Luckylyn

I can see how a Jon/Sansa marriage could help secure their positions. Sansa would be able to maintain position as Lady of Winterfell. The discovery about Jon's parentage and Bran's return could cause Jon problems maintaining the support of the Northern Lords and so marriage to Sansa would further cement his position. But it is possible the the respect he's won from the North on the battlefield and being Ned's nephew is enough on it's own to help Jon stay in power. I think Jon may need a Southern wife to give him power beyond to North. The South would be a critical ally for supplies in the battle with the White Walkers and Jon having a strong position in the South may block Cersei from being able to go after him.

Asking for help from Littlefinger puts Sansa in a position to be dependent on him. He's self interested and ruthlessly manipulative. This is a man who framed her for Joffery's murder to force her to be dependent on him to escape King's Landing and handed her over to a rapist. Sansa can't rely on him too much despite the fact that he desires her because he is willing to do harm to her if it benefits him. Asking him for help against the Boltons for the Battle of the Bastards may be considered Littlefinger paying Sansa the debt he owes her for marrying her off to Ramsey but any requests for help from Littlefinger after that may lead Littlefinger to demand something in return. The Vale army may be useful to Sansa, but Littlefinger may demand a high price for her to have access to them again. Robyn's army is under Littlefinger's control. The second Robyn does anything that makes Littlefinger thinks he's going to assert control of the Vale will probably lead Littlefinger to eliminate Robyn. Sansa needs a path to power that will get her around Littlefinger's manipulations and ambitions. She can't just tell Littlefinger to "Fuck off!" She has to handle Littlefinger the right way. He has more resources than Sansa and is cutthroat in how he uses them. He wants to be King of the North and from there eventually King of all of Westeros. He may want Sansa but power is what he desires more. Anything he perceives as a threat to his goals he will try to eliminate. He can do serious damage to Sansa and her family and after all she's experienced she knows that. That's why a marriage to Robyn that pushes Littlefinger out of power of the Vale and places it in Sansa's hands since Robyn is not fit to lead may be one path for her to take. Still that's a risky path because Littlefinger would resist anything that takes control of the Vale away from him. Frankly anything with Littlefinger is risky regardless of if he is an ally or enemy because his only loyalty is to himself, and he feels no remorse for harming others in the way of his ambition. Lysa and Sansa's situations are different because Lysa had command of her own men. A woman with her own army can't be forced into marriage. Sansa has no soldiers under her control other than Brienne. The army of Winterfell is Jon's. She does not command them. The Northern Lords armies are pledged to Jon. What army does Sansa have without Jon's support? Sansa needs her own force that is hers to command to be independent from people like Littlefinger in the event that Jon loses power. Sansa has spent years as a pawn. She now is in a place where she has some control but it may not last. Sansa being Lady of Winterfell is precarious because Jon and Bran may marry and then their wives could attain that position. Also Jon and/or Bran could die. In that event could Sansa take control of Winterfell like Lady Mormont has of her own house or would vultures like Littlefinger try to push Sansa into a marriage against her will? It all depends on what forces Sansa can get under her control. I don't know if Edmure would be useful for that but that is a possibility with the Frey's weakened.

I hope Sansa does manage to find a path to power that does not require marriage but her options are dependent on what happens next. Edmure is not strong enough to hold the Riverlands and with the Frey's diminished with the male heirs murdered power is up for grabs in that region. Cersei's probably going to try to hold on to it but the finanical issues and the demolishing of her alliance with the Tyrells mean she's strained for resources. Sansa may try to gain control since she has a claim as a Tully, but she needs an army for that. Jon is focused on the White Walker threat and isn't likely to devote any resources to gaining control of the Riverlands unless it serves his cause. Littlefinger will probably try to secure that region for himself, and he has the resources to manage it. Sansa's going to have to deal with Littlefinger either as an ally or enemy. Sansa needs to find a path to power for her own security so she is not so dependent on those around her and that means she needs funds and an army. How does she gain that? It would be fantastic if Sansa could gain a position like Lady Mormont as head of her own house. Still, Sansa's situation differs from Lady Mormont. Multiple houses view marrying into the Stark house as a path to power in the North. Marrying into the Mormont house is not considered as critical strategically as marrying into the Stark family. That puts extra pressure on Sansa as a target. If Sansa's married, she has a barrier against ambitious suitors like Littlefinger. If Sansa were to marry again, now would be the best time for her to make the choice because Jon will leave it up to her and because he's at the height of power giving Sansa options in who she would choose. If Jon loses power or dies than Sansa's choices become very limited. Who Jon marries is also very critical for him strategically and can have a positive or negative consequence for Sansa. Wouldn't Jon's wife become Queen and therefore the Lady of Winterfell since the Lords have legitimized him? Then there's Bran the impact his return to Winterfell could have on Jon and Sansa's positions.

