Game of Thrones Episode 9...

[WolfThomas]

Spoiler: Oh well at least we've still got Stannis

The King that cared

 

[kenadian]

I don't get to see any mass murders until tomorrow night, thank you very much Canada HBO, you bastards. Oh well, time will tell.

Weird, I watched it on Sunday night.

 

[Spacemonkey430]

Am I the only one who was most shook up over the death of Grey Wind?

 

[TheSapphireKnight]

I....... er ....uh ..........gah bhegahergerk.

*reboots*

wow, I just, wow.

Spoiler: Well..

I guess that just leaves me with Team Targaryen

Really? You are pulling for them over Danny?

In terms of houses I was generally rooting for both, leaning towards Dany. This last episode just leaves me with one 'group' to root for even though there are still plenty of Stark characters still around.

 

[NinjaDeathSlap]

Exceptionally well done. I've read the books, so the entire episode (since I knew what was going to come based on the title of the episode - "Rains of Castamere") I was on the edge of my seat with anticipation, waiting for the particular moment to come. I only had one real problem with the episode, and that was

Spoiler: Book 3 and Episode 9 spoilers, naturally

That Greywind didn't get his epic moment before dying that he does in the books. In SoS, he manages to break free of his kennel and kill several Frey guardsmen before finally succumbing to crossbow bolts. Instead, in the episode, he just gets shot in the kennel. Still emotional, and I understand that it is difficult to train dogs to go on fake killing sprees (although they just did that with Summer and Shaggydog earlier that same episode). I just wished that would have gotten the same treatment as the books. The best part, in my opinion, was the very end with the look on Catelyn's face followed by slitting and then dead silent credits. AMAZING!

But, yeah, superb episode that has been built up over several episodes that finally pays off in a humongous way. Probably the best of the season so far, just like every episode 9 of every season, oddly enough.

Thing is, in the books you never actually see it. It just get's mentioned, once, second hand, that he managed to kill a few Freys, so it's actually kind of pathetic in the books. I actually thought the way the show did it was better and far more fitting. This way the direwolf, symbolic of the Starks and the Stark cause, and connected on a subconscious level with Robb himself, goes the same way as his master did. Neither of them get to go down fighting in the heat of battle, as much as I would have liked them too. Instead, they're both slaughtered when they're powerless to do anything about it. In the book, I didn't like the thought of Grey Wind dying (especially after what happens to his and Robb's bodies afterwards). However, Grey Wind' death in the books is just kind of lost in the long list of people who get snuffed out at the Red Wedding, not really carrying any emotional weight of its own. In the show, it did, especially with Arya being there to see it.

OT: The episode was just... my God. I don't even know what to say. I've read all the books so I knew exactly what was coming, and I thought I would be emotionally prepared. I guess it stands as testament to all involved in the show that they made me feel physically sick regardless. The build up was perfect. From the first line of 'The Rains of Castermere' playing, I felt exactly the same way I did first reading it in the book ("No... this isn't right. This isn't right at all... Oh God, get out of there, get out of there now!"). That 'You should have seen this coming' moment between Cat and Roose Bolton was perfect. Tulisa's death made me audibly gasp. The execution was perfect, the way it just seemed to drag on and on and on, getting worse and worse. The ending was perfect.

I actually though it did a couple of things better than the book. The aforementioned slaughter of Grey Wind is more fitting and it carries more weight. I also thought replacing a half-mad grandson with Walder Frey's wife in Cat's ultimatum was an improvement. In the book, you know full well just how little of a fuck Lord Frey is going to give about losing one grandson before he says so, so it just seems stupid, rather than desperate, on Cat's part. In the show, it was still only the faintest glimmer of hope, but you can imagine Cat thinking that there was at least a tiny chance that Walder Frey wouldn't so casually discard a young, fertile wife, so when he does it's all the more crushing.

As to where I thought it fell short in comparison to the book, any objections I have are not with the presentation of the Red Wedding itself, but rather the episodes running up to it. I wish they'd spent time discussing the cultural significance of Guest Right, to further underline the extent of the betrayal, and to make it slightly more plausible for the Starks to believe that they're not waling into a trap. I also wish they'd developed more of the Stark banner men other than Lord Karstark and Lord Bolton, so it would have been more than just a bunch of extras being murdered alongside Robb, Cat and Tulisa (where the fuck has The Greatjon from Season 1 gone?!).

 

[Uszi]

And they messed up his line! "The Lannisters give their regards." No! "Jamie Lannister gives his regards." I'm pretty sure they kept the bit in where Jamie tells Bolton to give his regards to Robb Stark, so why would they change that line? Would it not have been obvious enough that Bolton had sold out Robb to the Lannisters?

Because they've spent so much time this season building up Jaime as something of a sympathetic character, and they need all the opportunity they can get to focus audience hatred on the Lannisters we're meant to hate. Not to mention that there's significantly less evidence of Tywin' involvement in the show than in the books, so any potential nod to his involvement is one they have to take. I was initially a bit put off too, but quickly realised it makes sense, as we don't have Jaime's internal monologue to help temper our perspective of him.

