One Good Point (Show) - House of the Dragon, Season 2

It occurred to me at the end of the season 2 finale of House of the Dragon that I have this whole second tab on my list of reviews to do that I've been ignoring. The name of that second tab is "Shows." So, buckle up. The next few quick-hitter reviews will all be about various shows that I've watched (or at least finished) this year.

The first season of House of the Dragon was imperfect, but I enjoyed it a lot. I found one of the primary protagonists in particular super compelling, and it's not the one everyone else likes to pay attention to (Daemon), but it is the one you would think I would find surprisingly interesting. Viserys Targaryan, depending on your point of view, could be anywhere from a terrible king, a serviceable king, a fine king, or even an outstanding king. And in fact, over the course of his long reign, he at different times matched each of those distinctions.

Season two begins shortly after the death of King Viserys, as sides are beginning to be taken, and blood is beginning to be spilt. This season begins with a pair of attempted assassinations (one successful, the other not so much), and though the early losses don't involve characters with whom we've established much of a rapport, they do a fair job of rocking the boat. The middle of the season sees greater conflicts with greater consequences, including the biggest non-natural death of the series so far, the first large battlefield clash on Westeros, and the first "dance of dragons," a glorious clash of the massive, terrible creatures, with flame and blood and ruin following close behind.

If I have one gripe about the season, it's that the pacing left us with a finale that felt very incomplete. I found myself checking the timestamp a handful of times during the episode, wondering if there's enough time for some tremendous, season-clinching event to take place. Though I did still enjoy it (I'm a big enough fan of great conversations in elegant rooms), the episode was building and building and building, and as the end credits began, it felt frustrating to know that it'll be YEARS before we get to see the great battles that we anticipate just moments after the final scenes of the finale.

Overall, while I believe the finale was a misstep, I recall most of the season very fondly. The penultimate episode had some tremendous moments, and an incredible ending scene, and the dragon fights did not disappoint. I'm still very much looking forward to the last two seasons of the show; it's been solidified that the show will stop at four seasons, as the story will be told in its entirety by then. Although it's another two years away, I do look forward to next season, and the untold calamity that will almost certainly populate those episodes.

Stay tuned soon for a follow-up post that combines two of my favorite things: Game of Thrones and lists!

The answer is probably going to be "HBO / Max," but in case you want some visual confirmation of that, you can click here to check JustWatch and ask the question, "Where can I watch House of the Dragon today?"

Game of Thrones - Season Six Musings

Well, the Internet has spoken: Stannis Baratheon totally isn't dead. I mean, he definitely is dead, but a lot of the Internet is still fully in denial about it. Reddit even had a whole giant thread called, "STANNIS DENIAL THREAD" where they discuss what they think actually happened between Brienne and Stannis in the forest that day.

As I said, I'm pretty sure Stannis met his end in the forest that day, but it did get me thinking: what's coming up next season? I decided I'll write this up quickly, since I don't want it to be ruined by actual fact regarding what's coming up. These are just my musings, based on what's happened in the show, what I've read in the books, and my various discussions over time regarding these events. There will be some book-related spoilers in here, but come on, if you've been reading these posts you're already as far as I am, maybe even further since I refuse to read the sample chapters from The Winds of Winter that have already been posted. I'll read it when it's done.

So, here are the storylines I believe we'll follow in season six of Game of Thrones.

The Vengeance of Cersei
Right or wrong, Cersei believes that the Sparrows committed a great sin against her by holding her captive for her sins. And now she's got FrankenMountain (which I vastly prefer to Mountainstein) at her disposal, who I expect to be doling out pain and punishment at Cersei's demand. I think she's still hurt by Tommen's failure to help her, but that will only strengthen her belief that she needs to protect her baby boy.

Plus, don't forget that Jamie will be bringing her daughter's lifeless body back from Dorne. Cersei will lose her shit, and gods help the people of King's Landing when she does.

But what about Dorne? Clearly it would be Cersei's (and probably Jamie's) intent to burn Dorne to the ground, but would that be feasible? The reality is that Dorne wasn't involved in the War of the Five Kings, so whatever armies they have would be fresh, unharmed, and un-wintered. Who would help Cersei?

• Tyrells are being imprisoned willy-nilly; there's no reason to think that they'd be motivated to go back to war.
• The Boltons seem to be preparing for a Northern winter.
• Walder Frey isn't sending his guys anywhere for free, and the Crown is already deeply in debt.
• The other River Lords have no taste for Lannisters.
• Nor do the former Stark bannermen.
• Nor do the remaining Baratheon bannermen.
• Nor do the knights of the Vale.

So with a city virtually under siege by a fanatic militia, the Lannisters would send their armies to fight in Dorne, and trust the city guard to keep the peace? Doubtful. That said, Doran Martell is clearly a man of thoughtful method. I could see him attempting to avoid a war by delivering Ellaria Sand to King's Landing for justice, and imprisoning the Sand Snakes (which hopefully would keep them out of the show; god they were terrible). The Dorne situation is fraught with trepidation; it could provide some of the best content of the season, or, if they follow this season's recipe, some of the worst.

Who Watches the Watchers?
If you know what that heading is in reference to, NERD! Me too.

The Night's Watch just killed their Lord Commander, and will presumably put Alliser Thorne in charge. I actually expect that there won't be a ton of content about this period of time at The Wall, but I think several interesting stories will find themselves passing through The Wall next season. First and foremost, I do believe that Jon Snow will return to us, fully human, possibly through a similar process as Beric Dondarrion's revival. I don't think it's a coincidence that Melisandre found herself at Castle Black just hours before Jon's fall.

We've also got Davos at Castle Black now, and he's suddenly kingless. I don't think he wants this freedom, but it's thrust upon him now. We also have Sansa and Theon leaping...to safety? It's not 100% certain that they survive their jump, but I'm betting they do. And to where would they go at this point? Boltons and Lannisters hold most of the Seven Kingdoms, and I don't think that Sansa would risk the open road to make her way back to Littlefinger in the Eyrie (or wherever he is; he seems to fly across the continent). That means her best choice, her only choice really, is to head north to Castle Black, where (as far as she knows) Jon Snow is still stationed.

So what happens? Well, I'm guessing that Jon's revival coincides with him having to hide said revival, or he'll probably just get killed again. So he runs off to do something, maybe hang with wildlings, maybe flee to Essos with Melisandre. Regardless, I don't think he and Sansa will cross paths. But I do think that Sansa will cross paths with Davos, and since Davos just lost his "princess," he'll be warm to the idea of protecting another. So maybe the Greatjon Umber (who may or may not be alive) gets forced by the Boltons to take the Black, and when he arrives, he meets Sansa Stark, who he tells about Rickon being hidden away somewhere in the North. Then Davos, Theon, and Sansa run off to find him. That could be fun...although it'd be snowing like whoa by then probably, so it could also be deadly freezing.

Speaking of Starks...

Bran and the Tree Guy
I'm sure the Tree Guy has a name, I just don't know it. But some time has passed here, and presumably Bran has spent this time learning about warging and timewalking, and he's learning about the history of the realm. So next season, we'll probably get a fair share of flashbacks, maybe with some guest appearances by Sean Bean and Mark Addy, which would be fun. I'm not sure what Bran is supposed to do with whatever information he finds out, but that will be for the story to relate.

Arya...Whatever
I'm sorry, I'm just not in on Arya's storyline. Presumably she'll get her sight back after getting better at being "no one," and then...I don't know, start killing other people? It was marginally cooler when she had a revenge list, but now she's just supposed to kill whoever she's told to kill? Doesn't that mean, at this point, she could be Flippy McTubernuts rather than a Stark of Winterfell? So it's fine, but I don't care.

What Is Dead May Never Die
The show definitely butchered the Iron Islanders last season with that little "rescue attempt" by Asha when they tried to rescue their "prince" (who, according to Iron Island code, they shouldn't give a shit about), and then got scared off by some dogs.

