Spoiler note: The discussion in this post is primarily for non-book readers (book fans can discuss the show-only here). We ask that all Sullied book-readers refrain from posting spoilers in the comments here, veiled or otherwise. No spoilers, at all! This show is best viewed without knowing all the surprises beforehand or afterwards, so please be respectful of your fellow fans. Thank you!
Guess who’s back?
A man’s name is @OzofThrones and it seems I picked a rather fortunate week to escape on holiday (as unintentional as it may have been).
Regardless, we’ve got a new episode to decipher and it would be unwise to keep the faith militant waiting. Strap it up, kiddos. Time to take the Queen her gift…
A couple of quick notes for all you festive peeps:
- Thank you Clare for filling in for me while a man was away. My fears of poor internet connection were validated when Arya’s Body Cleaning Service was interrupted by that damn video ghost. I think his name is “Buffering.”
More importantly, I thought Clare did an outstanding job and I hope that she may be interested in returning for other Unsullied features in the future. Bravo, my lady.
- Regarding that final scene of 506: Upon hearing about the catastrophic combustion of emotional outbursts surrounding Sansa’s wedding night (coupled with being 24 hours late in viewing), I made a conscious decision to stay out of it. My opinion is worth no more than the next social medialite when it comes to discussion regarding the abuse of a female depicted in a fantasy based television program.
Most of the outpouring I have ingested has had at least some, if not an abundance of validity, although I may or may not agree with the entirety of the context. The voice of reason to one is the voice of insanity to another. But all views should be considered so long as they are well thought out and not established through pure hatred or vitriol.
I will say only this: If you have made a conscious decision to cease viewing Game of Thrones due to this horrid depiction, then so be it. That is a private decision that only you can make and one that I personally would not hold against anyone, regardless of the reasons.
As I’ve eloquently stated before, this Game ain’t for everybody.
But when you make that decision and then decide to blast it on social media, you are directly bringing attention to the culprit of which you have chosen to abandon. This can result in even more media attention (see Claire McCaskill and the counter-productivity of boycotting).
Doing so makes almost as much sense as saying that you are done with the show but you plan on finishing up the season. Huh? Which one is it? I’d love to dissect this too, but we’ve got a show to recap. Maybe later.
- By the way, I missed you fuckers.
Now, on with our regularly scheduled programming….
Episode 507
Nothing but the North: at least for the first half, which is fine by me.
Jon and the Wizard of Wyndham head out to recruit the rest of the Wildlings while Thorne looks on in amusement and reminds Jon of his opinion of the mission. Thorne of course is handed command and you get the feeling that a mutiny has already begun, at least in his mind.
![GOT507_110314_HS__DSC3721[1]](http://watchersonthewall.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/GOT507_110314_HS__DSC37211.jpg)
Sam gives Jon a piece of dragonglass but hopes he doesn’t have to use it. Actually, I hope he does. We haven’t seen a walker or a wight or the albino Darth Maul the entire season. We are due.
![GOT507_090814_HS__DSC1129[1]](http://watchersonthewall.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/GOT507_090814_HS__DSC11291.jpg)
Unfortunately, Aemon’s end is near which is terribly sad and most unfortunate in terms of timing. If there were an influential person who would have stood up for the command of Jon while he was away, it would be Aemon.
Later on, Aemon passes and Thorne tells Sam that he is losing all of his friends… another sign that further complications at the Wall may be inevitable.
Gilly is later confronted by two Crows in what could have ended in yet another sexually violent situation. Sam does his best to thwart the confrontation but is beaten repeatedly which was quite painful to watch.
Luckily Ghost comes in for the rescue, and later Sam’s pain is temporarily eased by Gilly. Sam gets some lovin! Finally! A consensual sex scene! Yes!
I can’t help but wonder if Thorne had something to do with the two asshats coming in conveniently after Jon left. Probably overthinking a simple plot again… but I’m convinced there will be an uprising and assuming Jon makes it back, he will be forced to fight against the Night’s Watch on the side of the Wildlings. Again.
Snowy Hell in Winterfell
Sansa is roughed up, and apparently what we were left with at the end of 506 has happened every night since.
Sansa attempts to remind Theon of who he is and begs for his help by putting the candle in the tower as Brienne looks on from outside.
However, Theon maintains that he is Reek, and Reek won’t betray Ramsay (at least, not yet). The old lady who was the friend from the North is flayed as if we needed a reminder of how sadistic Ramsay can be.
“It can always get worse.”
Ramsay also explains to Sansa how the weather will benefit the Boltons in the upcoming battle and presumes that Stannis and his army are already suffering. And he is right.
By the way, has winter finally come?
Sometimes, I Hate it When I’m Right
For a while now, I have been speculating that Red Velvet would set her eyes on Shireen, even guessing beforehand that the set-up for the burning of Mance was meant for her.
