You did an awesome job, Lady Grey! I really enjoyed the discussion on Catelyn especially.

I'm not sure why, but I think about this particular chapter a lot. I find the rawness and horror of Catelyn's loss almost dizzying, and the scope of her emotions is difficult for me to wrap my mind around. Losing Ned was terrible, but he was a grown man in a violent political climate. Having her two youngest brutally, senselessly murdered - and having to read about it in a letter! - is so utterly wrong that I'm really amazed that Cat functions at all after this.

I have such a dangerous amount of nerd rage. The poor person who actually said to me that they think the show is better than the books and I had to work so hard to make my head not explode.

Brain them. Brain them all. Make their joy turn to ashes in their mouths!

I think the question of why Brandon ran down to King's Landing with only five people is interesting.

This might be completely wrong, and if so I look forward to having it filleted. I think in order to understand his actions you have to look at them in light of the time. In my opinion, if you do, they don't look as stupid as they do now (though they still look stupid). At the time there had been relative peace for a long time. If I'm not mistaken, there hadn't been any major wars recently. From Brandon's point of view, it might have been unimaginable that the king would kill the Lord and heir of a great House. Brandon's actions were certainly rash and stupid. But he didn't know that he was plunging himself into a war and certain death. Robert came with an army precisely because of what happened to the Starks.

Also, we don't know just how much people knew the king was crazy. Certainly he was mad, but again, I think it was reasonable of Brandon not to think that Aerys would kill everyone.

This has not been uber-coherent so far, I apologize. I'm just trying to say that since Robert's rebellion everything has been so factitious and dangerous. No one would ever give themselves into enemy hands. But this wasn't during a war (which it has been almost all of aSoIaF). This was peace time, and the Prince had, in Brandon's mind, kidnapped a daughter of a Great House. Brandon had a legitimate beef. Rhaegar had done something "illegal" and Brandon was pursuing the "legal" solution, challenging him. He had little reason to suspect he needed an army.

Wasn't Brandon traveling to Riverrun with his groomsmen?

I believe so. Why?

He didn't run down to KL with five people. He happened to be in the vicinity with those people when news reached him.

Ya. That goes in favor of him not expecting how insane everything was going to get, right?

Yeah it does. But also, Lady Grey sounds like Amy Adams! Fact. Also this was a great episode, a real pleasure to listen to!

You're right, she does. I didn't pick up on that.

Yeah, I don't think Brandon going to King's Landing with five guys was rash. I think the rashness probably came in what he said when he got there. If he was really yelling for Rhaegar to come out and die. When you get to execute all the dissenting witnesses you can say he said whatever you want. The other question would be how much Brandon knew about the Southron Ambitions. If Rickard kept his heir in the dark, Brandon would have less reason to suspect something bad would happen to him.

Me too! I enjoyed the empathy you had with her, that it wasn't a smart decision at all but one she made out of desperation and the only one she could even focus on at the time.

Are you going to announce who won the T-Shirt give away, or have they been notified privately?