Lady_Qohor

Cards on the table - I'm hoping Darkstar was framed for hurting Myrcella so that it's OK for me to have a crush on him. But that said, I'm struggling to see a viable alternative for the real culprit.

Whatever Elia's views on Lyanna were, I doubt she was thrilled about her and her young children being left trapped in the Red Keep at the mercy of her mad murderous father in law.

Arya can be perfectly compliant when it's in her own (or her friends/family's) best interest. Just look at what a dedicated student she was for Syrio Forel. If someone credible that Arya could trust, told her that help her cope better with all the trauma that has happened to her, I'd bet she'd take that offer in a heartbeat.

Oh, so I sort of assumed that Slaver's Bay was GRRM's somewhat racist version of medieval Middle East, given that its pyramids, climate, more advanced technology and history that goes way, way back. Its also in the middle of Westeros & the Free Cities (Europe), Southryos (Africa) and Yi Ti (China).

She might also have been worried that Joffrey's murder was signalled the start of a coup or attack on the Lannister’s rather than it being a single event. As such she could be running away to safety away from any potential violence that might be about to break out.

Some medieval Western hospitals, churches and monasteries did take care of the mentally ill, so in theory Arya being in a temple setting is exactly where she should be (it's just unfortunate that her particular temple is run by paid assassins.) Of course some of the best healthcare (including mental healthcare) during the middle ages took place in the Middle East. As such, maybe Arya should head to Slavers Bay where the doctors are probably a lot more advanced?

I like what I've seen of the costumes so far, much better than the original show where some of the costuming seemed just plain weird.

Not sure if this has already been said but a GoT actor is currently competing in the Paralympics. Krysten Coombs (one of the dwarf entertainers at the Purple Wedding) is competing in the mens badminton for Team GB. He's lost out on a chance for gold or silver after he was defeated by India's Krishna Nagar, but there's still a chance he could get a bronze medal (match takes place early tomorrow morning). At the very least, he's going to come in fourth place He's previously won silver at the 2017 World Championships

Krysten Coombs (one of the dwarf entertainers at the Purple Wedding) is currently competing for Britain in badminton at the Paralympic Games in Tokyo. He's lost out on a chance for gold or silver after he was defeated by India's Krishna Nagar, but there's still a chance he could get a bronze medal (match takes place early tomorrow morning). At the very least, he's going to come in fourth place He's previously won silver at the 2017 World Championships.

Committing your son to a lifetime of service at the Wall just so you can speak to one person is a rather big sacrifice to make. Especially given that the Starks and Royces have a long pre-existing relationship, cemented by historic marriages. Bronze Yohn could easily visit Winterfell any time he wanted while the Starks lived there without making such a huge sacrifice. He could propose discussions on a possible new marriage alliance, a new trading agreement or even just say that he wants to show his sons the North and Winterfell. I doubt Ned Stark would say no.

I think sometimes that some Westerosi nobles get too much credit for not having slaves. They already have a huge peasant population that they have almost complete control over and pay almost nothing. Meanwhile they pay nothing to feed, house or contain their workers which probably makes it a better economic system for them than slavery. If the lands belonging to the Lannisters, Tyrells, Baratheons etc suddenly became uninviting, depopulated and hard to survive in (like the Iron Islands or Slavers Bay) then I wouldn't be surprised if they turned to slavery as a way to maintain their wealth and dominence.

This isn't entirely unprecedented. Historically both Britain and the Netherlands were small but powerful seafaring nations who didn't have enough wood to build all their ships and had to import some from larger, more sparsely populated areas like Scandinavia, North America and the Baltics. Also Robert doesn't have satellite technology, so he may not be aware of the scale of the Iron Fleet

Jon and Randyl Tarly - so that Jon could throw in his face what a great and brave person Sam is Robb and Sansa/Arya - it would be interesting to see the girls reaction to their brother after finding out he wouldn't trade Jaime to save them yet was perfectly happy to jeopardise his cause to marry Jeyne Westerling Ramsay and Joffrey

I don't think we know enough about the Ryswells to know the answer to this. In particular we know next to nothing about the character or motivations of Lord Ryswell

That probably contributed. Knowing me however, I think the visible aging of the actors also screwed up my own perception of the timeline