My desperate hope is that they recapture what makes the Ironborn interesting: they're basically orcs, attacking the weak and respecting only strength. But they look like everyone else, so we think they should think like everyone else. The show-runners might be able to bring those Ironborn back, and put them back on the high seas. I wasn't crazy about the Ironborn storylines we saw previously, but with what I've read in the books, there's potential for some sweet, sweet pirating. And also maybe super-important story stuff.

Missing: One Dragon
So, Daenerys flew off on the back of a dragon, and that was amazing to watch. But obviously she's going to need to come back to town at some point, if her pursuit of the Iron Throne is to resume. She's back in the hands of some Dothraki again, which turned out okay the first time, but I think Khal Drogo was unique among Dothraki Khals in his appetite for Western ladies. Regardless, Dany looks like she's going to be needing some saving, and I suppose Daario and Jorah are setting out to do just that.

Back in Meereen, I guess Drogon did enough damage to the Sons of the Harpy that they dipped out of the arena, but they're clearly still a factor. And I have to say, I'm a million percent excited to see Tyrion and Varys run the city. Varys might be a bit of an absentee father, though; I feel like he still has some moving parts he has to take care of on both sides of the Narrow Sea. Either way, as I mentioned before, Tyrion being added to the mix in Slaver's Bay has me edge-of-my-seat riveted to watch things play out.

So that's six storylines, four of which I'm very interested in, plus Bran's story could be informative. And then Arya's story has a lot of room for improvement. And now to spend the next eight months wondering what's going to happen.

Game of Thrones Season Finale Discussion - "Mother's Mercy"

The Prelude - Response

My point-by-point response to my own initial thoughts:

Ellaria and the Sand Snakes are still up to no good.



Well, I was right about this, but I sincerely had no idea it would play out how it did. Also, oh my god, Tyene's line about her "bad pussy" was maybe...no, it was definitely the worst line the show has ever had. Bar none. Terrible.

The Mountain is coming back. Like, now.

Definitely back. Definitely excited to see how his presence affects things. Cersei's pissed, and she now has a murderhobo Kingsguard the size of, well, the size of a Mountain.

Oh em gee, Syrio maybe still alive? Probably not, but a man can hope.


Well, Syrio was a lot to expect, and I feel like the way this played out, we can be pretty sure that he's dead. Although, Arya did put a rag in Meryn's mouth when she talked about Syrio...coincidence? Who's to say? I'll put a pin back in it.

Awful lot of Benjen in this. Looks like we'll get some kind of answer about him at least.
Well, so much for getting answers about him. Well played, Game of Thrones. I told you he was tricksy.

Dragons are still badass.
Slightly less badass when they're licking their wounds and being teen angsty with their mom, but still pretty badass.

I feel like a lot is going to happen in the North this episode. My prediction: there will be blood.
Prediction: confirmed. Though, the gore level wasn't all that high. The battle between the Boltons and Baratheons mostly happened at range or in the background, which I can appreciate from a production cost point of view. It does make me think that the show could've been made into like fifteen movies, but would it have been the sensation that it is? Maybe not.

Regardless, the body count was fierce, which transitions me to the second part of my post.

Feeding the God of Death

I had an inkling that this episode might be a bloody one, so I texted a couple friends to do a "deaths draft." We each predicted the demise of a few characters, and watched the murder unfold. There were several (though maybe fewer than it seemed?), so I'll go tombstone-by-tombstone.

#1 - Selyse Baratheon
This one should've been more predictable when you think about it. Stannis' demise was absolutely on the table, and no way would he die while Selyse still lived. Furthermore, we've seen her as being somewhat unstable since she showed up, and she was clearly distraught when Shireen was burned alive. Not a particularly saddening death, but it did kind of suck that mere moments after she finally seemed human, she took her own life.

#2 - Stannis Baratheon
Huge, huge death for the show. He was wildly popular on the Internet, with people referring to him as Stannis the Mannis. Yeah, not the Internet's most creative moment. Still, Stannis' storyline was a driving force since season 2, and his death frees up Melisandre and Davos to pursue their own paths. Davos specifically I've always enjoyed a lot; he's witty, sensible (other than his infatuation with Stannis), and understands the world better than most. He's who I want to see a lot of next season.

By the way, at this point in the show, Balon Greyjoy is the only remaining king from the War of the Five Kings. So, congratulations Balon.

#3 - Myranda
She was hot. Really, really hot. Also I think I'm into evil chicks, and she was definitely that as well. Her death was a redeeming moment for Reek/Theon. It was predictable in the scene, but a little bit against Theon's history with Ramsay. I mean, like three episodes ago he ratted on Sansa. I get that Sansa's worn him down over time, but still, a bit odd.

#4? - Reek
#5? - Sansa
I don't actually think Reek and Sansa are dead, but that was a long ass drop off of the battlements. It had the smack of a scene where we're supposed to think maybe they offed themselves, but then they landed in a wagon of hay, Assassin's Creed style. Not sure exactly where they'd go at this point, though. The Wall's got nothing for them anymore...spoiler alert. Although, maybe they meet up with Davos on his way to the Umbers to find Rickon and Osha? Boy, wouldn't that be a traveling party: a smuggler, a eunuch, and the Lady Sansa Stark.

#6 - Meryn fucking Trant
The easiest death to see coming, he was my first choice in one of my drafts, second in another. His death was utterly brutal too; maybe they used up their gore allotment in that scene, and that's why they couldn't show too much brutality in the other deaths. Probably not. Meryn Trant was a terrible guy; they've let us know that since season 1. A Kingsguard isn't what it used to be...although Barristan Selmy wasn't exactly Iron Man, either.

#7 - Myrcella Baratheon
This one was heartbreaking, and I don't know how I didn't see it coming. I mean you saw in my prelude, I knew Ellaria was still up to no good. But Myrcella always seemed like an absurd target for revenge. I guess we were supposed to buy into that, because clearly the Sand Snakes did. Moments after Jamie revealed himself to be her father, and she accepted it, and he had that first, brief moment of acceptance from his daughter about who he really was, she was torn from him. I have to say, while most of the other deaths are of longer-running characters whose personalities we've seen more of, this one rattled me the most.

#8 - Jon Snow
And now we come to the biggest death of the season, and one of the biggest deaths in the show. Jon Snow was someone we watched intently from episode one. He helped us learn about Tyrion's wisdom and wit. He showed us Sam's intelligence. Through him, we saw Grenn and Pyp grow into men of the Night's Watch, we saw Jeor Mormont command the rangers, we saw wights and White Walkers and wildlings. And through it all, we saw him as the next generation of Ned Stark. His heart was always looking at the big picture, doing "what must be done." But in doing so, he ignored what was going on around him, just as Ned did, and in the end it cost him his life.

Jon's death was foreshadowed all season with the decisions he was making, and the Brothers' reactions to them. All of his decisions made sense to us, but to the men at Castle Black who'd been fighting wildlings for years, or those like Olly who'd seen their families butchered by wildlings, his behavior was treasonous, hence the sign.

How will the story turn with Jon Snow's blood staining the ground at Castle Black? I don't rightly know. We do know that Melisandre is at Castle Black. And we do know that Melisandre met Thoros of Myr, who told her about how he asked the Lord of Light to send Beric Dondarrion back to him, and Beric had life breathed back into him, like freaking Gandalf the White. So, perhaps her presence at Castle Black is fortuitous for those who want Jon to endure, in one way or another. I don't know whether I want Jon's death to be permanent to see how the world responds, or if I want him to be reborn in some fashion.

I do know this: I liked episode 10 a lot better than episode 9. And that even accounts for the terrible "bad pussy" line.

