The last in a series of Game of Thrones season two “fan posters” was just released by HBO. This final tease poster features a Daenerys quote and a burning egg. Take a look.
Additionally, HBO announced that there have been some updates to the Game of Thrones Viewers Guide. Currently they have a “Catch-Up Guide” to refresh viewers on the events of season one. The season two info will go up on the Guide soon after the April 1st premiere. This all-new content will include “the first official map of Essos ever published, updated family trees and character pages, an expanded Appendix with new detail on Westeros, and custom map overlays that illustrate some of the most exciting action from Season Two.”
Winter Is Coming: What do you think of this last poster? I like it well enough. The North Remembers was still the best. And I’m looking forward to seeing the updated Viewers Guide.
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110 Comments
“the first official map of Essos ever published”
Looking forward to that!
VirtusQuote Reply
A map of Essos! Yaaaaaaaaay!
JojiQuote Reply
Nice poster, but it does set up the expectation that Daenerys will actually do something for the next 4 books
BletQuote Reply
But she does do something. Just not what people expect/hope. All part of the subversion of fantasy tropes.
LarsQuote Reply
Lars,
To be honest, when reading it, I quite liked Mereen which probably puts me in the minority. I’m just not quite sure how they’re going to convert it to the screen where demands are rather different. Considering how they’ve apparently bumped up Qarth’s action I’m guessing they’re going to change Dany’s Book 3-5 stuff an awful lot. Will be interesting to see
BletQuote Reply
Blet,
Dany kicked ass in Astapor and in the storming of Meereen. It was only when she settled down in Meereen that things got a bit slow.
VirtusQuote Reply
Maybe my recollection of the books is foggy, but I don’t think the timeline will be too different. Dany will probably stay in Qarth for the remainder of season 2 (when she gets there), and arrive in slavers bay/Astapor in early season 3. I don’t think that is too far off from the books.
They will probably collapse Yunkai into Astapor or Mereen, though.
LarsQuote Reply
Meh. A real teaser would be a shot of King Stannis hoisting a flaming “Lightbringer” into the air with a backdrop of the burning Seven, the camera showing the back of Melisandre and the kneeling men… with Davos and Cressen still standing.
King JoffreyQuote Reply
Yeah the poster should say “I will park my butt in Meereen” :)
dizzy_34Quote Reply
Badass poster. Is there an actual map of the whole world out there ?
The KingslayerQuote Reply
Sooooooo truuuuuuuuuuuue! Please D & D, speed or condensed some things up for that storyline. Though I did enjoy Tyrion’s journey down the river, I am sure D & D will condense that a little also for the different median that is television.
tysnowQuote Reply
A Stannis poster should be his sigil with ” They will bend the knee or I will destroy them.”
The KingslayerQuote Reply
“I will eventually, maybe take what is mine… some day…”
The OthersQuote Reply
This would be the real poster:
Khaleesi Ice-cream
CaedesQuote Reply
The Kingslayer,
Alas, no. Mostly because I don’t think George even has one — he probably wants to keep it open in case he needs an emergency plot point…
I’d rather have a map of that mystery southern continent somewhat analogous to Africa, personally. What the hell could be down THERE.
Pink DragonQuote Reply
I like the tagline: “I will take what is mine.”
John WQuote Reply
I also really think Daenerys is going to get to Westeros faster than in the books, or D&D is going to come up with a really good reason why she doesn’t (pregnancy, marriage, I dunno). I’m positive no viewer going to sit around and wait for her for 6 years — I can easily see people laughing about that in pop culture for a long time…”the Game of Thrones Daenerys blunder.”
Pink DragonQuote Reply
There is a book coming out this Fall that boasts to include “The first-ever authorized full world map”. http://edelweiss.abovethetreeline.com/ProductDetailPage.aspx?sequence=27&group=catalog&mailingID=0&mailingGroupID=0&catalogID=38311&org=&sku=0345538544
VirtusQuote Reply
On the blu-ray extra about the making of the opening title sequence they showed a glimpse of a map version that included Westeros, much of Essos, and a chunk of whatever is west of Westeros. Does that mean George has w of W at least partially mapped out?
The OthersQuote Reply
Pink Dragon,
Don’t know about that… GRRM must have a reason to keep her in Essos for the time being, I’d bet that Quaithe’s prophecy has something to do with that. Also, considering the ending of ADWD, I’d say the Dothraki hordes still have a role to play in the story. And Martin has told D&D at least a part of future events in the books.
VirtusQuote Reply
The Others,
It could be 1) a glitch, or 2) the eastern part of Essos.
VirtusQuote Reply
Pink Dragon,
Pink Dragon,
They may just beef up Dany’s “war” against the slavers in whatever way their budget will allow, have her spend less time sitting in Mereen. I agree they have to do something, in the book I found the Mereen part of Dany’s story frustrating and dragged out.
The OthersQuote Reply
I love the poster, just love it!!
About the update on the Viewers guide, I am curious. The maps made me remember “World of Ice and Fire”, I have to buy it when it’s published!!
RobbetQuote Reply
Pink Dragon,
I’ve wondered if D&D might re-install the fabled “5 year gap” or some version of it. It could work like this (ADWD spoilers, obviously):
Season 3: SOS->RW. Dany builds her army, gets the Unsullied, goes to war with Qarth (Meereen never enters the picture).
