Season 7: Speculation and Spoilers Discussion

[whateverdgaf]

21 minutes ago, Happy Harpy said:

I'd tend to think the opposite and after he was cleared of being a kidnapper/rapist, he might be cleared of being a reckless fool. Rhaegar was obsessed with the prophecy, so he was obsessed with saving the world from darkness. He was the epitome of "responsible".

Even if his intentions were good, he still went about it in a way that was reckless and cruel, resulting in war and Westeros being torn apart. For one, he didn't have to humiliate Elia in front of everyone at Harrenhal. And if he didn't kidnap Lyanna, why couldn't he tell her family what was going on? Why keep the whole thing secret anyway?

 

24 minutes ago, Happy Harpy said:

I found it very out of character for him to run away with Lyanna.

If he did do it out of love, then I belive that it can be interpreted as being in character. Remember the story Barristan told about Rhaegar going out and singing, it makes him sound rather romantic. From what we know about him, it can inferred that Rhaegar was the type to get carried away with the fairy tale aspect of eloping with Lyanna without considering the consequences.

If in the next two seasons, if it is revealed that Rhaeger only did what he did to fight the white walkers, he knew for certain that for the prophecy to be fulfilled he had to go about things the way he did, then an argument can be made for him being responsible. But the fact remains that his behaviour resulted in the death of thouands, something he must have been aware of being possible when he eloped with Lyanna, angering two powerful families. If he wasn't aware, then he was an idiot.

[Happy Harpy]

35 minutes ago, whateverdgaf said:

Even if his intentions were good, he still went about it in a way that was reckless and cruel, resulting in war and Westeros being torn apart. For one, he didn't have to humiliate Elia in front of everyone at Harrenhal. And if he didn't kidnap Lyanna, why couldn't he tell her family what was going on? Why keep the whole thing secret anyway?

If he did do it out of love, then I belive that it can be interpreted as being in character. Remember the story Barristan told about Rhaegar going out and singing, it makes him sound rather romantic. From what we know about him, it can inferred that Rhaegar was the type to get carried away with the fairy tale aspect of eloping with Lyanna without considering the consequences.

If in the next two seasons, if it is revealed that Rhaeger only did what he did to fight the white walkers, he knew for certain that for the prophecy to be fulfilled he had to go about things the way he did, then an argument can be made for him being responsible. But the fact remains that his behaviour resulted in the death of thouands, something he must have been aware of being possible when he eloped with Lyanna, angering two powerful families. If he wasn't aware, then he was an idiot.

I could think of several explanations or scenarii (betrayal, a lost raven, Elia's blessing etc. all that and/or) that would make him neither unaware nor a idiot. Imo, it's one of the  central mysteries of ASOIAF so I can be completely wrong, yet I can't help but feel that the owls are not what they seem.

I've always been intrigued by Rhaegar and Lyanna so I'm looking forward to seeing them in Bran's visions and learning more about them.

Edited January 7, 2017 by Happy Harpy

[Eyes High]

7 hours ago, OhOkayWhat said:

An interesting thing that maybe is related to Sansa future. From Winteriscoming review of the commentaries of the Season 6 Box set:

Cogman admits that the Brother Ray character was a blend of a couple different characters Brienne meets in A Feast for Crows, which we figured. Interestingly, he also says that, while it’s hinted that the Hound is still alive in the books, they weren’t sure where George R.R. Martin was going to take it. “We took that kernel and fashioned this storyline.” So who knows if anything like this will show up in the books?

I still do not reach that part of the commentaries in my blu-ray disks, but if the quote is right, what does it mean about Sandor fate in GRRM mind? Is Sandor narrative (and how he relates to the main characters) all set in stone or it is not? 

I think somebody at the big 2013 meeting where the writers shook down GRRM for future plot details said that GRRM told the writers that he hadn't even figured out where certain characters (I think Bronn was used as an example) were going to end up. It may be that Sandor, not being one of the lead characters, falls into that category. GRRM may not have told the writers Sandor's endgame in the books, because he might not have decided on it yet.

I think this statement would seem to rule out a SanSan endgame, taken at face value, since GRRM surely communicated Sansa's endgame to the writers, either from the outset or at that meeting in 2013, and if the writers are in the dark with respect to what happens in the books with Sandor after AFFC, one can draw certain inferences. However, Cogman could always be lying or playing coy; if Sandor and Sansa do wind up together, he's not going to spill that in an interview.

Another possibility is that GRRM knows damn well what he is going to do with Sandor post-AFFC but didn't want the show to spoil it. Nevertheless, that would still rule out a SanSan endgame, or even a SanSan romance, if GRRM informed D&D in 2013 about Sansa's future plot arc and endgame in the books.

