Episode 55: The Door

“Hold the Door”

Major Plot Points: Arya goes to a play.  Euron wins the Salt Throne.  Sansa confronts an old friend.  Daenerys heads home.  Jon leaves Castle Black.  Hodor holds the door.

Observations from a Book Reader:

1. Sansa doesn’t really trust Littlefinger, but doesn’t have any reason to be angry with him like she is in the tv show.
2. Lady Crane does not exist, but it is possible Arya will be sent to assassinate someone similar.  There has to be a reason for her to leave the Faceless Men.
3. We know that the Children of the Forest used to be at war with the First Men, and that they had to join forces during the Long Night.  However the origins of the White Walkers are still unknown.
4. The Kingsmoot occurred in book 4.  First Victarion Greyjoy made his claim, then Yara.  Yara was very close to winning but her other Uncle, Euron, showed up and used the power of theatrics to win.  One of his mute crew members began playing an ancient sounding horn which killed him when he was done.  Euron then explained to the ironborn the horn was an ancient treasure from Valyria that could control dragons, and with dragons the world was theirs.  The ironborn all immediately joined him. 
5. Euron was a militant atheist, and would never be baptized again.  For this reason, his priest brother Aeron refused to declare him king.  “A godless man can not sit upon the Seastone Chair” were his exact words.

Other Points to Notice

1. It’s nice to see Littlefinger grovel a little bit. He recovers quickly though, and begins manipulating Sansa again.  In this first meeting he already begins trying to drive a wedge between Sansa and Jon.
2. We saw Arya beat the Waif last season while blind.  Now she can’t even land a hit.  Furthermore, aren’t the Faceless Men supposed to be “no-one”? Because the waif clearly is a defined person, who has actual feelings (albeit mean ones) towards Arya. 
3. Arya showing emotion during the play was another indicator of how terrible she is at being “no-one”.
4. I hope that the White Walkers have a different origin in the books.  Here, they are essentially just undead foot soldiers with no real motive other than being evil.
5. After his epic first scene with Balon, Euron falls a little flat in the Kingsmoot.  Most book fans were hoping for the quieter, more sinister book version of Euron, rather than the loud, crude, pirate persona D&D invented. 
6. The Night King seeing, and marking, Bran caused many people to begin speculating that somehow Bran would one day go back in time to warg into the Night King.
7. Sansa begins lying to Jon already.  Her relationship with Littlefinger is a serious problem, and I am not sure why she wouldn’t tell Jon about her intel source.
8. Edd does in fact let the Wall get knocked down while Jon is gone. 
9. GRRM confirmed that Hodor would meet the same fate in the books.  And that his name does mean ‘hold the door’. So fucked up

Stray Observations:

1. The play was a bit much for me.  Seemed weirdly meta.
2. Euron looks different in Season 7.  He gets a haircut and an all-leather wardrobe. 
3. Jorah and Dany have a nice farewell, and meet again early next season.  Still not sure what the point of the greyscale plot was. 
4. I like Melisandre 2 but I really need to know what was said to Varys in the flames. 
5. I’m a big Tormund-Brienne fan.
6. Not sure if the Children of the Forest in the cave were the last of their race.  Hopefully not.
7. Hodor led a very sad life.  His whole purpose was just to die for Bran. 

RIP: Hodor, he died doing what he was meant to do.

Episode 56: Blood of My Blood

“I thought the Night’s Watch might make a man of you – something resembling a man at least. You managed to stay soft and fat, your nose buried in books, spending your life reading about the achievements of better men. I’ll wager you still can’t sit a horse or wield a sword….”

Major Plot Points: Sam meets with his father again.  Margaery meets with her husband again.  Arya goes to a play again. Bran meets with his Uncle again. Daenerys gives a long speech again.

Observations from a Book Reader:

1. Coldhands saved Bran and Meera while they were on their way to the Three Eyed Raven.  GRRM basically confirmed that he is not Benjen Stark, but it makes sense why they did it on the show. 
2. The last time we see Margaery, she is a few days away from her walk of atonement.  This punishment makes more sense since she was accused of sleeping around, it is kind of ridiculous Margaery has to do one on the show just for lying to save her brother’s life. 
3. Randyll Tarly fought on the side of Aerys Targaryen against Robert Baratheon.  He was actually one of the best generals on the side of the late king, and caused the war to last much longer.
4. I don’t foresee 8 year old Tommen becoming a puppet of the Faith Militant.  It would be wild though. 

Other Points to Notice

1. It looks like Gilly has her hair dyed before arriving at Horn Hill.  I am really confused by this, since who would ever be looking for her that would know her identity.
2. Margaery is now manipulating Tommen to be further manipulated by the High Sparrow.  I believe her angle in all of this is to get the High Sparrow on her side so she can use the faith militant against Cersei. 
3. It’s interesting to me that Sam turned out the way he did when his father is this large of a dick.  He makes Tywin Lannister look loving and kind.  Also, the actor who plays Dickon changes in between this season and the next. 
4. Arya was probably the worst assassin of all time.  She did not kill even one person she was supposed to.  Although I think seeing Lady Crane’s performance as Cersei reminded her of her own mother.  That, along with the kindness she displayed towards her, were enough for Arya to realize she did not want to be someone that killed for others.  She wanted to remain Arya Stark and kill the people she wanted to kill.
5.  Jaime is still fiercely loyal to Cersei.  It seems like his character development was put on hold since the show had to add so much filler to his story arc. 
6. After Bran woke up as the Three Eyed Raven, he still seemed like Bran.  But all of a sudden next season he is completely emotionless and detached. 
7. We were absolutely due for a Daenerys speech.  At least now she does cool shit to earn these speeches. 

Stray Observations:

1. Sam’s mom is kinda hot.
2. Poor Gilly.  She doesn’t quite understand southern politics yet. 
3. Sam stealing his dad’s sword is such a great moment.
4. Let’s go! Walder Frey sighting!!!
5. Meera is the only person acting normally about how fucked their situation is. 

RIP: Benjen Stark. He doesn’t die in this episode, but he does tell us in this episode that he basically died already. It counts.

Episode 57: The Broken Man

“Oh, there’s plenty of pious sons of bitches who think they know the word of god, or gods. I don’t. I don’t know their real names.”

Major Plot Points: The Hound is alive again.  Jon and Sansa attempt to rally the north.  Yara and Theon head for Meereen. Jaime speaks with the Blackfish. Margaery speaks with her grandmother.

Observations from a Book Reader:

1. Ian McShane’s character, Septon Ray, did not exist.  However he was based off a combination of 2 characters from book 4, Septon Meribald and the elder brother.  Meribald  and the elder brother led a monastery on an island, at which they took care of war survivors and people with no place to go.  Brienne visited there while searching for Sansa.  Meribald gave a pretty epic speech on the horrors of war.
2. The Hound is believed dead, but some theorize he still lives, and is under the employ of Septon Meribald.  While on his island, Brienne observed a large hooded man digging a grave, and many believe that was the Hound.  Brienne even asks Meribald if the Hound was alive, and Meribald said no, the Hound was dead and no longer suffering.  The theory goes that he was referring to the Hound as the vicious and hateful part of Sandor Clegane’s persona.
3. Lyanna Mormont is only the acting leader of House Mormont, as her mother and siblings are still presumed alive, but their whereabouts are unknown. 
4. Jaime always revered the Blackfish, since stories of his prowess in battle were things he grew up with.  It hurt him greatly when Brynden essentially disregarded him as scum without any thought. 
5. Lem Lemoncloak was a member of the Brotherhood Without Banners.  He did not outright murder civilians, but it is certainly possible he did sketchy things while working with Beric and Lady Stoneheart. 

Other Points to Notice

1. Septon Ray offers an interesting contrast to the High Sparrow.  Both claim to help the smallfolk, but Ray is actually out in the country feeding and supporting those without means.  He also is more understanding and does not personally punish those he believes to be sinners. 
2. The High Sparrow basically tells Margaery that she should let her husband have sex with her whenever he wants, and that it is not her choice.  This seems pretty archaic, even for Westeros.
3. The rose that Margaery gave Olenna was the sigil of the Tyrell house.  It was the only way she could tell her grandmother she was still operating on her own accord, and wasn’t on the side of the high Sparrow. 
4. Cersei was actually trying to recruit Olenna to her cause.  Olenna would surely regret insulting her one last time, since it resulted in the death of her entire family. 
5. Robett Glover brings up many good points as to why he will not join Jon and Sansa.  His home, Deepwood Motte, was completely controlled by Yara Greyjoy and her men for a long time, and the Glovers as a whole are nowhere near what they used to be. 
6. It greatly annoys me that Sansa recruits Littlefinger without telling Jon.  He has no reason to disagree with this.  I feel like they did it just so the Battle of the Bastards could have a Gandalf-saves-the-day moment. 
7. This episode starts a series of bad and weird decisions by Arya.  Why would she allow herself to get stabbed like that.  She had to have known the Faceless Men were coming for her.  Also she has a gut wound and jumps in dirty water with no repercussions. 

Stray Observations:

1. The High Sparrow really wants Tommen to have an heir…
2. Lyanna is a much better child ruler than Bran was. 
3. “I’m gonna go fuck the tits off this one.”  Come on guys.
4. The Hound must have the world’s worst hearing. 

RIP: Septon Ray.  We hardly knew you.

Episode 58: No One

“I haven’t had a proper sword fight in years. I expect I’ll make a damn fool of myself.”

Major Plot Points: Brienne and Jaime meet again.  Edmure Tully reclaims his home.  Daenerys returns to Meereen.  Arya goes for a run.

Observations from a Book Reader:

1. The High Sparrow did tell Cersei she could remain in the Red Keep until her trial.  I can’t imagine him sending his foot-soldiers into the castle after Cersei, since they would probably be killed immediately. 
2. Jaime meets Brienne again in the Riverlands.  However Brienne meets him on behalf of undead Catelyn Stark,  Lady Stoneheart.  She brings Jaime to see her, and probably to his own death.  His fate remains unknown until book 6 comes out in 50 years from now. 
3. Trial by combat is still legal.  It is unlikely Tommen outlaws it, since he is not in the High Sparrow’s pocket.
4. Jaime threatened Edmure in a similar fashion.  He offered him an ultimatum, enter the castle, lift the siege, and surrender.  Or enter the castle, and have his wife and son’s heads thrown over the wall.  He then had a bard that Edmure always hated play the Rains of Castamere for him all night. 
5. The Blackfish did not die when Jaime took over Riverrun.  Instead he escaped the exact same way he escaped the Red Wedding.  Edmure opened up the river gates to give him room to escape via swimming.  Unreal. 
6. Beric is dead, his life given to resurrect Catelyn Stark.  Thoros now serves her but seems extremely depressed.  Overall the entire Brotherhood is doing poorly, and are pretty much just criminals at this point.  It’s nice that in the show they still have a unified goal, and will now play a part in the fight agains the white walkers.

Other Points to Notice

1. We see Lady Crane take Arya’s advice about portraying Cersei as angry and vengeful.  It apparently was good advice since the audience responded extremely positively.
2. It always annoyed me that Arya did not stress to Crane just how precarious of a situation she was in.  You’d think she would warn her that if she left the house or left windows open, they would both be killed. 
3. The way Jaime tells Brienne to keep Oathkeeper, and their conversation afterwards, is one of the key moments for him in his redemption arc. The writers of course ruin it later in the episode with his speech to Edmure about Cersei.
4. Tommen is a very poor king.  When Tywin told him that a good king listens to his advisors, he apparently took this to heart.  The problem is he allows everyone around him to completely manipulate him.
5. The rumor Qyburn is speaking about, is of course the fact that there are thousands of containers of wildfire set up in the city still.
6. Remember Tyrion’s honeycomb and jackass joke from season 1? He still can’t finish it here.  I bet the last scene of the series is him explaining the ending finally. 
7. So the infamous chase scene.  First of all how can Arya run anywhere with a surely infected gut wound?  Also did they have to make the waif run like she was a robot?  And the ending is weird too, why would Arya be trained in fighting in the dark but the waif isn’t?  I know we see her beat the waif once while blind, but she loses the next episode while she can see.  Does she fight better blind?  And why does the waif not use a different face?
8. The fact that Jaqen smiles at Arya when she says she is going home really gets to me.  What is his motive? Is he proud of her? Did he want her to admit this all along?  I really hope we get resolution next season.  

