Goodbye My Sweet Moot

For over 10 years I had a constant companion by my side. I can still remember the day I saw his sweet face for the first time, he was the smallest one left and was so cute and tiny, I instantly fell in love with his sweet face and I knew Chris and I were meant to be his humans.

I have so many memories of Moot over the years. I was with him almost every single day ..he slept with me, stole my side of the the sofa ..I’d have to get him to move and then he’d just jump right back up and lay his head on me and nap. Especially during bad weather, he had to be by my side and as close to me as I would allow. He didn’t realize his size would crush me. He loved us and hated being away from us for any length of time. Every time I left the house I would worry about him at home, but he’d always  be in the window waiting for us as we got home.

When he was younger he always expected us to bring him back a toy and would go through all the shopping bags until he found his, he always knew exactly which one was his and never touched any of the others. Majority of the time he’d only play with his toy for 10 mins until he got tired of it, but he always loved getting new ones.

There was nothing more adorable than his sweet face begging for a snack and I  always caved and gave him his dog treats, sometimes he’d convince me to give him three in a row lol he knew how to guilt me. He was my baby. My big man, it’s impossible to type out all the memories, but I’ll never forget them. I’m thankful for  the 10 + years I had with him.

He had to be put to sleep this morning. Watching him slowly pass away had me mostly in denial ..he had days before where he wouldn’t feel good , but he always bounced back and would be back to his old self the next day, but this time he fell asleep and never opened his eyes again. He was still breathing, but he was gone. It hurts so much. I’m going to miss him so bad. I already miss him and can’t even imagine what a day or week will be like without him ...it’s so unfair how short their lives are compared to ours.

Moot Maximus 

December 22, 2006 - September 30, 2017

The Dragon and The Wolf [Game of Thrones]

The Dragon and The Wolf 

It's taken me a while to be motivated to write about the Game of Thrones finale due to that fact  I'm so depressed it's over. The season was far too short, but it ended with a jaw dropping finale that I personally loved! So many things finally happened that I've been waiting years to see. The Dragon and The Wolf also managed to rectify some of the earlier complaints I've had about earlier episodes.

The Dragon and The Wolf spends the majority of the episode in Kings Landing and we are given so many great conversations between characters, starting with a proper Bronn and Tyrion reunion. Bronn comes to escort Tyrion, Jon and the rest to the Dragon Pit to parle with Cersei. I loved seeing Bronn and Tyrion back together, even if they are now on opposing sides, it was still great hearing their banter and you could tell they still have a mutual respect for one another. The best scene from the escort though was definitely between Brienne and The Hound. Brienne is surprised to see him still alive and tells him that all she was trying to do was protect Arya, to which he replied so was he. Brienne lets him know Arya is  still alive and well in Winterfell and that the  only people who need protecting are those who get in her way. It was such a great little conversation and makes me want to see all three one them together eventually. 

The group gets to the Dragon Pit and Cersei isn't there yet, which had me super anxious it was going to be a set up. I just don't know what she's cable of after blowing up everyone with wildfire. You could read the tension on everyone's face, but finally she arrives escorted by The Queen's Guards, including The Mountain of course, to The Hounds surprise. There's a tense moment when Sandor walks over to his brother and tells him that he's coming for him eventually, which was the first of many anxious moments I had with The Mountain and my favorite characters. 

Everyone is in the Dragon Pit except for Daenerys...Cersei notices her absence  right away and is none to pleased. Dany finally makes one hell of an epic entrance on Drogon that leaves everyone in awe, except for Cersei. When Dany finally takes her seat all Cersei says is "you're late." Cersei's has the perfect poker face with Dany's show of power. I have to say Lena Headey's acting has just been amazing this year ..she does so much subtle acting with her face and she's able to convey a lot of emotions without speaking. She was superb not only this episode, but every episode this season. 

Tyrion stands up to speak on behalf of the group about a truce and Jon takes over explaining the dead is coming for them all. Of course Cersei doesn't believe any of them and thinks it's just a trick to get her army  to stand down in the war as they go off chasing monsters, but what Cersei didn't expect was them having proof.  Sandor brings out a large crate and unleashes a dead wight among them all. Everyone freaks out at what they're seeing, even Cersei. The only person who looks on with curiosity more than fear is Qyburn, which i totally appreciated his reaction to seeing it. Jon explains there's only two ways they can be killed: Fire and Dragonglass. Euron asks if they can swim, Jon replied  no and Euron tells them all that he was heading back to the Iron Islands because that's the only thing he's ever seen that scares him, he advises Dany to do the same. At the time I found that scene pretty funny. ...

Faced with the truth, Cersei agrees to help if Jon agrees not to take any side in the war between her and Daenerys. Jon tells her that's impossible because he's already bent the knee to Dany. Not only does this news piss Cersei off, it also shocks everyone else, including Tyrion. Cersei refuses to take any part of the Great War and leaves. Everyone tells Jon he should have lied..to which Jon says lying only leads to more lies. Tyrion tells them all they're fucked, but decides to try to talk to Cersei and convince her to change her mind. Brienne also tells Jaime to do the same. I loved seeing Brienne interacting with Jaime again. I love those two. 

The next scene is probably one of the best scenes in the entire episode.  Tyrion goes alone to talk to Cersei with only The Mountain in the room. I was really freaking anxious that Tyrion may actually die in this episode, but thankfully he doesn't and we get one of the best conversations from the entire season. For the first time we see Cersei with tears in her eyes and emotional as Tyrion is saying he's sorry for what happened to her children. Cersei doesn't want to hear it and continues to blame him for everything. She displayed more emotions with Tyrion in this scene over her children than she has with anyone else since Joffrey's death. Cersei tells Tyrion that she doesn't care about making the world a better place, she only cares about her family and keeping those she cares about alive and she touches her belly as she says this and Tyrion realizes she's pregnant. The scene cuts away ..