5 hours ago, Happy Harpy said:

I'd prefer Jaehaerys or Aemon, both could have inspired Jon to Ned. Or even Jaemon, if Lyanna and Rhaegar were into portmanteau names before it was hype :D

"Aemon" is probably the only Targaryen name Jon could reconcile himself to bearing. Otherwise, I imagine this:

Sam: Hey, Jon, guess what? Your birth name is Aegon!

Jon: ........Yeah, I'm gonna stick with Jon.

Season 7 news:

Emilia's back in Northern Ireland.

Edited January 8, 2017 by Eyes High

[OhOkayWhat]

24 minutes ago, Eyes High said:

I think this statement would seem to rule out a SanSan endgame, taken at face value, since GRRM surely communicated Sansa's endgame to the writers, either from the outset or at that meeting in 2013, and if the writers are in the dark with respect to what happens in the books with Sandor after AFFC, one can draw certain inferences.

I agree with you. The key word is "seems" because we are not sure, and yet, the quote does not look good for Sansan.

Maybe Cogman meant they only know the very end of Sandor plot but they do not know anything about how the books will go there?

I dunno, it seems Sandor is now a free element within the narrative, in other words, the writer can use the character freely wherever he thinks he is needed.

By the way, do we know who will go to the Golden Globes? Maybe we will get some spoilers!

Edited January 7, 2017 by OhOkayWhat

[SeanC]

1 hour ago, OhOkayWhat said:

By the way, do we know who will go to the Golden Globes? Maybe we will get some spoilers!

Maisie and Sophie are both in town and are at the BAFTA tea event tonight.  I'd expect D&D to be there, on the off-chance they win, unless the show's production requires them in Belfast.

Lena's a nominee so you might think she'd go, but she skipped the last Emmys, I believe, so maybe not.

Seems like much of the cast is still working, so probably a smaller complement this year.

[Eyes High]

Tatler Man, an Irish magazine, published an interview with Aidan Gillen in their Winter 2016 issue. Someone posted scans from the article. Money quote:

Quote

"I'm good, I feel a bit run down but that's purely because I was filming some long days, filming on Game of Thrones in a field outside Belfast for the last four days."

Interesting. Some on /Freefolk think it might be a reference to this filming at the Mourne mountains. A four-day shoot seems like a lot, though. Awayforthelads didn't mention any outdoor scenes with LF, so we'll see what the scene entails.

I think Mark Mylod was filming in Spain while the Mourne filming was going on (October 24-26 and presumably past if it was a four-day shoot), so assuming that AG was talking about the Mourne filming, that rules out 7x02 and 7x03 for whatever was filmed.

Edited January 8, 2017 by Eyes High

[anamika]

12 hours ago, OhOkayWhat said:

Cogman admits that the Brother Ray character was a blend of a couple different characters Brienne meets in A Feast for Crows, which we figured. Interestingly, he also says that, while it’s hinted that the Hound is still alive in the books, they weren’t sure where George R.R. Martin was going to take it. “We took that kernel and fashioned this storyline.” So who knows if anything like this will show up in the books?

FFS, George! At this point I think he only knows how his five main characters are going to end their stories. Which could be why their plot points are pretty much unchanged on the show - or rather their plots on the show are hitting the required marks - Jon becoming KITN, Dany getting to Westeros, Bran as the 3ER, Arya returning home to WF, Tyrion becoming Hand of the Queen, Jon and Dany falling in love etc. For everyone else, D and D have to come up with their own endings and how to get the characters there and hence the messy writing on the show. Maybe we never see the Hound again in the books and the writers just decided to bring him back because the Hound is a favorite - they are not beyond fan service considering Sansa's entire season 6 arc.  I blame GRRM more than D and D. There's only so much they can do without a proper ending and a defined way to get there.

GRRM's gardener type writing has made a mess of things. I doubt we will even see TWoW.  Instead of telling the story of his original characters he just kept expanding his world and side characters and their plots and now I think that he does not even know how to end it. It's mind boggling to think that he has not even started his second act - Dany landing in Westeros - yet and he has to wind up the story in two books.

5 hours ago, Eyes High said:

"I'm good, I feel a bit run down but that's purely because I was filming some long days, filming on Game of Thrones in a field outside Belfast for the last four days."

Interesting. Some on /Freefolk think it might be a reference to this filming at the Mourne mountains. A four-day shoot seems like a lot, though. Awayforthelads didn't mention any outdoor scenes with LF, so we'll see what the scene entails.

LF in a field for a long shoot? Interesting. This does sound new and details about the North plot is pretty scarce from Awayforthelads. Maybe he is doing some sneaky work. I still think that LF comes out of this season alive. They are running out of human bad guys - it's only Cersei and Euron who is left at the end? At the same time, show LF has pretty much reached a dead end, considering they removed his Vale plot and his power on the show. They could invent something new for him so that he can continue making chaos next season.