Game of Thrones Season Finale Discussion - "Mother's Mercy" PRELUDE

I'm gonna go with a different style this time around. I'll still do my "discussion points," but I'm adding a prelude, right as I begin to watch the episode (I'm at work, so I'll be a bit behind the rest of you nine-to-fivers). This will be basically my immediate thoughts as I watch the, "previously on Game of Thrones." Here goes.

- Ellaria and the Sand Snakes are still up to no good.
- The Mountain is coming back. Like, now.
- Oh em gee, Syrio maybe still alive? Probably not, but a man can hope.
- Awful lot of Benjen in this. Looks like we'll get some kind of answer about him at least.
- Dragons are still badass.
- I feel like a lot is going to happen in the North this episode. My prediction: there will be blood.

Alright, I'm stoked, let's go.

Game of Thrones Quick Episode Discussion/Review - Season 5, Episode 9, "The Dance of Dragons"

With the title, it was obviously looking like it was going to be a Daenerys-heavy episode, but now that Tyrion is in the mix, I wasn't dreading it like I had for the past 1-2 seasons.

Also, historically, episode 9 has been the "King Shit" episode of the Game of Thrones season. The first season it was Baelor, with the execution of Ned Stark. Season two, episode 9 was the battle of Blackwater, which gave us some of the best King's Landing scenes in the whole show. Season three yielded The Rains of Castamere and the Red Wedding. And last season's ninth episode was the longest episode in series history, and probably the most epic: the defense of The Wall against the wildling horde.

Would this season's ninth episode live up to its predecessors?

Ehh...not really.

Dorne was kind of fun this time.

I like Prince Doran Martell. He seems like how I would be if I were some form of royalty: methodical, thoughtful, not doing a whole lot of moving around. His "negotiation" with Jamie and Ellaria was entertaining if predictably boring. And Bronn's price for freedom made me laugh out loud.

And Tyene is still a babe. I wonder if her seduction of Bronn will have further implications, or if it was just for fun. I'm not upset either way.

I don't understand Ellaria though. She's like totally over her plot now? Or she's still playing coy and plans to yet exact her revenge? And are the three Sand Snakes over it? I just, I don't understand.

Good to know that the writers were comfortable making Meryn Trant an all-around terrible shit.

My guess is he's not long for this world, though. Also, am I wrong in thinking that Mace Tyrell coming to an accord with the Iron Bank was a relevant event that got kind of glazed over?

Aww, Shireen.

I haven't checked Reddit yet, but my guess is that Stannis lost every fan he had. Religious fanatics eventually act fanatical. Every ounce of goodwill he generated this season burned up with Shireen. I don't know what Davos is going to do; I have to think he'll be utterly crushed. I know that Book Davos has all sorts of fun stuff on the docket, and this event maybe releases him from Stannis to go do those things. If we hear anything about Wyman Manderly in episode 10, I'll be jazzed.

Jorah's not a great fighter.

He kept getting saved by luck or opportunity while he was in the fighting pit. I'm okay with it because Jorah's supposed to be like 60 years old and not terribly nimble, but it certainly makes for some frustrating TV. The one advantage to it is that, with Jorah's greyscale, his mortality is completely on the table. So there was always the possibility that he would actually be killed in the pits, adding drama and tension. Still, because the greyscale doesn't seem to have "served a purpose" yet, I felt like he was safe until we know why he has greyscale. Not like how he got it, but why the writers gave it to him.

Which leaves us with...

Guess who's back. Back again. Drogon's back. Tell your- OH GOD I'M ON FIRE!!!

Look, I knew it was coming. The books have something similar happen, except the circumstances are less heroic for Drogon. Him showing up to save the day as the Sons of the Harpy close in on Daenerys was great TV, and I mean, a dragon is a dragon. Skyrim nailed dragons, and Game of Thrones is doing a good job as well.

I liked how the scene built up, how the Unsullied were actually effective in combat against these assassins this time (cough cough Barristan and Grey Worm cough cough), and I actually, for the first time, liked Daario's comments and posture. But there's a weakness here that kind of gets ignored, maybe because so many show-watchers are also book-readers, or maybe because people just don't care that much about villains. But I have no idea who the Sons of the Harpy are.

Okay, that's not true. I know they're folks who don't like that Daenerys is ruling Meereen, and they have some level of preference for slavery. But like, are they from Meereen? Are they from the other cities in Slavers' Bay? Do they have demands? Are they "represented" by other people, people who serve in some official capacity? Do they have only a solitary goal of deposing Dany? Do they have leaders? There seem to be a lot of them, which means tons of these masks are getting made. Is anybody looking into them? It seems insane to think that a terrorist group with high-level kills on record would be treated like just some other gang. They found the one guy hiding in the wall, and that's the extent of their investigation?

That's the part of the story in Meereen that doesn't jive for me. I need my villains to have motivations, reasons, some kind of explanation for their behavior. Tywin had a reason. Roose Bolton had a reason. Walder Frey had a reason. At this point, we even have a rough idea of what the White Walkers want (the death of everyone and everything). But the Sons of the Harpy haven't been given depth at all. So to me, they're still basically just psychopathic killers, without any end in mind. And that doesn't work for me.

Looking forward to episode 10...

I'm hoping that, since this episode nine was a little lacking, episode ten will be strong. I'm expecting Arya to find a way to kill Meryn Trant, Cersei to receive punishment for her "crimes," Tyrion to start managing Meereen, something to happen at The Wall (no spoilers), and some sort of payoff between the Boltons and Stannis' army.

We'll see what actually happens.

Game of Thrones Quick Episode Discussion/Review - Season 5, Episode 8, "Hardhome"

A friend of mine posted this on Facebook around 10:00 PM:

Game of Thrones? More like, Game of "Holy Shit that was F'in Crazy!"

So I decided I'd make sure to get my reaction post done right away. Here we go.

I love that Tyrion is back into a position of consequence.

Tyrion is one of the most enjoyable characters to watch try to work out a problem, or solve a problem. He's a decent person who still has sense enough to know that he's in danger pretty much every hour of every day. As I predicted last week, Dany's storyline got way more interesting with his insertion into it.

I don't know if Qyburn is an interesting character, or if he just picks up all the exposition about the workings of the world, which is my favorite part of the show.

I love the politics of the story, the different players, the movements of pieces across the board. And Qyburn spent like five minutes basically relaying to Cersei all the happenings in the realm with regards to the various Lannisters, as well as the Sparrows (who are still all shits by the way). Qyburn himself is basically just a necromancer, which is interesting enough, but probably doesn't warrant the enjoyment I feel in watching him on screen. Nevertheless, someone has to fill that role so that we viewers know what's going on in the world, and he reaps the rewards in my eyes.

Speaking of...

It was interesting watching Cersei go through the stages of grief.

Anger, bargaining...whatever the other ones are. Obviously not so much acceptance just yet.

When Sam said, "He always comes back" about Jon, I honestly thought Jon was done for.

We're getting close to the point where I don't know what's going to happen at all anymore, because we're passing the book's content. But there's no question that Jon's life is very much in play, as are the rest of...well, basically everybody in the North. The Boltons, Sansa, Theon/Reek, Stannis, Davos, Melisandre, Shireen, Stannis' wife (who I would not miss at all), Sam, Gilly, Edd, Aliser Thorne, Olly, Tormund, and all those other wildlings up in Hardhome, every one of them was a potential casualty this episode, and remains a potential casualty for the rest of the season. Which leads into my final point...

This episode was a great example of a high-action, high-drama episode that didn't require the death of a major character.

In looking back to episode 9 of last season, the battle at The Wall, there's no arguing that the deaths of Grenn and Pyp brought a weight to the situation that might not have been matched if only big-name wildlings had died (Ygritte and Magnar of Thenn). It was definitely frustrating to see them die, and because they didn't die in the books, felt unnecessary, but that may have only been because I enjoyed the characters and didn't want to lose them.

