Game of Thrones (spoilers)

[Fernando]

SPOILS S06E04

Jon and Sansa
This was a great surprised, I thought they would miss each other like many times before, but finally two Starks meet! I know it wouldn't be good story telling or whatever but I'd love to see Jon and Sansa telling each other's misadventures.

Littlefinger
So it looks like LF will be helping them to take back the north, this conniving prick always plays for one cause, his, I wonder if by now Sansa has learned not to trust that and if he does help it will be with some precautions. And that little Lord of the Vale looks as crazy as his mom.

Dany
When Dany and the Dothraki girl go out, Dany asked her if she wants to see her dragons, she says "I can never leave Vaes Dothrak, until I rise as smoke from the pyre on the day I die", didn't notice this phrase until I saw the episode again, I guess Dany got from that her idea of burning them to the ground, and so, she's a goddess again.

Kingslanding
I love that for once Cersei is doing the right thing (apparently) and is making an ally of her "enemies" for a common cause, what I wonder is her true intentions, does she really wants to help Margaery go back to Tommen? Probably...but for a short time.

Theon
All things considered Theon is slowly recovering from Ramsey's physical and mental torture, Yara was kind of hard with him, but it was great that Theon is thinking right and will support Yara, but at the eyes of the iron born, what kind of influence can he a broken man have on them?

The letter
That part in the book is pretty sweet and here while different worked really well, loved Tormund's reaction of it, his eyes full of rage, in the end Jon doesn't have another choice than to go and fight.

Rickon
There's a lot of speculation that the guy that handed Rickon and Osha is really a Stark follower and that even Shaggydog is alive (please let that be true!), it could be but it's a bold plan to say the least, now Osha is gone and Rickon is locked up under dire conditions so that theory is probably shit.

[Jeremy Blackman]

Littlefinger
So it looks like LF will be helping them to take back the north, this conniving prick always plays for one cause, his, I wonder if by now Sansa has learned not to trust that and if he does help it will be with some precautions. And that little Lord of the Vale looks as crazy as his mom.

Is it technically true that he's playing all sides right now? He's even in with the Lannisters. If the attack on Winterfell fails (it won't), would he be able to hide his involvement from the Bolton(s)?

Also, the penultimate episode of this season will be the battle for Winterfell, right?

Kingslanding
I love that for once Cersei is doing the right thing (apparently) and is making an ally of her "enemies" for a common cause, what I wonder is her true intentions, does she really wants to help Margaery go back to Tommen? Probably...but for a short time.

I heard an interesting bit of speculation on the Rotten Tomatoes podcast. Taking for granted that Cersei is never the mastermind she believes she is, but Olenna was only matched by Tywin... What if the Tyrells are planning to let Tommen die and take over King's Landing? If there's any resistance, their army will be right there inside the city, and the Lannister army will be standing down.

The letter
That part in the book is pretty sweet and here while different worked really well, loved Tormund's reaction of it, his eyes full of rage, in the end Jon doesn't have another choice than to go and fight.

There was so much good stuff in this episode that I didn't get to that, but it was one of my favorite moments. Ramsay's refrain: "come and see" was absolutely chilling. Perhaps moreso with Ramsay not present. (Kit Harrington did a great job with that scene.)

they do like to wrap an episode in a theme sometimes

I think the theme of this episode was female empowerment (in many cases), and sisters telling their brothers to get it together: Sansa with Jon, Yara with Theon, and Margaery with Loras.

BTW, this ep has 100% on Rotten Tomatoes, with 44 reviews.

[Fernando]

Littlefinger
So it looks like LF will be helping them to take back the north, this conniving prick always plays for one cause, his, I wonder if by now Sansa has learned not to trust that and if he does help it will be with some precautions. And that little Lord of the Vale looks as crazy as his mom.

Is it technically true that he's playing all sides right now? He's even in with the Lannisters. If the attack on Winterfell fails (it won't), would he be able to hide his involvement from the Bolton(s)?

Also, the penultimate episode of this season will be the battle for Winterfell, right?

He has shown us many times he plays for the team that is convenient at that moment, when he's with Cersei he tells her what she wants to hear and so he does the same with everyone else. e.g. I don't doubt he cared for Catelyn but in the end what he craves is power, obviously he knew about the red wedding and didn't do shit to alert his dear Cat, yes he killed Joffrey but again to end up with Sansa, only to hand her to the Boltons; see? I can't trust anything he says...