Edited January 8, 2017 by anamika

[SeanC]

13 hours ago, Eyes High said:

Interesting. Some on /Freefolk think it might be a reference to this filming at the Mourne mountains. A four-day shoot seems like a lot, though. Awayforthelads didn't mention any outdoor scenes with LF, so we'll see what the scene entails.

I was wondering if he was referring to the place where they film the Godswood scenes, though granted that'd be a lot of time in the Godswood for Littlefinger too (maybe the Winterfell Godswood is the new KL Garden of Betrayal).

If he was referring to the Mourne stuff, maybe Littlefinger is riding around meeting with bannermen trying to stir up discontent with Jon? (when Lads said that Lyanna Mormont was on Sansa's side over the whole Karstark/Umber thing, I was wondering if they weren't setting up something like that, though Lads himself said nothing further on the point)

[nikma]

11 hours ago, anamika said:

FFS, George! At this point I think he only knows how his five main characters are going to end their stories. Which could be why their plot points are pretty much unchanged on the show - or rather their plots on the show are hitting the required marks - Jon becoming KITN, Dany getting to Westeros, Bran as the 3ER, Arya returning home to WF, Tyrion becoming Hand of the Queen, Jon and Dany falling in love etc. For everyone else, D and D have to come up with their own endings and how to get the characters there and hence the messy writing on the show. Maybe we never see the Hound again in the books and the writers just decided to bring him back because the Hound is a favorite - they are not beyond fan service considering Sansa's entire season 6 arc.  I blame GRRM more than D and D. There's only so much they can do without a proper ending and a defined way to get there

I agree with you on this. S6 was one of my favorite seasons, and I really liked what they did, but it became clear to me that GRRM didn't give that much informations to D&D as I expected. 

If you look at Arya's storyline, in the first few episodes they used her chapters from ADWD where she is blind, then they used that one chapter that she has in TWOW as an inspiration to create that "Lady Crane plot" and then they concluded that storyline. I remember that one of GRRM's editors said that he could write a whole book of Arya's adventures in Braavos. And I realized that her storyline in Braavos is just a compilation of short stories without any plot relevance. When D&D finished her chapters from ADWD and TWOW, that storyline just ended and she returned to Westeros. I don't think that that development will happen that fast in TWOW. 

And the Northern storyline in S6 is something that won't happen in TWOW in that way. I believe that Ramsay and Jon will clash, because there is foreshadowing for that in the books, and I really don't think that Stannis will be the one to defeat the Boltons, especially because we know from S6 that Jon will become KITN. I don't see how that can happen in an interesting way if Stannis wins. Maybe even GRRM doesn't know. LOL

So as I said, I believe that Jon will leave the NW, I believe that he will have a battle with Ramsay, and I believe that he will be the king, but everything else will be different in the books. Ramsay won't have Rickon, Jon can't have interactions with Sansa before the battle and that was the most important part of his storyline in S6.   (I think that Sansa and LF will arrive to save the day in the books as well, because that is the only way in which GRRM can make the Vale storyline from the books relevant in any meaningful way for the overall plot), 

And KL's plot is also a show original plot, from start to finish. D&D said that the Green trail was their idea.  We can't be even sure that Cersei will take the Iron Throne in the books. 

Tyrion and Varys won't be in Meereen ruling together in TWOW, and battle for Meereen will be something that will take place at the beginning of TWOW, not as a culmination of that storyline. And everything that Varys and Tyrion  were doing in Meereen was in a way an adaptation of Dany's chapters from ADWD. They've cut other cities from Slaver's Bay in S5, and they saved that for S6. In the books Dany is dealing with problems inside and outside of the city at the same time, but in the show they've just dived that, and gave inside problems to Dany and outside problems to Tyrion. Selmy is alive in the books as well.  I agree that tyrion will be Dany's Hand in the books. 

Daario and Jorah won't be a part of Dany's storyline, and Jorah won't be trying to find a cure. I think that Dany will spend much mor etime with the Dothraki in TWOW. 

Iron Islands and Riveralands plots are something adapted from AFFC. Walder Frey won't be killed in that way because Manderly used Frey pies in the books. They said that the Hound's storyline was show-original. 

In Bran's storyline we got "Hold the door" from TWOW, but GRRM said that it will happen differently, and I think that everything else in that storyline was show original, including Benjen Stark as Coldhands. 

Sam's storyline was show original, and his arrival to Oldtown was the end of his AFFC's storyline. 

So when you look at S6 it really is just an adaptation of AFFC and ADWD in diffrent way combined with original material and very few spoilers from the books(Hold the door, Jon as KITN, Sansa and LF in the North, Tyrion as Dany's Hand and Dany's victory in Meereen and with the Dothraki, and I'm not even sure that Dany will be part of that victory in Meereen in the books). 

