A Song Of Ice and Fire (Spoilers for all Published Books)

[Norah]

Really happy to see Benjen.

Are you? I wasn't. But I understand the need for him to be Coldhands in the show. Bran needs a mentor/protector and they didn't want to introduce a new character.
I hope in the books Benjen and ColdHands remain separate.

Same.

Last week I posted:

Honestly, in the books I don't think we're ever getting Benjen back, and I think that's how I want it. For all the characters that go and then come back, and for everything that is more than what it seems, it's nice to have some things that are what they seem. Benjen went north of the wall during a time when it was more perilous to do so than it had been before. He wasn't the only ranger to do so, and he wasn't the only ranger to lose his life because of it.

The Starks might have connections to magic, but that doesn't make them immortal. And the fact that a Stark, a First Ranger of the Night's Watch, can succumb to the others like any other man really says something about the thread looming over men.

Book Benjen is a MacGuffin, I think. But I'm totally fine with them making him Coldhands on the show.

Benjen Stark really had two purposes in this story: To provide mystery/heighten the threat, and to get Jon to the Wall.

The show can do whatever they want, it's not like it's very good at this point.

See, I'm really enjoying the show this year, specifically because I don't have the books to compare it to. It's freed me up to enjoy the show on it's own merits, without constantly thinking "that's not how it is in the books."

I'm still very much enjoying the show, but more in a junk food kind of way.

[Zantac Junkie]

Winds of Winter spoiler:

Spoiler: show

It's long been rumoured, but George Martin confirmed that Brienne is a descendant of Sir Duncan the Tall. http://winteriscoming.net/2016/05/30/ge ... -ancestry/

[Norah]

Winds of Winter spoiler:

Spoiler: show

It's long been rumoured, but George Martin confirmed that Brienne is a descendant of Sir Duncan the Tall. http://winteriscoming.net/2016/05/30/ge ... -ancestry/

That article says he

Spoiler: show

was Lord Commander of the Night's Watch. I don't think that's true.

[Mecca]

Winds of Winter spoiler:

Spoiler: show

It's long been rumoured, but George Martin confirmed that Brienne is a descendant of Sir Duncan the Tall. http://winteriscoming.net/2016/05/30/ge ... -ancestry/

That article says he

Spoiler: show

was Lord Commander of the Night's Watch. I don't think that's true.

they likely meant kingsguard

[Norah]

Winds of Winter spoiler:

Spoiler: show

It's long been rumoured, but George Martin confirmed that Brienne is a descendant of Sir Duncan the Tall. http://winteriscoming.net/2016/05/30/ge ... -ancestry/

That article says he

Spoiler: show

was Lord Commander of the Night's Watch. I don't think that's true.

they likely meant kingsguard

yeah i know

[Zantac Junkie]

Winds of Winter spoiler:

Spoiler: show

It's long been rumoured, but George Martin confirmed that Brienne is a descendant of Sir Duncan the Tall. http://winteriscoming.net/2016/05/30/ge ... -ancestry/

That article says he

Spoiler: show

was Lord Commander of the Night's Watch. I don't think that's true.

He escorted Aemon and Bloodraven to the wall, but he returned south after. I pretty sure he died at summerhall.

[Norah]

Winds of Winter spoiler:

Spoiler: show

It's long been rumoured, but George Martin confirmed that Brienne is a descendant of Sir Duncan the Tall. http://winteriscoming.net/2016/05/30/ge ... -ancestry/

That article says he

Spoiler: show

was Lord Commander of the Night's Watch. I don't think that's true.

He escorted Aemon and Bloodraven to the wall, but he returned south after. I pretty sure he died at summerhall.

Yeah, the article fucked up.

[Norah]

Notes on the Aeron chapter GRRM read this weekend:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Vuq ... asic?pli=1

[tragabigzanda]

Whenever there's active promotion on the part of somebody else, whenever I see somebody all dolled up for a fancy photograph and someone's handing out flyers or whenever there's active promotion for something like that, as an imposition on my day, I hate all those people and I want them to fail. I have a visceral reaction to advertising and promotion. There's just something about salesmanship that grates on me on a very base level and I react very negatively towards it. I want those people to suffer and I want their enterprises to fail.

