Direwolf Daycare

Season 8, Episode 6 -- "The Iron Throne"

noreply@blogger.com (Michael) — Tue, 21 May 2019 02:22:00 +0000

The series finale of Direwolf Daycare (and also Game of Thrones).

Season 8, Episode 5 -- "The Bells"

noreply@blogger.com (Michael) — Thu, 16 May 2019 03:06:00 +0000

Did Clegane Bowl live up to the hype? Which horse from the Book of Revelation is Arya riding? And, of course, how could Dany do that?!?

Season 8, Episode 4 -- "The Last of the Starks"

noreply@blogger.com (Michael) — Wed, 08 May 2019 01:42:00 +0000

Starbucks in Winterfell? Jon ghosting Ghost? Boats sneaking up on dragons? We answer all the big questions about this week's episode.

Season 8, Episode 4 preview

noreply@blogger.com (Michael) — Fri, 03 May 2019 02:03:00 +0000

Season 8, Episode 3 -- "The Long Night"

noreply@blogger.com (Michael) — Tue, 30 Apr 2019 03:27:00 +0000

Season 8, Episode 2

noreply@blogger.com (Michael) — Sat, 27 Apr 2019 03:53:00 +0000

Who will survive the Battle of Winterfell? Who definitely won't? And what made A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms such a great episode?

Season 8, Episode 1 -- "Winterfell"

noreply@blogger.com (Michael) — Fri, 19 Apr 2019 20:38:00 +0000

Season 8 preview

noreply@blogger.com (Michael) — Thu, 11 Apr 2019 03:26:00 +0000

Is Bran the Night King? Is Littlefinger really dead? Are the destinies of the Starks revealed by their direwolves? Find our Season 8 preview on iTunes or listen here.

Season 7, Episode 7

noreply@blogger.com (Michael) — Wed, 30 Aug 2017 13:14:00 +0000

Listen to our recap of "The Dragon and the Wolf" on iTunes or download it.

Season 7, Episode 6

noreply@blogger.com (Michael) — Tue, 22 Aug 2017 20:37:00 +0000

Listen to our recap of "Beyond the Wall" on iTunes or download it.

Season 7, Episode 5

noreply@blogger.com (Michael) — Thu, 17 Aug 2017 01:16:00 +0000

Listen to our recap of "Eastwatch" on iTunes or download it.

Season 7, Episode 4

noreply@blogger.com (Michael) — Wed, 09 Aug 2017 03:48:00 +0000

Listen to our podcast recap of "The Spoils of War" on iTunes or download it here.

Season 7, Episode 3

noreply@blogger.com (Michael) — Thu, 03 Aug 2017 01:13:00 +0000

Where and who is Arya now? Who will get to kill Cersei? Are we still rooting for Daenerys? Listen here as we take the lay of the land midway (!!!) through season 7.

In our conversation, we discuss the last meeting between Cersei and Baelish (Sn. 5, Ep. 6), which you can watch here:

Season 7, Episodes 1 & 2

noreply@blogger.com (Michael) — Mon, 24 Jul 2017 19:31:00 +0000

Nymeria!! We have to lead with the direwolves, right? This is Direwolf Daycare, after all. Speaking of which, if you’re making that big decision about the care of your precious wolf pup, please feel free to contact Nymeria as a reference. Want your pup to grow into a strong, independent wolf? Check. Develop leadership qualities and rise to the head of the pack? Check. Learn how to make and hold eye contact? Check. Triple in size while maintaining a killer muscle mass percentage? Check. The applications are pouring in right now, so don’t delay.

Second piece of business is just a quick apology for our lack of a consistent publication schedule. As youth ministers, Matt and I are gone a few weeks each summer leading trips. We’ve written to HBO about this issue. For some reason they insist on airing Game of Thrones in the hottest months of the year, even though “winter is coming” would make so much more sense in, well, the winter. How is Jon Snow possibly going to rouse an army against the White Walkers in July? That’s like trying to convince climate change skeptics of global warming in January. So I’m writing solo this week while Matt builds houses with middle school students in West Virginia. We should finally be able to record another podcast next week after Episode 3.

So. Season 7. This is really exciting, isn’t it? I felt weird all day Sunday, and finally, when the opening credits rolled, I let out a deep breath and realized that I’d just been so excited that I was feeling nervous. Like before the big game or something. And now we know that Jon Snow and Daenerys Targaryen are going to meet next Sunday. How am I going to sleep this week?!

I’m not going to bother with a blow-by-blow recap of the first two episodes (“Dragonstone” and “Stormborn”) because you’ve watched them yourself, and--if you’re reading this--odds are strong that you’ve already read recaps written by folks who are paid to do that. So here are, in no particular order, things that I’m wondering about:

How will Samwell Tarly make us all throw up a little bit next week? Episode 1 gave us the gag and giggle inducing montage of chamber pots and soup bowls--the cuts sped up to the point of blurring completely what's coming out of bowels and what's going into bowls. The good news about Game of Thrones airing in the summer is that by the time winter rolls around I may be ready to eat chili again. Episode 2 gave us Sam pulling the greyscale off Ser Jorah to reveal the most heinous--wait, what’s that?--more soup!! If that cut from pus to chowder isn’t the best in the history of the show, it’s got to be in the top five. For Episode 3, I think I’ll just be holding a trash can from the very beginning. Will the banned greyscale remedy be a full-body fecal compress? Will Sam's access to the chamber pots save Jorah's life? Feel free to share your theories in the comments section.

Who will be on the Iron Throne in the end? I’m going with Cersei Lannister here. I don’t mean that she’s going to win the whole thing, only that I feel fairly confident that her end will come on the throne, like literally while sitting on it. Think about it. It’s the perfect ending for her--like Walter White bleeding out in his lab. It’s the only thing she cares about now, the thing for which she has given up everything. I believe that she will get her “happy” ending and die on the throne. And I think there’s a non-zero chance that it’ll be the end of the throne itself--that Cersei will get to die WITH the throne in a furnace of dragon fire (the same way, remember, that the throne was originally forged). It’s the best ending for her, right? I’m thinking we might see it towards the end of this season.

What will become of Arya’s list? My favorite moments of Season 7 so far have been the re-breaking of Arya. Yes, it seemed that the Waif had given Arya everything that she could possibly handle last season, beating her into the heartless assassin she was already becoming. But that was before Ed Sheeran and friends insisted that Arya have the first bite of their grilled rabbit. Talk about killing with kindness. (And possibly germs--we don’t know how they prepared the rabbit, but I’m sure no handwashing was involved. Arya may not be out of the woods yet.) But seriously, Arya’s face while taking the rabbit… I don’t think the Waif’s stick ever hurt that much. And then in “Stormborn” we get the return of Hot Pie, bearing the news that the Starks have retaken Winterfell and her beloved brother, Jon, is there, alive, and King of the North. That scene. That’s the one that got me this week. So now Arya is headed home. I assume that this is only a temporary break from her revenge tour, but I do wonder how having a reason to live will change her.

"No, please. Stop. You're hurting my face."

Let's do three more questions, starting with one, related to Arya's list, that Matt and I will tackle on the podcast next week:

How will the Game of Thrones be won? I’m so much more curious about the how than the who. On trial in this story from the very beginning has been the question of retributive violence--is it redemptive or destructive? The key to victory or the path to defeat? This is literally the whole story, and it’s coming into ever clearer focus as we approach the end. Remember: this season began with Arya exacting vengeance on House Frey by mass poisoning, a scene which is followed almost immediately by Jon Snow pardoning houses Karstark and Umber for their treasonous alliance with the Boltons. And between these two scenes? We see the army of White Walkers--retributive violence incarnate--on the march. We’ll get into this more on the podcast, but, for me, “Mercy or retribution?” is the question of the show. Given that the title of Episode 3 is “The Queen’s Justice,” we know what the answer will be for next week, at least. Speaking of which...

