Rocket

I loved Arya's example of why the idea male body went from the bulky large muscle man to fight in armor with a broad sword to a shorter male thin dancer build to fight without armor with something in the Rapier family, especially when fighting a duel in particular. Now Arya needs the lunge to truly make her style superior. The switch to the more modern fencing style was a significant development as the lunge and thrust proved superior to the slash. Even carvery switched from a good deal of curve in the saber to an almost straight saber as they switched from coming in swinging a sword to holding the sword point first and thrusting it at the enemy. The dragon flamed the convoy because it would look cool. Sort of like everyone running around without helmets when they would have worn them. But the producers might have come up with a good military excuse. But seriously we have not been given the strategic situation with the convoy burning which is always a burn or leave the bridge up type of thing. There is almost always pro's and cons. There can be good reasons to burn, in particular, if they are not returning to the ships as the ships are running to Dragonstone to avoid being sunk. Danny might be on a raid and burn strategy. Danny does not have a land fort to put the grain in. And leaving the ships near King's landing to take on grain risks them being sunk like the rest of her fleet. Not to mention fully loaded ships don't fight well.

I love that the master assassin has now received a weapon worthy of their talents. Now for Sansa to vist a lord while Arya learns all about Littlefinger from Brian. Sansa returns to find the flayed remains of Littlefinger. Arya says one of our enemies like to do this so I figured I give it a try on the man who betrayed our father. (I like Littlefinger's character but it is about time for his just deserts) The Mongols, the ethnic group and the much larger group of peoples who rode with the empire get confused. In part, Danny's forces are based on the Ottoman Army with a core of elite slave infantry and a much larger group of mostly light cavalry whose tactics were learned when they were part of the Mongol forces. Some of the tribes of Siberia who rode with the Mongols have a genetic and language link with the Apache. So in a way yes the charge was both Apache and Mongols. NO, Native Americans are not from the Mongols, but in part, both groups are from the peoples who lived in Asia and there are genetic links. And the plains peoples of Siberia and Western North America are closer than most.

Cut scene shows that Twyin had figured out his act.

Thank you Ravens I always enjoy it. And yes your number 1.

Yes I was thinking Dogs of War have to be put down sooner or later as they are dangerous to even their trainers. So yes it good they got a last meal. Sorry Ramsey they were starving but you also gave them a taste for human, as soon as one of them wanted to challenge the alfa dog Ramsey they would attack him, and Ramsey being tied up and beat up is a good cause for a challenge. And yes Ramsey being ate was fun. Great Drama but bad tactics and politics. Ramsey should have had defections from his fire on own troops choice. Don't recall a Spartan style shield and spear wall being used in middle ages, for that mater other than small mercenary units there were few trained ground troops until the renaissance. I would have like better the shield wall without spears that was used by knights on foot to be the thing in use.

Even John's army is going to do some raping and pillaging. In our world by Peter the Great's time things were somewhat reformed any town that surrendered when the offensive siege trenches reached the walls was spared. But Peter had to let his troops rape, pillage and burn when one town stupidly did not surrender. But this is before that in history and pillaging is something almost all the forces expected to be able to do the Dothraki are just better at it and more inclined to pillage without a God leading them. As a superstitious people basically dealing with someone that they think is a God I'm sure Danny will be able to cut way back on her troops pillaging. As long as Danny lets them pillage those who actually fight her only and then only the noble locations I'm sure they will be content but only because they worship her. With work the Dothroki can be converted to new thoughts especially if well cared for then Danny will truly have her Ottoman Empire on the way up army made up in our world of a huge light horse force descending from part of the Mongel horde with her core of elite slave infantry Jannisaries in our world. John so far has been a horrible leader for medieval times to have any chance at the throne. What we admire now is not admired then. John was so bad he barely got elected against a hated mostly opponent and then had no clue on reading his troops or how leaders get assassinated if some hate so he got killed. Even now you don't get elected President without a huge Ego and a surety that your right for the job. Now Danny not much better on reading folks who are not Dothroki but she now has some kick ass advisors that she will listen too except on scaling down her ambitions. Now Sansa acting like Danny might get him somewhere. What Danny wants is to take the throne that is rightfully hers and that is the conviction that any great leader in a medieval time has to have to have a good chance to win. What we reject nowadays in her attitude is what the people expect from a great leader then. And anyone who wants to rule has to be ruthless to their enemies, where a good person like Danny can do is restrict the oppression and looting of people the army passes by that are not enemies and leaving the peasants alone unless they are part of a force defending a town that does not surrender. Danny can be on the good side of what "the greats" did then but she can't be modern or treat people the way John is temped to do. Now yes Danny can go mad and be the villain there is a fine dividing line for great leaders between greatness and oppression, and I understand the dislike of some of her detractors who can't turn on the judge them by their times filter needed to truly enjoy more realistic medieval fiction or fantasy. I love Danny as the great, blessed by the gods, leader in a fantasy medieval tail. But I don't want dictators like her in the modern world (in large part because you can't replace them with another good one normally). I thought the Dragon should scare the horses but remembered these are nomadic horsemen, the best type that ever existed, riding mounts trained for war so all the horses did was fidget. Dragon was very smart to add a huge roar right at the right time to close mom's speech.

