S06.E04: Book of the Stranger

[terrymct]

On May 16, 2016 at 3:45 PM, FineWashables said:

I don't think Brienne has ever had a man look at her appreciatively.  It was a strange experience for her to see a man check her out -- from what we've seen, everyone looks at her like she's some strange monstrous person because of her size.  I wonder if she's going to get curious about it.  I'd enjoy seeing her find a lover!

I enjoyed the look Edd gave after he saw Tormond flirting with Brienne.  A little WTF and a little "well, wtf not?"

[candall]

I liked Osha and I'm glad she didn't suffer, but . . .  hmm, that was not only the loss of a good character, it didn't make any sense for the narrative either.

As Ramsay said, he knew who Osha was and he already had the answers to the questions he asked her, i.e. he was aware she and Rickon had an emotional bond.  So if he didn't want to keep her alive in the event Rickon needed "persuading" at some point, then at the very least, a long painful Osha death would have given Ramsay the satisfaction of mentally annihilating a Stark child while satisfying his own sadism.  Ramsay really enjoys torture, so why would he administer a swift cut to the jugular in private when he could have, ahem, used Osha in other ways? 

I'm sure no one was thinking Osha was going to dispatch the number one villain with a fruit knife in an apple-peeling scene.  This show skipping past maximum gratuitous violence is almost as strange as when Ramsay does it.

[annsterg]

Re Brienne's sword ("Oathkeeper"?) once being Ice...I am not sure she knows that part. Only that it is Valyrian steel. I am not sure that anyone at this point knows except Jaime and the smith who reforged Ice...maybe Tommen if Tywin gave him the other sword that had been Joffrey's?

But then again, just because we didn't see it, doesn't mean Tywin didn't let it be known.

But really -- the more Valyrian steel weapons around, the better.

Edited May 17, 2016 by annsterg

[seacliffsal]

I just loved when Sansa and Jon were reunited.  I actually had some tears in my eyes which doesn't happen often with this series.  Really enjoyed all of the scenes at Castle Black and am so glad that they are going to retake Winterfell.  Don't really care about Ramsey but was so sorry to see Osha die.  I always liked her character and her fierce loyalty to the Stark boys.  I am concerned for Rickon.  I have always had a soft spot for him-especially when he felt Ned's presence in the tombs before anyone else even knew that Ned had been executed.  However, Rickon is all alone-Shaggydog and Osha are dead and he is in the dungeon.  I hope that somehow he survives and is reunited with Jon and Sansa.

I know that I'm in a very small minority, but I wasn't impressed with Dany and her emergence from the fire.  I really felt like 'been there, done that...' and that she relies on fire-whether personally or in the form of her dragons, for her power.  I also see her as an unfit ruler.  Yes, she can conquer (well, her dragons can conquer...) but after that she hasn't ever done anything.  So, I disagree that this will really move her story forward and think that, once again, she'll be going nowhere fast.

[DrSpaceman73]

7 hours ago, jeansheridan said:

I am being a nerd but The on is not a half brother. He was a hostage at Winterfell. A respected hostage but not family. No wolf pup for him.

You're right of course, not a blood relative.  Still sort of family by upbringing. 

[DarkRaichu]

1 hour ago, candall said:

I accidently deleted the post where someone was missing Tywin, but I agree.  It's the villains who keep this show so rich and meaty.  (I've never despised a fictional tv character the way I did Joffrey.) 

Ramsay's due for some karma and screaming, but let's not be in such a hurry to get rid of him and (especially) Littlefinger!  I don't know how long the show is supposed to last, but I don't see anyone coming up through the ranks to replace them on a visceral level--certainly not the Sand Snakes and, really, I'm not all that emotionally caught up in my dislike of The High Sparrow either.

 Yep, Tywin was that cool and calculating villain.  Roose Bolton was the only one who ever came close to Tywin in being a tactician.  Too bad he died too :(

Littlefinger is more on the slimy side compare to those 2.

[annsterg]

Well, as for villains...although we haven't seen him lately, don't forget ol' Walder Frey is still out there. The other parties to the Red Wedding are now dead (Tywin, Roose), but that nasty piece of work Frey is still out there and needs to be punished, along with most of his house. Plus, he just lost a daughter (or was it granddaughter) to Ramsey's dogs.

