So he was helping Gendry? That makes sense but I thought Sandor wanted it so he could fight with it… plus being unarmed up their seems bad too.

Totes.

Ok, Rick Perry. (Dated reference, I know.)

Why was Sandor so insistent on having Gendry's warhammer? It sounded like he wanted to fight with it, but that would leave Gendry unarmed… it seemed like a producer decision because they didn't want to film Gendry running with it…

Thanks! Frustrating explanation, but it makes sense from a business standpoint. Side note: Myles, you're a TERRIFIC writer but maybe not a great accountant.

Maybe. But I can't help but think this is all foreshadowing Daenerys's lack of interest in the long game. I think she's someone who THINKS she's a leader and a world-changer, but is more power hungry than she knows.

Related question - do we know WHY they went with a shortened season? I mean, Myles makes great points and I can't believe the producers aren't cognizant of these issues. Don't they have carte blanche to make this long?

I'll rewatch it and reconsider. But points for the Futurama joke.

I'll check out Borgen (I love Scandinavian drama but I've never heard of it) but I will defend Pitch Perfect 2 (and any sequels) until my dying day.

Re: the Red Shirts - the episode compares poorly to Hardhome. There, they created a Red Shirt in Karsi (the actress from Pitch Perfect 2) and gave her a perfect mini-arc in one episode that made us care she died. Nothing stopped the writers from doing that here.

Agreed totally.

On the Arya/Sansa thing, I actually thought that worked. For this reason - Arya and Sansa NEVER got along. Arya was always an outsider and her view of Sansa now rests on very thin ice. Arya was always closest to Jon and when she sensed a betrayal of him, she jumped back to her old view of things.

If someone told GRRM he could get out of this whole "writing 2-3 more books" deal with a series of plot tweets, I think he might take it up at this point.

Daenerys definitely does not live through the end.

Am I correct in understanding that, despite the criticism (all quite valid) you actually enjoyed the episode on the visceral and emotional levels?

I guess. And Samwell Tarly could say he likes really skinny ladies - it just seems funny.

Also, Jon is "a little short" for her? Emilia Clarke is Tyrion sized! She's like 5' nothing!

I think so. I mean, none of the story makes sense unless the Night King knows a lot about Westeros, though. Also, his actions are not unintelligent, he has military strategy, and he has an understanding of who matters in the conflicts.
So I would guess the Night King as some possibly mystical means of learning this…

I mean, all indications are that the Night King is smart and may have intel. And I guess I can't think of a better explanation than it being a trap.

Bratty? That was stone cold intimidation? That's baller Arya.