Monthly Archives: July 2017

Well it finally happened! Jon Snow and Daenerys meet! Wait until they find out they’re related! Great fun to see Tyrion and Jon together again as well.  Time is running out. Who will make the right decisions? Who’s judgment will prevail?

DRAGONSTONE

“I was born to rule the seven kingdoms, and I will.” Daenerys
“You’ll be ruling over a graveyard if we don’t defeat the night king.” Jon Snow

Jon and Davos arrive and Missandei and Tyrion greet them on the beach. They have their weapons taken and their ship seized.

Jon and Tyrion greet each other as old friends.
“You’ve picked up some scars along the road” Jon tells him.
“It’s been a long road but we’re still here.” Tyrion says.

As they make the long walk up to the castle Tyrion asks is Sansa is well. He tells Jon that theirs was a sham wedding and it was never consummated.

“She’s much smarter than she lets on.” Tyrion tells Jon.
“She’s starting to let on” Jon replies. Then all of a sudden they get buzzed by a dragon! They all duck for cover. The look on Jon’s face is priceless. He’s seen a lot in his day but never a dragon!

Off on a mountain top, Varys and Melisandre have a conversation. He wonders why she won’t be there to see Dany meets Jon.

“I’ve done my part. I’ve brought Ice and Fire together.” She tells him.

She tells him that she’s leaving and he advises her to never return to Westeros.

“I have to come back. I have to die here as do you.” She says to him.

Then we get the historic meeting! Daenerys really plays up the queen bit and demands that he ‘bend the knee’. Tyrion knows it’s too much but what’s he gonna say? Well, of course, Jon will not do it. His main concern is fighting the white walkers. She wants him and the Northern armies to help her take King’s landing. Impasse. Things were pretty tense until Varys walked in and whispered in Dany’s ear. She gets the humbling news of Yara’s defeat and the capture of Elaria. She doesn’t quite place Jon under arrest but he’s all but a prisoner now on Dragonstone.

They both need each other’s help and they’re going to have to find a compromise. Tyrion speaks with Jon and finds what may be a solution. He goes back to Dany and says that Jon needs Dragon glass in order to fight the white walkers. Of course, neither of them really believes what Jon has told them but she agrees to let Jon mine and weaponize the dragon glass. What will she ask in return?

KINGS LANDING

“I give you what no other man can give. Justice for your murdered daughter” Euron to Cersei but also at Jamie.

A victorious Euron struts through the streets dragging the captured Elaria and Yara behind him. He rides his horse right into the Red Keep! Is that allowed? He presents Cersei with his ‘gifts’; Elaria and Tyene. He keeps Yara though which makes me wonder what he’ll do with her. Does Theon still have a chance to save her?

Cersei locks up Elaria and Tyene in the dungeon. He kisses Tyene on the lips. Qyburn has cooked up the same poison that Elaria used to kill Myrcella. Elaria will have to watch. Not only that, but she’s going to leave the both of them down there to rot! She leaves instructions to make sure that the torches are always lit so Elaria can witness her daughter’s body decay. Damn. Cersei is so turned on by her viciousness that she rushes to Jamie to have ‘mad queen’ sex. The next morning when there is a knock on the door, she opens it without any fear of anyone seeing her brother in her bed. She’s queen now. And the High Sparrow is dead.

Cersei almost gives Euron what he wants. He agrees to marry him but only after the war is won. Euron really needles Jamie. He asks him if he can give him any advice on how Cersei likes it in the sack. Man. Is he cocky! Jamie will have to kill him at some point, right?

“Lannisters always pay their debts. Do former slaves? Or Dothraki? Or dragons? The war has begun. I’ve drawn first blood.” Cersei

Cersei also takes a meeting with a representative of the Bank of Bravos. They owe them a lot of money but Cersei reminds him that the Lannisters always pay their debts. She asks him to hang around King’s Landing for a couple of weeks and she’ll find the money somewhere.

THEON

Theon gets picked out of the ocean by one of the few remaining ships in their demolished fleet. He was not greeted warmly. He has been through so much the only way to be redeemed is by death. But will it be in saving Yara? Will Euron let her live that long?

THE CITADEL

Well, it looks like Ser Jorah is cured! Although he’s left with some nasty scars. He receives a clean bill of health from a shocked Maester Marwyn! Jorah plays dumb and claims it happened due to getting enough rest and the climate. Ha! He thanks Sam warmly. He owes him his life. Sam tells him that his father saved his life many times so it was the least he could do. Maester Marwyn is amazed at what Sam has done. “I just read the book and followed the instructions”. Nevertheless he broke the rules but instead of getting kicked out he just punished him by giving him a tough task. He does tell Sam that he should be proud. He saved that man’s life. Sam is proving to be quite a valuable person to have around.

WINTERFELL

“Everyone is your enemy. Everyone is your friend. Every possible series of events is happening all at once.” Little Finger

Sansa looks very comfortable being in charge, not only that, but she seems to really know what she’s doing. She walks around followed by her advisors including Little Finger. She gets sound advice from Little Finger which you can tell she hears and will pay heed to. She needs to think about every possible outcome and be prepared to act. Then there’s a commotion at the gates. It’s Arya! Finally! But no. It’s a different Stark. It’s Bran! Sansa is overcome with emotion and throws herself on him but he seems to have no feelings about it one way or another.

As the two of them sit under the tree Sansa wishes Jon were there. Bran does, too, because he has some very big news to share with him. doesn’t he? But then things get weird. He tells her that he’s the Three Eyed Raven which doesn’t mean anything to her. Bran tries to explain that he can see everything that has ever happened. He says he’s sorry for all that’s happened to her, especially there at their home. He begins to describe the night she married Ramsey Bolton. “You were so beautiful in your white wedding dress” he says to her. This really freaks Sansa out and she immediately gets up and walks quickly away. Bran is kinda really weird now.

CASTERLY ROCK

Grey Worm and the Unsullied attack Casterly Rock as we hear Tyrion explain how difficult it will be to capture. But they will have an advantage that every other army did not; Tywin had placed Tyrion in charge of designing the sewer system as a punishment. So Tyrion created a back door into the castle which the Unsullied now use in their attack. They take control fairly easily, in fact, too easily as far as Grey Worm was concerned. Where was the rest of the Lannister army? And then it starts to sink in as he looked out to see Euron’s fleet attacking the ships that had brought the Unsullied. And where had the Lannister army gone?

HIGHGARDEN

“You love her… you poor fool. She’ll be the end of you. She’s a disease. I regret my role in spreading it. You will, too.” Lady Olenna

They had gone to attack Highgarden! Poor Lady Olenna looks out from her keep to see the overwhelming force led by Jamie, Lord Tarly and Bronn marching towards her. They take the castle and Jamie meets with the calm and collected Lady Olenna. She asks how she is to meet her end. Jamie tells her that he talked Cersei out of a series of grisly executions and they agreed on poison. He pulls out a vial and pours it in her glass. “Will it be painful?” she asks. No. So she drinks it all down. But she has one last dagger to toss. She tells Jamie to let Cersei know that she was the one to poison Joffrey. Ouch. Why not? But she didn’t tell him that Little Finger was also involved. He caught a break.

So The Unsullied are trapped on Casterly Rock making it a meaningless victory. Dany has not only lost another ally but another large part of her, one time, overwhelming army. Cersei has Highgarden and all of their gold to pay back the Bank of Bravos. She also now has enough food and supplies to feed her army. You cannot underestimate Cersei! Dany did. Sansa will not.

Charlotte! Where were the fashion statements made? Who wore it best?

Here we are, another week in Westeros and the fashion is as bleak and dreary as

ever. Bright spots were there however, some in the form of a pajama and some

the characters’ accessories.