Because this is a patriarchal society Sansa does not have much power on her own. Her good position now is because of Jon. She is forced to depend on male relatives for her position. The Northern Lords were not clamoring to save her from the Ramsey's and put her in her rightful place at Winterfell. What happens to Sansa should something happen to Jon and/or Bran? Sansa needs to support Jon for her own self interest and also needs to carve out a place for herself to fall back on should Jon perish because without Jon she's at risk to being someone else's pawn. The right marriage could give Sansa some security in the event Jon does not survive the battle with the White Walkers. Also, they don't know that Bran's alive. What happens to Jon's support from the Northern Lords when Bran returns? Jon rising to King is different from Robb in that Robb's rise was based on his Stark heritage alone. Meanwhile Jon being of the Stark bloodline was significant but that alone was not enough to gain support. Jon's King because he earned it on the battlefield as far as the Lords are concerned. Both Sansa and Littlefinger were snubbed by the Norther Lords in Jon's favor. Jon did not orchestrate that and in fact he made it clear to Sansa their victory was because of her and Jon included the Vale in his speech to the Lords. Still Jon benefits from being favored over Sansa and Littlefinger.

That song is so catchy and I love how it captures the 80s in the video. Just love that movie. I also love the song at the end.

Roseanne - Jackie attempts to inform a relative of her father's death.

The thing about Cersei is that she has some valid reasons for her anger. She was discounted and blocked from excelling on her own because she was a woman. Her only use in their society is to be married to whoever her father chooses regardless of her feelings on the matter and produce an heir. For that I can almost sympathize but still she is an entitled, short sighted, arrogant, vindictive, and ruthless person. She fixates on her own petty rivalries and takes actions that may give her a temporary victory but in the long term make situations much worse. She never learns from past mistakes and keeps repeating the same pattern. She never thinks ahead and considers the larger picture. I can't get past the fact that a lot of this horror could have been avoided if she had not made the choice to use birth control with her husband and not her brother ensuring that her children were not legitimate heirs which put everyone at risk unnecessarily. She claims to do things for her children's sake, but she created the danger for them in the first place while not taking personal responsibility for it. Cersei wants the power she feels she deserves and was denied because she was a woman. Her children were a path for her to gain power through them. She did not raise them to be leaders but intended for them to be lead by her.

Underwritten Female Characters: The Movie We’ve Been Waiting For

I think Sansa might marry again but only if she thinks it's a necessity and she feels in control of the situation. Marriage can be a path to power, and I think Sansa wants to be in a position of power. I do wonder if she can take control of whatever is left of the Boltons because of her marriage to Ramsey. Who is the Bolton heir? I wonder if the Tarly's will end up working with Cersei. Cersei's a bad ally because she's betrayed or murdered everyone but she's also dangerous because she so intensely vindictive and ruthless. Jon's intentions when it comes to the Lannisters are a question mark because his focus is uniting the North against the White Walkers. Cersei most likely will have to come after him in the North and she's at a disadvantage because the Boltons and Freys are no longer useful. She lacks funds and food in order to maintain her power unless she gets more allies. The Kingdom is divided with multiple groups seeking sovereignty and now Dany is coming.

My theory is the reason Arya while disguised as the servant girl was eyeing Jaime was that she was planning to kill him, steal his face, and use that disguise to get close enough to Cersei to kill her. If Jaime separates with Cersei because of her action in the finale than that would force Arya to come up with another plan to get to Cersei. I think Arya will have to take out the Mountain before she could get to Cersei.

I wonder what Littlefinger's response to Dany's arrival will be. Would he give up his pursuit of Sansa in favor of Dany who is a more powerful ally? I could see him try to use Dany to take out his enemies and then try to eliminate her once he's married her to take the Iron Throne for himself. He will find that Dany is way more difficult to manipulate than Lysa. What could Littlefinger offer Dany? He has the Vale but someone like Jon has the North as a whole to offer. Maybe Littlefinger will try to worm his way into an advisory position for Dany but people like Varys and Tyrion would block him. He might try to prevent an alliance between Dany/Jon. He could manipulate things to make sure certain parties stay opponents. He could decide to side with Cersei to try to push Jon down. Littlefinger could really do a lot of damage or be surprisingly helpful depending on what path he thinks will bring him closer to his goal. His only loyalty is to himself.

