dark sister

This is my favorite episode so far, mostly because I'm really into the idea of sticking to the book. I thought that it was okay that they compressed "Nan"'s cupbearing for Roose into cupbearing for Tywin, altho it'll be interesting to see how she handles her anger...butterfly effect, majorly. I also thought it was cute when Tywin called her clever for dressing and cutting her hair like a boy.

I don't think it's pointless. They didn't really care out the Sansa beating scene the way they did in the book, so it's natural that he wanted to take his anger out on someone else fully, the way he did with Sansa. Also, it shows how his cruelty is escalating, how he's going from snotty, to mean, to cruel, to mutilator, and to murderer. Like I said before, a real Ted Bundy type. (People who have read about him might esp. agree with me.) I don't like the way the shadow baby made that horrible screech. It was supposed to be Stannis in shadow form, y'know? Why would it screech? And it was soooo hard to see it. I also think that she should have talked about how they needed to row her there because of the magic locked into the stones of Storm's End. That would've been a good explanation. I like that they kept the rotten onion part, but if I had to cut one line, it would be the latter, b/c the former explains WHY Davos had to smuggle her beneath the walls.

I KNEW IT!!! I knew the scene with Joff and the whores would be sadistic! This King is turning out to be exactly like Ted Bundy.

Um, I watched it because I LIKED season 1. I watched the opening to season 2 in hopes that it would be as good. I'm sorry you think that it is immature that I disagree with women using "alternative means" to get parts in shows. I don't like invented characters, and I don't like that they cut two of the most important characters to Bran's storyline. Oh give me a break, I am sad that the woman who played Old Nan died, but they could have gotten a replacement, an alternative woman who was around the same age. Because it doesn't make sense for Osha to know about dragons. White walkers, yes. But Old Nan was just old enough to understand and remember the last dragons...she's from Dunk's time, I believe. Btw, your comment on my time being worthless wasn't immature at all.... I just refuse to pay for it anymore. Personally, I prefer the books and will stick with them. If I feel like watching the next episode and giving it another chance, I will. It doesn't mean I can't be sorely disappointed with what they did in the beginning episode. Also, if you reply to this and try to get into some kind of board war, I'm not going to acknowledge it. I hate them and they ARE a waste of time.

My favorite part (which is, strangely enough, not in the books) is what happens after they find Arya, Sansa lies, Ned pleads, Cersei/Joff gloat, and Ned has to kill Lady. Basically, there is some sort of "connection" (for lack of a better word -- between Lady's death and Bran's rebirth. I like the music that begins to play, how Ned plays with Lady's ears, then it slowly pans closer to Bran's bed, and his eyes open when we hear the sword cut off Lady's head. I never looked at this exchange of "death for life" in this scene. I personally believe it was probably the producers' interpretation, but I think it works really well in the scene. The music is haunting, too. Side note: I love Ramin Djawadi's music for the series. He's Iranian, and I'm part Iranian too, and he really captures the haunting melodies that I, personally, love in music. Maybe it's a Persian thing? ;) Who knows. The title music is probably the best ever. Here's a boy who did his own version of it on the violin instead of cello, and I think he plays it wonderfully and with a lot of passion:

About Arianne's plan to crown Myrcella and who betrayed it... If Arianne was betrayed by one of her party, I would suspect Drey, for these two reasons: 1) Myrcella is noted as an exceptionally smart child, and children have good intuition. She especially seems to see through things (knowing why they dyed her hair brown, her handmaid, etc.). When Drey kneels by her feet and asks her to call him by his first name, she gives him a wary look and says "until I know you better, I must call you 'Ser'." Arianne notes that this response is odd because Drey has "an easy way and easy smile" (paraphrasing). Later on, Drey seems to be making a special effort to cheer Myrcella by talking about how she has won many "battles" and is "merciless" with Trystane at the cyvasse table. I find it interesting that he brings this up, not just because of the phrasing (battle, no mercy) but because it seems like he's making a reference to the game of thrones, and how Myrcella plays it better than Trys. I might be reading too much into the last bit, but my radar went off immediately when Myrcella responded to Drey in that way. 2) Apparently Arianne and Tyene were going to have a 3some with Drey, but he spurbted right when Tyene drew him out of his pants. It was to be all 3's first time. Arianne chuckles in remembrance, thinking of how Tyene has dangerous hands. I wonder if both of them laughed at him when this happened. That might have made him angry, but he strikes me as the type to harbor anger under an exterior of easy smiles (kinda like BB Plumm). He's also the first to yield when Hotah & crew show up...perhaps b/c he was expecting it? Anyway, even tho he's been Arianne's friend, it's known that Arianne tells secrets easily, esp. to her friends, so Drey probably "knows" that Quent is the heir to Dorne and not her. It wouldn't surprise me if he tries to curry favor with Doran so that he might gain more power. He could even explain his treachery by using the line of "crowning her [Myrc] would kill her". Anyway, I could be totally wrong and it's someone who hasn't even appeared on-screen. I also haven't tried to figure out the mystery as much as others but this is what comes to mind when I remember. First, if I were in that crowd, I would totally trust what GRRM thinks is read-worthy, because HE knows everything that's happening! Second, we haven't heard a Damphair POV in a looooong time, and everyone in the series, at least, has been wondering what he's doing. Third, GRRM said "it has some really twisted stuff": if he's saying that, it must be really, really twisted, and prob related to Euron! I've been wanting to know about that for a while. Just because characters aren't in the same place doesn't mean we can't learn about the ones who interest us thru flashbacks...so much of the juiciest information has come from recollections and flashbacks. I can see how initially an Ari chapter might sound more interesting than a Damph, but what clinches it for me is what Martin said about it and that he made an effort to convince the crowd. Well, I think that some readers are starting to take the Sand Snakes' and Arianne's typical view of Doran. Yes he's a planner, but he also knows when to act. It doesn't mean he'll never take a risk in his entire life. He took a huge one by sending Quent all the way to Meereen. All agree in Dance that it's a dangerous journey just getting there, much less winning Daenerys' favor. There's probably a lot we don't know, since it isn't Arianne I, but Arianne II. He can't go himself, and I'm not sure that Arianne's "mission" is to determine his DNA. No one can do that. If Aegon's a fake, then Jon Connington is a man especially likely to be duped because he would want to believe it's his beloved Rhaegar's son...but Ari is just collecting information and going to treat with Aegon. If the rules of hospitality mean anything to JC & co., then Arianne won't be killed, at worst taken hostage and I don't see why they would want to do that when Doran is not sending hostile signals to any Targs. I personally think that Littlefinger plans to do something exceedingly clever with those tapestries...in fact, I'm going to start an official thread for any theories regarding it, but atm, does anyone have any ideas? (I'm still finding textual evidence to support my theory :))