by grabthar's hammer, what a savings

Lyanna opens the play asking the old gods that she might choose her own fate. she meets Howland, and we meet her bros. they have a cute dynamic. rip. Lyanna is to be introduced to Robert at the tourney.

Robert’s tragic backstory is played up to 11 in this, they really focus on his grief for his parents and how that’s led him to become the drunk he is. btw Nedbert shippers will LOVE them in this they are very touchy w each other

Rhaegar is introduced: he is the conspirator at Harrenhal. Arthur and Oswell are his right hand men, and they’ve generally agreed that Aerys is unfit for rule + Rhaegar has been dreaming the song of ice and fire for his whole life, and wants to unite the realm

Elia and Rhaegar are??? easily the strangest part of this production. they are not a love match and never were; Elia is exhausted by his ‘dreaming’ and wants him to step up as a leader. she later alludes to the fact that she wouldn’t really care if he did take Lyanna as a second bride, but she wants him to take his role seriously. she also alludes to having had a love before Rhaegar but I didn’t catch who this was.

Rhaegar is??? Rhaegar is. he’s very earnest and wants to save the world. he’s nonetheless weirdly cold w Elia - they’re cold w each other. she gives birth to Aegon at the tourney and he’s like right. so no third kid. and then dreams of Lyanna

in another story, would’ve found early Rhaelya faintly charming. they dance together in the style of swordplay. later, Rhaegar discovers her in the woods and unmasks her as TKOTLT. he lies on her behalf to Aerys, and when they abscond it’s not shown - we go straight to the burning of Rickard.

back to Harrenhal. Aerys arrives w an open shirt bare feet and acrylics. he’s really fully lost it in this, and some of this is attributed to the trauma of Summerhall (make of that what you will). he and Rhaegar have an interesting relationship?? there’s some level of love on Aerys’ part for Rhaegar but he doesn’t trust him at all. Rhaegar wants to murder his dad straight out but when aerys literally invites him to do so he can’t. this btw takes place in a scene following Aerys’ intro where Rhaegar removes his acrylics and trims his hair to make him presentable lol

Jaime’s story is extremely close to canon in this, so he shows up to the tourney, is inducted into the KG and abruptly dismissed. his role gets bigger in act 2.

Brandon and Ashara are lovers and very romanticised in this. Barristan selmy is portrayed a weird creep in the bg more or less. also this show does NOT care for Barry generally lol he is bystanding the fuck out of proceedings.

Ashara is extremely close to Elia and Arthur. however their stories and characterisations are the ones I suspect most have been spun a bit for the play - following Rhaegar and Lyanna running off together, Elia is literally imprisoned in CHAINS with Ashara caring for her children in the Red Keep. anyway generally Elia is very politically minded in this and wants her children on the throne, with or without Rhaegar.

Rhaegar and Lyanna have an odd relationship as well, you can see in the Rhaegar/Lyanna/Elia triangle that they’ve struggled a bit to make things really emotionally click. Rhaegar and Lyanna are in love but like. on another plane kind of. they have been in each other’s dreams I think before they even met?? they establish a connection because Lyanna just ‘gets’ his song, which is the song of ice and fire and for those wondering, is basically choral Valyrian idk.

Robert and Lyanna are not enemies in this - she likes him and even pities him and doesn’t want war with him. but she’s not into him and we get the canon lines from her about his not keeping to one bed. Btw I really can’t stress enough how much they’ve hammed up Robert’s grief in this like there’s a bizarre bit where Aerys says hey I’ll unveil a to scale model of the ship your parents perished in and Robert is like oh amazing cheers and then aerys unveils a fish tank w splinters in it and he’s like there you are. idk I laughed nice one aerys

god I’m so sorry for the chronology ANYWAY. at the tower of joy, Rhaegar is actually kind of done with the prophecy and it’s Lyanna who is into it. she and Rhaegar ardently believe Jon will be TPTWP. they literally create a red comet in this for Jon to be conceived under, it’s clear they want you to understand that he is at least one of TPTWP, assuming there can be two.

BUT. bizarrely, Dany is also conceived under the same comet. Dany stans are gonna absolutely hate this so I’m sorry, but here goes!!! Rhaella is summoned to Aerys’ room, because he wants to conceive under the red comet and birth TPTWP. Jaime tries to defend her and fight the other KG (including Barry smh smh), but Rhaella (who is very arch in this, not a soft character) says she will do her duty but she will birth a daughter who will bring her vengeance, and burn the realm to cinders.

Ned and Cat’s wedding features briefly. they negotiate the terms of their marriage and then decide they want to bed one another.

Arthur and Oswell (at TOJ) are really impatient for Rhaegar to put an end to the war, but Rhaegar as I say is done w prophecy. Lyanna meanwhile has been exchanging letters with Elia (who knows where they are I forget how) and they’ve agreed together that Rhaegar needs to take action. Rhaegar agrees to go to war so long as three KG remain to protect Lyanna, who is now heavily pregnant.

anyway the trident happens. Rhaegar repeatedly offers Robert the opportunity to yield but Robert’s rage is implied to be a mix of bitterness about Lyanna and bitterness about Rhaegar’s tangential relationship with his parent’s death. you know what happens then.

back in KL. Jaime really disillusioned w Aerys. Tywin arrives at the gates and Aerys is remembering him as a bosom pal, decides to let him in against Jaime’s protests I get my kingslayer scene and I am so grateful. it’s line by line accurate and exactly as I pictured it. aerys’ actor lies on the steps of the throne for literally about 20 minutes after this I applaud him. Jaime ascends the throne, the scene w Ned happens, then Tywin marches in and you think he’s gonna hug Jaime but he actually just rips the cloak from his shoulders and chucks it over aerys which I thought was a fun adaptational bit.

Gregor (who is played by an enormous puppet) drags Elia and her children’s bodies into the throne room. Ned and Robert argue heatedly, before Ned agrees to go find him Lyanna.

Ned arrives at ToJ and this happens as it does in the show. we hear Bran calling to Ned a few times. Howland ultimately wins the duel with Arthur for Ned by getting him in the back.

Ned goes to Lyanna and she gives him Jon, asks that Ned let him live ignorant of prophecy and choose his own path. JON IS NOT NAMED BY LYANNA AT ALL. Ned later names him beneath the heart tree in winterfell, as Benjen says Jon must join the watch some day for his own safety. Cat (Robb in arms) meets Ned with Jon and is furious, storms off.

Jaime and Cersei talk. people from the wings name Jaime kingslayer and pelt him w cabbages. Jaime falls to the floor whimpering. me and several others laughed but I don’t think we were meant to. Jaime wonders why Tywin didn’t claim the throne when given the opportunity. Cersei says the throne is only a crown, Tywin wants real power. Jaime asks what Cersei wants - she says she wants it all. then she says that they should have children together and sit them on the throne. Jaime says that treason, Cersei’s like fuck it why tf do u care.

the show ends more or less with Robert demanding the deaths of Viserys and Dany, and Ned objecting. Robert criticises Ned for burying Lyanna in the North, Ned screams that Robert isn’t the only one grieving. they part ways on bad terms, and Robert goes to marry Cersei.