S04.E10: The Children

[Lord Cranley]

 but now KL is in chaos. Know who can get to KL and take advantage of that? 

 

Don't forget about Littliefinger. No one thrives on chaos as much as Littlefinger.

 

Although I'm pretty sure he'll do his puppetmastering safe atop the Eyrie rather than strolling back into the Lion's den, but one never knows.

[terrymct]

Speaking of Dragons, I can see why Dany locked up the 2 dragons but it looks like Drogon is the trouble maker not the smaller two. I felt bad for them, chained up in a dark crypt seems cruel.  

 

That was my thought as well when the door shut and it went black down there.  Why not give them some air and sun?   Will she accidentally make them crazy?   Why not chain them in a big courtyard or out in the countryside somewhere?

It's possible that he was one of the men on that ship, however I was hoping for original recipe Jaquen..

 

I think so, Jaquen in the previouslies said that if she gave that coin to a man from Braavos and said "Valar M.." they would take her to Braavos..or am I misremembering?

 

The captain said he couldn't take her North because he was going home to Braavos.  She then showed the coin, he seemed surprised she had it, then she used the phrase, then he gave her a knowing look and a salute and said he'd take her.   Jaquen said that any ship (or was it any Braavosi ship) would know the coin and phrase and would take her to the assassin school.

I think Bran is going to Worg Drogon.

 

Now THAT would be fun and a game changer.  It'd also be a way to get a dragon to Westeros despite Dany wanting to stay in Mereen.

[insubordination]

Wanted to post my impressions before reading all of your comments.

 

I was disappointed the episode opened with Jon Snow/the Wall – though I suppose it was necessary after last week. It just went on too long with too much talk of Ygritte. Was glad that Stannis appeared. I wasn’t expecting that. Where do they go from here? I feared for Jon when Milasandre looked at him.  Does she detect King’s Blood or want to sacrifice him? However, I think Jon needs other characters to interact with, so I’m happy with this development. Mance is a mystery to me.

 

This is the most interested I’ve ever been in the Bran sub-story. The buried snow skeletons were cool and I was genuinely shocked at some of the scenes. I’m not into magic/fantasy in general because it seems unfair and unbalanced for only some characters to have powers, but I confess I’m interested in where this is going.  I feel bad for Hodor. It sucks what is done to him. It’s as though he’s a weapon and not a human being.  I thought the creepy boy’s death was token – but the female actress was great as usual. I don’t want her and Bran to fall in love though. I can’t figure out how old the characters are supposed to be anyway.

 

Dany’s story went nowhere for me. I wasn’t the least bit interested.  I just re-watched the pilot for the first time the other day, and I was really interested in her character back then.  They need to move it along.

 

I was glad that Arya got her power/agency back and didn’t just go with Podrick and Brienne or heed to the Hound’s wishes to put him out of his misery. I wanted Arya to say something kind to him at the end, though he didn’t deserve it. I just feel that no one has ever said anything nice to the man and that he is a product of that treatment.   Brienne and the Hound’s battle was great to watch – very realistic and I was biting my finger the whole time because I didn’t know which character they’d kill off.

I wanted Arya to get her pastry though.  It’s amazing that the actress can still play very young at times and mature at others.

 

I was surprised that Cersei’s story fell flat for me, though Lena Heady is a good actress. I just thought Tywin would have already known and that she was being a bit too stupid and a risk-taker if he didn’t. I haven’t forgotten when Jamie raped her (though the director says he didn’t), so I was put off by the coupling for that reason – not because they are twins. Jaime did earn some points though for hugging his brother. Tyrion needed that- to know that someone gave a damn.  Jaime's  too forgiving of Cersei though, but then so is she of him.

 

No LF or Sansa? Maybe they are screwing next to the open moon door. I guess none of the guards bothered mentioning to them that ARYA STARK paid a visit. Not important info or anything.

 

I was spoiled only 10 days ago (by an asshole)  that Tyrion was going to kill Tywin. It’s a shame, but I was hoping that the event might be next season or the one after. It would have been quite a shock and I’m envious of the unspoiled who got to witness that. What did you think of it?

That said, I  don’t know why I never saw the thing with Shae coming. That….uh…whore!  I think Tyrion went too far killing them both, but I enjoyed watching it all the same and am going to re-watch, which I rarely do.

 

Tywin was as cool and dignified as can be, choosing his words carefully even if he may have been shitting himself (heh!). I wonder if he thought Tyrion had it in him. I think Tywin knew he might and was bargaining in the only way that he thought might have worked. As for Tyrion, I felt satisfied. All this time Tywin has withheld his love and approval, but in the end Tyrion flung his need for that love right back at him.  He made it clear Tywin isn’t good enough to be his father.

