DRW50

My problem with Cersei characterization is when they have things like the sept scene and we get no reaction from her. I also wish we got into her head more often. In this last episode we heard that she abused Tyrion as a child and she wants him dead, and I do think they've set up the basics (oppressed and oppressive, feels alienated and lost, is sadistic but still yearning for something, etc.), but I just want more from her directly. Her relationship with Jaime in particular makes no real sense to me this season. Is she over him? We haven't heard anything from her about that since the start of the season. Baby names. 15 babies named Theon. I actually think Theon is a cool name, but putting that name on a baby is just sort of tempting fate... http://io9.com/popular-new-baby-names-of-2013-vanellope-kaptain-tuf-1577132388 http://time.com/103388/recap-game-of-thrones-mockingbird/

I think Arya is dead or close to being dead inside. Her main emotional outlet is The Hound, and as she learns over and over, he's not someone who can give her the support she needs. Her behavior with the old man (where she struggled to respond to most of what he was saying) and the casual way she killed that guy from the cage (I don't think she was wrong to kill him, but she handled it so offhandedly, like putting up a front) make me wary. She essentially had the same non-reaction to both very different deaths. I also kept wondering if they'd intentionally had an actor in that role who looked like a depraved Ned Stark. Arya was essentially killing her father to move forward. The guy who played the old man has been in a lot of stuff, including Waiting for Godot (which is fitting for this show...). http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0569547/?ref_=tt_cl_t1 I've heard some people say those Dragonstone scenes were redundant and only existed to show some T&A, but they were so rich, for the reasons you mention. Great insights in your post. Book spoilers about Lysa and Petyr. I do hope someone asks Bronn what he did with Shae. I can't say enough how much more engaged i am with Tyrion now that the wall (he's so funny, he's so much smarter than everyone else, etc.) has been torn down and we're seeing all those years of pent up emotions and helplessness. Peter Dinklage is playing the hell out of them.

He said he went with Elia, although that was the only real mention of her.

Some of you Breaking Bad fans may enjoy this. Sophie Turner and Aaron Paul met up at the BAFTA awards tonight. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JU69J1YIEMU https://twitter.com/SophieT/status/468233570440732672

Not just the story of what she did as a child, but her casually stepping over the guts of the men Gregor killed and almost seeming turned on by it. I've heard so much fan debate about whether the show was making Cersei too sympathetic, so I kept thinking of that during some of these scenes. I agree with about Elia. I wish we got more about her, who she was, rather than just being Oberyn's vengeance quest. I also wish we'd gotten more of Sansa building the snow castle and remembering Winterfell.

Robin did look like Lysa (and MTV DJ Jesse Camp, and Emo Philips, and the youngest daughter on Gimme a Break...). I love a lot of the music. The music over the closing credits is very effective (as was the music over the season 3 finale credits).

Going back a few months to some episodes I'd never seen - this one has a great part where Lisa snaps at Bob when he jokes about her being a deadbeat mother (which *was* kind of tacky...). This leads to Nancy and Lisa talking about menopause. (I think Eileen and Doug Marland came up with this story together - it's fairly rare by soap standards, as most of the time women on soaps who mention menopause end up with a miracle pregnancy). I wonder how many of the older women in the audience were shocked to hear Nancy say that word.

He'd tried to kill The Hound, so I guess that was her justification. I felt like this scene was just a tad rushed (the part where she killed him). I did like that we saw the contrast between a "good" killing and a "bad" killing in this world. The old man was mercy killed. This guy was just gutted. I saw someone saying the entire episode was about various forms of death, which is true, when I think about it. People who felt Cersei was being whitewashed - I wonder how they felt about this episode. She was barely in it, but what we did see and hear of her was extremely dark. (I kept wondering if she wanted to hook up with The Mountain...)

Is that the guy who never liked Jon and was putting him in a subservient role before Jon and the others left to go beyond the Wall? I always got him and Mormont (RIP) mixed up. I just don't see any chemistry between Dany and Jorah. I never have. I do think the first one had more spark. If they're selling this as Dany just wanting a good time and wanting to have a piece of ass as a reward for being queen, I can accept that, but I don't think I can ever buy any OTP-type relationship between them. I think they're trying to make most of the scenes count since they don't have as much time as they do in the book. I agree that it can be forced. In this case I think she mostly just opened up more once she knew he might know something.

