If you've been reading my reviews for at least the last six months, you'll know I'm a big Game of Thrones fan. I've even begun reading the books, and I usually don't do that a lot with movies or TV shows. I mean, I love Lord of the Rings, but I still have yet to read the novels by Tolkien, at least all the way through (although I fully intend to soon). So when I heard that some news was coming out about the next season (which is still way too far away), I was excited and did some research on it. So hear it is...
(Warning: Spoilers for Season Four ahead!)
The Plot:
The Official Story- Not much has been discussed about the plot yet, although it has been noted that a storyline will take place in Dorne, the home of the powerful Martell family, which is further south than King's Landing. We haven't seen Dorne yet, but it appears to be a mix of Spanish and Middle Eastern cultures, which should prove interesting, and Spain has already been scouted for possible locations.
What I Want to See- An assumption about the plot is that we'll see more of Essos than before, as Arya is en route to Braavos, home of her dancing/sword-fighting instructor Syrio Forel (who may or may not be dead), as well as The Iron Bank. We'll see more of the city in that storyline, which is good because it looks awesome in the opening title sequence, and from the little we saw of it in Season Four.
Tyrion will also be present in Essos after fleeing King's Landing in the season finale, so hopefully he'll cross paths with Arya, or maybe Dany or Ser Jorah (who was exiled from Mereen). Varys may also travel with Tyrion, but that wasn't really clear if he was or wasn't.
Bran's storyline was kind of dull this seasons, and that finale sequence with the skeletons was a bit silly, but overall I think he'll prove to be a more interesting character this season, now that he's meet with the Three-Eyed Raven. However, I'm interested to see how his character will progress now that Jojen Reed (Thomas Brodie-Sanger of Phineas and Ferb fame) is dead, because he's been a useful guide for Bran up until this point, and as far as I know, he's not dead in the books.
Dany's storyline was a bit dull as well towards the end, and I hope they do more with her dragons, despite two of them being locked away in a dark crypt. Hopefully they don't die, and that the Unsullied throw some scraps of food down there every once in a while. Something about her storyline that I want to see is her inner conflict about ditching Jorah, and maybe conflict about her newfound love interest in Daario, because she did once claim that after Drogo, she'd never love again. Also: Xaro Xhoan Daxos (you know, that docuhey guy from Qarth in Season Two) isn't dead in the books, so I think'd be interesting to see if he is in fact alive (as unlikely as that may be). The reason I say this is because they did leave it open that he possibly survived, as we never saw him die onscreen, although he is locked away in a sound-proof vault.
Jon Snow is an increasingly interesting character, and now with the arrival of Stannis and his cult-like crew, I'd love to see some conflict arise there. I'd also like to see him rise to a position of leadership, now that Acting Commander Alliser Thorne may or may not be dead after his duel with Tormund. Speaking of which, I wonder how kind Stannis will be to Mance and Tormund, even though he respected Jon's wish not to kill them, he and his Red Priestess may have some plans on how to... get info out of them.
I'd like to see more of the Boltons and Theon, because they got very little screen time in Season Four and I think they're disturbing family dynamics make for interesting TV. They are also the best villains in the show right now. I would also love if they explained why Theon is called "Reek".
I'd like to see if Sansa can keep up her role as "Alayne" and if she continue to be a step ahead of Littlefinger, or if that will prove her undoing.
I'd also really love some more White Walkers, and maybe see a battle with them (even if it's not till Season Six), because they are really scary villains in their own right. I'd also like to see Melisandre interract with them, because her faith (The Lord of Light) believes White Walkers are the children of a dark and evil ice god . I would also enjoy seeing that the stories are true about the Walker having packs of giant white hunting spiders. And possibly, possibly, we'll get some insight into their ties to the legend of The Night's King?...
And finally, I'd like to check in on characters we didn't get to see in Season Four. How's the rest of Theon's family doing? I know they appear in the books as a pretty big threat. Where the hell is Gendry? How's Rickon and Osha doing with the Umbers? What's going on with those Freys? Will we see justice done to them and the Boltons?
