S06.E10: The Winds of Winter

[OakGoblinFly]

11 hours ago, Amarsir said:

That was the track that made me go find the Season 6 Soundtrack on iTunes. (It's Song 3: Light of the Seven for those just wanting that song.)

Also, his name now sits next to director Miguel Sapochnik in my mind as someone to watch out for. Lots of Emmy-quality work tonight.

Except as I understand it, The Battle of the Bastards (also directed by Miguel Sapocknik) was the only episode that HBO submitted for Emmy submission (actors submit their own reels).

[Avaleigh]

1 hour ago, Gertrude said:

I get why Lyanna would support Jon over Sansa too, but there are small holes in Jon's support all around that kind of took me out of the moment a bit. I was torn a bit and just decided to go with it. As I recall, Lyanna wasn't terribly impressed with Jon at their meeting either. Davos, on the other hand ...

Like I mentioned earlier, Bran is still out there, death unconfirmed and about to return to the land of the living. That will be quite embarrassing all around when he returns to Winterfell and asks what's going on :p (I believe Bran's role is not ultimately Lord of Winterfell, but in the books it's set up completely differently and is more organic. Robb's will, Sansa is still married to a Lannister and missing, Bran/Rickon/Arya are presumed dead by all, and I presume it will be clearer to everyone involved that Jon was resurrected and quite special, not just a dirty deserter. Seriously though, has this even been addressed by anyone not at the Wall when it happened?)

One thing I recall in ACoK is the northern lords always staring at Bran, whispering about him, and openly pitying him and Bran hating it.. Manderly is one of the few who doesn't treat Bran like he's a broken thing who makes them uncomfortable and needs to be pitied. I bring this up because I think this is an indication that the northern lords would prefer having Jon in charge over Bran even though Bran has the better claim. 

That being said, I can still see Bran eventually becoming the Lord of Winterfell or KitN after all is said and done. I definitely see him returning to Winterfell in the foreseeable future. 

[MarySNJ]

1 hour ago, Gertrude said:

I get why Lyanna would support Jon over Sansa too, but there are small holes in Jon's support all around that kind of took me out of the moment a bit. I was torn a bit and just decided to go with it. As I recall, Lyanna wasn't terribly impressed with Jon at their meeting either. Davos, on the other hand ...

Like I mentioned earlier, Bran is still out there, death unconfirmed and about to return to the land of the living. That will be quite embarrassing all around when he returns to Winterfell and asks what's going on :p (I believe Bran's role is not ultimately Lord of Winterfell, but in the books it's set up completely differently and is more organic. Robb's will, Sansa is still married to a Lannister and missing, Bran/Rickon/Arya are presumed dead by all, and I presume it will be clearer to everyone involved that Jon was resurrected and quite special, not just a dirty deserter. Seriously though, has this even been addressed by anyone not at the Wall when it happened?)

My 2 cents:. Lady Mormont respects a warrior. Her mother was one. Her Uncle and Grandfather were warriors. She knows that Jon fought hand to hand amongst his Northmen to take back Winterfell and defeat the Boltons. Sansa may have had Vale Army ex Machina in her back pocket, but it was Jon who put his own life on the line to fight for it, just like warrior kings before him. While there is a blood connection between Jon and Ned (less direct than most people believe), he won the North's fealty by fighting for it. 

[Hana Chan]

To me, it totally makes sense why Sansa would be 100% in favor on Jon taking over the title of not just Lord of Winterfell, but KITN. If Sansa had tried to claim the title for herself (and she would have legitimacy since she was, as Littlefinger pointed out, the eldest trueborn child of Ned still living), she would have been very vulnerable. She would be in Littlefinger's debt, and we know full well that he would do everything possible to manipulate Sansa into doing what he wanted. Holding the title would also make her a very valuable marriage commodity and since she's not capable of leading an army (as she's got no training or experience), she more than likely would find herself forced into a marriage for protection. And frankly, given that Littlefinger basically gave her to the Boltons, where she suffered so terribly, she would have to have 90% of her brains sucked out to ever trust him. Use him, yes. But never trust him.

Jon assuming the titles protects her from that. He's made it clear that her safety is a major priority of his and it's hard to imagine him ever forcing her into a marriage that she doesn't want and he's got the loyalty of a huge bunch of Wildlings to enforce his will. Jon is a nice man-bun wearing shield to protect Sansa from harm which is a lot more than Bran (who is paralyzed) or even Arya would be capable of doing. And Jon trusts her enough that she would be a close council to him and she would be able to exert a lot of influence through him. She could have the best of both worlds.

Sansa never struck me as someone who desires power, in the way that Cersi does. When she was younger and more naive, she craved status and social standing, but not the power to rule. And what she wants now is safety and the person that she is most in danger from is Littlefinger. Setting up Jon as not just Lord Stark, but KITN will go a long way to keeping Littlefinger a safe distance from her.

Edited June 27, 2016 by Hana Chan

[Scaeva]

Sansa should take Littlefinger up on his offer. Once they're married and Littlefinger is no longer useful to her, arrange for Brienne to shove him out the Moon Door. She'd control the Vale, get revenge for Ned, and out Littlefinger Littlefinger.

It would be really dark turn for the character of course, but would make for entertaining TV.

[Oscirus]

4 minutes ago, Scaeva said:

Sansa should take Littlefinger up on his offer. Once they're married and Littlefinger is no longer useful to her, arrange for Brienne to shove him out the Moon Door. She'd control the Vale, get revenge for Ned, and out Littlefinger Littlefinger.

It would be really dark turn for the character of course, but would make for entertaining TV.

Littlefinger controls the Vale through sweet robin. Her killing off LF doesn't give her control of Robin.

[Hana Chan]

5 minutes ago, Avaleigh said:

One thing I recall in ACoK is the northern lords always staring at Bran, whispering about him, and openly pitying him and Bran hating it.. Manderly is one of the few who doesn't treat Bran like he's a broken thing who makes them uncomfortable and needs to be pitied. I bring this up because I think this is an indication that the northern lords would prefer having Jon in charge over Bran even though Bran has the better claim. 

That being said, I can still see Bran eventually becoming the Lord of Winterfell or KitN after all is said and done. I definitely see him returning to Winterfell in the foreseeable future. 

Bran may have claim by right of bloodline, but he's just not capable of doing the job. Being paralyzed would make it impossible for him to command an army and the Lord of Winterfell is first and foremost the front line to protect the northern boundaries of Westeros. Sansa doesn't have the experience to lead an army. Arya would be the best candidate after Jon, but her experiences and particular style of combat training make me question her ability to play well with others.

It was not completely unusual for legitimately born children to be set aside in favor of someone better suited for ruling. In some cultures, like the Vikings, it was pretty typical that the best leader and not necessarily a son of the ruler, would take over. The Lords of the North are aware that Jon's blood claim to Winterfell is dubious at best, but out of all of Ned's heirs he's the best suited to lead. And I think that Sansa (and Bran and Arya) will be in full agreement on that.

