Game of Thrones Season 3 Ep 8 (the clueless about the books POV)

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Remember me? I used to post here sometimes.

Just watched this and...

Spoilers



...have to say, that last scene was one of the most horrible things I've ever not watched from behind my hands (What? You think I was going to put myself through that?), having had the - as it turns out - great foresight to spoiler myself on the fate of Oberyn Martell beforehand.

If he'd only followed through at once instead of insisting on a confession Oberyn would have won the fight, the idiot. Pretty upset about his demise and not just because of the complete ickiness of how it happened. The Mountain being dead isn't much in the way of compensation given that the Mountain was so much of a non-character he's been played by three different actors, and Oberyn was the best new character introduced this season, IMO.

Gonna miss him.

:Gloom:

Elsewhere, evil triumphed pretty comprehensively, from Ramsay Bolton being rewarded for flaying lots of people and turning Theon into a terrified wreck of a human being, to Littlefinger getting just what he wants from Sansa. Not that I blame her one bit. As far as she knows, all her family are dead. She has to help herself now, and it's obvious that supporting Littlefinger is currently the best way to do that.

At least Ygritte spared Gilly and the baby, and at least Arya got to laugh. Must be a long, long time since that happened.

The Grey Worm/Missandei scene was very nice too, but it doesn't make up for the (to me) gut-wrenching Dany/Jorah scene. I get that Dany feels betrayed - I do - but after all they've been through together I think she was very harsh on Jorah.

'Spose I understand why they got that nice scene together in the last episode now. How very Jossian.

I do still care what happens to Tyrion and the remaining Starks, and I am still rooting (with no hope whatsoever, since I understand GRRM hasn't written one yet) for a happy Dany/Jorah reunion, but at the moment, I'm a bit Aerys Targaryen about everyone else in the show.

Hurry up, Melisandre.

Burn them all.

Comments

[shipperx.livejournal.com]

If he'd only followed through at once instead of insisting on a confession Oberyn would have won the fight, the idiot. Pretty upset about his demise and not just because of the complete ickiness of how it happened. The Mountain being dead isn't much in the way of compensation given that the Mountain was so much of a non-character he's been played by three different actors, and Oberyn was the best new character introduced this season, IMO.

Gonna miss him.
At least three of his daughters are being cast. That says something.

The Grey Worm/Missandei scene was very nice too, but it doesn't make up for the (to me) gut-wrenching Dany/Jorah scene. I get that Dany feels betrayed - I do - but after all they've been through together I think she was very harsh on Jorah.

At least he got to keep his head.

Thematically, I can see the need for the separation. Jorah has been her most trusted right hand, and the one who sits the middle ground between Selmy (all honor) and Daario (whatever it takes to win).


(I personally believe that Jorah is fated to get back to Dany... albeit probably with one or the other of them dying as he wins her forgiveness... because this is Martin after all.) I look forward to Jorah's arc next season though.

[beer-good-foamy.livejournal.com]

Hurry up, Melisandre.

It just occurred to me that we last saw Stannis getting a shitload of cash and hiring some pirates several episodes ago, and then... nothing from that part of the story, apart from some Melisandre doubletalk. Just wondering what might happen in the last two episodes...

But yes, Oberyn will be missed. But I did say just last episode that the fact that he was so awesome probably meant the Mountain was going to kill him. I hate being right.

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At least three of his daughters are being cast. That says something.

They got mentioned in the ASoIaF wiki where I spoilered myself. They do look interesting.

At least he got to keep his head.

This is true. Frankly, he was lucky not to get crucified. And I agree it's likely that if they meet again at all Jorah will die. :(

[shapinglight]

Just wondering what might happen in the last two episodes...

An awful lot, I think. Mance Rayder hasn't turned up yet and I'm sure he will.

But yes, Oberyn will be missed. But I did say just last episode that the fact that he was so awesome probably meant the Mountain was going to kill him. I hate being right.

In this case, I hate you being right too. And GRRM for upping the brutality ante yet again.

[bogwitch.livejournal.com]

This episode actually proved to me I do have a limit for gore. Eyes, it's always the eyes...

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Yeah, me too. I just can't watch when it's anything to do with eyes. That's why I just didn't bother with Utopia.

[flake-sake.livejournal.com]

That was gruesome...I didn't remember it that well from books and just ewwww. And somehow on the show the time we get with Oberyn is much shorter. Looking forward to his daughters, but I wish they could have kept him around longer.

At several points now they have reached the end of the book material now. I wonder how they will go on.

[shapinglight]

The complete end? Really? I thought they were only at the end of book 3.

I'm really sorry about Oberyn. I enjoyed that character. Can't see why GRRM wanted to make his death so gruesome either.

Or, for that matter, why the show couldn't have toned it down (not that they ever do tone anything down).

