S06.E06: Blood Of My Blood

[RedHawk]

7 hours ago, Lady S. said:

All that? He only dropped one dagger, the one he'd just used. He still had all the rest he'd found, gave some to Bran and co. (which we saw Meera use on her spear last week), and gave the remainder to Jon when Jon left for Hardhome. Jon left it there when they were running for their lives, so really he's the one to blame for the lack of dragonglass.

That's something I've been wondering about too, but mainly because Jaqen was a lot more likable in s2. It would make sense if Jaqen was just the identity associated with that face, perhaps the name of its original owner before they cut it from his corpse. Arya used the name when she first arrived at the HoBaW, so the guy who answered the door could have decided to switch to the "Jaqen" face when he inexplicably changed his mind about letting her in. (At this rate, I doubt we'll ever learn why s2 Jaqen was locked up in KL, but that's fine by me as long as Arya leaves these assholes soon.)

Ok, thanks for clearing that up. Here I was blaming dear Sam for Jon's huuuge mistake!

I was kinda wondering where Meera got that spear tip.

12 hours ago, DarkRaichu said:

I thought he was more White Walker not under the control of Night King.  To me, NK was like Dracula, while WW were like regular vampires he created, and wights were like Dracula's mindless minions

Good point! Yes, that's probably more correct than what I was thinking, that he was an autonomous wight.

Edited June 1, 2016 by RedHawk

[RedHawk]

7 hours ago, MissLucas said:

It just occurred to me that the interaction with Lady Crane was probably the first time in what must feel like forever that a woman talked gently to Arya (Melisandre was more spooky than gentle). Now if Arya joins those folks there's a chance that Lady Crane could become something of a female mentor or even a surrogate mother - which I find highly amusing since she was introduced to us as 'Cersei'. Also 'Do you like pretending to be other people?' was a very intriguing question in context. Lady Crane could teach Arya disguising skills that don't require dabbling in desecration of corpses. All in all it's a win-win.

You know, Gilly's kind welcome from Lady Tarly and Sam's sister was also probably the first time that she had been treated as anyone special or shown much kindness.Life at Craster's Keep was probably nasty, brutish, and short. I think that's partly why I liked those scenes so much and kinda wished she and baby Sam could have stayed with them. Lady Tarly might have stood up to her Lord and said no way was the mother of Sam's child going to work in the kitchens.

[izabella]

Lady Tarly was so very kind that I felt really, really bad that Sam lied to her about the boy being his child and her grandchild.  Lord Tarly is a dick, so it didn't bother me that he didn't know the half of it when it came to who that child's father is, nor mother.  But Lady Tarly was briefly reuinted with her long lost son whom she clearly loved and must have missed and feared for, and then joyfully embraced a boy she thought was her grandson, only to have them both ripped away from her so quickly.  Sad for her.

[Cynna]

On 2016-05-30 at 1:55 AM, Taget said:

So better to get out in front and take the penance then have Loras start talking about that one time he had that threesome with his sister and Renly. 

I can't tell if you're being funny here or if this really happened - did it?

On 2016-05-30 at 3:08 AM, Lady S. said:

Why is no one talking about the fact that Sam's brother is named Dickon? 

You owe me a new keyboard, and apparently I need to grow up. ;)

On 2016-05-30 at 10:13 AM, Daisy said:

.... do we have a reason why the Waif hates Arya? or is she just a cowface?

I see it as pure jealousy. There have been scenes where she comes in or is watching as Arya is being tutored, and she seems rather pissy over it. I wouldn't be surprised if A Jealous Girl needs to die, and Arya is able to leave on her own after taking care of that task.

[GrailKing]

2 hours ago, RedHawk said:

Ok, thanks for clearing that up. Here I was blaming dear Sam for Jon's huuuge mistake!

I was kinda wondering where Meera got that spear tip.

Good point! Yes, that's probably more correct than what I was thinking, that he was an autonomous wight.

 

What huge mistake?

They were passing around the Dragon Glass when all hell broke loose someone dropped the bag .

The Thenn told Jon to get the DG as he fought the WW. As Jon went grabbing for it or searching for it the Thenn is killed and the WW was going after Jon, so he had to abandoned the DG to fight for his life. In doing so they learned something else; Valaryian steel kills WW.***

Jon started to go back for the DG when Edd told him to fuck the DG we're all gonna die here.