[MarySNJ]

5 minutes ago, Scaeva said:

Sansa should take Littlefinger up on his offer. Once they're married and Littlefinger is no longer useful to her, arrange for Brienne to shove him out the Moon Door. She'd control the Vale, get revenge for Ned, and out Littlefinger Littlefinger.

It would be really dark turn for the character of course, but would make for entertaining TV.

I wondered if perhaps, in an effort to protect Jon from Littlefinger, Sansa might agree to marry him and give some assurance to support his ambitions for the Iron Throne. From there, she could plan LF's unfortunate demise by accidentally being trampled in a stampede, or something equally mundane. 

[BooBear]

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A female friend was watching the episode with me and asked where she could get a dress like that.

Reminded me of a cenobite - from Hellraiser.

Couple of thoughts

-I think people are getting the sexual assault of Ulenna from a spoiler that said "gregor has his way with her" but I didn't see that on the show. He was very clearly up by her head when Cersi closed the door. I think he did gouge her eyes out and torture her but I think Cersi wanted her to suffer in the way she had.

- I also find it funny that Cersi just killed like what 1000s of people that were gathered for the trial and outside it. Innocent and guilty alike, and stole the crown, at the cost of her son. Who she didn't seem to care that much about, but we are all a twitter about Ulenna.

- I have no idea why people think Lyanna would support Sansa who I don't think even wants the job and has no significant experience in leading anything. John was the lord commander and has allies of his own, plus, in this world.. guys are always looked to first.  Not to mention that her (father?) had picked John as his hand picked successor.

- I don't have any clue why anyone would think Sansa's look at the end would be about teaming up with Littlefinger. I think she is afraid Littlefinger is going to make trouble for Jon and her and I honestly think she is wondering if she is going to have to take him out now that she has declared that she is not on board with his plan.

- I am just very confused about Arya. Watching "no one" again this weekend I thought I got that Jaquan was saying that since she bested the waif she was truly a skilled assassin and "no one"-- meaning a skilled assassin. And her saying no I am Arya Stark was her saying I am skilled so skilled I am not going to sit around here and do work for you. To which Jaquan seems to laugh at her arrogance.  But then this episode she is all using faces like a skilled faceless man. Someone dropped the ball on this plot line. I think they need to correct it next year.

[vibeology]

25 minutes ago, Avaleigh said:

As people have mentioned, not only do we have more than one example of Starkcest but the Targaryens were all about it. Why establish all of that if it isn't to prepare people for something down the road with Dany and/or Jon? Incest just isn't viewed in the same way in the world of asoiaf as it is in our world when you have the royal family openly practicing it for hundreds of years and people being okay with it even when the Targaryens didn't have dragons to back them up. Frankly, people in the story seem to have had bigger issues with polygamy regarding the Targaryens than the incest.

The Spanish Hapsburgs had serious consequences for those uncle/niece unions but the Starks don't seem to have produced monstrosities that we know of. (I've long theorized that the wolf blood is strong in the Starks because of the various examples of them keeping marital unions in the family.) The monstrosities with the Targaryens seem to be more about the blood magic that ties them to dragons rather than it being about the incest since these people are ridiculously inbred, but generation after generation after generation produced beautiful, talented, and capable children and this certainly wouldn't be the case in our world. Sure, there are exceptions like Maelys the Monstrous but that type of offspring wasn't typical. 

The biggest consequence is the streak of madness that runs in the Targaryen family and I feel like a lot of that can be attributed to them being in an environment where people are in positions of power and are allowed to get away with doing sick and crazy stuff because the average person isn't necessarily able to prevent it because of the imbalance of power. All one has to do is look at the world book to realize that incest doesn't have to be part of the equation to produce insanely cruel rulers. 

I think the big difference between the Starks and Targaryens in terms of incest is the Starks have done it a couple of times in their past and the Targaryens have been marrying each other for 300 years with only a few exceptions. Incest isn't going to weaken the gene pool if it happens a half dozen times over a thousand years but the Targs do it constantly.

[Tara Ariano]

In case you missed it, here's the Previously.TV post on the episode!

Game Of Thrones Sails Into Winter

But don't worry; there's plenty of fire to keep you warm.

[Raachel2008]

4 hours ago, domina89 said:

I am there with you.  I can't get behind the Jon/Sansa pairing.  I just can't.  Too weird.  I would like to see Sansa with Tyrion, actually.  Lady Mormont is smart, loyal and is the master of the guilt trip.  Plus I think she has a little crush on Jon.  She is definitely worth the wait.

Lyanna is a child, and in ten years she will still be someone Jon has known since she was a child, thus yuck-wrong-just-no factor at maximum level there.

The Jon/Sansa pairing is the stuff of a million fanfics and equally yuck-wrong-just-no. They are not true siblings, but they were raised as brother and sister, and, above it all, they've seen and still see themselves as brother and sister. There is no way to go for a Jon/Sansa pairing without alienating a huge part of the audience. 

Dany and Jon are aunt and nephew, and the yuck-wrong-just-no factor is there, too, but since they never knew they were family and they have never shared a single scene on screen, I would say - and I could be totally wrong - that the normal viewer out there wouldn't care as much as Jon/Sansa if D&D went there. I'm not saying they will, but they sure as hell will milk Dany/Jon, fire/ice, etc, in whatever shape or form for all it is worth, when and if those two finally meet.

[Door]

Everyone has covered all I wanted to say about this episode so I'll just leave the niggling questions I have regarding the dragons. They're all boys, aren't they? What is the lifespan of a dragon? Are they the last resurgence of dragons ever to be or could more fossilized eggs be transformed by Dany? It's bittersweet that they miraculously hatch but there will never be others.

[Funzlerks]

If the showrunners don't mention that Danerys is his aunt, I can imagine it not dawning on a lot of people.  Daenerys hasn't mentioned Rhaegar in some time.  I also think Daenerys is a chasm of excitement in one on one scenes, so I can't imagine the pairing translating well on screen.  Kit Harrington does pretty well in those scenes, though, and has so much chemistry with female costars that people ship Jon and his sister.  But even Peter Dinklage can't even get much from Emilia Clarke and he has charisma to spare.  He has lost his mojo this season, though.

[stillshimpy]

Well that was fun, I did wonder if Littlefinger knows damned well who Jon actually is though.  The look between Littlefinger and Sansa at the end was not of someone whose plot has been spoiled or ruined.  He still looked like he thought things were going along in the direction he wanted.  It was a little unnerving.  