Season 4: End SOS, early ADWD/FFC. Defeats Qarth, starts to rule there, enters questionable marriage alliance.
[gap]
Season 5: Rest ADWD/FFC: Insurgents threaten her rule. Husband tries to poison her. Escapes on drogon, back to Dothrakiville. Goes to Asshai for some undetermined reason…
This would be a plan to finish the series in 6 seasons – 7 tops. Obviously could be a problem for GRRM and those of us who prefer the books. But since her timeline is the bottleneck, if they want to move faster this would do it.
Maxwell JamesQuote Reply
this is something I’ve suggested ever since reading ADWD. The 3 ‘main’ characters have not a lot going on, and if you introduce the gap Dany, Jon and Tyrion finally find themselves in interesting situations. You also have Arya who’s finished her training, Sam in place, Stannis at war in the North. Brienne’s little trip and Quentyn-derp probably won’t be missed by a lot of people. The only compelling stuff missing will be the Cersei-Maergery struggle and the epic Jaime-Blackfish bantering, but I already gave up on ever seeing the Blackfish.
Speaking of which, what ever happened to Blackfish Blues?
KnurkQuote Reply
I still don’t get the redacting of posts on here. As they refer to published works?
MICHAEL A. FITZHUGHQuote Reply
Easter is coming.
PepiQuote Reply
Knurk,
Yep. While I liked ADWD somewhat more than you, truth be told I think GRRM made the wrong decision. He should have still put in a gap – just a shorter one. Handled properly, FFC and ADWD together would have made one long but very effective book. That said, hindsight is 20/20.
Maxwell JamesQuote Reply
I really wanted to see where exactly are the Summer Islands! and what lays beyong Asshai
Thiago SlashQuote Reply
It is spoiler tagging of spoilers from books. Just highlight to view.
LarsQuote Reply
Uh… You do realize that your season layout is virtually identical to the books, right? Read your season outline again, but remove the “gap”. It works just as well without it.
So what you are suggesting is virtually identical to what one would see if adapting AFFC+ADWD in chronological order, except for the Asshai speculation at the end. And it is pretty obvious that this is how AFFC/ADWD will be adapted.
No I think Dany’s Essos journey should be close to the book. People who keep wishing she would jump back to Westeros ASAP just don’t seem to get how GRRM works in deconstructing fantasy tropes. I personally like the Dany’s chapters in ASOS and ADWD quite a bit. They fulfill an important part in educating Dany (& us readers) about the difficulty of ruling. These are lessons that she will need to learn, because Westerosi society is even more fractured than Mereen.
LarsQuote Reply
that may be, but don’t expect the tv-audience to stick around for 2 seasons of Dany learning how to rule. D&D at least need to beef up that storyline with other ‘filler’ than what GRRM came up with to keep the audience invested in her. My ideal start of season 5 would be: 2 years later, Meereen in decay, audience finds out Dany sucks at ruling, no Daario Naaharis, Tyrion knocks on door and says ‘need any help from a proper ruler?’
KnurkQuote Reply
Honestly, I’d like to see Quentin introduced at the same time as the Red Viper, so we get more time with him before he derps it all up. My biggest problem with his story in Dance with Dragons is I didn’t care about him, and that is just a matter of introducing him earlier.
Critical GeekQuote Reply
Critical Geek,
and of course that derp made the Dorne-storyline in aFfC redundant, I really enjoyed that storyline in aFfC but when I read it again now I know it’ll lead in a big anti-climax and therefore has made aFfC worse for me.
KnurkQuote Reply
This poster reminds me a lot of the ‘ALIEN’ poster! The egg front and centre cracked!
Michael HarperQuote Reply
Lars,
All indications have been that ASOS would be filmed over two seasons. That would suggest 6 seasons to get through ADWD – which certainly seems to be GRRM’s assumption in interviews. I am suggesting it can – and yes, probably will – be five. And that a time lapse over certain sections will be used to achieve that.
Maxwell JamesQuote Reply
What “two seasons”? It’s one season tops, regardless of how much of a drag it was for Dany (and us). Remember, it was only 10 chapters – less than she had in the first book. That’s it. It’s literally 1/4 of her story so far by any measure.
S1 – Huge journey: waif to MoD
S2 – Finds out she’s prophecy’s biotch, start to gain allies
S3 & S4- Conquershalf the goddamn world.
S5 – Find out ruling’s not as easy as conquering. Take off on Drogon.
If they are gonna cut anything it should be greyjoys and Martells, they can all sink into the sea as far as I care. Quentyn and Theon can stay, I guess. :p
userjQuote Reply
I’m really not a fan of Dany or her arc in the books, so this poster does nothing for me.
As to how the show will tackle Dany’s arc in Slavers Bay & Meereen, I’m really not worried about timelines or boredom. I see no problem in them fleshing out and adding indigenous story lines and characters to that part of the arc. In fact I think it’s essential that they do. I just hope they do it with more sensitivity and a lighter touch than GRRM did in the books, and with characters that are more fleshed out and credible. If they keep the inhabitants of Slavers Bay as the dimensionally challenged, brown, ugly, stupid, nasty, child torturing, puppy eating, debased example of humanity that they are in the books, then I can see myself having a problem with it – It would be a case of the Persians in 300 (the movie) only much much worse.