And (this is for book readers, so maybe skip this one) where the fuck are Coldhands and Lady Stoneheart? There have been rumors about them not even appearing, but I think it would be awesome, and I think the amount of fan backlash will get the producers to change their minds. (If you don't want major Spoilers for the books,
The Characters and Casting:
The Official Story- So far, it's been confirmed that pretty much all the main and supporting cast members will be returning (except for those that died, of course), although they haven't confirmed if The Mountain (who might be dead), Osha, Rickon, The Hound (who also might be dead), Ramsay Bolton, Roose Bolton, Alliser Thorne (who, again, may be dead), Tycho Nestoris, Ser Ilyn Payne (whose actor was diagnosed with cancer), or Grey Worm will return.
Some new characters are mostly for House Martell, they are as follows:
Prince Doran Martell, Oberyn's older brother- Alexander Siddig
Prince Trystane Martell, Doran's son who is betrothed to Myrcella Baratheon- Toby Sebastian
Princess Myrcella Baratheon, Jaime and Cersei's daughter- Nell Tiger Free (re-casting)
Areo Hotah, skilled Martell bodyguard and warrior- DeObia Oparei
Nymeria, Tyene, and Obara, three "Sand Snakes", Oberyn's bastard daughters who he has raised and trained- Jessica Henwick, Rosabell Laurenti Sellers, and Keisha Castle-Hughes (respectively)
Other characters:
Yezzan zo Qaggaz, a slave trader from Yunkai- Enzo Cilenti
The High Sparrow, a rising religious figure- Jonathan Pryce
Denys Mallister, commander of the Night's Watch's Shadow Tower fortress- J.J. Murphy (who passed away following the filming of his first scenes. The writers have decided to rewrite the scenes he was set to appear in to feature other characters, and just work with what they have, out of respect for the actor)
Unknown starring role- Tom Wlaschiha (who played Jaqen H'ghar in Season Two)
Some characters rumored to be casted:
Maggy the Frog, a fortune teller
A young blonde girl, suspected to be a young Cersei
A young brunette girl, suspected to be a young Melara Hetherspoon (Cersei's friend)
Septa Unella, an imposing female figure
Lollys Stockworth, Bronn's new wife
The Waif, a teacher to Arya
Varamyr Sixskins, a wildling warg
Stalwart Shield- a younger Unsullied soldier
What I Want to See- Most of this sounds pretty solid, so I'm happy. I would like to see characters such as Jon Connington, the Freys, the Greyjoys (particularly Victarion), Young Griff, Kevan Lannister (who I believe will appear, as he's integral to the plot in books four and five), Coldhands, Thoros, Beric Dondarrion, Lady Stoneheart, and Jeyne Poole appear. And although Roose and Ramsay haven't been confirmed, Theon has, so I'm pretty sure they will be soon. And although Wlashchiha's role hasn't been announced, I'm assuming he'll reprise his role as Jaqen, as he is from Braavos and was an important part of Arya's story in Season Two.
The Writing and Directing Staff:
The Official Story- Some big changes this time. David Benioff and Dan Weiss will remain writers and showrunners, but (a series first) will not direct any episodes. In fact, many regulars (Michelle MacLaren, Alex Graves, Alik Sakharov, and Neil Marshall will not return to direct this season, another first, meaning there will not be a female director this season. This time the line-up is Michael Slovis, series regular David Nutter, Jeremy Podeswa, Mark Mylod, and Miguel Sapochnik. Another big change is that typically George R.R. Martin (author of the Song of Ice and Fire book series the show is based on) will write one big episode per seasons. This time, another first, he will not write any, instead focusing on finishing The Winds of Winter, the highly anticipated sixth book in the series, which is not nearly finished, and must be completed by the end of summer 2015 if Martin doesn't want the show to continue on past the books.
What I Want to See- Although the fact that Martin and several favorite directors won't be as heavily involved this season is disappointing, I actually like the idea of switching things up a bit, and think these changes may even improve the series, or take it in a new and fresh direction. I also feel that Martin taking time to focus on writing the novels is a smart move on his part, and I hope he can finish them in time.
Well, it's a long way off, so hopefully I hear more about Season Five soon and hopefully it turns out to be even better than last season.
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