Season 8: Speculation and Spoilers Discussion

[SeanC]

1 hour ago, YaddaYadda said:

I wouldn't have such a problem with it if it wasn't the sort of stories they keep pushing in the media, like last season's Arya/Sansa very badly written feud. 

The drama they want to create is usually between them women. They resolved the issues between the men who went beyond the wall last season within the last 10 minutes of the episode and carried that over the following one where they came to work together and worked together.

I find it really annoying. But that's just my feeling on the matter.

Oh, if you're talking about the writers of the show, then sure.

I just meant that it's not really surprising the media was asking questions about it, since that's an angle the show itself is pushing.

[screamin]

On 3/26/2019 at 9:05 AM, Happy Harpy said:

Using a fan favorite as a prop to try and get the audience to support the logically unsustainable or the Scrappy is an old TV trick. Maybe most viewers will forget about wight giants, a wight dragon, wight hordes that are going to destroy Castle Black in the same episode, and think that when death knocks at the door, decorum and misplaced ego are so very very important.

Forget Lyanna, D&D should have asked Miss Manners to do a cameo instead.😂

But aren't you raking Lyanna over the coals simply for displaying a lack of decorum? That is, simply for openly speaking her mind to her erstwhile King who is now just the landless Warden of the North, the flunkey of the Dragon Queen and her Lannister Queen's Hand, both of whom are now his superiors - and hers - in their own land? You're castigating her for disregarding rank and etiquette and daring to speak out of turn, instead of carefully noting who is now the highest ranking person and faultlessly curtseying and toadying to that person. Is decorum bad or is it good? Should Lyanna be regarding it or not? Pick one.

Myself, I think Lyanna's character has always been lacking in decorum, ever since she first brusquely insulted Sansa and Jon to their faces and would have rudely brushed off their request for aid if Davos hadn't skillfully appealed to her fierce-little-girl sense of honor and heroism. To say a character is a "Scrappy" means, I suppose, that they are not three-dimensional characters; just annoying cartoons written solely to provide plot obstacles at critical moments. IMO, Lyanna has been more than that; she's been written consistently as a personality. They haven't changed her arbitrarily simply to turn her into a plot obstacle.

I mean, we first hear of her when she sends a message rudely flipping off Stannis because the North is only faithful to one king; no polite 'decorous' decline there. Even from that message, we already get a sense of her personality - bumptious, disregarding of pleasantries, fiercely loyal to a deceased king, brave even to the extent of some foolhardiness - after all, Stannis could be victorious, or even just invade Bear Island in the course of his wars, and punish her for her excessive rudeness. That didn't stop her, though.

Her character remains consistent with that first impression when we see her thereafter, her rudeness and bravery in casting her lot with the Starks against Ramsey, when scolding the Northern lords out of their doubts, when telling Jon that she thinks his leaving the North is a bad idea.

So when Jon says to the North - to Lyanna, "You know back when I told you that it was worth dying a horrible death rather than be ruled by a tyrant, to convince you to rebel against Ramsey? Forget all that. It's totally OK to grovel to ANYONE just to stay alive, so please commence with the ass-kissing of Her Grace,  who for all you know is Ramsey with tits and dragons, AND her new Lannister Hand, who we are now both subordinate to.  Oh, there's also a Lannister army on its way North - yes, like the ones that slaughtered so many Northerners. This MAY give you the impression that even groveling to a tyrant won't save you from a horrible death, but don't worry - we can TOTALLY trust the Lannisters now."

Presented with that, IMO, it's absolutely in character for rude, forthright, brave Lyanna to burst out to Jon "WTF are you doing!?" - thus giving voice to all the Northerners who have exactly the same worries but not the nerve to say it - and somebody needs to, to get those fears properly addressed. I don't think it makes much sense to say that a character is OK when she's being rude and brave and forthright to Jon's benefit but suddenly becomes a 2-dimensional 'Scrappy' when she's behaving in exactly the same rude, brave, forthright manner in a way that happens to embarrass Jon in a totally consistent manner with the plot.

Edited March 29, 2019 by screamin

[GraceK]

Best thing I’ve seen all day , courtesy of twitter ::

[bubble sparkly]

I think it makes sense for Lyanna to pipe up publicly as she is a Jon fanboy who has never really seemed concerned with social niceties etc. It’s probably a combination of the Bear Island “warrior woman” mindset and the fact that she has been LoBI since she was quite young.

