My reason for doing this is that when I first read Feast it was too fast and I became frustrated. Then 5 years later I reread it slowly and really, really enjoyed it before Dance came out. In my haste to find out what happens next I missed the journey. That is why I enjoyed Dance so much. I purposely took a break after every chapter and savored the book. I have since reread it twice but just certain story lines. I concede that neither Feast nor Dance is as good as the first 3 books but I believe in my heart that the stories they created or expanded will make the conclusion of the series that much better.

Re: littlefinger, I would say he is an outsider due to his relatively petty class. He is quite literally the littlest lord around, something they make clear on TV.

It gives me chills to think that GRRM might be unable to transition from the journey to the end. I believe there are some quotes out there from the show’s producer and GRRM himself that the end is known. So I guess he just has to get there? But with so soooo many balls in the air, it is hard for me to conceive how one could bring all the story lines to satisfying conclusions. There are only so many options for how to end a character’s story. To name a few, they can die, go into some sort of exile whether physical or mental, they can marry and “live happily ever after”, and they can be left shattered somewhere leaving the reader to believe they went on to lead a shit life.

Now consider all the characters whom GRRM has set up enough that they will require some sort of conclusion to their story. With so few options, will all the conclusions get repetitive? If a bunch die in a single battle, will their deaths be cheapened?

This thought process has led me to believe that the Hound aint quitting his grave-digging duties any time soon. He is one of the very few characters to have an arc actually concluded with something other than death. He is in a sort of mental exile where he will live with the priests and slowly recover from his mental wounds. I dont think GRRM can afford to bring the Hound back into the story which would then require an additional conclusion for Sandor.

But that’s just one example of what I am talking about. This might be a good idea for a show. Compiling a list of all the characters who you think require some sort of ending and then maybe guessing what that could be. Though such an exercise could be painful when you come to the conclusion that I have which is there aint no f-ing way GRRM can tie all of this up in 2 more books.

I have to add that I disagree with him, that Dany is the stereotypical fantasy hero because Jon does fit much better into the pattern (male, lordling, banned/banished, secret parentage).

And I really would advise to finish ADWD. Although it might not fulfill every expectation it is still better than AFFC. An “expert” should have read that one (and the TotH-essays with all theories – especially about Jon’s parents).

Thank you again.

Great episode guys, I really enjoyed it. Brett was a great guest to have on, and his views on the series were so interesting to hear!

The parts you edited out are KILLING me now! I NEED TO KNOWWWWW.

All the hosts were great, as usual. I hope you get an actor on soon (I heard it was a he?)

Can’t wait for more!

When reading the article, I thought that Mr. Hartinger’s definition of outcast was too broad and inconsistent (maybe necessarily) for my taste. But I found him during the interview to be very engaging and persuasive. Really good interesting stuff.

Also – KYLE F’N ROCKED IT THIS EPISODE!

After show was fun if cruel. Sounds like we have a lot to look forward to.