Who is that new Game of Thrones Character and why is he important?

Last week we saw a new character– some would say an old character– come in and save the day. It looked like Bran was going to die and that there was no way out, but all of a sudden some BMF swooped in to save the day. Awesome right?

But who is this masked man?

Yes, yes, yes. He showed himself to be Benjen Stark and explained that he was saved by the Children of the Forest. That’s all well and good, but even though we’ve mostly moved past the written books this dude was in the books.

Benjen/Coldhands is more than just Benjen Stark returned to help out his nephews. I could go on and on about how I don’t think that Benjen is really THE Coldhands and that the show has just thrown Benjen in as Coldhands bc they didn’t want to add a new character in the mix, but I’ll not say anything about that.

In the books Coldhands is a very mysterious character. He shows up in the nick of time to save Sam and Gilly, riding an elk, calling Sam “Brother” (aka he was probably a brother of the Night’s Watch at some point), and then has Sam get Bran, Meera, Jojen and Hodor (sob) safely through the Night’s Fort to the other side of the wall. He navigated them through the North Beyond the Wall to the Three Eyed Crow and managed to do so without killing Jojen.

Throughout the journey North though they realize that Coldhands is dead yet he doesn’t have the blue eyes of the wights, can talk and obviously is very intelligent. So now that Coldhands/Benjen/YetAnotherStarkThatWeThoughtWasDead is back what does that mean for the Bran/Jon/Sansa?

Will he help turn the tide against Ramsey Snow? Where is Bran going now that he’s left the Three Eyed Crow  Raven? Why the #@#$ did they have to kill off Summer?

A few good thoughts to leave you with:

The Umber’s have given up Rickon to Ramsey, but in the books they are hinted at as being double agents that don’t like or trust The Bastard. So I have my finger’s crossed that that wolf’s head wasn’t really Shaggydog (maybe a died Grey Wind?) and that the Umber’s are playing their own–right now unknown–angle that will be BA.

My other theory that is helping me sleep at night is that Arya will see the Waif coming after her through an animal’s eyes (please be a cat) and wake up just in time to stab her with Needle.

The reappearance of the Frey’s gives me hope that they are about to get what’s coming to them. Perhaps some Frey Pie?

And finally Sansa is an idiot. (Oh that wasn’t a good thought?)

The Game of Thrones Plot Twist You’re Missing

This week’s episode was really good, but I’m not going to do my normal recap instead I’m going to address an important plot point that I feel like the show isn’t fully explaining, but are expecting you to pick up on.

In the first episode they find a litter of direwolf puppies, one for each Stark child, and they were told to raise them and train them themselves. It was made very clear that these were dangerous animals, but it also became evident that the Starks (and Jon Snow) had an unusual amount of control over these animals.

It is because they are all wargs. To an extent at least.

Why is this important? Well keep reading– not only does this influence the whole Stark storyline it also is the key to Daenary’s problems.

Jon Snow

The books make it very clear that Jon Snow is a warg and a powerful one. The show does touch on this and explain that not only is he a warg, but so are some of the Wildlings. He begins to learn how to control his gift and how to control other animals besides Ghost. For Jon this doesn’t appear to be something that he has to work with at all with Ghost, but he doesn’t seem to have the same bond with any other animal.

That is until he inherits Mormont’s raven. His raven is a larger than normal raven and can speak in eerily appropriate ways. The raven seems to be strongly connected to Jon and even before Mormont was murdered he seemed to care about Jon’s welfare.

Why is this important for Jon?

Possibly Jon had warged into Ghost while he was dead making his resurrection possible, but my biggest theory is that (especially now that the dragons are freed) he will be able to become a dragonrider by reaching into the dragon’s mind to be able to control it.

And now his watch has ended and he can go do some gangster Stark/Targaryen stuff

Damn right is has.

Robb Stark

Robb was also very attached to his wolf and it wasn’t until he separated himself from Grey Wind (because his new bride distrusted the wolf and her family was afraid of him) that he became vulnerable.

Robb was not with Grey Wind when he was killed, but they made a show of killing the wolf too and then sewing the head of the wolf to Robb’s corpse.

