Hmmm. I don't think I like that. I always rather liked the Hound both in the books and the show.

And I'm still curious why the show suddenly has the White Walkers wearing clothes given last week's episode. Clothes seem stupid on White Walkers.

I didn't notice before, nor this time, about the clothes, or lack thereof.

Not just the man that orchestrated every major turn of events, but a real monster in bed!

so, I'm not up to that part yet...

just as much as in the books. Maybe even more so in the show.

Sansa is 13 going on 14...

I don't get your point.

so, it's a bit different than with a 13 year old.

When I said Littlefinger gave me the creeps. He gives me the creeps because he's a psychotic nutball.

I think he's just building himself up & up so he'll eventually be worthy of Catelyn, even though she's dead. His family was too small a deal to be even under consideration for Cat or Lysa when they were younger...

"Lord Baelish would burn down the kingdom if he could be king of the ashes." That's what so creepy about him. He wants the whole world, is never satisfied with the gains he does get yet would also destroy everything in order to obtain what he wants rendering what he wants useless to have. He said himself that he wants "everything". But even if he had "everything" he'd still never be satisfied. His real enjoyment is in the how he goes about getting something not actually having it, so he's doomed to never having enough.

His "chaos is a ladder" was one of the best speeches in the whole show. It really showed how psychotic he is.

but, this was good, too

I was half expecting them to race right through that plot in one episode at the rate they were going.

Robin doesn't take very good care of his toys, does he? Yay, a bird! Send it through the moon door!

I suspect that someone is going to have to fend for their lives at some point.

not saying who, why or how though. I'd expected that was going to happen already in tonight's episode.

is that with Episode 7 being entitled Mockingbird, it might happen then.

However, it would have been an awesome way to end the season with: (spoilers) [font color=white]the "Only Cat" moment, and then have the final scene of the season be the intro of Lady Stoneheart.[/font]

Unless Jon Snow follows another course from the one suggested by the traitor.

the season is now half over

And so many of the book readers all over the intertubes can't figure out why the show couldn't be exactly like the books.

Watching him struggle with his horse was hilarious yet embarrassing for him. You can't help but both laugh and feel so bad for him at the same time.

I don't know why but I thought this was hysterical...

and, good point about him having armor - as well as Meryn Trant - vs Arya's rapier and Syrio's wooden sword.

Some foreshadowing there.

but, also foreshadowing episode 8.

Good interview I watched last night of the actor (Rory McCann) that plays the Hound about his changing relationship with Arya...

I hope we get to see him in other roles in the future.

Didn't like him as an actor in season 1.

I'm a big guy, like him. I'm glad that he has found success.

turned out the way it did. I've read folks who say the show had to do that to keep Bran's story interesting. I have to admit, in the book, his road trip got rather monotonous.

However, i do think he'll play a huge role before it's all over.

The one in the shared vision?

Bloodraven on a message board.

The book also says three-eyed crow, but the show calls it the three eyed raven.

and what they've been seeking is the three-eyed raven who Bran, Jojen and Meera all believe he has to meet because this "creature" (for lack of a better word) will show him how to use his powers. Remember that Jojen told Bran that his powers far surpassed his own and he could only teach him very little... he needed to get to the three-eyed raven (that for reasons that become clear later isn't able to go to Bran) to learn what his powers are and how to use them... and probably for what purpose he should use them.

Under the tree is a cave where Bran and his group finally find the three-eyed raven, and he starts to learn things (which is really all I should say about that without spoilers), but even at the end of book five where the book series has thus far ended since the next one hasn't been published yet not much has really been revealed since Bran's meeting with the "three-eyed raven". It would have made more sense if like the books the show called this "creature" the three-eyed crow since it more explained who/what it/he is.

Going by the titles of the episodes this season there's a big huge hint about what they discover in the cave under the tree with the three-eyed raven, and I'm guessing that this is about where the season will end as far as Bran's story line is concerned.

I like the storyline of Bran and his group in the show better than the books so far at least since until the end of book five when they finally find the three-eyed raven all their storyline in the books was just them traveling to find the three-eyed raven which was really drawn out and kind of boring. I also think it makes more sense for Bran in the show to find the route through a vision rather than the insignificant character of Coldhands leading the way as it was in the books. After all, it's his visions that are what is significant in Bran's storyline. Martin built up so much interest and intrigue with the Coldhands character which was probably the only reason anyone kept reading about Bran and his group just continuing to travel north, yet like so many others he turned out to be no one special, so the show did away with him. It really irks me that Martin does this with characters building up so much interest and intrigue about them that not only fall flat when no longer needed but doesn't explain what is most intriguing about them.