The first person worth noting is Lord Varys, looking like a bald Russian nesting

doll in his fur trimmed Easter Sunday coat with built in awkwardly high on the

chest hand warmer. I especially loved how he looked running around in it, with

his hands still tucked high up inside the pocket.

Cersei seems to have an endless supply of decorative/crystal embellished

shoulder armor; would love to see her wear metal lions elsewhere- maybe she

could get a giant brooch or a hair clip like Daenerys? Seriously she needs to

do something with her hair right now- a lion clip seems like the solution. I

did, however love her post incest (gross) robe with those romantic (ew) and on

trend statement sleeves!

My final note is for Jon Snow, who started this episode off arriving south at

Dragonstone. I just felt very sweaty watching him, he seemed totally over-

furred/dressed for the southern climate. Maybe he would be less broody if he

would just start dressing more comfortably and appropriate for the weather.

See you next week

SIDE THRONES

Cersei is playing her cards very well. She has proven to be a master strategist. Tyrion may lose some sway with Dany going forward. His plans have been laid waste.

I loved seeing Ser Davos flirting with Missandei. “Things have changed since I was here!” Missandei smiled at the attention but inside she was saying “Sorry. I got a man!”

I was speaking with a fellow Thrones fanatic and she brought up how pale Jon is these days. She says that Jon and Beric Donderrion are ‘walkers of the light’. They died and were resurrected but not as zombies. Maybe there are ‘white walkers’ and then there are ‘Light walkers’? She says that his heart no longer beats and his blood no longer flows which is why he is so pale. Interesting.

Sansa is smart. Little Fingers’ advice rang true to her. But does this mean she will allow him to influence her further and to what end?

5 THINGS I THINK I KNOW

1 Dany is losing the war.
2 Theon and Jon Snow will see each other. Jon will not be filled with joy.
3 Dany and Ser Jorah will reunite!
4 It’s time we see The Hound and Tormund meet.
5 Arya will arrive at Winterfell next week!

Some boys play catch
The ball goes in the street
The oldest boy sees a woman by the side of the road
It’s Miriam! She’s still alive!

Becky on the phone
“What? I don’t have a car!”
She calls her mom
Asks to borrow her car
“It’s Steven!”
“Sorry Norma! I have to go!”
Becky reaches under the bed
Pulls out a gun
Shelly pulls up in front of Becky’s trailer
Becky runs out of the trailer holding the gun
Grabs the keys and takes off
“I hate him!”
Shelly jumps on the hood of the car

Becky backs up fast
Doesn’t stop
Shelly gets thrown off
Carl comes over
“Can you give me a ride to the Double R, Carl?”

Shelly calls Norma
“Call Bobby”
Carl calls Maggie
“Can you patch us through to Deputy Briggs?”
“Bobby, she took off in my car. She’s got a gun”

Becky arrives at an apartment buidling
She bangs on room 208
“Steven I know you’re in there!”
Some lady pokes her head out of the next room
“They just left! There’s nobody in there!”
“Fuck you, Steven! Shelly fires several times through the door
Steven and some girl are hiding in the stairwell below
(Donna Hayward’s youngest sister Gersten!)

Maggie takes many calls
“Where’s your location? Someone’s on the way”

Two cars pull up in an empty lot
Hastings with Mackley, Gordon, Tammy, Albert and Diane
“William, is this where you saw Major Briggs?”
Hastings sees a figure
Albert and Gordon see it too
“You think there’s one in there, Albert?”
“We’ll soon find out”
Something happening in the sky

Like a whirlpool in space
Something is coming through
Gordon lifts his arms as if to catch it
We see some men on a staircase

Gordon almost disappears
Albert pulls him back
“I guess we found out”
“We sure did, Albert”
Albert sees a body
Diane just sits against the car and smokes
It’s a mother headless body
“Ruth Davenport, I presume”
Diane sees a figure approach the car with Hastings and the detective
Its like one of those homeless guys from episode 8

Hastings gets attacked
Crunch!
“Oh my God!”
“What the hell happened, Mackley?”
Hastings has had half his head bitten off
“He’s dead”

Bobby speaks with Shelly and Becky
Bobby is her father
Becky says that Steven is just going through a bad time
Balthazar Getty comes up to the window
Shelly gets all excited
She runs to the front door of the diner and they kiss
Poor Bobby
Shelly making bad decisions just like her daughter

“See you later?”
“Same place?”
Norma observes silently
Shelly comes back to the table, beaming
Shots are fired!
Everyone takes cover
Bobby draws his gun and goes outside
A little boy fired a gun from the car

Mom freaks out
Cars are honking!
Another deputy arrives
Bobby goes to talk to the woman honking the horn
She’s hysterical
“We’re late for dinner!”
“She’s sick!”
There’s a little girl in the passenger seat
She rises up
She’s vomiting green slime
The old lady is screaming in terror
Bobby looks on transfixed

Truman and Hawk on Google Earth
“By my reckoning this is where we’re headed but there’s no road”
Hawk lays out a map, an old map that is always current
Its a living thing
It’s filled with symbols

Blue Pine Mountain
Not a camp fire, a fire symbol
More like modern day electricity
Good?
Depends on the intention behind the fire
What is this?

“It’s corn but it’s black. Diseased and unnatural. Death.
If you put these two symbols together you get this – Black Fire”
“What is this?”
“Frank, you don’t ever want to know about that”
Log Lady calls
“Hawk, can you hear me?”
“You found something, didn’t you?”
“My log is afraid of fire. There’s fire where you are going”

A knock on the door
“What is it, Jesse?”
“Are you interested in seeing my new car?”

Gordon’s hand is shaking
“Cat on a hot tin roof! It’s never done that before!”
“The picture you took of Ruth, I would like to see it, Albert”
Her arm has a series of numbers on it
“What place do those coordinates represent?”
Tammy brings coffee and donuts
“Ah, the policeman’s dream!”

Diane says she thinks she saw someone get out of the car

Gordon remembers seeing homeless looking guys in a room

Don Murray calls Dougie into his office
Phil Bisby lures Dougie into the office with a tray of coffee
Dougie grabs a coffee and drinks it with both hands
“It’s clear that your investigative work has exposed a ring of organized crime and possible police corruption flowing from this office”
“Thanks to you we now know that the Mitchum Brothers case was not arson”
“The Mitchums just called me asking for s it down with you”
“They’re going to be ecstatic when you present them with this 30 million dollar check!”
“They want to see you at 530. They’re sending a car”
Dougie just nods

The Mitchum brothers having their breakfast
They’re eating raisin bran cereal
“Rodney, I had a dream. I dreamt about killing that Dougie Jones. I can’t wait to kill this guy”

Don Murray walks Dougie out to wait for the car
Dougie sees the one armed man beckoning him
Dougie walks towards him
But he disappears
Dougie, holding a box
Gets into the car
“Where you taking him”
“Santino’s”
“Knock em dead”
Dougie starts rubbing his face
Like Evil Cooper rubbed that guys face in the first episode
“Dead?”

The car drives up the Strip
“Viva Las Vegas”
Looks like they’re headed Downtown
Hmmmm maybe out of town
The brothers are waiting in a car far out of town
Dougie’s limo is driving out into the desert
“What?”
“My dream. In the dream you’re Candy cut was completely healed”
Bradley removes Randolph’s bandage
It is healed
“There’s more. I can’t remember”
The brothers get out of the car
Dougie’s limo pulls up

“That box he’s holding…it was in my dream. If what’s in that box is hat I think it is then we can’t kill him”
“It means he’s not out enemy but it has to be this one certain thing”
Randolph draws his gun and points it at Dougie
“Ok, in that box there. Is that a cherry pie?”
“Cherry pie”
Bradley goes over and looks in the box
Yup!
Cherry pie!
“Frisk him just in case”
Bradley finds the check!
“I love this guy!”

