The end is nigh but first there is the little of episode 9 The Dance of Dragons.

It was quite a herd watch for a few of the reasons I give in the episode but nonetheless this was a strong episode to get us ready for episode 10 and the loss of Game of Thrones for another year.

As always thank you for Listening and speak to you next Time.

Game of thrones is hitting its stride in a big way. The political world is all of a flutter and the death and destruction continues in more underhanded ways then ever before

Join Paul as he dives into this spoiler free (until the well marked spoiler section at the end of the podcast) look back at the Sons of the Harpy

As always thank you for Listening and speak to you next Time

Paul is flying alone this week (sorry for the pun) as he takes a look a Game of Thrones episode with a wedding and we all know what that means or do we?

We are still playing with the format but our family based discussion continues and there is a spoiler section at the end but don’t worry we make this abundantly clear when its about to start

As always thank you for Listening and speak to you next Time


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It's that time of year where we celebrate the Kingdoms that George created. Game of Thrones is back and to celebrate Jon and Paul had a bit of a meet up to watch the first episode and then have a chat about it afterwards.

So sit back as the boys go off on one but be warned spoilers for the episode are present.

As always thank you for Listening and speak to you next Time

I'm both a book and TV show fan, I have read the books all to date and so am coming to the table with some foreknowledge. However the wonder of the show is not just that they are not just retelling the book instead they are putting their own stamp on events. As such watching the show has actually spoiled the book in certain plot lines. I will try my hardest not to spoil any future events but as far as I'm concerned events in this and past episodes are fair game. 

When it comes to adverts in television we in the UK are rather spoilt. When watching American shows some people fail to realise each fade to black transition is actually created for an ad break. Sky have been getting quite a few negative comments about the way it broadcasts the show and today they made quite a striking change to their programming. The show only had one advert break, this occurred pretty much half way in the episode and consisted of around 6 ads. It was a great move and it was received rather well when announced. I think we have to realise big budget shows mean more income is needed to create them. But any move like this is greatly appreciated as long as we can keep the quality of the programming.

The wordsmiths were out in force this episode as we got to see some of the masters of diplomacy tackling each other in Kings Landing. The genesis for these interactions was the crowning of Prince Tommen. The new king "Long may he reign" seems a lot nicer a character than his elder brother but we really have not seen really speak his mind.
Cersei finally has overcome her shock at the depth of Joffrey and dives into her new life's work which seems to be the destruction of Tyrion. This is only after she tries to play Margaery and bring her into her fold, whether this is successful or not remains to be seen but I'm sure the Queen of Thorns is on her way back home with a smile on her face.

On the other side of the narrow sea Dany is getting the chance to win the land of her birth thanks to the Second Sons. Their capture of the Meereen navy gives the Mother of Dragons the opportunity to set sail for Westeros. Instead however she decides finds out that there is a difference between capturing a city and ruling it. This echoes the conversations between Ned Stark and King Robert from season one. Robert was a proven warrior but as we now know was not the greatest peacetime leader. His decisions helped to end the life of his friend and the current predicament the 7 Kingdoms now find themselves in. Daenerys decides to put her people first and right the lands she holds before embarking on a new conquest, This feels like the right moral choice but I worry if it is the right strategic one. We will have to wait and see as the series unfolds.

On the flip side of morality we get Little Finger. This man is a genius, he should be up there with the names of Da Vinci Darwin and the like. It turns out he really is responsible for the War of the Five Kings, this felt like a great move by the writers as most shows would have a "previously on" section. Instead we got a brief but well crafted bit of exposition. It may have felt like it was not needed for some but I think it helped veteran and casual watcher alike. Where Little Finger is all craft his new bride is just crazy her interactions appear to be the ramblings of a jealous women but she has real power and that is a dangerous mixture.

Elsewhere we get some really great moments from Breanne and Podric on their journey to the wall. But at the top of the world Jon Snow and Bran are almost within touching distance at Crastors keep. The assault on the Nights Watch deserters is brutal but two confrontations really stand out. Hodor versus Locke and Rast versus Ghost. Brans Warging abilities have taken a leap as he is able to control the big yet gentle man, but the power he displays in killing the Bolton's Assassin is truly amazing. We get to see what a neck dislocation truly looks like and it is a disturbing thought that one man can possess that much power.

