Game of Thrones Season 3 (Spoilers)

[Elfdart]

Ros! No!

I guess after Ygritte whipped 'em out last week the series met its quota for redhead boobage.



Bye bye Ros, it was nice knowing them you.

Loved the voiceover by Baelish.

He was already #1 on my list of characters I want to see killed in gruesome fashion after Craster got his. Between trying to run off with Sansa and this week's episode, I really want to see him die horribly.

[Guardsman Bass]

I actually came to like Ros as a character. She was like Littlefinger, Ros, and Shae - people of relatively low birth but great skill, doing what they can to climb up (and she was hot as well, which is a plus). She just had the bad luck to not be careful enough in going behind the back of Littlefinger, the creepiest, slimiest, most cunning son of a bitch in the Seven Kingdoms.
Spoiler

1. I was in dread of how they were going to handle the Sansa section where she's forcibly married to Tyrion. It's an incredibly gut-wrenching chapter in the books, as we feel Sansa's mounting horror and despair as she sees her only hope of escape disappear, and the possibility of facing a life-time of being bound to the Lannisters. As is, I think they did a good job in showing what they could in a single scene, with the actress weeping to Baelish's voice-over.

2. I'm not sure how I feel about Melisandre showing up in the middle of a Brotherhood encampment, apparently after sneaking across half the Riverlands. I understand why they did it- compressing book elements so they don't have to introduce another character just for a few scenes - but I'm only lukewarm to it. I did like that brief bit with Arya and Melisandre, though.

3. It seems that they're going to have the Queen of Thorns get a scene with every major player in King's Landing, and that is awesome. Seriously, every scene has been great, although this time Tywin ultimately got the best of her. We also found the Westerosi nickname for male homosexuals: "sword-swallower".

4. Good scenes at the Wall.

5. That episode went by fast. It felt 20 minutes long.

[CaptHawkeye]

Man I love that Melisandre was gripped by utter terror during her encounter with Arya Stark. When the woman who's vagina spits out shadow demons looks at a young girl and goes "YOU SCARE ME" that says something.

[Vympel]

Daeron sings best - we'll see him!

loved the jon/ygritte arc this episode. Always happy to see Jon's story being advanced

Arya and Mel will meet again. Awesome!

How can anyone who hasn't read the books not know where Theon is yet? Zomg so obvious by this stage.

Props to Robb for admitting that Edmure was paying for Robb's sins. I really liked that.

Bwahah Roose Trollton. "Overplaying your ... position"

Olenna + Tywin: pure gold television

I don't really know where they're going with the Loras/Cersei thing. I'm not sure if I like the implication that Loras is the sole heir to Highgarden.

The Wall defends itself!

Tyrion & Cersei talk about Joff: also gold television. "Jaime or not I'm ... truly fucked." Such a good scene.

Oh Varys and Littlefinger, its been too long!!

Poor Ros.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H6zxzL8wLd0

And man, did this episode go by fast. Over so quick.

[Patroklos]

How can anyone who hasn't read the books not know where Theon is yet? Zomg so obvious by this stage.

And Theon not guessing is pretty stupid. He has been in the North for a decade and there is one place so renounded for cruelty and torture that its very name reflects it.

I don't really know where they're going with the Loras/Cersei thing. I'm not sure if I like the implication that Loras is the sole heir to Highgarden.

Spoiler

This is probably just another way to avoid introducing more characters, though I believe Olenna did mention Willis during her conversations with Sansa.

In the book Loras is the third son behind Willis and Garlen, but given both of those are older and childless Loras may actually be the only hope of a male heir which is unfortunate for the house for obvious reasons.

There is also a great uncle of Loras who should have a line of heirs still using the Tyrell name and would fall into the line of succession, but its not at all out of character for Olenna to not want power to shift outside her direct line.

[TheHammer]

I am happy that they have given Ros a proper character arc and an actual role to play before they killed her off. Varys promising her protection, that scene with Littlefinger from "The Night Lands," all of it actually was significant to her story.

Farewell, Ros, you lived a collection of profitable holes, but died a Character.

Have a very nice day.
-fgalkin

For all the Ros hate you saw, really she didn't have any story arcs that were truly her own. She was always a supporting role of other story arcs. Someone unimportant enough that Varys and Littlefinger never bothered to keep up a facade in her presence, but someone to whom they could expose their inner thoughts if you will. She was just an extra that had a name we could remember. Whether it was her specifically, or random whore x in each scene it wouldn't have changed the story we've seen.

[Ralin]

Most of what I thought has already been covered, so just two things.

