Happy Harpy

Still no picture on the Jaime/Brienne/Pod front. Hmm.

The filming spoilers that were right about Melisandre in the BoW said the NK wouldn't die.

Of course she does. I absolutely love Jorah, I love their relationship and among the deaths that were leaked so far, he's the only one I truly care about. They won't have this episode ending on some cliffhanger, will they? Argh. There's another picture allegedly closing the episode, where Melisandre collapses on the ground. On the show? They completely could. I thought they would before the Frikileaks. I saw a couple of pictures of Gendry, but they were too dark and I couldn't say if he was wearing his usual garb or the same costume as in the interview from Seville (?). Damn it.

The dialogue in those leaks seem minimal, with conversations missing some parts.

Is she the one with the giant, next to the picture of her dead? I wondered if it was her, Alys Karstark or Gilly (if so, they'd be the fourth death). Someone else than Theon will have to serve Jon the "you're a Targaryen and you're a Stark" speech. Poor Yara, she's going to be destroyed. Daenerys looks destroyed, next to Jorah. The last picture in the first batch with the tons of bodies is so impressive. I wonder if the cloaked figure is Sansa.

Those are the second batch. There's a first one with the deaths.

Three deaths confirmed now, maybe a fourth. (I have to work for twelve hours tomorrow. How am I going to sleep now? Argh.)

I believe this show trademarked the jetpack travel, LOL. A couple of weeks is still counted in days, isn't it? Anyway, not nearly long enough to exhaust a whole year, maybe more, of food stocks. The actor was spotted in Seville during filming, so there's a chance he shows up in KL.

It's one of the main staples in the Accursed Kings where the feudal lords constantly demand the "good old customs and laws from Saint Louis" be respected or reinstated, against the modernity-prone and visionary kings. Whenever the lords got what they wanted or were in power vs a weakened monarch it was terrible for the state in general (in France or in England). So imo, it depends on what the council will be and be about. If it's like a central government, with the equivalent of a prime minister, it can be a progress. If it's just a regional version of the Small Council with no authority above it to keep it in check, it would be a disaster. A state needs a figurehead, even in a democracy. When a boat has no captain, it has no direction either. Until now, the smallfolk has been a McGuffin, often portrayed (in KL especially) as more fickle than the Northern lords. There were characters who oppressed it, there were characters who defended it, but it never had any agency. Imo, it's too late to change.

The issue isn't Dany being complex. She's a complex character and I'm happy for it. The issue is that her naysayers on the show weren't given (or couldn't be given, imo) a leg to stand on. I wish the conflict the writers created at the beginning of the season was believable since I prefer when I see both sides, but for the reasons I stated in my previous post, one side was plainly TSTL. I also wish they stopped comparisons with Hitler altogether, it's ridiculous and way out of proportion. Aerys was imo a Nero - who allegedly burned Rome, so the parallel is clear. OTOH, no one on the show planned and implemented the methodological torture and elimination of millions of human beings -even the NK is different if he's somehow sentient because from his POV, he'd be turning people to his side. I think that Davos might represent the Stormlands at the council, if there is no king/queen. He has experience of ruling and definitely, the 7K or whatever it will become will need his wisdom. The question is, if Tyrion dies, who will be Warden of the West? I don't remember if there was anyone for House Lannister at the Dragonpit scene; unless the character in golden armor isn't from the GC. While I can still dream, I'd love it if it were Brienne, and if on top of it she was actually the younger more beautiful queen (because her soul is more beautiful). She'd get Jaime, Jaime's kid and Casterly Rock, everything that Cersei wanted and never had, or had and wasted.

