Game of Thrones Discussion: Uncut! (Spoilers welcome)

This would support the theory, Jaqen as Syrio would have just been following through with a recruitment of Arya.
Wouldn't Syrio have to be deceased in order to be an available guise for Jaqen to use?
If so, I suppose a recently deceased Syrio (early in season 1 or before) may have opened up this way for Jaqen to assess Arya's potential. Jaqen basically follows her clandestinely until the right time, remember it is also implausible that Jaqen would be a prisoner the way he was when Arya first meets him...
All pure speculation, of course.
I forgot about his appearances in season 1 though:
Jaqen is a criminal from the Free Cities, arrested by the City Watch and thrown into the dungeons of the Red Keep in King's Landing. When looking for fresh recruits for the Night's Watch, Yoren was given permission by Lord Eddard Stark, Hand of the King to go through the dungeons and take any criminals who would swear to take the black. He chose H'ghar as a potential candidate, as well as two other murderers Biter and Rorge from the black cells, where the worst criminals are kept.

Jaqen H'ghar is in the party led by Yoren that leaves King's Landing for the Wall, along with Hot Pie, Lommy Greenhands, Gendry, and Arya Stark who is being smuggled out to be returned to Winterfell. Because Yoren is traveling so far with so few men, the worst three are kept in a locked barred cell on the back of a wagon

 

Wow! What a great episode of Game of Thrones. The best in a long time. So much to take in and connect and process.

Sansa and Littlefinger and Brianne's secret meeting. Sansa shines in her best scene. I pray she's the one at whose hands Ramsay dies a long slow death.

And by far Dany's best scene in ages, acting wise. Go Jorah!!!

And Arya's face while watching the play re-enacting her Father's death, which she witnessed.

Wow. What a brilliant episode. And just when I'd thought the writers without GRR Martin's in-depth prose had jumped the shark too.



Half way done. But is the glass half fool?!!!

 

In hindsight, the Children of the Corn (with fireballs) vs the White Zombies seems cliched and might expose expandingly weak writing without Martin's clever prose.

And as cool as the Hodor flashback was, the CGI zombies in the tunnel was the worst CGI abuse yet on GOT. Lame.

A gravy episode, but the last scene was the weakest and most concerting, show potential wise.

 

Sansa has really shined all season long.

 

Game of Thrones suddenly turned into The Tragedy Of Hodor. Go figure.

 

I've never been crazy of Martin's use of tropes (zombies, Frankenstein's Monster, etc) and incorporating them into what's a (somewhat) fairly original and interest story. Some of it reeks of laziness. Honestly, I'm not sure how well he had the arc of the series mapped out before he started it. Word is Daenarys' story was written first and everything was written around hers to make the series.

Don't get me wrong, Martin has some wonderful ideas in the series but (re)using, zombies, elves, dragons, and a few other tropes make it, let's say, not the most original idea set to paper. Yet compelling enough HBO optioned a show from it. I wonder if Weiss and Benihoff knew exactly what they were getting into with this thing? Chances are, they did but had a different notion of where it would go (namely Martin would get the damn books done before the series finished).

 

I don't think anyone thought this show would get as hugely popular as it has- worldwide. This is uncharted territory for one and all, and great for us, all.

And I very much look forward to the next book, some year soon hopefully.

Oh, and enjoying rewatching season 1 which takes on new insights and aspects in light of this season so far.

 

We've re-watched the entire series about FIVE times now.....
a sure sign of great television.

 

A lot of books I like, including some faves by Philip K. Dick seem to get a little weak at the end (not really a comparison, as Dick's work was mostly short form compared to Martins), but your quote just reminded me how a lot of great stories and ideas have been published with the latter end that just fizzles out. This seems to be a problem to some degree with fantasy and SF in general, there is some great stuff out there, but rarely do these stories finish as strong as their better parts.

 

I can live with the deaths of almost any of the main characters. But dire wolves? That hits me hard. Stop that crap, GoT.

Also, Hodor. At least he got the most badass death imaginable. One that has deeper and deeper implications, the more you think about it.

 

We certainly think differently, I think she is an idiot. She has gone from a naive adolescent to a revenge seeking monarch. Not only that it appears she believes Littlefinger's story about the Blackfish and lies to John about it. I don't like this entire story line and don't think there will be anything like it in the books to come.

 

The Blackfish has control of Riverrun in book 4. And word is

Spoiler

Jaime is heading there to do some version of his storyline from that book, in which he gets involved in a conflict between Blackfish and the Freys.

So I don't think Littlefinger is lying about that.

 

The big Hodor revelation came directly from GRRM. Which makes sense, considering how mind-numbingly tragic it is.

 

There's another rumor, on that subject. One that will supposedly play out next week...

 

I heard speculation that the Hound might not have died...

 

Spoiler

Coldhands is Benjan Stark. You heard it here first (though probably suspected it for a long time. No character like Benjen just goes "missing" to never appear again).

 

GRRM has already confirmed he is not.

 

I think that manuscript was done in 2011 or thereabouts, so there is that, which might mitigate who Coldhands is (change of mind...).
The other thing is if you look at that page there are actually 2 questions put to Martin by the editor:
GRRM's A Dance With Dragons manuscript debunks popular theory »
but he only gives one answer.
We really don't know, but it seems a natural that Benjen would be Coldhands. Martin maybe had/has a better plot for Benjen but that editorial dialog doesn't necessarily dictate exactly how it will play out.

 

Hm, well, I don't know about that. If he isn't (which I still don't totally buy) then I think what would be best if he just flat doesn't ever reappear. I think it might help the integrity of the story that he's just never found. Characters in this story (at least in the books) have a tendency to resurface too much. I think maybe Benjen's disappearance just left as a mystery works.

 

Looking forward to a Coldhands/Littlefinger joust

 

Over the closing credits they will play a song by Stiff Little Fingers...

 

Believe it or not, I think it'll be Benjen that saves them but he'll still be Benjen.

EDIT to remove spoiler tags since it's already out there in this thread and this is, after all, the SPOILERS thread.

 

Is Martin in the habit of revealing developments like that to his editors? Maybe someone noticed the question written there and he wrote "no" on it just to mess with the fans (since they'd be seeing the manuscript). It seems almost impossible Coldhands wouldn't be Benjen -- who else could he be?

 

I was thinking of that option too, Coldhands could be a friend or ally of Benjens as well. This character has not been in the show, so they have had some time to mull ever the possibilities I guess. Coldhands sounds more like an adopted nickname, maybe he is a wight that still has some of his humanity, but he's not all quite there and doesn't remember his real name -so Benjen names him. Show wise Benjen hasn't been in it much either, so if he were to reappear it would be a very useful element that doesn't require a stretch of silly proportions, like say if Ned were to have his head reattached and he were brought back to life...

...or if Joffrey were brought back (who would do that?).
I could see Benjen really furthering Bran's history lessons regarding the past and having another Stark back in action would be cool.