[Norah]

Winds of Winter spoiler:

Spoiler: show

It's long been rumoured, but George Martin confirmed that Brienne is a descendant of Sir Duncan the Tall. http://winteriscoming.net/2016/05/30/ge ... -ancestry/

That article says he

Spoiler: show

was Lord Commander of the Night's Watch. I don't think that's true.

Question:

Spoiler: show

Sorry, is that the same as Dunk from Dunk and Egg?

yes

[Norah]

dunk the lunk, thick as a castle wall

[Norah]

Notes on the Aeron chapter GRRM read this weekend:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Vuq ... asic?pli=1

And it looks like someone transcribed it:

https://angrygotfan.com/2016/05/29/the- ... ir-part-1/

[darth_vedder]

Really happy to see Benjen.

Are you? I wasn't. But I understand the need for him to be Coldhands in the show. Bran needs a mentor/protector and they didn't want to introduce a new character.
I hope in the books Benjen and ColdHands remain separate.

Same.

Last week I posted:

Honestly, in the books I don't think we're ever getting Benjen back, and I think that's how I want it. For all the characters that go and then come back, and for everything that is more than what it seems, it's nice to have some things that are what they seem. Benjen went north of the wall during a time when it was more perilous to do so than it had been before. He wasn't the only ranger to do so, and he wasn't the only ranger to lose his life because of it.

The Starks might have connections to magic, but that doesn't make them immortal. And the fact that a Stark, a First Ranger of the Night's Watch, can succumb to the others like any other man really says something about the thread looming over men.

Book Benjen is a MacGuffin, I think. But I'm totally fine with them making him Coldhands on the show.

Benjen Stark really had two purposes in this story: To provide mystery/heighten the threat, and to get Jon to the Wall.

The show can do whatever they want, it's not like it's very good at this point.

See, I'm really enjoying the show this year, specifically because I don't have the books to compare it to. It's freed me up to enjoy the show on it's own merits, without constantly thinking "that's not how it is in the books."

I'm still very much enjoying the show, but more in a junk food kind of way.

I haven't read the books, but I'm enjoying the show more this season too.

Also, I was glad to see Benjen back as well. Team Starks.

[Norah]

This season is infinitely better than last.

[Monkey_Driven]

This season is infinitely better than last.

It helps when the plot actually goes somewhere over the course of 3 to 5 episodes.

[epilogue]

Really happy to see Benjen.

Are you? I wasn't. But I understand the need for him to be Coldhands in the show. Bran needs a mentor/protector and they didn't want to introduce a new character.
I hope in the books Benjen and ColdHands remain separate.

Same.

Last week I posted:

Honestly, in the books I don't think we're ever getting Benjen back, and I think that's how I want it. For all the characters that go and then come back, and for everything that is more than what it seems, it's nice to have some things that are what they seem. Benjen went north of the wall during a time when it was more perilous to do so than it had been before. He wasn't the only ranger to do so, and he wasn't the only ranger to lose his life because of it.

The Starks might have connections to magic, but that doesn't make them immortal. And the fact that a Stark, a First Ranger of the Night's Watch, can succumb to the others like any other man really says something about the thread looming over men.

Book Benjen is a MacGuffin, I think. But I'm totally fine with them making him Coldhands on the show.

Benjen Stark really had two purposes in this story: To provide mystery/heighten the threat, and to get Jon to the Wall.

The show can do whatever they want, it's not like it's very good at this point.

See, I'm really enjoying the show this year, specifically because I don't have the books to compare it to. It's freed me up to enjoy the show on it's own merits, without constantly thinking "that's not how it is in the books."

This guy gets it.

[epilogue]

This season is infinitely better than last.

It helps when the plot actually goes somewhere over the course of 3 to 5 episodes.

Yep. Another reason I'm thrilled we're off book now.

[Norah]

So did anyone else read the notes on the new Aeron chapter?

[epilogue]

NO

[Norah]

there's some good stuff in there, joey