S05.E09: The Dance Of Dragons

[tardigrade]

Sheesh. I'm starting to root for the White Walkers.

 

 

You and me both, cousin.  The only other possibility I can see is Tyrion, and he's too smart to want the job.

[paigow]

These Unsullied did not learn much from Grey Worm & Barristan...even in open spaces, they got wiped out. They would probably lose against Wildlings. 

[bbolto]

Argh, I responded in the wrong thread! I was wondering what people were talking about. I am bad at these forums!

 

Anyway yeah I am pretty much hoping Brienne carves a bloody swath through the Baratheon-Bolton surrender negotiations. Stannis didn't even get a shadow baby out of that bullshit! But I can't switch over to Team Bolton, they're super horrible. Team Littlefinger? At least we've never seen him misrule a city yet.

 

So um what is the point of the Dorne plotline? "Nope everything's good with us and the king who we definitely don't know has been basically deposed by religious fanatics." Okay?

 

I thought Arya was going to use the opportunity to go all O-Ren on Trant.

 

I TOTALLY heard Kill Bill sirens during that one Arya closeup!

[MrsRafaelBarba]

Liked seeing Dany and Missandei bond this season.

The shot of them bracing for death and holding hands, nice touch.

[SimoneS]

These Unsullied did not learn much from Grey Worm & Barristan...even in open spaces, they got wiped out. They would probably lose against Wildlings. 

 

The Unsullied were out numbered by something like four to one from what I could tell. It is a credit to their discipline and training that enough of them made it out of the stands alive to protect Daenerys.  

[bunnyblue]

My heart can't take this show sometimes. They were telegraphing Shireen's death all season long but I still held out hope Stannis would call off Melisandre when he heard his little girl screaming. Kudos to the actress; she played the hell out of that scene. I'm going to miss her. :-( I'm surprised Selyse tried to stop it. As much as I hate Stannis right now, I can't bring myself to root for the Boltons in this fight. My hope is that Brienne kills Stannis after his army defeats the Boltons or if he must survive, the WW or the dragons get him. Or Davos. Never has this show brought me as close to tears as Shireen's death (well, maybe Grey Wind's death). Sigh.

 

I'm so grateful the show gave us Drogon coming to his mama's rescue, otherwise I'd have gone to bed with a heavy heart tonight. I was waiting for Dany to give the "Dracarys" command so Drogon could fry all those damn Harpys. I gasped everytime a spear pierced Drogon. DO. NOT. kill him show or I will fucking quit. The show must have a hell of a budget; between last week's Hardhome battle and Drogon in the pits, I am left slack jawed by the CGI. Someone please go release Rhaegal and Viserion from the dungeons. They need to patrol Mireen.

 

I loved Tyrion saving Missandei. Between that and beating the slaver a few weeks ago, Tyrion's become quite the warrior. I'm glad Jorah survived. I was sure a Harpy would kill him. I was also sure Hizdar was in league with the Harpys; the way he got to his seat late and out of breath, I thought he was letting them in or giving final orders for the ambush. Oops. Sorry, Hizdar. WTH is Grey Worm?? He's been convalescing for weeks! 

 

I continue to hate and not trust Olly. That little ungrateful shit can take his sour looks and get the hell out of Castle Black if he doesn't like the way Jon is running things. Alliser surprised me. First, by opening the gates to Jon and the Wildings without protest and then by telling Jon he has a good heart. I'm glad he can see past his own bitterness and can see the kind of man Jon is. I still don't trust him, though. 

 

So did the Wildings go in one gate and straight out the other? I guess they're going to settle in The Gift ASAP then. I want Tormund to stay behind in Castle Black; I love that ginger and his new bromance with Jon. I think Jon needs as many friends as possible right now.

 

Please, Gods, don't tell me Arya is going to prostitute herself to get close to Meryn Trant. Jaquen is not going to be pleased she is going off script. Finally, her storyline is picking up steam! It looked like Trant recognized her, huh? She's grown quite a bit since he saw her last. 