Stray Observations:

1. Arya ended up killing Lady Crane afterall, albeit indirectly. 
2. I didn’t realize how much I missed Pod and Bronn together.
3. Edmure really fucking killed his one on one time with Jaime.  I think he got to him.  He definitely ended up being a huge bitch in the end though, especially with how he treated his uncle.
4. The Tully guard was such an asshole.  Why would he not listen to the Blackfish. 
5. Oranges are used in cinema to portray mortal danger for a character.  It started in the Godfather, and was even used in Breaking Bad. 

RIP: Brynden “Blackfish” Tully.  Damn cool character. 

Episode 59: The Battle of the Bastards

“If I fall, don’t bring me back.”

Major Plot Points: Daenerys conquers.  The two bastards of the North duke it out.

Observations from a Book Reader:

1. It seems unlikely Daenerys would be able to destroy the invader armies that easily.  Mostly because Victarion Greyjoy was there with his brother Euron’s dragon horn.  Of course if the horn ends up not working it just may be that simple.
2. If Stannis dies, and Jon ends up marching on Winterfell, he better hope that Roose is not still alive.  Unlike Ramsey, Roose was actually a proven commander and would never meet Jon in open combat.  He would likely garrison the castle and let winter kill Jon and his men. 
3. Even though Rickon is still alive, I highly doubt he ever becomes plot relevant again.  If he mattered in the endgame, I assume the show would keep him alive. 
4. Yara and Theon are still in the North while Daenerys is in Essos, so it seems unlikely they team up.  The only way I could see this happening is if they pledge to her cause after she already lands in Westeros.
5. There is clearly a conspiracy among the northern lords to rebel against the Boltons. This never comes to fruition in the show, but it is almost a complete certainty it will occur in the novels

Other Points to Notice

1. More foreshadowing about using wildfire to blow up the sept of Baelor from Tyrion.  We have gotten a lot of mentions from characters this season about Aerys and his plans to burn the city.
2. If I were the masters, I would immediately order my soldiers to kill the Unsullied and hold Tyrion/Missandei hostage.  This plan wouldn’t work but at least it would do something.
3. At this point of the story,  I honestly believe Jon may be the best living swordsman in Westeros.  Just from experience alone, I don’t think any could take him in a 1 vs. 1 scenario.  Ramsey was uncharacteristically wise by refusing his offer.
4. Every aspect of the strategy Jon and Davos come up with is immediately abandoned by both men during the battle. 
5. Sansa brings up good points about Rickon, Ramsey, and needing more men, but then stupidly refuses to tell Jon about the knights of the Vale who are on their way. 
6. Davos and Tormund both discuss their past mistakes of following men who called themself king. They then talk about how Jon is not a king.  Not only would he be crowned shortly after the battle, he also is the direct heir to the throne.  So jokes on them
7. Some fans hate how the giant pile of bodies appears so suddenly.  Some fans need to learn that the battle is just a vehicle for telling a larger story and not a historical re-enactment.
8. The spear tactic the Bolton army uses is incredible.  Also even though he was on the wrong side, Smalljon Umber fights like a total badass.
9. I brought it up once before, but Jon surfacing from beneath the mass of people symbolized his true rebirth. He came back to life already, but it wasn’t until this point that he seizes the opportunity and decides to actually live again.

Stray Observations:

1. Why would the masters mention how the other man was a lowborn?  Obviously Dany’s advisors would choose to keep him alive.
2. Ramsey really enjoyed calling Jon a bastard. 
3. Could Rickon have ran in a straighter line? 
4. I’m glad Davos found Shireen’s stag toy.  Melisandre needs to be called out for her crimes.
5. Holy shit, there were some serious sexual vibes between Daenerys and Yara.  I’m here for it. 

RIP:  Ramsey Bolton.  The craziest, most sadistic, and ridiculous villain in the entire series.  But more importantly, RIP Wun Weg Wun Dar Wun, the last of the giants.

Episode 60: The Winds of Winter

This title is a cruel reference to the name of book 6 in the series.  It is never coming out.

“You have to protect him. Promise me Ned.”

Major Plot Points: Jaime dines with the Freys.  Davos accuses Melisandre. Tyrion is named Hand, again.  Jon becomes King.  Cersei becomes Queen.  Daenerys heads home. 

Observations from a Book Reader:

1. Cersei will most likely be able to use the zombie version of the Mountain to win her trial by combat against the Faith Militant.  But at some point, I expect the wildfire to go off in King’s Landing, it has been hinted at for the entire series. 
2. Pycelle was lying dead in the Tower of the Hand when Kevan Lannister walked inside.  It was there that Varys killed Kevan with a bolt to the heart.
3. Tommen is obviously still alive, but he is almost guaranteed to die soon.  I doubt an 8 year old boy will commit suicide though, so his death could come from anything.
4. Jaime finds the Freys disgusting and cowardly.  Even though he murdered the Mad King, I guess he finds the idea of murdering a man at a wedding to be the line.
5. When Sam arrives at Oldtown, he meets a maester in training that we saw die in the prologue of the book.  This indicated that the Citadel was infiltrated by the Faceless Men, although we have no idea why.  The Maesters in general are pretty sketchy, and some believe they were the reason the Targaryen dragons grew weaker with each generation.
6. The Tyrells and the Martells would never form an alliance, as they were ancient rivals. 
7. Bran’s vision finally gave fans the answer they had waited 20 years to hear.  Jon is the son of Lyanna Stark.  While we do not explicitly learn Rhaegar is the father, it is stupidly obvious at this point

Other Points to Notice

1. From start to finish, this is the best beginning to a season finale Game of Thrones has ever done. 
2. The High Sparrow can barely hide his excitement when Loras admits to his crimes.  For a man that grabbed power by pretending to be a humble servant, it is fitting he dies due to his arrogant belief that Cersei wouldn’t dare defy him.  He should have listened to Margaery, who does an incredible job at making the audience feel the tension of the moment.
3. Every time we have seen Walder Frey since the Red Wedding, he is talking about the Red Wedding.  It is his crowning achievement. 
4. Cersei seems strangely fine with Tommen being dead.  Especially compared to how she reacted when her last 2 children died.  The reason for her demeanor is…that her other 2 children died already.  In her mind that proved the witch’s prophecy to her, and Tommen was already dead.
5. This is the 2^nd white raven we see in the series.  The first to symbolize the end of summer, and this one to indicate the beginning of winter. 
6. Davos takes the role of the audience and we finally get to see Melisandre have to answer for her atrocities.  Liam Cunningham fucking kills it.  
7. Arya chopping up Walder Frey’s 2 sons, and putting them in a pie, seems like quite the stretch.  But it’s actually a plot lifted from the books.  While in Winterfell “serving” the Boltons, it is heavily implied that Lord Wyman Manderly killed the 2 Freys and cooked them into a pie, just like Arya did.
8. We see Varys riding on the ships with Daenerys’ army, along with the sigils of House Martell, and Tyrell on some sails.  Pretty successful mission. 

Stray Observations:

1. I wish that Margaery survived, just so we could see what her revenge plan would be against the High Sparrow and Cersei.
2. Septa Unella was awful, but this is a bit extreme. Sheesh
3. If Tommen didn’t kill himself, I really wonder what his first order would be.
4. “I suppose that life is irregular.”  Fucking Sam.
5. Olenna insulting the Sand Snakes almost made up for them being a thing still. 
6. A motherless bastard born in the south.  Sick burn Petyr.
7. The look Littlefinger gives to Sansa makes the whole King in the North scene way less fun.  Especially when you remember how the last King in the North plot ended. 

RIP: Grand Maester Pycelle,  Lancel Lannister,  Kevan Lannister,  the High Sparrow, Mace Tyrell, Ser Loras Tyrell, Queen Margaery Tyrell, King Tommen Baratheon, and Walder Frey.  Literally half the cast.

I can’t believe I have been doing this shit for 60 episodes now.  That blows my mind.  Season 6 was a huge step up from Season 5, but it was not without its flaws.  At times, it struggled from pacing, as well as a few minor plot holes.  But it was worth it overall I think.  Season 7 is even more hit or miss

Things I Liked:  Everything that happened in the season finale.  From Cersei’s plan, to Dany finally heading home.  On my first viewing, Jon being named King in the North was something that I did not see coming, and it was still pretty damn cool this time around.  Have to mention the incredible scene in the Battle of the Bastards that seemed to be 1 take.  We saw Jon fight 6 guys in a row without a single cut. 

Things I Did Not Like:  Arya’s conclusion to being a Faceless Man seemed rushed and disorganized.  The chase scene was ridiculous, and so was the fact that she fell into a disgusting shit river with a belly wound and was fine after.  It bothers me greatly that she comes back to Westeros and knows how to use faces.  One of the other issues I had with this slate of episodes, was the way Sansa kept her plans secret from Jon FOR NO REASON AT ALL.  It seemed like a nonsensical decision that was thrown in to add drama.  It would have been so much better if Jon was saved by other northmen, finally deciding to stand against Ramsey. 

Episode 49: The Dance of Dragons

“I am the Princess Shireen of House Baratheon. And I am your daughter.”

Major Plot Points: Stannis tries one last trick to win the throne.  Jon brings his new wildling friends to Castle Black.  Arya sells oysters, clams, and cockles.  Daenerys has to deal with an assassination attempt. 

Observations from a Book Reader:

1. The Dance of Dragons was the name given to a Targaryen civil war between Aegon II and his half sister Rhaenyra over their father’s throne.  By the end both were dead, along with their dragons. Shireen is shown reading a book about it before her death.
2. As stated before, Davos was never in the North, he was recruiting more lords to Stannis’ cause.  At this point Melisandre and Shireen were also still at Castle Black, and Stannis’ state in the north was unknown.  However there is still a lot of evidence that what Stannis did in the show will still happen.
3. Doran sent Nymeria Sand to take Oberyn’s place on the small council. She wasn’t nearly as annoying and respected his plan to overthrow Cersei.
4. Hizdahr Zo Loraq was not killed in the fighting pits, and tried to take control of the city after Daenerys left.  No one really listened to him though, and Barristan believed he tried to poison Dany before her escape.  This is because he offered her a bowl of honeyed locusts that she refused.  Her giant guard, Strong Belwas, ate them and immediately became sick and almost died in the days after.
5. Daenerys’ hair burned off, and she did suffer some burns from Drogon.  This shows that in the books, she was not fireproof like she is depicted on the show multiple times.

Other Points to Notice

1. Somehow 20 men were enough to destroy all of Stannis’ siege equipment, and food stores.  This seems like a convenient plot device to me, as those would probably be the heaviest guarded tents that Stannis had.  It did give us a badass Stannis line though, when he told Davos to have the dead horses butchered for their meat.
2. The toy Davos gives Shireen comes back in season 6, and is all the evidence Davos needs to accuse Melisandre of her murder.
3. Mace wasn’t the sharpest in the books, but in the show he is an outright clown.  It seems amazing to me that he has been able to survive as long as he has, probably all due to his mother.
4. Meryn Trant’s affinity for beating young girls puts a dark light on the times he hit Sansa for Joffrey.
5. Selyse, who always openly talked down about Shireen, ended up being the only one to try to stop her death.  It seems that deep down she did love the child.
6. Hizdahr being killed by the Sons of the Harpy really was solid proof that he was not their leader.
7. Jorah offers his hand to Daenerys and she takes it. Greyscale is spread via touch. This seems like a bad oversight on both the writers and Jorah.

Stray Observations:

1. Ellaria is really unbearable.  But it does bother me more that Doran refuses to have a plan to overthrow Tommen.
2. What Stannis did was unforgivable.  But in his mind, he was the rightful king and the only one in the world that could save the world from the Long Night.  This was of course due to the constant indoctrination from Melisandre.  He had to choose between his daughter and the lives of everyone in Westeros.  Of course it did not matter in the end, making both his fall, and Shireen’s death, even more tragic.
3. Shireen’s death has to be the darkest moment in the series. Fuck it’s still so hard to watch.  I hope it doesn’t happen in the books.

RIP: Shireen Baratheon. First of her name. And a truly good person.

Episode 50: Mother’s Mercy

“Go on, do your duty.”

Major Plot Points: Stannis marches one last time.  Arya breaks loses sight of her assassin goals.  Tyrion, Daario, and Jorah miss Dany.  Dany enjoys life in the wild. Cersei goes on a shameful walk. Jon is murdered by his own men.