Was Olenna Tyrell right? Lady Tyrell, wanting to lay siege to King’s Landing immediately, urged Dany to “be a dragon.” Dany, listening to Tyrion and Varys, chose the diplomatic route. Now their fleet is destroyed, Theon is Reek again, and Ellaria Sand is presumably on her way to King’s Landing as a present for Cersei. (Worst of all, of course, Ellaria’s “foreign invasion” was interrupted by an actual invasion.) This probably doesn’t happen if Dany listens to Olenna. Still, I’m not ready to say that she was right, at least not in her reasoning. Her argument--that being loved by the commoners doesn’t matter because “look at my daughter; they loved her and now she’s dead”--is absurd. Margaery isn’t dead because she was too nice. You realize that’s what Olenna is saying, right? She’s dead because the Tyrells picked a fight with Cersei Lannister. Tell yourself whatever helps you sleep, Lady Olenna, but you and Cersei killed Joffrey, Myrcella, Loras, Margaery, and Tommen together.

Finally, why is the Hound alive? Unlike Lady Olenna, he may be having the exceptionally rare (on Game of Thrones) epiphany that you reap what you sow. In my favorite scene of “Dragonstone,” we see the Hound snarl at Beric Dondarrion, “There’s no divine justice, you dumb c@#$. If there was, you’d be dead, and that girl would be alive.” The irony here, of course, is that they would all be alive if the Hound hadn’t killed them. It’s convenient for him, clearly dealing with some guilt (but at least dealing with it; Cersei would like another drink, please), to blame the Lord of Light, but make no mistake: these are the victims of Sandor Clegane, not divine injustice. Clegane killed Dondarrion in combat in a cave (Sn. 3, Ep. 5) and robbed the farmer and his daughter, leaving them to starve (Sn. 4, Ep. 3). Remarkably, though, at the end of this scene--after his vision in the flames--Clegane buries the bodies, even making an effort to pray over their grave. I’m super interested to find out why the Lord of Light wants him alive. Because speaking of non-existent divine justice, the Hound should have died when Arya left him for dead, right? And don’t tell me he doesn’t know it.

That feels like plenty for now, and--because this is the most massive story ever--I haven’t even mentioned Jaime Lannister, Bran and Meera, Sansa and Jon Snow and Baelish. Holy cow. Those are important characters! Well, I’m sure there will plenty to say about them all next week, whenever I recover from the fever that the meeting of Jon and Daenerys is sure to give me.

Feel free to leave your thoughts and pressing questions in the comments section--we’ll gladly address them on the podcast next week. Oh, and please subscribe to the Direwolf Daycare podcast on iTunes (or wherever you get your podcasts), that way you’ll be the first to know when we finally do another one!

Season 7 Preview Podcast

noreply@blogger.com (Michael) — Tue, 11 Jul 2017 19:47:00 +0000

Are we sure that Jon Snow is a Targaryen? Is Tyrion really a Lannister? And who's winning this thing? Hear all our hot takes in the first Direwolf Daycare podcast! Below are links to a few scenes we reference in our conversation.

Jon Snow says goodbye to Robb Stark:

Tyrion says goodbye to Tywin:

Season 6, Episode 8: "No One"

noreply@blogger.com (Michael) — Wed, 15 Jun 2016 02:30:00 +0000

Spoiler alert: what is spoiled can never be unspoiled. So if you aren't up to date, stop reading immediately. Go watch the show.

Matt: So a hound, a dwarf, and a eunuch walk into a bar together... and the bartender shoots down any crazy theories they might have had about Arya Stark. Whoops.

Michael: Yeah, and if they had any theory about Sandor Clegane going pacifist, the bartender disemboweled it for fun before killing it. I guess you can’t teach an old Hound a new trick.

Matt: We’d kill it on the stand-up circuit in Meereen.

Michael: Yep, move over, Missandei! But the Hound isn't the only old dog in this episode. An inability to change is the thread that runs through all the storylines in “No One”—from Sandor Clegane’s axe-swinging revenge tour to Grey Worm and Missandei’s hopeless humor lessons.

Obviously funny.

But let’s begin at the beginning. The episode opens in Braavos, back at the theater, where King Joffrey again lies murdered while Lady Crane intensifies Cersei’s mourning with the anger Arya suggested.

It’s significant that the episode opens on a stage. “No One” strongly reinforces a notion that has been suggested in various ways this season: there are no free agents in the Game of Thrones universe. These are actors playing the roles assigned to them by… fate? The Seven? The Lord of Light? Different characters have different explanations. Some—the Hound, for instance—seem to believe that they control their own destinies (“I beat you because I’m better than you, Beric.”), but the events themselves seem to imply a kind of fatalism or determinism, that the outcomes are, if not preordained, at least inevitable.

We saw this with Bran and Hodor earlier in the season. Wylis becomes Hodor when (to the extent time makes any sense here) the cave of the Three-Eyed Raven is under attack, but of course Bran never would have made it to the cave in the first place (figure of speech here since there is no first place) were Wylis not already Hodor. You followed that, right Matt?

Matt: To the extent that time makes any sense anymore, I think I follow. I still think this is the best way to interpret the Bran/Hodor scene from “Hold the Door.” When you look at it through a lense of Calvinism/Fatalism, it removes blame from any of the characters. Bran can’t be culpable for turning Wylis to Hodor because if Hodor weren’t Hodor, Bran never would have made it a place where he could learn how Hodor became Hodor. So...yes to fatalism?

Michael: I couldn’t have said it better myself. That sentence where you say “Hodor” five times bent my brain just right. Wylis is perhaps the most extreme example of Game of Thrones fatalism. From the beginning we have called him not by his name but by his role in the play, the purpose destiny allotted to him: Hold the Door.

This week’s episode begins on a stage and ends in a hall full of masks, and everywhere in-between we see actors coming to terms with their roles.

Grey Worm, who has spent this season awkwardly flunking Tyrion’s seminar on partying and politicking, finally stands up for himself: “No more talking from you. Your talking gave us this.” He’s done being the nerd who pretends that he’s drinking by dumping PBR on the floor when no one is looking. Who cares if he can’t tell a story or joke? He knows what the army should do!

Jaime, who has spent his whole life boning his sister while feeling deeply ashamed about it, finally owns it: “I love Cersei. You can laugh at that if you want. You can sneer. Doesn’t matter.” It’s worth pointing out here how amazingly interconnected this whole story is. It’s hard to imagine a world where Bran becomes the Three-Eyed Raven (and Wylis becomes Hodor) without Jaime Lannister pushing him out of the tower. Does Bran awaken to his special gifts without months stuck bored in bed? Seems unlikely. But, of course, Wylis was already Hodor, so I guess Jaime had to push him, right?? Interesting note: just before pushing Bran, Jaime says “the things I do for love”—a line which he repeats almost exactly in the scene with Edmure (“the things we do for love”), and which attributes actions to causes beyond the actor’s control.

Matt: Another interesting thing to point out here: Jaime Lannister has developed self-acceptance and awareness as he’s learned to play his role in the world of Westeros. As a result, he has somehow become one of the most sympathetic and compelling characters left. During the first few seasons I never imagined I’d end up rooting for the Kingslayer. Do you remember him from the early seasons? He was an unmitigated dickhead. Until now, the viewer has been programmed to root against the Lannister clan. They were basically the New York Yankees or Duke Basketball of Westeros. With the exception of Tyrion (and I guess Tommen and Myrcella), the Lannisters were so hateable.

Michael: Speaking of sympathetic Lannisters and actions beyond the actor’s control: the poor puppet king. The High Sparrow has his hand farther up Tommen’s butt than a member of the Brotherhood without Banners on a campout. Even worse, this is probably as good as it gets for him. We already know his destiny. Could it be his own mother who kills him? I’m buying what Joanna Robinson at Vanity Fair is selling about Cersei burning the city down. A little more on this later.

Matt: I’m really hoping that’s right. I think it’s time for Cersei to make some bold moves, and what could be better than burning down the Sept? She has spent this entire season completely stuck on mom-duty in the world of King’s Landing. Up until now, she had a hand in basically every piece of political intrigue that happened in the city. Now, when she walks into a room, everyone gets up and leaves like she’s the smelly kid in middle school.

Granted, she deserves it. What bridge hasn’t she burned? That the High Sparrow and Faith Militant carry so much power is a direct result of Cersei’s short sightedness. But it’s slightly disconcerting to see Cersei so powerless. All season, we’ve been waiting for Cersei to deliver the line “I choose violence.” It was in the season preview and it was in the preview for this episode. And she delivered. And Franken-Mountain responded by ripping a man’s head straight off his body.