One, love that slight lisp/lack of enunciation on Ramsey. The actor is doing a great job of making him seem not just horribly evil but slimy

Two, um, did anyone else think that Brienne looked a little too pretty in that dress? Given the character, I mean.

[Crown]

I loved, loved, LOVED the Varys and Littlefinger scene. We haven't had one of these since season 1 I believe with the whole 'last time you saw me or the last time I saw you?', it was a magnificently Machiavellian double speak shadow dance perfectly scripted and choreographed. It was nice to see it again.

[fgalkin]

For all the Ros hate you saw, really she didn't have any story arcs that were truly her own. She was always a supporting role of other story arcs. Someone unimportant enough that Varys and Littlefinger never bothered to keep up a facade in her presence, but someone to whom they could expose their inner thoughts if you will. She was just an extra that had a name we could remember. Whether it was her specifically, or random whore x in each scene it wouldn't have changed the story we've seen.

When she started out, she didn't have a role to play at all. She had one purpose- to keep the viewer entertained with the sight of her naked body during long scenes of exposition. People might have been talking to a statue, for all the impact she had on the story. This has changed, however, in the last season, and in this one, in that although she was always a supporting character, she did SOMETHING. Not just sit there and be talked to, or abuse a fellow whore on Joffrey's orders or get mistakenly imprisoned by Cersei, she actually was proactive, and in doing so revealed an important part of Littlefinger's plans to the audience. Sure, it wasn't much, but it was more than what she did before.

Have a very nice day.
-fgalkin

[TheHammer]

For all the Ros hate you saw, really she didn't have any story arcs that were truly her own. She was always a supporting role of other story arcs. Someone unimportant enough that Varys and Littlefinger never bothered to keep up a facade in her presence, but someone to whom they could expose their inner thoughts if you will. She was just an extra that had a name we could remember. Whether it was her specifically, or random whore x in each scene it wouldn't have changed the story we've seen.

When she started out, she didn't have a role to play at all. She had one purpose- to keep the viewer entertained with the sight of her naked body during long scenes of exposition. People might have been talking to a statue, for all the impact she had on the story. This has changed, however, in the last season, and in this one, in that although she was always a supporting character, she did SOMETHING. Not just sit there and be talked to, or abuse a fellow whore on Joffrey's orders or get mistakenly imprisoned by Cersei, she actually was proactive, and in doing so revealed an important part of Littlefinger's plans to the audience. Sure, it wasn't much, but it was more than what she did before.

Have a very nice day.
-fgalkin

Well that's sort of what I was getting at. The nerd-rage reaction of "If it wasn't for ROS we'd have more scenes of XYZ!" that some book readers had is completely untrue. If there was no Ros, all scenes would still be virtually identical with some random extra in her place without changing the core of it one bit. She didn't detract anything from the story, and given that she'd been around since season 1 made her death more impactful than if she had been simply a random extra. So in that way, you could argue that it actually added in some small way to the story.

[Scrib]

That "something" was generally being -barely-a plot bridge i.e. not that different really. The difference is that she kept her clothes on and there was less the sense that character motivations were being wrapped in sweet breasts because they were bitter pills (which was right at least once).

she actually was proactive, and in doing so revealed an important part of Littlefinger's plans to the audience. Sure, it wasn't much, but it was more than what she did before.

In practical terms not that much better than the "sex-position stage really. We got, off the top of my head, important facets of Theon's character and literally LF's entire motivation from that version of her, it was less palatable I suppose.

I actually came to like Ros as a character. She was like Littlefinger, Ros, and Shae - people of relatively low birth but great skill, doing what they can to climb up (and she was hot as well, which is a plus). She just had the bad luck to not be careful enough in going behind the back of Littlefinger, the creepiest, slimiest, most cunning son of a bitch in the Seven Kingdoms.

but great skill

/rolls on the floor.
Oh god, that was good. You have the dry wit of a Lannister ser.

Loved the voiceover by Baelish.

Littlefinger was at his best, slimy and smug for all to see. Love the contrast between him and Varys. Varys also sometimes sees things as tools and not valuable in their own right (the whole "shadow on a wall" thing) but Varys is (apparently) not as sociopathic and destructively self-serving as LF.

[Scrib]

Just to add: putting aside the baffling decision to work with Varys, it's not really a good idea to give Varys a piece of surely classified information that is restricted to a few people. Knowing LF no one knew, so it'd be easy for him to infer that it was either the crew of the ship or Ros who figured it out or spilled it. The crew of the ship has no reason to make the logical leap from two feather beds-> Petyr is stealing Sansa Stark. Ros, having seen him visit her AND having heard his story about Cat and thus knowing his motivation has EVERY reason. Therefore giving Varys the information will cast suspicion on her.