 

Since it all ended in patricide and homicide, I guess Tywin reaped the hatred he sowed.

 

RIP (or in hell) Tywin Lannister – there’s no scene of yours I didn’t relish. Charles Dance did an epic job.

 

Oh and yay Varys! I thought it could have gone either way with him and that he might change his mind and tell them to drop the crate into the sea. I can't wait for all the Varys/Tyrion scenes next season as Varys barely got any lines this season. I can’t imagine being excited about Kings Landing anymore with no Varys, Joffrey, Tywin, Tyrion, Oberyn, Majory’s mother etc.
Anyway, good finale for me. I'll be back.

Edited June 16, 2014 by insubordination

[millahnna]

My absolute favorite revelation of the whole episode is that Tywin did not know about the twincest; I'm deeply and truly surprised but in thinking back on the small bits of his limited soft side we've seen tiny glimpses of (out of the corner of our eyes if we squinted the right way) it kind of makes sense that his blinders about his kids was there in that regard. 

[Sarah D. Bunting]

Nick breaks down the finale!

[Quickbeam]

the fight of the year was Brienne v. The Hound.

 

That was fabulous. 

 

Stannis! I finally am interested in his character. Took a while. I still don't care much about Bram (who is growing up in that litter) or Danys. 

 

Probably alone here but happy to see Jaimie and Cersei back together. In some creepy, God-help-us-all way, it feels more genuine that anything else these two were going to do. 

[Drogo]

Leaving Sandor Clegane to die like that was the least Stark-like thing Arya has ever done. Not a proud moment. She should be ashamed.

 

I thought it was very telling when the Hound responded to BoT's claim of bringing Arya to safety:

 

"There is no safety, and if you believe there is, maybe you're not the one who should be protecting her."

 

Translation:  I, Sandor Clegane, should be protecting her.  Even though there's no one left to ransom her off to, protecting this girl is my duty now.  And she's the closest thing I'll ever have to a family.

 

Total BS to leave him there for the vultures. 

 

Fuck the King, and fuck you too, Arya. 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I just feel that no one has ever said anything nice to the man and that he is a product of that treatment.

I think the most sincere thing the Hound said to Arya when he was trying to convince her to kill him was when he said, "At least I'd have one happy memory." I think he has lived a truly miserable life. His brother was a total bully, their father didn't protect him, he was Joffrey's dog, everyone talked about his scary ugly face,  he lived in the shadow of his brother being a bigger and better (aka more violent) fighter, etc. I don't think he ever knew a moment of love or happiness. He knew how to hurt and kill. He tried to protect Sansa and then he tried to protect Arya (both of whom continued to show their disdain for him even while he was protecting them). And after all his years of loyal service to the crown, leaving got a price put on his head. I'm not denying all of the terrible things he did, but I do feel bad that he lived a miserable life, first under his brother and father's thumbs and then stuck carrying out Joffrey's insane orders.

 

Was the Clegane family noble? I know the Hound said a few times that he wasn't a knight but I don't remember much about his family except the story of how his brother burned his face.

 

Again, I'm not disregarding the fact that he said he enjoyed killing (although I wonder how much of that was just him keeping up appearances and cultivating his image because he'd rather be feared than pitied). His idea to become a sellsword in the free cities was actually perfect for him.

Edited June 16, 2014 by ElectricBoogaloo

[Haldebrandt]

 

?

Edited June 16, 2014 by Haldebrandt

[Rocket]

And the Hound could have figured out Brienne was no Lanister when she tried to make him surrender.

 

The Hound really was into the irony of being beat by a woman and that is beat straight out male contest of physical strength bash, slash and dirty trick style. 

 

I was a cool fight although I like the more flowing styles of skill vs strength of Viper vs Mountain.

[JTMacc99]

It is a strange feeling to believe that Arya did the wrong thing.

 

I guess I have to figure out why that is. My two options at the moment are 1) The Hound really was that bad of a guy and deserved to be left there, and I was simply blinded to that fact by the likeability of the actor playing him, or 2) Arya's life experiences are shaping her into a person I will not like.

[ACW]

When Mance asked Jon if Jon had been loyal to all of his Night's Watch vows, I was hoping that Jon would respond, "Well, according to my friend Sam...".

"Eatin's not cheatin'."

[Drogo]

 

Was the Clegane family noble? I know the Hound said a few times that he wasn't a knight but I don't remember much about his family except the story of how his brother burned his face.

 

I believe anytime there is a House Whatever (e.g. House Clegane) they are considered noblemen.  I believe to become a House they need to be bestowed that title by the King or liege Lord. 

 

I think the Hound holds high disregard for the word knight because his brother is a knight and well, he's the scum of the earth.

