Hrmmm.

She genuinely looked ill and at death's door, so I assumed she wasn't faking being stabbed. But then she ran away from the waif rather better than she should have been able to, which either means the script is terrible or Arya's too stupid to consistently pretend to be injured. And then she beat the waif in a fight. So that makes me think that she actually was faking it. Unless the waif actually won and is pretending to be Arya for some deeper reason. Because why the fuck would Arya return to the temple, knowing that a whole tribe of professional assassins want her dead?

Basically, it's internally inconsistent regardless of how you look at it. Sigh.

You know, it could have been the shape shifter dude pretending to be Arya, and this could be a test for the Waif?

I actually thought that episode was the weakest of the season, so it's interesting to hear that people thought it was good. It seemed completely full of padding and filler to push all the exciting stuff to next week, and tie up all the other characters plotlines that won't be involved in a hurried fashion. All the important moments were off screen in this episode. Why did they even have the Riverrun plot in the show? Jamie may let Blackfish's army go North in some sort of redemption story arc, but why have the Blackfish's death off-screen, and have a huge set for riverrun and have not much happen there?

And not to mention Arya. I think at this point I don't think I can assume there's any more double bluffing going on, I think we have to concede that it is Arya. I'll happily eat my own words if it turns out that she is the Waif or something, but I think it's much more simple than most people thought it was. Perhaps the series will end with Arya on the boat back to Westeros and it will turn out the Waif has stolen her face or something and she's off to take over Arya's life or some crazy shit. That would probably redeem some aspects of this episode a bit.

But Arya isn't really known for being dumb at this stage in the narrative. The writing makes her character do dumb things, so I think it was poor characterisation as a result of poor writing.(I'm not saying I could do any better, just how I felt) I think they needed a cliffhanger last week, that was then pretty much ignored at the start of the this episode. In fact, you could have chopped out all of Arya's scenes from this episode and just have her story carry on with the Waif chasing her down the street at the end, and it would have seamlessly carried on from last week. Unless, of course, there is a bigger picture.

I hate to sound like I'm overly cynical, but that was a very disappointing episode after some real home-runs this series. Next week looks brilliant though.

I don’t think Arya’s story was as complicated as everyone thinks it is. She got stabbed, Lady Crane healed her, Arya thought on her feet and led the waif into a trap, then confronted Jacquen gambling that he wouldn’t kill her after all.

I don’t think she would have let Lady Crane be killed like that, and there’s no indication that she faked being wounded.

Cutting her face off was kinda overkill though.

But anyway, HOUND REAPING REVENGE NEXT EPISODE SHIT GOING DOWN AT WINTERFELL

What a cooky episode.

I agree this season, and especially this episode, has had a lot of random crap in it. So all of the Tyrion stuff, him batering with the Slave Masters and having his big plan was all for nothing. His speech about them underestimating him because he was a dwarf had no payoff. We knew this was coming though - Meereen was only ever going to shit and the dragons haven't even come into it yet.

The faceless man stuff this episode was the least faceless man it could have been. Faceless men kill kind of subtly, and avoid making it look like an outright murder. You don't kill more than your target. The waif broke those rules pretty hard. And then Arya somehow got the waif's face to the temple of black and white, which I'm pretty sure is on a fucking island, but still managed to leave that ridiculous trail of blood. Was that Arya's blood? How long has she been bleeding for? Can someone remind me if she was stabbed in the gut or if she just had a stomach ache?

That trap was ridiculous. Pretty fucking lucky that all worked out hey.

I mean there are lots of things I can excuse because it's a fantasy show. But Arya shrugging off her wounds was pretty bad.

Not much happened in the episode. I keep thinking "this week it's all going to happen." But then it doesn't. Meereen getting attacked is good... but we still need the Ironborn and Theon to get there. I agree they could have cut the Riverrun stuff too. Just... don't have then join Sansa? She's already written to the lords of the Vale. If they come and help is there any need for the riverlands men too?

I'm just praying Bran's story has a payoff this season. He has the most intriguing storyline at the moment for me personally, but damn is it moving slowly.

You think? He's the absolute least interesting character for me at the moment.

Really? He's the only interesting character for me at the moment.

Basically, Connell's description of the last episode feels like it could describe the entire season for me. It's good enough, but it feels like it's just setting things in place for the next season to be interesting. There's been no standout moments or really interesting twists.

