105 replies to this topic

[Crimson Lego]

Loved the episode for the most part - the Kingsmoot was a complete letdown, though. Euron's claim to being better than Theon or Yara/Asha was just about his penis and no dragon horn, everyone accepted him in like 5 minutes, and the whole thing just seemed super rushed.

 

Quote

So do you guys think they're gonna finally introduce Coldhands? Or maybe they'll just straight up use Benjen.. I mean, they gotta have somebody help Bran and Meera, there's no way they can get very far on their own.

 

I'm really hoping it'll be Coldhands; the Benjen-is-still-alive theory has been thrown around so much it's better if he's dead at this point.

 

 

[Delphi]

I saw this while surfing and because I'm a terrible human being I now post it here.

 0_k_Rwf8snaR4gJAR1_iBQfzC1hj-DHaZBQk33KrAifZfyI7oBRPjsc73f4w9vWvPwaN8MHGvpk=w575.jpg   52.75K   3 downloads

[Selena]

Mostly a filler episode, but with some cool moments. 

 

 

Benjen is back (in the form of Coldhands). The Children apparently found him dying and used dragonglass to spare him. Man, that dragonglass does everything! The Children are rapidly becoming my least favorite source of plot holes. Their plans are terrible and nonsensical. If they bothered sparing Benjen in the first place, why wouldn't he have shown up sooner? On the trek there? At the tree itself with the huge wight horde? 

 

Quick shots of the Aerys in Bran's visions. Intriguing. 

 

Really weird turn with the Faith vs. Tyrells/Lannisters. The plot here feels very bumpy and disjointed. 

 

Surprised by Arya. She doesn't mind killing targets in the books, but at the same time we all know she's gonna break away from the Faceless Men eventually. I guess they're just speeding it up on the show. Reinforces my presumption that they're rapidly diving into the end game. 

 

Gilly's adorable and feisty.

 

Jaime going to the Riverlands means a reunion with Brienne.

 

One quick mention of the Brotherhood Without Banners stupidly reignites my tiny glimmer of hope in seeing Cat again, but I'm 98% sure she won't be featured.

[Crimson Lego]

Randyll Tarly finally got shown in this episode, I'm pretty happy with how they presented him. Hope to see more of him, he's one of my favourite non-POV characters.
 
ADWD spoiler:
 

Spoiler

When Aegon announces himself and shows everyone he's taken Storm's End, I think Randyll will ditch Mace and join up with him or Daenerys when she finally gets over. You can really tell in the books how naive Mace is with, and I feel like after a certain point Randyll will get tired of following an idiot, plus that one Golden Company guy says something about friends in the Reach. Just my guess though.

 

 

Rest of this episode, pretty much what Lena just said; Faith storyline is getting a little odd, I'm still not sure exactly how he converted Tommen that easily. Riverlands storyline should be good though, with Brienne, Jaime, the Tullys, and the Freys all colliding at Riverrun.

[Jasi]

Tommen is totally moldable. He's a people pleaser. Margaery decided that this was her best shot at winning the game and decided to play along with the Faith; she's doing a long con. She's keeping Tommen in the dark about this being a long con. Tommen thinks Margaery has really converted, so he's willing to really convert too. They made it extra obvious that he just wants to please Margaery in their little conversation where he just nodded along.

[Twinrova]

Why was like half of that episode about Sam

 

who fucken gives a shit about Sam, how is he ever going to be relevant

 

 

SIGH >:0

[Selena]

Yeah, Marg is totally faking it. Tommen is both lovestruck by her and has seemingly turned the High Sparrow into a father-figure in the absence of Tywin. He's the perfect puppet. When he came out announcing the union between crown and church, Adrienne and I both went "he ded." Not that he wasn't gonna be ded before, but you know.

 

My issue with the Faith storyline is the awkward pace. Buildup, back off, buildup, anticlimax, and surely another buildup that may or may not lead to something.

 

I'm also surprised they aren't utilizing Kevan Lannister at all. Other than appearing at the rare small council meeting. During which he only says a few lines. Kevan's nearly as competent and domineering as Tywin was. He's supposed to be the only capable governor left in King's Landing. And.... nothing's happening with him.

[Masamune]

Spoiler

Kevan is just waiting to be killed, he's surprised that he's still around.

