You are missing my point. You complained about a change, I told you the purpose of the change was for ease of understanding in the TV format and that you are complaining about the wrong thing. They didn’t spend enough time with the Dothraki in the TV show for them to have handled it in any other way, the only solution would have been to spend more time with the Dothraki and give the TV viewer more of an understanding of how the Dothraki society worked. As it is bringing in other Khal’s and other tribes does nothing at all at best or confuses people who haven’t read the books at worst.
And you are missing my point, which is that it was personally a discordant note since I HAVE read the books. As for it making it easier on folks who haven’t, all I can go by is my wife, who hasn’t read them, and who also had a WTF moment when it happened. She thought it was fairly discordant too. I admit that MMV, and perhaps it makes sense to the TV audience in general for this to have happened. Personally, I don’t think that showing Drogo fighting from horseback against another Khal, and then cutting to scenes of the looting and burning would have been all that hard to grasp, but it would have probably cost a lot more, which was most likely why they made the change.
-XT
I am willing to accept dual missed points in this scenario.
I see what you are saying, I still think they were trying to simplify for TV but agree that budget probably had something to do with it as well.
I never read it as him being fooled that she was a boy, but that he insisted on calling her boy to remind her to never let anyone else know she wasn’t.
That being said, I never once made a Syrio/Jaquen connection. Interesting thought, though. I dont’ think their both being from Bravosi is enough of a connection, however.
Exactly. Unless it’ll be an important plot point for Jon Snow to find a half-buried Statue of Liberty in the snow…who cares?
-Joe
I’m trying to envision the worst possible ending to the series, and I don’t think I can top that.
There’s Littlefinger shoving Lysa through the Moon Door.
You probably shouldn’t tell her about the Red Wedding, though.
Hell, half the time I wish Martin hadn’t told me about the Red Wedding…
When I first read the Red Wedding chapters, I actually put the book down for three days because I was so shocked. Re-reading it, it’s still uncomfortable. It’s just so evil.
I remember that when AFFC came out I tried to re read the books and couldn’t get through large portions of several of them because I couldn’t deal with things like the Red Wedding a second time around. I am starting to feel the same way about the next episode and Drogo’s death. Knowing what is coming makes it worse in a lot of ways.
The connection is that Syrio was last seen in the Red Keep and shortly after, Jaqen appeared from the dungeons. Syrio’s death is not stated, his head is not mentioned among those on the castle. Jaqen also knew Arya’s identity at Harrenhal. It might be a weak connection, but you have to wonder why we were never definitively told that Syrio died.
“Any harm you do to a man should be done in such a way that you need not fear his revenge.”
Tywin Lannister IS: “The Prince”
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I’m trying to envision the worst possible ending to the series, and I don’t think I can top that.
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Martin kills off all of the characters that are interesting or sympathetic or cool, but all of the evil and nasty characters end up living…and they win. And then, they reach a giant black tower and, getting to the top find out it was all a dream sequence and Ned is in Winterfell with the king coming to pay him a visit…
-XT
Robert wakes up next to Lyanna and says, “I just had the strangest dream…”
I think you’re thinking of Yoren. Jaqen called Arya “boy” just because everyone else did.
Anybody who thinks Jaqen was Syrio has to explain why he never told her who he was. Syrio was a nobody to the Lannisters; they may not even have known his name. Other than the guards he wounded, the only reason anyone would have a personal interest in him would be the hope that he might lead them to Arya, so hanging around Arya would be the last thing Syrio would do. Jaqen did reveal to her that he was a Faceless Man, which is a MUCH bigger secret than that he was her former dancing teacher.
He not only associated with her, he killed for her, and even took the castle for her, and gave her a possible way to find him again. Why would he do all that, and not tell her he was Syrio?
[QUOTE=brocks]
Anybody who thinks Jaqen was Syrio has to explain why he never told her who he was. Syrio was a nobody to the Lannisters; they may not even have known his name. Other than the guards he wounded, the only reason anyone would have a personal interest in him would be the hope that he might lead them to Arya, so hanging around Arya would be the last thing Syrio would do. Jaqen did reveal to her that he was a Faceless Man, which is a MUCH bigger secret than that he was her former dancing teacher.
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Yeah, he almost burns to death at one point, and would have if Arya hadn’t tossed him and the others chained with him an axe. And all it would have taken is Jaqen/Syrio saying ‘Arya! It’s me, Syrio…let me loose!’ for him to get out of there.
I have to admit, I didn’t see a Jaqen/Syrio connection until others pointed it out to me when I was originally reading or even re-reading the series. I can sort of see it now that I’m listening to the audio of the second book (I decided I couldn’t just listen to the story at the same pace as the series…I want to have them all fresh in my mind when the new one comes out), but there are too many places where it just doesn’t make sense that Jaqen is Syrio.
-XT
There were probably dozens of Stark servants, retainers, and guardsmen who were killed without having their heads displayed, or who escaped and did not turn up in the story again (yet). As for recognizing Arya at Harrenhal, it wouldn’t take a genius to wonder who was the little girl with unusual fighting skills, who believed that the queen had sent men to find her and return her to King’s Landing, and why she was being disguised as a boy. Heck, even Gendry figured it out.
Duh, I forgot about that. And IMO that absolutely clinches it. Nobody in Yoren’s group but Arya would have had the slightest idea who Syrio was, so he would have risked nothing by telling her who he was, when he was about to burn to death.
I ran this idea through my twitter feed, and my favorite was someone who suggested it was just Rickon staring into a snow globe the whole time.
Whoever he was, that scene with Syrio disarming all those Lannister guys with just a wooden sword was awesome.