[LuciaMia]

 

The animal lover in me felt so horribly for what Dani had to do with her dragons :( broke my heart.

All too true. I had to change the channel when she started chaining them, then switched back with the 'mute' on cause you just knew they were going to start crying for her like puppies.  Kept waiting for Sarah MacLaughlin to start singing 'Angel.'

*********

I think Tywin knew all along the truth about his grandchildren. It was just the threat of Cersei making the knowledge public and confirmed that sealed the deal. (Or unsealed as far as her arranged marriage.)

 

Wonder what Tywin was reading on the privy?  The Kings Landing Gazzette?

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

Did they steal those skeletons from 'The Voyage Of Sinbad?"

 And so we have an episode trying to tie up some loose ends by throwing some more unknown characters at us.  A flame-throwing kid and an old guy who looks like Tony Randall in the 'Circus of Dr. Lao." 

 

And forgot to add, when the old guy said Bram would never walk again but would 'fly.'  Does Bram have a dragon in his future. Maybe that's where Drogo is going to end up.

Edited June 16, 2014 by LuciaMia

[KurlyGrl]

 

 

Right before he changed his face at the end of Season 2, Mr. H'gar said "Jaqen H'gar is dead" and I'm pretty sure he meant it.  To me, that line meant that once a Faceless Man assumes a new identity, he never goes back and assumes an old identity, which makes sense--it's probably one one of the many ways they avoid getting caught.  It's ever onward and upward in the life of a shape-shifting assassin.

I'd be pretty shocked if we seem J.H himself return to the GoT world, but since that actor is so beloved by fandom, maybe we'll get to see him in a dream sequence or in a vision or something

 

 

Now, see, why'd you have to say something so logical!!  There goes my hopes of ever seeing Jaqen again!!  Man, he was a hottie.  

 

 

 

My absolute favorite revelation of the whole episode is that Tywin did not know about the twincest; I'm deeply and truly surprised but in thinking back on the small bits of his limited soft side we've seen tiny glimpses of (out of the corner of our eyes if we squinted the right way) it kind of makes sense that his blinders about his kids was there in that regard.

 

 

Oh, he knew alright!!  That's the same as Slynt looking directly at the giants and still saying there are no such thing as giants.  

[Drogo]

 

"Breaker of Chains" my ass, Daenerys. 

 

I could just hear Jorah now if he were still in The Plastics:

 

"Daenerys, you're the Mother of Dragons.  Don't turn into the Casey Anthony of Dragons."

 

Let those two go and try to send the real problem child to a cozy island somewhere.  

 

Edited June 16, 2014 by Drogo

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I was offended on behalf of the two dragons who got chained up in the catacombs. It reminded me of when one kid in my elementary class did something bad and we all got punished. But in this case it's even worse because the kid eater isn't even being punished! He's still out there flying around and eating more kids while his siblings are the ones who got locked up. No fair!

[MrWhyt]

 

I was offended on behalf of the two dragons who got chained up in the catacombs.

Better to lock them up now before they start emulating Drogon and chomp down a few more kids. Dragons aren't slaves, but they're not exactly cuddly house pets either.

[KurlyGrl]

To all my fellow posters.  Let me just take a minute to say how much of a joy it was to discuss each GoT episode with you all.  You are all the most well-spoken, intelligent, insightful, thoughtful, welcoming people I have come across in a forum in a long time.  You all have a sharp eye, and ear, and can dissect a scene down to its microscopic level.  Your skill at divining is second to none.  Even when you disagree, you are all exceedingly polite and careful not to offend.  Not to mention you are all FUNNY as hell!!!  Some of the shit you guys say has me rolling on the floor!! Can’t tell you how many times I cracked up laughing.  It’s been a great season of discussions, guys.  Looking forward to next year.  Hope that wasn't too sappy!!  LOL!!  

[SoWindsor]

Was Jon north of the wall when he went out to meet Mace? If so, Stannis was too. How did Stannis's men get North of the wall anyhow?

[Drogo]

 

How did Stannis's men get North of the wall anyhow?

 

Ships. 

Edited June 16, 2014 by Drogo

[Haleth]

Speaking of Dragons, I can see why Dany locked up the 2 dragons but it looks like Drogon is the trouble maker not the smaller two. 

 

Should she wait for them to start eating kids too before locking them up?

[CletusMusashi]

Great conversation between Jon and Mance, but I do call bullshit on that "nobody else will die" thing. Really? A hundred thousand immigrants are going to just move in, refusing to kneel to any local authority, and that won't be a problem. The giants and cannibals will just be peacefully absorbed into the general population?

I could see Stannis cutting a deal where they fight for him, though.