Good episode. Jon's strength and resolve already being quashed down by the Council. These men are so ridiculously antiquated and it's obviously all about a power trip. Some of the council clearly disagreed with the head guy. I hope they carry the day. I wasn't really paying a ton of attention during the Dany story, but I kept wondering if she was pitting Jorah and Daario against each other. I felt like her Targaryen side was coming out a little tonight, especially when she told Daario to strip, essentially keeping him in his place (and, although I see no chemistry between them, he's a handsome guy, and it's been a long time for her...). My jaw dropped when they had the bit where Oberyn told Tyrion about Cersei abusing him when he was a baby. I did not think that would ever make the show. Wonderful work from Peter Dinklage tonight, and I appreciated the roughness of his scenes with Jaime - they care about each other but there's a ton of baggage and boundaries. So is this it for Bronn? Given how popular Jerome Flynn is with fans, I wonder. Nice to see a reminder (through his plans of murdering his sister-in-law) that he's not any kind of good guy just because he hangs out with Tyrion. I really wanted Barnabas to pop up and soberly tell Tyrion, "You have no friends," the way he did with Julia Hoffman. The Selyse and Melisandre scenes fascinated me. I really wanted to see them interact in a way that didn't involve Stannis, and I finally did. I'm pretty sure Selyse has some "sinful" desires toward Melisandre that she doesn't want to face. Melisandre also likely knows this and uses it to her advantage. I'm scared of what it means that she insisted on taking Shireen with them when they leave. I hope they won't hurt her. Brienne and Pod learning about Arya. I enjoy their dynamic. She has little patience for the guy, but in a good-natured way. I like seeing more of her humorous side. I was surprised to see Hot Pie again, and even more surprised that he wasn't brutally murdered as some type of punishment for returning. Nice use of continuity and interconnecting stories. I'm not fond of the Hound/Arya relationship, but their scenes in this episode were sobering, beautifully acted, and actually felt like a genuine development of both characters. Maisie Williams and Rory McCann did some of their best work yet. Those Sansa scenes...too brief, but impeccable to the eye, and some great acting. Sansa has dropped her guard at the Eyrie, somewhat, so when she sees someone who reminds her of Joffrey (although I don't think Robin is anywhere near on the level of Joffrey yet, and I don't think he will ever be), she lashes out. I actually felt sorry for them both in that scene. (and the snow and the castle were so gorgeous) I felt so sorry for Lysa too. Deranged, broken. I just can't hate her. She's been used and manipulated and this is where it led her. Aiden Gillen gave his best work as Littlefinger in that "Only Cat" scene. I truly didn't think they'd pull that moment off, so kudos to them. He gave me the chills. Littlefinger/Sansa - ugh.

Presented by Jerome Flynn, the guy who plays Sam, and the lovely Sophie Turner, Doctor Who won a BAFTA that clearly no one involved with the show actually expected them to win. Too bad Adventure in Space and Time didn't win anything.