Observations from a Book Reader:

1. Stannis is still entrenched in the snows outside of Winterfell.  We know this because there is a chapter from book 6 with him interrogating the newly escaped Theon.  Theon’s sister is also with Stannis at this point. 
2. It was Jon’s idea, not Sam’s, for him to become a Maester.  Sam actually refused to do it at first, due to childhood trauma.  He once told his father he wanted to be a Maester and his father tormented and shamed him about it.
3. Reek and Jeyne Poole escaped in the same way, by jumping into a snow bank.
4. As I stated once before,  Arya killed Daeron, a deserter from the Night’s Watch, not Meryn Trant.  I don’t have a problem with this deviation though, as it gave us a familiar face for Arya to murder. 
5. Myrcella is still alive.  She’s definitely going to die, as will Tommen, but not at the hands of Ellaria Sand.  Ridiculous that they made her the villain here.
6. Varys was still in King’s Landing. In the epilogue of A Dance with Dragons, he appears in the Tower of the Hand and murders Kevan Lannister.  Varys said that Kevan was doing too much to fix Cersei’s mistakes, and he needed unrest in order to put Aegon Targaryen on the throne.
7. The Mountain was a zombie, but Qyburn and everyone else hilariously called him Ser Gregor Strong, even though it was obvious who he really was.
8. Before Jon was killed, he received a letter from Ramsey.  This letter (known to fans as the pink letter due to the sealing wax color) taunted Jon, and told him that Stannis was dead, and that Mance (who was still alive and sent there undercover) was captured as well.  The letter then demanded Jon send Reek, his wife, and Val the wildling, to him, or he would march to the Wall and kill Jon.  At this point Jon does not know Ramsey is married to a fake Arya. The letter enrages Jon and he then decides to rally the wildling army and march on Winterfell.  He sends Tormund to Hardhome instead of going himself.  This was the last straw for the mutineers, and they killed him before he left.  Many fans have different theories on if Ramsey actually sent the letter, and how much of it was true.
9. Jon’s last words before dying were “Ghost”.  Not “Olly”.

Other Points to Notice

1. Melisandre was right about the Bolton banners burning, but she was very wrong about Stannis being the one to do it.  Also, she was technically right about the snow melting when Shireen was sacrificed.
2. Stannis’ battle at Winterfell leaves much to be desired.  It almost feels like we were robbed.  Hopefully in the books it is more epic and fleshed out.  But he did get a proper sendoff.  He did not deny that he killed his brother, and accepted his death gracefully.
3. How did Arya already learn how to use fake faces? We never saw her trained in this, and it bothers me that we still gain no idea of how the Faceless Men really work.  Also since she clearly knows the secrets of face-swapping, you’d think she would be less scared when Jaqen uses the trick on her.
4. Lena Headey did not want to film herself naked in front of that many people, and she listed good reasons for it.  So her walk of shame scene is done entirely with a body double.

Stray Observations:

1. Sam is still an unrepentant horn dog.
2. Renly was cool and all but in no world was he the rightful heir as Brienne proclaims.
3. When Sam leaves, Jon is standing from the same bannister we used to always see Jeor Mormont stand.
4. Because we didn’t explicitly see Stannis die, there were many annoying theories that he still lived.  As if Brienne would just not kill him. 
5. The bad pussy line has to be the worst line in tv history. Why?

RIP:  Stannis Baratheon, rightful heir to the Iron Throne.  Also Jon Snow, the 998^th Lord Commander of the Night’s Watch.  And now his watch is ended.  Until next season. Did anyone think he actually stayed dead?

Episode 51: The Red Woman

“Buried, burned, she’s good meat. Feed her to the hounds.”

Major Plot Points: Davos watches Thorne seize power.  Jon is still dead.  Sansa and Reek find Brienne.  Cersei mourns the loss of her only daughter.  Margaery is getting tired of captivity.  Tyrion and Varys learn about their new home.  Daenerys is a slave of the Dothraki once again.  Arya is blind.

Observations from a Book Reader:

1. Ghost was not locked up when Jon died, and his reaction to his master’s death will be very interesting.  Most fans are expecting a chapter of Jon warged inside Ghost’s body.
2. Roose constantly humiliates and belittles Ramsey in public.  This is one of his only methods to control him.  On the show it is usually more private, which seems more dangerous, as it gives Ramsey ample opportunity to strike back.
3. Alexander Siddig (Doran Martell) was very upset that his character was killed off for what he thought was pure shock value.  When he played Doran in Season 5, he assumed the whole time that Doran had a plan to overthrow the Lannisters, and played the character as such.  But it seems that D&D enjoyed Ellaria as a villain and killed Doran off, dooming us to more Sand Snakes.  It is one of my biggest problems with the show.  Especially how they kill his son Trystane, who was completely innocent.  Also can you imagine how upset Oberyn would be by all of this? Plus why would the common people of Dorne accept Ellaria’s rule?
4. Theon’s Uncle Victarion was very close to Meereen at this point.  Euron Greyjoy sent him there to capture Daenerys to be his new bride.  By now Euron was already King of the Iron Islands, and had shown an ancient horn which was said to control dragons at the Kingsmoot.  Victarion was basically a pirate stereotype, and was removed from the show, but it does seem like show-Euron has some of his tendencies. 
5. Khal Jhaqo captures Daenerys, and since he once was a bloodrider to Drogo, recognized Dany immediately. 

Other Points to Notice

1. This is the only time we see Melisandre act like a human, and not some beautiful demon with no emotions.  Seeing Jon die is really the last straw for her faith in herself. 
2. We have now seen 2 Lord Commanders in a row murdered by the men they commanded.  Not a good sign for Jon’s successor. 
3. As soon as Brienne appears, the dogs stop barking and immediately disappear.  A bit of a weird oversight by the director, since we know Ramsey trains his hounds to attack his enemies.
4. Sansa repeats the same words to Brienne that her mother once did.
5. Daenerys mentions that she will never have children again, a point she reiterates in Season 7. In the books it is made more clear why she believes this, as Mirri Maz Duur tells her that she will never carry children again when she last speaks to her. For some reason the show skipped that part of Mirri’s prophecy.

Stray Observations:

1. Holy shit I really hate Olly. Look at him standing there all cocky.
2. Brienne finally keeps an oath.  She really needed this. It’s weird to me that Roose is never worried about Ramsey murdering him.
3. Melisandre being insanely old is a long held book theory finally proven true.

RIP:  Ramsey’s best hunters.

Episode 52: Home

“I am the storm, brother. The first storm and the last.”

Major Plot Points: Bran returns to the show and does some flashbacks.  Jaime threatens the High Sparrow. Tyrion meets Rhaegal and Viserion.  Roose Bolton was poisoned by his enemies.  Arya is still blind.  Davos begs Melisandre to make Jon stop being dead.

Observations from a Book Reader:

1. Jojen was alive, or so we were led to believe.  While Bran was in the cave, he repeatedly ate a weird paste given to him by the children of the forest.  This was supposed to enhance his abilities, and some fans speculate that the paste was made…out of Jojen.  Jojen was shown to be weak and dying by this point, so it is possible. 
2. Tommen did not lock Cersei in the Red Keep when she left the captivity of the Sept.  He was too busy eating sweets and stamping things for fun.  He was not a very bright child.
3. Probably the second largest theory in the ASOIAF fandom is that Tyrion is secretly the child of Joanna Lannister and Aerys Targaryen.   It was repeatedly stated in the books that the Mad King lusted after Joanna, even to Tywin’s face.  Tyrion was also described as having almost white blonde hair, and we hear Tywin once say something along the lines of “Because I can not prove that you are not my son.”  The theory goes on to state that Tyrion and Jon, the 2 secret Targaryens, will ride Dany’s other 2 dragons.  This episode adds slight fuel to the fire, when Tyrion is able to tame the dragons in captivity, a feat that we hear in the books usually only works for those with Targaryen ancestry.  Personally, I do not like this theory, and I think it cheapens Tyrion’s character and growth, especially his confrontation with Tywin. 
4. Theon is a captive of Stannis, but even if he is freed it is higly doubtful he goes back to Pyke.  Euron was already in command after the Kingsmoot and would kill him immediately.  We also do not see Euron kill Balon, but it seems fairly obvious he was responsible. 
5. Euron wore an eye patch, and had a “black eye shining with malice underneath it.”  This earned him the nickname “Crow’s-Eye”. 

Other Points to Notice

1. After years of speculating over Jon’s parentage, even seeing the teen version of Lyanna seemed like a huge deal. 
2. I hate Olly as much as the next guy, but he does have a good reason to hate Tormund, he literally watched this dude murder his entire family. 
3. The eye stones that the High Sparrow mentions, are a show-only invention.  They were added in the pilot episode, mostly because they looked cool. It is possible they are a homage to Ancient Greece, where coins were placed on the eyes of the deceased. 
4. Arya’s plotline comes to a screeching halt.  How many times do we have to watch her fight ineffectively while blind?  Two seems too many. 
5. Roose was an incredibly smart man, and probably should have known better than to get close to Ramsey.  It did give us the hilarious “poisoned by his enemies” line though. 
6. Now it makes sense as to why Melisandre was written to see Thoros bring Beric back from the dead.  Although since she never saw him in the books…does this mean Jon is staying dead?? Probably not. 

Stray Observations:

1. We see young Rodrick Cassel, and apparently he always had the epic mutton chops.
2. The smirk that the High Sparrow gives Jaime as he leaves the sept, is all the proof I need that he is secretly enjoying his new power. 
3. Fat Walda (that was her book nick name) seemed like a nice person, and I could have done without having to see her and her baby killed so brutally.
4. The ironborn throne was called the Seastone Chair, not the Salt Throne.

RIP:  King Balon Greyjoy.  Somehow the last surviving leader from the War of the Five Kings

Episode 53: Oathbreaker

“Wear it. Burn it. You have Castle Black. My watch is ended.”

Major Plot Points:   Sam, Gilly, and Sam head for Horn Hill.  Bran’s visions fuel book reader’s long held theories.  Daenerys joins the Dosh Khaleen.  Tommen learns about religion.  Cersei plots for her trial.  Arya trains blindly.  Jon is free from his vows.

Observations from a Book Reader:

1. Some theorize that Beric, and Jon if he comes back, are the opposite of the wights that the White Walkers command.  They are fire wights in a way, and hopefully more will be explored on the implications of this.
2. Sam and Gilly went straight to Oldtown after booking passage on a merchant ship in Braavos.  When we last saw Gilly, she was in Oldtown waiting for Sam to send her to Horn Hill.  It remains to be seen if she actually does go there.
3. We do not see Ned fight Arthur Dayne at the Tower of Joy.  In the first book, we do see the situation through a fever dream of Ned’s.  However the details are cloudy and jump from the confrontation directly to Lyanna making Ned promise her something. Also, it was 3 vs 7, as Ser Oswell Whent was also there with Dayne and Hightower.
4. Arthur Dayne was widely regarded as the greatest swordsman to ever live. 
5. Smalljon Umber died at the Red Wedding.  Before this, the Umbers were among the most loyal Stark bannerman.  It is very unlikely they would ever align with the Boltons, especially since Roose was the reason most of the Umber leaders were dead.  Seeing Rickon and Osha again also seems unlikely, as most believe they left Westeros for the island of Skagos.  However the Karstarks did join the Boltons and once pledged to join Stannis with the intention of betraying him. 

Other Points to Notice

1. When Beric Dondarrion came back from the dead, he told Arya that each time he lost a little more of himself.  In the books he talked about how he couldn’t even remember what his home looked like.  We never really get that sense from Jon, and after he comes back it almost has no plot relevance, other than him being proof of the Red God’s power.  I wonder if from his POV in the books we will see him change.
2. The first man we see in Bran’s vision, is Ser Gerold Hightower.  A formidable duelist in his own right, he was the Commander of the Kingsguard for Aerys.  The fact that both he and Arthur Dayne were outside the tower protecting Lyanna was all the proof fans needed to create the R + L = J theory.
3. It bothers me that Bran says he has heard the story a thousand times about how Ned beat Dayne.  It seems unlikely Ned would ever talk about this fight, especially given the tragic ending to both Dayne and Lyanna.
4. The whore Varys interrogates is the same one that we saw slit an Unsullied soldier’s throat, and direct Barristan to his death. 
5. Qyburn immediately uses the same child spies that Varys once employed.
6. The High Sparrow manipulates Tommen just as easily as Margaery or Cersei ever did.  He somehow makes him his puppet in just one conversation.
7. Interestingly enough, we see Arya able to best the Waif in a fight while blind.  It does make her eventual victory seem more likely I guess.