Why was this important for Robb?

If he’d known how important and powerful this connection was he could have used it to stay in power and vet his potential enemies. He should have listened to his mother and kept his wolf close.

Sansa

Welp. Lady died pretty early on and Sansa admitted to feeling lost after Lady’s death. Sansa is horrible, self absorbed and really the worst character of the series (yes I say she’s even worse than Cersei or Ramsey Snow– she should have known better than to behave as she did).

The show has made her a lot more sympathetic a character than the books so feel free to disagree with me. I get where you’re coming from, but she never asked or thought about Arya in the books and was only concerned with what was happening to her.

Why is this important for Sansa?

I’d like to hope that she wouldn’t have been a self centered b*tch if Lady had lived. At least she would have hopefully been stronger.

Arya

Aside from Jon and Bran Arya is the next strongest warg in the Stark family. Jon learned from others that he could control other animals, but Arya finds out on her own that she can see through other’s eyes. This is my most recent issue with the show. In the books before Arya gets her eyesight back she warged into a cat to see who was attacking her and from where. I’m really disappointed they have left this out. Also left out is her wolf dreams. Ever since she sent Nymeria away she has dreamed at night of her pack and of hunting with them. In fact she was the one that  decided to pull her mother’s dead body out of the river (but seeing as they’ve left Lady Stoneheart out of this. . . ).

Why is this important for Arya?

During all of her trials and tribulations her wolf dreams have kept her anchored and given her a family when she had none. Also her warging into the cat gave her encouragement and the confidence she needed to continue her training without losing her identity as Arya Stark (even though that’s what they wanted to happen).

Her continued connection with Nymeria will also give her a ready made strong group of soldiers (even if they are four legged) whenever she gets back across the sea. She could even be a dragonrider– although I don’t see it going that way. I think perhaps you have to be a warg AND have Targaryen blood to be a dragonrider.

Bran

This is the only Stark that the show has repeatedly shown as a warg. His abilities have allowed him to control Summer, Hodor, and travel through the weirwood to see the past. Kudos to the show for showing this, but it just makes me even more frustrated that they’ve left all this out for the other characters.

Why this is important for Bran?

Well his powers have led him to the three eyed crow (with Meera, Jojen and Hodor’s help) and I think they will show Bran all about R+L=J (hopefully soon– holy CRAP what a tease this week). He’s also poised to spill the beans on Jon’s parentage which could rock Westeros and it appears that he’s trying to communicate with the people of the past. I just hope he doesn’t screw up the present even more because of this. There is also something fishy about Old Nan talking about how all Brandon Starks are all the same.

Rickon

It’s stated that Rickon has possibly the strongest warg connection out of any of the Starks with Shaggydog (I really really hope that the Umbers are setting up a trap for the Boltons and that they really didn’t kill Shaggydog and haven’t really given up Rickon. The Umbers were very loyal to Robb Stark and it’s hinted at that they might be playing the Bolton’s false). He also appears to have some type of greenseer ability. He dreamed about the deaths of Ned and the rest and knew that they weren’t coming back long before anyone else did.

Why is this important for Rickon?

Ummmm because warging is cool? Also to help control Shaggydog. Not a lot is known about Rickon and I hope that we finally find out more about him and where his story will take the narrative.  Yep not believing that Shaggydog is dead or that they Umbers are bad.. .yet.

Daenarys 

She dreamed of her dragons even before they were born and could feel their presence in the eggs. Then once they were born she was about to train them relatively easily. (Similarly to the Starks and their wolves). She’s had visions of Drogon flying over the land when she was sleepy or her mind was wandering. My thought is that she needs to warg into the dragon to truly be able to control him. The times that she has had control are when she was very scared or emotional which just reinforces my theory that she has the ability to control Drogon, but she just doesn’t know how to access that power (but does so by instinct when under stress).

Maester Aemon was very concerned about getting to Dany before he died as soon as he learned that she had three dragons. He said that he had important things to tell her and show her. I wonder if he wasn’t going to show her how to control her dragons and if perhaps he was controlling his ravens in a similar manner. For a blind man he sure saw a lot which would make a lot of sense if he was using his ravens to see for him.

