Also, Stannis would get the Iron Throne plus a buffer against the white walkers in the north, instead of the scattered Boltons and Ironborn there now.

Then it'll cut to… "150,000 years later" and a bunch of crap about Mitochondrial Eve.

It's hard to believe that it took 1919 comments for someone to mention this, but I'm glad you finally did.

Walt didn't live in Tuco's clubhouse.

"…everything will go back to status quo like it always does with this show."

Perhaps there were also, originally, more defense mechanisms that required upkeep: ballistas, oil barrel droppers, etc. Over that time span, the infrastructure to defend the Wall would have deteriorated along with the manpower.

Yes. And it seems that the people who built the wall would have known about giants, and white walkers, etc. Why wouldn't they have built the gate with those in mind?

I thought it was implied that the cache of weapons Sam and co. found was old and/or unknown magic — the kind of thing that can't just be made in the Seven Kingdoms now.

The fact that they're so dull leads me to believe her baby must turn into someone important later on, so we can look back and say, "Ah yeah, that was Gilly's kid!"

And even if the builders didn't see the wisdom of adding all that stuff in, how hard is it to put a pack of hungry wolves and some caltrops into the space between the gates?

Largely agree, but with the caveat that if there's anyone who would turn the Wall storyline into the Sam & Bran show, it's Martin.

And it was strange that Jon didn't take Ghost with him through the gate. That direwolf is never around when you need him!

Exactly.

Exactly. There was a scene expanding this idea last week, with the two different crows debating going out to protect the town the Wildlings just raided.

It would be pretty great to have a ballista-sized arrow just throw your character into the air with no notice whatsoever. Would add some tension to wandering the plains outside Whiterun.

If they had to use it, seems like it would have been a little less cringeful if she'd died mid-sentence. "You know nothing, J—arghhh…"

It was set up so well by the long scene of Jon climbing the wall last season. And I love how it broke out of the ice, like it'd been sitting there unused for 500 years.

Jon Snow: "If they get too high, release the s______."
Me: "…the what?"
<rewind>

It's now hard to imagine how the giants in Skyrim didn't have bows. A massive oversight.

They should deliver it to Cersei with a note recommending that she burn it.