Game of Thrones begins....

[jimmy olsen]

The Lannister camp was huge.

[Admiral Yi]

A lot of setup in this episode, not much resolution.

What's the relationship of Starkistan and the River Lords?

[Habbaku]

What's the relationship of Starkistan and the River Lords?

The Starks are the head family of the North and Ned's wife, Catelyn, is the daughter Hoster Tully who is head of the Riverlands.

[Admiral Yi]

The Starks are the head family of the North and Ned's wife, Catelyn, is the daughter Hoster Tully who is head of the Riverlands.

Is Tully fighting the Lannisters because of the succession issue, or do they have some other beef?  Or out of loyalty to the Starks?

[Maximus]

The hostilities started with Lannister dogs raiding the riverlands. At any rate it seems to have been expected that Tully would ally with Stark because of the marriage, just as it was expected of house Arryn.

[Admiral Yi]

The hostilities started with Lannister dogs raiding the riverlands. At any rate it seems to have been expected that Tully would ally with Stark because of the marriage, just as it was expected of house Arryn.

Oh right, that's the weeping peasants and their fish, right?  So that predates the succession issue.  Were the Lannisters trying for straight up conquest there, or some other game?

[jimmy olsen]

The hostilities started with Lannister dogs raiding the riverlands. At any rate it seems to have been expected that Tully would ally with Stark because of the marriage, just as it was expected of house Arryn.

Oh right, that's the weeping peasants and their fish, right?  So that predates the succession issue.  Were the Lannisters trying for straight up conquest there, or some other game?

Catelyn Stark kidnapped Tyrion Lannister. Catelyn was originally a Tully. The Tully's have been close allies of the Starks since that marriage. That's why they were attacked.

[Queequeg]

Damn. Anyone notice how badly Snow was hurt by the flame?

[Martinus]

The hostilities started with Lannister dogs raiding the riverlands. At any rate it seems to have been expected that Tully would ally with Stark because of the marriage, just as it was expected of house Arryn.

Oh right, that's the weeping peasants and their fish, right?  So that predates the succession issue.  Were the Lannisters trying for straight up conquest there, or some other game?

Catelyn Stark kidnapped Tyrion Lannister. Catelyn was originally a Tully. The Tully's have been close allies of the Starks since that marriage. That's why they were attacked.

Yup. And Riverlands are the easiest pick of the three for Lannisters (since the Arryn stronghold is thought impregnable and Winterfell is too far North whereas Riverlands border Westerlands, owned by Lannisters). Plus if Lannisters control Riverlands (or, more specifically, The Twins - the castle held by the Tully's bannermen, the Freys), they control the only safe passage from the North into the South - Moat Cailin.

[Berkut]

Pretty decent episiode.

Could have been better if the meeting between Tyrion and Tywin had shown a little more what a man of the earth Tywin is - maybe he could have been hoeing the peas or something like that.

[Solmyr]

So they did not show Syrio dying, in an episode written by GRRM. Let the conspiracy theories run loose.

Also, Hodor dong.

[jimmy olsen]

So they did not show Syrio dying, in an episode written by GRRM. Let the conspiracy theories run loose.

Yeah, that's one conspiracy theory I can get behind.

[The Larch]

Do the Stark bannermen appear in this episode? And the Hill tribes? Are manhoods threatened to be cut off and fed to the goats?

[The Larch]

So they did not show Syrio dying, in an episode written by GRRM. Let the conspiracy theories run loose.

Yeah, that's one conspiracy theory I can get behind.

That's a fan favourite, apparently, but I've read some convincing explanations about how it's not really possible. They deal mostly with the fact that Syrio *had* to be a very well established character in the court in order to get hired as Arya's "dancing instructor". He also gives a lot of background about himself which would jeopardize his position if it was proved to be made up, and very little time pass from Syrio exiting the scene and Jaquen entering, as theoretically he had been in the black dungeons for a while. If Syrio and Jaquen are the same dude, that plan was long in the making.

[Solmyr]

Do the Stark bannermen appear in this episode? And the Hill tribes? Are manhoods threatened to be cut off and fed to the goats?

Yes on all three.

As for Jaqen, he apparently moves on to impersonating an Oldtown alchemist in aFfC, so whatever his plan is, it must be pretty complex with many phases.