Honestly, it’s the one thing I am most nervous about in this series. But I guess we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.
On a different note, yay! for WIC pledging to house Stark! o/ I feel so at home, now! :)
DeeQuote Reply
I said 2 seasons because of other people’s assumption that AFFC and ADWD will span 2 seasons. I’m totally with you they should make it 1 season (or the bitter cynic in me, just skip’em).
KnurkQuote Reply
The Others,
“On the blu-ray extra about the making of the opening title sequence they showed a glimpse of a map version that included Westeros, much of Essos, and a chunk of whatever is west of Westeros. Does that mean George has w of W at least partially mapped out?”
No. On the same extra you can see the complete map of Essos they were using, and it clearly just has the Free Cities section from the books. The rest of the continent is a big blob, with no Valyria, Slaver’s Bay, Jade Sea etc, as they knew those parts wouldn’t be seen (note this was a working map, not the final one in the title sequence, where it does look like Slaver’s Bay is just about visible in the bottom corner as the title sequence starts). GRRM also said at a convention that those images were not canon, and the chunk of land in the far NE in fact overlays where the island of Ibben should be. The title sequence guys made those things up for colour.
For the LANDS OF ICE AND FIRE book, GRRM has said it will include maps of the ‘known’ world, stretching from Westeros and the Summer Islands all the way to Asshai. If there are landmasses to the far west of Westeros or east of Essos, they won’t be shown as they are not known to the people of the world at the time and won’t play a role in the books. How much of Sothoryos will be shown is unknown, since Sothoryos is the Africa-in-the-Middle-Ages of the setting, so it might just be the northern coast as the rest of the landmass is unexplored.
Adam WhiteheadQuote Reply
lol, did you make that up or is that for real? Is there also a Northorious?
KnurkQuote Reply
Knurk,
You never heard of “Sothoryos”? Check out the ASOS slavers bay map:
http://awoiaf.westeros.org/index.php/File:Valyria_ASOS_map.png
I guess the “lol” is on you..
LarsQuote Reply
Why would it be redundant? It still has many points it gets across, not to mention that it ups the unpredictability of the series even more. A more generic story would never have done that but this one keeps us on our toes. The storyline still brought a lot and the failure to marry Daenerys will pretty obviously lead Dorne into another line of action. To me it’s no surprise that why the last books have made more positive waves with normal book critics than fantasy gets otherwise.
Tywin’s BastardQuote Reply
I feel like some hard boiled eggs after seeing this poster. =) Other than that, it doesn’t do anything for me.
MimsyQuote Reply
Awesome poster. The discussion about expectations got me thinking about some other expectations that have not quite been met.
I wonder how long TV viewers will put up with winter not coming for several seasons, Dany not invading Westeros, etc. It has been OK in the books, but in the TV series it is hard to not notice that we won’t be dealing with the white walkers for a really long time.
DreamlifeQuote Reply
Yeah, The North Remembers was clearly the best one, strong visual carrying a lot of meaning, and doubly so. This one is looking good but not as heavy. And the head-meet-spike one was a nice shock facter but not exactly ‘aesthetic’…
Restore The DayQuote Reply
The absence of action is also a spoiler, you know…
Restore The DayQuote Reply
Dreamlife,
Yep, the “expectations” game in interesting.
- White walkers/others are introduced in the book 1 prologue, but have yet to really impact the plot in book 5
- Dany wants the iron throne in book 1, but has yet to arrive in book 5
- Ned is killed in book 1, and more Stark bad news happen later, but the Stark family has yet to get its full revenge in book 5
And so on… People like to bitch about Dany, but these are all valid points.
GRRM is not interested in instant gratification. Nor telling a tale about it. But why do we keep reading? Because the characters are compelling. The world is interesting. As long as HBO can do the same, viewers will keep watching.
LarsQuote Reply
Never saw the name before. I just find it a silly name with the clumsy West-South-East continents, I wasn’t laughing at anybody. Jeez.
the whole Dorne-story line in Feast is about Doran being the coward, but in the end you get this awesome explanation of how he has this ‘masterplan’ all along. There is really no other point in that Dorne-storyline for me, it’s a frustrating storyline (because you want Dorne to enter the war) but in the last chapter it payed off big time. Then in Dance Dany says to this masterplan: “Lol no, gtfo.” Doran’s plan doesn’t have to succeed for me, but it being handled this way was just too lazy for all the time GRRM spent on Dorne in Feast. It’s like writing an entire book towards a climax and then just before you reach it you let the maincharacter die because a piano falls on his head: surprise!
KnurkQuote Reply
Knurk,
Sorry about the “lol”, uncalled for.
But about Doran’s plans, sometimes the best laid plans just fail. That’s life. Yet another example of a trope deconstructed.
LarsQuote Reply
Uh, no, the reason the plan failed is because IT WAS A TERRIBLE PLAN. Or put another way, Dany was like LOLNO because it was A TERRIBLE PLAN. ADWD proved that Doran was a complete incompetent, plain and simple, no matter how smart he thought he was. I agree with you – I fucking hate the Dorne storyline and wish it would die. Not to mention, the supposedly epic ending was not worth 4 chapters of being in Arianne Martell’s stupid head. Gag me.
userjQuote Reply
Dreamlife,
I know right, it’s like watching an alien movie with no aliens in it.