 

As for the Faith, I'm rather disappointed in it as a whole. In the books, the uprising of the Faith is built very gently and presented in such a way that I was given to not only sympathizing with them, but also being on their side. From Brienne's encounters with Meribald and his Broken Men speech (which if you're a show watcher, I absolutely encourage you to go look it up) and the various encounters with the High Sparrow paint them as a group of people with very real concerns that aren't just farcical worries about sexual deviancy or homosexuality, but about how the common people are used and abused by the nobles. Having turned them into cheap expies of christian fundamentalists just makes everything weird because no one ends up liking the High Sparrow and he ends up looking like some ambitious player of the game when the books present him as being very much not that. 

[Crimson Lego]

Transcript of new Aeron chapter that GRRM read at Balticon this weekend: https://docs.google....ew?pref=2&pli=1

[Twinrova]

Those 3 dudes that slaughtered Septon Meribald & Co. were supposed to be with the Brotherhood, right? What the eff are they doing? o_O Utterly out of character for them, idgi.

 

 

I'm still refusing to believe in Cleganebowl. No. NO no nO

 

 

Thinking Arya wasn't actually Arya. She has to know the FM wouldn't let her just skip off and she's walking around Braavos without a care in the world. Jaqen testing the waif?? Idk.

[Selena]

Soooo...... why do you hate Cleganebowl so much, again?

 

Although with the season drawing close to the end, I don't see how the Hound could reasonably be recruited to fight in a high profile trial by combat at this point. More likely, Cersei's idea of "trial by combat" is gonna be "have the Mountain murder everyone in the Sept." Unless Sandor somehow gains notoriety by butchering a heathen priest like Thoros. Even then.

 

 

 

Olenna and Cersei was a fun scene. The Tyrells not wanting to drown with the Lannisters is going to make Cersei even more desperate, and thus more likely to do something stupid. 

 

Someone did a shot-by-shot of Bran's visions. There's a vision where wildfire is exploding underneath King's Landing. That never happened in the past, so some theorized it was the future -- possibly Cersei's doing. The show's take on Cersei burning the Tower of the Hand? Just amped up? I don't see her wigging out to the point where she'd burn the whole city down, but maybe she's going to blow up the Sept of Baelor??? 

[Twinrova]

I just think it's an incredibly forced and stupid theory that someone made up and people latched onto because they can't let go of this "awesome" idea of the Clegane brothers fighting each other. I know the Mountain absolutely deserves to die horribly (again) and that it would be appropriate for Sandor to do it given their history. But I just like that the Hound was finally able to find some semblance of peace on the Quiet Isle after everything he's done. I want him left alone. >:/
And I agree, I don't see how the Faith would get the idea to have Sandor be their champion in a trial by combat in the first place. It's not happening and the amount of rabid support it gets annoys me to no end.
 
 
But yeah I would bet a billion dollarydoos that Cersei's gonna blow shit up.

Edited by Twinrova, 06 June 2016 - 01:55 AM.

[Masamune]

Man, can you imagine if Cersei decided to burn the Sept of Baelor? The blowout from that would be incredible.

 

Also, I bet Loras will die in there if she does. Gotta leave room for him to go become Iron Fist, ya know. 

[Selena]

I feel like they're waiting for an excuse to get rid of Loras -- he's all but disappeared from the storyline. Since the show likes to remind casual viewers of a character's importance in a hamfisted way, I feel like Olenna pointing out he was heir of Highgarden means that his end is nigh. They're trimming down on existing book plots, so I don't think they'll even bother to have him survive with hideous burns. But maybe.

 

Either way, if Cersei does blow up the Sept with him inside, it gives the Tyrells an excuse to become openly hostile toward the Lannisters. The Tyrell army was shown to be in King's Landing but was never utilized, so it's kind of like a big Chekhov's Gun. Especially since Jaime just took the bulk of southern Lannister forces into the Riverlands. With Margaery putting on her holy act, the peasants and Faith militants will be on their side, too. 

 

There is a possibility that Cersei will blow up the Sept while Margaery is there visiting her brother, too. Unfortunately. 

 

 

 

 

As for Arya, I think that may have actually been her that was stabbed. It seems like you have to physically harvest someone's face before you can shape-shift into that person. If so, I wonder how they'll work around her wounds, because any other person would have died from those. But it was also stupid of her to stay so exposed in the open after pissing off an assassins' guild. And she's not usually that stupid. So I also hope there's more going on than Arya just being careless.

