Game of Thrones begins....

[Admiral Yi]

Also offed a kid

Why so soft on child murder?

At someone else's command, not out of cruelty. 

He protected Sansa as much as he could at King's Landing from Joffrey's cruelty.  He tried to return her to her family.

[Josephus]

Stannis... What a cock. What a departure. This really is pushing me towards the belief that Dani/ the side of fire is the "bad" side with the Others actually being a lot nicer than they may seem.

Dani is clearly the option you're supposed to be rooting for; this is made much simpler in the show by blackening Stannis and removing her nephew.

And throwing the show's most popular character to her side.

[LaCroix]

Yeah, certainly no nothern troops would stand for that.

I mean, they didn't just kill her, right? They burned her alive.

here's an army that's in a really, awfully bad situation. they've probably all heard about melisandre's powers (even if few have seen it). they hear burning the kid means survival. a lot of those men, while not happy to see/hear it, probably at least respect it to some degree. their lord has just sacrificed his own daughter for all of their survival. every one of those men knows how cold stannis is, so it's not like this is a complete reversal of his character.

[LaCroix]

The Hound carried out the orders of one of the most sadistic people in the land.  At what point was he at all good before he left Kings Landing?

can you really say someone is bad if he merely followed orders? 

[jimmy olsen]

I don't think there ever was an explanation, or at least I don't recall it.  It almost certainly has to do with the cyclical seasons(/climate change) and the waning/waxing of magic power.  The dragons appeared in tune with the Red Comet, so it seems to me that they grow in line with the increase in magic in the world.  Since magic is currently increasing (in Westeros, at least), I think it reasonable to conclude that the dragons will keep growing, potentially to an immense size depending on just how much magic comes about.

[spoiler]I thought the Maesters secretely poisoned them to get rid of magic.?[/spoiler]

[LaCroix]

Dani is clearly the option you're supposed to be rooting for; this is made much simpler in the show by blackening Stannis and removing her nephew.

dani's who you're meant to root for in the books, too. book stannis was always going to die to someone, and there's been clear indicators throughout the story that he's not exactly a good guy. he's a sympathetic and fun character, but i bet you the books will start showing his descent into awfulness. grrm likes playing with the audience. take a bad character, make him good. take a neutral character, make him bad, then good. i'm sure stannis has purposely been written in a way to make him appear good but littered with enough character issues that it's only natural when he's made bad.

(edit) misread your post. we might not be disagreeing on this!

[HVC]

http://thechive.com/2015/06/08/jorah-cant-seem-to-get-out-of-the-friend-zone-20-photos/#.z1h4ha:Alte

[Lettow77]

Jeb should know better than to cast such hideous slanders against Stannis. Stannis is the law and order candidate. Stannis will restore segregation to Mississippi schools.

[Habbaku]

I don't think there ever was an explanation, or at least I don't recall it.  It almost certainly has to do with the cyclical seasons(/climate change) and the waning/waxing of magic power.  The dragons appeared in tune with the Red Comet, so it seems to me that they grow in line with the increase in magic in the world.  Since magic is currently increasing (in Westeros, at least), I think it reasonable to conclude that the dragons will keep growing, potentially to an immense size depending on just how much magic comes about.

[spoiler]I thought the Maesters secretely poisoned them to get rid of magic.?[/spoiler]

If you buy that story, I have a bridge to sell you.

[Ed Anger]

Jeb should know better than to cast such hideous slanders against Stannis. Stannis is the law and order candidate. Stannis will restore segregation to Mississippi schools.

[Neil]

I thought it was because of inbreeding after most of the dragons died during the dance of the dragons.

And wasn't Belarion an unusually large dragon?

I always though that it might have had something to do with the waxing and waning of magic.

[Grallon]

Meh episode - scattered all over the place.  I knew about the 'Drogon exit' but I still don't like it; too convenient and contrived.

In any case, episode eight was much more effective than this one.  And it saddens me to see that pretty little Crow boy will most likely attempt on John's life.



G.

[Neil]

Jeb should know better than to cast such hideous slanders against Stannis. Stannis is the law and order candidate. Stannis will restore segregation to Mississippi schools.

Stannis burned his crippled daughter.  Given your weakness for crippled girls, surely that must be the greatest possible affront to you?

[Lettow77]

 

Stannis burned his crippled daughter.  Given your weakness for crippled girls, surely that must be the greatest possible affront to you?

Stannis has done no such thing; Shireen is his rightful heir, and Justin Massey is entrusted to seeing she is placed on the throne after Stannis becomes the given sacrifice for his people as he has seen in the fires.

[Neil]

Stannis burned his crippled daughter.  Given your weakness for crippled girls, surely that must be the greatest possible affront to you?

Stannis has done no such thing; Shireen is his rightful heir, and Justin Massey is entrusted to seeing she is placed on the throne after Stannis becomes the given sacrifice for his people as he has seen in the fires.

Well, Show-Stannis did.

Book-Stannis is runnign around with a bunch of northerners (Yankees!) and has just sold himself out to foreign big business (carpetbaggers!).  Surely you must be enraged at his actions.