Been: This episode is called Breaker of Chains but I'm actually renaming it Episode of No. So much no happened in this episode.

Kirk: That's entirely reasonable, yep.

Been: Like, the Big No would be rape.

Kirk: Uh huh.

Been: I don't care what your feelings about Cersei are, rape is wrong.

Kirk: Like, I'm almost willing to say I hate Cersei and yet that's still obviously so wrong, it's not even a question. And weirdly, somehow, to like almost make the ultimate wrong, they managed to stack more wrong on top. Just like that meme from the show I can't recall: I'll just put this fire over here with the other fire. They were just like "I'm just gonna add some more wrong on top of the wrong over here."

Been: Like "heyyy let's make it incest rape"

Kirk: And then, someone looked at that and they said "Hold my beer, we can still add more wrong" and then they made it beside the corpse of their previous kid, also the result of the incest.

Been: That's like No-ception.

Kirk: Nope-ception, yep.

Been: Then there's the Hospitality No.

Kirk: Well, you see, this all comes back to violating the hospitality rights of the Starks. This caused a moral breakdown in society.

Been: Now people getting rabbit stew and a barn to sleep in are just never gonna respect their host again.

Kirk: Uh huh. Bop 'em over the head and take their silver.

Been: Then there's the Kill The Fool No.

Kirk: I mean that doesn't actually surprise me from Littlefinger, all told, he seems like the kind of person who pays people to do skullduggery things up until the point where he doesn't trust them anymore and then he pays someone else to shoot them. Which you'd think would be awkward for the person doing the shooting. If they just put a little bit of thought into their own future....

Been: Which of course brings us to Genocidal No.

Kirk: So once again Dany is being sold by the series as some sort of saviour by offering them the "choice" of freedom*. Unfortunately terms and conditions apply to this freedom* and it may in fact end up indistinguishable from your previous servitude but for a little while she'll make you feel good about how it's freedom*.

Been: *Not all freedom resembles liberty. Freedom reverts to authority of freer. Freer dictates terms of freedom. Freedom may not include freedom from orders or include actual freedom of choice. Freedom may resemble slavery. Freedom is not free.

Kirk: Yeah. Oh Dany.

Been: What are your thoughts on Oberyn?

Kirk: I have a follow up question.

Been: I was waiting for this.

Kirk: Who's Oberyn?

Been: *laugh/cries* The Prince of Dorne.

Kirk: Oh! Well, uh, he I don't think that he actually buys Tywin's "I wasn't involved" nonsense. But I think that he realizes it's in his best interest to pretend to. I think that he is an actual leader for his people and realizes he can get something out of this. Um, I think it's going to be very interesting for him to be this judge, however.

Been: How do we... what do we think is the royal politics of Westeros? Like... Margaery... power in King's Landing? No power in King's Landing? Stannis... claim to throne? No claim to throne?

Kirk: I mean... well, Margaery I think that a certain amount of that will depend on how quickly she moves to seize or consolidate power. I think that if her House backs her, she could have power, but not sure about queen, kinda complicated. As for Stannis the Petulant, the standard answer is whoever has an army has a claim to the throne. He doesn't seem to have much of an army at the moment but Ser Buttersworth is clever and may be working on fixing that.

Been: So whatever political standards exist are essentially nullified by the biggest sword?

Kirk: Uh I think in that sort of setting that's pretty much always the answer. That at a certain point whoever has the most force and, importantly, combined with willingness to use it is the one who gets to dictate all of the terms. Like they might specifically allow someone else to rule as long as they stay in line.

Been: Do we think, politically, that House Tyrell and House Lannister will attempt another union by way of Margaery marrying Tommen?

Kirk: That's a tricky question. Um, I think House Lannister still needs them. And Margaery didn't really marry Joffrey. It's definitely possible. Hmmm, yeah just not sure.

Been: Who was your favorite character this episode?

Kirk: *frowning* I think my only real option here is Ser Buttersworth. Most of the other characters were doing terrible crap.

Been: Who was the WORST character this episode?

Kirk: I mean it has to be Jaime. Like there's significant competition for second place, don't get me wrong, but I just don't think you can beat that.

Been: Agreed. This whole "Make Jaime a Hero" movement from the past season is just for nothing now. He's a monster.

Kirk: Like, I feel like I didn't exactly buy into that to start with because the best I think he ever made it in some circumstances was a forward thinking self interest as opposed to just a selfish prick.

Been: That's fair. So now he's not just a kingslaying sister-fucking one-handed selfish prick, he's also a rapist.

Kirk: I feel like there's a bunch more things you could pile on the first one like liar and general terrible person but yeah, I agree in aggregate.

Been: I will say Pod was my other favorite character this episode.

Kirk: I'm definitely concerned that Pod is going to do something dumb and get himself murdered. And that Tyrion will end up basically blaming himself. Don't want that but could definitely see it.

Been: Did Tyrion do it? The poisoning?

Kirk: Nah, it's like he said: he would set it up to look a whole lot less suspicious. I don't think Tyrion would be going for the double fake of saying that in order to try and protect himself because there's still too much risk that his whacko family murders him as a result.

Been: And whatever you think about Cersei, Tyrion's right about how much she loves her kids.

Kirk: Yeah, she wouldn't have done it.

Been: So that narrows it down to the rest of the kingdom!

Kirk: But... who would possibly have motive?

Been: Who would want such a loving boy dead?

Kirk: That guy was a danger to everything and everyone around him.

Been: Much like Dany.

Kirk: Also, in closing, we have to remember that since they didn't show up in this episode, next episode Bran and Osha... wargy things... in the woods. *laughs*

Been: SIGH.

Kirk: She's gonna come back in like season 6 or something and they'll do wargy things in the woods and I'll be like "eh?? EHH??"