 

And since they obviously brought back Sandor for a clear purpose, I wonder what that purpose is. I don't imagine they'd bring him back just for an episode involving him butchering the Brotherhood without Banners. I find Cleganebowl logistically unlikely given everything else that's going on.

 

 

 

 

Book spoiler musing:

Spoiler

I wonder if they'll have Cersei kill Kevan instead of you-know-who?

 

 

Either way, I am distressed. I will be on vacation without access to HBO during the last weeks of Game of Thrones. Hopefully I can find reliable enough internet to download the episodes from.... alternative sources.

 

 

 

important edit: Also, I love little Lyanna Mormont. 

[Crimson Lego]

Mixed feelings about this episode; I'm a little disappointed that they've continued with dismantling Jaime's redemption this season with all the 'all that matters is Cersei' talk. They should've gone down the road of her resenting him for not beign able to save Myrcella in time instead of keeping his character going this way.

 

 

Beric and Thoros are back huzzah, but unfortunately no sign of LSH. Whatever, there's still 2 episodes left so plenty of time if they're going with her.

 

Arya's time with the FM wrapped up - back to Westeros to finish her list.

 

 

 

On a sidenote, I really like how HBO have been able to keep the continuity of actors going for characters they're bringing back like the Blackfish, Edmure, etc. It's a minor thing but when we look back and re-watch the series when its over, I think we'll appreciate "hey those characters were all missing Seasons 4-5 but they were part of the story the whole time!"

[Twinrova]

I'm.......conflicted on LSH. I mean, they've been namedropping her a LOT, and why bring back the Brotherhood at all if not for the LSH reveal? But Beric still being alive throws a wrench into things. He's supposed to have given up his life to bring back Cat, are they seriously going to find her rotting body in the river NOW when it's been YEARS? I want to say no way, but, given the shoddy writing with Arya's storyline I may be giving the show writers too much credit.

Seriously, multiple stab wounds in the gut were fixed by soup and some bandages from some amateur surgeon lady with no medical training??? You're fine Arya don't worry about sepsis just sleep it off. Maybe you can go parkouring later if you drink all your soup. >_> But, I guess, this is coming from a world where boiled wine and milk of the poppy fixes everything, so I dunno.

 

I'm mad the Blackfish and the Waif-1000 died off screen. Seriously what the fuck.

 

That scene between Jaime and Brienne was really well done though. I may be rewatching it several times later. ;___; <3

[SteveT]

That Jaime and Brienne scene was too little too late. &nbsp;I have disembarked Jaime x Brienne.  All about the good ship Brienne x Tormund!

Edited by SteveT, 13 June 2016 - 11:18 AM.

[Crimson Lego]

Was there any mention this episode or in last week's of what Varys's 'expedition' was meant for? I'm still holding out hope that there will be (ADWD spoiler)

 

Spoiler

some sort of presence for Fake Aegon but chances are, like Rova said, it's too late in the show now for him to be suddenly introduced without any buildup.

[Masamune]

I'm thinking Varys will be going to Dorne. I mean, it's still there, so I guess it's inevitable. 

[Selena]

I've been disappointed with the last couple episodes. Lots of fights taking place off screen, Arya's plot could've been executed WAY better, and too many scenes that waste time / go off-theme. It feels like they're padding when they should be steamrolling quickly into endgame. The writing is nowhere near as punchy.

 

I think Beric's presence confirms that LSH won't be a thing. 

 

Not sure what Varys is up too -- too late to incorporate any of his book plots, so it's probably something entirely new. I wouldn't be surprised if he somehow got involved with Dorne, as was mentioned. They will inevitably have to be brought into the main arena somehow, and Dany needs Westerosi support. In the absence of a certain book character, I wouldn't be surprised if Dany lands in the Stormlands and then gets support from Dorne to secure her southern border.

 

 

 

 

Next episode seems like it's dedicated exclusively to the Battle of Winterfell, while episode 10 will likely focus on The Battle of Meereen. Hope that's where all the fight budget went. And dragon budget.

 

I swear if we don't get the Tower of Joy scene by the end of this season....... >__>

[Crimson Lego]

I read in some article that the guy playing young Ned has confirmed he would be making a second appearance this season outside, so we should expect a ToJ/Jon Targ conclusion/revelation of some sort .

