SPOILER ALERT! So am I the only one excited about a new round of GoT?

[Captain Blood]

Just watched the first three episodes (a friend has kindly let me enable my iPad as one of her 4 eligible devices on Sky Go )

So we are discussing S6 openly in this thread now, right? Since there's a big SPOLIER ALERT in the title...

Just in case:

SPOILER ALERT!


Interesting so far. My thoughts:

- Can't believe so many people in the world of social media are so amazed and surprised that Melisandre is in reality an old crone. Haven't these people read any fairy tales, where this is an absolutely staple cliché? The beautiful enchantress is ALWAYS an old hag under a spell of glamour...
- Pretty obvious from the end of A Dance With Dragons that Jon Snow was not dead. The producers strung it out well for marketing purposes, but clearly, along with Tyrion, Arya and probably Dany, Jon Snow is one of the four key characters that GRRM identifies with. And so will be with us to the bitter end of the tale. Count on it. 
- Don't like the way Weiss and Benioff are casually killing off so many of the senior characters in a random fashion - that's Prince Doran, Balon Greyjoy and Roose Bolton, all swiftly despatched, as was Stannis at the end of S5. None of this happens in the books, nor looks likely to happen in the books (with the possible exception of Balon's fall from the bridge, which is an accident - probably - and not a push from Euron, who is not there at the time).
- The whole Bran flashback thing looks like it's fast-tracking the audience to the answer to the greatest riddle in GoT - Jon Snow's true parentage - rather prematurely, given that they've got another two seasons to go...
- The Karstarks and the Umbers have suddenly become baddie scum? That's not right.
- The Dorne storyline has been completely bastardised - can't work out why. The Greyjoy storyline is still largely missing in action.
- Thank God Brienne has finally found Sansa. Couldn't cope with all those near misses as they criss-cross Westeros.
- Where is Littlefinger, he of the increasingly broad Irish accent?
- Great to see Woodes Rogers from Black Sails as a fleeting cameo role as Ser Arthur Dayne, Sword of The Morning

[Eric the Shed]

I think this series will spill the beans on Jon Snow's real parentage...I think we almost got it in the last episode...hence the flashbacks

I believe that Jon Snow is not the bastard son of Ned Stark but his bastard nephew...I'll let you work out who is the mum (easy) and then work out the dad !

Once you have determined that you might see where this programme could be heading...

My hypothesis was built whilst reading the books - the latest three episodes of the TV series series seem to be playing this out...

[Hammers]

Obviously. I just wonder how much the scriptwriters will adhere to GRRM's dogma of *NOT* sticking to traditional TV stories ( him being a long time scriptwriter, I have heard the GoT saga is a way for him to channel the way history, rather than story, works).  I mean , can they refrain from "tying this up" in the end?

[Charlie_]

- Don't like the way Weiss and Benioff are casually killing off so many of the senior characters in a random fashion - that's Prince Doran, Balon Greyjoy and Roose Bolton, all swiftly despatched, as was Stannis at the end of S5. None of this happens in the books, nor looks likely to happen in the books (with the possible exception of Balon's fall from the bridge, which is an accident - probably - and not a push from Euron, who is not there at the time).

Agreed. It's almost as if they don't quite no what to do, and they fall back on the "Kill off a character quickly!" method.

Though Euron was almost certainly responsible for Balon's "fall" in the books! Seeing it in black and white though I think is just much less interesting than hearing it as a rumour.

Likewise, I imagine what happens to Roose could very well happen in the next book. But again, I think Martin would deal with it very differently. I can imagine it being heard about as a rumour by several POV characters "Did you hear, Lord Bolton is dead? Murdered by his bastard, they say." Something like that. And even darker (and conflicting) rumours about what apparently happened to his newborn son. That can be SO much more effective than actually seeing it happen, I think. But oh well, it's a TV show!

The Greyjoy storyline is still largely missing in action.

To be fair, they could just be saving it all for this season, which does make a certain amount of sense. The only thing that worries me is as far as I'm aware they haven't cast anyone as Victarion. I loved his chapters, gave a really interesting viewpoint on the whole Ironborn culture (he becomes strangely likeable for someone who's lifestyle essentially revolves around murder and rape).

Where is Littlefinger, he of the increasingly broad Irish accent?

Perhaps he is drinking himself to death after the realisation that he royally messed up all his years of scheming last season? "Excellent, my years of hard work are paying off, and I've got the heir to the Vale and the heir to the North in the palms of my hands, I have the title to rule the Riverlands and the position to control the Vale.... Now, I'll just give Sansa away to pyscho Ramsay Bolton... Oh shit, no, why did I do that??"

