HBO’s Game of Thrones: Top 5 Moments of Episode 8~The Pointy End

The circumstances become dire in the George RR Martin penned 8th episode of Game of Thrones. Ned is arrested for treason, Robb goes to war, and Khal Drogo proves once and for all you don’t want to make him angry. Which scene tops the list?  Here are the…

Top 5 Moments of Episode 8~The Pointy End

5. Ned Talks to a Spider

Context: After an accusation of treason and the slaughter of all his men, Ned finds himself deep in the dungeons of the Red Keep.  Varys, the Spider, pays him an unexpected visit.

This Spider isn't itsy-bitsy

 Varys: I trust you know you’re a dead man, Lord Eddard.

Reasoning: Varys asks one of the questions we were all dying to know the answer of. Why on Earth would Ned tell Cersei he knew the truth?  Ned answers in a truly Ned way.  It was mercy and honour and all those things that make Ned, Ned.  But in Westeros, truth, justice, and honour doesn’t mean success, and seeing the great Lord Eddard defeated in a dungeon brings that to the forefront of the series.

HBO’s Game of Thrones 1-5: Top 5 Supporting Characters Who Need More Screen Time

Sure, we love Ned, Arya, and Catelyn Stark, Tyrion Lannister, Daenerys Targaryen, and Jon Snow, but Game of Thrones is more than its main cast. There are dozens (and dozens and dozens) of supporting character vying for screen time. Some we love and some we love to hate. Here’s our…

Top 5 Supporting Characters Who Need More Screen Time

5. Lancel Lannister

Reasoning: Lancel Lannister (Eugene Simon) has only been in a couple of scenes so far, but he’s quickly becoming one of our favourite punching bags. Robert’s awkward squire can’t do anything right. He spends most of his time sputtering for words and staring in wide-eyed fear. We love him. Let’s hope he doesn’t spend too much time searching for that breastplate stretcher and gets back to our screens ASAP.

4. The Boys of the Night’s Watch: Pyp, Grenn & Rast

Reasoning: Jon Snow (and recently Samwell Tarly) may be front and center at the Wall, but they’re not the only Black Brothers worth watching. The trio of Pyp (Josef Altin), Grenn (Mark Stanley), and Rast (Luke McEwan) round out our ragtag group of misfits. Whether sword fighting (poorly), ganging up on Jon (fairly well), or chasing each other around the yard (not unlike Benny Hill), these three are never dull. We want to know more about them. They all need their time to shine.

3. The Hound


Reasoning: The Hound (Rory McCann) is a man of few words. He’s big and gruff and willing to run down a child on the whim of Joffrey Baratheon. We’ve heard his story, but not from his own mouth. We saw him take on his brother, the Mountain; now it’s time to see what makes him tick. We need him to pull back his hair so we can see just how gruesome those scars really are.

2. Hodor


Reasoning: Every television show needs a 7 foot tall stable-hand who only says his own name (he’s like a really big pokemon). Hodor (Kristian Nairn) has said 2 words (hodor, hodor), been in 2 scenes, and we can’t wait for more. As fans of the books, we want to see how they build Hodor’s relationship to Bran. The gentle giant needs more screen time. Hodor!

1. Ghost

Reasoning: Enough said.

Check out the rest of our Game of Thrones Articles:
Game of Thrones: Top 5 Moments of Episode 10~Fire and Blood
Game of Thrones: Top 5 Moments of Episode 9~Baelor
Game of Thrones: Top 5 Moments of Episode 8~The Pointy End
Game of Thrones: Top 5 Moments of Episode 6~A Golden Crown
Game of Thrones 1-5: Top 5 Supporting Characters Who Need More Screen Time
Game of Thrones 1-5: Top 5 Tyrion Lannister Moments
Game of Thrones 1-5: Top 5 Daenerys Targaryen Moments
Game of Thrones 1-5: Top 5 Ned Stark Moments
Game of Thrones: Getting Past the Fantasy
Game of Thrones 1-5: Top 5 Arya Moments

Confirmation: Roy Dotrice and Kristian Nairn to play ‘Game of Thrones’

Roy Dotrice

And the fans have done it again, cracking Martin’s clues in record time.  George RR Martin confirmed yesterday, what clue-solving fans already suspected.

Veteran of stage, and screen, Roy Dotrice will play Grand Maester Pycelle, in HBO’s Game of Thrones.  Dotrice won a BAFTA in 1967 for his role as Albert Haddock in ‘Misleading Cases’, and a Tony in 2000 for ‘A Moon for the Misbegotten.’  The geek community may know him better as King Balor in Hellboy 2, the voice of Destroyer in the 1997 Spider-man  cartoon, and Zeus in the Hercules/Xena franchises.  Of course, Game of Thrones fans known him best as the voice of the audiobooks.  Dotrice has worked with George RR Martin before, in the television series Beauty and the Beast, staring Linda Hamilton and Ron Pearlman.  Earlier in the casting process,

Game of Thrones Casting Clues

George RR Martin

George RR Martin not only likes to entertain his fans but also likes to keep them guessing.  GoT fans have been waiting (not so patiently) for casting news since the series was greenlit so many months ago.  And while HBO, hasn’t yet announced any actors (since Finn Jones as Loras Tyrell), GRRM has taken it upon himself to keep the buzz going. He’s thrown a bone to his fans in the form of clues, Similar to those  given before the pilot was filmed. Martin writes:

 The old maester has lived many lives, brief but numerous. In his youth he fought in the wars that some say inspired all of this. He has been a king and a god, but he’ll always be daddy to me.

While the debate rages on www.westeros.org and www.winter-is-coming.net about whether the clue refers to Maester Aemon or Pycelle, the general consensus is the actor in question is Roy Dotrice.  Having played kings, gods, and ‘War of the Roses’ (which GoT was based on) Dotrice has previously worked with Martin on the television program Beauty and the Beast, where he played the father (daddy).  Dotrice is also the voice of many of the Song of Ice and Fire audio books.

A second clue states:

He doesn’t have a lot to say, but he says it a lot. He’s not a muslim, not a pagan, not a scientologist, but he might be a town in Scotland.

One of the fitting candidates is DJ turned actor Kristian (not muslim etc…) Nairn (town in Scotland), who is known to have auditioned for the gentle giant, Hodor. His audition tape has already circled the fan community.

Update:  Kristian Nairn has replied on twitter to a question about the series saying

Hey man. Not sure what I’m supposed to say or when and where ! But if I said “Hodor!?” … It might tell u something 😉

 

Right or wrong, Martin’s clues tell us our wait is almost over.