Game of Thrones Season 4 (SPOILERS WITHIN)

The actor won't be back. I read some stuff recently that they're having a problem staying ahead of Martin, this gives them a season to explore some other story lines. The Bran stuff is long game, there is plenty of Tyrion and Danerys to get them through one season. He won't be back IMHO because the other problem is that the young actors are aging faster than they do in the books, sounds like an opportunity to make a clean break.

Bran's storyline reached the end of all the Bran material in all 5 published books. And he's hardly in the books much as it were. They had to make shit up last season that wasn't in the books just to keep him relevant at all. And that's with him in half the episodes.

In the show no one knows as they've not yet reached that point in the books. We only know that Rickon Stark and Osha went away while Bran went north.

Now in the books:

I don't like Bran's storyline. To me it just seems something that Martin was going to make into a big thing and then didn't. It will play a role in the finale of the series but I don't see it as a major force.

Have to disagree there. With the Greenseer ability - and the fact that the north, even beyond the wall, is full of weirwood, Bran is going to be a big deal. One part of the lore of the greenseers is that they shattered the arm of Dorne, crashing the land into the Step Stone isles. So that could be some serious magic.

The last of the House of Stark seem to be fated to be badasses - a faceless girl, a greenseer, an undead revenant, and whatever the hell happens with Jon Snow, as I doubt very seriously he's out of the series.

I thought it was stated that Rickon and Osha was going to go live with the Stark bannermen the Umbers and that they would teach him "how to swing a sword."

I can see them re-casting Rickon, but Bran is more questionable. It's certainly not impossible.

Technically speaking the people living on the island of Skagos were bannermen to the Starks.

Alright. I finally watched the series beyond the end of Season 1 over the past few months. I get the hype now. This is really good. A few random thoughts from somebody new to the series, who doesn't like Fantasy and hasn't read the books. Also, when I watch I usually do something else too so I might have missed a few things.

• OK, George, we get it. Everybody who's remotely sympathetic in this world has to die horribly. If that's not possible, maim them physically or psychologically. I really fear for Brienne who has more honor in her little finger than the rest of the cast combined.
• Fuck dragons. OK, fuck the whole Danaerys (sp?) storyline. I take it she'll come over the sea at some point for big baddaboom and then Jon Snow and her will discover they are half-siblings and rule the kingdoms together. Or something. This is just taking too long and her story doesn't resonate with me at all.
• I love Arya. See first bullet point, though. What she did to the Hound in the end was out of character just for the sake of making her unsympathetic.
• The Red Wedding was a god damn high point of TV making PERIOD. I did see something coming during the episode but boy did I ever expect a TV series to kill half its main cast in a single episode. Nope, t'was completely unexpected for me. Watching without reading spoilers is fun!
• Looking at the map of Westeros that's shown in the credits I wonder why the King of the North would attack the impenetrable Wall and not simply sneak his people around it in boats. As far as I understood, only Castle Black in the middle is manned and thinly while the others aren't. Also, doesn't climbing the eastern and western edges sideways seem easier and less dangerous than climbing in the exact spot where the armed men are? Kind of illogical but necessary for the plot I guess.
• Bran Stark. Too much fantasey-magicky stuff. Kill them all and root guy too.
• I wonder how Tyrion could ever fall for Shay. This guy has dealt with whores for most of his life so he should know what they are about. On the other hand I'm not sure if her treason wasn't an extreme case of Hell Hath no Fury... . Liked the character, though. Given that Sibel Kekilli started out in porn it's amazing to see how far she has come as an actress.
• As well done the skull crushing episode was, that was a. unnecessrily gruesome and b. unrealistic from a tactical POV. The Viper guy didn't strike me as someone so careless. He was a bit of a clown with a grudge but I guess you don't become an accomplished duelist by standing closely to much stronger enemies while they are still alive.
• I didn't like how long they let us wait for the actual trial by combat. When Tyrion did it first, the fight started immediately.
• Also, Bron? Could he have sold out Tyrion?
• As for the Mountain... wouldn't it be funny if he woke up after the procedure and his first word was 'hodor?' Humor isn't the series' strong side, though.
• I wonder if we will see Robin ever again. They set him up as totally bonkers in his first seconds on screen and carried on the notion in the scenes with Sansa. This guy has more cockoo potential than Joffrey!
• Sansa finally becomes a player and stops being a naive damsel. Good!
• Baelish has me torn. The actor is so brilliant that I can't manage to really be mad at his despicable character. And yes that's a first. Like, ever.
• Theon. Oh, Theon. Here's hoping you'll wake up one day and get rid of Crazy Torturing Bastards. But what a frighteningly realistic depiction of what torture can do to a person *shiver*
• Very much looking forward to the Tyrion/Valis dynamic next season. Those two are made for each other.

Generally speaking there is lots of running around. Just stop running around for a minute or two. Also, would it be too much to ask to actually see all those battles they were talking about in S2? I know it's expensive but a few seconds of CGI on occasion wouldn't break this series' bank.

Other than that, I really like the series and I can now understand why people are so impatient for next season to finally start. I personally enjoyed the experience of being completely unspoilered and will keep it up for as long as possible.

I agree with your points on the dragons and the wall.

Danni's storyline stalled last season with her taking up rulership, and now she's chained up the dragons. I was so looking forward to her rampaging across Westeros leaving burned everything in her wake. This reminds me of how Heroes kept finding ways to keep Sylar and Peter from having an all-out super-power fight.

The wall is obviously an uber-Hadrian's wall allegory, which itself didn't always keep the crazy Scots out. But you're right - even the mighty Maginot Line didn't work as soon as somebody realized you could just go around.

Well, the wall works mainly because those that live north of it are little more than Stone Age technology wise. Building anything more than canoes is beyond them. Also...reasons...

Good points!! and welcome aboard!! Season 5 starts on April 12th and the Blu-rays of Season 4 hits the US on February 17th.

From what I've heard, Bran and Hodor will not be in Season 5. Make of it what you will. I do agree that Danaerys needs to shit or get of the pot... err... throne. Although it was poorly depicted on screen, I'm absolutley certain that Bron did indeed sell Tyrion out and I found that last scene between them fascinating. I hope that 's not the last we see of Bron and I sincerly hope we get to meet Lady Stokeworth, Bron's bride to be.

That was a great scene, and I'm surprised at how many people think there is doubt or some unclear depiction involved about Bron's betrayal. I thought it was a really great choice to tell us that just by his implicit admission to Tyrion.

So do I.

I'm a bit concerned that Tyrion will no longer be at the heart of intrigues, now that he's left his home. He was much less interesting as a travelling adventurer back in season 1.

That's one of many things about the show that comes down to "read the books." Bronn selling out Tyrion, as opposed to Cersei securing his failure to champion Tyrion, is a significant departure from the books, and none of the follow-through that could result from such a departure has been set up.

I liked the whole Daenerys Targaryen storyline (especially when she was naked) up until season 4. Now it's just getting stupid.

Plus, I can't take her seriously anymore since I've watched this:



Check out the 1:40 mark.