I was wrong about that.
![GOT507_120914_HS_DSC_7715[1]](http://watchersonthewall.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/GOT507_120914_HS_DSC_77151.jpg)
But Stannis finds himself in a situation where there is literally no turning back, and Davos is unable to sell the ice to Stannis.
The Sellswords have gone to the house, 40 horses have died, and everyone is about to be hungry. Something has to be done and leave it to Velvet to claim to need a sacrifice. With no other King’s blood in sight, Shireen seems to be the only choice.
Stannis is about to make what is likely the most difficult choice of this tale, and if/when the sacrifice happens, whoever has chosen to continue watching the show will then abandon it as well.
Shit. Shit. Shit.
All Mormonts Must Go
At the Absolute Jorah Auction, Jorah is bought and then taken to fight alongside Russell Crowe with fierce warrior Tyrion in tow.
Gladiator 2: The Tale of the Traveling Tyrion takes us to a small fighting pit first, coincidentally (or not) like the first movie. Hell, even the prep area for the fighters looked similar.
![GOT507_091014_HS__DSC1328[1]](http://watchersonthewall.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/GOT507_091014_HS__DSC13281.jpg)
When Jorah realizes that Dany is in attendance, the man throws on the helmet and goes to work.
![GOT_MP_091914_EP507-3368[1]](http://watchersonthewall.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/GOT_MP_091914_EP507-33681.jpg)
Keeping true to the original flick, the helmet eventually comes off for the big reveal as to who this great warrior is. But there would be no “thumbs up” this time. However, the “Gift” was offered and it remains to be seen if Jorah can reenter the coveted “Friend Zone.”
Recently promoted out of the Friend Zone is Daario who seems to be handling the news of his lover marrying another with relative ease. Daario recommends to Dany that she slaughter all of the masters at the pit, hopefully to include the great Hizdhar Zo Boring.
Speaking of Hizdahr, at one point in the bedroom scene Daario actually says “I think the Sons of the Harpy have stopped killing because their leader was made king.” It’s spoken jokingly, but you have to wonder.
Dornish Prisons are Awesome, For The Most Part
Before we get there, let’s stop off to hear Myrcella tell Uncle Daddy Jaime that she doesn’t want to leave Dorne. Ok, done.
Rosabell has always been my favorite Snake. But due to (insert speculative reasoning as to why the Sand Snake character development has been considerably less than expected here), we haven’t seen much of her or her sisters even though we are now seven episodes into the season.
That all changed entirely Sunday night where we saw a lot of more her than what was could have possibly been anticipated.
Bronn continues his recording of “The Songs of Dorne” compilation album and is treated to a satisfyingly weird incarceration strip show.
At first, I thought that maybe Tyene had some kind of magical venomous vagina that could kill you just by viewing it.
But the more practical culprit is revealed in that the blade that nicked Bronn had poison on it. Of course it did. She’s Oberyn’s daughter.
Luckily for Bronn, Tyene wants to hear the rest of album and tosses the antidote to him. For a moment, I thought he was done.
You Made the Bed… Time to Lay in It
It’s still somewhat hard to fathom how the situation has gone to hell so quickly in King’s Landing without Tywin calling the shots.
But it has, and Tommen wants to pull the trigger so bad he can taste it, though he still refuses to eat.
The Queen of Thorns visits the High Sparrow and while the dialogue was full of prophecies and intellect, it essentially goes nowhere in terms of freeing Loras and Margaery. “The Gods demand justice.”
And the God’s laws must be applied equally, including the mother of madness herself, Cersei Lannister.
Leave it to Littlefinger. In retrospect, Cersei would have been wise to order something else off of the menu instead of the Lancel Sandwich.
![GOT507_102314_HS_DSC_0826[1]](http://watchersonthewall.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/GOT507_102314_HS_DSC_08261.jpg)
Episode 507 Personal Awards
Favorite Action Sequence: The most tense was arguably the Gilly situation, but Jorah destroying everyone will always prevail.
Favorite Quotes: “When my father told me we were marrying, I half expected a fat bearded beast.” –Romantic Ramsay
“I killed a white walker. I killed a Thenn. I’ll take my chances with you.” –Stern Sam
“They were tiring out. I had them in the palm of my hand.” –Confident Sam
“Oh my.” –Happy Sam
“We march to victory. Or we march to defeat. But we go forward. Only forward.” –Stannis
“All rulers are either butchers or meat.” -Daario
Ow, That Shit Hurts Award: Sam getting punched repeatedly sucked.
![GOT507_101514_HS_DSC_0109[1]](http://watchersonthewall.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/GOT507_101514_HS_DSC_01091.jpg)
Jackass Award: Cersei wins for her visit with Margaery.
Off Topic: Winner of the Gulf Shores Battle of the Bands: Father John Misty, hands down.
