Jamie Adair

Jamie Adair is the editor of History Behind Game of Thrones, a website about the history behind George RR Martin's "A Song of Ice and Fire" novels and the hit TV show, "Game of Thrones."

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Season 6 Recap May 16, 2016

Book of the Stranger: Death & Rebirth

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Tonight’s episode of Game of Thrones might just have been the most dazzling of the season. The ending is explosive. When we left off last week, Rickon and Osha were in peril, Sansa was en route, Daenerys was about to be judged by the Dothraki khals. Sansa, Brienne, and Pod arrive at Winterfell. Melisandre may have saved Jon, but she’s still in jeopardy. The Dothraki are reborn. And, Ramsay almost meets his match. The Lannister family — Kevan and Cersei…

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Game of Thrones May 10, 2016

Oathbreaker?

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Due to a family emergency, there is no recap this week. Instead, please enjoy these curated recaps: Game of Thrones season 6, episode 3: 5 winners and 5 losers from “Oathbreaker” TOWER OF JOY: WHY GAME OF THRONES’ NED STARK FLASHBACK IS SO IMPORTANT [fan-theory spoilers] I did see the episode. I thought the combination of Bran’s flashback to young Ned’s sword fight in front of tower and Jon Snow’s resignation from the Night’s Watch was potentially quite revealing. In…

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Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick, War of the Roses May 3, 2016

Does Ramsay Need to Kill His Rivals?

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This article contains spoilers for Game of Thrones Season 6, Episode 2. Growing up abused and unsure of his place in his father’s household, is it any wonder Ramsay doesn’t want any rivals? The scene will chill your blood. Not only does Ramsay kill the father whom he appeared to love so deeply, he feeds his stepmother and baby brother to his dogs.  As he cooly explains to Walda moments before her death, “I prefer being an only child.” But,…

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Season 6 Recap May 1, 2016

What is Home? Recap Season 6, Episode 2 [Spoilers]

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What does Home mean for the various players in the Game of Thrones? For Dany’s dragons, home is not their current prison. For Sansa, it is being united with someone who she can trust and maybe having the chance to find her sister. For Ramsay, it is never going back to the nightmare of being a bastard, or a second son. For Arya, it is losing enough of her identity that her Faceless family will accept her again. For Cersei, home…

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Game of Thrones April 29, 2016

Poll: Is Melisandre Good or Evil?

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Melisandre has been behind some of Game of Thrones worst moments. She introduced the concept of burning heretics and king’s blood to Stannis and his followers. She wanted to burn Gendry (or Edric Storm in the books) — and would have if Gendry hadn’t escaped. She facilitated the burning of Selyse’s own brother on the beach at Dragonstone. She set Mance Rayder to the torch. And, she urged Stannis to burn his daughter Shireen to secure his victory at Winterfell….

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Game of Thrones, Season 6 Recap April 24, 2016

The Red Woman: Season 6, Episode 1 Recap [Spoilers]

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Can Jon Be Saved? Finally, Game of Thrones is back for Season 6. At the beginning of the season’s first episode, many characters – Stannis, Sansa & Theon, Myrcella, Jon Snow — had unknown fates. Daenerys was in the wind and Arya was left vulnerable in Braavos. The Wall Jon Snow is definitely dead. Can Melisandre bring him back? When last season ended, Jon’s men – including Night’s Watch leaders like Alliser Thorne — had stabbed him in a Caesar-esque,…

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George RR Martin April 13, 2016

“I love Richard III” — GRRM

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On the Game of Thrones Season 5 DVD’s segment “The Real History Behind Game of Thrones,” George RR Martin admitted something that nibbles at the edge of his stories: he LOVES Richard III. And, Martin admitted his passion with such a nice smile. I’ve wondered for years whether GRRM is a closet Ricardian. After all, some of his storylines present a very kind interpretation of the man formerly known as Gloucester. You see traces of GRRM’s love for Richard III everywhere in…

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Game of Thrones March 15, 2016

George RR Martin Talks History on Season 5 DVD

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Today HBO is releasing the Season 5 Game of Thrones DVD, which includes interviews with George RR Martin and a few other folks talking about history and Game of Thrones. I have to admit that I’m very excited — and somewhat terrified — to see the DVD because I’m one of the people HBO interviewed. (Thanks again, HBO!) I’ve never been on TV before and I’ve never been to New York city, so I was pretty nervous during the interview. (Think Deer/Headlights.)…

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Game of Thrones February 20, 2016

Denial: Is Jon Snow Dead? [Poll & Season 6 spoilers]

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This article includes some mild Season 6 spoilers. The Season 6 poster teases us with a picture of Jon Snow’s face. Yet HBO has said adamantly and repeatedly that Jon Snow is dead. Everyone from the showrunners to the executives have avowed his death. Just yesterday, Natalie Dormer told Channel 5 news that “If you get stabbed that many times, you’re dead, you know. There are some basic medical rules that even apply in Westeros.” But, she continued to say, “So…

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Game of Thrones February 16, 2016

Will Tyrion and Sansa Die? Eerie Trailer

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In the eerie trailer for Season 6,  the Hall of Faces at the House of Black and White shows the faces of the fallen Starks (Catelyn, Ned, Robb) and others like Joffrey —  as well as a few faces that were alive last we checked (Sansa, Tyrion). Are Tyrion and Sansa there because all men must die (eventually), or is this foreshadowing? What do you think?  

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