beer_good_foamy

(Please note - I'm unspoiled on the books and want to remain so)

1. Am I the only one who thinks Mance Rayder looks and acts exactly like Tom Baker in Blackadder? I keep expecting him to look at Jon Snow and gasp "You have a WOMAN'S sword, milord!" Whereupon Ygritte would kick his ass, because she's just that awesome. (And Jon would look unhappy, because it's what he does.) Seriously, I loved Ygritte essentially telling Jon she's his now and he better be loyal.

2. A bit disappointed that we didn't get to hear exactly what Tyrion told Sansa and Shae. Then again, I can understand why; that had to be one of the most cringingly uncomfortable proposals in television history.

3. Roose Bolton is a fun villain. So far.

4. Gendry's in trouble, isn't he? Seriously, why would anyone fall for that "You're more important than all of these people" schtick. This isn't a story where being important is a good thing. Look at the title of the show, feroldgodssakes. It's a chess game, and contrary to popular imagery, you don't just sacrifice pawns - the bigger the play, the bigger the sacrifice.

5. Speaking of which, Ros ~~and Gil~~ is dead. Littlefinger is really making his moves this season, isn't he? I knew it wouldn't turn out well for her when Ros was adamant about being a former prostitute the other week.

6. Olenna vs Tywin. Please, sirs, can I have some more? And the Tyrion-Cersei alliance is... very very awkwardly proceeding to almost actual existence.

7. There's something here about what I said in this meta a year ago. ~~Tommy Carcetti~~ Littlefinger is playing the full ruthless The Wire-like politician, playing the system for his own needs - "chaos is a ladder" and all that, subverting the traditional high fantasy story about honour and swords and stuff. But is that the story he's in? There's lots in this season about social climbing - the not-so-merry-men Arya and Gendry have taken up with, the Tyrells essentially setting themselves up as the new dynasty, Ygritte and Osha being working-class heroes (Osha knows how to skin a rabbit; Sam doesn't know how to build a fire), etc. That's a different story, one of power structures changing to a different order, but there's still a climb. And then there's Arya's archery scene (significant, that's how she was introduced in the first place back in s1); don't hold back, don't aim, just trust your eye to know where the arrow will land. Very Stephen King's Gunslinger:

I do not aim with my hand; he who aims with his hand has forgotten the face of his father.
I aim with my eye.

I do not shoot with my hand; he who shoots with his hand has forgotten the face of his father.
I shoot with my mind.

I do not kill with my gun; he who kills with his gun has forgotten the face of his father.
I kill with my heart.

And like Dany (and Buffy), Arya has more experienced men tell her that she isn't as good as she thinks she is, that she needs to stop and learn and do things the right way. The trick is to separate the useful wisdom (how to fire an arrow) from the bits that say "wait for us to handle things the way we're used to." As Joffrey demonstrated, firing an arrow is easy. The trick is to know when and who to shoot. (Right, Katniss?) There's those who climb, and there's those who tear down walls.

These days, of course, we don't use bows and arrows to kill anymore. But we still use arrows as roadsigns, as turn indicators, and in flowcharts. Fire an arrow in an unexpected direction and you can show people entirely new roads. Or old forgotten ones. (Then again, they're used in weathervanes too, turning when the wind changes. And how gorgeous is that shot of the winter wind blowing in over the North at the end...?)

8. Nobody slapped Joffrey again. I can only assume they're saving up for a huge slapfest in the last episode. They'll have to bring in caterers to feed the people waiting their turn.