Game of Thrones Season 6: The Quickening (chatter/guesses/spoilers)

tennbengal · Post by **tennbengal** » Tue Apr 19, 2016 2:29 pm

Let's start from scratch for season 6. Cersei chooses violence.

I don't think we get initial resolution on Jon Snow until episode 2 or 3.

A_B · Post by **A_B** » Tue Apr 19, 2016 2:50 pm

tennbengal wrote:Let's start from scratch for season 6. Cersei chooses violence.

I don't think we get initial resolution on Jon Snow until episode 2 or 3.

I think something with Jon Snow will be the hammer on Ep1, but agree that it will just be a last shot not anything concrete.

rass · Post by **rass** » Wed Apr 20, 2016 5:26 am

Jon Snow is really most sincerely dead and Bengal quits on the entire franchise before episode 2 is over.

A_B · Post by **A_B** » Wed Apr 20, 2016 6:34 am

rass wrote:Jon Snow is really most sincerely dead and Bengal quits on the entire franchise before episode 2 is over.

How awesome would it be if they trotted Kit Harrington onto the set, made him dress up, even put him in some scenes, only to never appear in any new footage. That would be insane.

tennbengal · Post by **tennbengal** » Wed Apr 20, 2016 7:21 am

rass wrote:Jon Snow is really most sincerely dead and Bengal quits on the entire franchise before episode 2 is over.

It's out there as a possibility, yes.

A_B · Post by **A_B** » Fri Apr 22, 2016 8:30 am

First Episode is called "The REd Woman" so I guess maybe we get some Melisandre action.

rass · Post by **rass** » Fri Apr 22, 2016 9:31 am

A_B wrote:First Episode is called "The REd Woman" so I guess maybe we get some Melisandre action.

Supposedly there is another Priestess of the Light due to show up this season (you can see her in some of the trailers, I think in Mereene?), but probably, yeah.

Johnny Carwash · Post by **Johnny Carwash** » Sun Apr 24, 2016 3:24 pm

Quick thoughts before the premiere: So, like most people, I thought the last season was the worst by far, a really big drop-off, to the point where I expected my interest in the show to be permanently sapped. I had barely thought of it in the intervening months. That trailer, though, got me surprisingly optimistic again. Maybe being almost totally free of the constraints of the book material will be creatively liberating for the showrunners. We'll see...

A_B · Post by **A_B** » Sun Apr 24, 2016 8:32 pm

Aargh. Woman fell asleep. Looking like tomorrow for me. Dadgummit.

tennbengal · Post by **tennbengal** » Mon Apr 25, 2016 5:31 am

So weird to not know what is coming.

And even as a book reader, had forgotten that milasandre is OLD.

rass · Post by **rass** » Mon Apr 25, 2016 6:20 am

tennbengal wrote:So weird to not know what is coming.

It is, right?

I think the biggest issue I might have here is not having the book plot spoiled by the show as far knowing what will happen. My problem will be slogging through plots that have been completely dropped by the show. All of things Doran Martell had going on, Young Griff, Lady Stoneheart, and all sorts of shit that isn't coming to me right now. It be interesting to see if GRRM can make them payoff when clearly someone, be all on HBO's side or with input from him, made a decision that they weren't essential to the overall story being told on the show.

Johnny Carwash · Post by **Johnny Carwash** » Mon Apr 25, 2016 6:27 am

OK, I might have to walk back some of the optimism from my previous post. That was a pretty mediocre episode and felt uncomfortably similar to the weaker parts of last season. The only part where anything of real significance happened was Dorne, but there it felt like they were just getting rid of characters they didn't know what to do with.

If they end up just loading the early part of the season with wheel-spinning episodes before resolving anything major I'm going to be pissed.

rass · Post by **rass** » Mon Apr 25, 2016 7:12 am

Johnny Carwash wrote:If they end up just loading the early part of the season with wheel-spinning episodes before resolving anything major I'm going to be pissed.

I didn't think it was that bad at all. I guess the scene in Braavos did little to nothing, as did Margaery and the Sparrow, and I feel like Ramsey and Roose already had that conversation last season. And the scene in Mereene went from simply re-establishing what Tyrion is up to (though those two play off each other so well I can't complain too much) to WTF how did the fucking Unsullied allow every one of Daenerys' ships to be destroyed (though I guess it might explain why the Iron Island plots are rumored to be finally picked back up by the show this season). But it is the first episode of the season, and if the show feels it needs to ease everyone back into the various plots, I'm OK with it. For one episode at least.

