Game of Thrones Season 5 (TV ONLY)

[FaxModem1]

So, when does it start to go up? It's been a rather static line since season 2 of her being one person or the other's chew toy and personal plaything. Sansa is a reactive character, not a proactive one, and it seems pretty clear that her entire purpose since season 2 has been to show how bad people are by how they treat this vulnerable girl.

So what, do you think when they were writing Littlefinger sending her in to Winterfell to take back her home, they weren't being sincere and are just full of shit and want to keep brutalising her? I take the writers at their word on their plans for Sansa. I just don't see the utility of complaining about how her arc isn't taking a turn at some entirely arbitrary point.

Otherwise, did anyone else notice Dany's dothraki were back this season? Finally.

Well, let's face it, this is Game of Thrones, and the good, innocent, and vulnerable only die horrible, horrible deaths. Sansa's role has been the audience viewpoint of other characters, and as a chewtoy, she has no other purpose. GRRM threw her away in the books, I see no reason for them to not do the same here and just throw Sansa under the bus, or have be the victim of Stannis and Melissandre if he is able to take Winterfell. After all, the Starks are the enemies of the Boltons, the Lannisters, and maybe the Tyrells, so Sansa's blood will be of use to witch's ways.

[TheFeniX]

Well, let's face it, this is Game of Thrones, and the good, innocent, and vulnerable only die horrible, horrible deaths. Sansa's role has been the audience viewpoint of other characters, and as a chewtoy, she has no other purpose. GRRM threw her away in the books, I see no reason for them to not do the same here and just throw Sansa under the bus, or have be the victim of Stannis and Melissandre if he is able to take Winterfell. After all, the Starks are the enemies of the Boltons, the Lannisters, and maybe the Tyrells, so Sansa's blood will be of use to witch's ways.

This is my "problem" with Sansa. Not as a character, because she really isn't one, but her use as a sympathy dump. If she were a real person, my sympathy would only grow as she's put through more and more horrors. But she isn't. She's a fictional character that seems to exist to be kicked around. As more and more bad shit happens to her, with seemingly no light being at the end of the tunnel, the opposite happens: I become desensitized to the fictional horrors being commit upon her because it seems to serve no purpose other than "Feel bad for this character, we're doing mean things to her!"

Has she had a single scene that wasn't the focus of not only another character but not talking about her eventual marriage and bearing of children? Her closest chance I can recall for a "happy ending" was marrying Loras who's saving grace was that he wouldn't want to have sex with her. I get that's her lot in the show, having no friends and no power, but it doesn't make for a character I can invest a lot in emotionally.

At this point, my only "feeling" is that it doesn't make much sense for Ramsey to torture her both physically and mentally. This worked on someone like Reek, but her "job" is to produce offspring. Abuse of either kind doesn't jive with bearing healthy children. I get that Bolton's a psychopath, but his violence has always seemed more controlled. But now he's treating the woman who's going to solidify his legacy as just another Kennelmaster's daughter to be beaten and whipped. I would think Roose would step in, if not for humanity but for pragmatism, and say "quit beating your wife, knock out some kids, and torture other women who don't matter."

But the bruises could just be more superficial and he is dialing it back. After all, she isn't exhibiting any physical symptoms of her injuries, other than the bruises. No limping, no stilted walking, so it may be that Ramsey is just incredibly rough and can't even have sex without hurting someone. He might not even be able to perform without it. Reminds me of a scene in Rome where Octavian couldn't get it up until his new wife bitch-slaps him one.

[Simon_Jester]

I wouldn't say Sansa's been thrown away in that sense in the books. Insofar as she has a character arc it's been "betrayed little girl evolving into cunning manipulator," although she's a long way from having gotten there. Sort of like how Arya's arc is "tomboy evolving into bloody-minded assassin."