Overall Thoughts: Well written. Well directed. In terms of transition and storytelling, this was arguably one of the better episodes and a powerful set-up for what will hopefully be a very strong finish to the season.
Cersei will assuredly get a taste of her own medicine, and Lena will likely earn her Emmy nom in the process. Both are well deserved.
And I will miss Maester Aemon… and now his watch is ended.
Speak up, all fair souls who are still watching… What say you?
Until next week, hang out and stay awhile. Invite an Unsullied to join us. And may there always be peace in your realm. –Oz
“Unbowed. Unbent. Unsullied. (Unpoisoned).”
Find Oz on Twitter.
**SPOILER NOTE: The Management of this fine site would like to remind you that spoilers (book or leak) are not allowed in Unsullied posts. This includes spoilers that may be covered by code or otherwise. Personally, I appreciate feedback from Sullied and Unsullied alike, so long as they do not include any type of hinting or conversation related to the written verse. However, spoiler coded comments do tend to lead to further Sullied conversation and for that reason, we ask that you please refrain from posting any SPOILERY content whatsoever in Unsullied posts. Thank you for the coop. -Oz
Welcome back, Oz!
Delta1212,
Thank you Delta!
Melisandre WARNED Stannis after Blackwater. Fool that he is, he never seemed to understand the implications of falling in with a Red Priestess. He will probably choose love over destiny and I understand that – he is a human being, not a god after all. Bail now, Mel. Jon is going to need you.
Welcome back! I think Clare did a good job filling in last week too!
This was a much better episode then we have had in awhile, much cleaner in story progression.
I still hold out hope that she will be fine… but hope is dangerous.
I was glad they addressed the danger to Gilly! I was even wondering why she has just been left at the Wall when we have been told repeatedly that that is the place rapists and murderers are sent. I just want her and the baby south, like Aemon suggested. Although she and Sam are super adorable.
I await the deaths of all Boltons… hopefully… I really hope…
…Magical venomous vagina… OMG LOL. I laughed til I cried. Damn, that’s gonna make me chuckle all day. Welcome back OZ. I’ll be back later for a longer comment. Magical venomous…….omg
Favorite quote:
“Egg. I dreamed that I was old.”
Sleep gently Maester Aemon
Also – WINTER IS FINALLY COMING!!
what will stannis do if Davos asks ” what is life of one girl against a kingdom”
I especially liked how Tyene used her body to raise Bronn’s heart rate to make the poison work quicker.
LOL, I am pretty sure they recycled one of the King’s Landing’s archer’s helmets from S2 “Blackwater” for the guy holding Jorah’s right arm.
Welcome back Oz!
Definitely one of the best episodes of the season.
Worried again for Shireen. Damn! Stannis please don’t!
Dorne has finally gotten better with some nice dialogue and bewbs.
I was really scared for Gilly there. But kudos for Sam to stay put and double kudos for Ghost! Can Ghost also go to Winterfell to save Sansa and rip Ramsays throat?
Looking forward to see what Dany wil do with Tyrion and Jorah.
dragonbringer
“what will stannis do if Davos asks ” what is life of one girl against a kingdom””
Not sure if I’m reading you correctly – are you saying you believe Davos would try to convince Stannis that it is ok to do what Mel wants and sacrifice Shireen? Davos would never do that. Aside from the fact that he’s always been the one to strongly criticize Mel’s methods, he adores Shireen. Of everyone, he is the one who would argue for the preservation of life. Remember how he argued with Stannis NOT to sacrifice Gendry? He had no ties to that boy, yet he argued to save him. He has emotional ties to Shireen. He’d probably die before he let Mel hurt her. Or kill Mel as soon as he got wind of her plan. If something awful happens to Shireen (please, old gods and new, NO) it won’t be because he agreed to it.
GREAT episode! Maybe the best of the season. Really needed this after the shit storm resulting from last week’s final scene, and enduring a week of so many people (even non viewers) condemning the show as an example of our rape culture, and some even claiming the show has’ jumped the shark.’
But this episode…WOW. Tyrion meets Dany. Cersei goes to prison. Sam gets some lovin. Bronn DOESN’T die. Gladiator 2. (Ha! One of my fav. movies.) My unsullied wife will normally watch an episode a second time on demand later in the week. (by then it’s my third or forth viewing) Last night for the first time ever she watched the replay with me.
If the next three episodes deliver at or near this level, this will be my favorite season, despite the controversy of last week, and the weaker Dorne scenes (and they are fine, just not exceptional…yet. This week was a step in the right direction.)
Thanks for the entertaining recap, Oz.
Okay, Shireen is off limits people!
As I said in my tweet to you OZ, I think that her stupppppid mother is going sacrifice her. And then Stannis is gonna be so mad he is going to kill Selyse. Well at least I hope he would.
