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[JB1981]

She represents a fire god, different from the Old Gods of the North and The Seven of the south (ie the statues that were being burned). Another major difference is that it is a monotheistic god, whereas everyone else has a polytheistic view of many gods.

Please don't confirm or deny but iti sounds like she is going to try and steal the Dragons. Stannis doesn't seem to have much of an army so he needs something to strengthen his assault on the throne.

It appears that Greyjoy now sees an opening for his people by providing Rob with a fleet of ships and will ultimately betray Rob Stark. Rob should have listened to his mother, he is getting a little arrogant. Looks like Cersei is now seeing the monster that her and Jamie have created, will be interesting to see what happens w/ the Tyrion/Cersei/Joffrey dynamic going forward.

Still not sure how Bran's connection with the Direwolves will play out in the story.

 

[Walshicus]

Would it be inappropriate to do a quick post on the different religions in Westeros/Essos? I.e. the Red God, the Old Gods and The Seven and who worships them etc.?

 

[Basileus777]

Would it be inappropriate to do a quick post on the different religions in Westeros/Essos? I.e. the Red God, the Old Gods and The Seven and who worships them etc.?

There's a section on that in the HBO Viewers Guide, linking to that sounds like a safe option.

 

[Tacitus_]

Please don't confirm or deny but iti sounds like she is going to try and steal the Dragons. Stannis doesn't seem to have much of an army so he needs something to strengthen his assault on the throne.

Stannis does have quite a bit of an army since he inherited the Stormlands from his brother when he ascended to the throne.

 

[PsychoSoldier]

Tryion's obviously a decent dude, but unfortunately because of who he is he'll have to protect his mostly villainous family. If Tyrion had to die in order to ensure the deaths of Cirsei or Joffrey, I'd ultimately be okay with it.

Also, Arya is probably my favorite character and I'm looking forward to seeing more of her in the next episode.

 

[JerkShep]

Only part I feel confused on is how the Greyjoy House fits in. Is Balon jockeying for the iron throne or not? Is he one of the kings in the eponymous War of the Five Kings? I had completely forgotten about the greyjoys between seasons, and I thought the 5 kings were the three baratheons, Robb, and Dany (despite her being a girl). But Balon's still in it? I guess we'll find out when Theon visits him..

At the moment, the factions are 4 (Renly, Stannis, Robb, Joffrey) + Dany.

 

[Peru]

You're not supposed to provide info that's not already shown in the tv series.

 

[ChiTownBuffalo]

Random redheaded priestess lady show up out of nowhere. Did not like.

 

[JerkShep]

You're not supposed to provide info that's not already shown in the tv series.

It's on the HBO map lol. I've edited, but come on.

The youngest Baratheon brother is based in Storm's End, his family's stronghold, which his brother Robert gave to him after ascending the throne

Stannis opted to remain behind at Dragonstone, the one-time Targaryen seat and his reward for helping his brother Robert win the rebellion

I've wrote the same thing word for word.

 

[Cipherr]

Hooray at the spoiler rules. Last season was a disaster. We did it right this time!

 

[JB1981]

Random redheaded priestess lady show up out of nowhere. Did not like.

Eh? We learned nothing of Stannis in Season 1 other than that he was the brother of Robert. Apparently she plays a very big role in the series so I would get used to her.

Also she's hot

 

[Puddles]

So we have 4 different factions(2 Barotheon's, House of Stark, and House of Lannister) that will probably all be at war soon with dragon lady still trying to figure out what to do? How many soldiers does each one possess?

I can tell you what the show has told us so far.

Renly Baratheon is blowing everyone away with 100k soldiers in his army. The Season 2 premiere told us that the Tyrells have joined him, so he basically has two of the wealthiest kingdoms.
Robb had 20k towards the end of Season 1, and he may have more now, although not nearly as many as Renly.
Stannis has a small army.
The Lannisters have enough that if Robb and Renly joined, the Lannisters would be outnumbered 2:1. So if Robb still has only 20k, they have 60k; if Robb has doubled to 40k, they have 70k, etc.

Right now in army size, it would go Renly > Lannister > Stark > Stannis. However, up to this point Robb has been the best leader and commander of all four, which gives him a bit of a force-multiplier.

 

[ChiTownBuffalo]

I can tell you what the show has told us so far.

Renly Baratheon is blowing everyone away with 100k soldiers in his army.
Robb had 20k towards the end of Season 1, and he may have more now, although not nearly as many as Renly.
Stannis has a small army.
The Lannisters have enough that if Robb and Renly joined, the Lannisters would be outnumbered 2:1. So if Robb still has only 20k, they have 60k; if Robb has doubled to 40k, they have 70k, etc.

Right now in army size, it would go Renly > Lannister > Stark > Stannis. However, up to this point Robb has been the best leader and commander of all four, which gives him a bit of a force-multiplier.

