Thread for further discussion of the episode.

Kyle and I enjoyed the Q&A section. There were a lot of questions for Mimi and Ashley as well and we will get to them in the future when the ladies are hosting.

I don't know if Stannis is a conservative and Daenerys a liberal but I have long thought that their fans would often likely fall into those camps. I would be interested if anyone ever did a study/survey of real life attitudes and affinities for characters.

meritocracy is definitely conservative.

Enjoyed the sausagefest but hope we get the band back together soon for some proper APoIaF episodes.

The *notion* of meritocracy is 'conservative.' The implementation of *actual* meritocracy in any given political system is usually a foundation-shaking radical act that has the existing order shaking in its boots.

Mostly what I'm digging here is all the Big Pimpin' Kyle talk. FEATHERED HATS IN EFFECT.

I love Stannis and Dany though! Though to be fair my politics are kind of messy too

Interesting talk about the Florents and why Stannis would marry one.

I always assumed that the Florents were trying to get a leg up over the Tyrells by marrying Stannis, since the Florents have a better bloodright to Highgarden and because the Tyrell's weren't in the Baratheon's good books after the rebellion. That way if Robert died childless, Stannis would be King with a Florent Queen, or simply the fact that the Florents are part of the Royal Family might be enough.

No idea why Stannis chose Selyse though?

He might not have had a choice - all of the Florent women that we know of (Sam's mother, for instance) were married before the rebellion. Selyse might have been the last eligible female of the direct branch. And while she may have been ugly, she would have been young like Stannis (what was he during the rebellion, 18? 21?) which still makes her a decent match. She might have gotten uglier with age.

Didn't Robert choose for him?

Anyway I am a bit of bleeding heart liberal with generally loose morals when it comes to the flesh, so I'm obviously for Dany. Maybe a poll could help prove or disprove this theory.

Wait, this isn't an open poll? We don't get to note and mock the 'TMI' guy?

The theory about the Florents in this episode was an interesting one. The Freys of the Reach indeed, two great military commanders and a Hightower is nothing to scoff at as marriages in Westeros go. I wonder if the Estermonts have made any great matches as well, since they might get the Iron Throne in the end and all, with their mighty turtle sigil. (I can only remember Robert, Stannis and Renly's parents and Eldon Estermont marrying Sylva Santagar, really.)
I kept wondering why Stannis was married off to Selyse, the daughter of a third son, though (apparently, according to the appendices/wiki, both Axell and Alester were older than her father). It makes sense that they would marry him to the daughter who was higher up in the order of succession for that House, with, you know, Stannis being the King's brother and all. Were all her older female cousins married already? Melessa Florent probably was, since Sam is quite a bit older than Edric (using his age for timing as he was conceived at Stannis and Selyse's wedding). No approximate date is given for the marriage of Rhea Florent and Leyton Hightower, so I'm going to assume they were already married by the time Stannis married Selyse.

I was thinking this too. I seem to remember the marriage to Selyse being one of the slights that Stannis held against Robert.

If Robert did actually choose for Stannis, it does sound like something Robert would do to wind up Mace after he was claiming to have bested Robert at Ashford. No doubt, Stannis was happy not to be tied to the Tyrells after the Siege at Storm's End.

I think we covered well on the episode and here why a Florent match made some sense. I'm not sure if someone higher up in Florent succession was not available at the time or whether that was very important anyway.

I don't know if Randyll Tarly was already married to a Florent, but if he was I guess that is a bonus to get Randyll as an in-law of sorts.

Stannis should have waited for Arianne Martell to grow up

Doran's got bigger blood oranges up his sleeve than Stannis Baratheon, though.

No blood orange is bigger than Stannis motherfucking Baratheon. No one understands

Look, I pretty much <3 Stannis. I feel the man, I feel his pain, I feel his support. I just think certain other contenders are a little awesomer, that's all.

The match could have been made to help repair relations with the loyalists. Robert was very good about making friends out of enemies.

Then there'd have been a Tyrell wedding though, I think Amin and Kyle's thoughts are more likely.

That would have been a pairing worthy of the Westeros sitcom. Though Arianne might have married Renly if she hadn't been betrothed to Viserys, so even if she didn't marry Stannis, she might have ended up as his sister-in-law. (Making the family tree even more confusing and awesome.)

I was the second TMI guy. He has like 3 other personal outlets (twitter,youtube, website) to tell people how he may/or may not have had cosplay sex.