At this point in the series, I don’t think the audience is as invested in White Walkers as they are with the power players. Casual viewers I’ve spoken with are all about the main characters and the wolves/dragons. They pretty much know that when winter hits, the shits gonna hit the fan and people better duck and cover. =)
MimsyQuote Reply
Knurk,
“Is there also a Northorious?”
Ha! The assumption is that the continent names are Valyrian and simply mean ‘eastern continent’, ‘western continent’ and ‘southern continent’. The closest we have to a ‘northern’ name is ‘Norvos’, though that’s a city and not a full landmass.
Cheesy? Yup.
Adam WhiteheadQuote Reply
You seem to be saying this as if it’s unequivocally a good thing.
While I think it’s admirable for an author to refuse to be bound by convention and what has become expected in the genre, it’s quite another thing to be writing stuff that appears to just be “in your face Fantasy tropes!”
Having said that, I don’t think it’s valid to say that
There are certainly other directions that the Dorne storyline can go, and I’m sure it will go somewhere (unless that’s just a trope that stories actually go somewhere – damn those tropes and rejecting them – hey maybe ASoIaF is one immensely long shaggy dog story).
JackolQuote Reply
Ghost grass. Just ghost grass, as far as the eye can see. No wildlife, no rivers or streams, no mountains, or cliffs, or hills, and certainly no ocean.
Just ghost grass.
Incidentally, rewatching season 1, Jorah says to Danaerys as Drogo is dying that he’s heard there’s a good port in Asshai.
I thought Asshai was as far East as East goes? The Red Waste (which they are on the edge of) is nowhere near Asshai, is it? Is this a scripting mistake?
Ax0rQuote Reply
no worries. As I said, I don’t mind the plan failing but it was just the way it was written. I think GRRM did a better job in establishing the 3 prologue characters in aGoT than he did with Quentyn in all the chapters he got in Dance. I was like: “Wait, that’s it? This was where you were going with all those Arianne chapters?!?!” Deconstructing a trope doesn’t allow you to write such a quick and boring ending to that storyline (in my eyes of course, it’s entirely possible other readers enjoyed the Quentyn chapters). Also, as much as he ‘deconstructs fantasy tropes’ he’s also the worst offender of overusing them with all the cheesy cliffhangers, characters ending up not being dead at all and pulling out new characters out of his hat who come in handy.
KnurkQuote Reply
For the record, I don’t personally mind if Dany sticks around in Essos forever — I wasn’t complaining about that. I’m just worried we’re going to start seeing critical/fan hate because her arc, as of right now, appears not to be going anywhere yet.
As for the Dorne storyline, until we read the 7th (or 8th, or 9th…) and final book, I don’t think we should call it useless. I say the same to the people who hate on the Greyjoy POVs — you don’t know what George has cooked up. It may turn out it was stupid and pointless and self-indulgent on GRRM’s part, yeah, or it may turn out it was full of details we overlooked that turned out to be very important indeed. I’d hold off on a final opinion on stuff like that until everything’s all wrapped up.
I’m kind-of pessimistic on that end, though — you’re looking at The Story Is Spinning Completely Out Of Control We’re Going To Get A Second Wheel Of Time doomsayer here. I don’t tote it out often and I’m here ’til the end, but in my gut, I really feel like that’s what’s happening. So, maybe I’m not the best person to listen to, lol!
Pink DragonQuote Reply
Lol, guess they didn’t feel like taking on House Frey:
http://viewers-guide.hbo.com/game-of-thrones/#!/guide/houses/frey/
Not that I blame them, but I wouldn’t mind a reference for the enormous Frey household.
BemmaQuote Reply
Also, I guess we have an answer regarding House Tully: Brynden’s out for good, but Edmure and Hoster are in at some point.
http://viewers-guide.hbo.com/game-of-thrones/#!/guide/houses/tully/
Also, shouldn’t they have listed House Tarly (Sam’s house) under the Tyrells’ Sworn Bannermen?
http://viewers-guide.hbo.com/game-of-thrones/#!/guide/houses/tyrell/
BemmaQuote Reply
Knurk,
It’s funny, many of your complaints about the Dorne storyline could in a way also be applied to the Ned Stark storyline.
Tyrion SedaiQuote Reply
Bemma,
Oh, wow!
I guess they can always include the Blackfish later on, but that’s a great sign regarding Edmure!
Hi-FiQuote Reply
except for:
- it was all in one book
- Ned was a fleshed out character most readers cared about
- the climax of Ned’s storyline was one of the most emotional moments in the series
- the end of Ned’s storyline was the seed of all the shit that came next
None of these things apply to Quentyn and his Dorne storyline.
KnurkQuote Reply
Knurk and others, re: the Dorne storyline — You’re free to dislike the Quentyn arc if you like, but it was not a dead end. It will have serious consequences and is meant to set up a Dorne/Dany conflict. Pay attention to what Quentyn’s men tell Barristan at the end of the book. They are starting all these ridiculous rumors that Dany laughed at and mocked Quentyn and drove him to his death. Now recall how the Dornish reacted to the Red Viper throwing away his own life in a foolish trial by combat. Oh and did I mention that Dorne has been repeatedly and extensively set up as impossible to conquer, even for someone with three huge dragons? Dany has actually just lost one of the Seven Kingdoms forever and most readers haven’t realized it yet.