 

Only 1 more episode. Nooooooo!!! :-(

[mojoween]

I was distracted by how quickly Oberyn's girlfriend did a 180. First she's dumping out her wine and hissing at Jamie and suddenly she is commiserating over his love for his sister? Odd.

Those screams. Ugh. Well done, little girl actress.

I noticed Tormund's comforting those two girls so I wonder if they were his with that newly-made wight wildling lady.

Edited June 8, 2015 by mojoween

[peggy06]

OMG. OMGOMGOMG.

 

They went there with Shireen. Easily my least favorite scene of the series. Worse than the Red Wedding. Worse than Oberyn. Stannis is dead to me, there's no way he can come back from this. Adding insult to injury, the hateful Ramsay is made out to be a tactical genius. Ugh.

 

After that, when they went to the games in Meereen I was like, Are you kidding me? I'm supposed to care about this? But I will hand it to them, that was quite an ending.

 

Looks like maybe Hizdar was not behind the Sons of the Harpy after all, seeing he got stabbed by one?  At first I thought he had engineered the whole thing.

[calliope1975]

I'm not one who “roots for” a particular side in this show, but I have enjoyed the various story lines. But after tonight's show, I'm certainly not going to really feel the involvement anymore. Of course I'll watch ep. 10, and next season, but whatever occasional emotional involvement I had with this show is pretty much over. I'll watch to satisfy my curiosity, but I feel a distance now.

 

This is where I'm at. Jon Snow's about the only one I feel any connection to anymore. I understand a show where no one is safe, but it makes it very easy to detach and not really care anymore. I think I'll start rooting for the White Walkers as well. We haven't spent too much time with them, but they clearly have some sort of day care center as evidenced by turning the baby, and I haven't seen any raping or burning children amongst them either. #TeamWW

[thuganomics85]

Figures that this episode ends with Dany flying off on top of freaking Drogon, and yet that isn't the first thing I want to go into detail about.

 

Nope, I want to address fucking Stannis.  What an asshole.  And a coward.  It really was my own damn fault, because I knew what he was capable of after he sicked Shadow Baby on his brother, but what he did to Shireen was low.  Just fucking low.  And he put enough thought into it so that he would even make sure Davos was sent away, because he knew he would have tried to stop it.  But, nope, Stannis is Team Melissandre now, and just burned his daughter to death. Even freaking Selyse finally grew a heart, and tried to stop it.  But not Fucking Stannis.  Fuck him.  I don't think I will go as far as to root for the Boltons over him because they are evil psychos, but... err, can Dany/Drogon just fly over there, and burn both camps down?

 

Besides that, yeah, all the stuff with the fights and Drogon was the highlight.  I guess it was a good thing after-all that Jorah is obsessed enough with Dany, because it seems like he prevented the first attempt with that spear.  Daario kicked ass of course, and it was fun seeing Tyrion briefly get into it.  Glad Missandri wasn't a casualty, but I see that Hizadar wasn't so lucky.  The final shot was badass, but I hope Dany actually knows how to, well, land.  Or get back.  It's going to suck if they just fly off to nowhere.

 

This was the most I liked the Dorne stuff, mainly for one reason: Doran.  Seriously, I wish we got more of him, because he's the only Dornish character who is actually competent, reasonable, and level-headed.  Alexander Siddig is perfect in the role.  Glad he got things down so that Jaime and Bronn are fine (Bronn did get a punch in the face for Tristan's sake, but fair is fair, I guess.)  Looks like Ellaria and the Sand Snakes have calmed down and fell in line, but I ain't trusting them.  Ellaria clearly is still in rage mode, and I wouldn't be surprised if she tries again.

 

Arya's stuff was dull, although I did find it interesting that the Bravoos brothel was fully-clothed.  Can't believe the show resisted the opportunity for more gratuitous nudity.  I wonder if it was simply because they didn't feel comfortable with having Maise Williams in there will all that, so they toned it down.

 

Not surprised Alister let Jon and the Wildings through, because he might be a dick, but he has his limits.  But I still think this is going to cause Jon more problems.  The Nights Watch doesn't seem to understand the concept of looking at the big picture a.k.a. White Walkers are coming!

