Game of Thrones 5.3 "High Sparrow" (spoiler alert)

[NewJeffCT]

Cersei meets the High Sparrow after learning of a clergyman's embarrassing tale. Meanwhile, Davos talks to Jon about the future of Winterfell, where Ramsay Snow has just learned the identity of his future bride; Arya grows impatient doing menial tasks in the House of Black and White; and Tyrion searches for more comfortable surroundings on a long trip with Varys

[NewJeffCT]

1. Book Purists will hate season 5 of Game of Thrones

Interesting, but hate is a strong word.

Book purists will hate Season 5 of Game of Thrones, but that’s okay. It’s their loss. In many ways, this may be the best season yet in HBO’s fantasy drama.

There are many different camps when it comes to fantasy author George R.R. Martin and his Song of Ice and Fire series.

The books, upon which HBO’s Game of Thrones are based, have become quite controversial in their own right.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/erikkain/2015/04/26/book-purists-will-hate-season-5-of-game-of-thrones/

[CrawlingChaos]

4. Interesting. Personally, I stopped reading after Storm of Swords

So I won't be able to detect the changes, but I'm glad they're making them.

The reason I stopped after book 3 was the extreme frustration being widely expressed about books 4 and 5. I'm not a big fantasy reader (horror is more my thing, and I was familiar with Martin from his horror fiction), so it's got to be really good for me to hop on board, and after hearing so many people complain about the lack of action in Feast for Crows, I decided to skip it. I remember a lot of complaints about storylines left hanging and lack of resolution. And strong characters (Arya) left to languish in monotony.

I'm with this author on some of his complaints. Like the direwolves! It was so disappointing to see their presence reduced to almost nothing. Where the hell is Ghost? He made the Jon Snow character a lot more cool and now he's so rarely seen, you forget he exists. And if a domestic house cat can cross the United States to find it's family, you'd think Nymeria could have found her way back to Arya before she crossed the narrow sea. I just feel like they ought to throw some crowd pleasers into the mix, for fun. One thing I'd love to see them do, in defiance of the books (if I'm not mistaken) is have Syrio Forel reappear into Arya's life. His scenes were among my favorites in the whole series, and we never actually saw him die. But of course this will not happen!

And no Lady Stoneheart...what the actual fuck? Could have been one of the coolest things on the show. Instead we get heavy doses of Melisandre and her tedious soliloquies about the Lord of Light. Also, my biggest complaint: Dany is boring (unless there's a dragon with her) and the show spends SO much time on her.

Okay, enough negativity. Hopefully we'll have an exciting episode tonight and I'll forget all my gripes and groans.

[NewJeffCT]

5. I'm kind of bewildered

by the missing Lady Stoneheart. Her appearance would have made fantastic TV

[Goblinmonger]

16. Haven't read the book

but a friend has through book 4.

I think the Lady Stoneheart decision is a good one (though we'll have to see how things play out, I guess). I think it would have brought them too much into the zombie genre and I think they need to stay distinct from that.

[Mike Daniels]

17. I found "Feast" to improve upon rereadings while "Dance" has always been a slog

I started "Dance" when it came out and got through about a quarter of it before being sidetracked from reading it for a few weeks.

When I finally got back to it I couldn't remember any of the plot and had to start over from the beginning which was a bit demoralizing to say the least.


Right now I can't say I have any issues with what the show has done in terms of the plotlines of Feast and Dance. As long as the general story ends up at the same place who cares if the road traveled is slightly different. And as other people have already posted, since the odds of Martin ever finishing this thing seem slimmer each year the show is likely to be the standard bearer when all is said and done.

[NewJeffCT]

18. I think all the books

get better with a re-read. They're so complex with so many characters that it's easy to miss things as you go through it the first time.

[blogslut]

2. Jonathan Pryce!

He will be undoubtedly wonderful because he is awesome.

[NewJeffCT]

3. agreed

Great casting stroke getting him for this role.

[NewJeffCT]

6. wow

they have Sansa playing the Jeyne Poole role. Poor girl - first Joffrey, then Ramsay.

[Liberal Veteran]

8. Tyrion looks better all the time. At least he didn't torment Sansa on purpose.

I sorta like the idea of Sansa/Jeyne, but I prefer Ramsay have no solid claim to Winterfell. If Sansa does end up Ramsay's wife, then that subtext of Ramsay's storyline goes with it. Ramsay was a fraud and I like him that way.

[NewJeffCT]

9. I wonder how that would work out?

are they going to do the same thing with Sansa as they did with Jeyne Poole? I guess we'd have a reason for Jon Snow to attempt to ride South...

[Baitball Blogger]

10. Very confused about this twist.

Little Finger might know nothing about Ramsay Snow, but he does know that Roose Bolton killed Robb Stark and also, his beloved Lady Stark. So, why oh why does he try to friend Roose Bolton and why would he think that Sansa would be agreeable to this marriage? I don't get it. Or maybe, he is giving Sansa an opportunity to kill the man who killed Little Finger's unrequited love interest?