This episode introduced the only characters who died: the other Thenn, that sassy mom wildling, and the white walker who Jon ate up with his Valyrian steel sword, which, by the way, was an awesome information addition. Anytime we learn any more about this world (see Qyburn up top) and how it works, that's a good thing.

I thought this was a really good episode. I'm hopeful that the last two are equal to it. I'm nervous for Stannis, who I haven't liked at all until the very end of last season and the beginning of this season. I'm expecting to finally get some payoff from Arya's story (perhaps in the form of a diced up Meryn fucking Trant, whose arrival with Mace Tyrell in Braavos is imminent). I'm hopeful that there'll be more conversations involving Tyrion and strategy, with whomever. I'm expecting Jorah to die. And I have no idea what to expect in Dorne.

See you next week!

EDIT: Oh shit, I almost forgot, that final scene with the Night King raising all of the wildlings into his army and smirking at Jon Snow? BADASS. Finally some supervillain flavor to these guys. Everything before was so slow and, well, "dead." I've always felt that there's no way that George R. R. Martin would've created the White Walkers and not given them some kind of motivation or backstory or reason for being what they are. That scene was probably the most important scene of the season so far, as far as establishing the White Walkers as the true villains.

Game of Thrones Quick Episode Discussion/Review - Season 5, Episode 7, "The Gift"

No big lead-in this time, you guys have been waiting long enough. Here we go, five thoughts on this week's Game of Thrones.

I mean, we knew Sansa wasn't going to get out of trouble that easily.

They did a pretty good job of building up the anxiety when Reek was trotting around Winterfell, teasing us that he might be heroic, but we saw this movie before. Remember, when his sister came to rescue him, and he proved himself to be utterly brainwashed? Yeah, obviously that wasn't going to change after giving Ramsay more time to refine his control over Theon. So he ratted on Sansa, and Ramsay flayed the old lady. Sansa also learned that Reek isn't an ally here, which is important.

And Ramsay's still such a shit; we learned that too.

The death that happened...

Maester Aemon was a great character, and the actor did a phenomenal job as well. Just wonderful, one of the bright spots this season as his role at Castle became more important. I don't know exactly how Maester Aemon would have been "protecting" Sam Tarly from the beating he was going to get from his brothers, but I guess it's not outrageous to think that Aemon had earned enough respect over the years to be able to exert some level of influence simply by associating with Tarly.

Also Sam got laid, in Castle Black. So that was interesting.

...and the death that surprisingly didn't happen.

I was certain that Bronn was done for. They took the time to remind us of the cut he took in the battle in the "Previously on Game of Thrones" snippets, and I've thought he's been dead to rights all season. And then they confirmed he'd been poisoned, and then, inexplicably, that girl gave him the antidote. I say "that girl" because the show has still done a terrible job of trying to identify and differentiate the Sand Snakes.

Although...she looked pretty hot when she was trying to juice up Bronn. I might spend some time looking up her name over the next few days. You know, for research.

It was interesting to see how the "lower" fighting pits were so clearly below the level of a queen.

They were downright...pitiful.

YEAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!

I have to say though, adding Tyrion and Jorah to Daenerys' storyline has me fully interested in it again.

I don't know what I'm rooting for in King's Landing.

I mean, Cersei's obviously hateful and selfish and arrogant, but I still give her a lot of leeway for protecting her child. I mean, she's already lost one child, in her arms. The audience wants her to act rationally, and when she doesn't, she gets her comeuppance, but remember that this is basically like handing over the FBI, the Supreme Court, and the National Guard to the Klan. You may hate Cersei and everything she does, but encouraging fanaticism isn't going to solve your problems.

I'm afraid I have to say, unequivocally, that I'm rooting for the Lannisters versus the Sparrows.

And on that, I'm going to go throw up.

Game of Thrones Quick Episode Discussion/Review - Season 5, Episode 6, "Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken"

So on HBO GO, the highlight image was of one of the Sand Snakes, and the title is Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken. So without question, the episode was going to highlight a lot of Dorne. I was unsure if that was a good thing...

...and, I'm still not sure.

The confrontation between the Sand Snakes and Jamie was predicable, and surprisingly bloodless, but not terrible.

I've read a lot of commentary that decries how terrible their engagement was, and the people who say this aren't completely wrong. The buildup was laughable; watching Ellaria Sand "deploy" the girls was pretty absurd, and Bronn and Jamie remain insane for thinking their plan had any chance of working. And in actuality, the idea that five people could engage in heated combat without other people showing up, probably guards, probably people who are going to react with violence or at least the threat of violence.

The actual fight was okay, though, and while I think the editing was a little haphazard to create more of a sense of speed, the movements were fluid enough to generate drama. I can only assume, since the only injury happened to Bronn, and he was cut by the end of a Dornish spear, that we probably haven't seen the last effect of this battle just yet. Poison and such.


Arya's storyline is getting more interesting.


I think I blew through some of the Arya chapters because, like the Bran chapters, they're really about individual adventures across the countryside. I'm more of a "big picture" kind of guy. I enjoy political intrigue and large-scale activity.

That said, my speedy reading may have opened the door for the television version of Game of Thrones to provide some new entertainment. I don't remember anything about a Mines of Moria-style face room underneath the House of Black and White. And, it feels like we're getting close to where she might leave the temple and start interacting with regular people, which has the potential to be much more interesting.

Littlefinger remains full of quips.

When he zazzed Lancel about providing fantasies, I thought he was going to get popped. And when he gave Cersei a quick reminder that everyone knows about her and Jamie doing the dirty, again, I thought he was getting himself into trouble. But people seem to not want to pummel Baelish for some reason. I don't know if that's just TV, or if there's a bigger picture reason for it. Maybe people really don't want to cross The Vale? Tough to say. Regardless, the lines are good.

Jorah and Tyrion have an interesting ride ahead of them.

We're rounding out into the story as it happens in the books, but taking a different road. Regardless, we've brought in a couple new characters (including Mr. Eko from Lost), and a story arc that offers some excitement. I always enjoy seeing main characters get into battles, even though you often lose those characters because of those battles.

Also, even before Jorah and Tyrion were captured, it should be noted that their interactions were enjoyable. That's what happens when you have two good actors with good lines simply interacting as their characters would. There have been a lot of these small segments throughout the show that have worked simply because they seemed genuine: Sansa and The Hound, Joffrey and Margaery, Jon and Alliser, even Ros and Theon was pretty good. The one redeeming quality of Jamie's trip to Dorne is that we get some good old-fashioned Jamie and Bronn chatter. The characters make the show.

Ramsay Bolton is who we thought he was.

I'll admit, I wasn't sure what direction Ramsay was set to take this season. He's been put into a position of power, and he's got far more eyes on him than usual, so I didn't know if his behavior would change, out of responsibility or simply out of exposure. But of course, he's not a multi-layered character, not really. He's the physical essence of depravity, and that's really all he is. It would have been interesting if he were playing a long game, with some grand intentions, but it seems like he's really just interested in satisfying his urges.

One redeeming factor here is that Sansa will now have a specific reason to unleash the North. Whether it happens or not, or happens as I would hope it would happen (heads on spikes), who knows. But at least it's lingering out there.

Game of Thrones Quick Episode Discussion/Review - Season 5, Episode 5, "Kill the Boy"

Sunday night, I watched one of the most soul-shattering, gut-wrenching, utterly brutal television programs I've ever seen. Then after the Washington Capitals game was over, I took in this week's episode of Game of Thrones, which was also entertaining. I think this might have been my favorite episode of this season so far, though probably not for the kind of reasons any of you would feel. However, you might have recognized them in the show when you saw them as my kinds of moments.

Let's get into it.

I literally (figuratively) threw up in my mouth when Grey Worm pitched romance at Missandei.

