No spoilers here:
1. Littlefinger's Motivations and meeting with Sansa in the Molestown Brothel.
- What are his motivations?
I think he is still planning to take her as his own wife once the Boltons are defeated and become Warden of the North. He's already effectively Warden of the Vale. It seems he expected to show up and be invited to help take Winterfell, but Sansa is pissed. Once he screws over the Boltons, he'll attempt to screw over Jon and/or the Black Fish and then the Lannisters and/or Tyrells, and take all their shit too. I guess he really didn't know about Ramsey's reputation. Lame.- Sex linked to power and control?
- Why does Sansa lie about meeting Littlefinger?
- Will the Vale army show up and help at Winterfell?
Yes. They'll save the day, I bet, and that's how he'll get Sansa's trust back, temporarily.I think Sansa lied because she wants to keep that particular card close to her chest for now. She knows the Knights of the Vale are the closest thing she has to an army, at least so far. She trusts Jon but she also has her own ambitions now.
2. The Waif, Arya, Jaqen - Faceless Men's Origins Revealed.
- The Faceless Men were slaves of Valyria who became assassins ...
- Did they cause or were part of the great Doom of Valyria?
- Would the Faceless Men approve or disapprove of Daenerys (surely they know about the return of dragons)
- Will Arya fail her last test and leave the Faceless Men?
R'hllor and fire in general seem to be symbols of life so I'm not sure the Faceless Men would particularly care for Daenerys. Not sure what they would gain from such an alliance.
Arya may leave the city but I'm not sure she will ever be free from the FM. Eventually, they'll catch up to her.
She will escape. I'm sure of it, just not sure how.3. The Significance of "The Play" and Arya.
- Every character in the play was portrayed almost exactly opposite to what really happened ...
- Is this important to the plot going forward? Is this a propaganda play to skew the facts?
- Arya's re-living what happend through the play is clearly a test by the Faceless Men?
- Will Arya's "truths" about the actress chosen to assassinate mean anything significant?
I think the play is partially a test, yes. I also think it's meant to represent how relative "truth" can be. "Stark" means stuff like honor and strength to Arya, but in the play it's just a synonym for "stupidity". There are no fixed attributes to any of these roles. Might be Jaqen's way of sending Arya a message.
The fact that the actress who plays Cersei is the loveliest woman around is also a continuation of this theme. I think the acting troupe will challenge many of Arya's pre-conceived notions about these things. Maybe she doesn't have to be either "Arya Stark" or "No One". Maybe there is something in between.
I wonder also if this could be setting Arya up to assassinate Tyrion. She's seeing him blamed for everything that went on. Would she believe it? She knows that Ned and Cersei weren't portrayed accurately.4. Huge reveal about the origins of the White Walkers and The Children of the Forest involvement.
- What does this mean for the history of the past and what's to come in the future?
- Are the White Walkers just an experiment gone wrong (evil) or is there more to it?
- Does the "pact" between men and the CotF have significance to saving men now from the White Walkers invading south?
- When and how will the White Walkers breach the wall? Does the 'mark' on Bran have anything to do with it?
The children of the forest were originally a nurturing folk, living peacefully with the earth and all that. By unleashing the white walkers into the world, they betrayed nature and what they stood for. They created an imbalance in the world. I used to think the white walkers were a force of nature but now I think the opposite is true - they are an unnatural form of existence, precisely because of how they came into being. They mock all life, as we see in their artwork. That makes them even scarier than before imo.
5. Kingsmoot & Euron reveals for a "Mighty Fleet" to ally with Daenerys.
- Does this reveal mean Daenerys will cross the narrow sea on Ironborn ships?
- Does Euron actually have some power (dragon horn) he can use or not?
- How will Daenerys react to Euron and/or Ironborn offers?
- Will Yara and Theon escaping with ships play into the future of Euron/Daenerys plots?
I hope he has the dragon horn, maybe he can go to Oldtown to retrieve it. No idea how Yara and Theon play into all this.
6. Jorah & Grayscale / Leaving Daenerys
- Is Jorah done for now or will he have one final last 'sacrifice' for Daenerys to die for her?
- Will he really find a cure as is suggested by Shireen's surviving Grayscale?
- Does magic play some part in all of this or even dragon fire (ie. Victarion healed by Red Priest)?
- When (if he lives) will we see Jorah again and for how much of the story in the future?
I don't think he finds the cure, but I think he finds some useful information or artifact in Westeros that can help Daenerys in some way.
7. Tyrion & Varys & Kinvara
- Kinvara is going to support Daenerys as the "Prince Who Was Promised" even though Melisandre supports Jon Snow ...
- How does Kinvara know about what happened to Varys and what are the implications of that vision / voice in the flames?
- Is this the achilles heel for Varys and Kinvara is using it to get to him? Is she truly his friend or a possible enemy?
- How will Daenerys react to the Red Priestess preaching the Lord of Light religion to the people of Meereen?
The Lord of Light is the greatest mystery left. Clearly they have nothing to do with the Three-Eyed Raven. Maybe the dragons were created as an (unnatural) answer to counteract the WWs?
Kinvara could have been the voice in the fire for all we know. She's the high priestess.
I think Dany will appreciate Kinvara's help. Dany doesn't mind being worshipped as far as I can tell.
8. War Strategy Planning - Jon, Davos, Sansa and co.
- Will the smaller houses not already supporting Boltons help Jon and Sansa?
- Will the Vale Lords show up to fight at Winterfell regardless of what Sansa told Littlefinger at Molestown?
- Is Jon going to be the Commanding Lord of this opposing army and will Northerners follow him?
- Will Brienne's journey south to Riverrun work and will the Blackfish bring support north?
I hope the Blackfish stays in Riverrun because there's plenty of stuff going on there and it might become an important location later.
9. Beyond the Wall - The Cave - White Walker Invasion
- Do the Three Eyed Raven and the Night King have some history? It seemed the NK knew him before killing him ...
- Was the sadness we saw in the Three Eyed Raven due to knowing his own fate and leading Bran to that fate?
- Is the "Mark" the NK put on Bran the "key" to breaking the magical spells of the Wall?
- Will Hodor's sacrifice significantly change Bran and his understanding of "with great power comes great responsibility?"
The Raven is a tragic figure. He has seen how the story begins and (imo) he has seen how the story ends, but can't share this knowledge with anyone. He carries the weight of the whole universe on his shoulders, so he's naturally melancholy.
I think the Night King might have been a greenseer when he was human. He recognizes this enormous power before him. It may also remind him of his lost humanity, making him hate the Raven even more.
Yes, I think the mark will be key to bringing down the Wall.
Hodor's sacrifice will teach Bran to shed some of his Starkness - to broaden his horizon and realize he can't use his powers for personal gain.
10. Bran & Meera On The Run
- Where will they go, what will they do?
- Who is the flaming morning-star wielding person on horseback we saw in the preview who saves Meera/Bran?
-
Again ... is that 'mark' on Bran now something much bigger than we know about the cave invasion?- How can Bran (and his visions) help the war to come by returning south of the wall if it's even possible?
Bran won't change the past again, but he can affect the present. He has both knowledge and power. And he has yet to fly