Game of Thrones Season 5 Discussion [SPOILERS WITHIN]

[FatAndFaithless]

Ok, first, wow, they are just totally off the books now, 100%.
My take on each story line.

Littlefinger is playing a much bigger game than wanting Warden of the North from Cersie. If that is all he wanted, why spend time teaching Sansa a few tricks and giving her a backbone? I agree with SteelCurtain, he's playing with Cersie.

I'm liking his role in the show, really flexing his manipulator muscles, though we do know his one (supposed) weakness with Sansa.

Sansa, poor dear, develops a backbone but much good it does her. I think this final scene was, sadly, just a woman in the fridge kind of trope.

I dunno. She was given the chance to back out of the marriage but exercised her agency and chose to enter the Bolton's den in order to attain a position for revenge. What did she think was going to happen on the wedding night? That being said I do wish the writers had given her less of a victim-y role in that scene. She had just smacked down Myranda in the bath scene and had been utterly in control and collected throughout her time in Winterfell so far. I would've preferred her surprising Ramsay by initating the scene or something...or shit, even just showing her face as completely calm and unreactive while Ramsay was trying to intimidate her would've been better. The quote I remember most from Sansa in the books is "My skin has turned to porcelain, to ivory, to steel." She's been through so much shit that she can't be hurt anymore and can take whatever they can dish out and still come out alive. That last scene just kind of turned into a Season 1 scared Joffrey-plaything Sansa, and it was a bit out of place after they spent the first 5 episodes of the season establishing her newfound strength.

Theon was allowed his name back, and watching her be raped when he feels guilt for causing so much dissent and pain for the one family who treated him with kindness and respct is going to eventually move him to action. I think this was setting up a Theon is going to kill Ramsey plotline.

Agreed, or at least helping her escape from Winterfell a la Jeyne Poole.

Arya, just fucking WOW! Best part of this episode. Loved the room of faces, cried when she finally learned to lie and helped that poor child die. Mercy killing. It was horrible and beautiful all at once. Also, "I hated the Hound!", smack "The girl lies to the many faed god and to herself". Awesomesauce, I knew she cared about him by the end.

Arya was great. I can already see the connection for next episode when she'll meet some people from Westeros.

Kings landing....they arrested Margery and her bro? Olena is not going to take this sitting down, or standing up, or at all. What will be the result of this, I hope, WILL be something from the books (reverseo onto Cersie for her incest).

A lot of people complained about the Loras/Margaery scenes because they think the evidence presented against them was so flimsy. Two things.

1) it wasn't a trial, it was an inquest.
2) That's the point. In the books all we see is Cersei's view of the situation and she thinks she's got a locked down case against the Tyrells, but the evidence is laughable and rumor at best...just like we see in this scene. It's supposed to highlight Cersei's precarious position of self-delusion.

But poor Tommen, being the child of incest, will he get caught up in that as well? Will the queen of thorns use the holy nutjobs or find a way to get rid of them, or both?

I've lost all affection for Tommen. I almost wish Joffrey was there for that one scene...see what he would've done if the Faith Militant tried to take his queen.

Tyrion. Not much actually happening there this, now they are on a faster track to Dany, so yay for that I guess. The slavers just seem like a plot device to move them to Dany faster. Will we get to see Dany watching a fight in the Pits when Jorah comes out? Will we get the Drogon scene or some variation on it at least?

Still, best line of the episode: "The dwarf lives until we find a cock merchant."

Jamie/Bron/Myrcella, I have no clue where this is going. Bron can sing though! I wanted to hear the end of the Dornisman's wife!

I choose to forget those Dornish scenes except for the plot progression. I found the fight scene to be cringingly bad, and the whole setup of that part of the episode is preposterous.