Tanacetum Vulgare

The Gold Cloaks did make a move to protect her, but Tommen held up his hand to stop them. I missed that the first time watching the scene, but I noticed it the second time. I am curious as to why he stopped them and did not force the issue. I really did expect some sort of uproar from Tommen, but he did not make a move other than to hold up his hand to stop the gold cloaks. Why do you think he did not cause a scene and force the issue? I do not think it would have changed the outcome, but I found it curious as to why he did not at least make an attempt to save his queen.

Watching Tommen in the scene, he looked really uncomfortable, and seemed to be glancing toward Cersei more than once. My conclusion was that he knew what was going to happen - Mommy told him - and, unable to think of a way to stand up to her, Tommen just went along with it. Cersei probably threatened him in some way. Or was like, "Do you want to be de-throned because the High Sparrow knows your uncle is your father? We need this distraction!"

Just throwing ideas around.

Can we just get *some* cyvasse though! I want to see it!

YES. They seem so into making elaborate props, just create a board and have it in the bg somewhere already.

If Ramsay has taken her to look at something horrifying, uh, could this be more of a rehash? Joffrey did the same thing to Sansa and made her look at her father's and septa's heads. This just needs to stop.

I hoping it's more of - this is what will happen to you if you don't behave while I'm gone. He leaves to battle Stannis. Bye, Felicia!

It could be. Definitely. Or maybe he's flayed the "the North remembers" serving woman. We haven't seen her in an episode.

The writers and producers have been accused of using a "cut and paste" technique this season when trying to move story/character dev. forward. It could be that, too. I can't even guess anymore. I give them 0 credit.

I can't even rate this episode (I've never been into rating them anyway, I'm not sure I get the point of it sometimes), but it's hard to come up with a rating for something that bores one to death and yet still manages to anger one at the same time. But, I'm guessing a certain senator wouldn't give it high points, as this tweet suggests. It also suggests that the show in general lately was lagging for her, rating wise. It seems a rocky ride for her that she is no longer interested in riding. Can't say as I blame her.

Claire McCaskill @clairecmc · 7h7 hours ago

Ok, I'm done Game of Thrones.Water Garden, stupid.Gratuitous rape scene disgusting and unacceptable.It was a rocky ride that just ended.

Wow. I just gained a ton of respect for Claire McCaskill, and I don't even live in Misery anymore.

The Sand Brats were a waste of scenery. "Unbent, Unbowed, Unbroken" they chant as they prepare to seize and murder an innocent girl (who happens to be the ward of their king). Oberyn would roll over in his grave - as much as he hated Tywin Lannister, he seemed to hold no ill-will toward Myrcella or personal dislike for Tyrion (which makes sense, since Tyrion was a child at the time Elia Martell and her children died, and Myrcella was not even born). :dunno:

Honestly, I see a theme running through this episode (and others this season) that all women are dumb, petty bitches, and fail before they even try (and deserve it when they get raped). The Sandfakes are a great example of this. I feel like the writers/producers are saying to us, "Look at these dumb bitches, trying to be badass." As you said, their father would turn in his grave.

Also, the bath scene. Sansa's "empowerment" comes from her being catty to another woman, calling her on alleged jealousy when the other woman is literally warning her she's about to marry a murdering psychopath??????????? Does this make ANY sense at all apart from a "all women are dumb bitches" perspective?

If you were getting ready for a wedding to someone you hardly knew, and the person helping you get ready started telling you your betrothed is a murderer...wouldn't you investigate further? Perhaps ask a few questions? Think twice?

No! You're a strong woman. You put that other female in her place. She's just jealous. You go, grrrrl!

That's what I'm thinking too. That scene where Sansa's crying in the next episode. Doesn't it look like the scene where Sansa first met Myranda(tower Bran fell, where the candle is)? Except it's snowing like crazy.

Also, why else would Sansa cry? I know she was a crybaby but not anymore. Of course she cried during her rape scene, but only because it was her first time and she didn't exactly like the guy that'll deflower her.

Also, when Sansa said "My family still has friends in the North." to Theon. It felt like she still has ALOT of hope left in her. But Ramsay crushed it on the scene where she's crying.

I'm curious about this scene as well. To me, on re-watching, it looks like Sansa is looking at something/someone that is making her cry like that. My guess is that Ramsay has flayed someone at Winterfell and shown them to Sansa as a "present". Top candidates to my mind are Myranda, Walda, Brienne.

Would Sansa cry like this to see Myranda or Walda flayed? She doesn't seem to like either of them at this point, but horrors pile up and a woman who's suffered at a psychopath's hands could well be this upset to see another woman who's suffered worse at his hands. Or is it Brienne, whom Sansa was secretly hoping would come save her after she told Brienne to go to hell in front of Littlefinger?

Any other theories? I'm not saying it couldn't happen in the candle scene, but there has to be more to it. Sansa is looking at SOMEthing, and I doubt it's her candle going out in the tower.

The show is getting REALLY bad right now and its because Martin KNEW what he was doing and it wasn't this; and the show runners don't know what they are doing and it IS this.

Agree with all of the above.

I cancelled my HBO subscription today. When the representative asked me why, I told her exactly why. 'nough said.

Not sure if this counts for you, but Tyrion said it right after the Red Wedding, or some variation. I created a lot of furor on this board.

Well, I should have specified I meant season 5, but I had totally forgotten about that from Tyrion previous. Now I'm going to have to go look at it again!

In Brienne's defense, since candles are a common source of light, she needs a signal that will be distinct from regular day-to-day activity. All the easily accessible windows probably have candles in them all the time.

And presumably Sansa could ask a servant to light that candle on a pretext rather than go herself.

Not to interrupt all of this discussion of the plausability of this whole Bat Signal instruction, but Brienne didn't say any of this. This came from a servant that has not yet been proved a) to be the messenger Brienne spoke of or b) NOT a Frey or Bolton spy.

For all we know, Sansa or her servant could get up there to light fire of some kind and find Ramsay or Miranda waiting.

Also, am I wrong or has "The North Remembers" been quoted so far by anyone else besides this serving woman and Ramsay Bolton? I feel like we're being mocked with Manderly's famous words this season.

-Hizdhar has been character assassinated HARD. A ruthless morally ambiguous shady Machiavellian to a whiny sychophant. Bravo Bravo BRAVO. And he's a minority character, I thought D&D would be all over him instead of letting him rot. But given that they apparently didn't read the last 2 books of the series, maybe this Hizdhar is their own banal interpretations.

I kept meaning to bring this up...it seems that the show is casting Hizdhar as a victim? Is he not going to try to poison Dany? Maybe we can't do that without Strong Belwas? I'm so confused. He seems like a pointless character in the show when he had so much purpose in the books. Why even include him if he's just some poor whipped guy for Dany to antagonize? Checklist again?

Idk she was rather savvy when it came to getting the unsullied. Shes better when she acts instead of sitting around hoping for good stuff to happen. I wouldn't call him her best adviser. At least in the show he hasn't gotten anything really right. Jorah has been more right than him and she sent him packing.

Respectfully disagree that Barristan hasn't gotten anything right in his advising of Dany. He just recently called her on becoming like her father and what do we see tonight? Ta-dah! Standard Mad King-like behavior from our heroine.

Did you see any horror or remorse on her face when the dragons were eating that poor asshole? I think I actually saw excitement. Scary stuff.