And there is YG's plot in the books, Doran is alive, LSH is in the Riverlands, Brienne is not with Sansa, there are more Tyrells, you have that storyline in th Vale with Sansa, Myrcella, Stannnis and Shireen are still alive in the books. Theon and his sister are not with Dany, so they have different storylines in the North, Davos is not with Jon at all, he is searching for Rickon, and Tyrion didn't meet Dany in the books yet, Euron is much bigger character in the books, in the show it seems that he will be just Theon's antagonist, something that can't happen in the books, because they've never met. 

So, yeah, I don't see how TWOW won't be a mess just like the last two books, I don't see how GRRM can finish this story in 7 books with this pace and I don't think that he will finish the books at all. 

Edited January 8, 2017 by nikma

[Wouter]

Re: relevance of the Vale. It has food, lots of food, and LF is keeping it to sell later (when it will be needed most and thus cost the most). You don't think that's going to be important?

[OhOkayWhat]

Is Maisie using braces? By the way, she looks really cute!. I do not know so much about braces, so I wonder, does it mean she will not film more scenes of GoT this year?

[nikma]

1 hour ago, Wouter said:

Re: relevance of the Vale. It has food, lots of food, and LF is keeping it to sell later (when it will be needed most and thus cost the most). You don't think that's going to be important?

 

 

 

No, I don't think so, because I don't really see that the food will play that important part in the war with Dany or against the WW. Of couse it will play a role, like in every war, but nothing game-changing or interesting or exciting in terms of story.

So, we will watch LF blackmailing Dany or Jon with food? That's the culmination of his story in the books? 

And you are talking about the relevance of the Vale within the story, I'm speaking of it from the storytelling perspective. Why GRRM created that place? Why he did send Sansa there? Why he made the point that their army is fresh? Why LF wants to move to the North in the books? Why GRRM created some sort of sentiment for Ned Stark in the Vale? It has to play the same role in the main plot of this story.

If Martin created that place just so they could sell food during the WW's invasion, he could have sent Sansa to the Reach.

Edited January 8, 2017 by nikma

[Eyes High]

39 minutes ago, OhOkayWhat said:

Is Maisie using braces? By the way, she looks really cute!. I do not know so much about braces, so I wonder, does it mean she will not film more scenes of GoT this year?

That would be my guess. 

2 hours ago, nikma said:

I agree with you on this. S6 was one of my favorite seasons, and I really liked what they did, but it became clear to me that GRRM didn't give that much informations to D&D as I expected. 

There are instances where the show seems to be vaulting ahead where the main characters are concerned in ways that we can expect that the books will eventually progress: Arya will somehow get out of being a FM apprentice and will make it back to Westeros, Jon will be revived somehow and will become KITN, Sansa will wind up in the North, Tyrion will wind up as Dany's Hand, Dany will finally get her fucking act together and invade Westeros, and Cersei will somehow win the power struggle in KL with the Tyrells and the Faith and come out on top.

For the leading characters--Stark siblings plus the Lannister siblings and Dany--D&D seem to have a pretty solid idea of where they're going with the characters. Beyond that, though, who knows? GRRM may not even know himself. D&D have killed off so many still-living characters from the books or omitted them from the start (like Arianne) that their task is much simpler, but unless they're prepared to kill off every named character who isn't a Stark, a Lannister sibling, or Dany, they're going to have a tough time filling in GRRM's blanks. I mean, how many named characters are even left in Westeros at this point, once you take out the characters who are supposed to get killed off in Season 7 according to Awayforthelads?

Season 7 casualties: Olenna, Littlefinger, Ellaria, Tyene, Nym, Obara, Thoros, Randyll, Dickon, Benjen, probably Grey Worm although Awayforthelads didn't say so, probably Yara although Awayforthelads didn't say so

North: Sansa, Arya, Brienne, Pod, Lyanna Mormont, Tormund, Maester Wolkan, Lord Glover, Lord Cerwyn, Lord Manderly, Bran, Meera, Dolorous Edd

Reach: Sam, Gilly, Baby Sam, Sam's mom (can't recall her name), Sam's sister (can't recall her name)

Riverlands: Edmure, Roslin I guess...?

Vale: Sweetrobin, Bronze Yohn, Lady Waynwood

Team Jon: Jon, Davos, Gendry, Hound, Beric

Team Dany: Dany, Tyrion, Missandei, Jorah, Theon

Team Cersei: Cersei, Jaime, Bronn, Qyburn, the Mountain, Euron

Even accounting for Starks+Lannisters+Dany, that leaves well over 30 named characters whose book fates were likely not communicated to D&D by GRRM. I wonder if faced with the prospect of coming up with endgames for all of these characters whether D&D are just going to take the easy route and kill off as many of them as they can.