Jon and Dany are having a moment when Tyrion and Cersei walk out and Cersei tells them all that she will fight in the battle against the White Walker's and that they had better remember she chose to fight with no promises from them. They leave and return to Dragonstone thinking they have the Lannister army in the war to come. Jaime is later seen planning strategy and Cersei calls him the stupidest Lannister. She reveals to him that it was all a lie, she was just saying what they wanted to here to buy time She has schemed with Euron and has sent him to Essos to escort The Golden Company back to Westeros to help win the war against Daenerys. Jaime is aghast that Cersei lied and schemed behind his back and says he will not break another oath and that he will fight with Jon and Dany against the dead. Cersei tells him that's treason and my anxiety was high as she pretty much threatened him with The Mountain. I literally thought Jaime was dead in this scene. This was the one part of the entire episode that scared me more than any other because I really love Jaime. This was also one of my favorite scenes because Jaime FINALLY turns his back on Cersei, something I've been waiting to see for for an eternity. Jaime is leaving Kings Landing as it starts to snow and a slowed down version of the theme song plays over montages of winter arriving in King's Landing. It was a hauntingly beautiful montage.

Back in Winterfell Sansa receives a raven that Jon has bent the knee to Daenerys. She's not to happy to hear this and Littlefinger is suggesting that she can un name him as Lord of Winterfell. Sansa tells Littlefinger that Arya would never allow it, that she always loved Jon more and would kill her if she thought she was betraying Jon. Littlefinger decides to play a game with Sansa ...he asks her to imagine the worst possible reason Arya could have returned, she comes to the conclusion to kill her and become Lady of Winterfell. ..Frustrating scene on first watch.

Later,  Sansa, Bran, Littlefinger and the people from the Vale is gathered around and Sansa asks them to bring her sister in. Sansa starts saying that you're charged with treason and murder ...and they want us to think she's about to kill Arya, but then she says Lord Baelish. Littlefinger can't believe his ears as Sansa starts charging him with murdering Lysa and Jon Aryn and starting the war of the five kings by betraying Ned. Littlefinger starts begging for his life on his knees and Arya abruptly ends his life as she slits his throat. Sooooooo satisfying!! I've been waiting since season one for him to die and seeing him down on his knees crying like a little bitch was glorious!

As much as I loved this scene though I have to admit the horse shit of the previous episodes made this outcome somewhat predictable. Deep down in my heart I knew that would all three come together to kill him this season, which is why I hated all the arguing between Sansa and Arya. I'm not sure how much of it was an act and how much of it was real. I think the writers took their arguing a little over the top, but I feel like it was all somewhat real and  that Arya was playing her own game with Sansa and that Littlefinger's game of worst possible scenario was his down fall, because Sansa knows that Arya would never want to be a Lady. Also, at some point they must have all got together off screen and talked to Bran, to which he told them everything. Arya has the catspaw blade back in this episode that she handed over to Sansa in the previous episode. Seeing Littlefinger bleed out on the floor excuses the predictable arc for the Stark sister. The twist wasn't much of a fake out, but at least it ended in satisfaction and also ended with a beautiful and heart touching moment between Sansa and Arya. As they fondly remember Ned they recall what Ned told them in season one: The lone wolf dies, but the pack survives. It was the perfect way to end on them and hit me major in the feels.

Another scene that hit me in the feels was between Theon and Jon. Theon tells him he spent all his life trying to decide if he was a Stark or Greyjoy and he could never do the right thing like Jon always has. Jon tells him he doesn't have to make a choice between one or the other, that Ned is a part of him just as much as he's a Greyjoy. Jon forgives him as much as he can and tells him to go rescue his sister. I wish it would have ended there, because the next scene between Theon and the Ironborn felt a little silly...he gets into a fight with one and finds his courage thanks to a lack of balls and beats the Ironborn guy to death and commands the rest of the people to help him find Yara. It was an okay scene overall, but felt a little over the top. 

Sam has also made his way to Winterfell and meets up with Bran. Bran tells him he's the 3 Eyed Raven now and Sam's reaction is pretty funny, he says he doesn't know what that means so Bran explains he can see the past and the present. I think it's interesting to note Bran doesn't mention he can see the future, so he must not have green seeing powers. Bran then reveals that he must talk to Jon and tell him his true parentage, that he's actually the bastard of Lyanna and Rheagar. This is when Sam reveals his knowledge that Rheagar and Lyanna were actually married and Bran goes back in the past and witnesses their ceremony. As Bran is narrating the past events and explaining Jon is actually Aegon Targaryen and heir to the Iron Throne, it cuts to Jon and Daenerys making love on the boat.  Holy shit...Littlefinger's death isn't the only thing glorious in this episode, Jon's ass is perfection! Anyway...Jon and Dany are now officially together...and they're aunt and nephew... so that's complicated. I don't think Jon will care about being the heir to the Iron Throne, but their relationship will become problematic in more ways than one. Tyrion realizes this as he gives a look of concern at their bedroom door.

The episode ends at the Wall and I'm beyond mad I was spoiled about this, but it didn't stop it from being jaw dropping on first watch! Tormund and Beric are up on the Wall as they see the army of the dead arrive at Eastwatch...and then the Night King comes flying in on a wight Viserion, shooting blue flames and breaking down part of the wall. This scene was balls to the walls fucking crazy! The Night King looked sort of ridiculous riding Viserion, but at the same time it looked awesome and it was just amazing and sad and scary at the same time. I'm still a heartbroken Viserion died and seeing him as the Night King's mount is a gut punch. I can't imagine how Dany will feel or what this will mean for Drogon and Rheagal in the war to come. 

The Wall is officially breached and the dead have crossed  ...Winter is Here and it's going to be an incredibly long wait to see how this show ends!

9/10 

Beyond The Wall [Game of Thrones]

Beyond The Wall

I have know watched "Beyond The Wall" twice and listened to a few instant reaction podcasts. This episode has seemed to left some people complaining about the believability factor. This is a fantasy show, some of the nitpicking is rather ridiculous, but that doesn't mean I don't have my own complaints about the episode itself. I'm not bothered by the fast traveling, but the writing of the Stark girls is leaving me pissed. As far as the complaints go about fast traveling ...they were stuck beyond the wall for nearly two full days. If you pay attention the sun is down when Gendry makes it back to the Wall and it's a new day when the ice battle happens. When Dany arrives it seems to be getting near dark again, which meant the Ravens had all night to travel to Dragonstone. I'll assume they arrived in the morning and that dragons travel faster. Unfortunately the season is short, so short cuts are necessary and I'm not going to complain as long as stuff makes sense. 

