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Surely "the only non-psychopathic candidate at the Kingsmoot" is a significant role. The point was that the Ironborn were presented with three options - Victarion's mindless attempt to continue his brother's stupid policies, Asha's attempt to work constructively towards a positive-sum peace, and Euron's megalomaniacal insanity - and they choose the worst one. If it's just a choice between Victarion and Euron, it doesn't have nearly the same power. But I've no idea where they're going with the Iron Islands story.

He absolutely did not, as far as I'm aware. At best, he kind of implied it without making any kind of clear statement.

Gay men have fathered children throughout recorded history. They do it in the usual way. Renly is about 20 and Gendry is 13 or 14. That's why he can't be Gendry's father. I'd say, though, that, as an unacknowledged bastard, Gendry has no rights to the throne whatever. Even Edric Storm, an acknowledged bastard, has no rights to the throne. I wouldn't be surprised if Gendry ends up as Lord of Storm's End in the event of the complete extinction of the legitimate Baratheon line (I doubt Stannis and Shireen will live out the series). But I'd be shocked if he ends up as King.

You really think that's what will happen? Don't you think that would be a rather anticlimactic end to Jaime's story?

On what basis do you think she can save only one? I thought that, very explicitly, the Brotherhood was saying that she could save both of them if she betrayed Jaime.

It's certainly perfectly logical for it to be Garlan, but it makes more emotional sense for it to be Loras, since he's the one with the deep connection to Renly. Garlan (whom I actually like as a character) is just some dude we've never seen before. I guess that Garlan is probably going to be written out of the series, which is too bad, but hopefully they can give some of his role in the story to Loras - having Loras be respectful to Tyrion and kind to Sansa would be totally reasonable, I think, since he's just kind of a petulant prick in the books.

In the books, Garlan, Loras's older brother, is Renly's ghost. Loras is fighting as himself. I think the TV version makes more sense.

Seriously? I kind of feel bad for you.

There is absolutely no chance they will do that. Why on earth would they cut out Arya's entire Storm of Swords story? She has the most chapters of any character in that book. After Storm of Swords, she has five chapters where very little happens. She said she was 4. Are people really so emotionally committed to the age difference between Cersei and Tyrion to the point that they're willing to pretend they didn't change it on the show? It's pretty obvious that Dinklage is not 9 years younger than Headey and Coster-Waldau, so this makes perfect sense.

I think that place is "Germany."

Yeah, that's basically what I was saying - she should have told Robb that she did it in part because Karstark seemed to be planning to murder Jaime before Robb got back. But it's not a big deal, and I can kind of see why she might not want to alienate Karstark by doing that.

This was the first episode where the changes started to get to me. Given the fact that they hadn't set up any of the stuff relating to weasel soup, and that Roose is off with Robb in the Westerlands, I suppose I shouldn't have been surprised that they didn't have it, but it was still a bit jarring. My bigger complaints are two: 1) What on earth is the deal with Talisa? I was convinced last week by her reluctance to go to the Crag that she was Jeyne, but now she's telling a detailed and convincingly detailed story about her life in Volantis, and seems to have returned from the Crag without incident. So she is Talisa? If so, why did they even bring the Crag into it? Why do the extras say that the Crag is home to House Westerling? That's just purposefully fucking with book readers, I think, which is annoying. 2) More subtly, I was a little bit irritated by the way Tywin took his leave of Arya. Which I guess is a complaint that the show runners haven't changed from the books as much as they should have. I guess I kind of thought that Tywin's interactions with her would prove to have some importance in the plot - that maybe he knew she was Arya, or something. Because we saw a ton of them sitting in that room talking to each other. And then he's just "Alright, I'm heading out, take good care of the Mountain for me." It didn't feel very satisfying within the context of the show. But perhaps that was inevitable. Other than that, I was fairly satisfied. I don't mind the change in Catelyn's release of Jaime, although I wish she'd have said that she did it in part because she was afraid Karstark and his men would murder Jaime if she didn't, and end all chance of her seeing her daughters. And some of the other "changes" turn out not to have been changes at all, as I expected - Jon and Qhorin's endgame will play out basically as it did in the books, Bran and company are still hiding in the crypts. And lots of good scenes - I loved Stannis and Davos, Theon and Yara, Cersei and Tyrion, all the Tyrion/Bronn/Varys business, and Brienne and Jaime. Still not sure what I think of Robb/Talisa (I guess I have to start calling her that, now), as I'm too confused about what's going on, but Oona Chaplin certainly has a great body, and the book version obviously wouldn't work given that Madden isn't 15. The Dany plot I still don't really care about, but I'll be interested to see the House of the Undying. I suppose I'll also have to admit that I was stupidly wrong in thinking they wouldn't use Ros in Alayaya's role. I thought it wouldn't make any sense why Cersei would think she meant something to Tyrion, but I guess it was fine, and it was obviously pretty predictable, since everyone else predicted it. Ah well.

In the context of what they're showing, it makes total sense for Catelyn to free Jaime. If she doesn't release Jaime, he's going to be lynched by Karstark and those sympathetic to him before the sun rises. To have any chance of getting her daughters back, freeing Jaime is the only thing to do. In this context, I think it becomes less of a betrayal of Robb - Robb isn't there, and doesn't see the situation. Robb wouldn't want Jaime lynched any more than Catelyn does. Sending him off to King's Landing with Brienne is making the best of a bad situation.

Really? Would you prefer that we are introduced to a Karstark who already has a grudge against Jaime? Or that they had introduced Karstark last season just to have his son killed, and then had to awkwardly remind us of it now? Changes like this are the kind that are absolutely necessary for an adaptation. It was the only way to make Karstark's story work.

This one bugged me, as well. One could wank up an explanation, I suppose - he left them at Torrhen's Square and rode back by himself to either let Winterfell know what had happened or warn them of the danger - but this is, indeed, not well-explained. This isn't a plot hole, and there are examples in history of men being torn apart by angry mobs. It was a bit silly, but I don't see the problem here. This is, again, not a plot hole. The showrunners are trying to up the drama of Myrcella's departure, and Cersei's anger at Tyrion over it. Having Myrcella cry does that, and doesn't affect the overall plot in any significant way. I suppose he might have told the Maester to send it to the wrong place? Who knows? It might be a minor plot hole, but it's not actually important. He's not too bright? I think you are conflating book Jon, who explicitly decides not to kill Ygritte, with TV show Jon, who is nervous and flubs the physical act. This is not a plot hole, it just shows that Jon is not thinking very clearly, which is totally plausible. Jon's actions don't make sense because he's not acting rationally. Who's to say he will not find them next episode? The Freys don't care if Robb has sex with some nurse. An infatuation is meaningless as long as Robb is willing to follow through on his oath to the Freys. Numerous possibilities: this may not be the first time Robb and Catleyn have met since her return. Alternately, Robb doesn't want to speak of sensitive matters in front of a girl who he thinks might be a spy; they talk about what happened at Renly's camp in private and off-screen.