Please submit feedback here after Season 6 Episode 4 – ‘Book of the Stranger’ has aired and we’ll do our best to include it in our midweek podcast recording.

Tyrion (Peter Dinklage) strikes a deal. Jorah (Iain Glen) and Daario (Michiel Huisman) undertake a difficult task. Jaime (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) and Cersei (Lena Headey) try to improve their situation.

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10 comments on “Feedback Post: S06 Episode 4 – ‘Book of the Stranger’”

  1. Fluids May 16, 2016

    Feedback on Podcast for Season 6, Episode 4

    I gave this episode a 78 out of a 100.

    There was a lot going on here. The female characters dominate in this episode. There were some things for me that were weak or just events spinning in place waiting to set off other events (that I note in the bad.)

    Best Line Daario to Ser Jorah: ‘If I win, I’m the sh*t who killed an old man. If I lose, I’m the sh*t who was killed by an old man.’

    The Good:

    • Strong leadership scenes from Sansa, Dany, Yara, Cersei, Margaery and Olenna.

    • I loved the scenes at the Dinner table at Castle Black when Ramsay’s letter arrives. Sansa is showing the shrewdness of Baelish by noting Roose is dead because Ramsay addresses himself as Lord of Winterfell and Warden of the North whilst providing passionate sisterly motivation to reluctant leader Jon Snow to rally troops and rescue Rickon and preventing them from being victims of the Boltons. I love her lines “I want you to help me …but I’ll do it myself if I have to.”

    • Margaery is shrewd enough to see the High Sparrow is trying to manipulate her with his homily and tries to convey this to Ser Loras whilst trying to give him the strength to carry on. (There’s some parallels here with Sansa trying to get Jon to man up and Cersei trying to get Ser Kevan to help get back his son Lancel.) His weakness puts their House future in jeopardy as well create a dilemma where she may have to throw him under the bus to get herself out of prison.

    • Brienne’s talk with Ser Davos and the Red Priestess about not forgetting about what they did to Renly and the fact they worked for Stannis.

    • Dany using her immunity to fire to take the lives of the Khals at Vaes Dothrak.

    • The *Wonder Twin Powers* of Cersei and Jaime activate to form the shape of Tywin Diplomacy with Lady Olenna and Kevan Lannister and formulating a plan to rescue Margaery, Loras and Lancel.

    • Yara not forgiving Theon for the loss of the men and near loss of her life trying to save him from Ramsay and then Theon begging for forgiveness and tells her he’s there to make sure she rules the Salt Throne. Yara will definitely be a force to contend with at the Kingsmoot.

    • Baelish squaring off with Yohn Royce and quickly reversing the implication that Baelish married off Sansa to the Boltons with the Boltons abducting her with only Lord Royce knowing where Baelish was going. Then getting Royce’s support for joining forces with Jon Snow to attack Winterfell.

    • Jon Snow reuniting with Sansa (That’s the first time they have been reuniting with each other I believe since Season 1.)

    The Bad:

    • They really don’t seem to know what to do with Ser Davos (or the Red Priestess). He could have helped out with guidance for the Starks at that dinner table. It’s pretty clear from Brienne’s talk with Ser Davos that they are not a part of a trusted inner circle.

    • Osha’s death was a throwaway. What was the point of it? We know Ramsay is evil. If anything he should have killed her back when she was unveiled to terrify Rickon (which is something Ramsay would have loved to see right?)

    • Tyrion’s diplomacy with the Slavers of Astapor, Yankai and Volantis or ex-slaves of Meereen didn’t really seem to accomplish anything for me. The net effect is stalling until Dany gets back. The Slavers have seven years to stop slaving and didn’t own up to funding the Sons of the Harpy. The ex-slaves are just growing in their distrust of leadership at Meereen. This lead me to ask myself the question, what if the Slavers didn’t fund the Sons of the Harpy? What if Vala was lying to Varys all along? What if the real funding source of the Sons of the Harpy was someone in Meereen?

    The Unknown:

    • Will Margaery have to repent herself of Ser Loras altogether?

    • Will Daario keep quiet about Ser Jorah’s greyscale?

    • What does the Red Priestess see when she looks at Brienne?

    • Is there a way to mobilize the Hill Tribes (Hill Tribes: Stone Crows (Shagga), Burned Men (Timett), Black Ears (Chella), Moon Brothers and Painted Dogs into Jon Snow’s growing Army or would they support the Lannisters and Tyrells?