I thought Sansa made it clear she didn't buy his excuses. There was a line about how she thought he must be a fool or her enemy. I hope she doesn't trust him and just sees him as someone who can be useful. Littlefinger has been helpful but he has also shown he'd use her to her detriment when it suits him. Jon has warned her how important trust is to their survival and he has done nothing to hurt or use her. He has trusted her by letting her be part of his meetings with advisors, and he's candid with her. If Sansa trusts Littlefinger over Jon that just seems like cutting her nose off despite her face because Littlefinger will simply use her but Jon would aid her without strings.

The whole Charles Mason Girls reference with Hamish's groupies was so unexpected. I love those moments when Bea shows there's brilliance underneath her usual vapid stupidity. It's weird how much I enjoy Chair but can't stand Hamish. Both are villains but Chair is more entertaining to me. I'm going to miss Hamish's cell mate. They need to bring him back.

Occasionally, Hallmark will cast people of color as friends. There is Meddling Mom about a Hispanic family which is the only time I can think of the channel making a real effort at inclusion. Otherwise the leads are white or a person of color who can pass as white. It really is ridiculous considering the amount the movies they churn out a year how they manage to avoid showing any real diversity. How many movies are they making this year? How many have a person of color as a lead?

Trust is Sansa's big hurdle for understandable reasons. She has been hurt so much that she distrusts even those like Jon who would do anything to protect her. She couldn't be candid when she was a hostage in King's Landing and still has not lost that habit of holding back. She acknowledged that she didn't know why she didn't just tell Jon about the help from the Vale coming. She had no excuse beyond her own defense mechanism to keep secrets. She's finally in a safe place where she can speak up truthfully, and she still resorts to subterfuge. The pain of her past really is going to have lasting consequences for Sansa. Sometimes keeping quiet can save your life and sometimes it can do you harm. Jon can help Sansa be more open and Sansa could help him against the kind of subterfuge Cersei and Littlefinger use. That requires Sansa to be open with Jon which she is struggling with a lot. She could save or doom Jon depending on her next choices.

Arya's experience with the Faceless has shown that she's become skilled and ruthless but still has a code of honor. She does not want to hurt innocents. but will not hesitate from her goal of destroying all on her list. She does seem to enjoy causing pain to her enemies and that is where she may end up having problems. Her murder of Frey was more elaborate than necessary (killing his sons and then baking them in a pie for him to eat) when she could have just simply killed them.

She clearly seemed to expect that her walking in and saying she's a Stark would be enough to win support and was thrown that Robb's actions had eroded so much the Stark's reputation. One thing Sansa must do is not be so dependent on being a Stark. That's where Jon has an advantage because he has never been able to rely on being a Stark alone because of his position as a bastard. Jon has always had to take action and prove himself to others. It was his willingness to fight in addition to his Stark blood that got Jon named King. Just being a Stark isn't enough to gain respect. Sansa needs to publicly take action to show her own worth. Sansa speaks up privately but needs to be more open publicly. Like in the Battle of the Bastards when she said nothing during Jon's meeting with his advisors when she could have just spoken up. Later she lashes out at Jon for not asking her opinion but I think it was up to her to just go ahead and talk during the meetings. Jon's advisors don't wait for his permission to speak their minds, and Sansa needs to be more like that to really make a place for herself. She could have spoken up with Jon before he was named King of the North but said nothing. Lady Mormont's the one who spoke up and boldly pushed Jon forward. If Sansa insists on subterfuge over open action than that means she doesn't get credit publicly and doesn't get to be resentful for not getting it. Jon recognized her contribution and told her how important it was. If that is not enough, than Sansa needs to be more vocal with more people.