The thing that seems most ridiculous to me are Sansa’s actions, because the show and writers keep saying that she has political nous yet her actions are those of someone with minimal political skills.

In s5 Sansa agreed to marry Ramsey, and even discussed with LF about how her aim was to basically seduce him into loving her. Yet, Sansa apparently didn’t think she would need to sleep with Ramsey on their wedding night, even though bedding ceremonies are a thing in their world. Now obviously Ramsey’s actions and rape of Sansa etc was horrible and NOT justified in any way, but someone skilled at playing the game would have entered into a marriage alliance knowing that they would have to sleep with their partner to keep the charade up.

In s6 Sansa is convinced that the North will rally behind the Starks and she shows herself unable to rally any Northerners to the cause. Davos is the one that manages to get the ball rolling with Lyanna. A skilled player of the game should have been able to get support from some Northerners.

Then in s7 Sansa constantly criticizes Jon publicly, which shows everyone that the Starks are not a united front. A good politician would have saved the questions and criticisms for behind closed doors since the Starks ascension was so fresh.

Then when Jon is leaving for Dragonstone Sansa never raised the idea of a marriage alliance, which any smart politician would have done (although to be fair apparently no one in Westeros has thought of a JD marriage alliance so Sansa isn’t the only one lol).

When Jon is away and the Lords start bitching and hinting that Sansa should replace him, Sansa finally acts like a politician and placates then whilst turning down their offer. When Arya questions her about not supporting Jon she indicates she is playing the game and keeping them onside.

Yet s8 rolls around and Sansa is apparently being cold to Dany. She is still questioning Jon but we don’t know whether that is in public or behind closed doors. But again, Sansa shows herself to be a political idiot as a skilled politician would be sucking up to the woman with 2 dragons and a massive army. Then Sansa should be secretly tasking Bran and Arya with digging dirt on Dany and seeing if she’s trustworthy, whilst tying to sweet talk Dany into getting the best deal possible for the North.

My problem is not necessarily Sansa’s actions in and of themselves. My problem is that the writers are consistently claiming Sansa is a political genius, yet they have her act with with as much political skill as a ham sandwich. 

Edited March 28, 2019 by bubble sparkly

[GraceK]

13 minutes ago, bubble sparkly said:

My problem is not necessarily Sansa’s actions in and of themselves. My problem is that the writers are consistently claiming Sansa is a political genius, yet they have act with with as much political skill as a ham sandwich. 

Not to mention the obnoxious hype around her character. Warrior of Winterfell? Machaviellian leader? Wise ruler? Political power player? Head of the Winterfell justice league? Not one of those have I made up, all of those have been used to describe her character in articles and promotion and really? 🙄Not even Tywin Lannister got that much hype . We have seen nothing that justifies it. Show, don’t tell please.

Edited March 28, 2019 by GraceK

[nikma]

Not this talk about Sansa again please... 

[GraceK]

1 minute ago, nikma said:

Not this talk about Sansa again please... 

Your right sorry it was brought up and I responded. The meme is funny though!

[WindyNights]

20 minutes ago, bubble sparkly said:

My problem is not necessarily Sansa’s actions in and of themselves. My problem is that the writers are consistently claiming Sansa is a political genius, yet they have her act with with as much political skill as a ham sandwich. 

I mean all the "political geniuses" act stupidly in the show past season 4 because of D & D's rushed writing cycle and no longer having the books to base the show on.

Tyrion's meant to actually be a political genius but he's one giant failure.

[nikma]

Meme is great, but this constant constroversy in this fandom about Sansa is really tiring. And not only here, but everywhere.

That's how D&D are writing her character, it's not something new, and it's not something it's going to change. 

Balancing all these storylines is hard for them and it's shows. Yeah, it would have been better if we saw  Sansa geting support from some Northerners, but then Davos would't have anything to do. So they wrote Davos bringing Mormonts, Sansa bringing the Vale and Jon bringing Free Folk. Everything else with Hornwoods and whatever was off screen. (that's why Sansa said something about bringing them in E5 of S7) 

If they had 3 years to write S6 everything would have been better, but they don't have and this is their maximum in these circumstances. Too many characters, too many storylines, too many character and plot development that needs to be covered. 