Anyway, what's interesting now is how will he get away with Sansa's stupid abduction story when they meet at Castle Black or wherever, assuming they do, all Lord Royce has to do (if he lives) is chat with Sansa, Brienne, Jon or whoever could know to blow that story over, maybe this will be the con that will end his luck? probably not...

Also, the penultimate episode of this season will be the battle for Winterfell, right?

Yes, that has to be episode 9, and apparently it's the biggest yet.

Kingslanding
I love that for once Cersei is doing the right thing (apparently) and is making an ally of her "enemies" for a common cause, what I wonder is her true intentions, does she really wants to help Margaery go back to Tommen? Probably...but for a short time.

I heard an interesting bit of speculation on the Rotten Tomatoes podcast. Taking for granted that Cersei is never the mastermind she believes she is, but Olenna was only matched by Tywin... What if the Tyrells are planning to let Tommen die and take over King's Landing? If there's any resistance, their army will be right there inside the city, and the Lannister army will be standing down.

I like that theory, maybe that's when the prophecy of that witch comes to full circle and she finally losses everything? Will see...

Which podcast would you recommend? I haven't listened to any...

BTW, I saw a little of after the thrones and it isn't good, it's made for people that don't pay attention and only know the names of four characters.

[Jeremy Blackman]

It's hard to tell what will happen with Littlefinger. The thing is, the story has lined up so many characters who could end up being pivotal in the final conflicts. Arya could go around assassinating key people. Bran could warg into a dragon. (That's happening, right?) Littlefinger could influence yet another hugely important plot turn.

Actually, isn't Arya the perfect candidate to off Littlefinger? She doesn't owe him anything, and she could do it anonymously. Anyone else trying to take him down would face consequences.

Which podcast would you recommend? I haven't listened to any...

BTW, I saw a little of after the thrones and it isn't good, it's made for people that don't pay attention and only know the names of four characters.

Game of Thrones The Podcast - Has 3 episodes every week: instant take, in-depth analysis, book-infused speculation. (I don't listen to all of them.) Based on your reaction to After The Thrones, you might like this podcast the best.

Nerdette Recaps Game of Thrones with Peter Sagal - Might be my favorite one on balance.

Rotten Tomatoes - Matt Atchity (RT editor-in-chief) is the highlight of their GoT recaps. He's come up with a few theories I haven't heard anywhere else.

Throneroom - Just tried this one today. It's pretty good.

[Jeremy Blackman]

Here's something that podcasts can't do:

http://www.avclub.com/video/does-handsome-falcon-game-thrones-remind-you-anyon-236959

[Tictacbk]

Damn.

[samsong]

i'm... so sad.

[Drenk]

Saddest death on GoT, methinks. Heartbreaking. And it was not a king or an important player.

[Robyn]

Best episode in a long time.

I wonder what Bran has changed more.

Loved the children of the forest.

[Fernando]

This season has been really great, every episode better than the last, of course, after an uplifting episode it had to follow a heartbreaking one.

I wonder how much information has GRRM given to Dave and Dan...could it be that he gave them an outline of the events but only for the show? and they just develop the story to get to that point.

anyway...

Sansa
Loved how Sansa confronted Littlefinger, "if you didn't know what Ramsey was you're an idiot, if you did you're my enemy" Sansa FTW. Now, it worries me that the Blackfish info could be bogus, this is the most conniving player we know and by that moment he knew Sansa doesn't want him, so maybe he made up that story (which seems possible) to lead them to a trap, maybe not to harm them but to "rescue" them just in time...yes, a lot of maybes. In truth, I have no clue what LF's next move could be.

Arya
I have a feeling that even if she becomes faceless she will never stop being Arya, and when she takes revenge on her own she'll be doomed.

Meereen
Another Red Priestess that claims to know who's the one that was promised, and many speculate that Jon and Dany will end up ruling, I doubt that theory will come to be, anyway, Varys' face when she tells him about that time he was cut was priceless.

Bran
Best Bran storyline so far. Was it a red flag to see Hodor and Meera happily talking about breakfast?
I'm surprised how much it saddened me Hodor's death, truly heartbreaking, but his story arc came to full circle in great way, before that, Summer dying made me yell to the tv a loud 'nooooooo', the last ten minutes were intense.
How a girl pulling a big ass teen will outrun a horde of whitewalkers? (didn't see next episode's tease)


Why did Jon left Ghost at Castle Black? At this point probably safer...


you guys might want to check out this.