He's always been the best villain of the piece, so whereas I was creeped out, I was also a little jazzed by ye olde "by the pricking pg my thumbs, something wicked this way comes" vibe that LF tends to give off anyway.  Sansa didn't look triumphant, Littlefinger didn't look defeated and poor freaking Jon only thinks he knows what he knows.  So that's what occurred to me, LF is the only person we've seen speak about Lyanna and Rhaegar and he was doing so with Sansa.  There were other people in that room with Lyanna, Ned and Howland wouldn't simply kill the nurses.  "Someone told, someone always tells" (or was it talks?) from the books.  

When I read the books I was pretty flabbergasted by how obvious Martin made it from the first books that a) Ned had a secret b) it was about his sister and making a promise to her c) he thought about it obsessively but never gave the alleged woman he supposedly screwed even one thought.  Therefore, kind of obvious that Jon wasn't his kid considering Ned barely ever had a chapter without thinking about the "Promise me, Ned..."   

The way that scene was played though, I don't think Lyanna went with Rhaegar willingly in this version of the story because there's zero confessional  vibe to that scene.  She's just glad to see Ned, even though she knows she's dying.  No conflict, no regret, no "sorry how my relationship choices got most of our family killed, oopsie" vibe to it all.  In the show I don't think they are going to play it that Lyanna went with Rhaegar of her own volition.  We'll see, but I did get at least a bit of laugh out of the fact that the show still didn't entirely confirm Jon's parentage.  Why the whisper, show?  Why?  

 

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Golly, golly, go-oolly❗ That library for Maester studies. Luved it❗   Want to luxuriate and bask in it.

That scene made Sam's entire story this season worthwhile.  

 

So most of this episode seemed to be as much about contract renewals as anything else.  Hehe, way to thin the cast herd.  "Daario, stay.  Bye!"  *Most of the cast of King's Landing blows the fuck up, Big Bird wasn't much of a player in the long run anyway, thus ends the most insulting LGBTQ story of modern TV and that TV trope list just got longer* but for all that clearing of the chess board I really enjoyed this episode and greatly, GREATLY appreciate the narrative momentum that Martin has entirely lost sight of how to achieve.  

Edited June 27, 2016 by stillshimpy

[FemmyV]

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Mya Stone said:
The first 25 minutes was eerily reminiscent of Michael Corleone's ascension, and the music was amazing.

Yes! Everything from the tone, the music, and how much of it played out like Michael's settling of debts.

This episode left me wishing I haven't looked at so many spoilers. I knew it all was coming, the only surprise - if any - was the theatrics in how it played out.

KL: Cersei looked great in her military-themed dress, which pretty much screamed 'this girl is going to put up a fight.' Had to admire the way she enjoyed her wine and watched. Alas ... I'm going to miss Margaery, she was one of my faves. Marg was a great example of a female character who was totally at peace with her gender, understood its limitations, and adapted to just about every circumstance thrown at her, in her quest to be "THE" Queen. Gay husband? No problem. Sadist husband? Dealing with it. Boy husband? Well .. she made him a happy boy, at least. And she had the best of HS, too, it's just a shame he was too arrogant, in the end, to let her go when he finally realized where Marg's real priority was.

Tommen, we hardly knew ye. Ironic that, if Cersei hadn't felt the need to unleash the Mountain on Septa Unella, he might have remained with Tommen and prevented that. But that's why we still tolerate Cersie as a heavy, six years in: she always gets bitten in the ass by her schemes.

Dorne: Watching this scene made me go back to wondering WTF season 5 was even for. Was it really necessary to waste so much time, just to set up Myrcella's death? Was it really necessary to kill off Doran? Happy to see Highgarden and Dorne hookup against Cersei, but I just can't believe the awfulness we were subjected to, to get to this point.

Citadel: Nice to get a look at the library, but really, couldn't have Sam simply sent a raven? "Dearest Jon, Gilly and I ..." I normally enjoy Sam & Gilly, but this scene was soooo out of place in the episode.

The Twins: I enjoyed Jaime putting Walder in his place. At first I wondered if the serving girl was Arya but passed because: face. Lovely mirroring of Cersei's promise to Septa Unella (mine will be the last face you see before you die), a la Stark. But then again: when did Arya learn how to cook? "They're here, Sir." On edit: As fun as it was, I'm a little concerned about the Frey pies being given to Arya (instead of Manderly) to deliver. It may have been justice, but it was Cersei-style justice, not Mercy. I hope she finds Nymeria and Jon, fast.

North of the Wall: Finally, the Reveal! Sort of. We still don't know how Bran will interpret the info.

The North: I was very intrigued by the blocking of the Sansa / Jon scene on the battlements, and again, at the table. They are similar, they are apart. All thanks to the show’s writers for finally allowing Sansa to have an operating brain; she’s finally less of a stupid, selfish, bitch, and I can finally enjoy the character. Her relationship with LF is fascinating: she is learning she has power over him; she knows she shouldn't trust him; and yet, if he gets his heart's wish, he might offer her the greatest protection she could ask for, along with a more realistic version of the queenship she once wanted.

If Jon doesn't wind up marrying Dany or Arya, give Lyanna Mormont a few years, she's awesome, and probably, maybe has a wee crush on KotN. I'm sort of sorry to see Mel go. Yeah, she's an albatross, but an interesting one at that. She's far more useful, humbled, and Jon needs all the help he can get.  Davos was great in that scene, but Mel had a good point. Stannis and Selyse both gave the green light, and Davos himself knew there was a reason Stannis ordered him out of camp.

Dany & Co: At long last! On to Westeros we go. I still have some small fear that Daario may try to sell her out in the long run but I'm glad to see him becoming history — this actor was never really Daario Naharis to me, anyway. Love that Tyrion is Hand, once again.

Some things to Poi Dog Ponder:

Will someone release Edmure and if so, will he re-take Riverrun?

Is Bran going to bring the NK's mark south of the Wall?

What's going to happen when Tyrion and Olenna meet again? Will she clear his name in Joff's death?

When is someone going to tell Sansa the story about how LF held a knife to Ned Stark's throat, in the throne room?

Who will ally with Cersei? Is LF too far gone, in bringing the Vale knights to the North, to give the appearance of loyalty?

How will the Ironborn split affect things?

When is Jon going to give the order for all the North to start burning their dead?

Where is Robyn Arryn?

 

Quote

14 hours ago, mac123x said:
Who is Dany going to marry?  No male Tyrells, Martels, Barratheons.  Robin Arryn is a moron, Euron Greyjoy is insane, Edmure is in prison unless Arya let him loose.  I guess Jon wins by default.

If Jaime turns on Cersei, there's another possibility, if Tyrion will rubber stamp it. I guess now is the time for the turning out of cousins we've not previously met.

