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in the book, you 'see' him get stabbed and fall, but then it stops. No definitive death. I don't think he'll die in the books--just a feeling. He'll be greviously injured, but not DEAD. He's right down the hall from a room full of his supporters.
Crap! I nearly opened these (spoilers) from habit!
Disagree aboutthe rape of Sansa Stark. Shocking has been and continues to be the cornerstone of the series. Closing the door on it wasn't even in the cards.
I saw the finale to S5 last night (it premieres 9pm Mondays here), and I agree with Lord Tyrion.re: the difference between John Snow's apparent death in the books versus the TV series treatment
Back to series-not-book stuff, and initially it looked like the series was going to be a triumph, but I've been struggling since around the mid-point.
The rape of Sansa was, IMO, gratuitous. It undid all the progress of her character and taught us nothing about Ramsay or Reek that we didn't already know and couldn't have been implied via the simpler device of Reek closing the door on the viewer and us seeing a tearful Sansa next time out. We know the type of man Ramsay is and Sansa's first encounter was never going to be pleasant for her. It was also inevitable from the moment she said she would marry the psycho, so did we need to see it? No, we did not.
On the other hand, the burning of Shireen was not gratuitous. It was hard to watch, certainly, but Stannis had a motive for it and it showed how his conviction and devotion to his new religion was both quieter and deeper than that of his apparently more devout wife. Yes, it was also allied to his desire for power to an extent, but...
All in all, after this season I have no idea who you're supposed to root for anymore. The White Walkers, perhaps?
Oh, and Hardhome...what's the point in fleshing out a character and then killing her off? Why are the wights in such a state, anyway? They never used to be. But overall...yeah, nice waste of Birgitte Hjort Sørensen. Assuming she turns up again, she's not going to have many lines, is she?
Back to series-not-book stuff, and initially it looked like the series was going to be a triumph, but I've been struggling since around the mid-point.
The rape of Sansa was, IMO, gratuitous. It undid all the progress of her character and taught us nothing about Ramsay or Reek that we didn't already know and couldn't have been implied via the simpler device of Reek closing the door on the viewer and us seeing a tearful Sansa next time out. We know the type of man Ramsay is and Sansa's first encounter was never going to be pleasant for her. It was also inevitable from the moment she said she would marry the psycho, so did we need to see it? No, we did not.
On the other hand, the burning of Shireen was not gratuitous. It was hard to watch, certainly, but Stannis had a motive for it and it showed how his conviction and devotion to his new religion was both quieter and deeper than that of his apparently more devout wife. Yes, it was also allied to his desire for power to an extent, but...
It turned out to be a pretty uneven season in the end, IMO, particularly because you could see where the original material was ending and the Hollywood-indoctrinated screenwriters were taking over. If any more plot turns had been telegraphed, they might as well have broadcast in Morse.
A final thought: I read that Benioff and Weiss were 'cackling like schoolboys' over a scene from the books that was a favourite of their and had to be included. This turned out to be the rape scene mentioned above. As distasteful as I found that scene, I thought their approach and attitude was sickening. Might want to check those moral compasses, lads. They seem to have gone a bit wobbly.
I read an interesting article today that addresses this (don't be put off by the website name--these guys really are smart). Mad Max: Fury Road Makes Your Rape Arguments Invalid - Smart Bitches, Trashy Books
Dang! I didn't even think about MM spoilers. I'm sorry, Lord Tyrion .I wish I could read that, but I haven't seen Mad Max yet.
I read an interesting article today that addresses this (don't be put off by the website name--these guys really are smart). Mad Max: Fury Road Makes Your Rape Arguments Invalid - Smart Bitches, Trashy Books
Oh, please!!!!!!Don't look unless you have seen the season finale to season 5!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Oh, please!!!!!!
Have you read the books yet, Out of Order? I am thinking I need to reread, some of Skimom's and Lord Tyrion's comments about stuff differing/following the books are not in my memory banks.
You know nothing do1you9love?
I'm slowly plugging along. I'm halfway through A Storm of Swords......and loving every minute of it!!!!
Particularly all the changes/differences from the show. It really keeps the interest up and is not just a rehash.
I need to reread and then read the last one. I started with the TV and didn't want to pre-read and have it mess up the TV, which is completely the opposite of everything else I usually do. But I agree, the books flesh out the story and characters so much, it's worth reading for sure!