Damn it, Tyrion, why did you have to kill Tywin? He was the best villain on the show! Guy was so smart he even had a toilet! Remember, even the king's finacee only had a chamber pot.

I give up on Bran. Boring plus CGI is still boring. i liked him back when his story was mixed up with Robb's and Theon's and everybody's, but once he hit the road the only person keeping his scenes interesting was Osha.

I'm pretty amazed there haven't been any deaths by dragon before.

Seeing The Mountain lying on the slab there was giving me Ventures Bros flashbacks. If the story goes the same way it did with Monstroso, the next step will consist of giving him a gorilla heart. More likely they have some kind of Frankenstein schtick in mind though. It's a shame the next actor can't be Peter Boyle.

Damn it, Arya, just finish the guy already! A few weeks ago she was actively trying to keep his neck from getting infected. Hot and cold much? This week, he was mortally mangled while protecting her from somebody that she ultimately did not want to travel with. He didn't do it for money, because there was nobody left to sell her to. Furthermore, he was the one who she immediately started bitching at to stop in the middle of a poop and come out and play bodyguard for her. So it's not like she "couldn't kill him." She did kill him, or at least was largely responsible. I didn't hear one peep out of her surly little ass trying to stop the fight from happening. And then, after he's no longer useful, his sentence basically becomes death by torture. I think perhaps her character arc has been the journey from "scrappy" to "dark" to "just a bitch."

[SoWindsor]

The Hound really was into the irony of being beat by a woman and that is beat straight out male contest of physical strength bash, slash and dirty trick style. 

 

I was a cool fight although I like the more flowing styles of skill vs strength of Viper vs Mountain.

I think the Hound's wound from an earlier episode weakened him and made him more susceptible to losing that fight.

It really was a gritty fight. Especially hearing Brienne scream and groan the way she did. Made it feel very real and tough to watch.

[insubordination]

Thanks for the map. I was really interested seeing all the locations.

 

The wall seems less useful if one can just sail past it.

[Rocket]

Sibel Kekili won the German equivalent of the Oscars then got outed as a porn star. Seams like the Germans don't mind her past wonder if Americans would do the same. Funny the talk on Turkish harem slaves as she is of Turkish decent. Interesting fact  on the Ottoman Sultan and harem girls. But as harem girls were slaves taken from all over non occupied by the Ottoman Empire Europe and could not be from Muslim families harem girls would not be turkish. (that in Ottoman Empire other Muslim governments did have muslim girls in the harem, in India girls from prominent families would be sent to the Sultans Harem)

 

Varys has had a long time to “play” with his sorcerer in a box. I double the sorcerer is still alive but if he is I’m sure he will beg for death.

 

For those who wonder how Stanus’s won so easy vs 100,000 tribesmen, dismounted barbarians historically had no defense against heavy horse like Stanus had and that wood was too open and no ground cover to mess up the horses. Now I can hope for an alliance as the wall needs to be manned to stop the zombies and Stanus still needs to head south to take the rest.

 

It my impression the free folk are old god followers but with that many tribes I’m sure religious view vary a lot. Old god followers are not religious it seams. Personnel talks at a tree about it no ceremonies needed.

 

The windings have not been any worse than the Lanister and Sark armies at times in killing off civilians. Sort of like history in the new world the only lie was that White men were civilized and treated the natives better than the natives treated whites in war. Both sides were savages (exception the small minority of peaceful tribes and there were peaceful civilized whites as well)

[Constantinople]

I was a little disappointed with the Children of the Forest, or at least the one Child of the Forest we way.  By actually making it look like a child, I kept thinking of Star Trek for some reason.

[KurlyGrl]

 

I was offended on behalf of the two dragons who got chained up in the catacombs. It reminded me of when one kid in my elementary class did something bad and we all got punished. But in this case it's even worse because the kid eater isn't even being punished! He's still out there flying around and eating more kids while his siblings are the ones who got locked up. No fair!

 

 

And how she ever expects to reign in Drogon, if and when he ever comes back,  is beyond me.  She'd probably have to kill it.  Which she wont do.  

[anuhealani]

I've always liked Bran's story (unpopular opinion, I know) but this episode amped that up with the great tease of what's in store for him in the future. The Brienne/Hound fight was super exciting and kept me conflicted about whom to root for. Still don't care about Arya at all—maybe they can time-skip her a few years and bring her back when she's relevant to anything?

 

The Shae "character development" was laughably terrible and sexist but that's nothing new. It was pretty awful to be watching this episode in a bar and have to listen to everyone lustily cheer her murder.

 

I normally enjoy Cersei scenes a lot but this episode they seemed sort of pointless. I'd love to know how Jaime justifies his support of both siblings simultaneously, but then again, that's what he does best—skate through life without ever taking a moral stand on anything important.

