How would you have improved the Dorne story line in both show and books?

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Violator
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Wed Aug 23, 2017 5:21 pm

Any ideas? Love to hear them.

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Chilli
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Wed Aug 23, 2017 8:56 pm

Apart from Oberyn and Doran, no real storyline. Just let Doran Martell send his army and ships to join Dany, but nothing more.

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Grandmaester Flash
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Location: England

Thu Aug 24, 2017 9:01 am

But what would you have done about Myrcella?

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Chilli
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Thu Aug 24, 2017 9:42 am

I had forgotten about her. Let Ellaria kill her like it was in the show? And Ellaria can join Dany with the army.
But nothing with Quentyn, Arianne, Trystane, Sandsnakes, Areo Hotah, ... None of them are important for the endgame.
If the show had omitted the Sandsnakes and Trystane, it would have been alright.

onefromaway
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Thu Aug 24, 2017 10:42 pm

I have not read the books so this is show only. I felt that Ellaria's blinding desire for revenge made Dorne a "one note" sub-plot. Doran said, and apparently Ellaria and the Sand Snakes eventually accepted this fact (based on what SS said on Yara's ship), that Oberin's death was the result of his own choices and getting too cocky. How would I improve the story line, I'd start with Ellaria accepting that it was Oberin's choices that lead to his death a lot earlier than she did. She can have her bluster and tantrums but she CANNOT send that "snake with locket" gift to Cersei or go on that killing spree in Dorne.

This may not be an improvement, but, IMHO, it gives the Dorne story line a chance to be more than Ellaria's revenge-fest.

If Marcella has to die, there would be other ways of incorporating that into a Dorne story line. And when Varys comes seeking support for Dany, Ellaria and the SS can go and Doran, depending on where things are between Dorne and KL, can either stay neutral or ally with Dany.

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QueenofThrones
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Fri Aug 25, 2017 12:28 am

Hmmm I actually rather like Arianne's plot (queenmaker) but Doran and Quentyn were wastes of space. Truly, weak men should not rule Dorne.

How about this:

Oberyn is actually the ruling prince of Dorne when he goes to KL, and Arianne is his heir and inherits after his death (she could still be his niece I suppose, and Doran has died in the meanwhile, or could be his legit daughter). Arianne's little bro Tristayne is still Myrcella's beau and she's still sent there as hostage.

Arianne still crowns Myrcella Queen of Westeros, but instead of getting mildly injured, Myrcella is actually murdered by Ellaria/SS since they want war NOW (not tomorrow). I actually loved that Jaime went to Dorne, so sure let's do that as well so he can have her die in his arms. Jaime would blame not only Ellaria but also Arianne for Myrcella's death.

Arianne can then execute Ellaria for treason, and join Dany's cause.

Tensor the Mage
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Sat Aug 26, 2017 2:18 am

The Dorne story line never worked well because the very concept of Dorne fit poorly into Westeros. GRRM got the idea from the Welsh Marches, and of the Cornish being alien to the English in Britain, but Tolkien Himself laid down the rule: your kingdom is a fantasy version of medieval Britain, not medieval Spain.

Since the show omitted the twist in the story (Doran secretly plotting revenge) and flipped Ellaria's motivations, Dorne wound up as the one-note story another poster here described. D&D did the best they could with it -- nowhere else in Westeros are the jail cells airy, clean and dry! -- but it was never going to be more than a place to off Myrcella.

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