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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

  1. Mordion

    Damn, fast release, and thrilled to hear Elio again.

  2. 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. 🙂

  3. Linecom1

    one of ashley’s best episodes in a long time. i think her being awake helped alot

  4. Kyle

    I tried to get her to expand on her answers a few times cause I know you all want some more Ashley time.

  5. 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.

  6. 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.

  7. 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.

  8. 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.

  9. 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.

  10. 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! 🙂

  11. 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.

  12. 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.

  13. 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.

  14. 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.

  15. 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.

  16. ash

    yeah, theories stupid as hell *cough* did I say that?

  17. 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

  18. 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?

  19. 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!

  20. 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.

  21. 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

  22. 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…

  23. 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

  24. 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!

  25. 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!

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