They actually take him to Santino’s
They toast with champagne
The piano player plays a jumpy tune
then starts playing a sad one
It gets Dougie’s attention
The old lady that won a lot of money in the casino due to Dougie walks in with her son
She thanks him for changing her life
For getting her life back
Then the cherry pie comes
Oh Dougie loves cherry pie
The brothers toast again with their new friend

The piano player plays us out

Richard goes to see Miriam
The woman who witnessed the accident
“I already told the police it was you that ran over the little boy!”
She sent a letter to Sheriff Truman
Richard bust into her trailer
Screaming
Gun shot!
He comes out, makes a call
Jeff?
Richard wants Miriam’s letter to be intercepted
Inside the trailer
Miriam lying in a pool of blood

Harry Dean Stanton strumming a guitar and singing a tune
‘Red River Valley’
Reminds me of Cool Hand Luke
Someone tosses something through a window
Becky’s boyfriend going psycho on her

A woman in a short pink dress trying to swat a fly with a red cloth napkin
A man in a suit writing in a ledger
She really wants to get that fly
She picks up the remote
The fly lands on the man’s face
She smacks him in the face!
Jim Belushi comes out

Dougie at the doctor
The doc takes off Dougie’s shirt
“Dougie, have you been exercising?”
Dougie’s wife notices how good he looks
Blood pressure is 110 over 70
Perfect!

Now there are three blonde women in short pink dresses.
Feathers in their hair
“Candy, I’m fine!”
We’re in Las Vegas
They watch the news
Ike the Spike getting arrested
Bradley (Jim Belushi) and the other guy recognize Dougie
“That’s our Mr. Jackpots, Rodney”
This Candy broad is a hot mess
Still crying about hitting Rodney in the face
“Can you still love me er what I did?”

Dougie’s wife is feeling amorous, watching Dougie eat
“Do you find me attractive?”
Dougie is more interested in his chocolate cake
“I find you attractive” she says
Cut to them in bed
She’s on top and all you see of Dougie
Are his arms flopping up and down
“Dougie! Dougie! DOoooouuuggggiiieeeee!”
They wake up Sonny Jim!!
Dougie has a bigger smile on his face then he does when he sees coffee
“Dougie I Love you”
“Love you”

Twin Peaks
Dr,. Jacoby doing another podcast
He’s angry!
Nadine watches intently
‘Run Silent Run Drapes’
That must be her business
The doc is definitely anti government
“Buy yourself a shovel. Dig yourself out of the shit and get educated!”
“He’s so beautiful”

Dougie’s wife is all aglow the next morning
“I can’t stop thinking about last night”

Jerry is still lost in the woods

TP Sheriff’s Department
A plate of donuts on the reception counter in front of Lucy
Deputy Jeff is lingering
Ah! He’s the one Richard called to intercept the letter
He’s got it!
Lucy notices though
Jeff text Richard
“Done”

Johnny
Audrey’s brother
He’s wearing a helmet
He rammed his head into the wall before
“Hello Johnny! How are you today?”

Richard pulls into the driveway
It’s the house where Johnny is
He wants money from grandma
Richard has to be Audrey’s son
He’s choking his grandma and cursing her out
Johnny tries to help but he’s tied to the chair and table

Jan D’Arcy in a still from Twin Peaks. Photo: Suzanne Tenner/SHOWTIME

Richard takes all the money he can find and his grandma’s jewelry
He even takes her silverware
“Why do you have to make something so difficult? Cunt!”
Richard needs to go

Las Vegas
The man who called in the hit
He confirms it failed and Ike is arrested
He calls over Anthony (Tom Sizemore)
Dougie’s co-worker
“Do you recall my rivals and bitter enemies The Mitchum Brothers? You’re going to visit the brothers now. You’re going to pin the blame for the insurance claim that we conspired to deny for them, a loss of 30 million that hot them hard, on the back of Douglas Jones”
If Anthony can’t get the Mitchum brothers to kill Dougie then he’ll have to do it

Albert is out to dinner with the doctor from the Buckhorn morgue
Gordon and Tammy watch from afar and giggle   “Sweet”

Silver Mustang Casino
Anthony shows up to see the Mitchum Brothers
The three blondes in pink dresses are mesmerized by the security camera feeds
“Candy! Go get him!”
They watch Candy with Anthony
She is easily distracted
This goes on awhile
What is she pointing at?
Candy brings Anthony to the brothers
Anthony does everything he can to blame Dougie for keeping them from collecting on a casino fire
They seem unimpressed
“Candy, show him out”
“You have an enemy in Douglas Jones!”
Back home the pink ladies make the brothers a drink
Well they intend to take out Dougie
But Anthony may think they won’t and try to do it himself
“You fuck us once shame on us. You fuck us twice shame on you. You’re dead”

Gordon drawing in his room
A nice glass of wine on the table
A knock on the door
The drawing is of a moose with an arm reaching towards it
He opens the door
It’s Laura Palmer!
No, it’s Albert
Albert indicates fro Gordon to turn up his hearing aid
Diane received this text
“Around the dinner table the conversation is lively”
It came in after Evil Cooper escaped
She responded with a heavily encrypted message
“They have Hastings. He’s going to take them to the site”
“I felt it when she hugged me but this confirms it” Gordon says
What is going on? Diane is working with Evil Cooper?
Tammy knocks on their door
It’s about those New York murders
This was found on one of the earliest cards?
A picture of Evil Cooper
“This is something. This is really something”

Ben Horn gets a call from his ex wife
Telling him about Richard attacking them and taking all her money
Richard took thousands of dollars
She wants Ben to replace it
He refuses
“Beverly, do you want to have dinner with me?”

The Log Lady
“Hawk, the electric is humming.”
“The Truman brothers are both true men. They are your brothers”
“Now the circle is almost complete.”
“Watch and listen to the dream of time and space”
“Hawk, Laura is the one”

The half moon engulfed by clouds
The Bang Bang Bar
Is that Moby on guitar?
Rebekah Del Rio has a great voice!
Her dress has the same design as the floor of the Black Lounge, kind of

Things start moving very quickly in episode 2! We are seeing characters together for the very first time! We are seeing things put in motion that will propel the action non stop to the final conclusion. What will that be?

I made my prediction before the start of the season: Sansa on the Iron Throne, Bran as her Hand and Arya as the head of her Queens Guard.

Well, wishful thinking perhaps but we’ll see.

I need to say that after seeing these first two episodes I’ve changed my mind about how the season and the show will end. I now believe that this season will end with the big battle with the Night’s King and the white walkers. The final season will be the final battle for the Iron Throne and against Cersei.

DRAGONSTONE

“On a night like this you came into the world” Tyrion

On a dark and stormy night Dany and her brain trust gathered. Dany turned her attention to Varys and I mean this was not the kind of attention one wants. Dany questioned Varys like a prosecutor, asking him who gave the order to have her killed and who sent the murderer. Of course, Robert Baratheon gave the order and Varys did what he was told. Tyrion tried to vouch for him but Dany persisted. She questioned his loyalty, he’s gone from King to King and now Queen. Varys stood up for himself well. When he spoke of being a slave and doing everything for the people he knew his audience. Dany loves that stuff. Dany asks Varys to tell her if he ever felt she was betraying the needs of the people and he agreed. But she wasn’t done.

“If you ever betray me I’ll burn you alive” Dany tells him.
“I would expect no less from the Mother of Dragons” Varys replies.

But the night wasn’t over! They had a late night visitor. Melisandre. She returned to the scene of many a crime. Varys points out that she supported Stannis Baratheon. Dany remarks she came on a good night as they were just discussing letting bygones be bygones. Melisandre tells of the prophecy of the prince that was promised. Missandei tells Dany that in Valerian it could be translated as ‘prince or princess’ which makes Dany happy.

