Talking Hodor

Today I learned that dragons are terrible at surgically amputating human eyes.

Jon to Dany: "You went full Idi Amin. Never go full Idi Amin." Dragon did what I was hoping someone would do - burn that stupid Iron Throne to the ground. I gave the episode a ten. I think they did an amazing job with no book to guide them. Yes, it would have been better if GRRM hadn't bitten off more than he could chew and had finished his story before them, but this episode felt like it had more of his influence than others. Jon never wanted a crown, and the smile on his face as he traveled north with the Wildlings was proof that he was where he wanted to be. Sansa got what she, and the North, wanted. Bran as king was a surprise to me, but the more I think about it, the more I like it. Jon would have never been a good king, whereas Bran is perfect for the job. He doesn't even need a master of whisperers; he has Weirwood.net in his head.

Yeah, I punted that one.

I gave it a 10 for the exact same reasons. One moment of unbridled emotion and rage just undid an entire life's work of liberation and conquest. Ice tried and failed (Night King) Fire tried and failed (Daenerys) Now it's finally Jon's turn. Now the continent is finally ready to accept the true heir to the Iron Throne, who, incidentally is also the best suited to sit on it if it wasn't melted in that nuke fest. I can't wait until next week's finale! I bet one of the first laws Jon passes is that incest is forbidden, even for Targaryens.

It's entirely possible she's faked the entire pregnancy to secure her power. Each person she told eventually granted her concessions or felt more obligated to protect her. If they specifically mentioned three children on the show, they might not have made a mistake. Or she could miscarry. Either way, no fourth child. I agree completely. This is new territory, and very hard to predict how it will finally end. I actually gave it a 9.

She's playing her cards close to her chest. The last thing she wants is for Ser Gregor to mid-air choke-grab her like the Night King did. His reach is a bit more than NK's. She and Sandor are going to attempt to assassinate Ser Gregor and Cersei, and I see Jaime or Tyrion (Valonqar) helping out, likely dealing the killing blow to his sister. Isn't it entirely possible that Varys, one of his little birds, or Tyrion were simply crouched behind a bush while Jon, Sansa, Arya, and Bran were having their family pow-wow? Arya and Sansa swore an oath before a heart tree, which as keepers of the old gods means they're highly unlikely to break it.

Are people still comparing the show to the books? They're two different stories. Just try to enjoy what you have. Otherwise the books are going to be awfully boring if or when they finally arrive. Moreover, the books don't have a Night King yet. We have no idea what's in the Land of Always Winter. The books do mention Night's King, the Great Other, the Drowned God's nemesis, etc., and both show and book have Craster sacrificing children to the Others a.k.a. White Walkers. Plus if GRRM has any hope of finishing his story before he turns 130, he's gonna have to create an antagonist capable of being brought down by a deus ex machina or a Maguffin, as the shows did, seeing as how they're on a much tighter schedule than he is. I think the story told in the show so far has been great. All the prophecies GRRM wrote don't necessarily have to be about the same person. Arya could be the last hero, Daenerys could be Azor Ahai, and Jon could be the Prince that was Promised. That's the thing with prophecy. It's much more enjoyable once everything has happened and the prophecy becomes obvious. The last three episodes are going to be awesome for those who keep an open mind.

I also don't think Daenerys is going to turn into an evil character. She was altruistic and had Jon's back the entire time. She even did a little fighting herself to help out her friend Jorah at the end.

On a far sadder note, zombie Hodor is now definitely dead. RIP, big lovable doorstop.

I'm amazed at how many people here thought that what they went through was easy. Except for a few main characters, they lost pretty much their entire army, and nobody came out of that uninjured. Now, they have to face another army: one that isn't slavishly bound to the will of their creator but one where each person can think and act for themselves. If, for example, Arya pops out of a cardboard box and spinning ninja-kills Cersei in the middle of the fighting, the rest of the Iron Throne's army will continue to fight, and likely win given the odds. The best thing the survivors can do now is seal the Neck (Howland Reed will be happy to oblige, and bear witness to Jon's claim to the throne), ignore the southern half of Westeros with their silly politics, and rebuild the North. After a decade, they might have enough power to press for the Iron Throne while Cersei mismanages her half of the continent.

There is no source material. There's an outline or some musings of GRRM at best. I don't think either living dragon died. They were seriously injured, but we didn't see any die. As for the darkness and inability to see anything, I thought it was perfect. It's not called the fog of war for nothing. Besides, that's how the army of the dead fights. The Others bring the cold with them, or attack when it gets cold.

