@avclub-82cf46948ca0f531a256e38473c9282f:disqus - I think Cersei is still technically Queen-Regent, it's just that having raised a supremely arrogant and megalomaniacal son, she's found him impossible to control. And everyone tends to do what he says, especially the mouth-breathers on the Kingsguard, so…

Or Mother's Day!

Lady Start? She never stopped!

Theon fed them some walnuts before he lit them on fire. Toasted walnut treats!

@avclub-3db41011acc2d229176bf6a92202728d:disqus - but does killing the Mad King really fit NE? I agree, Neutral Evil is probably the best place for him, but this is a great example of - sorry - a place where D&D alignments really don't work.

Popov. Popov is THE WORST. You can use it to clean brushes, or scrub out your engine, or to strip varnish.

I watched the premiere and found the characters kind of snotty - has it improved over its season? Or if I disliked the first episode would I still dislike it?

@avclub-7adb6a50e7687b45a00b35796f18f17d:disqus - I got the idea because I don't make it and none of my peer group makes it either, despite the fact that we cook at home frequently (I'm pushing 30). I know I'm generalizing.

Stan and Peggy have settled into a pretty great working relationship.

It was perfect to show Don what he doesn't get about what's going on in music and culture at the moment.

Interesting - I didn't know that. It's one of my favorite tracks on my favorite Beatles album.

I think it was probably a bit of both. I think Don was attracted to Betty because of her constructed veneer of model perfection, but once they were married he needed her to be the perfect housewife to match the perfect American life he constructed for himself. Betty probably gave it up partly because she thought…

She's not French though. And the beef bourgignon was 1) one of those 60s meals nobody makes anymore and 2) a dish that takes forever to make. The second one is the key - Don made her so happy she wanted to demonstrate how grateful she was that he backed her up.

Pete wants some kind of naif to unquestioningly adore him. Peggy at this point is far too sharp, with too much a spine, to fill that role. Same with Trudy, now that I think about it.

I'm just hoping next year Velvet Underground drops into the show like an alien spacecraft.

That's the strangest comparison. Penny Lane is not even remotely a hardcore raw rock song.

Volantis is to the east of Westeros, across the Narrow Sea.

I've noticed that they almost never take time to give the end of a scene a proper dramatic pause. I think it's a factor of packing so much into every episode, they just keep barreling on.

As set up on the show, it still works, at a very basic level. Xaro's offered to marry Dany in return for giving her half of his wealth. Dany's made it clear that's a deal she's not (yet?) willing to make. Xaro graciously serves as a guide and councilor, not entirely altruistically, since I'm sure he envisions Dany…

Theon: Respect me!!