The whole fucking Arya storyline is so contrived and shit. Two seasons of training for her to tell whatsisname she's actually not a faceless girl. She's Arya. Whoop-di-fucking-do. What was the point?

Also the Blackfish's death was off screen. The Waif's death was off screen. YAWN.

Normally I can get behind GoT for its story telling and world building but christ that episode was a weak one.

Bran feels like he can have a genuine impact on the mythos and lore of the show and completely change the entire GoT world. Everything else at the moment is exciting, but it doesn't feel like there's any major changes coming up from anyone else. Bran's story is the only one that feels epic, like most aspects of series 2 or 3 did. E.G, if Jon does take Winterfell back, it won't have that big an impact on the overall story for me personally, whereas Bran's story really feels like it can shake things up and really change our perspectives on the story, like something like the Red Wedding did.

The Battle of the Bastards almost just feels like your standard "episode 9 battle" now. Bran has new info to give the viewer, like most people believe we'll find out who Jon Snow's mother is through Bran, and he will somehow either alter the past / be responsible for the Mad King going mad and shouting "Burn them all!"(That's just speculation but thought it best to put it in spoiler tags.) Bran's the one to watch.

Killing the waif offscreen was fine. We saw everything we needed about that fight. Really not sure why people are complaining about that specific thing.

I'd probably agree that Bran is the most interesting character right now. Arya is in writing hell, the best bits of Dany's story have never come through in the show, Tyrion is doing nothing, Sansa and Jon don't have much going on character wise and Jon was fucking RESURRECTED. Theon's story for this season is literally "went home for a bit then ran away from my nuncle." Euron was fairly bland, and he didn't have a big crazy dragon horn at the Kingsmoot :c Jamie's story is kind of matching the book, and very self-focused right now. The Sandor hype was strong, seeing him with a bloodlust, but that was stamped out pretty strongly this episode.

King's Landing and Bran are the only things really interesting me right now. I guess I'm kind of excited to see where Dany goes with Meereen and what happens with the dragons, but that's only because I've read the books and I'm expecting some insane pile-on of shit.

e: Re your spoiler tags, the Mad King wasn't mad because he heard voices telling him to "burn them" or whatever, and I'm sick of seeing that theory thrown around. Aerys went mad over time. He was actually a pretty good king at first, and with Tywin Lannister as his hand the realm did well. Over time Aerys became kind of paranoid, especially after a string of infant deaths and the increasing popularity of Tywin. He became very jealous of Tywin, and that lead to him making a lot of bad decisions. One bad decision ended in Aerys being captured at Duskendale for like 6 months. After his capture he really went downhill. Even then I think there was a fair bit of crazy before the interest in fire really took hold.

For me the most interesting story is now with Jon and Sansa – they’re the most likeable protagonists right now for me, they’re going up against Ramsay Bolton who has been set up as one of the biggest villains of the show so far all the while the White Walkers are breathing down their necks. They’re facing difficult odds, and there’s intrigue on all sides – will Littlefinger help them? Has Sansa screwed up? Will Ramsay kill Rickon? Will any major characters die in the fight? If the Starks win, what will they do next?


Arya went to Jaquen to be trained so that she could get revenge, and Jaquen knew that she had to be significantly toughened up to accomplish that task. He knew that she was never going to end up an assassin, but he trained her to be tough, ruthless, and sneaky. She may not be an assassin, but she’s now a capable killer – capable enough to finish her list.

I just thought I'd be sure. I know someone who doesn't even like to hear rumors that sound reasonably likely. I do think it will end up that Bran is the one that sent the Mad King mad. It seems like that's what they've been hinting at, in the show's version of the narrative anyway. I can't speak for extra info gleaned from the books.

Well so far, in the books, Bran doesn't really travel through time. He becomes part of the weirwoods which experience time much differently than other living things. Like a big mush of past, present and future. But, so far, he's still limited to weirwood trees and I don't see how he'd influence the Mad King without him visiting a godswood every other day.

Bran causing the mad King to go mad feels a bit cheap and easy imho. But they could certainly do it in the show since Bran's powers are different and we don't know as much about Aerys as we do in the books.

George confirmed that Hodor got his name via "Hold the Door". Although the same instance may not be the case, but I think it's likely that it was still Bran's fault in the same way. Weird time travel stuff. Plus, in the books Bran actually does call out to Theon and is seemed to be heard. I think it's safe to assume he has similar power as he does in the show!