AndrewQuote Reply
Andrew,
thanks, I definitely don’t remember that and it can have some cool repercussions. It touches one other point that annoyed me beyond belief in Essos: how utterly stupid Dany was reacting to this alliance-proposal. All she wants to do is go back to Westeros with an army, someone comes to her who has an army ready there and she laughs him away. I know a lot of characters in aSoIaF make stupid decisions all the time, but this one seemed even worse than Ned blabbering all his plans to Cersei. I thought it was way out of character for Dany.
KnurkQuote Reply
Pink Dragon,
dany cant get pregnant – maggi ensured that
Jenish KachhadiaQuote Reply
Knurk,
This is a reply to your reply to me, and some others.
The Dorne storyline contains a lot more than Doran, for example the Sand Snakes. Doran is just the overall arc. You of course decide what points you react to but there are certainly more to be had for the willing. When it comes to Dance, Quentyn is arriving at a very bad point in time and gets refused, but the whole book sets up different paths for Dorne which are at least as interesting to me. It looks like Dorne might actually become an antagonist for Dany, which makes things more intricate as Aegon Targaryen has already arrived and Doran now has a new horse to back. Instead of two of the marriages that were meant for Dany she might get enemies instead. To me it sounds like you just think that the storyline ends abruptly without any point, which couldn’t be further from the truth in my own interpretation.
As for the character of Dany, I think it’s perfectly in line with her to get into trouble because of compassion because she’s been doing that the entire time. It’s a hole that keeps getting deeper and when she’s in Dance she can’t get out. I think it’s a strength of the story that characters like her and Ned can have serious, fundamental flaws and make interesting mistakes that you wouldn’t want to make, rather than being the reader projected into the story. I understand why some people are annoyed by those but I think those people would like a duller and more shallow story.
Taste is taste so I’,m not saying you must like it and it’s of course bad if you don’t. It’s a problem I’m luckily not sharing though.
Tywin's BastardQuote Reply
Something weird happened to the spoiler tag in my post above after I edited it. It was all supposed to be under the tag, and it initially was, but now the editing time has run out.
Tywin’s BastardQuote Reply
Jenish Kachhadia,
Have you read ADWD yet? If so, popular theory is that all that blood at the end indicates she miscarried meaning she is no longer cursed with not being able to get pregnant
DreamlifeQuote Reply
Maxwell James,
Knurk,
Wow, I thought Quentyn was as stupid as you could possibly get, tryin to steal a dragon. But hey, here come you guys!
Although, maybe smarter! You’ve already figured out all the problems, so writing your own fantasy series should be a piece of cake!
Can’t wait to read it, I just hope they can keep it on the shelves! In fact, they will probably have to build an entirely new bookstore, just so they have enough shelves to keep up with the demand for your masterpiece!
Unemployment rates will plummet as people from all over line up, just for the chance to unload the truckloads of copies of your brilliance!
Heads of state will bow, royals will offer you their lands and daughters, all because you realized it should’ve been a shorter gap!!! FIREWORKS!!!! MAGIG!!!! ETC!!!!!
um, no.
the goatQuote Reply
Dany’s decisions to free slaves and stay in Meereen to rule do fit with her character. No problem there.
It’s just irritating because that leaves her stuck for a while. It could be improved though. I care about the court intrigue and politics of Westeros. Why is it I don’t care about Meereen? Lack of familiarity and lack of interesting, well drawn characters with depth I think. The issue with the characters is partially down to the limitations of Dany’s POV, which the show won’t have.
FWIW, I’m hoping ASOS+AFFC+ADWD will be three years in total. ASOS is not quite enough for two full series and AFFC+ADWD slightly too much for just one. And I do hope the long and meandering journeys are shortened.
ShinyteapotQuote Reply
Dreamlife,
Or in another take on the same theory the curse/side effects of the way her first pregnancy ended doesn’t mean she can’t get pregnant, but that she can’t carry a child to term and will always miscarry. Both are possible interpretations, we’ll have to wait for the next book (or longer) to find out which is right.
ShinyteapotQuote Reply
Bemma,
That’s not confirmation of anything. That’s the Viewers’ Guide from last year, so it’s rather old news. Nothing official has been stated about the Tullys other than, they aren’t in this season. Edmure is listed because he’s Catelyn’s brother but they had no need to add Blackfish onto the chart when they didn’t know what they were doing with him yet. (Maybe they still don’t know, who knows.)
Ours is the FuryQuote Reply
Shinyteapot,
“When the sun rises in west and sets in the east,” said Mirri Maz Duur. “When the seas go dry and mountains blow in the wind like leaves. When your womb quickens again, and you bear a living child. Then he will return, and not before.”
So yeah, pretty barren. (ADWD blood notwithstanding)
the goatQuote Reply
Ours is the Fury,
does anybody know this?…
TV guide magazine posted about 15 hrs ago that they got first few episodes of the season 2 Game Of Thrones for reviewing.(LUCKY BASTARDS)
So excited …soon enough we gonna read reviews, hurrrrey…:)
http://www.facebook.com/TVGuideMagazine?sk=wall
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=415232805158187&set=a.118494461498691.20993.116969841651153&type=1&theater
they got DVD containing S2E1 And S2E2…
Jenish KachhadiaQuote Reply
I’ve seen several critics mention that they have seen the first few episodes, actually. So yeah, reviews will roll out in the usual short time before the show premieres, which is good.
