JTMacc99

I think that is right. If there are surviving Stark kids, he felt that he could never actually be the King of the North. The people would always consider [any Stark] > Bolton.

Heh. In particular, I liked when IT Support stuck his head into the picture. And of course, "We had fucking audio a hundred years ago!" followed soon after with big head on the cell phone "I'm sorry, you're breaking up..." As for actual character development, I liked pitting Gilfoyle and Dinesh up against each other, especially since it better defines them. They BOTH KNOW Jared was playing them against each other, but Gilfoyle can't stop being a dick if it involves also proving how great he is, and Dinesh can't just let him get away with it, even just to step outside for 5 minutes to look at the door. Also, it looks like we made the first move on Monica becoming an ally or frenemy, or whatever it is she will eventually become. And to offset those two developments, it was just another week of Richard not doing a hell of a lot of anything.

Well, you know what? Armor and a big fucking sword won't save a man who falls through a hole in the floor. Of course, the Hound is pretty big. He might not fit.

I threw this out in the speculation thread as well, but I think the empty gold mines, lots of debt talk in this episode has more meaning to us than just the topic of why arranged weddings need to take place. We've been told often that a Lannister always pays his debts. This episode sure made it sound like they've got some work to do if they are going to keep the "always" part of that statement stay true. Even when this show shows a slow part of of a storyline, it ends up that what we are really watching is a lit fuse, or one of those red-numbered digital timer displays counting down. ETA: Yes, Davos set some sort of ball rolling that had to do with the bank, and I assumed it had something to do with hurting the Lannisters. When you line that up with what Tywin said this week, some sort of shit is definitely about to hit the fan for the Lannister family. One has to wonder if Tyrion's ability to keep the books will earn him some points with dad during the trial. (A, "he's worth more to me alive than dead" kind of thing.)

Sober Tyrion is actually a threat to Littlefinger, because he's smart enough to spot where shit doesn't line up correctly. The question is, did Littlefinger ever assume that sober Tyrion was a possibility? The story of Pod killing a Kings Guard was a whole bunch of information for Brienne to absorb all at once. It's not just everything it conveys to her about Pod, it is also the whole "why was a Kings Guard attempting to kill Tyrion?" topic that has to run through her head. That was a very interesting moment for me.

Oof. "Little Dove". I missed that symbolism. Crap. And on the topic of foreshadowing, I guess "A Lannister always pays his debts" has taken on a new meaning for us.

I would have been happy if the last scene had just been Ghost flashing across the screen. I laughed out loud. Which I suppose should be a bad thing, you know, that a man having his throat ripped out by a wolf made me laugh, but that's how I roll when I watch this show.

I think Sansa is even less likely than Littlefinger. Of course, making her marry Robin might be enough to make her jump through it.

I agree. I knew it was coming before the episode even started. And on a similar note, this show in general is pretty heavy with foreshadowing. I'm heading over to the speculation thread to take bets on who will be going through the hole in the floor. It's not a question of if somebody will die that way, it is a question of who, and how many.

So, shall we take bets on who is going through the hole in the floor? (The foreshadowing on this show is sometimes not very subtle, so at this point I am assuming it is not a question of if somebody is going through the floor, it is a question of who, and how many.) I'm hoping it's the kid, because let's be serious here for a second, even if proper counseling existed in this world, I don't think there could be enough of it to turn him into an adult who wouldn't do a great deal of harm during the course of his life. Yeesh. And if he goes through the hole, there's an excellent chance it will be a daily double with somebody either getting tossed in after him or possibly crazy mom going willingly.

As an adult, I now understand completely why it is very wrong for an adult woman to seduce a teenage boy, but as a teenage boy, not so much. It feels wrong, but I guess it is easier to make a joke about a crime when the likely reaction of the victim would be "Woo Hoo!" Of course, I am assuming that the people making the "Get it Tommen!" comments understand why it is wrong, and that is probably a poor assumption. Also, yes, the decency of the characters plays a lot into it as well. Littlefinger is an awful human being, which would make me say Ewww even to a situation where an appropriately aged woman went along with him willingly.

I am glad you posted that "Were there gelatin shots?", because seeing it in writing makes me realize how awesome that was. "Gelatin shots". Heh. It's funny, I just caught a few moments of Animal House on TV last night, and it happened to be during the toga party. Definitely a different vibe.

Normally I like to FF through the Saga saga after I get the gist of whatever Elliott is up to, but I stuck with the entire segment of him eating crow.