I don’t know, there is something about Shireen that I though would be super power or important to the story. I don’t know. I always had that feeling. Maybe she doesn’t burn… because she has grey scale. or something. I hope. I remember seeing Selyse crying in the snow looking traumatized in the season 5 trailer.
As for the rest of the episode, it was awesome, as usual. I have no quarrels with this season like most other whineys. The meeting of tyrion was epic. I am really looking forward to seeing what happens. I am worried for Sansa. And I am worried for Jon. I do NOT like the fact that ghost didn’t go with him!!!!!!!!!!!! WHY!!!!!!!!!!!!
And, I lied. I do have a quarrel. NOT ENOUGH ARYA.
Can someone tell me if we know why exactly Maester Aemon joined the Night’s Watch in the first place? I can’t remember if he ever told anyone his reasons. I remember he told Jon he refused the throne, and telling Sam about a woman he once loved, but not if that really were the reasons.
RIP, Aemon. T_T
What if Stannis sacrifices himself in Shireen’s place? That would make Shireen the new queen. Melisandre’s magic can take care of the rest and so, should Stannis offer himself, what they could conjure against the Boltons could be truly awesome to behold. Once Stannis has died for the cause, Mel and Davos would come together to protect Shireen, since her sacrifice would no longer be required. And Mel would realize the Warrior of Light is indeed Jon.
Deesensfan,
Yes.. that scene from the trailer where Selyse is crying in the snow. I’m convinced the sacrifice is going to happen. From there, something else transpires… Davos takes out Red… who knows. But it won’t be pretty.
Thronetender,
No i am not saying that Davos will try to convince stannis and i dont think stannis will do it either…i am sure Mel and selyse do it when stannis is dead or injured
Remember when Davos argued against burning Gendry ..Stannis said”what is life of one bastard against one kingdom” Davos replied “everything”..
just replace shireen with Gendry …the reasonings are same for Mel they both have kings blood…but Stannis wont go through with it because its his daughter ..but failed to see the reasoning of Davos when it was about Gendry
getting my point …
Wow! Just wow! If that’s what they go with. That would be a twist. I don’t know if they could pull that off.
This episode totally set up the BANG from the slow burn we’ve had for 7 episodes. Stannis is on a collision course with the Boltons. Winter looks like it is here? or is about to start. The big fight pit scene from the trailers is coming. King’s Landing is a melting pot of disaster? revolution? Aaaaaaaand as always it looks like whatever happens Littlefinger wins.
The only ? is Dorne… it hasn’t really went anywhere and with only 3 episodes to go, there must be a surprise there somewhere. Maybe Prince Doran is gonna assign the sandsnakes, Jaime, Bronn and Areo Hotah to his personal squad and make them go slay the white walkers.
Cock Merchant,
Agreed. Heads would explode.
Nice name, BTW.
Shock Me,
Huh, hadn’t thought of that. Not sure she did either
Wondered that too, but I doubt it – there’s a battle coming up, and if he’s not there to lead it…..(Im hoping that Stannis does the Boltons in. Probably hoping in vain but there it is) Actually I wonder if he, or Davos, kill Mel first, which could explain why mommie dearest is crying in the snow
I am sure it was told in an episode somewhere! Maybe implied rather than outright…
Aemon refused the throne, when his older bother died, and it passed to his younger brother, who became King Aegon V. Aemon then joined the Night’s Watch to remove himself from the political intrigues of the royal court, and those who wished to set him up as a rival against his brother.
BlackTalon,
And the guy holding the left needs to be checked for greyscale.
Scene that still has me puzzling – Littlefinger/Olenna.
As far as I read it: Littlefinger confesses to Olenna that he told Cersei about Olyvar/Loras. (Essentially saying he had no choice, as Cersei knew for a fact that the chief brothelmaester would know who Loras had been with)
Then Littlefinger says that he has information Cersei didn’t know he had, and he’ll give Olenna “the same kind of gift – a handsome young man”
But who could this be? Having read some recaps, people think it is Olyvar or Lancel, but neither seem good options:
1) Olyvar (either through recantation, or death-induced failure to testify at trial) isn’t the same *kind* of gift. He would be literally the same gift recycled, and there doesn’t seem to me to be any “information” that Littlefinger had secret from Cersei involved in that gift.
2) Lancel is a different young man, and his Cersei incest / complicity in the death of King Robert could plausibly be the secret information Littlefinger has. But the final scenes with the High Sparrow make it clear that Lancel confessed to his behavior over time; and strongly imply the High Sparrow has been playing Cersei for a fool for a while. It doesn’t seem that Littlefinger did something recently to bring the information to light, or that Lancel has any positive connection to Littlefinger (see also: the antagonism between them when Littlefinger re-entered the city).