Still loving the show although will agree that going off book has been a problem. But the book's also a problem in that key villain Tywin died and before that Rob. Thus a more peaceful Westross without mastermind or hero is not as exciting. Have to try hard to think of how the 3 eyed raven could miss so much in leading to his death unless that was his plan. Ben's story indicated he was saved by the Children so maybe there are more elsewhere. Loved Danny on the Dragon inspiring the troops and as mentioned above this is first collective speech, to bad CGI and budget had her talking to so few when up to 100,000 are following her. And that Dragon is big. To bad Tywin is dead, would loved to hear his reaction to Dragons growing fast that might just reach the size they were when they took Westoros the last time. combined with 100,000 Dothraki and 8,000 Unsullied. Probably something on Argon only needed a poor undisciplined not very large ground force to take Westross so Danny's ground force is way more than needed for occupation troops. The enlightenment has not occurred so almost everyone even the poorest and most oppressed want a King. People have mentioned how when occupying a place you have to understand the culture and that the locals might just not be into modern ideas. This is the same with Danny and any other character including Sansa, all want to have Lords and Kings, they just in many cases want better ones. Danny has the right to enforce her claim with what forces she can raise and Danny's claim now with Stanis dead is the best in the legal terms Westros understands. Even Rob's Northern army did some raping and pillaging, forces that don't do that are hard to find in a medieval world (there are some unfortunately many are religious burn the pagan and the heretics types though), hopefully Danny can confine it to those who fail to bend the knee. Plus I think the WW might distract. Mary Sue is a poor term because of being a popular buzz word has been expanded way past it's original meaning so it hard to tell what parts of the original meaning people are complaining about. The original term only applied to fan fiction where the author added a additional character that was a author avatar that was better than any original character and basically perfect. In this story Danny has many flaws as her critics have noted basically exempting her from any Mary Sue claim because she is not perfect. I guess the term here is for a character you dislike having lots of luck. I understand how a more traditional fantasy storyline character would come across badly to those not that much into traditional fantasy or folk lore. I especially understand here in this story that for a long time played out like a historical fiction it can be jarring for the traditional gifted and fated by the gods type of leader to be destined for power it seams. Arthur only had to pull a sword out of a stone after all to be King. Danny was torn down before the show started and in the first season the growth was her realizing her destiny and having the strength of will to strive for her vision that no one else thought possible. Following that up has been her failures caused by lack of education on governing and many other areas but she has always seamed willing to learn and now she has teachers. I greatly admire her character. Great Intelligence and fighting talents are gifts of the gods as well. I know that for some the type of King that gets "the Great" (for the most part) added to the name comes across like Danny does in this story, poorly. A American and some other cultures common dislike of royalty and the divine right to rule, a desire for their leader to be humble. Humble gets you killed in the Game of Thrones wether good or evil one must show strength. For others I'm sure it is discrimination against women and a male Danny they would love. Hard to tell the difference between them as comments would look the same so I will not judge a individual writer. There was on TV without Pity a fun question what would you do if transported to Westros, me I thought up how to get in with the Starks and the King as a great wizard who informed on the twin's at the start but latter after my invention of the printing press got common arrange for the collected works of the Enlightenment to be converted to Westros terms and printed, living after ward might be tricky but the risk worth it. (lack of literacy would be a problem might take centuries to sink in)

The power manipulation of metal objects of a minimum density seams to be the power not telekinesis. Thus the confusion on it's limitations. More like a weaker Magneto power with less fine control. I believe most comic metal manipulators start out with roughly this level of control. Of course Magneto is so powerful he can manipulate blood and objects with tiny amounts of iron like clothing with small amounts of it. Yep the Hydra plan has always been we are the superior humans type of thing as well as recover their god. As there standard operation is to set up cells to gain power and are based on using criminal means often it no surprise that many heads don't care about the religious source and most members have no clue on the recovery of the god. The normal member does have a master race type thing going though. Hydra does seam to have a superior human bias from way back so the temptation to join up with the Natzi's must have been strong.