 

So, yeah.  At this point, I'm either rooting for Dany/Tyrion and dragons to team up with Jon (also maybe Doran, since he seems reasonable... for now), or I would actually be all for the White Walkers just laying waste to these assholes.  Either way, I really hope either Stannis or the Boltons get their asses handed to them big time next week.  Not just deaths in the army: I want someone big to fall hard.

Edited June 8, 2015 by thuganomics85

[Happytobehere]

Stannis and that thing by his side deserve to die the most brutal, public deaths, perhaps a good ole Bolton flaying followed by a beheading. Poor Shireen, even her monsterous mother found love in her heart for her as that low-down dirty dog, Stannis felt and did nothing. I want him to lose, lose big and lose publicly. Then the Boltons can all rot in hell alongside him.

Danny's scenes continue to be coma-inducing moments that go on for far too long for me. In my estimation, she remains Cersie-lite. Perhaps if she were played by an actress who brought more than pretty to the table (I mean every actor she plays against blows her out of the water), I could find the strength to muster even the slightest bit of interest. Good thing they brought Tyrion into her orbit. Still don't get people liking her with pervy old dude who could be her grandfather.

[dramachick]

My heart can't take this show sometimes. They were telegraphing Shireen's death all season long but I still held out hope Stannis would call off Melisandre when he heard his little girl screaming. Kudos to the actress; she played the hell out of that scene. I'm going to miss her. :-( I'm surprised Selyse tried to stop it. As much as I hate Stannis right now, I can't bring myself to root for the Boltons in this fight. My hope is that Brienne kills Stannis after his army defeats the Boltons or if he must survive, the WW or the dragons get him. Or Davos. Never has this show brought me as close to tears as Shireen's death (well, maybe Grey Wind's death). Sigh.

 

I continue to hate and not trust Olly. That little ungrateful shit can take his sour looks and get the hell out of Castle Black if he doesn't like the way Jon is running things. Alliser surprised me. First, by opening the gates to Jon and the Wildings without protest and then by telling Jon he has a good heart. I'm glad he can see past his own bitterness and can see the kind of man Jon is. I still don't trust him, though. 

 

Sir Alliser Thorne is a better man than Stannis.

[Macbeth]

Davos - Jon Snow is a leader you can believe in.  I don't think you would need to join the Night's Watch - given that you are married and all.  I believe they would welcome the help - there is an all hands on deck mentality up there now.

 

How can you expect to be King and lead men if you sacrifice your own daughter?

 

Unbelievable.

[Knuckles]

So Stannis, that was why you brought your family to a battle zone...Shireen was always the card you were willing to play. Ramsay's raid did massive damage, and not just to the food supply. Stannis is so consumed by ambition that he would burn his heir, his daughter, the last of the Baratheons? And Mel hears nothing when a child screams, abandoned by her father and burned alive on his orders? Selyse can die now too..her last minute effort was too little too late. Even Cersei,

the despised ,would never have done this.

[peggy06]

That was really disturbing with Shireen. I might need to venture into the book thread to see if that was GRRM orD&D.

Didn't Jorah start that fight by killing a harpy or did I miss something?

 

If that was D&D, they are scum and I may have to swear off the show.

 

I am a tad worried about Dany and Missandei. Jorah touched Dany, and then the camera made a big point of Dany and Missandei joining hands. It doesn't seem possible that Dany would get greyscale. But the show just burned a young girl at the stake. I guess anything is possible.

Edited June 8, 2015 by peggy06

[Morrigan2575]

The great thing about tonight is that Dany finally understands how to communicate with Drogon. Her emotional distress in the moment she closed her eyes, called him to save her. This will help her control the other two dragons when they are freed.Then she will truly be the Mother of Dragons and ready to march onto the Iron Throne.

I don't think Dany called Drogon, at least not intentionally. She seemed as surprised as the others when he appeared. My take on that scene was that she knew/believed they were going to die, she grabbed Missandei's hand and surrendered to her fate.

It's interesting how people saw this scene and viewed it as confirmation of Dany's ultimate success because she has a Dragon. I watched that scene and had 2 thoughts, Dragon's aren't that hard to kill and people are willing to try and fight them.