[marcee]

41 minutes ago, seacliffsal said:

I know that I'm in a very small minority, but I wasn't impressed with Dany and her emergence from the fire.  I really felt like 'been there, done that...' and that she relies on fire-whether personally or in the form of her dragons, for her power.  I also see her as an unfit ruler.  Yes, she can conquer (well, her dragons can conquer...) but after that she hasn't ever done anything.  So, I disagree that this will really move her story forward and think that, once again, she'll be going nowhere fast.

With you here. Not that bright. Not much of a leader. Entitled. Conceited. So she was born with this cool superpower... It's not like she mastered some skill. I'm not impressed. Still, I've always enjoyed her storyline and I'd like to see more Dragons.

Edited May 17, 2016 by marcee

[rozen]

1 hour ago, candall said:

I liked Osha and I'm glad she didn't suffer, but . . .  hmm, that was not only the loss of a good character, it didn't make any sense for the narrative either.

As Ramsay said, he knew who Osha was and he already had the answers to the questions he asked her, i.e. he was aware she and Rickon had an emotional bond.  So if he didn't want to keep her alive in the event Rickon needed "persuading" at some point, then at the very least, a long painful Osha death would have given Ramsay the satisfaction of mentally annihilating a Stark child while satisfying his own sadism.  Ramsay really enjoys torture, so why would he administer a swift cut to the jugular in private when he could have, ahem, used Osha in other ways? 

I'm sure no one was thinking Osha was going to dispatch the number one villain with a fruit knife in an apple-peeling scene.  This show skipping past maximum gratuitous violence is almost as strange as when Ramsay does it.

I can believe that Ramsay wouldn't want to screw around with a wildling. The show now has Bigger Enemies, but the wildlings were the no. 1 source of terror for a solid portion of the show. She's not bound by any honor code, is well trained as a fighter, knows Winterfell about as well as he does, and knows the north even better. Slitting her throat off the bat is like, the smartest thing he's done (imo).

[Mabinogia]

The moment between Sansa and Jon was so beautifully done. They took a moment to really register that what they were seeing was real. I loved that pause before the big hug. They've both been through so much since they last saw any family that they must have had a moment of "this is too good to be true, I must be imagining this moment" before it sunk in and the pure joy, specifically on Sansa's face, was just beautiful. Bravo to everyone involved in that scene. It was just perfection. (I have to admit to seeing the possibility for some good romantic chemistry between them.)

I have no issue with Dany using her "superpower" because it's all she has. She's a teenage girl with no family surrounded by enemies. She never had the training to be a leader because everyone thought her brother would be king, no one expected her to be anything more than a bargaining chip. So bravo to her for using whatever she has to survive. Yes, she is a terrible leader, but I hope that she will get back to Mereen and will get some lessons from Tyrion on how to lead. If she is smart enough to keep him, Lord Varys, Grey Worm and Missandei with her, and Jorah for however long he survives, she will do fine.

For me it is beyond time for Ramsey to go. While this show clearly needs it's villains, I prefer interesting villains like Littlefinger, whose wheels are always turning, or Tywin who is just a totally dominant badass, or I'd dare say Melissandre who thinks she's doing good but is basically a psycho. Ramsey, though brilliantly acted, is boring. As soon as I see him on screen I know someone is going to die and I just zone out. No point watching, I'll figure out who he killed this time soon enough. I cannot wait to see him taken down. I only hope it happens before I've completely lost interest.

[Calamity Jane]

2 minutes ago, Mabinogia said:

The moment between Sansa and Jon was so beautifully done. They took a moment to really register that what they were seeing was real. I loved that pause before the big hug. They've both been through so much since they last saw any family that they must have had a moment of "this is too good to be true, I must be imagining this moment" before it sunk in and the pure joy, specifically on Sansa's face, was just beautiful. Bravo to everyone involved in that scene. It was just perfection. (I have to admit to seeing the possibility for some good romantic chemistry between them.)

I have no issue with Dany using her "superpower" because it's all she has. She's a teenage girl with no family surrounded by enemies. She never had the training to be a leader because everyone thought her brother would be king, no one expected her to be anything more than a bargaining chip. So bravo to her for using whatever she has to survive. Yes, she is a terrible leader, but I hope that she will get back to Mereen and will get some lessons from Tyrion on how to lead. If she is smart enough to keep him, Lord Varys, Grey Worm and Missandei with her, and Jorah for however long he survives, she will do fine.

