kimmy

Am I the only one who finds the idea of feral capybaras taking over Toronto to be quite enchanting? This really appeals to my sense of whimsy. -k

More that this event will almost certainly boost support for Trump's anti-Muslim, anti-immigrant rhetoric. -k

So did this morning's Islamic mass-murder in Orlando just win the election for Trump? -k

They had to get an official letter straight from the King for Ramsay to be legitimized as Roose's heir. -k

Also, how many people in Westeros know that Gendry's father was King Robert? What proof is there? Also, based on the legal hoops that Ramsay had to go through to become Roose's heir, Gendry probably wouldn't have a legal claim to the throne even if people did accept that King Robert was his father. Also, wasn't Gendry with the Brothers Without Banners last time we saw him? There's no reason to think Littlefinger has Gendry in his back pocket to use at a future date. I wouldn't be surprised if we see him soon, in the Hound's storyline... but I would be astounded if Gendry ever ends up being king. On a slight tangent... if Tommen gets whacked soon, how likely do you think it is that Margaery will announce that she's pregnant with the King's heir in her belly, and plans to serve as Queen Regent until her unborn son is old enough to take the throne? -k

AAAGH WTF THANKS FOR SPOILING FIGHT CLUB FOR ME YOU SON OF A haha, sorry. That's actually a fascinating idea. I'm not sure if I believe it either, but something definitely seems "off" about the waif. We have seen the waif interacting with Jaquen Hgar when Arya is not around, and we have seen the waif being told information that could have helped Arya, so I'm not sure it adds up. -k

I think the old "Chekhov's Rifle" adage of writing is starting to come into play. The playwright said something to the effect that "you don't put a rifle on the stage unless it's going to be fired." (single greatest Chekhov's Rifle fail in the history of writing: Itchy, Scratchy, and Poochy never did get to the fireworks factory.) For most of the past 5+ seasons, GRRM has been dressing the stage with a variety of rifles, leaving us wondering when and how they're going to be fired. Now, with just a little over 2 seasons left, we are starting to see some things starting to converge. Random thought: A man told the waif to be sure that Arya didn't suffer. The waif could have killed Arya instantly and painlessly... but instead decided to savage her stomach with "bleed out" type wounds that would cause a lot of pain and an agonizing death. The waif was deliberately disobedient, and appears to have acted out of jealousy and spite... surely not the actions of a girl who has become "no one". We saw her jealousy of Arya in previous episodes as well. I wonder if the waif will face consequences for that. -k

I don't agree... There's no doubt in my mind that some-- like Ted Cruz or Rick Santorum or Stockwell Day, to name a few-- are just as religious when the cameras aren't watching. -k

This is an excellent point. The witch's prophecy said that Cersei will outlive her 3 children... and it's been on the money about everything else that has happened to Cersei. -k

Good column... the idea that returning to violence would be a step backward in Sandor's character development is an interesting one, but I'm not sure it's correct. What was the last thing he did last night? He picked up an axe, and I don't think he was off to cut more wood. I think his character arc is less about leaving violence behind, and more about leaving behind bitterness and hate and self-loathing. Despite what he thinks of himself, there's a hero inside there, and the only think keeping that hero from getting out is Sandor himself. His conversation with Ian McShane last night-- "if there are gods, why haven't they punished me?" "They have." The pastor-- with his own violent past-- understood all the hurt and regret and shame and remorse Sandor carries around, and he was telling him to leave it behind. Stop punishing yourself and become the man you could be, instead of the man you used to be. I think that's Sandor's real character arc. Loras... perhaps Loras would fight the Mountain if it were his "atonement"... he gets out of prison without having to do the "walk" or face any further punishment. Loras is one of the premier knights in Westeros, and would probably have a better chance than most against the Mountain... perhaps as much as the Red Viper. As for Lancel... as an able-bodied young nobleman, Lancel has presumably had plenty of training with a sword. That said, if Lancel has any particular skill at arms, it's never been mentioned on the show. We do know that Lancel has killed one of the great warriors in the history of Westeros. All Lancel needs is a flagon of poisoned wine and an angry boar, and the Mountain is as good as done. But maybe the Sparrow has an another angle. He knows Cersei can demand a trial by combat, and he knows she has a gigantic man-beast to fight on her behalf. Surely he has put some thought into this predicament. Surely he's not going to let her get away that easily. -k

Hey, Bryan, next time a big movie comes out, why don't you go watch the early show, then on your way out of the theatre, shout key plot twists at people who are lined up to watch the late show. "HEY EVERYBODY! KYLO REN IS HAN'S SON! HE MURDERS HAN!" And later on, after you've received the ass-kicking you desperately need, perhaps you'll have a broader perspective on the issue. -k

"OMG the Hound is back!!!" is the exact words Shady posted in his status update on the front page that I deleted, thereby inadvertently causing World War 3 in the Moderating the Moderators thread. I think the reveal was done beautifully, and if I didn't already know who it was I would have been on the edge of my seat saying "could it be... is it? is it? OMG, it could be! OMG! YES! YES!" Instead my reaction was considerably more subdued. But I am still glad to have the big lug back. I love that guy. I really liked the scenes with Sandor and Ian McShane (didn't catch his character's name, if he even had one.) It seemed like he was really touched when the preacher talked about the terrible things he'd done and trying to spread a little goodness. I almost expected the big man to cry. I could feel his sense of purpose radiating from my TV when he picked up the axe at the end. Yara really likes to party! I think like old Jaime would take the castle back without a second thought for the thousands of men he'd lose in the effort. I feel like maybe new Jaime, who's had his hand and his daughter ripped away from him, just doesn't have his heart in this. I have to think he will find a different way. Those wounds Arya suffered look pretty fatal... the kind you would need supernatural help to recover from. I wonder how she'll get out of this? The other big development was Margiaery and Olenna. For most of the scene I was convinced that yeah, wow, Margie really is brainwashed. Olenna's face when she opened the note was priceless, as was the verbal beatdown she gave Cersei. -k

