The Companion

The Lannisters still get credit for throwing Bran out of the window, but yeah the rest of it falls on him. Cersei made it clear that Jamie has no say. She didn't even seem to value him now that she has another child on the way. I loved the last shot of her, utterly alone. She has driven away her last ally (other than the Mountain). I have to disagree with this take. Cersei killed countless innocents to take out her enemies. She (presumably) killed two recent enemies in the dungeon without a trial and including torture. She fixed her brother's trial and put a price on his head. Her brother threw a child out of a window. She even had Oleanna murdered (and would have included torture if Jamie hadn't talked her out of it) without a trial. Ramsey has no justification but we saw the equivalent of a trial for Littlefinger. They accused him of crime in front of everyone and he was given the opportunity to defend himself. The only extrajudicial killing I recall by the Starks was Arya and her red wedding revenge, which was closest to the Lannister way. We have even seen them show mercy for those houses that did not honor their oaths. Similarly, Daenerys did give the Tarleys a choice in front of others, which again feels much closer to the Westeros legal system. She acts as judge to the extent she is queen. We have seen Dany kill in anger but I think Tyrion is correct that she has chosen advisors she trusts to tell her if she is stepping over the line. Alternative episode title: Petyr and the wolf?

Such a great moment. I really wanted them to be playing him. It was very satisfying to watch his schemes bite him on the ass. It's the one constant in the GOT universe. Cersei is a terrible person. We didn't see him die on screen, so I refuse to believe he didn't make it and isn't hightailing it to Winterfell until proven otherwise. Ugh, I looooooved how Myrcella's death was somehow Tyrion's fault. If Cersei hadn't rigged the trial, Oberyn wouldn't have died and her child would have been happy. And don't get me started on Tommen who killed himself because Cersei blew up everyone. How would Tywin have prevented that exactly? He was for the Tyrell pairing. I thought he meant Arya but not really sure in retrospect how he would know she was coming for him. When Daenerys showed up on the dragon, I told my husband that Cersei wanted her dead even more for daring to make a better entrance. So much to digest! The downfall of LF. Finally getting through to Jamie (I like to think Brienne did it with her willingness to even abandon honor). I thought Jon's response was noble but it made me think of Ghostbusters (Ray, when someone asks if you are a god, you say yes!). Tyrion came across as a bit creepy in the hallway, but I suspect his concern was whether Daenerys was going to be compromised. He told Cersei she was alive because Daenerys was smart enough to have a hand who would talk her out of things. She went with Jon's recommendation and then was sleeping with him. I am sure I will have a lot more later, but overall that was awesome.

No, I agree. I should have said in the NK's eyes. I meant to the extent that the NK has a logical driving force and isn't just faceless evil. Lady Mormont and her amazing glare alone would have me rooting for the humans.

Thanks. I looked it up (as I said, I was a bit fuzzy) and I believe they were cutting down the sacred trees and killing the Children of the Forest. An article quotes the line as: "We were at war. We were being slaughtered, our sacred trees cut down," Leaf replies. "We needed to defend ourselves." Either way, the Night King was created to defend against the human threat, and I am not sure that recent events have exonerated the human race. The babies may have been peace offerings, but my understanding was that Craster was getting rid of only the boys, essentially so he would have no competition. Either way, he was perfectly happy to leave his own kids in the woods for the White Walkers, so he certainly wasn't a shining example of paternal love and humanity (not that we see a lot of those anyway in this show).

I really enjoyed a lighter episode. I like when the gang acts like the gang, quips and all. The last scene between Dutch and D'av was so sad. Both of them killed that scene. As I have said before, I don't ship anyone (except surprisingly Aneela and Delle Seyah, who were fairly adorable despite being sorta totally evil). I think Dutch and Johnny work as friends, and I don't generally get romance from them. Dutch and D'av have the physical and they have really grown close but I don't really want to see them together either. For me, the dynamic works and pairing either of them will just lead to drama. I love the worldbuilding of this show. Tonight wasn't as cool as some of the other recent glimpses we got into life planetside, but it was still fun to watch. Really, the whole episode was fun to watch.

I agree. I have been getting a little tired of the story-heavy episodes. However, I thought this was a good episode, and I am enjoying watching everything come together. I would be heartbroken if this show didn't get renewed. It is the right mixture of silly and sci fi for me. I suppose the biomass could have also regenerated given the green. They definitely threw something in there for the Johnny/Lucy shippers (Johnny said he would kiss her if she had a body, heh). Personally, I don't ship Dutch and Johnny. I appreciate that we have a man and woman who can have a relationship without going there. I kind of liked Dutch and D'av, but I far prefer the team as a unit rather than pairing them off.

