Spoiler-Fest: Game of Thrones S6

[Legendary Sidekick]

I am this close (fingers an inch apart) to believing that Cersei will order her own son killed—what culmination of the prophecy she once received!

My wife predicted this aloud at the end of that scene. As much as she'd do anything for her children, it wouldn't be the first time she tried to kill Tommen out of "mercy."

 

[FifthView]

My wife predicted this aloud at the end of that scene. As much as she'd do anything for her children, it wouldn't be the first time she tried to kill Tommen out of "mercy."

I'd forgotten that last time.

I think this time could play out differently. She seems to have already internalized the inevitability of that prophecy. If it came down to suffering herself and taking him out, she could take him out to save herself, resigned to fate. Jaime has recently made a pivot, dimming the likeability that had been building for him, a kind of new absolutist resolve revolving around the fact that he and Cersei are the only two people in the world worth saving. Cersei could take a similar route.

Totally wild speculation but. . .I could see Tommen forcing the issue, arriving with the Kingsguard to take her to her trial, and Cersei ordering the Mountain to "Kill them all." Which he does but, while she's distracted, he also goes for Tommen due to her vague order, killing the king.

I don't know how Margaery will play into whatever happens.

 

[Ben]

Here's hoping Bastard Bowl ends brutally for Ramsey!

I second that!

 

[Ben]

I thought this was the strongest episode this season, overall. (The pathos and reveal combo of Hodor's death hasn't been surpassed, but this episode was more evenly strong.)

Wow! This was the weakest for me. Just shows how subjective judging art/entertainment is.

have to watch it again...but didn't I see two candles in that room where Arya confronted the Waif? I thought there was one beside the entrance to the larger area, past the entry hallway, and one beside Arya. This left me wondering afterward how she put out all the light by cutting in half the candle beside her. Maybe my memory's off.

Yeah I thought so too -- will have to rewatch it. I'm not sure how long she was laid out on Lady Crane's couch for, I'm guessing a day or two -- long time for those candles to be burning. Unless she quickly lit them when she came in just to dramatically cut them out?

Dany's last two appearances this season have been perfunctory. It's almost as if she's temporarily stopped being a character and has become a prop–deus ex machina embodied, now? Hah. I wonder how she'll interpret Tyrion's temporary rule.

One of the funniest (intentional/nonintenional?) moments of the episode for me. Dany is like the parents coming home to find the kids having a kegger in the living room and the lawn's on fire.

I am this close (fingers an inch apart) to believing that Cersei will order her own son killed–what culmination of the prophecy she once received! But then, that rumor she mentioned at the end may be concrete evidence that the High Sparrow is a charlatan. Hmmmm.

Oooh I would love something along those lines -- the theories Ive heard around the internet revolve around a stash of wildfire from Aery's days and I don't see how that makes sense.

The preview for episode 9...I wish Jon could someday become something other than mopey. On another note, I think that chances are high we'll have an "OMG we're going to lose!" moment broken by the serendipitous arrival of the Vale's forces to save the day.

Yes the Rohirrim will come riding in to save the day, almost guaranteed. It would be great if D & D played against that expectation. Maybe have them ride in, but they can't get the good guys over the hump. All seems lost and then all of a sudden:
the Manderlys show up! And the Brotherhood without Banners along with the Hound!

 

[Ben]

As I said, this was the weakest one for me. A couple of big moments that were a little bit of a let down, and then I kept noticing little things that bugged me.

The results of Cersei choosing violence were underwhelming. Funny I can say that given it resulted in a bare-handed decapitation, but really, I expected all of Lancel's boyband to die in various gruesome and creative ways.

Blackfish dies off-screen. Sigh. Not just that, but was so sad that all his soldiers and his nephew just abandoned him and were willing to turn him over to the enemy at the drop of a hat. From what we know of Brendan and Edmure's relationship, Edmure wouldn't have the balls to come in and tell them to put Blackfish in chains, and the soldiers should have had way more respect for Blackfish over Edmure.

