Game of Thrones

lloyd

Great episode again.

It's really in a different class to other tv at the minute IMO, we're 6 seasons in and the writing, storyline and characters are still just as strong if not stronger/more developed than when they started.

Shows the benefit of taking something from a book rather than a TV show which will twist and turn to fill out space to maximise advertising revenue (I'm looking at you Walking Dead-I know it's from comics) and relying on ridiculous cliff hangers every episode.

hugbot

Garthy;1066490" said:

boogieman said:

I haven't read the books but I seem to remember reading something on one of the fan forums that says the Hound IS still alive. The theory was that he also may turn out to be the man with the flaming sword, (who's apparently referenced very early on in the books?) who's actually a God who saves the world.





Was that not Beric Dondarrion who had the flaming sword and found The Hound in season 2/3?

Followers of the red god like flaming swords in general because they believe that their messiah, azor ahai will come welding a flaming sword to fight back evil.

Beric Dondarrion had a flaming sword, but it was just a regular sword dipped in oil.

Mellisandre thought stannis was azor ahai and made him do a dumb ritual with flaming swords too.

Realistically, it's probably most likely Jon or Danyrys (if flaming sword is flowery language for dragon)

stickyfiddle

I haven't read them, but I understand the Hound is not confirmed dead in the books, just as he isn't confirmed dead in the show. We were reminded that he was only left for dead this week with faceless men stuff, which I wouldn't be surprised if it was intentional. 

Equally, I wouldn't be surprised if it was an intentional red herring. 

Anyway, season 6 continuing to go very well

english_bob

Axe_meister said:

In the book the hound dies, other people find his armour and claim to be the hound. A story line likely to be dropped in my opinion

Yes, someone else (Rorge) takes his helmet and commits various atrocities that get attributed to Clegane, but the conversation Brienne has with the Elder Brother on the Quiet Isle thoroughly muddies the waters on whether Sandor Clegane is really dead. 

The Elder Brother tells Brienne that "Sandor Clegane is at rest", and that "The Hound is dead", but also tells Brienne his own story, saying that he died at the Battle of the Trident, nearly 20 years previously. He'd been a knight, but was wounded, knocked unconscious and left for dead during the battle. His armour was looted and he floated downstream, waking up naked on the island he now lives on, which he sees as a sort of symbolic death and rebirth. There's a clear inference that when this guy talks about death he's not always talking about it in the same terms as everyone else. 

Couple that with the fact that the Elder Brother has Sandor's horse in his stables and Brienne sees a very large man with a limp (Sandor was suffering from a leg wound when Arya left him) digging graves on the island and there's a reasonably strong case that Sandor Clegane survived, but is not who and what he used to be.

This leads directly to the "Clegane Bowl" theory, that Cersei will choose Ser Robert Strong (who is probably Gregor Clegane, brought back from death by Qyburn by some means) as her champion in her trial by the Faith, and that Sandor Clegane will face him. I think it might be a little too neat and fan-service-y, but it's interesting that both Gregor and Sandor took the wounds that "killed" them at around the same time in A Storm of Swords.

Will they cut him from the show? It could go either way. The Quiet Isle chapter provides a sort of happy ending for Sandor- he tried to settle down to a simple life earlier in the book but was sent away by the villagers who knew who he was, what he'd done and what the consequences of having him around might be. Having "died", and having been accepted on the Quiet Isle by people who know who he was, he is "at rest". None of that is in the show of course- the changes they made mean that Brienne is well aware of what happened to him and their fight takes place in a completely different part of the country, so none of that redemption is on offer. It seems an unsatisfying way to leave a character whose story seems unresolved, so I do wonder if they'll bring him back, even if only briefly to confirm that he's dead.

english_bob

Oh, and also:

http://europe.newsweek.com/game-thrones-proof-hound-alive-437010?rm=eu

Deijavoo

I still reckon Robert and Lyanna BTW.

BigLicks67

Is anyone else struggling to believe the betrayal of Rickon by the Umbers? Sounds more like a set up for Ramsay to come to a sticky end to me.

Deijavoo

BigLicks67 said:

Is anyone else struggling to believe the betrayal of Rickon by the Umbers? Sounds more like a set up for Ramsay to come to a sticky end to me.

I would if it wasn't for the dead direwolf. Unless that was a massive coincidence as it was dead already or something like that.

Chuffola

Rumour is that it's not a Direwolf, just an ordinary wolf....

The Umbers were incredibly loyal to the Starks - would be very strange if they would now hand one over to the nutcase.

Deijavoo

Just read up, his old boy was the one who had his fingers chewed off and was a big Stark fanboi.

littlegreenman

Deijavoo said:

BigLicks67 said:

Is anyone else struggling to believe the betrayal of Rickon by the Umbers? Sounds more like a set up for Ramsay to come to a sticky end to me.