I know the Night King represents some sort of looming evil, but looking at the world from his perspective, you could definitely tell a story of a leader who is trying to bring peace and stop terrible acts from occurring. His primary contact that we have seen with humans is picking up babies who were abandoned by their own father. He was created to stop an invasion that involved murdering the Children of the Forest (right? I am a little fuzzy on that). If he has kept up with politics since then, he will see a line of rulers who are willing to kill people for power and petty squabbling among families that leads to wholesale murder and mayhem. I am not saying being a mindless wight seems all that awesome, but you can say this for them, they seem to feel no fear or pain and they don't get caught up with power, money or prestige. The humans don't exactly come off as the good guys. I do wonder what would happen if you tried to make an alliance with him or recognized his authority. Would he make you a White Walker? Can he even communicate? Also, how much do the wights know? They seem to be fairly mindless and he seems to have some measure of control over them. Is there a risk in taking one South? Can he see through them? I don't know how much explanation we will get, but it should definitely be interesting.

Y'all, last night I was singing Danny Boy to my son and I kept tying it to GOT in my head. I think I may have a problem. Come on though: Summer's gone? All the roses falling? When the valley's hushed and white with Snow?

I think this is what it comes down to for me. There are plausible explanations for most of the things that people are objecting to, and I would rather not have a bunch of clunky exposition or scenes that could be devoted to characters I love instead showing wights rambling to a coastal town to get the chains that were used on a ship or giant's town to get the chains used to tie up the giant's woolly mammoth, or whatever the explanation. I can't believe I have to wait until Sunday for the next episode. I knew I would regret catching up.

But the dragon wouldn't be able to swim either, right? I just figured he either had some go down there, and left them, or he used the existing ones on the lakebottom from the battle. It wasn't really explained, but that was what I assumed. I hear you, though. It would be nice for some answers on stuff like this.

We haven't seen them swim, have we? That was why the water stopped them during the battle. They basically just sink. I suspect they just sacrificed some of them, and left them at the bottom of the lake.

I went to watch that scene again this morning, and it choked me up again. I am definitely team Drogo. Jason Momoa is coming to New Orleans Wizard World this year. I may have to buy VIP tickets so I can mumble inaudibly at him.

To quote someone on my FB feed, BeyondtheWallmart

Or he looks at her and thinks "that woman is cold, even for me."

Daenerys was clearly ready to consider a husband when she left for Westeros, so it isn't completely out of left field to expect her to consider one now (though she may have just been looking to ditch Daario, heh). That being said, I think he wants her to name a second-in-command and heir. If she cannot or will not have human children, she should make a contingency plan that puts someone in charge if she is taken prisoner, goes missing or dies, particularly if she is going to insist that she fights on the front lines. She was vulnerable to an attack by Jamie just an episode ago. She headed off to the north to fight the WW this episode. Look at what happened to the Baratheons. Stannis and Renly died, and there was nobody left to fight Cersei. I agree, though, that there isn't exactly a huge pool of potential candidates to choose from. Grey Worm or Missandei would be eaten alive. Tyrion doesn't strike me as a great leader. He is really an advisor. I can't imagine her handing her people over to Jon Snow, even if she thinks he is dreamy, after such a short amount of time. Maybe Ser Jorah, who has shown both the ability to fight and consistency and loyalty after initially acting as a spy? Bonus, that might put Lady Mormont as her successor (long may she reign). I am also enjoying the meeting of characters that haven't interacted before. I wish they would compare notes (Seriously, Gendry, you know who Jon Snow is and you know his sister, how has this not come up??), but the different combinations of characters has been really fun this year.

Same! I have lost any desire to watch these idiots. I can't bring myself to watch the show, flashbacks, the live stuff. Every so often, I bring myself back to this forum and admire the stronger stomached viewers who can withstand the boredom and terrible personalities to keep me informed. I would like to join the chorus please. Are there auditions? membership cards?

Good to know, though eyewitnesses are always unreliable. I think we have seen all of the people in this show suffer from a lack of perspective. It's the same debate Jon and Sansa had about Cersei vs. the Walkers as the biggest threat. Each thought that the threat they had lived through was the worse threat. I keep thinking Bran will somehow insert himself into these debates, if he can stop blue screen of deathing for 5 minutes. I also agree that Sansa took the most reasonable option. It is clear that Cersei thought she could control her son, and both were shocked when he made his decree. At that point, we all knew Joffrey was a terrible human being, but there was no reason to think he would go back on his word. On the succession plan, it sorta cracks me up because I literally heard that argument all the time when I was in private practice (a portion of which was estate planning). People are superstitious that writing a will somehow puts their death out there. My husband actually refused to do one before he headed to Iraq for that reason. I would tell Daenerys the same thing I told my clients: succession planning is a process, and your succession plan should be honed over time. It is better to get started now, than to be caught off guard and leave those who love you (or who follow you, in this case) with no clear directions. I agree that babies have not been the best omen in this show, though one has to think that someone better start having them soon. There is almost nobody left in the line of succession of any of the big houses. At this rate, the entire kingdom will end up in the hands of Baby Sam, sole survivor. I actually like the theory that being brought back may have made Jon somewhat impervious to cold (the way that Daenerys is impervious to heat). After all, Melisandre was presented as not even requiring a heavy winter coat and she said she was never cold. Not a bad theory, but also NOOOOO NOT DROGO AND RHAEGO. Re the aside: Thanks, we adopted and I have made my peace for the most part, but the word barren used to absolutely gut me and it still hurts. To say someone is devoid of life is awful. I get that it has a second meaning, but when we were going through it, I would hold my breath every time we were in church and they were reading a passage about a woman who was unable to conceive.