Edited March 28, 2019 by nikma

[nikma]

April 1 – Maisie Williams on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon”
April 2 – Sophie Turner and Maisie Williams on “Good Morning America”
April 2 – Emilia Clarke on “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert”
April 3 – Gwendoline Christie on “Good Morning America”
April 4 – Kit Harington on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon”
April 4 – Conleth Hill on “Late Night With Seth Meyers”
April 6 – Kit Harington hosts “Saturday Night Live”
April 9 – Kit Harington on “Live With Kelly & Ryan”
April 9 – Nikolaj Coster-Waldau on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show”
April 11 – Nikolaj Coster-Waldau on “Busy Tonight”
April 12 – Gwendoline Christie on “Live With Kelly & Ryan”
April 13 - Kit Harington and Emilia Clarke on "Graham Norton Show"
 

14 minutes ago, WindyNights said:

I mean all the "political geniuses" act stupidly in the show past season 4 because of D & D's rushed writing cycle and no longer having the books to base the show on.

I agree. Sansa is not an exception. It was unrealistic to expect seamless transition from seasons that were based on the books to those that weren't. But still some things are better in later seasons, like pacing. Some parts of S2 and S3 are just so painfully slow. 

[anamika]

Wait, why is Dany being compared to Ramsay Bolton?

Like Jon, I just feel like people should have more common sense now since death is literally marching on them. But Lyanna is just a kid in charge of a small household, so I guess I can give her a pass, considering that even Machiavellian, political geniuses think that Dany is the greater threat to the North and not the WW.

As per the leaks, Alys Karstark is there with her army - I guess Jon won her over and has a new fan, lol! Move over Lyanna, Alys is here!

As per the 4chan leaks that place Theon at WF, Karstark soldiers are manning the WF walls before the battle.  Either they get the news that Karhold has fallen in episode one or everyone is gathering at WF to defend it.

7 hours ago, BadAssRobinArryn said:

That said, I agree with you that some major characters should die. The Night King winning makes this even more likely. And I'm almost sure Jorah will die, there. As will Theon. But Jorah dying does not exclude Missandei dying. That kiss between Grey Worm and Missandei in the trailer doesn't bode well, IMO. 

I think as per some leaks, most of the Dothraki get wiped out in the North. If along with them, Missandei and Jorah are also going to be taken out - I would feel really bad for Dany. Considering she's already lost Viserion, losing her bestie would be another blow. Dany is going to be left with almost no one by the end of this if the Tyrion betrayal plot is right and the dragons are dying. 

I don't think Theon is dying at WF. Euron is still alive and I think Theon has to take him out before dying. I think Euron is Theon's nemesis. Yara is mostly going to be recovering this season from her captivity.

I think a lot of the Northerners - most of the characters who are going to whine about Dany - are going to die and make Jon's point for him. They could introduce these characters in episode one and kill them off in episode 3 - like Karsi and the Thenn at Hardhome.  Yohn Royce is not going to make it - I suspect this is why SR comes back into the picture towards the end.

Anyways, the list of deaths in episode 3 is going to be massive.

It will be interesting to see these different armies from different cultures working together - Northern army, Vale army, Unsullied, Dothraki - different fighting styles

Edited March 28, 2019 by anamika

[nikma]

6 minutes ago, anamika said:

Euron is still alive and I think Theon has to take him out before dying. I think Euron is Theon's nemesis.

Maybe, but I think it's also possible that Cersei kills Euron. They set it up last season like this is another High Sparrow situation where Cersei is going to be betrayed by her "ally", so I think the opposite will happen. 

We never saw Cersei using someone and casting him away. 

Edited March 28, 2019 by nikma

[GraceK]

10 minutes ago, anamika said:

If along with them, Missandei and Jorah are also going to be taken out - I would feel really bad for Dany. Considering she's already lost Viserion, losing her bestie would be another blow. Dany is going to be left with almost no one by the end of this if the Tyrion betrayal plot is right and the dragons are dying. 

It would be really interesting to see Jons reaction to this. Look what he did when Viserion died, he bent the knee. If Dany loses her best friend, Jorah, a bunch of her forces, all because she threw her support behind him and decided to do what’s right , ( which is his mentality) , sticks with him after the parentage reveal and meanwhile his other family are still giving him shit or are against her, I WOULD love to see him embrace his Targ heritage more or start a darker turn. Now that would be really interesting and no one would expect that. Everyone expects Dany to be the mad one or the “ dark one”, but so far it seems like they have really softened her a lot in those promos, all dressed in  white and angelic. Even her interviews , about being in love and fragile . 😂 that would be hilarious as hell.

Edited March 28, 2019 by GraceK

[BadAssRobinArryn]

14 minutes ago, anamika said:

As per the leaks, Alys Karstark is there with her army - I guess Jon won her over and has a new fan, lol! Move over Lyanna, Alys is here! 