But... that was it. Initially, I wondered if the Faith Militant were there to test Cersei and the Mountain to determine their odds of winning a trial by combat. But this is where the fate element comes into play. By the time Cersei chose her violence, it was too late. Tommen had already been convinced to suspend trial by combat and Cersei was already doomed. She played the only role she knew—fighting the battle in front of her—not knowing that she’d already lost the war. Poor Tommen. He has no idea that he’s letting himself be played by everyone except for the one person who is really looking out for him. Like with Jaime, I never thought I’d feel sympathy for Cersei, but increasingly I am.

“No One” also reintroduced us to the Brotherhood Without Banners. Let’s go back a little and try to remember exactly who and what they are.

It only LOOKS like Snake Blitzen in Escape from New York

Michael: I’m glad that you’re writing this section because I need to read it. As far as I know, the Brotherhood Without Banners is a traveling band of proctologists. That’s not quite right, is it?

Matt: Still funnier than Grey Worm. The last time we encountered the Brotherhood was way back in Season 3, so it’s been a few years, and obviously a lot has happened. The Brotherhood played a larger role in the books, but unless you’ve read them, you should definitely avoid spoilers—in other words, if you don’t know who Lady Stoneheart is, you should avoid reading about her.

The Brotherhood was formed indirectly by Ned Stark. Before he died, he sent Beric Dondarrian and a group of knights from King’s Landing to hunt down Gregor Clegane, aka the Mountain, because he was terrorizing the country as part of the Lannister army.

Beric Dondarrian from Season 1

The band of knights was successful in hunting down the Mountain, but not in killing him. Instead, the Mountain killed Ser Beric by putting a lance through him. If you don’t remember this, don’t worry. Back during the War of the Five Kings, people were dying left and right, and Beric’s death didn’t raise much attention. But more on his death in a moment.

The other prominent member of the Brotherhood is Thoros of Myr. He came over to Westeros from Myr as a missionary Priest of the Red God, R’hllor. He was more of a drinker, though, than a preacher. And he knew a few party-tricks from his seminary days—specifically, he could light his sword on fire to freak out his enemies.

The Lord of Light welcomes you.

So, back to the dead Beric Dondarrion. He was killed by the Mountain at the Battle of Mummer’s Ford. Thoros, who had basically abandoned his religion at this point, decided he’d conduct a final prayer for Beric. And accidentally, as it were, Beric Dondarrion rose from the dead.

Resurrected and recast!

So Beric and Thoros became the leaders of the Brotherhood Without Banners. They decided to serve none of the warring houses, but rather to ride around like Robin Hood, stealing from the Lannisters and Starks and giving to the poor. In the show, we meet them after Arya and Gendry and Pot Pie escaped from the Lannisters at Harrenhal. Arya and her group find safe haven in the cave where the Brotherhood resided, and we learn a few things about Beric; he’s converted to the religion of the Lord of Light and has been killed and reborn multiple times.

Soon after Arya and her crew arrive, the Brotherhood manages to capture Sandor Clegane, aka the Hound. Arya accuses the Hound of murder and the Hound requests trial by combat (a Celgane specialty!). Beric busts out some magic and sets his sword of fire, which of course terrifies the pyrophobic Hound.

I said I'm better than you, Beric!

Despite the flaming sword, the Hound prevails in the fight, and kills Beric, though in the aftermath we see Thoros revive and heal Dondarrion. They release the Hound (not-guilty by virtue of the trial by combat) and eventually Arya parts company with the Brotherhood after they sell Gendry to Melisandre. Melisandre, in the meeting is amazed at how many times Thoros has revived Beric, and later tries the same trick on Jon Snow...which you might remember from earlier this season.

Ok, back to “No One.” Michael, tell us what happened to with Hound and the Brotherhood.

Michael: Last week, after chugging a pitcher of Septon Ray’s Kool-Aid, I wondered if the Hound might leave behind his old life of violence. In “No One,” he answers that stupid question very quickly by making the first four murders of his new life especially horrific. By the time Beric tells Clegane “you were born a fighter,” this is already quite obvious.

Finally, Arya. She’s alive. And she is who she is: Arya Stark. We’ve waited a long time to hear her say her name, and it was good. But there’s something curious about the title of the episode and its final scene. Why call Arya’s coming out party “No One?” And why does Jaqen H’ghar say, “Finally, a girl is no one?” Arya seemingly contradicts him by saying, “A girl is Arya Stark of Winterfell.” But Jaqen does not look contradicted. In fact, as the camera lingers on him (not Arya), we see a half-smile and a glint of approval (maybe even pride?) in his eye. Jaqen’s reaction seems to suggest that this was exactly what was supposed to happen, what he knew would happen.

If this is true, and Arya did succeed in becoming no one in spite of herself, this provides another clue for piecing together the rules of fate and agency in the Game of Thrones universe. Perhaps there is a sort of limited free will that is bound by the inevitability of certain outcomes. Let’s consider two other examples of this:

Arya made her big decision to quit “no one” training when she chose not to kill Lady Crane. Of course, that decision led to the Waif stabbing Arya, which sent her to Lady Crane for refuge, which led directly to the death of Lady Crane.
Jaime Lannister became the Kingslayer to stop the Mad King from burning the city down with wildfire (according to his version of the story). This resulted in Robert Baratheon and Cersei becoming king and queen, which--six seasons, a few kings, and a lot of deaths later--has brought us to where we are now: Cersei plotting to burn the city down. Valiant effort, Jaime. Unleash the wildfire!

Matt: Unleash the wildfire!

3 theories about what actually happened to Arya Stark last week

noreply@blogger.com (Michael) — Fri, 10 Jun 2016 15:24:00 +0000

To paraphrase Eli Cash from The Royal Tennenbaums, everyone knows Arya Stark got stabbed on the bridge in Braavos. But what this post presupposes is...maybe she didn't?

One of the more confusing scenes in last week's "The Broken Man" was when Arya Stark, now going by her own name, was stabbed by the Waif on the bridge in Braavos. While watching, several questions jumped to mind:

Why was Arya so casually and conspicuously walking around the city? Doesn't she know the best assassins in the world, who can look like anyone in the world, want to kill her?
Where exactly did she get that money? Obviously not from selling oysters, right? Maybe she stole it from the Hound two seasons ago, but there was nothing to definitively prove that.
How did she not see the Waif coming? As soon as I saw the old lady show up, I knew exactly who she was and what she was up to. It seems like Arya, who last week fell asleep with her sword, should have seen that coming.
On the subject of the sword, why didn't Arya have Needle with her? And where would she have left it?
This final question was posed by my girlfriend (watching her third episode ever): "How the hell is that girl still alive? No one can really survive that. That's not believable."

It was that fifth question that really stuck me with the pointy end, as it were. I couldn't come up with an answer. I explained how Arya's been through a lot, etc., etc., but that seemed a bit of stretch. I mean, she got stabbed multiples, the blade got twisted, she fell over a bridge, held her breath for a few minutes and could still walk down the street without falling over. Riding around Westeros with Hound might have been tough, but it didn't prepare her for that.

I wonder if this was even more awkward to film.

So then I tried to explain that she's spent the last two years training in the temple of Many-Faced God, so now she knows all sorts of tricks, etc., etc. That answer felt a little better, but still left me unsatisfied and wondering.

Practice? We're talking about practice?!

Turns out, I'm not the only one. There are several prominent ideas floating around the internet.

From what I've seen, three main fan theories exist.

1. The "Tyler Durden" theory.

Tyler Durden as in Fight Club's Tyler Durden. At the end of the Fight Club, the Ed Norton character discovers that all along he was also the Brad Pitt character named Tyler Durden. In short (and in long) this theory is that Arya and the Waif are one and the same person.

But, since I don't like, or buy it, I won't discuss it. Dear God/George R. R. Martin/Bennioff & Weiss: please don't let this be what's going on.

2. The "To Bleed or Not to Bleed" theory.

The second prominent theory is that Arya might have employed a little stage acting. There's more credibility with this theory. Remember, Arya has spent the last several episodes watching the dramatic reenactment of her father's murder. And, the reason Arya Stark is marked for death to begin is with is she just saved the life (by refusing to kill her) of an actress. It seems reasonable to assume that Arya might have been able to call in favor from Lady Crane

Additionally, Arya has spent the last several years training - I mean really training - to be an assassin. And not just training with your run-of-the-mill, street corner hit man. She's been training with people who are literally religious about killing people.