I don't know why they insist on continuing this line. Someone must have been a huge Short Circuit fan and they said, "Let's match up a robot with an odd foreigner, it'll be delightful." Grey Worm is perfectly useful as an emotionless killing machine, and a battlefield commander. We don't need an awkward romantic angle shoehorned into that storyline.

Tormund is wildly entertaining.

Get it? Wildly? I kill me.

But seriously, Tormund is a strong character, as memorable and powerful as Mance Rayder was. He strikes you as a good person, but you can't help but feeling like when Jon Snow was trying to convince him to help him with the wildlings, it was a bit like trying to negotiate with a bear. But the whole scene was solid, and they actually did a good job of not having Jon trip over his lines so much. The multiple references to the chains were a bit much, and they telegraphed Jon releasing Tormund, but other than that, the scene was pretty judiciously spoken. A lot of this season has felt like people were narrating rather than acting naturally and letting the audience put the pieces together. But it's definitely better when you've got more "show" than "tell."

Stannis correcting grammar at Castle Black was maybe my favorite thing ever.

Seriously, god, it was amazing. I enjoyed it the first time when it was him and Davos, but this time was like fan-service, it was so good.

Roose Bolton is becoming as entertaining a "supervillain" as Tywin Lannister was.

The way he deals with Ramsay is a lot like how Tywin dealt with Jamie and Cersei; he acknowledges their roles in his plans, but he belittles and manipulates them as he likes, often with funny quips. He's become one of my favorite "characters to hate," so much so that I have to keep reminding myself that I hate him.

Along the same vein...


Is it possible that Roose Bolton legitimately believes that he's a more suitable Warden of the North than the Starks had been? And maybe more troubling, might that actually be a legitimate belief, at least in the current political climate?

Let's look at it from a broad view. As we saw in the first season, Ned Stark was incapable of working around his honor, even when he could see that the kingdom was in grave danger. Littlefinger tells him, "I did warn you not to trust me." It's like he's saying, "Jesus Ned, I told you I was going to betray you and you still didn't see it coming." Ned Stark just couldn't fathom that deception and politicking could triumph over justice and strength in combat. So clearly, he was ill-suited for the dealings of Westeros in its current state.

Now, on to Robb Stark. The Boltons followed Robb at the beginning, which made sense. Robb was hugely popular, and as they mentioned, he was winning every battle. Unfortunately, Robb inherited his father's tunnel vision; also unfortunately, he did not inherit the entirety of his father's virtue. Had Robb not reneged on his deal with Walder Frey regarding a marriage, the whole Red Wedding fiasco might not have been in the making.

And it might have been in the making anyways; either way, Robb was completely unprepared for his eventual assassination, while a bit of reconnaissance might have gotten him the information to know what was brewing.

Roose Bolton now controls the North. He's got a solid peace with the Lannisters (/"Baratheons") who hold the crown, as well as a firm alliance with Walder Frey. He correctly acknowledges that Stannis Baratheon is the greatest threat to peace in the North (or rather, Stannis' army being in the North and the Boltons being in Winterfell). While he's obviously committed some pretty horrible treason, encourages torture, and abides some pretty reprehensible behavior by his bastard son, Roose Bolton is, if nothing else, a true Lord. And he entertains the shit out of me.

See you next week...unless the Caps lose game 7 against the Rangers on Wednesday. If that happens, I'll probably be at the bottom of a bottle for a couple of months.

Game of Thrones Quick Episode Discussion/Review - Season 5, Episode 4, "Sons of the Harpy"

Apologies again for the delay, I'm still trying to catch up on sleep/rest/sobriety. Let's leap right into the discussion points; they're going to be a bit more extensive this week.

Watching Tommen try to be king is almost as uncomfortable as it must be for Tommen to actually be king.

Say what you will about Robert Baratheon. He was a lecher, a drunk, and an overall brutal individual, but he would've never tolerated this Sparrow bullshit on his watch. His guards even seemed to know that a show of strength was necessary, but Tommen the Soft (as I've decided to call him) just slunk away. Tywin was a horrible person, but he did manage to keep the city in line. Tommen couldn't control his bladder. And that guy gets to bang Margaery on the regular? A classic story of being born into privilege, I guess.

The exchange between Jamie and Bronn was almost as boring as the exchange between Jorah and Tyrion.

Jamie and Bronn at least had some entertaining lines. But in both circumstances, we were supposed to believe that Bronn/Tyrion is clever for deducing a particular aspect of their traveling companion's story. I didn't find either one surprising or interesting or clever. It was a lazy way of having the one guy "learn" information about the other without the information needing to be specifically shared by someone who wouldn't want to share it.

Also, the conversation between Tyrion and Jorah was utterly unnecessary for the rest of this episode. It should've been jammed in with other, more relevant content. This plays into my fifth discussion point, so stay tuned.

I don't care about the "Sand Snakes."

I know they're supposed to be alluring or badass or both, but they just struck me as petulant children, which I guess they kind of are. They're upset that their father is dead; that I can empathize with. And they live in a world where death happens all the time, so vengeance isn't completely outrageous. Valar morghulis, after all. But for children of a prince, they seem to have no sense of the political ramifications of their planned actions. Furthermore, Ellaria Sand knew exactly what Oberyn was doing when he chose to volunteer to fight for Tyrion. She knew Oberyn was fighting a titan in the Mountain, and that his death was possible. Now she's all whiny about him dying? Skank.

Bitches need to listen to Prince Doran. The man's a Starfleet doctor for crying out loud.

While he was (and still is) vital to the books' progression, Barristan Selmy was completely expendable in the show, and I didn't feel particularly affected by his death (?).

I'm assuming he is in fact dead; he appears as such at the end of the episode, and the reactions around the Internet seem to confirm that. In the book, he fills the role of adviser after Jorah's departure, while Daario fills other..."roles." But in the show, he just seems much older, not as far as age, but in that he's always telling stories about how it used to be. And while they kept telling us how great a fighter he was, we saw him in all of one battle. And he died in it.

All of this leads into my final point...

This show should have 20-episode seasons.

Seasons 1 through 3 were conducted with the elegance of a painter. Season 4 was still good. Season 5 seems to be delivered with a hammer. And not a good hammer like, "Beric Dondarrion died but is alive again!" But like, "Here's information. Here's more information. This character likes this character but doesn't like this character. Facts facts joke facts."

Also, I mean, can we appreciate that it took them about four seasons to get through three and a half books, and now suddenly it looks like we're pushing the rest of book four and all of book five into season five of the show? This can't be by choice; certain stories go together, and there are certain logical ending points for each story within each season. So sometimes, you would need to rush to get to the end of a particular storyline "in time" in a ten episode season.

But beyond that, we're dealing with a lot of new characters, and a lot of old characters in new situations. A bit more exposition to really give us a three-dimensional impression of each character's current status would be wildly helpful; we cared about the Red Wedding because we'd had so much time with Robb and Catelyn. When Barristan Selmy died, it didn't feel like we were losing an important character; it felt like we were losing a guard, because that's all we've really seen of him. But if we had, say, 18 episodes this season, we could've spent more time watching a slow decay of order in the city of Meereen, and more time learning about Barristan, his motivations, what he cares about, and what kind of guy he is. As it is, we got an alley fight.

I feel like Robb Stark when he's talking to Edmure. "Now I have a mill."

Anyways, there are still a lot of interesting questions that give me and my fellow book readers stuff to discuss. We've got some endgames that we still don't know, like Tyrion, Stannis, etc., so the show still has a lot of ways it can re-invigorate me. But there's a lot that's getting swept away, and I'm not liking it.

GoT Delay

I got annihilated watching the Floyd Mayweather fight on Saturday night, and paid the iron price all day Sunday, so I'll be a little late in getting my episode discussion post up. Look for it Tuesday morning.