Let's be fair. Lyanna seems to be there with her much smaller army as well.

Re: Euron. I actually think he won't be around until the end of the season either and wouldn't be surprised to see him wiped out at Winterfell, if they attack first (which per BoatSexBaby Spoiler, they will). And as for Missandei, it's an old Trope in any kind of fiction, but the main's character best friend is always in big danger in horror stories. And the Night King and Wight Walkers are Right out of a horror tale.

Edited March 28, 2019 by BadAssRobinArryn

[nikma]

I think they need Dany(and Jon) to lose a lot so if they end up as rulers it won't be seen as happy ending. 

[Raachel2008]

I missed, like, the last 40 pages,  could someone please point me to the spoilers? TIA!

[GrailKing]

3 hours ago, nikma said:

April 1 – Maisie Williams on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon”
April 2 – Sophie Turner and Maisie Williams on “Good Morning America”
April 2 – Emilia Clarke on “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert”
April 3 – Gwendoline Christie on “Good Morning America”
April 4 – Kit Harington on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon”
April 4 – Conleth Hill on “Late Night With Seth Meyers”
April 6 – Kit Harington hosts “Saturday Night Live”
April 9 – Kit Harington on “Live With Kelly & Ryan”
April 9 – Nikolaj Coster-Waldau on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show”
April 11 – Nikolaj Coster-Waldau on “Busy Tonight”
April 12 – Gwendoline Christie on “Live With Kelly & Ryan”
April 13 - Kit Harington and Emilia Clarke on "Graham Norton Show"

Also NCW on the 10th may be on the Talk.

[catrice2]

On 3/27/2019 at 9:31 PM, LadyChaos said:

Grey Worm will most likely die in 803.  TBH I doubt we will see many, if any at all, deaths before then.  Missandei could die then too, but I suspect if she dies it will be in 804 or 805.  Though, I think she will survive. 

There is no way that the minorities will survive this show. I see way too many posts that they should not be there anyway and people complaining about any time they get for character development.  If anyone deserves a happy ending it is these two, but it has been pretty much said that no one is getting a happy ending, so now it is just figuring out how everyone dies or gets shafted and by whom. 

[Smad]

5 hours ago, anamika said:

As per the leaks, Alys Karstark is there with her army - I guess Jon won her over and has a new fan, lol! Move over Lyanna, Alys is here!

Good for Alys that she has one of those multiplying armies that the show loves so much. How do the Karstarks, who fought on Ramsey's side, have any men left after Battle of the Bastards?

[Happy Harpy]

11 hours ago, screamin said:

But aren't you raking Lyanna over the coals simply for displaying a lack of decorum?

(This is where I stopped reading your post. Please stop twisting my words, thank you.) I don't rake Lyanna over the coals, less for displaying a lack of decorum. I'm disappointed that a character who accepted to help the Starks against the Boltons because "the dead are coming" is used in order to prop a POV that doesn't place this threat at the top of its priorities. That's all.

My point has always been the same. The zombie apocalypse isn't coming, it's here, the North knows it's here, so anyone placing petty political considerations/personal power thirst above it and quibbling over how and why Jon got military means to give the living a chance to survive (only a chance, because the threat is that big) is too stupid to live. I won't change my mind, so I don't think this discussion is leading somewhere.

[Happy Harpy]

9 hours ago, Raachel2008 said:

I missed, like, the last 40 pages,  could someone please point me to the spoilers? TIA!

https://old.reddit.com/r/freefolk/comments/b3uilq/traslation_of_the_last_vid_of_fk_episode_8x01/

English recap of the Frikidoctor video that was taken down.

[nikma]

9 hours ago, catrice2 said:

There is no way that the minorities will survive this show.

I think the opposite. There is no way that the show will kill only two black characters. That's the reason why they made bigger characters from them, because they were the only option for black characters this show had. I think Daario should have been black as well.

I think they will leave for Naath at the end of the show.

Edited March 29, 2019 by nikma

[bubble sparkly]

Is anyone else really curious exactly what episode 4 will be like?  Will it pick up right after ep 3 and the survivors will be in a ruined WF making plans about where to go next?  Will a few people have serious injuries that need to be dealt with, and will we see them burn the bodies of "big name" deaths like a Tormund/Pod type?  Like, is it going to be a big "aftermath" type thing that's maybe a bit more slow and has minimal interpersonal conflicts etc?  Or, will they do a time skip (say a couple of weeks to 1 month), and we open with the survivors in the Riverlands or wherever, plotting how to take on Cersei/KL etc?

