Which also ties into the larger narrative as well (i.e. with the Boltons and how the other Northern houses view them, for example). Sometimes being willing to do anything to win can come back to bite you.

Yep, I quoted it above. I'm glad we're getting some details on things like this, since the POV structure in the book limits us so much.

Was just going to post this. For those who don't want to read through the synopsis -

I don't think it's an exaggeration at all, and it's definitely a theory I've seen bandied about quite often at westeros.org. As for blood sacrifices, what do the Others gain from a baby being sacrificed to them once every few months? Mundane reasons for leaving the babies out (food, ritual sacrifices) don't really…

Baffled by the people on tumblr and other social sites flipping their shit over the last scene. Not only has the theory of Craster's babies = being turned into Others/used by them been around forever (using the babies as a food source is stupid as hell), there's also

True, but I was more referring to the fact that the books treat what happens to Lollys as a joke, with people openly mocking her about her condition, the rapes, her pregnancy, etc (even ostensibly sympathetic characters do so). Obviously, a lot of that is due to the POV structure, but it could/should have been handled…

He strips her naked and then she "consents" to sex on their wedding night. Later on, Drogo forcibly has sex with Dany on multiple occasions (to the point where she cries herself to sleep and it hurts her to ride a horse the next day).

They had Cersei kiss Jaime back and hold his face and wrap her arms around him. At that point I thought they were going with the book version of the scene (where Jaime still forces himself on her but after some protests about having sex in the sept, she agrees to it). That would still be an extremely icky scene, of…

I don't see how you can say he "didn't have a chance to turn out good" - he didn't have to act on his feelings for his sister. Once he did, he didn't have to continue it to the extent he did. It isn't until he finds himself humbled that he seems to realize that he might - to at least some extent- bear some…

Glad I'm not the only one to feel this way.

Right, that's what I meant by my criticism of the article. It focuses on how the rape is out of character for Jaime and included for shock value, but bases that entirely on "Jaime was written to be raping Cersei". I think both of those points miss the real issue which, as you point out, is that the director and some…

Sorry if I wasn't clear - I totally agree that the scene was directed/edited/reviewed poorly if that was the intent (and I believe it was). The scene is squicky enough in the books that they should have been VERY sure they handled it right on the show, and I don't think they did.

I'm 99% sure it's the other way around, but my books are sitting in storage across the country and I can't seem to find the relevant passage with google (probably my own fault on that front).

I guess I just think that having Drogo force himself on her on their wedding night and then learning to respect her makes more sense than him being respectful on their wedding night and then repeatedly forcing himself on her later.

Wouldn't you classify Drogo later forcing himself on Dany to the extent that she cries herself to sleep and is in so much pain she can barely ride a horse as rape? Because Drogo does this after their "loving" wedding night.

Gotta get them clicks, right?

The Jaime/Cersei scene seems to be much more about bad directing than intent (And obliviousness about the directing) - Graves was interviewed by Sepinwall and referred to it as "ending up as consensual" (paraphrasing), and I think he failed at getting that across.

Exactly.

I can't tell if I should be upset about the Jaime/Cersei scene because they had Jaime rape her or because they produced (directed? not sure the proper term) it so poorly that it doesn't make it clear that Cersei is (meant to be) consenting as they get started. I read a quote from the director on Sepinwall's site that…

LF tells Sansa that he and Olenna conspired when he was sent to Bitterbridge by Tyrion/the Small Council. From what I remember, the Tyrells already had their doubts about Joffrey (and realized Tommen worked just as well) and LF capitalized on that.