Apr 26, 2015 - are 19 castles along the Wall, but due to the dwindling numbers of Night's Watch members, only three of t
April 26, 2015
That’s What Ygritte Said A weekly Game of Thrones newsletter by Sam Ryu
HOUSE OF BLACK AND WHITE - SEASON 5, EPISODE 2 Like the title of this episode, countless ideas on this show have been presented as binary concepts—though they are anything but that. Cersei tells Ned, “When you play the game of thrones, you win or you die.” But there are plenty of characters merely surviving. Daenerys sees her problems as a struggle between “justice” and “injustice.” But what if someone did the wrong thing for the right reasons? Or given the social and cultural context, it’s not wrong at all? On the most basic level, it serves as an interesting narrative probe—it paints the world in black and white, but observes how characters increasingly use clever shades of gray. On the flip side of the (Braavosi) coin, however, it provides a stark (pun intended) contrast to the few characters who are unwilling to change their binary views. In Game of Thrones you either adapt or you die. Or, uh, something else.
April 26, 2015
Westeros vs. Essos - Fashion Week Showdown
Clockwise (from top left): “Jaime fookin’ Lannister!” in distressed red leather. / Ellaria Sand stylishly mourning her lover, Prince Oberyn “Red Viper” Martell. / Daenerys making a statement with a dragon scale textured, all-white dress— make sure you don’t get any blood splatters on it when you cut off the dude’s head! / Jaqen H’ghar in derelict chic—a risky choice for a comeback appearance. Geography 201
April 26, 2015
The Wall stretches for 300 miles across the northern border of Westeros. There are 19 castles along the Wall, but due to the dwindling numbers of Night’s Watch members, only three of the castles are manned: The Shadow Tower, Castle Black, and Eastwatch by the Sea. Castle Black is the main headquarters and where most of the Night’s Watch scenes take place. The Shadow Tower’s commander is Denys Mallister—the third candidate (along with Jon Snow and Alliser Thorne) who ran to be elected Lord Commander of the Night’s Watch. The show has referenced Eastwatch by the Sea a few times, but it is mainly known to be the port castle through which the Night’s Watch gets most of their supplies. These three location will be vital once the wildlings and White Walkers come marching. Remember Me? “Cersei, Walder Frey, the Mountain, Meryn Trant.” -Arya’s kill list
Meryn Trant standing trial against Tyrion, S4E6
So who is this Meryn Trant fellow and why does he get a spot on Arya’s exclusive kill list?
Ser Meryn Trant is a member of the Kingsguard and basically the head Lannister henchman. He’s been in 2-4 episodes every season—surprising for a minor character. Here’s a partial list of bad guy things he’s done so far, by season: S1 - Kills an unarmed Syrio Forel, Arya’s Braavosi sword teacher. S2 - Beats Sansa in court on Joffrey’s orders, until Tyrion comes and stops him. S3 - Almost gets killed by Bronn, while Cersei is visiting an injured Tyrion. S4 - Testifies against Tyrion for insulting and threatening the late King Joffrey. S5 - So far, seen being a punk when hunters bring fake Tyrion heads to Cersei.
April 26, 2015
Arya Killing Pigeons - Then and Now
With hands, S1E9
With sword, S5E2
Loose Ends - Brienne didn’t tell Sansa that Arya is alive. She had other things on her plate, but this is important because Arya is widely presumed to be dead. - The lion pendant/necklace was sent to Cersei on a “red viper.” - Uncle Kevan Lannister won’t take Cersei’s bullshit. He’s pretty great. - Sweet little Shireen Baratheon (Stannis’s daughter) was cured of greyscale (the thing on her face) before it spread to the rest of her body. More to come? - Tyrion and Varys are en route to Volantis, where Robb’s wife Talisa is from. - Daenerys finally learns that her father (the Mad King) was actually terrible. - Drogon standing where the harpy statue used to be. How’s that for symbolism? - The Washington Post spent a lot of time on this. Nerds! - Jaqen H’ghar pulled a Gene Parmesan. Lucille Bluth reaction shot please? - Arya—already quite the nihilist (“Nothing isn’t better or worse than anything. Nothing is just nothing.”)—must now become “no one” according to Jaqen H’ghar no one. To join the weekly newsletter mailing list, send an email to
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