Five domande from the New Season 5 Trailer-For Readers 

Five Questions from the New Season 5 Trailer-For Readers

trailer dropped in the middle of what was otherwise a rather unassuming Apple Watch event. We’ve broken the trailer down, and Gif’d the hell out of it, and are considering all angles. As a book reader, this season is a world enshrouded in mist. What will stay? What will go? After all, we’re basically overlaying two books together and cutting away the fat (all the fat, especially the Ironborn fat.)

But like the first trailer, which raised as many questions as it answered, this trailer too brought clarity, and yet curiosity. Here are the five biggest questions it raised for me…

THERE ARE RED WEDDING LEVEL SPOILERS BELOW. PROCEED WITH CAUTION.

Let’s start with the elephant, err, dragon in the room, that flew in on the first poster art for Season 5. Drogon escaped Dany’s cruel to be kind lock up of her babies, when she chose the children of Meereen over her own. In the books, we all know that Drogon gets gone and stays gone during most of the next 2000 pages or so, a reminder that with her dragons no longer in attendance, Dany has lost a part of herself. After all, the birth of her dragons was the culmination of Dany’s self discovery. They have been her companions ever since, her strength and the course of her power.

But I suppose in a TV show in which one major spoke of the story wheel (sorry) is based on Dragons, having Drogon disappear for an entire season is as unthinkable as having an entire book where Tyrion doesn’t show up. (Ahem!) So what exactly is Drogon doing, now that he’s been added back. Besides impressing the hell out of Tyrion with a flyby? That clip with Dany, as she reaches out to her last baby is so touching and yet at once, my thought was that she would lock him up too, given the chance.

Speaking of Dany, we book readers knew falling into bed with Daario was in the cards–it’s basically the majority of what she does in Book 5. At least here in the show world, the beginnings were more auspicious, with Dany taking charge of the situation instead of allowing Daario to take the lead in these matters. But though said affair in the novels is something of a source of frustration–without Jorah there to temper her, Dany’s bad decisions seem to stem from Daario’s bad ideas–seeing her lying in bed with him is still a striking image. Especially as he mansplains what it is to rule. All rulers are butchers–all meat? It’s nice to hear your boyfriend has such a high opinion of you Dany.

Daario also seems to be leading the charge against the Sons of the Harpy–at least, that’s who I assume the golden masked men are in the street fights and surrounding Dany and company in the fighting pit in those later shots. Will Daario have an expanded role this season? And will Dany’s storyline catch more fire with it?

I want to know everything and anything about the High Sparrow. Full confession–I have loved Jonathan Pryce since I saw him in

way back many moons ago. His was the casting I look forward to the most, and how he twists Cersei’s story to his own devices. Cersei has never been able to see past the trappings of power. How badly will she under estimate this man in his grey sack and unkempt hair. In the books she writes them off until it is too late, to her own detriment and eventual downfall.

The question for me is–how true to the books with this story line stay? Will the High Sparrow take down the Tyrells along with Cersei before he is done, or will Margaery be semi-spared? (Her moment of bursting through the door in terror is telling. Side question: Who is that in the bed with her? Is that real or one of Cersei’s wild fantasies?) Cersei has never known how to handle the masses, can she possibly handle someone who bends the many to his will with religious fervor?

This was probably the most surprising voice over–that of Roose Bolton. Once the Bolton the elder bestows his name on Ramsay Snow, the latter heads for Winterfell, and proceeds to settle down like he’s going to winter there. (Also ewww, that shot of Ramsay having sex. Eww eww eww.) Stannis at the Wall doesn’t seem to bother him. But the Bolton paterfamilias is judging the threat of Stannis at the Wall as something major to be considered. A threat to his plans to rule the North. That’s a huge deviation from the books, where no one takes Stannis seriously, and then he proves them all right by getting bogged down in snowstorm.

I’m not saying I was exactly looking forward to spending time with Ramsay as he turns Winterfell into his home. Though I was curious (especially with the picture of him and Fat Walda Frey) if he would be still trying to marry a fake Arya–and of course, if returning to Winterfell woke Theon out of his Reek-stupor. If the Boltons are considering going on the offensive against Stannis, that’s a new twist indeed, and one that would jazz up Stannis’ role. After all, getting stuck in the snow is really boring to watch.

