No worries, I completely agree. You're right, that is a big part of the problem, and it's not a generic "There's nothing new under the sun," thing, it's a genuine fear of/refusal to try things that are new and different.

On re-watching, I am convinced that Margaery is playing the High Sparrow. The look on her face when Jamie et al show up, and then the look she gives the HS when he moves to stand next to Tommen, seem to say quite a bit.

I noticed that, too! So glad I'm not the only one.

Mace is this show's Dennis Feinstein. :-)

That baby playing little Sam is fucking adorable. His enormous grin when Sam's mom spoke to him was one of the episode's highlights for me.

I got the impression that Drogon has been watching, and so placed himself around the corner to wait for her.

Just like a waif.

We don't get "Previously on" in the UK. Nor do we get "Next week on"—that's reserved for Sky's post-show discussion show.

I don't care.

Just watched the first episode of this last night, and got more than a few honest chuckles out of it—no real hard laughs, but definite chuckles. I especially liked Nancy Wall's "Baby back ribs? They're from a pig." Her delivery on that was perfect.

Yeah, I've never heard of this band, but I think it's a bit much for him to insist Ocasek didn't even listen to his song but decided to sue just because he's mean, or something. It's highly likely that he did listen to the song; managers etc. don't just decide to sue on someone's behalf without that person's…

Yeah, that's ridiculous. I have in the past compared plagiarism to the rape of the mind, and I stand by that comparison *in the context in which I made it*, but what Novak is talking about isn't even close to plagiarism; it's not even the same field of art as hers.

In other words (pun intended), "I don't care if I insult you. Your views are unimportant here, so sit down and shut up because I know best what's good for you?" "I will insist on referring to you by terms you dislike and find offensive, because it's the correct thing to do?"

At first I started to copy-paste parts of your reply here, so I could respond to them in turn. Then I realized I'd be copy-pasting the entire thing, so I'll just sum it all up and say I couldn't agree more, that this was beautifully written and expressed, and that you have articulated a number of things I felt but…

Personally, I would no more agree to turn one of my straight characters gay/bi than I would to turn one of my gay characters straight.

Yeah, looking at it from that perspective—re movies—does change it a bit, and I see your point more there. I'm a writer of genre fiction, so the numbers are way smaller; there aren't any "regular moviegoers," so to speak, and although I still don't particularly agree re sexism in this instance (Ghostbusters), being a…

Here's the thing, though. I am all for representation. I write gay characters; I think it's important to do so, and am proud to do so (and of all the emails etc. I've received, I hold the emotional thank-you from the mother of a young gay man as one of the ones that makes me the most proud and pleased). I absolutely…

In other words, if there are women in it, it's sexist not to support it?

Completely agree. It stuns me how people can't see that what they're demanding is actually hugely regressive; so, if a female MC isn't focused completely on men men men all the time, she must be a lesbian? Because women are obsessed with love and relationships, so if there's no hero for her to glom onto it has to be…

Ten bucks says one of the women gets angry and punches somebody because that somebody made her break a nail. Hilarious!