Send us a textJaime takes control of the debacle that is the siege of Riverrun. He gets only scorn from the Blackfish, but he makes Edmure Tully an offer that would be hard to refuse. Simon and Mackelly consider the intestinal fortitude of the tormented Lord of Riverrun.Chapter Review:Jaime parlays with Brynden Blackfish Tully. He makes zero progress. The older man is resigned to Edmure’s death, accuses Jaime of oathbreaking and cowardice, and won’t believe Jaime’s offer of pardons for all wi...

Send us a textBrienne reaches the Inn at the Crossroads where she meets Gendry who she mistakes for Renly and then, less happily, she meets Rorge and Biter and their motley crew. Mackelly and Simon call for a medic.Chapter Review:Brienne of Tarth, Podrick Payne, Ser Hyle Hunt, and Septon Meribald plod through the Riverlands. It’s not great, with soldiers of all stripes hanging from every tree. Truly a feast for crows.They reach the Inn at the Crossroads, which has become a haven for orphans. ...

Send us a textCersei learns that Dragonstone has fallen but that Loras has paid with his life - or at least he lies at death’s door. She delights in sharing this news with Margaery - who is stricken, but remains hopeful. Cersei dreams of her childhood run-in with Maggy the Frog and the details of the woman’s terrifying prophecy. Simon and Mackelly probably should have seen this coming.Chapter Review:Queen Cersei Lannister learns from Aurane Waters that Dragonstone has fallen but that Loras le...

Send us a textAboard the Cinnamon Wind, Sam and Gilly mourn the loss of Maester Aemon. The old man succumbed as the ship neared Dorne. Their tears bring them into each other’s arms and Sam’s vows are history. Simon and Mackelly sprinkle rose petals in the bathtub and try to light a scented candle.Chapter Review:Samwell Tarly eulogizes Maester Aemon to the crew of the Cinnamon Wind. The Summer Islanders honor their elderly and their funeral rites involve drinking and love-making. The news of t...

Send us a textArya murders Dareon for deserting the Night’s Watch. It appears that the Many-Faced God doesn’t agree, as she is struck blind. Mackelly and Simon grope for answers.Chapter Review:We learn of Arya’ Stark's (aka Cat of the Canals) day-to-day life as a seafood seller on the docks of Braavos. It’s a vibrant atmosphere that she relishes. She learns languages, skills, and information like a sponge.She visits a regular customer, the brothel run by Merry. There she sees Dareon singing. ...

Send us a textJaime arrives at Riverrun hopeful of ending the siege without breaking his oath to Catelyn (not to take up arms against the Tullys). He gets some home-truths from his aunt Genna. Simon and Mackelly weigh up the impact.Chapter Review:Jaime Lannister arrives at Riverrun and meets with his cousin Daven Lannister, the new Warden of the West. They have a good rapport. The younger man is modest about his new-found honors, and thinks that his father’s cousin Kevan should have been made...

Send us a textCersei learns of the attack on the Reach by the Iron Born and feels unmotivated to react. She gets a gift from Ser Loras, which leaves Cersei with a golden win-win opportunity. She has an unexpected drop-in by Falyse, whose husband has been killed by Bronn and also confessed Cersei’s plot. Qyburn is given instructions that Falyse should never see the light of day again. Finally, she tries to take Taena roughly, as Robert once did with Cersei, but she can’t get into it. Simon and...

Send us a textBrienne learns that she’s been on the scent of the wrong Stark girl, and gets definitive intel on the Hound… or does she? Mackelly and Simon consider the probabilities.Chapter Review:Brienne of Tarth, Podrick Payne, Ser Hyle, and Septon Meribald reach Quiet Isle, an island in the mouth of the Trident that houses a penitential septry. They see a fearsome looking horse named Driftwood in the stables and a huge novice digging a grave. The future occupant had the misfortune to be in...

Send us a textJaime tarries in Darry to confront his cousin Lancel. He finds a man lost to his faith, a faith that has taken up arms with relish. Mackelly and Simon consider converting.Chapter Review:Jaime Lannister finds Darry being rebuilt but still scarred by recent wars. His uncle Kevan has left, having quarreled with Lancel after the wedding of Lancel to Amerei Frey - heir to Darry.Jaime encourages his squire Peck to make a move with the freed girl Pia - between whom a romance has bloome...

Send us a textVictarion Greyjoy fights through his opponents and his misgivings about his brother King Euron. He’s dispatched to Essos to bring back a fiancé (for Euron) and three dragons, but Victarion has other ideas. Mackelly and Simon ponder who would win The Bachelor: Iron Islands.Chapter Review:Victarion Greyjoy gets back to what he does best: following orders and taking names. The Iron Fleet decimates the reduced naval capacity of the Reach to claim the Shield Islands, which have long ...

Send us a textCersei gets an update on Margaery court, while being waylaid by sparrows. She negotiates a deal with the new High Septon. He’ll bless Tommen and erase the crown’s debt to the Faith for a law allowing the re-emergence of the Faith Militant. Finally, she makes a veiled threat to Margaery. Mackelly and Simon bow their heads in prayer that she knows what she’s doing.Chapter Review:Queen Cersei Lannister rides to the Great Sept of Baelor with Taena Maryweather. Taena fills Cersei in ...

Send us a textJaime is booted from King’s Landing by Cersei to settle matters in the Riverlands. He finds a sparring partner, installs new leadership at Harrenhal, and sends Wylis Manderly home. Finally, he defends the honor of Brienne of Tarth. Mackelly and Simon give high fives.Chapter Review:Jaime Lannister thinks the plan is folly. Queen Cersei doesn’t care for his opinions on the matter. He’ll go to the Riverlands, sort out Harrenhal, find Wylis Manderly, and end the siege at Riverrun. J...