The stuff in Winterfell is making less sense to me and I almost wish that we didn't get any Winterfell scenes at all verses a convoluted storyline. On the first watch I hated every bit of it. Even though Sansa and Arya were never close to begin with, it's still hard to watch the last remaining Starks argue. I remember in season one when Ned told them that they are sisters and they have to stick together.... 

The first scene with Arya and Sansa started out great, Arya is reminiscing with Sansa about their father, which always gets me emotional when they bring up Ned. As Arya is telling Sansa about the time he watched her training with a bow, the sweet moment turned super dark when Arya accuses Sansa of helping the Lannister's kill their father and starts reading the scroll that Sansa wrote under duress. I felt Arya was way over the line in her accusations towards Sansa. Sansa was totally in the right to defend herself. She was a stupid little girl. I understand Arya's anger, because I remember hating Sansa a lot in season one for her idiotic naïveté that led to Ned's arrest, but I was cheering for Sansa standing her ground and even taking credit for winning back Winterfell. Sansa's not wrong. She's been through a lot, she's grown up and she's not the same girl anymore. 

The next Winterfell scene leads into Sansa talking to Littlefinger about Arya. It was actually a great scene too. Sansa is worrying about what the northern houses would do if they find out about the letter and she's confessing her fears to Littlefinger about Arya being a danger. I think at this point Sansa's concerns are valid, but opening up to Littlefinger is completely and utterly stupid on her part. Of course he cleverly manipulates the situation and brings up Brienne's sworn oath to protect them both. This brings us to another scene that actually pissed me off. Sansa receives a Raven that summons her to Kings Landing and she decides to force Brienne to go and represent her. Brienne is protesting and doesn't want to leave Sansa unprotected, but Sansa flat out acts like a bitch towards her and forces her to go. I wanted to smack her for the way she acted towards Brienne, but I also felt like it was purposely done to get her out of the way for some other reason that's not quite clear. 

The last Winterfell scene is the one that bothered me most of all. Sansa is searching Arya's room for the scroll when she discovers the severed faces, Arya sneaks up behind her and starts acting like a freaking psychopath! I mean she is straight up Dark Arya as she tells Sansa about her faceless man training and that she can become anyone she wants to be, even her and all she would need is her face. I was really tense during this scene! Arya was holding the catspaw's blade and for a second I thought she was going to flat out kill Sansa, so when she handed her the blade I was relieved. I really hated this on first watch because I felt it was just over the top and ridiculously bad writing as well as  pointless screen time to create drama between the sisters. On second viewing I still didn't like it much, but I've come around into thinking that there may be something more going on. I'm hoping this is some set up to kill Littlefinger, but even if it is, I think the way they're getting there is extremely annoying. I'd rather just have a scene of Bran telling Sansa and Arya he's behind it all than having to watch forced drama between them. All of this at Winterfell just really affected the episode as a whole for me. 

Although I found little joy in Winterfell, I loved everything else. Dany and Tyrion had great scenes with great conversations, but the majority of the episode took place beyond the Wall with Jon, Tormund, Gendry, The Hound, Beric, Thoros and Jorah. Even though the plan to go beyond the wall was entirely stupid, I loved seeing all these people interact once they got there! Tormund and The Hound were hilarious. One of my favorite parts of the episode is when Tormund is declaring his love to Brienne to the Hound. Sandor's reaction to Tormund's crush was hilarious. We got comedy, but we also got an extremely touching scene between Jon and Jorah. Jon reveals to Jorah that has Longclaw, given to him by Jorah's father. Jon offers it back to Jorah and Jorah tells him to keep it because he doesn't deserve it for the shame he brought to his family. This is probably one of my favorite moments in the episode. It was a touching moment between two characters that hardly know each other, but the sincerity of the moment felt real due to their mutual respect for Jorah's father.  

There was several fun conversations and interactions between all characters to some degree, but then the first danger strikes when they get attacked by a reanimated dead polar bear! When that bear jumped out and attacked one of the nameless characters it gave me a jump scare. The bear kills one of the nameless characters and they set it on fire, the burning bear attacks Thoros and injuries him badly but he survives the initial attack. After they survive the polar bear attack they continue their journey and find a group of wights with a White Walker. They set up a trap to capture one of the wights. It works at first until the wight sends out a scream alerting the rest of the dead to danger. That's the only way I can describe what happened, because suddenly the entire group is over run by the dead. Jon makes Gendry run back to the Wall to get a raven to Dragonstone. The rest of the group start running and make their way to a frozen lake with an island in the middle. As thousands of the dead begin to cross the ice, it breaks and they sink to the bottom as our group watch from safety.  

This is where the episode gets a little bizarre and you have to suspend disbelief to a certain extent, because the Night King is there and chooses to wait them out. I feel like he has the ice magic to refreeze the lake, but he just stands and watches them almost like it's part of plan. We see it's nightfall when Gendry makes it back to the Wall and tells Davos to get a raven to Dragonstone. The group remains stranded over night and Thoros succumbs to his wounds. I had been spoiled on his death thanks to the internet, but losing the the red priest was still a little sad. This also means that Beric has no one to revive him the next time he dies, which I felt was likely to happen before the episode was over because upon realizing the lake is re frozen (thanks to the Hound), the wights start attacking our group. This was a super intense scene and I thought for sure Tormund would die at one point as the wights were trying to pull him beneath the water, but the Hound saves him. The group is still over powered and over run by the dead and it looks like all hope is lost. I know this would have been an incredibly emotional moment, but thanks to the leaks, I was spoiled on what would happen, so I knew Dany would show up and save them. However that scene was absolutely stunning and breathtaking as all the dragons fly in and start spitting fire at the end. The music that plays for these moments with the dragons also makes the scenes even more impactful. As Dany is getting the group on top of Drogon, Viserion and Rhaegal are still catching the dead on fire ....then it cuts to the Night King as an Other hands him this giant ice spear. My heart stopped at this moment, because I knew what was about to happen. The Night King throws the spear and hits Viserion, the dragon starts bleeding Fire and falls to his death and sinks beneath the lake as Dany watches. This scene was one of the most gut punching moments in the entire series! I know they're cgi dragons, but they're real in the context of the show and we have watched them grow up for season years and seeing one die left me in tears. It was such a tragic moment. Now we know that the dragons can easily be killed by the Night King and this changes everything. 

