Ep. 63.5: Thrones: Endgame

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So, yeah. The Game of Thrones season 8 trailer is out and it might be the last one we ever see for this show. The hype for the trailer is definitely deserved if you ask Andrew and Manu. Which you might. Because you are considering listening to this podcast and you are a sweet soul. Thank you.

• Season 8 trailer
• The excellent Kim Renfro breaks down the trailer's nitty gritty details for Business Insider
• Catch up with our season 7 full episode reviews
• Gendry is not alone! Andrew has a cat now, too. Say hi to Koozie!
• iTunes link

Ep. 63: Dragon's is back baby, it's good again

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Andrew and Manu finally complete their long journey through the first season of "Game of Thrones." Scenes discussed include Yoren explaining the plan for "orphan Arry" to Arya, her first encounters with Hot Pie, Lommy, and Gendry, and the Old Bear revealing to Jon that he knows about his attempted escape. With a stirring speech, he urges Jon to stay loyal to the Night's Watch and join the great ranging beyond The Wall.

Oh yeah, also dragons are born through sacrifice in a ridiculously good set of scenes with Dany, Jorah, and the Dothraki. NBD. It was okey dokey, and we got to discuss a lot of dragon lore.

Thank you all for joining us through this trek through season one, and we can't wait to get started on the next one.

• BryndenBFish tells how diehard ASOIAF fans can come to love Dany's similarly climactic scene with the Dothraki in season 6
• George R.R. Martin explains back in a 1999 chat how Targaryen fire resistance is likely a miraculous one-time anomaly in the books
• Register with the discount code "Manu" for Con of Thrones (Nashville, July 12-14)
• iTunes link

Ep. 62: Secrets of the Small Council

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Today's podcast is the calm before the storm of the very end of Game of Thrones season 1. Andrew and Manu watch as Daenerys tearfully puts Drogo out of his misery, then observe Pycelle aimlessly ramble about kings to Ros before revealing (after her departure) that he's actually quite fit and far more on the ball than he appears. This is also one of the few scenes we get with characters talking about the Mad King's reign before he was truly mad.

We wrap up with another verbal showdown between Littlefinger and Varys, where they each briefly delve into each other's personal histories and impressive ascents to the Small Council. It's essentially a sequel to a similar scene earlier in the season, during "The Wolf and the Lion."

• Deleted scene from season 3 where Tywin figures out the truth about Pycelle's grift
• Register with the discount code "Manu" for Con of Thrones (Nashville, July 12-14)
• iTunes link

Ep. 61: Requiem for Rhaego

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Andrew and Manu catch up with Dany in Essos, where everything has gone to hell. She wakes up after collapsing outside Mirri Maz Duur's blood magic tent, where she learns to her horror that she traded her unborn son Rhaego's life for a comatose Drogo. (The identically named recent Targaryen history, "Fire and Blood" provides some intriguing parallels between what became of Rhaego and Maegor the Cruel's "children.") Dany demands to know why Mirri did this, but Mirri is unapologetic.

Other scenes include Tyrion deciding to bring Shae to King's Landing against Tywin's wishes, and Jon Snow's midnight ride from the Watch. In the latter, Sam unsuccessfully tries on his own to stop Jon from leaving, but he gets more help from Grenn & Pyp in a later scene in the woods of The Gift that we also discuss. By reminding Jon that they are his brothers now, he is convinced to stay. Stay tuned for some brief direwolf musings as well.

• More details on Maegor's similarly twisted offspring (see both "Tyranny" and "The Black Brides")
• Neville Longbottom's Sam Tarly scene from "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone"
• Register with the discount code "Manu" for Con of Thrones (Nashville, July 12-14)
• iTunes link

Ep. 60: "Renly is Not Right!"

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Andrew and Manu roll along with "Fire and Blood," as we get some slightly more pleasant scenes than last week. Spitting on the idea of kneeling to Renly, Stannis, or Joffrey Baratheon, the Northmen decide to crown Robb Stark the King in the North. Afterward, Catelyn has a tense discussion with the imprisoned Jaime Lannister in which he reveals that he pushed Bran from the window at Winterfell.

Meanwhile, the news of Jaime's capture has reached both Cersei (who we quickly see in a post-coital scene with her idiot cousin Lancel) and an enraged Tywin. After a brief war council discussion, he sends a stunned Tyrion to King's Landing to serve as acting Hand of the King.

There's some fun discussion of Northern history and Tyrion's complicated relationship with his father. And, of course, RENLY IS NOT RIGHT.

• Register with the discount code "Manu" for Con of Thrones (Nashville, July 12-14)
• iTunes link

Ep. 59: The North Remembers Ned

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After several months of hiatus, Andrew and Manu are back and finally ready to wrap up season 1 of "Game of Thrones" by kicking off their discussion of the thrilling finale, "Fire and Blood."

Despite the episode title, there are no Targaryens to discuss just yet. We pick up immediately where "Baelor" left off with Ned Stark's execution and Yoren's scramble to get the dazed Arya out of King's Landing. This segues to the theme of this week's podcast, which is essentially how each Stark family member (aside from Jon) reacts to Ned's death.

We see Bran & Rickon learning the truth in visions before hearing the official word from Maester Luwin, Catelyn & Robb sharing in pure devastation in the Riverlands, and Sansa's quiet suffering at court in King's Landing before the shit Joffrey forces her to stare at Ned's head on a spike. (Immediately after needlessly having Marillion's tongue ripped out. Great guy.) It's at least a strong moment of personal strength from Sansa.

It's good to be back and diving into all this, so enjoy!

• Listen to Manu's recent appearance discussing "The Queen's Justice" (season 7, episode 3) on The Night's Cast ...
• ... then go back and listen to our podcast on that episode from when it aired in August 2017!
• iTunes link

Ep. 58: The Joffrey-Littlefinger Conspiracy

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Andrew and Manu hit a true watershed moment in the history of television with the finale of "Baelor," where Ned Stark is stunningly executed right after his son, Robb, wins the Battle of the Whispering Wood and takes Jaime Lannister captive. Yowza.

Along the way, Manu brings up a theory that he's discussed on Twitter before with Malora Hightower: the decision to behead Ned was not just Joffrey's violent instinct but also an idea planted by Littlefinger himself. There's more evidence to this than you might think, so take a listen.

This all-timer features some excellent character work by Sean Bean, Michelle Fairley, Maisie Williams, and many others, so let's get right into it.

• Not discussed on the podcast, but worth noting: Jaime talks to Olenna Tyrell about learning from Robb's trick and using it later on at Highgarden in season 7
• Alan Sepinwall's review of "Baelor" at the time of its release captures the shock of Ned's death to pretty much everyone except book readers
• Director Alan Taylor visually breaks down the scene of Ned's execution
• Okay yeah, we need at least one Ned death reaction video
• iTunes link