Eastwatch

[Merry Prankster]

The episode should have been titled “Annulment.”  WOW!  What a bombshell.  Gilly was on the verge of revealing Jon’s legitimate claim as THE RIGHTFUL TARGARYEN HEIR to the Iron Throne when Sam’s frustration with the Maesters interrupted her.  MP hopes she kept the book.  It will be interesting to see what happens when this situation becomes known to Jon and Dany.  Given the fact that Dany appears smitten with Jon should make things even more interesting.  Since she’s becoming more and more like Cersei it might not bother her.   Dany was amazed by Drogon’s submission to Jon’s touch but does not appear to have connected it to Targaryen blood.

Speaking of Dany, that was quite the weenie roast, with the Tarlys serving as the weenies.   Is Dany descending into madness or is she simply being a ruthless ruler when the situation requires it?  Tyrion and Varys represented those two points of view.    MP believes the jury is still out.  BTW, how did Bronn and Jaime go into the lake or pond or whatever it is on one side and surface on the other?  They must both possess the “Michael Phelps” gene.  Also, Drogon seemed to recover very quickly.  It must have been only a minor scale wound (sorry for the bad joke.)

This brings MP to his favorite evil Queen, Cersei.  What a terrific second scene between she and Jaime.  Cersei redefines the word “ruthless” and Jaime’s discomfort is evident.  Is she really pregnant or is she just trying to keep Jaime loyal and mollified?  The final part of the scene was so “Cersei”---an affectionate kiss and hug with Jaime and then the matter of fact statement into his ear, “Never betray me again.”  WHOA!  The scene showcases everything Cersei has become—cold, calculating, untrusting, merciless, willing to ruthlessly manipulate everyone and everything to achieve her goals.    Sorry Dany, but you’re still playing triple A ball when compared to Cersei.   MP needs to review the prophecy given to Cersei to see how this possible pregnancy figures into it.  The face-to-face meeting between Cersei and Dany should be fantastic.  CAN’T WAIT!

Middlefinger is busy with his chisel and hammer, trying to widen the cracks between Sansa/Jon and Sansa/Arya.  Not exactly a loving reunion between the Stark sisters.  Arya thinks she is good at the game of shadows and whispers, but she is up against a Grand Master.  Hopefully, Arya will realize she is being played by MF. Did you recognize the note, Ponytail?

Where is Sam headed?  Back to the wall?  Will things change when he learns he is now Lord Tarly?  Will the books and scrolls he “borrowed” from the Citadel reveal the answer to defeating the Night King once and for all?

So Jorah returns for a brief but touching reunion with Dany and then joins the suicide squad for a suicide mission.  Will he survive?  MP hopes so.  He is the one person who can tell Dany hard truths and make her listen.

MP was glad to see Gendry again.  The kid has moxie.  A Baratheon and a Stark unite once again to take on the Night King.   Seems like old times, but the opponent is much more formidable the second time around.

Did you get a load of the Army of the Dead?    MP believes it exceeds the population of China.  When Jon gets a gander of the neverending stream of zombies he will probably paraphrase Chief Brody, “We’re gonna need a bigger army.”

Interesting that Jon would take on so many strangers nursing grudges amongst themselves for a mission in which trust and having each other’s backs will be essential.  Did Jon meet the Hound in Season 1 when Baratheon visited Winterfell?  Perhaps Jon believes their common fear of and commitment to defeating the Night King and his wights will suffice.  MP noted that the wall seems to be built to the sea’s edge.  So either the Night King becomes an icemaker or some of the wall must come tumbling down.  The Season 7 finale?

Tyrion had a number of really good scenes.  Dinklage is a very talented actor.  MP hopes his dwarfism doesn’t prevent him from landing some meaty roles in the future.

MP really enjoyed the episode’s showcasing of some really good secondary characters, e.g., Davos, Jorah, Gendry, Dortmund, Bronn.  They add richness and depth to the story and make an epic tale human and relatable.

Overall, a good episode, locking and loading some guns for the inevitable trigger pulls and one bombshell revelation.