The angle they seem to working for Ward is that he's clearly a bad guy, but he's not Mwah-Ha-Ha! Evil (that would be Garrett, or as I like to think of him, "what happened to Chet from Weird Science when he grew up"), but instead Ward is evil guy who doesn't think that the bad things he does define him. And forgive me as I give this show WAY too much credit here: It is not at all a bad character to have in a Nazi scenario. One doesn't have to watch too many Third Reich specials to spot the Ward types and to understand the role they played in what happened.

I think it is important for them to incorporate Claudia the way they have been doing it. I am pretty sure that our happily ever after ending is going to involve us believing that the warehouse is in good hands with her as the caretaker.

I do like it when Marciano brings his son on a trip. Even if at the end he has to throw in a "that fish helps pay for tuition", I am willing to put up with it because it's nice to see the family stuff in a good light.

Taking a bite out of the apple was a nice touch. Conveyed the whole, "I am SO in charge here right now that I can eat a piece of fruit while we interrogate you."

If I am not mistaken, Danushka is a professional reality show contestant. The ones who stick around the Food Network/Cooking Channel are generally speaking the ones who were food career first people who desperately want to be on TV. And by the way, that isn't only a thing you can say about Food Network Star. You can say the same thing about Next Iron Chef. (I'm looking in your direction Elizabeth Falkner.)

And while I have been generally forgiving of this show, although I almost completely gave up on it around E14 and only some good reports about it on the Internet made me go back and catch up, I do not think I will be able to tolerate a "Nah... Ward's okay! He was totally forced to do all that bad stuff." story. No. I don't think I would like that at all.

Yep. Me too. And it made me laugh and cringe at the same time. Good stuff. I stuck with this show over the years because it did such a terrific job developing characters and the relationships between them. When they end an episode like they did this one, it really gets me. And then just when I'm feeling all warm and fuzzy and teary-eyed, they freaking show Pete dressed up and talking like a character from a Mexican soap opera. Talk about a dramatic shift in tone. Heh.

I see this point, and it is a good thing that Skye couldn't just kill him. Having said that, I think I would have preferred that scene to go in either of two different directions. 1. Have Skye turn it back on Deathlok, and make him be the one who "can't" kill Ward. I'm not a fan of the whole "I'm controlling this man's life, but it is you making the decision to kill him" bullshit. If the show wanted to save Ward, then make it the other guy who made the choice, and not Skye. That would have accomplished two things. It would have let us wonder if Skye really would have let Ward die, which make her more interesting, and it would have given Deathlok a tiny bit of humanity for us to assume is still in there. 2. Just had Deathlok kill him outright. I think it would have been good for the show to kill off a main character like that, even if he did just become interesting.

Forget combat. I think they'd make a nice couple. Plus, between the two of them I think they could take The Mountain. Also, I want to see the visual of Arya standing next to them. She'll have to change her name to Pippin and wax poetic about The Shire. But I'm completely off the topic I wanted to discuss. When do we think Shae shows up again, and in what capacity? I simply can't imagine that she's gone forever, but I don't have any sound theories on how we get her back. Does she get caught, and by killing her, at least Cersei gets to hurt Tyrion even if he is found not guilty? Does she provide safe haven for Tyrion at some point? Is she a person with far more connections than those of the whore we were led to believe she is? I just sort of came up with that last one, but I like it a lot. When Oberyn showed up, they made a big deal out of how where he comes from, people with the last name Sand can make something of themselves. Wasn't Shea from either the same place as Oberyn or at least one like it? I'd look it up, but I'm liable to spoil myself. Damn internet doesn't have No Spoilers tags on it.

My least favorite part over the years is when a power player develops. In my opinion, the finest seasons were the times where there was a core of 4-5 stars and an equal amount of strong support around them. For example, I absolutely adored the mid-nineties period where There was a core group of Dana Carvey, Jan Hooks, Nora Dunn, Phil Hartman, Jon Lovitz, Victoria Jackson, Kevin Nealon, Mike Meyers and Dennis Miller. No particular one of them dominated over the others, but there were clear leaders and so much depth that every sketch would be filled with contributors. In other seasons, you could list the cast like I just did and notice that there would be one or two people who clearly dominated the episodes, and while those people were often enormously talented, it wasn't as much fun as it is when there is strength everywhere. And then there are seasons like the current one, where I'm not really sure who are the leaders and who is the support. It seems like there is a lot of really talented support, but I'm missing the core four or five who bring it all together every week.

Hee! Brienne and The Hound... That story just writes itself.

I can see it coming any time now. She's a Stark, the Gryffindor of Westeros. I've been assuming for that it is only a matter of time until she acts like it. Although, it is taking longer than I thought it would. Maybe being removed from the high life will be the jump start she needs.