***A serendipitous event that balanced out the loss of the Dragon Glass.

Edited May 31, 2016 by GrailKing

[RedHawk]

39 minutes ago, GrailKing said:

What huge mistake?

They were passing around the Dragon Glass when all hell broke loose someone dropped the bag .

The Thenn told Jon to get the DG as he fought the WW. As Jon went grabbing for it or searching for it the Thenn is killed and the WW was going after Jon, so he had to abandoned the DG to fight for his life. In doing so they learned something else; Valaryian steel kills WW.***

Jon started to go back for the DG when Edd told him to fuck the DG we're all gonna die here.

***A serendipitous event that balanced out the loss of the Dragon Glass.

See, I forgot all that and just remembered thinking "Grab the dragonglass!" 

Edited June 1, 2016 by RedHawk

[boohiss13]

Hmmmmmmmmm..... i keep reading comments about Danaerys stating that she's essentially becoming the Mad King and that "attacking" Westeros, particularly with Dothraki, would be this horrendous act:  You do realize how utterly UNREALISTIC it is to expect anyone, even someone who is a good a decent ruler, to take power and to keep power without mass death is?  During this time a certain amount of rape occurring in a war is beyond expected and though I doubt she would be able to stop it entirely, I have no doubt that she will order her soldiers NOT to hurt women and children if it can be avoided.  I don't think she sounds anymore like the Mad King now than she did at the beginning of the series.  You have to remember WHO she was making that speech to........you have to tailor your words for your audience.  If she'd said "we'll take kings landing, but no harm will come to the sweet women and children...blah blah" it would've sounded ABSURD and the Dothraki respect STRENGTH.  The story needed to bring her to a point where she has the huge sized army she needs and, soon, the ships she will need.  I believe Yara and the Iron Born are going to come into play in this part.

And Arya........she had to be trained somehow, and now she has been.  She has no problem killing, it just seems her father's since of justice is now occurring to her.  I also wonder if Jaqen sending the Waif to kill her, or ALLOWING her to, may in fact be a sort of final test, and I'm even wondering if this isn't some sort of test not just for Arya, but the Waif as well.  The Waif clearly has a personal issue here and WANTS to kill Arya, so much so she got a promise from Jaqen she could.........this flies in the face of the Faceless Men not killing for personal reasons......so, though it may not even be brought up, I think it might be a test for them both........assassin pitted against assassin; who wins?  And whoever loses, their face is added to the hall.  I don't think Arya will become an ACTUAL Faceless Man...........though I suppose it is possible the FM's have some sort of interest in Westeros that coincides with Arya's family perhaps; I never thought it was an accident that Jaqen attached himself to Arya the way he did.  But even if none of that is true, she will have gained the training she'll need to continue.

[CletusMusashi]

As much as I sort of like A Man, the whole Faceless arc thus far feels kind of halfassed. First of all, how the hell do you run an intercontinental assassin's guild with only three people, two of which are pretty new to the game? I mean, sure, there might be a hundred field agents running around in other countries, but as far as running the home office, you've got one master, one apprentice who doesn't give a flying fuck about the home office, and one journeywoman whose main job seems to be "hating apprentices." So if Stannis had decided to spend his loan money on an assassin, how would that work, exactly? Would he pay for A Man and get Amanda? Or would A Man go do the job, leaving two pissy teenagers in charge, to burn the temple to the ground trying to kill each other?

And, even in the next challenge to come, what exactly will Arya's lessons be good for? She's learned the fighting tricks of a faceless girl? Okay... so she knows...the same exact shit as her opponent, but with less time for real practice and internalization. Since A Man himself said that Water Dancers and Faceless Men are different things entirely, I'd love to see Arya whip out of some of her old training, but... she won't. For one thing, the narrative has been clear for a long time that she is nowhere near Syrio-level, nor should we expect her to be after, what? A month of training in Season One? Also, there really is no big, definitive Chekhov's Lesson. Or if there is, it would have to be on the level of "According to Faceless tradition, whoever catches the most cats is the winner of this assassin duel!" Which... is not going to happen. I hope.

