SPOILERS Thread -- Dances with Dragons/Game of Thrones

[rass]

My wife, for sure.

[tennbengal]

My wife, for sure.

I am still mad over the end of book five. Still. Even assuming it is a feint. It better be a feint.

[Johnny Carwash]

I think there's a non-zero chance Greenwald has read the books and is faking his ignorance.

Also, he's a smart guy, but his reviews are almost insufferable with the way he tries to shoehorn a metaphorical reference to the show into every sentence.

[Johnny Carwash]

Missed this, but a couple weeks ago a supposed casting call for next season surfaced. The first role in particular may point to a character/plotline whose inclusion in the show was an open question.

[Johnny Carwash]

So, any predictions for the season finale? Thought it would be better to post here as mine are strongly informed by knowing what happens in the books:

- Arya kills Meryn Trant. (Certainty level: 10/10)

- The Dorne plot burns 10 minutes with people saying vaguely ominous things, but nothing substantial happens. (Certainty level: 5/10)

- Tyrion/Jorah/Daario are holed up in the pyramid trying to figure out what the fuck to do now that their queen ditched them. (Certainty level: 9/10)

- Daenerys lands on her dragon in the middle of nowhere and meets up with a new army of Dothraki. (Certainty level: 8/10)

- Brienne runs into Stannis as he approaches Winterfell and kills him. I wasn't sure where this was going, but I think this is emerging as the most logical conclusion. After last week, I can't see what the show is going to do with Stannis unless his final exit is imminent. Brienne has been just camping out around the castle since early in the season, without doing much more than giving an extended call-back to her desire to avenge Renly. (Certainty level: 4/10)

- Ramsay plans (and maybe succeeds) to kill Roose and Walda, but is then killed by Sansa with that corkscrew thing she picked up a few episodes ago. Sansa and Theon flee the castle. Because this whole plotline involves the most changes from the books, I have less of an idea here than any of the others. (Certainty level: 3/10)

- Cersei's walk of shame, ending with the introduction of Frankenmountain. (Certainty level: 10/10)

- Varys shows up in King's Landing and kills Pycelle and Kevan. Or maybe Littlefinger does it. (Certainty level: 6/10)

- If not the above, Littlefinger says/does something cryptic indicating he has bigger plans. (Certainty level: 6/10)

- Jon gets shanked by his comrades, with Olly landing the "et tu, Brute?" blow. Cut to black. (Certainty level: 9.5/10)

- Lady Stoneheart. (Certainty level: 1/10)

[rass]

- The Dorne plot burns 10 minutes with people saying vaguely ominous things, but nothing substantial happens. (Certainty level: 5/10)

I don't think that is ending as cleanly as it seemed last week.

- Lady Stoneheart. (Certainty level: 1/10)

Still sort of pissed she didn't come back at the end of last season. The actress has insisted she is done. I've seen conjecture that they go LSH with Sansa taking Cat's place, even though it seems less necessary since we've left the Frey's and various Tully's (and Brienne's and Jamie's book plots) far behind.

[tennbengal]

Since what is likely coming has been telegraphed, not sure the outrage and shock will match red wedding.

[Jerloma]

So, any predictions for the season finale? Thought it would be better to post here as mine are strongly informed by knowing what happens in the books:

- Arya kills Meryn Trant. (Certainty level: 10/10)

- The Dorne plot burns 10 minutes with people saying vaguely ominous things, but nothing substantial happens. (Certainty level: 5/10)

- Tyrion/Jorah/Daario are holed up in the pyramid trying to figure out what the fuck to do now that their queen ditched them. (Certainty level: 9/10)

- Daenerys lands on her dragon in the middle of nowhere and meets up with a new army of Dothraki. (Certainty level: 8/10)

- Brienne runs into Stannis as he approaches Winterfell and kills him. I wasn't sure where this was going, but I think this is emerging as the most logical conclusion. After last week, I can't see what the show is going to do with Stannis unless his final exit is imminent. Brienne has been just camping out around the castle since early in the season, without doing much more than giving an extended call-back to her desire to avenge Renly. (Certainty level: 4/10)

- Ramsay plans (and maybe succeeds) to kill Roose and Walda, but is then killed by Sansa with that corkscrew thing she picked up a few episodes ago. Sansa and Theon flee the castle. Because this whole plotline involves the most changes from the books, I have less of an idea here than any of the others. (Certainty level: 3/10)

- Cersei's walk of shame, ending with the introduction of Frankenmountain. (Certainty level: 10/10)

- Varys shows up in King's Landing and kills Pycelle and Kevan. Or maybe Littlefinger does it. (Certainty level: 6/10)

- If not the above, Littlefinger says/does something cryptic indicating he has bigger plans. (Certainty level: 6/10)

- Jon gets shanked by his comrades, with Olly landing the "et tu, Brute?" blow. Cut to black. (Certainty level: 9.5/10)

- Lady Stoneheart. (Certainty level: 1/10)

Jesus...that's really well done.

