Is there any chance Robert is Jon Snow's father?

I highly doubt that.  George R.R. Martin has been laying out the hints regarding Jon's lineage for a while.  And one of the key things he asked David Benioff and Dan Weiss when they initially met was who did they think Jon Snow's mother was?  Apparently, they answered correctly.

I know that there's sometimes conflict between the books and the television series, but an important thing occurred to me when I was watching the season 1 DVD's recently.  During the episode "The King's Road", there are two notable scenes where Ned discusses Jon's mother.  First, as Ned parts ways with Jon as they both leave Winterfell, and again when Ned and Robert are talking over lunch. 

Clearly, Ned has something to tell Jon, but does not want to tell him that early on in the book.  Perhaps he wants to wait until after Jon has taken his vows, and is a sworn member of the Night's Watch?  After all, Maester Aemon, one of only three known surviving Targaryen's is a member of the Night's Watch.  But as a sworn brother, Maester Aemon has relinquished claims to any titles.  Does Ned intend to tell Jon about his true lineage after he is a sworn brother so that he can hold the same status as Maester Aemon?

And then there's the conversation with Robert.  King Robert specifically asks Ned about "his bastard's mother" during their conversation along the side of the King's Road.  Ned identifies the mother of Jon Snow as "Wylla".  But what if Jon's mother is indeed Lyanna Stark, and Ned said as much?  That might drive a serious wedge between Robert and Ned, and put Jon in danger.  After all, Robert and Lyanna had been set to be married.  And it was Rhaegar Targaryen's abduction of Lyanna that caused Robert and Ned to go to war with the Targaryens.  Ned is well aware of Robert's hatred for the Targaryens.  What would Robert do if he came to learn that Jon was not in fact Ned's bastard son, but the son of Rhaegar Targaryen and the woman he loved, Lyanna Stark?  Ned is one of the most honorable characters of the series, but it seems quite clear that he's been lying to everyone about Jon in order to protect him.

Quote from: Nicklab on June 15, 2013, 07:52 AM

And what about your star?  Robert Downey Jr. has been through a very rough and public battle with substance abuse.  He's defied the odds and managed to turn his life and career around.  He's also one of the most gifted actors of his generation.  And if he was going to do a movie with a character arc that revolves around substance abuse, I think he would want it to be done the right way.

Maybe, but we don't really know what RDJ's opinion is.  Maybe he signed on for this character thinking he could play out a story of substance abuse and redemption.  Maybe he would come across as incredibly believable and realistic because of the fact that he's gone through it in real life.  Maybe taking on that challenge and hitting it out of the park would give this movie some emotional firepower.  The best movies teach you something about yourself or give you a moral to rally behind.  What was the moral of IM3?

Let's not forget that RDJ was only 3 years removed from being in recovery when he was cast as Tony Stark in 2007.  And with his comeback, circa 2004, he has had to deal with contractual clauses and insurance policies that were designed to ensure that he would stay clean and complete his work on film projects.  Reportedly, this may still be the case of RDJ's contracts to this day.  Are his issues under control?  I hope for his sake that he is.  Especially in light of some of the amazing work he's generated in the past decade.  But addicts do relapse.  And most people in recovery will tell you that it's possible for anyone to relapse.

Then take a look at the box office receipts:  the Marvel films with RDJ as Iron Man have grossed over $3.9 Billion.  That is HUGE money in the bank.  Do the executives at Marvel Studios / Disney take a risk with that successful of a franchise by doing a story about substance abuse with a star who has had very public issues with substance abuse?  Try looking at that purely from a business standpoint, and I don't think the studio would want to take that risk.  Call it a copout as much as you want.  But remember, this is show BUSINESS.

As for the "Demon in a bottle" comic story arc, it was groundbreaking stuff.  I don't think anyone would deny that.  But the summer movie format just does not seem optimal for appropriate treatment of that kind of issue, and the dignity that it deserves.  Clearly, you seem to think that you can write that movie.  Will it really work?  Would it be successful?  That's another issue entirely.

I think everyone is in agreement.  I don't think you can tell that story over the course of a movie.  If it we were talking about a television series, that might be a different thing.  There you have the time to do the long play in developing plot points.  Tony's drinking has been written into the movies.  And the only time it proved to be a problem was in Iron Man 2 at the party.  Shane Black really didn't touch on it in IM3, interestingly enough.  But Joss Whedon did work the drinking into Avengers.  Will it develop it anything more?  We'll have to wait and see.