[Crimson Lego]

Predictable episode plot, but still super enjoyable nonetheless. I think everyone knew the Deus ex machina with the Vale was happening but I was still on the edge for most of the episode. Also no GNC, like, at all.

 

Davos and Melisandre confrontation next week, he looks mad over the toy stag.

 

 

The Meereen plot seemed rather rushed but understandably so to make time for the North. Daenerys's return from last week where she just landed on the Great Pyramid and waltzed in kind of continues here with her just burning one ship and the Yunkish soldiers dip right afterwards. I assume Theon/Yara are going to replace Victarion but I'm not quite sure how show Euron's story is going to play out.

[Jasi]

Fun fact, psychology studies have shown that enjoyment in media often comes from having your expectations fulfilled, actually. So predictability can be nice...especially after five seasons of heartbreak! It's fun to see things going right after all.

In my opinion predictability is especially nice when it involves three dragons wrecking shit. I still like dragons.

They're just plain fun.

Like a lot of you I was pretty bored and let down with the episodes before this one. (Especially the Mereen scenes.) So it was nice to finally have some real action. Hope Dany can stop spinning wheels now.

[Masamune]

She's going to BREAK the wheel.

 

A very good episode if you ignore the absolutely nonsensical and stupid decisions that led to it even happening. But outside of those, yeah, it was phenomenal. 

[Selena]

*hyper ball of excite*

 

 

HOLY SHIT

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(actual comments will be posted later when my brain settles down)

[Crimson Lego]

R+L=J CONFIRMED. AT LONG LAST.

 

 

 

Also now we have a billion kings/queens again.

[SteveT]

I want Little Bear on the Iron Throne when this is all over.

[Masamune]

That opening bit with the piano music to punctuate it was among the best television the show has ever produced. The slowly building tension and dread it generated was like nothing else the show has ever done. I daresay it may have even topped the Red Wedding for legitimate shock value and for just how simply well played it all was.

[Selena]

I was really impressed by the finale. I agree that the sequence leading up to the Sept destruction was one of the best moments in the whole show. You know something bad is going to happen, and many already guessed it was the Sept bombing, so I was pretty much holding my breath for several minutes in anticipation. A great mood for them to set. 

 

Arya's conclusion was immensely satisfying.

 

Baby Mormont stealing the show in the North again. 

 

Was hoping Sansa would be Queen in the North, but I think this might be a symptom of book-show dissonance. They are putting the pieces in place for the book finale, but the show's taken a different route with some characters -- so they're wedging those pieces into certain positions. In the books, Sansa isn't as likely to show up during the Retaking of Winterfell due to her ongoing plot in the Vale. Her book plot will likely take a different path. Jon's doesn't deviate quite as much.

 

The Tower of Joy scene at last. Essentially confirmed, though it wouldn't have hurt to just fucking say it. Kinda wanted to see a flashback of Rhaegar. Maybe next season.

 

Brienne was just left up in the air (Star Wars filming commitments?). Same with the Hound. Wonder how they'll factor into endgame.

 

Dany finally fucking sailing to fucking Westeros was satisfying. Dorne can stick around so long as they're her bitch.

 

 

 

 

 

Finale definitely set the tone for "the endgame is coming," which is a sensation that the books haven't portrayed so clearly yet. It definitely feels like we're sliding into the end. Apparently there's going to be two more seasons -- but they'll only be 6 or 7 episodes long. Hopefully they're shown in the same year. I'd hate to wait a full year for a half-season. Sounds like the endgame was going to be one big season, and then they just split it in two. The Mockingjay / Deathly Hallows treatment.

 

Cersei's fucked. Though Dany may appreciate that she's redecorated it in the Targaryen style.

 

Pretty sure Jaime's going to end up killing her.

 

Will post endgame predictions another time. But woo! Hope they keep this pace up for the endgame seasons. A lot of dull episodes padded this one out.

[Delphi]

Just came in to say I'm pretty sure Jamie will be the one to kill Cersei. Jamie killed The Mad King at just the threat of turning Wildfire on King's Landing and Cersei just up and did (albeit on a smaller scale) exactly what Jamie was afraid of. I predict there will not be a happy reunion between the twins.