Arya's big fight off screen. Sigh. At least give me a blank screen and a few seconds of fight sounds to get my imagination going.

Riverrun ended up a big nothing. A big buildup resulting in everything the same as before Blackfish re-took it. Except Brienne and Jaime met up again, but I didn't get anything out of it but an "attagirl". I think that storyline was already done.

Mereen - waste of time scene with Tyrion and the advisers.

Ok so I know enough to say that Arya's wounds were not survivable given the technology she has available. Multiple liver lacerations, multiple bowel perforations, she's not coming back from that. It bothered me so much I couldn't really enjoy the actually well done chase scene.


And still ... I didn't hate it, just feel a little ... disappointed. Loved Sandor's scenes and was great to see Thoros again and the Lightning Lord still alive! (he's fave of mine)

 

[Ben]

My wife predicted this aloud at the end of that scene. As much as she'd do anything for her children, it wouldn't be the first time she tried to kill Tommen out of "mercy."

When was that? Sounds familiar but I've completely forgotten.

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

I think season 2, during the Bkackwater battle vs. Stannis. Cersei was holding Tommen, ready to poison him if the enemy got inside the castle.

I didn't mind battles not being shown, though I can see how you'd get annoyed at having multiple off-screen deaths. (Blackfish, Waif, and whatever fiery deaths were caused by Dany's dragon) Dany's entrance was something like Superman entering a police station saying, "Take the rest of the day off. I solved everything by myself. Again."

I did like the Arya vs. Waif subtlety. Slashing the candle was all you had to see.

 

[FifthView]

Wow! This was the weakest for me. Just shows how subjective judging art/entertainment is.

Yep, I suppose so.

For me, the strength came mostly from the character moments. The interactions between Jaime & Brienne felt real, authentic, and revealed so much about them. The Cersei vs Tommen scene was a sort of sudden revelation of the true predicament facing both (although Tommen may not realize this as strongly as Cersei does.) The Hound brought up short by Dondarrion, having to settle his vengeance by kicking the wood from under the feet of his prey, was great, and the conversation later gave greater scope to the characters of Dondarrion and Thoros than I remember from their previous appearances.

As far as the Mountain's killing of that member of the Faith Militant...I think that goes to remind us that we should never trust teaser trailers. I'd been led to believe that Cersei's words, "I choose violence" were a prelude to a mass slaughter, so a part of me was upset. (Similarly, Davos' taking up the sword and asking for forgiveness for what we're about to see...led to nothing.) But as much as I want to see the slaughter of the Faith Militant, the Mountain vs that small ragtag group wouldn't have been much of a fight. I actually liked that scene once my disappointment disappeared, because it was a sort of Rubicon for Cersei. The shape and outcome of her trial had been vague to that point, but now her man has murdered one of the High Sparrow's soldiers, so the stakes have been thrown into sharp relief.

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

What I liked about the Mountain's killing was that it was slow and deliberate and easy.

He let the guy react to the harmlessness of his weapon. He choked he guy and tossed him, letting the man gasp for air. He can be merciful, if he chooses to. He then rips the man's head off with ease to show that he can just as easily deny mercy.

The faith militant's reaction was to back down. Up to this point, we've been led to believe that these men are willing to die for their cause. Now when faced with a single opponent that can maaaaaaaybe be overwhelmed with high casualties, or maybe not, they decide to puss out.

That's what makes the scene (for me). Not that Robert Strong wins and does something over-the-top violent. But that he gives the faith militant a chance to back down, and they do.

 

[Lunaairis]

11/10, I was on the edge of my seat the whole episode. Wonderful war sequences. I'm sad Rickon didn't use any warging powers, but that didn't much change the fact that those two war scenes were so well put together.

Man the dragons have got huge.

 

[FifthView]

The battle was filmed better than most big screen battles.