“I believe you have a role to play…as does another. The King in the North, Jon Snow,” Melisandre tells Dany. Tyrion vouches for him, “I liked him and I’m an excellent judge of character.” Dany has a raven sent to summon Jon Snow to come to Dragonstone and ‘take a knee’.

WINTERFELL

Jon consults with Sansa and Ser Davos when he gets the raven from Dragonstone. It was written by Tyrion and he ended the message with something he told Jon back in season one, “all dwarfs are bastards in their father’s eyes’. Jon recognized the quote. He then asked Sansa what she thought, “You know him best.”
“He’s not like the other Lannisters. He was kind to me but it’s still too dangerous.”
Davos agreed but added, “White Walkers can be killed with fire. What breathes fire?

I really liked that Jon has included Sansa into the brain trust which was just he and Davos. That’s a good sign. Here is the full quote of what Tyrion said to Jon in season one:

“Let me tell you something, Bastard. Never forget what you are, the rest of the world will not. Wear it like armor and it can never be used to hurt you” Tyrion
“What the hell do you know about being a bastard? Jon
“All dwarfs are bastards in their father’s eyes” Tyrion

KING’S LANDING

Cersei tries to shore up the support of her banner men by trying to scare them about Dany being a descendent of the ‘Mad King’. She warned of foreigners coming to their shores and that Dany will kill all the lords as she had done to the slavers in Mereen. Lord Tarly (Sam’s dad) was amongst them and Jamie had a pull aside with him. He asked him to stand by Cersei even though he didn’t like her and to take arms against House Tyrell and Lady Olenna. None of this set well with Lord Tarly but Jamie promised to make him warden of the South and be his most valued general in the wars to come. Tarly didn’t seem to give him a yes or no yet.

Meanwhile, Qyburn takes Cersei on a tour of the catacombs where the bones of the Targaryen’s dragons reside. Qyburn has had “the finest artisan blacksmiths in King’s Landing” working on a little project. A giant crossbow. A dragon killer. He instructs Cersei to pull the lever releasing a giant spear which proceeds to pierce the skeletal skull of the biggest dragon down there!

OK. This could be bad. As Qyburn pointed out to Cersei, Drogon was injured by spears in the battle in the Pits. They can be killed.

DRAGONSTONE

Dany assembles everyone in the map room. It’s amazing to see them all together, Yara and Theon, lady Olenna, Elaria Sand, Tyrion, Varys, Grey worm and Missandei. There are still some hard feelings between Tyrion and Elaria over the murder of Myrcella but as we saw earlier in the episode, ‘bygones’. Tyrion reveals the plan. Yara will sail to Dorne with Elaria to gather Dorne’s army who along with the Tyrell army will lead the assault on King’s Landing while the unsullied will attack and take Casterly Rock. Yara is for attacking King’s Landing now but Tyrion’s line is “do you want to be queen or just the queen of ashes?” They all go along with Tyrion’s plan however.

It’s a good plan but Lady Olenna looks doubtful. Lady Olenna and Dany have a pull aside and she gives her some good advice.

“You’re hand is a clever man. I’ve known a lot of clever men and I’ve outlived them all. You know how? By ignoring them. You’re not a sheep. You’re a dragon. Be a dragon”

Later that night as Grey worm sharpens his sword and prepares to leave in the morning, Missandei stops by. He wasn’t going to say goodbye! He tells her it’s too hard to say goodbye to her.
“You are my weakness” he tells her.
Finally, they kiss. Missandei disrobes and I mean in record time! She tries to remove his clothes but he pulls back. This is a big moment, a vulnerable moment to reveal to her everything. She assures him that she wants to see all of him. He removes his clothes and they stand before each other. They then move to the bed and Grey worm proceeds to…well…he may be castrated but there are other things he can do. Some of my friend’s that were watching with me felt the scene was very long! It was quite passionate alright. Is it getting hot in here?

THE CITADEL

Sam and Archmaester Marwyn tell Jorah that he could live for as long as 10 years but he would go mad in less than six months. Marwyn says there’s nothing they could do but he tells him he can stay one more night before they ship him out. Basically, allowing him to commit suicide. Sam wants to help him, especially after finding out that he is the son of his old boss, Lord Joer Mormont. Sam finds a book that has a possible cure and sneaks into Jorah’s room to perform the procedure. He gives him a leather strap and tells him that he can’t yell or they’ll be found out. Sam then begins to scrape off the infected skin. Yes, it’s that horrible! When Jorah starts making too much noise Sam shushes him!
Then, in one of the most dastardly edits of all time it cuts from Sam sticking a knife into Jorah to someone shoving a spoon into a Shepard’s Pie!

ARYA

Arya runs into Hot Pie! She starts devouring Hot Pie’s latest cooking delicacy. She seemed dead inside. Her eyes looking out as she ate probably thinking only of killing Cersei. Hot Pie asks where she’s headed and she tells him King’s landing.
“I thought you’d be headed for Winterfell”
“Why would I go there? The Boltons have it”
“The Boltons are dead. Jon Snow came down from Castle Black with a wilding army and won the battle of the bastards. He’s king of the North now.”

Arya is stunned and seemed to come back to life. When she mounts her horse she makes the decision to head North. Her desire to go home was stronger than her desire to kill Cersei. On the road home she runs into an old friend, someone we haven’t seen since episode 1! As she warms herself by her camp fire Arya gets surrounded by a pack of wild wolves! And this pack is run by one helluva big wolf! Nymeria! Arya recognizes her and tells Nymeria she’s headed North and to come with her but even though Nymeria recognizes her and will not harm her, she has his own thing now and she chooses to stay with her pack. Arya understands her decision.

“That’s not you” Arya says, meaning, Nymeria is no longer a pet, or her companion, she has found a new life. It’s a reference to a conversation Arya had with her father in Season One:

Arya: Can I be a lord of holdfast?
Ned: You will marry a high lord, and rule his castle. Your sons shall be knights, and princes and lords.
Arya: No. That’s not me.

WINTERFELL

Once Jon receives the raven that Sam sent telling him about the mountain of dragon glass beneath Dragonstone he changes his mind about going there to meet Dany. He announces his decision in the Great Hall and everyone is against it, even Lady Mormont! That’s when you might think twice.

“A Targaryen cannot be trusted and neither can a Lannister!”

Jon says he knows the risks but he must take it as they need the dragon glass and the alliance.

“You’re abandoning your people!” Sansa shouts.
“I’m leaving them in good hands. Yours.” He tells her.

Oh, Little Finger’s eyes really lit up when he heard this! He followed Jon into the crypt where he was paying his regards to his father, Ned. The statue there of Ned is really good! Looks just like him!

“You don’t belong here” Jon tells him. Jon’s was giving him his death stare. They’re not friends.

Little Finger reminds him that he should be thanking him. If he didn’t bring the army of the Vale he would be dead. Then he gets creepy, creepier than usual.

“I love Sansa just as I loved your mother”

With that Jon lunges for Little Finger and grabs him by the throat!

“You touch my sister and I’ll kill you myself”

One would think that he would get the message and back off but I have a feeling, by the way he was looking at Sansa as Jon rode away, that Little Finger will take this time to get her to betray Jon.

THE BATTLE OF THE GREYJOYS

Well, this scene started out to be a fun little cruise with Elaria and Yara getting all hot and bothered in front of Theon but just as the ladies were getting started something happened. Uncle Euron and his fleet descended upon them! Euron’s entrance here was magnificent as it was frightening! The battle was fierce but as Yara looked out at her burning ships she knew they had lost. Two of the Sand Snakes, Nymeria and Obara battled topside while the third, Tyene went below to protect her mother. Nymeria and Obara gave Euron a good fight but he takes them both out! Tyene and Elaria are taken prisoner. Euron then manages to take Yara and puts a knife to her throat. He encourages Theon to attack and try to save her. But Theon seems to have flashbacks of being ‘Reek’ and he drops his sword and jumps ship much to Yara’s disappointment.

