# Game of Thrones S3 - open spoilers

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/game-of-thrones-s3-open-spoilers/654362>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [March 30, 2013, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/game-of-thrones-s3-open-spoilers/654362 "2013-03-30T16:23:17Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 20\
**Page:** 26

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**Author:** ![Unauthorized\_Cinnamon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/bc8723/32.png) [@Unauthorized\_Cinnamon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unauthorized_Cinnamon)\
**Post date:** [May 13, 2013, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/game-of-thrones-s3-open-spoilers/654362/501 "2013-05-13T00:11:22Z")

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I don’t want to post this in the spoiler-free thread because the comments have spoilers, but I really like this version of [The Bear and the Maiden Fair](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t6VMSYIXCCY)!

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**Author:** ![Snarky\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Snarky\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snarky_Kong)\
**Post date:** [May 13, 2013, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/game-of-thrones-s3-open-spoilers/654362/502 "2013-05-13T02:14:31Z")

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I think I just bought into the “Talisa is a Lannister spy” theory.

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**Author:** ![Reverse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e79b87/32.png) [@Reverse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reverse)\
**Post date:** [May 13, 2013, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/game-of-thrones-s3-open-spoilers/654362/503 "2013-05-13T02:18:08Z")

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A golden chain for Shae.

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**Author:** ![Snarky\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Snarky\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snarky_Kong)\
**Post date:** [May 13, 2013, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/game-of-thrones-s3-open-spoilers/654362/504 "2013-05-13T02:22:25Z")

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> [@Reverse](#):
>
> A golden chain for Shae.

Oh yes, good call. I wonder what happened to the Hand necklace Tyrion was wearing last season though.

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**Author:** ![DigitalC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)\
**Post date:** [May 13, 2013, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/game-of-thrones-s3-open-spoilers/654362/505 "2013-05-13T02:36:30Z")

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Do we really expect Theon’s torture to continue for as long as it does in the books?

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**Author:** ![Reverse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e79b87/32.png) [@Reverse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reverse)\
**Post date:** [May 13, 2013, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/game-of-thrones-s3-open-spoilers/654362/506 "2013-05-13T02:41:30Z")

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> [@Snarky\_Kong](#):
>
> Oh yes, good call. I wonder what happened to the Hand necklace Tyrion was wearing last season though.

The Hand wears a pin. Tyrion had ornaments on his armor that resembled the necklace, as a shout out to the fans.

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**Author:** ![clairobscur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/839c29/32.png) [@clairobscur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clairobscur)\
**Post date:** [May 13, 2013, 11:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/game-of-thrones-s3-open-spoilers/654362/507 "2013-05-13T11:21:04Z")

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> [@Unauthorized\_Cinnamon](#):
>
> I don’t want to post this in the spoiler-free thread because the comments have spoilers, but I really like this version of [The Bear and the Maiden Fair](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t6VMSYIXCCY)!

Well…I posted the link there. I assume they know better than read the comments.

> [@Snarky\_Kong](#):
>
> I think I just bought into the “Talisa is a Lannister spy” theory.

Well…When I saw her writing another letter, I thought that indeed whoever came up with this theory was onto something. But everything that she said afterward seemed to not fit well with this hypothesis. I guess that even us book readers will have some suspense left until (presumably) the red wedding.

Also…I don’t remember if Robb’s wife got pregnant in the books too. Did she? And what happened to her during/after the marriage, if anything?

> [@DigitalC](#):
>
> Do we really expect Theon’s torture to continue for as long as it does in the books?

Yes. Do they intend to show us one torture session every episode during the next three seasons or so? 😕

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**Author:** ![Reverse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e79b87/32.png) [@Reverse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reverse)\
**Post date:** [May 13, 2013, 11:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/game-of-thrones-s3-open-spoilers/654362/508 "2013-05-13T11:26:16Z")

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> [@clairobscur](#):
>
> Also…I don’t remember if if Robb’s wife got pregnant too in the books. Did she? And what happened to her during/after the marriage, if anything?

She got pregnant, but her mother was giving her morning after tea disguised as fertility medicine. She’s still alive and with her family. Also, it should be noted that the parents were working closely with Tywin and sending their young pretty daughter to tend to the wounds of the wounded young king was probably planned.

There’s a debunked theory that there’s been some sort of switcheroo and she’s hidden somewhere, still pregnant. The theory is based on one character describing her having good child-bearing hips while another describes her as being very narrow, but the Gurm has admitted to that being an honest mistake and him getting the description wrong.

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**Author:** ![clairobscur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/839c29/32.png) [@clairobscur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clairobscur)\
**Post date:** [May 13, 2013, 12:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/game-of-thrones-s3-open-spoilers/654362/509 "2013-05-13T12:18:31Z")

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> [@Bridget\_Burke](#):
>
> The show has been rather good at making book characters more appealing.

Indeed. And often more interesting too. The latest example would be the necro-maester I forgot the name of. He’s barely noticeable in the books, while here he’s already a full fledged character you want to know more about after only two scenes.

The short scene with Arya, despite its brievity, also is foreshadowing her future rather well. She’s losing trust in all men, and mention the god of Death. Very effective.

My opinion is more and more than the show will be sigificantly better than the books.

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**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\
**Post date:** [May 13, 2013, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/game-of-thrones-s3-open-spoilers/654362/510 "2013-05-13T12:41:39Z")

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Were the two female participants in Theon’s torture also in the books? If so, who are they?