Speaking of which: why was she working for him anyway? Freedom from Baelish? She couldn't have believed that bullshit about a partnership could she?

And Shae? Her main skill in the books was being perfectly submissive. In the show? Glomming onto an emotionally damaged man that needs validation and should really know better?

[Ralin]

And Shae? Her main skill in the books was being perfectly submissive. In the show? Glomming onto an emotionally damaged man that needs validation and should really know better?

Uhm, that pretty much describes book Shae to a T...

[Guardsman Bass]

/rolls on the floor.
Oh god, that was good. You have the dry wit of a Lannister ser.

Littlefinger needs no explanation, but the others are quite skilled at what they do. Shae managed to turn a night with Tyrion in the camps into a nigh-permanent position as his de facto concubine - not bad for a foreigner camp follower. And Ros went from a northern nobody prostitute to the boss of Littlefinger's brothel, learning how to read at some point in the process. Her only mistake - a lethal one unfortunately - was in getting caught by Littlefinger, one of the most cunning people in the Seven Kingdoms.

Speaking of which: why was she working for him anyway? Freedom from Baelish? She couldn't have believed that bullshit about a partnership could she?

Why not? He saw her as a capable, ambitious woman, with the rare advantage of being able to read and write coming from a very low-born position (northern prostitute). And contrast how Varys brought her in with promises of partnership, versus Littlefinger's creepy speech about how he really hates it when "assets" don't pay off last season.

And Shae? Her main skill in the books was being perfectly submissive. In the show? Glomming onto an emotionally damaged man that needs validation and should really know better?

Well, no. She was pretty good at servicing Tyrion, otherwise he wouldn't have brought her along - skills, again. And like Bronn, she almost certainly saw him as a way to reach opportunities that would otherwise be denied to a 17-year-old camp follower (I'm talking about Book-Shae). It's not her fault that Tyrion has emotional baggage and can't help but start to fall for his fantasy girlfriend (which he hired her to be).

[Scrib]

/rolls on the floor.
Oh god, that was good. You have the dry wit of a Lannister ser.

Littlefinger needs no explanation, but the others are quite skilled at what they do. Shae managed to turn a night with Tyrion in the camps into a nigh-permanent position as his de facto concubine - not bad for a foreigner camp follower. And Ros went from a northern nobody prostitute to the boss of Littlefinger's brothel, learning how to read at some point in the process. Her only mistake - a lethal one unfortunately - was in getting caught by Littlefinger, one of the most cunning people in the Seven Kingdoms.

Yes, Ros had a meteoric rise, with...absolutely no demonstration of any skill whatsoever. That's one of the problems with her character. It's supposed to me that she's smart but they've somehow told us by showing us while not actually showing us. (except in her recent scene with Varys which was...thin as an example)

Either way, being LF's assistant and madame-that is what she is, make no mistake- is probably not that big a deal. The writing I give her, whether it was something she learned (I can't remember) or knew from Winterfell it is a big thing for a commoner. But LF probably handles his own finances. He doesn't need her to do anything other than basic stuff, keeping the girls in line, collecting cash etc.

Also, I just pointed out the reason she got caught. LF doesn't even have to be that smart. It's basic sense that you don't reveal restricted information when the person the information belongs to can reliably narrow down the pool of suspects and follow the trail back to you. Especially not when the man is callous and evil enough that suspicion alone damns you.

And what did she think Varys is going to do with that information apart from foiling LF's plan and making him wonder how he figured it out? To be fair to The Spider he played it pretty well but like I said, suspicion alone damns you.

Speaking of which: why was she working for him anyway? Freedom from Baelish? She couldn't have believed that bullshit about a partnership could she?

Why not? He saw her as a capable, ambitious woman, with the rare advantage of being able to read and write coming from a very low-born position (northern prostitute). And contrast how Varys brought her in with promises of partnership, versus Littlefinger's creepy speech about how he really hates it when "assets" don't pay off last season.

So her motivation for betraying a man like Littlefinger is the fact that Varys validated her and gave her a few sweet words about being "partners"? If so, she's even dumber than I thought. How are they partners? She's a little bird, she gives him information which he then uses for his, and only his, benefit. Ros seems to know nothing of the greater schemes, she has no say in strategy as far as I can see, she is a pawn.

So I ask again: is that really the reason she betrayed a man like Littlefinger? For vague promises on the part of Varys? If she was a prisoner and wanted to escape I'd understand because the risk might come close to the reward but I have no clue why she acted the way she did.

And Shae? Her main skill in the books was being perfectly submissive. In the show? Glomming onto an emotionally damaged man that needs validation and should really know better?

