Game of Thrones - series 5

[Alberon]

Yeah, I suppose that makes sense if the show is ending around season 7. I've only read up to the end of the third book, but most people say the action slows down a great deal in books 4 and 5.

There's a lot of fevered speculation as to when 'Winds of Winter' will be released. All the publishers will say is that it isn't on the 2015 schedule at the moment, but it has been pointed out that 'Dance of Dragons' was published just four months after it was announced.

[Mister Six]

Like it or not, Jon Sneugh (I just can't help Ygrittising his name) and Danaerys have always been central characters, with much emotional involvment in the audience. But now Kit Harrington and Emilia Clarke have Hollywood movie careers (I dunno how successful) - what happens if GoT gets in the way of that? I thought I read somewhere that Clarke was only willing to do one more season: they'd have to recast. Which comes with pitfalls.

I generally avoid all spoilers about this show if I can, but I know that certain cast members are signed up to season seven, at least. I imagine they'll have locked down everyone for as long as necessary at this point.

The advantage that GoT has over some US TV series is that it's only ten episodes long per year, as opposed to 20+, and that it has a truly massive ensemble cast, so while Jon Sneurgh, Dany and Tyrion obviously get the lion's share of screentime, they still won't be filming the equivalent of an hour (or even 40 minutes) of footage a week. That plus the whole 'filming everything before the first episode airs' thing that HBO series tend to do means that the actors are in a much better position to pursue other projects than they would be in most TV shows.

Maybe I'm just desperately hoping for a level of continuity that circumstances won't provide[nb]We've only had two characters recast so far, haven't we? The Mountain (three different actors!), that fella with the one eye and flaming sword (whose first appearance was so fleeting that most probably won't remember it - I certainly didn't) and - more jarringly, but I was never into his character anyway - Dany's sexy, possibly backstabbing boytoy who went from being a weird-looking ginger model to a dark-haired beardy fella between seasons.[/nb]

[Mobius]

There isn't really much left of the book for them to do really, because of the way the last two books sort of happened at the same time. I'm excited to see how it goes from here on in though because it should give a lot ideas of how the books will turn out.

[mothman]

We've only had two characters recast so far, haven't we? The Mountain (three different actors!), that fella with the one eye and flaming sword (whose first appearance was so fleeting that most probably won't remember it - I certainly didn't) and - more jarringly, but I was never into his character anyway - Dany's sexy, possibly backstabbing boytoy who went from being a weird-looking ginger model to a dark-haired beardy fella between seasons.

I'm only going by Wikipedia here, but I gather that, incredible though it may seem, Dario G Nuhwatever was recast not because the original actor looked like Fabio, but because he had a scheduling conflict. Even more hilariously, said conflicting role was playing a recast Statham in a Transporter reboot...[nb]I wonder if he'll start out with a cod-Yank accent in that, only to subsequently switch to the Stath's natural accent with no explanation?[nb]I also wonder if the accent change in Transporter 2 or 3 was so they could retcon Statham's character in Collateral as being Frank Martin?[/nb][/nb]

[Mister Six]

I'm only going by Wikipedia here, but I gather that, incredible though it may seem, Dario G Nuhwatever was recast not because the original actor looked like Fabio, but because he had a scheduling conflict. Even more hilariously, said conflicting role was playing a recast Statham in a Transporter reboot...[nb]I wonder if he'll start out with a cod-Yank accent in that, only to subsequently switch to the Stath's natural accent with no explanation?[nb]I also wonder if the accent change in Transporter 2 or 3 was so they could retcon Statham's character in Collateral as being Frank Martin?[/nb][/nb]

Ha, yeah, I googled that up after making my post above.

Going to enjoy being able to browse websites freely without fretting about twats trying to spoil GoT for me from now on. Hurrah!

[biggytitbo]

I can't wait to see what tits and bums Season 5 has in store for us.

[wooders1978]

I can't wait to see what tits and bums Season 5 has in store for us.

Hoping for sansa - hope that's "ok" (you know what I mean)

[mothman]

I think Sansa's probably in the zone by now. Which in itself raises the disturbing possibility that somewhere there is a website with a countdown to when Maisie Williams wil be old enough to justify Arya getting her kit off on the show...

[greenman]

I generally avoid all spoilers about this show if I can, but I know that certain cast members are signed up to season seven, at least. I imagine they'll have locked down everyone for as long as necessary at this point.

The advantage that GoT has over some US TV series is that it's only ten episodes long per year, as opposed to 20+, and that it has a truly massive ensemble cast, so while Jon Sneurgh, Dany and Tyrion obviously get the lion's share of screentime, they still won't be filming the equivalent of an hour (or even 40 minutes) of footage a week. That plus the whole 'filming everything before the first episode airs' thing that HBO series tend to do means that the actors are in a much better position to pursue other projects than they would be in most TV shows.

