Although each individual component was still fairly interesting, over the last two books I felt a loss of overall story momentum.    The extreme detail - which I liked up until then - became a bit much.  I wanted everyone to stop having dinners and get going already.

So let's see, between the previous thread and this one, are we ready to place bets on what we'll see in the season finale?    This is sort of our version of the writer's room - we already know what the story is, we're just deciding how much of it they'll tell this season.

Here are my picks.

Joffrey's wedding - yeah, as much as it might be fun to have it now, I'm now thinking it's pretty unlikely.

The arrival of Coldhands - the perfect closer to Sam's story for this season, and a solid WTF to ponder until next season.   Very likely.

Introducing Lady Stoneheart - as a second surprise built on last week, and to pay off all that time with the Brotherhood and their ability to raise the dead.   Extremely likely.

Jorah banished:  A good reversal, and it's time for it to happen.  Highly likely.

The Hound goes down and Arya sets off alone.  Would make a decent closer to her story this season - we just saw that conversation last week about sticking a sword in his eye.  Would  make sense to follow that up with her having the opportunity but not doing it.  Somewhat likely.

The ones I dunno:

The Lannisters  They didn't get any screen time last week at all, we'll certainly see them this week.  What will we see there?

Jon Snow?

Bran and Co.?

Anyone got a guess about those?

Yeah, the seeds are pretty much planted to have Jorah be disgraced and banished in the next episode.  Another good "what now?" cliffhanger for next season if so.

Well, that's why I think it's both well-written and acted - the clues are there, without telegraphing anything too much. 

The real reason I support the Snow is a Targaryaen theory is that it makes sense for the overall story as well - it's a Song of Ice and Fire, after all - all this human squabbling is trivial compared to the power of White Walkers and dragons.   

If Jon Snow is half-Stark and half-Targaryaen, he's the rightful heir to the kingdom - or at least has a viable claim.  Even the Red Wedding makes sense in that big picture - Robb Stark was never the rightful heir, Snow is.  But since he doesn't know that, Snow's been spending his time becoming White Walker Killer In Chief and brokering an alliance between the wildlings and the Watch.

Meanwhile on the other side of the world is Daenerys, who also started from nothing to raise her own army and learn to command dragons.

So far Jon and (his aunt!) Daenerys have been kept as far apart as the geography of Westeros will allow, but  there'll be a meeting at some point.  When that comes they might fall in love, they might join forces against the Walkers, or they may go to war with each other, but I think the real story has always been about the two of them and how they'll ultimately decide the fate of Westeros.

According to this interview, when Benioff and Weiss met with Martin for the first time about adapting GoT for TV, he tested the level of their interest in the material by asking "Who's Jon Snow's mother?"   Apparently they gave the right answer.

Anyway, unless it's all been a completely genius red herring, I'm currently going with the Rhaegar/Lyanna theory as well.   And the strongest evidence isn't in the books, it's in the show.   

Think about it - there must be all sorts of things that Martin's got planned that haven't been published yet.  But the makers of the show still have to know them now, so they don't unwittingly make any changes or cuts that will wreck something later.     (Same way the writers of the middle Potter movies ran everything past Rowling to make sure they weren't going off in a wrong direction.)

So when it comes to the topic of Snow's true parents, look at how the show has dealt with it - especially in the scenes between Ned and Robert in the very first episodes.    Everything Ned says - or avoids saying, or changes the subject - supports the idea that Jon is Lyanna's son.   

It's the last thing he could ever admit to Robert, for plenty of reasons.   That knowledge would unleash such a shitstorm that Ned was willing to let his own wife sorta hate him for fathering a bastard, when he did no such thing.   Which is completely IN character for Ned, whereas having a roll in the hay with a tavern wench isn't.

So watch what Sean Bean does - and listen to how carefully written his lines are -  in any scene where Snow or Lyanna are mentioned.  He knows.     He had to, to know how to play it.

Yep. 

Yeah, the scene where Reynolds screams insults at Vampire Parker Posey is definitely a highlight.

Also, Jessica Biel.  Mmmmm.

Blade 3 was written (and directed) by David Goyer who wrote all the Blade movies, also Dark City, Batman Begins and several other pretty darn good things.  FWIW, his script for Blade 2 was, at the time, the best-written script I ever read.

Oh Shit, I Totally Forgot That Happens! by George RR Martin

A Lannister always... wait, what?

So close...