Game of Thrones Quick Episode Discussion/Review - Season 5, Episode 3, "High Sparrow"

This time tomorrow, I'll either be relieved and planning out who's going to games 3 and 4 of the Caps/Rangers series, or I'll be a bowl of jelly and tears. In the meantime, Game of Thrones is a pleasant distraction.

MICHAEL I'LL WRITE AN ARTICLE FOR YOU LATER THIS WEEK.

It was nice to see Jorah Mormont back in the fray, even if it looks like he'll be playing the role of a quasi-villain in the near future.
I'm not sure if I mentioned earlier (and I'm not going to go look), but in the books we lose several months of Jorah, and he just appears later. I'm glad to see that we'll get some more substance using his character. Plus, it looks like he'll have a wholly new story to play out, which means it'll be brand spanking new to all viewers.

The beheading of Janos Slynt was brutal.
It was brutal in the book too, but it felt more necessary in the book. The approving look of Stannis afterward probably wasn't any comfort at all to Jon Snow, either. But to me (and feel free to disagree in the comments), it felt like an overreaction in its context. Jumping from insubordination to execution seems to skip a few steps of the punishment hierarchy.

Also, can I just say that being ordered to rebuild and take command of a castle is something that people in this world would dream to do? Winter's gonna be tough anywhere; winter being in charge might be slightly more fun.

Arya's storyline is still boring me.
To tears.

I'm digging the High Sparrow.
That's not to say that I'm "rooting" for the Sparrows; they seem like zealots, and I almost always find myself at odds with zealots. But after just one brief conversation with Cersei, I'm definitely interested in seeing how the character is played out in the show. He's got a powerful personality already, and his followers have already deposed the High Septon.

The progression of Sansa is enticing.
Not just because she's starting to look kind of hot, but because she's really the last Stark that the world knows about. She showed last season that she's more clever than we had realized when she came up with the half-story about Littlefinger and Lysa, and when Littlefinger encouraged her to avenge her family's deaths, Sansa definitely played up the look of a sinister mind at work.

Also, let me just say that when that old woman said, "The North remembers," I got my first ever murder boner. I'm a fan of comeuppance, as I know I've said before. There are other snippets from the books that I hope will fan the flames of vengeance, but just that hint was a good spark.

Game of Thrones Quick Episode Discussion/Review - Season 5, Episode 2, "The House of Black and White"

Sunday was kind of a disappointing day overall. After the Capitals' lackluster showing against the Islanders on Sunday afternoon, I was hoping for some Game of Thrones magic. Unfortunately, we're still in the buildup phase of this season, so we didn't get too much in the way of big moments. But plenty worth talking about, so here are my new five discussion points.

1. The Arya storyline has gotten less interesting for me over time.
It's not that I don't think Arya is an interesting character. I think she's got some stuff going on that makes her unpredictable and deadly, and that's always interesting. I just don't care what happens for the next whatever amount of time it takes for her to get to where she's going. If they had her disappear for two seasons and then suddenly show up murdering people, I'd probably be fine with that.

2. I'm fine with the adjustment they made with regards to the choosing of the new Lord Commander.
In the books, it's a bit of clever politicking by Samwell Tarly that makes Jon Snow Lord Commander, but I liked this version just as much. A great speech with a perfect final sentence. Also it was funny to hear Sam put Janos Slynt in his place. He got served.

3. I don't understand Brienne.
Like, I just don't know why she acts the way she does. She seems directionless, and without logic. "Hey can I talk to you away from this one guy who clearly is keeping you safe and would be suspicious of us if we talked in private and then I joined you? No? What the hell, man?" Silly.

4. I think Bronn is as good as dead.
We need a good death or two to make the season have weight, and Bronn seems to not really have a purpose other than to be "another guy." Jamie is going to Dorne, where people want to kill Lannisters. By the way, nice to see my old friend Doctor Bashir getting some more acting gigs.

5. Kevan Lannister is like Tywin, without the subversion.
He seems a smart enough strategist, and is perceptive as to Cersei's machinations to make the Small Council serve her needs. He sees through everything she's doing, but where Tywin would impose his will on the proceedings, Kevan simply calls her out on her bullshit and says, "Stop bullshitting and I'll hang out." He actually could be good for Westeros, if he gets put into a position of power.

You might notice that conspicuously absent from my list are Daenerys, Tyrion, and anyone associated with them. Those storylines are in a rut right now, I think. The "return" of Drogon was a gimmick, but I guess people just like seeing dragons. But seriously, nothing happened there. I'm holding out hope for next week being a nice shot of adrenaline, though. We need a little speed to feed the beast.

Game of Thrones Quick Episode Discussion/Review - Season 5, Episode 1, "The Wars to Come"

I've been pretty jazzed for this season of Game of Thrones, I think because I know a little of what may be coming, but mostly I'm back to not knowing, since a lot of the TV show has now outpaced the book. If you've been checking in here at all recently, you probably already knew that. You also knew that I like writing about things I enjoy. So, naturally, I'm going to take a crack at writing a quick post about each episode.

Now, other blogs will do step-by-step reviews/recaps of episodes. That's not what this blog is about. Really, what this blog is about is lists of five. So, I'm going to post five thoughts from each episode the morning after the episode. They won't be in any order necessarily, though I will number them just to make sure I get five each time.

1. Is Cersei just a complete ball of hate at this point?

Granted, listening to Loras Tyrell spout totally useless sympathies is enough to make anyone angry, but she basically spits on everyone she knows. Jamie, Lancel, Pycelle (obviously), and she visibly loathes all of the Tyrells getting comfortable in King's Landing. A ball of hate is an interesting character though, so I'm expecting good things out of the queen regent this season. I mean, not like D&D alignment "good" things, but entertaining things.

2. Stannis seems...happy?

I'm sure a large part of it is that he finally won a battle. After the massive defeat at Blackwater Bay, he had gotten sullen and angry, but after routing the wildling army, he seemed downright giddy by comparison. Or maybe he just liked the idea of threatening people. But he's basically grinning when he proposes the offer to Jon Snow of the wildlings joining his army. It's an odd look.


3. Daenerys is still kind of a bitch.

Look, I know you all love her, and clearly lots of people in the show think she's a great option to rule Westeros, but sometimes she can be a class A bitch. When she metaphorically slaps Hizdahr about being a queen and not a politician, his response is a perfect imitation of Sansa responding to Joffrey; that is, the way you respond to a powerful child when they're being stubborn: agree and move on. TV Daario is more likable than book Daario, which doesn't feel right, but at least somebody is putting Dany in her place...in more ways than one. Wink!

4. The Missandei/Grey Worm angle is getting tired...
...no, it's not getting tired. It's been tired for a while. At this point, it's excruciating.

5. Episode one is usually a window into what the season will be "about." So now we sort of know that.

There are pieces we haven't touched on yet; Arya will doubtless make an appearance, and we'll spend some time at Winterfell under new management. But we've got a lot of information at this point:

• Daenerys will have more trouble ruling Meereen, and controlling her dragons.
• Tyrion and Varys are on their way to visit Daenerys, and likely engage in a few dozen quip-battles on the way.
• A new Lord Commander will be decided, and something has to be done with the tens of thousands of wildlings still at the wall.
• Stannis aims to take Winterfell from the Boltons, presumably in the hopes of currying favor from the northerners still loyal to the Starks.
• Littlefinger's up to something, and we probably won't know for a while.

I loved the final moment of the episode. Jon's act of mercy was gratifying, and holy shit, Ciaran Hinds is a fantastic actor.

Tune in later this week for my next post, which will have absolutely nothing to do with Game of Thrones.

Top 5 Game of Thrones Storylines Heading Into Season Five

When we left off, we'd actually resolved a fair number of questions. The war between the Starks and Lannisters has ended, the wildling army was routed, Tyrion had escaped execution, and Arya was on a boat to Braavos. So is there really anything left to look forward to?

Yes, obviously.