Stray Observations:

1. Jon is rightfully disturbed at being alive again.
2. Dany really doesn’t understand that other Dothraki do not care about her titles.
3. Tyrion trying to get Grey Worm and Missandei to play a game with him was extremely sad.
4. Technically, Jon did serve the Night’s Watch till death.

RIP: Ser Alliser Thorne, for a short time First Ranger, and for an even shorter time the Lord Commander, of the Night’s Watch. And now his watch is ended. Fuck Olly

Episode 54: Book of the Stranger

“I fought, and I lost.”

Major Plot Points: Jon meets the family member he cares the least about.  Daenerys meets her old friends in an old place.  Tyrion tries to run a new city.  Margaery reunites with Loras.  Cersei finally begins to take action.  Osha dies. 

Observations from a Book Reader:

1. If Jon does come back to life, I am certain he will use the same loophole he uses on the show to get out of his vows.  Jon is clearly the main character of the series and there isn’t much he can do plot-wise from the Wall.
2. Astapor, Yunkai, and Volantis did not send envoys to negotiate with Daenerys in Meereen.  They all joined forces and sent massive armies to besiege the city.  Outside of Meereen was a no mans land of slavers, armies, war ships, and disease. 
3. Daenerys’ plan to escape Vaes Dothrak would never work.  This is due to the fact that she does not have a superpower where she is immune to fire.  The only time she was fireproof was when she also burned Mirri Maz Duur, so it may have been some type of blood magic.
4. Lancel was not a member of the faith militant.  He was super depressed though. 
5. We get our show version of the Pink Letter. Doesn’t have the same impact when we know Ramsey isn’t lying.

Other Points to Notice

1. It’s interesting to imagine how much differently things would have ended up if Jon left Castle Black before Sansa arrived.  Hard to picture him going to Dorne and enjoying a life on the beach.
2. It was refreshing to hear Davos question Mel about Stannis, since to this point she has not had to atone for her decisions.  I have a strong feeling she will be killed by Arya in Season 8.
3. This is where it gets hard to understand Littlefinger’s motives.  Did he always plan to give Sansa to the Boltons, only to then march on the Boltons? The only way this makes sense is when you remember he currently has Cersei’s blessing to overthrow them.  Except Cersei will be furious when she finds out he didn’t kill Sansa.  Idk the whole thing is super confusing. 
4. Both Tyrion and Missandei are correct in their actions.  Tyrion is doing the right thing and trying to peacefully stop the masters from attacking them, and Missandei is right in not believing the masters can be placated.  The result is infuriating.
5. Not sure why Margaery is still captive.  All she was accused of was lying while in a sept.  In the books Cersei framed her for sleeping with several different knights. 

Stray Observations:

1. The first Stark reunion we see is definitely the best Stark reunion.
2. Remember the wise master from Astapor?  Same guy that Dany once took gold from and threatened to unleash Drogon on. 
3. The High Sparrow’s monologue was weirdly awesome.  I know we are supposed to hate him but how can you hate someone that good at acting??
4. Theon’s second boat ride to Pyke is much different than his first, when he came in super cocky.
   
5. I feel like Osha did not get the send off she deserved.  No one in the world believed her plan to seduce Ramsey would work.  They may as well have killed her offscreen and saved her dignity. 

RIP:  Osha the Wildling.  Also some Dothraki.

Daenerys Boob Counter: 1

Overall: 4.5

Season 6 was immediately better than Season 5.  Hard to explain why, but it felt more like Game of Thrones again.  It’s going to get harder and harder to write book facts moving forward since we are about at the point in the show where every plotline has gone beyond the source material.  Only 2 full weeks left before season 8.

Things I Liked: The Tyrion and Varys reunion in Meereen was a nice addition.  It helped us remember the glory days of Season 2, where the show reveled in constant political maneuvering.  I also am a big fan of the way Jon came back and immediately was pissed about it.  Seems like the best reaction possible.  Stannis had a pretty cool final scene as well.  However by far the most powerful moment of this group of episodes, was the murder of Shireen.  It was horrifying, and completely fucked up, but it was supposed to be and I’m glad they gave the moment the gravity it needed.  Still super fucked though.

Things I Did Not Like: Ellaria Sand murdering Myrcella, Doran, and Trystane, then somehow taking control of an entire kingdom is the worst part of Game of Thrones.  First off, she is literally a bastard.  Second of all, she was not even married to Oberyn Martell.  Third, and most importantly, she commands 0 armies and has no lords loyal to her.  Literally any highborn in Dorne has a stronger claim than her to the kingdom and she would immediately be overthrown, along with the fucking Sand Snakes.  Doran was such a waste of a character.  Also, the “battle” between Stannis and Ramsey was a pathetic joke.  

Episode 43: High Sparrow

“Olly, bring me my sword”

Major Plot Points: Tommen enjoys the married life.  Arya is forced to serve.  Sansa learns about her new betrothed.  Jon refuses a King.  Tyrion goes to a brothel.

Observations from a Book Reader:

1. Tommen was a young child,  about 9, therefore he and Margaery never consummated their relationship.  Weirdly enough they still got married.
2. Littlefinger does plan on marrying Sansa off, but not to someone as repulsive as Ramsey.  There is a lord in the Vale nicknamed Harry the Heir, and if something were to happen to poor little Sweetrobin, he would be in line as the next Lord of the Vale. 
3. Brienne’s father Selywn, is known as Selywn Tarth, Tarth being the name of the island he presides over.  For some reason, Brienne is known as Brienne of Tarth, not Brienne Tarth.  Not sure why but it does sound cooler.
4. Olly did not exist.  It was awesome.
5. Jon sent Ser Alliser away to command the castle Janos died refusing.  It did not prevent a mutiny, the mutiny was just organized by other people. 
6. Fans of the books were furious when Jon didn’t say “Edd fetch me a block”, before beheading Janos.  “Olly bring me my sword” does not have the same ring to it. 
7. At this point of the books, we were on our second High Septon.  The first was killed in the riot that nearly killed Sansa.  The second was murdered under Cersei’s command due to her paranoia that Lancel confessed to him about their incestuous affair.  The High Sparrow was then given power by Cersei.

Other Points to Notice

1. Jaqen tells Arya, “There is only one God.”  This echoes what Syrio Forel told her back in Season 1.  This is either a normal Braavosi thing to say, or the theory that Syrio was Jaqen in disguise has serious legs.
2. Lets pretend Jon takes Stannis’ offer.  He would then break his vows to follow Stannis to Winterfell.  If this happened, he would almost certainly have died fighting with Stannis.  Then the wildling army north of the Wall would all die to the White Walkers, and return as an undead army.  In other words, it would have been catastrophic for the entire world if Jon broke his vows and accepted.
3. I can’t rationalize Sansa agreeing to marry Ramsey.  Roose literally (and figuratively?) stabbed her brother through the heart.  It does not make sense to me narrative-wise.  Did D&D really have no other ideas for how to keep Sansa occupied for a season? Why not spend the time showing her learning the game and trying to marry someone in the Vale? She could then rile the troops to go attack Winterfell and aid Jon, landing her in the same position, minus the gratuitous rape and violence.
4. We have now seen Ned, Robb, Theon and Jon execute someone that served underneath them.  Tragedy seems to accompany this, as all 4 die shortly after.  Yes I count Theon becoming Reek as dying. 

Stray Observations:

1. This is now Margaery’s third husband.  She gives the kiss of death at her weddings apparently. 
2. Stannis giving a subtle nod to Jon after he executes Janos is one of my favorite moments.

RIP: Janos Slynt, the baby murdering ex-captain of the Goldcloaks. 

Episode 44: Sons of the Harpy

“You do not belong across the world with the bloody Stone Men. You are the Princess Shireen of House Baratheon, and you are my daughter.”

Major Plot Points: Cersei unleashes the sparrows.  Tommen tries to be a king.  Jaime and Bronn meet Dornishmen.  Jon is seduced by the Lord of Light. Stannis wins the heart of the audience. Tyrion travels with his new captor. Barristan fights peasants.

Observations from a Book Reader:

1. No one was sent to rescue Myrcella.  She wasn’t exactly safe, but the royal family of Dorne truly enjoyed having her around, and protected her.
2. Cersei filled the small council with random knights and lords she thought loyal to only her.  She employed a bastard named Aurane Waters as the head of the royal navy, and ordered new ships be built for him, simply because he looked uncannily like Rhaegar Targaryen.  When Cersei was arrested by the High Sparrow, Waters left King’s Landing with all of the new ships.
3. Loras was never captured by the sparrows.  He was instead sent by Cersei to retake Dragonstone from the remnants of Stannis’ army.  While there he led the charge into the castle, where he was gravely wounded by boiling oil.
4. The Tourney at Harrenhal was one of the most influential moments in all of the books, and it took place years before the first novel.  When a man wins a tournament, it was custom for him to give a rose to his beloved, crowning her the Queen of Love and Beauty.  Rhaegar gave a bouqet of blue roses to Lyanna, and not his wife Elia Martell.   This marked the true beginning of the war and led to thousands of people dying, Lyanna and Rhaegar included.  Through the POV of Barristan, we learn that one of his greatest regrets in life was losing to Rhaegar in that tournament, because if he won then Rhaegar never would have given the rose to Lyanna.
5. There were 7 sand snakes, with the youngest being a child still.  Elia did not organize them into a revolt against Doran Martell, Doran had them imprisoned before they could do anything against him. 
6. Barristan is still alive, and still a fucking badass.  He kills elite assasins that come for Hizdahr when Dany leaves Mereen with Drogon.

Other Points to Notice

1. The Sapphire Isle pointed out to Jaime is also known as Tarth, which is of course where Brienne was born.
2. Jon is the only person we have seen resist Melisandre’s seduction.  She seems drawn to Jon, but still believes Stannis to be the chosen one.  When she smiles and remarks “You know nothing, Jon Snow” you can see the horror in Jon’s eyes.
3. Stannis has a beautiful moment with Shireen.  We never see them talk much in the books, but when he leaves the Wall to head south, Shireen, his wife, and Melisandre remain behind.  He tells his men that if he is to die they must continue fighting to put Shireen on the throne.
4. Bronn uses the same trick as Daario to defeat a mounted opponent.  Mercenaries definitely fight differently than highborns.
5. Unfortunately we meet the Sand Snakes.  Three of the worst characters of all time.  Immediately Obara begins telling a ridiculous expositionary tale of her father, which contextually makes no sense since I’m sure her siblings know this story already.
6. Ridiculous that Barristan dies in such a meaningless way; fighting Sons of the Harpy who probably have little to no actual training.  If he stayed alive he could have gotten a much better send off, or been around till the end.

Stray Observations:

1. It’s hilarious Cersei gave the High Sparrow so much power, and never saw a way it could backfire.
2. I predict Bronn will be one of the only survivors at the end of the series. 
3. Who needs cool book characters like Barristan when you can write cool new show only characters like Olly, Ros and Locke?

RIP: Ser Barristan Selmy, also known as Barristan the Bold.  Winner of countless tournaments, slayer of the Kingswood Brotherhood, and the greatest remaining swordsman in the series. 

Episode 45: Kill the Boy

“Kill the boy, and let the man be born.”

Major Plot Points: Daenerys tries to end a rebellion.  Jon begins to make unpopular decisions as Lord Commander.  Sansa spends some time bonding with the Bolton family.  Tyrion travels to the ruins of Valyria

Observations from a Book Reader:

1. Daenerys did not capture the masters in Mereen after the Sons of the Harpy attacked.  She tried everything she could to keep the peace.  However if Barristan died she may have acted differently.  She did still marry Hizdahr.
2. Jon did not go to Hardhome, he sent a group of men there to scout it out.  He received communications that the situation had grown dire, and began making plans to go help.  However he ended up sending Tormund instead, since right before he left he received a letter from Ramsey Bolton that caused him to change his mind.  More on that later.
3. The first time we see Theon as Reek is him waking up in a dog kennel eating a rat.  His hair is white at this point from all the torture and he can barely speak through his broken teeth. 
4. When Stannis left the Wall with his army, he left Melisandre, Shireen, and Selyse with Jon Snow.  This would make it seem like Shireen is still safe in the books for now.
5. The Stone Men were not in Valyria, but in a river known as the Sorrows.  Tyrion went through this area with Fake Aegon and Jon Connington.  Jon was the one who rescued Tyrion from the depths of the river, and he contracted grey scale from it. Connington made it his mission to put Aegon on the iron throne before the grey scale killed him, and Tyrion was captured by Mormont shortly after.