The most intriguing relationship in the whole of the show at the moment is that of the Hound and the Wolf pup. It is a truly great moment where during Arya's prayer the Hound wakes up and questions her about it. She says it's okay as she only has one name left, when she utters the words "and the hound" the look on the big man's face is priceless. It shows the fearlessness of the Stark girl but later in the episode things take an even bigger leap towards a brutal conclusion as Arya is teased to the point where she tries to drive needle in Clegane's gut only for his armour to defeat her. His look is one of shock but at this point Arya knows that completing her prayer will be harder than she thought.

I'm both a book and TV show fan, I have read the books all to date and so am coming to the table with some foreknowledge. However the wonder of the show is not just that they are not just retelling the book instead they are putting their own stamp on events. As such watching the show has actually spoiled the book in certain plot lines. I will try my hardest not to spoil any future events but as far as I'm concerned events in this and past episodes are fair game. 

The ending of tonight's episode caused more than a few raised eyebrows among book readers. The taking of the Babies by the White Walkers has been established but what is done with them has never been revealed in the books.
This is mainly due to the way A Song of Ice and Fire is crafted, the story is told from a POV perspective meaning some of the story is told off page. With no witnesses to the Walkers actions we never knew until tonight what happens to the children who are taken.
Although this may may seem like a small point this change cements certain aspects of the coming story while breaking others. 
For me there is now a divide between the Show and the Book, they are both headed for the same destination but look like they will taking different paths to get there. This is the genius of the show and I'm very happy to be going along for the ride.

Grey Worm opens up tonight's episode in his bid to learn the common tongue with the help of the translator Missandei. Their relationship seems to be growing but to what end? It is however his entry into Meereen that really puts the captain of the Unsullied into the spotlight. His infiltration into the city is the spark for a slave revolt and in typical fashion a very quick siege is ended off screen. We are spared the brutality of the revolt but we do get to see justice being paid on the masters by Daenerys. I can see a problem for the Mother of Dragons as she is beginning to put her desire for justice in-front of her humanity. To be a leader you need to know when to fight and when to make peace. So far Dany has not yet reached this point but something tells me though that an awakening can not be far away.

The next meeting between Sansa and Little finger is perhaps one of the most revealing conversations in the whole of the Game of Thrones lore. It is however also one of the most infuriating. Together with Margaery's chat with the lady Olena the audience is spoon fed the way the Purple wedding played out. It is one thing to treat the audience with contempt but both Sansa and Margarey are shown to be pretty naive and this makes them both appear weaker. However of the two the Lady of High Garden has the most to lose, she has shown herself to be a great player in the Game of Thrones but comes off as something of a naive girl on the realisation that the Queen of Thorns was in fact Joffreys killer.

Later in the episode though she takes the lead from her Grandmother and seduces the young King Tommen. It may seem a little creepy with the older lady seducing a young boy but it works. You can see form the young man's face he is enthralled with the beauty that is within his grasp. It seems that everyone is desperate to win the King to their side, all except Cersei. With the death of Joffrey all she seems concerned with is taking revenge on her younger brother. The trouble is once she comes round to he senses she may find that the Game has moved on and left her behind.  

In a series filled with disturbing images tonight was the first time that I actually felt really moved by a scene. Watching a newborn baby left in the snow naked except for a fur was harrowing television. I'm not sure if it was because I knew what was coming or because it was a defenceless child left in the wild to freeze.
The leaving of the baby is just one of the vile acts of the mutineers at Crastor's keep, from rape to torture it seems once a villain always a villain. But is justice coming in the form of a party from the wall headed by Snow?
Jon though has a problem that he does not yet understand in the form of Locke. A soldier of the Bolton's he has been tasked with disposing of Lord Snow and now he seems to have the perfect opportunity to fulfil his duty.

I'm both a book and TV show fan, I have read the books all to date and so am coming to the table with some foreknowledge. However the wonder of the show is not just that they are not just retelling the book instead they are putting their own stamp on events. As such watching the show has actually spoiled the book in certain plot lines. I will try my hardest not to spoil any future events but as far as I'm concerned events in this and past episodes are fair game. 

The relationship between Jamie and Cersei Lannister is as unhealthy as it can be, however tonight brought about a new low for their relationship. After being asked to kill his brother Tyrion by Cersei, Jamie holds her for the first time since his return to the capital. what happens next is a leap away from the same scene that was created by GRRM in the book. After a refusal from Cersei Jamie forces himself upon her. This is has all the hallmarks of a rape as Cersei throughout the scene is heard to say this is not right.
The odd thing about the whole situation is as viewers this was so unexpected. Jamie has already shown his cruelty by pushing Brann out of a window but it seemed he had become a better man over the seasons. This was probably the lowest point of the show in terms of finding out what people are really made of, but as time goes on we get to see the other side of a good many characters.