Edited June 27, 2016 by FemmyV

[Raachel2008]

5 hours ago, FiveByFive said:

 

• I simply love the fact that Sansa is not stupid enough to trust Little Finger. Of all of the characters on the show I now like her the best. It's been a struggle. I couldn't stand her when the show started and now she is one of the wisest players in the game. Jon would be dead without her at his side. Kat would be proud. 
•  

Catelyn wouldn't be paying attention to whatever Sansa has accomplished, Catelyn would be foaming extremely pissed to see Jon Snow, Ned's bastard son she hated/despised her entire marriage being chosen King of the North.

[Keely]

2 hours ago, Auntie Velvet said:

No, the SHOW certainly wasn't glossing over her actions. It's always been a brutal universe, and I certainly wouldn't censor or condemn it. But I'm just not understanding the Yaaas Queen FAN reaction out there. 

I'm not quite in the yesss, Queen! area but I freely admit I smirked when she got hold of the nun whom I found insufferable. I hate Cersei with a passion but I hated the High Sparrow and the religious nuts far more. I did cheer when they went down. That I'm a gay woman certainly influences that. I've found this entire storyline really hard to choke down, suffer through and watch. I left the room last year during Cersei's walk of shame. I've not seen the entire thing and likely never will. Nope, not hear for that noise. (I've left during certain other scenes as well.) This storyline has been a little too close to home for me. I've not been able to maintain any distance between fantasy and oh, say, turning on the nightly news and seeing madness. I'm not saying I'd personally burn down all those who oppose me but neither was I able to feel anything but happiness when they died on the show.

[stagmania]

9 minutes ago, Funzlerks said:

If the showrunners don't mention that Danerys is his aunt, I can imagine it not dawning on a lot of people.  

This. There are apparently a lot of people who still don't understand that Jon is a Targaryen after last night's reveal. If they don't put too much emphasis on it, I'm sure some audience members won't even realize they're aunt/nephew, or won't dwell on it enough to be bothered. Given the show's established history of incestuous relationships, the explicit mention of Daenerys preparing for a political marriage, the fact that they're adults who've never met before, their thematic representation of the union of ice and fire...I think this is very likely. And I'm not sure how I feel about that.

[MadMouse]

If Jon had a Targ name its one Lyanna gave him since its more than likely Rhaegar believed he was going to be his Visenya. My guess is its Daeron from hints dropped in the books.

In the books it was pretty obvious Shireen had a crush on Jon, so I could see them doing that with Lady Mormont. It also adds more depth to secondary character and makes her less of a one dimensional character.

On the subject of Jon with Sansa or Dany. Dany expected to marry Viserys or Aegon so her getting with Jon would be no big deal. The same with Sansa, there's a reason why they were the most distance Stark siblings. As for Jon's reaction, I would wait and see. Cousin marriages were normal so Sansa is OK in that regard. Dany being his aunt is a hurdle but she's supposedly the most beautiful woman on the planet plus that marriage brings huge benefits to both of them.

[Avaleigh]

12 minutes ago, Raachel2008 said:

Catelyn wouldn't be paying attention to whatever Sansa has accomplished, Catelyn would be foaming extremely pissed to see Jon Snow, Ned's bastard son she hated/despised her entire marriage being chosen King of the North.

Oh, if she'd been buried, she'd be fucking spinning in rage right about now. 

[benteen]

9 minutes ago, Avaleigh said:

Oh, if she'd been buried, she'd be fucking spinning in rage right about now. 

Heheh.  I'd say it would be enough to make Catelyn go all Lady Stoneheart and rise from the grave.

Sam stealing Heartsbane and his father not hunting him down is pure contrived television.  I get Randyll not telling his men about it because it would be deeply embarrassing.  But there's no way Sam would be able to get to Oldtown alive after what he did.

Edited June 27, 2016 by benteen

[Haleth]

Dany said Daario needed to stay until the Meereneese held elections.  We could see him again with his Second Sons after he is no longer needed in Meereen, but probably not.

19 minutes ago, Door said:

Everyone has covered all I wanted to say about this episode so I'll just leave the niggling questions I have regarding the dragons. They're all boys, aren't they? What is the lifespan of a dragon? Are they the last resurgence of dragons ever to be or could more fossilized eggs be transformed by Dany? It's bittersweet that they miraculously hatch but there will never be others.

Dragons, like some real lizards can change their sex as needed for the species to survive.

[anyanka323]

21 minutes ago, FemmyV said:

Yes! Everything from the tone, the music, and how much of it played out like Michael's settling of debts.

This episode left me wishing I haven't looked at so many spoilers. I knew it all was coming, the only surprise - if any - was the theatrics in how it played out.

KL: Cersei looked great in her military-themed dress, which pretty much screamed 'this girl is going to put up a fight.' Had to admire the way she enjoyed her wine and watched. Alas ... I'm going to miss Margaery, she was one of my faves. Marg was a great example of a female character who was totally at peace with her gender, understood its limitations, and adapted to just about every circumstance thrown at her, in her quest to be "THE" Queen. Gay husband? No problem. Sadist husband? Dealing with it. Boy husband? Well .. she made him a happy boy, at least. And she had the best of HS, too, it's just a shame he was too arrogant, in the end, to let her go when he finally realized where Marg's real priority was.

Tommen, we hardly knew ye. Ironic that, if Cersei hadn't felt the need to unleash the Mountain on Septa Unella, he might have remained with Tommen and prevented that. But that's why we still tolerate Cersie as a heavy, six years in: she always gets bitten in the ass by her schemes.

 

Cersei's always had someone to cover for her and/or bail her out when her schemes don't work out.  Tywin sent Tyrion to deputize for him when her and Joffrey screwed up by executing Ned and letting Arya get away.  That bought some time of stability.  Kevan stepped in when she unleashed the Faith to go after Margaery and had her effectively on the sidelines.  She has no one left who will challenge her or give her good advice.  She may have to deal with a more mundane but serious crisis when the QoT stops sending food from Highgarden to King's Landing as a result of Cersei blowing up the Sept.

[Neko]

Not much to say that hasn't already been said, except...I think the final shot of Dany sailing had to have been from Dorne or Highgarden, since there were Dorne and Highgarden banners in the background.  So, that scene happened after she had already landed in Westeros and gained Ellaria and Olenna's support.  Varys does not have a magical teleporter, unfortunately.

I wonder if Cersei will consider marrying again to make new heirs?  And if so, who will she marry?  The only person she would want to be with is Jaime, but there is no way he would go along with that now, even if Cersei is Supreme Darth Ruler and can make her own rules.  Who does that leave?  Littlefinger?  That would make him King Consort, and he would be quite pleased with that.  He could bring the Vale with him, and a Cersei/Littlefinger/Vale combo would be a formidable enough foe for the North.  Too bad Cersei was too stupid to not check in on the younger, more beautiful queen across the water with three dragons and an ever-growing army.  She was so convinced the YMBQ had to be Margaery, she forgot all about Dany.  Just like she was so convinced the Volanqar had to be Tyrion, she didn't even entertain the notion it might be Jaime.  Classic, dumbass Cersei move.