[annlaw78]

 

I thought it was very telling when the Hound responded to BoT's claim of bringing Arya to safety:

 

"There is no safety, and if you believe there is, maybe you're not the one who should be protecting her."

 

Translation:  I, Sandor Clegane, should be protecting her.  Even though there's no one left to ransom her off to, protecting this girl is my duty now.  And she's the closest thing I'll ever have to a family.

Why, exactly, were Brienne and the Hound fighting?  As interesting as it was (I suppose -- I'm not a big fan of men smacking women in TV/movies, even if in the guise of their being equally matched, or having super-slayer-strength), watching the two fight it out, I was hoping they'd stop, realize this was stupid, and talk about what to do.  Or that Arya would show up and yell at them to stop.  The Hound seemed fine with Arya going with Brienne after his demise, so it's not like he's  that convinced Brienne's a baddie.  It seemed like the show just thought it'd be fun to have a giant man and a giant woman beat each other for a bit, logic be damned.

 

 

Better to lock them up now before they start emulating Drogon and chomp down a few more kids. Dragons aren't slaves, but they're not exactly cuddly house pets either.

I agree.  Hopefully she can find some better way to handle the situation, but for the immediate time, she can't exactly have three untrained dragons flying around wreaking havoc in her newly liberated kingdoms.  Unless she can, I don't know, find a Hiccup or Charlie Weasley to train her dragons, they have to be restrained somehow. 

Edited June 16, 2014 by annlaw78

[Drogo]

 

I think the Hound's wound from an earlier episode weakened him and made him more susceptible to losing that fight.

 

And his sword was no match for Oathkeeper.  The Valyrian steel is light and never loses its edge. 

 

 

The Hound seemed fine with Arya going with Brienne after his demise, so it's not like he's  that convinced Brienne's a baddie.

 

Prior to the fight, the Hound believed Brienne was in bed with the Lannisters (he said he's "been looking at Lannister gold" his whole life, her armor and sword were very clearly from the Lions/Jaime) and he wasn't about to let the Lannisters have Arya. 

 

However, when she offered a truce, he realized no Lannister henchman would have let him live.  [unfortunately, when she offered the truce, she called him Ser, so he wanted her dead.] 

 

(If he really wanted a big payday for Arya, he would have ransomed her to the Lannisters or their bannermen in the first place- not Robb, Lysa, etc.)

 

Hopefully she can find some better way to handle the situation, but for the immediate time, she can't exactly have three untrained dragons flying around wreaking havoc in her newly liberated kingdoms.

 

Now in theatres:  "How To Chain Your Dragon 3D"

Edited June 16, 2014 by Drogo

[rozen]

Why, exactly, were Brienne and the Hound fighting?  As interesting as it was (I suppose -- I'm not a big fan of men smacking women in TV/movies, even if in the guise of their being equally matched, or having super-slayer-strength), watching the two fight it out, I was hoping they'd stop, realize this was stupid, and talk about what to do.  Or that Arya would show up and yell at them to stop.  The Hound seemed fine with Arya going with Brienne after his demise, so it's not like he's  that convinced Brienne's a baddie.  It seemed like the show just thought it'd be fun to have a giant man and a giant woman beat each other for a bit, logic be damned.

 

I agree.  Hopefully she can find some better way to handle the situation, but for the immediate time, she can't exactly have three untrained dragons flying around wreaking havoc in her newly liberated kingdoms.  Unless she can, I don't know, find a Hiccup or Charlie Weasley to train her dragons, they have to be restrained somehow. 

 

The Hound is an honorless sellsword who used to be Joffrey's lackey, and is the brother of one of the most sadistic men in Westeros. Brienne is a prancing do-gooder, with her nose in the air and Lannister steel in her hands. They are each other's least favorite type of person, and would never believe the other is capable of protecting/caring for Arya Stark. The Hound has an infected bite wound, Brienne's walked however many miles in full armor, stuck with a squire who doesn't know you have to skin food before you try to cook it. I'd figure they were about square for that fight, neither was in peak condition. 

 

If Brienne had thought to hand over hotpie's direwolf bread, she might have gotten Arya to come with her. Oh, right, the bread was saddled to the horses that Podrick lost. GG, Pod.

 

I knew the second they had that beautiful panorama of the magical tree that they were going to Moses Jojen. Honing his skills his whole life so he could die for Bran, how lame three-eyed raven-man. Wow, Hodor is truly useless for anything but manual labor. At Craster's I thought he was just reluctant to hurt living people, but nope, he would have happily cowered in the corner while everyone got torn apart by skeletons. I wonder if Bran could really warg into a dragon? I feel like most wargs we've seen are either into animals too dumb to realize what's happening, or animals that like the person warging into them. I feel like trying  to take over a dragon's mind (especially Drogon's) would be quite a nasty ride.