Thanks be to God.

So the acting theory holds that Arya knew the Waif was coming for her, and decided to change the playing field. She lured to waif to a convenient spot, and set her trap. Because of her training at the temple, she would have know how the Waif would attack her with body blows (to later harvest her face). So, she loaded her shirt with pig's blood and waited for it to happen.

Taking the stabs like a champ, she fell over the bridge and conspicuously spilled blood everywhere. Waiting long enough to be sure the coast was clear, she then walks through the street, leaving a trail of blood to a convenient spot for her to set her ambush.

Again this theory makes some sense, but it still has holes. Like, literal holes. The stabs given by the Waif were not shallow flesh wounds. They were deep, with the last one going deep before being twisted. I don't think bags filled with pig blood would be enough to protect against that.

Which brings us to the third theory.

3. The "A man owes a girl three deaths" theory.

Arya initially learned of the faceless men from Jaquen H’ghar. She met him in Westeros and proceeded to save his life. After saving his life, Jaquen informed Arya that he now owed her three lives. The third life she chose (although she later rescinded) was...Jaquen H'ghar.

Next we know that Jaquen seems to have a soft spot for Arya. And something against the vengeful Waif. A life was owed, after Arya refused her mission, but whose?

Then, when the putative Arya character was throwing bags of money at the Westerossi ship's captain, she threw it with her right hand.

But, the real Arya Stark is left-handed.

Arya's action was also quite conspicuous. She was was walking around Braavos like she owned the pace. Would the real Arya Stark do that? Would the Arya we've come to know really throw money around like that? Would she really want first class accommodations, when on the way over to Braavos she only wanted a hammock in economy class?

Lastly, we know from earlier this season that the servants of the Many-Faced God have Arya's face and can look like her.

So this theory holds that Jaquen decided to look like Arya to throw off the Waif. He knew she was hunting Arya so he put himself in her position. It seems more reasonable that he could survive the stabs more easily than Arya. He is literally a trained assassin.

We won't know until at least next week, but this last theory seems to make sense to me. There are still plenty of reasons to be skeptical. There is also a simpler prediction: everything was as it seems, but Arya has a plan.

One thing we know from the trailer, though: Arya is still very much alive.

Really, though, this is what I'm hoping for:

Season 6, Episode 7: "The Broken Man"

noreply@blogger.com (Michael) — Tue, 07 Jun 2016 17:43:00 +0000

Spoiler alert: what is spoiled can never be unspoiled. So if you aren't up to date, stop reading immediately. Go watch the show.

The hound is back! Arya is dying, but she's not dead--and the preview proves it! Margaery is passing flowery notes! Jaime is tough, but maybe not that tough! And Sansa and Jon have a lot of work to do...

Matt: “The Broken Man" left us with more questions than answers, but one thing we know is it was better than last week's episode. It was well written, and does a lot to set up the final three episodes of this season.

I have two quick complaints to make: (1) does anyone actually die anymore? and (2) didn’t it use to take characters a lot longer to travel from place to place?

Michael: I agree with you that overall the episode was well written. But I also want to interject here with my nitpick of the week. The explanation of the Hound’s not-death was lazy writing, the old “Let me remind you--and anyone else who might be listening--exactly how we came to be here.”

Matt: On Friday, we tried our hand at a preview post for this episode, in which we attempted to predict who the titular “broken man” would be. You can see that post here. Since the idea of the Hound never crossed our minds, we were way off. (On that subject, does anyone know if you can gamble on GoT? I'd be very interested…).

But while we totally missed the return of the Hound, we weren’t completely wrong. There are a lot of “broken” men in the Game of Thrones universe. The title of this episode could just as easily have been a reference to Theon Greyjoy, Jaime Lannister, the Blackfish, Jon Snow, Loras Tyrell, all of the Wildlings, the Brotherhood Without Banners, Edmure Tully or even Septon Ray. Characters may not die easily any longer, but they also do not escape unscathed from anything. There is rebirth and resurrection, but it always comes with a cost.

The show also kept with the theme of empowering its female characters who continue to keep afloat their broken male counterparts. Sansa Stark (or whatever her last name is) may not have had any more success in persuasion than Jon Snow, but still she carries her head high trusting her family name, knowing she still has a few tricks up her wolf-embroidered sleeves. Margaery Tyrell continues to be the only highborn in King’s Landing with a game plan, and she continues to be the best hope for the continuation of her family and the survival of her husband.

We also saw Yara Greyjoy providing an ironborn-style therapy session for her physically and emotionally broken brother, Theon. There was nothing sweet, or gentle about it. “If the real you is truly gone, then go ahead and slit your wrists” is not something I’ve ever been told by a therapist. But it worked to break through the “reek” of Theon’s past sufferings and bring him back to life in the present.

Michael: I like what you did there with “reek.” Also, I’m excited for Theon to realize his destiny and join forces with Varys, Grey Worm, and Daenerys’ armed support group for dismembered men.

Matt: Can we all agree Yara is a total badass? She led a fleet to Volantis, saved her brother, and still had time for a relaxed pursuit of the pleasures of the flesh even though she knows her crazy uncle plans to hunt her down and kill her.

Yara also provided my favorite line of the season thus far: “Well f*** justice, then. We’ll get revenge.” She said it to Theon, but it could apply just as well to almost any character remaining on the show. Very few “good” people remain. Justice is a ship that long past sailed. All that remains is revenge and survival, in some order of priority. Winter is still coming and the war machine still powers on, crushing everything in its path.

Michael: You’re right about Yara. She’s a total badass. And, as you pointed out, she’s one of a host of female characters this season who have been as strong as the men are broken. The opening dialogue of “The Broken Man” delivers the theme:

Septon Ray: How many men did it take to cut you down?
Sandor Clegane: Just one.
Septon Ray: He must have been some kind of monster.
Sandor Clegane: He was a woman.

By the way, you omitted one of the most impressive women in the episode. How about young Lady Mormont?! Normally, I would call her a girl, but I think if you’re the head of your house you have to be considered a woman, right? I’ll have to refer to the lyrics of that old Britney song. I’m sure there’s a verse about that confusing in between time when you have to decide whether or not to send 62 men to war but still wonder why boys are so gross.

Matt: In an unusual pre-credit reveal, we learned that Sandor Clegane is back, which may or may not be a surprise, depending on whether you're an annoying book reader. I was almost too excited about Ian McShane's appearance to be excited about the Hound (if you’ve never watched Deadwood, you’re missing out).

Septon Ray and his followers were a stark contrast to the Faith in King’s Landing. Ray is everything the High Sparrow is pretending to be. Ray is all about the peace and love aspects of the gods (however he/she/they/it choose to be made known), and he refuses to use his scriptures as a weapon.

But his sort of true repentance and eschewal of violence is too good to survive in Westeros. His purpose was limited to reviving Sandor Clegane in a hippy-ish religious commune (they obviously feel the Bern), only to set up the Hound for a new quest of violence and revenge. Clegane may have gained some peace and introspection, but he certainly is not an enlightened pacifist.

Michael: I’m going to halfway agree with you here. You’re right that only the violent seem to survive in Westeros. But they don’t survive very long. In his too-brief stay with us, Septon Ray gets one of the most significant lines of the series: “Violence is a disease. You don’t cure a disease by spreading it to more people.” It’s one of those lines where you remember that the character’s mouth is being moved by writers. If there’s anything this story has definitively and repeatedly demonstrated, it’s that you don’t end violence by continuing it. This is the gospel according to Game of Thrones, and I think that some characters are waking up to it this season.

Jon Snow’s dutiful execution of his murderers brings him only additional pain. Bran, in seeing the origin of the White Walkers, may have understood that they are not the true enemy, but merely a terrible avatar of the violence that created them. Look, maybe I drank too many cups of Septon Ray’s Kool-Aid, but I think that true repentance and the eschewal of violence is where this story is headed. And yes, I know that the disease is going to kill a LOT more people first.

So I’m curious about the return of Sandor Clegane. He may not be an enlightened pacifist, but there’s a reason he’s still here. The writers… errr, the gods aren’t done with him yet. I think transformation would be a more interesting reason for his return than vengeance, but we’ll see. Excuse me for a minute. I’ve got to go wipe off this Kool-Aid mustache.

