It was a pleasure chatting with them and Ashley is right, we had a really good time recording this one. Thanks guys.

I could have SWORN I've posted here before, y'all. Hallucinating again, I guess.

Kyle, Ashley, Amin, I can't thank you enough for the kind words. What a delight it was to enter House Manwoody. The reception the episode has gotten has been enormously gratifying, too.

I'll be listening to this again tomorrow. The podcast is on fire lately and this has been the best of the bunch. Kudos.

This was a great episode. By the end, I couldn't stop laughing.

My favorite part was when Sean forgets he doesn't have a son.

My favourite part is when Sean says "being good at battling is going to win the battle."

Instant classic episode.

Germany and Austria are two distinct countries...

Inkasrain's name is Michal.

"where do boars go? "
this has had me chuckling since my first listen

I've never had wild boar , but pig-roasts are not unheard of over here, where they roast a whole hog on a spit,(I've been to a couple) and I imagine that's pretty much the same thing.
neeps are what we call swedes in england , neeps being the scottish/irish word for them, a large yellow turnip (turneep) as Kyle decribed

Or so they say. But have we ever been to Europe to check?

Ahhh, so they are. Sorry brynden!

I do not have any problems, but I wanted to point that out. You know, the Austrians normally have a little minority complex, because everybody always thinks they are Germans that may in fact be similar to Canadians... (and yes, I know they speak differently and all that, but so do people from Germany and Austria)

There were a ridiculous number of funny quotes in this episode. I thought about doing a poll. Some of my favorites.

Ashley: "I don't want any Freys in me." and "Kyle?... High standards? What?!?"
Stefan: "Where do boars go?" and "Haters gonna hate!"
Amin playing Ashley playing Oberyn: "What sorts of things?" Inquiring about Linda & Elio's axe fetish.
Kyle: "There's a Tumblr blog for everything in the world, but I'll tell you what it's best for - It is best for Porn."
Sean: "The question is like if Oberyn hadn't lost, would he have won?" and "YOLO I am going with one night with Oberyn." and the above Battling quote
Linda: "I am never letting you watch Eyes Wide Shut again." and "Can I join in?" with Elio and Oberyn's One Night.
Elio: "I have a thing about women with axes."

There are Brackens and Blackwoods all over the world

You missed Elio's "noooo" response of despair

And the whole Sean as "Master of Whores" part

I still have not reached were Elio and Linda come into play but the part with Sean and Stefan was great! It was kind of a Bizzaro Guys Night out with Ashley hosting. You should invite both of them on the next real GNO. And when Mimi is on - that is for sure.

- Loved the little tidbit that gave away that Sean is a long-time listener of House Manwoody - or how else could he get the "Magic Ponytail" reference?
- Loved Kyle and Ashley in that episode. Kyle seems to know all Porn-tumblrs...
- Loved how Amin hosted the whole episode.
- No comment on your Kingsguard - Sean and Kyle said enough!
- I also do not agree with some of your pics of the court, but ok.

I'll come back to you after I have finished the episode.

That's what Kyle is here for, amirite????

Damn straight

Amin, you KNOW Captain VonTrapp is my weakness! Now I'll be here all day.

(For the record, I do know that Austria exists, I just thought that brynden was German!)

Regarding eating boar, I have a friend who hunts (with some combination of guns, bows and armored dogs) and eats wild boar here in Texas. Apparently his preferred dish is a deer and boar sausage.

So - now I have listened to that aftershow - epic and great.

Only one thing nags me - since when it is Wife/Mistress/OneNighter/SCORPIONS!! - I remember it being: Wife/Mistress/OneNighter/OffTheCliff!

The difference is clear:
Scorpions: The one that asks choses the Scorpions for him/herself
OffTheCliff: The person in question goes Ashara's Route

But nevertheless: Great episode. I have to listen to at least the aftershow again, I think I may have missed quite a bit.

There's a restaurant in Portland Maine that serves it, it's really quite good. I'm a big fan

The best episode of APOIAF I've listened to fantastic work.

Regarding wild boar: It's still served and is popular in locavore restaurants, I actually had some really good wild boar in Stuttgart, Germany last year.

Regarding Austria and Germany: Ironically, northern Germans think Southern Germans are Austrian. Kind of how Americans view Minnesotans.

Can we just skip the politically correct version of scorpions mistress...and go to F/K/M?

Oh i like scorpions! Makes me think of my boy Oberyn

That was a great episode!

I hate to dump on your Kingsguard like everyone else but as a part of the Kingsguard Barristan sees Rhaegar die under his watch and as the commander of the Kingsguard he is present when Robert is killed by the boar (we know where it went straight to Cersei's belly).

It seems Jaime's reputation for killing kings follows him around but Barristan has seen more royal family members killed under his watch... possibly over-rated?

wut

let's go through the members of the royal family who died under Barristan's watch:

Jaehaerys - *shocking lack of knowledge* though looking at his portrait on AWOIAF, he looks pretty sickly and getting on in years. Probably not his fault.
Rhaegar - died on the Trident in single combat. Single combat seems to be a convention of knighthood and/or implicit within being someone leading an army (which Rhaegar was at that point). Him calling Selmy as his champion would have been a show of weakness, especially with Robert framing the entire war as a feud between the two, even though that wasn't exactly it. Also, he was severely wounded, I'm pretty sure before the Ruby Ford.
Elia, Rhaenys, Aegon - He wasn't in KL for the Sack, nothing he could have done
Aerys - again, not in KL for he Sack
Rhaella - not sure if she counts, because she died after the Sack, but if you do count her I think it'd be wise to remember that Barristan is not a fucking maester.
Robert - Robert ordered Selmy to stand back from the boar. Probably his fault for not being more attentive to politics, but after a decade and a half of seeing Robert drink and such, it might not be that big of an alarm. Also, I shudder to think at the rage Robert would have been in if Selmy had saved him. Only Ned could do something like that and live.

teal deer: valar morghulis. The circumstances of each death should really be considered.

That said, I don't think Selmy would be the best Lord Commander in a perfect scenario, he's too inattentive to political shifts at court/is unwilling to disobey clearly ridiculous orders, he even acknowledges the former in his POV chapter.


BTW, great icon.

Oh I didn't want to blame him for any of the other Targs deaths and it was probably was a stretch to say he failed Rhaegar but I think Robert is at least a little on him. I guess it depends on what code he's following.

Is the job of the lord commander to protect the King (and royal family) from harm or to take orders from them?

depending on which comes first (or which you think comes first) he failed Robert or was just following orders...

Just wondering does Secret Service have final say on security or the president?

Thanks on the icon!

Secret Service does, but the KG is different.

no way! so that means I go where boars go?

I like the GRRM has made that part of Barristan's character arc. He's gone from the knight that would do his duty blindly, no matter the King, handed down from king to king watching the quality of men serving decline, not really knowing why he wanted to be in the KG at all, to a LC who has CHOSEN his ruler, and is finally in his old age learning who to play the game of thrones and is staring his own mortality in the face. Potentially Dany is the last person he'll serve, and he's chosen the ruler, who gives him agency and respects his opinion, and doesn't order him to commit senseless violence, and has similar beliefs.

I think Barristan has one big act left before his end. If you wanted Barristan as your LC, you'd have to win him over to get the full potential out of him - something Robert never did, and Dany does to the fullest.