In the comics there are item only telekinetic power people who can't directly effect organic beings. So as this goon only moved items I assumed that was his type as folks have said here if able to effect people directly he would have used that as his primary attack all the time. Yep the portal already open with Coulson killing Ward did not work that well with all the pauses. Yes any well trained persons can keep a time available running in there head but I dislike these 1 second till the bomb blows saves. Yes it is the normal trope and in this case it the I going to use every second I have till the portal closes version. And with both portals and bombs you have the time stretch trope where monologs and fighting can take way to long to avoid disaster yet you end up just making it.

Well Daisy who will be known sooner or later as Quake is a major power superhero. So any hope of her not being central died with that especially as I expect they hope to put her in a movie or two. I like it but your milage may vary. Also in the comics Quake is a super SHEILD agent ends up as director. I liked it. Congrats to those who predicted a possessed Ward return. Will need a explanation on the portal, way I do it is the being did not have the knowledge to find the location the portal should be but did have the power to reopen it before the nexus of location changed. HYDRA needs a breather or a secret training base or two, the current crop of troops don't seam that well trained in making parameters and guarding them. I understand with all the loses HYDRA is scraping the bottom of the barrel. Would like it better if they had mentioned by passing sensors and taking out some guards for their secret entrance way. But hey crew of mostly ex cons might be that swift.

Oh caught Mac calling Daisy "tremors" twice as a nickname. That sure to change to Quake sooner or later.

I smell a rat on a cure. This transformation is done by a process from a advanced race involving complete genetic restructuring. Simmons never even considered a cure for Daisy. Now maybe Dr Banner is on the case but I doubt it and Banner can't even cure himself. Complete genetic restructuring is way above our technology it's even way above the technology of the clearly higher technology Marvel world. (Thanks to having alien technology found, and exposure to allen beings, plus the super scientists of a super hero world) Coulson of course is not going to object right there, I'm sure he will want more conformation that the people are only in status. And Coulson might let them stay there as SHIElD is not back to accepted status in the US. With all the extra assets and personal shown this episode I would think SHIELD is receiving some international government support after the major rescue in Advengers 2 along with the known support for SHIELD the Advengers have given, along with Stark money.

I had mentioned before the Army was sort of in a state of shock when Stannis burnt his daughter. Later talking about sell swords reminded me of how crappy mercenaries normally were. A normal reward to mercenaries is to loot, burn and rape anyone they care too when they take a town. So mercenaries are not that caring about killings. Probably no one knew who they were going to burn until it happened and there was no Davos to lead a mutiny. I do assume the mercenaries went over to Boltons, they did not have the supplies to do anything else, probably are working for enough food to make the coast and not much more. Mercenaries are also known in history for changing sides. Government employee army's called professional militaries kicked mercenary ass over and over again and so the age of the Mercenary ended in the last few centuries. Recent experiments in this area ignoring history have not gone that well over all. There were historically a few mercenary units that matched the emerging professional armies like the Swiss Guards that still guard the pope but that was the exception not the rule.