Jon is still trying to fight off the dead and for some dumb reason tells Dany to leave without him to get everyone to safety. Why he stayed behind didn't make any sense, but the Night King is throwing another ice spear and Drogon flies and dodges it thankfully! Jon gets dragged beneath the water by the dead ...but then he comes up again. Not sure what this is supposed to mean?? But he's still stranded and out numbered by the army, until Uncle Benjen shows up and rescues him, sacrificing himself in the process. I was let down by this particular part. I would have loved to have had more scenes between Jon and his uncle, and this is a moment that I think is ruined by the faster paces storytelling of this season. But at least Jon is alive and he makes it back to Eastwatch to the relief of Dany. 

I loved the next scene! They're taking Jon's frozen armour off and as Dany looks on, she finally sees all his wounds he suffered at the hands of the Night Watch, including the one in his chest. In that moment she's understands that there is something truly special about Jon Snow. Dany is sitting by his side when he wakes up and Jon apologizes to her for going beyond the wall and costing her the life of one of her dragons. Dany has tears in her eyes as she tells him she's not not sorry, because now she's knows and she makes a promise to help him defeat the Night King. Then something monumental happens! Jon calls Daenerys his Queen! This is something I did NOT want to happen in earlier episodes because Dany was trying to make him bend the knee and as I've said in an earlier blog, I always loved her arc because people chose to follow her. Jon is choosing to follow her now because he believes in her and I think it was a touching moment.

The episode ends on a game changing moment that was completely spoiled for me. We go back beyond the wall and see the dead using these giant chains to pull a dead Viserion out of the water. Then the Night King walks over and touches the dragon and Viserion opens blue eyes ...the Night King now has his own weapon of mass destruction to use against Daenerys. I can't even imagine what this is going to mean for all the living.

Beyond the Wall that had some incredible moments and for the most part I loved it. The stuff in Winterfell is the only stuff I out right hated, but another thing did nag me about this episode. I still can't figure out why the White Walkers didn't use ice magic to freeze the lake. I swear it's like they purposely waited for Daenerys to arrive, like they knew she would be coming. Having the chains there and ready also makes me feel like he knew and this was all a plan to trap them so he could get his own dead dragon to control. I can't help but to wonder if the Night King has green seeing powers like Bran. Hopefully with next week's season finale we get some actual answers from Bran!

7/10

Eastwatch [Game of Thrones]

Eastwatch 

I had so many expectations for Eastwatch coming off The Spoils of War. There was a lot of things I really wanted to see happen or that I expected to happen, that it made my initial watch a little frustrating and I wasn't sure how I felt about it overall. I decided to re watch it again without any expectations and I actually really loved it a lot on second viewing. I found certain scenes a lot more emotional and I was able to take in some of those breathtaking moments without being irked by the things I wanted to happen. While this episode didn't give me what I wanted to see, it gave us a lot to take in.

Eastwatch picks up where Spoils left off, Jaime and Bronn survived the loot train battle. This is where I was initially annoyed. I had this idea that Dany would take Jaime and Bronn hostage, but instead they cleanly escaped her. I was stunned they just came out the other side of the water with no one waiting for them. However, on second viewing I actually really loved the dialogue between them. Jaime admitted they will lose the war against the dragons. Bronn had a funny line about his work ends when dragons get involved. What I thought was great about the scene was how visibly  shaken Jaime still is after seeing the destruction one dragon did and he's already acknowledging Dany has three and really hasn't decided to use any of them fully. I'm really enjoying all the reactions to the dragons, especially from characters that deemed them a non threat in earlier seasons. 

The next scene was freaking incredible. Tyrion is walking among all the death and destruction, visibly shaken himself by seeing what Dragon is cable of. Then it cuts to Drogon and Dany standing in front of a few survivors and she's offering them the choice of bending the knee or death if they continue to oppose her. Majority kneeled before her, but Randyll Taryl and Dickon refused. Randyll chose honor over bending and I have to admit I grew to respect him in that moment. There's a lot of talk about Dany becoming a mad queen in this scene. Even Tyrion was trying to talk her out of killing those who refused to bend, allowing them to be taken prisoner instead, but I don't think what she did was mad or evil. They were given a choice. However, the one thing that I don't like about this choice is that Dany has always had people follow her out of loyalty and this is the first time that I felt people kneeled, not because they believe in her but because they're terrified of being burned alive. It's why I actually felt moved and emotional by Randyll sticking to his honor and refusing to bend and dying for something he did believe in. It was a powerful scene. 

I'm going to jump around the episode a bit, because we get another incredibly powerful scene involving Drogon, but this time it's with Jon Snow. Dany and Drogon make their way back to Dragonstone and Dragon lands right in front of Jon. This scene was both beautiful and terrifying. Drogon looks amazing and this scene was gorgeous and terrifying at the same time. Drogon smells Jon and he recognizes Jon as a Targaryen. I got some chills watching. I think Daenerys did as well....there was also really great moments between Jon and Dany, but another big moment here was the reunion between between Jorah and Dany, which I found incredibly touching seeing them back together again. 

Next we go over to Winterfell and we get this incredible scene where Bran has warged into several Ravens and they're all flying beyond the wall and he's watching the army of the dead marching towards Eastwatch. We see the Night King look up and the ravens fly away at once as Bran "wakes up" and tells the maester to gather the ravens, which are sent to Jon in Dragonstone and the Citidel. This was another stunning scene that was so dark and foreboding, but I loved it visually. The beauty of snow and mountains beyond the Wall juxtaposed with the army of the dead just looked both incredible and chilling.

Also in Winterfell, Sansa is dealing with the the Northern houses being upset that Jon has decided to go beyond the Wall instead of returning to Winterfell. This leads to some scenes that I felt very conflicted over.  Arya is listening to the Houses disrespect Jon and she goes really hard on Sansa for not punishing them. This has been the first time that I felt very pro Sansa and thought Arya was being way too hard on her sister and she came off extremely dark. I hated that they were reverting back to their season one behaviors of arguing and of course Littlefinger is using this to his advantage when we see Arya spying on him, which was all a set up of cat and mouse ..he lead her to a scroll that Sansa was forced by the Lannisters to write in season one that makes her look like she's betraying her family in order to marry Joffrey. What Arya will do with this information can't be good. I'm really hoping that Arya knows she's being set up ....

