Where do we go from Here? With tears...

[nationalanthem91]

I think Brienne and Pod are going to meet up with Sansa next episode, not Stannis

I think they could actually run into both. Sansa first, and once she refuses their help and/or tells them to go find Bran and Rickon, they'll leave and then run into Stannis at some point.

[shaggy_rick]

I hope they will tell Jon about Sansa so Jon has a decent reason for commiting treason and the FTW guys have a decent reason to take him out. The worst case scenario is that Olly just loses and it is a pure act of aggression.

How would Jon knowing about Sansa work for the plot?

• Jon was never very close with Sansa. A huge difference to Arya

Sansa was with the Lannisters before, now she is with the Boltons. Why would Jon assume that the Boltons are worse than the Lannisters?

[Colonel Green]

How would Jon knowing about Sansa work for the plot?

• Jon was never very close with Sansa. A huge difference to Arya

Sansa was with the Lannisters before, now she is with the Boltons. Why would Jon assume that the Boltons are worse than the Lannisters?

Nobody disputes that Jon was much closer to Arya, but do people really think that Jon would be indifferent to learning that any of his siblings were being held as a sex slave by a family of psychopaths? He's gone to extreme lengths for people he's basically never met, e.g., Alys Karstark. As to the second point, that logic also applies to Arya.

I think they could actually run into both. Sansa first, and once she refuses their help and/or tells them to go find Bran and Rickon, they'll leave and then run into Stannis at some point.

Why on earth would Sansa refuse their help at this point?

[nationalanthem91]

Nobody disputes that Jon was much closer to Arya, but do people really think that Jon would be indifferent to learning that any of his siblings were being held as a sex slave by a family of psychopaths? He's gone to extreme lengths for people he's basically never met, e.g., Alys Karstark. As to the second point, that logic also applies to Arya.

Why on earth would Sansa refuse their help at this point?

That's just what a lot of people seem to be saying. Her words in the preview for the finale have been alluded to as some "Lady Stoneheart" type plot, which I have been calling since episode 3 when she arrived in Winterfell. Besides, it would be so much more satisfying to see her fight through the hardships she is facing and then eventually overcome them by defeating the Boltons from the inside. We have already seen her run away from her problems when she escaped King's Landing in season 4. Also, Littlefinger told her to "stop running" in episode 3 as well. Don't know if that was just good dialogue, or it was meant to mean something else. Either way, it was good.

[Pies are coming]

God, even though we did not see much and it was much shorter, Shireen's end was as difficult to watch as Red Wedding :/

If the Night's King position opens up at some point, Stannis might even apply for it now. Right now in the North there are three fucked up parties: The others, the Boltons and Stannis.

Think I still hope Stannis outlasts the other two, if only for him not wanting to kill Jon Snow.

I am kinda surprised about Hizdahr. I feel the show should have somebody at least partially understanding why the Harpies are acting the way they do. And besides Hizdahr the show has not introduced any guy who could fulfill this role. Liked Drogon, nice job he did. But then, what the hell is wrong with the unsullied? In the books they are a force to be reckoned with, here they get repeatedly thrashed.

As others said, they are being used as police, which isn't within their skill set. They are a great phalanx, but when the attack starts, they are spread alone along the stadium, so they are easy picking for the harpies, who overrun them with numbers. Once they can form up, in the arena, for instance, the harpies don't even dare to approach, and the unsullied get a good kill ratio, even if they are hopelessly outnumbered because, I assume, most of them are still patrolling the streets.

Besides, "invincible terminator army vs untrained amateurs" doesn't make good conflict. The Invincible Terminator Army wins easily.

I'm also not sold on the harpies being the rich elite. The first one we can identify this season is a prostitute, and she didn't seem threatened, she seemed to be a willing part of it. I think it's the Mereenese middle class and maybe even some slavers, seeking a government change. Why have a foreign Queen when you might as well end both the slavers and the foreigners?

At least, the show seems to be hinting that. They did kill Hizdar as well.

OK, where was Greyworm?...

Recovering from his injuries

Was anyone else haunted by her screams...? wtf man

You know what really haunted me from that scene? Not seeing her face while she was dying. It would have been horrible, but I think it would have provided some sort of closure. Without her face, you have to fill the blanks regarding her pain.