Jon needs Southern support and a marriage between Jon and Sam's sister could offer him an alliance that would further limit the Lannisters. Cersei has King's landing under her thumb but the rest of Westeros is not guaranteed to support her. She has betrayed and/or murdered all of her allies. Sam and Jon's close friendship may be a hindrance to a possible alliance instead of an aid. What if the Tarly aligned themselves with Dany instead? What about Sansa? Would she marry Sam's brother as a way to get Southern support or will she go after Littlefinger's power in the Vale through Robin? Jon won't force Sansa into marriage and so she has a lot of power to choose her next step. I do think Jon/Dany will become allies eventually, but I do not think it will happen easily. From Jon's perspective, Dany's a foreign invader who will cause more instability at a time when Jon needs to unite everyone against the White Walkers. How Dany approaches him will be important. Aggression will not work on Jon or the North in general. Jon is very pragmatic and does not have Dany's ambition. He can't be bought or intimidated. He wants to save everyone regardless of the cost to himself. She needs to win him over the right way. That is where Tyrion's diplomacy will be very important. Sansa/Tyrion may unite in marriage again to secure an alliance between Jon/Dany depending on how Sansa feels about working with Dany. Dany's in a strong position, but there are potential problems for her. She has an army made up of people with no experience fighting in the freezing northern climates. The Dorne/Tyrell alliance is very fragile. There's past bad blood. Plus, Olenna was part of the conspiracy to murder Joffery and the framing of Sansa and Tyrion. This led to Oberyn's death in combat defending Tryion. If the truth about Joffery gets out than Dany will have a war between houses who are supposed to be her allies. Also Dorne and the Tyrells want vengeance above all else which can help or hurt Dany whose goal is to take over all of Westeros. When the truth of Jon's parentage gets revealed, it can undercut her claim and Jon has an advantage because he actually grew up in Westeros and has made his good reputation among the people Dany needs on her side while she's a stranger to them. Lucky for her Jon doesn't want the Iron Throne but that doesn't mean others won't try to maneuver him there the same way he didn't want to be Lord Commander or King of the North and ended up with those positions. Dany's rationale for going after Westeros is entitlement which isn't something that will resonate with the people living in Westeros. She doesn't have an issue yet to get people on her side like she had with wanting to end slavery in Mereen. This is where the Northern cause becomes important because Dany can use the threat of White Walkers as an advantage. She can sell the I'm the best leader because I have the best weapons (the dragons) to defeat the White Walkers but that will take time since so many people still don't believe the White Walkers are a real threat. I do think a marriage between Jon/Dany, Sansa/Tryion or Jon becoming Dany's heir will be critical.

Does he really appreciate Sansa for herself? He seems to see her as a means to an end to gain power in the North and as an extension of her mother who rejected him. He loves the idea he has of Sansa and what marrying her can gain him. I don't think he sees her for herself. He's shown a willingness to use her in ways that have hurt her deeply. Jon would not use her and would respect her right to make decisions about her future for herself. If Sansa wants respect in the North than she needs to find a way to put herself forward. In Battle of the Bastards she gets angry at Jon for not asking her opinion, but he wasn't blocking her from speaking. All she has to do is be direct and say what's on her mind the way that Jon's other advisors do. They don't ask permission or wait for an invitation from Jon to contribute they just step in to say what they think is best. That is what Sansa needs to do, speak candidly with Jon. Jon would not screw her over for personal gain like Littlefinger would. Jon told her they have to trust each other because of the enemies surrounding them. Jon's elevation is also Sansa's depending on how she responds. Hurting Jon by helping Littlefinger puts her at more risk than aiding Jon to stay strong would. With Jon she's a person, with others she's an incubator and a key to holding the North.

Sansa has more freedom and power working with Jon than she has had in years. With him she is not just a pawn to be used. She would be foolish to work against him when he has shown that he supports her. He gave her credit for saving him in the Battle of the Bastards and made it clear he respected her place at Winterfell. He has been honest and protective of her. Betraying Jon would weaken Sansa's position and hurt her most powerful ally. I don't see what could be gained by siding with Littlefinger who has shown he's willing to see her harmed if it benefits him. He allowed her to be framed for Joffery's murder which forced her to be dependent on him to escape Cersei's wrath than sold her to the Boltons knowing Ramsey was dangerous. If she has more ambitions beyond being Jon's support she should be honest with Jon about it. He doesn't have ambition beyond doing what he thinks must be done to save everyone. He wouldn't try to compete with her. Jon wants to save everyone. What does Sansa want? Is she only after her own personal gain or does she share Jon's desire to fight the White Walkers? She and Jon need to have a conversation about that.

It really makes creating alliances difficult when so many are dead. Margery/Jon really could have been a powerful match but she's gone.

I knew the twist of the prince and servant was coming but the whole Blanche's chance to be a princess being taken from her by Peepers was a surprise. Chair remembers who she really is, yay! I can't wait to see what comes next. She's my favorite villain since they are all so awful I can't help rooting for her to mess with them.

What about Bran? He is Ned's last legitimate male heir. Jon has been given legitimacy from the Northern lords, and they might stick with him even after Bran returns. What happens when Jon's true paternity gets revealed? What effect will Bran have on Sansa and Jon's positions? Sansa has already been surpassed by Jon and Bran returning would lower her position further. I think marriage may be her way to create a powerful position for herself which is why I think the Robin/Sansa marriage or a Tyrion/Sansa marriage is possible. Sansa's marriage could be how Jon gets a hold in the south or how Sansa undercuts Littlefinger. It depends on what Sansa's goals are and what strategies she's willing to pursue. Jon won't force her into marriage. It will be up to her what comes next as long as Jon is in charge. If Jon loses his hold on the north than Sansa is at risk to be someone's pawn all over again.

I think Jon needs a Southern wife. He has the Northern support locked down. Who though?