Ours is the FuryQuote Reply
the goat,
There is a popular theory that Quentin was the sun(dornish symbol) that rises in the west (westeros) and sets in the east (essos)
Justin Saunders-CarterQuote Reply
Bemma,
I agree with Ours is The Fury — I don’t think they’ve updated those guides yet this year. You’ll note that they don’t have any pictures up for people cast for Season II (Margaery, for example). Still hopeful about the Blackfish.
OT – Blackfish rules… anyone thinks his character isn’t important should reread Feast for Crows. He’s going to play a major role, methinks.
Team SansaQuote Reply
The viewer’s guide hasn’t been updated fully yet. See their breakdown of what they are planning for season 2 by clicking the i in the top right of every page. That House Tully family tree has been in place since season 1 began airing – before GRRM said he was still hopeful they would work the Blackfish into a later season.
Likewise the Frey one has been up since midway through the first season so they might be a bit more brave this year (probably not though!)
The absence of House Tarly is a little strange as they are such a major house in the Reach. I won’t worry about Randyll appearing until we get to AFFC in a few seasons time though and so this wouldn’t bother me if we still don’t have an icon for them by the time the fifth season rolls around. Horn Hill does at least feature on the map of Westeros on the viewer’s guide it is just not a hotspot that you can click on for more info.
To put their absence in context, also featured in the HBO series but not listed as sworn to their respective great houses on the viewer’s guide are House Glover, House Harlaw, House Hightower, House Selmy, House Thorne and House Trant.
Owen ParkerQuote Reply
A Wiki Of Ice and Fire has all of them from the books.
At game of thrones wiki we have the very slimmed down version of those who have been named in the show.
Owen ParkerQuote Reply
Ax0r,
FIrst off, this is direct from the book, so if it’s a mistake in the series that it also is in the book.
Second, no, I don’t think it’s a mistake. Drogo dies somewhere Beyond Lazaar, not in the Red Waste itself. They are still in the Dothraki sea. Lazaar meanwhile, we know from a dance with dragons is somewhat near to (I think North and East of) Meereen. Meanwhile, meereen (and Slaver’s Bay) are west of Qarth. Their next step in the books is to head straight South into the Red Waste, and then East from Vaes Tolloro into Qarth. So at Drogo’s death that puts them 1) Northwest of Qarth, 2) East of Lazaar and Slaver’s Bay, 3) West of Asshai.
So why in the end do they choose to go into the Waste? It’s like Jorah says in the Dany feature. If they go with this slow moving crew and valuable dragons, anywhere but away from all life is certain to attract attention from a Khalasaar or another group out for their blood. Alone, pre-dragons, riding their fine Dothraki steeds, Jorah and Dany could have made their way East without trouble, but now that’s not an option.
userjQuote Reply
Liam Neeson for Blackfish!!
Brendan Gleeson for Mace Tyrell!!
Make it happen HBO
ConorQuote Reply
Something to think about:
If Dany cannot have kids… then why is she seeking the iron throne? she is the last Targaryen! what is the point of fighting a war to get the throne, rule until death [say another 20-25 years].. and then after her death.. another war will take place as their will be no rightful heir…. I think Dany will be responsible for thousands of avoidable deaths..
HERP-DERPQuote Reply
That is because he was a plot device; nothing less, nothing more.
Tyrion4LyfeQuote Reply
no hollywood faces please… unless it’s arnold schwarzenegger.
jkbQuote Reply
TV columnist Jace Lacob has the first 4 eps of season 2 and twitters:
“The first two episodes of S2 #GameofThrones are very, very strong indeed. Some spellbinding, heart-pounding stuff. I’ve missed this world.”
“Another fantastic episode of #GameOfThrones, written by @BryanCogman. Brutal, beautiful, and glittering in its malice. Loved. ”
sjweningsQuote Reply
ADWD spoilers:
Quentyn rose in the west and set in the east, and his sigil is the sun.
The Dothraki sea was dry and dead as Dany walked through it away from her ‘Dragonstone.’
There are a couple scenarios that could fit the mountains blowing in the wind – the ashes from either the Meereenese pyramids burning or the small hillock Drogon made his home would work.
OhDanyBoyQuote Reply
Why is it not April 1st yet???
OhDanyBoyQuote Reply
HERP-DERP,
I don’t know, maybe Daenerys figures she can be a great ruler regardless of her abilities to procreate. And she could always adopt a child or name an heir not directly from her own body. A woman leader doesn’t have to be defined by her uterus.
Ours is the FuryQuote Reply
HERP-DERP,
I’ve wondered about that, too, though as Ours is the Fury says, she can always name an heir to rule after her.
The question I’ve had nagging me from ADwD is why in the world did she marry someone in Meereen?! If the plan was to rule for a short time to get her feet wet, then she shouldn’t have made a marriage pact. Her marriage to Drogo didn’t bother me because her brother was planning to rule, not her. I would think a Westerosi marriage would be much more beneficial to her stated final goal of gaining the Iron Throne, especially since her second husband didn’t come with an army.
