I'm reading Reddit threads on the Bloodraven theory which posits that Bran himself as the 3ER is the main threat

At this point, I think you can dismiss any fan theory that requires D&D to be subtle and clever.

It's not so much that he's a threat as the fact that there are no women writing this show is a threat.

Ding ding ding.

Jamie heading back to Kings Landing seems like a pretty standard "getting the pieces back to starting positions for the final face-off" television move, no? I don't see a lot of character motivation for it beyond that.

I felt like I was watching Lost, and there was some reason go across the island again.

Jaime is just, what the hell, Jaime? Maybe he wants to get back into the Kingslayer racket?

I had half-hoped he was going back to be the kingslayer (queen), but he knows she's carrying his child, so I don't know.

I'm basically watching out of morbid curiosity to see if they can manage to fuck up the landing even worse than either BSG or Lost did, at this point.

to see if they can manage to fuck up the landing even worse than either BSG or Lost did, at this point.

It would be quite an accomplishment, given that the writers of those other shows had to make up their own endings, while this show has GRRM waving a pair of batons, guiding them in for a landing.

it's because your TV settings were wrong.

Ha! I get that reference.

I wonder if GRRM forgot (or "forgot" for that matter) some crucial information to pass on

I highly recommend the New Yorker's recapper. She's Cleo on TWoP-levels of funny.

[link]

My own pet theory is that GRRM *did* tell them the ending, and they decided that all the Lovecraftian shit that is supposed to happen was unfilmable, so they went in a different, cheaper direction. And also maybe HBO is bribing GRRM and Random House not to release the final two books until the show is over, so as not to give people unreasonable expectations about what actually does show up on the screen.

That's very plausible. Since the show has started I have often remembered how GRRM once said that he was enjoying writing ASoIaF with no regard to how very expensive or impossible it would be to film it...

Such a disappointing episode. All that stressing over whether Rhegal survived, only to just dispose of him in 2 seconds! And why the he'll didn't Dany fly around the island and dracarys the hell out of them from the back?

Add to the list of stupidities: That scene with Bronn was completely pointless.

You're going to promise him a castle and kingdom because he's got a crossbow on you, but you're not going to send the guards after him immediately after he leaves the room?

And why would they be compelled to keep a promise given under threat of death?

I think it's all about Moments now. They had several seasons of well plotted out intrigue but now they are coasting into their Crowd Pleasing Payoff Moments. Brienne being knighted. Arya killing the Night King. Brienne and Jaime having sex. Presumably Dany going Dracarys on King's Landing. Cleganebowl.

Apparently when GRRM went over the story arc with D&D originally they had three Holy Shit plot twists. One was Shireen getting burned (which doesn't seem as HSQ as the Red Wedding, but maybe whatever), the second was Hodor's story, and the third twist has yet to be deployed. So I do expect we'll get at least one twist in the last couple episodes.