Conan Troutman

Who the hell is Ygritte's father? And I'm not sure Jon was able to feed him properly. Didn't seem like there was a lot of food to spare.

I think that's it. He's been locked up without food since like season two. First at Craster's, then he got a little snack on that one dude, only to be locked up again. I don't think the mutineers or Thorne took a lot of effort in keeping the dog they are scared of well-fed. So he probably couldn't care less about the damn NW people and just wanted a nice juicy meal. However, given how much he could've feasted in that battle and especially the aftermath and that his disgestion was probably a bit off after a long period of starving, I'm concerned he's seriously constipated now.

So the biggest fire the North has ever seen... ... was a test? WTF, Mance?

I do.

No, it wouldn't. I wouldn't even blink. Shroug, perhaps. They're relegated to be, ahempt, "Watchers on the Wall". So they'll make it out alive. Stand on top of the bloody thing (thank you, CEO of the Wall for that!) and watch how everyone's getting killed (and make out on top of it? Get on with it, shitty fanfiction writers!). Not that I would care, I'm hoping the Thenns or whatever they're called murder the shit out of everyone and eat them too. Including the obese and the bastard (I meant Gilly. But Jon can kick the bucket as well, as far as I'm concerned). tl;dw (too long, didn't write): Kill everyone! Edit: Kill Arya last, so that she can watch the others die.

Influence is the word I like here. Control. When you can do what you want to do, when you can manipulate the outcome of events, the loyalties of people and pretty much everything else. To me, that's the definition of power. That's the impression I got and I agree with you on Arya. But I'm more interested in the GoT "reality". I find Melisandre especially intruiging in this case. She seems to have a hunch of what's going on beyond (if she's not a complete fraud, which she very well might be). Or Bran and Dany, who are clearly established to have some visions, as well as maybe Jojen. But in a more general sense, I just find the word "nothing" fascinating. Because I don't think that "nothing" can have any inherent value because of the very nature of it, well, "nothing" shouldn't be capable to do that. So I don't think "nothing" can exist, because if you're able to exist that means that you are able to exist, which "nothing" by definition cannot do. Which leads me to the conclusion that, if "nothing" can't exist, "something" must exist. And to bring that full circle: "Nothing is just nothing?" I don't think it can be. I'll have to come back to Holmbo's thoughts about identity, very interesting (it's just too late right now).

I think this aspect of the show is one reason why I (still) like it. It just goes deeper and truely examines stuff and does it in a way that doesn't lecture you, but rather lets itself speak through it's characters. This should be a thread where you can bring up things like the main themes of the series or simply post some quotes and go on from there. To start the whole thing: "Power resides where men believe it resides. It's a trick. A shadow on the wall." What really is power? Is it to make everyone act like you would want him to? Or that you don't have to do that anymore, because you're a step above it and don't need him to do that? Or something completely different? "Nothing isn't better or worse than anything. It's just... nothing." So what is the true nature of nothing? Is there even one? Why is there anything? Was god just bored? "Chaos isn't a pit. It's a ladder." Does that mean that you will climb up, if you only focus on it enough? Or does it mean that you can fall down and break your neck, if you just slightly misplace one step?

Not a speculation, but now I know how I want Tywin and Cersei to die: Jamie cuts Tywin's cock off and beats Cersei to death with it. Yes, I'm still horribly angry. Edit: Just saw a preview picture for next weeks episode. Therefore, spoilers:

As a Packers fan, I can tell you that Flynning is always out of place. I don't want him to be my moral center. I want him to be my entertainment center. Now that they've crushed Oberyn, who's left? Tyrion's gonna be dead soon, I like Tywin and Cersei as antagonists, but not as protagonists, and none of the other main characters I really like are that involved (except Arya). I won't root for Jon Snow, Reek, Jamie, Stannis, any Bolton, Brienne, Dany or any other guy/girl anytime soon. Is it going to be Sansa? Show, you better have an answer and not a cliffhanger.

