Given the liberal use of lemon cake divisions, I've always wondered if it would just be easier to use a lemon cake scale of 10 rather than 5.

Still istening but regarding Amin's pass/fail lemoncake question to Kyle, this is my general non scientific scale

Lemoncakes - Grade
5.0 = A+
4.5 = A
4.0 = B+
3.5 = B
3.0 = C+
2.5 = C
2.0 = D+
1.5 = D
1.0 = F
BoB = F-

Great Podcast. Critical but not over the top.
Red Wedding. My take was that Tywin just made deals with the Boltons and the Freys separately. The details of how Boltons/Freys were going to play out their deception was up to them. So long as they switched sides. I believe that Tywin is even a bit disgusted with the way the whole thing went down in the books.

Completely agree with Ashley on Margaery needing to have a reason to want to kill Joffrey. Right now she has him wrapped around her finger. She needs to learn that she really can't control him... That moment should be in episode 10 to complete the arc properly and close out the King's Landing stuff for the season.

Wow, I actually liked the episode when I watched it--admitting to its weaker moments but still loving the wall climbs, Littlefinger's monologue, and a few other scenes--but you've convinced me, it's the worst episode of the [otherwise fantastic] season. I was totally fine with the Gendry-Brotherhood changes. It consolidates Edric into a character we already know and care about, therefore making us way more invested in his fate, and we see the Brotherhood gradually compromising its values, taking it down the road towards Lady Stoneheart's leadership. However, they've turned an awesome character like Blackfish into a douche, and they're us of our love and sympathy for Robb and Cat, which will eventually lesson the impact of the Red Wedding (attacking Casterly Rock makes no sense, his decision to reclaim the North was what made his murder so tragic). Finally, however, the dinner with Bolton was such a wasted opportunity. No clear reason is given as to why he lets Jaime continue to King's Landing. If Brienne was abetting treason, isn't he doing the same. He knows Robb wants him back in Riverrun, so what the hell. It makes no sense within the context of the show. It should have been a more subtle conversation about Tywin's eventual victory, and where the hell were Jaime's "regards". Such a wasted scenes, book-ended by so much filler material. I did really like the Wall scenes though. I'm invested again in Jon's character.

Let's note that this ambiguity is exactly as in the novel. No reason for Bolton to let - let alone escort! - Jaime go back to King's Landing. Only later do we learn of the RW.

Indeed. I've always taken it largely that Roose Bolton's been playing his own game in many ways throughout the story in order to strengthen his own political position, and has a keen nose for telling when the winds blowing the other way and turning accordingly. Earlier on in the season there was that scene where Karstark said to him the war was lost when Robb married Talisa. Roose is smart enough to know the old man Karstark was on the money there, and that the best way to avoid ending up decorating the walls of Kings Landing when the war is actually lost is by bending the knee to Tywin Lannister.