Matt: The Hound’s rebirth juxtaposed nicely with the near-death of Arya Stark. If you remember, the last time we saw the Hound, Arya was leaving him to die in pain from the wounds inflicted by Brienne of Tarth. He begged Arya to grant him the mercy of death, but she refused. She stared him and down and quietly left him to suffer while she absconded with his money.

We know from the preview that Arya survives the wounds she suffered at the hands of the Waif, at least until the next episode. Perhaps her treatment of the Hound is why she had to do her own “walk of atonement” through the streets of Braavos, bleeding out on the cobblestones, while citizens of Braavos stared at the dying girl as if she was an Ebola patient carrying death with her.

Michael, what did you think of the Arya scene? And didn’t Arya know the Waif was hunting her? If I spent the last two seasons learning how to be unseen for the purpose of bringing death-by-surprise, I definitely wouldn’t be talking to any strange women in the streets.

Michael: Yes, Arya probably should have been more on her guard. But I can understand why she wasn’t. I think she was momentarily incapacitated by relief. She’s finally going home. After five years of exile and captivity, cup-bearing and stick-beatings--she’s finally going home! It’s enough to make a girl stop on a beautiful stone bridge, to gaze one last time on the waterways of Braavos, how they glisten in the late afternoon sun. It’s quite lovely, isn’t it? Why, perhaps a girl ought to have stayed one more day, seen the sights, taken a gondola ride, met more of the locals. “Sweet girl?” Oh, here’s one now!

I have to admit that I was surprised by the old woman, too. I must have gotten caught up in the moment with Arya. I shouldn’t have been surprised, right? The old woman did linger in the background--ominously out of focus--plenty long enough for the viewer to become appropriately concerned. I failed you, Arya!

Your suggestion that Arya’s “walk of atonement” may be a result of her treatment of the Hound is interesting. We can only wonder about this, but the connection is surely there to be made. After all, Arya’s stabbing is immediately preceded by the purchase of her passage home--with the money she’d stolen from the Hound.

I’m pretty sure she’s not going to be on that ship to Westeros in the morning.

Matt: Back in Westeros, we saw the beginnings of the standoff between the Kingslayer and the Blackfish. There was life in Jaime’s eyes as he and Ser Bronn rode up to Riverrun with the Lannister army stretching out miles behind them.

But when Jaime and Ser Brynden Tully met on the drawbridge, it was clear that both were broken men. There was no heart in the eviction notice Jaime delivered the Blackfish. “You’re trespassing…in the name of the King, I order you to…,” etc. It sounded so tired, rehearsed and pro-forma. He knew he had to say it, but he knew the outcome, and he clearly resents having to begin what could be a very long eviction procedure. And the insults from the Blackfish were just as tired and well worn. “Negotiating with an oath breaker is like building in quicksand.” He voice didn’t even have venom in it. These are taunts appropriate three seasons ago, when the world was different, and both men were still whole.

The Blackfish, though, had a little more of spark to him than the Kingslayer. But he is an old man without many options available to him. He took the castle of Riverrun back from the Freys (apparently not a difficult accomplishment) but what does he do next? There’s no way he and however many men he has holed up at Riverrun are going to defeat the still imposing Lannister army. And what is his endgame? The Lannisters benefit from keeping him in his castle. The siege prevents him from coming to the aid of Sansa and Jon and in the North, and seems like it will inevitably result in the death of his nephew Edmure Tully. But that is a position shared by many in Westeros. There are no longer many great outcomes. Like Theon and Yara, the best he can hope for is revenge, and a decent place to live when the snows of winter come.

My favorite part of the Riverrun scenes was Bronn, formerly a sell-sword, now an anointed knight known as Ser Bronn of the Blackwater. He reminisces about how much easier (and more profitable) life was before knighthood, but he is one of the few characters to come out of the wars and politics of the Seven Kingdoms in a better position than when we met him. He’s travelled from the Vale down to Dorn, fought heroically in the battle of Blackwater, gained title as well as money, and earned the love (or at least lust) of a Sandsnake. All of which makes me a little concerned for Bronn’s future. At some point, things have to stop breaking his way, right?

Michael, speaking of Westeros and the Lannisters, what did you make of the showdown between Cersei and the Queen of Thorns, Lady Olenna?

Michael: If Lady Olenna is indeed leaving King’s Landing, as it appears, she gave us two great scenes on her way out of town. The scene with Queen Margaery features some delightful Septa Unella-bashing (“Does it move or talk?”) And the exchange with Cersei ranks right up there with Lady Olenna’s finest verbal eviscerations. Here is her tirade along with my real-time reactions:

“Loras rots in a cell because of you. That’s true; he is rotting. The High Sparrow rules this city because of you. More truth. Our two ancient houses face collapse because of you and your stupidity. I love the way you say “stupidity.”

“I wonder if you’re the worst person I’ve ever met. Oh damn. At a certain age it’s hard to recall. Haha. But the truly vile do stand out through the years. Punching my watching partner to indicate enjoyment. Do you remember the way you smirked at me when my grandson and granddaughter were dragged off to their cells? I do. I do too, Lady Olenna. I do too. I’ll never forget it.”

I cheered for Lady Olenna in this scene like a front row fanboy at a concert. If I’d known the dialogue ahead of time, I would have annoyed the people around me by saying it with her.

I’m so smitten with Lady Olenna’s accent and her scathing wit, it wasn’t until the next day that I realized Cersei wasn’t even the worst person in the room. That’s when I remembered that Lady Olenna killed Cersei’s son! Yes, Joffrey was a monster, but I don’t think that gives Lady Olenna any sort of moral high ground here.

It’s pretty shameless to say to a woman whose child you murdered that you’ll never forget what she did to YOUR children, especially given that said regicide deserves as much blame for the state of King’s Landing--and Loras’ imprisonment--as anything Cersei has done.

And here’s the worst part: the entire attack is disingenuous. Its purpose is not even principally to shame and ridicule Cersei; that’s just a bonus. The real purpose of this conversation is to make sure Cersei thinks that Lady Olenna feels defeated. Does Lady Olenna actually think her ancient house faces collapse? Or that the High Sparrow rules the city? She wants to be sure that Cersei has no cause to suspect what she herself has just learned: that Queen Margaery has deceived the High Sparrow and Tommen. And if she rules them, then she alone rules the city. This is the best possible outcome for House Tyrell. As long as Cersei can’t see Margaery’s power, she can’t take it away from her.

And so Lady Olenna throws up a terrific smokescreen of defeat, misery, and retreat to Highgarden--encouraging Cersei to likewise accept her loss and escape King’s Landing. It’s clever and well-acted and leaves me wondering if she’s the worst person I’ve ever met.

Speaking of the worst person I’ve ever met and the murder of King Joffrey: Littlefinger! We can assume that Sansa’s stealthily-written note is a raven to Baelish asking for help, right?

How does this end up? Do the Knights of the Vale save the day for the Stark forces at Winterfell? Is this a major blunder by Sansa? Could it be both?

Matt: I don't think it was a blunder by Sansa but it was a calculated decision. From her vantage point, what other option does she have? Currently she has only a rag-tag fighting force made up of Wildlings and 62 Mormont soldiers. They are going to try to take one of the best fortified castles in the Seven Kingdoms, and they're camped where Stannis camped right before his more formidable force met its demise attempting the same, which can't inspire much confidence.

But, Littlefinger always has his own angle. I think the Knights of the Vale do save the day at Winterfell, but I'm not sure what the cost will be for Sansa and Jon. Obviously Sansa has to swallow her pride and delay her desire for revenge against Littlefinger. But I think there will be more. Turning to him for help is not a blunder, but it will cost her. Probably a lot.

Michael: I agree. I think it costs her a third unfortunate marriage. If so, bad news for Sansa. On his own, crazy cousin Robin might be a huge improvement over Ramsay, but he isn’t on his own. He’s controlled by Petyr Baelish.

You have no idea how happy I am to see you.

The Wars to Come: A Preview of "The Broken Man"

noreply@blogger.com (Michael) — Fri, 03 Jun 2016 17:48:00 +0000

PREVIEW of Game of Thrones, Season 6 Episode 7

Matt: One thing we want this blog to provide, in addition to our weekly episode reviews, is a preview of upcoming episodes. Welcome to the first installment of "The Wars to Come!"

