Ann_SS

I saw the actor who played Marland's first gay character on ATWT, Hank, many years ago is on a commercial (can't remember which at the moment).

Boy, that was disappointing and not a good follow up to the last episode. What a let down! It was not a good season finale at all. The House of the Undying was a major disappointment. I thought TPTB were going to finally show the tv audience the tie between the seemly disparate stories. The only good parts were Sansa's smile when the engagement to Joffrey was broken and Theon getting knocked out. Of course, it was good to see hot Drogo again.

Okay, I just watched the episode again. Cersei's scenes droned on a bit, but the rest of the episode was stunning, awesome... The fire, the brutality of the fighting, Tyrion's speech, the Hound's PSTD and scene with Sansa, Sansa telling Tyrion she will pray for him like she does the King, Varys' offering Tyrion his friendship, Stannis in his war madness, the men chanting, "half-man, half-man," Tyrion's reaction to seeing Stannis' men coming at him, Podrick saving Tyrion, the final scenes where the Lannisters and Tyrells come to the rescue. Just an excellent episode with wonderful small and large moments. “Don’t fight for your king and don’t fight for his kingdoms. Don’t fight for honor. Don’t fight for glory. Don’t fight for riches, because you won’t get any. This is your city Stannis means to sack. That’s your gate he’s ramming. If he gets in, it will be your houses he burns, your gold he steals, your women he will rape. Those are brave men knocking at our door. Let’s go kill them.” --Tyrion Lannister

Sansa made the right decision staying. No matter who won the battle, she would be relatively "safe" for the time being. Stannis and the Lannisters need her alive. She is a bargaining chip to use against the Starks and their people. The Hound might or might not keep his word and take her Winterfell. They might not even make it to Winterfell. The winner of the battle would have sent people after them and they would have been vulnerable to many dangers traveling by themselves. What would happen to her out there alone if he died? Look at Arya. With Yoren dead, Arya is only alive because of a series of improbable events and she is more of a survivor than Sansa. Peter Dinklage remains the stand out in the cast, but Lena Headley has done some fine work. I hope that she gets some recognition and a deserved Emmy nomination. It was an exciting episode. GRRM, the author, wrote the script which explains the intensity along with filming at night and the fire. I will watch again the episode tonight. Excellent!

Epic line. Along with let's go [!@#$%^&*]'em from behind. How could I forget: The Hound turning on Joffrey and then trying to take Sansa away were great scenes. Loras allied with the Lannister to avenge Renly's murder. The best episode of the season. I could barely sit down.

Half-way through, this episode is amazing! The fire on the boats was horrible. All those poor men burnt to death. Tyrion is the man! Stannis is a crazy and brave as hell. What an episode! Blood, guts, burnt flesh! Tywin and the Lannister reinforcements to the rescue. Cersei is so annoying at times, but I understand her frustration.. Joffrey is young and annoying. I can't blame him for not wanting to lead the charge.

I can't wait either.l From the preview, the show looks awesome!

I will be more careful in my comments from now on because I think that non-show the book info should be spoilers. After all, if someone has not read the books and just watches the tv show, there are a lot of things that do not exist or are not readily apparent.

Well, maybe there isn't in the tv series. However, if I have spoiled anything, I am sorry about that.

I completely agree. I see some of the book fans complaining, but there is so much story in the books, it is impossible to include most of it so they writers have to pick their spots. The one complaint that I have is that I don't think that TPTB have given enough info on the Targaryens for the tv viewers to make the link between Jon Snow and Dany so the different stories feel far more disconnected than they should be. I hope this is addressed in the next episode when Dany visits the House of the Undying. I agree. They should have shown how her despair over the boys' "death" lead her to free Jaime.

What a great episode! I really enjoyed that even though no one major got butchered. Gawd Theon. I actually went "aww" when his sister subtly confessed to loving him. He still had time to save himself, but his ego won't let him listen to her wisdom. I love Tyrion so much. His fear and quick recovery when he realized that the poor woman beaten was not Shanae. Cersei is such a bitch. The city is on the brink and she is playing petty games. Oh Tyrion don't love that woman. I loved his conversation with Varys and their snarking at Joffrey's threats to Stannis. Two clever men who respect each other discussing politics and survival. Varys' warning about Dany is very correct. Hopefully, Tyrion takes the warning as seriously as it was meant. Ahh, my Jon Snow. At least, he is still alive. He needs to smarten up though. Robb and that girl. RME. Oh well, men think with their... I loved his anger at his mother though. He was right. Is there anyone that Jaime won't alienate. Why the hell does he have to be an ass all the time? Good to see my beloved Jaqen again. Arya was a real pain naming him, but he is helping them escape so that is good. So Osha doubled back to Winterfell with the boys and Hodor. Thinking about it, there really wasn't much else she could do. Two young boys, one paralyzed. How could they possibly survive out there in the wild? Next week looks damn good.