 

Whoever was in charge of lighting Tyrion as he marched, crossbow in hand, to the privy deserves all the awards. He truly looked like a demon, I actually leaned a little further away from the screen. When he calmly leaned over and reloaded the crossbow, hoo boy. 

 

Mance, you don't need to dress for the weather if you kill the entire enemy army in under 10 minutes. I find it a little unrealistic that a bunch of wildlings who live in fear of one White Walker didn't notice the hoofbeats of thousands of men until they were right up on them. Unless Melisandre has some uber magic up her sleeves to teleport everyone into position. She must be in heaven, to be in a place where people are burned without her even having to do anything.

[Haiti D]

I wonder if Hound v Brienne could have been prevented if Podrick had pulled out Hot Pie's Wolf Bread and a flask of wine. But most likely the bread was with the runaway horses.

[LuciaMia]

 

But most likely the bread was with the runaway horses.

Just as well. That bread must be getting pretty stale by now.

[CletusMusashi]

Fighting classes in Westeros must be very interesting.

"When fighting a person full armor, you should always rush in close and bite them on the ear or neck."

"But won't their helmet be in the way?"

"What is this 'hell-mutt' thing you speak of?"

[millahnna]

I was a little disappointed with the Children of the Forest, or at least the one Child of the Forest we way.  By actually making it look like a child, I kept thinking of Star Trek for some reason.

 

I swore that was the same little girl we saw go all white walker way back in the first scene of the pilot.  This confused the crap out of me because shouldn't that kid have hit a freaky Bran style growth spurt by now and aren't whitewalkers reanimated corpses too so why wasn't whatever it was that was stopping the skeletons stopping her. 

[Drogo]

 

"...Unless they're my dragon babies.  Then I'll chain 'em up and leave them in the tombs with no light, food or water."

[Drogo]

 

I think Shae made a deal with Tywin soon after Cersei pointed her out to him.  Bronn never did put her on that ship.

Agree that this was not a long con, and that the deception began well after the Shae/Tyrion relationship began. 

 

When Cersei pointed her out at the wedding breakfast, Tywin said "Bring her to the Tower of the Hand before the wedding."  During those same few hours (post-brunch/pre-wedding) was Tyrion's "It was fun while it lasted, Ho- but don't let the ship hit you on the way out" dismissal, so she was probably more than willing to turn. 

 

Bronn definitely received more than a few gifts for his betrayal as well, but he didn't get to roll in the sheets with Tywin. 

[phoenix780]

That was my thought as well when the door shut and it went black down there.  Why not give them some air and sun?   Will she accidentally make them crazy?   Why not chain them in a big courtyard or out in the countryside somewhere?

 

Yeah, I'm a little disappointed in how they're handling the dragons.  I'd like her to have some kind of control, because it was cooler, imho, when it seemed like she did.  And really, why not chain them in the countryside?  Or kill them?  What's the point of them now?  I can't imagine they'll be easy to unchain and willing to follow orders should she need to use them as defense.  

 

The Bran stuff got so little airtime this season, and is so different in feeling (to me it feels very...old-school Jim Henson), I almost wish it were a separate show entirely.  Maybe in 4-5 episodes in between seasons or something, to tide us over and give it some kind of development.  I don't dislike it, but I also don't exactly get the point of it, and there's not enough time for me to develop much curiosity.  If that makes any sense.

 

I'm still rooting for Arya even though she's terrifying and, apparently, has no soul. 

 

And I think it's awesome that the Lannisters have essentially destroyed themselves.  I'm curious how they'll hold onto power if Stannis now has funding from the bank, and their gold mines are tapped out.  

[Mz Anthrope]

I really liked the whole fight scene between Brienne and the Hound.  Not only did she bite his ear off, but give it a wonderful Fuck You spit from her mouth.  That was beautiful.  And personally, I think if the Hound hadn't chose to open his DickFace mouth by saying he should have raped Sansa, etc... and had instead remained the man Arya had come to know, she'd have done him the favor of a quick end.  To me, her sitting there was her way of really absorbing everything he said and at the same time, giving him the rope to hang himself.  I don't know that he could have been anything other than ass as he's not his best when scared.  

 

Am I the only one who shouted in their head when Arya was at the bow of that boat, "I'm the king of the world!"?

 

I really hope we don't get a lot of Red Witch next season.   I find her over/ill-scripted and annoying. 

 

From what I saw, Jojen's (thank you, KurlyGrl) sister did a mercy killing before leaving him so he wouldn't be killed by whatever those skeleton things were.  Good on her. 