Now, look, Theon didn’t stand a chance and he knew it. Perhaps he made the only decision he could to stay alive. Was it cowardly? Yes. But as they say, he that fights and runs away lives to fight another day.

Charlotte, where were the fashion statements made and who made them?

Week two of season 7 finds us in an ever darkening gothic dress, with non black outfits getting further and few between. Metal details on heavy gowns indicate a cast of characters ready for battle.

My favorite look of the episode was one of the only colorful ones- Elaria Sand rocking yellow like she does so well. But even her dress had a heavier than usual hand, a thick brocade with pointy shoulders and coordinating bra underneath. My prediction is that she will die next episode and this will be the last time we see anything other than black leather and fur.

Best hair definitely goes to Daenerys, with cinnamon bun swirled braids topped off with a tiny dragon hair piece, though I’m really missing her going out tops and signature turquoise and light blue dresses.

The best easy access outfits go to Grey Worm and Missandei, who despite wearing thick leather floor length ensembles were able to remove them with the quick pull of a string. Not wearing a bra or underwear seemed like a strange choice but really worked out in this one situation.

Worst skin (not necessarily a fashion thing but I do think makeup/beauty and fashion go hand in hand) goes to Jorah. I really hope we never have to witness scales with pus underneath getting ripped off again. So so so gross.
As we brace ourselves for even more action packed episodes approaching, I’m sure the fashion will become even more tactical and dark. I’ll see you next week!

SIDE THRONES

Sam is turning out to be a very good maester! He is smart and ingenious! The looks that Jorah gives him while he prepares to ‘flay’ him are priceless.
I also love that Jorah was writing a farewell letter to the Khaleesi when Sam arrived. He loves her so!

So much for Yara being a great warrior! How did Euron sneak up on them like that? Yara and Theon were finished before they even got started!

And those Sand Snakes? They turned out not to be very impressive. Euron decorated the wreck of their ship with Nymeria and Abara’s bodies.

So here is why I think this season will end with the big battle with the Night’s King: Jon is going to meet with Dany. He needs her to allow him to get the dragon glass to take back North to fight the Night’s King. Dany wants Jon to bring his army South to take King’s Landing. I think the compromise will be for Dany and her dragons to come North to defeat the Night’s King and then the armies of the North will join her to defeat Cersei and take King’s Landing.

OK. Mull that over and discuss amongst yourselves.

5 THINGS I THINK I KNOW

1 Yara and Elaria will be publicly executed by Cersei
2 Cersei will still not agree to marry Euron.
3 Lord Tarly will join Jamie and attack Highgarden
4 Jon Snow will not ‘take the knee’
5 Arya and Sansa will be reunited!!!!!

Evil Cooper
Red hanky hanging on a tree
Private jet
Tammy brings Gordon coffee
Col. Davis calls
Buckhorn, West South Dakota
Lt Knox, Buckhorn PD
Evil Cooper meets Tim Roth
They were expecting him the night before
“Hey Chantal! Boss man is here!”
Chantal is Jennifer Jason Leigh

Gordon tells Diane they need to make a stop
“Fuck you, Gordon. I want to go home!”
“This is important. An old case involving a man Agent Cooper once knew”
“Blue Rose case”
She consents but holds up a couple of tiny vodka bottles
“Coming up!”
Albert wakes up and looks over at Diane
“I know, I know. Fuck you, Albert”
Diane tries to call someone but the number is blocked
Warden Murphy calls
“Cooper’s flown the coop!”

Evil Cooper and Chantal walk by two dead bodies
Probably the couple that lived in that house
Very matter of fact
EC calls the guy in Vegas
“Did you do it?”
“Not yet”
“Better be done next time I call”

Tim Roth is ‘Hutch’
Hutch brings him a rifle and a satchel with unknown context
“I want you to kill the Warden in the next two days”
“Then I have a double header in Vegas”
Does he mean Good Cooper and Dougie’s wife?
“Hey Chantal, give the boss man a wet one”
They kiss
“I wish it was more”
“I’ll take a rain check”
EC tosses his cell phone
“Kill that phone and get out of this place”
Hutch takes his rifle and blasts the phone

Las Vegas PF
Dougie and his wife
Dougie holding a cup of coffee
Cops questioning Dougie’s boss
“Damn strange business. First his car blows up and then somebody tries to kill him”
No response from the cops
Dougie’s boss tells Dougie to take the rest of the day off
“Starting tomorrow you and I have to start working together, get some answers”
“Answers”

There is no record of Dougie Jones prior to 1997
Witness protection?
“You still have that guy at Justice?”
“Should we talk to him again?”
“It’s like talking to a dog”
“And she does all the barking”

One of the cops brings Dougie a fresh cup of coffee
He drinks it with both hands like a man drinking his first glass of water after being in the desert for a week!
The cops identify the little guy hit man as “Ike the Spike”

The camera zooms in on Dougie’s face
He’s staring at the flag
America The Beautiful starts playing
Good Cooper wants so badly to come out!
A tall, shapely woman comes out of a room and walks by
Dougie focuses on her red, high heel shows
And then to the plug outlet
Starting to piece it together
Slowly

The cops get Dougie’s prints off a coffee mug
I think the Vegas man hired Ike The Spike to kill Dougie
But he failed
So EC means to kill Dougie

The cops show up at the hotel where Ike The Spike is
“You’re under arrest Ike for attempted murder”
“We have your palm print. As a matter of fact, we have your whole palm?

Twin Peaks Sheriff’s department
Lucy is shopping for a chair and ottoman

She and Andy squabble over the color
Beige or Red!
“I’m sorry, punky. You can get the beige chair”
Then Lucy goes and purchases the red chair and smiles
Such sweethearts!

“Johnny! Johnny!”

Bobby comes home with Truman and Hawk to asks his mom some questions
They need to ask Mrs. Briggs some questions about Cooper and her husband
She said that her husband told her
“One day our son Bobby and Hawk and Sheriff Truman would come and ask me about Agent Dale Cooper”
He told her to give them something
“Would you like some coffee?”
They all say no. What did he tells her to give them!
She walks over to a chair and tells them to watch
She pulls out something from it
A circular piece of metal
She gives it to them
What?

TWIN PEAKS

Gordon and company arrive at the morgue in Buckhorn
Diane decides to stay in the lobby and smoke
“You can’t smoke in here”
“It’s the fucking morgue!”
Diane checks her phone

She has received a text
“Around the dinner table the conversation is lively”
Is this the text that EC sent on his phone before he had Hutch ‘kill’ it?
They look at the headless corpse of what may be Major Briggs
The body is of a man in his 40s
about the age he would have been 25 years ago when he was thought to have died
The coroner also shows them a ring she found in his stomach
inscribed ‘to Dougie Love Janie E”
“We need to speak with William Hastings”

Twin Peaks
Jerry is looking at his foot
A child’s voice speaks
“I am not your foot”
He can’t seem to make it move
He must be really stoned
He starts fighting with his foot!