Other Points to Notice

1. There are other officers in the Night’s Watch besides Alliser and Aemon, but we seldom see them on screen.  The show also rarely brings up that Castle Black is not the only fully manned castle on the Wall.  Eastwatch-by-the-Sea is still used by the Night’s Watch, and we finally see it in Season 7.
2. Sansa still is not a great judge of character.  If she were, she would have ran as soon as Myranda began talking to her.
3. Ramsey brought Reek in to see Sansa as a way to further bring her spirits down.  At this point it’s possible Sansa still has hope her brothers live, and Ramsey forces Reek to tell her that he killed them.
4. Roose knew telling Ramsey he was having a son would greatly upset him.  Roose had another son when he was younger, but he died mysteriously after going to meet his half-brother Ramsey.  While it was never proven, it was pretty obvious he was poisoned.
5. When we hear Missandei discuss Dany’s choices, she reflects many of the points Tywin brought up to Tommen about what makes a good ruler, a great ruler. 

Stray Observations:

1. Jon earned Tormund’s full loyalty the moment he unchained him after being threatened.
2. Myranda and Ramsey have to be the show’s best power couple.
3. Roose looked understandably confused when Ramsey stood up at dinner to give a toast. 
4. Greyscale spreads really fast I guess. Idk i found this episode really boring and hard to write about.

RIP: The stone man who drowned trying to kill Tyrion.

Episode 46: Unbowed Unbent Unbroken

“I killed my father. He wanted to execute me for a crime I didn’t commit. And he was fucking the woman I loved.”

Major Plot Points: Arya tells some lies.  Tyrion and Jorah meet slavers.  Jaime flails around with bad actors.  Loras attends a trial conducted by Pope Bernie Sanders. Sansa gets married again.

Observations from a Book Reader:

1. The episode title contains the official House Martell words.  This unfortunately means the episode will feature the Sand Snakes
2. It is still unclear how the faces of the faceless men work.  We see them change their entire body and voice from wearing them, which indicate some type of magic is used.  But if this is the case, why do they still need to collect physical faces, as we see Arya do later in the series?  And some of the faces shown in their temple can’t possibly be the real faces of the deceased. 
3. Jorah actually did win the tournament at Lannisport.  He wasn’t a renowned fighter or knight, but he fell in love with a highborn woman and fought better than he had in his entire life in order to win the tourney and propose to her. 
4. The main Dornish guard, Areo Hotah, was actually a POV character in the books.  He essentially served as a window into the political conversations that took place in Dorne.  He rarely spoke in his chapters and as a result earned the fan nickname of “The Camera that Walks”, a play on “The Mountain that Rides.”

Other Points to Notice

1. Faye Marsay, the actress who portrays the Waif, is actually 32 years old.  When I first watched I thought she was in her early 20’s at most.
2. At this point, we viewers are used to the classic “Tyrion talks his way out of danger” trope.  But here it feels forced.  It seems unlikely that slavers would be swayed that easily.
3. Littlefinger is at his best in King’s Landing.  We now see his elaborate plan come together.  He gave Sansa to the Bolton’s to convince them he was on their side.  But he immediately ratted them out to Cersei.  He now has the authority to take Winterfell, and become the Warden of the North.  He could even conceivably marry Sansa somehow.
4. The sand snakes are bad actors.  So of course their fight scene is the worst choreographed fight in the shows entirety.  Check out the below gif and take turns watching both of the girls.  One stands there awkwardly while the other does a random twirl.  So bad.
5. Sansa had a mini power moment against Myranda.  Just another tease of her taking agency with her position.
6. Many people (rightfully) had a serious problem with the Sansa rape scene.  The first reason, is it seemed like more unnecessary  torture for a character that had already been tormented constantly.  Secondly, during the actual scene the camera focuses on Theon, making it seem like he was the real victim.  Obviously he was not, and it made the whole thing even worse. 

Stray Observations:

1. Arya lies about hating the Hound, and she didn’t even realize it.  This gives me hope for their eventual season 8 reunion. 
2. Jerome Flynn (Bronn) has a weirdly good voice. 
3. Why would Jaime and Bronn try to infiltrate a Dornish palace in broad daylight? Why would the Sand Snakes try to conduct a stealth mission in broad daylight?

RIP: This show’s reputation when it comes to well choreographed fight scenes.

Episode 47: The Gift

“Egg, I dreamed that I was old”

Major Plot Points: Jon marches north.  Stannis keeps marching south.  Sansa dreams of escape.  Daenerys receives a gift from Jorah.  Cersei falls into her own devious trap.

Observations from a Book Reader:

1. The Gift is a large stretch of land directly south of the Wall.  The legend goes that the mythical Brandon the Builder, the same man who apparently built the Wall, allocated that land to the men of the Night’s Watch.  This episode cleverly uses the title to reiterate Jon’s promise to the Wildlings that they could settle there, as well as the gift Littlefinger gives Olenna, and Jorah’s gift of Tyrion to Daenerys.
2. Maester Aemon was sent with Sam to go to the Citadel.  However they had to travel to Braavos first. While there, Aemon died and one of the men of the Night’s Watch, Daeron, abandoned the group and was later killed in an alley by Arya when she recognized him as a deserter.
3. Before Aemon died, he lamented the fact that Daenerys, the last Targaryen, was alone without anyone in her family to help her.  If only he knew that he was a mentor to another Targaryen.
4. It pains me to say this, but someone has to.  In the books, when Gilly and Sam first have sex, GRRM uses the term “fat pink mast” to describe Sam’s member.  He is an insanely talented writer, but his sex scenes sometimes were the funniest part of the series.
5. Jorah and Tyrion arrived at Mereen after Daenerys left on Drogon.  The last time we see them they are trying to survive outside the city, where a plague is killing refugees rapidly, and several slaver armies are laying siege.  Tyrion then attempts to join forces with a mercenary group.

Other Points to Notice

1. The person named “Egg” that Aemon was referring to, was his younger brother Aegon Targaryen.  Known as Aegon the Unlikely, due to the fact he was the fourth-born son of his late father. He is also one of the titular characters of GRRM’s “Dunk and Egg” prequel novellas.
2. Sansa repeatedly saying “Promise Me” to Theon was an intentional reference to her Aunt Lyanna’s last words to Ned.
3. If the show actually killed off Balon Greyjoy when they were supposed to, Melisandre could have brought him up to Stannis as well, when she was making her claims about the power of King’s blood.  It is strange that Stannis doesn’t bring up how he is still alive.
4. After tearing through Tywin, Tyrion, Cersei, and everyone else she’s ever met, the Lady of Thorns finally meets her match in the High Sparrow.  It is hard to tell if the High Sparrow is truly genuine, or uses his piety as a means to hold power.  We don’t get to see his plot through to the end in the books yet.  It seems to me like he does truly believe in what he does, but has enough political savvy to manipulate people with his faith.
5. Tommen has no idea how literal Cersei is being when she tells him that she would burn cities to the ground for him. 
6. The “handsome young man” Littlefinger was referring to in his conversation with Olenna, was none other than Lancel Lannister.  He knew with this information Olenna could turn the faith against Cersei.  However, it does seem a bit weird that the High Sparrow wouldn’t know about his incestual affair already. 

Stray Observations:

1. Hard to see Sansa in such a distressed state.  A whole season of character development thrown away.
2. Why would Sansa antagonize Ramsey??
3. Very key character scene showing Bronn and the Sand Snakes flirt.  I guess it foreshadows them using their poison again later?

RIP: Maester Aemon Targaryen.  A man who once turned down ruling the Seven Kingdoms, because he already pledged his life to being a maester.

Episode 48: Hardhome

I’ve been pretty harsh on Season 5 so far, but this episode is fucking awesome.  Honestly may be my favorite of the entire series.

“The Long Night is coming, and the dead come with it.”

Major Plot Points: Arya gets her first magic assassin mission.  Cersei enjoys prison life. Ramsey needs 20 good men.  Daenerys tries to help Tyrion with his alcoholism. Jon meets his new nemesis.

Observations from a Book Reader:

1. Arya did go undercover as a clam girl (??), and during this time actually lived with a fisherman and his daughters.  It was an interesting aspect to her mission, since it indicated that almost all of the people within Braavos would do anything that the Faceless Men asked of them.
2. Cersei sends Jaime a desperate letter whilst in prison, begging him to come be her champion in trial by combat.  Jaime at this point was trying to take over Riverrun, and had just found out from Lancel that Cersei did in fact sleep with him.  When he got her letter, he immediately burned it, indicating he had fully moved on from her.  It took Jaime much longer in the show to do so.
3. Varys did not do much for Dany, instead he devoted his efforts to helping Aegon, the Targaryen who may or may not be authentic.
4. Hardhome was once a legitimate wilding city, the only place north of the Wall that had a natural harbor and was equipped for a large population.  Around 600 years before the series begins, an unnamed catastrophe struck it, and it has been abandoned since.  Some say the entire settlement was captured by slavers, others believe cannibals from the island of Skagos arrived there and slaughtered the populace.
5. Since the books did not have a POV character at Hardhome, we are still uncertain what happened there, but this episode does an incredible job at showing us how horrible it must have been.   Also, the Thenns did move south with the rest of the wildlings.

Other Points to Notice

1. It isn’t ever really talked about, but Daenerys is a good judge of character (in the show at least not so much the books).  You can tell she started to like Tyrion as soon as he told her that she may not deserve his service.  The rest of their conversation is really just her testing his temperament.
2. Sansa learning her brothers are still alive actually helped her morale significantly.  This is the first time in years she finds out she may not be the last Stark.  Jon doesn’t count. The two of them were far from close as children due to Sansa adopting her mother’s icy demeanor towards him.
3. Ramsey demanding 20 good men is a bit cringeworthy to me.  It seems a bit far fetched they could travel into a military camp undetected, and it makes Ramsey seem more like a cartoon villain than a real character.
4. Sam saying that Jon always comes back was hilariously one of the main reasons people were certain that he would rise from the dead in season 6.
5. Part of what makes this episode so great, is that it’s the only real battle in the show we did not see coming.  This episode also confirms a long held fan theory, that Valyrian Steel could kill White Walkers.  It is possible that this is the main reason it was created.

Stray Observations:

1. Ramsey says “feast for the crows” which is basically the title of the fourth book.
2. We haven’t seen the Lord of Bones since season 3.
3. Dany’s wheel speech was better as a promo, it came off a bit forced in an actual dialogue scene.  Like what would Tyrion say in that conversation after she said it?  “Oh cool, I’m down let’s do this shit.”
4. One of the wights Jon kills has the distinctive skull markings of a Thenn.  Cool detail.
5. The 4 White Walkers looking down on the battlefield have to be a direct reference to the 4 horsemen of the apocalypse. 

RIP: Karsi, the badass female wildling who immediately became a fan favorite, and then died, all in the same episode.

Almost done with Season 5.  I consider this the weakest of the 7 seasons, but it still had some cool moments.  Mostly Hardhome.  Arya’s story seemed to stagnate, as did Dany’s and Tyrion’s.  Luckily Jon had some great moments, from his speech at Hardhome to the wildlings, to his inauguration as Lord Commander.  And don’t even get me started on the Dornish plotline.  Crazy how close we are getting now to Season 8.

Things I Liked: Everything about the battle at Hardhome.  The impending sense of dread, the actual action scenes, and the way it helped display the true might of the White Walkers.  This is easily my favorite battle in the show.  I also have to admit that I am a big fan of Jonathan Pryce’s performance as the High Sparrow.

Things I Did Not Like: Everything about Dorne.  Obviously I hated the Sand Snakes, but I also hate what they did to Doran Martell.  In the books he acted calm and placid but was scheming the entire time to overthrow the Lannisters.  I also did not enjoy watching Arya scrub floors for 3 episodes. Finally, Sansa’s plotline seemed unnecessarily cruel to me, especially her wedding night. I still think D&D could have written her a better story arc in the Vale, learning politics under Littlefinger’s tutelage.

Episode 37: Mockingbird

“I’ve come to the perfect place. I want to bring those who have wronged me to justice. And all those who have wronged me are right here. I will begin with Ser Gregor Clegane, who killed my sister’s children and then raped her with their blood still on his hands before killing her, too. I will be your champion”

Major Plot Points: Tyrion looks for a champion.  The Hound gets bit.  Daenerys compromises with the old masters.  Jon tries to prepare the Night’s Watch for Mance Rayder.  Brienne chases a new lead. Sansa hangs with her cousin.

