Game of Thrones [SPOILERS]

[Setanta]

I really want Arya Archer and Castor Waif to start throwing out lines like

"Isn't this religious, ah yes. The eternal battle between good and evil, saint and sinners... but you're still not having any FUN!"

and

"l'd like to take her... her face... off. Yes"

[satael]

I really want Arya Archer and Castor Waif to start throwing out lines like

"Isn't this religious, ah yes. The eternal battle between good and evil, saint and sinners... but you're still not having any FUN!"

and

"l'd like to take her... her face... off. Yes"

Add in a few doves flying off for the full woo effect... 

[HaemishM]

I kept thinking the whole time with Arya wandering around pre- and post-stabbing that it was a trick to flush out the attack she knew was coming.  Or it's the Tyler Derden thing. Otherwise, it's really just fucking stupid.

It was a strange waste of Ian McShane but he was great with what little he had. As for the BWB, aren't they mostly following the Lord of Light? As such, destroying a Septom of the 7 wouldn't be totally out of character. Also felt like one of those scenes the writers HAD to do from the books (sort of) but had to change enough to not be like the books because of where Brienne is in the story. I don't care, I'm just happy that character is back.

[Rendakor]

The BWB killing all those innocents felt off to me, too; they weren't even Lannisters. We haven't seen any of the BWB in forever though, so who knows what their motivations are anymore.

[Samwise]

The Fight Club theory is gaining strength IMO.  I'm pissed we have to wait until next week to find out.

I don't see how it gained strength here at all. I still think it's too much for the writers or Martin to have come up with and just fans wanting the story to be better.

The scene toward the end where she was staggering through the crowd felt very dreamlike/hallucinatory to me, and the reactions of the crowd looked like they could have been interpreted as "why is this girl acting so weird".  When we were watching it my gf (who has NOT heard the fan theory) even said "is this actually happening?" because of how it was shot.

[Merusk]

Since it was shot from her perspective I took it as trying to recreate the sense of blood-loss/ dying and disorientation a gut wound and plunge in cold water would give. I suppose you can interpret it as a dreamlike sequence as easily.

I kept thinking the whole time with Arya wandering around pre- and post-stabbing that it was a trick to flush out the attack she knew was coming.  Or it's the Tyler Derden thing. Otherwise, it's really just fucking stupid.

I'm totally going with "fucking stupid." Their actual (in)ability is showing hard this season without a script to interpret or scenes that were previously set-up. We got a glimpse of the "fucking stupid" last season and this season with Dorne so I've been filing things like this or Dany's missing horse in there. (Or did nobody else wonder where her horse went when she showed-up on Drogon later..)

[HaemishM]

I figured Drogon ate it. 

[jgsugden]

...(Or did nobody else wonder where her horse went when she showed-up on Drogon later..)

I'm going with in Drogon.

[Rendakor]

Horses are pretty important to the Dothraki, so that would send a pretty negative message.

[Speedy Cerviche]

this season with Dorne

Wow I totally forgot that happened. What was that episode 2? No mention of it since then.

[Samwise]

Yeah, it was pretty amazing how quickly Dorne became irrelevant to the plot and both Cersei and Jaime apparently forgot all about avenging their daughter in favor of fucking about with the Sparrow and the Riverlands respectively.

[Khaldun]

I think it's now possible to see very clearly how much of last season was just a big stall--I wonder if Martin kept telling them he might actually finish the book.

[K9]

I enjoyed tis episode a lot. Arya's story is still too full of ambiguous rules and mysteries to make any sense, and Yara and Theon having some quality time was pretty forgettable. Otherwise though the rest of the episode was great. Loved Jamie and the Freys, loved the Blackfish, glad that Bronn is back, Lady Mormont was awesome, and Jon, Sansa, and Davos' journey around the north was the right amount of everything. I'm pleased that we're at a point now where we can get more than one five minute scene in each area per episode. Also Oleanna vs Cersei was just perfect.

The only headscratching I'm left with is why the BWB killed all those people, that doesn't seem to make much sense. It also seems to dent the prospects for Cleganebowl too. The way the show portrays the Hound in this episode doesn't suggest anything about religious conversion or conviction. He's a little more humble perhaps, but he hardly seems like the ideal candidate to become the faith's champion. Especially since his presumptive sponsor (Ian McShane/Septon Meribald) is now dead.

As such I think in the show it's more plausible that in any trial by combat that Cersei has to endure, the Faith will use Loras as it's champion (having broken him in their dungeons). The Hound will then go on to assume the remaining portions of Brienne's storyline from AWDW, since mashing her into the BWB now wouldn't seem like it could work. If they do bring back LSH (and I hope they don't at this point), Brienne can just point out that she's Sansa's sworn bodyguard and left her in the safe company of Jon Snow.

But really, who knows at this point.

Also, no Dorne since episode 2!

[Rasix]

Hadn't it been indicated in the books that the BWB had basically spiraled out of any sort of central control? At this point associating yourself with them is just like getting a license for banditry.

I still haven't given up hope for the Clegane bowl.  Maybe he can just kill his way to King's Landing.  It's not like the High Sparrow would hesitate in using him. 

[Speedy Cerviche]

Yeah, it was pretty amazing how quickly Dorne became irrelevant to the plot and both Cersei and Jaime apparently forgot all about avenging their daughter in favor of fucking about with the Sparrow and the Riverlands respectively.

You would think someone in KL would be concerned that the high prince of a major kingdom (with an intact and capable army) was assassinated and replaced by a trio of crazy-sexy ladies who are keen on enacting violent vengeance upon the trio of kingdoms that are behind the throne.