Edited January 8, 2017 by Eyes High

[nikma]

30 minutes ago, Eyes High said:

 

For the leading characters--Stark siblings plus the Lannister siblings and Dany--D&D seem to have a pretty solid idea of where they're going with the characters. 

 

 

 

I agree that they have some idea, I never said that GRRM told them nothing, but that's just that - an idea. It would be like if they just had an idea after S1 that Robb and Cat would die during the war, but they didn't know how. 

I think that we will see more spoilers from the books in S8, because I think that GRRM's ideas will be naturally more fleshed out about the endgame of every big character. And we know that there is third big plot twist from the books (that GRRM told D&D) coming in S8. 

I don't think that they will have a tough time filling blanks in S8, because 30-40 characters is not that much for them, and I believe that they already know the fates of at least 10-15 characters from George. I think they know from him what will happen with Arya, Sansa, Jon, Dany, Tyrion, Bran, Cersei, Jaime, Sam, maybe Theon. I think they also know Davos's fate because that actor (I can't remember his name LOL) said 2 ago that George told him some spoilers about Davos in future. If GRRM told him, he told D&D as well. 

I'm not sure he knows what will happen with Malisandre, Varys, Brienne or Euron. If we look what the show is doing with Euron, I'm not sure that GRRM has a plan. 

Every other character is not that big, so I think that it won't be that hard for D&D invent an ending for 20 (or more) characters. They've been mostly good at killing smaller characters that are still alive in the books. 

Edited January 8, 2017 by nikma

[roguetamlin]

I totally agree with Rhaegar being a sh:t if he had Lyanna name Jon Aegon. He was dead before his kids were killed by the Mountain, he can't have known that he would lose. For me this brings up a bigger question that I suspect will never be answered: what the hell was Rhaegar's big plan? He hid Lyanna away to have this baby and then goes off to fight in the rebellion that he caused. Was he planning to just show up at court one day with Lyanna and Aegon2?

[YaddaYadda]

He was planning to depose his father, I think that can be traced back to the tourney at Harrenhal, and Varys screwed him over. He also told Jaime that things would be different when he returned from the war. he let things get out of hand and forgot his responsibilities to the kingdom and its subjects. The show will never give us an explanation (I mean my friend who has never read the books can't even remember who he was) what and why, and GRRM has been taking his sweet time writing all of this. 

[nikma]

So, we know that we will see Rhaegar and Lyanna's wedding in S7. But what do you think, where the wedding will take place? ToJ? 

 

And who will be present? 

Edited January 8, 2017 by nikma

[roguetamlin]

31 minutes ago, YaddaYadda said:

He was planning to depose his father, I think that can be traced back to the tourney at Harrenhal, and Varys screwed him over. He also told Jaime that things would be different when he returned from the war. he let things get out of hand and forgot his responsibilities to the kingdom and its subjects. The show will never give us an explanation (I mean my friend who has never read the books can't even remember who he was) what and why, and GRRM has been taking his sweet time writing all of this. 

I understand all that, but what was his plan regarding Jon/Aegon and Lyanna? Was Rhaegar's desire to create Azor Ahai just a thread of several unconnected plans that all got tangled up, saving the kingdom from his insane father another? I suspect there isn't a real answer, that it just comes down to plot convenience. It just bugs me. 

[YaddaYadda]

2 hours ago, roguetamlin said:

I understand all that, but what was his plan regarding Jon/Aegon and Lyanna? Was Rhaegar's desire to create Azor Ahai just a thread of several unconnected plans that all got tangled up, saving the kingdom from his insane father another? I suspect there isn't a real answer, that it just comes down to plot convenience. It just bugs me. 

Got to wonder about the whole pact of Ice and Fire and what he might have read in one of his books. One of the things I'm waiting on an explanation for is the Reed's last line from their oath of fealty, if that ever gets explained.

[Meredith Quill]

Mod Note:

Guys...another reminder: this topic is for speculation and spoilers regarding season 7 ONLY. Unless they are directly related to season 7, posts discussing Rhaegar & Lyanna or any other characters, and/or GRRM's plans do not belong in here, please take those discussions to an appropriate topic.

Thank you.

[Eyes High]

Looks like some GOT crew are in Iceland (spotted by someone on /Freefolk):

https://www.instagram.com/p/BPCq3JHgHV5/

https://www.instagram.com/p/BPCp805h-nj/

https://www.instagram.com/p/BPCsmBwB5nd/

https://www.instagram.com/p/BPCtdN2gPAt/

Edited January 9, 2017 by Eyes High

[SeanC]

Maisie had braces at the Golden Globes, so she's definitely done filming for this season (which seemed likely anyway). 

