Arya staring up at some big doors.
Dear Book Readers,
You know how for the last five years you've been keeping your mouth shut because you didn't want to spoil anything for your non-book-reading friends? No matter how much you may have wanted to let something leak, or how much someone might have begged, you've been constitutionality required to keep a totally non-smug expression on your face, to raise your right hand, and to swear, "Yeah, though I have read every book and know all, verily I canst not tell thee what mayest happen, for that would be ... a spoiler."
Some of you may have required hospitalization following the terrible levels of tongue biting required to keep spoiler-free in advance of, let's say, a wedding. Or two.
Well, the good news is, you can stop that. You can put down your hand, release your tongue, and drop that absolutely non-smug expression. Because Game of Thrones the TV show is pretty much done with the books. We've now peeled away from the "based on" and headed into "inspired by" territory. Now you're in the dark with everyone else.
Come on in and see.
As usual, this week consisted of a dozen or more short cuts between story lines, some of which were abrupt enough to leave me thinking "just where are we now?" I'll make an attempt at grouping them by lead characters.
Arya
Hi, Arya! Missed you last week. Having finished her trip across the Narrow Sea, Arya knocks on the doors of the massive House of Black and White, the home base for the group of assassins know as the Faceless Men. She tries dropping the name of her old pal, Jaqen H’ghar, but is met only with an impressively dismissive scowl. Arya tries to show her persistence by parking on the steps for at least a day and night, spending her time in the wonderfully concentrating practice of reciting the names of people she intends to kill (it's a shorter list these days, but not because Arya has forgiven anyone). Eventually she gives up and wanders off into Braavos.
In the alleys of the city, Arya deftly parts a pigeon from its head to secure a feathery snack. When three young men are unwise enough to confront her, Arya gives them a look that really, really should send them scurrying. However they are foolish enough to stick around until one of the Faceless Men returns and escorts Arya back to the tall doors. What's inside? Tune in next week.
Book vs. Show: Arya is still more or less on track.
Brienne
Meanwhile the Maid of Tarth and Pod not-really-a-squire stop for lunch at Westeros's most popular inn. And of course they run into Sansa and Littlefinger. It takes Pod all of five seconds to see through Sansa's hair-dye disguise, and ten seconds more for Brienne to shove forward and offer her sword to the last Stark daughter on the continent. However, neither Littlefinger nor Sansa greets Brienne's offer warmly. There is the little matter of her protection of Renly and Catelyn, neither of which ended all that well. Brienne and Pod are forced to make a bit of a Keystone Knights escape through the forest that ends when Brienne does for a couple of Littlefinger's retinue.
Pod is all for giving up. After all, Sansa didn't want their help. However, as Brienne rightly points out, it's not as if being with Littlefinger means that Sansa is in good hands. So they take up pursuit.
Books vs. Show: Not even close. In the books, Brienne never came across either Sansa or Arya, and spent a lot of chapters either being suckered and simply wandering.
Cersei/Jaime
The arrival of a little Snake Surprise Statue complete with a locket taken from the neck of Princess Myrcella is the trigger for another round of Cersei telling her twin just how good he isn't. Jaime reminds her that being a good poppa would have meant all of them going onto the nearest incest pyre, but Cersei is having none of it. Exit Jaime.
Cersei is having plenty of political trouble as well. Even her relatives are none too keen on the idea of serving in a government where Cersei is playing the role of not just Queen Mother but ersatz-Hand and regent. Her Uncle Kevan tells her off and heads back to the family home, leaving Cersei with a court composed of only the most weak-minded lickspittles. Not exactly the foundations of a stable government.
Jaime launches off on a trip to distant Dorne to retrieve their missing daughter. He stops first to get a traveling companion in the form of Tyrion's former sellsword champion, Bronn. Bronn—make that Ser Bronn—is strolling the grounds of the Stokeworth estate, listening to his designated bride to be prattle on and giving deep contemplation to how many Stokeworths would have to meet with untimely accidents before he could have the nice big castle to himself.