[tennbengal]

So, any predictions for the season finale? Thought it would be better to post here as mine are strongly informed by knowing what happens in the books:

- Arya kills Meryn Trant. (Certainty level: 10/10)

- The Dorne plot burns 10 minutes with people saying vaguely ominous things, but nothing substantial happens. (Certainty level: 5/10)

- Tyrion/Jorah/Daario are holed up in the pyramid trying to figure out what the fuck to do now that their queen ditched them. (Certainty level: 9/10)

- Daenerys lands on her dragon in the middle of nowhere and meets up with a new army of Dothraki. (Certainty level: 8/10)

- Brienne runs into Stannis as he approaches Winterfell and kills him. I wasn't sure where this was going, but I think this is emerging as the most logical conclusion. After last week, I can't see what the show is going to do with Stannis unless his final exit is imminent. Brienne has been just camping out around the castle since early in the season, without doing much more than giving an extended call-back to her desire to avenge Renly. (Certainty level: 4/10)

- Ramsay plans (and maybe succeeds) to kill Roose and Walda, but is then killed by Sansa with that corkscrew thing she picked up a few episodes ago. Sansa and Theon flee the castle. Because this whole plotline involves the most changes from the books, I have less of an idea here than any of the others. (Certainty level: 3/10)

- Cersei's walk of shame, ending with the introduction of Frankenmountain. (Certainty level: 10/10)

- Varys shows up in King's Landing and kills Pycelle and Kevan. Or maybe Littlefinger does it. (Certainty level: 6/10)

- If not the above, Littlefinger says/does something cryptic indicating he has bigger plans. (Certainty level: 6/10)

- Jon gets shanked by his comrades, with Olly landing the "et tu, Brute?" blow. Cut to black. (Certainty level: 9.5/10)

- Lady Stoneheart. (Certainty level: 1/10)

Jesus...that's really well done.

That was because the finale hewed fairly close to the books, even if the characters were different in part. Tyrion instead of Sir Bellamy in Mereen. Theon and Sansa jumping from wall rather than Theon and fake Arya, etc.

[Jerloma]

Well, for what it's worth, I just read a prediction that Jon is going to warg into Ghost just like Bran does to save himself, and then Mellisandre will resurrect his body with some blood magic once convinced that he is Azor Ahai and not Stannis.

[Nonlinear FC]

Well, one of the things that bugged me was that Ghost didn't show up during the stabbing, but he was somehow Johnny on the spot for Sam a few episodes back.

[rass]

Well, for what it's worth, I just read a prediction that Jon is going to warg into Ghost just like Bran does to save himself, and then Mellisandre will resurrect his body with some blood magic once convinced that he is Azor Ahai and not Stannis.

On the previous page?


I can't remember if he has demonstrated any warg-iness on the show or not. Both he and Arya (in addition to Bran, obviously) do in the books.

[A_B]

Well, one of the things that bugged me was that Ghost didn't show up during the stabbing, but he was somehow Johnny on the spot for Sam a few episodes back.

Yes..I feel like we would have gotten a howl or something.

[Johnny Carwash]

Sounds like a number of people interpreted the Sansa/Theon jump as a resigned suicide rather than an escape attempt. I could see why if I was a show-only person.

Sansa is almost certainly OK, but the showrunners might kill off Theon if they don't know what else to do with him.

[rass]

If he's really dead, he's going full warg. Like the wilding skinchanger from the prologue that would seem to serve no purpose other than to describe how something like that might be possible.

Standing by this. All of the warging stuff in book 5, plus all of the red priests/esses bringing people back to life stuff is going to have a payoff.

Jon Snow lives.

I would hope so. But he lives in an animal because his body is dead? I hope not.

Never really made the very on the nose connection to his wolf's name being "Ghost" before reading the Maester's article this morning.

[rass]

Welp...

[Jerloma]

It was an impossible secret to keep. Especially with this fanbase.

[rass]

Just glad TB doesn't have to give up on the series now.

[tennbengal]

Damn straight.

[Johnny Carwash]

Since we're almost out of spoil-able material, and the show is basically making up its own shit at this point, this thread is mostly going to be speculation now.

So I'll bite: I think Melisandre sacrifices herself to bring Jon back to life. It's the only way to give her character any sort of redemption arc after the way the last season ended.

[Shirley]

Since we're almost out of spoil-able material, and the show is basically making up its own shit at this point, this thread is mostly going to be speculation now.

So I'll bite: I think Melisandre sacrifices herself to bring Jon back to life. It's the only way to give her character any sort of redemption arc after the way the last season ended.

I haven't gotten to that part of the show yet, but in the books she wasn't there, was she? Wasn't she at Winterfell (or thereabouts) with Stannis?

[rass]

Since we're almost out of spoil-able material, and the show is basically making up its own shit at this point, this thread is mostly going to be speculation now.

So I'll bite: I think Melisandre sacrifices herself to bring Jon back to life. It's the only way to give her character any sort of redemption arc after the way the last season ended.

I haven't gotten to that part of the show yet, but in the books she wasn't there, was she? Wasn't she at Winterfell (or thereabouts) with Stannis?

Nope, she was at the Wall. Stannis left her behind again (I can't remember his reasoning this time).

[Shirley]

So while we're here, in the book the little birds worked solely for Varys, right and not Qyburn? And they assissinated Kevan Lannister, not Maester Pycelle, right?

I don't remember exactly, was Varys back in Kingslanding in the books?

[tennbengal]

So while we're here, in the book the little birds worked solely for Varys, right and not Qyburn? And they assissinated Kevan Lannister, not Maester Pycelle, right?

I don't remember exactly, was Varys back in Kingslanding in the books?

He was such a non-entity on the show that I had completely forgotten his importance in the book version, or his end.