Maximum Taco

I'm inclined to agree here. It really didn't make any sense for so many people to abandon Ser Alliser for Jon, in the books it did because Sam played two factions against each other because they were splitting the vote and Janos Slynt was going to win simply by virtue of not being Denys Mallister or Cotter Pyke. A fourth candidate needed to be introduced to give everyone an option that was not Mallister or Pyke, and it worked. The way they did it in the show just made Sam seem like a great orator, and he frankly is not. He's not a bad stand up comic, but his speech wouldn't have convinced me to not vote for Mallister or Thorne. Also they could've dragged out the Jon Stark dilemma for a while. I thought that was atleast worthy of a cliffhanger. Could've had people excited for a whole week over the prospect of Jon Stark, Lord of Winterfell.

Yup. right where I went too. This might even be a book detail that I missed. I don't remember Qyburn ever asking for a dwarf's head in the book but it makes too much sense. It doesn't make any sense for Robert Strong/FrankenGregor to be a good fighter if he has no head, but a dwarf's head is an good as any other.

If Littlefinger hadn't engineered Joffrey's murder Sansa would've been in even worse danger where the most powerful man in the realm is a sadist who delights in torturing her and repeatadly threatened to rape her. So now Littlefinger is also the man who killed the monster from her nightmare. In regards to Ser Dontos, yes she saved him, but he was really only helping her because Littlefinger was paying him. It's easy to see how Dontos would turn to the Lannisters and sell her twice once the money ran out. In regards to Lysa, she was trying to kill Sansa, and Littlefinger saved her once again. You're speaking from the point of view of a person who has read/watched everything and knows the people. You need to think of the situation from the point of view of a scared girl just learning to not be scared. Someone who has seen their father murdered, been kept hostage against her will for months, tortured during that time, forced to marry, and had every confidence except for the one with Littlefinger betrayed. She finally gets out of that situation, an escape that is engineered entirely by Littlefinger, and you want her to trust the first person who wanders along with a Lannister blade at their side? How would your scenario go down if Brienne really was an agent for the Lannisters? Brienne: Lady Sansa, may I have a moment Sansa: Of course. Excuse us Lord Baelish. *Outside* Sansa: So what did you want to talk abou-- <Brienne shoves her sword right through Sansa>

I don't think you're giving Sansa nearly enough credit. Littlefinger saved her life and spirited her from the capital, without him she ends up at best in chains and at worst without a head. Also, she doesn't trust him implicitly; she trusts him to do what she thinks he will because she is pretty sure she knows what he wants. At the very least she can trust that Littlefinger doesn't want her dead or back at the capital. If he did he could've killed her long ago or sent her back to Cersei in chains and he hasn't. Brienne on the other hand is someone she doesn't know at all. Sansa saw her kneel before the King, and she carries a sword with a lion headed pommel. It's probably a smart move to avoid trusting someone who proudly flaunts allegiance with your greatest enemies. It's an even smarter move to not let yourself be alone with someone who could be an agent of your enemies. Brienne could have easily been sent to kill Sansa or return her to the capital, which is the outcome Sansa is most trying to avoid. This is a simple case of "better the devil you know then the one you don't." It's the same reason she saved Littlefinger last season instead of trusting the Vale lords.

I don't think in those cases they would actually take the lordship. It's more that they just exert their influence and use the rightful Lady as a puppet. An uncle could even try and force his neice to marry his son, or even himself to gain even more power over the Lady and ensure that his progeny would rightfully inherit after the Lady dies.

Techically not words. I mean they are not scrabble legal anyway.

Well as mentioned before Dorne resisted the conqueror and his dragons. So if they didn't know how to kill them, they atleast knew how to survive and resist them without being totally annihilated. It's most likely a very storied part of their history, and likely they could do it again, perhaps even better.

Protection? Prestige? There are alot of reasons to own a dragon. It doesn't have to be to kill the person who sold it to you. By that logic everyone who buys unsullied wants to turn them against Astapor. Or everyone who buys a gun in this world wants to use it to kill the person who sold them the gun. Dany also gave no indiction that she was threatening to his world order until she burned him alive. Up until that point she was a person who wanted to buy some unsullied, sail them over to Westeros and conquer that land. Why should he care about what she does in Westeros?

I hope they don't change it. Aemon's story is one of commitment and tragedy. Him learning of Daenerys is the last test of his vows, and it's tragic and heartbreaking the way he rails against the gods for testing him again when he is at his oldest and feeblest.

Fair enough I suppose. Varys could be giving Tyrion the sell job. I'm positive he probably knows most or all of the details though. Varys doesn't exclusively use small children as his spies, remember Jorah and Roz have worked for him in the past. Varys is a very capable person who I'm sure had more than one set of eyes on the Dragon Queen, especially since she's his chosen rular. And Dany has not exactly been discreet about her "justice." I'm sure he knows in great detail about the atrocities she's committed. And I mean atrocities, it's not cool to visit terrible inhumane fates on people, even bad people.

It's a line Aemon says. First he tells it to Aegon V "'Kill the boy within you' I told him the day I took ship for the Wall 'It takes a man to rule. An Aegon not an Egg. Kill the boy and let the man be born" He then tells it to Jon as his final words to him when they decide it's best for his safety if he leave Castle Black so Stannis and Mel can't get their hands on his King's Blood. "You are half the age that Egg was, and your own burden is a crueler one, I fear. You will have little joy of your command, but I think you have the strength in you to do the things that must be done. Kill the boy, Jon Snow. Winter is almost upon us. Kill the boy and let the man be born." This may be the episode Jon sends Sam, Gilly and Aegon to Oldtown. Assuming they keep that storyline.