[GrailKing]

Remember the 2 voice overs that didn't show up in season 6, do you think we will get them between Sansa and Bran in the Godswood of Winterfell?

[Wouter]

58 minutes ago, GrailKing said:

Remember the 2 voice overs that didn't show up in season 6, do you think we will get them between Sansa and Bran in the Godswood of Winterfell?

What voice overs do you mean, something that was in a trailer or trailers?

[Eyes High]

1 hour ago, Wouter said:

What voice overs do you mean, something that was in a trailer or trailers?

1. Bran: "They have no idea what's going to happen" (from one of the first teasers). Likely cut from the scene where Bran and Bloodraven are watching young Lyanna, young Ned and young Benjen. (There's an exchange with Bran and Bloodraven where Bran remarks on how happy everyone looks, and Bloodraven answers "So were you, once." That seems like the perfect place to put that line of dialogue.)

2. Sansa: "It's all I think about, what's been taken from me" (from one of the trailers). If I had to guess, I think it was cut from Sansa's scene with Littlefinger. Another possibility is the scene where Sansa is telling Jon that they need to reclaim Winterfell.

As for GrailKing's question, no, I don't think those lines will wind up in Season 7. We didn't get them in the deleted scenes, either, so I'm guessing the aired scenes were versions shortened for TV.

Liam Cunningham said at the Golden Globes that they're still filming Season 7 "until the end of next month" and that they "start again in September" (for Season 8, presumably).

Katy Taylor, one of the GOT crew members in Iceland, said that they'll be in Iceland for "a couple of weeks."

Edited January 9, 2017 by Eyes High

[nikma]

Liam Cunningham also said that S8 will have 6 episodes. I think that now it is confirmed. 

73 episodes for this epic story. Not that much, really, considering how many characters and storylines there was. 

Edited January 9, 2017 by nikma

[SeanC]

Resuming filming in September means they're keeping the same production cycle as Season 7, which is something I had been wondering about (it seemed at least possible to men that they'd be knocked back further).

[GrailKing]

4 hours ago, Wouter said:

What voice overs do you mean, something that was in a trailer or trailers?

S6 Bran: they have no idea what's about to happen ; Sansa: when I think of all that was taken from me.

Sansa could be saying it to LF also (hopefully as a setup), either way I think we could get them in season 7.

[SeanC]

20 minutes ago, GrailKing said:

S6 Bran: they have no idea what's about to happen ; Sansa: when I think of all that was taken from me.

Sansa could be saying it to LF also (hopefully as a setup), either way I think we could get them in season 7.

They don't reuse material from one season in another.  If it was cut, it was cut because it wasn't necessary.

[Eyes High]

2 hours ago, nikma said:

Liam Cunningham also said that S8 will have 6 episodes. I think that now it is confirmed. 

73 episodes for this epic story. Not that much, really, considering how many characters and storylines there was. 

Iain Glen said recently that they're only operating under the assumption that it's 13 episodes total, which doesn't sound like confirmation of much of anything. I don't think 6 episodes is confirmed until HBO says it's confirmed. They haven't even come out and said that Season 8 will be the final season yet.

Also, as I understand the production cycle of GOT, D&D usually start plotting out a given season the year before that season is supposed to air, in January. They then start writing in the spring and finish the scripts in June, with filming starting in July. Season 7 pushed back the production cycle by two months: filming started two months later than usual and is scheduled to end two months later than usual. We also know that Season 8 is on a similar schedule, with filming supposed to start in September. By that token, D&D won't be able to sit down to do their usual next-season plotting until March of 2017, and they likely won't finish their scripts until August of 2017.

I'm guessing a decision will have to be made sometime this spring about how many episodes GOT will have in its last season, since D&D will need that information before they can map out and write Season 8, but I haven't seen anything to indicate that that decision has already been made. I'm guessing that given the tug-of-war in the past between HBO and D&D, D&D will be pushing for fewer episodes and HBO will be pushing for more. I'm not sure that D&D will get their desired six episodes; remember, they originally wanted only seven seasons. So I would expect the final number to be more than six, fewer than ten.

[kcbuckeye2]

23 hours ago, Eyes High said:

Looks like some GOT crew are in Iceland (spotted by someone on /Freefolk):

https://www.instagram.com/p/BPCq3JHgHV5/

https://www.instagram.com/p/BPCp805h-nj/

https://www.instagram.com/p/BPCsmBwB5nd/

https://www.instagram.com/p/BPCtdN2gPAt/

All links are dead...

[nikma]

16 hours ago, Eyes High said:

Iain Glen said recently that they're only operating under the assumption that it's 13 episodes total, which doesn't sound like confirmation of much of anything. I don't think 6 episodes is confirmed until HBO says it's confirmed.