Her costume/hair certainly is all Ned's, and it can't be a coincidence. That said, Arya is more a person of people than a person of place, for me. She had no interest in WF when she thought the Boltons had it, it's a symbol of her family but it's the family that matter to her. Or rather, her "pack", the family she chose. For example, she can belong with Gendry, forest lass and all, wherever it is they'll be let me dream for two more days before my heart is ripped off thank you. Usually, what happens onscreen is always much better than the writers' individual interviews, so I guess it's a case of the sum of the parts being better than the parts. It also depends on what the journalists decide to tout (re: the moron that John Bradley had to correct). I don't think so. As expected, the food issue was a big nothing because the AOTD arrived in a matter of days -no remark about the impending shortage of food in 8x02 whereas everybody was eating LOL. WF will be on fire, no way the stocks survive it. The Northern independence is an issue that imo, will be wiped out with the North ("everybody who isn't here is with them" said Tormund). If the Dragonpit scene is true, there will be a kind of council, which means that no kingdom will be strong enough to survive on its own. If that "the surviving armies of the seven kingdoms" thing is legit, the whole continent will be more or less annihilated. Imo, the writers made it look as if it was going to be the Starks vs Daenerys (won't happen) and then Jon vs Daenerys for the Iron Throne (won't happen) so it crystallized strong opinions and emotions, as always when the Starks are concerned and even more in this last season. (BTW, Arya didn't say a word about Daenerys and they didn't interact so far, so I resent that she was lumped with the naysayers and hostile TSTL.) Imo, they also played on some level with ingrained misogyny, powerless victim = good woman, woman with true power = danger. Because when you look at the facts, all they could find was "Daenerys expected to be Queen" (well, Jon bent the knee and that's how it works) "the Northerners don't trust Daenerys" (let's portray them as a bunch of pigheaded racists and xenophobes) "Daenerys burned the Tarlys" (couldn't find innocent non-warrior non-traitorous victims) "Daenerys wasn't happy to see the man who murdered her father" (although unlike Sam, it didn't push her to act stupid) "the first thing Daenerys thought about after the reveal was the Iron Throne" (and the first thing Sansa brought up after their heart-to-heart was the Northern independence). In spite of everything, she still listens to others' opinions (not only Jorah) and at the end of the day, she's still in WF and about to lose friends, power, another child maybe, and to risk her life to fight the AOTD.

Yes, as I said I don't think the mood in 8x04 will be light-hearted. The character study episode was 8x02, I think. But 8x04 might be a breather, too, a more reflective one with 1) mourning the dead (argh) and 2) placing the characters on the last chessboard for the final run. If I look at S7 and S8 as halves of the same season, 7x07 and 8x01 would be the "filler" episodes in the middle. Imo, there will be some Jaime x Brienne and some "Fuck the world, fuck being related, fuck the throne" Dany x Jon sex. Theon might live to say to Jon "you're a Stark and you're a Targaryen".

Jaime and Brienne are doin' it. It is known. There was a rumored scene in a village where a woman would be assaulted, but the "flirtatious Northern girl" scene didn't happen (and somehow I don't think they'll go for light-hearted in 8x03 or 8x04) so...

IIRC, Maester Luwin mentioned them to Theon back in S1 or S2. So much this. I'm afraid I'll be too emotionally devastated after 8x03 to appreciate it, though.

Joe Dempsie might have been there for Jacob Anderson's last day of filming: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZrWCw7j2CY "On his last day, he was trying to screw up a take so that he would last a bit longer" (OTOH, Joe D. and Jacob A. were friends before GoT.) Everything from 4:33 on, "snitch on your castmates", was pretty funny.

ITA. Same for the Hound. Both were on my roster, but I changed my mind. The Hound has been on the backburner in the first two episodes so he should have more to do after the battle of WF. Which means that most secondary characters who had things to do before the battle of WF have a higher chance to die. Those pictures don't give anything away, DAMNIT. Only six of them? Sheesh. I think Gendry's new costume is similar to Arya's, and I don't think he's going to fight in his blacksmith clothes. Gah. (Yes I love characters who are good loyal decent guys, defend the little ones from bullies, love strong women in general and my baby Arya in particular. Sue me.) I'm a much more collected poster when I'm spoiled rotten, sigh.

"Might" isn't fact. Moreover, the interview wasn't a pre-season hype PR piece, but a post-mortem after the episode aired. The most interesting is how the show treats the reveal as an identity crisis for both Dany and Jon, as well as a roadblock for star-crossed lovers. The pretext is political, but as far as Dany and Jon themselves as concerned, it's only personal. In the light of what happened in S5, Edric Storm was imo only a stepping stone on the way for Stannis to burn his own daughter (first, sacrificing a nephew he knew and liked). In the light of what just happened on the show, if Gendry survives his endgame has to be linked to Arya's, so I don't think he'll be given anyone else's. If he survives.

Dear show, since everyone in the team has to be incompetent, could they at least be badass? Alas, Pettigrew didn't go to the Jack Traven seminar for dealing with hostage situations. Instead, she channeled her inner Pollyana in front of a terrorist. Sigh. I admire the actors on this show, for being able to say their ridiculous lines while keeping a straight face. With everyone following the rules of Law Enforcement for Carebears, I wouldn't be surprised if the president was Tom Kirkman in this universe, too. Raza Jaffrey had a couple of scenes (Daniel is the mole, isn't he?) Morris Chestnut did a good job in his last emotional scene. Cliffhanger of the week. Yawn. Four to go.

