May 14, 2013
Episode 109: The Bear and the Maiden Fair
Episode 109 for the week of May 12th, in which we review the seventh episode in the third season of HBO’s Game of Thrones. We are joined by returning guest host Elio of Westeros.org at the end of the episode to chat about TV show and book series canon, theories, and the World of Ice and Fire.
Notes: Like almost all episodes of APOIAF, this episode has spoilers for all published books in George RR Martin’s ASOIAF series. Our Game of Thrones MS Paint Project Book is now available for iPad, has had its first external review, and has print copies available for purchase in person at BookHampton.
25 Comments, Comment or Ping
Mordion
Damn, fast release, and thrilled to hear Elio again.
May 14th, 2013
jesicka309
A review for the artbook!!!! EEEEKKKKKKKK it’ll be on the bestseller lists in no time!
Will listen to the episode later when I can download it. 🙂
May 14th, 2013
Linecom1
one of ashley’s best episodes in a long time. i think her being awake helped alot
May 15th, 2013
Kyle
I tried to get her to expand on her answers a few times cause I know you all want some more Ashley time.
May 15th, 2013
Anonymous
Actually I think most definately not.
Ashley spends her time whinging and whining
about the tv verses book, it ruins what could be an
interesting analyse into ” time to switch off”
sorry, nothing personal but she’s irritating,
someone else please.
May 19th, 2013
Anonymous
Agreed. Guys, you should watch the What the Flick review. It’s really exciting. And for a more technical one, then of course the best is Elio’s.
May 21st, 2013
Lady Griffin
The Theon scene was so bad I muted my television. Dreadfort has officially become the Qarth of season 3.
I mean, I get it, on a script level, on a character level, on a contract level, but the writers have given us no reason to care other than torture being unpleasant. Adding two women to rub on each other for a full agonizing minute was just gross. I almost flipped a table when the camera leered over Ros’s dead body last episode, but a dry hump session in a torture chamber was almost too much. It’s not interesting, it’s not provocative, it’s just tedious.
A shame, because Alfie Allen and Iwan Rheon are doing amazing work.
As for Shae, I sided with her this time around. Is it that hard to imagine that she has *some* self-respect and isn’t interested in being Tyrion’s side-dish? The arguments that she should be grateful as his mistress in a gilded cage seem more than a little callous.
May 15th, 2013
nemui
Re. Shae – yes, it is hard to imagine given her social standing/profession of choice. The gilded cage is absolutely the best offer she could have hoped for – and she still protests, proposing instead a mad escape into the Free Cities where they could both take up juggling! It’s utter insanity, supposedly justified by the fact that she is somehow madly in love with Tyrion (and vice versa). Nonsensical character assassination.
May 18th, 2013
Timmay
A thought on what Elio had to say about publishing of aSoIaF books.
2013: Short Story from Warrior women
2014: Lands of IaF
2015: Winds of Winter
I do not think the publisher will do 2 in one year.
I’m guessing due to progress/targeting they are looking to 2015 for Winds so they are spreading out the other 2 to evenly fill the gap.
2015 folks. Thats 4 years from Dance. Seems reasonable based on the times the other books took.
May 15th, 2013
jesicka309
Really enjoyed this episode guys, and I thought it was great you got Elio on to clarify some of the murklier things about the show/bok.
Great work! 🙂
May 15th, 2013
brynden
thanks for the episode – i like it how the cast adapts to the three-person tv-episode setup. everybody fills his/her role and somehow it feels kind of “routine” (in a good way).
and thanks to mr. elio to say as much as he dares.
May 16th, 2013
Lord Littlefinger
Wait, I could have sworn Ned’s mom was a Flint (First flint, flint of the mountains). Didn’t Bran says that in storm of swords while they were going through there.
May 16th, 2013
brynden
his grandmother (rickard stark’s mom) was a flint.
it (still) is unknown who the mother of brandon, ned, lyanna and benjen is. we do not have a name not even a first name.
May 16th, 2013
nemui
I’m still not sure why they’re suggesting she was from Skagos. Is it because Osha took Rickon there, or because there was some sort of military action there before Ned was born? Neither seems particularly convincing, especially given the reputations of both sides (Wardens of the North – irrelevant cannibal tribes).
I mean it *could* have happened, but would probably be such a legendary turn of events that someone would have said something about it in the books by now.
May 18th, 2013
Kyle
This is the first time I’ve ever heard this theory either but from what Amin mentioned it sounds like the theory came about to explain why Rickon and Osho would escape to Skagos as opposed to a place like Greywater Watch. He’s blood.
Sounds pretty weak to me too honestly, but we shall see.
May 18th, 2013
ash
yeah, theories stupid as hell *cough* did I say that?
May 18th, 2013
A Podcast of Ice and Fire
Yeah, it was for both those reasons, to explain why they went there
and why it would be in alignment with the increased focus on
Skagos in other ASOIAF mediums. Oh, and upon further discussion it may also help explain why there is all the recent warging in the recent Stark line (a fresh infusion of the warging ability from northern stock).
Ashley, one of us will be apologizing in Winter 2014 🙂
– Amin
May 18th, 2013
nemui
Occam’s razor says Osha is the one that has contacts/familial ties on Skagos, not Rickon. It would be safe to assume that the cannibals of the isle are somehow related to the wildlings beyond the Wall…
Which makes me think, do we know what passes for the Common Tongue on Westeros? Is it the language originally spoken by Andals, or is it something older?
May 22nd, 2013
mindfulmonk
Amazing episode! As far as worries about what people will talk about years later, and the ‘facts’ of the ASOIAF— the book will always trump the show.
I can’t think of a time EVER that someone tried to argue that a show was the ‘real’ story, especially when the book was out years before.
Keep up the great work!
May 16th, 2013
Matt
Just wanted to say that whoever does the voiceover for the Bastards of Kingsgrave spot, it’s amazing and I crack up every time.
May 16th, 2013
A Podcast of Ice and Fire
Thanks to our friend JCx from the anime world. I don’t even think he is an ASOIAF/GOT fan but he did some good audio work for us. Someone cast this guy for an anime dub.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k8RUt5b8aDA
http://www.youtube.com/user/jchiu132
May 16th, 2013
LeeorV
I really enjoyed the outlooks you guys offered in this episode, and I liked hearing a bit from Elio as well :-).
I don’t know how I feel about some of the recent changes on the show though, I was under the impression that no one (other than Dorne and the Iron folk obviously) really knew of the Dragons in the east up until dance, and I thought we’ll see Gendry playing an interesting role in the future, and now it seems much less likely due to him replacing Edric in the show…
May 16th, 2013
NickSnow
You know, I really hated how they made the brotherhood into wacked out religious zealots, but I really don’t mind Gendry being the new Edric. I really enjoyed the scene between him and Mel. Thought it was actually kind of cool to see him find out. This is a change I can get behind
May 16th, 2013
aryastark7330
Nice work guys! I’m also really confused about how we should view the tv show now – is there now a blurring between book and show canon? I really enjoy the show but I definitely don’t want to be spoiled about future events in the books! Glad I am not the only one who is feeling this way – really hope GRRM clears this up soon for us poor nervous wreck book readers!
May 17th, 2013
awesomefish
I’m very intrigued by what Elio said regarding “a dream of spring”. He thinks he knows what the title means, and it didn’t sound all that joyfull. Anyone know what his theory about the title is? I’m extremely curious!
May 18th, 2013
Reply to “Episode 109: The Bear and the Maiden Fair”