 

The scene with Tyrion choking Shae was poorly done.  She barely struggled (even though he was above and over the edge of bed from her) and plop, done.  I liked that you could hear her neck finally breaking though.  Sorry, but she was an idiot to not listen to him, and even knowing full well she does what she has to, in my eyes I'm glad she's gone. 

 

Tywin's face when he saw Tyrion was priceless.  There was only the slightest fear/inability to fully respond look in his eyes.  Well played, CD.  Very well played.

 

And I loved that once Varys heard the bells, he knew he needed to get out of Dodge.  I laughed when he turned right around.  Great moment.  And I thought that was definitely the same box the wizard was in.  And who was it that he showed the wizard to?  That I can't recall.

 

Liked the episode, although very sad to see it knowing we're 9-10 months from seeing the next one.  *hands on hips - harrumph*

 

 

ETA:  Dany has never known how to handle that she cannot control by her prettiness.  She's never once tried to train/control/manage her dragons thinking that they'll just naturally 'love their mother as everyone else loves her'.  When the largest turned on her while fighting over food with the other two, that was her wake up call.  However, she didn't do anything to remedy that.  She just got scared and distant to them.  What are they going to do - breath fire on her?  She can survive that.  She pays off the villagers for their goats, then locks up two of the three when a child has been found hurt.  She can't handle them at all, which shows how ill-equipped she is to handle people.   It will be interesting to see how she (doesn't) handles when people act up to her. 

Edited June 16, 2014 by Mz Anthrope

[KurlyGrl]

 

From what I saw, Jehren (?  worg with Bran)'s sister did a mercy killing before leaving him so he wouldn't be killed by whatever those skeleton things were.  Good on her.

 

Perhaps you mean Jojen?  If you are referring to the boy leading Bran to the tree, his name is Jojen and the sister is Meera.  

[bunnyblue]

When Jon said to Stannis that Ned died for him (Stannis), I was like "come again?" I'll admit all the King's Landing intrigue can confuse me, but I thought Ned mainly died because he was going to oust Cersei's dirty little secret  and because Joffrey was a deranged killer. I know he would have eventually backed Stannis but was Jon embellishing a bit to get on Stannis' good side?

 

Regarding Ser Alliser:

 

what put him out of the fight was falling off that balcony they were fighting on. So maybe he's inside with broken legs, but I'm sure they would have shown on the mass pyre with Pyp and Grenn if his wounds were fatal.

 

I agree with this. I looked for him on the pyre and he just wasn't there. He also wasn't among the Night's Watch in the courtyard. So, I figure he's recuperating and will be back next season. I did see the cowardly Janos Slynt standing with the NW. I guess Sam & Gilly didn't rat him out.

 

 

Is it just me or is the crate that Varys stuffed Tyrion into exactly the same kind of crate in which that evil wizard from the Free Cities was shipped to Varys in Season 3.

 

I had the exact same thought, and was waiting for Tyrion to comment about it before he stepped into the crate. But I guess he was in too much of a rush to worry about was had been stashed there before him. I'm still surprised Varys risked and gave up so much to help Tyrion.

 

 

but now I'm fairly sure we're going to see Stannis take the throne with Jon Snow in charge at the Wall with all of Stannis' and maybe Mances' men.

 

Stannis annoys me. I want to like him but he has no personality, acts way too entitled, and is being led around by Melisandre. But he earned points by being the only one to answer Maester Aemon's plea for help. If he were to rally the North & the Wildlings to take the Iron Throne from Cersei I may become a bigger fan of his. Besides Dany, he has the most legitimate claim to the throne. If Dany never crosses the Narrow Sea, I'd like to see how Stannis would rule the Seven Kingdoms. I'd also like for him to become a true ally & friend to Jon.

 

 

The animal lover in me felt so horribly for what Dani had to do with her dragons :( broke my heart.

 

Yes, that was awful. They were so trusting of Dany; following her down to the catacombs, gobbling up the meat as she put the chains around their necks. So sad. And when they realized she was leaving them there & started screeching. Just awful. They're being punished because of their no-good brother. It's amazing that the suffering of CGI dragons could break my heart.

[DrSparkles]

The Hound can not be dead bc he deserves to kill that asshole brother of his.

[Enigma X]

As much I hate cruelty to animals and such, I do understand why Dany did not chain them in a courtyard. The possibility of their fire reaching beyond to an intended target or that someone can get to them and hard them is a big risk.

[Haleth]

When Jon said to Stannis that Ned died for him (Stannis), I was like "come again?" I'll admit all the King's Landing intrigue can confuse me, but I thought Ned mainly died because he was going to oust Cersei's dirty little secret  and because Joffrey was a deranged killer. I know he would have eventually backed Stannis but was Jon embellishing a bit to get on Stannis' good side?