 

The same was said about S7 and 7 episodes this year. People were saying that it means nothing until HBO confirms it. And then they did confirm what D&D already said.

I have no doubt that S8 will have 6 episodes. 

[MarySNJ]

On January 8, 2017 at 4:55 PM, roguetamlin said:

I totally agree with Rhaegar being a sh:t if he had Lyanna name Jon Aegon. He was dead before his kids were killed by the Mountain, he can't have known that he would lose. For me this brings up a bigger question that I suspect will never be answered: what the hell was Rhaegar's big plan? He hid Lyanna away to have this baby and then goes off to fight in the rebellion that he caused. Was he planning to just show up at court one day with Lyanna and Aegon2?

Just a question, because I can't remember. Did anyone on the show ever mention the first names of Rhaegar's children? I only recall Catelyn referring the Targaryen children but I don't remember anyone mentioning that they were Aegon and Rhaenys. Assuming the leak is correct (a big if), if that's the case then maybe show-only Jon is only son of Rhaegar given the name "Aegon" and we'll never know what the dead other brother was named.   

I sincerely doubt book-Jon will have the same birth name as his older half-brother.  

If the PTWP prophesy is important to the end-game, and Jon is the PTWP, then the show is not doing a good job of clarifying Rhaegar's intentions. It just seems like he dumped his wife for a younger woman.  Maybe there will be some exposition in the upcoming seasons that will explain it but it should have probably been woven into the story by now. 

[MarySNJ]

On December 30, 2016 at 8:19 AM, SimoneS said:

I don't think that it is about not loving the direwolves. Rather it is not having the budget to do the CGI for the direwolves when most of it has to be spent on the dragons and battle scenes which are far more integral to the story. Since there are only seven episodes this season, it is possible that there is money available to do the CGI for the direwolves. 

I agree it's the budget. But it's the penultimate season, and many fans want to see more of the dire wolves. I think it's possible that they will invest in the CGI to beef up Arya's journey from the the Riverlands to Winterfell by adding a reunion with Nymeria - as fan service if nothing else. 

[roguetamlin]

On 1/9/2017 at 0:07 AM, SilverStormm said:

Mod Note:

Guys...another reminder: this topic is for speculation and spoilers regarding season 7 ONLY. Unless they are directly related to season 7, posts discussing Rhaegar & Lyanna or any other characters, and/or GRRM's plans do not belong in here, please take those discussions to an appropriate topic.

Thank you.

Which topic would this covered by?

[Meredith Quill]

12 minutes ago, roguetamlin said:

Which topic would this covered by?

Either the character or house topics or one of the book talk topics. Failing all else, if no appropriate topic exists, you can create one.

[Wouter]

1 hour ago, MarySNJ said:

Just a question, because I can't remember. Did anyone on the show ever mention the first names of Rhaegar's children? I only recall Catelyn referring the Targaryen children but I don't remember anyone mentioning that they were Aegon and Rhaenys. Assuming the leak is correct (a big if), if that's the case then maybe show-only Jon is only son of Rhaegar given the name "Aegon" and we'll never know what the dead other brother was named.   

I sincerely doubt book-Jon will have the same birth name as his older half-brother. 

I agree, if Aegon and Rhaenys were never name-dropped then they can have Jon's intented name to be Aegon without a problem. If so, it will likely be different from the books.

It may also be the kind of detail that Lads just might have misremembered, though.

[Edith]

1 hour ago, MarySNJ said:

Just a question, because I can't remember. Did anyone on the show ever mention the first names of Rhaegar's children? I only recall Catelyn referring the Targaryen children but I don't remember anyone mentioning that they were Aegon and Rhaenys. Assuming the leak is correct (a big if), if that's the case then maybe show-only Jon is only son of Rhaegar given the name "Aegon" and we'll never know what the dead other brother was named.   

I sincerely doubt book-Jon will have the same birth name as his older half-brother.  

If the PTWP prophesy is important to the end-game, and Jon is the PTWP, then the show is not doing a good job of clarifying Rhaegar's intentions. It just seems like he dumped his wife for a younger woman.  Maybe there will be some exposition in the upcoming seasons that will explain it but it should have probably been woven into the story by now. 

Yes, they were mentioned by name on the show too by Thoros of Myr in season 3 I think but I doubt show watchers will remember that.

If they name him Aegon is probably going to be like Tyrion telling Theon how much he mocked him while in Winterfell, when the canon of the show was the other way around. 

[Eyes High]

Courtesy of @Yeahclarke: Iain Glen has been spotted in Iceland (shannylou3 on Instagram claims to have seen Jorah while in Iceland), and Alfie Allen was spotted leaving Belfast today.