I don't see the Royal Families/armies/knights giving up just because Dany has dragons.

[Schmoopy]

Fvck em all!!

 

[Boilergal]

I knew when Davos gave Shireen the stag she was a goner. Burning at the stake- those screams- brutal. Stannis and Melisandre can die excruciating deaths at any time!!

I thought the brothel lady was gonna grab Arya for younger- and I expect Arya will step up to that next week.

Loved Drogon's shoutout to Juraasic Park and the toilet t-Rex.

[peggy06]

As much as I despise Stannis, I am never rooting for the Boltons. Pox on both their house, pah! I hope they flay and burn each other alive or Drogon can do it. Whatever it takes for both Houses to suffer painful deaths.

Right there with you - no way can I root for the Boltons. No way. 

[MrsRafaelBarba]

Ser Pedo requested a "fresh one" for the next day, here comes Arya.

[TwistedandBored]

I want both Stannis and The Boltons dead!!! Nothing will ever make me root for The Boltons. 

[Stardancer Supreme]

I also wondering what in the world was Doran doing, sending Trystane into the vipers pit of King's Landing.  Will Jamie and his motley crew get back just in time to see Cersei get what's coming to her?   

[bbolto]

Like I said, Team Littlefinger for the North!

 

He'll probably just run away south once shit goes down, and he'll probably have some people killed, but he won't flay 'em and he won't burn 'em!

 

Yaaay Littlefinger!

[Rocket]

 

Ser Pedo requested a "fresh one" for the next day, here comes Arya.

Yep that the plot. 

 

I am now convinced the Son's of the Harpy are devoted religious fanatics more than just rebelling slave masters. Yes slave masters and their henchmen can fight bravely in history but in no way willing to take the casualties that the Harpies are taking to take out a lessor amount of foe. Or maybe they are drudged up before fighting. Almost any other force would have ran screaming the minute a Dragon showed up. The spear hits on Drogon were shallow it would have taken many more to do the job, I take it as juvenile dragon status the scales are not full size and thick enough. 

[Love]

I've decided that Jon & Davos (and maybe Sansa) are the only decent/root able characters left in Westeros. Haven't decided on Essos yet.

[dizzyd]

Didn't Dany have a super huge army of Unsullied?  Then why were they outnumbered vs the Harpies?  And if she was going to fly off on Drogon, why have we wasted 2 seasons of her piddling in Essos?  Were we just waiting for the dragons to grow up?

 

I don't understand Doran wanting to give up his hostage Myrcella and his only heir back to the Lannisters in KL.  What kind of lousy game is he playing?

[Andromeda]

That was really disturbing with Shireen. I might need to venture into the book thread to see if that was GRRM orD&D.

In the short that airs after the episode, D&D said "when GEORGE told them about what happens to Shireen," so this one is on George.

I had just read an article speculating Shireen's fate -- I adore(d) Shireen, and up until then I was so psyched for this installment. Instead, I was on pins and needles until THAT HAPPENED, and Davos wasn't there to rescue her. I just had to compartmentalize so I could enjoy the rest of the episode -- and I loved the Mereen stuff. Awesome having Drogon rescue his mommy, seeing Jorah and Tyrion there by Dany's side -- for five minutes.

And DANY FLEW A DRAGON!!!

Stannis had better end up a broken man, after having realizing what he did to his own baby ffor no good reason -- after killing Melisandre for misleading him. I want him to really suffer. And then die, at Davos' hand.

This is why I'm not religious at all -- especially for blood sacrifice religions. Way creepy.

Edited June 8, 2015 by Andromeda

[Cyranetta]

Watching this episode made me feel chewed up and flung about like some of Drogon's victims, but everyone in the episode was caught in jaws of some sort.

 

Jon and company are in the jaws of winter, and the jaws of a direwolf might not be of much help (assuming Ghost bothers to show up).

 

Stannis, damn hiis eyes is caught in the jaws of responsibility *** as Melisdanre dictates *** and Davos is caught in the jaws of his fealty to Stannis.