[Eyes High]

45 minutes ago, bubble sparkly said:

Is anyone else really curious exactly what episode 4 will be like?  Will it pick up right after ep 3 and the survivors will be in a ruined WF making plans about where to go next?  Will a few people have serious injuries that need to be dealt with, and will we see them burn the bodies of "big name" deaths like a Tormund/Pod type?  Like, is it going to be a big "aftermath" type thing that's maybe a bit more slow and has minimal interpersonal conflicts etc?  Or, will they do a time skip (say a couple of weeks to 1 month), and we open with the survivors in the Riverlands or wherever, plotting how to take on Cersei/KL etc?

I agree! We know virtually nothing about 8x04, apart from a few scraps.

1. It's 78 minutes long.

2. It comes on the heels of this big battle episode.

3. They did some filming in Iceland with the drones for background shots of the North for a few episodes including 8x04.

4. It's directed by David Nutter, and would have been filmed prior to May 2018 (since that's when Nutter wrapped GOT).

5. Javi Marcos of Los Siete Reinos (I think) said that Jaime and Brienne are still fighting the AOTD in 8x04, although I'm not sure about that one.

6. A marine coordinator is credited for 8x04 (as well as 8x01, 8x05 and 8x06).

7. There are a few stunt actors credited for 8x04 (Andrew Burford is credited for stunts for 8x04 through 8x06, Yusuf Chaudhri is credited for stunts for 8x03 through 8x05, Theo Morton is credited for stunts for 8x03 through 8x04, Sam Stefan is credited for stunts for 8x02 through 8x04, and Andy Wareham is credited for stunts for 8x03 through 8x06). These IMDB stunt performer credits aren't exhaustive at this point, though; there will be more that go up once the episode airs. Still, they suggest that it isn't just a quiet episode.

8. A recent article about S8 promised a particular episode that would be an "intimate character study" in S8. 8x03 and 8x05 are out, for obvious reasons (containing Sapochnik's big action set pieces), and Nutter's episodes (8x01, 8x02 and 8x04) have also been described as "intimate," so it's probably one of those. Between 8x02 and 8x04, my money would be on 8x02, particularly since there's only a single stunt performer credited on IMDB right now for 8x02 (although as I said those pre-airing lists aren't exhaustive), and since there's going to be a lot of drama in 8x02 with Jon's parentage and Jaime showing up and all that. Still, it could be 8x04.

[Happy Harpy]

51 minutes ago, bubble sparkly said:

Is anyone else really curious exactly what episode 4 will be like?  Will it pick up right after ep 3 and the survivors will be in a ruined WF making plans about where to go next?  Will a few people have serious injuries that need to be dealt with, and will we see them burn the bodies of "big name" deaths like a Tormund/Pod type?  Like, is it going to be a big "aftermath" type thing that's maybe a bit more slow and has minimal interpersonal conflicts etc?  Or, will they do a time skip (say a couple of weeks to 1 month), and we open with the survivors in the Riverlands or wherever, plotting how to take on Cersei/KL etc?

I am, 8x04 is a big mystery.

The only thing I remember hearing about it, was how Cersei isn't in power anymore (already? as of this one?).

There were those set photos with (allegedly) main characters gathered outside the WF walls (allegedly) after the battle, so it's possible there's a small aftermath there; but maybe it will be at the end of 8x03 and there will be a time jump at the beginning of 8x04.

It could be the "intimate character study" episode.

It seems there was a shot of the wolf pack in the trailer, plus actresses played Frey women (instagram), so part of the action will certainly take place in the Riverlands. It will depend on the AOTD progression, but the survivors/refugees from different regions (at least the North/Vale/Riverlands) could converge near the Inn at the Crossroads, for example. The Vale is basically without protection with its army at WF, and the Eyrie isn't impregnable at all now that the NK has a dragon. The survivors from the North and what's left of their army could also rally at Riverrun and try to regroup. It's also a possibility that they fight Cersei's troops in the Riverlands, if she follows her plans of destroying the survivors of the Northern war; or Euron's troops, if he's in power, because that'd be just his style to send his men pillage everything (and there is a scene where a woman from a village is sexually assaulted, IIRC).