Honestly, the only thing Arya really knows that Amanda doesn't, as far as I can think of right now, is the importance of armor and big fucking weapons. But how the hell she would go about concealing the procurement and bearing of such things, I have no idea. 

I do hope she joins the actors, though. I'd watch a whole season of just them touring Dorne.

Edited June 1, 2016 by CletusMusashi

[CletusMusashi]

39 minutes ago, CletusMusashi said:

As much as I sort of like A Man, the whole Faceless arc thus far feels kind of halfassed. First of all, how the hell do you run an intercontinental assassin's guild with only three people, two of which are pretty new to the game? I mean, sure, there might be a hundred field agents running around in other countries, but as far as running the home office, you've got one master, one apprentice who doesn't give a flying fuck about the home office, and one journeywoman whose main job seems to be "hating apprentices." So if Stannis had decided to spend his loan money on an assassin, how would that work, exactly? Would he pay for A Man and get Amanda? Or would A Man go do the job, leaving two pissy teenagers in charge, to burn the temple to the ground trying to kill each other?

And, even in the next challenge to come, what exactly will Arya's lessons be good for? She's learned the fighting tricks of a faceless girl? Okay... so she knows...the same exact shit as her opponent, but with less time for real practice and internalization. Since A Man himself said that Water Dancers and Faceless Men are different things entirely, I'd love to see Arya whip out of some of her old training, but... she won't. For one thing, the narrative has been clear for a long time that she is nowhere near Syrio-level, nor should we expect her to be after, what? A month of training in Season One? Also, there really is no big, definitive Chekhov's Lesson. Or if there is, it would have to be on the level of "According to Faceless tradition, whoever catches the most cats is the winner of this assassin duel!" Which... is not going to happen. I hope.

Honestly, the only thing Arya really knows that Amanda maybe theoretically doesn't yet, as far as I can think of right now, is the importance of armor and big fucking weapons over fancy ninja skill. But how the hell she would go about concealing the procurement and bearing of such items, I have no idea. 

I do hope she joins the actors, though. I'd watch a whole season of just them touring Dorne.

[DigitalCount]

I know you were probably trying to edit, but I want to read that post as you saying "And one more thing" and then repeating what you just said. Also, I don't think Amanda (great name btw) is particularly unskilled at carrying out assassinations. I don't think for a second that she's going to take out Arya, though she will probably get the drop on her pretty handily...which seems kind of unrealistic as I type it out because if for whatever reason it turns into hand-to-hand Amanda should have that matchup 10/10 times.

[paigow]

8 hours ago, CletusMusashi said:

As much as I sort of like A Man, the whole Faceless arc thus far feels kind of halfassed. First of all, how the hell do you run an intercontinental assassin's guild with only three people, two of which are pretty new to the game?

A Man used to work at Dunder Mifflin...

[DarkRaichu]

13 hours ago, CletusMusashi said:

Honestly, the only thing Arya really knows that Amanda doesn't, as far as I can think of right now, is the importance of armor and big fucking weapons. But how the hell she would go about concealing the procurement and bearing of such things, I have no idea. 

I do hope she joins the actors, though. I'd watch a whole season of just them touring Dorne.

Hmm, if the Waif always obeyed the Man, then presumably the Man never needed to blind her like he did Arya.  Since Arya was used to training / getting beat up without relying on her eyesight, then fighting in total darkness was her best bet in fighting the Waif.

Yes to touring Dorne, but I also want them to visit Meereen if only to see Tyrion's reaction to the play

[RedHawk]

1 hour ago, DarkRaichu said:

Hmm, if the Waif always obeyed the Man, then presumably the Man never needed to blind her like he did Arya.  Since Arya was used to training / getting beat up without relying on her eyesight, then fighting in total darkness was her best bet in fighting the Waif.

Yes to touring Dorne, but I also want them to visit Meereen if only to see Tyrion's reaction to the play

I think Tyrion would totally grab onto the troupe as a propaganda unit. He and Richard E. Grant would have fabulous fight over the scripts!

Also, Arya and Tyrion would be an interesting reunion.

[Cyranetta]

The one thing that took me out of Westeros reality was the scene with Dany's speech, but not because of the repetition of previous Dany-speeches.

There didn't seem to be a single Dothraki rider or horse that looked tempted to bolt when this very big dragon was so very close. I would have expected a Large Scattering of Dothraki rather than the obedient masses.