A question, Ponytail:  How much time do you think has passed since Dany first set foot on Dragonstone?

[bacali]

Darn...how I wish I had gotten into this show.
MP, your summaries sound ...wonderful.
Just not enough time to start at ground zero of this show. ...to , as they say, binge watch.
I have so many, many hours of shows taped that I do watch.
I'm  so glad MP that you have someone here who does watch with you. ...hey ponytail....

[Merry Prankster]

Darn...how I wish I had gotten into this show.
MP, your summaries sound ...wonderful.
Just not enough time to start at ground zero of this show. ...to , as they say, binge watch.
I have so many, many hours of shows taped that I do watch.
I'm  so glad MP that you have someone here who does watch with you. ...hey ponytail....

Bacali--you MUST give GoT a try.  You don't have to binge watch, Season 8 will not be out for at least another year, maybe two.  BEsides, MP would love to kibitz with you about GoT, any season, any time.

[ponytail]

Agreed MP! It's just the best series I have ever seen. Top notch.

Do you think sam is heading to the Wall or Dragonstone? I wondered how he knew which books and scrolls to snatch to take with him, there were so many. Maybe it will be Sam who tells Jon of his parentage instead of Bran. Loved the scene with Jon and the dragon, wonder how soon he will be on it's back. Wonder how soon it will be before Dani makes the connection. Dani seems to be taking Jon's advice to heart at times, I think she relies on him in a new way, and tyrion seems to be shoved back. The mushy Dani, Jorah reunion was shortlived but nice. Every once in a while it's good to have sweet things happen on this show, heaven knows most of it is anything but.

Cersei's news of her pregnancey..hmmm. Poor Jaime, but he's in it until the end. Which I don't think will be too long for Cersei. The prophecy said she would have 3 children, and all of them would die. So? Child number 4 may just be a lie, or Cersei will die before it's born....hmmmm.

Arya and Littlefinger. I know he is the master manipulator, but I can't help thinking Arya may just outsmart him. I would bet she is the one who ends up  bringing his life to an end. Hopefully the sister bond is not damaged by his plots.

Davos and Gendry reunion! I love how Davos gave life to the online joke by telling Gendry--I thought you might still be rowing! That made me smile! Gendry seemed like he had been waiting and killing time until his purpose was shown. Guess we know now that it will be north of the Wall for starters. What a mismatched group to be reuniting around Jon to capture a white walker. I imagine some of them will fall, I'm betting on Dondarion to be one of them, and maybe Tormund. I think Gendry and Jorah have much greater purposes to fulfill. I just can't see all of them getting back alive.

How much time has passed since Dani got to Dragonstone? I will say a couple of months, but who really knows! Time is not relevant in Westeros!

[ponytail]

I have nothing to base this on, but it is my feeling that Jon is a doomed hero. He will sacrifice his all in the battle against the Night King, but will die in the process in a great, heroic, self sacrificing moment.

[LindaM]

I've see very little of GoT but Jon has already died twice.  Wouldn't his death be redundant?   

[Merry Prankster]

I've see very little of GoT but Jon has already died twice.  Wouldn't his death be redundant?   

MP believes Jon has died only once.  But there is always hope.  GoT specializes in resurrections, zombieish and otherwise.

[Merry Prankster]

Ponytail, a few thoughts on your post.  MP really doesn’t have much to add to what’s already been said---it’s mostly because he is an unrepentant blabbermouth.

Sam:  MP is not sure where Sam is headed, but he believes that Sam seeks to reunite with Jon.  Not to worry.  MP is sure Sam will turn up at the time and place needed to serve the plot.  GoT writers seem mostly unconcerned with the mundane logistics of transportation.  One moment Jorah is in his cell in the Citadel and the next he is in Dragonstone.  How the he** did he get there?  Who cares?  MP thinks he knows the answer---Westeros is riddled with wormholes.  Either that or Scotty is beaming people around.  Plus, Westeros has an amazing communications network.  Everyone seems to know everything almost as soon as it occurs.  Those ravens must be the new supersonic models.  Listen for small sonic booms during the next episode.  GoT definitely has its own unique take on time/space.  If Einstein lived in Westeros he would have to go back to the drawing board.