I am not sure she ever saw it. She saw her sister dressed up exactly like Cersei and confidently encouraging their father to confess in front of the crowd. When he was sentenced she ran forward and was sheilded. She may have no clue that her sister protested and fainted. She was also very isolated after that, so she may have very little concept of what Sansa went through. She was on the road and then training, with the only real retelling of the story being the grossly inaccurate play. I think she is working on bad information. I agree. The letter probably feels a lot like that, actually. Sansa is taking Joffrey's side over her family's. I really need them to get on the same page.

Thanks for the clarification. As I said (though it was edited so you may not have seen it), I was thinking about what she said to Khal Moro, which was: "I will not lie with you. And I will bear no children for you, or anyone else. Not until the sun rises in the west and sets in the east." If nothing else, the statements she has made have been fairly ambiguous. Sometimes it seems like she is saying she refuses to bear children, while other times it sounds like she is saying she is unable to get pregnant. I would just be disappointed if no real explanation was ever given.

I could buy that, and I would be okay if the explanation was that she has been taking some sort of Westeros birth control potion (milk of the estrogen?). I just want an explanation. I definitely don't think she has loved anyone since Drogo. Certainly not Daario, for whom she never seemed to have much affection and who she didn't mind dropping as soon as it was going to be inconvenient.

For some reason, I thought it applied to both, but I am too paranoid about spoilers to really google it, so I may just be misremembering what the witch said because Daenarys started saying she was infertile at the same time. Either way, it has been established for so long by Daenarys and she has taken other lovers, so I would really like to see more than just: "Oh, it turns out I can have kids after all." ETA, I remembered why I thought they were related. Daenerys tied the two together when she was speaking with Khal Moro last season. She said: "I will not lie with you. And I will bear no children for you, or anyone else. Not until the sun rises in the west and sets in the east." I suppose that could mean that she doesn't intend to have children unless she gets Khal Drogo back, or she could be wrong, but I knew I remembered something about the two being tied to one another.

I loved that entire conversation. I was really worried it might doom Tormund, though. I really hope not, or that the showrunners address it as more than just TADA, she can have babies after all. She was told she would not be able to get pregnant until the sun rises in the west and sets in the east, and that Drago would return then as well. I don't think they should just hand wave it. It would be really obnoxious for her to just suddenly get pregnant without some sort of driving reason (though I suppose that reason could be magic in this world). I would far prefer Jon to become her heir, though it is looking bad for that scenario from the googly eyes they were making at the end of the episode. As an aside, I really had the word barren. It's probably the appropriate term in the show but it is really hurtful for many who have dealt with infertility. It is probably making it difficult for me to talk about it objectively. I agree that I wish they would compare notes. I suspect Sansa still sees Arya as too young to discuss what happened. After all, she was barely able to discuss it with Littlefinger. Arya is her younger sister and some part of her probably still sees a kid when she looks at Arya. It does appear that Arya was opening up to her sister a bit, but she was too angry to really get into the details. I want the two of them to take a step back and try to understand what the other went through. I think Tyrion provides a necessary perspective, even if it is sometimes unrealistic. We have seen that conquerors do not necessarily make great kings. Part of that is seeing the other side as the enemy, which is a necessary perspective when fighting a war, but a problematic one when ruling. Tyrion defaults to diplomatic means. I think his point with the Tarleys is that it might have been possible to get them on her side, or at least continue the family line with the hopes of creating mortal enemies out of the survivors. I don't think he is a double agent, but I do think he is trying to avoid being like his siblings. Cersei rules with fear, but she can only remain in power so long as she has people to protect her because everyone is hoping she chokes on her wine. Daenerys was probably spot on when she pointed out that he is so focused on the future, he is missing the obvious issues in front of them. However, I think she is being short sighted as well. I don't blame Tyrion for being concerned that she is promising to build a world that she cannot possibly create in her lifetime, with no plan as to how to sustain it.

That was a great moment. He immediately recognized that the loss of her dragon did be devastating.

My heart was in my throat that entire battle scene. I still find the entire plan questionable. How did they plan to get that zombie back to the wall? That being said, I could forgive it because the battle was so visually amazing. I was heartbroken by the poor dragon. I am equally as perplexed by Arya and Sansa who seemed to be willing to talk but still left too much unsaid to either find common ground or figure out whose slimy fingerprints were all over this. On a purely shallow level, I need Danaerys' coat in my life.

You describe yourself as being "as useful as Jaime Lannister in a rowboat."