[Eyes High]

2 minutes ago, Happy Harpy said:

plus actresses played Frey women (instagram)

We don't know that they were Frey women. We know that there were three actresses who filmed briefly together in the fall of 2017 and that one of them was playing a character named "Sarra," the same name as one of Walder Frey's daughters, but the actress playing S8 Sarra is dark-haired, while S3 Sarra Frey was a redheaded girl with an identical twin named Serra. They probably just reused the name.

There was speculation that Jaime would run into these girls in the Riverlands heading north in 8x01, but it seems like Jaime skips 8x01 and just shows up in Winterfell in 8x02, so that's out. Maybe they do run into them in the Riverlands. I looked at the three actresses' resumes, and at least one of them doesn't even have a Northern accent in their accent repertoire, so they're probably not playing Northern women, meaning it's possible that they are Riverlands women (or KL women).

[SimoneS]

On 3/27/2019 at 11:17 PM, GraceK said:

interesting 😎

Told you that Jaime and Cersei have one last explosive confrontation ahead. I am convinced that they both end up dead by the end of it.

Edited March 30, 2019 by SimoneS

[SimoneS]

9 hours ago, catrice2 said:

There is no way that the minorities will survive this show. I see way too many posts that they should not be there anyway and people complaining about any time they get for character development.  If anyone deserves a happy ending it is these two, but it has been pretty much said that no one is getting a happy ending, so now it is just figuring out how everyone dies or gets shafted and by whom. 

I don't share the view that Grey Worm and Missandei's chances of survival are low because they are Black or because a minority of racist fans complain about their screen time. D&D never listen to what the fans say. They made a point of enlarging Grey Worm and Missandei's roles to add diversity to an overwhelming White cast.

The fact that Grey Worm and Missandei are not main characters actually increases their chances of survival because it means that Martin likely didn't know or care about their fates leaving it up D&D. But if Grey Worm dies I wouldn't be surprised or think it is because he is Black. He is going to be in the front lines of the battles. His odds of dying along with the other combatants are good. Besides we know that he survives to the final confrontation at KL because of what we know about Jacob Anderson's filming schedule.

Edited March 29, 2019 by SimoneS

[nikma]

2 hours ago, bubble sparkly said:

Is anyone else really curious exactly what episode 4 will be like? 

I am, because episode 4 will be really long. E3 is long because that's when we will see WF's battle, E5 is action in KL. And E6 is the last episode of the entire show.

But why they need almost 80 minutes for E4?  Big things are happening in that episode as well. But we don't know what.

Edited March 29, 2019 by nikma

[nikma]

What do you think how will they bring Edmure Tully and Robin Arryn back?

For Edmure I think either Jaime will bring him in E2 or he will appear in E4 in Riverlands when he suddenly saves someone from danger or something like that.

I have no idea for Robyn Arryn. 

Edited March 29, 2019 by nikma

[anamika]

1 hour ago, Eyes High said:

They did some filming in Iceland with the drones for background shots of the North for a few episodes including 8x04.

1 hour ago, Eyes High said:

A marine coordinator is credited for 8x04 (as well as 8x01, 8x05 and 8x06).

7. There are a few stunt actors credited for 8x04 (Andrew Burford is credited for stunts for 8x04 through 8x06, Yusuf Chaudhri is credited for stunts for 8x03 through 8x05, Theo Morton is credited for stunts for 8x03 through 8x04, Sam Stefan is credited for stunts for 8x02 through 8x04, and Andy Wareham is credited for stunts for 8x03 through 8x06). These IMDB stunt performer credits aren't exhaustive at this point, though; there will be more that go up once the episode airs. Still, they suggest that it isn't just a quiet episode.

I think 8x04 could be when the good guys hit back at the NK. For those who have seen Aliens, it's like Ripley attacking the nest of the queen to destroy. Maybe they go North to hunt the NK down after Bran/Sam discover something - we did see those strange structures in an earlier season and there were leaks about an altar of winter etc. In the books, Bran is supposed to learn/see all this in the lands of always winter as he explores there.

I could see Tormund being around for such missions.

[Eyes High]

1 hour ago, SimoneS said:

The fact that Grey Worm and Missandei are not main characters actually increases their chances of survival because it means that Martin likely didn't know or care about their fates leaving it up D&D. But if Grey Worm dies I wouldn't be surprised or think it is because he is Black. He is going to be in the front lines of the battles. His odds of dying along with the other combatants are good. Besides we know that he survives to the final confrontation at KL because of what we know about Jacob Anderson's filming schedule.