[flake-sake.livejournal.com]

Unfortunately the show tends to only tune it up where violence is concerned...

My memory on the later books is quite sketchy, but I don't remember much more happening for Sansa for example. The Theon material doesn't go on much longer either.

There is still plenty of material for Tyrion, Cersei, Dany or Arya. But for some characters they pretty much reached the book end.

I think by next season, the show will be beyond the books in some storylines. But maybe I'm remembering it wrong.

[mrs-underhill.livejournal.com]

Oberyn got carried away with wanting justice for Elia first and victory later, but that made me love him even more. I didn't connect that much to him in the books, but in the show he was great, such a refreshing and sincere character, in a way.

I thought how the previous episode was great for Jorah, he got to have the best scene, and I didn't expect it would be a setup to him leaving...
I didn't like how Jorah's exile was done, very abruptly, like a plot device. Jorah needed to go, OK, let's get that weird pardon turn up. It was better done in the books.
In the show Dany had more intimate connection with him and already forgiven him for slavery and other things. In the books it was one big revelation about everything.

And I think, considering where the books are heading, Dany and Jorah will meet again.

Sansa transformation was done superbly! I can't wait what they will do with her, she can go so many ways now, and not necessarily by the books. Liked how she turned all black, womanly and with eagle feathers.

[shapinglight]

I think by next season, the show will be beyond the books in some storylines. But maybe I'm remembering it wrong.

That'll be very weird. Either the show will have to make up its own take on the story going forward or they risk spoilering all the book readers.

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but in the show he was great, such a refreshing and sincere character, in a way.

I know! No wonder he ended up gruesomely dead. :(

In the show Dany had more intimate connection with him and already forgiven him for slavery and other things. In the books it was one big revelation about everything.

I suppose I'm glad that they got all those intimate scenes in earlier seasons, even if - as you say- the pardon showing up when it did was completely out of left field.

I agree the change in Sansa is quite something. It was like it needed the death of her final relative (as far as she knows) to send her on that path.

I wonder if she and Arya will meet in the next episode.

[caliente-uk.livejournal.com]

Just finished watching the ep. I actually feel quite ill after seeing that - and I was completely unspoiled for it. Gutted Oberyn is dead - and so gruesomely too! :(

The Dany/Jorah scene was heartbreaking. :(

Not got much else to say really, still reeling from that final scene.

[lyr]

I'm gonna miss Oberyn, too. I was not looking forward to seeing him killed. At least he got part of his justice on the way, but if he had only gotten the Mountain's public confession implicating Tywin, I think he might have even felt that it was worth his life.

[shipperx.livejournal.com]

The complete end? Really? I thought they were only at the end of book 3.

There isn't much left for Sansa, really.

And Theon is in very gray territory here. The "Theon impersonating Theon" thing happens in A Dance with Dragons, but in an entirely different context so it may or may not have been used up (I think not. I think we're still going to get the ADWD stuff).

Brienne's story is also arguably close.

Basically it's hard to know if they're just splitting up material so we're only getting partial and then will get the reserved partial or if we're proceeding linearly in which case with those characters we're fairly far along.

(And I wonder about Jaime simply because I found his Feast stuff mostly boring and wonder whether it's worth the bother).

[shipperx.livejournal.com]

I like the fan spitballing that's been floated around of sending Jaime to Dorne. (And, heck, toss Bronn in with him for the fun factor) There's absolutely nothing whatsoever about such a thing in the books, but why the hell not?

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Of course, all this passes me by. Where does the spitballing take place? And would Jaime have anything to do in season 5 if he didn't go to Dorne?

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I do feel that GRRM has spun the story out way longer than it needs to be already. I am enjoying the show still, but as we've gone along the storylines have become more and more fragmented and consequently less satisfactory in a televisual context.

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Yeah, it was horrible, wasn't it? I will never watch it again.

Not that I watched it the first time.

The Dany/Jorah scene was heartbreaking. :(

It really was.

:gloom:

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Possibly. :(

I just know I'm going to miss one of the best new characters introduced in the show so far. Wish they'd decided to ignore book continuity in this case.

[sibilant.livejournal.com]

Crikey! I found Oberyn's death quite horrible and it haunted me for a couple of days afterwards. Why do they feel the need to show EVERYTHING? In some ways, CGI has made directors lazier - this would have been done much more subtly in the past and probably had just as much impact without frightening the horses.

But I did enjoy the episode and it must have made a change for Maisie Williams for Arya to actually have a smile and a laugh.

Apropos of nothing, I do enjoy the Hound's sour pronouncements.

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Yes, I liked the Hound's interaction with Arya. Oh well.

And about Oberyn's death, I didn't see it properly and never, ever will. Horrible. They really didn't have to follow the book so slavishly.