"Mhysa" This was one of my favorite episodes so far. For an episode that was more about establishing season 4 than anything else, they packed in some powerful moments, and some moments important for future episodes. Arya tricking and then (with the Hound's help) murdering the Lannister men was a tragic scene, not "you go girl" or anything along those lines. Again Maisie Williams gave a great performance. The part where the Hound asked her if that was the first man she'd killed and she somewhat quietly replied, "The first man," reminding us of the boy she'd killed near the end of season 1 - this was the scene in the whole Red Wedding story that nearly made me cry. Her seeing the wolf's head on Robb's body was also a gutting moment. I think what was left of Arya died in that moment. Loved everything with the Lannisters. That Tywin/Tyrion scene and how it went from being about the Starks to about their own dysfunction, reminding us that there are no happy victories with this group. Tywin once again shaming him, in the most hurtful way, for his existence. Even better was Joffrey's smugness being wiped away by Tywin. Joffrey calling Tywin a coward compared to his father was such a revealing moment, because Joffrey is pretty sure Robert was NOT his father, and Robert was never a father in any other way - he clearly hated Joffrey, if he even bothered to feel that much emotion toward him. But Joffrey needs to cling to his fantasy, because what else does he have, really? The scene with Tyrion and Cersei was also very good, mostly a setup to current events, but likely the closest they would ever get to civil. Varys trying to send Shae away - I'm glad they had this, to help show her POV, even if I'm still not sure why she would later turn against Sansa (other than having no choice). Varys does try to give good advice to the few in power that he truly cares about or sees as worthy. Unfortunately they, whether it be Tyrion or sicko Aerys, do not listen. Great to see Aemon Targaryen again. I'd almost forgotten he was still around. I liked the whole meeting with Gilly and Sam. I also liked their brief running into Bran and friends - it was a good way to wind down one story while starting another. The guy who plays Roose manages to skirt the line of the "normal" face he presents to most people and the truly sadistic figure he is underneath. The buildup of Yara going to rescue her brother was pretty great. Oh well. The Dragonstone group was a mixed bag. I loved everything with Gendry and Davos (some of Liam Cunningham's best work) but Stannis being all, "I'm going to kill you/wait Melisandre told me we need you/you see how smart she is? IN YOUR FACE!" did not seem like Stannis at all. I can only assume he didn't want to kill Davos at all and was looking for a quick chance to change his mind. With that said, I do appreciate getting to see the complexity of Melisandre and how she knows the danger they face and she's not going to kill Davos just to hold onto power or prove a point. Overall I'd say I liked these scenes, I just wish the main one had been fleshed out a little better. And of course I loved Shireen and Davos. The moment with waiting to see how Yunkei would greet Dany was so suspenseful. I also loved the whole bit at the end with her dragons flying around, Drogon's cry closing out the season. I can see why some people were upset about the Dany crowdsurfing scenes. I'm not necessarily bothered by them (although the imagery was questionable) as much as I think her leaving them all to fend for themselves when they were clearly still in need of guidance was extremely tin-eared. I guess that was the point, but I think they laid it on a little thick; after the reception she got here, I don't think she would have just moved on to Mereen.

I'm glad he got to hear from fans that his work impressed them. Thanks for doing that. Great stories.

So... "The Rains of Castamere" Lannister-free, but not in the way that counted most. I was sorry to see the breakup of Bran's group, as this has been my favorite group on the show since season 2 (RIP Maester Luwin) - they're like my Fleetwood Mac, in that the lineup changes, but they're still good. Considering that this was mostly somber teens, Hodor, and a perpetually annoyed and frightened Osha, they had some meaty scenes together. They made every scene count. I was very moved by Rickon saying goodbye to Bran. The tease over whether they'd interact with Jon was a nice touch. I think these scenes would have been a little less messy if they hadn't packed in him warging into Hodor and had instead had him go into Summer immediately, but I understand why they did it this way. I'm very glad that Summer got to rip some wildling throats out (one of those sentences you never expect to type...). I wonder if Jon processed that Summer was there. The guy who played the old man did a good job with a throwaway role. I was glad to see Jon gut that creepy pig. I think they'd mentioned briefly that he was a warg, but I'd totally forgotten it until he went into the eagle. Were they saying that he is now the eagle? I wonder if we'll be seeing him again. Rose Leslie was wonderful at playing how confused Ygritte was in all of that. She still loved Jon with all her heart and was probably going to get herself killed for him (I wonder if Jon intentionally knocked her down to get her out of harm's way). Theodorus Monk, or whatever his name is, holding her down to save her life was more moving than it should have been - again, great acting. Dany...most of this was decent enough material, nothing too obtrusive. I still don't see the purpose of Daario and if I didn't know better I would think he existed solely to pave the way for Dany/Jorah, which I doubt is the case. I do like this Daario more than the new one, though. My favorite scene was probably Jorah telling Barristan to stay behind - an uncomfortable and needed reminder to him that he is too old for heavy battle. For the main event... As I knew all of this would happen, I couldn't have the same reaction many had. Which means my own view is irrelevant, as this was designed to shock (and then make sense when you rewatch the season). The scene where Robb included Catelyn in his battle strategy again was quiet and powerful, beautifully underplayed by Richard Madden and Michelle Fairley. Arya/Hound...her insisting he not kill the food guy was very heavy-handed (showing she would soon stop caring about this type of humanity), as were most of their scenes before arriving at the Twins, but the image of her riding with him, a reminder of the child she still is even as she loses the last of that innocence, is striking. I think Maisie Williams did a wonderful job in the scene where she saw Gray Wind being murdered. She has a very expressive face. I also liked the scene where he knocked her out as he knew she was going to die otherwise. I intensely dislike the "buddy road trip comedy/he's her father!" fanon, but I won't deny that he cares about her in his own way, or that Rory and Maisie work well together. David Bradley gave a superb performance. Walder Frey isn't a villain. He is a sty in the eye. He is a petty, pathetic, empty husk of a man, a loser, a coward, and a complete degenerate. And Bradley played that to the hilt. I was very happy to see some of Catelyn being happy for her brother, as he'd just been portrayed as the family buffoon up to this point. Tobias Menzes did a good job with the moment when he first saw his beautiful bride. I really loved Talisa and Robb as a couple, but I desperately needed a scene in an earlier episode where he tried to get her not to join them for the wedding, and she refused. I don't believe he would have included her in the wedding, for her own sake above all else. If this scene occurred, I missed it. I thought Oona Chaplin did well with what they gave her, and her last moments talking with Robb about their child were poignant indeed, but Talisa being at the wedding solely to gouge viewers with a gory Sharon Tate-style murder truly showed in this episode. Beyond the clear tragedy of a pregnant woman being murdered, I just did not have a strong reaction, and the gruesome shock value of the whole thing actually took me out of story, unfortunately. The final moments with Robb and with Catelyn, the sick numbness of it all, were done with great care and skill, and felt much more "real" than most TV deaths. The husky despair and strength in Catelyn's voice as she tried to save Robb's life is something I won't forget for a long time. This started as Catelyn's story and I'm glad it also ended as such. Catelyn will always have my heart, and I'm glad this episode showed so many facets to her to remind me of why. Michelle Fairley gave one of the most committed and nuanced performances I've seen in some time. If I thought awards were worth a damn, I would give her all of them. That Michelle and Richard were weeping at the end of the DVD comments made all this feel about 100x worse.