[TheFeniX]

What evolving though? She told off Brienne and a psycho peasant girl. That's not really manipulation other than understanding the girl was in love with Ramsey and she just sandbagged her. Less manipulation and more "The Stark full house beats your pair of threes." As much as Littlefinger likes to build her up, he's never been in nearly the hopeless situations Sansa has been (at least from where the show takes off). You to have some leverage to manipulate and Sansa has none. Even her name isn't a great protection since she's implicated in the murder of the king and Cersei would never let Sansa stand trial for her "crimes." She's dead outside Winterfell and a prisoner inside it.

Arya on the other hand has killed people and been in a position to not only learn about her enemies but also use her insane luck to get her out of hopeless situations. The hound showing up out of nowhere. The random prisoner she saved turning out to be a superpowered assassin. Luck aside, she's still doing things. God damn, even her laughing at the idea of her Aunt being dead, thus another kick in the teeth to her and the Hound shows more character than Sansa has been allowed to show. The interactions between her and the Hound were some of the best in the show. I would watch an "Arya and the Hound" mini-series as they stroll around Westeros killing the shit out of people like all day every day.

Right now, if the Faceless dude said "You're not worthy," stabbed Arya in the neck, and dumped her corpse in the river, I'd flip my shit. Not because I really cared about the story-arc, but because I have something invested in her as a character. And really, at this point: the faceless arc doesn't even matter to the story. But Winterfell has so many arcs about to crash into it (Stannis, Littlefinger, White Walkers, possibly the Ironborn) Sansa doesn't even matter in the one place she should.

[FaxModem1]

Pretty much what TheFenix said, the closest we've ever gotten to Sansa doing anything is prodding Joffrey into being at the frontlines at the Battle of Blackwater. And we haven't seen anything like that since.

[Elfdart]

The twitter reaction to Cersei getting PWNED has been pretty funny. "Bye, Bitch" seems to be the consensus of opinion:


Laws don't apply to me!

Doesn't this put Jamie and Marcella's lives in even greater danger? People already suspect the kids are Jamie's, but once word got out that Cersei got busted for incest and adultery...

So much for the marriage in Dorne. And so much for any reason for the Dornish to keep Jamie, Marcella and Bronn alive.

[Mr Bean]

Doesn't this put Jamie and Marcella's lives in even greater danger? People already suspect the kids are Jamie's, but once word got out that Cersei got busted for incest and adultery...

So much for the marriage in Dorne. And so much for any reason for the Dornish to keep Jamie, Marcella and Bronn alive.

The truth is what the powerful make it. It helps Dorne is Cersi is busted for regicide and adultery but not incest, likewise the Tyrells benefit from Cersei being removed for killing the King that leaves a puppet King on the throne and Jamie can be made to play ball/vanish

Remember Tywin is dead, that family is King's Guard Jamie Lannister, Uncle Kevin Lannister, Lancel the now fanatic Lanniser, Tyrion and the two remaning kids. That family was built and nourished by Twin for forty years, with him gone it's just the inferior offspring.

That's not book knowledge it's just reading the show, Lancel can prove adultery and confesses to regicide... he can't prove incest since Cersei never had any kids with him.

[TheHammer]

So, when does it start to go up? It's been a rather static line since season 2 of her being one person or the other's chew toy and personal plaything. Sansa is a reactive character, not a proactive one, and it seems pretty clear that her entire purpose since season 2 has been to show how bad people are by how they treat this vulnerable girl.

So what, do you think when they were writing Littlefinger sending her in to Winterfell to take back her home, they weren't being sincere and are just full of shit and want to keep brutalising her? I take the writers at their word on their plans for Sansa. I just don't see the utility of complaining about how her arc isn't taking a turn at some entirely arbitrary point.

Otherwise, did anyone else notice Dany's dothraki were back this season? Finally.

Well, let's face it, this is Game of Thrones, and the good, innocent, and vulnerable only die horrible, horrible deaths. Sansa's role has been the audience viewpoint of other characters, and as a chewtoy, she has no other purpose. GRRM threw her away in the books, I see no reason for them to not do the same here and just throw Sansa under the bus, or have be the victim of Stannis and Melissandre if he is able to take Winterfell. After all, the Starks are the enemies of the Boltons, the Lannisters, and maybe the Tyrells, so Sansa's blood will be of use to witch's ways.