But if not them, who else could remotely fit the bill of an important young man, who would have some value to Olenna – and who would represent some secret information that Littlefinger withheld from Cersei? These all seem pretty implausible to me, but these are the ones I could think of:
a) Gendry – handsome young man, whereabouts unknown to Cersei. Unclear to me how that would really help Olenna, unless we imagine a future where Gendry has the best claim to the Baratheon throne (i.e. Tommen is revealed as a bastard AND Stannis is dead AND Shireen is unable to stake a claim) and Marg gets him as husband #4.
b) Robin Arryn – definitely a young man in Littlefinger’s control (so would be less of an ‘out of nowhere’ plot move); but unclear there’s any secret from Cersei here, and unclear the benefit to Olenna. Maybe bringing the Knights of the Vale to help unseat the Lannisters?
c) Rickon Stark – young man with mysterious whereabouts, last seen trekking around the North, from where Littlefinger has just returned. Not an obvious benefit to Olenna though, beyond undermining the Lannister ally Boltons.
One final thought that crossed my mind: could Littlefinger have infiltrated the Sparrows, and the gift is that some secret young Littlefinger accomplice is going to stage a jailbreak for Loras and Margaery?
Am I missing someone?
I finally feel like I am watching Game of Thrones again, I don’t think I have much more to say than that for the moment.
Btw, Rickon Stark is facing a new type of danger.
(“the night is dark and full of s….” – apologies in advance if already posted)
Is this the first time Sam told Jon (not only his best friend and confidant, but Lord Commander of the Nights Watch) about the dragonglass?
Littletoe,
This whole time I thought he was referring to lancel. Was I wrong?
Oh, another quarrel. Where is Varys!!!!!!!
Deesensfan,
I don’t see how LF can have anything to do with Lancel’s confession to the High Sparrow. Lancel signed up a long time ago and the High Sparrow makes it clear that Lancel was a troubled man when he came to them but then unburdened himself – so it seems highly unlikely that the Lancel revelation was some new thing prompted by LF as a ‘gift’ to Olenna. There is also no evidence of a positive relationship between LF and Lancel, so it’s unclear how LF would even make that happen.
Littletoe,
He meant Lancel, LF probably knew about them sleeping together back in season 2 and that he helped with Robert’s demise.
Greg,
No I think it was the first time he’d shown Jon the dragonglass
Welcome back! 🙂 You forgot the quote about knees and hips, my favourite. Hehe.
Littletoe,
I see that now… but what could it be
Phoe,
I’m fairly certain it was Lancel as well. Not only does the description match that of Lancel, but Lancel also had a certain look when LF first got to KL, easily allowing LF in to see Cersei. That was placed for a reason.
Littletoe,
OH MY GOD, GENDRY!! I freaking LOVE that theory, holy smokes. Plus, it puts Joe Dempsie back on my screen and gets him out of that ever circling boat in god knows where! 😉
Welcome back Oz, you were dearly missed. Great recap and great episode. <3
Obviously Daenerys is too stupid to realize that fighters she was watching at the lower pit are slaves, not free men. It seems the bloody fight in the pit repels her, on the other hand the sight of her dragons setting probably innocent man on fire, tearing him apart ‘n eating him didn’t make her shudder (in ‘Kill the Boy’). No sense.
Cock Merchant,
And then what? The sacrifice is meant to increase Stannis’s chance to win. If Stannis dies, what’s the point?
Shireen trying to fight the Boltons without her father’s battle expertise won’t end well, no matter how much king’s blood Melisandre gets her hands on
Best episode in a long time….perhaps all season!!!
Favorite things:
Loved when Cersei mentioned she’d had the venison for supper the night before. She brings her Leftovers!!!! Oh what a bitch!!!
Sam’s “Oh My!!!”
Jorah pulling the helmet off his opponent and then hitting him with it. Awesome!
Tyrion’s “I’m the gift.” Yep, you are.
Great, great episode.
And, always glad to read your reviews, Oz! Welcome back.
dragonbringer
That’s the exact line I was thinking of, thank you! …Everything…
And yeah, where the f*** is Varys? I hope not still looking perplexed in that bar. I figured he would have caught the boat to Meeren.
Uknow.0,
geez. She was very angry at what happened to Selmy, she jumped to conclusions on whther the masters were behind the Harpy.
on that note… anyone else worried that Daario is BAD
We are all partially unsullied right now. The show is setting up things that nobody knows the conclusion to.
I’m thinking the boy LF is referring to is more likely Olyvar, who is in his employ. He probably gave Olyvar to Cersei to implicate Margaery and Loras and then will have him recant during trial. I thought Lancel at first too but then the High Sparrow indicated Lancel told him a while ago.
Uknow.0,
I think watching people butcher each other for no fucking reason is a bit different from executing someone you believe to be guilty of murdering those you love in retribution for that crime.
Of course, it was pretty messed up to watch the dragons eat that guy but feeling different about it makes total sense.