Isn't because the Starks have the more veteran soldiers?

 

[JGS]

To me, it was odd to introduce this new religion when religion barely came up at all in the first season. The anxiety felt by the guy who drank the wine could not be shared because we didn't know enough of the danger the redhead presented to them or to the old religions.

So I think the introdction of Stannis came off a bit weak considering how ruthless he was protrayed in passing last season.

Isn't because the Starks have the more veteran soldiers?

Plus they have an actual cause to fight for rather than a power grab. It's hard to rally troops around that reasoning.

I must say that Rob is a better leader but Twyin is scary and I imagine a genius who will sacrifice more than we think to keep his position

 

[scy]

Eh? We learned nothing of Stannis in Season 1 other than that he was the brother of Robert. Apparently she plays a very big role in the series so I would get used to her.

Also she's hot

Basically this.

I can tell you what the show has told us so far.

Renly Baratheon is blowing everyone away with 100k soldiers in his army.
Robb had 20k towards the end of Season 1, and he may have more now, although not nearly as many as Renly.
Stannis has a small army.
The Lannisters have enough that if Robb and Renly joined, the Lannisters would be outnumbered 2:1. So if Robb still has only 20k, they have 60k; if Robb has doubled to 40k, they have 70k, etc.

Right now in army size, it would go Renly > Lannister > Stark > Stannis. However, up to this point Robb has been the best leader and commander of all four, which gives him a bit of a force-multiplier.

I think last count of Robb's would be 18k (20k - the 2k as part of the diversion attack at the end of s1); don't think they've updated that count since those two numbers were said.

 

[Puddles]

Isn't because the Starks have the more veteran soldiers?

Yes, this also seems to be the case.

 

[abuC]

That was excellence on screen.

 

[ChiTownBuffalo]

Also, Emliy Clarke is hotter as a brunette.

 

[walbertsmith]

yes I liked him, but that was when I thought that he was good, and would try and help stark family, but now it seems he is not going to and will be doing his best to support those fucking lanisters. anyone who is on those bastards lanisters side need to die.

Calm down... you need to build up drama properly. Would Ned's death last season have anywhere near the impact it had if it occurred in the second or third episode?

Please don't confirm or deny but iti sounds like she is going to try and steal the Dragons. Stannis doesn't seem to have much of an army so he needs something to strengthen his assault on the throne.

How would Melisandre know the dragons exist? Daenerys is all the way across the Narrow Sea, and stuck in some place called the Red Waste.

 

[KHarvey16]

Calm down... you need to build up drama properly. Would Ned's death last season have anywhere near the impact it had if it occurred in the second or third episode?




How would Melisandre know the dragons exist? Daenerys is all the way across the Narrow Sea, and stuck in some place called the Red Waste.

It seems at least some interpret the comet to mean dragons have returned. I don't know if it would take much to connect that with Daenerys, or more generally the Targaryens.

 

[Raist]

I think last count of Robb's would be 18k (20k - the 2k as part of the diversion attack at the end of s1); don't think they've updated that count since those two numbers were said.

He started with 20k and did lose 2k to that fake battle but also got men from the Twins. Not sure how many, but Cat mentioned lord Frey would keep 400 men to prevent the Lannisters from crossing the Trident so I imagine he'd get a ocuple thousands more. Not that it makes a huge difference.

 

[walbertsmith]

It seems at least some interpret the comet to mean dragons have returned. I don't know if it would take much to connect that with Daenerys, or more generally the Targaryens.

Well, sure, but the intent of that whole scene is that the comet's meaning is purely in the eye of the beholder. Everyone is going to interpret it differently based on their own specific situation.

Why does it have to connect with Daenerys or the Targaryens? As far as the vast, vast majority of the kingdom is concerned, both are non-existent. The Targaryens haven't been in power for a decade, there are only two kids left and a hit was put out for Daenerys' life.

Of course the audience knows the entirety of events, but the players in the story don't.

 

[KHarvey16]

Well, sure, but the intent of that whole scene is that the comet's meaning is purely in the eye of the beholder. Everyone is going to interpret it differently based on their own specific situation.

Why does it have to connect with Daenerys or the Targaryens? As far as the vast, vast majority of the kingdom is concerned, both are non-existent. The Targaryens haven't been in power for a decade, there are only two kids left and a hit was put out for Daenerys' life.

Of course the audience knows the entirety of events, but the players in the story don't.

The Targaryens are associated very closely with dragons. This was talked about a lot in season 1.

 

[nubbe]

Also, Emliy Clarke is hotter as a brunette.

She is hotter as a vampire

 

[Tesseract]

this show just isn't the same without sean bean.

 

[scy]

She is hotter as a vampire
http://i.imgur.com/xtDMU.gif

Tastes like gummi bears and bleach.

