[SPOILERS] What did you love about this episode?

[Jasta11]

Gendry, actually. Especially the bit where he tells Jon that their fathers trusted each other, so they should too.

Yeah, that's a nice sentiment man, but in reality your fathers weren't quite on the best of terms...

[Quoth the raven,]

1. Daenerys passing judgment on the traitors Randyll and Dickon Tarly.  A slow, painful death was what those two men really deserved. 
2. Petyr Baelish tricking Arya.  Which is really not a trick.  Sansa did betray her family.

[Apoplexy]

The Big woman??

Bronn saying something like 'I should've let you drown' when Jaime talks about informing Cersei.

Tyrion trying to convince Dany not to behave crazy.

Return of Gendry.

[storm.131]

Cersei's crocodile look dress.  It underscored her reptilian personality.

[Moon Boy for all I know]

A nice and, in my opinion, underappreciated little detail is Davos' fermented crab. Davos is a crabber's son and probably grew up eating and loving crab because of it. Davos has spent the past few seasons in Castle Black and Winterfell, both of which are hundreds of miles landinwards and have little to no access to seafood. The past few episodes he's been a guest/glorified prisoner at Dragonstone and had no control over his own diet.

The fact that the first thing this otherwise honorable and competely selfless character does after arriving in King's Landing, before even looking for Gendry, is buy some massive bags of fermented crab as a well-deserved treat for himself and bringing them back to his boat is kind of heartwarming and humanising.

This also makes the bullshit story he tells the gold cloaks about the aphrodisiacal properties of the crab, as well as the convincing way he sells it, all the more brilliant.

[Fearodh]

Davos the smuggler was great

LF and Arya was good

Dany and Jorah was good

Sam NOT realising the bomb Gilly dropped was good

Jon petting Drogon came across well

[Jordan La Cabra]

6 hours ago, Apoplexy said:

The Big woman??

Yes! The hope in his face when he says it and the disappointment in his face when he finds out she hasn't come along. Good to have Tormund back.

[I prefer summer]

18 hours ago, Illiterati said:

By prophecy, this pregnancy can't result in live birth.

I've seen discussion about the prophesy on another thread (the who is the father one, perhaps). There's a therory that the prophesy is already untrue, because Cercei told Cat that she had a child who died (or was stillborn?). 

It is certainly a plot line that caught almost everyone off guard. It makes the Jaime-kills-Cercei theory less likely, unless:

1. She is lying
2. The baby isn't his (or she tells him it isn't, to hurt him)
3. She does something horrible to endanger/lose the baby (which would be out of character)
4. She loses the baby Andrea goes even more off the Mad Queen deep end

[I prefer summer]

On 2017-08-14 at 3:51 AM, Iron Mother said:

If you can't see that Sansa has been virtually hand fed most of her life, I don't know what to say.  She was the little girl in Winterfell you might compare to the little girl with the Justin Bieber poster and not eating her beets and complaining that the wi-fi isn't working and she can't text.  Then she is a little girl who ends up a bird in a gilded cage in King's Landing.  Still wearing the best clothes and being fed the best food and slaves doing her hair, but being tormented by the Lannisters.  Then she is removed from there, still a little girl but protected, housed and fed by Littlefinger who teaches her how to be political in her thought.  Then she is a little girl married off to a maniac who torments.... but still wearing the best clothes, servants to wash her, living in a castle, etc.  Then her family home is saved, she's still a child living in the best rooms in the castle, fed the best food and slaves doing her hair

is there a pattern here?

I mean, really.  What has Sansa ever done to earn anything for herself and the utter luxuries she enjoys?  This is simply a character examination.  And then I compared that to Arya living in the dirt, Bran living in the dirt, Rickon not much is known but dead, Robb thrown into Kingship at an early age and then finally slayed.  JON who has faced more than any of them combined.  I would say the other living Starks understand the reality of a common person and would make a better "warden" of the Northern people than Sansa. 