[Jeremy Blackman]

What an elegantly constructed episode. It started out subdued and brooding and gradually increased in intensity from there. It definitely worked to spread Bran's scenes throughout, building to that climax. Who knew they could end two episodes in a row like this?

"Hold the door" plus the time loop was more than enough to blow my mind. And it was so dense! This is the first episode in a while where I know I need to re-watch it to fully understand what's actually going on. Mostly for those final minutes. And for the stage play — for some reason it totally fascinated me how pop culture in this world is rewriting history in subtle ways. Also, I loved that GoT was like, guess what, we want to show you this play in its entirety, so we're going long. Take it or leave it.

It was not great to hear Sansa talk about her injuries, but I suppose it was necessary, and locating it in that confrontation with Littlefinger seemed appropriate. The nights of the Vale are going to ride in and help whether she likes it or not, right?

The scene with Dany and Jorah really got me. As much as this season is ratcheting up the tension, it's also a time for resolutions.

There's no way Arya is staying with the faceless guys, right? She does not seem comfortable killing random people for money, nor does she seem to have any deep belief in this Many-Faced God. I mean, this is actually a fairly sinister thing that she should probably get away from. It is literally a death cult. I assume she's just going to use her training for her own purposes once she inevitably splits.

[polkablues]

The hardest thing to do in any storytelling medium is create an emotional payoff that is simultaneously earned and unexpected. "Hold the door" could have entire essays written about how elegantly it was set up and how profoundly powerful the moment was as a result.

Another thing I love about it is how it allows every viewer to put the pieces together in their head before it makes the link explicit. They ultimately make it impossible to miss, but when you figure it out yourself in the minutes or seconds prior to that, it lets you have that incredible click moment, like it knocks the air out of you.

It's amazing how, because of that ending, we'll all remember this as one of the all-time great GoT episodes, when really everything up to that moment was essentially just fine. But holy shit, did they stick the landing.

[Robyn]

yeah, you know that a show is great when it makes people shout at the tv. my girlfriend realized what was going on some seconds before me and I was like yelling "what!? what!?" before I understood as well. for me, this worked way better then the ending of last episode.

have you seen this btw?

posted april 2014:

https://ventrellaquest.com/tag/game-of-thrones/

"Me:  I finally figured out why you have a character named "Hodor."
Martin:  Oh?
Me:  I was thinking about your comment about wanting to be an elevator operator.  It's clear to me now that "Hodor" is short for "Hold the door."
Martin:  (laughing)  You don't know how close to the truth you are!"

[Jeremy Blackman]

I keep thinking of other random things I appreciated...

Wights flooding the weirwood tree. Then rushing through that tunnel, on the floors, walls, and ceiling. So creepy and terrifying.

Leaf slowly pushing the (dragonglass?) shard into the man's chest to create the first white walker. That image is definitely staying with me. (I assume that was the Night's King.)

I'm excited about the idea of Yara and Theon stealing the Daenerys tip from Yuron (who is pretty horrible and apparently wants to murder them?) and doing it for themselves. First time I've ever rooted for the Iron Island folks.

I love how Littlefinger was forced to shut up while Sansa lectured him. It was fascinating seeing him afraid to speak for much of that scene. He didn't even dare to express much sympathy — and the little that he did express ("I'm so so sorry") seemed genuine, actually.

I would be interested in his character getting more complicated. Like, make sure the mustache twirling doesn't get dialed up any further, and maybe even dial it back. What if he actually does want to see Sansa ascend in power?

And, with his finger to the wind, what if he has something great to offer Daenerys, perhaps brokering an alliance between the Starks and Dany? Would Varys even allow Littlefinger to meet the queen?

If not that, I think it's equally plausible that Littlefinger's chain of power plays might be coming to a natural end. Who even trusts him anymore? Not Sansa. Not any other Starks. Not Varys. Not Royce. Not the Lannisters, really. (I recall Cersei, not even the greatest of minds, being very skeptical in their last meeting.) The only person who definitely trusts him is a mentally deficient boy.

[Tictacbk]

So this time loop, do we think it'll be explained further? Or will it just stay in the "that was pretty cool, but lets not think about it too hard" zone that most time travel related things live in?