Been: This episode was called 'The House of Black and White' and it didn't disappoint on that score: there was indeed a literal house with black and white doors and also sort of a figurative black and white nature to decisions made in various other houses.

Kirk: Unsurprisingly She Of Many Genocidal Names made some choices that were questionable at best.

Been: She has an undeniable talent for deciding things and then deciding other things that she doesn't really want to do but thinks seem rulery and then she does something rash and it all backfires.

Kirk: The entire point of "no there should be a fair trial, etc", I can kind of buy that. But then not applying that to the very next murder case seems inconsistent a whole lot. And to sort of quote the episode, makes it seem like she's the one living in the pyramid now.

Been: I mean if they insist on beating this master/slave narrative to literal death, then yes: she is the master and they are ALL now the slaves.

Kirk: It was interesting to see what feels like the first crack, I guess, in people realizing more what she's about with the crowd turning on her. I'd like to hope that in the future people would may exercise a little more caution in their, you know, welcoming this person with open arms.

Been: I think all that will happen in the future is she'll have way less councilors give her "guidance" and she'll just slay her way all day through whatever happens.

Kirk: I mean really, that's her actual desire here. She's trying to wrap it up in some sort of saviour complex but she just wants an excuse.

Been: Oh yeah, the mad apple don't fall far from the mad king tree.

Kirk: Yeah, if she really didn't want to be like her father, she should try not being like her father.

Been: By the way, how disappointed are you that Drogon ignored your steady chant of "eat her eat her" and just flew away?

Kirk: I mean, I feel like it would have been an entertaining turn to the series if he just would have ate her: solved some problems. And then went and freed the other dragons.

Been: Speaking of people the show desperately wants to make happen where I would have voted for a CGI creature instead, let's talk about Mister Fetch and the wall.

Kirk: It was such a predictable outcome that was I felt so telegraphed and set up, that I'm surprised that they even bothered with the trope of the close vote.

Been: If Ghost had been allowed to run, that vote would not have been close.

Kirk: Really I think the people voting for him were just voting for the direwolf.

Been: This show WANTS FETCH TO HAPPEN, Kirk. And we will all suffer for it.

Kirk: Yeah, it wants Fetch to happen but you can't make me like it.

Been: I say the whole wall could be scrapped and replaced with a Sam and Ghost buddy show and I would way appreciate that more.

Kirk: I mean Gilly's fine. And Stannis' daughter. And maybe an occasional appearance of Ser Buttersworth. But most of the rest of them? Really?

Been: Fair. Gilly can stay. I don't count Stannis' daughter and Ser Buttersworth as part of the wall, they're just on like a pit stop at the wall and not really players there.

Kirk: I think they think that but they're probably going to end up stuck there for awhile.

Been: Best part of the episode was when Brienne told Littlefinger that Renly was killed by, quote, "a shadow with Stannis' face" and we both went "that tracks".

Kirk: And talked about how exactly would a shadow look petulant? And how maybe Stannis is just a shadow with Stannis' face.

Been: Of all the kings in play here, as Tyrion mentioned there's a ruler for every pile of shit on the side of the road, not many are appealing on any level.

Kirk: I mean so far the Stark girls are not terrible. Bran of course is going to end up marrying Osha and while not being the king on the throne, doing wargy things in the woods. So he's alright. All of the Lannisters are out. I mean Tyrion is entertaining but I think he'd get bored of being a king and that would go poorly.

Been: Please note I did say of all the KINGS in play. If all women were on the throne things would be more equal. For every Cersei and Dany, there'd be a Sansa and Queen of Thorns.

Kirk: I don't think that Sansa would be honestly strong-willed enough to stop Cersei or Dany.

Been: I refuse to comment on the grounds that it may incriminate my having watched the entire series.

Kirk: And then there's Arya.

Been: That's a good way of putting it!

Kirk: She's definitely continuing her skipping merrily down a scary path. The scene where it looked like someone was going to attempt to rob her and the way she told them that nothing has value to dead people, that's the point where you just decide to rob someone else.

Been: Yeah, Arya is... to put it as kindly as possible... not giving off helpless vibes.

Kirk: Yeah that's the point where you realize you made a terrible mistake, you apologize, and you leave. Because you want your insides to remain on the inside.

Been: A girl is becoming scary.

Kirk: I really look forward to all the third person conversations making a Been insane.

Been: Look. Jaquen is hot but this insistence on referring to himself as A Man does grate on my nerves something fierce. A Been is not interested in him using that tongue for speech.

Kirk: I mean when you put it that way, honestly I think it's pretty grate.

Been: I hate you.

Kirk: *dies laughing*

Been: Okay, last thought on the episode?

Kirk: I feel like the introduction of Dr. Bashir (Been Editor's Note: Doran Martell) will be a much more interesting player in this season because they have to keep introducing new powers and players because of, you know, the mortality rate.

Been: Also let's not forget Ser Goldenhand is en route to Dorne as we speak.

Kirk: Yeah, he definitely may a-dorne the walls with blood.

Been: SIGH

Kirk: Come on, that one was great!