Here are my top five storylines going into the next season of Game of Thrones. Some of these I have an idea about because I've read the books, but with the changes that have been made recently, there are no guarantees. These are the five questions I've got going into the next season.

5. What happens when Arya actually arrives in Braavos?

I'm not like most people in that I don't love Arya's storyline. I liked The Hound, and I did love that moment when Arya murdered those Freys right after The Red Wedding. So I acknowledge that there's potential here for some fun times. Braavos is also a compelling place, from what we've heard so far, so I'm eager to see what the city has to offer.

4. What the hell is going on in the Iron Islands?

This question definitely derives more from the books than the show. It seems like the show has gone away from the Ironborn as a storyline, other than Theon/Reek out of necessity. But my feeling is that there's more going on here. I mean, remember that Balon Greyjoy was one of the names that Stannis gave the Red God when he did his little blood magic with Gendry. Robb Stark and Joffrey Baratheon are dead, and their deaths sent tidal waves through the kingdoms. Surely the third name has some value as well.

3. How does Dorne react to the death of Oberyn?

Oberyn became one of the most popular characters in the show during season 4, which obviously sealed his fate. But seriously, Oberyn was a "Prince" of Dorne, brother of Doran, and father to many dangerous daughters. Oberyn and Doran's sister Elia was murdered by Gregor Clegane, a Lannister bannerman. You may also remember that King Tommen's sister Myrcella was sent to Dorne back in season 2 and betrothed to Trystane Martell, son of Doran, adding another complication to the relationship between the throne and Dorne. All of this adds up to, Dorne has a lot of interconnected pieces with the Lannisters, and we've only seen Oberyn. All the talk is that we'll see a lot of Dorne this season; I'm looking forward to finding out what they have to say.

2. What will Jamie and Cersei do without Tywin pulling the strings?

This is a question I have some sense of an answer to, based on the book content, but that doesn't mean I know anything. Tywin had relative control over the queen, but she's been becoming more and more unspooled since Joffrey's death. Will Cersei go completely off the deep end now? Tyrion's escaped, her controlling father is dead, and her soft son sits upon the iron throne. And what about Jamie? He has to know that Tyrion killed their father (and Shae, but who cares). While Jamie clearly hated much about his father, I don't think he ever wanted him dead. Their reactions might be the best part of this first episode.

1. What's going to happen to Jorah Mormont?

I've always liked Jorah, both Mormonts actually. I (and I'm sure all guys) have a bit of experience with and can sympathize with unrequited love. We didn't see much deception at the beginning really; Jorah seemed perfectly devoted to Daenerys from the get-go, and it's possible that he truly was. He may have sought only to prevent Viserys or Khal Drogo from conquering Westeros, and once they had both died, and Dany was on her own, his loyalty was unfettered. Regardless, he's been cast out from Daenerys' city, and is going...where? We have no idea. Even in the books, Jorah simply disappears (for a while). This is one of those circumstances where a non-central character from the books is probably going to get some extra story. And if you're not sure if you like that, consider that large portions of Robb Stark's story, Varys' story, Baelish's story, and The Hound's story were all constructed for television. Plenty of good TV in there, and there's another opportunity for the same here.

Oh my god, tonight's the night. I wish I didn't have to work so I could watch it right away. Don't ruin anything, I'll watch it late tonight!

Top 5 Best Living Fighters In the Game of Thrones World

There's a conversation in season one between a couple of Lannister soldiers about who the best swordsman is in the seven kingdoms. Their top picks include "our man Jamie" and the Mountain, Ser Gregor Clegane. But at this point in the story, Jamie's lost his sword hand, the Mountain's condition is unknown, the Hound is dead or near-death, and countless other killers have been killed: Khal Drogo, Ned Stark, Oberyn Martell was clearly well-trained and vicious, and Qhorin Halfhand must've killed his share of wildlings.

But that's the past. Who's left? Well, still plenty of bloodletters on the roster. Here are my picks for the top five fighters (in their current states) in the world of Game of Thrones at the close of season four.


5. Jon Snow - This will probably be the most questionable choice of mine, but here's my logic. Jon Snow is old enough to be plenty capable, even though we've known him from young adulthood. He was trained in Winterfell by presumably skilled warriors, and he's spent basically his whole life being angry about being a bastard. He's also been a brother of the Night's Watch, learned under Jeor Mormont, ranged north of The Wall, survived imprisonment by the wildlings, climbed The Wall, battled and escaped wildlings, and defended The Wall against impossible odds. He's a survivor; he's on my list.

4. Daario Naharis - I'm cheating a little bit here. There's a character from the books named Strong Belwas who's been sort of incorporated into Daario's character, and so I've combined them into a single "show character" in my mind, and Strong Belwas is a badass. But Daario is as well; remember he killed two other killers in his camp and brought their heads before Dany, no small task. His one-shot kill of the champion outside Meereen also displayed his prowess and speed. We haven't really seen much of him in combat, but he, Grey Worm, and Jorah basically took down Yunkai on their own. That's not nothing.

3. Brienne of Tarth - Brienne is far from being the most skilled swordsman(/woman) in the realm, but her size is something she puts to use quite well. When matched one-on-one, she smashed Loras Tyrell (which coincidentally pushed him off of this list) and she bested the Hound. I think the very best fighters would be able to counter her size, but most people can't, and she makes them pay.

2. Tormund Giantsbane - It's tough to judge Tormund against the best fighters in the world, but he certainly had no trouble annihilating the men of the Night's Watch. He's powerful, experienced, and ruthless. He also seems single-minded to the point of madness, where once he decided he was fighting someone, he'd fight them until they were very, very dead.

1. Bronn, son of..."you wouldn't know him." - In the books, Bronn is a skilled fighter who could stand toe-to-toe with most opponents. In the show, Bronn kills whole columns of troops at every turn. He's a cold-blooded killer, and he's got no qualms about getting dirty to win a fight. That plus the fact that he seems as fast and skilled a swordsman as anybody puts him at the top of my list. The scene where he and The Hound are at each other's throats right before the battle of Blackwater Bay had me worried one would get killed, but would've been maybe the best fight of the show. Hopefully we get some more good ones this season.

Tomorrow's the big day! Get hyped!

Top 5 Game of Thrones Characters I Hope We Get Back In Season 5

Game of Thrones has an insane number of characters. The story traverses two continents and countless cities (alright you could count them, but why). Dozens of characters come and go every episode, and as I've mentioned, plenty of them find their ends in the story.

But some of them don't. Some of them have just disappeared. We might hear about them here or there, and we might not. I've learned, from the reappearance of guys like Barristan Selmy, Janos Slynt, and Littlefinger, that there are no guarantees when a character slips out of sight. So here are five characters who didn't make an appearance in season 4, and who I'd like to see more of.

Note: I have no information about whether or not anyone listed below will return at all in the show, ever. I imagine two of them will (#3 and #1), but the others are smaller characters that aren't at all necessary to finish the telling of the great story. Anyways, I just wanted to express that despite having read the books, I don't really know much more than a non-reader would.

5. Syrio Forel - You'll remember Syrio was Arya Stark's "dancing master" from season one. He had a funny way of speaking that I enjoyed, and he proved his ability with a sword when we saw him disable several Lannister guards with a training sword. His fate was left unresolved, though Arya believes him to be dead, as she relayed as such to the Hound last season. And it may be that the writers had hoped to resolve his fate through that conversation. But I'm holding out hope that we'll see him again someday.


4. Gendry - One of Robert Baratheon's many bastard sons, Gendry was likable from the start. He had a quick wit and a good heart. He was a lowborn orphan who seemed to not let it bother him, and it's no surprise that he and Davos hit it off. When last we saw him, he was rowing himself back to King's Landing. It might be that that's the end of his story, but with the Baratheon bloodline still of importance, I think it's possible we'll get to see him again.