 

Shireen, poor baby, was caught in the jaws of religious fundamentalism (which, overall, is causing problems in all corners of the seven kingdoms).

 

Bronn is caught in the jaws of diplomacy, as is Ellaria.

 

Arya is caught in the jaws of her past.

 

Daenerys was caught in the jaws of someone else's tradition and her own poor decisions, but the jaws of Drogon help her bite back.

 

Ramsay Bolton's fire was a war tactic, the fire in which Shireen suffered was a consequence of belief, and Drogon's fire felt like release after the tension ratcheted up in the rest of the episode (Dany's flight might have been another kind of "release"...) Tyrion is truly being tempered as a weapon in the fire of peril (and since he was shown appreciating the legends in earlier seasons the way Shireen was enjoying The Dance of Dragons (pointed reference, much?), I was glad he got to see one of those legends come to life.

[bluvelvet]

That was wild. I did wonder if Shireen was destined for a powerful position in the Kingdom but I guess that question has been answered. Stannis and Mel are truly dark individuals though that's no surprise considering what they were willing to do/and did to Renly.

He said he wants' Balon, Joffrey and Robb Stark dead so we knew that he was willing to walk over a large number of corpses to get to the Iron Throne but even Cersei would likely stop at the lives of her children.

People have actually switched to hoping House Bolton wins the War of Winterfell. THAT'S quite a trick from a writing perspective.

Funny thing is Balon is still alive, those leeches had nothing to do with Joffrey and Robb in my opinion. It was just luck and coincidence, Joffrey was Olenna and Robb was orchestrated by Tywin.

Took me reading the boards to realize that Ramsey is the one who raided Stannis camp and set things on fire, at first I thought Melissandre was having a vision.

Edited June 8, 2015 by bluvelvet

[NeelyO]

Davos is one of my favorites and now I'm so worried for him. I'm hoping he'll be held up at the Wall because I think he might do something about Shireen's death that will lead to his own death. If he tells Stannis that he can't support him any longer, I think Stannis would have him killed. If Davos blames the Red Witch more than Stannis and kills or tries to kill her, Stannis might kill Davos. But I sure would love to see Davos kill Melisandre! Brienne killing Stannis would be satisfying as well.

 

Am I remembering correctly that Melisandre told Arya that the two of them would meet again? I would love to see Melisandre die next episode but if what I think I remember is true, I guess Melisandre sticks around for a while longer.

 

I don't think Jaqen belived Arya. I wonder if he'll do anything about it if she is able to kill her assigned target as well as her personal target

 

eta: Davos reminds me a little of Ned Stark-- loyal, honorable, won't stand for the killing of little children. I don't think this bodes well for Davos.

Edited June 8, 2015 by NeelyO

[RedheadZombie]

Good riddance to Dany’s husband #2.  WTG Tyrion, Jorah, Daarius and most of all Drogon for saving the day!  Don’t mess with my mom and don’t mess with my baby!  I hope Drogon  doesn’t die.

 

They're married?  I only thought they were betrothed.  Interesting that he wasn't a bad guy like Daario was attempting to convince Dany of.  When I found out the name of the book Selyse was reading, I was pissed because I thought the episode title was a fake out.  I loved that Dany could summon Drogon, and she looked a little surprised herself.  It's the first time she's done such a thing, right?

 

It's scary when people are rooting for the Bolton's. I still want Stannis to win for Sansa's sake.

 

I will never root for the Boltons.  On another site I read, a poster stated they loved Ramsay because of what he did to Theon.  Sick, sick, sick.

 

The show totally telegraphed Shireen's death early on, but that was still so hard to watch. Effing Stannis. I wonder what Davos is going to do when he learns of her death, if he learns of it.

 

My hope is he will kill Stannis, or betray him to ....... not the Boltons.  Best option - he joins forces with Brienne, helps kill Stannis (or at least Melisandre), helps kill the Boltons (except Walda), and rescues Sansa.  Then if Sansa doesn't want him, he can go straight to Mereen.  Dany likes her older male mentors.