Back at the Sheriff’s Department
Lucy is at the front desk eating a sandwich
“I’m not here! I’m on my lunch break!”
Truman and Hawk try to figure out how to open the metal object
Bobby smiling tells them he knows how
His dad showed him
They go outside and he slams it down on the ground

It starts making a noise. He holds it to Truman and Hawk’s ears
Then he throws it down again!
It opens
Inside is a small piece of paper
directions to a spot near ‘Jack Rabbit’s Palace
a specific time and two dates – 10/1 and 10/2

Bobby knows where it is
It’s a place he went to with his dad when he was a kid
He named the place Jack Rabbit’s Palace
They will go there on those dates and Bobby will lead the way
Another piece of paper has a bunch of numbers
and ‘Cooper’ written twice
“Two Coopers”

Buckhorn PD
Diane smoking outside
Gordon and Tammy join her
Long awkward silence
Finally Gordon asks for a drag of her cigarette
“Whoa!”
“We used to smoke together way back when”

Hastings crying like a baby
Tammy goes in to question him
Hastings wrote a blog called “The Search for The Zone”
He wrote about discovering an alternate reality, ‘different dimension’
“It’s real! It’s all real!”
He claims to have entered this place
“We met the Major”
“He was hiding there, hibernating as he said. he asked us to get him numbers, important numbers, coordinates. We found them in a place he told us to go, a secured military database.”
“Ruth brought him the numbers and then something terrible happened!”
Some others came in and assaulted them
Hastings claims he didn’t kill Ruth
Tammy shows Hastings some photos
And he identifies Major Briggs

“We gave him the numbers and he started to float up. He said two words ” Cooper. Cooper” and then he disappeared. It was beautiful. Then Ruth was dead. It was so terrible.”
“Fruitcake, anyone?” (Albert, of course)

Twin Peaks
The Great Northern
Ben and Beverly still trying to figure out where that sound is coming from
“It’s kind of a mesmerizing tone”
“Otherworldly”
They turn to each other, touch
“I can’t do this”
“You’re good man, Ben”

Bar
Who is playing?
One guy on keyboards
A blonde sits alone
She looks very worn
She’s joined by a brunette
They look like junkies
“You know that zebra’s out again”
The blonde has an awful looking each under her left arm
Yuck!
“Have you seen the penguin?”

And playing at the Bang Bang Bar tonight!

Au Revoir Simone is back!

Well, that was the fastest hour I’ve ever spent! Knowing there is a finite number of hours left before it’s all over makes every minute precious. While I wanted the episode to start off filled with battles between armies and dragons it instead was filled with battles between characters. Season premieres always start off by letting us know where everyone is and this one also lets us know where everyone is emotionally. The stage has been set for the big battles to come.

As always, Charlotte Radwell will fills us in with her unique take of the fashion of Westeros! But first let’s review what we just saw.
ARYA / THE TWINS

“Leave one wolf alive and the sheep are never safe” Arya as Walder Frey

GOT uses a cold open for only the second time in its history to great effect. We open on Walder Frey. Walter Frey? But Arya killed him. Yes, which means this isn’t Walder Frey. He’s called all the men to a feast.

“You’re my family. The men that helped me murder the Starks at The Red Wedding”

He makes a toast but he himself doesn’t drink. he also tells the serving girl not to drink, sparing her the fate of all the others. Soon they are spitting up blood and collapsing in a pile of death. Frey removes his face to reveal that is is, of course, Arya Stark! We knew it almost immediately and we relished the scene almost as much as she did. Revenge! Then she turns to the serving girl and tells her:

“When people ask what happened here tell them The North Remembers. Tell them Winter came for House Frey”

Later on, on her way to King’s Landing she comes across Ed Sheeran singing in the woods dressed as a Lannister soldier. He and his merry men of Lannisters invite her to their fire and to share their meat. You can see her scoping out the situation, seeing where their swords are. They seem nice enough but the whole time you’re waiting for it to turn bad and she’ll have to kill them all.  But it never does.  They’re just a bunch of ordinary fellows talking about missing their families and just doing what they’re asked. “Why are you headed to King’s Landing?” they ask her.

“I’m going to kill the Queen.” she says matter of factly.  They all are very quiet for a moment before breaking out in laughter. Aya smiles.

THE NIGHT’S KING

The Night’s King and his horde of wights are marching towards the Wall. As we watched we saw that there were a couple of giants marching with them and someone wondered if one of them was Wun Wun but he died in Winterfell so they would have burned his body. That would have been a massive funeral pyre indeed! But then someone wondered if Hodor was now one the living dead. Everyone groaned in terror! “Damn you, Marc!”

BRAN / THE WALL

Bran and Meera reach the Wall. Dolorous Edd comes out to greet them. Once Bran convinces him that he is indeed Brandon Stark Edd allows them to enter. But by entering Castle Black Bran is also allowing The Night’s King to be able to enter just as he was able to enter the Cave. The only question is will the Wall completely come down? I think it will.

JON AND SANSA / WINTERFELL

“I will not punish sons and daughters for the crimes of their fathers” Jon Snow

Jon tells everyone about Dragon glass being able to kill the dead. He is sending the Wildings to help man the Wall (the new Night’s Watch?) and he wants everyone to start training for battle even the women. This rankles the Lords. Lady Mormont speaks up though, as always “I don’t need your permission to fight!” She will have Bear Island train every man woman and child for battle.

There is also a matter of the Carstarks and the Umbers that sided with Ramsey. Jon wants to forgive and forget but Sansa speaks up in disagreement. They committed treason by going against the Starks and feels that their castles should be given to families that actually fought for them. This gets a round of huzzahs from the lords. But Jon holds firm, looking very annoyed though. “So there’s to be no punishment for treason and no reward for loyalty? Sansa fires back. Jon calls on the last living members of both houses, a young red haired little girl and a scared looking little, boy. He asks for their loyalty and their draw their swords and take a knee to the King of the North!

Privately, the argument continues. Jon didn’t appreciate being called out in front of everyone. (“Never take sides with anyone against the family again. Ever” Michael Corleone) But Sansa lays out some hard truth:

“You have to be smarter than father and Robb. I loved them and miss them but they made stupid mistakes and they both lost their heads for it.”

Then they get a raven from King’s landing, a message telling them to come and take a knee and pledge their support to Queen Cersei. Fat chance! Sansa tells him that he’s only thinking about the threat to the North but he should also worry about Cersei. She will kill everyone to get what she wants.

“You almost sound like you admire her” Jon says with a look of concern.
“I learned a great deal from her.” Sansa tells him

Meanwhile Brienne (well coiffed!) and Pod are practicing the sword when Tormund distracts her with his leer causing Pod to land a sword on her arm. She then tosses him, face first, into a pile of snow. “Lucky man” Tormund says.

Little Finger approaches Sansa who doesn’t even look at him. “Why aren’t you happy?” he asks. Oh he knows exactly why. Brienne must have noticed because she comes right up to where they are. Little Finger tries to say something but Sansa shuts him down “No need to seize the last word. I’ll assume it was something clever”

CERSEI AND JAMIE / KING’S LANDING

“I am the Queen of the 7 Kingdoms” Cersei
“Well, 3 at best” Jamie

Jamie finds Cersei in the patio standing on a huge map of Westeros that is still being painted! The paint is still wet and she’s walking all over it! Jamie brings up Tommen.  They never talked about it,

“I loved them. I did. But they’re ashes now” Cersei tells him. Moving on.

He is concerned that they have more enemies than allies. Cerise seems well aware of it and before you know it, Euron Greyjoy and his beautiful new ships arrives! She receives him in the grand hall and he is brazenly hostile to Jamie.

“Here I am with 1000 ships and 2 good hands” he tells her.

“You killed your brother, I hear” Cersei says

“You should try it sometime” he responds

Jamie the whole time standing by her side feeling like a third wheel.

SAM / THE CITADEL

We get treated to a long  montage of Sam doing grunt work. Serving up food in the kitchen and emptying out bedpans. They seem to use the same objects for both plates and bedpans! Yuck! Plus one of his jobs is putting away books. Sam desperately wants to get into the locked up portion of the library but his new boss Archmaester Ambrose (Jim Broadbent) won’t allow it.

So he just swipes the keys from the old maester and sneaks in and takes some books. He finds one that has maps of Dragonstone and states that t ere is a rich supply of dragon glass on the premises.  He must let Jon know!