Yeah. It was totally GoTish to finish him off like that. But I really thought he'd be around in season 5, rampaging like crazy and killing every last goddam motherfucking Lannnister he'd see. (Who'll do that now? I'm rooting for everyone. Jamie? Melisandre? Balon? Ramsay? Whoever...) Alas, not. Just let's hope that it wasn't all for naught. Please drag someone down with you, okay? (Hint: It's C or T)

If their dads legitimize them, it's game. But this was the first bastard so far, and probably the last. All other dads we've been told about who have bastards are dead. And no one else can. (I hate to say it, but this was maybe the the most lighthearted moment in this episode. WTF?) Anyway, after this show, I've had it with dark and gritty for a while. Doesn't help when the last few other shows I've been (binge)watching were House of Cards, Hannibal and Battlestar Galactica. I'm seriously considering rom-coms...

Yes please, Tommen do something! Have your mom and grandfather executed while you're at it, too! Yeah, he's a goner now. On the bright side: - Sansa's getting really good. Loved how she's playing the LF creep card right at him. - Arya & the Hound are still alive. Probably not for long, though. Damn it, show. - I don't care anymore. Wasn't shocked at all about Ned or Robb or Cat, but Oberyn and Tyrion? If they kill Arya too, I'm outta here.

First reaction: Fuck the Mountain! Fuck Littlefinger! Fuck Tywin! Fuck Cersei! Fuck Ramsay! Fuck Roose! Fuck the Wildlings! Fuck Dany! Fuck Barristan! But the honor of the day... fuck GRRM! God I'm so fucking angry. And weirdly, thankful. I never thought that would happen. At least, it was surprising. Now, kill absolutely everyone. Team White Walkers! @GRRM You are a bastard. A character-killing, trolling bastard.

He's really like this:

Is that even true? Maybe he thinks it is, but I'm not buying (t)his shit. To steal from another show: "I did it for me. I liked it. I was good at it. And, I was really... I was alive." So who is Tywin Lannister? Edit: Before anybody beats me to the pun: He is the one who knocks....

Can't hate him, because he (read: Charles Dance)'s so awesome. Probably my favorite villain in this story. There's only one thing I'd like to ask him: Why? What for?

He's got the cape. Six seasons and a movie? Possibly. Nontheless, there's only one bisexual character I care about. And I doubt he's calling for a round robin (may Danaerys flay me for that pun).

I like your theory, it makes sense. I had totally forgotten that connection. Up until this season I thought Ned forced LF to betray him because of his stupid choices, but now that we now that LF also was behind Jon Arryn's death, we can agree that this all was an elaborate ruse and he set him up from the beginning. So I would think that this was his initial plan: 1. Have your crazy lover kill Jon Arryn. 2. Robert will almost certainly name Ned as his new Hand. 3. Get Ned to examine the heritage of the Robert's bastards. 4. Have your crazy lover tell your love interest that she suspects that the Lannisters poisoned Jon Arryn. 5. Send an old and hopefully not very good assassin to kill Bran Stark with Tyrion's knife. 6. Once Tyrion is executed, set Ned up outside the brothel so Jamie can kill him. But then Jamie decided not to kill Ned this way after that soldier stabbed him in the leg (he said something about a clean kill, IIRC). So whatever his long con was, he had to improvise since then. Edit: Hm, steps 5 and 6 make no sense. Even if he was indeed behind Brans attempted assassination (although it might've been Cersei or both, I'm not 100% sure about that), he couldn't have known that Bran would fall from that window. So it couldn't have been part of his plan to get Tyrion arrested, so that Jamie would take revenge against Ned. So his original plan would have to be letting Ned find out about Cersei's children and then LF would inform Cersei that Ned knows (he couldn't plan on Ned's stupidity to do that job himself...) so that Cersei would arrange some accident for Ned (she couldn't just openly kill the Hand while Robert was alive, and at that point LF couldn't have known about the hunting "accident").

Not sure if poison is officially allowed. Let's assume it's not (or he simply doesn't want to use it blatantly because it diminishes the glory you can get from a victory): If he does poison the tip of a blade or dagger, how could anyone really know? It's probably better to use a not-so-deadly one, because it surely would look suspicious if the Mountain were to fall over dead from a little scratch. So you use something that slows him down a little, just enough to give you the advantage. At least that's what I would do in his stead. I agree that a staff would be a great choice. Maybe not a wooden one though, the Mountain would just cut that thing in half. But a solid metal staff with two sharp blades seems like a very effective weapon against him and Oberyn seems like the type that could handle such a thing. You can still apply a little poison to the blades if you want to. Either way, it should be a good defensive weapon. Let the Mountain tire himself out, block and/or dodge his attacks and occasionally try to hit him. Then you either go for the final blow or let him die a death of a thousand cuts or some combination thereof, when he's finally wounded enough. Another option I would consider is two-handed fighting. Two smaller swords would be equally effective as a staff and would look equally awesome. BTW, this reminds me of Star Wars: KotoR. Maybe he's got a lightsaber?