Observations from a Book Reader:

1. Tyrion and Jaime never openly discussed the fact that Jaime and Cersei were a couple.  Only when Tyrion escaped King’s Landing did he finally make a comment about it to Jaime.
2. Arya’s journey through the riverlands was GRRM’s way of showing the human cost of war.  The entire countryside was destroyed and most of the innocent civilians were suffering. 
3. Aliser Thorne and Janos Slynt did not arrive at the Wall until after Mance Rayder attacked.  Jon had more freedom to organize the defense of Castle Black.
4. The Hound was burned on the other side of his face.  Took me a while to remember this fact.
5. Littlefinger told Lysa “Only Cat” not “Your sister” as he threw her to her death. No idea why they changed it, but it was another change that seems to serve no purpose other than annoying book readers.  Also the Moon Door was a vertical door, not a trap door.

Other Points to Notice

1. The Mountain is shown for the first time since season 2.  The final actor to play him is definitely the most physically imposing.  Believe it or not, the first actor to play the Mountain in season 1 was actually four inches taller.  I like the new actor, but he does seem too young to be the Hound’s older brother.
2. We meet our old friends Rorge and Biter.  Biter, fittingly, bit the Hound and died doing so.  These were the 2 other prisoners with Jaqen that Arya freed.
3. Lollys Stokeworth, Bronn’s new bride, was present in Season 2 when the royal party was attacked by an angry mob. 
4. Later in the series, we see Melisandre remove her necklace, and her true, old lady form shows.  Here, we see her naked in a bathtub without the necklace and she still appears young.  This means either Selyse Baratheon sees her as an old woman and isn’t moved by it, or the writers didn’t think of the necklace’s ultimate purpose yet. This scene also foreshadows the plans Mel has for Shireen. 
5. Petyr tells Sansa how she could be his daughter, then immediately kisses her.  The shot of Lysa watching was incredible at least.

Stray Observations:

1. Still hard to tell if Shae ever loved Tyrion.  He doesn’t think so.
2. I am going to miss the Tyrion and Bronn bromance.  Bronn immediately rebounds with Jaime but it isn’t quite the same.
3. Arya won’t admit it but she has grown to care about the Hound.
4. Gotta love Hot Pie teaching random strangers about baking.
5. Oberyn steals the episode during his scene with Tyrion.
6. Sansa grossly over reacted to a little boy accidentally breaking her snow sculpture

RIP: Lady Lysa Arryn, formerly Lysa Tully, Lady Regent of the Vale of Arryn. Also completely insane.

Episode 38: The Mountain and the Viper

“I am the brother of Elia Martell. And do you know why I’ve come all the way to this stinking shitpile of a city? For you. I am going to hear you confess before you die: You raped my sister. You murdered her. You killed her children. Say it now, and we can make this quick.”

Major Plot Points: Jon readies for war.  Reek helps the Boltons take a stronghold from the ironborn.  Sansa tells a lie for Littlefinger.  Ramsey becomes a Bolton.  Oberyn dies.

Observations from a Book Reader:

1. Mole’s Town got its name due to the fact that most of the town was located underground in large cellars.  Jon Snow even referred to the people there as moles.
2. Tormund remained north of the Wall with Mance, he was not part of the southern raiding party.
3. When Reek arrived at Moat Cailin, he found the captain so sick from infection that he couldn’t stand.  He killed him as a mercy.  He also was not sent southward until far later in the series, but this really doesn’t matter storywise. 
4. Littlefinger’s story to the Lords of the Vale was much different.  He blamed Lysa’s death on a singer who happened to be in the room.  The lords still did not believe Petyr and planned to take away his regency, until one of the men there, Lyn Corbray, raised a sword to Petyr and violated guest right.  This got the lords to give Littlefinger a trial period as Robin Arryn’s ward.  It was later revealed Corbray was under Littlefinger’s payroll and the act was entirely orchestrated.
5. Oberyn’s blade was mentioned as being heavily poisoned.  It slowed down the Mountain more and more with each blow.  He had the perfect chance to kill him. Fuck.  Tyrion then threw up immediately after Oberyn died. 

Other Points to Notice

1. Again, we see Grey Worm and Missandei having a tender conversation after he sees her bathing.  Apparently their relationship had far more roots than I remembered when I watched originally.
2. Ramsey puts a glove on Reek’s hand before sending him off.  This was a subtle way to hide his dismembered and missing fingers.
3. Sansa has to act timid and scared to sell Littlefingers lie.  It’s interesting because in a few seasons, Lord Royce is at Winterfell taking orders from her.
4. Unclear who sent the royal pardon that incriminated Jorah.  Most likely it was Tywin in an attempt to sow discord in Dany’s court.  Barristan revealed the truth about Jorah to Dany in the books as well. 
5. Littlefinger gave some blatant foreshadowing of Tywin’s death. “Some people die squatting on their chamber pots.”
6. Sansa comes down the stairs wearing all black and looking confident for the first time.  It seemed this was a turning point for her but the next season she is sold into slavery yet again.
7. Some believe the story Tyrion and Jaime tell about their cousin smashing beetles for fun was actually a reference GRRM’s tendency to heartlessly kill his own characters.

Stray Observations:

1. Alfie Allen is an insanely good actor.  He somehow is able to portray Theon as broken entirely with facial expressions.
2. This is the second time now we see an ironborn hit their captain on the head in order to surrender to Ramsey.  Both times ended with them being flayed.
3. Am I crazy or did Roose and Ramsey have an actual nice father son bonding moment?
4. Arya has the best reaction of all time to Lysa dying.  She completely loses it.
5. Ellaria’s scream was a perfect expression of how the audience felt

RIP: Prince Oberyn Martell.  The Red Viper, and man of the people. 

Episode 39: The Watchers on the Wall

“Jon Snow, do you remember that cave? We should have stayed in that cave.”

Major Plot Points: Mance Rayder lights the greatest fire the North has ever seen. 

Observations from a Book Reader:

1. The defense of the Wall was led by Donal Noye.  He was the one armed blacksmith of Castle Black, and loved by all members of the Night’s Watch. 
2. Most of Mole’s Town escaped to Castle Black prior to the southern raiding party’s arrival.  The raid then happened before Mance’s force attacked, and the wildlings were doing well until they began climbing the stairs on the Wall.  It was then that the Night’s Watch lit it on fire, killing most of the attackers.  The staircase isn’t really shown in the tv series, just the elevator.
3. Alliser giving the Wall to Slynt robbed us of an incredible moment.  Donal Noye has to go to the bottom gate to help fight Mag the Mighty, the king of the giants.  Before he goes down he looks at Jon and says “Jon, you have the Wall until I return.” 
4. Jon did not kill Styr, the Magnar of Thenn.  He was killed when the Night’s Watch lit their staircase on fire.
5. Pyp and Grenn both lived through the battle.  Their deaths did serve a purpose though, to show the cost of the fight.  Grenn’s death replaced that of Donal Noye. 
6. Jon did not volunteer to parlay with Mance.  Aliser and Janos arrive at the Wall after the battle and force Jon to go on a suicide mission to assassinate Mance, as punishment for sleeping with a wildling.

Other Points to Notice

1. Maester Aemon is a father figure to Sam, someone who never had a father that cared for him.  I also get extra sad when I see Maester Aemon on the show, since the actor who portayed him died shortly after filming Aemon’s death. 
2. Sam’s speech to Pyp clearly had an impact.  He fought his heart out before he was killed.
3. Janos is proven to be a coward multiple times during the Battle.  It distracted from the fighting in a way I did not really appreciate.
4. Sam gives another speech, this time to Olly.  In a way it is Sam’s fault that Ygritte dies.
5. Grenn died a hero, it’s a shame that we did not see the battle between him and Mag the Mighty.
6. Incredible camera work during the battle as we see a nonstop action scene that makes the melee look like a complex diorama.
7. Jon spits in Styr’s face to gain the upper hand.  This is a trick he learned from fighting Karl Tanner, the legend of Gin Alley. 

Stray Observations:

1. Styr saying “a nice slice of ginger minge” is extremely weird.
2. I wish Alliser was not present at the Wall for the battle.  But I understand they needed him there, since the show never showed us any senior members of the Wall besides Mormont, Thorne, and Aemon.  We needed someone that we recognized to lead the fight initially.
3. This is only the second episode of the show that takes place entirely at one setting.  It also continues the tradition of battles and major plot moments being shown in the 9^th episode of the season.

RIP:  Ygritte,  a free woman.  Also Grenn and Pyp, true brothers of the Night’s Watch.

Episode 40: The Children

“I am your son. I have always been your son.”

Major Plot Points: Jon gets stuck in-between 2 kings.  Daenerys learns more about slave culture.  Cersei yells at her dad.  Bran meets the Three Eyed Raven.  Tyrion shoots a crossbow bolt through his father’s chest, after choking out his old concubine. 

Observations from a Book Reader:

1. We never meet Mance’s wife Dalla, or her sister, Val.  Dalla was pregnant with Mance’s child at this point.  Val was said to possess incredible beauty, and Jon knew that she could be part of a key marriage with a northern lord to help Stannis’ claim.
2. When Qyburn “healed” the Mountain, people in the Red Keep claimed to have heard him screaming all day and night from Qyburn’s experiments.
3. The Three Eyed Raven was supposed to have only one eye, and be mostly connected to the weirwood tree.  This explains his quote “I have watched you with a thousand eyes, and one”. Instead it makes no sense.  Also Jojen didn’t die, but I’m sure he will soon.
4. Brienne and the Hound never fought.  Not sure if he would have won if he was healthy though.  He was supposedly a great fighter
5. Jaime and Tyrion left on different terms.  Jaime tells Tyrion as he escapes the truth about his first wife, Tysha.  Tysha was not a whore, as his father told him, but truly someone in love with him.  Tyrion is furious by this, and tells Jaime that Cersei was having sex with Lancel, and one other knight.  He even insinuates that Cersei had sex with the court jester, Moonboy.  Finally, Tyrion falsely tells Jaime that he did kill Joffrey, and that Joffrey was more of a monster than the Mad King.  Very different ending for those two in the show.  This conversation is a huge turning point for Tyrion, and part of the reason he is angry enough to go confront his father.  He then spends the next book in a very dark place mentally after all of this. 
6. At the end of book 3, we see Catelyn Stark fished out of the river by the Brotherhood Without Banners.  Beric Dondarrion then leans towards her body, and dies giving his life to her.  She comes back as a living corpse, and as the new leader of the Brotherhood, Lady Stoneheart. 

Other Points to Notice

1. The wildlings completely out numbered Stannis’ force.  However, they were no match for a serious army that rode in formations with real battlefield tactics.  Most of the wildlings were farmers or men with no battle training. 
2. Davos is upset with Jon’s nonchalant way of addressing Stannis.  One day he will be Jon’s most loyal servant. 
3. Cersei telling her father the truth about her and Jaime was a show-only invention, but god damn was it powerful.  Tywin flat out refuses to believe her, even though he must know it’s true.  I wish Tywin lived so we could see this play out.   
4. Tywin having sex with Shae may be the most hypocritical thing anyone in Westeros has ever done.  Also Tyrion killing her is an insanely dark moment for his character.
5. The Hound was a truly tormented soul.  When he talks to Arya the last time, he begins telling her to go find Brienne, and almost seems like he wants her to be safe.  He then tries to incite her into killing him because he truly wants to die.  Next time we see him, he is much more at peace.  I think deep down he does care about Arya, and hopefully they will get to speak in the new season. 

Stray Observations:

1. Jon tells Davos that Ned died for Stannis.  This is 100% correct, but it’s rare that you hear it described this way. 
2. Cersei is beginning to show the cracks in her sanity this episode.  It gets exponentially worse each season from here on out.
3. The full skeleton wights are not nearly as creepy.
4. The children of the forest look much more magical in Season 6.
5. It annoys me that the show never brings up Tysha, Tyrion’s first wife, ever again after season 1. 

RIP:  Lord Tywin Lannister.  Hand of the King, Warden of the West.  A pragmatic bastard to the end.  Also Shae and Jojen.  Mostly Jojen, fuck Shae.

Episode 41: The Wars to Come

“Gold will be their crowns, and gold will be their shrouds.”