And otherwise...

...even though I agree the show completely mishandled Dorne, those scenes last night were big.
...Jamie coming home to his sister with their dead daughter was necessary.
...Brienne finally found a Stark to protect.
...the Daenerys scene moved her story forward. I'm sure any similarities to season 1 were intentional.
...I thought the scene where Thorne justified the killing of JSnow was very well done. He made a strong case.
...I'm not sure what the Melisandre reveal at the end means, but it I'm very interested to find out.

tennbengal · Post by **tennbengal** » Mon Apr 25, 2016 7:31 am

As a book reader, seeing Doran Martell murdered like that was truly disheartening. As much as a slog as the Dorne storyline was in the books, the best parts of it were his manueverings and genuine attempts at peace-making through secret diplomacy. That's all just...gone. Man, do I now retroactively hate Book 5 even more.

tennbengal · Post by **tennbengal** » Mon Apr 25, 2016 7:32 am

Also, that episode ruled just for the discussion of what was better than seeing a beautiful woman naked for the first time.

Nonlinear FC · Post by **Nonlinear FC** » Mon Apr 25, 2016 8:53 am

tennbengal wrote:Also, that episode ruled just for the discussion of what was better than seeing a beautiful woman naked for the first time.

That was fucking hilarious. It's like they dropped Larry David in there or something.

tennbengal · Post by **tennbengal** » Mon Apr 25, 2016 8:58 am

Nonlinear FC wrote:
tennbengal wrote:Also, that episode ruled just for the discussion of what was better than seeing a beautiful woman naked for the first time.
That was fucking hilarious. It's like they dropped Larry David in there or something.

"OK! It's one of the five best things."

Jerloma · Post by **Jerloma** » Mon Apr 25, 2016 9:20 am

tennbengal wrote:Also, that episode ruled just for the discussion of what was better than seeing a beautiful woman naked for the first time.

Not so much the case with Old Melisandre, though.

...I thought the scene where Thorne justified the killing of JSnow was very well done. He made a strong case.

No, he didn't. Jon knew that there was a real risk letting the Wildlings in. His reason was that if they leave them to die, they turn into White Walkers. Thorne never even addressed this.

rass · Post by **rass** » Mon Apr 25, 2016 9:34 am

Jerloma wrote:
tennbengal wrote:Also, that episode ruled just for the discussion of what was better than seeing a beautiful woman naked for the first time.
Not so much the case with Old Melisandre, though.

...I thought the scene where Thorne justified the killing of JSnow was very well done. He made a strong case.
No, he didn't. Jon knew that there was a real risk letting the Wildlings in. His reason was that if they leave them to die, they turn into White Walkers. Thorne never even addressed this.

Jon knows/knew that, and we know that, but Thorne and pretty much everyone else just had to take Jon's word for it.

Steve of phpBB · Post by **Steve of phpBB** » Mon Apr 25, 2016 1:08 pm

Can someone clarify something for me, since I don't seem to remember much from last season - even though I rewatched the last episode last night. Have the Wildlings already been allowed to go through the wall and settle the north? If so, how does killing Jon Snow protect either the Watch or Westeros? Are those twelve guys going to start hunting down the Wildlings now?

Also, does anyone else find Ellaria Sand's need for revenge for the death of Oberyn to be really really stupid? The dude got himself into mortal combat, tried to cheat with poison, and lost because he got cocky instead of finishing the job. C'mon. And I realize this was in the books, so I'm not blaming the show for it.

Finally, do we think there is really going to be another book? I think Martin lost control of the plot and doesn't know how to resolve the story. The last books added so many storylines

tennbengal · Post by **tennbengal** » Mon Apr 25, 2016 1:17 pm

Steve of phpBB wrote:Can someone clarify something for me, since I don't seem to remember much from last season - even though I rewatched the last episode last night. Have the Wildlings already been allowed to go through the wall and settle the north? If so, how does killing Jon Snow protect either the Watch or Westeros? Are those twelve guys going to start hunting down the Wildlings now?

Also, does anyone else find Ellaria Sand's need for revenge for the death of Oberyn to be really really stupid? The dude got himself into mortal combat, tried to cheat with poison, and lost because he got cocky instead of finishing the job. C'mon. And I realize this was in the books, so I'm not blaming the show for it.

