I don’t know if kidnapping is really the right word here. If I remember correctly she fled in the uproar following the aftermath of Joffreys death when he chokes at dinner. If she had not be spirited away she would have probably fallen under suspicion for his death.
Yes, but who caused the uproar?
Being stuck with Littlefinger might not be an ideal situation but it was a definite improvement over were she was stuck before so i have a hard time seeing it as a kidnapping. More of a less than ideal rescue.
Can someone please explain why Robert’s bastards are being killed? They cannot inherit so what’s the point? (I have read all the books and I still cannot remember/figure it).
Is it just to destroy the evidence that they are all black-haired?
Yes, also Cersei was always insulted by Robs fornicating.
Melisandre’s eyes weren’t red. Is that just because they haven’t revealed that or a directorial decision?
Probably the same reason the Targaryen eyes weren’t purple, it looks kinda silly.
I can buy that.
But I want more Peter Dinklage/ Tyrion! Best part of both the books and the series.
Silly people.
(Referring to the Jaqen thing, not the possibility of his being alive.)
In addition to destroying the evidence, and also what DigitalC said about Cersei just being pissed off by Robert’s infidelity, there’s also the fact that bastards can theoretically be legitimized by royal proclamation, or just popular opinion. Stannis offers to make Jon Snow a true Stark, for example.
There is a history of this happening under the Targs. If I remember right, the Dunk & Egg short stories, which are prequel tales by Martin set many decades before the current Ice and Fire stories, have talked about at least two attempts by previous Targ bastards to claim the throne. Apparently, one of the Targ bastards actually came super damn close to winning the pivotal battle. Add that up into Cersei’s insane paranoia complex, and it actually makes just the slightest bit of crazy-ass sense to off the black-haired children.
So glad to have the show back. The question on my mind was how they were planning to structure the first episode, and they definitely didn’t do it the way I had planned.
Not that I have anything against Tyrion or Peter, but I got the impression that they’re really trying to make him the star of the show now - his name was first in the credits, and he got an opening scene that doesn’t happen until about 150 pages into the book. I thought for sure the Lightbringer scene would kick off the season, just like it does in the book. Fortunately, every other chapter in CoK is a Tyrion POV.
Also funny how Davos was shown, but not really introduced. He’s gonna show up next week and get a bigger role and the non-readers are gonna have no clue who he is, as he wasn’t the least bit memorable in this one.
It’s nice that they actually have Robb in this season. In CoK, he’s barely in it, except for when Catelyn is around. You can definitely seen how he has grown in the last year (not physically, but the way he carries himself, when you contract ep 1 of season 1). Just sucks there was barely any Arya, although she jumped the gun by having her first chapter from CoK appear at the end of last season.
My guess is that everyone in the cast has asked to be able to slap him.
Episode 2 is available online in the usual places (Salador San would know where to get it) and it’s fantastic.
Speaking of the bastards, was anyone else disappointing at what a non-factor Gendry turns out to be? The series is all about bloodlines and destiny, and here we have a son who apparently is the best of the once powerful king without any of his personal failings like whoring and drunkenness, he’s an armorer, a tank of a boy, and does nothing of note for five books!
Does he even have his awesome bull helmet at this point? Last I remember one of the many dangerous men they come across took it. And he falls in with… someone. This season he and Arya will be fighting and sneaking for their lives, but I hope it’s not as spineless and helpless as the books. Hot Pie can’t die soon enough.
Seriously, will it be another five books before Martin has Gendry pick up a hammer and cave a knight’s chest in?
Nope, not at all. This is Asoiaf, and Martin subverts 5 fantasy tropes before breakfast. That nothing comes (or has come yet) of Gendry is great.
He’s armoring for the Brotherhood Without Banners last we saw him, btw.
Sure, but I don’t count it as subverting when one is set up, and then just left to rot. Kill him? Sure. Have him fail, or turn traitorous, or anything. Just do something. Otherwise there’s no point.
Ok, so he sets it up so that you feel like he’s following the standard genre formula, then he doesn’t, and that’s not subverting it? Well, ok.
No, come on. I’m cool with killing Ned and every other dodge and subversion, but that’s because something happens with each. Plot twists, with the emphasis on plot.
Here’s a graph of Gendry’s character and story arc:
Nothing happens. All I ask is that something happen. I don’t care what.
He kills Biter. Does that count?
My prediction for Gendry is that he finds the secret to making Valyrian steel (and that it involves combining it with volcanic glass under the extreme heat of dragon fire.). I’m part way through DwD, so there may be more info I don’t have yet. But I’m betting he finds the way, and it’s integral to human survival of the coming Winter.
Dragon fire forging? That can’t be easy: “Here Drogon, that’s a good boy, now just snort over this ore-VMWOOMP!” Blacksmith flambe.