LOL! True she was Dawson casting herself pretty hard. But the fact remains. Maybe she thinks the Ogre is a monster because she can see herself as one of his victims.

As you said YMMV, but to me Lee seemed like she was projecting. She draws a lot of similarities to herself from the victim. Same age, same neighborhood "we could've been friends" etc. "This person is a monster because he killed someone just like me. He could've killed me if I had been at that bar." Also you neglect to point out the fact that the cops do know that the victim was missing for near a month before she was found murdered. Someone who abducts and tortures their vic for a month (regardless of the vic's gender) can definitely be sold as a monster IMO.

I think it's partially that, and the other part is Sam knew Slynt hated Jon and his companions, and Slynt already tried to kill Jon twice (first by trying to get him convicted of oathbreaking and then again by sending him to treat with Mance) so if he was LC in truth he'd probably keep trying to kill Jon. Actually as LC he could probably just pronounce him and oathbreaker and have his head.

Yeah, but that's just as easily explained as someone else (*cough* Olenna *cough* Margaery *cough*) just telling him to convince Renly that he'd make a good king. And then his charm just takes over. Not that I'm cool with the marginalization of gay characters. And to that end Renly was actually depicted as pretty capable IMO. But Loras might actually just be a pretty dumbass dancing on his aunt and sister's strings.

Oh I wasn't really getting at anything I was just trying to be funny by paraphrasing Tywin. Yeah I know the show needs to beat us over the head with the fact that it's a woman in power, because they can't seem to get their heads around that subject either and for some reason must think we're all that small minded.

Isn't he though? Even in the books Loras isn't depicted as very smart. He's seen as gallant, and charming but never actually smart. He might be a moron. When in the show is he shown as smart? And how many of those times can be explained by him just following along with Olenna/Margaery's plan?

Any woman who must say "I am the queen" is no true queen.

Brutality for your opposition is not a good practice. It breeds contempt and treason. That's not to say you should be weak, but you should also be forgiving and merciful to those who ask for forgiveness and mercy. Robert consolidated power so quickly in Westeros because he was willing to forgive, true he practically wiped out the Targaryen line, but he did nothing to the other factions that opposed him. The Tyrells and Dornish came through the war practically unscathed, and thus peace was established quickly, because none of the major families of Westeros had too much reason to hate Robert (especially since the Dornish hate was deflected towards the Lannisters.) Dany is facing uprisings in Meereen because she butchered the masters mercilessly. Hopefully she learns from this misstep. A strong ruler will make their subjects kneel, but a wise one will also help them back up and not continue to beat them when they are on their knees.

Well it might be because

Question: Is Varys insane? In what world is Dany gentler than Stannis? So far she is equally as brutal. She's burned people alive and crucified them, she never asked for repentance or offered mercy. She merely killed them, and without even a second thought. And it's not like she has a gentle hand at diplomacy either, as seen tonight and many times before. "They can live in my new world or die in their old one." Yeah that's the very picture of a gentle monarch, eh spider? She's more beloved by the smallfolk, by with I mean the slaves she freed. But I don't think that would be the case in Westeros, especially if she brings her army of freed men over to take the Westerosi's land and resources. Her approval rating will tank if she seeks to settle that many new people in lands belonging to others.

Jaime is probably the consensus. And I would not be surprised if it was him. Some people back the idea of Tommen. Either with him having a fake death (thus confirming his "gold shroud") or he'll somehow metaphorically strangle her. Or it'll be undead wight Tommen. I don't put too much stock in undead Tommen though, for it to be Tommen (IMO) I think Myrcella will need to be crowned in Dorne before Tommen actually dies, and Tommen will be the last to die, with Myrcella going before him.

LOL, yeah that's why I'm getting all the paperbacks only for now. I assume when ADOS comes out (if it ever does) they'll do a nice definitive boxset style release.

I think I'm a bad guy. I was super pumped to see the Flayed Man over Winterfell. It gave me actual glee. I can't wait to see actual Winterfell just infested with Boltons. Holy crap. Am I bad guy? Anyway that was fun, really looks like they killed Mance off for real, unless Tormund or another wildling volunteered to take his place, but I don't see that as terribly likely. It really seemed like Mance. Which is a shame, but if there's no fake Arya, which seems like it may be the case, there's no Mance in Winterfell storyline either. Also looks like Margaery is not the innocent victim she appears to be in the books, clearly she's got some manner of scheme going. Also a shame IMO, I found it much more entertaining when Cersei's crazy conspiracy theories were completely unfounded, and she brought about all her own misfortune cause she's just a crazy loon. it's so much less fun when Marge is actually plotting against her. Ugh, not that I mind seeing a post-coital Emilia Clarke, but I really hope we don't have to suffer through a lot of Dany & Daario this season. I might just barf. Nice that they've kept Dany as her "my way or the highway" no compromises self though. Kinda looking forward to when Hizdahr is challenged to bring about 90 days of peace. I wonder if Dany will panic more about marrying him in the show. A little disappointed we didn't get to see everyone though. It wold've been nice to see a little Arya, Theon, or Ramsay. Oh well perhaps next week.

In the books Rattleshirt is killed in Mance's place, as Melisandre uses a glamour to make Mance look like Rattleshirt and Rattleshirt look like Mance. Then Jon sends Mance (who looks like Rattleshirt) to Winterfell to rescue "Arya" Later Ramsay sends a letter (the Pink Letter) to Jon Snow and says he killed Mance's spearwives and made Mance a cloak from their skins, but he says he has Mance (presumably alive, because a dead man would not need a cloak) in a cage for all the world to see.