Finally, do we think there is really going to be another book? I think Martin lost control of the plot and doesn't know how to resolve the story. The last books added so many storylines

It's not Oberyn's death she is avenging, it is Elia Martell - it was Elia's death that Oberyn himself was trying to avenge.

http://gameofthrones.wikia.com/wiki/Elia_Martell

The needs for avenging stuff was this:

When Robert's Rebellion erupted, Elia was kept in King's Landing by King Aerys to ensure the loyalty of House Martell during the conflict- a measure the Martells considered unnecessary, as they would always fight for whichever side Elia was on and had no intention of breaking their oaths of loyalty to the Targaryens. Ultimately Rhaegar was killed in personal combat with Robert Baratheon at the Battle of the Trident, leaving Elia widowed. A few weeks later during the Sack of King's Landing, Tywin Lannister's army betrayed the Targaryens and overran the city. Ser Gregor Clegane - known as "The Mountain That Rides" burst into the royal chambers and before Elia's eyes, killed her daughter Rhaenys, then bashed her infant son's head in against a wall. Covered in the blood and gore of her children, Gregor proceeded to brutally rape Elia, and finally he killed her.[6] It is rumored that he cut her in half with his greatsword, though Gregor himself later confesses to "smashing her head in".[7][8]

Ellaria was Elia's sister, and, yes, has not gotten over Elia's death just yet. So when she killed Doran, it was because he was standing in the way of that revenge.

(and, side note, that all went on in around all the R + L = J theory stuff and is a bit inter-twined with the thesis - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R%2BL%3DJ_Theory)

Wildings are through the Wall, that was the end of season 5. The watch is diminished, and I am not sure that they think they can hunt wildings on their own, but I bet they are thinking they can talk the Boltons into it under threat to the North type stuff...

Jerloma · Post by **Jerloma** » Mon Apr 25, 2016 1:18 pm

I don't think Ellaria was trying to avenge Oberryn or the sister Martel. She just thinks Doran has gone soft and makes for a shitty leader. Now, if she were to avenge Oberryn, she'd go after the Lannisters and to do that, you need an army. Especially with Frankenstein Mountain there.

tennbengal · Post by **tennbengal** » Mon Apr 25, 2016 1:39 pm

I guess I am not disagreeing, per se, 'loma, but I think a good part of Ellaria's criticism and then murder of Doran was over his refusal to exact revenge (or do so in a way that she agreed with). Which, I think, would lead to her conclusion that he was weak.

Johnny Carwash · Post by **Johnny Carwash** » Mon Apr 25, 2016 1:43 pm

I think we've already put more thought into the Dorne plot than the showrunners have.

tennbengal · Post by **tennbengal** » Mon Apr 25, 2016 1:47 pm

Johnny Carwash wrote:I think we've already put more thought into the Dorne plot than the showrunners have.

Well, given that I read the goddamn books, I watched too large a part of 2000 pages get stabbed in the heart in about one half second last night, so, yeah, I gave it a thought or two.

Given how much of the current action is rooted in Robert's Rebellion and the potential R + L = J stuff, a bit surprised there has not been more "flashback" type scenes to some of those events to help explain current motivations etc.

Jerloma · Post by **Jerloma** » Mon Apr 25, 2016 2:22 pm

tennbengal wrote:I guess I am not disagreeing, per se, 'loma, but I think a good part of Ellaria's criticism and then murder of Doran was over his refusal to exact revenge (or do so in a way that she agreed with). Which, I think, would lead to her conclusion that he was weak.

Yeah, that's pretty much my take as well. I was posting at the same time as you, so I wasn't disputing your analysis.

rass · Post by **rass** » Mon Apr 25, 2016 8:20 pm

Johnnie · Post by **Johnnie** » Mon Apr 25, 2016 9:49 pm

How long does it take for grayscale to spread?

And how fucking stupid is Doran's son?

I want Olly to be ripped limb from limb.

tennbengal · Post by **tennbengal** » Tue Apr 26, 2016 7:10 am

Johnnie wrote:How long does it take for grayscale to spread?

And how fucking stupid is Doran's son?

I want Olly to be ripped limb from limb.

He just hadn't lived long enough to acquire the proper skepticism as to the offer. As opposed to Davos who knows if they open the door they are all going to be slaughtered, no matter what is said in offer.

A_B · Post by **A_B** » Tue Apr 26, 2016 7:37 am

tennbengal wrote:
Johnnie wrote:How long does it take for grayscale to spread?

And how fucking stupid is Doran's son?

I want Olly to be ripped limb from limb.
He just hadn't lived long enough to acquire the proper skepticism as to the offer. As opposed to Davos who knows if they open the door they are all going to be slaughtered, no matter what is said in offer.