[Dobian]

Poor Sam, he seems to have Tyrion's daddy issues.

I had to cheer when Arya went back for her sword.  Time to get back to being a Stark!

I had to laugh at Dani's rallying speech.  Basically, "It's all about me, you're going to die so I can have it all!  Are you with me!!"

I'd like to go back and count the episodes that have nothing to do with Dani but end with her making some dramatic display.

Edited June 1, 2016 by Dobian

[Taget]

On 5/31/2016 at 7:48 PM, Cynna said:

I can't tell if you're being funny here or if this really happened - did it?

 

I was being snarky but did she have a threesome with Renly and her brother?.  It was suggested by Margaery though never actually seen.  Third episode of season 2.  And given she saw what state her brother was in and how much her admonition to stay strong probably had no affect on him whatsoever it is a safe bet that he is probably talking up a storm and detailing times and dates of pretty much everything.  So she needs a better plan than to deny everything, and stay silent and locked away.  She (and perhaps Tommen) had one.  If Cersei tipped off Tommen about what Mace and Jaime had cooked up perhaps they gave that information to The High Sparrow in an unstated quid pro quo that involved Jaime being puntkicked from the city.  Or it's happenstance and she gave her atonement to try to get out (and risk the walk of shame) so she can plot her next move outside prison and things just worked out better than she thought.  But the two Tyrell siblings "staying strong" in the face of their jailers clearly was off the table with Loras being all but broken.

19 hours ago, CletusMusashi said:

As much as I sort of like A Man, the whole Faceless arc thus far feels kind of halfassed. First of all, how the hell do you run an intercontinental assassin's guild with only three people, two of which are pretty new to the game? I mean, sure, there might be a hundred field agents running around in other countries, but as far as running the home office, you've got one master, one apprentice who doesn't give a flying fuck about the home office, and one journeywoman whose main job seems to be "hating apprentices." So if Stannis had decided to spend his loan money on an assassin, how would that work, exactly? Would he pay for A Man and get Amanda? Or would A Man go do the job, leaving two pissy teenagers in charge, to burn the temple to the ground trying to kill each other?

And, even in the next challenge to come, what exactly will Arya's lessons be good for? She's learned the fighting tricks of a faceless girl? Okay... so she knows...the same exact shit as her opponent, but with less time for real practice and internalization. Since A Man himself said that Water Dancers and Faceless Men are different things entirely, I'd love to see Arya whip out of some of her old training, but... she won't. For one thing, the narrative has been clear for a long time that she is nowhere near Syrio-level, nor should we expect her to be after, what? A month of training in Season One? Also, there really is no big, definitive Chekhov's Lesson. Or if there is, it would have to be on the level of "According to Faceless tradition, whoever catches the most cats is the winner of this assassin duel!" Which... is not going to happen. I hope.

Honestly, the only thing Arya really knows that Amanda doesn't, as far as I can think of right now, is the importance of armor and big fucking weapons. But how the hell she would go about concealing the procurement and bearing of such things, I have no idea. 

I do hope she joins the actors, though. I'd watch a whole season of just them touring Dorne.

My theory is Jaquen and the Waif are just faces she is allowed to see.  And who knows who they really are.  One face is used when they want her to see "good cop" the other when they want her to see "bad cop."   Even in the scene where the waif "reports" to Jaquen I don't see either as necessarily being one or the other.  But them arriving at a consensus that "a girl" must "pay."  It also of course saves $$ on casting.

As for what they are teaching her.  Subterfuge and blind obedience.   Kicking her around is to tear her down and diminish her sense of self worth and importance.  And the missions and the choice involving figures representing - real or imagined- she'd be familiar with is to teach her that her memories and her very belief systems are to be shed as worthless as she enters the death cult.  That her only own job is to lie, cheat, and steal in order to follow orders and make sure someone who the cult received money to murder is murdered without mercy or delay.  Or put another way she is being groomed to join the Manson family.

Edited June 2, 2016 by Taget
Did a quick rewatch and realized I needed to clarify something.

[CletusMusashi]

16 hours ago, DigitalCount said:

I know you were probably trying to edit, but I want to read that post as you saying "And one more thing" and then repeating what you just said. 