Add me to the list of those who are ICK at the thought of Jon and Sansa marrying.  I'm sorry, but they were raised as siblings, and they just can't cast that aside and bang, even if this is a world where siblings bang/marry each other.  Jon and Sansa were not raised with that as the norm, so I can't see them going, "Oh, we're just cousins!  Let's go for it!".  Oddly enough, though, I don't feel quite so strongly about Jon and Dany.  Since they weren't raised in the same household and never knew each other as kids, I wouldn't be *as* grossed out by them as I would Jon/Sansa.  Go figure.

Great casting choice for Lyanna Stark; that girl looked *just like* Kit Harington.  And, because it can't be said enough, great music.  The first twenty minutes was highly disturbing, and the music added a lot to that. *applause*

[InsertWordHere]

2 hours ago, Ambrosefolly said:

Hopefully he can take comfort in everything Ned did to protect Jon, which includes betraying his best friend and lying to his wife. I wonder if Ned's over investment in honor, (which led to his death) might have been triggered by this.

I think Ned's "honor" was all rooted in the same thing: He would never stand for seeing innocent children butchered because of who their parents were. It's why he left King's Landing in a huff after Rhaegar's children were killed, we he tried to save Cersei's children, why he tried to get Gendry out of the city, and why he fought Robert to save Dany. Ned chose to sacrifice his honor to save Arya and Sansa (yes, I know his actions caused them to be in peril in the first place) by admitting to treason in front of all of King's Landing. Jon and Aemon once had a conversation about what Ned would do if he had to choose between honor on the one hand and love on the other, and Jon said Ned would do what was right, which is what he did, both on the steps of Baelor and at the Tower of Joy.

2 hours ago, Alapaki said:

We had that shot of Theon looking at the Ironborn flag, now reduced to a small pennant on the back of the ship, whilst Yara's ships now fly under an unambiguously and unequivocally Targaryean Dragon Sail.  

I thought the Greyjoy ships still had Kraken sails, just like the Tyrell and Martell ships still had their sigils on the sails. I think Theon was just waiting for the wind to change.  

9 minutes ago, stagmania said:

the fact that they're adults who've never met before

This is why Jon and Dany doesn't bother me. They weren't raised as family. In fact, Dany and Rhaegar and Jon and Rhaegar never knew each other. Neither child knew Aerys or Rhaella either. Other than being blood related, Dany and Jon have more of a connection through Ned with Dany's hatred of him and his actions to try to stop her assassination than they do through Rhaegar. Granted, I think the Targs need an infusion of new blood after two consecutive generations of sibling unions, and Jon would only bring his half Stark blood into the mix, but if Dany's infertile, this doesn't much matter. 

[FemmyV]

7 minutes ago, anyanka323 said:

Cersei's always had someone to cover for her and/or bail her out when her schemes don't work out.  Tywin sent Tyrion to deputize for him when her and Joffrey screwed up by executing Ned and letting Arya get away.  That bought some time of stability.  Kevan stepped in when she unleashed the Faith to go after Margaery and had her effectively on the sidelines.  She has no one left who will challenge her or give her good advice.  She may have to deal with a more mundane but serious crisis when the QoT stops sending food from Highgarden to King's Landing as a result of Cersei blowing up the Sept.

All that. And who does she have left, now? Qyburn and Mountain. Two very "yes," men.

[Haleth]

7 minutes ago, InsertWordHere said:

but if Dany's infertile, this doesn't much matter. 

Dany thinks she is infertile, but I have a feeling that will change.

[Arnella]

Quote

Dany thinks she is infertile, but I have a feeling that will change.

Why would she think that after having a pregnancy already.  The witch only demanded one life for Drogo.  It's more likely Dario is sterile.

[Nanrad]

9 hours ago, OhOkayWhat said:

I agree with this. She is a super complex character, and I do not think it is easy to define what is happening with her. I know she still has love inside her heart.....but there are a lot of darkness layers around it. Too much darkness, too much death. She is becoming Death itself slowly. And someone who knows about death and also is NOT part of a assassins group (even if he has HUGE issues himself) is Sandor. I hope they reunite and help each other. She has been alone for so long. She needs her family too. A lot.

Right, and that's one of the hugest tragedies of Arya. She's totally alone and her coping mechanism is so dark and destructive. But, it's clear that she's not emotionless or uncaring. She's just lost and confused when it comes to anything other than revenge. 

7 hours ago, FiveByFive said:

Poor Margaery ... then again, maybe not so much. She failed at playing the Game of Thrones for several reasons:

1.  She gave the High Sparrow more power by supporting him.
2.  She then convinced the King to support him which gave him more power.
3.  (And the most important) She underestimated Cersei.

Underestimating your opponent in this world, is cause enough for death.

She was a master manipulator but she failed to realize her opponents were bat-crap crazy in the end. (Actually she did realize it but it was too late.) Cersei simply wanted it more and was willing to do anything to get control of the Kingdom back.

Yes, she was playing the Game of Thrones, but in a way that allowed her to leave NOT get the throne.

1. She supported him to safely get herself and her brother out. 

2. The only way for her to safely get out was by convincing the king to support him.

3. You'll always underestimate crazy. Even Jaime underestimated her.

There is no way to adequately plan for crazy. Margaery hasn't been concerned about Cersei in a while, she's just been trying to get out of the HS clutches and getting her and her family back to High Garden.

Since she wasn't going up against Cersei and the HS was, she didn't see Cersei as an opponent, which I guess you could argue is folly. But, Cersei was the one who overplayed her hand, and then the HS overplayed his and pushed her into a corner, which is why Cersei did her most ruthless action to date.

3 hours ago, FurryFury said:

The only weak moment was Tommen's suicide - it felt contrived and not explained well at all. 

I don't feel as though it was contrived. Every since they got married, it's clear that Tommen only really cared about Margaery and the rest was just stuff he had to do. But, he wasn't made to be a king and he's naive and easily manipulated. His mom just killed his wife and a fuck ton of other people, but most importantly his wife, Tommen killing himself was shocking, but not a surprise. 

2 hours ago, Raachel2008 said:

Lyanna is a child, and in ten years she will still be someone Jon has known since she was a child, thus yuck-wrong-just-no factor at maximum level there.

Unless Jon is actively apart of her life--as in raising her or being a brother figure, I don't see the yuck factor. Eventually, love interest or not, he'd have to stop seeing her as a child. You can't forever see someone as the age you first met them.

ETA: Catelyn is probably rolling over whenever the hell she is with Jon being Lord of Winterfell and KITN. Her worst nightmare came true. 