Now I realize how subjective the statement "[so-and-so] can't act" really is. Moreover, all actors at one time or another were unknown, possibly even living on the street. These were good enough to beat all their competitors for the role at their casting call, and ended up on the hugest TV show on the planet, so I'm pretty sure they're good at what they do.

Probably the latter. The characters that demonstrate they can learn from their mistakes and setbacks tend to survive, whereas those who remain stubborn, or don't have a lot of significance to the plot, get ganked. I guess we'll see in the coming weeks! Is Daenerys like Robespierre and try to hold onto her throne like Jaime trying to hold onto his fleshy hand, or will she give it up for the greater good?

Or it's just psychological warfare. The White Walkers are freaking out and demoralizing their enemies. Worked for me. I sure as hell wouldn't want to fight that mutha.

People feel an intense need to screw shortly before combat. There's plenty of time for them to feel regret after the battle, should they survive. Chemistry had little to do with their decision.

This episode mended a lot of fences between people and brought a major potential conflict between the two main characters, Jon and Dany. For an action-less episode it was excellent, and it set the stage for, I'm hoping, four final roller coasters. I don't think Bran's bait plan is going to work. The Night King won't bite. I'd be surprised if he's even at Winterfell. Winter is coming for King's Landing instead. That's a far more lucrative and far less defended target in the eyes of the dead. As for the rest of those White Walkers, well, they're fucked. The Night King is sacrificing a rook (couple hundred thousand undead at Winterfell) to gain a queen (a million undead at King's Landing).

Hell yeah they can be moved quietly! The walkers and wights don't need to use words to communicate. One look in to their smouldering blue eyes, and whightey knows what's expected of him. The only thing anybody might here is the clacking of old bones, which one might mistake for tree branches. KL, filled with the noises of moaning whores, chamber pots being dumped out of gigantic castles, clanging hooves, and minstrels plying their trade is totally going to drown out the approach of those undead ninjas. Besides. NK is going to lead with zombiedragon. Ain't nobody along the way standing around outside either. It's cold as fuck out there. The city watch might see them about 500 yards before they close with the walls, but by then it's too late.

First episodes are always a bit slow--it's to be expected. Still, this episode had its moments: The Night King pulling an Umber and scaring the shit out of the Wildlings, Night's Watch, and everyone watching was noteworthy. Sam vs. Dany vs. Bran vs. Jon was great! I though it was a good way to impart that knowledge to Jon, and his reaction was perfect. Jaime finally pulling up and seeing Bran first of all was good. Wish they'd had a little more time to see how that panned out. Guess we'll have to wait until next week. And watching Drogon hate on Jon while he was smooching his mama was hilarious. No child wants to see its parents do that. Get a room!

I heavily doubt that the NK is going to overrun Winterfell. My money's on that being a feint while he zombifies all of King's Landing. However, wherever he attacks, I'm really hoping to see Zombie Hodor in action, maybe carrying a legless wight in a basket on his back. That would be freakin' sweet.

Half the bastards in Westeros probably look like Robert, the Wilt Chamberlin of King's Landing.

http://awoiaf.westeros.org/index.php/Night's_King There is totally a NK in the books! We haven't seen him yet, and he may a legend, but he's definitely mentioned multiple times.

Zombies can clear a 6 foot moat. Fire is hot in an upward direction. Melting ice would work if the ice were above the flame - not so well if they're trying to lay a torch as close to the frozen surface as possible. They might be able to produce a six-inch moat that way.

Oh, he totally tried it. The wights tend to, uh, fall apart when accelerated to high speeds. I bet that chattering skull trying to wriggle its way over to someone's ankles was terrifying, if not particularly dangerous.

Bran's marked, etc..

Great episode. It finally explains and resolves the inexplicable rivalry between the Stark sisters. Also, Bran gets to be useful, and Littlefinger gets to grovel on the floor and then eat it thanks to his own dagger. Jaime finally does the right thing. Too bad he couldn't have brought a small army with him. At least he's bringing a Valyrian steel blade and a pimp hand capable of bashing zombie brains out. Jon and Daenerys was going to happen. I hope he doesn't throw up too much when he finds out he boinked his aunt. Incest may be cool with the Targaryens (and Lannisters), but I doubt the Starks enjoy it. Sam and Bran were awesome! Finally the cat is out of the bag! The freak on a leash scene was awesome. Cersei: "Ser Gregor, fetch me my brown dress!" Euron kinda had a good point about islands and the seaworthiness of wights. I wonder if Brienne and Missandei are feeling homesick... Theon finally grew a pair of metaphorical balls and use his lack of literal balls to his advantage in his fight against the heart attack man. Hey, anonymous Iron Islander, you should have laid off all that Long John Silver's back home.