[Captain Blood]

I believe that Jon Snow is not the bastard son of Ned Stark but his bastard nephew...I'll let you work out who is the mum (easy) and then work out the dad !

Indeed, Rhaegar Targaryen and Lyanna Stark is the most common assumption. Although since that theory has been no.1 on the internet for the last several years, Martin will probably resolve it in some other, less obvious way in the books. Or not resolve it at all, because he's a contrary old wotsit...
HBO will probably go for the obvious, though.
There are plenty other theories. (http://awoiaf.westeros.org/index.php/Jon_Snow/Theories)
But given that we all want to see Jon Snow riding a dragon, I'm sticking with the theory that he's part Targaryen - despite his rather obvious lack of silver blond hair... 

[Charlie_]

Indeed, Rhaegar Targaryen and Lyanna Stark is the most common assumption. Although since that theory has been no.1 on the internet for the last several years, Martin will probably resolve it in some other, less obvious way in the books. Or not resolve it at all, because he's a contrary old wotsit...
HBO will probably go for the obvious, though.
There are plenty other theories. (http://awoiaf.westeros.org/index.php/Jon_Snow/Theories)
But given that we all want to see Jon Snow riding a dragon, I'm sticking with the theory that he's part Targaryen - despite his rather obvious lack of silver blond hair... 

I personally really don't care much about Jon's parentage, or at least I really hope it doesn't actually matter in terms of the larger plot. People obsess about this sort of thing...  I would LOVE it if Martin revealed it, and it had no effect on the story. An interesting little insight into the back stories of some of the characters.... But irrelevant to the present day.

[Hammers]

Indeed, Rhaegar Targaryen and Lyanna Stark is the most common assumption. Although since that theory has been no.1 on the internet for the last several years, Martin will probably resolve it in some other, less obvious way in the books. Or not resolve it at all, because he's a contrary old wotsit...
HBO will probably go for the obvious, though.
There are plenty other theories. (http://awoiaf.westeros.org/index.php/Jon_Snow/Theories)
But given that we all want to see Jon Snow riding a dragon, I'm sticking with the theory that he's part Targaryen - despite his rather obvious lack of silver blond hair... 

I want to see Tyrion Lannister riding a dragon, which is obviously in the offing.

[Silent Invader]

I want to see Tyrion Lannister riding a dragon, which is obviously in the offing.

Oh yes! That I'd enjoy!

[Charlie_]

Just saw the latest episode...

Yeah, I have lost any faith I once had in this show. That last scene was laugh-out-loud ridiculous....

[Hammers]

Just saw the latest episode...

Yeah, I have lost any faith I once had in this show. That last scene was laugh-out-loud ridiculous....

Yes, that episode did really fly off the paper it was written on. Kinda dull, really. My only enjoyment was, again, fantasizing about knocking Ramsay Bolton's face in with a sledgehammer.

[Hupp n at em]

None of this happens in the books, nor looks likely to happen in the books (with the possible exception of Balon's fall from the bridge, which is an accident - probably - and not a push from Euron, who is not there at the time).

I thought that in the books, Aeron/Asha/other Ironborn were openly questioning why Euron so conveniently turned up after Balon bites the dust, so this could be a "we had no POV character to see it happen vs the omnipotent camera" situation.

[Charlie_]

I thought that in the books, Aeron/Asha/other Ironborn were openly questioning why Euron so conveniently turned up after Balon bites the dust, so this could be a "we had no POV character to see it happen vs the omnipotent camera" situation.

Absolutely. And it's a bit of a shame. Rumours, gossip and unreliable narrators are much more fun! The camera leaves no doubt, which is boring.

[Hupp n at em]

Absolutely. And it's a bit of a shame. Rumours, gossip and unreliable narrators are much more fun! The camera leaves no doubt, which is boring.

Wholeheartedly agree, but that's one of those things that is quite hard to convey with precious screentime vs. internal monologue that's a staple of fiction novels.  Strength of one medium, weakness of another.  I try to judge the TV show on the good vs. bad TV show things it does, it'll never top the books anyhow. 

[Captain Blood]

Just saw the latest episode...

Yeah, I have lost any faith I once had in this show. That last scene was laugh-out-loud ridiculous....

And basically a retread of the finale of series 1 where she emerges from the fire...

[Dr. Zombie]

I like the way it ended last night. It promises a way out of the whole tedious slavers bay going-nowhere-storyline Daenerys has been stuck in for the past manny seasons.

Now she might actually go somewhere and do something. Tyrion has also conveniently fixed the whole slavers bay domestic problem.

So now she can retur to Westeros leading a horde of Dothraki and her dragons.