AM I missing how in the hell the two sand snakes got onto that boat?

I was underwhlemed, but I am increasingly underwhelmed by this show. Need more time to digest I suppose.

A_B · Post by **A_B** » Tue Apr 26, 2016 7:45 am

GFD

tennbengal · Post by **tennbengal** » Tue Apr 26, 2016 7:51 am

A_B wrote:
tennbengal wrote:
Johnnie wrote:How long does it take for grayscale to spread?

And how fucking stupid is Doran's son?

I want Olly to be ripped limb from limb.
He just hadn't lived long enough to acquire the proper skepticism as to the offer. As opposed to Davos who knows if they open the door they are all going to be slaughtered, no matter what is said in offer.
AM I missing how in the hell the two sand snakes got onto that boat?

I was underwhlemed, but I am increasingly underwhelmed by this show. Need more time to digest I suppose.

They were not on the boat I would not think. I would imagine the plot to kill Myrcella et al included them having separate transportation to get to King's Landing ahead of Jamie's boat and timed for after Ellaria was to kill Doran.

As for the necklace thing, there is no way it is just wearing the necklace that keeps her magical form, I would imagine. In that scene the camera lingered over vials of potion or what not so I would guess it is whatever is in those vials along with the necklace.

rass · Post by **rass** » Tue Apr 26, 2016 8:22 am

A_B wrote:GFD

I saw some more complicated justifications/rationalizations of that scene yesterday (based on who was in the room with her) but I like the simplest explanation. It isn't just the necklace that does it. It's the necklace, plus will or intent or magic or whatever. Done.

rass · Post by **rass** » Tue Apr 26, 2016 8:24 am

Or what TB said.

And I guess I missed/forgot that Trystane went to King's Landing, too?

A_B · Post by **A_B** » Tue Apr 26, 2016 8:35 am

I think the simplest explanation is editing error.

That's not a real big deal, I was just positng that because I was checking out some discussions this AM and shit like that usually bugs me. But a two minute scene in a 60 hour show isn't really a big deal and I can forgive an error.

Nonlinear FC · Post by **Nonlinear FC** » Tue Apr 26, 2016 9:18 am

Also, boobs.

tennbengal · Post by **tennbengal** » Tue Apr 26, 2016 9:42 am

I mean, if it was JUST the wearing of the necklace that keeps the illusion, I would think much of her days would be fraught with worry that the clasp doesn't ever break...

A_B · Post by **A_B** » Tue Apr 26, 2016 11:54 am

There's a Maester column in the Ringer Newsletter today. If anyone wants it but doesn't wish to encourage Bill Simmons, shoot me your email and I'll forward it.

tennbengal · Post by **tennbengal** » Tue Apr 26, 2016 1:00 pm

Let's see if I can cut and paste today too:

Ask the Maester: Melisandre’s Power, Daenerys’s Destination, and Whatever’s Happening in Dorne

By Jason Concepcion

Head to our Facebook page at 3 p.m. ET today for an Ask the Maester bonus. Jason will be answering questions live! Future Ask the Maester columns will be hosted on Facebook beginning next Tuesday. And for more on the Season 6 premiere, check out HBO Now for the debut episode of After the Thrones, our Game of Thrones recap show.

Winter is coming, the white ravens are stretching their wings, and the cold winds are blowing in from the North. Yet I’ve never felt cozier, friends. Game of Thrones is back. But this is a complicated world. One you might have questions about, such as, “Who is this person again?” or, “Why is this happening?” or even, “Are they really going to do Dorne like this?” Well, fear not. Every week, I’ll be answering your questions about the who, what, where, why, and how of Game of Thrones.

Everyone asks, “How old is Melisandre? How powerful is she really?”

Ah, a lady never tells! Especially when she could be, like, 280.

Judging by hints in the books (and other semicanonical sources), we can safely put her age somewhere north of 100 years, and possibly into the 400-year range.

The most obvious clue that Melisandre isn’t what she seems involves her using a “glamor” spell to disguise another character who is thought to be dead. At one point, the disguised character fights a member of the Night’s Watch at Castle Black in front of a crowd. No one, not even the fighter who is close enough to smell the glamored one’s breath, has any inkling that they are seeing an illusion. When Melisandre later reveals what she did, she explains, “Call it what you will. Glamor, seeming, illusion. R’hllor is the Lord of Light … and it is given to his servants to weave with it, as others weave with thread.” Now, the Lord of Light being the source of this power is probably another of Mel's numerous embellishments (more on this tendency in a bit), but her ability to cast potent illusions has long been established.