There's a really interesting video here that I think is one of those extra things you get when you buy the DVD's that explains sooooo much about things that happened in the past that soooo much better explain a lot of things in the show that they could really only just touch on or never explain really at all. The beginning especially explains some things about Bran's storyline. Fast forward through the guy in the beginning that goes on and on for a good five minutes or more explaining the video and basically just babbling...

Sunday nights I watch Mad Men and get disappointed with where they are taking that, and then I watch GOT and I spend 20 minutes trying to pick my jaw up off the floor.

that scene really makes me cringe. The narrator was gravel-voiced British actor Roy Dotrice, who was in his late 70s at the time, and now 90 years old. While he's a terrific narrator overall, just the thought of this guy reading "Oh Petyr! Petyr!" over & over just made me wince.

(As an FYI, Dotrice played the pyromancer at the Battle of the Blackwater in Season 2)

Did she make that comment up about being a stupid girl who should never lie, in order to get Lysa off her back, or did someone really tell her that?

At that time Sansa was explaining to Margery how excited she was when she first came to Kings Landing. She found Winterfell boring, and delighted in the bustle and pageantry of the city particularly what nobles get to do. Her character is a bit in la-la land believing that knights and ladies are really like they are described in fairy tales. It's utterly shocking to her that it's the complete opposite of what she'd always imagined. And unfortunately she learned the hard way just how bad those people she always thought were practically angelic turned out the be completely horrible and completely horrible to HER.

Because Joffrey and Cercei are constantly calling her stupid, I think when she looks back on how naive she'd been she believes it herself. You didn't get the quote right though (probably because of the accent as well as her talking so fast) since what she says is "I'm just a stupid stupid girl that never ever learns." I believe what she means by that is that even when she was being treated so badly and her imaginings what what those people should be like she still for quite some time made excuses for them I guess so she wouldn't have to face just how naive she was and still clung to her illusions about them while blaming herself in taking how they treat her to heart. At that time she has no family or anyone on her side to explain this to her and help her to understand that the problem isn't her... she's completely alone in this hostile environment.

When she has the crazy Lysa encounter by that time she HAS learned, and just spits out the same words in order to place blame on herself so that Lysa would calm down. She's learning how to manipulate people herself.

In the books, I don't remember the Lannister gold mines running dry? Did I just forget that part?

There was a lot of things said about how much money was owed to the bank and that they needed the Tyrells for several reasons one of which was their wealth. I got the definite impression that the Lannisters used up their funds making loans to Robert and that Littlefinger was also borrowing heavily from the bank during both Robert's reign as well as Joffreys.

In the books Cercei just constantly blows off the Braavos banks trying to get their money. She never finds it to be any concern. But she made a lot of really horrendous decisions.

Is there any significance to the boat that Cersei sent to her daughter as a gift?

That encounter never happened in the books. I may be just a gift with Cerei being afraid of her daughter forgetting about her family and getting too attached to the people in Dorne. Then again, it also may be a means for her daughter to escape... Cercei never wanted her to go to Dorne in the first place, and it was also Tyrion that arranged Myrcella's future marriage.

I think the biggest point to the whole encounter was that finding out that Oberyn is going to be one of the three judges for Tyrion's trial she wants to try to manipulate him to make sure that he finds Tyrion guilty.

Cersei and her handling of the royal navy? Aurane Waters, I believe? (By the way, did you read the Winds of Winter chapter that mentions Waters?)

Looks like no Kettleblacks, though.

is the one about Arya. That one I read, but if there are more I'd like to read them as well.

But, there are two Arianne Martell chapters out there, a Victarion, Tyrion and an awesome Barristan chapter. In one of the Arianne chapters, it is mentioned that a new pirate lord with the last name Waters has been harassing ships around the Fingers using ships that match the ships under Aurane Waters...

I didn't realize there were so many chapters out already. I'd love to read whatever there is. Thanks for finding whatever you can, and just with this info I can probably have some success searching myself.

I do remember there being something about Waters swiping all the new ships that Cercei was having built in the last book.

The Theon chapter was really good, too. It actually takes place before the infamous Pink Letter from the end of Dance with Dragons, which is why many people believe the Pink Letter is a fake or flat out wrong.

Theon:

https://web.archive.org/web/20120103133022/http://www.georgerrmartin.com/if-sample.html