There’s always a chance that the show will tie up all these plot lines without introducing the ability to warg, but I don’t really see how. My biggest fear is that they will just throw it in and assuming you caught all the times that warging was alluded to. Like how they brought back Rickon and the Umbers with very little prep.

 

Can you spot all the confirmed fan theories in Game of Thrones: Home?

I know you think I’m going to focus on the main confirmed theory, but of course I’m going to save that for last.

Lyanna

OK so maybe this wasn’t a fan theory, but we don’t know a whole lot about Lyanna that hasn’t be told to us. In the first book we hear stories from Robert that make her sound like a sweet virgin that was attacked by a spoiled prince. Ned’s memories are tinted by grief and shrouded by mystery.

So we finally get to see Lyanna and witness for ourselves that she’s not some simpering lady that would get taken advantage of. Instead she’s a fierce woman like Arya and doesn’t seem like someone that would need much help.

Maybe then we’ll get R+L=J confirmed next week. Lyanna seems more like someone that would let the world burn around her to be with the one she loves. I need that to be true.

Important side crap

Where is Brandon in the flashback? Ned wasn’t the first heir of Winterfell and the show has kind of ignored the fact that the Mad King not only killed Brandon, he also killed Ned’s father.

Old Nan is who grabs Hodor/Wylis and pulls him away from the fight. It’s alluded to in the book that Nan is hundreds of years old and has some magic knowledge.

Hodor

Hodor.

They show Hodor young and able to talk. There’s a fan theory that Hodor was somehow traumatized when Lyanna died or during the war and that’s why he just says Hodor. Maybe the show is buying in to that and I’ll be interested if they do. This isn’t a theory that I hate, but I also don’t love it.

Random Facts

In the books Hodor’s real name is Walder and Old Nan tells them that. But that would have made like the millionth Walder so I understand why the show wanted to change the name.

Wun Wun

Wun Wun is the name of the giant– you know the one that decided to smoosh some people this episode. He’s a little more prominent in the books and I had a theory that Jon gained control of him to try to get help when he was attacked, but they didn’t got that way on the show.

However I’m happy that they involved him in Jon’s rescue. Wun Wun was proof that everything that people found scary Beyond the Wall weren’t as bad as they seemed. He was trying to learn to speak and adapting to the environment.

Ser Robert Strong

It’s been suspected that Ser Robert  (the huge quiet knight that likes to kill) is the Mountain in zombie form that Qyburn has revived. The books never really confirm it, but they hint strongly to it.

The show jumps right into this theory though and pretty much confirm that Ser Robert is the Mountain. I wonder if Qyburn has a backdoor control on his monster that will backfire on Cersei though (I hope so).

The High Sparrow

There is a running theory that he is Howland Reed (Meera and Jojen’s dad who was at the Tower of Joy with Ned Stark.

The thought is that he is taking down the people who killed his friend (Ned) through the church. I go back and forth with this theory, but we should find out more about Howland next week when Bran has visions of what really happened at the Tower of Joy (I’m sure it was all really cheerful happy things).

Tyrion is a Targaryen

OK so stay with me for a moment. In the books Prince Quentyn tries to do what Tyrion does in this episode– fully expecting the Targaryen blood he has to help him control the dragons. Instead the dragons are freed and and Quentyn dies a horrible fire-y death.

However there is a huge theory that Tyrion is not Tywin’s son, but instead is the result of either an affair with the Mad King and Tywin’s wife or that she was raped by him. There are many posts that back this theory up and just as many that refute it.

It is also known that if you have dragon’s blood in you that the dragon’s will trust you (Dany actually gets betrayed by someone because of this).  (It is known).

he’s about to write a book about the serving class of Mereen pooping in pies

In walks Tyrion who calmly (or at least a hell of a lot calmer than me) talks to the dragons– says they are totes besties and then removes their chains. All without getting burned or eaten.

So did the show just confirm that Tyrion is a Targaryen? Or is he just well versed in Dragonlore? Will he be the third dragon rider (I already have the other two picked out).