I've yet to see anyone complain about the fact they gave the line to Roose, instead of some nameless Frey.

Er, it's also to really drive home that the Lannisters are ultimately responsible for allying the Boltons and the Frey's against Rob. There are plenty of hints that the Lannisters are involved for the observant, but it would have totally flown over the heads of the tits/blood crowd if they didn't make it patently obvious.

Now we know why Tywin was writing so many letters all season when he had a war to win, eh?

 

[Uszi]

As to where I thought it fell short in comparison to the book, any objections I have are not with the presentation of the Red Wedding itself, but rather the episodes running up to it. I wish they'd spent time discussing the cultural significance of Guest Right, to further underline the extent of the betrayal, and to make it slightly more plausible for the Starks to believe that they're not waling into a trap. I also wish they'd developed more of the Stark banner men other than Lord Karstark and Lord Bolton, so it would have been more than just a bunch of extras being murdered alongside Robb, Cat and Tulisa (where the fuck has The Greatjon from Season 1 gone?!).

The salt and bread I've needed to explain to all of my friends. It came up in S1, but we haven't heard of it since then.

And even if people "got" that it was an indication that they were guests or something, no one understands that after the Red Wedding no one in Westeros will trust or like the Freys and everyone thinks they're cursed by the gods.

 

[LAGG]

Meh... No Players, No Game.

Now all that's left is a lot of gossip and family intriges bullshit. It'll take forever until a good plotline re-arranges again, unless the story just jumps years forward and bring the white walker and the dragons all to King's Landings at once.

Brace yourselves, the soap opera is comming.

Old players leave and new players enter.

Ya, you're dight. Better players this time I hope, one-side matches are boring...
And a new camera man because that one missed all the action

Robb and Catelyn are dead. That still leaves Jon Snow, Arya, Sansa, Littlefinger, Tyrion, Bran, and soon to be Jaime Lannister and Stannis Baratheon.

Sheesh, a main character dies and suddenly they think that the story cannot continue? People are too spoiled by fairy tales and eagles.

I don't really get the fairy tale inner joke.

The war didn't get to happen.
Thousands of lives were spared.
Everybody is back to their own business.

It /was/ a happy ending.

I wanted to see the war. Or at least, the game.

I'm still more annoyed that I only saw the outcome of the game and not the winning move.
Because they (TV show) only showed the perspective of one team, the one that loses specially.
So smart for the faction with the "the winter is comming" words.

That is, unless "the Lannisters send regards" doesn't mean it's /their/ move and it was all Frey's lone-wolfing for no reason. If it was all about "mimimi you didn't marry my daughter, I'm taking my ball home...", then yeah, that's soap opera. If Tywen made an alliance with them and offered them /money/ or /lands/ or /power/, then that's quite the good, and the song does mean it's what happened. But, I didn't see the winning move, only the losing move and the outcome...

For Frey, he better sleep with an eye open, because one of her wife's daughters is sure going to slit his throat.

 

[murdeoc]

so how manty lives were spared with joffrey holding the throne? i mean in war yea, soldiers got spared, but do you think joffrey's/ lannister's reign will be preferential over a war and a stark reign?

the series will have to show i suppose.

 

[GrimTuesday]

I'm so sick of non-readers complaining about spoilers, and I think spoiling things is stupid. If you're choosing to remain unspoiled that's your choice, so why should we have to change our behavior just for you? Its not our job to carry out your every whim.

That's a pretty self centred attitude. Is it too far beyond the realms of possibility for people to be fans of the show but not want to read the books? Are you unable to comprehend that maybe people want to discuss the episode they've just watched without accidently discovering what will happen in the next series? Avoiding one spoilers is one thing, but having them turn up where you don't expect them is something else.

He's not asking you to 'change your behaviour', or even take your discussion elsewhere. He's simply asking you to add nineteen extra characters to your post so that people don't read material from later books in a thread ostensibly discussing only the events of one episode.

Given the amazing reactions the TV audience has had to the Red Wedding, I can't believe anyone would want to spoil later events for these poor children of summer.

Captcha: "that escalated quickly". Reading the thread too, are we captcha?

Look, my issue is his assertion that people who posted unmarked spoilers should have punitive action taken against them. I almost always post spoilers in spoiler tags, I enjoy seeing people's shocked reactions to the events of the show, but I honestly feel that if someone wants to remain spoiler free its on them to actively read in order to avoid them. In addition, a thread about the books or the show are both somewhere you would expect to find spoilers, so its not like its out of left field.

 

[layden radeen]

I liked the Episode as a hole but the ending was a bit to quick and over done buy the end I was just thinking JESUS CHRIST!!
and I think a little more down time between the seen start and end would be nice

 

[J Tyran]

I was disappointed with the assault on Yunkai, it had a good moment with Daario, Grey Worm and Ser Jorah but it could have been more.