Understandable urge. I didn't even realize that glitch had happened. My bad.

[Nanrad]

On May 30, 2016 at 1:37 PM, dramachick said:

Littlefinger hated Catelyn because she witnessed his greatest humiliation at the hands of Brandon Stark.  He loved her at one time, but that love died and became a thirst for revenge.  He hates the Tully and Stark families and wants to see them destroyed. 

Honestly, I think it's a mix. LF is still in love with Cat while simultaneously wanting to get revenge for her turning him down. Him losing to Brandon was only his greatest humiliation because Cat didn't want to be with him. Just like when Cat turned him down AFTER Ned died--he was upset again and hellbent on turning the world over. He's obsessed with Cat and since he couldn't have her (or her daughter), he wants to burn everything and everyone and make sure they are more miserable than he is. 

On May 31, 2016 at 6:28 AM, DarkRaichu said:

Jaqueen is like the Gandalf of GoT world, he arrived precisely when and where he wanted to.  The question became who originally paid him to look after Arya, maybe water dancing instructor?

He wasn't paid to look after Arya, he was in debt to her. Arya saved his life when he was stuck in a cage or whatever and he was about to die due a fight that broke out and/or fire that spreaded. He asked Arya to save him and she did. So, he owed her three deaths. They became close during this time and he gave her a coin and told her if ever she came Braavos, visit him.

On May 31, 2016 at 7:23 AM, terrymct said:

If feels like Arya's time with the Faceless Men was largely a waste. Ok, she learned some assassin skills, but it's not like the place really did any training. She was supposed to pick it up from having her butt kicked regularly. Seems inefficient. From here on out, she'll have to battle her nemesis chick then move back to Westeros to start working on her list? If the nemesis chick doesn't come back to the temple, with Jaquen come after her? This plot line has been less than satisfying. 

Arya's training was supposed to come in phases. And everything that she eventually learned, it took her a while because she kept fighting it and wanted to become a FM man due to ulterior motives. But, she learned how to control her anger and blend in and she learned her purpose. Arya's journey was identity and how she can't divorce who she was to become no one. But, since she can't do that, her training has taught her to rein in her passion and play the roles she needs to in order to achieve her goals. And, with the impending battle, that seems crucial for whatever role she needs play then.

[Isazouzi]

7 hours ago, Taget said:

I was being snarky but did she have a threesome with Renly and her brother?.  It was suggested by Margaery though never actually seen.  Third episode of season 2. 

Not that it changes anything, but if I remember correctly, she suggested the threesome to Renly in order to help him, but he refused and it never happened.

[nurse1]

After finally watching this episode....I agree with everyone about Arya and the Waif...this is the final test and nothing better happen to my girl Arya! I just want the Waif to get beat and beat badly!!

[BigBeagle]

Quote

Honestly, I think it's a mix. LF is still in love with Cat while simultaneously wanting to get revenge for her turning him down. Him losing to Brandon was only his greatest humiliation because Cat didn't want to be with him. Just like when Cat turned him down AFTER Ned died--he was upset again and hellbent on turning the world over. He's obsessed with Cat and since he couldn't have her (or her daughter), he wants to burn everything and everyone and make sure they are more miserable than he is. 

I keep remembering Varys' words to the effect that Little Finger would by perfectly happy to see Westeros burn, as long as he could be king of the ashes.

Quote

After finally watching this episode....I agree with everyone about Arya and the Waif...this is the final test and nothing better happen to my girl Arya! I just want the Waif to get beat and beat badly!!

This Sunday on HBO ... Braavos Thunderdome! Two girls enter! Only one girl leaves!

[paigow]

12 hours ago, nurse1 said:

After finally watching this episode....I agree with everyone about Arya and the Waif...this is the final test and nothing better happen to my girl Arya! I just want the Waif to get beat and beat badly!!

There should be a Braavosian graffiti artist that paints "Waif Not Far" on a wall, but Jaquen reads it as "Waif Not Fair" and thus allows Arya to win and become leader of the Unfair Waifs.

[annsterg]

I agree with previous posters: there has to be SOME element of the supernatural with the Faceless Men, despite us seeing the physical creation of the faces.