Sorry, I meant that FAegon like Edric Storm weren't important enough to appear on the show, so they're very likely to die in the books before the War for the Dawn even begins.

She doesn't distrust his motives. She distrusts the motives of the people who told him. From what Emilia says (I linked the EW interview in the book talk episode thread) Daenerys knows that "Jon doesn't even want the throne". If he survives, he might be a legitimized Baratheon in the books, too. GRRM was very involved with the show (he wrote 3x05, with the reveal of his parentage) when they chose to give him the Dragonstone escape storyline. Edric Storm is like FAegon, he doesn't count.

One hint that could foreshadow Tyrion's betrayal: Dany roasting him in 8x02 was a variation of Sansa's roast to LF in 6x05 (fool/traitor vs idiot/enemy). This kind of parallel is usually a bad omen. Frikidoctor was adamant it was "the Starks" he betrayed, so if his info is right and there's a betrayal it will be the Starks and not Daenerys. Wasn't there info about Maisie/Arya having scenes with a little girl and her mother during filming, around March? I wonder if the little girl could be the one with the scar. It's pretty clear that Arya is in for a rude awakening in 8x03, the superposition of the scenes in the trailer couldn't have been more obvious. Yet, I don't know what can frighten her. She was in the crypts it seems, so wight giants and ice dragon should be out of the question. A loved one? Her asking Thoros if he could bring back a body without a head would become foreshadowing if it's Ned's headless body she confronts there. I don't think it would be in character, though. I've always seen her motto as "as long as there's life, there's hope". She'd hesitate to kill someone (but her enemies) because she wouldn't take away any chance of survival from them, even if it implied a near miracle. A wight has no hope; moreover she learned to mercy kill at the House of Black and White. Her logical reaction, if she saw a loved one wightified, would be imo to kill that hopeless thing they became; death wouldn't be an ultimate punishment here but something she'd do for them. Her weapon seems broken, so imo she encountered a tougher adversary than one, two, or even twenty wights.

I'm still not over that episode. I still tear up each time I rewatch Jaime knighting Brienne. Of course, the closest thing to a Brienne-centric episode had to be one of the most awesome. Jaime looking at Brienne with heart eyes all the time. "I came to Winterfell because..." OF YOU, Jaime. Those are the words you were going to say. You know it, I know it, so tell her, even if she can't handle it yet :)) Gendry's white-hot look at Arya when he catches her watching him. And the way he looks at her, too, before she kisses him. Brienne Proud Mama bear with Pod. Tyrion's humor working so well with Bran. Tyrion filling Pod's cup behind Brienne's back. Pod and Davos chuckling when Tyrion says they might live. The Hound's "I fought for you". Tormund all but glomping Jon Snow. Ed's vintage zinger "one more sign" it's the end of the world. Lyanna Mormont calling Jorah "cousin". The Winds of Winter had 6 whole seasons worthy of plotlines coming together. A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms did the same with the characters and 7+ seasons. Both gave me everything I wanted and more. For me, they're two faces of the same coin; and a testimony of GoT's range as a show.

Yes, she did, and she cut ther face -without much finesse, so not sure it was wearable. I don't remember if you were hanging out on this thread when Faye Marsay was papped and Tom Wlaschiha (Jaqen) spotted in Seville last May, but it might have been the biggest WTF of all, at the time. Everybody thought we were done with Arya's Braavos arc -might be, still, and they were only there for the documentary.

A poster (don't remember in which thread, I think it was one without spoilers) was speculating that the little girl with a scar could be a Faceless Man. I think it's an interesting idea. After the child assassin in Astapor, the zombie kids in 5x08 and the little birds in 6x10, beware the kiddies on this show. Faye Marsay was papped in Seville with her hair ready for her wig, which means she could have been filming. So, a reappearance of the FM isn't impossible. Cersei is in cahoots with the Iron Bank of Braavos. What if her "other plans for the Targaryen girl" involve some FM? Maybe one is even sent to hurt her dragons = her children, not her (at first).

That's in line with what Emilia Clarke has to say about Dany's reaction in 8x02: EW interview about the reveal This is going to rock her world, as much as it did Jon's. Dany stressed in 7x03 that what had kept her going through all her trials was her faith in herself, which means her identity as she knew it, what she thought she was meant to be. Her whole system of belief is based on it. From what Emilia says, Daenerys is aware that Jon doesn't want the throne.