 

Ned wasn't going to oust the secret, he did oust it and (as Hand) proclaimed Stannis Robert's rightful heir.  He had no proof so Joffrey charged him with treason for supporting Stannis.

Edited June 16, 2014 by Haleth

[Lord Cranley]

I And personally, I think if the Hound hadn't chose to open his DickFace mouth by saying he should have raped Sansa, etc... and had instead remained the man Arya had come to know, she'd have done him the favor of a quick end.  To me, her sitting there was her way of really absorbing everything he said and at the same time, giving him the rope to hang himself.  I don't know that he could have been anything other than ass as he's not his best when scared.  

 

You may  be right, and if so, that's a tragic irony.  I think the only reason the Hound was saying such horrible things (well, besides the fact that he has so much rage in general) is to piss her off and provoke Arya into killing him.   But it has the opposite effect and makes her not want to give him the mercy.

Take notice that when the verbal abuse tactic doesn't work, he basically breaks down and sobs and begs her to kill him but by then she has "hardened her heart" (as we Bible-readers like to say).  If he had gone for the sobbing/begging first, would that have worked better?  Who knows?

If Brienne had thought to hand over hotpie's direwolf bread, she might have gotten Arya to come with her. Oh, right, the bread was saddled to the horses that Podrick lost. GG, Pod

This is not the case!  When they hobble the horses for the night, they actually unload all the supplies from the horses, so they can have a better rest, and so they can better keep an eye on their luggage.  Notice that after Brienne scolds Podrick for letting the horses be lost/stolen, she tells him--as punishment--he now has to carry the saddlebags for the rest of the journey to the Eyrie.

There are, therefore, two distinct possibilities:

1) Brienne and Pod either consumed and/or disposed of the direbun before their encounter with Arya

or

2) It was in the saddlebag the whole time!

 

If option 2) is the case, it could have made all the difference in getting Arya to trust Brienne.  Instead, when she saw that Brienne was carrying that Lannister sword, she was like "AWWW, hell naw!" and ran off.

My absolute favorite revelation of the whole episode is that Tywin did not know about the twincest; I'm deeply and truly surprised but in thinking back on the small bits of his limited soft side we've seen tiny glimpses of (out of the corner of our eyes if we squinted the right way) it kind of makes sense that his blinders about his kids was there in that regard. 

See, I am not buying this AT ALL.  I'm not sure if it's clumsy writing, or if Tywin was just "pretending" to be shocked but....

 

First of all, Tywin is way too smart not to realize what his children are up to.  He is extremely sensitive to the multitude ways in which his children shame him and dishonor his house, and this incest "rumors" are one of the main causes of this shame.

Secondly, recall that in episode six, when he's bargaining with Jaime in order to let Tyrion live and have Jaime quit the Kingsguard, one of the conditions is that Jaime has to get married and father "CHILDREN NAMED LANNISTER".  Why would he say that if he didn't already suspect/know about the children NOT named Lannister.

Edited June 16, 2014 by Lord Cranley

[Etta Place]

I can't even comment about Bran's storyline because the less I think about it, the better I feel. I hate everything about it. Oh, except Jojen dying. That was one good thing.

 

With Dany and her dragons - isn't it sort of counter-productive for her to lock them up if she wants to control them? That's not any way to socialize an animal. She should see if someone can send her over a copy of Targaryen's Way, the guide to becoming a dragon whisperer.

[jadiem]

I do wonder, had Arya agreed to go with Brienne, where in the world would Brienne have taken her.  Nobody except the Eeyrie inner circle knows that Sansa is there, right?  And Littlefinger's last public display with a Stark was to betray Ned.  Winterfell is under the control of the Boltons.  Riverrun... it's unclear, but seems to be in control of the Freys.  Everyone except the Boltons and Sam thinks Bran and Rickon are dead.  (Aside: Have we ever seen any of the Starks react to or even acknowledge the boys' "deaths"?  That news surely reached even Arya by now.)  I guess maybe go to The Wall, which is "not a place for women"?  There don't seem to be any real options.  Then again, where was The Hound taking Arya when they met up with Brienne?  With a price on his head, he had even fewer options than her.

[DrSpaceman]

Damn it, Tyrion, why did you have to kill Tywin? He was the best villain on the show

 

That is true, but its not like the show is full of virtuous characters and now there is going to be a huge gap in the "evil villains vying for the throne" category.  I am sure someone will take his place. 

[Constantinople]

And I loved that once Varys heard the bells, he knew he needed to get out of Dodge.  I laughed when he turned right around.  Great moment.  And I thought that was definitely the same box the wizard was in.  And who was it that he showed the wizard to?  That I can't recall.

The same person who's in the box now, Tyrion.