Lord Godric

You may be right, but Dany had the revelation at the end of the book that she cannot win over people by planting trees, she needs to use fire and blood and I don't think that was for naught. If it was, then that's poor writing on Martin's part - to have Dany go through this scene where she's crawling with dysentery or something and seemingly dying and comes to, what seems to be, a major personal revelation - and then...nothing?

You just made me realize how much more insignificant Meereen will feel in the show after we leave it. Anyway, I've always assumed that Dany's "fire and blood" revelation at the end of ADWD just meant she was going to ride Drogon into Meereen with the Dothraki and destroy it. That's a quick way for the both the books and the show to move on past Meereen.

No, I meant in the show. I know they really married in the books, but the show hasn't had them wed yet. I think that may be an important decision the show has made just as a means of Dany's later marriage-ability. (Although, granted, Sansa is married to Tyrion and still weds Ramsey).

I don't see why being legitimate would matter at all anyway. If there is any chance that he'll actually sit the Iron Throne we've been told so many times that an king (or queen) can legitimize a bastard and so there is an easy out right now, Dany could just make him a legitimate Targaryen. But I think you're right. I don't expect Jon to sit the Iron Throne I expect what will really be important is his connection to the Targaryens and therefore dragons and probably how that will help him at the Wall.

Are Dany and Hizdahr actually married yet? I know they've said they are going to be married but they haven't actually wed, right? I think that's an interesting choice for the show to make.

Varys is altruistic, but he's still not a good person. He's done some terrible deeds, I don't think they should try to make him the hero of the show.

Varys is altruistic, but he's still not a good person. He's done some terrible deeds, I don't think they should try to make him the hero of the show.

I have a bad feeling their going to simplify Varys' final scene and just get rid of all the little birds, and I think that would be a mistake. The thing that made that scene particularly terrifying when I was reading it was all those creepy little fuckers coming at Kevan.

I gave it a 9. A really solid episode through and through. Loved the Tyrion and Dany stuff, some great writing between the two of them I thought. Loved seeing Arya get into character. Was happy to see Sansa find out about Bran and Rickon. The Hardhome stuff was pretty phenomenal, I think we got some book spoilers there concerning the Night King and Valyrian Steel. The reason I didn't give it a 10 is because I didn't think the Hardhome stuff was as good as others were saying, I'm not much of a zombie fan, so the action sequences fighting the skeletons and stuff were just meh. But everything involving a White Walker was amazing, and seeing them just raise the dead was brilliant. Also, whoever that woman wildling was, she became my favorite one-off character. Bravo to her.

Poor Brienne. Her presence anywhere, in the books or the show, is too much for people. Can't a girl catch a break?

I think I figured out the ending of the books now. Dany is going to sail to Westeros, break the wheel, kill all the noble families in the process steal their Valyrian Steel and send it to Jon.

I'm not sure who the "you guys" you're talking about are, but if I am one of them the point I was trying to make was that the Dany/Drogo rape was not "adding rape when none existed."

Because that is such a limited definition of rape it's almost scary.

Precisely. It's also historically accurate. EDIT: Which, going back to Sansa, is all the more reason she should have been expecting sex with Ramsey and while I don't think the scene was added for shock value, as it has strong precedents in the world of Westeros, it was poor writing to have her unexpecting.

It's not just her age. I refuse to believe that a woman literally sold to a man to be married is capable of consenting. Where is her power to deny the marriage and consummating the marriage? How could she deny Drogo sex? You can't just not call it rape because she wasn't crying during the situation. She was powerless.

Dany was raped in the books too, and yet she turned around and fell in love with Drogo anyway. Yes, in the books it wasn't as brutal but a 13 year old girl being sold to a man is not capable of consenting. They made it more brutal and that may be irresponsible, but don't blame the rape itself on David and Dan, that was all GRRM.

The vast misunderstanding and broken expectations of the last scene in the context of the larger show.

They are, but it also shows how ridiculous taking any of these polls seriously to determine if an episode was good or not is. People give this episode a 1 because of a single scene, but then will give weaker episodes 7 or 8 because they were "okay."

Can we just get *some* cyvasse though! I want to see it!

Yes! Which is why I think this scene shows bad writing, but should not be thought of as "I'll never watch the show again, they raped Sansa." Sansa hardened herself to the marriage with Ramsey and she knew what that would mean. She should have done a whole "this is my home, and you can not scare me" moment in that scene. Still would have been rape, but would have made sense with the narrative.

I don't remember any boobies or dragons from this episode. Odd.

I find it a little ridiculous how skewed the numbers are here for the entire episode. The episode itself was okay, I gave it a seven. I think they botched the Loras inquest scene, the Dorne stuff was disappointing. But overall it was okay. As for the ending, I think people are overreacting because it was Sansa, and that's all.

I don't care what anyone says, Margaery Tyrell is the best character expanded upon and adapted for the television show.

I can't wait to see Maisie in Doctor Who!

Theoretically, we can download threads (as according to the Help section) but I can't seem to figure out how, in practice, to actually do that.