More Random Book Thoughts

Quentyn dies trying to free the dragons, but he frees the all the same. Leaving them to terrorize the area and do what they want. My theory is that the white dragon (Viserion) is on his way to the Wall to meet his rider there.

So did Tyrion just let the dragons all the way go and can Viserion go meet up with his Dragonrider now?

Arya

I already talked about how much Arya and Lyanna are alike and we see a beaten, but not at all broken Arya this episode. There aren’t any theories confirmed for Arya this episode, but I’m getting disappointed on the things that they are leaving out about Arya.

In the books she learned how to warg while she was blind so that she could still see what was going on around her. She also is dreaming nightly of her wolf and has her pack pull her mother out of the river after The Red Wedding. I hate that they are leaving these parts out because you don’t see all the growth that she’s experiencing. Also they’ve not done a good job explaining that all the Starks (except Sansa) have the warging ability (Sansa probably did have that, but then her wolf died and she’s also stupid).

So I’m holding out until Arya wargs into a cat to spy on people.

and everyone wants this again

The Bastard

OK so there aren’t any theories confirmed here either, but there is some glorious murdering— and some really really sick murdering.

The Greyjoy’s

OK the sh*t is about the hit the fan here, but I didn’t like it in the books and can’t say that I’m enjoying watching it either. Everyone from there is grouchy, dirty and an all around piece of crap. But stuff happens. And I guess it’s important.

What you need to get from this

The Kingsmoot is kinda where they will vote on who will rule next. Imagine the current election, but with more threat of murder.

Jon *$%^#% Snow

Here’s the main event. Ever since the 5th book was released there have been theories flying around that the Red Woman would bring him back, or that some other magic would save him. Now it finally happened!

Melisandre makes a big show of a prayer and a ritual used to revive Jon, but did that really do it? Is that what saved him or did some other magic save him? Was the ritual necessary or just her faith that her god could do this that saved Jon? Or did some warg/Northern magic save Jon and the timing is just a coincidence? The only other revival we’ve seen like that was done by just a short prayer whispered in the ear of the the deceased.

Will Jon be the same?

I really think that Jon was never all the way gone because if he had been Ghost I think would have left his body. As it was he protected him until he came back to it.

Next week we will finally get to learn about the Tower of Joy and what went down there.

 

 

The Lion and The Rose: The Purple Wedding

Another week and another Game of Thrones wedding.  Let’s just go ahead and say if you have not watched last night’s episode stop reading now!  As always this post will be full to the brim of spoilers so you have been warned.

The Lovely Couple

Before we start with the wedding lovelies let’s talk about all the other random scenes that didn’t seem important now. Well at least to those who don’t know what’s coming.  The episode started out with a hunt involving The Bastard Ramsey Snow, some chick named Miranda that I for the life of me can’t place who she is or where she’s come from, Reek– the artist formally known as Theon Greyjoy and their prey– a poor, short lived girl.

We got to see the girl get chased down, shot by Miranda and then get eaten to death by Ramsey’s dogs.  The changes in Reek are very obvious in this episode.  He’s timid, beaten, and too scared to fight back.  As much as I hated Theon he never deserved all that The Bastard has done to him.

Stepping outside of the box though I just want to say the actor that plays The Bastard (Iwan Rheon) is one of my favorite actors.  He was both parts creepy and heroic on Misfits and I’m both scared and excited to see him continue with this role.  He will be one of the great villains this story needs.

Things you need to know about The Bastard:  He’s scary (yeah I know you know that).  Scary as in he scares Roose Bolton and if you can scare a man that would kill his King at a Wedding in exchange for Winterfell that’s saying something.  Also there has been a ton of torture and nastiness that you haven’t gotten to see.  He’s also about to have a wedding, at least if they stick to the books, however not as exciting a one as you’d hope.

We also got to see Bran this go round and feel his frustration.  One thing they did show, but I don’t think explain well was what happened when Bran touched the Heart Tree.  So:

What you need to know about Bran:  when he is hooked up to the Weirwood he can see what any heart tree has seen, wherever, whenever.  There’s a lot more to it then that, but that’s why he saw his dad and all those other images.