Major Plot Points: Jaime and Cersei mourn their father.  Tyrion emerges from a box.  Daenerys learns conquering and leading are very different.  Sansa heads north.  Jon tries to convince one king to serve another king

Observations from a Book Reader:

1. The title is a reference to what Mance tells Stannis before dying. “I wish you good fortune in the wars to come.”  It is also what Ser Arthur Dayne tells Ned years before the show.  We get to see this exchange later in the series through Bran’s vision.
2. A key part of Maggy’s prophecy to Cersei was omitted.  She told Cersei “And when your tears have drowned you, the valonqar shall wrap his hands about your pale white throat and choke the life from you.”  Valonqar means little brother in High Valyrian, implying either Jaime or Tyrion would kill her. 
3. Varys sent Tyrion to his friend Illyrio, the bearded man from season 1 who hosted Dany and Viserys, but never left the capital.  He instead remained hidden in the secret rooms and passageways of the Red Keep.
4. Janos Slynt ran for Lord Commander, not Ser Alliser.  Janos wasn’t a huge joke, and had leadership experience.  He was still a horrible person though. 
5. Davos never went north with Stannis.  Stannis sent him to White Harbor to recruit the Manderly’s and other northern lords to his side against Roose Bolton.  This concluded with Wyman Manderly giving Davos a speech about how “The North remembers” and loosely pledges to aid Stannis.
6. Varys and Illyrio did not send Tyrion to Dany, but to a man named Young Griff.  Young Griff was supposedly Aegon Targaryen, the son of Rhaegar who was killed by the Mountain.  Aegon was either a fake, or actually was swapped by Varys before the Mountain arrived.  He was protected by Jon Connington, an old friend of Rhaegar.  This entire plotline was removed from the show, which makes me believe Aegon is a fake.
7. Mance was not burned.  The Lord of Bones was transformed to look like him by Melisandre’s magic unbeknownst to Stannis.  Mance in turn was made to look like the Lord of Bones.  Mance was then sent to Winterfell with Val to spy on the Boltons, disguised as a troupe of bards.

Other Points to Notice

1. One of the reasons Cersei’s mental state deteriorates rapidly after Joffrey’s death, is because she now believes the prophecy about her children dying is coming true.
2. The advice Jon gives to Olly about using a shield, and even the way he grabs his head, is identical to how Ned trains Benjen in the season 6 flashback.  This implies Ned trained Jon the same way. 
3. We see the man-whore identify Loras’ birthmark.  This ends up somehow being the incriminating evidence against Loras when he is tried by the High Sparrow.
4. Daenerys is shown to still be a leader that doesn’t fully understand leading.  Hizdahr brings up great points about reopening the fighting pits, but she refuses to bend or attempt to understand. 
5. Mance was an underutilized, and perhaps miscast character.  But he did go out on a high note when he refused to kneel to Stannis.  I still wish we got the more charismatic Mance from the books.

Stray Observations:

1. The last 3 king’s hands have been murdered at this point.  Not a good job.
2. After we see Sansa regain her confidence last season, it is extremely disheartening to know she ends up as Ramsey’s wife.
3. Strange we hear Varys tell Tyrion they are at Illyrio’s house, but we never see Illyrio.
4. Jon killing Mance as a mercy is one of my favorite Jon moments.

RIP: Mance Rayder, King Beyond the Wall, and a man who does not kneel

Episode 42: The House of Black and White

“A man is no one, and that is what a girl must become”

Major Plot Points: Arya arrives in Braavos.  Brienne finds Sansa.  Jaime and Bronn embark on a mission.  Tyrion heads for Volantis. Jon refuses a King’s offer. Daenerys deals with an ex-slave.

Observations from a Book Reader:

1. Brienne never meets Sansa at the inn.  Most of her plotline at this point is just her meandering around the countryside on a wild goose chase.  She eventually is captured by the Brotherhood and brought to Lady Stoneheart, who then sends her to capture Jaime Lannister.
2. Sansa never left the Eyrie, at least not yet.  Ramsey married Sansa’s old friend, Jeyne Poole, and the Bolton’s claimed she was Arya Stark to legitimize her claim.
3. Jaime was never sent to Dorne.  Myrcella was part of a scheme concocted by Arianne Martell, the daughter of Doran Martell, a character omitted from the show.  In Dorne, women had the rights to assume leadership positions, and Arianne believed this made Myrcella the rightful queen.  She seduced Arys Oakheart, a knight sent to guard Myrcella, and convinced him to help put Myrcella on the throne.  There was an assassination attempt on Myrcella’s life, but she survived and Arys did not.  Doran then reveals to Arianne and the Sand Snakes, that he is not sitting idly, and has a plan.  The Sand Snakes were captured by him to falsely placate the Lannisters. The whole time however, he was planning to overthrow the Lannister’s with Daenerys.  He sent his oldest son Quentyn to find and propose to Dany.
4. Kevan Lannister became Hand of the King when Tywin died.  He actually did a decent job too.
5. Jon became Lord Commander after Sam manipulated the main leaders at the Wall into voting for him.  It was one of Sam’s greatest moments and the show had to cut it for time. But at least we get to hear Sam give a great speech. 

Other Points to Notice

1. Sansa was very quick to dismiss Brienne.  At this point she still fully trusts Littlefinger, and this comes back to bite her very hard.
2. We finally are able to meet Lollys Stokeworth, the beloved fiance of Ser Bronn of the Blackwater.  She is every bit as vapid as we were promised.  Bronn then basically tells Lollys he is going to kill her sister and she seems fine with it.
3. Ellaria becomes an incredibly irritating character.  She stands in for Arianne Martell here.
4. Barristan telling Dany about her father is a great moment for her to learn where exactly she came from.  It also voices many people’s concerns about her eventually growing mad like her father.
5. Shireen is a great teacher, and an even better person.  She immediately begins helping Gilly learn how to read.  She deserved better.
6. This is the first time we hear Lyanna Mormont mentioned.  “Bear Island knows no King but the King in the North, whose name is Stark.”  Lyanna was of course named after Lyanna Stark, Ned’s late sister. 
7. Jon is more his father’s son than any of Ned’s trueborn children.  He swore an oath to the Night’s Watch and only death would allow him to break this vow.
8. Daenerys somehow angers both the commonfolk and the masters by killing Mossador the ex slave.  Yes I had to google his name.  Literally did not remember this character at all.

Stray Observations:

1. Podrick Payne is still not a great horse rider.
2. I loved the way Brienne’s Valyrian steel cut right through the Arryn soldier’s sword.
3. What could Qyburn possibly want with the head of a random dwarf?
4. This will not be the last time we see Jon reluctantly become a leader.
5. The old man did not use the face of Jaqen when Arya arrived, but I like it as a show only invention to make the character more familiar.

RIP: Mossador, the slave Daenerys killed.  Whatever

We have arrived at the part of the show where things start to go off the rails a bit.  This season is where the real book diversions begin happening, and most changes for the worse.  But there are some great moments ahead still, especially for Jon.  Unfortunately, next week will see the introduction of the Sand Snakes, quite possibly the worst characters in television history. 

Things I Liked: I actually liked quite a bit from this last block of episodes.  Firstly, the fight between Brienne and the Hound.  This was a show only invention, but it logically made sense due to the characters proximity to one another.  It also humbled Sandor Clegane, and made his goodbye to Arya even more impactful.  Next up, the Mountain vs the Viper was even better on the show than in the books.  Ellaria’s scream, his acrobatics, and of course the grisly ending made for one of the show’s most memorable sequences.  Third, the battle at the Wall was incredible from start to finish.  It was excellently choreographed and the decision to have the southern wilding party attack at the same time as the frontal assault made the battle even more cinematic.  Seriously how sick was that panning shot of the fighting on the ground level? Fucking amazing.  Better battle than most blockbuster movies.  Finally, Dinklage was at his peak this season.  From the speech at Tyrion’s trial, to his tearful murder of Tywin, we never see Tyrion hit these heights again.

Things I Did Not Like: I was not a fan of Mance actually dying.  He never got all the scenes he deserved, and him dying off before going on his Winterfell mission put a stamp on how forgettable his character ultimately was on the show.  I also had major issues with Jaime and Tyrion’s tender goodbye.  When Tyrion left in the books, he was completely isolated due to their falling out, and this led him to become a much darker, somewhat villainous character in Essos.  We also were robbed of the payoff from finding out his first wife was not a lie, and that his father was responsible for making him feel like he was incapable of being loved.  Oh well.  Dany’s storyline dragged slightly, but it was worse in the books so I can’t complain. On to week 8.

Episode 31: Two Swords

“Tell your father I’m here. And tell him the Lannisters aren’t the only ones who pay their debts.”

Major Plot Points: A prince arrives in King’s Landing.  Sansa misses her family.  Tyrion has lady problems.  Daenerys moves to conquer a new city.  Jon recalls his older cousin. Arya and the Hound go to a bar.

Observations from a Book Reader:

1. Jaime refuses to give up the Kingsguard because he believes it is the only oath he ever kept, something that all of a sudden means far more to him than before
2. Tyrion met Oberyn at the city gates, not the brothel.  Oberyn wastes no time and recounts Tyrion of the first time he traveled to Casterly Rock to meet the monster born of Tywin Lannister.  In the show, he waits until Tyrion is in jail to tell this story.   He then asks Tyrion “When will justice be served” for his sister. He informs Tyrion he is there to kill the Mountain and get revenge against Tywin.
3. Oberyn was said to have studied at the Citadel, the college of the Maesters.  It was there he learned the intricate secrets of poisons.  He of course is famous for his love of poison which earned him his nickname.
4. The Thenns, while isolated and hated by other wildlings, considered themselves the last of the First Men.  They lived isolated in the North, and actually had lords and laws.  Led by their Magnar (king) they were considered by far the most civilized of the wildlings.  For some reason the show made them demon cannibals.
5. Joffrey mentions Ser Duncan the Tall while reading the Kingsguard book.  Duncan was the protagonist of the Dunk & Egg novellas that take place 100 years before the series.  Highly recommend.

Other Points to Notice

1. Powerful cold opening.  Tywin watches at the ancient greatsword of the Starks, Ice, is melted down into 2 new swords.  If that wasn’t enough symbolism for you, the  wolf pelt sheath is then cast into the flame.  Interesting that Tywin only did this after Robb died.  Almost as if he was waiting until he was sure the war was over.
2. Cersei meets her eventual Hand of the Queen, Qyburn the evil maester.  
3. We see Janos Slynt for the first time since Season 2.  He was the old commander of the Gold Cloaks that Tyrion sent to the Wall for killing the infant bastards of King Robert.  He mocks Jon for believing in giants, then receives dirty looks from everyone there, showing just how ignorant he was to what actually existed beyond the Wall.
4. The necklace Dontos gives Sansa is the same necklace she wears to Joffrey’s wedding.  Olenna Tyrell grabs one of the crystals to put in Joffrey’s drink.

Stray Observations:

1. The show made a huge point to use the name Daario Naharis before showing him to us.  As if this would help us forget that he was recast.
2. Wasn’t Jaime supposed to have golden blonde hair? That was like the entire identifying characteristic of the Lannisters.  And how Ned figured out Joffrey was his son.
3. Hilarious cut of Joffrey’s statue, to Joffrey standing identically regal.
4. Arya and the Hound murdering a tavern of Lannisters is possibly the best final scene in an episode.

RIP:  Polliver.  What kind of man kills Lommy?

Episode 32: The Lion and the Rose

“No one weeps for spiders, or whores.”

Major Plot Points: Reek meets Roose Bolton.  Tyrion and Sansa attend a wedding.  Stannis offers heathens to the Red God.  Joffrey gets choked up at his wedding.

Observations from a Book Reader:

1. Jaime trained with Ilyn Payne, not Bronn, which made a bit more sense since Ilyn Payne had no tongue and couldn’t speak.  Of course this was a necessary change since the actor who portrayed Ilyn Payne was off the show dealing with cancer. 
2. Roose was even harsher to Ramsey.  He once said “Don’t make me rue the day that I raped your mother.”  It’s not surprising Ramsey ended up the way he did.
3. Locke is a show only character.  But Roose Bolton almost certainly did send hunters after the Stark boys.
4. Weirwood trees are said to be ancient, as they existed before the First Men.  They are all connected which leads the Three Eyed Raven to use them as a network of communication. 
5. One of the dwarf entertainers at the wedding was a female, Penny.  Her and her brother rode pigs around the stage.  Tyrion later meets her in Essos, and they travel together for a while.