Hardhome. Hardhome. Hardhome. It’s the big butterfly effect change to the books that’s coming this season that the production kept under wraps until the

special. Book readers know that Jon Snow, once he takes charge at Castle Black, is basically pinned there while Sam does his politicking. The great downfall comes when Jon sends Sam away. The straw that breaks the camel’s back is when he decides to charge south to rescue “Arya” from Ramsay Snow (because he has no idea it’s a Fake Arya.)

Clearly, this is so not the case now. Hardhome–a fighting event with the Wildlings that the Black Brothers undertake is only heard about second and third hand, via Raven, or in one case, the real Arya having visions in the House of Black and White. But, much like getting bogged down in snow, or hanging out dragonless in Meereen doesn’t make for very good television, the producers have decided to try and new tack–what if Jon went to Hardhome himself? What if he made a real effort to unite the Nightswatch and the Wildlings into a major force, instead of suggesting it to those running the Castle, only to have it die in committee? Would that not lead to the same consequences that Jon suffers at the end of Book 5?

Bonus question: Is the “death no one will see coming” that everyone is hyping this season his? How damned disappointed would you be if that was the case? (Especially if my pet theory turns out to be not true, and he doesn’t save himself by warging into Ghost?)

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I’ve been thinking for a while that this mysterious “death that will surprise book readers” (as mentioned by GRRM, Alfie Allen, Sophie Turner and others) will be Jon Snow. Seeing as, technically he isn’t dead in the books, it would be a major character killed off that readers still don’t definitively know the fate of. If this is the case then the question is, will he stay dead? Probably not but with the exclusion of Lady Stoneheart, we need some R’hollor resurrection magic. Jon’s “death” would provide Melisandre the opportunity to show us how powerful the red god really is. It would also explain her meeting up with the brotherhood and her chat with Beric.

I was thinking more along the lines of the unexpected death being

Mance Rayder. Instead of disguising him maybe she really does burn him as sacrifice. It does look like the guy that is being escorted out in front of the wildlings and Stannis could be either Jon or Mance but it is hard to tell. Also judging by the still shot from the trailer of Stannis’ wife on the ground, I wouldn’t be surprised if Shireen is a prospected sacrifice at some point either.

Albert Kong Posted March 11, 2015 at 8:43 am

How will we know if Jon Snow is dead or not? Kit Harrington’s face never moves in the first place, so they better have someone yell “he’s dead!” just so we know what’s happening since we’d have no way else to tell.

I doubt the last one, because she doesn’t seem particularly fond of her daughter and such a religious nut at this point shed gladly give her up for sacrifice.

Daario says, “All rulers are butchers – or meat”, not ‘all’. Meaning basically, ‘If you’re going to rule, you have to conquer or you’ll be conquered’ or even ‘When you play the game of thrones, you win or you die.’

Jon was literally about to leave for Hardhome himself in the books, when Ramsay’s letter arrived. That’s when Jon decided to head south and sent Tormund to Hardhome instead. So it’s not so surprising that the show is taking this option.

ie. it’ll be a surprise because the character is still alive in the books. Not a surprise because they are a tier 1 character.

Jorah is doomed, the only way he can redeemed himself is dying for Dany.

Jaime cannot die yet, he is the BROTHER who kills Cersei.

Roose Bolton’s story line can be completed by Ramsay, Roose’s days are numbered….

If Stannis fell, his force will side with whom? Jon? Sansa?

Myrcella is expandable, her death can force Dorne into war.

Can Little Finger and Sansa wipe out the Freys and take over their army?

I want Grey Worm dead. Preferably with Missandei joining him. They are just a pointless waste of screentime.

can’t wait for the new season of the show, don’t care if it doesn’t stick to the letter of the books it is it’s own mythology.

For heaven’s sake, the unexpected death is (spoiler ahead) Jon’s execution of Slynt!!

How in the HELL would they be stupid enough to hype the death of Jon Snow as “one we won’t see coming”, when everyone who has read the books knows what’s coming for him? They DO realize we’ve read the books, you know. I’d guess Brienne. I hope it’s not Jorah, cuz I want to see him fight Jon Snow to get Longclaw back.