When Jacquen left Arya at Harrenhal, he explicitly turned around and within seconds was a completely different person -- not just the face but the hair, body, voice, everything. Not only was there not time for him to fit on some mask...that doesn't account for the entire person change.

Not to mention, where could prisoner Jacquen have been concealing that new face? or the handy dandy poison and darts he used to kill Amory Lorch (sp?)?

I would have liked to see more of the practical side of Arya/FM training: how to mix poison. how to construct and use a dart. How to kill a large number of people really fast (like Jacquen did with all those guards at Harrenhal as Arya and Co were making their escape).

I guess she never made it to that level?

[hks]

On 5/30/2016 at 11:09 PM, Taget said:

For someone like Tommen without blood legitimacy and megalomaniac ambition he would have no choice but to have someone such as the Faith Militant say the Gods favor him regardless of his parentage. 

Cersei is very smug and certain that the mountain is fighting for her.  Smugness on a show such as this is always foreshadowing that the opposite may happen.

Someone in this topic thread (I can't find who it was ETA - HA! Taget it was you, the person I just quoted!) floated out a crazy prediction, which I found fascinating: In this trial of combat, the Faith Militant would put up Tommen as their fighter against The Mountain. I don't know if this would ever happen, I don't know if Tommen would ever be brain-washed enough to do that.  But if it did happen, it would mean all sorts of things!  Cersei would be forced to basically kill off her son or plead guilty to her crimes. And I assume Cersei would have to plead guilty - she does love her children more than anything, right? This would effectively end Cersei, either put to death or sentenced in jail - which might be Margery's plan after all. I don't know. That one prediction led to a trail of theories in my head, and I now really hope it comes true.  

Edited June 3, 2016 by hks

[Cynna]

9 hours ago, hks said:

Someone in this topic thread (I can't find who it was ETA - HA! Taget it was you, the person I just quoted!) floated out a crazy prediction, which I found fascinating: In this trial of combat, the Faith Militant would put up Tommen as their fighter against The Mountain. I don't know if this would ever happen, I don't know if Tommen would ever be brain-washed enough to do that.  But if it did happen, it would mean all sorts of things!  Cersei would be forced to basically kill off her son or plead guilty to her crimes. And I assume Cersei would have to plead guilty - she does love her children more than anything, right? This would effectively end Cersei, either put to death or sentenced in jail - which might be Margery's plan after all. I don't know. That one prediction led to a trail of theories in my head, and I now really hope it comes true.  

I concur - I've figured this is going to happen, given the way Cersei has smugly mentioned that The Mountain would be standing up for her - the way it's been emphasized suggests that something will mess with that, and combined with the prophesy, having Tommen go up against The Mountain seems the most logical move.

[Nascar]

I don't understand the High Sparrow's game plan.  If he puts Cersei on trial and she's guilty of having sex with Jamie, then Tommen's not king and has no claim to the throne.  If she's innocent, then he loses his moral authority by trying and imprisoning and innocent person.  Doesn't make sense.

[paigow]

4 hours ago, Nascar said:

I don't understand the High Sparrow's game plan.  If he puts Cersei on trial and she's guilty of having sex with Jamie, then Tommen's not king and has no claim to the throne.  If she's innocent, then he loses his moral authority by trying and imprisoning and innocent person.  Doesn't make sense.

 

If Tommen has to abdicate...Sparrow takes throne. Cersei innocent...divine judgement...honest mistake...oopsy... 

[Lady S.]

[The Companion]

On 5/29/2016 at 10:23 PM, Luckylyn said:

I'm pretty certain Margery will destroy the Sparrows from within.  She knows how to play the long game. 

So, it looks like Jaime and Brienne will be reunited which I'm thrilled about.  I loved their dynamic. Still, they will be on different sides of the Tully/Frey conflict.  They will be pleased to see each other on the one hand but their bond will be strained.  Brienne and Tyrion are the only ones capable of inspiring Jaime to be more than Cersi's lapdog.  He defied Cersei by helping Tyrion escape and by sending Brienne to protect Sansa instead of sending someone to kill Sansa like Cersei wanted.  Jaime's story may improve by Brienne reminding him he is capable of more or he will prove to be incapable of severing himself from Cersi's influence.  I only really find Jaime interesting when he's with Brienne or Tyrion.     Also, I'm dying to see Jaime's reaction to Tormund awkward courtship of Brienne.