Michael: We know that this week's episode is called "The Broken Man." It's an intriguing title but not of much help in determining who or what the episode's focus might be. It's common for episode titles in Game of Thrones to connect with multiple scenes and storylines, but that promises to be especially true this week, as "the broken man" describes every character on the show who is a man. Barring a surprise contender, always a possibility, here are the most likely broken man candidates:

Sticks and stones may break my bones, but the Faith will break my spirit.

I still answer to Reek sometimes.

Please bury me with Renly.

When Bran visits my past, you'll understand. If you were married to Cersei Lannister you'd drink yourself to death, too.

I just need to find a Walgreen's, Khaleesi.

Michael: I think that all of the men above, with the exception of Robert Baratheon, are likely to appear in this week's episode in varying degrees of brokenness, but I think the lead "Broken Man" will be Jon Snow.

My body is back, but my soul is with Ygritte.

What do you think, Matt?

Matt: Interesting. Of all the broken men on the show (and you're right, it's all of them), I still think of Jon Snow as one of the least broken. Which, I guess, is funny considering not too long ago he was literally dead.

Initially, my guess was the "Broken Man" was a reference to Theon Greyjoy or Loras Tyrell. Both are broken, quivering shadows of their former selves. Both have unanswered questions and both have been juxtaposed to their strong sisters who have just made bold moves to save their broken brothers.

But I don't like either of them as title characters, so my next guess was Beric Dondarrion. Remember him?

You think Jon Snow is broken? I've been dead more times than I can count.

In the show, we haven't heard from Beric and his merry band of outlaws, the Brotherhood Without Banners, since season 3. But Walder Frey brought them up in the last episode, and we have to assume they have a role to play in the future. But still, I don't think he's the title character for this episode.

So my guess is Jaime Lannister. We know he's broken--he's got a golden hand, he just got beat by a priest, and most of his kids are are dead. Also, HBO has released some preview pictures, and it appears the episode spends a lot of time with Jaime and Ser Bronn of the Blackwater marching on Riverrun.

I know a lot of people think Jaime is getting ready to die, but I think we're getting ready to see a new Jaime. Broken? Yes. Beaten? Definitely a couple times. Down for the count? No. The new and improved Jaime is reborn. He almost has nothing left to lose, and its time for him to kick some ass and take some names.

Michael: Shoot, he is looking pretty good on that horse. Ride on, Broken Man!

Season 6, Episode 6: "Blood of my Blood"

noreply@blogger.com (Michael) — Wed, 01 Jun 2016 02:34:00 +0000

Spoiler alert: what is spoiled can never be unspoiled. So if you aren't up to date, stop reading immediately. Go watch the show.

Matt: Uncle Benjen! Young Life camp at the Sept! Dragons! Black Fish! It's time for the latest installment of Direwolf Daycare. This episode might have been a little bit slower than the last couple, but one of my favorite things about GoT is that the slow episodes are often the most important.

Michael: Agreed. As Tyrion said, it’s all about the words. And I’m a literary kind of guy (who hasn’t read the books…) I’m geeking out on the whole show-within-the-show meta universe that Arya is in right now. Randyll Tarly would have sent me to the Wall real fast. My only disappointment with this episode was its unsurprising surprises. Arya isn’t really no one after all! Dany found her dragon! Benjen Stark is not exactly dead! How surprised were you by Benjen’s return? It had always seemed strange to me how the show basically ignored his disappearance, so I assumed it was him right away.

Matt: The funny thing here is, as a book reader, I might have been more surprised about Benjen. As soon as the character rode up on the horse, I knew it was Cold Hands, but I wasn't sure who/what Cold Hands was. But let's back up a little bit.

Uncle Benjen has been missing since early in the first season when he was First Ranger of the Night's Watch. He rode off to the wild white north soon after Jon Snow arrived at Castle Black, and he hasn't been heard from since. Alliser Thorne, though, did use him as a ruse to lure Jon down to his death at the end of season 5.

But now Benjen is ACTUALLY back.

And, it turns out, Benjen is Cold Hands. In the books we meet Cold Hands much earlier in the story. As Bran, Meera, Jojen and Hodor were fleeing north to find the Three-Eyed Raven, they were met at the Wall by a mysterious character most notable for having ice-cold hands. Very little was known about Cold Hands other than he was apparently something different than fully alive. We learned that he could not pass south of the Wall for what turned out to be the same reasons he couldn't enter the cave of the Three-Eyed Raven -- he was somehow infected with the White Walkers Syndrome (which kind of sounds like a really unpleasant STI...).

But nothing else was known about old Cold Hands. The internet came up with some wild theories, but the most common was that Cold Hands was long-lost Uncle Benjen. And he is! At least in the show… [See Here ]

So we’ve now had TWO joyful Stark reunions in three episodes. While Bran was busy having the entire history of the world uploaded to his third eye, Cool Hand Ben (can we start calling him that?) rode in at just the right moment, with a fiery mace, and saved Bran and Meera from the zombie army. Benjen, who obviously has spent a lot of time with the Raven over the last couple years, reveals that Bran is no longer just Bran Stark—he's also the new Three-Eyed Raven. Consequently, Bran will soon have to go head-to-head with the Night's King.

Michael, what do you think about the other Stark reunion that happened this week -- the one where Arya Stark was reunited with herself?

Michael: A girl is no longer no one! But she’s not the same girl she was before either, which is fitting. This season has been all about rebirth for the Stark clan. As you mentioned, Bran has become the Three-Eyed Raven. Sansa the child—and childish—captive of various psychopaths has been replaced by Sansa the woman.

5,000 Bolton men? I'll kill them all with my eyes. We march for Winterfell at dawn, you cowards!

Jon has returned from his more-literal-than-he’d-hoped-for “kill the boy” experience (though, for all Sansa’s pushing, I think the man is now stuck in the birth canal). Even Benjen got the memo and had himself a dragonglass resurrection.

And now Arya is Mercy. Yes, she tells Lady Crane that her name is Mercy to avoid revealing her “real name,” but even for a fake name it’s still pretty surprising. After all, this is (or is not) the same person who made a bedtime prayer of the people she wanted to kill, a list so long that it was like counting sheep—she could hardly name them all before dozing off. And this is (or is not) the same person who wouldn’t even grant mercy in the form of death (refusing to kill the Hound), let alone in the form of life.

In this episode she witnesses the dramatic reenactment of Joffrey Baratheon’s death and the accompanying anguish of his mother, played by Lady Crane. This scene should bring Arya great joy—Joffrey and Cersei being founding members of Arya’s Kill List—and indeed it causes her to laugh. But the mirth quickly disappears from her face, replaced by something like compassion. It’s a well-acted moment by Maisie Williams, who manages to convey both compassion and, almost simultaneously, a mix of surprise and uncertainty: Arya’s reaction to this strange new experience of feeling someone else’s feelings.

Or perhaps the surprise is realizing that Cersei’s feelings are not someone else’s; they are hers. As Arya says later to Lady Crane (describing Cersei and/or herself): “The queen loves her son, more than anything, and he was taken from her before she could say goodbye. She wouldn’t just cry. She would be angry. She would want to kill the person who did this to her.”

Arya knows her stages of grief. And she’s right. Cersei did spend the entirety of season 4 trying to kill the person she thought did this to her. While we despised Cersei and her crusade for vengeance against our beloved Tyrion, we rooted for Arya and her list. When Arya becomes the audience, she seems to make the connection we didn’t want to see between these women. Perhaps the opening of her eyes will allow Arya to escape Cersei’s fate: a never-ending, and eagerly perpetuated, cycle of violence that will kill everyone Cersei loves before it (likely) kills her.

Interesting note: when Arya lies down with Needle, it’s the first time we’ve seen her to go bed without saying her death prayers. True, she may only be lying in wait for the Waif—not actually going to sleep—but the absence of the list was conspicuous. A girl may have failed at becoming no one, but has she become someone else? And was that Jaqen’s plan all along? Feels like there’s another shoe to drop here.

Looks good, right?