Jaime promises Bronn an even better bride and an even better castle if he'll come along to Dorne and fetch back Myrcella. Road trip! We can only hope that Jaime and Bronn deliver some of the buddy comedy previously provided by the Tyrion/Bronn or Jaime/Brienne pairings.
Book vs. Show: Err, nope. Cersie mopes a bit and worries for her distant daughter (with good reason) but neither Jaime nor Bronn ever takes a step down the road to the south.
Doran Martell/Ellaria Sand
And here we are in Dorne. The water gardens are very pretty and we catch or first glimpse of Myrcella since ... season 2? Anyway, Ellaria Sand has made it home after watching Oberyn die and is very irritated that Myrcella is still walking around, being all alive and breathing up all the good Dornish air.
She tries to get Dornish leader Doran Martell to agree to send Cersei a stream of Myrcella bits as payback for Oberyn's death, but Doran insists on being honorable. Given the track record of this series, that's probably not a sign that he's long for this (fictional) world.
Books vs. Show: Sorta. Kinda. We've merged some characters, simplified some plots, and handed off a few duties, but it's not too different so far.
Daenerys
Things are still pretty rotten in Meereen. Grey Worm and Darrio prowl around, seeking out the rebellious Sons of the Harpy, and actually manage to locate one hiding in a false wall. The Harpy-spawn gets hauled up that tall pyramid and Daenerys' team debates about what to do. One of the group, a former slave, wants the captive killed right away. But Barristan gives Dany a lecture on How Not to Be an Evil Bastard—like her father—most of which can be paraphrased as "you don't get to kill everyone you think needs killing." But the debate is barely over when the former slave kills the Harpy anyway.
This leads to Daenerys being forced to condemn the former slave to death. Because ... hmm ... because ... because Daenerys seems so intent on justice in the abstract, that she's not paying much attention to the damage this idea of justice is generating to flesh and blood people. She goes out among the people, but when she ignores the cries for mercy and has the former slave executed, Dany is forced to run for it as the crowd hisses at her and the city verges on riot.
Later, on the top of the pyramid, Dany gets an unexpected visit from Drogon, the bad boy of her dragon trio. Unlike his siblings Dany chained in the basement, Drogon doesn't immediately try to kill his momma. They seem on the verge of reunion when Drogon zips off to soar above the city.
Book vs. Show: Em, sorta. We've changed around a lot of Daenerys' court and rearranged the deck chairs, but events are pretty well moving in the same direction. Although ...
Tyrion
Tyrion and Varys are trundling down the road in a very fancy coach, with Tyrion attempting to drink all the wine, beer, paint thinner, and shellac in the Free Cities along the route. There's not much here but a little conversation, but we do get reminded that Tyrion was actually pretty good at being the Hand of the King, and might actually be some help to Daenerys if they can get to her before his liver gives out.
Book vs. Show: Nope. No Varys and Tyrion wagon ride. Though ... well, I'll hold up there in order to not spoil some book plots.
Jon Snow
And up to the Wall for some time with Jon Snow. First we get a nice scene with Sam, Gilly, and Stannis' young daughter, Shireen. Shireen is teaching Gilly to read, and doing a nice job of it. However, Sam is distracted by politics. It's election season, and everyone expects the next leaders of the Night's Watch to be folks who pretty much hate on Jon and Sam. Even though said folks disgraced themselves in battle.
On the other side of Castle Black, Jon Snow is getting an offer from King Stannis that's even sweeter than the deal Stannis offered Mance Rayder last week. If Jon will swear allegiance to Stannis, the King will see to it that Jon gets the whole Stark birthright. He'll scrub the "bastard" out of his title and make him Lord of Winterfell.
Now that has to be a tempting offer.
However, ahem, honor. Doing stupid things for honor is apparently this week's theme, and Jon turns down the only king who happens to be near enough to run a sword through him. Instead, thanks to a really fine speech by Sam, Jon wins a squeaker of an election and becomes the new Commander of the Nights' Watch. So there's that.
Book vs. Show: Yeah, pretty close. Details. Details.