As he was collecting dishes from what seemed to be the prison part of the Citadel he encounters a man with an ugly looking arm. “Has she come yet? The dragon queen Daenerys Stormborn?”  It’s Ser Jorah!  he must have come to the Citadel seeking a cure for the greyscale.

THE HOUND / ON THE ROAD

“Its my fucking luck I ended up with a bunch of fire worshippers” The Hound

The Hound, Dondarrion and Thoros come across a farmhouse and decide to take refuge.  The place looks familiar to The Hound and to us, too.  If you remember in season 4, The Hound and Arya were shown some kindness by a farmer and his daughter and he repaid their kindness by robbing them of what little money they had. When they enter the farmhouse they find the skeletal remains of the farmer and his daughter.  It seems he cut her throat and then his. Dondarrion figures they were starving to death and he decided to end both of their lives. The Hound knows he was probably the cause of their demise. He asks Dondarrion why the god of light keeps bringing him back to life, for what reason? Dondarrion doesn’t know but there must be some reason. Toros tells The Hound to come to the fire and look into the flames.  “What do you see?” Toros asks.  “Logs” The Hound sasses back.  But then he starts to see something.  A wall of ice.  THE Wall. And thousands of white walkers marching.

Later in the night, Thoros wakens to find The Hound digging graves for the farmer and his daughter. It’s a beautiful scene. The Hound genuinely feels guilty.  He’s come a long way. He’s always had a heart but now it’s coming to the fore and I feel he is going to play a major role in defeating the white walkers.

DANYRUS ABD TYRION / DRAGONSTONE

“Shall we begin?” Dany

Dany and the gang finally arrive at the Targaryen homestead. She bends down and touches the sand. Home. They walk to the throne room, majestic but empty.  The whole place is empty. Dany and Tyrion enter the map room. Stannous spent much time in that room making plans, making black magic babies with melisandre and dreaming of sitting on the Iron Throne.  Now it’s Dany’s turn to make plans.

OK CHARLOTTE! WHO’S WEARING WHAT IN WESTEROS?

So GOT is back and winter is here! There were some good looking getups in this episode, but first I have to mention my concern with the lack of winter hats on the poor Starks’ heads. It’s cold out there and Sansa’s usual Medieval twisty braidy look definitely isn’t helping.

Meanwhile in (on?) King’s Landing, Cersei has chosen to highlight her awkward length shaved head grow-out with some sinister high neck maxi jackets. Special shoutout to her bejeweled/studded/lion metal neckpiece.

In an insult laden fancy goth meetup, Euron Greyjoy visits the Lanisters wearing the sickest leather moto, with star cutouts on point, slubby layers underneath- 10/10 perfect winter look. I personally would have completed it with some smudgy black eyeliner.

Lots of great looks this week, with an honorable mention going out to Daenerys- who I didn’t write about because I think she was wearing that same sci fi tomb raider outfit at the end of last season? Anyway, see you next week- only six episodes left!

SIDE THRONES

That was a great season opener! We got to see everyone except Melisandre and I’m sure Gentry is ‘still rowing’ around somewhere. Where and when will he find land again?

Aya seemed to have stopped herself from killing those Lannister soldiers but will all the killing she’s been doing warp her soul to the point she may not be able to control herself one day?

Sansa and Jon had a massive public and private quarrel. I can see both sides and neither are wrong. Jon is trying to unify the North. They need all the help they can get.  Sansa sees the cold truth of the world by saying their needs to be punishment when people do bad things.  Too many times she’s seen what happens when you’re passive. She has no intention of being passive ever again. Jon asks who he should listen to for advice? Her?  and she answered him by saying “Would that be so terrible?” Can they work together?  I think so but there’ll be more disagreements.

Cersei figures Dany will land at Dragonstone and she was right which means she needs to take control of Dorne and High Garden before Dany takes them.

5 THINGS I THINK I KNOW

1 Jon will head North to fight the Dead.  Sansa stays behind to fight Cersei.

2 Arya doesn’t get Cersei.

3 Sam will find a cure for Ser Jorah

4 Brienne and Tormund.  It’s going to happen. Brie-Tor? Tor-enne?

5 Euron and his navy will head to take Dorne

Well we finally found out what happened to Ofelia! She’s joined forces with Walker and the Indians! And she’s turned into a toughie! Madison takes more and more control but is she making the right moves? I don’t think so. The mid season finale came quickly and it was filled with action.

OFELIA

We see that Jeremiah Otto found Ofelia in the desert but refused to help her by taking her back to Broke Jaw Ranch. There are no brown people allowed. He leaves her to die in the desert and she almost does. She starts to hallucinate her father, Daniel, and he’s telling her not to take off her clothes or fall asleep. She does both. But then along comes Walker! He takes her back to the Black Hat Reservation and nurses her back to health.

ALICIA

“You’re 200 years late for peace Jake…but just in time for lunch.” Walker

Alicia catches up to Jake and they reach the Black Hat Reservation with has a gas station and a diner. Jake is determined to come to a peaceful resolution of their problems but Walker is set on getting their land back which they were trying to do even prior to the apocalypse. They decide to do a parlay and Ofelia returns with Jake to the ranch while Alicia stayed behind with Walker. Sort of a hostage swap.

Walker takes Alicia into a trailer that contains all the memorabilia of the tribe including the bones of his great grandfather. He tries to show her what the land means to them.
While Alicia starts to see Walker’s side of things better she still holds him responsible for shooting down the helicopter and killing Travis. Walker shows her the downed chopper with pride not realizing she had been in it when they shot it down.

STRAND

“The world is dead.” Strand

Daniel abandoned Strand at the hotel but Strand managed to get away and wouldn’t you know it! He finds his beloved Abigail! It’s basically run aground on a beach so Strand makes his way out to it, kills the assorted band of walkers that were lounging around and retakes the boat! Unfortunately, no power. He finds a slightly blood stained white dinner jacket and a bottle of very good champagne, sits on the deck and gets drunk. Suddenly, he gets a signal on the radio. A Russian cosmonaut stranded in space! They have a delightful conversation, exchanging literary quotes. It’s an interesting scene. You’re reminded that Strand began as a sophisticate con man that had planned to continue living the good life with his lover when The Clarks came along and his plans went awry. He sets the boat on fire as a kind of funeral for the past and moves forward. But to where?

MADISON

Madison did not appreciate Jake leaving Alicia with Walker. Jeremiah basically decides to stay out of it and let Jake make his play. Madison is not one to sit on her hands. She gets Troy and his militia to carry out a rescue mission and it’s a shit show. They get Alicia back but many die on both sides. Nick even gets saved by Troy! A little bro bonding.

OFELIA

Jake, of course, decides to take Ofelia and race over to Walker’s to try and keep the peace. He’s a real fool. Walker is about to scalp him but Ofelia stops him. It seems Ofelia and Walker may be more than friends. Walker lets Jake go back to the ranch.

The next day a motorcycle zooms up to the Ranch gates and tosses Ofelia off. It seems that she’s been punished for going against Walker. I didn’t buy it but everyone else does. Jeremiah tells Madison that Ofelia will be her responsibility and she puts Ofelia to work in the kitchen

Later that night, everyone starts getting sick, throwing up and dying which of course creates a bunch of ‘walkers’ and chaos within the community. It gets really serious when Nick falls ill. NO way can he die! Madison spots Ofelia running away, trying to get away in a truck. Madison smashes throw the window and pulls her out and starts wailing on her!

Madison takes her back to Black Hat and with a gun to Ofelia’s head confronts Walker and demands to know what he gave Ofelia to poison the ranch. Anthrax. No cure. Nick is strong and he may survive. Walker admires Madison’s strength and allows her to leave unharmed but warns her to take her family and leave or they’ll all die.