 

Crapballs - my heart was in my throat worrying about the fucking dragon being hurt.  Now I want that fucking dragon to burn the witch and Stannis - slowly, if possible.  Please, show, pretty please?

 

I had to fast forward part of it because it felt like I was watching a fucking bull fight.  Need I say I always root for the bull?  The only way to salvage Stannis at this point, is to make it clear he is in the mind control thrall of Melisandre, and when she dies, he will be free. 

 

So I fast forwarded three different times.  Not because of boredom, but because I was impatient or anxious.  I ff'd Arya's scene to see if she killed Meryn, I ff'd Shireen's scene until the end because it was horrific, and as above - the dragon scene because I don't enjoy watching animals killed.

[TrininisaScorp]

Oh my.  That child screaming is painful to me, even 2 hrs later!  Question:  Do we believe that Davos had some inkling of weirdness and that's why he gave Shireen (RIP, sweet girl) the stag?  I can't think he would be ok with anything like what happened, nor would he believe Stannis capable.  OR, do we believe that he gave her the stag b/c maybe HE thinks he isn't making it?  Their scene was so sweet, yet I could feel the sadness in the pit of my stomach.

 

Stannis.  I hope dragons, wights, thenns, giants and whatever the hell else is out there tear you apart.  You sorry, useless excuse for a wannabe ruler.  Before this, I felt like of the pieces on the board of Westeros, Stannis may not be the sexy decision, but the most sane.  Clearly, I was very, very wrong.  He isn't worthy and I hope that as he dies, he realizes that burning his only dear child, his blood for the Red Bitch and Lord of Light nonsense was a huge fucking mistake.  Like many of you, I can't bring myself to see the Boltons winning.  They fucked up the North.  They too must pay.  Can the two opposing forces just kill each other?!

 

Dany riding on Drogon's back was so cool!!!  I loved the core group of Daario, Tyrion, Jorah and Milessandre watching as they flew.  Holy crap!  I wonder if we get to see any of the fallout from this disaster next week.

 

Re: Allister's compliment to John:  I don't think it was really meant to be one.  I think it was a warning.  Also, Olly can suck it.  I hope Jon is able to tell the group about what he saw in detail.  They need to know the true nature of the threat.

 

Oh, Arya.  Trant deserves to die. Pedophilic asshole, but A Man's point has been that Arya can't pay her own vendettas.  If she does this, I think she'll face consequences.  I'm afraid for her.

 

Dorne was once again the weak link, but I LOVE Doran!  He is clearly not a stupid man and I appreciated his sense of mercy and sense.  That said, I'm afraid this is going to get his son killed.

 

I liked the theme we got today:  The idea that war/violence isn't glamorous and those that have seen battle (Doran, Daario, Jon) are very well awed by the destructive power of violence.  This is a good lesson and I wonder if some of our characters who live in violence as glory (Elleria and after tonight Stannis) will be paying.  OR are those assholes going to win?  You never know with this show.

[Black Knight]

I think I'll start rooting for the White Walkers as well. We haven't spent too much time with them, but they clearly have some sort of day care center as evidenced by turning the baby

OMG, I didn't think I could laugh after tonight's episode, but I just spit out my drink after reading the words "some sort of day care center"...hahahahaha! Thank you for that!

[bbolto]

I've decided that Jon & Davos (and maybe Sansa) are the only decent/root able characters left in Westeros. Haven't decided on Essos yet.

 

Margaery's really the best possible leader around, if she were to ever get out of her cell. Though at this point if she does I imagine she won't have much time before Dany shows up.

[annsterg]

And...where the heck is Varys!?

[Macbeth]

Poor Shireen. She never let go of Davos's gift.  It was so heartbreaking.

Edited June 8, 2015 by Macbeth

[cynic]

Yes Dany, Drogon's arrival made me all emotional too, but that was not the time to go all "pet the puppy". He got speared like twice because you distracted him. Speaking of, I would've thought dragon hide was tougher than that. Gotta say, riding off with him was pretty badass though, but anyone else wonder afterwards how uncomfortable that ride was? His back is pretty...spiky.