I think Grey Worm survives past 8x03 for certain. I'm less certain about Missandei. Emilia complained about doing pickups with Jacob and not knowing what to do because Nathalie wasn't there. NCW also warned of very few happy endings, although he probably had Jaime/Brienne in mind when he said that. I think Jon/Dany might be the only intact couple remaining at the end of the show.

50 minutes ago, nikma said:

But why they need almost 80 minutes for E4?  Big things are happening in that episode as well. But we don't know what.

80 minutes seems like a long time, but 7x07 was around 80 minutes long, too, and it was pretty long on talking and pretty short on actual incident in my opinion. If a bunch of characters lost their loved ones in 8x03, if there is any kind of attention devoted to those losses (and to be fair, there may not be), that's going to eat up quite a bit of screentime. Brienne wrings her hands over losing Pod. Dany mourns Jorah. And so on.

43 minutes ago, nikma said:

What do you think how will they bring Edmure Tully and Robin Arryn back?

For Edmure I think either Jaime will bring him in E2 or he will appear in E4 in Riverlands when he suddenly saves someone from danger or something like that.

I have no idea for Robyn Arryn. 

For all we know, Robin sits out almost the whole season and just makes a cameo at Tyrion's trial along with the surviving lords and ladies ruling major regions like Yara and that Dornish noble played by that Toby guy. 

I don't know about Edmure. If they do end up in the Riverlands in 8x04, that seems like a good time to reintroduce him.

Edited March 29, 2019 by Eyes High

[SimoneS]

I think 8x04 will focus on the Winterfell survivors who decide to flee to KL. I don't imagine it will be popular decision and no doubt there will be lots of arguing. Maybe they try for the Vale first and meet up with Robin, Edmure, and others also fleeing south having been also attacked. I would love to see Nymeria's pack saving them from an attack by wights or the Lannisters' bannermen.  

Edited March 29, 2019 by SimoneS

[bubble sparkly]

It would be funny if in ep 4 Jaime goes to get Edmure out of captivity again to tell him that he needs to rally the Riverlands people to fight an army of ice zombies, and Edmure is all "...nope" and voluntarily goes back to his cell to hide out.

[nikma]

24 minutes ago, Eyes High said:

80 minutes seems like a long time, but 7x07 was around 80 minutes long, too, and it was pretty long on talking and pretty short on actual incident in my opinion

Yes, but 7x7 had like 4 storylines to cover. WF, KL, Dragonstone and the Wall at the very end. 

And even then they killed LF, Jaime left Cersei, the Wall was destroyed and we finaly got boatsex and R+L=J. So these moments were important.

8x4 will probably have only one storyline, since WF is gone and they are going south. 

Edited March 29, 2019 by nikma

[SimoneS]

I can't imagine Edmure would still be imprisoned. With all or most of the male Freys dead, his wife would have released him from the prison.

[awilson5945]

How Bran Could Kill the Night King

[screamin]

I'd guess Robin comes into the plot because Royce will probably return to the Vale with his men under the excuse that he can't pledge allegiance to a new queen without the authorization of his lord. Dany and Jon would probably prefer that Royce's soldiers stay at WF, but I don't think Jon would be happy with threatening the man who saved his ass in the Battle of the Bastards, and Dany would likely follow his wishes and let him go. But the North needs those men to fight the NK, and the Vale's food to survive winter, so Robin himself must be courted into the new alliance.

[nikma]

Or Robin will just bring more man, since not everyone from the Vale came during BOTB.

[YaddaYadda]

28 minutes ago, screamin said:

I'd guess Robin comes into the plot because Royce will probably return to the Vale with his men under the excuse that he can't pledge allegiance to a new queen without the authorization of his lord. Dany and Jon would probably prefer that Royce's soldiers stay at WF, but I don't think Jon would be happy with threatening the man who saved his ass in the Battle of the Bastards, and Dany would likely follow his wishes and let him go. But the North needs those men to fight the NK, and the Vale's food to survive winter, so Robin himself must be courted into the new alliance.

In the trailer, there are Valemen lined up behind Jorah. So I don't think he's going anywhere. And not for nothing, and I don't know if this will be brought up at all, but his son was the very first casualty of the series and he died at the hands of the Others. 

That should be a pretty big deal for him.

[LadyChaos]

4 hours ago, nikma said:

I think the opposite. There is no way that the show will kill only two black characters. That's the reason why they made bigger characters from them, because they were the only option for black characters this show had. I think Daario should have been black as well.

I think they will leave for Naath at the end of the show.

