arabian

Yes they did. Him mentioning the Starks brought up an interesting idea in my mind. If he ever runs into Sansa again (assuming of course that Dany and Sansa meet), do you think he'd be conflicted about the side he is on?

I don't think conflict will come up actually because by the time such a thing happens I think the whole White Walkers thing will be in effect, and Dany will know more of who the Starks are (including and especially Sansa... and likely Ned) from Tyrion, so Dany won't be so quick to want to take them out.

At this point, I have to say, the Arya storyline isn't really working for me. Like, this episode lays out in obvious detail how Arya can poison that guy with ease and no risk to herself, and then the cliffhanger is whether Arya can go poison him? What kind of dramatic structure is that?

I have no idea what the fuck happened in that scene. Well, I got the obvious gist of it, but didn't catch the reason behind it all.

Arya is setup to kill the gambler but will run in to Sir Meryn and maybe will have to make a choice.

I think the point of the Arya/Thin Man set-up and the why of them was all explained in the scene between A Man and the Waif. They basically foreshadowed that Arya's not ready for this when the Waif said she wasn't and A Man said 'eh, the Many-Faced God cares or doesn't, whatevs! He has his plans.' So Arya is being sent on this mission not because she's ready or not but because the Many-Faced God has his reasons... which, of course, we imagine has to do with Sir Meryn Trant and what choice she'll make.

I took this news that Sansa heard as her realizing LF was wrong and she is NOT the last remaining Stark. Maybe she is starting to think that her life isnt as valuable as LF or the Boltons say it is.

I am not sure if I am correct on this one but if Sansa knows Bran and/or Rickon are indeed alive, does that mean she realizes Winterfell goes to them by law because they are Stark men?

Maybe she will start taking more risks with her life rather then "enduring" the misery she keeps going through.

I didn't see it that way at all. I don't think claims or the heir to Winterfell was on her mind at all. I saw a dawning joy beginning to bloom on her face at the realization that her brothers were actually ALIVE! It was a beautiful moment, probably my favorite Sansa moment yet.

10. So easily 10. This was one of the best episodes, if not the best. It outshone Blackwater which (call it blasphemy, I guess) I've long thought was actually overrated. This was just so OUTSTANDING. And it wasn't just the Hardhome scenes. The Tyrion/Dany scenes, the Cersei scenes, the Arya scenes, the Reek/Sansa scene, the Bolton scene, every scene was just so damn good.... and then you have the Hardhome scenes followed by that battle scene that redefined freaking EPIC! One of the best hours of television I've ever seen.

ETA: And I say this as someone who is actually enjoying season 05.

Ooh, another thing I thought of was how Tyrion said the Starks are gone, and I'm like... uhm, actually, nope. Only Ned, Catelyn and Robb. Jon, Sansa, Arya, Bran and Rickon are still out there. What a shock to Westeros when all of those bad-ass Starks come out of the woodworks and show 'em all what's what. Ned and Catelyn done raised them up some survivors, yo!

Tonight's episode was INCREDIBLE!!! OMG that whole section on Hardhome with the fight to the end was absolutely amazing. Just WOW!!! That was just so amazing. Like WOW!!!! The whole episode was great, but that section was jaw-dropping.

- Tyrion/Dany... amazing. Loved every moment.
- Cersei... hoisted by her own petard and so sweet.
- Sansa... oh, man, the look on her face when Theon/Reek finally confessed that Bran/Rickon are alive! LOVED IT!
- Arya... just the fact that she was in tonight's episode was fabulous because I wasn't expecting to even see her. (Not sure why they changed her "character's" name from 'Cat' to 'Lana' as it was in the books, though. Seemed so unnecessary, but oh well. Small thing, though when you take in the whole awesome of the episode.)

- Hardhome... I LOVED the moment when the White Walker king saw Jon take down the White Walker fighter and we really saw him just looking at him. So cool. And how he made sure that Jon saw him awake the wights at the very end. It was so chilling. So effectively done without music, just the sound effects of the water lapping and the battle sounds.

Just what a FANTASTIC episode. So, so, soooooooooo good. Just mind blown.

The scene when Sansa walks threw the kennels i was totally expecting to see the rotten corpse of Rob Stark and Graywind all up sowed together

ANYONE ELTS?

I thought it was gonna be Catelyn's corpse, but then I realized that was stupid.

Other than not caring at all about Grey Worm and Missandei, and really missing Arya (but I miss Arya in any episode without her), I loved this episode. I thought it was fabulous, probably the best of the season so far and I've enjoyed every episode thus far.

- I agree they're hitting the Jon = Targareyan anvils pretty hard, but I don't mind.

- Stannis is becoming oddly adorable.

- Ramsey is still psychotically cray-cray and his daddy dearest is showing that Ramsey is very much his son.

- We do get it, the North Remembers.

- Selyse is quickly becoming one of my least favorite characters (why is she such a bitch?).

-Tyrion and Jorah's ride into Valyria was cool. Tyrion's reaction to Drogon was awesome.

- The Stone Men fight sequence was fabulous. I knew that Jorah was so lying. Good on the posters who called that Jorah was getting the disease in place of JonCon.

- As for Dany's "proposal," I don't think we were supposed to think of it as anything other than political and Dany laying down the law. That smile on her face was not a nice one. And Hizdahr looked scared out of his ever-loving mind. She's done playing games. She tried diplomacy. She tried being fair-minded. She tried doing the whole trial by jury. And she was betrayed by those close and trusted to her, and turned on by the people she was trying to help, and then one of her most trusted advisors and friends was killed and another nearly died. She's basically done with this bullshit and she's done with their games. They are going to play by her rules now. She is the mother of dragons. They best be aware of the power she has because she is going to wield it.

Great episode.