Anyone else wonder whatever happened to Ghost?

 

[Lunaairis]

The battle was filmed better than most big screen battles.

Anyone else wonder whatever happened to Ghost?

Yeah was wondering that too.

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

I was using the f-word a lot. Context: "No, Jon, you ****ing idiot! Don't ****ing do it! Ramsey's such a ****ing cartoon!"

I don't know why I called him a cartoon, but I did.

That was really an awesome battle, and I love that Sansa got to have her victory. Poor Rikkon. He was doomed, but that didn't take away from the satisfaction of Ramsey finally going down, getting the skin bit off of his face! Great job making the battle look so hopeless for Jon Snow and his men!

 

[Lunaairis]

Huh. I think I know whats going to happen next episode to melisandre. If the part in the teaser for next weeks episode where ser Davos shouts " Tell him what you did to her" is what I think it means. I think Jon is going to have to pass judgement on her. Aka, stab her with longclaw. fulfilling the part of the prince who was promised role and create Lightbringer?

I'm probably wrong, and since the episode is called winds of winter. I think winter may actually arrive.

 

[FifthView]

I vaguely remember Melisandre telling Arya that they would meet again one day. So...I don't know. But I don't know anything about the prince and Lightbringer, either. At the time, I thought Arya might become a true disciple of the Many-Faced God, so this was going to be a fire/life vs darkness/death sort of thing, but Arya seems to have avoided that path.

Edit: Ah, here it is:

 

[ascanius]

That is by far the best battle scene ever for a medieval battle, better than any movie I have seen. I wanted to reach through the screen and strangle Jon for his absolute stupidity though. I kinda figured that Ramsey was going to get killed by his hounds early on but it was still very satisfying.

Mr. Martin is a horrible person for not having released the books before this season, that is my only complaint.

 

[Legendary Sidekick]

Episode 9 is usually the big one, but still, 10 interests me since we're beyond the books. Let's see if there's still a boy king on the Iron Throne at 10pm EST tomorrow. (Or 12:30am the next day in my case. I always catch the later showing.)

 

[FifthView]

I expect Tommen to die. This would set up next season fairly well. Margaery and the Tyrells would be in control of King's Landing at the start of next season, Cersei running northward from the capital to meet up with Jaime wherever he is at the end of Ep. 10, with the Mountain as her only traveling companion.

I've been trying to picture how next season might play out. I can actually see the undead horde making its move southward in the last episode of this season. At some point next season, Jon & Co. will need to retreat southward, where they meet up with the Lannisters who, surprising many, end up allying themselves with the Starks—the enemy of my enemy is my friend, and the undead horde is the enemy to all. Eventually, that allied force retreats further south toward King's Landing, where the final battle happens.

I'm guessing that Varys's secret mission is to Dorne, seeking an alliance, given how the Sand Snakes have an absolute hatred of the Lannisters, and Dany's forces will land somewhere south of King's Landing and team up with Dorne. So while the forces in the north (Starks + Lannisters + the Vale) are fighting the White Walkers' army, retreating step by step, Dany is advancing north toward King's Landing and will take it before the northern forces arrive.

Pure speculation, of course. I'm kind of fantasizing that tomorrow's episode will end with Cersei passing out when Tommen is killed (my hope, at the Mountain's hand), and the Mountain scoops her up and leaves King's Landing with an unconscious Cersei in his arms, leaving the capital to the Tyrells. First episode next season would open with Cersei waking up somewhere in the wilderness with the Mountain, bewildered and making the decision to find Jaime.

 

[FifthView]

I overestimated Margaery's role in the story. Loved how it played out.

The single best episode in the entire run of the show? Possibly but there have been so many.

My only major complaint was Varys' newfound ability to teleport, but meh, whatever. Arya's almost able to do that as well...come to think of it, their names are quite similar, heh...

 

[Lunaairis]

is it just me, or like everything happened this episode?