Jaime makes his way back to King's Landing. He tells Cersei the same thing he told Bronn, that they stand no chance against Daenerys. The best part of this scene was the revelation he made to Cersei about Lady Olenna being behind Joffrey's death, not Tyrion. I could feel Cersei's anger in just her facial expressions. The rest of the King's Landing scenes I felt beyond frustrated with, starting with Tyrion re-uniting with Jaime and Bronn. I felt very cheated out of a Bronn and Tyrion reunion. Even Jorah and Tyrion were given more dialogue later in the episode (which was awesome), but for two characters that spent a lot of time together in previous seasons to not get much dialogue felt a disservice to fans. The Jaime and Tyrion reunion was a bit better and I wish we could have spent more time with it because I loved the emotions that were coming out about previous events, but it was cut short in order to deal with the present day events. Tyrion tells Jaime that Dany is offering a temporary truce in order to fight the dead and we later see Jaime return to Cersei with the offer....and this is where I'm beyond annoyed with the writers. Cersei agreed to the truce but then tells Jaime she's pregnant. Are you freaking kidding me?? I'm not sure she's telling the truth, it could all be a part of a scheme to keep Jaime loyal to her, but as a book fan I'm already having to come to terms with Jaime's unrelenting loyalty for his sister on the show, but I was hoping Olenna's confession would cause Jaime to snap out of his love and side with Tyrion. Thankfully the  King's Landing stuff was saved by Davos and the return of Gendry!! And he even has his own war hammer! I'm glad to see him back in the show and teaming with with Jon and Davos has me excited. 

Another incredible and equally frustrating revelation this episode happened when Gilly tries to make causal conversation with Sam and reads that  Rhaegar Targaryen had an annulment to his wife and re married someone else in Dorne. OH MY GOD!! I wanted to scream at Sam for interrupting her!! This is the single most important information in the entire episode and it was just thrown out and then ignored! Jon Snow was NOT born a bastard, but is the true born son of Lyanna Stark and Rhaegar Targaryen. This makes him the rightful heir to the throne. I slapped my forehead at this point and screamed an ughhhhh ... why is the show doing this to me ...I just hope Sam and Gilly packed that book with them before they left!

Even though I had a lot of things bug me this episode, it still was a fantastic episode and the culmination of several of our favorite characters coming together at Eastwatch has me hyped for the next episode as they journey beyond The Wall to capture a Wight to send back to King's Landing. It ended on a fantastic shot of Jon, Tormund, The Hound, Gendry, Jorah, Beric and Thoros. Not all these people like each other, but they're all on the same side of the living. ..which makes them allies in the war to come and has me both excited and scared to see what happens next. 

8/10

The Spoils of War [Game of Thrones]

The Spoils of War

Holy smokes! What an episode! Trying to avoid all the spoilers after the HBO hack has been difficult and thankfully the only part that was ruined for me was the Arya reunion, but that had been semi confirmed, so not that major of a deal. I'm so thankful that I didn't read anything else, because seeing it all play out tonight was one of most thrilling and exciting Game of Thrones experiences I've ever had. I was such a whirlwind of emotions, starting with Arya over looking Winterfell. Just seeing her sitting on her horse and looking at her home and hearing the beautiful Stark theme music hit me in the feels. All the last true born Starks are finally back in Winterfell. We haven't seen this since the first couple of episodes of season one and it's been a long journey for them all. 

Stark reunions wasn't the only thing going on in Winterfell. Littlefinger is giving the Catspaw's dagger to Bran and telling him how much he regrets not being able to save Catelyn, but now wants to protect her children. I was disgusted by Littlefinger. He's the reason Ned got killed and when Bran told him that chaos is a ladder, the look on Littlefinger's face was priceless. It was a subtle, but Bran unnerved him. We rarely see Littlefinger lose his composure, but he's slowly coming undone. The other thing about this scene is that Bran asked Littlefinger does he know who the blade originally belonged to ..Litttlefinger said he didn't, Bran must know, yet he never revealed. I do wonder if there's going to be something else special about the dagger now or if we will ever get a definitive answer on who hired the assassin. The book reveals the assassin, but it could play out differently in the show. 

Meera is leaving to return home to her family and we get more insight into Bran as the Three Eyed Raven. He reveals to Meera that even though he remembers everything as Bran, he remembers so much more now. I guess that makes everything that's happened to him small in comparison, but I can't blame Meera for feeling upset by his lack of emotions.        

Arya and Sansa's reunion in the Crypts was beautiful and realistic. They've both been through hell and back. They  were never close as siblings, so I'm glad it wasn't over played too much and I was happy that Sansa acknowledged Arya and Jon's close relationship...which is the one that fans want to see the most. It almost makes me worry that we won't get it. This show makes me scared to get too hopeful! Arya asked Sansa did she really kill Joffrey and reveals to Sansa that she has a kill list and Joffrey was the first name on her list. Sansa didn't take her too serious....but told her Bran was also home. 

When Bran and Arya finally reunite, he gives her the Valyrian dagger. He also tells her that he can see everything. I don't think Sansa and Arya really understand until Bran mentions Cersei being on Arya's kill list. I think Sansa finally realizes that Arya was dead serious and this is further shown when Arya meets up with Brienne, which was also a great moment in the episode. Seeing Arya and Brienne spar was exciting! All Arya's lessons with Syrio and Jaqen have paid off! The only thing that left me uneasy about the scene was the look on Sansa's face as she was watching Brienne and Arya. I'm not sure if she was just shocked, but to me it seemed like she was reverting back to season one Sansa. She always looked down on Arya's training, but now it seems like she's jealous that Arya is a strong warrior like Brienne and Sansa herself relies on Brienne for protection ...maybe I'm reading too much into her facial expressions.          

