WearyTraveler

...but it might also impact motivation :(

Disappointing but not unexpected. I'm not mad at him either, at least he's taking responsibility and letting us know in advance. I understand that writing is not a mechanized process and that as any creative activity, it's different for every creator. He needs to feel inspired to write and he clearly doesn't anymore, at least when it comes to this series. But I also think he lacks discipline and perhaps should try some different approaches to see if something else works. He doesn`t want anyone else writing it or co-writing it, but he doesn't seem to be able to do it on his own anymore, perhaps a bit of flexibility is called for in this situation. I'm glad we're getting an ending with the TV show because I also hate unfinished stories, but I think he will eventually get the books out too and when he does, I'll buy them because I always prefer the books. There's more detail, and the world is bigger and there are more characters that are not featured on the show that I'd get to know about. I'm thinking, for example, that the Dorne storyline s bound to be a hundred times better in the books than it will ever be on the show. That said, I'm sure the main plot points have been planned for a while and will be the same in both. So, the show will at least provide that closure and I'm ok with that.

He played Tom Mason's (Noah Wyle) son in TNT's Falling Skies, which wrapped up this past summer. I think he's pretty good too and the story is interesting. But I'm expecting a lot of sad, depressive stuff this year too, which I'm ok with, as I think sometimes, that's exactly how it goes in the real world.

Found it! Here are my thoughts on the expenses I think the Crown has, and how it could be possible for it to have been running at a deficit and eventually go bankrupt.

And Lysa. And later on, the Lords of the Vale. When he deals with this last group he's quite polite and respectful (if my memory is working correctly) I agree that many Lords see LF as someone beneath them and thus not take him seriously. My comments were more toward the situation with Tyrion, who has realized that LF is dangerous and not afraid that Tyrion has his number in the whole business with the dagger. I was also talking about reconciling the crudeness and lack of charm we as readers see of the character when he interacts with Ned and Tyrion vs. what this image that he is a charmer that other characters in the series attribute to him. I remember having a discussion about the finances of KL on this board. Was it on this thread? I posted a fairly long thing about it, I'll see if I can find it. I think both alternatives (LF is hiding the money vs. the Kingdom is really bankrupt) are possible. If LF is hiding the money, it wouldn't be for his own use, it would just be to create chaos from which he could benefit. He's a social climber, for sure, but he always struck me as someone who wants power more than he wants money. And even though the latter could help him get the former, I think he'd be very careful about anyone tracking it all down back to him. He is not very ostentatious in his clothing or his lands, so, he's not flaunting any riches, plus he has his prostitution businesses to justify his income. So, I think if he's responsible for the coffers being empty, then he's not personally taking any of it (or is keeping it hidden until such a time when he can make use of it).

I think we're supposed to be seeing only one aspect of LF that is more, let's say intimate, than what others see. Sort of the reverse of Cersei. In AGOT we see Cersei through the eyes of all the other characters who have POV chapters and, if we read unspoiled, we're supposed to think what the POV characters think: that she's very clever, that she has the situation under control, and that she knows exactly what is going on. Later we learn just how crazy and blinded by ego/power she really is. So, with LF is the opposite. We know how devious he is because we have read what he says and does with/to other characters, but whoever is the current POV character doesn't know as much as we do. Look at him with Cersei, for example. He is never sarcastic TO her, never disrespects her, never contradicts her. He seems to act exactly the right way with every person he encounters, with the exception of perhaps Ned, whom he despised way too much to hide it completely. I think what is going in this chapter with Tyrion is that Tyrion recognizes that LF is smart and that he plays a long game, and plays it well. So, any move Tyrion makes against LF has to be perfectly calculated. He's no Janos Slynt, and Tyrion knows it. Tyrion is smart enough to realize that he still doesn't know enough about LF to take him out of the game safely. The man rose from being the minor lordling of a pile of shit to Master of Coin. One doesn't do that without acquiring a few powerful friends. Tyrion doesn't know the extent of LF's power yet, plus LF's cavalier attitude must be throwing Tyrion for a loop. Their unspoken conversation so far has been something like this: T: I know you set me up in that dagger incident with Brandon Stark LF: I know you know T: Aren't you shitting your pants that I know? LF: Not really, I'm good So, Tyrion is wondering "why isn't he afraid of the consequences? I'm a Lannister! Tywin Lannister himself appointed me Hand of the King!". Tyrion's conclusion then is that LF isn't afraid because he has enough power/allies to survive whatever Tyrion throws at him and then some. This is exactly the kind of strategy that would keep Tyrion at bay. It's an intellectual, political problem that stops him from acting until he knows more. Any other strategy would fail, so LF is actually an ass around Tyrion because it's the best possible strategy he could use.