Margaery seemed to make an almost relieved face when the army showed up. I think she has something up her sleeve. She certainly didn't seem to be coming at this from a position of weakness. The question becomes whether or not she is coming at if from a position of faith, and it certainly seems questionable given what we have seen and what we know. I am not sure what her end game will be, but I hope it is more than to devolve into one of the faithful, blindly following a holy man. We already saw that with Stannis. 

I agree 100% on Jamie. He was way more interesting when he didn't just follow Cersei around and close off the rest of the world. We have seen that he has a lot of empathy and he can be a very good ally, when he isn't creepily obsessed with his sister. I actively refute the idea that they are better together (which they seem to believe). Jamie, at least, is far more interesting and a better person when he is not with his sister. 

On 5/29/2016 at 10:23 PM, mojoween said:

Not going to lie...until tonight I did not know that horses could climb stairs.

Random observation: my distant cousin and his wife are veterinarians, and his wife used to work for the Royal Family in England. She once told me that one of the horses she treated had one job, which was to go down stairs with someone on his or her back playing a horn of some sort (it has been a long time, so I don't recall the specific instrument). 

On 5/29/2016 at 11:04 PM, beeble said:

I'm not sure I buy Arya's exit from the assassin club. She sailed there, went hungry, abandoned her possessions, begged to be let in, cleaned corpses, went blind, suffered, got beaten, resisted temptation, and then decided with her first assignment that it just wasn't for her. I thought she had more sticktoitiveness.

It was disappointing to have invested so much time in a storyline that didn't pay off in that sense, but I really think Arya had a completely different view of what she was signing up for. Sure, the man agreed to kill three people for her with no inquiry into why she would want them dead, but in her eyes he killed three baddies. He also implied that she could come to assassin school and then pursue her own revenge list. It became increasingly apparent that her belief that these were assassins fighting for justice was completely misplaced. They were straight mercenaries. In the end, she didn't want to be a weapon for someone else, particularly if it meant killing innocents. 

On 5/30/2016 at 3:04 AM, CouchPotatoNoLife said:

I think it was meant to show that she still has a humanity. She wants to kill the people that wronged her and her family, but she doesnt want to just become a random uncaring human weapon.

I used to think Jaqen was a good person, but now I realize that he is totally amoral, not immoral, but amoral. He has no morals at all. He kills because someone pays his organization to kill someone else. If it is for a justified reason it will be a justified kill, if it is a unjustified reason, it will be an injustice.

Arya saw Jaqen's abilities and wanted to learn from him in order to become strong enough to take revenge on her enemies. She realized the cost was too high, and that if she was going to progress further she was going to have to kill good people.

 

I think this is exactly it. I was a little worried she thought she could just walk away, but she did seem to know that danger was coming, so hopefully she can extract herself.

On 5/30/2016 at 8:40 AM, Bad Example said:

 

I was hoping before the season started that we'd never see Sam and Gilly again... not because I don't like them, but because then I could imagine they were just living happily ever after, the end.  In any case, Baby Sam is so adorable and S&G couldn't have done better if they'd trained him, the way he was reaching for Mama Tarly.  Who is lovely, Sam's sister is lovely, and I don't know why I was surprised, since Sam clearly didn't get his personality from dear old dad.  Their dresses, however.... especially the one that Gilly wore... looked straight out of the Simplicity historical pattern selection, available at a Jo-Ann fabrics near you.

Baby Sam was adorable. He was grinning away. I was looking at Mama Tarly and wondering how she ended up with such a terrible person when I remembered that choosing your spouse isn't often an option for these families. It looks like she has done the best with what she was given, and her children have followed in her example (except possibly her son who we really didn't get much of a read on). As far as the dresses, I agree that they were not of the same quality as the ones we have seen elsewhere, but I am going to fanwank that it was an intentional choice. We have seen Sansa praised as an exceptional seamstress. The other people we see changing dresses are often in the palace (presumably with access to the most fashionable choices). While rich, the Tarlys do not appear to be particularly well connected, and presumably to the extent that they are making their own clothes, like Sansa, there should be a different level of expertise. 

As for Dany, any episode in which she rides a dragon is an episode I enjoy, personally.