I second this. ETA: GA always struck me as the poor man's ER with mediocre acting, too much music and voice overs. I have tried many times to watch GA, but just could not get into it.

Another good episode. Someone please chop off Theon's head. What an ass! Seriously, they wasted so much time with Jon Snow and that girl. They should have had him meet up with her people half-way through. The action at city got real. I loved the new King and his alliance with the sorcerer. I gasped when "they" killed off the council. Damn. I can't believe that Tywinn does not suspect who Arya might be after their conversations. I missed my seriously hot Jaqen. I am worried for Tyrion. He should know better than to care for that crazy bitchy sister of his. Poor Sansa. I felt for her when she was desperate to hide the bloody sheets.

Bree Williamson and her horrible acting will be a regular on the upcoming season of Haven: http://tvline.com/2012/04/30/bree-williamson-haven-season-3/

Tyrion is the dominant character in book two, followed by Arya and then Jon Snow. Game of Thrones does not have "sexuality plots." In Westeros, sex and romance are incidental to magic, political intrigue, and violence. And yes, Jon is a virgin, but not because he has doubts about his sexuality. The casting of the characters in the tv series is misleading if you have not read the books, although it is understandable why they aged the characters. In the books (and this is not a spoiler), Robb and Jon are only 14 years old when the story begins. Daenerys is 13 years old when she marries Drogo. Sansa (11 years old), Bran (10 years old), Arya (9 years old) and Rikon (3 years old) are the characters closer to their ages in the books. My point is that a 14 year old Jon Snow not having sex yet is not really a big deal or an indication of anything.

I really liked this episode except for Theon who proves to be even more of an ass. Tyrion got to slap Joffrey again. Good times, good times. I can't believe how quick he was to abandon Sansa even knowing that it would cost Jamie his death. Jamie is lucky that Tyrion loves him so much or he would be lost. Osha rocks! She got Rikon, Bran, Hodor, and the wolves out. Someone needs to give Theon a long painful death. I have fallen in love with Jaqen who I think is sooo handsome. I love his eyes. Where is Ghost? How can he just leave Jon to wander in the ice like that? Oh well. I am sure that Jon will be getting some from Ygritte soon. Could Robb be more obvious that he was lusting after that woman? I forgot about Dani: She is a piece of work. A little humility would go a long to helping her further her cause.

I forgot Jaqen and Arya. I enjoyed their interactions and murderous plotting. He is dirty with straggly hair, but I think that he is very handsome, something about his eyes.

Good episode, but they could have added a bit more drama to Renly's death. It happened so quickly. Thank goodness for Peter Dinklage. Tyrion is the best. I loved him tormenting Lancel and his snarky commentary on the street politicians' complaints, only to realize that he was the "demon monkey." Hilarious. Dany and Theon's stories is starting to bore me, but the previews suggest that it is heating up. They also need to move Jon Snow's story along. This show needs some serious violence and action.

Melisandre's giving birth was one of the most freaky things ever. Tyrion continues to rule. Someone kill Joffrey and painfully. Why does Tywin have Needle? For once his timing was good.

I did not like Natalie Dormer in The Tudors, but she is doing a good job portraying Margaery's pragmatism. Renly is fortunate to have her.

I actually liked Brienne's brusqueness with Cat a lot. The actress playing Brienne is not unattractive as described in the book, but she is very powerful and interesting. I look forward to seeing how the character is developed. I have no sympathy for Theon. He is and always was an ass. His pride and ego put him in this situation. His father is horrible, but that is to be expected.

I am loving Tyrion at court I hope that he really does not trust Varys. I still think that there is too much going on, too many threads to follow. However, Renly and Arya's stories are interesting. Poor Yoren.

Surprise! We are getting a third season. Excellent. http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2012/04/10/hbo-renews-game-of-thrones-for-a-third-season/128354/#comment-1139299

The increasing number of characters is going to be more problematic as the story moves along. I have noticed that already they are omitting some story threads. We haven't seen Renly for the season. Robb, and Joffery/Sansa were omitted last night. However, Tyrion, Jon Snow, Arya, and Dany are the most important characters from a storytelling point of view asl as long as TPTB gives them some airtime, we should be okay.

So far this season, what I am enjoying the most is how they are showing contrast between Ned and Tyrion as men dealing with the intrigue at King's Landing. They are both good men with compassion for those less powerful and vulnerable. Yet Tyrion because of the cruelty of his family and what he has been subjected to because of his physical limitations is far more able to maneuver the dangerous court politics. Tyrion claimed that he isn't honorable, but that is obviously not true at all. He is just more ruthless in his determination to survive than Ned. Ned should have gotten rid of that commander when he first arrived at court just like Tyrion did. I was glad that Tyrion asked Bronn if he would kill the baby. It is good that Tyrion understands that Bronn can be bought and therefore, he should pay him well and always watch him.