I also think there was an element of “ugh, this isn’t even good sport, these are just strong guys murdering weak ones and in my name… wtf have I done??”. That’s why her demeanor suddenly changed into one of interest when she saw Jorah come in disguise and take names – here was a decent fighter instead of a butcher, finally someone worth watching.
Uknow.0,
Those guys she had in the dragon pit were suspected of killing her men at arms so it makes sense that she was less sympathetic than she was to these slaves fighting each other in front of her
I think there must have been a scene cut between Tyrion and the large, rotund slave (let’s call him White Belwas, or Fat Pink Mass) that would explain why he helped Tyrion.
Queenofthrones,
I think it’s the fact that Jorah didn’t kill or maim anyone, and he fought like a knight
Welcome back, oh Great and Powerful One. And welcome back GoT, as it returns to form for episode 7 – the promised winter is finally here!
Shout outs to Alfie Allen for his increasingly nuanced performance, and Jonathan Pryce and Dame Diana for the best face-off so far. Are we now seeing the turn of events that lead to Daeny’s prophetic vision in the House of the Undying?
Also: Ghost sighting!
Baelish gloating over all the “fresh experiences” he introduced to KL, in the midst of his demolished brothel. He really does want to rule a pile of ashes, then.
The beauty that is Jerome Flynn’s voice. He should be featured over the closing credits for one of the remaining episodes.
Thronetender,
Varys is visiting the cock merchants.
Then he’s heading back to the brothel.
That guy is my new favorite GoT character and it’s not even close.
An update in the war of five kings.
King 1 – Renly Baratheo, dead, army disbanded.
King 2 – Robb Stark, dead, army killed/disbanded.
King 3 – Joffrey “Baratheon”, dead, succeeded by his brother Tommen who is currently preoccupied by family matters.
King 4 – Stannis Baratheon, still alive and marching on Winterfell.
King 5 – Balon Greyjoy. Errrr…?
It doesn’t matter if she was angry for a ‘good reason’, she had no right to kill the man just because he was above suspicion of killing Barristan. Remember, in S05E02 she orders to execute her consultant Mossador cos he had doomed the captured Son of the Harpy without a fair trial.
Men fighting each other in the pits have reason, glory. They can live or die in glory, so their names can live on. Meereen had become free city, unlike free men, slaves are not allowed to fight. But, as I had put it before, Daenerys is obviously too stupid to realize that the pit fighters she was watching are slaves, not free men.
spacechampion,
For some reason he reminded me of the albino guy in Princess Bride. Yeah, a little background would have been helpful. Maybe he was just having one of those ‘give it back’ days..
Love how Melissandre side-stepped that question when discussing the power of kings’ blood…
Best episode of the season so far. The writing was crisp and meaningful and each scene engaged me. After 506 I considered whether I would continue watching or not and decided to keep watching, and here’s why. One is either a micro or a macro person and I’ve always been macro. Individual scenes might not be to one’s liking but if the whole is more than the sum of its parts and the end justifies the means, then I want to stick it out until the end. And so far out of the entire series there have only been a handful of scenes I really hated. For the most part the show has been very good despite the changes and the insertion of new characters made only for the show who have all died (so what was the point of wasting so much time on them?). Therefore I shall stick around until the bitter end. I am quite looking forward to the final three episodes this season. Let’s see where they will take us.
Of the Night,
LOL. Thanks for pointing that out. Really well done and yes, where is Balon????
Littletoe,
YES! The handsome young man is CHEESE BOY!!! 😉
I think Selyse and Mel may try to burn Shireen but Stannis will intervene and put a stop to it.
OZ!!! Welcome back and great recap as always! I, too, loved the Bronn/Tyene interaction. THAT’S the Dorne I was looking forward to!
Very funny stuff as always. Thanks!
Uknow.0,
So the free men didn’t become free after she freed them from being slaves you dumbass ,i guess the slaves aren’t human or what are you trying to say ? Before you call someone stupid look at yourself in the mirror .
Well, that was a thrilling episode. I was excited. Not sure when last that happened.
The only jarring point was the very many shots of Tyene’s breasts. And the scene was starting so well…
Don’t take me wrong, those breasts were worth seeing (and I was just thinking it’s been a while since we last saw any nudity – flayed bodies don’t count), but the camerawork (How many angles did we get? Like 6?) there screamed ‘gratuitous’ to me.
Otherwise even that prison scene was (finally) a good scene with the Sand Snakes.
And btw. I hope all those saying (after last week’s episode) Sansa being raped sent her back to season two in character development (or as others say: ‘stripped her of her agency‘ – I assume that’s where this weird word might fit) eat dirt now. Sansa clearly was the actor of the next scene. I can only hope she keeps being one, as unfavorable as her chances seem now.
ash,
Hahaha…he didn’t remind me of that guy, but now I have “Welcome to the Pit of Despair” going through my mind, and it’s making me chuckle. 🙂
Glad to have you back, Oz, and I hope you had a great time. I want to add to the chorus of folks saying what a great job Clare did. It was a bit cruel to leave her with that particular episode ;), but she handled it beautifully!
