Maximum Taco

You mean Rhaenys? I don't think so. I don't think Ellaria (as we've seen) is quite smart enough to come up with a plan like that, she's just aiming for pure revenge. I do guess it's somewhat possible, unlike Aegon, who was Targaryen in his looks (fair hair, purple eyes) Rhaenys was said to look "like a Martell." I would actually be somewhat impressed with the show if this was the case, great way to fake out book readers by replacing the Aegon plot with a Rhaenys one.

Of course Olenna may have caught a case of the show's sudden stupidity. I mean Book!Doran would never have let the unhinged maniacs that are the Sand Snakes roam free to carry out their plans. And Book!Roose would never have been like "Hey I just had a boy! Give me a hug Ramsay, despite the fact that you are obviously armed right now!" Show versions of these characters were prone to sudden bouts of stupidity to, I'm assuming, speed up the narrative, so maybe Show!Olenna or Show!Margaery were stupid enough to tell Loras about the murder plot. I'll be annoyed if this is the case (just as I was annoyed by Doran and Roose's sudden stupidity)

The points are somewhat compelling, if very circumstantial (Joff's ring? Really?) but I agree with the first reply, the Tyrell women are typically far too smart to let the men know anything. I honestly don't think Loras has any idea that Olenna conspired with Littlefinger to kill Joff. I'm still thinking that the High Sparrow revealed to Tommen that Marg is pregnant, so for Tommen it's even more important to get her safely back to the Red Keep, and for Cersei it's more important that she should die quickly.

That was a Night's Watchman, who handed the message to Jon. He would be inclined to call him Lord Commander. Which is why Jon corrected him. I expect the Bolton messenger simply handed off the message and left, I doubt they would've allowed a Bolton messenger into a chamber with both the Lord Commander and Ramsay's fugitive wife. Too high a risk of foul play, Ramsay is not above using a white flag and then ignoring it. Also even if the Bolton messenger told the Night's Watchman "This is for that traitor and bastard Jon Snow!" the Night's Watchman is going to translate that to "A letter for you Lord Commander" he's not gonna be like "Hey Jon! Ya Bastard Traitor! Here's a scroll for you jerk!"

It wasn't addressed to Jon as Lord Commander it was addressed to "The Traitor and Bastard, Jon Snow" But the very fact that Ramsay was sending Jon mail leads us to assume he never knew Jon was dead and thought he was still Lord Commander, since Lord Commanders serve for life, and nobody outside of Castle Black and the BwoB thinks resurrection is a real thing. Smart money is that Ramsay simply denied Jon his title as a slight.

They've also heavily downplayed Tyrion's vindictiveness. Book!Tyrion really holds a grudge against everyone, including Sansa, for their roles in his trial. He's much more revenge focused then anything else. I think he'd easily sacrifice anything for the chance to rape and murder Cersei. And I wouldn't put it past him to want revenge on Sansa too for abandoning him to his fate. I don't think he'd want to rape and kill her Cersei style, but I also don't think he'd go out of his way to smooth things out with Daenerys.

He could have, but why? If there were White Walkers, that still wouldn't have excused the man's desertion which he admitted to. Will told Ned everything he knew (which Ned passed on to Benjen, who is supposed to deal with it as First Ranger), and then he was executed for a crime he admitted to.

What do you think he should be worrying about? Getting his people food, and shelter and knowledge? Now wouldn't it be easier if he appointed a person to oversee each of those areas instead of trying to do it all himself, or letting everyone run around with no guidance or leadership? It's in times of crisis and rebuilding that establishing a political infrastructure is the most important.

I was expecting a let down for the first game. Maybe not quite that bad, but definitely I was expecting a convincing win for the Cavs. Although I was hoping my Raptors could at least give them a challenge. But the Raps are just typically terrible at series openers (pretty sure they are winless in Game 1s), not to mention the Cavs have been waiting and probably champing at the bit to get going again. This was a storm that just broke. Game 2 I think will be a closer indication of what kind of Raptors team this is. I still expect the Cavs to roll over them, but not quite as easily as they did in Game 1.

She was, but right before the wedding Tyrion offers to publicly refuse her, and then try to broker a match with Lancel instead. Sansa is, at this point, resigned to her fate and also feels that it makes little difference who she marries, ("Tyrell or Lannister, it makes no matter, it's not me they want, only my claim") and so tells Tyrion that she is a ward of the throne and her duty is to marry as the king commands.

Untrue. If Dany was around she'd just undermine Tyrion and Varys whenever their ideas contradicted hers in the slightest. Do you think Dany would've offered Astapor and Yunkai 7 years to do away with slavery? 7 Hells to the no, she'd say "No slavery" and when they ask how they're supposed to support their economy which until now had been entirely slavery based she'd say "Don't know, don't care." and retire to her room to fuck Daario.

In regards to dragons, I'm assuming (and I think very fairly) that in any scenario where Sansa defeats Dany to claim the throne, all the dragons are dead. If Tyrion is off dragonriding, Dany is sitting on the Iron Throne IMO.

The problem with Sansa's power after claiming the throne is that military might will fade. Directly after capturing the throne, with her armies still assembled she can pretty much tell anyone to do what she wants. That won't be true once Tyrion has established his rule at Casterly Rock with his own standing army. She could (and likely would) demand gold from everyone she conquers, but that won't be enough to establish a working economy. It's the same problem Dany runs into in Slaver's Bay, she devastates the economy and has no resources to rebuild it. She could strike a deal that doesn't involve marriage, but the problem with those kinds of deals is they are easily broken. Marriage is forever (once consummated).

