Game of Thrones (contains serious, massive SPOILERS)

[Kong Wen]

Shoe, I agree, Kevan's small council scene was excellent. I also like how Grand Maester Pycelle is making disgruntled little jabs about that other charlatan being involved.

Kiwi, re: Littlefinger:

Spoiler

I think they massage his expectations and preferences fairly well, but it may just be because I've seen episodes 3 & 4, and I forget which scenes are in which episodes. I won't spoil anything, but I think he's still in-character.

[The Shoemaker]

In regard to the Mance and Sansa storyline and after watching 5.2. and involving the later books.

Spoiler

While they may skip the magic part and send some other Wildlings to Winterfell instead, Littlefinger and Sansa may be involved with the Bolton's within this season.
In the books, Sansa's childhood friend was passed as her and married to Ramsay to secure the claim and take Winterfell, since this girl was never established though they may go with the real one instead (though it doesn't quite fit with Littlefinges preferences).
This is just an assumption right now, but there isn't much of Sansa's ark in the book that is left to tell.

Same spoiler content

Spoiler

I'm thinking that the whole Wildling/Mance role will be replaced entirely by Brienne and Podrick. If they're going to follow Sansa to Winterfell the show writers must have some plan for them that doesn't involve another failure. I don't think anyone will recognize the two beyond Sansa + LF, they must play a role in her rescue. What this leaves for Theon I'm not sure. It may work out similar since in the books once Stannis recieves Jeyne from Theon he plans to send her to Jon at the wall, so maybe that's where Sansa will go, but skip going to Stannis because Brienne hates Stannis.

[Kreegs]

Is anyone else simply disappointed that no one was topless in that last episode? Seriously!

Mrs. K and I bet on who will be every week and everyone lost!

[The Shoemaker]

Is anyone else simply disappointed that no one was topless in that last episode? Seriously!

Mrs. K and I bet on who will be every week and everyone lost!

Haha me and my girlfriend do the same. but usually they have one or two episodes a season without nudity. After Episode one with Daenerys/Emilia Clarke covering herself up I'm thinking she's done with nudity, so I won't be predicting her anymore!

[Kiwi the Tortoise]

Soo.. after Ep: 5.3 I guess we won't see Penny, Pretty Pig and Crunch here....

Spoiler

..also no additional Targaryen.
I also wonder if/when the Greyjoy stuff, which basically opened up the books, happens. So far, Balon is still alive and no Kingmoot took place.

[Kong Wen]

Kiwi, I feel like this season is rushing through "big plot points" a bit more that previous seasons, especially the earliest ones. Part of this is because the books are less firm now that the show has caught up with them. But for this reason, I think there's still room for them to play with the two points you mentioned in your spoiler. I think they're going to want to have some of that extra narrative ammo up their sleeves for a season or two from now, to pad out future seasons.

[Kiwi the Tortoise]

I agree.
They seem to have chosen only a few of the plotlines though, letting the others rest.
So far the Cersei-plotline is the most obvious rush attempt (the first scene in this season basically confimed that they want to focus on this).
But a lot of things may end up getting lost along the way.
E.g. I assume we won't be seeing

Spoiler

Quentyn "Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III" Martell (see if anybody gets the reference), who is relevant in Dany's plotline. I actually liked how his stuff played out in the books.

..either

Then again, a lot of the changes make things interesting for me, e.g. the Brienne/Sansa stuff (now with less Mance) and I guess the absence of a certain Lady S. may even keep the next book (if it ever happens) interesting to read.

[Kong Wen]

I guess the absence of a certain Lady S. may even keep the next book (if it ever happens) interesting to read.

I'm not fully convinced they've skipped that yet. It still seems important to me, even without all the peripheral stuff happening around it. And with the way they've supposedly split the narrative threads out a bit in the show, it seems like something that could be shifted to a future season (bundle it up with some more Greyjoy / Riverrun stuff).

[Kreegs]

I guess the absence of a certain Lady S. may even keep the next book (if it ever happens) interesting to read.

I'm not fully convinced they've skipped that yet. It still seems important to me, even without all the peripheral stuff happening around it. And with the way they've supposedly split the narrative threads out a bit in the show, it seems like something that could be shifted to a future season (bundle it up with some more Greyjoy / Riverrun stuff).

Worried about what is going to go down when Lady S. sees Theon...

[Kiwi the Tortoise]

So, I'm up to Ep 5.4 and...

Spoiler

I really like how they do a lot with Margaery and Tommen (who is barely old enough to walk/speak in the books).
Adding Lorras to the Sparrows plot was a good idea too, in the books he got send to take Dragonstone from Stannis remaining troops.