The books also suggest that she’s been around for an inhumanly long time. In one scene, while gazing into the flames in her chamber at Castle Black, she thinks about how she’s “practiced her art for years beyond count” and in doing so has “paid the price.” Though she requires only one hour of sleep per day, Melisandre wishes that she “would not sleep at all” because of the nightmares of her previous life as a slave named Melony. (A quick aside for the book readers: The “Melony” reference makes me think it’s highly unlikely that Melisandre is actually Shiera Seastar, a character from the prequel novels who was rumored to have age-extending powers.)

Melisandre’s powers — glamoring, smoke-baby creation, unnatural lifespan — are not usually associated with followers of R’hllor. It’s hard to say what this means for the potential of Jon’s return via the kiss of R’hllor, but we’ve seen the Lord of Light’s followers carry out a resurrection before: in Season 3, when the Hound kills Beric Dondarrion, leader of the Brotherhood Without Banners, in a trial by combat, and the Brotherhood’s red priest, Thoros of Myr, brings Beric back from the dead, apparently for the sixth time. When Melisandre visits the Brotherhood and sees Beric, she’s shocked. “You should not have this power,” she says to Thoros, who admits that he brought Beric back by accident. Thoros whispered the Lord of Light’s prayer in the newly deceased man’s ear not out of religious zeal, but because “they were the only words” he knew and “he was my friend.” Then Beric opened his eyes.

Melisandre
HBO
Derek asks, “Is the youth-giving amulet that Melisandre wears a staple of all red priestesses, or is it specific to her? Can she use it to bring Jon back to life?”

That’s all her. I doubt the necklace will be used to bring Jon back. Also, Melisandre has been seen without the necklace, in Season 4, when she takes a bath in the presence of Stannis’s wife, Queen Selyse. Whether this means Melisandre is capable of casting illusions without the necklace or that Selyse is such an ardent believer that Melisandre’s true form doesn’t matter to her is unclear, but I lean toward the latter. During the bath scene, Melisandre makes a joke, but it goes over Selyse’s head. When Selyse apologizes, noting that humor isn’t her strength, Mel responds, “That’s because most jokes are lies and you are devoted to the truth.” Melisandre then walks over to her potion shelf and admits that much of what she appears to be able to do is trickery, “deceptions to make men think they witnessed our lord’s power.”

Livia asks, “Is there an expiration date for being dead too long for resurrection?”

Good question. There are three known methods for resurrection: fire (R’hllor), ice (White Walkers), and science (Qyburn). Of the three, the one that seems to have the most restrictions, in terms of time since death and quality of corpse, is fire. When Beric tells Arya about his multiple resurrections, she asks Thoros if he can bring back her father, Ned. Thoros replies, “I don’t think it works that way, child.” Whether Thoros refuses because of the time elapsed since Ned’s execution (this scene takes place in Episode 5 of Season 3; Ned was beheaded in the penultimate episode of Season 1), or the manner of death, or both, is unclear. In the books, Thoros of Myr refuses to revive someone who was gruesomely murdered several days prior and whose body was floating in a river.

James asks, “Is Margaery in jail for something other than perjury?”

In the books there are other charges, but on the show it’s basically perjury. The Faith Militant are holding her because she lied when she backed up her brother Loras’s denials about having sex with men.

Daenerys
HBO
Jarrett asks, “Where is Dany being sent to?”

Dothraki tradition holds that when a khal dies — after all the ritual suicide of his bloodriders and internecine bloodletting — his khaleesi is to receive safe passage to Vaes Dothrak (“City of the Dothraki”), where she will live out her days as a member of the dosh khaleen (“council of crones” or “council of widows”). This unique retirement program reveals the paradox — the hypocrisy, even — at the wild heart of Dothraki culture. The horselords value strength above all else. Khals gain their position at the head of a khalasar by mercilessly slaying rivals and enslaving their enemies’ women and children. They spend all of their lives on horseback and consider the sedentary nature of urban life unnatural and even cowardly. They do not engage in commerce and they do not farm. They deeply despise witches and all forms of sorcery.

So it is kind of weird that the Dothraki have a huge capital where violence is strictly forbidden, international trade flourishes, and an assembly of revered holy women are tasked with doing witchlike stuff such as reading omens and prophesying the future. But that’s a patriarchy for you.