But I could be wrong, either way it's interesting!

^ Don't listen to this clown, he's sympathetic to the Blackfyres.

Still the Mad King thing was set up in the show, even with less detail. Like I'm pretty sure they mention Duskendale in the show and him never being the same after that. And I'm certain they talk a little bit about his beef with Tywin, and Joanna. Plus Targaryan madness is a well documented thing - Aerys was one of many to marry his sister. They're all inbred lunatics, except maybe Rhaegar who seemed to have the right ideas and was seemingly ready to overthrow his father before he died.

Also a fun thing I noticed the other day - if you discount Aerys and his descendants, Robert Baratheon was probably next in line for the crown. Robert's grandma was Aerys' aunt. For all he hated the Targaryans, Robert was the first son of the first son of one.

Right but he can only seem to talk to people through the weirwoods so far. He doesn't actually travel to the past the three-eyed crow just explains that people see time one way and weirwoods experience time another way. So while he's in the weirwoods he can see the past from their weird perspective. But he doesn't walk around freely.

And, aye, GRRM said Hold the Door would be different in the books.

Aerys was mad because he was a Targaryen. All of them have latent insanity due to most of them being bred from incest. In his youth, he was apparently a top bloke and was good friends with Tywin.

Other Targaryen kings have been like this to a degree; Maegor the Cruel being a notable example. Viserys had the obvious signs of insanity brewing in him, and I wouldn't be surprised if Dany was to follow next considering everything's that happened/could happen.

I liked Dany originally, but ever since that scene where she burns all the khals in their tent, I just don't like her anymore. The show's writers have turned her and most of the other female characters into Mary Sues.

Yeah, the properties of his powers aren't the same in the show. Like you said, the show he can freely project his perspective from anywhere, while in the books he's more bound.

I also don't think Bran is going to do anything to the Mad King in the books, his Madness is thoroughly explained in a realistic manner, that being Duskendale and Targ madness. But I do feel he'll interact with stuff via the weirwood trees.

I've really enjoyed Season 6 so far. Some great intense scenes along with some very interesting flashforwards of things to come. The Hodor part was very intense and Daenerys pretty much steals the show as usual. I'm glad Jon's still a major part of the show and I'm really looking forward to the future of the GoT universe. I'm way behind on the books (a little ways into book 1) but I did play a fair chunk of the Telltale Games' game.

When episode 9 knocks 8 out of the park

http://i.imgur.com/BP8ZYHy.png

Damn, that episode man. Amazing stuff. Glad to have some good guy victories after all the defeats and deaths.

Also this is pretty damn cool:

great

It's nearly time. Hope we get some Bran Flakes this week.

Jon Stark-Targaryen. Has a ring to it.

I was waiting for Cercei's payback for like 5 episodes now. She's not one to take all that shit and not get her pound of flesh in the end. And THAT is how you deal with religious extremism :tard:

Also:

http://i.imgur.com/NjIOZWK.gif

I mean there are lots of things I can excuse because it's a fantasy show. But Arya shrugging off her wounds was pretty bad.

IDNetViet has now been banned for being a spambot, plus his SEO-link-filled signature deleted. But I'm going to keep his post there to honour him for the achievement of being OWF's first ever spambot who bothered to construct an on-topic post.

Ok so this season needed a little bit less of its everything in the last 2 episodes. I get why they did it, but overall not much happened and then everything happened.

Also, haven't we kind of gone in a circle? The northern houses are united under a king, the Iron Islanders are pissed off, Dany has an army and dragons and wants to conquer Westeros, Dorne is pissed off, King's Landing is in control of the Lannisters and there's a crazy Lannister on the throne...

Stannis died without doing much, other than saving The Wall (and bringing Melisandre to Jon I guess). The Boltons are dead, old Walder Frey is dead.

So the first part of the ASOIAF story is about war and politics. The second part is what comes after the wars. Presumably the final part will be about defeating the ultimate evil or whatever.