I don't know anything about the Jayne Poole twist, though I can look that up on wiki. I do know, however, that Sansa is underdoing a transformation and is getting more cynical. With Reek's help, she might catch on that Ramsay Snow is dangerous.

[NewJeffCT]

12. In the books

Jeyne Poole was one of Sansa's handmaids from Winterfell. However, since she had darker hair like Arya and looked like a Northerner, she was passed off as Arya Stark in the books, not Sansa, and was forced to marry Ramsay. I think only Littlefinger and the two Boltons knew it was a fake Arya, though a few others might also know. (it's been a while, so I've forgotten some details.)

In the books, Ramsay was maybe slightly nicer to Fake Arya as he was to Theon.

Just looked this bit up - but, Jamie tells Brienne that Arya is a fake, but that since almost everybody that knew Arya's face is dead, nobody will be able to dispute the fake. (Of course, Theon will know...)

[Baitball Blogger]

13. Okay, with the Jeyne Pool story line, this is what I see transpiring on GoT

1) Sansa is going to be in a peck of hurt. It is her pain and tears that will awaken the loyalties of all the Starkies. That's probably why that scene with the old woman was so important. To show that they are still around.

Before Jon Snow comes down to the rescue, it will probably be Brienne who will play a major role in some manner. But it won't be enough. I think Jon Snow will eventually get the support of the Wildings and with their help, he will follow through with Stannis' grand plan and come down to take Winterfell.

With these new alliances, the North will be ready to take on the cold ones.

2) I think the queen that Jorah was referring to when he kidnapped Tyrion, is the Khaleesi. I have no idea how this makes it better or worse for Tyrion, since he was going there anyway.

3) Ayra is a prudent little one for keeping the sting on dry land. It is, afterall, Valyrian steel and is part of Ned Stark's sword. Now, in the house of White and Black, what could they be doing with those bodies after they clean them? Could those poor, wretched souls be going through the final stage of being no one?

[NewJeffCT]

14. we'll have to see how it all plays out

However, it looks like they're combining the Brienne, Sansa and Theon storylines into just one story instead of three.

In the books, you're left hanging and thinking Tyrion is being taken to Cersei initially. However, it becomes pretty obvious that it's Dany pretty quickly. Remember, though, Tywin Lannister, through the Mountain, was the one responsible for the death of Elia Martell Targaryen, and her children Aegon and Rhaenys. So, Dany won't be happy to see Tyrion.

[Baitball Blogger]

15. She might not be happy with Tyrion until she learns

that he killed his father. Remember, she killed her own brother, so these things have a way of sorting themselves out.

More to the point, what does Tyrion have to offer her? She is in bad need of good advice, and that can come from Jorah.

[seveneyes]

7. DILLIGAF for spoilers

WTF is the point when compassion can rue the day?

[Xyzse]

11. It's ok with me.

I usually am a book purist, but when it comes to this. I prefer the HBO series to the books, so I don't mind.

Besides, I have given up on GRRM on ever finishing this series. So I will go with what they say.

[NewJeffCT]

19. showrunners explain change in Sansa storyline

http://www.ew.com/article/2015/04/26/game-thrones-sansa-ramsay-interview

[Baitball Blogger]

20. Excellent!

Sounds like Sansa met her end already in the Martin books, so I fully agree with this departure.

[NewJeffCT]

21. No, she has not died in the books

She's still going in Book 6 - Martin recently released another completed chapter from Winds of Winter, and this one featured Sansa. In the books, Littlefinger is planning on marrying his bastard daughter Alayne Stone (aka Sansa) to Harry Harding, who would be heir to The Eyrie if anything bad happened to Lyssa Arryn's sickly son Robyn. Since Harry is second in line to The Eyrie, it's not a big deal that he marries a bastard... of course, I would not be surprised if little Robyn ends up flying out the Moon Door like his mommy eventually.

However, Sansa has a limited amount of appearances in books 4 and 5, so that is what D&D are talking about, I believe.

[NewJeffCT]

22. some recaps/articles about episode 3

http://www.wired.com/2015/04/game-of-thrones-recap-s05-e03/

http://www.ew.com/article/2015/04/26/game-thrones-beheading-kit-interview

http://ftw.usatoday.com/2015/04/game-of-thrones-recap-hbo-season-5-episode-3-high-sparrow

https://winteriscoming.net/2015/04/27/unsullied-recap-game-of-thrones-episode-503-high-sparrow/

http://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2015/04/jon-snow-ned-stark-beheading-game-of-thrones

[NewJeffCT]

23. There were some good quotes last night

The old woman - "Welcome home Lady Stark - The North Remembers."

Jon Snow, "I was always told to keep your enemies close."
Stannis: "Whoever said that didn't have many enemies."

Arya saying the C--- word to the Waif didn't quite have the same grit to it as The Hound saying it, though.

[NewJeffCT]

24. If game of Thrones took place on Facebook - episode 3

good stuff, as usual.

http://valarbloghulis.someecards.com/got-recap-season-5/if-game-of-thrones-took-place-entirely-on-facebook-season-5-episode-3/