The opening of the show was very strong as it focused on the death mask of Joffrey, his bloodied eyes where a sight to turn most stomach's. From there we are wrapped up with the fleeing of Sansa from the prison that is Kings landing. The elder of the Stark girls has had a torrid time but with the death of Joffrey she is now free or is she?
Her saviour was not a gallant Knight instead it was the arch schemer Little finger. Lord Petyr Baelish as he has been known since helping to dispatch Sansa's father plays the game better than most and even has a surprise for Sir Duntos in the shape of a Crossbow Quarrel. His reasoning is sound but with a man that calculating would you feel safe?

I have enjoyed Rory McCann's portrayal of the hound he has the mix of anger and loathing down to a tee. In this episode we get to see a new side of his acting. The Hounds behaviour almost borders on desperation as he steals the farmers gold and tries to justify it to Arya. This maybe because all ha has been through but to me it feels like a man who has lost his place in the world. Sandor Clegane was always a soldier now he has no one to fight for, this means he has no orders as well. Is this new found desire to join the Second Sons really just a way for him to find a new life filled with orders so he can excuse the life he leads or is it more than that?

Daenerys has finally reached the largest of the slave cities of Essos, in the last two as she reminds us she has freed their slaves. However this is Meereen and the masters here are not about to open the gates to Dany and her Unsullied. The young Queen though seems to have the measure of the rulers of this city as she first uses her champion to dispatch the one sent out by the city and then puts her name and agenda into the minds of every slave in the city. Both of these scenarios show the way our Mother of Dragons is becoming something of a master tactician her use of slave chains as an offensive weapon shows her way of working the masses, 

However it's the way she plays Daario Naharis that really shows her growth as a leader. After giving legitimate reasons to excuse the other three would be champions she accepts Daario's claim to fight for her. This may be because she has a crush on him but I think it is more she wants to see if he really fight. To say his victory was a huge success is putting it mildly, we are finally getting to see the swagger of the character. 
Dany now has the measure of the men around her and from here can hopefully use each to the best of their abilities of course this is yet to be seen but for now she seems in control of the world around her.

I'm both a book and TV show fan, I have read the books all to date and so am coming to the table with some foreknowledge. However the wonder of the show is not just that they are not just retelling the book instead they are putting their own stamp on events. As such watching the show has actually spoiled the book in certain plot lines. I will try my hardest not to spoil any future events but as far as I'm concerned events in this and past episodes are fair game. 

With the eating of a pie and drinking of wine the end of a king has occurred. On watching last week’s episode I had a sneaky suspicion the Purple Wedding was going to unfold in this week’s episode and to say it rewrites what can we expect from a television series is something on an understatement. A death of this magnitude has usually been kept to the end of the season. Both Rob and Ned Stark died in episode 8 of the third and first seasons respectively. The fact this is the second episode shows that not only is no one safe but predicting the way a series will unfold is also no longer as easy as it has been previously. Even though I pretty much knew it was coming the tension that grew throughout the episode was almost maddening as we travelled around the whole of Westeros. However at no point did I feel the story drag, this must go down as one of the best if not the best second episode of a season I have ever seen and to find out why continue reading below.

Our Episode begins not in the majesty of Kings landing instead we find ourselves in a wood following some hunting hounds. This is by no means unusual for the kingdom as hunting game is a natural way to gather food, but when are things in Westeros ever simple. Our next batch of images show a girl running and then we get to see Ramsey Snow (Bolton) on the chase with his hunting partners Miranda (pictured to the right) and Reek. This is a stark reminder of the way the Bolton’s value human life but what do you expect from a house who displays a flayed man on their banner. Throughout this episode the theme of respectful treatment of humans comes up time and again. Admittedly Ramsey takes this to a whole different level firstly with the killing of the girl and then with his display with Reek. In previous season people have questioned why we needed to see the torture and psychological breakdown of Theon tonight gave us the answer. The shaving scene was a great performance by both actors and now we know that where once there was Theon we now have Reek.

Continuing the disregard for human life we find Melisandre offering human sacrifices to the God of Light. Stannis seems to be going along with his wife’s new found deity, however the rightful king of Westeros seems ill at ease. This may be as he has just watched his brother in law sacrificed or the loss of the war but it may just be something closer to home. His protection of his daughter Shireen is noble to say the least but from her verbal parley with the Red Woman he may need to work even harder to protect the young princess especially with Melisandre telling her that is only one hell and we are living into it. It’s a powerful statement tells you a lot about the motivations for the followers of light.