Now I feel sick, though

Im sorry... this show has completely jumped the shark in different senses.. ... so they make Stannis a sympathetic Character in one scene with the sweetest little girl ever.. only to build it up so he can burn her alive? practically on screen.. are you kidding me?! Imagine he exiled Mel and made the right choice.. we would have someone to root for next week in the Winterfell showdown.. now its just two hated sides fighting against eachother.. what fun is there in that.. The Fighting pits would also have been better if we hadn't heard the screams of a little girl incinerating prior.. everything was secondary after that horrible sequence.. I understand that this is GOT and bad things happen even to good people.. but sometimes stories need to have Justice and Good people succeeding.. I dont want to watch something that constantly depresses me... over and over... but thats just me ..personally.. anyone agree? It was his ONLY HEIR!!!!!!!!! D & D's arrogance is mindnumbing... oh and Jon doesnt even mention to his fellow Watchmen that an army is coming and he just witnessed some serious stuff? i need to slam my head against a wall..

That was essentially what I was yelling at the TV last night. At least give us a positive outcome to burning a child (if such a thing is even possible)...cut to Ramsay falling over from a heart attack, or have him attacked by a mysterious pack of wolves (a la The Omen), something...ANYTHING! It's fine to show that sometimes the good guys lose, and maybe that would be what sets this series of books apart from others, in that it doesn't end with unicorns and rainbows, but for a TV series, we need to be fed the occasional cookie of hope. Last night, we joined Cersei in drinking stagnant water off of the floor of our cells.

This. Something has to end in an uplifting note. We'll have Dany outside Mereen (probably), Arya going blind, Kevan or maybe Tommen getting killed, Cersei's WoS, Jon getting stabbed, I no longer care for the winner of the Battle of Winterfell and I doubt the show will give something uplifting to Sansa Stark and Dorne has diluted into nothingness.

I think we all know that Olly being the snarky little knob that he is is going to be the one to "kill" Jon at the end of ep 10, and it will most likely be the last scene of the episode.

Cue to season 6 start in which Alliser Throne is killing the deserters and trying to save his Lord Commander.

Even if they would die in the coming apocalypse as well?

As cold as Stannis is ... I don't think the flaw in his leadership is his decision to sacrifice his daughter for the world. It's in his certainty that this setup (Shireen versus the world) is both true and the only option.

Once he kills his daughter, he simply can not become King. None, absolutely none, would support a king who killed his daughter - and worse, because a foreign witch told him to do so. If a King doesn't protect his own daughter, why would he protect some random Lord in the back end of his Kingdom?

As far as where we go:

I'm still saying we must get Lady Stoneheart. I don't see how it gets cut out, especially now when the Finale is gonna be one gut-punch after another after this downer of an episode with Shireen. You need that "Hell yeah" moment for next week and it just seems like too big of a plotline to cut out.

Obviously Olly is stabbing Jon. The show couldn't make that any clearer as they have lost any desire to do subtlety anymore. Too many characters for Unsullied to follow so all subtlety goes out the window I guess?

We're gonna get the Doran "Fire and Blood" speech next week. Only thing that could possibly give ANY POINT to every scene in Dorne so far. WHat a failure that has been on all levels.

Brienne/Pod will obviously somehow save Sansa. Don't understand what the point was of even having Brienne this season, she's done absolutely nothing.

Overall to me, this show's decision to cut out the Riverlands so far has been disastrous. Everything bad has stemmed from that. I'm guessing they realize that and will eventually be going back there (especially with casting news for next year).

And how are they going to deal with all the events in the coming two books if they don't get past ADWD already? I mean, yes, they are doing it that way: Euron will be introduced, Arya is still in ADWD territory and they have to return to Bran.

On top, they need to cover the entirety of TWOW

[direwoofwoof]

Stannis needs to die in the same fashion the Governor died (yes, another fictional death)- at the hands of three different people. Davos can knock him out, Brienne can stab him, and Ramsey can light him up.

[ummester]

You know what really haunted me from that scene? Not seeing her face while she was dying. It would have been horrible, but I think it would have provided some sort of closure. Without her face, you have to fill the blanks regarding her pain.

Now I feel sick, though.

The burnt child was as high impact horror as Obyrens's eyes or the Red Wedding, the kind of scenes that really make GoTs stand out, IMO.

How anyone can possibly still think the Others, treating babies gently and making itty bitty ice mages, in contrast to all the human cruelty, are evil, is beyond me? The humans in this saga are the evil ones - it's the humans that need to be beaten, not the Others - the pleasure at the end of this story should come with seeing the human species put back in it's place. I just think it is a concept viewers are finding it hard to adjust to - but perhaps will by the stories conclusion? We aren't meant to be rooting for the side we are watching, or the species we are part of, in this story, I'm sure.

[bloodsteel bitterraven]

I used to play this game every week and it was one of the things I really enjoyed doing, but I don't even care anymore.

[~DarkHorse~]

Cue to season 6 start in which Alliser Throne is killing the deserters and trying to save his Lord Commander.