The existence of Vaes Dothrak makes a bit more sense when you consider that the Dothraki likely weren’t trying to found a city, though. Imagine it’s 80 B.C. (before Aegon’s conquest of Westeros), the period when the Dothraki were exploding onto the scene, and you’re a khal rampaging across the land with fire and sword, 40,000 screamers at your back. You just finished sacking picturesque Gornath by the Lake, murdering its menfolk, clapping the women and children in chains, and stripping the city of its treasures. Drunk on victory, you ride off with your spoils. Then, when the endorphins wear off, you suddenly realize that, along with the thousands of wailing Sarnori captives and other liquid valuables, you’re also dragging numerous multi-ton pieces of random statuary and architectural features around on horse-drawn carts under the blazing sun. You’re nomads; you don’t need statues, bros. What you do need: a place to dump all the spoils before going out and destroying another town.

By choosing a place close to the Mother of Mountains and the Womb of the World, holy sites that are integral to the Dothraki creation myth, they were simply being efficient. Vaes Dothrak is really just a vast salvage yard — and I do mean vast. The year-round population (mostly made up of the dosh khaleen, their eunuch servants, and some slaves) of Vaes Dothrak is very low, like Coachella in the offseason, but the city is large enough to house all the khalasars should they ride into town at once — which one day, who knows, they might. The Dothraki believe that a great khal (hm) will appear at Vaes Dothrak (hmm) to unite the khalasars (hmmm) under his (HMMMM) banner and go on to conquer the world.

Tyler asks, “How many Dothraki tribes are there? Why did they split in the first place?”

The histories put the number of independent khalasars during the Century of Blood (the chaotic years after the Doom of Valyria, about 300 to 400 years ago) at around 60. Fractiousness is the Dothraki’s natural state. Only rarely does a khal powerful enough to unite the tribes appear, the first being the great Khal Mengo, the scourge of the Tall Men.

Dorne
HBO
Zane asks, “Realistically, what kind of fight can Dorne put up against the Lannisters and the Tyrells?”

Ah, Dorne. I’ll write more about about this sunbaked land later. Or who knows, maybe we’ll never go back there again!

Dorne is sparsely populated, and most of its greatest military achievements, at least in recent history, involved guerrilla warfare on its own land. That said, before Aegon’s conquest, during a time of weak governance in the Reach, the Dornish did manage to sack Highgarden, then the home of the Gardner kings (the Tyrells were their stewards in those days), executing the feeble King Garth X and turning the famed Oakenseat throne into firewood in the process. With the Tyrells focused on events in King’s Landing and the status of the Stormlands basically up in the air, Dornish cross-border raids could surely do real damage. But generally speaking, Dorne is most dangerous when working at covert assassination plots (usually involving poison! Never kiss a Dornish on a dock in the morning!) or goading enemies into invading her territory, where heat and lack of water can take its toll.

Prashanta asks, “Do you think that with Doran’s death, the Dornish side with Daenerys? As a queen, she could legitimize the Sand Snakes, right?”

With or without Doran’s death, Dorne is a natural ally for Daenerys because of the marriage of Prince Rhaegar (Dany’s eldest brother) and Elia Martell. Dorne has much to gain from a Targaryen revanche, not the least of which would be delicious revenge. This is why I’ve always argued that Dany should’ve sailed for Dorne as soon as she was able. It took the Targaryens more than 150 years and tens of thousands of deaths, including King Daeron I, to bring Dorne into the realm via marriage, and that was with dragons.

As for legitimizing the Sand Snakes, I don’t think they particularly care about being legally recognized thanks to Dorne’s accepting culture.

Benjamin asks, “Have the Boltons always had a Maester?”

They probably brought him over from the Dreadfort. Every family rich enough to house and feed a Maester has one. Maesters handle health care issues and, crucially, everything involving ravens. Long-range communication would be impossibly slow without Maesters. Even the Iron Islanders have them, and they are predisposed to hate “greenlanders.”

Who leads the Night’s Watch now?

As First Ranger, Alliser Thorne wields the most authority. But officially speaking, the Watch will have to hold another vote to decide who the next Lord Commander is.

A_B · Post by **A_B** » Mon May 02, 2016 10:08 am

Well, there's your Jon Snow answer. End of episode 2. Great call, Bengal. Not so much Rass.

Pretty solid episode. Lots of maneuvering. But none by everyone's favorite schemer, Littlefinger, who hasn't so much as been seen thus far.

Iron Islands stuff is moving fairly quickly, but that was a soft reveal of Balon's brother, other than the throwing the king off the rope bridge part.

And we got the Lyanna reveal.