Don't be that guy. The one who read the book of the movie and proudly proclaims immediately while walking out of a theatre that the book was better. Often this same person will claim "I don't own a television." Game of Thrones has its own version of that.
There's nothing more pedantic or pedestrian than the simple lists that excuse themselves for writing, documenting the differences between the shows and the books. There is, amazingly, still an enormous amount of shock that the show is not a 1:1 transcription of these five, 1,000 page books. It's even more surprising considering that the scenes spun of whole cloth are among the best in the show. I'd rather simply talk about those scenes and what they add.
Grey Worm * gets to show Daenareys' liberation mission from the perspective of current and former slaves. Daenareys freeing of slaves has largely existed in the abstract until recently. We get to actually see the slaves talking to each other, debating whether or not to take up arms against the masters. With some urging from Grey Worm, Mereen falls from the inside thanks to a slightly more successful John Brown uprising. It helps her story resonate a bit more while we wait for her dragons to grow and to finally get on a ship and head to Westeros.
* Of the Summer Isles, which means he has no imagination, which is a hilarious regional stereotype, because it makes no sense. It's like saying "People from the Reach are all left handed!"
In that vein, the episode ends with another group that we haven't seen operate in a private moment yet. Surprisingly, the White Walkers appear to be an organized society, with procedures, if not rituals. They think and respond to things consciously, rather than simply out of instinct as previously appeared to be the case. Taking the baby to the Stonehenge-esque and transforming him into a White Walker was a moment to be marked. Craster had 100 sons so that means there's at least 100 of those buggers out there. If the Realm falls because of Craster's sperm then it deserves to fall though.
There was talk of conversations between Benioff&Weiss and GRRM about "broad strokes" and "laying groundwork" so I'm betting this will come into play significantly.
But guess what? The big thing is, from this point on, you know nothing, Jon Sn-, er, book readers.
The Queen of Thorns
Besides making the funniest remark of the episode, commenting on the Betrayl Garden, which makes me thing Benioff and Weiss are fans of South Park. I'm hoping she sticks around because in a single breath she talks about the old days, admits to murdering the king, and tells Margarey how to make sure she gets her claws into Tommen while keeping an eye out for Cersei.
Jaime and Cersei and Tyrion
Cersei's in pretty much the same bad mood she's been in since Jaime returned. Only now it's compounded because her psycho little bastard son is dead. She makes a request is Jaime to which Jaime thinks "Okay I will do the opposite of that" and her formal addressing of him as "Lord Commander" is both in response to his saying "Your Grace" and a way to dismiss their former bond.
Ends and Odds
- Stop hitting yourself, Jaime, stop hitting yourself
- Horrible Bosses continues at The Wall, only now Alistair wants to murder Snow.
- Snow is getting a reputation. First hanging with the Wildlings, killing the Halfhand. Now heading to Craster's to kill former Crows
- Surprised that Locke is willing to go as far as saying his vows at The Wall. I guess the Warden of the North can pardon that?
- Please don't kill Ghost and Summer. After Lady and Grey Wind, no more Michael Vick-ing these pets.
- Sansa, someone too naive to live much longer in Kings Landing, quickly comes to grips with what happened in the Purple Wedding
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