Hee

I need somebody who hasn't read the book to let me know how necessary that exposition was.

Book related speculation here: If Roz=Shae then what does Littlefinger baring his soul to her and her buddy mean ?

I suspect either that my speculation comes to naught or that it bodes ill for that character.

I have not read the book and I thought that whole exposition scene was over the top. I didn't think any of it was necessary.

Wait, how does Roz = Shae ?

I read a little bit ahead, and I thought Shae was a camp follower Bronn found for Tyrion on the road . And Roz is in King's Landing now, right? She's the one Littlefinger was talking to.

There's been some thought that the one character has been blended into the other. We'll know next week, since Tyrion and Bronn will be back to King's Landing, surely.

I was glad to see Ghost (the white direwolf) at long last. I may dub him Diefenbaker II, since it's clear he's adept at finding a Clue at the right dramatic moment for it. (In fact, it wouldn't be that hard to transpose Due South to the Wall. Hmmm....)

Ah, thank you.

In the book, Jon and Ghost are two of my favorite characters.

Yes, it seemed a bit much that they would introduce yet another character when there is a perfectly good one that they can use.

Contrast and compare the Littlefinger scene with Tywin Lannister dressing a stag while he talks to Jaime and completely dominates -- or for that matter, Jason Momoa delivering a really memorable speech (in a made-up language, no less) and being really electrifying doing it.

I'm also sorry to see Mark Addy gone, as long as we're praising good acting. I know him from his sweeter and more comic roles, so I'm glad to see him get to show some drama chops here.

I loved Mark Addy as Robert. He played him so well -- not a very good king, or a perfect man, but one who knows every one of his faults, and owns them. His love for Ned was genuine, and that went a long way to endearing him, too.

I also adore Charles Dance, and that scene with the stag and Jaime was just brilliantly played.

that scene with the stag

That was the craziest scene I'd witnessed on tv in a long time. It was brutal and absolutely compelling.

IO9 has good recaps and discussion of each GoT episode.