Ofelia did not know that she was given anthrax. Shouldn’t she have asked? She did not think she was sent to kill people and she feels a bit betrayed by her partner, Walker. They’re interrupted by people screaming about a fire. It’s a diversion! Madison and Troy set the fires to steal the trailer with the tribe artifacts and Walker’s grandfather’s bones.

NICK

“Nick, he’s going to disappoint you. All this, this hell we’re in, it’s all because of him.” Jake

Nick makes a recovery and Jake agrees to remove the restraints. He decides to follow a hunch and dig under the floor where Jeremiah shot through a couple episodes back. He finds human remains. He confronts Jeremiah who admits that they killed Walker’s father and buried him under the floor.

MADISON

“You have no idea what I carry.” Madison

Madison meets with Walker and presents him with the skull of his father but it doesn’t satisfy Walker. They have until sun up.

The Clarks hold a family meeting where Nick reveals to Alicia that it was Troy that killed Gretchen and her family. Alicia is livid! She lets Madison have it but Madison is unapologetic about the decisions she’s made. She’s done everything for the safety of her children. The she proceeds to tell them a story. She tells them about growing up with an alcoholic and abusive father and that she shot him one morning as he was sleeping off the night before.

“I’d do it again. I’d do it a thousand times to protect her. To protect you.”

With that philosophy in mind, she heads over to Jeremiah’s house and tries to convince him to do the right thing. The right thing being to shoot himself to satisfy Walker’s demands so that everyone can move on in peace.

“Do this or everyone dies, including your sons.”

Well, Jeremiah won’t have anything to do with that! He only cares about his survival. Just then, Nick walks in. Jeremiah starts ranting and raving and out of nowhere Nick shoots him in the head with the gun Jeremiah gave him. Madison tells him to leave and she places the gun near Jeremiah’s hand. Troy and Jake rush in and find their father. As they carry Jeremiah’s body out of the house and put him in the back of a truck, The Clarks stand on a balcony overlooking the ranch. Just as Madison said way back in episode 2 – They took over the place. A very Rick move.

Madison meets with Walker once more. This time she hands him a head that’s still warm. Jeremiah’s. This seems to satisfy Walker. War averted.

SIDE BITES

The first 8 episodes happened in a whirlwind. It moved swiftly and with momentum. From the snippet I saw from Episode 9 it looks like Walker’s tribe is moving *‘kit and caboodle’ onto Broke Jaw Ranch which is going to make some people really angry. Way to ratchet up the tension!

Did you notice that there were very little walkers in the first 8 episodes? The dangers, especially in the early days of the zombie apocalypse derived from human on human carnage.

Now will Daniel and Strand find their way to the ranch? Or will The Clarks be forced to move again and find them on the road? I’m thinking the latter.

*The words kit and caboodle have rather similar meanings.
A kit – is set of objects, as in a toolkit, or what a soldier would put in his kit-bag.
A caboodle (or boodle) – is an archaic term meaning group or collection, usually of people.

Things are heating up on Broke Jaw Ranch! The Clark kids are learning to shoot guns and Madison is making power moves. Jeremiah seems to be losing heart and fear and panic is spreading through the community. Why can’t everyone just relax in the Zombie Apocalypse? The Indians and the Ottos should find a way to leave together! There are NO walkers where they are! Make it work! But no, they will ruin everything!

THE SITUATION

Madison, Troy and the other militia men finally make it back to the ranch; their feet cut up and blistered from the journey. Troy tries to downplay what happened but Mike (the one that saw Troy out a knife to Madison’s throat last week) speaks up. He tells them that the others they went looking for were dead, including Bill McCarthy (Crow fodder) one of the original founders. The Indians did it and warned that if they all didn’t leave they would end up dead too. The whole community gets worried but not Jeremiah who blows it off. Troy is all for going after the Indians but Jeremiah puts the kibosh on that and chews out Troy for his failed leadership. Madison comes to his defense though. She knows that they’re going to need what Troy can bring to the party and that means open hostility and violence. Very pragmatic, Madison is.

Meanwhile, Vernon, another original founder and father to Mike and Gretchen (Alicia’s ‘bible study’ partner) decides he’s taking his family and leaving. This leaves both Jeremiah and Troy feeling betrayed. Vernon leaving would mean Jeremiah is the last remaining founder and Mike was Troy’s best friend. This sets Jeremiah on a bender and Troy to confront his friend Mike. It leads to a confrontation between the brothers and Jeremiah actually pops Troy in the jaw!

ALICIA

“The rhythm method is bullshit, I told you that right?? Madison to Alicia

Alicia and Nick (Nick-icia?) are going strong. The next stage in the courtship is Jake teaching Alicia how to fire a rifle. This means Alicia will have to use her new skills in the mid season finale. Perhaps saving Jake? That would mean the love is real. Later on she tries to sneak into the bunkhouse and wakes up Madison, who calls her out for being with Jake. Alicia tries to play it off like it’s no big deal but it’s obvious she’s into him and Madison sees it too.

When Jake decides to take matters into his own hands and sets off to meet Walker and his tribe to work out a truce, Alicia decides to follow him after finding out that her friend Gretchen and her family were killed by the Indian tribe.

NICK

“You know that song, “you can’t be with the one you love, love the one you’re with”? Well, it goes the same with hitting people.” Jeremiah

Not to be out done, Nick takes some shooting lessons from his new bestie, Jeremiah. They make a good pair. I think they respect each other. When Jeremiah falls off the wagon and shoots up Nick’s cleaned up new pad, Nick tucks him into bed to sleep it off. He even has coffee for him the next morning and pretends it never happened. That’s a good friend.

Jeremiah notices a horse in the field that belonged to Vernon and fears the worst. They and Madison venture out to find out what happened.

MADISON

“There’s a fight coming. Everyone who leaves, leaves us weaker.” Madison

As feared, Jeremiah, Nick and Madison find the RV belonging to Vernon and family. They’re dead and have turned. Jeremiah walks into the RV and takes out Vernon and his wife. Mike is done and this leaves poor Gretchen. They find her and some other walkers munching on a horse. Madison points her gun to take her out but cannot pull the trigger. Nick eventually does the deed. Nick believes that Troy did this, not Walker and the tribe. Jeremiah agrees. But once they get back to the ranch and show everyone the dead bodies of Vernon and family, Madison uses it to make a rousing speech blaming Walker and the Indians and assuring them that to leave the ranch would mean death and that they need to stick together and let their militia protect them.

Nick is surprised and confronts her later saying that she should have let him know what she was going to do. He gets it and supports her but he does not trust Troy.

Madison gives troy a pep talk and he gathers the militia and gives a rousing speech of his own. Madison looks on with confidence. Troy certainly has the support of his team. She sees in Troy the kind of leader they need when the fighting comes.

When they’re alone again, Troy admits that it was him that killed Vernon and his family. He was hurt about Mike leaving and didn’t plan to do it but things got out of hand. Madison doesn’t bat an eye. She knew all along it was him. She gives him a pass this time and tells him that he needs to control himself going forward. He needs to be able to protect the community when the time comes and Troy gives her a ‘Yes, ma’am.” I think she has officially become his new mama. Madison is playing a dangerous game trusting Troy. Let’s see if it works out.

SIDE BITES

I loved the scene where the whole community comes out to witness all the fires that the Indians started all around the ranch. They’re surrounded!

Jake looks like a goner. It’s just a matter of what inventive way Walker will have to kill him. Alicia will find him of course.

Where the hell is Luciana now? Will she find Ofelia?

The season is going by fast! We’re already at the mid-season point? Looks like they’re going to take 7 weeks off and they just happen to be the 7 weeks that Game Of Thrones will be on. Coincidence? Absolutely not! Smart planning.