Deesensfan,
Yes me!….I don’t trust Daario at all!!!!!! There is something shifty about him…like in s5ep2(HoB&W), where he finds the harpy in the wall, just felt like a set up to me, the little comments he makes to Dany to try and convince her to do things his way and he is nowhere to be seen when the shit hits the fan! And isn’t it convenient that Dany’s council is shrinking to the point where it will just be him smh! This is why I am so happy to see that Jorah and tyrion have made it to her!!!
Welcome back, Oz.
“Magical venomous vagina” is great. I was kind of thinking that, too.
Also want to add that Sophie Turner was perfect this week. How they had the luck to find that actress for Sansa so early in the game, I’ll never know.
(And I’m so glad I was right in that her character hasn’t yet been broken.)
Magiese,
Eight hours later and I’m still chuckling over magical venomous vagina. Really tho, wouldn’t that be an apt description of Melisandre? Or would she be magical smoking vagina? can’t decide.
Oz:
Tormund, actor Kristofer Hivju, really is the Wizard of Wyndham! Thanks for that. I had to google it to make sure before I came on here to sing of my enjoyment of that actor. I’ve liked him from the first moment, when Jon was pushed into the tent and mistook Tormund for Mance. Tormund has such a distinct, commanding presence.
Not to backtrack to prior episodes too much, the scene where Jon was attempting to convince Tormund to bring the Wildings south of the Wall was a bright spot in that episode. Good thing, because the lighting in that scene was so sparse you could hardly effing see. (really, Royal Showrunners, all due respect, but what’s with that? I’ve read other complaints about the lighting in many scenes being so dark — I have a brand new TV and have fiddled with the setting many times, but still have a hard time seeing. Some of your fans are older, eyes not as sharp as they used to be. We need all the help we can get. Try to do something to remedy that next season, K? thankubye)
Anyway, Tormund stands straight up, towering over Jon, and Jon, not to be intimidated, puffs up his chest and gets right back in his face. Loved it.
Welcome back Oz, the first of his Name!
Maybe Stannis will sacrifice Melisandre? Selyse wouldn’t cry over her daughter being sacrificed. She’d welcome it. She’d rejoice in it, in fact. Selyse despises her daughter. However, losing Melisandre would cause her real sorrow. I can see her crying over that!
Other thoughts:
Clare did great last week. As an Unsullied, I’d welcome more writings from other Unsullied contributors.
Regarding Varys; my guess is he’s in Meereen. By now, using his “spider skills” to get information, he knows someone kidnapped Tyrion, (he just doesn’t know who). And he’s divined that the kidnapper knows who Tyrion is. All thanks to Tyrion’s big mouth, and Westerosi accent. Then he had to figure out where they would take him. Easy. If you knew you had a Lannister in hand, of course you’d take him to the nearest Targaryen. If Varys isn’t already in Meereen, expecting to find Tyrion with Danaerys, then I’ll be sorely disappointed.
That guard who grabbed Jorah’s left arm is totally infected with greyscale. I bet Tyrion’s already figured out that Jorah’s infected, too. Varys doesn’t think Tyrion is one of the smartest men in Westeros for nothing.
I know it’s not a big deal to most fans, but I’d like to know where Drogon was headed. And i wonder if there was any significance to him flying over Valyria, the former home of dragons? Could there be other living dragons? Could there be more surviving Valyrians with the power to control them? Could it all add up to nothing? Likely. But I’ll be disappointed if that’s the case.
Looking forward to next week, when (it’s likely that) Danaerys gives her “I will break the wheel” speech to Tyrion. I expect he’ll laugh in her “I’m a Queen, not a politician” face.
Does anyone else like gloves-off, throw-the-dish-in-the-bitch’s-face and call her appropriate nasty names Margaery waaay better than seemingly sweet, politically correct, calculating Margaery? I know I do. There’s Cersei, thinking she’s broken Margaery’s influence and will, coming down with her bowl of leftovers to gloat, only to find an unbroken, direct and even more determined Margaery. That story in a way coincides with Sansa’s, doesn’t it? Both Sophie and Natalie nailed their scenes. The last 3 eps are going to be so good.
Thronetender,
Yes, yes, and yes!
Littletoe,
I see it as LF telling Ollena about Lancel and then Ollena goes to the high sparrow to confirm it. She then offers to be the HS new benefactor as he will clearly need one if he imprisions the most powerful woman in westeros and his own benefactor
Maybe we are in for another prison scene between cellmates, corresponding in a way to Bronn/Tyene scene. Without the bewbs, of course. Or maybe with bewbs, who knows what Margaery is likely to do now? Wait, no one can see the others, can they? Are their cells close? Lordy, Cersei might actually have to sincerely cooperate with Margaery and Loras to get the f*** out of there. Poor Tommen can’t do it.