Well, no. She was pretty good at servicing Tyrion, otherwise he wouldn't have brought her along - skills, again. And like Bronn, she almost certainly saw him as a way to reach opportunities that would otherwise be denied to a 17-year-old camp follower (I'm talking about Book-Shae). It's not her fault that Tyrion has emotional baggage and can't help but start to fall for his fantasy girlfriend (which he hired her to be).

Tyrion didn't take her with him because of anything she did really. He took her as a childish rebellion against his father. And from their all she did was have (not so original) sex and not piss him off. That's about it. Tyrion's mind and need for love filled in the rest.

Shae in the series is even worse. Nothing she's done has provided a reason for Tyrion's actions, he's just a fool. At the time Tyrion was falling for her she had done nothing exceptional in any way. His emotional baggage is the entire reason she has a job. And you're right, it's not her fault, or a result of her actions. She's just swept along with it.

Uhm, that pretty much describes book Shae to a T...

Well... yes. I honestly could not think of a skill of TV!Shae's so I went for something I knew she did. (Which wasn't really a skill anyway)

[Thanas]

The show went extra creepy when they had Arya shoot a straw person into "head, breast and cunt" and later on showed Ros being shot in exactly those places as well. I get the paralell to both being "things" used for play and for personal gain, but yeeeesh.

[Vympel]

Good spot - didn't even notice that. Only noticed the chest shot.

[Admiral Valdemar]

Indeed, I only just saw that after rewatching Littlefinger's "chaos" monologue, worth price of admission alone.

[gigabytelord]

Just a small rant.

*Begin rant*

What the fuck is wrong with people?! Ok I get it, Ros was an unneeded and unwanted addition to the series, I agree but holy fuck even I had some fucking sympathy for her. Nobody should be toyed with, tortured and turned into a god damned human pincushion.
Oh and lets not forget the traitor and the Kingslayer. I get it they're both assholes, but holy fuck.
I've been watching episodic reviews of the series on Youtube after each episode, and I keep hearing the same "Well I still don't sympathise with Jamie/Theon because they were baaad guys". Go fuck yourself you sadistic motherfuckers.
This is especially bad with Theon. I both sympathise with the man, and I also agree that he should be punished, but he should be punished the Stark Way not fucking flayed alive by an evil bastard. Just off with his head or lock him up! Fuck!

*End rant*

This isn't directed at anyone here obviously. I just wanted to get something off my chest.

[Ralin]

I suspect that the writers are actively counting on that last reaction with Theon. They know a substantial number of their fans want to see Theon suffer, so they're giving them what they want. And it's going to be pretty entertaining to watch their reactions as they slowly realize exactly what sort of monster they've been cheering for.

Well, I mean it would be if I had any contact with the fanbase outside of here and a few friends. But I know my friends who go to fan forums for the series are fixing popcorn and waiting for it.

Hopefully it will teach some people a lesson about that sort of thing.

Okay, probably not.

[Darth Quorthon]

I loved Ramsay's line, "If you think this has a happy ending, you haven't been paying attention." Also, I'm scratching my head as to why Tyrion is continuing the farce of Shae being Sansa's handmaiden. Tywin knows who she is, doesn't he, or is he simply too busy to notice her, or am I missing something entirely? Another thing, I'm curious as to why Roz had to meet her grisly end at the hands of Joffrey, other than to say "hey we haven't given you a reason to hate Joffrey in a few episodes, here, you go."

[Vympel]

Why would Tywin know who she is? As far as he knows, his whore was Ros.

[Mr Bean]

Tywin might not know who Shae is because
A. He's not that interested he's busy right now with other things
B. He promised to hang the next whore he found in Tyrion's bed
Sure it might be obvivious if Tywin took an interest but the spymaster Varys is on Tyrion's side and is not going to rat him out without cause.


Also Shae is Sansa's bedmaid not Tyrions. Why would Tywin think that Sansa's maid is a whore for Tyrion? Their liaisons are private and aided and abetted by Varys who arranges to move Shae secretly through the castle so how is he going to connect the two?

[Darth Quorthon]

Back in season one I seem to remember Tywin saying "Don't take that whore with you to court." or something along those lines as he was sending Tyrion off to King's landing, and then grumbling about it again at the beginning of season three, but then again maybe he meant Ros.

[Ralin]

Back in season one I seem to remember Tywin saying "Don't take that whore with you to court." or something along those lines as he was sending Tyrion off to King's landing, and then grumbling about it again at the beginning of season three, but then again maybe he meant Ros.

Or he just assumed Tyrion had already found a whore without being told. Knowing Tyrion, it's not a bad assumption.