewed once. Actually, word has it they released two of them. Someone, of course, said FUCK YOU to HBO and managed to capture it. Here is the link. Vanity Fair is reporting that it's Arya in the rowboat. http://www.vanityfair.com/vf-hollywood/2014/12/game-of-thrones-new-footage-sansa-arya The other teaser, which has not yet been captured, apparently shows Jaime waking with a start and Arya opening one eye.

If only I were convinced that Audrey IS the dominant personality and that Charlotte is not an evil bitch. But I'm not. Not even remotely. Nope. Not feeling it. Did love that Duke revealed his was conning Mara about taking her to the thinnie and Nathan believed him immediately. That was some character growth on Nathan's part. More shirtless Duke, please.

*yawn* Seriously. If Dwight imprenanted Charlotte and we have to deal with another Star Child, I'm going to throw something at my TV. If those cutter things with the blood on them were used to cut off Mara's toe, why did they have long hair on them? Or was that something else? The angle of the camera (viewed from the hallway) during Duke and Nathan's "fight" made me think they were acting it out and someone was watching them. Or am I crazy? Because half of the shots had the hallway wall included. What the fuck ever. ETA: Wait, wasn't Nathan willing to scarifice the town to stop Audrey from going in the Barn? And he's bitching at Duke about the same thing? FUCK, writers, FUCK. Dialogue and motivation are supposed to be character consistent and not whatever the particular episode requires. FUCK.

I am full on rant mode. HOLY FUCK HOLY FUCK. It is an abomination! It is of the Devil! It offends my very being! What's got my literary knickers twisted in a knot? The Monogram Murders which purports to be a "new" Hercule Poirot mystery. It is horrific. It's like Battlefield Earth-level awful. It's not Poirot. It's not Agatha Christie. It's not even close. If you're a Christie fan, hell, even if you're not, do not read this book. Step away from it before it pulls you into a vortex of suck.

Not sure how I feel yet about the fucking, but the long con was obvious during the phone call. Duke had been talking to Nathan straight up and the moment Mara came through the doorway, Duke made a completely obvious tone change. Blargh. At least Nathan is in on the con this time and it's not the same thing happening a third time with Duke. Seriously though, Nathan, Duke tells you he's going to vent a Trouble that kills people and you're all "Sorry, dude. Busy. You deal with that on your own." What a jackass. Dwight is going to get burned by the nonCDC lady. Poor Dwight. With the fucking...I'm kind of wondering if Duke did it because he thought he could do it emotion free, but then in the middle, when he seemed to stop, he realized he was having an attack of feelings. The chem between EB and ER is still off the charts during the sexy times and ER was shockingly better this episode as Mara. The coughing as Audrey is fake as hell though. And the Trouble was sucking the oxygen of the air around him, so opening the windows would have helped. Such poor quality writing.

Exactly. That's what Duke does, pretends to side with the baddies so he can figure out what they are up to, only to get close enough to turn on them later. There's no reason not to think they are rehashing that trope with him again.

Audrey never gave Duke the chance to finish his long con with the Rev, because you know, she shot and killed him. So we have no idea if the Rev would have given up the goods or not. Duke pointed a gun at someone with no intention of shooting. I can't see how that compares to Nathan taking swing after swing and being a violent asshole to Duke over the series. Having a gun shoved in his face once is nothing compared to Nathan's poor behavior. The show has been clear that Duke was playing the Rev in hopes to get the information. Did he think it was going to be a piece of cake? FUCK NO. The show made it clear that Duke was the player and not the one being played.

Exactly. It was pretty clear in the Wendigo episode that Duke was playing the Rev all along and never bought into his spiel. The "worst" thing Duke did was point a gun at people with zero intent to shoot. The Rev was never pulling Duke's strings and the show made that obvious, so ...uhm...yeah...No. If Duke is buying what Mara is selling it's completely and utterly out of character.

*yawn* Seriously. This felt like such a rehash.

Dancing bears were stupid. Completely and utterly stupid. I have money on everything thinking that Mara has turned Duke until the big reveal in the end, he's been conning her all along! Shocking! What a twist! Then someone will say, "But Duke, why did you blah blah blah when Mara wasn't there?" And he'll say, "I had to make it seem real. I was afraid if I told someone, like my most trusted buds, you would blow it. I needed you all to believe it's real, but I'm a con man and was faking all the time!" And everyone will be all "Oh, Duke, you're so clever, but you were really an ass. Let's hug!" And then Mara, if she's still around or perhaps Gloria or Dwight will say, "Duke, were you really just playing both sides so you came out the winner?" as Duke packs up to leave. And he'll give a cheeky grin and say something ambiguous. FUCK FUCK FUCK. FUCKING STUPID. Nathan's socks. At some point there will be a doubles or shapeshifter or skinwalker Trouble and Audrey won't know if Nathan is really Nathan except that he's wearing boring socks and she mentions socks and he doesn't get it and she'll know it's not Nathan and shoot him while everyone else gasps dramatically, thinking she's the skinwalker! But Audrey will have figured out a Trouble not because of her specialness but using good old fashioned smarticleness. FUCK FUCK FUCK.