I would really love Grey Worm and Missandei to 'ride off into the sunset' so to speak.  I also think it would be a great ending for them because it was something, as former slaves, they never thought they would get to do. Choose how to live their lives.

[screamin]

1 hour ago, YaddaYadda said:

In the trailer, there are Valemen lined up behind Jorah. So I don't think he's going anywhere. And not for nothing, and I don't know if this will be brought up at all, but his son was the very first casualty of the series and he died at the hands of the Others. 

That should be a pretty big deal for him.

But does he know that? It's a logical conclusion but I don't know that it was ever verified (though I suppose Bran can confirm it if he feels like it).

Re: the trailer, thanks. I hadn't realized that. So Royce stays and - maybe - Robin comes with more men to negotiate his fealty to Dany, for a suitable price. I expect it may be Sansa's hand - after all, doesn't she owe him already for saving the Starks' bacon at the Battle of the Bastards? This is unlikely to put Sansa in a better humor. 

[GrailKing]

[SimoneS]

Kristofer and Rory are a hilarious comedy act in that video above. I appreciate the humor.

8 hours ago, Eyes High said:

I think Grey Worm survives past 8x03 for certain. I'm less certain about Missandei. Emilia complained about doing pickups with Jacob and not knowing what to do because Nathalie wasn't there. NCW also warned of very few happy endings, although he probably had Jaime/Brienne in mind when he said that. I think Jon/Dany might be the only intact couple remaining at the end of the show.

I don't expect Missandei to have many scenes with Dany or even Grey Worm during the many battles. She should be huddled for safety in the crypts of Winterfell with the other noncombatants like Varys, Sansa, Tyrion, etc. 

Edited March 29, 2019 by SimoneS

[glowbug]

5 hours ago, GrailKing said:

I laughed so hard when Kristofer Hivju says, "Happy Ending. Fantastic. Everybody. It was a romantic comedy after all." Many of the actors on this show are quite funny in their interviews. Once again, I'm disappointed with Maisie Williams' interpretation of Arya, which appears to be the show's interpretation. I'd say I hope the books don't take her in the same direction but that would mean there was hope for future books to be released, which clearly there's not.

Edited March 29, 2019 by glowbug

[catrice2]

14 hours ago, SimoneS said:

I don't share the view that Grey Worm and Missandei's chances of survival are low because they are Black or because a minority of racist fans complain about their screen time. D&D never listen to what the fans say. They made a point of enlarging Grey Worm and Missandei's roles to add diversity to an overwhelming White cast.

The fact that Grey Worm and Missandei are not main characters actually increases their chances of survival because it means that Martin likely didn't know or care about their fates leaving it up D&D. But if Grey Worm dies I wouldn't be surprised or think it is because he is Black. He is going to be in the front lines of the battles. His odds of dying along with the other combatants are good. Besides we know that he survives to the final confrontation at KL because of what we know about Jacob Anderson's filming schedule.

Everyone is entitled to their opinion...just as I have my opinion about why they were added, how they were added, and the roles they play. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy the characters  but this is so much more complicated than that.  I will be pleasantly surprised if both or even one of them make it to the end.  Obviously no one is immune and many other beloved characters have bitten the dust in this show. It must be nice to not have the baggage of always seeing the minority character killed off, being the villian, comic relief and/or not getting the happy ending.  Besides my reasons are purely selfish. I think Jacob Anderson is little boy cute and I would love to see him until the end, even if it means he will go out sacrificing himself in gratitude to the woman that "freed" him.

[Pestilentia]

Quote

I really hate how every question that asked pits the women against each other. It's so tiresome. 

The press acting as instigating drama lamas is no surprise because that's what the press does anymore- try to generate news by pot stirring.

We have a show here where the women are stronger than the men- we have a woman ruling in King's Landing, one ruling Winterfell, one leading the Iron Born army, one yet a child leading House Mormont, one a strong picture of ethics swordswoman, one a sneaky get 'er done swordswoman, and one coming in with armies and dragons to conquer the whole shebang.  Of course there is going to be conflict between women. 

That the press is pushing it so hard tells me that it will resolve easily and quickly and will turn out to be a non-issue in reality- all this Dany Sansa crap will dissipate early on.

[GrailKing]

Rumor mill.

[SimoneS]

So does Friki have new leaks or is he talking about how he is going to share future leaks so that HBO doesn't pull his videos?

[Happy Harpy]

27 minutes ago, SimoneS said:

So does Friki have new leaks or is he talking about how he is going to share future leaks so that HBO doesn't pull his videos?

Nobody knows yet.