Send us a textSam tries to find the increasingly flighty Dareon and someone who knows something about dragons - to fulfill the dying wish of Maester Aemon. He gets bruised knuckles, a lungful of canal water, but he does meet a sailor who knows about the dragons. Simon and Mackelly share his pain.Chapter ReviewSamwell Tarly is in desperate straits in Braavos. Gilly is inconsolable, Maester Aemon is dying, and Dareon is MIA. Between overreaching on their accommodation, paying for passage to Old...

Send us a textBrienne decides to follow the only lead she has: the Stark girl was traveling with the Hound. She gains a couple of new companions. Mackelly and Simon join her peregrination.Chapter Review:Brienne of Tarth heads back to Maidenpool, no nearer finding Sansa. Ser Hyle Hunt brings the heads of Shagwell, Timeon, and Pyg with them for Lord Tarly to display on the walls of Maidenpool. He also brings back a swarm of flies.The reception in Maidenpool is no warmer than it was last time. T...

Send us a textCersei has a busy day as queen regent of the seven kingdoms. She squashes tiny rebellions by her little king, cheers the death of a foe, plots the downfall of Margaery Tyrell and Bronn, spurns the Iron Bank, and so much more. Simon and Mackelly hope she knows what she’s doing.Chapter Review:Little King Tommen Baratheon wants to be more involved, he is king after all. Queen Cersei Lannister isn’t having it. It’s her turn to shine, and Margaery Tyrell’s ideas in her son’s head are...

Send us a textSansa does her best to embrace her new identity as Alayne Stone. She and Littlefinger prepare for the arrival of the Lords Declarant. They want Lord Robert and they want Littlefinger gone. However, when the unexpected arises during the parlay, Littlefinger prevails and earns a year as Lord Protector, to prove himself.Chapter Review:Sansa Stark is now going by the name Alayne Stone in public and private, as Petyr Balish insisted. At breakfast, little Lord Robert Arryn is in a sta...

Send us a Text Message.Arya acts as a servant in the House of Black and White. Despite her claims, she still can’t shake her identity as Arya Stark. She decides to shed her worldly possessions, all except Needle, earning her a promotion to acolyte. Armed with a smattering of Braavosi, she’s next to go out into the city and sell seafood. Mackelly and Simon ask for a menu.Chapter Review:Arya Stark is settling into life as a servant in the House of Black and White. When asked by the Kindly Man w...

Send us a Text Message.Arianne Martell and conspirators try to spirit Myrcella Baratheon away in order to crown her Queen of the Seven Kingdoms. Their plot is foiled by Areo Hotah - who ambushes them and kills Arys Oakheart. Mackelly and Simon will miss the big guy.Chapter Review:Princess Arianne Martell and a handful of her closest friends wait at an abandoned holdfast for Ser Arys Oakheart and Princess Myrcella Baratheon. The rendezvous is the start of a long journey across Dorne. At the en...

Send us a Text Message.Brienne follows Nimble Dick into the wilds. There she encounters some familiar faces, learns some intel on the wrong Stark girl, and registers her first kills. Ser Hyle Hunt offers to help bury a body. Simon and Mackelly survey the damage.Chapter Review:Brienne of Tarth and Podrick Payne follow Nimble Dick Crabb toward The Whispers, where he claims to have sent a fool and two girls. They were looking for discreet passage across the Narrow Sea, and the map purportedly to...

Send us a Text Message.Aeron “Damphair” Greyjoy, presides over the Kingsmoot. Against his intentions, his brother Euron is chosen by the captains of the Iron Islands. Simon and Mackelly consider what might have been.Chapter Review:Aeron Greyjoy convenes the Kingsmoot on Old Wyk. Three Iron Island captains throw their hats in the ring, but none can command a significant portion of the electorate. Victarion Greyjoy promises a continuation of Balon’s legacy - and he lavishes gold and silver brib...

Send us a Text Message.The Iron Captain, Victarion Greyjoy, returns to the Iron Islands for the kingsmoot. He reunites with family, some welcomed others not so much. One thing’s for certain, nobody’s backing down on their claim to the vacant Seastone Chair. Simon and Mackelly hope for a peaceful transition of power.Chapter Review:Victarion Greyjoy sails the Iron Fleet into Old Wyk for the kingsmoot. In the bay, he spies his older brother Euron Greyjoy’s ship Silence. Victarion is welcomed bac...

Send us a Text Message.Cersei meets with her new handpicked Small Council who blithely make momentous decisions with huge ramifications. Simon and Mackelly watch on in despair.Chapter Review:Queen Cersei is, not for the first time, disappointed to find the severed head of the wrong dwarf presented to her. She offers no punishment to the murderers for fear of deterring those hunting Tyrion. She and Qyburn head to the Small Council. He has prepared the skull to be sent to Dorne to satisfy the M...

Send us a Text Message.Jaime bids farewell to his uncle and to his father’s remains, envies Loras Tyrell’s horsemanship, and frets over his twin’s drinking and her new friends. Simon and Mackelly think he might have a point.Chapter ReviewJaime Lannister bids farewell to his uncle Kevan who is leaving King’s Landing with his son Lancel and the bones of his brother Tywin. The conversation doesn’t go quite as Jaime hoped. Kevan is furious at both twins for their incest, the shame their bringing ...

Send us a Text Message.Sam is miserable aboard the ship headed for Braavos. Gilly is inconsolable and he’s seasick. He can't understand her tears until Maester Aemon points out that she left her own baby at Castle Black, and that she’s nursing Dalla’s child. Simon and Mackelly try to keep down their breakfast.Chapter Review:Samwell Tarly is seasick aboard the Blackbird. He takes solace in his companions’ hopeful futures: Gilly will be a maid at Horn Hill, Dareon will recruit for the Night’s W...