Raksha 2014

Arya is creeping me out as well as Sansa.

Here comes the Dragon Express!

Would Sandor really be dumb enough to start a fight with a gazillion zombies just to throw a stone out of boredom?

I would have loved to have seen an ice spider.

Sansa does deserve some credit for the fact that Winterfell is back in Stark hands. Jon wanted to go off "somewhere warm" and Sansa pushed him into fighting to reclaim Winterfell. And yes, the Vale-lords did come for Sansa. Sansa is also entitled by birth order to be the Lady of Winterfell if Bran abdicates, which he has; and that counts hugely in Westerosi succession. And Jon has left Sansa in charge and (if I remember correctly) said that she is the Lady of Winterfell; after Sansa did not protest (and graciously accepted) Jon's being named King in the North. Has Sansa been somewhat manipulative? Yes. Has she betrayed Jon, or the North? No. What I don't care for is Arya's harping on Sansa's pretty clothes and liking for nice things and fondness for 'knitting' and assumptions about Sansa's behavior without having witnessed it in context. As I said, Arya remembers Sansa standing with the Lannisters in nice clothes and a nice hairdo when Ned was being dragged to his execution; but she doesn't remember Sansa screaming and struggling in the hands of a Kingsguard after Joffrey sentenced Ned to death. Sansa had to watch Ned's head lopped off; while Yoren shielded Arya from that final horror. The problem is that Arya is treating Sansa like an enemy, not a sister.

Evidently Arya just can't stop whining about Sansa. Did she happen to notice Sansa screaming and struggling while Ned was being dragged to the block, or just Sansa's nice hairdo?

Arya's being horrible to Sansa.

She did give Lord Tarly a chance to take the black; he refused. She didn't offer the chance to Dickon.

I had to giggle when Gendry pointed out that Jon is short; since Jon is actually half an inch taller than Gendry.

She annoyed me bigtime during this episode. Doesn't Sansa have enough to worry about without Arya pestering her to cut off some heads? Sansa might have thoughts of taking power if Jon dies, but I really don't think she's seriously considering betraying him. And she is wise not to alienate the bannermen who are just grumbling respectfully rather than doing a "Queen In The North!" rebellion...

Does anyone know what happened to the Tarlys? Did either of them survive? Dickon saved Jaime from being skewered by a Dothraki; but I didn't see if he was toasted or skewered himself.

Definitely the best episode so far this season. I assume that Bronn will fish Jaime out of the water before the latter drowns, and they both avoid Dany's pep talk to the Lannister survivors...

Well, because obviously the little squirt who has trained intensely with a Water Master for several months six years back and with an assassin's cult for a few months more recently can hold her own with a trained knight who's twice her size.

She'll be killing the Mountain soon, I'm sure.

LF would be unusually foolish to kill Sansa. His standing army is not going to want to spend the next year or two holding Winterfell against the wrath of Jon, the Northern lords, and everyone (possibly including Robert Arryn) who objects to the upstart southerners murdering a Stark princess/King's sister and occupying Winterfell. I'd have rather they did other things with Grey Worm and Missandei than have them discover the joys of sex; it just seemed predictable, even for two pretty young people.

I think that Daenerys actually should have attacked King's Landing sooner rather than later. She's just giving Cersei time to come up with dragon-stopping weapons; and guess what, Qyburn is doing just that. If Dany's worried about mass killing in King's Landing; she could concentrate dragonfire on the palace, keep the Dothraki out of the fight and just send the Unsullied into the city with orders not to harm civilians. At this rate, Cersei and King's Landing will implode (with or without the help of wildfire) long before Dany gets there. Or, hello, Euron, First of His Name, King of Westeros.

Yes, that was odd; since it was definitely Nymeria.

I wonder if Nymeria and her pack, or at least Nymeria, will make a sudden surprise appearance if/when Arya gets ambushed by unfriendlies on the way to Winterfell (if Arya is, as I assume, going North)? That would be original (not!).

I suppose one commend Ellaria for murdering Myrcella, Hotah, Doran and Trystane quickly; as opposed to degradation and torture, like what she's going to get from Cersei. If Tyene's alive, she'll get to meet the Mountain alright, I fear (wasn't she the one who was going on about wanting the Mountain). I just hope that Yara survives. I'm disappointed that Theon turned coward; though he would be dead otherwise.

You'd think that Yara might have anticipated an attack by Euron and had lookouts and a backup plan...

Whose bodies were those hanging from the prow - Ellaria's and her daughter, or the other two Sand Snakes?

Two Sand Brats down, one more to go, also Ellaria.

One Sand Brat down, two more to go.

If Cthulhu were a teddy bear.

Thank you, Euron, for cutting that short!