Actually I have my doubts about that. If Stark blood were valuable, she certainly wouldn't have left Arya behind when they met.
Spoiler

I believe the whole "Power in a king's blood" is bullshit. After all, if its merely the title then why wasn't the "king beyond the wall" worth following? As the brother of an Usurper its not as though he had a birthright to being a king. In that view, I think it's specifically Targaryen blood (or possible old Valyrian blood) that the red priests value. It's well established in the books that the Baratheon line is decended from a Targaryen bastard. And also explains why you have red priests in the east supporting Danerys. I also think that this fact will be revealed at some point.

[Thanas]

Well, now we will see next week whether Daenerys is till stupidly ruled by emotion or not. My guess is the former.

I wish Ghost would have bitten them.

I also think Littlefinger and Olena would make amazing rulers given the competition.

Tommen is useless.

The Sand Snakes actually got dialogue that was not eye-rollling bad. Oh, and Bronn and that one Sand Snake? I think I might have found the one pairing on this show that actually might result in a happy marriage.

Myrcella is every teenage girl ever. I love him blablabla.

I hope Kevan comes home and shows the fanatics whose boss.

[Ziggy Stardust]

Can we all just take a moment to reflect on how great of an actor Jonathan Pryce is? Him and Diana Rigg is a fantastic combination. I hope they get more scenes together.

[Elfdart]

Well, now we will see next week whether Daenerys is till stupidly ruled by emotion or not. My guess is the former.

Well apparently Not Fabio has her dickwhipped to the point where she's considering her own Red Wedding -or Red Joint Session.

I wish Ghost would have bitten them.

I wish Ghost would bite a bunch of people.

I also think Littlefinger and Olena would make amazing rulers given the competition.

Olena, yes. Littlefinger no.

The Sand Snakes actually got dialogue that was not eye-rollling bad. Oh, and Bronn and that one Sand Snake? I think I might have found the one pairing on this show that actually might result in a happy marriage.

Well, Jamie did promise Bronn a "better" lady. And the Snake with the fabulous boobs is right -Bronn does have a nice voice:



But this being Game of Thrones, the striptease was probably just to stimulate Bronn's blood rate, causing the venom to spread faster, and the antidote was fake and... and...

I suspect the worst for every character I like, so Bronn is doomed.

Myrcella is every teenage girl ever. I love him blablabla.

I almost expected her to yell "It's my life and you can't tell me what to do!"

I hope Kevan comes home and shows the fanatics whose boss.

How does he do that without Margery, Loras and Cersei being killed by the Manson Family?

[Thanas]

Well, now we will see next week whether Daenerys is till stupidly ruled by emotion or not. My guess is the former.

Well apparently Not Fabio has her dickwhipped to the point where she's considering her own Red Wedding -or Red Joint Session.

I was wondering more with regards to Mormont and Tyrion. I expect her to throw them into a cell and at the least attempt to execute them.

Olena, yes. Littlefinger no.

Why not? so far he is far above anybody else in the show in actually making something out of nothing.

But this being Game of Thrones, the striptease was probably just to stimulate Bronn's blood rate, causing the venom to spread faster, and the antidote was fake and... and...

Well, apparently she finds him cute.

How does he do that without Margery, Loras and Cersei being killed by the Manson Family?

I am pretty sure there are tunnels and secret passages the ignorant fanatics have no clue that they exist. And given that the alternatives are apparently burning at the stake....

[Balrog]

I noticed minor parallels between this and the first season of the show.

Back in the first season, a principled man (Ned) comes to King's Landing to bring justice to the capital but the cynical, lying power-grabbers around him use those principles to betray and kill him. This season, a principled man (HS) comes to King's Landing to bring justice to the capital and the cynical, lying power-grabbers around him are completely caught off-guard by his principles and he's (so far) succeeded in his aims.

