Winnief

I suspect Lord Royce has more than ONE daughter. Not to mention Lady Waynwood and the other Lords Declarent.

Quite likely. Of course all this will be complicated if/when Jon's true parentage is revealed. It might make Jon/Dany MORE likely (incest aside,) as a way of resolving the Targaryen line of succession issue, but it also might make Sansa/Jon a viable option to hold WF, since by marrying Ned's nephew to his daughter, they could keep the Stark line alive. I'm hoping we learn about that too. I suspect that Winterfell is set up to be some kind of bastion to fight the White Walkers, but that the magical safeguards only work if the Starks hold the castle...which actually would have been the best argument of all for booting out the Boltons. Not to mention that adds further urgency to the Stark family tragedy. I suspect there WILL be considerable political pressure on Sansa to marry...but I don't think Jon would ever make her do it. But yeah, that would be another plotline for next season.

Precisely. Jon did get a LOT of material advantages, and was in the top 5% of Westeros easily...it's just he was comparing himself to people in the top tenth of the top percent of Westeros. But besides all this there was an emotional reason for Ned as well; Jon WAS his blood and having lost his father and two siblings, Ned didn't want to lose anymore family. On a deeper level, Ned would have WANTED Lyanna's child to grow up knowing and playing with Ned's own children at Winterfell. It would have seemed proper to him that Jon be friends with Robb and Ned's other sons and daughters...and thing is it worked! However, tense it was with Cat, Jon loved and was loved by his trueborn 'siblings,' and admiring Uncle Benjen, and with Ned's genuine fatherly concern. He may not have had a legitimate claim to Winterfell but he did have a real home there. In fact, I suspect Jon probably got a MUCH happier childhood as a bastard at Winterfell than he ever would have as a Royal Prince at the Red Keep. He certainly got a childhood that was *better* for his emotional development. Being raised with Stark values and Northern austerity, helped counter some of the uh...less than desirable Targaryen tendencies.

From Steve Attewell, comes a great breakdown of Cersei... All true....ESPECIALLY the part about how Cersei is great at destruction, (and what happened at the Sept was her master stroke,) but she CANNOT build. Worse yet, I don't think she even knows she SHOULD build.

WORD to your entire post. Say what you will about D&D at least they're keeping the story MOVING. Dany being on her way to Westeros, (with the Hound, Arya, and Brienne all headed North where Sansa already is) is great in and of itself, but even more importantly the White Walker issue seems much MUCH more pressing on the show than in the books where it really does seem like Martin just got bored with it, and prefers all the world building/politics. I first started to feel that way with the incredible Oathkeeper final scene, but it really took off with Hardhome (where even non-book people were suddenly all "Screw KL! WTF are we gonna do about what's beyond the Wall?!?) and now with Hold the Door and the Children reveal and so forth. D&D really ARE setting up for the Battle of the Second Dawn and it will indeed be EPIC...but Martin?!? I'm not so sure about. It's like the Night's King for him is now an afterthought. And fAegon...I honestly don't know what he was thinking. Yeah I know Perken Warbeck/War of the Roses yadda yadda, but it really just pissed everyone off to see Young Griff and Jon Con doing what Dany *should* be doing and kinda stole her thunder. Not to mention it seems to introduce a FAKE lost Targaryen heir right before revealing the REAL one. And again-D&D beat him to that. For the record, I've heard stuff from Martin's publisher about how since if you count the Riverlands Westeros is really EIGHT kingdoms not Seven, maybe there'll be eight books. I think they're getting desperate.

He *could* but I doubt LF leaves the North alive next season. I think his reckoning is finally upon him.

For a while, I thought that maybe Martin had transferred Arya's romantic role to Sansa. But maybe he just decided to scrap that whole plot altogether, (unless Jon DOES go for a threesome with Dany as Visenya and Sansa as Rhaenys,) for various reasons. Still Jon/Dany would have the 'ick' factor of Aunt marrying Nephew and even apart from that, I just don't *like* the pairing. But it would make a LOT of political sense and it might well happen. It's certainly up for consideration and something that will come up when Dany does reach Westeros and meets Jon. Another wild possibility though, is Dany/Tyrion since he IS now the rightful Lord of Casterly Rock. Which frankly I would like better than Dany/Jon mostly because Clarke and Dinklage are so awesome on screen together. Though, it does seem pretty unlikely I admit.

I had the feeling from the books that they were setting it up for House Tarly to be the new Paramount Lords of the Reach.

Quite possibly. Or maybe fighting to restore Riverrun to Edmure. Best of all she may end up heading up North to re-unite with Jon, Sansa, Bran, and the Hound...and where all the REAL action is anyway!

I've thought that might happen for a long time myself! Also, I doubt Cersei will *stay* in KL for very long, but will beat a retreat to the Rock, which is easier for her to defend. And remember even if/when Cersei meets her fate at the hands of the Valonqar, and Euron is disposed of, there's still that pesky matter of the White Walkers...

House Tyrell WILL go extinct, (Sob-I always liked them,) though maybe not in the same fashion as on the show; perhaps they're killed in the upcoming battle with the IB or assassinated by other parties. But Roses can't survive the Long Winter. And Cersei WILL take the IT, though, she can't possibly hold it. And Jaime is definitely the Valonqar. But one reason there's so much death in the South, is that the NORTH is where all the major action is heading. Jon/Sansa whether as a ship or not ARE clearly going to be a power duo up at WF in the days ahead. The big question now is, HOW will the Wall come down?!?

Yeah, one thing that was evident in AFFC, was that the Frey's honestly believed they were now the new BFF's of the Lannister dynasty-and finding out that their so called allies actually held them in complete contempt came as a nasty shock. WORD.

On the contrary-last season I felt like they were deliberately trying to stall and delay to give Martin more time. But by the time they wrote *this* episode D&D DGAF-and that was all for the good. Frankly, I doubt whether Martin will EVER finish the series so I'm glad we can get closure from SOMEWHERE. It's literally taken 20 years to get confirmation as to Jon's parentage!

Well I'd like to say I called it on "Jon's No King." I expect next season we'll get some major intrigue with LF/Jon/Sansa. This will NOT end well for LF. Valonqar anyone?!? Seriously, Jaime it took you THIS long to realize Cersei's evil?!? So looks like Arya will re-unite with the Red Woman next season and Seven only knows what will happen. Dany's coming to Westeros!!! Dany's coming to Westeros!!! The Citadel has the best library ever-I'm in HEAT for that library! Now I'm REALLY invested in Euron's upcoming attack on Oldtown...primarily because I can't bear the thought of the IB torching that library. Not to mention it's entirely possible there might be something in there that could be useful to fighting the White Walkers. In all likelihood once Dany gets to Westeros, Cersei will HAVE to flee to CR, so we will see it...possibly Highgarden as well. I think the final shot next season will be the Wall coming down. Now as for HOW that happens...well your guess is good as mine.

Yeah, you could just see that literally every single person in that room knows that Cersei's coronation is bullshit and she hasn't even a shred of a false claim to the IT, PLUS she's proven herself to be a total psychopath as well...AND NOBODY SAYS A WORD. They're too terrified. But I'm betting Dany's gonna get a helluva support when she lands. And more importantly...Valonqar. It makes perfect *political* sense for Jon to marry Dany, though I don't like the idea at all. Frankly Jon/Sansa seems like a better match to me at this point. Though I suppose that Jon like Rhaegar and Aegon could take multiple wives...