MiraxQuote Reply
jkb,
Hollywood faces make show popular….they can get in the cast as a guest appearances .
Jenish KachhadiaQuote Reply
Mirax,
That seemed very short sighted to me too. Though perhaps she was planning to have multiple husbands? If Aegon can have two wives, Dany can have two (or more) husbands. Leave this one behind to run Meereen once things are sorted (she’s still inexperienced enough to believe it could be fixed quickly just by the marriage) and marry for allies in Westeros too?
Or perhaps she was just hoping he’d serve his purpose by sorting out peace, then accidentally fall into the dragonpit.
ShinyteapotQuote Reply
This has always seemed like an idiotic complaint, as if no one had ever heard of Queen Elizabeth?
Dany simply has to name an heir of her choice and rule well and long enough that no one wants another war, just like the greatest monarch in the history of the British Empire did.
userjQuote Reply
It’s made abundantly clear that Dany didn’t want to do this, but felt forced by circumstance. By all appearances it was a stop-gap measure to solve a short-term solution – which, as it happens worked! At this point in the story, her problems at hand are far too large to worry about future marriage in Westeros. I do wonder why no one (Barristan or Dany) really ever thinks about how Dany could take multiple husbands after she marries Hizdar. I suppose they both know he woudlnt’ be too keen. Thankfully (lol) he’ll probably be brutally executed for treason…
userjQuote Reply
userj,
Ax0r,
userj spoke truly. and just to be clear, Qarth is (way) west of Asshai, and if I’m not mistaken, they’re both portuary cities.
so there’s no mistake about it ^^
Thiago SlashQuote Reply
Shinyteapot,
I could see either of those options as being fairly in character for her. Glad I’m not the only one that it bothered!
People were still being murdered, she had to concede and reopen the fighting pits, her husband is in hiding, the people are dying of the bloody flux, and she’s wandering around delirious with an untame dragon. How is that a success? Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad that something is finally happening, but it isn’t because her plan worked, rather it is because everything in Meereen failed so miserably. As for feeling forced, she easily could have made the compromise on the fighting pits quite a bit sooner than she did, rather than jumping into a marriage and THEN relenting; or taken XXD’s ships and sailed away to Illyrio or Dorne with Quentyn and co. She could have been more forceful with the Meereneese when it came to rooting out the killers. IMO, any of those would have been preferable and more logical than a political marriage as a stop-gap in a land that was only supposed to be a stepping stone to the main goal, and I believe that GRRM has the talent to have pointed her in a more logical direction and still ended up with her wandering around delirous as planned. :)
All just my humble opinion, of course.
MiraxQuote Reply
Sounds Great.
He also says that unlike Season 1 there is no precredit prologue scene for Ep1.
So that confirms that the CoK Prologue will play out over the whole episode.
MormegilQuote Reply
Ax0r,
http://www.herederosdeldragon.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/World_Map_of_Ice_and_Fire_by_Other_in_Law.jpg
I don’t know how accurate is this map, but it’s fun nonetheless. I hope it helps a little
Thiago SlashQuote Reply
Actually, the murders stopped completely as soon as she agreed to marry Hizdar. You might say, suspiciously quickly… But even though Dany realizes that Hizdar may in fact be working wtih the Harpy (or the Harpy himself) there are no other options that are as effective as marrying Hizdar in terms of ending both domestic terrorism and brokering a peace with Yunkai.
Meanwhile, her burning of the corpses outside Meereen and closing of the city has greatly slowed the spread of the plague – the city is in a much better position than it would have been had she not taken these actions. If Dany had not acted as she did 1) there would be full blown plague within Meereen, rather than in the camps outside it, 2) there would be more terrorism by the sons, 3) Yunkai would have attacked – and most likely a traitor inside would have let them in the walls, leading to a complete defeat.
As for the fighting pits, I don’t understand how your suggestion that she open the fighting pits has anything to do with the sons-of-the-harpy terrorism, which was the major problem she addressed by marrying Hizdar. I think by the time she agreed to have them reopen she had essentially given up on everything…
userjQuote Reply
userj,
I do admit that my memory is fuzzy, as I have no recollection of the murders ending. I still think the marriage was a bad idea, but I’ll concede the point until I can re-read her chapters. The fighting pits are tied to the unrest of the people and thereby the sons of the harpy in my mind, but again, without the books in front of me I’ll bow out rather than argue and make a complete ass of myself. :)
MiraxQuote Reply
I’m certainly not disputing where Asshai is – we’ve never seen it on a map, and its presumably on Essos, so the natural conclusion is that it’s further East (or perhaps East and South, as seen on that lovely cartoon map)
My thought was just that it seems strange for Jorah to suggest Asshai as a destination. This was before the dragons, so any nearby port city would have been a reasonable suggestion. Travelling through Lazhaar would have been fine at that stage (unless all the other Lhazareen would recognise Dany – which seems unlikely). Travelling around the red waste to Qarth would have been reasonable.
Travelling to Slaver’s bay would have been a possibility (though perhaps unwise due to the nature of the cities there)
Heck, travelling to the free cities would have been potentially viable as well (unless Drogo’s Ko’s were going to hunt Dany down to take her to Vaes Dothrak)
It just seems that of all destinations, Asshai is a loooooong way away, and far from the first choice.