Maybe I'm just desperately hoping for a level of continuity that circumstances won't provide[nb]We've only had two characters recast so far, haven't we? The Mountain (three different actors!), that fella with the one eye and flaming sword (whose first appearance was so fleeting that most probably won't remember it - I certainly didn't) and - more jarringly, but I was never into his character anyway - Dany's sexy, possibly backstabbing boytoy who went from being a weird-looking ginger model to a dark-haired beardy fella between seasons.[/nb]

Honestly the last of those and indeed the 3rd Mountain(relative to the 2nd) seemed to be based on looking to improve castings rather than losing an actor, the original Dario was pretty aweful and made any kind of romance with Dany not very credible.

Wasn't Emila Clarke's playing hardball with them based on wanting to actually film scenes wearing clothes once in awhile?

[Mister Six]

Honestly the last of those and indeed the 3rd Mountain(relative to the 2nd) seemed to be based on looking to improve castings rather than losing an actor, the original Dario was pretty aweful and made any kind of romance with Dany not very credible.

The official story, as someone mentioned above, is that the original Daario had a prior commitment to play a young Jason Statham in a Transporter movie. That might just be them giving him a bit of dignity on the way out after firing him (and going from TV's biggest show to a low-budget, probably straight-to-Netflix actioner is definitely a step down), but who knows? I didn't think he was atrocious, but he was a weird choice for that role and didn't seem to have much chemistry with Clarke, which is something you'd think they'd thrash out in the casting stage.

As for the Mountain, I don't know what the reason was. It's not like it was a role that required very much of the actor, and to be honest I preferred the first guy - he seemed scarier and angrier, unlike second guy (just a basketballer stood in the background with some armour on, IIRC) and latest guy (perfectly fine, but a bit less intense).

[greenman]

The official story, as someone mentioned above, is that the original Daario had a prior commitment to play a young Jason Statham in a Transporter movie. That might just be them giving him a bit of dignity on the way out after firing him (and going from TV's biggest show to a low-budget, probably straight-to-Netflix actioner is definitely a step down), but who knows? I didn't think he was atrocious, but he was a weird choice for that role and didn't seem to have much chemistry with Clarke, which is something you'd think they'd thrash out in the casting stage.

As for the Mountain, I don't know what the reason was. It's not like it was a role that required very much of the actor, and to be honest I preferred the first guy - he seemed scarier and angrier, unlike second guy (just a basketballer stood in the background with some armour on, IIRC) and latest guy (perfectly fine, but a bit less intense).

From what I understand his role in the second season was cut down a lot with Tywin getting more focus instead so I can understand not caring as much about him them.

The first Mountain left for a role in the Hobbit films but one positive of that I would say is that they could cast for the scenes the first and the third were in. The first one came across as more of an arrogant bastard, the third as more of an unstoppable monster.

[Buttress]

Series 5, jesus flipping christ this show is making me feel old.

I'm hoping for just as much if not more male nudity on show. Because really, you can't have westeros or essos or wherever the cunt they are this week without having glorious man cock inches from a central character's face. Sometimes its just how they composed the shot, not even fellatio.

[BritishHobo]

Just stumbled across the season 4 boxset in Asda - I didn't even realise it was out. Looking forward to picking it up and checking out the commentaries, which are always a highlight. No real new faces in terms of cast-members (although Pedro Pascal is on episode 1 with Benioff and Weiss), but the Wall episode has Jon, Ygritte and Sam, and episode 10 has the three Lannister siblings, so they should each be pretty good fun. Also Jack Gleeson on the wedding episode. Come to think of it, I can't actually remember him having done a commentary before, although his name is mentioned in every single one, because everybody brings up how nice he is in real life, and the fact that after Game of Thrones his plan is to give up acting and go into academia.

[BritishHobo]

New trailer.

Got me ahold of the season four boxset, so as soon as my assignments are handed in this Friday I'll be locking myself away with that and eight cans of Hobgoblin like a sad, lonely little alcoholic bear hibernating for winter.

[greenman]

Obviously trailers will always look action packed but what we've seen thus far does seem to give the impression this season will cover a good deal of ground so perhaps compression of the books will deal with some of the issues fans seem to have with the story at this point?

[NoSleep]

Fans of the books or the TV series? If it's the latter (thus non-spoilery) then go ahead and tell us what these issues are. The biggest issue for me, last season, was how ridiculously dumb Shae became in the face of Tyrion's obvious concern for her welfare. As she was escorted away to apparent safety by Tyrion's right-hand man (and sellsword) I suspect there may be more to this treachery than we have seen thus far.

[BritishHobo]

Yeah, I hoped there would be more to Shae's 'betrayal'. They focused far more heavily in the show on the love between them, but really failed to do the same with the ending to compensate. So you have Shae falling for an implausibly obvious ploy on Tyrion's part to make her leave.

But I assume the main issues (book and show) are the absolute nothing happening in the Daenerys/white walker storylines, the fact that neither of them appear to have made any real progress whatsoever in the last four years, despite the numerous events that've happened dahn sarf in Westeros.

[Thursday]

Yeah, I hoped there would be more to Shae's 'betrayal'. They focused far more heavily in the show on the love between them, but really failed to do the same with the ending to compensate. So you have Shae falling for an implausibly obvious ploy on Tyrion's part to make her leave.

