# Game of Thrones 4.04 "Oathkeeper" 4/27/14 \[No Spoilers\]

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/game-of-thrones-4-04-oathkeeper-4-27-14-no-spoilers/687153>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [April 28, 2014, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/game-of-thrones-4-04-oathkeeper-4-27-14-no-spoilers/687153 "2014-04-28T02:38:01Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 14

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**Author:** ![coremelt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4491bb/32.png) [@coremelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/coremelt)\
**Post date:** [May 2, 2014, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/game-of-thrones-4-04-oathkeeper-4-27-14-no-spoilers/687153/261 "2014-05-02T03:07:01Z")

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> [@DigitalC](#):
>
> The nobles probably know they will get by fine, and we don’t get much of a common man perspective. The farmer the Hound and Arya stay with seemed pretty worried, but mostly about bandits who would be a much more immediate concern.

Yes but in reality periods of famine lead to civil unrest, lawlessness and uprisings which do effect the Nobles.

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**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\
**Post date:** [May 2, 2014, 11:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/game-of-thrones-4-04-oathkeeper-4-27-14-no-spoilers/687153/262 "2014-05-02T11:52:01Z")

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> [@coremelt](#):
>
> Yes this bothers me too. Anyone over 30 survived the last winter, they know what it’s like but in the show no-one except the Starks is concerned about the coming of Winter. Strikes me as poor world building, in reality every adult in this world would take Winter very very seriously.

IIRC it was stated on the show that the last winter was pretty mild and/or short. So only the walking fossils remember what Winter can really be like. And the Night’s Watch of course, but in their case I don’t expect there’s much difference between summer and winter :).

[QUOTE=SenorBeef]  
Makes you wonder how anyone survives winter, if food is scarce during harvest season. It seems like they basically face extinction every few years, but no one seems particularly worried about preparing for it.   
[/QUOTE]

I figure the food was scarce in King’s Landing specifically because there’s a war going on, too many refugees inside the walls and much of the food follows the armies, and/or the armies are plundering on the march, and/or trade lines are bollocksed. Rob’s army was close enough to threaten a siege, and Stannis’ navy probably boarded whatever trade ships Sallador Saan didn’t.  
But in the North, Stew-dad and Tater-dad didn’t seem to be starving for example.

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**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\
**Post date:** [May 2, 2014, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/game-of-thrones-4-04-oathkeeper-4-27-14-no-spoilers/687153/263 "2014-05-02T14:47:56Z")

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> [@Push\_You\_Down](#):
>
> Again, all of that was inside the castle walls. The average person wouldn’t know about it or give two shits.

Both of those happened at semi-public events. It’s hard to believe the word wouldn’t spread at King’s Landing. And I doubt the musician guy was the only one that Joffrey handed a harsh punishment on.

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