We have far more good will for the Starks than for the Lannisters (and the show is telegraphing that the Starks will bounce back while the Lannisters won't) but right now we're seeing what happens when great houses fall into decay. What you're saying is correct, but too much time has gone by, and people have simply…

D+D are finally paying the piper for not sprinkling in more backstory all along. Book readers knew from the beginning that Rhaegar was a pretty cool dude, and the books gave more space to the mythology of the North that now has to be delivered in clunks.

I think there's a sense that the seasons used to be normal, that this world had already experienced a lot of apocalyptic stuff.

Tyrion's wit is wasted on people who don't overtly dislike him and who aren't characterized to snap back at him. He needs good banter partners.

She could very easily come back (and D+D are def teasing us with a lot of obvious hints), but I'm not sure what plot function she would serve. Brienne has managed to fulfill her promise to Cat, and she's in the Riverlands on Sansa's orders, in the service of that promise (guarding Cat's daughter). Who would Stoneheart…

The Hound is a character that people in the larger GOT universe recognize by reputation. People who've spent time in Kings Landing or who have heard about the Hound are going to recognize him when they see him. The Brothers who saw him surely knew who he was. It looks like lots of different people are about to…

- Loras, as the actor has secured new work.

That's a really good point. Olenna murdered the king, yet the show doesn't force a "kingslayer" arc or emotional baggage on her like it did Jaime.

Mayhaps Jorah will pick up Arya on his way back to Bear Island. Arya + Lyanna = BFFs.

This season is really about the larger "world's" reaction to what's going on with our main characters. None of the common folk really care who's king. In times of political strife and warfare (not to mention apocalyptic doom), religions always go extra-nutty. The people are right to tell Jon and Sansa that they can't…

I had similar thoughts about the Septon. I liked the interlude in the books, and in general I tend to enjoy well-meaning devout religious figures when they're embedded in fantasy narratives. When deployed well, they provide context for the mythologies of the in-book universe. The difference here is that the…

If that's the case, the show needs to invent another "idk, we just like writing for this character" person within the Kings Landing crowd.

The Faith Militant are a cult. They're willing to die for the cause and they don't care who they take with them. Knights and soldiers adamantly want to survive the battle. Warriors are more dangerous when they don't value their own lives.

If Tommen dies Cersei would try to seize power, but I wonder if everyone within the show would acknowledge that he wasn't the proper heir anyway. Gendry's the closest heir that the show has given us unless we want to travel back up the Baratheon line, which tbh no one wants to do.

IMO Brienne is the show's fanservice character.

I'm waiting for Brienne and Bronn to meet.

The seven kingdoms were independent before the Targaryens took over and united them, except for Dorne which couldn't be conquered and which entered into a voluntary alliance instead. I've always suspected that the endgame might involve separating the kingdoms again, not putting one person/family name on the Iron…

Inasmuch as Victor is Vanessa's friend, I don't think he's drawn into that corner of the group when Malcolm isn't there.

She was styled like Scully. I'm fairly forgiving of period piece actors having anachronistic hairstyles but the short red bob was really distracting.

Lyanna & Arya is my BFF-ship, besides Brienne & Davos