I love Father John Misty – Great Stuff!
This may be really out there but do you think just maybe Stannis and Co. have the jar babies with them? They would be kings blood and Selyse is crazy enough to be way more upset about losing them than Shireen ….
Probably just wishful thinking.
Oh and I kinda think of the guy that cut Tyrion’s chain as Mord’s distant cousin. Definitely up there with cheese boy on favorite random characters!
I think Varys would assume that anyone recognizing Tyrion would take him to King’s Landing for Cersei’s reward. Varys is probably on his way to Meereen in any case.
Cock Merchant,
A walloon cock merchant?
Every week it’s fun to see how many posts it will take before some jackass will drop a detail or two from the books. It never takes long.
King in the North Carolina,
So are you saying, I may have just read some spoilers?
Anyway, I agree, that I think (and hope) that Varys did the smart thing and just kept on to Mereen. I really hope so. Daenerys needs him now more than ever. And with a few people agreeing with me about Daario’s sketchiness. Man!
Btw, Oz, what do you think about the ‘Castle Black without a Maester’ situation? Do they just ask for a new one as I guess anyone does or do they have to wait for a Maester to disgrace himself in some kind and be punished by being sent there?
Basically that goes back to how exactly Aemon got to Night’s watch himself.
I even thought for a moment that the same way Jon was chosen by Jeor Mormont as a possible Lord Commander material and became one, Sam might now take the duties of the Maester in Castle Black. But, well, it doesn’t seem likely.
And random stray thoughts: Daenerys’ white dress was sublime. Did noone take it for granted Tyene’s poison needed a heightened blood pressure in order to work? It seemed implied and explains the scene (well, except the many, many, very many shots of Tyene’s boobs).
Nell Tiger Free as Myrcella Baratheon brings very little to the role that would warrant a recasting. Between her wooden acting and the marginal improvement of the Sand Snakes, I am still a little disappointed in Dorne. It’s up to D’Oba and Siddig to save the day…with a nice dose of Varma…
TOIVA,
I’m not sure how one would acquire a Maester that would be willing to relocate to the Wall, especially considering the situation. We haven’t been exposed to exactly how the Citadel works and if new graduates are assigned to specific locales. But I would like to know more about it.
In all honesty, one could easily assume that getting a new one would be the least of their worries, especially if the Crows plan to turn their backs on Jon.
All of this reminds me… with all the turmoil in KL, where is Cuckoo Qyburn?
House Ray,
Yessir! During the performance, they threw out a large number of inflated swans. One of them made it back up to the stage for this song, and he laid down in it while singing. It was spontaneous brilliance.
It’s absolutely Gendry. Gendry is “proof” that Robert wasn’t the father of Cersei’s children. Gendry really has no claim to the throne since he’s a bastard, but it’s more a matter of who has the better army.
Dementia,
How is it proof though?
Just because he has the dark features?
He was conspicuous by his absence. Looking forward to a showdown between the Faith Militant and Mountainstein.
Isn’t the Maester also the physician for the group? Maester Aemon patched up everyone – I remember Tormund saying that Maester Aemon tended to his injuries after the attack at the Wall. Who is there now to take care of the injured? Had someone else, besides Sam, been training in any medical or philosophical manner. If Alliser Thorne is dick enough to do something to hurt or banish Sam, who tends to medical needs?
I’d guess Qyburn is always in his lab, as usual. The better question is what exactly he’s doing there.
When it comes to Gendry being the boy Baelish reveals to Olenna, it’d be great in that Gendry would finally get to stop rowing. And assuming Littlefinger throws in the book Jon Arryn and Ned Stark were studying, it’d be proof enough for implicating Cersei (worse than what Lancel might).
TOIVA,
I figure the extended boob show was meant to distract the audience into a false sense of security; make us all forget about poison for a few seconds.
Also, I predict Sam splits with Gilly and baby in tow pretty soon. He may not be one to flat-out break vows, but he is good at being clever and finding loopholes, and I think he knows as well as us that they aren’t going to last long up there.
Like what Thronetender said, though, the Wall is in need of a medic and Thorne isn’t an idiot. So I have no idea how it’ll play out.
Magiese,
Well, Tyene still asked about Bronn’s arm throughout (and then his head).
On rewatch though, the scene wasn’t as long as it seemed the first time, so fine. Now if we forget about what Jaime, Bronn, Tyene, Ellaria, Obara and Nymeria were doing in this season prior to ‘The Gift’, their storylines finally don’t suck. (But you really have to forget it all.)
If Shireen goes, I go. I couldn’t bear to see her betrayed.
god Im soft…
Breaker of Limits,
He joined so no one could use him to start another blackfire rebellion when he refused the crown.