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Weird that Sansa pronounces it "Rick-AHN."

And there it is.

Kevan's back. Hmmm.

Eh, there's nothing in the show that I can recall about TV Sansa having an issue with bastards or TV Jon having an issue with Sansa always reminding him of his bastard status. She needles Ramsay about it because it's a sore spot with him, not because she hates bastards. For all we know, TV Jon and TV Sansa always got along.

I assumed the gift was Lancel, but Olyvar makes more sense. If Olyvar disappears, the cases against Loras and Margaery go away. I'm guessing Margaery is either released pending trial as in the books or released full stop, since there's a shot from the trailer of Margaery in her usual royal finery embracing Tommen that hasn't aired yet. Judging from Cersei's comment about Margaery getting to leave the cell when the trial starts, I'm guessing it's the latter. It would be interesting if TV Margaery is officially cleared of all charges, unlike Book Margaery, who appears to be getting some sort of trial, even as the evidence against her appears very flimsy.

I might be making a lot of assumptions here, but IF Book Sansa marries Harry, is impregnated by him, is widowed, and Book Sweetrobin survives, she'll be in the same situation as TV Sansa: carrying a politically worthless child. At the risk of reading too much into the show, the fact that TV Sweetrobin is alive and well off screen with no poisoning plot in the offing suggests that Book Sweetrobin might not die. If Book Sweetrobin lives, then Sansa's child is the heir to nothing. In the show, Sansa would be in a similar pickle if impregnated by Ramsay. If the other Boltons are wiped out, and the northerners are determined to ensure that no Bolton survives, Sansa's going to be carrying a child who will be the heir to precisely nothing, and Sansa will have no interest whatsoever in claiming anything on the Boltons' behalf for her child.

No, I definitely agree they brought it on themselves. As for the "why" of Sansa's rape--Sansa's rapes, I guess, based on what we learned tonight--I'm leaning towards the theory that Book Sansa becomes pregnant and that this whole Ramsay/Sansa plot was contrived in the absence of the Harry storyline to ensure that TV Sansa would be pregnant as well.

If HS has been playing Cersei all along, I have to say his game was masterful: 1. Build a power base of supporting the people. 2. Expose the current High Septon's hypocrisy and discredit him in the eyes of the people. 3. When the queen comes calling, act humble and genial. 4. Readily agree to take down someone the queen implies she wants taken down. 5. Lull the queen into a false sense of security by discrediting people she wants discredited. 6. Sit on damning information until a precedent has been established for imprisoning nobles for their crimes. 7. Spring the trap and arrest the queen.

Well, D&D are screwed either way. If Sansa appears to be a stronger person for her rape, it will be decried as the "rape as empowerment" trope. If Sansa is traumatized by her rape, it will be decried as more of "Sansa as victim." If Sansa shrugged off the rape with no apparent ill effects, it will be decried as trivializing the suffering of rape victims.

Exactly. Also, Liam Cunningham said something in passing about how parts of Season 5 were really sick, like whoever thought them up needed therapy. A father burning his adorable daughter alive would certainly qualify.

I'm a bit confused about the Lancel business. Lancel stated and the High Sparrow implied that he confessed all his sins when he joined up, which suggests to me that the HS knew about Cersei all along and was just waiting to spring his trap. However, Littlefinger's gift to Olenna was implied to be Lancel's testimony, and Cersei's arrest came after it's implied that Littlefinger provided information about Lancel to Olenna. So did the HS know all along, or did Olenna tip him off?

Yeah, I think the idea was introduced in this episode so that it would be revisited when things get really desperate for Stannis. If he just rejects the idea and Melisandre accepts his rejection with nothing further coming of it, that would beg the question of why the burning issue was raised in the first place. Shireen, you in danger, girl.

I agree. I'm just spitballing, but maybe the reason Sansa had to have some form of sex in the show is that Book Sansa gets pregnant, maybe by Harry, and if Harry was scrapped, she needed to get pregnant by other means. Doesn't mean she had to get raped, but short of writing in a consensual non-Harry love interest, I can see why they thought it would be easier to mash up her storyline with Jeyne's.

Y'all, the ep description for 5x08 or 5x09 contained the line "Stannis faces a difficult decision." SHIREEN NOOOOOO.

I had to laugh at Sansa in the 5x08 promo, snarling at Theon about how she would have Reeked Theon if she'd had the chance. "HELP ME YOU WORTHLESS FUCKING ASSHOLE" is probably not the best tack to take. On the other hand, RIP, Sansa's courtesy armour. Nice knowing you.

If Sansa doesn't have it in her to kill Ramsay, after everything he's done, I think it's safe to say that she's not a killer. I'm not sure that she'll have the chance, though, what with three episodes left and what looks like some sort of Ramsay/Stannis clash on its way. As for a pregnancy, she could learn she's pregnant at the end of the season, maybe even after Ramsay's death (assuming he dies this season), with the pregnancy being something she has to deal with next season. It could be adding insult to injury, but I'm not entirely convinced that Book Sansa doesn't get pregnant as well.

Eh. You snooze, you lose. I wasn't surprised by Sansa's bruises. That was consistent with Book Jeyne. I'm thinking there's a decent chance TV Sansa will get pregnant, even if Book Jeyne did not. Seems like the sort of thing D&D would throw in for drama, and if it deviates too much from the books, they could just have her miscarry or somesuch. *rolls eyes*

AAAAAAGH TYRION MEETS DANY.

Agreed. I used to think it would be either Sansa or Arya if another Stark died, but I'm increasingly convinced it will be Sansa.

Stannis and Jon's farewell left me with the sense that they won't see each other again.

Selyse's "You have no idea what people will do" had a particularly ominous ring to it with all the speculation about Shireen getting burned this season. Weird that Stannis pronounced Lyanna Mormont's name as "Lye-anna" as opposed to "Leanna."

Was watching Kick-Ass 2--don't judge--and Iain Glen did a respectable cameo as a jailed crime boss type. Iwan Rheon is playing Daniel O'Leary in the upcoming Bolivar biopic, The Liberator.

I was watching Nanny McPhee, and Thomas Brodie-Sangster was in it.

Peter Dinklage was fantastic in The Station Agent, and it's a great little film. Highly recommend it. Tobias Menzies (Edmure) has been cast in the Starz Outlander adaptation, which is out later this year. Ciaran Hinds also played a great Captain Wentworth in an adaptation of Jane Austen's Persuasion. Iain Glen played Hamlet in the film version of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are dead. He looked so young!

Roxanne McKee (Doreah) is playing a prominent role in the new SyFy series Dominion. I was watching The Thick Of It, where Roger Allam (Illyrio) plays Peter Mannion. (A lot of Game of Thrones references in the show, LOL.) Tobias Menzies (Edmure) also showed up in 4x06 of the series. Loving Michelle Fairley in 24: Live Another Day.