I loved Jorah and Daario protecting their queen too. That was a lot of hotness. And kudos to Tyrion for his unexpected fight skills. I missed Greyworm though.

Arya's storyline continues to bore me, but at least there now seems some hope of something actually happening next episode. That's progress, I guess.

Dorne's kinda boring too, but I love me some Alexander Siddig. He's so perfect in this role. Ellaria's conversation with Jamie was fun too, but I kinda got whiplash from her change of attitude. I wonder what she has up her sleeve.

And because it can't be said enough, fuck Stannis and his red bitch. That was some nice acting from father and daughter though. Stannis looked like he knew he just sold his soul and Shireen's screams will haunt me for a while.

[La Dee Da]

 I knew Shireen had it coming. Anyone that cute and sweet is not long for the GoT world. 

 

She was too good and too kind.  Given the importance Melisandre places on royal blood, I've been worried since Davos set Gendry free - but why did it have to be burning at the stake instead of some gradual and undeadly blood letting?  And if ruling Westeros is Stannis' destiny, shouldn't he be able to seize it without using magic - nice try at convncing yourself it was the right thing to do, buddy. At every point that I found myself enjoying Dany's breakthrough with Drogan, I felt so guilty. 

 

Did A Man know that Arya was lying about the thin man not being hungry?

 

I suspect a man has engineered a test to see if a girl is still Arya Stark.  Not looking forward to her going undercover at the brothel next week.

 

I don't understand Doran wanting to give up his hostage Myrcella and his only heir back to the Lannisters in KL.  What kind of lousy game is he playing?

 

It seemed too agreeable, given we've been led to believe Dorne has a strong independence streak.  Maybe he thought denying Jamie's request would lead to a costly war, and that it's better to keep your frenemies close so you can exert your influence on them?  Ellaria is just lying in wait, though - no way she's given up on vengeance. 

[CletusMusashi]

Wasn't one of Mel's big early selling points the whole schtick that "If you hadn't stopped Stannis from bringing me, I could have stopped those fires at Blackwater?" Well, then, what the hell, Red? Are you just a big liar, who doesn't want to admit that she can only cast like, two or three cleric spells a day, tops? Or did you deliberately let the entire camp burn down just so you could talk Stannis into burning one more person for your stupid "ooh, fire is shiny" god?

Obsessive ass kings burning everybody they see, left and right. Didn't somebody fight a war over that?

[Chrissytd]

Screw you Stannis.

[ACW]

I too was shocked at the lack of brothel nudity. I've now decided that it must mean that Arya will indeed end up on the menu there, and they wanted to establish precedent for her not being naked.

[Timetoread]

What got me the most is that even the cold, negligent, zealot mother had an override switch. Her baby screaming for her snapped her out of that nonsense. Maybe she'll be the one to kill the witch. As for Stannis, anyone can kill him - so long as they make it hurt. Fuck him. Team Bolton for the win.

In other news: "We may fight sometimes. She may not accept that I have outgrown fishes and have moved on to large game and yes, sometimes people. Yeah, she's grounded my two little brothers for some shit I did. I may rebel and run away from home. But nobody - NOBODY - messes with my mama! Dracarys, Mother Fuckers!!!" -- Drogon Tagaryean

[madam magpie]

Took me reading the boards to realize that Ramsey is the one who raided Stannis camp and set things on fire, at first I thought Melissandre was having a vision.

That's what I thought too. Are we sure it actually was Ramsay, or did Stannis just assume that?

This episode was great. I fast-forwarded through the child burning, but loved all the stuff with Dany et al.

Will someone please remind me who the creepy old guy at the brothel is? Why was Arya fixated on him?

[HunterHunted]

Ah, this is the Stannis that I know and don't love--cold, driven, unyielding. I don't know why I was surprised that he killed Shireen. He also killed his own brother with his smoke children.

I almost wonder if Meryn Trant's arrival in Braavos was a very specific test by the many-faced god. The thin man finally wants food and Arya is given a reminder of her past. It seems so coincidental that it's almost not.

I loved watching Tyrion's face after Drogon arrived. It's so clear that up until then he was a man playing this game of kings in the abstract. When you see a dragon drop out of the sky raining fire and death, you realize that you are literally living through an event that will be in the history books.