For me it is beyond time for Ramsey to go. While this show clearly needs it's villains, I prefer interesting villains like Littlefinger, whose wheels are always turning, or Tywin who is just a totally dominant badass, or I'd dare say Melissandre who thinks she's doing good but is basically a psycho. Ramsey, though brilliantly acted, is boring. As soon as I see him on screen I know someone is going to die and I just zone out. No point watching, I'll figure out who he killed this time soon enough. I cannot wait to see him taken down. I only hope it happens before I've completely lost interest.

I actually think Dany is a brilliant leader in the sense that she can get multitudes to follow her, a talent her brother certainly never had.  What she needs is a better map to show her where she's going, figuratively speaking, and many, many lessons on how to rule, not just lead.  Tyrion and Varys can supply both if they ever have the opportunity again.  Hopefully soon.  

[Calamity Jane]

3 hours ago, paigow said:

Why do the Iron Born have a Salt Throne? Yes it reminds everyone of the sea...but the damn islands are made out of Iron....Did Balon sing a version of MacArthur Park? "Someone left my throne out in the rain"...

Not only that, Kings Landing has the Iron Throne.  When I was first getting started, it confused me a lot - Iron Islands, Iron Throne should go together, right?  Nope!

[candall]

10 minutes ago, rozen said:

I can believe that Ramsay wouldn't want to screw around with a wildling. The show now has Bigger Enemies, but the wildlings were the no. 1 source of terror for a solid portion of the show. She's not bound by any honor code, is well trained as a fighter, knows Winterfell about as well as he does, and knows the north even better. Slitting her throat off the bat is like, the smartest thing he's done (imo).

Well, it was Indiana Jones smart.  But Indy only pulled out his .45 and went *boom* because Harrison Ford was running a temp and felt lousy.  The scimitar-bullwhip battle would have been bitchin'.

And Osha didn't want Ramsay to learn she and Rickon were bonded because she knew that information would be useful to him.   But, nope, jugular, cut, print.

*****************

I think some of the stories have to be abbreviated because they have so many different threads going and ten episodes to work with.  And two of those episodes are devoted to preparing for and fighting an epic battle.  What would we have to sacrifice, I wonder, to get a season with 12-14 episodes?  I'd probably be willing to make the trade.

C'mon, the courtship of Tormund and Brienne?  I know we'd all be on board for that.

[dramachick]

I'm still basking in the glow of a Stark reunion!

RIP Osha. You never gave up.

This was an excellent episode.  So many schemes, so little time.

The High Sparrow has set a trap. He knew Tommen would tell his mother everything.  Again, Cersei is not as smart as she thinks she is.  Lady Olenna should know better though and ought to have something up her sleeve.  I hate to think that she's suddenly become just as stupid as the Lannisters are without Tywin.

Littlefinger is still crap.  Can't wait til he gets fragged by the knights of the vale or shanked by Sansa.  Either way works for me.

I don't know what to think about Rikon. If he can escape from the dungeon and hide in the secret crypts that he knows so well, he might be able to do a bit of damage from the inside.

I find it really weird that some people are talking about a romance between Jon and Sansa.  Ugh.  Just ugh. I can't, and don't want to relate to attaching a sexual connotation to sibling love. The Lannisters should be example enough of why it's a very bad idea.

[Zanne]

3 hours ago, annsterg said:

Well, as for villains...although we haven't seen him lately, don't forget ol' Walder Frey is still out there. The other parties to the Red Wedding are now dead (Tywin, Roose), but that nasty piece of work Frey is still out there and needs to be punished, along with most of his house. Plus, he just lost a daughter (or was it granddaughter) to Ramsey's dogs.

When Littlefinger said the Vale was about to join the fray, my brain immediately interpreted it as Frey and wondered if it was a play on words. He could be officially joining the enemy!

[izabella]

19 hours ago, greyhorse said:

Am I guilty if I was looking forward to Margaery doing her own walk of shame? :P

I get the sense Margaery would own that walk of shame.  She wouldn't cower and cringe; I think she'd stand there proudly, not unlike Dany, and turn the tables and shame the cult for imprisoning their Queen, the woman whose family is feeding them all from the fruits of Highgarden.  I remember how Joffrey was afraid of the people while Margaery knew exactly how to handle them to win them over.  She'll be the one saying Shame, Shame to her captors.