An aside: remember that Cersei’s campaign against Tyrion led directly to the deaths of both her father and her daughter (if she can’t see this, she hasn’t even moved out of denial yet). In the wake of Tommen’s psychological kidnapping by the High Sparrow, Cersei’s attempts to repeat her past mistakes will become even more desperate. I’m sure that she loses Tommen this time, and I have a sneaking suspicion—and I don’t like it—that this costs her Jaime too.

But we’re getting ahead of ourselves here. Matt, what did happen over in King’s Landing this week?

Matt: Great question! Over in King’s Landing, we finally saw some movement in the storyline of the Lannisters and Tyrells against the High Sparrow and the Faith Militant. Though it might not have been quite the battle we were hoping for.

I've been reading a lot of criticism of the King’s Landing storyline on the Internet, and before this episode, I mostly agreed. In many ways this story feels rushed and forced, and sometimes seems likes it is being cobbled together on the fly. The Faith Militant were able to seize and exercise a large amount of power very quickly, and sometimes it’s a little less than believable.

But for all the flaws, the scene from King’s Landing in this week's episode was quite interesting. The most intriguing part was Margaery Tyrell. We learned last week that she is playing a game, but now we know she is playing it very well.

She convinced the Faith that she is on the side of the church, and set in motion the mechanisms to secure her own release. This looks like a power play. We don't know yet what her next play will be, but the preview indicates that neither her own grandmother nor her mother-in-law saw this coming, and neither woman knows how to react. The usually quick-witted Lady Olenna was left, uncharacteristically, as tongue-tied and bewildered as her buffoon of a son, Mace Tyrell. But one thing is clear: Margaery is no true believer. Power is her one true God, and the chasing of that power is her religion. She might be out on a limb by herself, but she has proved herself to be as adept as anyone at the game of chasing power.

Tommen, however, is different. He seems to be truly converted. He reminds me of a high school kid just home from Young Life camp. He went for a girl, but ended up having a transformative conversion experience. It might be for selfish ends—to his eyes, his older wife has converted, and following in her footsteps is probably his best bet to keep getting regularly laid—but he still looks every bit a true believer.

And clearly his dad thinks so and is not pleased…

I put together this army to save you, but you want to tell me that you've met GOD?

Michael: Ouch, those eyes are almost as deadly as Sansa’s. Well, it’s Jaime Lannister. He did learn from the very best disappointed father of them all, and that’s really saying something in Westeros. Just in case you’re suffering from recency bias and thinking “no way, Randyll Tarly is definitely the king of disappointed fathers!” remember that Tywin once said to Tyrion, “The day you were born, I wanted to carry you into the sea and let the waves wash you away.” (s3e10)

Matt: Ahh yes. Where are the Tywin Lannisters of yesteryear? Also, do we know whether the High Sparrow has a son? If so, I can imagine he'd be a strong contender for this title...

Speaking of the High Sparrow, here is another thing we know: he is definitely NOT a true believer. I loved the smirk he gave Jaime at the end of the standoff. It let us know that he is, very much indeed, in on the game. Like Margaery, his God is power, and through religion he has found a solid play to get more of it. With that smirk, he let Jaime and Lady Olenna know that he is quite aware he just won round one.

But here's the catch. Margaery is extremely gifted at using duplicity to achieve her ends. I think she made a bold play, and I think it is going to pay off for her.

Michael: Can you clarify what you mean by “pay off?” Because I’m not sure I agree with you here.

Matt: At the end of the day, I think Margaery comes out ahead. She's already survived the death of Renly and Joffrey and she's still sitting beside the throne. She seems to win no matter what obstacle crosses her path. I think she comes out of this with the upper-hand over everyone. She has a nominal ally in the High Septon and she's taken control of the game away from Cersei. What do you think?

Michael: That’s a good point. It worries me, though, for Margaery that Lady Olenna looked horrified by the developments while the High Sparrow looked like the cat who swallowed the canary.

Matt: Agreed. When Lady Olenna is horrified, you have to assume things aren't going great for the Tyrells.

Meanwhile, as mentioned earlier, over in the Reach we finally got to meet Sam's dad, Ser Randyll Tarly. And he is a complete and total dickhead. Seriously.

What did you call me?

Sam has always been one of the least compelling significant characters in the show. Is it possible for someone to be more whiny and annoying? But the scene at Horn Hill accomplished the unexpected—he became a sympathetic character and I started rooting for him. He may not be very compelling, but I have to admit I was excited when he decided to seize his own destiny and take Gilly and baby Sam with him. Taking Heartsbane, the family sword, may have been too bold a move, though. I’m sure he wants the Valyrian steel to fight the White Walkers, but he is definitely asking for trouble with his father. Does he really think Randyll Tarly is not going to hunt him down and try to kill him now? He might have killed a White Walker, but, frankly, Ser Randyll might be tougher competition.

On the subject of asshole dads, we also got to see Walder Frey again, and he was just as we remembered him.

He bullied his kids, creeped out his young wife, and managed to be saltiest dude in Westeros. This might be weird, but I kind of like Walder Frey. No one in the show is as unabashedly opportunistic as he is.

The scene at the the Twins reminded us about some details of the Red Wedding. I'm surprised how much I had forgotten about the Red Wedding. I always think of it is as being the scene of Robb Stark’s wedding and death, but that isn’t quite right. Robb Stark eloped on the battlefield, and as a result, Catelyn Stark had to set her brother, Edmure Tully, up with one of the (many) Frey girls. That was marriage celebrated at the Red Wedding. The nuptials apparently gave Edmure an “old ball-and-chain,” though not in the misogynistic metaphorical way. It was more in the actually-in-jail-for-several-years way.

Edmure’s uncle, the Black Fish, is also back, and he’s reclaimed the family castle at River Run. Now the Freys and Jaime Lannister are both bringing armies to try to recapture the Riverlands. Also heading to Riverlands: Brienne of Tarth—which is going to set up a very interesting reunion between Brienne and the Kingslayer.

Michael: Oh boy, I hope so. This is my favorite relationship on the show, hands… err hand down (sorry, Jaime). Their scene in the bath is on my shortlist of best in the run of the series so far. Also, your “ball-and-chain” joke is on my shortlist of favorite jokes in our blog so far.

Oh hey. Nice sword.

Matt: Finally, we have Daenerys in Essos, riding on a dragon, inspiring her troops. Haven’t we seen this all before?

But there’s an interesting question floating around: Is Dany turning into a villain? This might be how she is coming to grips with her own identity. Perhaps she isn’t a benevolent ruler. Maybe, as Daario suggests, she’s a conqueror.

Michael: I don’t think the Dany heel turn is happening, but I like the question. I do wonder if going villain would be Dany’s best career move at this point. As an audience member, I’m getting bored with her heroics. She’s set the bar so high, what can she do to impress us anymore?? Maybe she’s getting sick of us taking her for granted. Maybe she’s just totally had it with all the messed up cities that won’t let her fix them. Maybe she and the Night’s King should team up and take their talents to South Beach. I mean King’s Landing.

Matt: Not four, not five, not six...she wants all seven kingdoms!

Regardless, I’m happy her storyline is moving forward. Go west, young Woman! Go west!

Season 6, Episode 5: "The Door"

noreply@blogger.com (Michael) — Thu, 26 May 2016 00:26:00 +0000

With time-traveling Wargs and badass women, Season 6 of Game of Thrones is the best this show has been in some time. We’re jumping in halfway through the season to begin giving you weekly recaps, reactions, and theories.

Matt: Season 6 of Game of Thrones is off to a roaring start. All of the plot lines (or at least almost all) are moving forward at a healthy clip. Showrunners David Benioff and D. B. Weiss seem to be gathering many of the frayed edges of the storylines, binding them together, and pushing everything toward an eventual conclusion. This is good news for book readers and show watchers who felt (rightly, I believe) that some things were falling apart and wandering aimlessly.

In the future, this blog will be a weekly installment, but for this first one, we might have to pretend to be Bran Stark, and dive backwards in time to cover some material from earlier this season. For example:

Jon Snow is alive! (In case you missed it or didn’t see that one coming…)
Ramsay Bolton is a terrible person!
Daenerys Targaryen (aka the Mother of Dragons, aka Stormborn, aka Khaleesi, aka Mhysa, aka the Unburnt) is Unburnt again! And now she has 100,000 Dothraki followers/worshipers/soldiers. But still no ships…
Tyrion Lannister is still clever!
Varys is still a eunuch!