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**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\
**Post date:** [May 13, 2013, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/game-of-thrones-s3-open-spoilers/654362/511 "2013-05-13T13:56:57Z")

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> [@Reverse](#):
>
> but the Gurm \<snip\>

I love this nickname for GRRM- somehow I’ve never seen it until this post.

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**Author:** ![Unauthorized\_Cinnamon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/bc8723/32.png) [@Unauthorized\_Cinnamon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unauthorized_Cinnamon)\
**Post date:** [May 13, 2013, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/game-of-thrones-s3-open-spoilers/654362/512 "2013-05-13T15:16:22Z")

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> [@Snarky\_Kong](#):
>
> I think I just bought into the “Talisa is a Lannister spy” theory.

Me too!

Though my husband (unspoiled) thinks she might be an agent of the Red God church - what with Melisandre and Thoros explicitly sent to influence a potential monarch in Westeros, and them speaking Old Valyrian. I kind of like it, and it fits better with her seeming to actually care for him. On the other hand, a Lannister spy could also find herself actually caring for him, getting pregnant, and being really conflicted, but still having overriding motivations (such as family members held hostage or something) that cause her to go forward with it all.

Or, she could be what she appears, and get her head staved in next week.

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**Author:** ![clairobscur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/839c29/32.png) [@clairobscur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clairobscur)\
**Post date:** [May 13, 2013, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/game-of-thrones-s3-open-spoilers/654362/513 "2013-05-13T16:24:08Z")

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> [@Frylock](#):
>
> Were the two female participants in Theon’s torture also in the books? If so, who are they?

Those scenes don’t appear in the books, where we see Theon again only after he has been thoroughly tortured into submission. How these tortures went on exactly isn’t detailled, so the two women don’t appear.

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**Author:** ![drastic\_quench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e36b37/32.png) [@drastic\_quench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drastic_quench)\
**Post date:** [May 13, 2013, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/game-of-thrones-s3-open-spoilers/654362/514 "2013-05-13T16:35:12Z")

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> [@Frylock](#):
>
> Were the two female participants in Theon’s torture also in the books? If so, who are they?

No, IIRC, we get the torture all after-the-fact in POV chapters from a character named Reek who is very transparently Theon. Personally, I found both the book’s and show’s approach tedious.

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**Author:** ![Snarky\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Snarky\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snarky_Kong)\
**Post date:** [May 13, 2013, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/game-of-thrones-s3-open-spoilers/654362/515 "2013-05-13T21:45:43Z")

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> [@drastic\_quench](#):
>
> No, IIRC, we get the torture all after-the-fact in POV chapters from a character named Reek who is very transparently Theon. Personally, I found both the book’s and show’s approach tedious.

I personally thought Reek’s chapters where the best out of the entire series. Maybe Arya in ASOS came close, but it blew everything else out of the water. Too bad the rest of the book was a mess. I am really bored by the show’s version though. I can’t imagine they get Theon out of the dungeon and to Moat Caitlin until late next season either. I think he really only needed like 3 scenes this season, then like two next season where he’s Reek.

Oh man, when Jaime told Roose to give Robb his regards! It’s three weeks until something I’ve been waiting for for 12 years!

I hope next week we get the “I only save maidens” line.

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**Author:** ![Snarky\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Snarky\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snarky_Kong)\
**Post date:** [May 13, 2013, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/game-of-thrones-s3-open-spoilers/654362/516 "2013-05-13T22:02:03Z")

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Oh, and Talisa’s letter apparently isn’t gibberish ([Gryves se Riña Litse – Dothraki](http://www.dothraki.com/2013/05/gryves-se-rina-litse/)). More evidence for her being a spy.

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**Author:** ![DigitalC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)\
**Post date:** [May 13, 2013, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/game-of-thrones-s3-open-spoilers/654362/517 "2013-05-13T22:05:02Z")

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Yeah, just her saying she can’t tell us whats in the letter pretty much gives it away.

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**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\
**Post date:** [May 13, 2013, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/game-of-thrones-s3-open-spoilers/654362/518 "2013-05-13T22:34:53Z")

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Why is its’ not being gibberish evidence for her being a spy?

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**Author:** ![Snarky\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Snarky\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snarky_Kong)\
**Post date:** [May 13, 2013, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/game-of-thrones-s3-open-spoilers/654362/519 "2013-05-13T22:41:52Z")

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> [@Frylock](#):
>
> Why is its’ not being gibberish evidence for her being a spy?

Because if it means something and they won’t say what it is, it implies the message is a plot relevant. A letter to her mother would not be plot relevant.

So, if she’s a spy, does she still die at the RW? Is it revealed to Robb that she was a spy? I’m torn. I think her being a spy is a nice touch to keep book readers on their feet. I also kind of want to watch a pregnant woman get murdered in front of her husband.

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**Author:** ![Reverse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e79b87/32.png) [@Reverse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reverse)\
**Post date:** [May 13, 2013, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/game-of-thrones-s3-open-spoilers/654362/520 "2013-05-13T22:43:40Z")

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> [@Snarky\_Kong](#):
>
> Because if it means something and they won’t say what it is, it implies the message is a plot relevant. A letter to her mother would not be plot relevant.

A letter to her mom _is_ plot relevant because it would mean that she’s not a spy.

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