[izabella]

4 hours ago, seacliffsal said:

I know that I'm in a very small minority, but I wasn't impressed with Dany and her emergence from the fire.  I really felt like 'been there, done that...' and that she relies on fire-whether personally or in the form of her dragons, for her power.  I also see her as an unfit ruler.  Yes, she can conquer (well, her dragons can conquer...) but after that she hasn't ever done anything.  So, I disagree that this will really move her story forward and think that, once again, she'll be going nowhere fast.

She hasn't gotten very far and she has no plan.  I have little hope that she'll do anything much at this point.  She still can't get any armies to Westeros without ships.  And the Dothraki aren't so good on ships.  So they aren't going to be much help and neither are the newly re-slaved slaves she freed.  Unless she learns to use her dragons to do anything, all she can do is not burn.  I don't think she'll be involved with Westeros any time soon.

[izabella]

3 hours ago, Calamity Jane said:

I actually think Dany is a brilliant leader in the sense that she can get multitudes to follow her, a talent her brother certainly never had.

I guess I just don't see this.  The only reason anyone is following her is that she has dragons, is impervious to fire, and frees slaves.  She doesn't inspire followers; they follow her because they think she is a god of some sort because who else can remain unburnt and birth dragons?  Not to mention the dragons are her weapons, sort of, so there is fear there, too.  A lot of fear.  And she hasn't led anyone anywhere, since she still has no plan for anything, specifically.  Just to get the throne back for herself, which, um, why?  Just because their family ruled by fear and fire for a long time and now it's her turn? 

If she were an inspirational leader who were capable of truly swayng multitudes to follow her, she'd be able to sway the slavers and Dothraki and everyone else who hasn't experienced her fire superpower and dragons.  But she never has, not even Daario.  We have no reason to believe she would do any better in Westeros as a leader.

[TV Anonymous]

On 5/16/2016 at 11:22 PM, MuuMuuChainsmoker said:

This is more of a behind the scenes thing, but there was a blind item at The Gossip Life which said that she was going to do nudity again because her movie career has stalled.   (Putting it in this thread because it was brought up here, but if the lovely mods want me to move it, just say the word.)

TGL 

You mean her career did not soar after Terminator: Genisys?

Sarcasm mode on, of course...

[dramachick]

[Lady S.]

12 hours ago, Haiti D said:

Yes, those guys...

I'm trying to recall if Yara was aware of their treachery.

Ramsay's letter with the dick in a box mentioned flaying all of Theon's men at Winterfell. What I wonder is whether she knows Theon was used as Ramsay's envoy at Moat Cailin, where the ironborn garrison was also all flayed to death. That happened shortly after her failed rescue attempt and would give her reason to be suspicious of Theon just showing up and potentially involving himself in ironborn affairs.

7 hours ago, paigow said:

Except that seems inconsistent with the other stone men. They seemed pretty healthy when attacking Jorah & Tyrion. More than likely their condition was more advanced than Jorah today.

Perhaps Daario had a point about Jorah's age and young Stone Men are more fit than their elders. It's certainly not a good sign to see him resort to Dale Gribble-level fighting tactics.

[Haiti D]

I have a feeling the Lannister plan will not work in the long-term.  Maybe they will beat the High Sparrow, but they invite trouble by asking the Tyrell army to invade Kings Landing.   

[candall]

I went back to scrutinize the Tormund-Brienne scene.

He gives her the ol' "hey, sexy" single eyebrow lift, but he's doubled down on the flirtation with such voracious suckling on his pork chop bone, she leans over and wraps her arm around her plate like a kid trying to protect her math answers.  It's hilarious.

Including Edd's response to this whole ritual mating dance:  clap clap clap, well done!

[Advance35]

Quote

The High Sparrow has set a trap. He knew Tommen would tell his mother everything.  Again, Cersei is not as smart as she thinks she is.  Lady Olenna should know better though and ought to have something up her sleeve.  I hate to think that she's suddenly become just as stupid as the Lannisters are without Tywin.

I think Olenna is distracted.  This is the woman that murdered a King because of the potential danger to Margaery.   I think she heard that the High Sparrow was planning on making Margaery endure the same "Walk of Atonement"  that Cersei did and she automatically went to def-con 1.  I think she probably would be examining more angles if things weren't so close to heart for her.  She's different then Tywin in that way.