Edited June 27, 2016 by Nanrad
typos

[BigBeagle]

14 minutes ago, InsertWordHere said:

3 hours ago, Alapaki said:

We had that shot of Theon looking at the Ironborn flag, now reduced to a small pennant on the back of the ship, whilst Yara's ships now fly under an unambiguously and unequivocally Targaryean Dragon Sail.  

I thought the Greyjoy ships still had Kraken sails, just like the Tyrell and Martell ships still had their sigils on the sails. I think Theon was just waiting for the wind to change.  

Having rewatched that scene for the umpteeth time, I interpret the looks on everyone's faces as realizing that shit just got very, very real ... there's no more talking about it or dreaming about it -- the war is ON. If some of the folks seemed disquieted about it, that's only natural.

[Shanna Marie]

5 minutes ago, Nanrad said:

Every since they got married, it's clear that Tommen only really cared about Margaery and the rest was just stuff he had to do. But, he wasn't made to be a king and he's naive and easily manipulated. His mom just killed his wife and a fuck ton of other people, but most importantly his wife, Tommen killing himself was shocking, but not a surprise. 

I would add to that the fact that Margaery may have been faking piety to play a long game against the High Sparrow, but Tommen was a true believer. Margaery manipulated him into that, but his faith seems to have been genuine. Now he's watched his holy place, his spiritual leader, the rest of his brethren in the faith, and his wife go up in a puff of green smoke. I'm not sure how aware he was that Cersei did it, though -- we see the Mountain forcing him to stay in his room as proof that Cersei set it up and was keeping him safe, but was he sophisticated enough to realize that? Might he have thought that Cersei didn't want him to see her go on trial, so he thought Cersei was in the sept, too, when it blew up?

As awful as the High Sparrow was, I have to admit to being on Team Sparrow in all dealings with Cersei because she's so awful and he was in the position he was in because of her. Anything she suffered at his hands, she brought on herself because she was the one who gave him the power to do that when she thought it would only be aimed at Margaery, and she was too stupid and arrogant to consider that people who live in glass houses shouldn't arm religious fanatics and put them in positions of power. If Margaery or Loras had brought him down, I'd be cheering, but it was Cersei's fault that he needed to be brought down, and a lot of innocents were slaughtered in the process, so it's hard to see what happened as any kind of moral victory since Cersei came out on top (at least for the time being).

[jellysalmon]

As one of the biggest Lannister apologists out there, this was irredeemable from Cersei. I mean screw the High Sparrow and his holier-than-thou ways, but yeesh. Also I know she felt like she was stuck in a corner, but her current position doesn't seem much better.

Gunning for her: 

• Dorne + Tyrell Armies. Relatively untouched and fresh.
• Varys, Olenna, Tyrion, Ellaria. 4 people who are pretty good schemers.
• Dany + dragons + Dothraki + Unsullied.
• Arya?
• General populace? They didn't like her to begin with, so the thought of them killing their Queen and spiritual leader won't go over well.
• Brotherhood without Banners (+ The Hound)? Maybe. They supposed to protect the people and lots of people were killed in that explosion.

Who does she have on her side?

• Qyburn + little kids with knives.
• Zombountain.
• Jaime? (Not for long)
• Freys
• Boltons

Who can she recruit? And she better do some Tywin-tier letter writing or else her reign will be shorter than Tommen's.

• Euron Greyjoy
• Littlefinger/Vale

[Hecate7]

17 hours ago, lovebug1975 said:

me thinks jamie is ready to cut the cersei umbilical chord.  his personality was been flip flopping this season, with brienne bringing out the best in him.  after thsi cersei move and the death of their last child....i think there is no more chord to tie them together.

Except for the fact that he appears to be sororosexual--only capable of sexual attraction to his sister. Other women have been throwing themselves at him all of his life, and he has literally never even noticed. But I think it is probably fitting that he go celibate now, since the entire time he was under an oath of celibacy, it was really just a secret marriage to Cersei. I finally figured out why I am so fond of Jaime--it's that everything that really matters to him in life, has to be a secret, from his most heroic deed to the love of his life, to the paternity of his children. Nothing about him can actually be known. Now that the children are all dead, he could actually marry Cersei--there's no risk, and who would stop them? But now that he can, he won't--I doubt he can even stand to look at her after what she's done.

[Eyes High]

I can't remember whether it was on this or another board, but someone made the genius observation that Lancel died trying to do what Jaime successfully did (preventing mass murder by wildfire). Oh, Lancel. A low-rent Jaime even in death.

Don't know how I feel about Arya in her servant girl guise eyefucking Jaime. There's going to be some weird fic written about that, I'm sure.

Edited June 27, 2016 by Eyes High

[polyhymnia]

I thought Tyrion telling Dany that she was now in the great game was ridiculous.   She's been in it her whole life - just moved from pawn to queen (or whatever corresponding pieces there are in crevasse).

My new explanation of Arya is that the face thing really is magical rather than physical.  Yes, I know it isn't supported by the material but it makes more sense than her carting a bag o' faces along.

[stillshimpy]

Quote

I would add to that the fact that Margaery may have been faking piety to play a long game against the High Sparrow, but Tommen was a true believer. Margaery manipulated him into that, but his faith seems to have been genuine. Now he's watched his holy place, his spiritual leader, the rest of his brethren in the faith, and his wife go up in a puff of green smoke. I'm not sure how aware he was that Cersei did it, though -- we see the Mountain forcing him to stay in his room as proof that Cersei set it up and was keeping him safe, but was he sophisticated enough to realize that? Might he have thought that Cersei didn't want him to see her go on trial, so he thought Cersei was in the sept, too, when it blew up?

I think Tommen understood that Cersei was behind the bombing, because his mother's bodyguard blocking him from going would sort of tip that hand.  

But beyond Tommen being an under-developed character with very few discernible personality traits: he has no one.  Robert was apparently an almost entirely disinterested parent.  Cersei is Cersei, she seemed to care about him in the show version, but Tommen had been persuaded to entirely turn his back on her and essentially condemn her to death by making her stand trial. She's the only person he has left in that entire world.  His sister is gone and he seemed genuinely fond of Myrcella, his father is gone, his wife is gone and then -- although they never let us see it develop -- his newly minted and anointed surrogate-father-figure, the High Sparrow, has just been blown to the Seven Kingdoms Yet To Come Inn and Tavern.   

I agree that scene wasn't really earned in this episode because -- and this is no fault of the young actor, he was punching way above his weight in terms of emotional knowledge and understaning he'd need to convey with no dialogue to help him -- the performance was a bit vacant, because that's too much for a 16-year-old actor to bring to emotional life without a word, "My everything, my life, my faith, my kingdom and all I've got left is my mother....who I was going to allow to die and she knows it....is gone.  Bereft, abandoned and entirely alone, I've come to the end of me" would be a steep hill for an adult, trained actor to hike.  Kid couldn't do it and I completely get why.  

