Game of Thrones Season 2 - OPEN SPOILERS Discussion Thread

This thread is for OPEN SPOILERS discussion of the second season of Game of Thrones and the books in the series.

Spoiler policy for this thread:
Everything goes. Be it aired or unaired episodes, previous or future seasons, webzines, theorycrafting, speculation, book-knowledge, things revealed by Martin in interviews or book signings. There is no need to use spoiler tags, though it would still be polite and appreciated. But literally nothing is a foul in this thread.

In other words, if you do not want to be spoiled, do not read this thread.

If you want to discuss each episode as they air, with no information whatsoever outside what has already been aired on TV, please follow this thread:
Game of Thrones Season 2 - ZERO SPOILERS Discussion Thread [Episodic]

If you want to ask questions regarding backstory, discuss how the series reflect the books or otherwise engage in a discussion in an enviroment in which posters are to use their best judgement to decide what is or is not a spoiler, please follow this thread:
Game of Thrones Season 2 - CLOSED SPOILERS Discussion Thread

Meta-discussion of the spoiler policy itself should happen in a separate ATMB thread if really necessary, though I invite people to PM me instead.

With regards,
Gukumatz
Game Room & IMHO Moderator
Consulting Game of Thrones Moderator

Apparently the first thing Martin asked D.B Weiss and David Benioff before allowing them to make GoT was “who is Jon Snows mother”. Is that basically a confirmation of R + L = J?

Ah, this’ll be the fun thread.

So, how well do you think they’ll execute Tyrion’s chain?

They changed the battle of Blackwater to happen at night, i imagine that makes it easier to show or not show stuff.

Moderator’s Note:
After a brief conference with my CS colleagues, I’ve stickied these three threads for two weeks so people can get used to the system.

With regards,
Gukumatz
Game Room & IMHO Moderator
Consulting Game of Thrones moderator

I think that’s as close as we’ll get. Martin doesn’t really confirm things. I didn’t think there was much doubt, but people still argue about syrio.

The Pointy End episode from season 1 featured a commentary from George, where he discusses in detail the changes made from book to series, and how he didn’t mind many of the changes that still pissed off the readers, such as having Syrio not be bald, or letting Ghost make noise.

He also hinted that killing off Drogo’s henchman (forget his name, but the one with the tongue) could present problems.
As he is still alive in the books.

My favorite quote from the commentary “one change that most fans DID like was not including Mormant’s raven. I read comments over and over saying THANK GOD THEY GOT RID OF THAT ANNOYING
BIRD!”

Wait, who’s father and/or child is Syrio supposed to be?

I think she means people still argue Syrio is alive.

Alive, and more specifically, is Jaqen.

Wouldn’t Jaqen have revealed that to Arya at some point in Clash of Kings though?

Oh and another question: I don’t recall GMM making Renly’s sexuality obvious one way or another in the books, but they made it very clear in the first season that he was lovers with the knight of flowers. Is there any particular reason they changed this for the show?

Oh man, I was worried that I had missed yet another secret Targ. Jaqen, now that’s a lot more sensible.

It wasn’t obvious but it was very strongly implied. The gay sex scene was added, the relationship is in the book.

I wondered the same thing, but I’m in the process of re-reading book two and, now that I’ve seen their relationship all HBO-ified, you could argue that it’s there, subtly.

It is even more obvious later when Loras is obviously mourning the death of a lover, not a friend. When Sansa asks him about giving up marriage for being a Kingsguard his answer is “once the sun has set the stars cannot match it”.

I’m very concerned about how they’ll do the Battle of Blackwater. The battle in the first book (whatever it was called) was really only a quick thing; it began and ended in Tyrion’s perspective.

But the Battle of Blackwater? That’s about a fifth of the book, just describing this intense moment. I hope, hope, hope they’ll do it some kind of justice. I realize the constraints of budget and all, but this is still a pivotal part of the story. I hope it looks good, I really do…

Well Martin himself wrote that particular episode, i imagine they figured if things are going to need to be trimmed down they will let him do the trimming. Martin mentioned in his blog that doing the battle the way it was written in the books would have cost more than the entire season budget, so obviously some big changes must have been made. For starters the battle is going to take place at night, it appears that the fire is not going to be green either even though one of the early season 2 teasers had the words framed in green fire.

Sepinwall says there will be four new locations on the map in the opening credits. I haven’t read the book since forever. What would the new locations be?

My guesses would be the Iron Islands, Harrenhal, Craster’s Keep, and Qarth. Can’t think of anywhere else they would use.

I’m guessing Dragonstone (where we are introduced to Stannis), The Iron Islands, The first city that Danaerys hits on her journey (not the ghost town but the populated city) and Riverrun.