Well there go at least half the fan theories on how the series ends.

Oh, unless Melissandre brings him back to life.

Oh, unless Melissandre brings him back to life.

I was just going to say that. Especially if he is Baratheon, and she is still obsessed with Baratheon blood. I know that's not the prevailing theory. I haven't read the books and am only basing my guess on Jon's hair color.

Huh.

I do not know how to react to most of that.

I approve of Varys and Tyrion taking charge of Mereen. Not a whole lot else.

I liked it better when Jon thought of sending Sam & Gilly to Old Town.

Me too. But they didn't have all the shenanigans with the maybe-royal-enough-to-be-sacrificed baby on the show to play into that.

(I also liked it better when Sam didn't sleep with Gilly until they were on the ship, but that seems like a silly thing to get hung up on even to me)

I forget, what have we seen of Beric Dondarrion? That's a very Tolkeinesque name, he could be Tom Bombadil's cousin.

I don't think it's a coincidence that they introduced Robert Strong right before that scene.

Man, what a brutal fucking episode. Someone died in like every scene and then Cersei's Walk of Shame was eleventy billion minutes long because of course.

Jon Snow is NOT dead. Well, not to me, anyway. I vote bringing back to life, but who knows. He looked pretty darn deceased. Loved that the Tyrion and Varys Show is back on the boards again. Two of the most wonderfully nuanced and witty characters and they are even bettering combination.

In this episode, I kinda thought that Sam is the author's stand-in for GRR Martin. Maybe not that Martin thinks of hum that way--but that the show runners do. The facial hair and the way he was shot reminded me of Martin.

They made very certain to bring Melisandre back to the Wall BEFORE killing Jon (where the fuck was Ghost?). There were several things that played out more satisfyingly in the books (basically everything people said up thread about Sam), but some I didn't mind. I have no fucking idea what's going on with Dorne...I guess it can go hang with the Iron Isles in that regard. Jaime would probably be best served NOT going home just now...

They slimmed down the cast significantly, and our only remaining Baratheon is still rowing that boat. I was definitely yelling at the screen telling Theon and Sansa that if either of them were proper Starks, they'd go to the crypts. They did not listen. The timeline for Sansa's outing doesn't seem like it should line up with the length of even that lopsided of a battle.

The combinations of characters next season will be interesting. And I wonder how far they're rewriting the book on Arya's blindness...And we have no word on the status of Margaery.

The cinematography on Cersei's haircut was odd. Like, it was clearly a body double in that scene. Why they didn't just go with it and just use the shots from the back and from the collarbones up, saving the nudity for the street scene, I do not know.

Jon Snow is NOT dead.

Melisandre needs a resurrected man to save the world from the White Walkers. That's the prophecy. Beric has already proven it can be done. Jon's the guy.

I expected he'll be changed. Perhaps he'll come back with a sense of humor.

The cinematography on Cersei's haircut was odd. Like, it was clearly a body double in that scene. Why they didn't just go with it and just use the shots from the back and from the collarbones up, saving the nudity for the street scene, I do not know.

Lena was apparently fairly pregnant for this portion of shooting. So they used a body double and put her head on it CGI style (see, Capt. America).

What I don't understand from the haircut scene is why she seemed to be bleeding, and wasn't later.