3. Rickon Stark - Rickon doesn't really have a "story" going on; he's simply the youngest of the Stark children. At the end of season 3, he and Osha split off from their party and were heading towards the Last Hearth, home of the Umbers. If you can't place them, the lord of the Umbers was the Greatjon, the guy who threatened Robb Stark and got his fingers bitten off, then became one of his most loyal subjects. We didn't get a final note on whether he was at the Red Wedding, so it's possible he's out there as well. But Rickon is the last male Stark south of The Wall, so while the character isn't terribly interesting, his return to Game of Thrones would throw another spin into the world.


2. The Brotherhood Without Banners (Thoros of Myr, Beric Dondarrion, Anguy) - I decided to lump all these guys together, even though I like them all for different reasons. They're all part of the Brotherhood Without Banners, and they're all entertaining. Anguy was cocky and funny, Thoros was drunk and roguish, and Beric was, you know, Jesus. They're also a fairly large group of skilled fighters defying the region's legal authority. Plus, in the event that we see them return, we'll also likely get a little somebody from the books, who every book-reader knows and desperately wants to show her face.

1. Walder Frey - Walder Frey was just perfect. From the moment we met him in season one, he was the kind of guy who puts your hair on edge. He's creepy, he's old, and he just has a way of talking that makes you know he's up to no good. I didn't think he had the Red Wedding in him, but if there was anyone in the show who could, he's on that list. I enjoyed the little debriefing he had with Roose Bolton, but we haven't seen him since. Granted, I only want to see him come back so that he can get his comeuppance, but I really, really want to see that.

Top 5 Non-Death Moments in Game of Thrones

Obviously, spoiler alert.

As I mentioned in my previous article, Game of Thrones really feels like it's all about death, but that's not exactly true. There are plenty of instances where a character has a particularly memorable moment in which they don't check out. Granted, there may be deaths associated with the event, but it's Game of Thrones; someone's always dying.

So here are my top five non-death moments in Game of Thrones.


5. Stannis Rides Down the Wildling Army - This could have been higher, should have been higher. But it occurred right at the beginning of the final episode of season 4, so it had no time to build. In the books, this was one of the most incredible scenes because of its total surprise factor. There was still a surprise in the show, but as I said, the scene itself needed a few minutes to ruminate, in my book. Still, cavalry always makes for great television.
 
4. The Hound Saves Sansa - This is a little bit of a cheat because there are definitely deaths in the scene. But the scene isn't about the deaths; it's about Sansa being moments away from rape, murder, and who knows what else, and Sandor Clegane showing his true colors and saving the day. We'd had a few hints at the "goodness" eating away at him, like when he defends Loras Tyrell at the tournament in season 1. But this was white knight, damsel in distress stuff. Very interesting, very telling.

3. Jamie Pushes Bran Out a Window - This might not be quite so high on my list had it not taken place as the cliffhanger of the very first episode. But it was the perfect act to set the tone for the show; Lannisters don't give a damn about Starks, even though they're lords. Jamie has no concern for (attempted) murder. And, naturally, the bastard-born children of Jamie and Cersei are what drives much of the story in Westeros. A big, early moment in the show.

2. Beric Dondarrion Dies...and Then Doesn't - The Hound and Thoros of Myr are two of my favorite characters in the show (Thoros is less interesting in the books). This scene is surrounded by a bunch of conversation involving those two, so it's a recipe for success. But the resurrection (or at least delayed death) of Beric Dondarrion is compelling stuff. It's the first time we see some "magic" type stuff outside of Melisandre, and it gives you the sense that there's a lot at work in this world. Also, flaming sword, trial by combat, epic quotes, it's all there. Great stuff.

1. Jamie Loses His Hand - One of the landmark moments of the series is when the made-for-TV character Locke chops off Jamie Lannister's sword hand. It's not quite the game-changer that Eddard Stark's death is, but it's right up there. Jamie is a completely different character after he loses his hand; he's utterly defeated. Even as he returns to King's Landing, everything's changed for him. The loss of his hand, and the transformation of him into an unexceptional fighter, forces him to forge a new identity.

In putting together this list, I realized the deaths are just way more heavy. Yeah these are good spots, but because there's so much death in the show, death of important characters, these non-death moments are just basically the background events, the build-ups. Still, they're good scenes.

Did I forget one? Almost certainly I did. Say what you liked best in the comments!

Five Top 5's for Game of Thrones - Season Five (SPOILERS)

I really enjoy Game of Thrones. I love the novels, and the HBO series has done a pretty good job of capturing a lot of the great moments from the books. I've rewatched the first season a dozen times, and seasons 2-4 a few times each. I still grin watching The Hound protect Loras Tyrell from The Mountain, I still hate Joffrey Baratheon with every fiber of my being, and I still get chills watching the Red Wedding.

So with Game of Thrones coming back next week, I've got Game on the brain. Luckily for you, my adoring fans, that means a lot of articles this week. I'll be posting a different Top 5 each day between now and Sunday, the day of the Season 5 premiere. That makes for five different Top 5 lists. These lists will be in regard to the television series, though I may give some hints about book content here or there. I invite you to come along for the ride, and post your own Top 5s in the comments!

First...

Top 5 Deaths (So Far) In Game of Thrones

From the beginning, Game of Thrones has been a show about death. The seven kingdoms thrown into war, deception and murder at every turn, it's a story about ends and beginnings. And after episode nine of the first season, anybody who watches the show realized that no one is safe. The deaths bring life to the show (and to the books), so we'll start this set of Top 5 lists with the top five deaths from the TV series.


5. Ghost Stannis Kills Renly - This killing wasn't as surprising or gruesome or emotional as many of the others, but it gets bonus points for the gravity of how things changed in Westeros because of it. Renly Baratheon's death occurred just moments after he had solidified a peace with the Starks that (without dark powers at work) would've made this a two season show. But when Renly is murdered, the Starks are suddenly on their own again, Stannis' power is solidified, and the Tyrells become allies of convenience with the Lannisters. As I said, not an exceptional death scene, but an important one in the lore of the lands.

4. The "Deaths" of Bran and Rickon Stark - As if we needed further reminder of how brutal a medieval, feudal world could be. While I think most people with any sense could tell that something was amiss on television, you can see how the people of Winterfell would believe that their liege lords had been slain and burned alive. This also started Bran's trip north of The Wall, which while not terribly entertaining, has definitely been a big part of the story, and figures to be even more so going forward.

3. Ned Stark Loses His Head - I kind of wish I'd gotten on board Game of Thrones right away, so I could've seen Baelor in real-time. I feel like the moment when you realize there's nothing that's going to save this character, this man who you thought would endure the series, that's why the show is such a phenomenon (see #1). It also was telling that the character who was most stubbornly moral was unable to survive the first season of the show. The talk is all about White Walkers and "Taking The Black," but in Westeros, only gray survives.

2. The Execution of Lady - It says something about humans that we all feel more sympathy and sadness for a cute wolf than we do for a human being, but it's utterly true. I think maybe we see all the flaws of humans, whereas animals seem innocent, like children. This death also introduced us to the cruelty of Queen Cersei, which endures to this day. Every time I re-watch the episode, I cringe when Ned is forced to put down Lady, and I'm reminded of how despite her random moments of kindness, Cersei is a miserable bitch.

1. The Red Wedding - I would've liked to have found a way to not be so predictable as to put this at number one, but anything else would've been insincere. The truth is, there were no deaths I was as unprepared for as Robb and Catelyn Starks'. It was before I had read any of the books, and I hadn't even really thought about the mechanics of a season (generally, episode 9 is the one with the greatest surprises/events). So I went into the episode without any idea of what was coming, and it was brilliant. I mean it was terrible, shocking, brutal, even more brutal than the original story. But if we consume art to experience emotions, the Red Wedding is one of our generation's greatest works.

That's my top five. Do you disagree? Leave a comment in the...well, in the comments!