I feel like I ought to say something about the scene in Dorne.  So.....okay.  The Bitter Woman's Club Convenes in Dorne with the Queen of Thorne's holding the gavel.  Have fun.  Please do so primarily off my screen, Sand Snakes.  Although in fairness they've improved. 

Arya gets Manderly's Frey Pie story, Walder dies (and there was much rejoicing, likely among his family) and sure, Lady Mormont is played by a child actor who can bring the gravitas, but realistically, not only was that not her speech to give because Davos is the only reason she was loyal to the Starks to that end, it just diminishes the concept of honor in the North when the only people who have it are children.  

Edited June 27, 2016 by stillshimpy

[ulkis]

17 minutes ago, polyhymnia said:

I thought Tyrion telling Dany that she was now in the great game was ridiculous.   She's been in it her whole life - just moved from pawn to queen (or whatever corresponding pieces there are in crevasse).

Poor Tyrion has been stuck making witty remarks that are really just Thank You Captain Obvious lines for a while now.

I think at this point I think Cat would just be happy Sansa has survived. (and Arya and Ned). Not that she wouldn't be gritting her teeth about Jon being proclaimed King in the North but that wouldn't matter more to her than Sansa's safety.

Edited June 27, 2016 by ulkis

[BigBeagle]

Quote

My new explanation of Arya is that the face thing really is magical rather than physical.  Yes, I know it isn't supported by the material but it makes more sense than her carting a bag o' faces along.

I prefer to look at it along the lines as sausage-making ... Spare me the details, just let me enjoy the final product.

[Raachel2008]

1 hour ago, Sweet Summer Child said:

..I think the final shot of Dany sailing had to have been from Dorne or Highgarden, since there were Dorne and Highgarden banners in the background.  So, that scene happened after she had already landed in Westeros and gained Ellaria and Olenna's support.  Varys does not have a magical teleporter, unfortunately.

 

This is the kind of lame writing that could have been solved with quick stuff like Dany asking Tyrion how long until Varys would come back and if he would be sucessfull, Tyrion saying a couple of weeks and that he would, cut to Olenna promising  she will do whatever it takes to take Cersei down, Varys entering the scene and Ellaria saying 'you have our ships/ressources'.

Edited June 27, 2016 by Raachel2008

[Funzlerks]

I thought Frey pie was like regular sausage with some toes and fingers thrown in for the big reveal.  Because that is too much work.  But maybe she is like Sansa and just super elite at chores.

I do like Arya traveling with a bag of faces though.  I wish they had gone with how it was in season 2 with Jaqen just shaking his face into a new one.  Much better than the Scooby reveals.

[Advance35]

Quote

If Margaery or Loras had brought him down, I'd be cheering, but it was Cersei's fault that he needed to be brought down, and a lot of innocents were slaughtered in the process, so it's hard to see what happened as any kind of moral victory since Cersei came out on top (at least for the time being).

It's sad to me because I think ULTIMATELY Margaery was clever enough to outplay the High Sparrow in the long run and I don't think it would have involved her killing thousands of people.   I honestly now believe that we will get to know Willas and Garlan a little better in "The Winds of Winter"" (if it ever comes out) only for them to die as a result of Cersei's scheme and it will be Olenna would will remain.   Having lost everything in the Game of Thrones.   Though I do think the show is an accurate representation of how Olenna will react to the whole mess.  Whatever happens to Olenna, I do think she will spend the rest of her life and the entirety of the Tyrell resources trying to destroy everything that's left of House Lannister.    And the High Sparrow took root because the people of Kings Landing were tired of suffering under House Lannister's tyranny.   Cersei and Joffrey built the High Sparrow and his followers in more ways than one.

And all those people in the Throne room are now probably, officially Royal Hostages.  I imagine Great Sept killed all of the A-List nobility in Kings Landing (it's been said in the past that only the creme de la creme get to attend the events held there, and the remainder of the nobility was waiting to hear all about it.  NOW the second tier are now the first tier and they are confined to the Red Keep by the Mad Queen who's in possession on Wildfire.   They are all in Sansa's shoes now.

[Knuckles]

After Arya sliced old Walder's throat, did she think to free Edmure, who'd been clapped back in the cells again? Or will she let him rot? He is a Tully, after all.

[Misplaced]

So many, many thoughts.

Cersei + KL -- wow, Lena Headey brought on the full crazy.  "This is Ser Gregor Clegane. He's quiet, too."  Eeeyaaaggghhhh skin crawly feelings!  Count me among the ones who thought Frankenmountain was gouging out Septa U's eyes -- he was standing right by her head when she starting screaming, er, her head off.  (Also, random, but I first saw Hannah Waddingham as the Lady of the Lake in Spamalot, so every time she appears on screen I want to laugh...but I can't.) 

Tommen -- that was SO well done -- his rapid steps away from the window and back again reminded me of something but I can't put my finger on it.  Double points for Cersei's level of crazy that if she had gone to her son instead of having Torture Time with the Septa, Tommen might have lived.  There must be something meaningful in Cersei insisting he be burned: I wondered if it was because Tommen's lovely blond head was a stack of mush, whereas Joffrey and Myrcella were unblemished and beautiful in death.  

Citadel: the only scene that kind of annoyed me.  I am really tired of Sam always playing the fool. The city scene screamed "Alexandria!" at me and the library however was gorgeous; I want to go there now please.  But WTH, Gilly and the Toddler are going to hang around in the vestibule for the next ten months?  

Frey Pie!  Awwwww I loved Frey Pie.  Related, I thought Manderly saying "yeah, I didn't stand up for you, man" was complete book-fan trolling. 

Poor Davos ...lost his son, lost Shireen.  Liam Cunningham was awesome, I could *feel* his rage and despair.  And Mel's line "So did her father. So did her mother"  just gutted him, you could see it in his face.  Amazing.  Love that guy.   

I think that is the first time Sansa has been kissed in this series by a man who wasn't trying to abuse or control her.  (Is that right?  Do we ever see Ned or her brothers kiss her?) 

And a speculation spoiler-tagged:

Spoiler

Martin has said the ending would be "bittersweet" -- I wonder if the bittersweet ending = Jon never finding out his true parentage.  Would be very George, particularly if Jon ends up King in the North "in spite of" being a bastard.  

Loved the ep, loved the whole season, even the mediocre episodes -- it's been all about resolution! Plot development!  Things happening!  Stuff moving forward!  And Littlefinger's (now Varys', and Arya's) Tardis has to be gentle trolling at Martin's extended travelogues...how glad I am not to be following every step of those.  

ETA: Arya ... weirdly, the thing that struck me (no pun) in Arya's scene was how much she has grown .... maybe because I've seen a lot of stills of itty bitty Arya in the first couple of seasons lately (she was so tiny!).  