I'm also reminded of the story-time Tyrion, Shae and Bronn had in their tent before battle, talking about Tyrion's first time and how stupid he was because, according to Shae, no woman would want to sleep with a man just after she was almost raped, even if he was the one who saved her. Apparently Gillie never heard that piece of wisdom.

[Elfdart]

I noticed minor parallels between this and the first season of the show.

Back in the first season, a principled man (Ned) comes to King's Landing to bring justice to the capital but the cynical, lying power-grabbers around him use those principles to betray and kill him. This season, a principled man (HS) comes to King's Landing to bring justice to the capital and the cynical, lying power-grabbers around him are completely caught off-guard by his principles and he's (so far) succeeded in his aims.

I'm also reminded of the story-time Tyrion, Shae and Bronn had in their tent before battle, talking about Tyrion's first time and how stupid he was because, according to Shae, no woman would want to sleep with a man just after she was almost raped, even if he was the one who saved her. Apparently Gillie never heard that piece of wisdom.

Gilly has known and liked Sam for a while and IIRC named her kid after him. This isn't some total stranger.

Why not? so far he is far above anybody else in the show in actually making something out of nothing.

I get the impression that like Cersei, he's overdue to get hoisted on his own petard.

Well, apparently she finds him cute.

All the more reason to think he's done for. By the way, isn't he old enough to be her father?



Talk about putting the "jail" in jailbait! Or is it gaol-bait?

I am pretty sure there are tunnels and secret passages the ignorant fanatics have no clue that they exist. And given that the alternatives are apparently burning at the stake....

Except the person most likely to know of these tunnels (if they exist) had to flee Westeros.

[Pelranius]

The actress who plays Tyene is 18, I think.

As for Littlefinger as a ruler, my main problem is that he doesn't seem to be too invested in the well being of people around him, much less those under him.

I bet Tyrion talks Dany out of massacring the Masters, which drives Daario crazy (though I suspect that Daario is in on the Sons of the Harpy scheme).

[Thanas]

These are great:
































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[Pelranius]

Well, that makes up for "If Game of Thrones went on Facebook" going on hiatus.

[RogueIce]

So if Cersai is getting locked up for her incestuous ways (they didn't really say though; did Lancel have anything else on her?) does that mean Tommen's useless ass is also destined for a cell?

I hope so.

Either that or the useless shit will finally do something now that he lacks mommy's teats holding him back.

[LaCroix]

Usually, only guilty parties are punished. And as far as we know, Tommen is not the child of these two, so he cannot be drawn into this. And even if the father of Tommen became known, Tommen is not guilty of anything, so there wouldn't be a cell waiting for him. But neither would the throne, and Stannis would recieve a quite unexpected letter...

[FaxModem1]

No he wouldn't, Stannis is a heretic, following the Lord of Light, so the Church wouldn't want him to be the King. Who comes after in succession however, is a mystery to me.

[GuppyShark]

The blacksmith kid, right?

[FaxModem1]

Gendry? That is a possibility. If he hasn't sunk himself from Davos boat and landed somewhere by now. But yeah, if he's still kicking, and can be found, he could be the next pick for King as ruled by the Seven.

[Thanas]

That would be a hilarious failure. The lords aren't going to get beaten down by the church and the armed fanatics we've seen so far would be little more than practice fodder for any decent army.

[Iroscato]

Right. The church only has this much power because of Cersei and Tommen having roughly the same amount of spine as his brother, with next to none of the crazy. The way things are going in King's Landing at the moment, theoretically Stannis would be almost welcomed as a liberator from lunatics and a weak, illegitimate king. If it came to a full-blown siege, the church won't be much cop.

[FaxModem1]

That depends on how far this movement spreads. If it spreads to the Reach, the Riverlands, or anywhere else, it could be viewed as salvation from these scary Lord of Light worshippers who burn people alive, causing their numbers to swell.