We also see some scenes with The Red Witch and Stannis.  Stannis’ wife is gleefully watching her brother burn to death.  Needless to say there are some issues there, but mostly we are just being reminded that they still exist and stuff is about to happen there.

Now let’s move on to the hard stuff.  Cathy will join me for this part of the discussion.

I found this next set of images on Tumblr and I thought it showed more than I could explain:

This photo set speaks to a book theory that I’ll talk about at the end, but I thought it was fitting here.

How many of you cheered out loud at the end of this episode?

Joffrey (Lannister) Baratheon 286AL-300AL

“Golden lads and girls all must, as chimney-sweepers, come to dust. “ Cymbeline (1611), Act IV, scene 2. Song, line 262.

Cathy:

I remember throwing the book across the room when I read the Red Wedding, and I refused to continue reading for a few days. In stark contrast, never in all of literature or film have I ever been happier when a character died than when Joffrey did.

I relished in the happiness until I realized that Tyrion was going to be blamed for his death. Oddly enough, Tryion’s journey after this moment is one of my favorite character subplots. I’m very excited to see how the show portrays his journey.

Joffrey dying is going to have the same effect as Ned dying.  The storylines of the denizens of Westeros are going to be shaken up, people will be scattered across the realm, and much chaos will ensue.  I for one cannot wait.

If you’ve read the books, you know who slipped Joffrey the poison. If not, I won’t spoil it. One detail I noticed was that after Joffrey cuts the pie with the sword, the camera focuses on some dead birds in the pie. I was wondering if that was a clue that the poison in the show’s version was in the pie, not the wine as it is in the book. I’m not a stickler for keeping everything the same between show and book, if it was in the pie, then that’s a fun little change for the show. We shall see.

OK me again.  Joffery needed to die. So therefore I was worried that he therefore would live a long and happy life killing whores in his room with crossbows.  Once again I’m going to issue a warning.  If you are a watchling (aka someone who hasn’t read the books) I’d recommend you stop reading now as I’m going to throw out some theories that if you haven’t read through book 5 will ruin some things for you.

I’ll give you time to navigate away and just post this other awesome photo set:

So much emotion.  Too bad in reality Sansa is still a clueless twat.

OK back to those theories and spoilers.  We see Margaery’s grandmother go up and straighten Sansa’s necklace (which took place of the hairnet in the books) and what I didn’t notice last night, but expected was this:

We see a jewel missing from Sansa’s necklace.  A jewel that is in fact the poison that kills Joffery.  My assumption?  The grandmother takes the jewel here, then passes it off to Margaery  who slips it in Joff’s cup between his drink before cutting the pie and the drink he has after his first bite.  After all Margaery is the one that takes the cup from Joff and sets it down on the table while the pie is being cut.

Ser Dontos runs off with Sansa setting her off on her next adventure.  An adventure full of just as much excitement as before.

So about what I said about the Tyrion/Sansa photoset.  It is stated in the books numerous times anytime someone is exceptionally gallant that they are like Rhaegar.  Jamie and Cersei have little honor (Jamie much more than Cersei), Tywin has absolutely no honor either.  So where does Tyrion’s honor and sense of morality come from?

In the books it’s stated that The Mad King was unduly interested in Tywin’s late wife and that Tywin resigned as Hand quickly and returned to Casterly Rock.  My thoughts?  Perhaps the Mad King raped or more likely had an affair with Tywin’s wife and Tyrion is the result of that.  The holes in this theory are that I would think that Tywin would have killed Tyrion as an infant if that was the case, but also Tywin is in it for the long game so maybe Tyrion was meant to be kept as insurance against the Targaryens.

Tyrion does talk about his fascination with dragons a lot so perhaps one of Dany’s dragons will end up being his.

What are your thoughts on my theories?  I have many many more– mostly involving Jon Snow– but we’ll get to those later.

 

 

Up next: Where is Dontos taking Sansa, what will happen to Tyrion, who else is going to die?

Join us again next week!

 

Major Character Deaths: 1

Boob Count: 0 (WHAT?!)