How will Game of Thrones split books four and five?

Ivey: Three or four seasons? So by the end of the material from the fifth book, you think we’ll be in the neighborhood of season seven or eight? I don’t think there’s a way HBO will let that happen. Granted the ratings are outstanding now … but they can’t last. HBO knows that. Benioff and Weiss know that. George R. R. Martin knows that. You don’t think anyone will factor that in, and say, “Hey, we should probably have realistic expectations about how long we have to tell this story in?”

There are large swaths of story from the last two books that could easily be cut. I’m not the biggest fan of the Iron Islands story, so I hate to point the finger there first, but that would be the first casualty on my list. You could almost combine the characters of Euron and Victorion, dump the Kingsmoot and just have this new character “hatch” his plan after Balon’s death. You could easily make similar changes to Brienne and Pod’s story (we don’t really need a recreation of the Lord of the Rings trilogy) and Dorne’s story both home and abroad (I’m speaking very specifically of Quentyn).

(And there’s been a great deal of speculation that this season will end on unCat opening her eyes for the first time. I think that’s a great ending, but to see her resurrected so soon would change the impact of her death in the first place)

Bob: Perhaps, but could they really keep secret that Michelle Fairley would still be part of the show? No, I think we’ve spent enough time with Thoros and Berric this season that it’s a foregone conclusion that we will see Zombie Cat before season 4. Zombie Cat!

Now, I think some of those stories that you mention may be cut out, it’s entirely possible, plausible even. Here’s the thing, though: we don’t know at this point how some of those stories are going to affect the endgame of Martin’s epic. The Dornish story could be pivotal in how things wrap up. Obviously, the author is going to have to have some say here.

Hypothetically speaking, though, even if all that you mention is pared down, there is still a ton of story. Arya and the facechangers, all the action at the wall, the continuing story of Davos, the fall of Cersei, Griff, Tyrion’s adventures in Essos, the Meereenese knot, Samwell’s trip to the Citadel, etc, etc, etc. Now, maybe if they start pushing things into next season, and maybe if they fork over a few more episodes every season I could see them finishing off the stories before season seven, but that’s all a big maybe.

Besides, let’s face it, George R. R. Martin is going to need the extra time to finish the books!

Ivey: Could they create a scenario where Cat’s resurrection is introduced in the final moments of the fourth season, thus only needing to keep it a secret for a single day of shooting? That would require the actor only taking roles that would require a year or less commitment. If you worked it out years in advance with Fairley, definitely doable. Probable, though? Not so much.

Everything you listed there could also easily be shortened. You want to avoid having to untangle the Meereenese Knot? Why not ever let the story get that tied up in the first place. Jettison Quentyn, dump the entire Tyrion/slave storyline, get Davos a subscription to Hooked on Phonics for his name day … Feast and Dance were so bloated — a byproduct of splitting the original book in the first place — that it’s easy to do.

And the better off we’d all be for it.