I get where you're coming from, because when she first said the words, I actually took her at face value for a second (and was momentarily shocked), but the rest of the scene makes it pretty clear that she was in fact saying it sarcastically. So possibly 1) Joan (or Hendricks) is really bad at sarcasm, or 2) she was…

My favorite part of that scene was Maester Aemon's piling on with a little chuckle of his own after one of Sam's zingers.

Yeah, but Raylan steps over the line in pursuit of justice, and in Collateral, he makes it clear to everyone, his superiors included, that he's not hiding behind a badge. While Vic pursued justice to some degree, he was driven at least equally by greed, taking his own reward for what he saw as his good work. Vic…

I think Obama's real problem is that his party tends to lack the spinal fortitude necessary to render Obama effective. Democrats have a sad tendency to fear polls, especially those in redder districts,as opposed to Republicans, who despite their cowardly, pessimistic philosophy, show tremendous party cohesion. …

Or conversely, Obama and Kerry are making an actual, potentially (though admittedly long-shot, but it's a hell of a lot better than a the preemptive strike that Netanyahu and his US Congressional boot-lickers would prefer) effective effort to motivate Iran to put the brakes on its nuclear development, and Republicans…

Yeah, though it seems that the show is serious about Archer and Lana really making a go of it, I wasn't 100% convinced Archer had it in him to deny Katya. Caroline refers to her as Archer's ex-girlfriend, but am I mis-remembering things? Weren't they married just before she died?

The Gang's individual intelligences have constantly varied according to plot circumstances, with any of them capable of being unbelievably dumb as the needs of the story dictate. The only constant is that the twins are sort of generally more intelligent than Mac and Charlie, with Dennis probably capable of the most…

Right. Republicans attempting to thwart Obama's domestic agenda regardless of whether it actually conflicts with their supposed ideals is one thing. Actively trying to sabotage the Executive's foreign policy is a new level of wrong. Consider that in addition to here trying to neuter our State Department's potential…

Varys had to send the assassin by Robert's order. He also sent a message to Jorah warning him about the assassin.

It can be two things.

Physical resemblance between the actor and the character in the novel is a pretty overrated concern. Having not read Red Dragon prior to seeing Manhunter, I thought Tom Noonan was outstanding as Dolarhyde, and his physical appearance was a big part of that.

I think I understand where you're coming from regarding Jack. In the first season in particular, Jack's behavior looks a little bit loony, as his flashes of anger often seem to come out of nowhere, and he randomly yells at characters. It's also hard in season one to get a handle on how Jack feels about Will—does he…

This was a good second episode. The pilot was decent but very pilot-y, heavily overplaying the shows themes to the point that it felt more like a thesis statement than an episode of television. This one's writing felt looser and gave the actors more room to breathe. I'm liking both of the leads, though Cash seems…

I think Martin wrote the back story as he did because it's told from individual POV's, and we simply never get internal motivations of Lyanna (apart from Ned's dreams), Rhaegar (apart from Barristan's recollections and Dany's visions) or Ned's generation of Starks, except from the memories of their contemporaries (who…

Fassbender.

Right, but he totally squeezes Oberyn's eyes in first. The show's version of the fight was very well done. I recently re-read the book scene and would assert that it stands as the single finest passage in the entire series. It's a fast but well detailed fight description that still somehow makes me almost forget…

SPOILERS
I actually think Quentyn is sort of a joke by Martin. He's consciously trying to play a heroic role but every person who describes him thinks he's underwhelming and inadequate, and everything he does is futile or ends disastrously (for him, anyway—I suspect Dany will be happier with her husband not having…

The show hasn't addressed the issue of who is in charge of the Stormlands as I recall, or who holds Storm's End in whose name, or who the Crown considers to be its ruler. By all rights (from Lannister perspective), it should have been Myrcella's (as Baratheon's heir) and Dragonstone Tommen's (as Joffrey's heir) until…

I loved that he thought tucking his t-shirt into his dark jeans was helping to class him up. I would have done the same!

The stuff at Craster's was good enough to accomplish what it set out to, but was still kind of silly if you think at all about what everyone did. You're right, Locke obviously should have just cut some throats and blamed it on the mutineers.
The Nights Watch put about zero seconds into their attack plan. "So, okay,…