    • Is Brienne going to kill Ser Davos and the Red Priestess in the future?

    • Will the Tyrell forces arrive in time to stop Margaery’s walk of atonement?

    • What if the Slave Owners of Astapor, Yunkai and Volantis didn’t fund the Sons of the Harpy? What if Vala was lying to Varys all along?

    • What if the real funding source of the Sons of the Harpy was someone in Meereen?

    * Does Jon believe in the power of the Red Priestess? Will he trust in her prophesies and allow her to move forward with him.

    * Does Jon have the will to be a leader still or is he just done with everything? (He did push away Edd’s comments about abandoning the Night’s Watch and the threat from the North.)

    I think Dany’s incendiary plans over the Khals put her as the winner of this week’s Game of Thrones.

    Reply
  2. Katrina May 18, 2016

    never insult a Danerys in Dothraki

    Another wonderful podcast last week. Abe’s settled into his role well and you’re both as engaging as ever.

    ‘Book of the Stranger’ is an impressive episode. We’re back to the story telling speed of season 2, with very little padding and lots of character scenes.

    It was refreshing to see happiness at The Wall of all places with a Stark reunion and a bit of comedy with the smitten Tormond hunting Brienne across the breakfast table.

    This episode had so much packed into a small amount of time. One thing I really liked was Danerys following the prophesy from season 1 or 2 that she would have to go back to the beginning, and would burn 3 times (once for life, once for death and once for love). And now she has a little tribe of Khalesises. Perhaps they can rule some of those cities for her.

    When story threads merge, Its fascinating to see the relative heights of the characters, like we saw at Joffrey’s wedding. Using Sansa for comparson – Jon, Melisandre, Davos, Ramsay, Peter Baelish and Theon are all around the same height. I’m tempted to look back at earlier episodes and use the Varys comparison for Kings Landing versus Mireen.

    Reply
    • Fluids May 18, 2016

      Yes! Tormund with Brienne

      Great catch Katrina (Tormund eyeing Brienne). I totally spaced on that. Could you imagine them as a couple? In some ways it makes perfect sense as far as they are both fierce fighters. Culturally though they would clash so much it would be hysterical and intriguing to see how that would play out! The lady underneath the armor versus the wildman. Visiting other keeps as a married couple would be funny.

      Reply
  3. Benners May 19, 2016

    Book of the Stranger

    So John’s watch is done. The price for his resurrection seems to be the loss of his sense of purpose. Sansa’s arrival then must appear to be heaven sent. Seeing them together after so long was very touching but not without flaws. It seemed to miss a beat when they were eating together. Did they simply eat or were we rejoining them after exchanging tales? Some cue would have been helpful, a montage, a fire loosing its flame to indicate the passage of time. Despite this what we gain is a direction albeit backwards, to Winterfell. Sansa’s plea to John gives him someone to fight for, someone to rescue and a dividend to put towards the war to come. Sacking Reese and installing Rickon as Warden of the North will give the Wildlings more security for their new homeland and a banner for John to use to gather the armies of the north and replenish the forces at Castle Black. Numbers appear against John until Little Finger returns to The Vale and rallies the troupes. While this could assist John and Sansa, the price for doing some deal for the combined forces of House Arryn & Royce could be high. Choices made here could irrecoverably decide their fate.

    While the Starks fight to maintain their way of life in the north, the high borne at Kings Landing fight for the same at any cost to others. After all, better them than us. The lowly High Sparrow gives another illustration that deep down, both sides the same, flawed people. Sadly this is proved true as we see further hints of torture from the faith militant and the Lainisters plotting a military strike. I fear this can only lead to mutually assured destruction.

    Meanwhile Tyrion tries to impose a new way of life in Slavers Bay. He is cautioned that he doesn’t understand the culture of this region but Tryion responds that he understands these type of people and that appealing to their self interest will succeed. I enjoyed the dramatic irony of this scene that proposes in order to allow the people freedom, he alone must devise the new order. I am reminded that this is the same mistake Daenerys made last season which leaves the question, after freedom, what next?

    Daenerys seems locked into the same sociopathic thought process: you are evil rulers, I shall destroy you and lead your people so that I may rule instead. The last scene, we see once more Daenerys doing the right thing but for the wrong reasons.

    I hope that somewhere along this journey she and Tyrion will learn, as John has, to set their own ambitions aside for the sake of others.

    Reply

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