In the books Olenna sees Mace and Loras as tools. Mace is competent enough to accomplish the day-to-day ruling of the Reach, to deal with money, to conduct a war. Loras is an accomplished fighter who could probably slay any warrior in the kingdoms in single combat. Both are competent at these jobs, but neither are smart enough to go about the kind of politicking and back stabbing she does. Mace and Loras have been severely nerfed in the show to the point where Mace is just a buffoon, and Loras somehow goes meekly along with the Faith Militant despite having his own armed guards and being armed when they come to arrest him.

Cersei does chide Ned for not taking the throne, but the reason that Jon and Ned and Robert decided Robert is the best candidate is largely because of his Targaryen links and blood, in addition to the fact that he is unattached after Lyanna's death. Queen Cat or Queen Lysa buys the alliance nothing in terms of gold, Queen Cersei fills their coffers. Conquest is definitely the right by which Robert took the throne, and Sansa could do the same, but the Lannisters gold is the method by which he held the throne. True, Sansa could just ask for the gold, but Tyrion could always say no. The reason Robert had to marry Cersei was to give the Lannisters a real stake in his rule. Otherwise they may have just kept their gold for themselves. If Sansa chooses to go to war with Tyrion over the Rock's gold, who would win that fight? The rich man who buys all the mercenaries, or the Queen who commands her people to fight for her again after they have gone through a decade of war? Also in regards to Tyrion's romanticism, he seems much more romantic in the books then the show. He doesn't even mention Tysha a ton, he didn't really lose his mind when Shae betrayed him, he seems to almost kill her out of self defense, rather then straight up murder her. He becomes more cruel, hard, jaded and vengeful in the books, but doesn't in the show. Book Tyrion and Show Tyrion aren't really the same character at all. I could see either agreeing to a loveless marriage, Show Tyrion, because he wasn't all that romantic to begin with, and Book Tyrion, because he is hard and jaded now.

Nope, you're misremembering. Misremembering in a very poetic way, but misremembering nonetheless. The Inn of the Kneeling Man, where book Hot Pie decides to stay, is never mentioned again, after Arya and the BwoB leaves for Riverrun, leaving Hot Pie behind to bake.

I don't think that's true at all. Sansa may not even be that powerful if she claims the throne, it could just be that Sansa has the best claim of several weak claims. Assuming it'll be a High House that claims the throne, well a lot of the High Houses are already extinguished (Baratheon, Martell) a few more have only one issue and could easily be extinguished by series end (Arryn, Lannister, Targaryen, Tully,) two of those, even if they do survive, have members that just are not suitable for the throne (Arryn, Lannister.) That leaves the Starks and the Tyrells, so her competition is already very shallow, especially if one or both of Margaery and Loras were to die. I guess it's slightly different in the show because they've established the Lannisters to be dead broke, but if Tyrion can rebuild the fortune, Sansa (like Robert before her) will need a bankroll to replenish the kingdoms coffers, especially after nearly a decade of war. That would be most easily accomplished by a marriage to Tyrion or (if he lives) Loras Tyrell. Either marriage will probably not be very happy. As Queen she might need to make that decision to preserve the kingdom. Tyrion may not want to stay in a loveless marriage, but he is, above all things, practical. Marrying the Queen to preserve the kingdom is a lot different then marrying a homeless girl with only a claim to piss off a rival family. Also if Sansa, as Queen, proposes the marriage, I highly doubt he could refuse. Anyway, I agree that we're not headed towards that type of end. Fun speculation though.

You mean the ones who turned him over to Ramsay? Pretty sure Ramsay butchered them all. He's not one to keep his word.

How dare you even suggest such a terrible world, without Hot Pie. Everyone would be giving up on the gravy and making inferior kidney pies. This show/book is cruel, but not that cruel. Never that cruel!

I never really thought they were going to go for an "everything changes, but everything stays the same ending" but it'd be kind of funny. Sansa on the Iron Throne as Queen after having deposed the Targaryen monarch, in a loveless marriage to a Lannister (Tyrion) and involved in an incestuous affair with her 'brother' and Lord Commander of the Queensguard (Jon Snow.)

Super pumped that the Raptors are on to round 3 for the first time in their history! Officially the best season in franchise history! I am very worried about the Cavs though, ripping through two teams, one of which was actually pretty good, and the Raptors are still without Valanciunas, Biyombo was fine when Miami was down to rookie centres after losing Bosh and Whiteside, I'm not sure he'll be able to be effective against a healthy Cleveland squad. I do hope the Raps can give the Cavs a better challenge then they got in the first two rounds anyway. LET'S GO RAPTORS!

Well the Targs bypass all female heirs for available males. But even under that form of succession Bran, Rickon and Robin Arryn would come before Brynden Tully.

She would have a claim to Riverrun and the Riverlands through her mother, if Edmure Tully (and any heirs he begets) were to die. Of course Bran and Rickon would come before her in this inheritance as they do in the inheritance of Winterfell.

I don't think so. How would Littlefinger even know that Ramsay has Rickon?

I think this part of his plan (in addition to Cersei's walk of atonement), is in order to tear down the aristocracy. For decades (if not longer) the peasants have been told the nobles are better then them, they see them dressed in their finery. He's trying to show the people that everyone is the same, a sinner in the eyes of the Seven. To what ultimate end I have no idea.