Fascinating story. That's scary. I've heard mixed things about Bartholomew as producer.

Watching these January 1987 episodes and I notice once again that Shannon's story always sticks out like a sore thumb. It pretty much ALWAYS does throughout her run on the show. When she was integrated into the main cast more (when she dated Tom in 1988), it was mostly just stiff and awkward. Perhaps intentionally, I don't know. I loved Shannon at the time, and I still enjoy most of this stuff looking back, but it's not hard to see why bringing her back was such a mistake. And I'm so glad they recast this dull, pointless Emily.

They would have been better off in the long run just bringing Chucky back.

Great work. I love the Vicky/Jake fight. It has such fireworks, and it's so true to Vicky's character - strong, assertive, self-righteous, unapologetic. Great to see more of Donna too, and the other stories slowly moving forward. I'm really interested in more of Stephen and Joy.

The uploader has put up a few more episodes from earlier in November 1978. Here's mid-November. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pIo-Qcs55L8

Great story. Thanks for sharing. I'm glad you have good memories of it. You may remember David Jay because he did some other soap work, including a brief bit on Dark Shadows as the child version of Jeb Hawkes. http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0419583/ I never did understand why they didn't do more with Chucky. I guess they didn't want to write Lisa as mother to a young boy, but that's what boarding schools are for. Did you meet anyone else, or remember anything about the producer (or did you not meet any producers)?

I think that whole mess is one of the reasons he doesn't do publicity isn't it? There was some weird vendetta against him in the press. Just to clarify, I don't think he is leaving because of DTC. I think he's leaving because he doesn't stay around long. I just get the feeling the DS purity brigades will trash him for somehow letting their new/old savior down. Speaking of DTC, I wonder if he's gotten any better at casting young men if he's going to be recasting Ben. I still wince at the memory of Callum Monks.

Mickey seems a little nuts here.

This is sleazy even by political standards. http://talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/this-is-a-hot-one http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/chris-mcdaniel-break-in-clayton-kelly-rose-cochran-statements

We don't need David...we have the Carters!11!111! I wonder if there are any posts going around about how "ungrateful" he is to not support DTC's "vision." I think it was a ratings and awards grab. They clearly have no idea what to do with her.

I was looking forward to reading Catelyn's chapters, mostly because I'd heard people talk about book and show changes for Catelyn. There are moments in the book I'm glad they didn't put on the show, as I think it would have become somewhat porny, like Catelyn and Ned being post-coital when they get Lysa's letter, and she throws off her furs in front of Luwin to change into a robe (Ned is shocked but she says it's not a big deal, as since Luwin delivered all of her children, he's seen it all before), but I still loved all of that. I finally finished up season 3 a few hours ago. I just have to listen to the commentaries and then I'll blather on about it.