 

[springheeljack]

It was really shocking and I ended up getting quite angry over the whole thing it is just like OZ all over again

 

[Baron_Rouge]

It was truly shocking. I knew something was off when I heard the Rains of Castamere playing, but I was just...speechless.

Spoiler: Spoilers, obviously

[I'm just left with Team Stannis and team Targaryen now. Anyone but Joffrey and that bastard Walder Frey. And I suppose there's still the Blackfish. We didn't actually see him die, and he was out of the room at the time. If he somehow survived, I hope dearly his vengeance will be terrible to behold.]

 

[Silvanus]

Spoiler: Spoilers, obviously

And I suppose there's still the Blackfish. We didn't actually see him die, and he was out of the room at the time. If he somehow survived, I hope dearly his vengeance will be terrible to behold.]

Spoiler: Info regarding the Blackfish. Not really a spoiler, because it's different in the book, where no cliffhanger was intended

The Blackfish was not killed at the Twins (in fact, in the book, he doesn't attend the wedding). He returns to Riverrun. Riverrun and Raventree Hall both remain in rebellion (as well as, of course, Dragonstone and Storm's End, both controlled by Stannis).

 

[zumbledum]

now that was what i call good tv! i have read the first 2 books only, not being a big reader. and i knew deaths were afoot thanks to a friend who loves to lord his book based knowledge but damn that was well played

 

[Chris Tian]

It seems I'm the only one that was not shocked by the Red Wedding. I mean it was brutal and whatnot, but I saw that coming for so many miles, and I don't read the books, that it had very little "shocking value" .

Spoiler: Spoilers

Robs story arc was boring anyways and that he would die rather sooner than later was so predictable.


IMO the whole show totally lost its magic in the third season.

Peter Dinklages character has gone from badass to wuss since his father arrived.

I don't give even the slightest f*ck what happens to the crazy guy and his red priestess.

Nothing is happening with Aria at all.

Nothing really happens with the baby Starks.

Sansa just gets emotionally tortured.

The Greyjoy guy gets tortured by god knows who for god knows what.

The only two remaining interesting storylines get by far the least screen time and that Jon Snow will die, probably killed by his wildling girl, could only be more obvious if Martin would come to my house with a bat that has "The Bastard dies" written on it and beats me with it.

Martin's writing is so ridiculously predictable. He took the "everybody can die" trope he established in the first season/book and made it into a "everybody will die". For me thats even more boring as if you know nothing too bad will happen to the protagonists. At least then you have characters you like and are invested in. Centering your whole story around "muhahaha I'm so dark and edgy and will kill everybody" gets really old really quick, especially if I dont really care about most of the characters.

 

[Stu35]

Exceptionally well done. I've read the books, so the entire episode (since I knew what was going to come based on the title of the episode - "Rains of Castamere") I was on the edge of my seat with anticipation, waiting for the particular moment to come. I only had one real problem with the episode, and that was

Spoiler: Book 3 and Episode 9 spoilers, naturally

That Greywind didn't get his epic moment before dying that he does in the books. In SoS, he manages to break free of his kennel and kill several Frey guardsmen before finally succumbing to crossbow bolts. Instead, in the episode, he just gets shot in the kennel. Still emotional, and I understand that it is difficult to train dogs to go on fake killing sprees (although they just did that with Summer and Shaggydog earlier that same episode). I just wished that would have gotten the same treatment as the books. The best part, in my opinion, was the very end with the look on Catelyn's face followed by slitting and then dead silent credits. AMAZING!

But, yeah, superb episode that has been built up over several episodes that finally pays off in a humongous way. Probably the best of the season so far, just like every episode 9 of every season, oddly enough.

Agreed on your problem, however

Spoiler

He does get that last moment eye contact with Arya, whilst not especially epic or getting to rip out some treacherous Frey/Bolton throats, it was quite heart rending. As someone who's read the books and come to terms with the fact that there are simply no happy endings in this series, that still hit me just a little bit... Still, Always Joffrey's wedding to look forward to, that ought to cheer folks up.

 

[repeating integers]

Spoiler: Spoilers

The only two remaining interesting storylines get by far the least screen time and that Jon Snow will die, probably killed by his wildling girl, could only be more obvious if Martin would come to my house with a bat that has "The Bastard dies" written on it and beats me with it.

Martin's writing is so ridiculously predictable. He took the "everybody can die" trope he established in the first season/book and made it into a "everybody will die". For me thats even more boring as if you know nothing too bad will happen to the protagonists. At least then you have characters you like and are invested in. Centering your whole story around "muhahaha I'm so dark and edgy and will kill everybody" gets really old really quick, especially if I dont really care about most of the characters.

Aghahahahahahahahahahaahaaaaaa...

Oooh boy. You know nothing, Chris Tian. You sound like this guy:

 

[Balvale]

Spoiler: Spoilers

Oooh boy. You know nothing, Chris Tian.

Spoiler: Spoilers

I have a smile on my face every time a new fan outlines their expected outcomes for the show. The story rarely does what you want it to do.