It would be like someone in the Wolfswood, trying to escape the Northen Kingdom, saying “I hear there’s a good port in Sunspear”. It’s just an odd destination to suggest.
Ax0rQuote Reply
Ax0r,
Jorah knows all too well that the eyes of Westeros are upon her so it’s reasonable that he would want them to go somewhere where they could be somewhat safe from that. Asshai is far away, but Vaes Dothrak is far away from Westeros and still that place wasn’t safe.
Tywin’s BastardQuote Reply
Ours is the Fury,
Robert named Ned Stark to rule after him [at least for a few years].. and we all know how that worked out…
Seriously!? Do you have to be such a feminist about everything?! I mean if a man who was not able to have children was seeking the iron throne I would have said the exact same thing!!
HERP-DERPQuote Reply
I love the sunrise/sunset theory! Though I disagree with your thought on the dry sea, as the Dothraki Sea has always been dry. I think it has more to do with the Greyjoys invading Westeros. We have both Theon and Asha on the mainland (although in captivity), and if I remember correctly, Euron had plans to take Dany and then Westeros. The mountains part I won’t dispute, though my guess that I’ll throw into the ring is somehow related to Littlefinger and the Vale.
Gods I love coming to this site and talking about stuff like this!
Ye Olde WolfeQuote Reply
Um he named Ned on his DEATH BED with NO WITNESSES. Also he didn’t name him heir – just gave him an unofficial title with no legal powers.
Grooming an adopted heir from a young age publicly is utterly different and has been done successfully many times in actual history. Hence, this critique is stupid. She could even choose an heir she is related to (e.g. Shireen or one of Robert’s Bastards), or some young Martell.
If you say so!!!!! :)
userjQuote Reply
I am a feminist, of course I’m a “feminist about everything.” And if you said the same thing about a man, I would point out the flawed logic in your statement in the same manner.
Ours is the FuryQuote Reply
Well, my understanding is that it’s not possible to reach Qarth by land other than by going through the red waste – you can get there by sea but she has no boat. As for Slaver’s Bay… yeah they kinda suck. Also Lazaar doesnt’ have a port AFAIK. As for the Free Cities, my reading is that they are most likely further away than Asshai by that point, and they’d have to travel through more of the Dothraki Sea to get there.
Anyhoo. Another (cynical) reading is that Jorah wants to keep Dany as far away from the rest of the world as possible (to keep her to himself) to protect her. ;)
userjQuote Reply
userj,
This is Westeros, not England. The heir would have a House.. would he not[or she.. so Ours Is the Fury won't be mad] ? Let’s say the heir was from Dorne.. Given that the line of succession in Westeros is determined by birth, Dany would be basically handing the iron throne to the Dornish for the next thousand years, .. I cannot imagine any of the other Houses would be too happy about that… And I don’t think there are adoption agencies in Westeros from which Dany can “publically adopt a child”.. she could take in a “Squire” from another house but then you will just be handing the iron throne to another house again..
HERP-DERPQuote Reply
A song of ice and fire is largely based on the war of the roses – a conflict between two houses both vying for the throne of England. So, yes, when it comes to the current discussion it’s very similar.
In the case of Dany’s heir their original house is utterly meaningless in any case. After she adopts, that child is a Targaryen. Most likely she would name a child who has some Targaryen blood for continuity’s sake, but the child may even be a bastard.
And what are you even saying about adoption houses? She can name as heir and groom for leadership anyone she damn well pleases – she’s the Queen of Westeros.
userjQuote Reply
I think there’s a much simpler explanation: Jorah didn’t have a clue WTF he was talking about :) He’s never been to Asshai, he’s heard it’s way off in the east and they’ve been travelling east for months and months, so he assumes it must be nearby.
An earlier version of ADWD that GRRM read out a con seemed to suggest that Qarth is halfway from Valyria to Asshai. We don’t know precisely how far Valyria is from Qarth but it is a fair way (off the edge of the Slaver’s Bay map and across the Red Waste). It make it absolutely no less than 1,500 miles and possibly a lot more, which makes the Jade Sea pretty big and Asshai quite some distance off. However, that ref seems to have been struck from the finished book (it’s the bit where a visitor pulls out a massive map), so it’s not a canon reference.
Also, in ADWD we are told it’s two years from Volantis to Asshai and back. Even assuming that includes time for the fairly slow ‘traders circle’ around the Jade Sea (stopping at every major port and trading exotic goods, with Asshai at the far end of the sea before ships start coming back), that suggests a pretty big distance, and certainly indicates that Jorah and Dany were nowhere near there at the end of AGoT. To me, that simply suggests that Jorah had indeed massively underestimated the distance to Asshai.
Ha, in a week and two days hopefully we’ll see for sure. Unless the map only goes as far east as Qarth, in which case we’ll have to wait until October.
Adam WhiteheadQuote Reply
I noticed that Victarion Greyjoy was removed from the updated HBO Viewers Guide. He was mentioned in the one used last season so I wonder why they removed him while keeping Euron and Aeron. It may not matter now but he is (love him or hate him) a POV chapter character in AFFC/ADWD (as is Aeron). If the show does cover those books later on, I can only wonder what it means. Maybe it’s nothing.
CharlieQuote Reply