Everything in Winterfell was so good, but that was just the beginning! We soon go over to Dragonstone. Davos and Jon have a great conversation with Missandei about Dany being their chosen Queen, not because of some birthright, but because they believe in her. I think this was a great parallel to Jon himself, who was also chosen King of the North by his people despite him being a bastard. Then Jon discovers all the dragonglass in the cave, but that's not all! He also found symbols and drawings that the children of the forest made inside the cave, telling of how they worked together to defeat a common enemy. He shows these to Dany and Dany tells Jon that she will work with him to save his people ...if he will bend the knee. Arrrrghhhhhhhhhhgh! Stop being bloody difficult Dany! However, their conversation about his pride and refusing to bend was very reminiscent of Jon's conversation with Mance Rayder. It was a really good scene but the symbols felt a little bizarre and little convenient. It didn't hurt the episode any though and the next scenes saved any issues I had with that particular plot point when Dany learns that their plan to take Casterly Rock had a draw back when the majority of the Lannister army took High Garden. Dany is ready to bring Fire and Blood down on Cersei and Kings Landing even though Tyrion is telling her not to. She asks Jon for advice and he tells her that if she does that she won't be bringing any changes to Westeros, only more of the same. I loved the moment. I love seeing Fire and Ice together! 

Dragonstone also gave us another reunion ...this time of a different sort. Jon sees Theon for the first time since betraying Rob and burning Winterfell. I think the scene played out perfectly. Jon has every right to hate him and want to kill him for everything he has done to his family, but Theon did help save Sansa and for that he spares his life. Theon tells them that Euron has taken Yara hostage and wants Dany's help to get her back ...but Dany isn't there. ..

Jaime, Bronn and the Lannister army are still in High Garden packing up their "spoils of war" to take back to Kings Landing so they can pay off their debt to the Iron Bank. Which was Cersei's plan all along. Earlier we got a scene between Cersei and the Iron Bank guy,  but it was the least interesting part of the episode to me so eh..back to High Garde.. As they're having a conversation Bronn hears riders in the distance and they soon realize a Dothraki army is descending upon them and holy shit here comes a dragon ...and this is when shit gets crazy!

There's been a lot of epic battles in Game of Thrones, but this is the first time that I felt high stacks on BOTH sides. I love Jaime, I love Bronn....I love Dany and I love Drogon. As much as I loved seeing the rest of the Lannister army roasted, I had high anxiety that one of my favorite characters wasn't going to make it out alive! I literally started screaming as I was watching, grabbing my head and just repeating "oh my god oh my god oh my god"...all I could  think was please don't kill Bronn! And then Bronn makes his way to the scorpion and started shooting arrows at Drogon and I totally lost my shit and started screaming and making inhuman noise because I was terrified for Drogon and terrified for Bronn! When Bronn injures Drogon and he lands down on the ground my heart was pounding and I started shaking!First time Ive ever had that happen watching television! Then it cuts to Jaime coming towards Dany and Drogon!  Drogon looks at Jaime and holy shittttttt what is happening OH MY GOD...Jaime is saved from being burned alive and it fades to black as Jaime is drowning in the water ... I'm still losing my shit ...it was the one of the most thrilling moments of Game of Thrones EVER!!! The entire battle was freaking amazing and now Dany has finally got a win over Cersei! Jaime and Bronn's fates are uncertain but Tyrion is there  watching it all unfold and I don't think he will allow Dany to kill his bother or Bronn! 

I have to say as awesome as the action was, the acting was also incredible. Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (Jaime) and Jerome Flynn (Bronn) were giving incredible performances with their facial expressions at seeing the dragon burn their armies alive. Even Peter Dinklage as Tyrion was looking at Dany's destruction with new eyes. These aren't some people in Mereen he barely knows getting roasted, they are people sworn to protect his family and his brother was down there. Tyrion was experiencing a lot of mixed feelings as he watched ...I think Tyrion was in the same position as the viewers as the destruction unfolded. That being said, Daenerys never fails to send chills down my spine every single time she delivers a "Dracarys" and as conflicted as I was watching the battle, Drogon roasting the Lannister army had fucking amazing visuals and it was just awesome!

10/10

The Queen's Justice [Game of Thrones]

The Queen's Justice 

Fire and Ice finally meet for the first time and it was such an awesome scene. Dany and Jon are two of my favorite characters and I've known from the start that they would have to meet one day since this is a song of Ice and Fire after all. I thought the scene was incredible. I was very much worried that Dany would throw him in the cells for refusing to bend the knee and pledge loyalty and I was equally worried that Jon would actually do it just to get her help. They are both rulers in their own right and I ultimately loved how it played out with neither of them  really trusting each other, but Dany still being reasonable and not just taking him prisoner. Part of me is frustrated with Dany for not believing him, but honestly, who would?? I think it's incredibly fair that Dany would be skeptical of someone saying the dead are coming without solid proof. I can't wait to see how they will ultimately learn to trust each other and work together. I also loved seeing Jon's reaction to the dragons...he's a dragon himself and I felt that scene was incredible in itself since he doesn't yet know, but I have a feeling he will be riding one before the war is over.

Another really good scene was between Varys and Melisandre, but man was it ominous. Varys told her not to return to Westeros for her own safety, she replied she would have to one last time because she's meant to die in Westeros, same as Varys. Like whoaa, that entire exchange was unsettling. Varys dying has never crossed my mind before, for some reason I've always felt he'd be one of those who would make it to the end. I can't imagine what she's seen in the flames regarding Varys future! I feel her fate is intertwined with Arya's. I remembered the scene where she told her they would meet again..so something will have to bring them back together.

Speaking of unsettling scenes, Bran and Sansa's emotional reunion was cut short by Bran's creepy ass behavior and talk about being the Three Eyed Raven. I just never expected him to return and act like an entirely different person and if I were Sansa, I would be questioning his sanity. Also, it was unnerving for him to bring up Sansa's wedding to Ramsey. I know he has to say something that would make her know he's telling the truth and hasn't lost his mind, but that was just a messed up thing to bring up to her in that moment. It almost made me forgive her for being so quick to point out he's the rightful Lord of Winterfell. I was frankly a little pissed she already tried to ruin Jon's claim to Winterfell. That scene showed just  how little she still thinks of Jon and still sees him as a bastard and not a true born Stark. Not cool Sansa -  and with Bran acting creepy and unsettling, I'm not sure how anyone will believe him when he finally reveals Jon is actually a Targaryen.