BOOK SPOILERS AHEAD
The second part in the books (AFFC and ADWD) has issues for sure, but it's basically all about character. Dany is struggling with herself, Jon is trying to do the right thing for the Greater Good but causes conflict at The Wall, Tyrion is... drinking? Tyrion doesn't really do or think much until he meets Penny I guess, and honestly I can't remember what the point of his time with Penny was/is but there was a point to it. Oh I guess he plays SeaBass with Young Griff - I think Tyrions time on the boat was probably all about that one scene with Aegon. Brienne is on a journey across the countryside, and we learn a lot about her past and how she feels. Jamie is dealing with a lot of shit. Even Theon at the end has to man up to save "Arya Stark". It's all really personal stuff. Hell even Jon Connington's chapters are very personal and reflective and he's going was with Aegon to Fire and Blood shit up.

So the show skimped on a lot of the character stuff. People love to complain about those books, and I have my fair share of complaints, but I feel like rather than doing this slower stuff the show instead did nothing and capped it off with big exciting episodes. Like damn I was waiting for the High Sparrow to actually do something and then he's just dead. King's Landing was still the best thing about this season by a mile, but I can't wait for some more details in the books.

Anyway RIP King Tommo, he was a rare decent bloke but he drew a short straw in the game of thrones :(

That was a hell of a finale. I guess we’re down to our last few pieces on the board now, so it all comes down to:

1. The North, preparing for winter and the White Walkers.
2. The South, about to be invaded by Daenerys.

The thing is, plenty did happen this season but it’s easy to forget about because of the slow pacing and the bombastic finale. Outside of the last two episodes: The Hound came back and allied with the Brotherhood, Arya finished her training and returned to Westeros to get on with her revenge, Jon was brought back from the dead, Sansa reunited with Jon, Brienne kept her oath and swore fealty to Sansa, Euron took over the Iron Islands, Theon and Yara allied to Daenerys, Bronn(!) came out of retirement, the Three-Eyed Raven and the CotF were killed, Bran discovered the origins of the White Walkers, and Sam gained a Valyrian steel sword.

A lot happened and set the stage for the final season, but a lot of it was more low-key than in previous seasons, and most of the action sequences were saved until the end. And that slow build was crucial for the finale to have the impact it needed.


But circumstances are completely different now: the North isn’t going to war against the South, they’re preparing for the White Walkers; Daenerys is actually going to war and is now en route to Westeros; Dorne is also going to war allied with Daenerys; and King’s Landing is under control of possibly the most ruthless ruler ever while enemies bear down on it from all sides…

But Stannis did serve an important role, he drove many events in the story for several seasons (the battle for King’s Landing, defeating Manse Raider’s army, fighting and ultimately losing to the Boltons) and his storyline directly affected those of various other characters (Davos, Melisandre, Jon, Tormund, Brienne, Ramsay, Margaery, Loris oh and Gendry).


It also makes sense for the Sparrow to go now – he was at the peak of his power, and was on the cusp of his endgame of having complete control over the King and his kingdoms and having chief sinner Cersei executed. If he had stayed on any longer there would have been nothing left for him to do as a character, he would no longer be necessary.


Agreed, I was genuinely surprised by his death – poor guy.

I think my problem with the HS going is that Margaery went too. A big part of KL this season was devoted to them. The HS was reaching scary levels of power with his influence over Tommo, which climaxed at the banning of trials by combat. Margaery was playing the player, looking out for herself and her family and keeping her influence over Tommo while remaining inconspicuous (ish) in the eyes of The Faith. Then they both died.

I do like the circumstances and what it means for Cersei, but the show chose to focus on Margaery a lot more than the books and make her a PoV character, and we didn't even get to know what she was up to in this. To me it felt like a sudden letdown death similar to in A Feast For Crows with Brienne. I mean she shows up again. I figured she was some undead new body for LSH or something, but people seem to think she struck a deal to fight and kill Jamie while being hanged? Either way, that death just made me go "oh".

And I know other things happened this season, but it was definitely an uneven distribution. Let's review Tyrion this season. He made a deal with the slave masters of the entire bay (I guess?) and was smug about how they'd underestimate him. Then he had some awkward scenes with Grey Worm and Missandei. Then Meereen was attacked and Dany saved the day at the perfect time - but they still gave Tyrion his smug moment at the end with the slavers for some reason, even though his ass was roasted without Dany. It's a rock and a hard place, they don't want to have Tyrion do nothing all season but in spite of there being nothing to do they gave him screen time.

They were playing it around the last 2 super exciting episodes. Like Sam could have arrived at The Citadel any time this season, it really wouldn't have made any fucking difference, but they wanted to save it for a big moment in the finale. I can't say it would be better or worse restructured, it'd probably be worse honestly.