Other Points to Notice

1. Alfie Allen auditioned for the role of Theon, as Reek.  Fitting, since the broken persona of Theon is who Theon is for the majority of the series.
2. When Tyrion goes to confront his father later in the season, Shae is in his bed.  In this episode we hear Tywin give instructions to have Shae brought to his tower.  It’s possible this is where he started sleeping with her, especially since in this episode Tyrion tried to send her to Essos.
3. The book Tyrion gave Joffrey was said to be priceless.
4. The band singing “The Rains of Castamere” was Sigur Rós, who are apparently a big deal in Iceland I guess.
5. Olenna and Littlefinger’s plan to kill Joffrey worked out perfectly.  With Tyrion as cup bearer it would be impossible for the masses to blame anyone else but him.
6. This wedding was called “The Purple Wedding” due to the shade of violet Joffrey’s face turned as he choked.

Stray Observations:

1. There was a scene transition from Theon’s face, to a large sausage.  Cruel.
2. Stannis and Melisandre burn an insane amount of people.
3. Cersei really comes off as evil while talking to Brienne.

RIP: False King Joffrey Baratheon first of his name. A bastard born of incest, his rule oversaw the crown victory against the northern uprising.

Episode 33: Breaker of Chains

“Money buys a man’s silence for a time, a bolt to the heart buys it forever.”

Major Plot Points: Jaime and Cersei deal with their son’s passing.  Sansa finally leaves King’s Landing.  Arya learns from the Hound. Jon proposes an idea. Daenerys shoots barrels at a wall.

Observations from a Book Reader:

1. Sansa left the capitol the same way her mother once entered, through a secret staircase set into the walls of the harbor.  This was never shown on the actual show
2. Here it is. The infamous rape scene.  A couple things here. First of all in in the books the first time Jaime sees Cersei after being imprisoned for a year is in the sept by Joffrey’s body.  They do have sex, but it is consensual and it also makes more sense why Jaime was so horned up.  Still a gross image next to a corpse, but not nearly as wrong as the show portrays it.  The worst part is, I think the writers saw nothing wrong here since it never comes up again for the rest of the series.
3. Stannis made a point of how he was the last king from the War of the Five Kings, and yet he still was not king.  This of course does not hold true in the tv adaptation, since for some unknown reason Balon is alive.
4. Dorne was not conquered until nearly 160 years after Aegon the Conqueror landed in Westeros.  Daeron I Targaryen was able to conquer Dorne, but was killed shortly after in a rebellion.  30 years later, a different King Daeron married his sister to the Prince of Dorne, peacefully joining Dorne to the Seven Kingdoms. 
5. Jon never went to fight the mutineers at Craster’s Keep.  They were killed by Coldhands one night, while Bran and his friends were sleeping.  It is a really fun side plot though.
6. Daario was not Dany’s champion.  It was Strong Belwas, her loyal giant eunuch warrior I mentioned a few weeks ago.  When he was done, he took a steaming dump on top of the champions body.

Other Points to Notice

1. Dontos clearly never cared about Sansa saving his life.  He only helped her for money.
2. Tywin’s speech to Tommen about being a good king really makes it seem like Tommen would end up being a great ruler.  He wasn’t terrible, but he was too easily manipulated.  Also very telling that the first ideal he guesses a king must have is “holiness”.
3. While the Hound is right about the father and daughter being dead come winter, (as we find out in Season 7), it definitely does not alleviate Arya’s conscience. When the Hound finds their bodies years later, he is a different man.
4. The first person killed by the wildlings is the father of Olly, the future mutineer.  It does explain his intense hatred for wildling sympathizers, but he’s still a prick. 

Stray Observations:

1. Rare to see someone not intimidated of Tywin.  But Oberyn hates him too much to be intimidated. 
2. Fuck Olly.  I wish they killed him.
3. It would have been so much cooler if Barristan fought the champion.

RIP: The Champion of Meereen. 

Episode 34: Oathkeeper

“I will answer injustice with justice”

Major Plot Points: Daenerys gets a new city to play with.  Sansa guesses who killed Joffrey.  Jon is back to being a steward.  Margaery sinks her claws into Tommen.  Bran gets captured by the legend of Gin Alley.

Observations from a Book Reader:

1. Jaime and Tyrion were always very close growing up.  This is one of the more surprising relationships in the series, since Jaime’s sister and father both despise Tyrion.  But they usually always would have each other’s backs growing up.
2. The further we move from the book plots, the more certain characters suffer.  None more so than Littlefinger, who we see here being completely brilliant.  By season 7 the writers run out of plans for him.
3. It was not outright stated that Olenna Tyrell killed Joffrey.  It was possible to put it together, but here Olenna flat out tells Margaery that it was her. 
4. Ser Pounce was a huge part of Tommen’s royal retinue.  Tommen was also nine years old, which explains why he knighted a cat.
5. Ghost was never captured by the mutineers.  He found his way back to the Wall and met up with Jon.  Also how the hell would the mutineers even be able to capture a full grown direwolf,let alone two?  Furthermore, the show doesn’t let us see Ghost nearly enough. 
6. We never see how White Walkers are born.  They are still a complete mystery at this point.  Although converting human babies does make sense in a way.  We also do not know if they have a unified leader like we see in this episode.

Other Points to Notice

1. The connection between Grey Worm and Missandei starts in this episode, as we see her helping him learn a new language, while also discussing with him their traumatic pasts.
2. Barristan is rightfully concerned by Dany’s approach to dealing with the old slave masters.  He watched her father descend into madness firsthand, and is certainly concerned by the idea of Dany going down that same path.
3. Jon Snow almost immediately befriends Locke, and Olly. Swell judge of character. I’m not sure what Locke’s endgame here is, even if he finds the Stark boys he would be breaking his new vow to go tell Roose Bolton.  I guess he expects a pardon.
4. Tywin Lannister spent his entire life trying to acquire a Valyrian steel sword for his house.  He finally gets one and Jaime gives it away to Brienne of Tarth because he knows she can use it for good, while he could barely hold it.  He also probaby did it to piss off his father.
5. Having Bran and company get caught up in the mutineer plotline is a weird move to me.  It adds a lot of pointless drama to Jon and Bran’s storylines that ultimately doesn’t accomplish anything narrative wise.  If Ghost was never captured, and Bran didn’t see Jon at Craster’s, nothing would have changed plotwise.  Seems like the writers just needed filler for Jon and Bran.
6. Karl is apparently able to tell Bran is highborn, but not Meera or Jojen, who are also highborn.

Stray Observations:

1. Joffrey dying is another turning point for Cersei.  She becomes even more angry and drunk from here on out. 
2. Karl Tanner is a true legend.  He also seems like he should be in Peaky Blinders. 

RIP: Craster’s last child. Although he did not really die, he did un-die. Idk.

Episode 35: First of His Name

“Lord Snow. Come to take me back for trial?”

Major Plot Points: Daenerys commits to staying in Meereen.  Sansa meets her beloved aunt.  Brienne and Podrick hit it off immediately.  Bran watches Jon fight mutineers.

Observations from a Book Reader:

1. The revolts in Astapor and Yunkai were explored a bit more.  Both cities were ran by warlords and in complete chaos soon after Dany left.  Eventually massive armies from both cities marched on and besieged Meereen.
2. One of Robert’s bastards, Mya Stone, serves at the Eyrie.  Sansa and Catelyn both had a chance to meet her when they traveled to see Lysa.  A very headstrong young woman, she was in charge of escorting guests to the top tower via a large basket. 
3. Robert (Robin) Arryn was younger and far sicklier. He often would have seizures that left him incapacitated for days.
4. The Lannisters never revealed that they were completely out of gold.  It has been theorized, but nothing even close to concrete.  As far as readers know, the Lannisters are still the wealthiest house in the Seven Kingdoms.
5. Karl Tanner was not a book character. However his name likely comes from one of the mutineers, Clubfoot Karl.

Other Points to Notice

1. Margaery saying “I haven’t even thought about it” in regards to marrying Tommen, is among the biggest lies anyone in the series has ever told.
2. Lysa reveals to the audience, through some ham-fisted expositionary dialogue, that Littlefinger was behind not only Jon Arryn’s death, but also the letter that drove Ned to move south with Robert.  One of the show’s biggest mysteries was solved in a weird scene between 2 secondary characters. 
3. Brandon Stark was described by Lysa as “cruel”.  He is rarely spoken about on the show, and not much is actually known about the kind of man he was.  A handful of times in the book, stories of him are told that paint him in a negative light.
4. Oberyn mentions he has 8 daughters, one named Elia.  Unfortunately next season we meet three of these daughters, and they are three of the worst characters ever written.  The aforementioned Elia Sand is never brought up again.
5. Jojen seeing his own hand on fire could mean a few different things.  My opinion is he knows that death is rapidly coming for him.  The fire starts at his hand and will spread to engulf him entirely.
6. Jon learns a lot from his confrontation with Karl.  After this fight he no longer fights with reservation against his enemies. 

Stray Observations:

1. The image of Bobby Baratheon drunkenly patting Tywin Lannister on the back is something I would pay good money to see.
2. The Hound was not nearly as mad about Arya trying to stab him as I thought he would be. 
3. A sword from the back of the skull through the mouth is a gnarly way to go.

RIP: Karl “Fookin” Tanner. The legend of Gin Alley.

Episode 36: The Laws of Gods and Men

“I did not kill Joffrey but I wish that I had. Watching your vicious bastard die gave me more relief than a thousand lying whores. I wish I was the monster you think I am. I wish I had enough poison for the whole pack of you. I would gladly give my life to watch you all swallow it. I will not give my life for Joffrey’s murder. And I know I’ll get no justice here, so I’ll let the gods decide my fate. I demand a trial by combat!”

Major Plot Points: Daenerys practices ruling.  Reek receives a mission.  Tyrion stands trial.

Observations from a Book Reader:

1. Stannis and Davos never went to Braavos.  It wasn’t until Stannis was already marching his army towards Winterfell that he came into contact with the Iron Bank.  Tycho Nestoris (the man Davos and Stannis speak to in the show) meets his army and makes a deal to fund him fully in his conquest.
2. Asha Greyjoy, Yara in the tv series, stayed at Deepwood Motte.  It is unlikely she would ever attempt to sail to the Dreadfort, since it would involve sailing around the entire southern coast of Westeros.  This would take months. 
3. The counsel between Tywin and Jaime did not happen, but it does feel in line with Tywin’s goals.  He would do nearly anything to get Jaime to finally step up and be the Lord of Casterly Rock.

Other Points to Notice

1. Ramsey is not traditionally trained in using a sword.  He wins his fights by attacking his opponents fearlessly and ferociously.  I still think the scene of him fighting ironborn while shirtless is a bit shark jumpy though. Not wearing armor would be a death sentence for any person in a close combat situation. None of it makes much sense other than to show how broken Theon is.
2.  Oberyn is officially sitting in on small council meetings.  He doesn’t do much besides sit there.
3. Tyrion never took the trial seriously.  He knew that no matter what he said, there was no way he would get out of it as a free man.
4. It was never a good idea by Tyrion to threaten Cersei with his “joy turning into ash” speech.
5. Tyrion delivers the best monologue of the series at the end of his trial.  Even knowing that he could live by pleading for mercy, he could not bring himself to do it.  He was able to deal with the undeserved shame, until he saw Shae appear.
6. Everyone at the trial was shown to be shocked or furious by Tyrion’s speech.  Oberyn seemed excited and impressed by it. 

Stray Observations:

1. Cersei refuses to acknowledge Daenerys at this point.  She still barely does even after she lands in Westeros.
2. How did Pycelle get the necklace?  We saw Littlefinger throw it off his boat.  Either it landed in the dinghy with Ser Dontos, or Pycelle found it at the bottom of the blackwater.
3. Mace Tyrell is such a joke.

RIP:The poor innocent goat that Drogon devoured.

Season 4 is now in full swing, and it has way more filler than I remembered. At the time I remember it being a bit more fast paced, similar to how season 3 was. The last few episodes have been mostly self contained story arcs that have few ramifications for the story. The next few episodes are a whirlwind though, and I am looking forward to seeing the trial by combat, and Battle at Castle Black.

Things I Liked: Tyrion’s trial was a definite high point. Peter Dinklage earned all of his Emmy awards for this series with his speech about being a dwarf. Of course I also was a fan of Joffrey’s wedding. Not Joffrey dying though, love him or hate him he was an electric character to watch.

Things I Did Not Like: The entire mutineers plotline. Why did Jon have to go kill them all again? It would have been way more fun to see them all killed by White Walkers in an episode ending scene. Plus Bran and co. being captured didnt do much for me either. We already knew Bran could warg into Hodor, so seeing him do it again to free himself wasn’t the huge moment the writers wanted it to be. I also could have done without the ironborn attack on the Dreadfort.