Jorah is cured from the grayscale!! Sam didn't get expelled from the Citidel! But I still don't know what the hell greyscale has to do with the fight against White Walkers. I just hope Jorah makes his way to Dragonstone and finds Dany, because she's going to need all the help she can get ...

The episode is titled The Queen's Justice and as much as I truly hate Cersei, I couldn't help but to root for her as she got revenge on Ellaria. The call backs to Obyern fighting The Mountain were really good and I can't help thinking how Ellaria's bloodlust for revenge went against everything Obyern stood for. In season four he says himself that they don't hurt little girls in Dorne and he stood by Tyrion and didn't judge him for the sins of his family. Ellaria's quest for revenge ultimately lead to the downfall and death of all the Martell's and I really hated her for dishonoring him by killing Myrcella, who was a true innocent in the world. There's poetic justice in killing Tyene the same way Myrcella died and making Ellaria watch the same way Jaime had to watch Myrcella. 

The Queen's Justice ended with another shocking turn of events when we got to see two locations we have never seen before - Casterly Rock and High Garden. Tyrion's plan for the Unsullied to take Casterly Rock seemed to go off as planned and I loved the monologue that was playing over the battle scene ...I loved the entire sequence and was really feeling good about something finally going right, especially after Euron destroyed her Greyjoy fleet. I should have known that it was going far too easy. My heart sunk when I saw Euron's fleet destroying the ships and then Oh My God, the entire Lannister army just completely wiped out High Garden. I did NOT see that coming in a million years. Jaime mentioning Rob Stark's strategy was a great callback. And holy shit! I did not even fathom Lady Olenna dying and I'm a little heart broken over her death. She's been one of the best characters ever since she was introduced. She's crushed every scene she's ever had and I figured if she was going to die, it would have been last season. The scene between her and Jaime was so damn good and I'm glad she went out on a high note, getting in the last word and revealing she's the one that had Joffrey killed. For a minute I thought Jaime was going to strangle the life out of her before the poison could do its job. I have to say that I'm actually shocked that this information was revealed. I didn't think Jaime or Cersei would ever find out the true killer and it was complete satisfaction how she dropped the bombshell, knowing her death will be painless while Joffrey's was agonizing. 

When the season first started, I didn't think there was anyway Cersei could stand a chance against Dany with her dragons and her allies. Now I'm not so sure anymore...Euron destroyed Yara's fleet and holds her prisoner, the Lannister army totally wiped out House Tyrell and the Unsullied are stranded on Casterly Rock. All that's left are the Dothraki and her Dragons. So much has happened in just three episodes and the real war to the North hasn't even begun!

8/10

Stormborn [Game of Thrones]

This episode of Game of Thrones was so emotional for me for several different reasons, but the scene that hit me hardest was THAT reunion. I started watching GOT as a non book reader because I kept seeing gifs of these cute wolves and baby dragons. The scene that was popularly gif'd from season one was of Arya packing her bags and Nymeria watching her with the cutest head tilt. I thought to myself, this wolf is adorable, I have to check this out, not knowing Nymeria was only going to be in two episodes - it was very upsetting to me that Arya had to make her wolf run away in order to save her and I've been hoping Arya would find her again one day. After I finished watching season one, I read all the books and in the books Nymeria is still roaming the Riverlands with a pack of her own, so we know she's out there. The show seemed to forget Nymeria, but that's the one reunion I've been wanting more than anything and hoping the writers would bring her back again. Tonight we got just that ...

Stormborn

Tonight's scene with Arya and the wolves was amazing and heart breaking at the same time. I literally burst into tears when Nymeria came into view and came face to face with Arya. It's one of the happiest moments I've witnessed while watching the show, but then it quickly turned bittersweet and my tears of joy turned into a sobs of sadness when I realized she had to let her go because Nymeria has her own pack now and is a wild wolf ...and as heart breaking as it is to accept it, it makes perfect sense. Nymeria is much like Arya, wild at heart and untamed, always staying true to herself. Arya has never followed the rules and expectations of others and it's fitting her wolf wouldn't either. Arya realized this to as she spoke "that's not you" out loud as Nymeria turned away and left with her pack of wolves. It was both beautiful and devastating and I've been crying inside for hours. 

Earlier in the episode there was another great reunion between Hot Pie and Arya and Arya finally learns that the Boltons have been defeated and her brother Jon is in Winterfell. I was hit in the emotional feels in this scene as well, because I loved Jon and Arya's sibling relationship. She was the one Stark that treated him as a Stark and not a bastard. I've been wanting to see them reunited  ever since Arya left for the Wall in season two. After learning her family is back in Winterfell, she abandoned her mission to return to Kings Landing to kill Cersei. On the way to Winterfell is when she meets Nymeria, but it makes me wonder if their parting of ways and realizing Nymeria is no longer the same wolf will make Arya turn back to Kings Landing, because Arya is no longer the same girl either. I hope she doesn't, because I still want that happy ending for her and Jon, but this is Game of Thrones. Arya's fate worries me more than anyone else's. ...

It's storming in Dragonstone and I'm absolutely loving every minute of Daenerys and Varys. She called him out as the spy that conspired to have her killed as well as his betrayal of all the other Kings he has served. Dany has every right not to trust Varys as an advisor, but his response to her was a pretty powerful moment. I loved the line where he told her he wouldn't blindly follow anyone who isn't good for realm, because that's where his loyalty lies. She replied that if he ever thinks she's not doing the right thing, he should tell her to her face and not conspire against her. Just really awesome stuff. 

Holy shit! Dany is now aware of Jon Snow thanks to Melisandre and speaking of Jon, we had more great stuff happening in Winterfell. Jon received a raven from Dany asking him to come to Dragonstone and bend the knee and a second raven from Sam about the dragonglass under Dragonstone. Jon realizes that with her dragons and the dragonglass, Dany could be a great asset to them against the White Walkers. The other Houses however are opposed to him trusting a Targaryen and a Lannister.... and so is Sansa. We get more moments with them showing opposing opinions and Littlefinger smirking in the corner over their discord. Later when Jon nearly chokes Littlefinger in the Crypts and threatens to kill him if he touches Sansa, I took great pleasure and satisfaction in it. And again, I got hit in the feels with the statue of Ned Stark. More feels came when Jon decided he was gong to meet Dany and he put Sansa in charge of the North. Let me just say that I am freaking hyped for Dany and Jon to come face to face....however, the King of the North should not bend the knee..