Well also, even if she did fall for it, thinking that getting him executed is a justifiable response. I mean, I know it's Game of Thrones and everything but christ.

[NoSleep]

Remember that Shae first turned up in Tyrion's tent at a military encampment led by Tywin, and that she was introduced by Bronn, the same person who apparently took her off to safety before she reappeared at Tyrion's trial. Was she a plant from the beginning? Were both Bronn and Shae in Tywin's pay?

[greenman]

Fans of the books or the TV series? If it's the latter (thus non-spoilery) then go ahead and tell us what these issues are. The biggest issue for me, last season, was how ridiculously dumb Shae became in the face of Tyrion's obvious concern for her welfare. As she was escorted away to apparent safety by Tyrion's right-hand man (and sellsword) I suspect there may be more to this treachery than we have seen thus far.

Not a reader myself but the vague talk I'v heard has always been the story becomes very slow  in the 4th and 5th books so perhaps covering a good deal of both in one series will deal with that?

As far as Shae goes I would argue that whilst she's was shown as being fairly smart in some respects she's also shown as being very naïve indeed in others, such as consistently underestimating how likely she is to end up with Tyrion long term or the danger she's in.

[NoSleep]

Not a reader myself but the vague talk I'v heard has always been the story becomes very slow  in the 4th and 5th books so perhaps covering a good deal of both in one series will deal with that?

As far as Shae goes I would argue that whilst she's was shown as being fairly smart in some respects she's also shown as being very naïve indeed in others, such as consistently underestimating how likely she is to end up with Tyrion long term or the danger she's in.

Yeah, well... if she was always in Tywin's pay then she knew no harm would come to her.

[greenman]

Its revealed by Bronn that he was bought off by Cersei not to be Tyrion's champion so it may well be the case that he was working for her or Tywin to deliver Shae. As for Shae herself whatever the book inferred I think it would be rather too much to have her having been play acting all along, to play all that drama off as an act would IMHO be a bit cheap. The look she give Tyrion before going for the knife in the finale does seem to infer that some feeling exists on her part still as well.

If she's not working for Tywin then the very fact she does leave surely infers that she'd fallen for Tyrions act which to me doesn't seem unrealistic given her previous naivety. As far as whether her turning against him to the degree she wants him dead is realistic you could maybe infer that Tywin always knew Jamie was likely to offer the deal so perhaps he told her she would only be helping to send him into exile in the Nights Watch? either way she had come across as rather unreasonable and petty when Tyrion had been quite reasonably cautious in hiding her.

[Claude the Racecar Driving Rockstar Super Sleuth]

If Shae had been Tywin's lackey from the start, why did she work against him by trying to hide Sansa's period sheets?

[NoSleep]

The Shae story replaces another thread in the books that leads Tyrion to killing his father. Of note is that he tells the tale of this other thread at his first meeting with Shae[nb]Basically the story of how he was duped into marrying a whore who was then revealed to be in his father's pay all along[/nb]. Coincidence?

[BritishHobo]

Remember that Shae first turned up in Tyrion's tent at a military encampment led by Tywin, and that she was introduced by Bronn, the same person who apparently took her off to safety before she reappeared at Tyrion's trial. Was she a plant from the beginning? Were both Bronn and Shae in Tywin's pay?

I wonder this as well, but it would mean Bronn had been against him the entire time, which doesn't seem to tally with anything in their relationship or his departure. It'd be a major betrayal, but it just happened off-screen and hasn't been referenced.

I'd assume that they were planning to return to it, but with both Shae and Tywin dead I can't see how or why.

At the moment it just seems convoluted and poorly-realised. Why did she fall for it, why did she react so disproportionately, and if she was in Tywin's pay the whole time then that doesn't really fit with the much deeper relationship between them on the show.

Arya abandoning the Hound was another ending that came straight from the book without compensating for the warmer relationship the show had given them.

[NoSleep]

If Shae had been Tywin's lackey from the start, why did she work against him by trying to hide Sansa's period sheets?

Because she wanted to because she liked Sansa? Because it wasn't part of the agreement? That was to protect Sansa from Joffrey, wasn't it? A twat that Tywin wasn't that fond of.

Perhaps, more to the point, Tywin arranging the marriage between Tyrion & Sansa doesn't seem to work well with the idea that Shae was in Tywin's pay, or maybe it does (to see how Tyrion reacted)?

[phantom_power]

Arya abandoning the Hound was another ending that came straight from the book without compensating for the warmer relationship the show had given them.

It was warmer but it was made clear she never forgot what he was and what he had done. He was always on her list

[Claude the Racecar Driving Rockstar Super Sleuth]

Because she wanted to because she liked Sansa? Because it wasn't part of the agreement? That was to protect Sansa from Joffrey, wasn't it? A twat that Tywin wasn't that fond of.

Where Tywin is involved, I'd expect the agreement would be "Do as I say, or else". He wasn't fond of Joffrey, true, but he did want Sansa to bear a Lannister child and I think this was before the Alliance with the Tyrells.

[NoSleep]

Sansa would have borne a Baratheon child to Joffrey.

[Claude the Racecar Driving Rockstar Super Sleuth]

Good point.