[K9]

Yeah, it was pretty amazing how quickly Dorne became irrelevant to the plot and both Cersei and Jaime apparently forgot all about avenging their daughter in favor of fucking about with the Sparrow and the Riverlands respectively.

You would think someone in KL would be concerned that the high prince of a major kingdom (with an intact and capable army) was assassinated and replaced by a trio of crazy-sexy ladies who are keen on enacting violent vengeance upon the trio of kingdoms that are behind the throne.

It hasn't even been mentioned in passing; whereas pretty much everything else tends to crop up in one or more of the other storylines as a reference by someone (except Arya who's basically in a bubble).

[calapine]

That 10-year-old killed it. She's going to be awesome if she doesn't fall victim to the child-actor curse.
 

Not that the kid acted bad, but I thought it fell to "kid being badass" issue. Same with earlier Arya, it just come across weak, to me.

Overall a good episode. Best scenes were in Kingslanding and with Lost-his-hand.

Edit: And Jamie is so sexy. oh god.

[Mac]

Oh look, it's Captain Darling !

[calapine]

Oh look, it's Captain Darling !

What?

[IainC]

Oh look, it's Captain Darling !

What?

Lord Glover was played by Tim McInnerny, mostly famous for playing Captain Darling in Blackadder Goes Forth.

[Mac]

I loved him in this, must have been the beard.

[Teleku]

Ok.

First off, hiring Ian McShane to play Septon Fred Rogers in his neighborhood is at least mildly perverse.

[eldaec]

I thought when Sandor said it was the brotherhood, that was meant to mean it was the brotherhood - I don't really see any other explanation or any reason it couldn't/shouldn't be the brotherhood - but the internet is long and full of terrible theories.

Cleganebowl is an absolute lock after the line about hate keeping him alive, next week I expect he is one of the 'No One' that the episode is named for, he could easily get sucked into another sparrow/brotherhood encounter and disappear into the faith militant. Next season he shows up out of nowhere and downs the mountain, knocking out the last challenge to the sparrow in KL.

On Arya, I don't think it is a misdirect, the fight club theory is fun but I don't buy it. There certainly would have been more book clues. As for why the plotline exists, first off there isn't actually all that much of it in the books and Arya needed to spend time somewhere, secondly the book faceless men are holding a dragon egg, and have a man in citadel trying to get an item out (thought to be the book "Blood and Fire"), so they must have a role in the shakedown.


Most of all, this episode made me think surely they are not planning to finish next year. Dany isn't leaving Essos till maybe the last 5 minutes of the season, soonest anyone at the wall sees a white walker is going to be the same episode, and I wouldn't bet against the possibility that neither of those things happens at all this year.

[apocrypha]

Much as I hate the current trend of judging shows episode by episode... I really enjoyed this one 

Shame we only got Ian McShane for one episode, he was great. Really very bored of the Arya storyline, it feels pointless and completely unconnected with anything else.

Anyone have any thoughts about who was Sansa writing to? The obvious answer is Littlefinger but could it also be Tyrion? He was, after all, one of the only people who's not been an utter shitbag to her in the last few years. But I'm not sure if she has any idea where he is or what his situation is.

[K9]

I think we're supposed to assume she's writing to LF, but the show does love misdirection.

[Speedy Cerviche]

Yeah she wrote it right after their conversation about the troop situation looking like long odds and she knows LF is sitting nearby with 5,000 knights.

[Khaldun]

Since when do the book Faceless Men have a dragon egg?

[MahrinSkel]

Oh look, it's Captain Darling !

He'll always be Lord Percy Percy to me.

[Amarr HM]

Never would have recognised him.

[Merusk]

As it is wont to do, the Internet has used its combined powers to deliver spoilers and confirmations.

Sansa's letter: http://imgur.com/a/p2mfe#jzGzmx4

[HaemishM]

I mean, DUH, there's not really anyone else she can call on at this point.

[Samwise]

So when that plays out, whose side do we think that army is going to be on?   

[eldaec]

Since when do the book Faceless Men have a dragon egg?

Balon was almost certainly killed by a faceless man (based on one of Dany's most literal visions) and then Euron tells us he had an egg, but "threw it into the sea" (which is of course how Balon died).

Granted it isn't 100%, but it matches so well with their guy at the citadel not being there to murder anyone, that I consider it canon until proven otherwise on par with R+L=J.

[Tale]

I mean, DUH, there's not really anyone else she can call on at this point.

I haven't seen the latest episode yet, but unless something has happened to him, could that letter be to Robin Arryn? Sansa is the only person who could really persuade Robin to override Littlefinger, and it's his birthright to command the Knights of the Vale and tell Littlefinger to bugger off. If Sansa is the new force she seems, manipulating Robin would be the best way around Baelish.

[angry.bob]

On Arya, I don't think it is a misdirect, the fight club theory is fun but I don't buy it.

I don't think it was even really Arya. Her demeanor was 180 degrees from what is was last appearance and what it should be if you think you're being hunted by a worldwide network of face-shifting super assassins in their hometown. Where did she get the fuckton of silver from that she's tossing around in public, and where was her sword?

Not that this aspect matters a lot, but those wounds were fatal. Not fast killing, but intentionally painful and fatal. That's not Arya unless they plan on her dying off or they just don't give a shit about believability.

I think it's more likely that this part was a test for the Waif and that the Faceless Men took Arya in for that purpose, never expected her to stay and become one of them, and give no fucks about her betrayal. The Waif on the other hand seems to still have a lot of personal ego for a Faceless Man and to test her they needed a believable setup, and that's what Arya's whole roll was. The waif was told specifically not to let her suffer, which she did on purpose with quite a bit of enjoyment, plus she seemed pretty pleased that she was given permission to kill Arya when she should have just nodded and treated it like any other task she was asked to do.