re: Game of Thrones S6:E3 "Oathbreaker" Bookreader Thread

Cutting the GNC to have the Umbers and Karstarks and Manderlys all back Bolton will piss me off. It won't piss me off because I won't accept deviations from the book. It will piss me off because it will completely undermine the characterization that has been given to the north for five season. It would moot out previously discussed pieces of dialogue ("The North remembers."). Lastly it would piss me off because it is simply a less interesting story.

I get not everything can be the same, but trashing a plotline just to have Jon and Ramsay brawl it out will ruin a good bit of the interesting things going on in the book.

I agree, there needs to be a payoff for all the horrible shite that has happened to the Starks. The GNC makes them whole again, or as whole as they could be. I will riot if D&D leave that out. I really think Smalljon planted the GNC seeds this week in the world the showrunners are in charge of.

Also I will point out one divergence from the books that has been very well done is the heroic turn for Varys without really trashing his darker aspects from the books.

We know he uses his "Little Birds" to gather whispers. In the books and the show he is hesitant to hurt children. Yet we never see any grown up "Little Birds." The books have indirect evidence that he kills the children once they grow up and can no longer be bribed with sweets. At least some of them have their tongues torn out and are sent to Illyrio.

The show will probably never touch those details given how they portray Varys, but they also left room for that to be true open in the scenes with Qyburn and the birds.

It will be interesting to see if Varys still has a hold on them (I think he doesn't), which he could use to undermine Qyburn.

Which is why I was so puzzled about the Three-Eyed Crow. Why throw in a line that destroys the book interpretation of the character? I hope they will eventually use it but only time will tell for sure.

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Why are we acting like the GNC actually happened in the books and is not just a theory?

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Depends on the scope of the GNC, but its pretty damned clear in the books that Manderly is just biding his time.

Well Wyman pretty much just lays it out for Davos in the books. They haven't succeeded. I think most people are just reacting to the apparent change to the Umbers and Manderlys.

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Why are we acting like the GNC actually happened in the books and is not just a theory?

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Other than the Manderlys turning on the Freys, you are right. We don't know if there is actually some grand GNC for sure. But there are some pretty big hints to it in the books.

Now they can go get Randy and Linda's kid in the tower.

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It is entirely believable a younger Umber sides with the current Lord of winterfell (bolton) for their own protection

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Other than Roose having quite a bit to do with Greatjon's apparent death.

I don't think surprise attacks are dishonorable in their eyes. Also Robb marries a non-Frey because he sleeps with her and wants to make it right for her (unless I'm forgetting some change in the show). The Boltons are obviously an outlier in the North that no one particularly likes in the books.

I don't think the North has knightly valor (note the books make a big deal about his false that actually is with Gregor and Sandor). They do though have certain laws and traditions that they hold very close. Guest's rights and kin-slaying are very big no-no's and the Boltons have broken both of them.

Also the Starks have commanded the North since before the conquest. The idea they are so casual about their deaths just feels wrong.

IF this is a hidden GNC for the show, will the miserable folks in here eat crow about it? Or will they still be mad because the show didn't telegraph that move and make it super obvious?