 

[Junior Asparagus]

I must have missed something, why didn't the lightbringer-lady die? Didn't she drink out of the same cup as the one that poisoned the old dude?

Do people want people who have read the book to elaborate on this? While still not totally explained, the sequence of events is laid out a little better in the book so it's less confusing. It doesn't really spoil any coming events, but may just give a little more detail on a scene that's already happened in the show...

 

[robertsan21]

Calm down... you need to build up drama properly. Would Ned's death last season have anywhere near the impact it had if it occurred in the second or third episode?

They should never have casted Bean in that role, he should have been the main character in the entire saga as he is fucking awesome!

 

[scy]

Probably best to just not say anything book related here in the open (or even tagged, actually).

 

[Vlodril]

Her amulet was glowing red. Don't know if it matters or not but i thought it was a nice touch making her seem more mystical.

 

[walbertsmith]

The Targaryens are associated very closely with dragons. This was talked about a lot in season 1.

Yes, of course they are, their House sigil is even a dragon. Doesn't change a whit of what I said though. The meaning of the comet is wholly dependent on the perspective of the viewer. Why would the average Joe Schmoe care about the Targaryens when you haven't heard from them in over a decade? Or for that matter the Lannisters or Starks who have much, much bigger things to care about?

Do people want people who have read the book to elaborate on this? While still not totally explained, the sequence of events is laid out a little better in the book so it's less confusing. It doesn't really spoil any coming events, but may just give a little more detail on a scene that's already happened in the show...

I say no... besides the fact that it just happened, adding "flavor text" to events just lowers the barriers for spoilers later.

They should never have casted Bean in that role, he should have been the main character in the entire saga as he is fucking awesome!

So... cast him as Tyrion Lannister? That wouldn't have worked out too well.

 

[robertsan21]

Yes, of course they are, their House sigil is even a dragon. Doesn't change a whit of what I said though. The meaning of the comet is wholly dependent on the perspective of the viewer. Why would the average Joe Schmoe care about the Targaryens when you haven't heard from them in over a decade? Or for that matter the Lannisters or Starks who have much, much bigger things to care about?



I say no... besides the fact that it just happened, adding "flavor text" to events just lowers the barriers for spoilers later.



So... cast him as Tyrion Lannister? That wouldn't have worked out too well.

eh, I have not read the books so I have no idea, but he should have been cast in a role that kept him in the show for all seasons

 

[KHarvey16]

Yes, of course they are, their House sigil is even a dragon. Doesn't change a whit of what I said though. The meaning of the comet is wholly dependent on the perspective of the viewer. Why would the average Joe Schmoe care about the Targaryens when you haven't heard from them in over a decade? Or for that matter the Lannisters or Starks who have much, much bigger things to care about?

I don't understand your objection here. The comet signifying the return of the dragons has been established as an explanation. This lady seems pretty interested in fire. Her putting together comet+dragons+exiled Targaryens would seem a rather straight forward logical progression.

 

[MMaRsu]

Im watching it now but carice van houtens dutch English accent already annoys me...fuck.

 

[scy]

eh, I have not read the books so I have no idea, but he should have been cast in a role that kept him in the show for all seasons

Ned makes the best use of Sean Bean's acting chops and capacity for dying. Honestly can't picture anyone else here.

 

[ElectricBlue187]

To me, it was odd to introduce this new religion when religion barely came up at all in the first season. The anxiety felt by the guy who drank the wine could not be shared because we didn't know enough of the danger the redhead presented to them or to the old religions.

? They talked about the difference between the gods of the south and the old gods of the north several different times in the first season. This priest represented the old guard who saw this new Lord of Light religion to be heresy. I thought it worked pretty well to introduce the redheaded witch

 

[walbertsmith]

eh, I have not read the books so I have no idea, but he should have been cast in a role that kept him in the show for all seasons

I haven't read the books either, but doesn't the fact that the biggest name actor was the one that bit the dust show just how daring the story actually is? I do agree he's a great actor but because it was specifically *his* character that died makes the show that much more exciting, no?

I don't understand your objection here. The comet signifying the return of the dragons has been established as an explanation. This lady seems pretty interested in fire. Her putting together comet+dragons+exiled Targaryens would seem a rather straight forward logical progression.

My initial response to you was because of the bolded line:

It seems at least some interpret the comet to mean dragons have returned. I don't know if it would take much to connect that with Daenerys, or more generally the Targaryens.

My position is that it would take a *lot* to connect the comet with Daenerys. As far as the main kingdom (south of the Wall) is concerned, the Targaryens don't exist and don't care. Osha is the one that mentioned dragons, but the show has established that wildlings have their own way of seeing the world... and her statement sounded like it was based more on lore than an event that just occurred (of course *we* know better, but Osha doesn't).