More rumors are surfacing over at FLYGUY.NET.  The figures that are rumored to be on the way (complete with UPC's) include:

•Star Wars Episode III AT-RT with Clone UPC:653569741824
•Star Wars Episode IV Tie Pilot UPC:653569797234
•Star Wars Episode III Saesee Tiin UPC:653569831495
•Star Wars Episode III Clone Pilot Jag UPC:653569831518
•Star Wars Episode III 212th Clone Trooper Action Figure UPC:653569799153
•Star Wars Episode III Galactic Marine UPC:653569831594
•Star Wars Episode III Emperor Palpatine UPC:653569831488
•Star Wars Episode III Clone Trooper 327th UPC:653569831549


Based on the characters, I'm thinking that these are PROBABLY Saga Legends offerings (with the exception of the AT-RT).

Without a doubt, my favorite scene from the finale was Tywin dressing down Joffrey.  Sending the King to bed without supper, and having Pycelle give him a sleeping potion?  Tywin has really stepped up to handle his monster of a grandson!  But then to follow that up with Tyrion & Tywin's exchange?  That was fantastic.

The intersection of Sam & Bran's journeys was great.  It was great just to see a little of one of the other castles on The Wall, first and foremost.  Even if it was a ruin.  And the stories of treachery at the Nightfort added to the sense of lore.  I will admit:  I was a little disappointed in one respect with these scenes, and the fact that one character wasn't included.

Jon Snow's return to The Wall was something I was waiting to see.  And Ygritte didn't disappoint in lighting him up before he got there.  I was missing that in last week's episode.  Maester Aemon's message to Stannis and the other lords of Westeros following Sam's return did appear to be something of a game changer.  Especially with regard to Stannis, Davos and Melisandre.  Clearly, Stannis's focus will be shifting elsewhere.

I have to agree that the final scene was not something that I found interesting.  But it does move forward Dany's story arc as a liberator.  Still, I thought that a closing scene with Jon Snow and what's to come in his storyline might have made for a stronger closing scene to the season.

Considering that The Hobbit falls under the general Warner Brothers banner, does anyone else think that it's likely we'll see a trailer attached to Man of Steel?

How does anyone react to and episode like "The Rains of Castamere"?  Walder Frey may be one of the most cruel and calculating characters of the series.  But he's right up there with Tywin Lannister and Roose Bolton, who oddly enough were BOTH in on the plan.  Walder Frey's "acceptance" of Robb's apology was enough to make your skin crawl.  Especially when he addressed Talysa.  But he knew that he could get away with it, since Robb had come to essentially beg forgiveness.

I think some of the most underrated scenes of the episode were between Arya and the Hound.  Arya seems so determined to get to her family, but Clegane serves to ground her in the reality of the situation.  And when they got to the Twins?  It was remarkable to see the Hound quickly decide to get Arya out of there.  And it absolutely sheds some light on the Hound as a more complicated and honorable character than we might have originally thought.

The scenes with Jon Snow and the wildlings were pretty interesting, too.  He and Bran came so close one another, but circumstances prevented it from happening.  That was one scene that was actually pretty true to the book.  Although Jon being clawed by the warged eagle was actually from book 2.

As for Dany taking Yunkai?  That almost seemed like an afterthought in this episode.  There were definitely some differences with the book, but more may come to light on that front in the season 3 finale.

But the Red Wedding?  OMG.  How brutal and calculated. 

The bedding ceremony seemed semi-true to the book.  Although I seem to recall Edmure knowing that he was being taken captive.  And I also can't recall whether or not the Blackfish had been there, although the show-runners gave him an out from the feast hall.  I know that the Blackfish is supposed to show up again in the next book.

But between "The Rains of Castamere" being played, and Catelyn's discovery that Roose Bolton was wearing chainmail, it became apparent that things were going to turn especially ugly.  The crossbows from the gallery made it clear that this was an assassination.  And when Talysa was stabbed?  That was horrifying.  But one thing took me out of that, and that was the actor who stabbed Talysa.  He had been in a movie called "Pirate Radio", and his character was dumb and affable.  The total opposite of the two-faced Frey who killed the Queen in the North after chatting her up earlier at the feast.

The Freys who were killing the Northmen seemed to be doing the killing the way I had picture it in the book.  But I wasn't expecting Grey Wind to be put down the way it happened in the show.  But Robb's death at the hands of Roose Bolton was cold.  Catelyn's mad grief?  It was even worse.

So how will this season end?  That actually has me scratching my head a little bit.  I know that we saw the return of Jaime to King's Landing in the coming attractions.  And Bran's journey gets him closer to the Wall.  But I think that there are some other plot points that are going to be explored in a big way to close out this season.

Rakharo (one of Dany's Dothraki riders) was killed on the show in season 2 while Dany & company were lost in the Red Waste.  But he's still alive in the books.

Jeyne Westerling (Stark) first and foremost

Well, Jeyne had a completely different backstory from Talisa.  Jeyne was from the Crag in the Westerlands, while Talisa was from Volantis.