Definitely could be a vision, as well. Did Bloodraven say that Bran wouldn't walk again on the show too? I can't keep some of these things straight anymore.

Well, he's definitely not a tree! It certainly makes you think. One option is that he physically disengages from the weirnet but is still connected through his third eye, and now he is able to walk and ride a donkey. Could it be that he will be going south to Jon so he can reveal all the flashbacks in person?

Word! Would you give me your post's hand in marriage?

Serving food on a rock is nothing new. At least it is a common practice in South American meat restaurants. Particularly in Argentina. The practice is to cook your meat on the grill and then bring it to your table along with a hot (very, very hot) flat stone. So, you slice your meat and then you place it on the stone if you want to get a sear on the outside of that slice or cook it just a little bit more. It works well when you get a cut of meat that has a different thickness throughout (more bulky in the center of the cut) because the thicker part might end up being too raw to your liking. I think the practice originated with Argentinian cowboys who had to spend days out there herding cattle and would actually cook their food on hot rocks, but I'm not sure. Google can probably provide better details. That said, every South American restaurant I've been to that serves food on a stone (in Brazil, Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela and Puerto Rico) serves hot food on a stone, and the stones have been treated for the purpose of serving food. I don't think any old rock works for this and the ones I've seen have been shaped and polished for the purpose of serving food on them, so, if they came from some desert, it's been a while since they were out there and not a single grain of sand remains on their surface. I kind of understand Phillipe's desire to work with the environment he's given, but, that wasn't a smart choice.

I don't think so. Taking into account the events of S1 and S2, the chronology goes something like this: 1) Hanzee gets a SS card with the name Tripoli 2) Malvo shows up in S2 3) Malvo kills Tripoli

I don't think we can say anything about this tunnel with a good degree of certainty. Varys might be lying. Or it was built along with the original tunnels of the Red Keep, or it was built by some other Hand hundreds of years in the past. There are too many possibilities.

Hanzee is not Malvo. He get got a new Social Security card toward the end of the episode that had Trippoli for a last name. Trippoli was a mob boss that Malvo killed in Season 1.

Nah! That honor goes to Game of Thrones, who had a woman whisper into a man's ear: "..you like bad pussy".

IIRC, Yoren said he was all set to go when someone told him he had to wait to take Ned. So, all the donkeys and the supplies were already bought before he got the news that he would be taking Ned North. I suppose Cersei thought that her father's men, who were the ones torching the Riverlands, would not interfere with Ned because her own father would give the orders to prevent that. And anyone who didn't like the Lannisters but couldn't voice their discontent would probably be on Ned's side also, so they would let him be on his way to the Wall. There's also Ned's famous honor. He said he would take the black, and that's as good as money in the bank when it comes to Ned. Cersei knew that no matter what happened Ned would do his best to get to the Wall. Even if Robb's men "rescued" him. Sansa and Arya's lives were in the balance. So Ned would do what he said he was going to do. And once he said the words, we all know Ned Stark would have stayed at the Wall until the end of his days. No matter what. There was no reason to fear for Ned's life or doubt his commitment to his word in his journey to Castle Black.

I don't see what is so complicated about Sansa. If I were to guess I'd say she meets with a northern lord and heads to Manderly's where she'll find Rickon. I know Manderly's time is limited, but I'm not sure it will be limited to just one scene. A single day of filming can yield a lot of screentime, and casting calls don't always include all the work an actor will be doing. So, it's possible he has more to do than a single scene, but even if that's not the case, Sansa can meet up with a Northern Lord and head to Manderly's which would not require the actor playing Manderly to be present. I think it's likely Sansa meets up with Brienne and Pod and after they see her safely to a Northern lord or someone who can safely take her to Manderly, Sansa will ask Brienne to go back south for Arya, and this will be the plot reason why Brienne heads south again. Theon will head to the Iron Islands either when Sansa meets Brienne or when Brienne heads back south and he will probably do so with the intention of getting the Ironborn to support the North. He just doesn't know what hell he'll be getting into. As for Jon, I think when he's resurrected, he'll be free of his NW vow and whoever ends up being the new Commander will allow him to stay in CB and execute the murderers, or at least jail them. No issues for me there. Jon is then freed to ask the Wildlings, who have not sworn allegiance o the Watch, for support. He'll then travel South to WF, meeting Sansa along the way. For show purposes, maybe they relocate Manderly's seat in some point midway between the Watch and WF. Also, Sansa could be the one writing to Jon from wherever Northern keep she ends up in. Ravens do travel faster than people.