And you're over-reacting to my removal of a 5-word long status update. Shady wasn't punished, wasn't given time off, wasn't given warning points. He received a polite explanation and a polite request to take it to the thread in the Arts and Culture forum. How is that an over-reaction? I think your scoffing remarks that "it's just a show about wizards and dragons" might carry more weight coming from a guy who wasn't such an avid fan of shows about Mad Max and Jedi Knights and zombies. The term "spoiler" isn't "spoiler" by accident. It's a courtesy that goes back longer than the internet and longer than television. For as long as there have been books, it has been considered rude to give away the ending to somebody who's still reading it. From the reaction this has received, one would think this is the first time somebody's content was removed from the forum. "Over-reach!" "Abuse of power!" "Power trip!" That's BS. More worthwhile content gets removed for more dubious reasons all the time. This was an easy call, and I promise that I'll do the same in the future if required. Any who are unhappy with that can either "speak to the manager", or take their business elsewhere. That's all you'll get from me on this. -k

There's a section relating to courtesy. Moonlight posted it earlier. As I said, I wasn't the first one to notice. Another member had already posted an angry response to Shady before I got there, and considering the number of other GoT fans on the site, I decided that they need not similarly have their surprise ruined by Shady's inconsiderate post. Shady already got at least 2 of us, there was no need for more. I got nothing personally from deleting Shady's update. My surprise was already ruined. I was hoping to stop that from happening to others. It was an extremely easy call. Would I have done it if I wasn't familiar with the show? Well, because I do follow this show, I immediately knew that Shady had dropped a huge bomb. I wouldn't know that if it had been a show I don't follow, like The Walking Dead. I might not have known it was a spoiler at all. Likewise, we don't have a huge Walking Dead thread on this forum, so I wouldn't know that people are emotionally invested in the subject. But if somebody sent me a message saying "Shady just posted a huge Walking Dead spoiler on the front page! It'll ruin tonight's show for people!" then I'd take action. I didn't do anything about BC2004's X-Men spoiler because the movie has already been out for weeks and I figured that everybody who cared much has probably already seen it. That's not the case with Shady's spoiler tonight, which was up before the show even finished. -k

I've been appointed a protector of courtesy here. If you don't like it, vote with your feet. If you don't like the job I'm doing, complain to Charles and Michael. I won't apologize. I will do the same again. -k

People who go to the thread get spoilers. If you don't want spoilers, you don't click on the thread. It's not complicated. Putting spoilers in plain view is considered rude everywhere on the internet. -k

His post was removed because it was going to ruin a major surprise for other members of the forum who watch the show-- and there are many of us. IMO the people who are crying because their little buddy's status update was removed should grow up. And the guy who stormed off the board in outrage over it should grow up. If you're so hypersensitive that having your 5-word long status update removed is a traumatic event in your life, maybe you should seek psychological help. Maybe you're just not cut out for the internet. -k

Whether he intended to piss people off or not, he pissed people off. I was not the first-- he already had one angry reply before I deleted it. Removing the offending post-- whether it was intended to offend or not-- and directing Shady to the appropriate thread on the Arts and Culture forum, as I did, was in keeping with the rule regarding respect and courtesy to other members. If Shady can't deal with that-- if he felt that having his five-word-long post deleted was a tragic loss to the world of western literature-- that's for him to decide. -k

We'll see how that works out. -k

Posting spoilers without warning is a universally-recognized breech of internet forum etiquette. I absolutely refuse to apologize to Shady, and feel absolutely no remorse. I will gladly do the same in the future if required, over and over, until such time as my badge is taken away. If you object to that, BC2004, you could certainly follow Shady's lead. Vote with your feet. -k

I strongly disagree, but maybe Charles and Michael will have a different opinion. Going to spoil the ending of M*A*S*H for us next time? -k

I think it's covered under "don't be a douchebag." If we don't have that rule, we should consider adding it. -k

So I removed Shady's status update, which contained a significant Game of Thrones spoiler. And now Shady and Bush-Cheney-2004 are mad about it. Anybody else want to voice their opinions? -k

1.8% is a huge number, considering Canada's portion of the world's population. I live in BC... I already pay a carbon tax, put in place by the most consistently conservative provincial government in Canada. It hasn't destroyed the economy. It hasn't ruined my bottom line or wrecked livelihoods. Maybe it's something the rest of the country should consider. Why do you hate free enterprise? Just kidding. Glad to know that you appreciate why the TFW program wasn't "free market". Sadly, when our Conservatives undermined the labor market assessment requirements to the point that you could get Free Filipinos, no questions asked, it creates the impression that they're "pro business", not "pro free-market". I have a hunch that a lot of the mooks in the Conservative backbenches don't even understand the difference between the two. -k