Gotta say I'm not looking forward to Tywin dying. Charles Dance is the best part of this show for me.

His talents were wasted on a lot of dreck films, too. Last Action Hero? Alien 3? Ali G Indahouse? Christ.

I think the show will struggle after this season, and by struggle I mean have a lot of episodes that only do well because of the success that the first seasons have built up. This season there is so much intrigue brought about by Storm of Swords but when you get into the next two books I just don't see a lot of great things happening to keep the show at the same level of excitement as the first three books did.

They will have to amp it up with the sets in the next couple seasons because you will have more of the Iron Islands with the Greyjoys and the show will venture to Dorne for the first time.

They've tried to make Cersei more sympathic from the beginning (part of that is Lena Headey's portrayal) but I haven't felt like that with Jamie. Last night seemed like a misstep after what they'd established with him. It started right, but got weird quickly. In any case, I don't expect them to do change a whole lot with Tyrion, which will certainly make her a villain and him a hero in the eyes of the viewer (assuming we get full disclosure of Cersei bribing everyone including Shae).

To this point in the story, Cersei has been all Jaime has thought about. She's what has kept him going, essentially. In the "previously shown" segment before the episode started, they highlighted Cersei telling Jaime that everything had changed. Taking her like he did was only him trying to make things as they were (strange as it was with their dead kid hovering right above them). Going forward I think they'll keep that part of the story true with the books - her pushing him away to where he shuns her, as well. That was the beginning of the rest of his story, as it was.

I dunno, I mean they can do three episodes of Stannis marching through the snow to keep things interesting...right?

Seriously though, it will be an issue after this season and last as people will be expecting the action to be sustained, and we all know it isn't. I think the producers would like to finish with books 4 and 5 both next season for the most part. You can squeak out enough action if you combine them. Or they can add story lines like they did with Dany's stolen dragons in season 2.

Cersei is going to have to really do well to help offset the loss of Joffrey and Tywin, those guys have been killing it on the show and the loss of both will be felt by the viewers. She and Ramsay will have to take over as the main villains. I think book readers will stick it out, but show only fans may be harder to keep invested, especially if they drag books 4 and 5 out into two full seasons. The problem is there are not any really huge moments to focus on at the end of next season like there have been up to this point. Obviously Tyrion being freed and killing Shae and Tywin will be the climax of this season, but then what would be the climax for next season?

I guess it could be Dany flying away on Drogon....


...

I think that's a real possibility, because this season marks the high point in the books. The other two are still good, but they're not as good as what's come before. And there's a whole lot of travelogue and just sort of meandering in them, which doesn't necessarily translate well to the tv medium.

But I also think enough stuff happens that they'll get their seasonal high points, and they can always play up stuff like Jamie's seige of Riverrun. Obviously a lot happens with Jon Snow too, and Dany's struggles at Mereen (foreshadowed by the whole bit last night about the differences in winning/conquering and ruling) should be interesting to watch albeit probably not terribly popular for viewers who by that time will have had four years of her triumphantly rolling over everyone.

I think the show will be fine though, and they'll have elements of book 6 to begin to introduce as well.

My guess is that's the end of season 6. I don't think there's any way they can conceivably fit both books into one season.

George RR Martin ‏@_GRRM_ 2h

For the record, Jaime and Cersie had mutual sex next to Joff's corpse in the books. That scene came off a little rapey... I'm not THAT sick.

ROFL

Missed Strong Belwas last night. Just wasn't the same, him not holding the severed head up for all Meereen to see and then taking a shit. LMAO

It is weird that they decided to not include that character in the story.

I can't remember but in the book did they ask the Viper to sit on the jury? I guess I don't recall that happening.

I think the people who haven't read the books are going to shit when the Viper gets killed.

Was that scene in the book? I don't remember a rape at the casket. I thought it was just sex?