This season has improved with each episode. I like that the Stark family is back to the center of the story. Bran’s plot line is moving forward, the Stark girls are becoming increasingly empowered each episode, and even Rickon (Rickon!) has made an appearance. It also looks like we’re nearing a climax with the tension between the Lannisters/Tyrells and the High Sparrow/Faith Militant. Which I’m happy about because I feel like this plot line has dragged on a little too long. What do you think, Michael?

Michael: Yes, I'm excited for the coming drama in King's Landing, which I feel pretty certain is bad news for Tommen. I mean we already know he's not winning the game of thrones because a) that witch gave Cersei the bad news a long time ago and b) come on. But I think the deal between Lady Olenna and Cersei to bring the Tyrell army against the Faith Militant seals it. The one goal that the matriarchs-in-law share is keeping Tommen alive and in power. So it seems most fitting that the violence they are about to unleash on the streets of King's Landing would result in that elusive gold shroud hat trick for the Lannister—err… Baratheon children.

And while it's been a slow build to this point, I am hesitant to criticize the show for its pacing. It cuts both ways. The scale and scope of the show do sometimes cause an individual storyline to lag, but the dividends are paid in scenes like the reunion of Sansa and Jon. Did you choke up or just totally lose it? I was going to have a really great cry but my HBONOW streaming hit a lag just as they were about to hug. Do you realize how emotionally damaging this could be? Those now stuck emotions had been building for five years. Those emotions are, of course, not only about Jon and Sansa. Their reunion carried the weight of the entire tortured history of House Stark. Remember that it's been three years—three years of our real lives passing, people living and dying, getting married and breaking up—since the Red Wedding and the parting of Bran and Rickon. That's how long it's been since we've seen a Stark with another Stark.

So I'll go with the glass half full take that what's taking a long time to develop in King's Landing is preparing us for an awesome climax. There will be some incredible battle scenes and at least one big surprise, but the biggest accomplishment from a storytelling standpoint is that we will be on the Lannisters' side. We may be getting sick of the super odious High Sparrow, but that's kind of the point, right? I'm a little worried now that my stuck Stark tears may be spilled over Lannisters… I'm sorry, Ned!

Matt: Now, on to “Hold the Door.” Obviously the most notable thing that happened in this week’s episode was the death of Hodor.

RIP, Hodor, you sweet, gentle, well-endowed giant. This development leaves us with some major questions that I’m excited about seeing answered. First, what just actually happened? I presume that Bran, in a time travel, warged into Hodor-past to control Hodor-present. But that leads us to question two: what the hell are the rules for time travel in the Game of Thrones universe? This is new territory for book readers as well as show watchers, and from what I can tell, no one has any answers at this point. I finished this episode yelling f-words at the TV, and completely losing my mind. I haven’t finished an episode this excited or intrigued in a long while.

But I’m also a little nervous. The poignant sadness of watching Hodor die notwithstanding, this time travel element makes me a little nervous. I worry that as the storylines have frayed out on so many tangents, time travel going to applied as dues ex machina to neatly wrap up everything unsatisfactorily. Michael, I’d love to hear your thoughts about this one. Do you think the show is going to be able to define the rules of this element in a way that doesn’t become the show’s kryptonite?

Michael: As long as the writers don’t turn to time travel as a means of narrative convenience, I don’t think that defining the “rules” of it is actually important. Your question is really about confidence in the storytellers—George R.R. Martin and showrunners Benioff and Weiss—and, in the wake of “The Door,” my confidence in them is at an all-time high. Yes, we’ve endured some storylines that look like “frayed tangents” (insert Dorne joke here), but the remarkable patience and ultimate pay off of the Hodor storyline make me hopeful that our storytellers know where every piece of this puzzle is headed.

This connects back to my previous point that these guys are doing something with scope and time that we’ve never seen before in visual storytelling. Think about how long we waited for the other shoe to drop with Hodor. He and his name—a time bomb whose ticking we couldn’t hear—have been with us since Bran was climbing walls and shooting arrows over them. It’s not like this is something they came up with in a panicked writers’ room last summer when they finally realized that Hodor’s odd name really needed some explanation. So I’m very inclined to give them the benefit of the doubt and assume that places where the story has gotten slow represent intentional choices not to sell out the big picture in favor of thrills and ratings (not that they’re hurting for either, really).

One last point before I get off my shameless fanboy soapbox: How impressive is it that perhaps the most heartbreaking moment of the series so far is the death of a character we didn’t see once in season 5 and whose appearances in season 6 amounted mostly to learning that his name used to be Wylis? That’s crazy. When and how did we come to care so much about Hodor? Yes, good writing and acting are part of it. But time is the yeast that made that dough rise. Okay, getting down now.

Matt: Interestingly enough, the death (and creation?) of Hodor wasn’t even the biggest reveal of the episode. That award goes to the origin of the White Walkers. They were created as the ultimate weapon to defend against the insatiable aggression of humans. This is news even for the book readers.

We also learned that Bran, through his wanderings, enabled the White Walkers to enter the protected cave. This may be the worst news yet for Westeros and the rest of the world. The details of this magic have not been well developed in the show, though I expect it will be soon. In the books we learned that the same magic protecting the cave is built into the Wall. So apparently it is not just 700 feet of ice and stone protecting the realms of men from the White Walkers – there’s also some damn strong magic in play. But that magic might be futile if Meera succeeds in getting Bran back south of the Wall again, which is presumably where they are headed. If Bran being marked enabled the White Walkers to pass through the magic barriers to the cave, they should be able to pass through the same magic that guards the wall, right? Bran might soon bring the greatest enemy Westeros has have seen right back into Westeros. Winter is indeed coming.

One other interesting note: the Wall was built by a man named Bran the Builder, who was an ancient Stark ancestor and for whom the current Bran Stark was named.

Michael, I’d love to hear your thoughts on the Stark girls, the Iron Island politics and what you think about Bran and Hodor.

Michael: So glad you asked! Here are my thoughts:

I’m not down with the blame Bran crowd. I've read some really ugly things written about him in the comment sections of other recaps. Look, I don’t know or care what the “rules” of time travel are in this universe, but I know we can’t blame Bran for Hodor’s fate. It’s a closed circle. Without Hodor to carry Bran to the Three-Eyed Raven, he doesn’t make it there. If Bran doesn’t make it there, he doesn’t warg into Wylis and make him Hodor. I understand that he has made immature and selfish decisions (in a related story: he’s a teenager), but were they really even decisions? Yes, you could argue that he decided to climb the tower back in the first episode of the series, and that that was an original sin that set the rest in motion. I’m not so sure. In any case, I’m curious to see how the series continues to develop the question of fate vs. free will in this world. The tagline of this episode comes from the mouth of Kinvara, the new red priestess: “everyone is what they are and where they are for a reason.”

The scenes with the Stark girls remind us that Game of Thrones is a story about storytelling. Yes, there is a ton of violence, but again and again we see that the pen (or the mouth) is mightier than the sword. Arya can take stick blows for hours, but a slanderous misrepresentation of Ned Stark’s life and death? A girl has a hard time being no one. And for me the most satisfying element of the Baelish/Sansa scene is Sansa reducing the loquacious Baelish to silence and then forcing him to tell HER story. Sure, she has the sword there in Brienne’s hands, but how fitting to attack a man who has done all of his death-dealing and power-mongering with words with his own weapon of choice.

Finally, the Iron Islands. I think I kinda care about them now. At first glance I found the kingsmoot rushed and unbelievable, especially when Euron Greyjoy admits that he murdered his brother and how that outlandish declaration seems to rally the ironborn behind him. But then I remembered Donald Trump. The Theon/Yara reunion makes me happy, and I’m excited to see where they’ll take their stolen fleet. I’m thinking probably to the Mother of Dragons, but my heart really wants them to swoop in and be the army that helps the Starks retake Winterfell. If that were to happen, who would you rather see finish Ramsay off, Sansa or Theon? When I asked myself that question, the thought crossed my mind that one could kill him and the other feed him to Ghost, and when that thought didn’t properly horrify me I wondered: if Ramsay has so poisoned my mind with his desires, has he already won?

Please feel free to leave your comments, crazy theories, and epitaphs for Hodor.