I agree that lack of money was one reason. We read later that Jon will ask for a loan from the Braavos bank, so we know The Watch is not swimming in it. Yoren would have had to pay for passage for all the recruits he was taking back and that adds up. Yoren would not take a ship unless it was absolutely necessary and, considering that he had reason to believe the Watch would be respected or at least ignored, why would he? Wouldn't it draw more suspicion if he tried to take a ship when there was no apparent reason that the ship owner could discern for him to do so? But I also think port availability was an additional complication. We know that the dock at King's Landing was being watched (Arya almost falls into the trap of trying to board the ship her father had hired before he died), and the other ports would be close to the Eerye (where LF and Sansa dock later), and south of KL. The former adds the danger of going through the mountains, where everyone knows the clans are active and don't give a shit about houses or associations. The latter extends their journey even more. Off course Yoren could try to hire a boat on the down-low and have everyone get to it by dingy in the middle of the night, but that would cost even more. In addition, if they had taken a ship, someone would have to escort Arya south, from the Watch to Winterfell, whereas, Yoren could just drop her off on his trip north by land, either at Winterfell, or with her brother's soldiers, if he met them somewhere in the Riverlands. It all had to be done secretly because Yoren was breaking the rules by protecting Arya. He became involved in the Lannister-Stark conflict by taking her; even though we as readers are happy when he does so. The longer people were around Arya, the more likely it would be that someone recognized her, or at least found out she was a girl and that would lead to questions. How would the bathroom situation work on a boat for Arya? Wouldn't the fact that she never "makes water" in front of other guys, or over the railing attract suspicion? I think Yoren took the path he considered to be the most efficient and secretive, considering what he knew at the time.

Except.... Molly!

I think before calling Lou's conversation with Peggy sexist, it's worth to remember how the whole dialog started. Peggy asks Lou if he thinks she can be charged federally, and when Lou wonders why she says because then she could be do her time in California. She says she's read about a prison there with views to the ocean and it's sunny. After all that's happened, she's still thinking about herself. Never mind poor Ed who died because he was in love in with her and was trying to protect her. I feel Lou was trying to make her see this, to have her show some remorse for her actions because remorse would probably make her less of a sociopath and more human, particularly to a law enforcement officer who knows that the law highly regards remorse in criminal cases. For all her talk about Ed not listening to her, she definitely knew how to manipulate him. He wanted to go the police early on, even after he'd killed Rye, and she was the one who talked him into not going. He was on the brink of confessing to Lou when he was asking them to tell him the truth so that he could protect them and she jumped in and asked Lou to leave to stop Ed from saying anything. And Ed shut up. I think if Peggy really had wanted to go to California and have a career, she would have found a way to convince Ed. That's a lot less to ask of the guy than making ground beef out of a body and covering her ass for a hit and run. I think Peggy enjoyed feeling like a victim in her own little drama. She grew up experiencing a world where women couldn't do all the things she waned to do, and when that world started offering her possibilities, when the social conversation started to change, she wanted to hop onto that train, but she was afraid she wasn't going to cut it. She didn't know how to be that woman, and so, she stayed with Ed and placed the blame for her unfulfilled life on him and on a sexist society. That is a lot easier than taking responsibility for her own actions before the hit and run: not really doing what she wanted to do in the first place. Lou was just calling her on the BS. And I think he would have called out a man just as bluntly. In fact, he did call out shitty cop who was promoted and all the other Sioux Falls cops repeatedly. As to the cops not protecting Ed and Peggy, I call BS. If Ed and Peggy had come clean when he told them who exactly they had murdered, Ed would not have been attacked at the butcher shop, he would have been in protected custody. It's kind of hard to protect somebody who asks you to leave them alone. Had Lou assigned some cops to follow Ed and Peggy around, he would have likely been accused of harassment. Also, if it hadn't been for Lou's actions (asking Karl to diffuse the situation and sneaking Ed out of a back window) when Bear went down to the police station ready to tear it down, Ed (and many more people) would have been dead that very night. Lou was the one who wanted to take Ed and Peggy into protective custody after the events at the cabin, and he even told Ed not to take the deal the other cop was going to offer (to function as bait, basically) and to ask for a lawyer. And what did the brilliant Ed do? Take the deal. So, I don't think poor Ed and Peggy were acting because the police had failed to protect them. They got themselves into that mess and made it worse with every decision they made. None of that is on Lou. Finally, as it has been pointed out, Lou raised a very independent and competent woman, one who actually had it all (career and family). I think Lou was portrayed a bit as the product of his times this season, and that the Lou we saw in S2 probably thought it was a man's job to provide and protect his family. He was raised in the 50s, after all. But he was also portrayed open-minded and intelligent enough to see how that view was wrong, since he eventually raised one heck of a woman. So, in summary, I don't think the writers were being sexist at all.

