What we know about Game of Thrones Season 5
By rowankaiser
For readers
All right, now that we’ve kicked the Unsullied out, let’s get right to it. Will this season get past the books?
Generally it looks like no–events from the climax of Dance are scheduled for the ninth or tenth episodes of this season. However there are three pretty big exceptions. First, it seems clear that Tyrion will be meeting Dany directly. He’s shown in the pictures we have of the Daznak’s Pit battle.
Second, photos from Dubrovnik show Mace Tyrell and Ser Meryn Trant arriving in Braavos, where Arya is doing her training. This is almost certainly a slightly remixed version of the already-excerpted chapter of The Winds of Winter when Arya meets Rafe the Sweetling.
Finally, Sansa and Littlefinger clearly seem to be out with Vale forces. This is either completely new for the show, or something from the novels which has yet to appear.
So what’s in the books that’s missing from this season—as far as we know?
Several characters who play moderate-to-important roles are, as far as we know, uncast. This includes Arianne and Quentyn Martell, Victarion, Euron, and Aeron Greyjoy, Wyman Manderly, and the Griffs. (There are a bunch more minor characters—check the individual regions below.)
What’s the biggest wildcard in all of this?
There’s no sign of Lady Stoneheart, still. This means that Jaime and Brienne’s stories—which, on the page, came to very ambiguous, possibly fatal conclusions—are almost totally up in the air. For the first time there are major characters whose potential deaths on-screen will shock even readers.
There’s also a question of whether there will be a Lady Stoneheart equivalent. There are some theories that this is Sansa’s role at the head of Vale forces. Brynden Tully is also potentially still at large.
What’s changed?
George R.R. Martin has stated that characters who haven’t yet died in the novels are going to die this season. We don’t know who they might be. Fans have pinpointed Jaime and Brienne as the favorites (thanks to that Lady Stoneheart wildcard) but we came up with speculation of eight characters who might fit.
The biggest change that we know of is that Jaime and Bronn are headed to Dorne, instead of Arys Oakheart.
From the trailer, it’s also clear that Varys is going with Tyrion on his journey much more than he does in the novels, though he doesn’t seem to make it all the way to Meereen.
Jon Snow will also be going to Hardhome for an action sequence before the end of the season.
What will the climax of the season be?
Two major scenes from the climax of A Dance with Dragons were filmed in public, and were also associated with David Nutter, who’s known to be directing the final two episodes of the season. Therefore we can say with some confidence that the chaos in Daznak’s Pit and Cersei’s Walk of Atonement will occur at the climax of the season.