The Scabbard Of the Morning

It's also hard to lay siege against it because of the cold weather.

5. I'm more pissed about Dorne really than I'm about Stannis/Shireen. I can at least handwave Shireen on the grounds that the show is telling a different story. But the Dorne stuff is just horrible. Doran Martel has no plan but to give his only child as a hostage to KL? Really? The entire time spent in Dorne was a complete waste of time. We could have just had Myrcella and Trystane show up at KL in episode 10 and accomplished exactly the same thing . They certainly haven't given us even one reason to care about Dorne or any of the Dornish despite wasting so much time there.

Very exciting hour of television.

Well, good job by the show, they successfully established why Dany's dragons are absolutely essential, no way a human army could possibly win against that.

"Having Gilly attacked in order to get her in bed with Sam isn't." How about linking to the quote I'm addressing.

Gilly was attacked so Sam would have urgency to take Gilly away from CB. The sex thing was going to happen sooner or later.

BTW some thing just came to me as I was thinking about Sam going to Oldtown. I will post a separate thread to discuss it but I'll also post it here to get reactions now. My prediction for next season's Arya story is that Sam and Gilly will be sent to Oldtown and they will make a stop at Braavos just like in the books. And Arya is going to get on that boat and travel with them to Oldtown, and Arya will replace Jaqen in the Faceless Men infiltrate the Citadel plot in the books.

If Trystane is not his son then he has no children.... just saying...

That ship has sailed. But I still think we'll seen Trystane=Young Griff. I guess that would make Doran show's Griff.

Again, I'm going to defend the Sam/Gilly scene because it was set up all along. Sam send Gilly to Mole town last season precisely because he was afraid something like this could happen. And Aemon tells Gilly to go South earlier this episode. The scene sets up why Sam needs to get Gilly away and Jon will send him on a mission to Oldtown and take GIlly with him. The fact that the show screwed up Sansa in Winterfell doesn't mean all threats of sexual violence should be avoided by the show. This is one situation where it actually makes sense to have it, because it fit into the story, was set up by earlier events, and provide motivation for future plot development.

I actually didn't mind the Gilly scene tonight because I didn't find it gratuitous. It's reaffirms Sam and Gilly's bond, and it establishes the reason for why Sam is going to take Gilly south later this season (Clearly Jon is sending him to Oldtown later).

I'm giving this a ten. The Cersei arrest scene was great, funny how when you do a scene that was largely in the books it's great, do that more often. Also props to them for doing the one thing that GRRM failed to deliver in 2 books, Tyrion meets Dany, finally.

8/10. KL, Winterfell, Tyrion/Jorah, Braavos, all well done. Dorne was a 0/10.

So according the show LF is taking the knights of the Vale to Winterfell in the aftermath of the Stannis/Bolton conflict to claim Winterfell. Is this a spoiler for the books. Is that what LF and Sansa will actually do?

This episode felt much more like it belonged in the Ice and Fire world of the books than the previous 4 episodes this season. That has always been my complaint, not that the show is changing the plot, but that the way they change them takes me out of the world, it just felt like a modern TV show with people in costumes. This was the first time I really felt we're back in Westeros.

My favorite episode this season unsurprisingly it was written by Cogman, there were more references to history that Cogman likes to drop in there, like Randyll Tarly and the battle of Asheford, Roose about Ramsey's conception, etc that D&D don't do nearly as much of. Even though the plot is different, this episode felt more like it belonged in the world of Ice and Fire than any other episode so far this season. So I'll give it a 10.

I'm giving it a 10. I know, this is shocking all of you who see me post in the Rant and Rave threads. But I am quite able to judge the show as a TV show instead of comparing it to the books. In that thread I'm comparing it to the books. Here I am merely grading it as a show.

"Bear Island knows no king but the King In the North. Whose name is Stark." Fuck Yeah! BTW. Is it a coincidences that the two highborn young girls proclaiming loyalty to the Starks just happened to be named Lyanna and Wylla?

Mance was a bard many times, including a previous trip to Winterfell, what's the problem here?

BTW this episode was really short, not counting the "previously on" and the "next week on" portions it runs 49 minutes and 56 secs.

Looking at discussions around the internet by show only watchers, they are wondering what exactly Varys sees in Dany that makes him think that she'd be a much better ruler than Stannis. I think this is a serious problem with how they took the shortcut of elimination FAegon and make Varys a Dany supporter. The idea that Varys, who has not so much as ever met Dany, would be all aboard her train as the best option for the the throne is a little hard to swallow.

A follow up question is still a question. Will I be Queen is not the same question as "When will I wed the Prince".

She asked 3 questions: When will I wed the Prince? I will be Queen? Will I have children with the King?

I'm willing to bet anything there is no follow up to that prophecy. I'm also willing to bet that Mance is dead for real on the show. As I have speculated already in another thread last week. Brienne/Pod will replace Mance/Spearwives as the undercover rescue party in Winterfell.

Agreed that Mance's stand made no sense.