Well, clearly someone needs to.

I know! Where is my Arya?

Debet, highlight if you've read the books: SPOILER. It's revealed in a future ep.

One main difference between Margery and Cercei is that Margery is in control of her life in a way Cercei never was. Cercei is ambitious in a vague sort of I-wish-I-were-my-brother/father way, but she doesn't really know what do with the power she has. Margery has actual goals and plans to achieve them.

Jessica, I thought that might be the case. I was imagining "bitch, you can't sell a dragon" in his own language. Book spoilers for speculation based on things that have not happened (yet).

I would agree with that, although I'd probably phrase it differently, as I see it as a difference in them, rather than their situations (which "in control of her life" connotes, at least in my head). Margaery didn't get dealt any better of a hand, really. She just knows how to play her cards better. Which...is pretty much what you said.

Thematic/family dynamics spoilers (including characters we haven't met yet): Tyrion is really the only one of Tywin's kids who has any aptitude for strategy, and Tywin sure wasn't going to help him figure out what to do with that aptitude. On the other hand, I'd bet that Margeary got a right proper education from her grandmother, who would have known in a way that Tywin wouldn't that honey is damn effective for a woman. Cersei wants to be her father, but that just leads to no one liking her OR respecting her (even if they're afraid of her)

Not speculation in my case, I've seen through ep 4.

I read the white font because I'm teetering on comprehension anyway and I don't think it will ruin the show for me. I'm glad to read it because that makes things a bit more interesting.

LeN, if you have questions, I'm sure I'm not the only one who would be happy to explain/expand stuff.

part of the problem is that I have a problem with character names, so I really just need a picture book next to me. The first season, I read the wiki, which spoiled me but because I can't keep stuff straight, the spoilers did not matter.

I feel you on the difficulty of keep characters straight. "Aw, fuck. Which middle aged dude with brown hair and a beard is that?"

I was just so excited to see Dragons and Astapor and Ciaran Hinds as Mance Raydar is kind of just everything which I wasn't expecting because usually I'm just kind of freaked out by his too big head but it works here and Davos, my lump of an Onion Knight that I enjoyed the whole thing immensely. Margery Tyrell is one of my fave female characters in the book and I agree with those positing that she's kind of like Cersei if Cersei's growing up circumstances had allowed her to be at all functional rather than so supremely fucked up. But I did miss my Arya and my Brienne of Tarth and the Kingslayer. Bring it.

I feel you on the difficulty of keep characters straight. "Aw, fuck. Which middle aged dude with brown hair and a beard is that?"

Relatedly, Game of Thrones running out of unkempt old men to cast.