Hey, even a stopped clock is right twice a day! :D

I think it's risky, at best. There are some things that seem to be cardinal sins in cooking shows. Not using the most fresh ingredients is one, using things from a can falls into that category. Other sins include: messing up your protein, not seasoning correctly (too much or too little salt). Making your own pasta is always praised while using dry pasta is generally not as successful. Many vegans complain about the lack of imagination from chefs when they order a vegan dish in a non-vegan restaurant and say that a lot of what they are offered are carb-loaded dishes (such as pasta). I can see why the contestants in the vegan pop-up would avoid it. That said, it's not as if those contestants made incredibly creative dishes either.

Most pasta is made with eggs. I understand vegans don't eat any animal products (milk and its byproducts, eggs, etc.); so, if they were going to make pasta, they would have had to use something other than eggs, which, from what I read, doesn't give good results (interesting article about pasta making here). Or they would have had to make something like zucchini "noodles" and call that a pasta dish. Vegetarians, OTOH, don't eat meat but they do eat animal byproducts (milk, cheese, eggs, etc.)

Claire didn't go back to the strip club, she was in her own dressing room at the theater, presumably because now that Kiira left, she's going to be the prima ballerina. My take on the end scene with Claire and Paul was that Paul lives vicariously through his dancers. He sucks their energy, so to speak. When Paul was talking to his Latin boyfriend while watching video of Paul in his hey day, he seemed pretty nostalgic and depressed that he didn't get to enjoy a standing ovation anymore. I think it was meant to show the balance of power shifting between Paul and Claire. Before she killed that performance, he was in control and she needed him more than he needed her, so he used the threat of exposure as a way to control her. Now that she has proved on stage how much she's worth, Paul is the first person interested in not messing up with her career, because it would be messing up with his own career. So, now she's the one that holds the power, and she understands that Paul needs to hear he experience in order to feel almost like he used to feel when he was the performer; she's paying his cruelty back with some cruelty of her own. As for Romeo knowing where Bryan was, I just assumed he had been following the guy at a distance from the moment he left Claire's building and just waiting for the right time/place to slay the dragon.

I think this is possible, but my first thought was that on top of all the pain of her father going away for years and returning with anger issues, she had discovered her mother's plan to bail, ergo "You understand", meaning "you wanted to leave too". IIRC, Erika had a bag packed and ready to go hidden in her closet. Evie used to borrow Erika's jewelry often, so, it was established she goes into her mother's bedroom when Erika is not there. I think Evie probably found her mother's bag and figured out what she was planning to do. It did for me, in season 1 Kevin admitted that before the 14th he had briefly wanted to be out of the whole family deal. This season he was trying but failing miserably, starting with keeping Patti a secret and then telling Nora at the worst possible time. Then he goes and lets Virgil kill him, just so he can be with Nora and his family and has to go through the whole International Assassin ordeal (pushing a kid into a well, for crying out loud), being buried, coming clean with Jon, and he still can't get to them. I agree with the person who said JT was perfect in that Karaoke scene. And it was precisely that he was not on pitch while he sang. He sounded exactly like a broken man who realizes exactly how much he wants his family back as he sings. He starts all business like "okay, if this is what it takes, I'll sing your stupid song" and as the lyrics sink in, you can hear how they are affecting him emotionally. Tremendous job, there. Totally sold it to me. Very astute observations. I agree on all counts. And I'd like to add that I wish to be a fly on the wall during that Thanksgiving dinner! :D I thought the dog went to get Nora, who was still in the trailer, where Tom told her she would be safe. And that's how Nora ended up back in the house. Once she saw the dog was free, she took it home (while Kevin headed for the hospital). Yes, he was still the a cop, he was still a family man. By choosing that outfit he declined all the "glamour" of what could have been if he'd made other choices. He decided he wanted to be the small town cop, instead of hooking up with strangers because it was "exciting" and "new". Basically, he signaled that he'd gotten over his pre-departure midlife crisis. And Mary wakes up!! LOL!

To play devil's advocate, though, the timeline of these decisions is not very clear in the interview. It could have been they decided the girls would fake their disappearance in hour 1 of the discussion and that the idea that they went to the GR came about in hour 2. Or both decisions could have been separated by days or weeks. With these shorter shows that shoot well before the first episode of the season airs, I think there's more time to have everything make sense. It's not like regular network where writers have a few weeks to plan the season and then have to write episodes in parallel with filming, which can cause some storytelling problems. As I understand the process here, it's all practically written before they begin filming, and maybe during filming there are a few tweaks here and there, but not that many. Also, I love that audience reaction does not have a lot of influence during the course of a season. I have seen far too many shows cave to the pressure of very vocal internet groups that don't represent the audience as a whole but are very loud, resulting in awful plots, character regression and retconning. I prefer it this way. It's more similar to a book, where you can't influence the writer as he/she writes.