I was not clear I did not mean bloodthirsty and indiscriminate killing in a random way. I agree it must be a velvet hand in an iron glove. I did mean that if back then you had a populace with a large number of enemies hiding inside it you had to be willing to wipe that group out, innocent or guilty inside that group. And before modern thought the population hiding the enemies are guilty of their actions by hiding them so others seeing that population purged will think that they had it coming. Danny's killing of the head of former slaver house not a killing of an innocent man to the non slavers in the town. As a slaver I treat it as a suspended death sentence converted to death. Still it was dumb, she needed to either purge all the slavers or not done the random crucifixion and latter this act if she wanted to attempt to keep the slavers productive and alive. Of course she did not have the intelligence network she is about to get so she had no way of separating guilty from the less guilty their are no innocents who are adults in the slaver population. This is why I advocated killing them all after she had already done the crucifixion there was no way to win them. Of course as former slavers their probably was no way to win them over. The defeated Southern Slave owners after the civil war established the next best thing to slavery with share cropping and segregation as soon as they could. Twyin Lanister's pillaging and raping a area over a dispute with the actions of a wife without the Kings permission went over the line of the rules of the time. Also if you were oppressing your whole population a purge of just one area will be considered a we are next action and probably cause that area to rise. Thus Twyin got the Brotherhood without Banners and maybe drove the Sparrows into popularity. Still if Twyin had lived his quick crushing of the Sparrows would have worked and eventually he would have hunted the Brotherhood down without other distractions. But Twyin would never be considered a good ruler. Peters killing of everyone in the area of revolt only cemented his rule not causing any backlash. Peter's torture and then horrible executions was of the soldiers who earlier in his rule attempted to overthrow him. As the author of pulitzer prize winning"Peter the Great his life and world" by Robert K. Massie stated "He did not destroy the Streltsy (the troops that rebelled) simply to wreak vengeance, or to expose one specific plot, but to make an example, to terrify, to force submission. The lesson of the Streltsy, burned in blood and fire, was one from which we today recoil, but it cemented Peter's reign. It gave him the power to work his reforms and --- for better or worse --- to revolutionize Russian society. One sign of the transition from this principle to our modern one is the New York draft riots in the civil war. The Union army commander gave an order to kill anything that moved on the streets and they did so opening fire on the crowds and then bayonetting many. An officer spotting the leader hiding on a secound floor balcony borrowed a rifle and shot the leader dead. The US Navy opened fire, in a sustained bombardment, on the city areas involved no attempt to avoid civilian casualties. The fact that the Union commander was willing to do this shows that the past had considered this ok but the public outrage in many quarters showed that no longer would this type of behavior be tolerated against white northerners. Unfortunately the South and Indians were still fair game took a lot longer to apply this thought to other races. I'm certain Danny's breaking the wheel means destroying the power of the nobility establishing a non feudal monarchy with all the power in the Crown and little to the nobles, like most countries of Europe went to over time. Thus with the nobles having no armies just one central one under the Crown the game of thrones ends as far as different powers striving for the throne, civil war over succession still possible but a clear succession rule combined with a independent court and council of elders, the prior small council, to remove the mentally unable to rule would reduce that. Royal forts everywhere will cement central rule. The limitation of history on the Greats is knowing how much good they have done in a period impossible for a democracy to do, leaving the Greats still preferring one man rule. And in Westros their is no sign yet of an Enlightenment type thought emerging so with out the philosophic backing the people will want a Queen not democracy. But Danny could, as some did, establish a independent court system and establish a firm rule of law. Danny can also spell out the rights of the common man freeing them from their status of land slaves aka. serfs. If Danny breaks the power of the magister over controlling knowledge and establish competing universities Enlightenment thought could arise. Still wide spread democracy will probably need the printing press invented also.

Only good source found fast on Lena Headley's scene is EW. There it said that body double was used only in part during grueling 3 day shooting. I assume for long shots in the crowd is where you would use a double. I'm trying to figure out what plot we have left. What is head sparrows game letting Cersei get in position to get revenge when he clearly is not pressing the incest charge as doing so would overthrow the King that he draws power from in the propaganda they feed the people. With John dead there is no more wall story left I think the Dothraki saw Mother of Dragons fly in so probably actually there to serve her. That way Danny gets the whole Ottoman Army copy with dedicated elite slave infantry with the largest part Mongol type cavalry.

It an old trope but Theon will probably break Sansa's fall. Of course if the moat is for some reason not frozen solid maybe the ice is thin enough not to kill them, of course freezing to death shortly from being wet in that temperature probably will end them. So I think Theon dying to save Sansa most likely. Good news with John dead the White Walkers can sweep south and evict Bolton from Winterfield. I see no way that John or his men at Hardhome did not tell the rest of the night watch so they stabbed him knowing that. Well Stannis karma gave you the express service. Some had wondered why the army let him burn his daughter turns out many were just in shock and deserted when they got a chance to think. I did like that Stannis did get at least some time to realize how much he messed up.