And I also think she continues to underestimate just how self-destructive House Lannister and Cersei in particular, are.  Cersei is willing to cut off her nose to spite her face.  I think Olenna has a hard time anticipating and accounting for that, since the Tyrells seem to be ALL about self-interest and self-preservation.  Revenge is probably something they wait on until they are in a position where they won't be hurt in the bargain.

[Oscirus]

I think what Tommen told Cersei and what Cersei told the small council are two entirely different things.

[Calamity Jane]

20 hours ago, paigow said:

Except that seems inconsistent with the other stone men. They seemed pretty healthy when attacking Jorah & Tyrion. More than likely their condition was more advanced than Jorah today.

I entirely agree, but am at a loss to account for his rapid decline otherwise.  Maybe another explanation is coming soon. Whatever the cause, it's clear he's being shown as weakening quickly.  

20 minutes ago, Oscirus said:

I think what Tommen told Cersei and what Cersei told the small council are two entirely different things.

I think so, too.  

[proserpina65]

20 hours ago, paigow said:

Why do the Iron Born have a Salt Throne? Yes it reminds everyone of the sea...but the damn islands are made out of Iron....Did Balon sing a version of MacArthur Park? "Someone left my throne out in the rain"...

I guess the Iron Throne was already taken by the time the Iron Born got around to naming their throne?

[CouchPotatoNoLife]

On 5/16/2016 at 7:57 PM, SimoneS said:

I think that Tyrion's seven year plan is a stall. Just something to keep the slaveowners under control until he or Daenerys comes up with a better plan or maybe he has a been plan already. He isn't a fool. He has to know that they will never abide by the agreement. 

I think there's a chance that scene was meant to show that tyrion grew up with a totally different perspective then Grey Worm or misande.

In a lot of ways tyrion has more in common with the slave-masters then with the slaves. The lannisters are extraordinarily wealthy, and are overlords of an entire region. Tyrion's father is basically the equivalent of the governor of the westerlands with absolute power.

I think Tyrion was genuinely trying to convince them that it was possible to be really rich without any slavery.

I think he believes that by convincing them it wouldn't devastate them economically to end slavery, slavery has less of a chance of reemerging when they leave.

Edited May 18, 2016 by CouchPotatoNoLife

[qtpye]

16 hours ago, dramachick said:

I'm still basking in the glow of a Stark reunion!

RIP Osha. You never gave up.

This was an excellent episode.  So many schemes, so little time.

The High Sparrow has set a trap. He knew Tommen would tell his mother everything.  Again, Cersei is not as smart as she thinks she is.  Lady Olenna should know better though and ought to have something up her sleeve.  I hate to think that she's suddenly become just as stupid as the Lannisters are without Tywin.

Littlefinger is still crap.  Can't wait til he gets fragged by the knights of the vale or shanked by Sansa.  Either way works for me.

I don't know what to think about Rikon. If he can escape from the dungeon and hide in the secret crypts that he knows so well, he might be able to do a bit of damage from the inside.

I find it really weird that some people are talking about a romance between Jon and Sansa.  Ugh.  Just ugh. I can't, and don't want to relate to attaching a sexual connotation to sibling love. The Lannisters should be example enough of why it's a very bad idea.

Would it not be delicious if the High Sparrow and Olenna were conspiring to bring down the Lannisters?  Even though I love the actors, the blond incest wonder twins have sort of out lived their usefulness in the story.  Cersei is sort of the root of most of all the bad stuff that goes down in King's Landing and Jamie just needs to be dick punched for being so stupid and blindly following her lead.

15 hours ago, izabella said:

I get the sense Margaery would own that walk of shame.  She wouldn't cower and cringe; I think she'd stand there proudly, not unlike Dany, and turn the tables and shame the cult for imprisoning their Queen, the woman whose family is feeding them all from the fruits of Highgarden.  I remember how Joffrey was afraid of the people while Margaery knew exactly how to handle them to win them over.  She'll be the one saying Shame, Shame to her captors.

There would be no shame.  She would hold her head up high, while the people cheered we love you Queen Margery.  Unlike, Cersei, Margery has always been kind and respectful to the small folk.  Some people would say it was for political gain, but at least she had the intelligence to understand that treating the common people like crap is not a good thing to do.

[CouchPotatoNoLife]

38 minutes ago, Calamity Jane said:

I entirely agree, but am at a loss to account for his rapid decline otherwise.  Maybe another explanation is coming soon. Whatever the cause, it's clear he's being shown as weakening quickly.  