I'm hoping that Doran is secretly conspiring with Littlefinger and that his master plan is to assasinate Tommen (another of Cersei's kid's is about due for a golden shroud), crown Myrcella as queen, and Trystane as king consort, especially since Stannis is penned down in the north. Doran will use his actual army to cripple the Faith Militant. He marries one of the sand snakes to Loras and establishes an alliance with the Reach. This is what I would like to make up for the shenanigans in Snorne.

Edited June 8, 2015 by HunterHunted

[annsterg]

Well, this sacrifice thing didn't end well for Agamemnon.... Wonder if Selyse has it in her ?

[bunnyblue]

Fvck em all!!

 

 

LOLOLOL! Thanks, I needed the laugh.

 

As much as this episode has turned me against Stannis and left me wondering just who the hell I'm supposed to root for, I'm pretty sure I can't be team White Walkers just yet. Not while decent people like Jon, Tyrion, and Dany can still lead the people of Westeros. And I still love Sansa, Arya, Brienne, Pod, Sam, Davos, Jorah, Missandei and a few others to not want them to die at the hands of the Army of the Dead. And Dragons! And Direwolves! Gods, I still love those magnificent CGI animals enough to want them to play a role in defeating the WW.

 

As much as I loath Cersei, I agree with others who said that not even she would go so far as to kill her children in order to gain power. Damn, why did the show have to ruin Stannis?? I do think he looked broken as he stood there watching Shireen burn. He looked like he aged 10 years. Maybe the White Walkers can break through the Wall and kill both Stannis and the Boltons first?? A girl can hope.

 

Back to Drogon: I hope he's still growing because he didn't seem all that big next to humans. And he's far too susceptible to spears. How are he and his smaller brothers supposed to fight White Walkers if wooden lances pierce his skin so easily. I loved how he announced his entrance: flying through his own fireball and then doing a lap around the arena. Drogon's got style.

Edited June 8, 2015 by bunnyblue

[CeeBeeGee]

Okay, I get that Stannis is the new Agamemnon, who sacrificed his daughter Iphigenia to get fair winds to send his ships to Troy. But really, would a whole battalion of men also have drunk the Kool-Aid and just stand around while a child is being incinerated and is screaming like that? That is impossible for me to believe. Someone upthread mentioned Nazi-era Germans but most of those Germans didn't actually SEE it. Actually watching a child burn to death--I just don't buy that those men, many of whom presumably have families of their own, would do nothing.

 

Similarly impossible is that these pampered slave owners, the wealthy elite of this city who had slaves to attend to their every need, are also badass street fighters and arena fighters who can take on the UNSULLIED, for God's sake. Maybe in close quarters but come the fuck on! The whole Sons of the Harpies storyline is beggaring belief.

 

I like the Dorne storyline. If nothing else everyone is pretty and relatively unscathed.

 

I could never, ever root for the Boltons. They are just as awful--Ramsay skins men alive for the fun of it. He skinned an old lady, for God's sake. Both sides are awful--rooting for Brienne to take out Stannis and Drogon/Dany to give Melisandre a taste of her own medicine.

[WicketyWack]

Any other dog owner say...aww good boy... When he showed up? Just me????

Actually it was WHOOOZAGOODBOY! And my dog's tail started thumping on the floor.

Edited June 8, 2015 by WicketyWack

[CletusMusashi]

So far, the only really fun thing to come out Arya's storyline this season was Lord Muppet's trip to Braavos. I mean, I'm looking forward to seeing Meryn Trant die horribly as much as anybody! But meanwhile I'm keeping my spirits up with visions of how much he enjoyed that long, long boat trip during which Mace no doubt gave him an entire one-man performance of... whatever the hell the Westeros version of "HMS PInafore" is.

[HunterHunted]

Will someone please remind me who the creepy old guy at the brothel is? Why was Arya fixated on him?

He's Meryn Trant. He killed Syrio Forel, Arya's water dancing master. He's also been pretty awful to Sansa, but Arya doesn't know this.