Wow, I find it fascinating reading the Sansa versus Arya debates and the Jon versus Dany debates on this forum, because so many people tend to see these characters as black or white. (I don't mean to single you out by quoting you, Iron Mother - I'm still struggling with the multi-quote thing.)

The Sansa/Arya plot is a typical dramatic plot device - two characters who mistrust each other and make it much worse by not being open and honest with one another. It is understandable, as both young women have been mistreated and betrayed, and they don't know each other's story. I've never been a big fan of either character (Note: based on show only - haven't read the books). But I do think they have both acquired some survival skills, based on their experiences. And I think they would make a formidable team, if they could find some way to communicate and build trust.

I agree that Sansa totally bought into her Lady of the Manor upbringing, and she was a spoiled, silly brat in Season 1. But even if she still likes "nice things," she has learned that things like duty, safety and family are much more important. She may disagree with some of Jon's decisions, but she confronts him directly about them. I don't think she is turning on him or betraying him. I think she has embraced her new, albeit temporary, position, and she is putting some of her new skills to good use and being helpful in war preparation and ally management. 

Sansa took on the position that Jon delegated to her, but I don't get the impression that she lusts for power. She accepted his election of KITN. She offered him the master bedroom. She told Bran he was Lord of Winterfell. The main evidence we have that she has some alterior motive are glances she she exchanges with LF. I am hoping that she is not falling for his shit again, but merely keeping her enemies close.

Can't say I agree with the characterization of her having had it pretty good, though. She was betrayed, manipulated and brutalized by people she thought/hoped would take care of her. Pretty dresses and servants don't make up for being publicly humiliated and raped, being forced to stare at your father's severed head on a spike, or being raped repeatedly in front of the creepy "brother" who betrayed your family.

Arya has also had a horrible time of it, and she is both strong and severely damaged because of it. She has amazing fighting skills, magical disguise abilities (although I don't remember anything about her being able to know what is in someone's heart - is that a book thing?). She also sees Sansa through a childhood lens, and she idolizes Jon, so she is highly suspicious of Sansa's motives.

I am REALLY hoping that the writers are manipulating us into believing that LF will turn the sisters against each other. It would be so much more satisfying if they came to the conclusion, on their own or with at least a clue from Bran, that LF is screwing with them. I would LOVE it to turn out that they are playing him right now, working together. Maybe that is a pipe dream, but I so hope that they have both learned from all their mistreatment, realized that blood is thicker than water, and start working together. Maybe I am being naive - I try to attribute good intentions, except with characters who have proven themselves untrustworthy, like LF.

 

[Apoplexy]

4 hours ago, JordanJH1993 said:

Yes! The hope in his face when he says it and the disappointment in his face when he finds out she hasn't come along. Good to have Tormund back.

It would be fun to Jaime-Tormund faceoff, like the Cersei-Brienne interaction in season 4

[John Suburbs]

Love that the Hound cut through all the bullshit once again:

"Aw Dondarrion, will you shut your hole? Are you going to let us out or not?"

[One-eyed Misbehavin]

I thought Jon petting Drogon was the coolest..... Until immediately after when he said "Gorgeous Beasts" 

I laughed until I cried and then laughed more. 

Everytime he's on screen I now say "Gorgeous Beasts" 

[John Hulboy]

I am a Jon and Dany supporter the connection Jon had with drogon Dany the way she looked at Jon this is what I been waiting for a long time. I want too see some good happen for Jon Dany and the Starks Neds death was too soon in series .Bran has me a little worried and so does Arya .Don't understand how LF or anyone could come between the Stark's after what's happened. Bran has to know LF roll in Ned's death.I hope Dany has twins Ned/Lyanna .so my favorite part is everything Stark Targ family .

[lakin1013]

When Gendry turned around and looked at Davos, I actually thought that Gendry did resemble his father.  That is very good casting but it also tells me how much this show becomes 'real' for the viewer.  

I also liked the Jon-Drogon moment.