The episode though is not all about the negative. The way Jamie has been treated so far has been pretty awful and it takes Tyrion to show that human kindness still exists. His meal with Jamie is a tender point in the episode and shows how jointly protective the brothers are over each other. When Tyrion offers a sparring partner it comes from the desire to help his brother. His teacher is none other than Bronn and the brief sparring session we get to see is intriguing to say the least. As we know the sellsword is an accomplished fighter and even from the outset he is teaching Jamie to fight instead of fence. 

Unfortunately later in the episode Tyrion really is singled out for some terrible treatment from his nephew. Has there ever been a more deplorable character in TV and literature thAn Joffrey Baratheon? The jumped up spawn of an incestuous relationship has shown he is both evil and a coward throughout the previous three seasons. This is continued in tonight’s episode as he uses his new Valyrian steel blade to decimate the wedding gift Tyrion gives him. Joffrey’s torture of his uncle continues during the wedding and is crowned by a Mammas show featuring a troupe of dwarves. It’s a slap in the face that Tyrion fights with words and has seemingly won until he is crowned himself with a cup of wine. The revulsion in the faces of not only Margaery (Pictured left) but a great deal of the major players in Westeros is something to savour. It not only marks the hatred for the king but also the suspects for his death. 

Now though his brief reign of tyranny has come to an impromptu end. His passing however was as undignified as the rest of his time on earth, his death from poison was not a noble death (if there is such a thing) instead he suffered to the end and bled from his nose pointing to uncle until his last breath. Tyrion is the obvious culprit but would a man of his intelligence really make so great a mistake. Admittedly his torture was extreme but the murder of his nephew does not seem in his character. Cersei though is already convinced and we get to see Tyrion being taken away by guards just as Sansa is being taken away by Sir Duntos to an unknown destination.

Even though the Death of Joffrey is the crowning moment of the episode the battles that take place during the wedding really set this episode apart. The wonder of the books has always been the political interplay and although it is rather rammed down our throats in this episode we get a great glimpse of it here. These are headlined by Olena Tyrell the Queen of thorns and Prince Oberyn who between them take the Lannister’s down a peg or two even before the Kings passing. The verbal parlays are numerous and I have already enjoyed a second watch of the wedding (thanks to SkyGO) 

We do get to check in with Bran Stark on his journey through the North and realisation of his considerable power. This is essential to the further development of his story and he is moving along at a fair pace.

I'm both a book and TV show fan, I have read the books all to date and so am coming to the table with some foreknowledge. However the wonder of the show is not just that they are not just retelling the book instead they are putting their own stamp on events. As such watching the show has actually spoiled the book in certain plot lines. I will try my hardest not to spoil any future events but as far as I'm concerned events in this and past episodes are fair game. 

The show's title as always has quite a few connotations within the narrative. The opening focuses on Ned Stark's blade aptly named Ice. It is a Greatsword made of the strongest metal known Valyrian steel. This was the sword Ned Stark used to behead the deserter from the nights watch in episode one. It is also the sword that Ilyn Payne used to take Ned's head on the Great Sept of Baelor. What we did not see is that Payne had taken the sword for himself and has been using it in his role as the Kings justice. It always seemed odd situation that a executioner would inherit a sword of such value but now the Lions of Lannister have a sword worthy of the richest family in Westeros, well actually two swords.

Of course Ice is one end of the Sword scale and at the other end is needle. A blade fit for a little lady with a thin blade and a pointy end. Arya Stark is a more a waterdancer now than a lady but her reunion with the blade sets up an epic finale to the show. However it's her relationship and chats with the Hound (Sandor Clegane) that are one of the highlights of the show at the moment. Both have lost everything and are together for what seems like mutual need, but there is something bigger going on. The fight that Arya shows seems to give the Hound joy, he may chastise her but there always is always a smirk while he is talking. Their fight in the inn is one of the most brutal and Arya's takedown of Poliver is chilling to say the least.

This weekend saw the release of the eagerly anticipated (at least since it was teased earlier this week) trailer for the fourth season of HBO's Game of Thrones series.
As with the series as a whole the production values are first rate and the glimpses we get of the CG from a Giant to the shadow of a Dragon show that the scope of this series looks to be the best yet.
As the series goes I'll be talking about each episode here on Random Chat as well as creating some posts for the series that have already been released. These will contain moderate spoilers. However when it comes to my crazy ideas I will label spoilers and make it a chore to find them to stop people inadvertently ruining the show.
So sit back and watch and ill produce a bit of ramble under the video.