Mithras

“Your Wall is a queer place, but there is power here, if you will use it. Power in you, and in this beast. You resist it, and that is your mistake. Embrace it. Use it.” I am not a wolf, he thought. “And how would I do that?” “I can show you.” Melisandre draped one slender arm over Ghost, and the direwolf licked her face. “The Lord of Light in his wisdom made us male and female, two parts of a greater whole. In our joining there is power. Power to make life. Power to make light. Power to cast shadows.”

Barry and Aemon die in the next episode. BTW, anyone else thinks that Jon will tell Stannis to have a detour at the mountain clans to recruit them and free Deepwood Motte? In that, he will also tell Stannis to leave Mel behind just like in the books.

Do we know anything about how former slave prostitutes are living after they were freed?

Shireen was afflicted with greyscale by the doll pressed on her face. Craster Jr. was Otherized by a cold finger pressed on his face. Coincidence? I don't think so.

Show-Sansa might be convinced to believe that Stannis slew Renly with sorcery as Brienne claimed. Theon OTOH will have little reason to get caught by Stannis. So, perhaps they might try to flee to Braavos. Or they might try to reach Wall and be require guest right from Jon (but in that case, they will surely find the Wall in turmoil after Jon's assassination which might still lead to an escape to Braavos).

Davos will be our next POV at Winterfell as the regent of Rickon after the Boltons are wiped out. No room for Sansa. And as Jon suspected, giants will camp in the ruins of Winterfell, although they will be friendly to Rickon. Mance gave her a fond smile. “It’s a wise woman I’ve found. A true queen.” He turned back to Jon. “Go back and tell them to open their gate and let us pass. If they do, I will give them the horn, and the Wall will stand until the end of days.” Open the gate and let them pass. Easy to say, but what must follow? Giants camping in the ruins of Winterfell? Cannibals in the wolfswood, chariots sweeping across the barrowlands, free folk stealing the daughters of shipwrights and silversmiths from White Harbor and fishwives off the Stony Shore? Note that we already had the cannibals in the wolfswood but they were at Stannis army. The giants will also be used in repairing Winterfell just as Brandon the Builder used them in raising Winterfell.

I would not expect much consistency from the show especially in regards to Sansa. Because when you think about it, for D&D, it looks like Sansa's original story is inferior to that of Jeyne Poole, who is in fact a side character in Jon's story. In George's original draft, Arya and Cat were supposed to come to the Wall and prove difficulty for Jon about his vows. In the story published, Jeyne Poole as fArya did that.

Let us talk again If she still stays in the North after this season ;)

The High Sparrow in the books is an amoral power player. He takes pleasure from whipping himself for his sins. The only person who did a similar thing was Septon Utt, who was a Bloody Mummer, who asked to be whipped after raping and killing boys. So, no. I see no reason to take this person as Howland.

Aging the characters up =/= pushing a character a generation back compared to the others.

High Sparrow seems old enough to be Ned's father.

It looks like the Boltons will not stand against Stannis in the show. So, LF must prevent Stannis taking the North because after the North, his next target will be the Vale. Stannis has no reason to ally with LF and many reasons to burn him alive. So, LF is giving the Boltons what they need to stand against Stannis. He is using the Boltons to get rid of Stannis. If they defeat Stannis, LF will no doubt find a way to ditch the Boltons too.

We didnot have "fetch me the block" but we still have the nod.

For the record; There are seven gods at the Hall of the Black Pool. 1. Lion of Night sitting in a throne (easy to identify) 2. Next to him is the Black Goat of Qohor (even easier to identify - Hello Baphomet, long time no see) 3. At the other side of the Lion of Night, we have the Weeping Lady of Lys with water trickling down her eyes (the man who drank from the black pool died at her feet). Ellaria in the books worships this goddess. 4. The fiery heart of the Red God is also obvious. 5. The stone face is supposed to be a weirwood face. 6. The standing hooded figure who turned his/her back is the Stranger (note that it is supposed to be gender indeterminate) 7. And finally, the misshapen, grotesque thing at the other side of the Stranger is the Drowned God. This was the only surprise for me.

Sadly, Roose knows Brienne too damn well from Harrenhal. However, if Brienne poses as a man, it could work. If there will be a Hooded Man in the show, my bet is on Davos.

I think Brienne champions Jaime in the trial by combat and saves his lame ass. Then, Jaime gets free but Brienne is stuck with UnCat until she remembers that Cat swore to let her go should Brienne asks to avenge Renly. So, Brienne will leave UnCat and head North to make that attempt.

George's biggest mistake was to sacrifice the chronology in favor of telling a seemingly more complete story in the First Act (AGoT-ACoK-ASoS). He should have sticked to the chronology and introduced ironborn-Dorne chapters in ASoS. Meanwhile, some ASoS material ahead of other events should be spared to AFfC. George is now struggling with the problems of his own creation.

That too. Whatever the case, I do not think such a sympathetic girl will be burned alive. Maybe Sam saves her and ran away to Eastwatch with Gilly and Monster.

Then, Grey Worm might survive. I really do not expect Bronn to survive. Bronn-Jaime is not so good as Bronn-Tyrion. What, the show will try to solve the Rosby inheritance problem?

There will be four characters to die this season, who are still alive in the books. My guesses based on the trailers and released set pictures: 1. Mance (died in the First Episode, and for real). 2. Barristan (missing from the Pit scene) 3. Grey Worm (looked quite dead while Missandei kissing him) 4. Bronn (sadly, his time in the series is done. He is not returning from Dorne) Therefore, Shireen will be saved from the pyre.

I don't think anything suggests in the new chapter that she has such thought patterns.

“You lie,” he said. “All men lie when they are afraid. Some tell many lies, some but a few. Some have only one great lie they tell so often that they almost come to believe it . . . though some small part of them will always know that it is still a lie, and that will show upon their faces.” “Lord Robert mislikes strangers, you know that, and there will be drinking, noise . . . music. Music frightens him.” “Music soothes him,” she corrected, “the high harp especially. It’s singing he can’t abide, since Marillion killed his mother.” Alayne had told the lie so many times that she remembered it that way more oft than not; the other seemed no more than a bad dream that sometimes troubled her sleep. Alayne spoke up. “His singing pleased her greatly, and she showed him too much favor, perhaps. When she wed my father he went mad and pushed her out the Moon Door. Lord Robert has hated singing ever since. He is still fond of music, though.”

Bronn is dying this season.

Even before the series is aired, it was speculated from the set news that Arya would kill Meryn in Braavos. The question is, will she kill Mace too? I think it is very likely. I believe book!Mace will be slain shortly in batle by JonCon, so omitting JonCon means there is no use for Mace. This is also necessary to move the plot forward to the downfall of the Tyrells and Margaery's execution (it is coming).

Shireen wil be saved from the pyre. It is known.