Edited June 27, 2016 by Misplaced

[qtpye]

https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2016/06/3-reasons-why-littlefinger-is-way-worse-in-the-sho.html

 

Article that says show Little Finger does not compare to book Little Finger.

[RedheadZombie]

4 hours ago, annewithaneee said:

Cersei definitely unleashed the Mountain to rape the Septa, right? Or at least, that was part of what was on the misery menu? It turned my stomach, and I felt no catharsis with the "shame, shame, shame!" line Cersei delivered. 

Sansa, Dany, Yara, Lyanna Mormont etc have been delivering a lot of "whoooo empowerment!!" this season, which is a welcome change. However, if I'm reading this right and a character ordered a reanimated rapist-and-murderer to torture and rape a nun, that might make the top 10 most horrifying acts of sexual violence on this show even offscreen.

And it was a refreshingly rape-free season.  Until now. 

[Miles]

I'm a little miffed that they took out 2 big players in Margery and the High Sparrow like this. I probably wouldn't be as salty if it didn't feel so very deus ex machina.

How did Cercei get all that wild fire under the sept of baelor? I know what the show runners explaination is. It was put there by the mad king. But who in their right mind would just leave that much wild fire there for decades? That stuff is highly unstable! They can't even say that nobody knew about it, because Jamie talked about it before.

Plus didn't they previously say that all the wild fire was used in the battle of the black water?

This doesn't make any sense.

[Misplaced]

2 hours ago, FemmyV said:

Some things to Poi Dog Ponder:

Poi Dog Pondering!  Shout-out!

ETA: Sorry, nothing to do with GoT, just an awesome Chicago (+) band.  

[TaurusRose]

18 hours ago, Chris24601 said:

That will be when he'll need his cousin's hand in marriage to solidify his claim. Between the discussion of who gets the master bedroom (resolution: share it as a married couple), getting back to a good place complete with a forehead kiss and Sansa supporting Jon as King its only matter of time and learning Jon's true parentage giving them license.

I don't want to see Jon and Sansa married.  There's a major ick factor there.  They are first cousins and were raised to believe they were half siblings. Also, the Starks don't appear to have Targaryen/Lannister sensibilities when it comes to banging a blood relative.  I think Jon being King in the North could work if the North really wants him (because he still has Stark blood), his cousins back him (because he is the best choice) and HE wants the position.  Thing is, I don't know what Jon wants.  He seems reluctant to lead anything or anybody.  But if it turns out that he is Rhaegar's trueborn son, it will be interesting to see Dany's reaction to another legitimate claim to the IT.  It would also be interesting to see how all of Westeros reacts to the news.  I'm looking at you, Tyrion.  LOL

Edited June 28, 2016 by taurusrose

[glowbug]

I really loved this this episode and my excitement for season 7 is greater than it has been for any other season save season 2. I don't know how I'm going to survive the next 10 months.

The cinematography and soundtrack, as others have stated, were superb in this episode. Admittedly, I'm not someone who pays much attention to the background music while watching most shows and movies outside of musicals but I definitely noticed the music here. I was also impressed that despite including so many different settings, characters and scenes this episode didn't feel as choppy as some of the earlier episodes this season, particularly episode one, which I also loved. I think this episode benefited from spending an extended time in King's landing at the beginning of the episode.

This is one of the few times in recent episodes I felt that the show runners and Lena Heady were embracing Cersei's evil. It seems too often the show was making excuses for her, blaming her bad acts on being a misguided mother but this episode I thought there was some acknowledgement that Cersei's horrible actions go beyond that. With destroying the Sept and killing a bunch of innocent people in addition the High Sparrow and his Faith Militant, they've taken her to a place where her actions can't be justified. Jaime's look at the end suggests that he may finally have realized that Cersei is not who he thought she was. I can't wait to see the fallout between them next season. I now even more strongly believe he is the valonqar and destined to kill Cersei. 

Dany is finally on her way to Westeros! How I have longed for this plot development in either medium. I'm so glad we never have to see Mereen again. Dany setting aside Daario for a political match in Westeros was the first time I thought the show was very strongly hinting at a Jon/Dany pairing. At this point, he's the only logical choice. I'm a little baffled as to why anyone would think this wasn't an ideal political match, at least on Dany's part. Jon, as Rhaegar's son, is the only other person with a claim to the throne now that most of the other Houses, including the Baratheons have been wiped out. By marrying Jon, Dany would be allying with her only challenger, not weaken her position. And the argument that he wouldn't help her strengthen her claim in the south also doesn't hold water because Dany doesn't just want the South, she wants all of Westeros including the North. She doesn't need to marry someone in order to hold the south. The Lannisters are loyal through Tyrion, what's left of the Martells and Tyrells have made an alliance with her, the Riverlands are in shambles and the Ironborn through Yara and Theon are pledged to her. It's the North Dany has to win over and what better way than marrying the King in the North. Sure, she could attempt to conquer them with her dragons, but she doesn't want to do that if she can help it, and if Jon becomes a dragon rider, which seems likely in the books at least, it would not be an easy task. Whether you like the paring or not, it is politically advantageous. 

I really enjoyed the northern storyline too. I was happy to see Sansa acknowledge that she should have told Jon about the Vale. I also liked them talking about their father fondly and joking about how he always told them that winter was coming. It was such a real and heartwarming moment. I was glad to see Sansa reject Littlefinger and I was a little surprised that he showed his hand with her. She is his weakness and I definitely see her being his downfall next season. The actors have seemed to imply that he had gotten under her skin but from what I saw in the episode she seemed to be happy for Jon and not at all taken in by Littlefinger. I wonder if they know something we don't. I loved the northern lords declaring Jon King in the North. Ghost's presence was missing from the scene, though. I wish the show runners would prioritize the dire wolves more. The Tower of Joy reveal was a long time coming, though I do wish they had given us a little more than just Lyanna is Jon's mother because we already knew that. His name would have been nice or maybe answer some questions about the true nature of Lyanna and Rhaegar's relationship. Hopefully that will come next season whether through exposition or flashback. 

The only part I wasn't happy with in the episode (aside from the uselessness of Sam—I really wish his storyline had at least hinted at why we should care) was Arya. I know some people were disturbed by Sansa's smile last week but I found Arya's smile this week far more disturbing. I don't like the direction they're taking the character. I was hopeful after reclaiming her name that she would begin to heal but it looks like they're taking her down a darker path. I think they may be combining Arya and Lady Stoneheart, which saddens me. My only hope is that returning to Winterfell and reuniting with both Jon and Sansa can heal her. All the Stark children are going to have scars but I don't want them to be totally unrecognizable from the people they once were.

Overall, it was a great episode. We can only hope that GRRM releases The Winds of Winter between now and season 7 so we don't have to wait a full 10 months for more of this story. Doubtful, I know, but a girl can hope.