I would if it wasn't for the dead direwolf. Unless that was a massive coincidence as it was dead already or something like that.

I dunno, Lady was put down and yet Sansa still lives*. It's probably only Ghost that's the genuinely significant Direwolf. And a potential link between Jon and Bran, across the Wall. I haven't read the books so I "know nuthin'"



* Together in real life, Sophie Turner adopted Zunni!

http://assets.nydailynews.com/polopoly_fs/1.1430814.1377009815!/img/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/article_970/bpm-gameofthrones-sophie-turner3-jpg.jpg

Myranda

littlegreenman said:

Deijavoo said:

BigLicks67 said:

Is anyone else struggling to believe the betrayal of Rickon by the Umbers? Sounds more like a set up for Ramsay to come to a sticky end to me.

I would if it wasn't for the dead direwolf. Unless that was a massive coincidence as it was dead already or something like that.

I dunno, Lady was put down and yet Sansa still lives*. It's probably only Ghost that's the genuinely significant Direwolf. And a potential link between Jon and Bran, across the Wall.



* Together in real life, Sophie Turner adopted Zunni!

http://assets.nydailynews.com/polopoly_fs/1.1430814.1377009815!/img/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/article_970/bpm-gameofthrones-sophie-turner3-jpg.jpg

Blimey! She must be huge, that dog is enormous, but it looks like a normal sized dog. ;-)

Drew_TNBD

Sansa Stark - Shit Magnet!!

littlegreenman

Myranda said:

littlegreenman said:

Deijavoo said:

BigLicks67 said:

Is anyone else struggling to believe the betrayal of Rickon by the Umbers? Sounds more like a set up for Ramsay to come to a sticky end to me.

I would if it wasn't for the dead direwolf. Unless that was a massive coincidence as it was dead already or something like that.

I dunno, Lady was put down and yet Sansa still lives*. It's probably only Ghost that's the genuinely significant Direwolf. And a potential link between Jon and Bran, across the Wall.



* Together in real life, Sophie Turner adopted Zunni!

http://assets.nydailynews.com/polopoly_fs/1.1430814.1377009815!/img/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/article_970/bpm-gameofthrones-sophie-turner3-jpg.jpg

Blimey! She must be huge, that dog is enormous, but it looks like a normal sized dog. ;-)

IKR?!!!

Deijavoo

littlegreenman said:

Deijavoo said:

BigLicks67 said:

Is anyone else struggling to believe the betrayal of Rickon by the Umbers? Sounds more like a set up for Ramsay to come to a sticky end to me.

I would if it wasn't for the dead direwolf. Unless that was a massive coincidence as it was dead already or something like that.

I dunno, Lady was put down and yet Sansa still lives*. It's probably only Ghost that's the genuinely significant Direwolf. And a potential link between Jon and Bran, across the Wall. I haven't read the books so I "know nuthin'"



* Together in real life, Sophie Turner adopted Zunni!

http://assets.nydailynews.com/polopoly_fs/1.1430814.1377009815!/img/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/article_970/bpm-gameofthrones-sophie-turner3-jpg.jpg

I meant that the impression is the Umbers have killed the Wolf, not something they would do to lure Ramsey. Surely? Please. :-)

littlegreenman

Deijavoo said:

littlegreenman said:

Deijavoo said:

BigLicks67 said:

Is anyone else struggling to believe the betrayal of Rickon by the Umbers? Sounds more like a set up for Ramsay to come to a sticky end to me.

I would if it wasn't for the dead direwolf. Unless that was a massive coincidence as it was dead already or something like that.

I dunno, Lady was put down and yet Sansa still lives*. It's probably only Ghost that's the genuinely significant Direwolf. And a potential link between Jon and Bran, across the Wall. I haven't read the books so I "know nuthin'"



* Together in real life, Sophie Turner adopted Zunni!

http://assets.nydailynews.com/polopoly_fs/1.1430814.1377009815!/img/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/article_970/bpm-gameofthrones-sophie-turner3-jpg.jpg

I meant that the impression is the Umbers have killed the Wolf, not something they would do to lure Ramsey. Surely? Please. :-)

Aye, killed the wolf to prove it's Rickon. The Umbers are clearly no fans of the Boltons.

Osha proves it's him, but only to us viewers, I assume?

It's Grim oop North!

littlegreenman

Now that was a proper episode

Kind of felt it's been flagging a bit so far this season, but my faith has been restored. No spoilers but that was a great ending.

John_P

Agreed -  most of the storylines moved forward and it left us looking forward to next week.

thumpingrug

She's pulled that trick before, its a corker but it can surely only work so many times.

Myranda

A lot has happened at the beginning of this season... does that mean that the end of the season will be 5 episodes of someone writing a treaty?