I'm actually feeling hopeful about their characterization of Thorne, I hope they don't botch it up. He is portrayed as the disapproving deputy who hates Jon's guts (although, I think there is some grudging respect) but he is obedient to his superior all the same. I can see Thorne being like "I told you so" to Jon but trying to save him and punishing the men responsible. To be honest, I just want to see Thorne's reaction to R+L=J considering he was a Targ supporter and hates Jon for being 'Ned Stark's Bastard.'

[Woofless]

She was sworn to Renly, she loved him and witnessed Stannis'shadow murdering him. She repeated that she wanted to kill Stannis several times, it happened in this season too.

Plus, after Stannis did what he did, most people want him pay with his life for that crime.

And the legends against kin-slayers want it too.

In the first few episodes when she tried to get Sansa to go with her, she said Stannis killed Renly and she will get him eventually for this. So yeah, there would be a conundrum for her when she will have a candle in tower from Sansa at the same time as Stannis shows up for the siege. I think she will escape with Sansa and then run into Stannis = confrontation.

Aaah... I think I must've slept through those Brienne bits. Or at least closed my eyes (and ears).

[Ben zo Xand]

It's Martins story but damn killing you own daughter is so unlike Stannis character... It's implied he lost his way but still shit... I agree with some that say its a crappy turn, no honor... To me Dance of Dragons its the worst book of the series and since concluding a story its by far the hardest part for storytellers, I can see the last books to be on the same par.

I think the episode and preview kind of gives a hint that Daario is one of the 3 treason Dany will know... It looks like he switch sides. We will see this coming Sunday.

[Vivianne]

Also I'm sorry but I do not want more magic from the red witch killing other characters...it would not be a satisfying deah at all for even the Boltons to go out that way. Tired of her and her shit.

:agree:

[Grail King]

Also I'm sorry but I do not want more magic from the red witch killing other characters...it would not be a satisfying deah at all for even the Boltons to go out that way. Tired of her and her shit.

Personally I don't care how they die, but I do want Sansa to either plan it or do Ramsey or Roose and Theon do the other.

[A Ghost of Someone]

Before last night, everyone knew that Mel is a power for darkness and not light. Stannis is a humorless, semi-heartless hardass but as long as they were fighting the Lannisters and the Boltons, they were heroes. Stannis, though we must agree, based on the results of Robert's Rebellion, has the right to the Iron Throne and he knows it but his failings as a human being and not a military leader are what has prevented him from ascending the Iron Throne. I think that if he reached out to Ned, when he came to King's Landing through trusted people, could have securred in Ned, an ally and maybe saved Robert or atleast prepared for the worst. Between Stannis and Ned, they could have brought the vale in and the Riverlands etc like the old alliance and maybe Dorne against the Lannisters. Stannis failed in diplomacy because he lacks the personality to obtain friends.

[Fragile Bird]

What did Elia mean when she said to Jaime that she knew his daughter had no part in the death of the one she loved, and maybe even he didn't.

What is she foreshadowing? An attack on Myrcella on the way back to King's Landing?

[Fragile Bird]

And another thing, surely Stannis did what he did because he had "permission" from Shireen....since she wanted to help him.

[ShadowKitteh]

I am at a complete loss as to what is going to go down in the North. I feel they have advanced Stannis' story so far along that it would not completely shock me if they had Brienne kill him already, although I do think they will hold off until next season for that. Melisandre is the real wild card. All indications are that she is to have more interactions with Jon but now I have no idea how they would go about doing that.

She kisses him to resurrect him if stabby happens? She'll be back at the Wall. No idea why, or how the hell she'll get there.... but since she's confessed to kissing him - unless that scene has been cut. dunno. I haz a puzzlement. :dunno:

[Sonic The Hedgeknight]

If Stannis truely was the reincarnation of Azor Ahai, would'nt a self sacrifice (Nissa Nissa) be more logical? From D&D's perspective it would have been a terrific way of getting rid of Selyse, should they choose to deviate absurdly from the source material.

[AlQohoric]

Screw it, I hope Red R'hllor aids the rightful King and makes the Shireen sacrifice mean something besides making Stan is the most hated man in the continent. If course that won't happen. This is the Jon, Tyrion, Dany and now Ramsey show. No one is allowed to outshine them.

Yeah I'm phissed, lol.

[Tagganaro]

She kisses him to resurrect him if stabby happens? She'll be back at the Wall. No idea why, or how the hell she'll get there.... but since she's confessed to kissing him - unless that scene has been cut. dunno. I haz a puzzlement. :dunno:

I'm thinking that scene was cut. I just don't see how she gets back to the Wall in time for the Ides to take place and her to be there. The show has played very fast and loose with geography/speed of travel (i.e. Littlefinger the teleporter) but I'm not sure even they could have Mel be there for Battle of Winterfell and then get back to the Wall. Unless she just packs up and leaves now that her work is done?