I never judged him for trusting LF. Apparently he was new in town and unaware of LF's infamy (although LF explicitly told him not to trust him, so there's that...). But he made the incredibly stupid move of telling Cersei his plan. How goddam idiotic can you be? Plus he didn't tell Robert when he was back. What the hell, hero?

Great idea! Parks & Recreation Danaerys as Leslie Knope: The idealistic leader who should listen to other people more, but ultimately will succeed anyway. Robert Baratheon as Ron Swanson: A man's man who enjoys hunting and eating all the eggs and bacon. As long as he doesn't have to do any actual ruling, he's fine. Misandei as Ann Perkins: Leslie loves her and can’t stop saying how beautiful she is. Also doesn’t do much but standing around. Grey Worm as Chris Traeger: The health nut is in great physical shape. Occasionally thinks about artificial insemination, though. Eddard “Ned” Stark as Mark Brandanawicz: The straight man who has to leave the show early to make room for more interesting plot lines. Arya Stark as April Ludgate: The young intern with the snarky attitude. Has some weird friends and doesn’t get along with everybody, but is fiercely loyal to those important to her. Just don’t mess around with dogs in her presence. Robb Stark as Ben Wyatt: Very good at conquering the office and became a ruler at a very young age. Did make some catastrophic decisions though, which ended his term prematurely. Daario Nahaeris as Tom Haverford: He’s got swagger, you know! Doesn’t have a good track record at keeping up relationships, however. Hot Pie as Andy Dwyer: Our cuddly manchild. Has more talent than he knows. Maybe not the brightest bulb, but his cheerful personality brings out the nice side in April. Hodor as Garry/Larry/Jerry Gergich: Originally casted as Andy Dwyer, but had a bit of trouble with the extended dialogue... His physical style of comedy fits much better as Garry/Larry/Jerry. Osha as Donna Meagle: The wisecracking badass. Can be a bit of a diva at times, but she’ll cover your ass if need be. Joffrey “Baratheon” as Jeremy Jamm: Incompetent, obnoxious jerk and everyone hates his guts. Obviously the ideal candidate for the role. Khal Drogo as Dave Sanderson: Rough on the outside, but has a softer core than you would think. Had a brief relationship with Leslie earlier.

That's exactly what I thought. On the other hand, as cool as that would be, I hope for a more epic sort of a fight, not a quick one like the ones in the videos above. The other two trials we've seen lasted a couple of minutes each, so maybe this one will top them.

I'm more worried that the Hound might simply die of that infection. The most bacteria ridden part of a human is his mouth and you can easily die if bitten and you don't get a proper antisepticum. Arya had the right idea, but his fear of fire might've been his undoing. I hope not, but it would be totally GoT-ish if he were to go out like that. Edit: It also makes sense story-wise. Brienne and Pod are about to cross paths with Arya & the Hound and I strongly doubt that Brienne would just accept the Hound's company. So he could either go to some place in Essos (he mentioned the second sons), what would probably be the end of his story arc anyway, or die. I have a very bad feeling about this... Oh, and it could also mean that both Cleganes are about to die in one episode. How could you miss that opportunity as a show?

I think Robin's LF's son, too. The question is, what difference does it make after he killed Lysa? Robin apparently doesn't know it (he calls him uncle) and Lysa can't confirm it. So maybe LF doesn't want to get rid of Robin, but killing him would've been a bad idea anyway, because LF would lose control of the Vale if he did so. Could be a bit of both. I guess HBO just wanted to make sure that every viewer got a little reminder of his backstory. The last time we got some extended talk about the Mountain and the Hound's relationship was back in season 2 in "Blackwater", IIRC. Also serves as another bonding moment for Arya and the Hound. Maybe she'll take him off that list eventually (without killing him).

I guess since they've been traveling north the straight path has to lead north, to the Wall. So they probably took the right (read: correct) one.