Dario says, you’re either the butcher or the meat. Meaning if you’re the ruler, you’re either the one doing the butchering, or you’re the one being butchered.

The trailer confirming Sansa in Winterfell made me think; what if it’s actually her or little-finger who send the pink-letter to Jon?

After having taken care of business in Winterfell, how else but to persuade Jon to leave the wall than to send him such a letter? It’s either her or the good old theory that it was Mance Rayder (which is what I believed based on the books).

I think it’s possible that the last scenes of episode 10 are Jon returning to Castle Black from Hardhome, and is given the pink letter. The season will end with “for the watch”, the same way his chapter ended in ADWD. The outcome will not be known until next season. It will be the cruellest season finale ever and well deserved since book readers have had to go through this ambiguity for several years now.

Having said that, I doubt they’ll leave it unresolved in such a manner. Knowing them, this is how episode 9 will end, with episode 10 being new material for both book readers and viewers alike, perhaps with “Mercy” chucked in there too

The Drowned Goddess Posted March 11, 2015 at 1:56 pm

I wish Euron and Victarion were being brought into the show. I was intrigued by Euron, the Hell Horn, and his plans (and past), and really stoked to see Victarion try to woo Dany. I guess since they don’t really go anywhere or do anything special in the books, they got cut from the show…. But Moqorro was a cool character, another red priest with his own visions. Looking back, it seems like there was a lot of fat to trim from Feast and Dance, but it is all the build up and development… Like GRRM gave us a couple thousand pages of foreplay and is waiting years to let us climax. In the show world though, that would never work, as we need climax and release every season.

Dany flying off on Drogon (I mean, duh, that was one of the best moments ever!)

Daario finally gettin up in there.. (You know where)

Things I am bummed we most likely won’t see:

Tyrion and the Griffs on the Rhoyne, the enormous turtle, learning the true identity of young Griff, battling the Stone Men, and Tyrion being apprehended by Jorah

Qwentyn being burned alive while trying to ride a dragon (wth was he thinking!!?)

Theon rescuing Jeyne Pool/ Abel and the washerwomen

Bran speaking to Theon through the Wierwood in Winterfell

Brienne meeting Lady Stoneheart (and maybe hearing ‘the one word’)

Jaime seeing the even more hideous Brienne (I think that would make a great scene)

Mellisandre revealing Mance Rayder and her magical jewelry

Manderly telling Davos of Bran and Rickon surviving and finding out where Davos is going to smuggle them back (Skagos?)

Dany meeting Khal Jhaqo (This makes me SUPER curious)

Boring stuff I hope they don’t bother with (but probably will):

Jaime standing watch at his father’s reeking side

Most of Brienne’s journey through Feast, except meeting Gendry and getting her face eaten, I would love to see that!

I think they made two big mistakes. First is the Quentyn story. It would have been easy to fit in with only a few scenes and him getting burned would have made epic TV. Second is the kings moot. That is a scene that could be better on TV than in the books. It gives you one 10 min clip that you can introduce all 3 brothers at once. Ariane who cares and the two Griffs can be added next year just like they brought the Blackfish and Edmure in season 3 although they both appear in the 1st book.

My candidate for the suprise death is….. Bron :(. I wish it wasn’t so but it makes too much sense. The rest of his book material is only what Gets overheard in the kingslanding chapters which can easily be cut from the show. His death would fit the “shocking” bill because he’s such a fan favorite. And Dorne will be full of drama for him and Jamie as the trailers show. I really hope he gets to name his kid Tyrion before he goes.

I agree with you in everything you said! The writers act like FEAST is so uneventful and there are plenty of great moments in that book! Jamie killing it it in the Riverlands, Brienne and her story, The Greyjoys, Arianne, Cersei and her fall! GOT is either made up or rushed! So many moments in the book that could have been used!

Since I’ve seen the first trailer, the more I think of it, the more I would like Sansa to become LSH. Really ! Going back to Winterfell, Baelish saying to her : “We’ll take revenge!”, her growing dark aura, etc. Can’t leave these thoughts behind. Would enjoy it much more than the “Jeyne Poole” plot.

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