 

[KHarvey16]

I haven't read the books either, but doesn't the fact that the biggest name actor was the one that bit the dust show just how daring the story actually is? I do agree he's a great actor but because it was specifically *his* character that died makes the show that much more exciting, no?



My initial response to you was because of the bolded line:



My position is that it would take a *lot* to connect the comet with Daenerys. As far as the main kingdom (south of the Wall) is concerned, the Targaryens don't exist and don't care. Osha is the one that mentioned dragons, but the show has established that wildlings have their own way of seeing the world... and her statement sounded like it was based more on lore than an event that just occurred (of course *we* know better, but Osha doesn't).

They know they're alive. They sent someone to kill her! They weren't exiled that long ago.

 

[ShaneDude]

I hope the answer to this question isn't too spoilery. Is Arya ever going to play a bigger role? She's one of my favorite characters.

 

[PersonaX]

If anything, there is more production value this time.

Cinematography/direction has clearly gotten better, some cool shots in this episode and i liked how they changed the scenery by zooming up at the comet and then back down again to some other location, you know what i mean.

CGI is impressive and every other department is doing as good job as always, didn't notice anything getting worse at least.

only major complaint i have was the rushed Dragonstone part, must have been pretty confusing for those who haven't read the books and a bit underwhelming for those who have, no biggie, though.

also, am i the only who thinks she is the hottest girl on the show so far?

 

[KingK]

He started with 20k and did lose 2k to that fake battle but also got men from the Twins. Not sure how many, but Cat mentioned lord Frey would keep 400 men to prevent the Lannisters from crossing the Trident so I imagine he'd get a ocuple thousands more. Not that it makes a huge difference.

Don't they have more now though, from the other River lords joining him? In season one, when discussing what to do, the Greatjon says "We should attack Jaime and break the seige at Riverrun. Do that, and the River Lords will join us." Since that's what they did, I think we're to assume that he's gotten reinforcements from the lords of the Riverlands.

 

[ElectricBlue187]

I hope the answer to this question isn't too spoilery. Is Arya ever going to play a bigger role? She's one of my favorite characters.

The preview trailer showed a scene with her but I have no idea how big of a role she will play. I'm a fan of Arya too.

 

[JB1981]

If anything, there is more production value this time.

Cinematography/direction has clearly gotten better, some cool shots in this episode and i liked how they changed the scenery by zooming up at the comet and then back down again to some other location, you know what i mean.

CGI is impressive and every other department is doing as good job as always, didn't notice anything getting worse at least.

only major complaint i have was the rushed Dragonstone part, must have been pretty confusing for those who haven't read the books and a bit underwhelming for those who have, no biggie, though.

also, am i the only who thinks she is the hottest girl on the show so far?

i agree i love her

 

[AndyD]

? They talked about the difference between the gods of the south and the old gods of the north several different times in the first season. This priest represented the old guard who saw this new Lord of Light religion to be heresy. I thought it worked pretty well to introduce the redheaded witch

I thought it worked well as well. What didn't was that he took the poison and hoped to kill her as well. They could have added just a couple of lines to flesh it out in someone's mind that he is willing to sacrifice himself in order to kill her as well. As it is, it was odd.

Also, her wig was terrible in that scene. The red wig. But in the previews for the rest f the season her wig looked much better.

Good start to the season.

 

[prodystopian]

Inside the Episode is up.

 

[Sinatar]

I hope the answer to this question isn't too spoilery. Is Arya ever going to play a bigger role? She's one of my favorite characters.

Wrong thread for that type of question.

 

[Peru]

Im watching it now but carice van houtens dutch English accent already annoys me...fuck.

Why? She's an exotic foreign presence in Dragonstone.

 

[LuchaShaq]

Isn't because the Starks have the more veteran soldiers?

Veteran soldiers that are fucking psychos (in a good way) like the Umbers.

Not to mention a gigantic direwolf that is terrifying even their own side a bit.

 

[PersonaX]

I hope the answer to this question isn't too spoilery. Is Arya ever going to play a bigger role? She's one of my favorite characters.

In Game of Thrones, telling that a character lives on is as big of a spoiler as saying he/she dies, no one is safe and shit like that

 

[JGS]

? They talked about the difference between the gods of the south and the old gods of the north several different times in the first season. This priest represented the old guard who saw this new Lord of Light religion to be heresy. I thought it worked pretty well to introduce the redheaded witch

They stated things about them in passing but I don't think they made a clear statement about how important religion was in the context of the story. This episode is a clear shift in that direction for one of the factions.

I understand what the guy was against, it's just that there was no more danger in the new religion than the old from the viewers perspective. i get the feeling I was supposed to feel some kind of menace from the woman , but for all I know she could be a "good guy".