Update: Pilou Asbaek was spotted by someone who knew him from ESC Copenhagen at Heathrow Airport today. He had just done GOT.

So...Euron/Theon interior scene, maybe?

Update 2: Joe Dempsie (Gendry) and Paul Kaye (Thoros) have now been spotted in Iceland as well.

On 2017-01-09 at 10:43 AM, Eyes High said:

Looks like some GOT crew are in Iceland (spotted by someone on /Freefolk):

https://www.instagram.com/p/BPCq3JHgHV5/

https://www.instagram.com/p/BPCp805h-nj/

https://www.instagram.com/p/BPCsmBwB5nd/

https://www.instagram.com/p/BPCtdN2gPAt/

Quote

All links are dead...

Yeah, the crew members subsequently locked down their Instagram accounts. You can find copies of the photos at Watchers on the Wall.

Edited January 12, 2017 by Eyes High

[Happy Harpy]

Gendry is going to kick ass! Gendry is going to kick ass!

I wonder if his past with the Brotherhood will be mentioned, or if it's going to be retconned...so little time.  (I mean,13 episodes? Although 13 "Winds of Winters"...*mind blowed*)

[Eyes High]

Gravemaster in the comments section at WOTW noticed that Lyanna's actress, Aisling Franciosi, had recently followed Sam Claflin on Twitter. They have no projects together according to IMDB. Awayforthelads claimed that there would be a Rhaegar/Lyanna wedding flashback. Could this be our Rhaegar...? 

[Happy Harpy]

2 hours ago, Eyes High said:

Gravemaster in the comments section at WOTW noticed that Lyanna's actress, Aisling Franciosi, had recently followed Sam Claflin on Twitter. They have no projects together according to IMDB. Awayforthelads claimed that there would be a Rhaegar/Lyanna wedding flashback. Could this be our Rhaegar...? 

Siblings?

[SeanC]

Claflin costarred with Emilia Clarke, so I could see him being interested in doing a cameo role (quite apart from him possibly being a fan of the show or something like that).

[nikma]

He looks good enough. And where will the wedding take place? 

[Eyes High]

1 hour ago, Happy Harpy said:

Siblings?

Well, in the show, Dany and Viserys both have green eyes, so Sam Claflin would fit right in.

He's certainly hot enough, too.

40 minutes ago, SeanC said:

Claflin costarred with Emilia Clarke, so I could see him being interested in doing a cameo role (quite apart from him possibly being a fan of the show or something like that).

Yes. If this is true, I'm wondering if it had something to do with costarring with Emilia Clarke in Me Before You.

[ElizaD]

I'd be happy to see Claflin play Rhaegar: he's been the heartthrob in multiple big franchise movies so he'd have a Rhaegar-appropriate air of being a bigger thing than anyone else in the scene. If he's a GOT fan his movie with Emilia could have given him a chance to mention that he'd like to do a cameo, and if she'd already made the showrunners aware of his interest it might explain why no Rhaegar casting call was needed.

[Happy Harpy]

11 hours ago, ElizaD said:

I'd be happy to see Claflin play Rhaegar: he's been the heartthrob in multiple big franchise movies so he'd have a Rhaegar-appropriate air of being a bigger thing than anyone else in the scene. If he's a GOT fan his movie with Emilia could have given him a chance to mention that he'd like to do a cameo, and if she'd already made the showrunners aware of his interest it might explain why no Rhaegar casting call was needed.

I expect Rhaegar to be a kind of poetic version of Oberyn, I guess. Someone with as much charisma and presence, but less sex-on-a-stick? Kind of Blue Oni/Red Oni.

I know there will probably be no time for that but I would love a small flashback, even a couple of minutes, with Jaime and Arthur Dayne.

[Brn2bwild]

On 1/12/2017 at 3:30 PM, Happy Harpy said:

Siblings?

He also looks like he could plausibly be Jon Snow's father.

[Eyes High]

Spotted in Iceland to date: Kit, Iain Glen, Joe Dempsie, and Paul Kaye.

Not spotted yet, but likely there: Rory McCann, Kristofer Hivju, and Richard Dormer.

WOTW says that the Hound and Tormund were part of the Wolf Hill Quarry filming, which is part of the same sequence, so we should also expect their actors to be in Iceland (along with Beric).

That's a total of seven characters. Someone snapped a photo of the Iceland filming that showed nine characters dressed in wildling skins. Who's left? Random redshirts? Benjen? Davos?

[SeanC]

6 minutes ago, Eyes High said:

That's a total of seven characters. Someone snapped a photo of the Iceland filming that showed nine characters dressed in wildling skins. Who's left? Random redshirts? Benjen? Davos?

I'd guess they're meant to be other members of the Brotherhood.  Or additional Wildlings that come with Tormund.

Edited January 14, 2017 by SeanC