I think so, too.  

I think they just wanted to show that that the dothraki are awesome Warriors. Remember in season 1 when jorah fought that dothraki blood rider. The blood rider would have sliced open jorah except for his armor.

The dothraki are amazing Warriors

[DarkRaichu]

21 hours ago, paigow said:

Except that seems inconsistent with the other stone men. They seemed pretty healthy when attacking Jorah & Tyrion. More than likely their condition was more advanced than Jorah today.

Those stone men also did not have any reasoning skills left.  I thought this disease was more like zombie infection in Resident Evil.  The people infected are weak until the infection take over,  and that's when they get the associated superpowers

19 minutes ago, CouchPotatoNoLife said:

I think they just wanted to show that that the dothraki are awesome Warriors. Remember in season 1 when jorah fought that dothraki blood rider. The blood rider would have sliced open jorah except for his armor.

The dothraki are amazing Warriors

Didn't a Khal mentioned that Dothraki was pretty high up in his horde?  He was not just any random Dothraki

Edited May 18, 2016 by DarkRaichu

[taanja]

17 hours ago, dramachick said:

I'm still basking in the glow of a Stark reunion!

RIP Osha. You never gave up.

This was an excellent episode.  So many schemes, so little time.

The High Sparrow has set a trap. He knew Tommen would tell his mother everything.  Again, Cersei is not as smart as she thinks she is.  Lady Olenna should know better though and ought to have something up her sleeve.  I hate to think that she's suddenly become just as stupid as the Lannisters are without Tywin.

Littlefinger is still crap.  Can't wait til he gets fragged by the knights of the vale or shanked by Sansa.  Either way works for me.

I don't know what to think about Rikon. If he can escape from the dungeon and hide in the secret crypts that he knows so well, he might be able to do a bit of damage from the inside.

I find it really weird that some people are talking about a romance between Jon and Sansa.  Ugh.  Just ugh. I can't, and don't want to relate to attaching a sexual connotation to sibling love. The Lannisters should be example enough of why it's a very bad idea.

Right! ugh! No just no!

[Unknown poster]

58 minutes ago, DarkRaichu said:

Those stone men also did not have any reasoning skills left.  I thought this disease was more like zombie infection in Resident Evil.  The people infected are weak until the infection take over,  and that's when they get the associated superpowers

Didn't a Khal mentioned that Dothraki was pretty high up in his horde?  He was not just any random Dothraki

Also worth remembering is the fact that Jorah likely still has a few half healed wounds from his foray in the fighting pits. I'm guessing an extended journey on horseback isn't the best type of R&R after being cut up a few times.

[candall]

I'd prefer Daario would lay off Ser Jorah being so damn elderly.  It's not like Maester Pycelle is out there with him in hot pursuit.

[revbfc]

Couldn't they have gone with "the Kraken Throne"?  I'd even accept "Tentacle Throne."  All I'm saying is their throne better be made out of actual salt.

[madam magpie]

9 hours ago, Oscirus said:

I think what Tommen told Cersei and what Cersei told the small council are two entirely different things.

I really hope this is true. I can't stand the High Sparrow and want him to get his as much as I want Ramsey to. 

Loved the Stark reunion! Two down, three to go! Loved Brienne and Tormund! Loved the Jorah/Daario adventure! Loved Dany's rebirth...again!

I can't help it. I'm still rooting for Cersei...and Jamie. If those crazy kids want to get their incest on, what do I care? I forget, though: Isn't Margaery in prison because of Cersei, or was it the other way around? Once Natalie Dormer is free and has avenged her brother, I'll be happy to see her and Emma Peel take Cersei down.

Edited May 19, 2016 by madam magpie

[The Mighty Peanut]

On 5/18/2016 at 10:01 PM, izabella said:

I get the sense Margaery would own that walk of shame.  She wouldn't cower and cringe; I think she'd stand there proudly, not unlike Dany, and turn the tables and shame the cult for imprisoning their Queen, the woman whose family is feeding them all from the fruits of Highgarden.  I remember how Joffrey was afraid of the people while Margaery knew exactly how to handle them to win them over.  She'll be the one saying Shame, Shame to her captors.

Absolutely. Margaery would be like 

 

Edited May 19, 2016 by The Mighty Peanut

[revbfc]

In particular I could see the children of King's Landing coming to her aid (in this hypothetical situation).

