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I'm mad at myself for just now coming over to this thread. I'm a non-book reader but I haven't seen nearly as much comparison to the books as I expected and the stuff I have seen wouldn't have taken away from the show. The quality of posts and theories over here is so much better. Carry on.
I did the same earlier this season (started reading this thread in addition to the show only thread. Then I decided to read the books. I am on book 2 now.
Yeah it really could be one thread - it amazes me what they get bent out of shape about - most of whatever book related is talked about adds depth if anything. It doesn't detract.
But you can't explain it to them. The level of simplicity of their comprehension sometimes really gets me. I can't imagine being that into this show and not wanting to know about the history, backstory, etc. You don't have to read the books to get it either. There is a lot of interesting stuff.
The ones that particularly amaze me are the ones who watch and don't even know major characters names or who they are all related to - you're missing 90% of the show at least. Are they just casual watchers and if so, why are they on a discussion board. Makes no sense.
Oh well. Welcome aboard to both of you!!
I understand the genesis of this feeling, but unfortunately, I think they still miss out on the point all too often by getting so many bleed-over predictions. I'll explain:
The first two seasons, I binge watched.
The 3rd and 4th, I watched with my roommate, helpfully reminding me of different people (show only watcher, just more astute than me).
The 5th season, I watched very closely, while re-watching many old episodes and tying the pieces together. I'd also read a lot of (show only) summaries afterwards to help me pick up on all the pieces.
The 6th season, I watched, read, listened to anything and everything book and show I could. All the theories, all the histories.
The difference is, I was utterly shocked and surprised by the Red Wedding, Son's of the Harpy, Temple of the Undying, Oberyn volunteering to fight the Mountain, and Jaime's hand being cut off. But in contrast, I wasn't surprised by Cersei blowing up Baylor, I wasn't surprised by Littlefinger coming to save the day, and I wasn't surprised by Arya killing the Waif in the dark.
Point is, the more you deep dive into the background and the motivations of characters, the easier it is to predict things and, while that is awesome at times, it also takes away some of the suspense and fun. I see it both ways. My path is chosen, but I try not to say things like "Jon's father could actually be the Mad King" on the show only thread because I don't want to ruin that "surprise" factor for those who like still being surprised.