Would not be surprised it was old trope women can' t kill children but a lot of men especially fathers would have the same reaction. But I saw two reactions in Kari oh gods it's children and a realization of how many they were and that there was no way to survive a swarm. I saw the wall stopping the mist as the mist was ground hugging. We had some conversation on the posting of scouts in past seasons. Medieval armies and later did have skirmishers who were used to fighting in a scattered fashion in woods and other areas. One to the jobs of skirmishers was stoping raids but commando style raids were attempted with various success. If the defenders were on their toes you wold lose the whole raid party. Bolton was fine with his withstand the siege idea but Rasmy's idea probably good a cold, snowed in enemy who does not know the area like they did makes a particularly good target for a raid.

Yep that the plot. I am now convinced the Son's of the Harpy are devoted religious fanatics more than just rebelling slave masters. Yes slave masters and their henchmen can fight bravely in history but in no way willing to take the casualties that the Harpies are taking to take out a lessor amount of foe. Or maybe they are drudged up before fighting. Almost any other force would have ran screaming the minute a Dragon showed up. The spear hits on Drogon were shallow it would have taken many more to do the job, I take it as juvenile dragon status the scales are not full size and thick enough.

I admired Stanis actually still do for his drive to serve his duty. In a way you can say the evil god drove this with Ramsey's raid not even giving Stanis a way back for his army in that he could no longer even retreat it was stated due to lack of transport for remaining supply Stanis had to pull a divine intervention or flee with his wife and daughter and abandon the Army. But I have never wanted Stanis to win because his Red Witch would have burnt hundreds of thousands to death for failing to convert and whipped out the septs and as many priests of the 7 Gods she could plus probably burn all the trees to the old gods in the North. The Sparrows are just the same but with no need for mass conversations their killings will probably be in the hundreds. So I could have even lived with a sacrifice of a daughter if it was for the greater good but deities that demand sacrifice are not in the greater good business.

Fun Ravens this week. To bad the Walkers don't seam to need any ravens to send messages with things might not be good for house Raven.

"I wonder if Dany is going to put herself out of work by installing democracy or is she planning on breaking down the nobility structure ? eg dismantling all the great houses." Probably the later, which is a historical help to establishing democracy though eliminating all those nobel military forces and the castles that make rooting out nobles hard, although the kings doing it did not intend the reduction of the power of the nobles as a way to make the common man more powerful. I say that because there has been no mention of anything like the Enlightenment movement (sort of strange name for modern democratic ideas that are anti church power as well) without the Enlightenment the common folk are going to want a queen not democracy.

Yep the wight or zombies are made the old fashioned story way, raised by a necromancer. In this case the necromancers are not human ether, not uncommon in tales often necromancers are also demons. A Norse (Viking) saga has a women Skuld raised by dark elfs as a powerful necromancer. If you meet the other Norse Skuld the Valkyrie coming for you your dead as that Skuld is also the Norn of the Future who's power is basically infinite and decides when everyone dies. I noticed some wights had decayed down to skeleton status which is the other type of undead a necromancer can raise. Whitewalker motivation from tales is basically to take everything over but as mentioned earlier that's everyones motivation. Only difference is that Whitewalkers don't want any live subjects it seams.

Sweet Molly Malone thanks for bringing that Irish lovely to warm my part Irish ancestry. I thought Arya was talking with a accent when she called out but could not fast place it in the crowd noise. Wild idea Jorah could soon pass as stone man, if he goes into the ruins of Valaria before he goes mad maybe he can find something like the abandoned royal armory to provide all the Valrian steel needed. The story does go that the area was abandoned quickly with few survivors.

Reek is what happens when Karma decides she wants to hit fast and hard. I can find no intellectual sympathy for him. But I retain my ethics so I can still feel for the poor creature he should be put down with little more pain.

Gods that was exciting. I'll give them that was a temporary camp and they are not used to putting up forts as wilding for failing to put a crude walkway near the top of the wall. Walls with no way to fire over them or throw rocks down from are not very useful. I like Arya's story as it a slow build put training arc for Arya the Assassin Queen later. (my fantasy is for Danny to marry Jon and Arya to make them her dragon riders like the original King and two Queens riders) I would hope more dragon glass is back at Castle Black or a search of the abandoned forts probably will turn up more as they were found in a Night's Watch bag originally. There is definitely more in the world to get but that is hard. Tomland shows he's a poorer King right now than his brother, if he lives and stays in power, doubtful, maybe he will learn to be stronger then his lack of cruelty would be a plus. Yes all rulers are butchers when needed or they are meat. Heck even President Bartlett on the West Wing did a totally illegal assassination when he thought it needed.