[Meredith Quill]

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[Calamity Jane]

I kinda loved when Daario was giving Jorah a hard time, to which Jorah responded, "You didn't get much discipline as a child, did you?"  Ha. 

[Love]

I'm not sure if I may have missed something, but are we to assume that Westeros knows about Jon's death and resurrection?  From what I saw, it wasn't addressed, yet no one seemed concerned about Jon leaving Castle Black as a deserter.  I'm sure Sansa, Brienne and Pod are aware, but who else?  Ramsay's letter was addressed to Jon Snow, not LC Jon Snow.

[The Mighty Peanut]

I would think it would take awhile for the news of Jon's murder/resurrection to reach Westeros (but could be totally wrong). However, regarding his desertion--I feel like right now they're working under the assumption that he didn't desert, he died. His watch is over unless they have special rules for Lord Commanders who come back to life. Also, I think the people loyal to him don't believe his quitting is going to take. He has basically impulsively RageQuit a message board but it's the Night's Watch.

[SeanC]

5 minutes ago, Love said:

I'm not sure if I may have missed something, but are we to assume that Westeros knows about Jon's death and resurrection?  From what I saw, it wasn't addressed, yet no one seemed concerned about Jon leaving Castle Black as a deserter.  I'm sure Sansa, Brienne and Pod are aware, but who else?  Ramsay's letter was addressed to Jon Snow, not LC Jon Snow.

Nobody knows.  But Ramsay's letter was addressed to Jon as Lord Commander; hence, why the messenger handed it to him with that title, I think.

I imagine we'll see them crossing the desertion hurdle whenever they start talking to the Northern lords.

[Maximum Taco]

32 minutes ago, SeanC said:

Nobody knows.  But Ramsay's letter was addressed to Jon as Lord Commander; hence, why the messenger handed it to him with that title, I think.

I imagine we'll see them crossing the desertion hurdle whenever they start talking to the Northern lords.

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.

Edited May 19, 2016 by Maximum Taco

[SeanC]

2 minutes ago, Maximum Taco said:

It wasn't addressed to Jon as Lord Commander it was addressed to "The Traitor and Bastard, Jon Snow"

What I meant was that the messenger handed it to the man addressed as Lord Commander.

[Maximum Taco]

7 minutes ago, SeanC said:

What I meant was that the messenger handed it to the man addressed as Lord Commander.

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!"

Edited May 19, 2016 by Maximum Taco

[MrWhyt]

4 hours ago, Love said:

I'm not sure if I may have missed something, but are we to assume that Westeros knows about Jon's death and resurrection?  From what I saw, it wasn't addressed, yet no one seemed concerned about Jon leaving Castle Black as a deserter.  I'm sure Sansa, Brienne and Pod are aware, but who else?  Ramsay's letter was addressed to Jon Snow, not LC Jon Snow.

he wasn't even dead for a day and The Wall is on the far side of nowhere, I doubt any news was sent out.

[Constantinople]

Any ideas about why this episode was titled The Book of the Stranger?

The only direct reference to the book was when Margaery quoted, or paraphrased, Verse 25, "And one day you walked through a graveyard and realized it was all for nothing and set out on the path to righteousness." (I say paraphrased because I would expect such a verse to be in the first or third person, but not the second).

"It was all for nothing" sounds curiously similar to when Ramsay taunted Theon with, "If you think this has a happy ending, you haven't been paying attention"

So will all of this end up being for nothing?

Or does the "all for nothing" refer to the political squabbling in the Seven Kingdoms and the "path to righteousness" refer to people joining together to slaughter an innocent and endangered species?

[The Mighty Peanut]

17 hours ago, Maximum Taco said:

It wasn't addressed to Jon as Lord Commander it was addressed to "The Traitor and Bastard, Jon Snow"

Not to be all Lord Commander Obvious here, but....Ramsay is an epic hypocrite. I want to kick him in the balls again and again. 

Edited May 20, 2016 by The Mighty Peanut

[annsterg]

I think Kevan has let his fatherly concern blind him...Cersei played Kevan when she asked if he still wanted Lancel back, like she was all full of family feeling. Um, no, Kevan. Cersei HATES Lancel. His revelations to the High Sparrow are what caused her incarceration and shaming. I would say Lancel is on Cersei's kill list, maybe just after Septa Unella. I don't think Lancel is going to survive whatever is to come with the confrontation between the FM and the Crown's forces.