Speaking of sonic booms, MP just had a thought.  Picture this:  The Army of the Dead arrives at the Wall.   All of the White Walkers gather in front of a section of the wall in some sort of formation, like a perverse Mormon Tabernacle Choir. The Night King makes some sort of gesture and the wind dies, snow stops, everything becomes still.  On signal, the WWs emit in unison a powerful, high-pitched sound.  Rumbling/shaking sounds build, then cracking sounds.  Ice and then rocks begin to shear from the wall, and so on and so forth until the entire section of wall has collapsed.  MP knows he is wrong but it might make for a pretty cool scene.  BTW, are there any female WWs?

MP believes Sam knew which materials to take because he had been doing some off-the-books sleuthing (sorry for the bad pun).  For example, in the episode where Sam was reading about dragon glass Gilly had a book titled “Legends of the Long Night.”  It was about a previous long Winter.

Dany/Jon—MP forgot to mention that Dany asked Jon about whether he was stabbed in the heart.  Jon deflected the question but he did not deny it happened, then they were interrupted by Jorah.  MP is sure Dany took note.

Suicide Squad—MP believes they are going after a wight, not a White Walker.  It probably is impossible to capture a WW.  The only options seem to be run, kill, or be killed.  That being said, capturing a wight will be no picnic.   Wights seem to like to hang out in groups, large groups.  MP agrees some Suicide Squaders will die but he hopes at least the following survive:  Jon, Jorah, Tormund, the Hound, Gendry.

MP reviewed the Prophecy.  Three kids only, no more.  The TV series leaves out a part of the prophecy in which the Witch tells Cersei that she will die from strangulation by a Valonqar, high Valyrian for “little brother.”  That seems to indicate Jaime or Tyrion will do the deed.  Also, the prophecy seems to predict that Cersei will be supplanted by Dany on the Iron Throne, i.e., a Queen younger and more beautiful.  MP is not sure he agrees with the “more beautiful” part.

[ponytail]

Yep, wights would be more feasible. And I love your sonic boom ravens, what a sight that would be! Sam and the books--I can't reconcile the fact that he asked the maesters to put all their resources into looking for clues as to defeating the white walkers at the council meeting. Maybe the books he has will be enough.
Should be a good episode finding out how/if they capture a wight, and watching Beric wield that flaming sword!

[Merry Prankster]

Ponytail, a MAJOR BOMBSHELL might be in the offing for "Beyond the Wall,"  the next GoT epsiode.  Apparently, HBO accidentally aired it in Spain four days early.  MP read an article about it and wishes he hadn't.  Please refrain if you can.    All MP will say is the reveal will be  a WOW moment and a total game changer.

[ponytail]

I will keep that in mind! Now you've got me wondering and speculating!

[Merry Prankster]

Ponytail, MP has another GoT quiz for you:

https://www.buzzfeed.com/erinalana/tell-us-your-food-opinions-and-well-reveal-which-31b7n?utm_term=.fxy2BPoGe#.qy935ErkW

Please let MP know your results.  MP drew Cersei. YIKES!

[ponytail]

I drew Dani--gulp!

Wow! This next bombshell sounds like it might be good! I am guessing it will be about white walkers. Will one of the band become one? I've read a few theories about Beric finding his purpose, and the Hound becoming something other than he is. I won't be able to watch until Wednesday as I will be off in the land of no wifi or HBO!
Aslo heard again that the final season will not be shown until 2019 and that it will only be 6 episodes long, but they will each be almost movie length.

[Merry Prankster]

Jeez, Ponytail, if MP had known you weren't going to see Beyond the Wall until Wednesday, he would not have said anything.  He wanted to tease, not torture you.  Anyway, enjoy your......glamping?  It is your turn to post first, so MP will wait patiently for your return.