There were many beautiful moments in this episode that filled me with happiness, but the stuff in Kings Landing fills me with dread. I'm still hating that Jaime stands beside Cersei and now I'm freaking out inside that one of Dany's dragons will be killed. Qyburn has created a weapon against Dragons and this being GOT, I don't see all of them surviving. 

I'm less certain about Jorah's fate. The greyscale has spread over his body and that scene with Sam removing the infected areas was fucking gross man! Even if Sam manages to save his life (and I really hope so), what does this all mean for the end game? I can't figure out how grayscale fits into any of the war to come or how Jorah will either for that matter.  

The episode ended on a pretty deadly note! Fitting since the previous episode opened with death. Euron and his fleet of ships attack Yara and the Dornish and it was awesome. Two sandsnakes get killed and the others are taken hostage. Since the show fucked up everything Dornish (except Oberyn - which sucks since they're amazing in the books), I was happy to see them wiped out. I'm more upset about Yara being taken hostage and omg, poor Theon was triggered by everything and reverted back to Reek. The look of disgust on Yara's face said it all, he's been emotionally scarred for life. I don't know how he will come back from this. He betrayed his sister and he would be a weak link in Dany's army. Now that Dany is down Dornish allies and Yara's Iron Fleet, her strategy to lay siege to Kings Landing as been blown to hell.

All in all this episode was amazing and we are just getting started...

8/10

Dragonstone [Game of Thrones]

Game of Thrones is back and I've decided to do a weekly run down of everything I love and dislike about every episode. It's been a while since I've blogged at all so I'm a little rusty, but I'm going to try my best lol ..so shall we begin? ;)

Top 5 Moments of Dragonstone:

1. Tensions at Winterfell:

As a Stark loyalist (The North Remembers) I am always the most invested in what's happening with the remaining Starks. We've been waiting several seasons to finally see them reclaim the North and it finally happened last season with Jon and Sansa defeating the Boltons, but with Littlefinger in the mix, it's made Sansa and Jon's reunion tense, especially with him getting all the credit for defeating the Boltons and being declared King of the North. The disagreements between Jon and Sansa at the council table had me on edge and I could tell Littlefinger was relishing it. However, I remain hopeful that Sansa remains loyal to Jon and I absolutely loved the scene where it was just the two of them and she was urging Jon not to make the same stupid decisions that got Rob and Ned killed. The greatest Winterfell moment was between Sansa and Littlefinger ...Sansa wasn't having any of his manipulating bullshit and I loved how she shut him down. Best quote was when she told him not to bother to get the last word, I'll assume it was something clever. Yesss, you go Sansa! I hope he dies and I hope it's by her hands....I know several want to see Arya kill him, but I rather see him die by Sansa. 

Also, shout out to Lyanna Mormont for continuing to be a badass and standing her ground. She may be small, but she is fierce! 

2. Winter Comes For House Frey:

Holy shit, what a cold open! I knew right from the start that it was going to be Arya, but it didn't make the moment any less epic! Arya killing Walder Frey last season was one of the most satisfying deaths, but I didn't expect her to kill off the entire Frey House ...it was such a bad ass character moment and I love that it happened in the same room as the Red Wedding. It came full circle in the most satisfying way possible. "When people ask what happened here, tell them winter came for House Frey and The North Remembers." Chilllssss! 

3. The Hound's Guilt:

The Hound has always been one of my favorite characters. He's done some awful things, but I've never viewed him as a villain. He's a realist that's playing a game of survival in a brutal world to live in. When he walks into the house and sees the remains, the look of guilt and remorse on Sandor's face is subtle, but you can tell he truly feels sorry for what happened to the father and daughter that gave shelter to him and Arya back in season four...and it was touching. The most surprising of this scene was him being able to see the visions in the flames....I don't know how that works. How people are chosen by the Lord of Light to see visions?? I wonder what it means for his character. Is his overall arc just to defeat his bother? Or is there something more ...

4. The Night King's Army:

It has Wight Giants! Not just one, but three!! Freaking awesome! However, after watching that scene, this makes me wonder if Hodor will be part of the army of the dead. He died on the other side of the wall ....and that thought is lingering in the back on my mind.. it's a heartbreaking thought but entirely possible....

5. Dany's Home:

Finally! After 7 years Daenerys Stormborn has landed on Dragonstone! Seeing her step foot on her ancestral homeland was a huge moment for the series ...I loved that it didn't have any dialogue between the characters. The moment didn't need any. Watchers know how big this moment is and the game is about to change in Westeros. While the episode itself was solid and more of a catch up with everyone, I feel like they picked the perfect line to end the episode with. "Shall we begin?" This almost seems like a question to the viewer as well as her council  ...it's like saying now that we have caught up with everyone, the real craziness is about to get started, so get ready!

Other moments:

Sam's conversation with the Archmaester seemed like some serious foreshadowing to me. During their discussion the Archmaester mentions that the Wall has withstood every war over the years and that's why the Citidal doesn't worry about the threat of the Whitewalkers. So my theory here is that Bran has crossed over, erasing whatever magical barrier was in place and somehow the Night King is going to make the wall fall. Of course the Wall doesn't have to fall, just be breached like the weirwood cave, but I think it being destroyed completely would make the threat of the dead even more terrifying and a wake up call for everyone.

Another thing to keep in mind is that Sam is sending a Raven to Jon about the dragonglass under Dragonstone. Is this how Jon and Dany will meet?? I seriously can't wait to see those two together and it seems like that could be the thing that puts Jon on the path to meeting her. 

Nitpicks:

Overall I think the season seven premiere was very good. There's only two things I took issue with and that was Arya's meet up with the Lannister soldiers. I don't care about the cameo itself, no issue there, it just felt oddly out of place and like filler and with such a short season I want every single moment to count. The other thing is more of a book nerd nitpick. I'm seriously annoyed that Jaime is still standing beside Cersei after everything she has done. She killed everyone with wildfire ...Jaime killed the mad king to stop him from doing the very thing ...that he stands beside her still is just frustrating. .



7/10 Ravens.