Are The Kingdoms In Game Of Thrones Based On Actual Countries?

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Yes, the Kingdoms Westeros along with the Free Cities and Essos are almost certainly based on real countries in Europe and Asia.  George R.R. Martin has done a fantastic job of borrowing from history in creating this medieval, patriarchal (for now), feudal society.   Looking at the map of Westeros, it's apparent to anyone that the continent strongly resembles the British Isles with England, Scotland, and Wales turned to face the opposite direction, and Ireland placed underneath it.  That theory has pretty much been argued ad nauseam, so I'm not going to address that any further.  Also, let me be clear, that not every single detail of every country is going to match up with the kingdom it most closely resembles.  There's clearly room for interpretation and debtate here, but that's what makes this theory interesting.  

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THE NORTH - SCOTLAND

This one is pretty hard not to see.  The North is cold and damp with exceptionally harsh winters.  Check.  It is surrounded on the east and west by the sea.  Check.  The Northerners are known as a hardy, tough breed, with clan like warrior instincts for those living in remote villages.  Check.  

                                                      Courtesy of gameofthrones.wikia.com

The Northerners also worship the Old Gods, those of rocks and trees, and spirits of the forest, which is very similar to the Celtic religious traditions of the first inhabitants of Scotland.  Catelyn Stark, formally a Tully from the Riverlands, tells Ned she still feels like an outsider when she comes to the godswood based on the religious beliefs she was raised with, the Faith of the Seven.  This scene in the first epsiode does an excellent job of illustrating the differences in the religion between the North and the rest of the 7 Kingdoms, and you can see how politically beneficial marriage alliances aren't exactly free from challenges and the assimilation even decades later isn't always a smooth one.

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The Wall separating The North from the Free Folk, is pretty obviously a reference to Hardrian's Wall.  Built by the Romans, the wall acted as the Northern edge of the Roman Empire, and was used to act as a border to stop invaders from areas they considered not worth conquering.  Sound familiar?  Now, Hadrian's Wall separates all of Scotland from all but the northernmost portion of England, so there are some differences, but it's still fairly easy to see the similarities. 

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Lastly, the North has tried to secede from the rest of the Seven Kingdoms twice since Season 2, during The War of the 5 Kings with Robb Stark, and now with Jon Snow who has just been proclaimed the new King in the North.  If you study Scottish history, you'll see that the Scots have repeatedly considered themselves independent from British rule, fighting for their freedom on numerous occasions, most notably during 1st and 2nd Scottish Wars for Independence under William Wallace, Robert the Bruce, & Thomas Randolph, and also the Jacobite Rising of 1745 led by Bonnie Prince Charlie.  

                                           Courtesy of awoiaf.westeros.org

THE IRON ISLANDS - NORWAY (SCANDINAVIA)

While, Norway is not largely a collection of islands, it does share a lot of the similar traits with the Ironborn in Game of Thrones.  The inhabitants of the Iron Islands are a seafaring people, with a knack for marauding and pillaging kingdoms with more prosperous food and wealth.  

                                                Courtesy of awoiaf.westeros.org

The Ironborn live on these craggy rocky formations, whereby they have built their castles connected by wooden bridges, and their homeland is devoid of valuable natural resources, so they are forced to use their maritime knowledge to sail to other lands and plunder those cities.  It's a pretty easy gap to bridge to say that Martin based the Iron Islands off of the Viking culture, with their extensive knowledge of the sea and we take what is our's mentality.  

                                                   Courtesy of aediculaantinoi.wordpress.com

The Iron Islanders worship the Drowned God, which is essentially a sea god who the Iron Islanders believe was a great sailor who sailed across the world terrorizing it with fire and steel.  Lastly, in keeping with Viking traditions, when an Ironborn drowns, it is believed that he will spend eternity feasting in the watery halls of the Drowned God and attended to by mermaids with drinks and other earthly desires, which is almost identical to the Viking belief that warriors who die in battle will enter Valhalla, a kingdom of heaven with maidens to attend their every need and unlimited food and drink.  

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THE WESTERLANDS - ENGLAND

The Westerlands might not have a ton of geography in common with England; it's similarities are more based on the inhabitants and the sigil of the ruling house.  Still, there are distinct characteristics physical of The Westerlands that do compare with England.  The Westerlands have hills and mountains that dot the landscape along with castles that guard their major cities.  The southern portion of the country contains flatter land that is more arable and better for farming.  All of these are characteristics are common to England.  

Courtesy of awoiaf.westeros.org

Courtesy of wikipedia.com

The golden lion of House Lannister strongly resembles the 3 golden lions that sit on the royal crest of England.  The 3 lions on the English crest, were used to represent England, Normandy, and Acquitaine.  Though not present on their crest, it could be argued that the 3 golden lions in Game of Thrones represent the three Lannister children: Cersei, Jaime, and Tyrion.  

                                            Courtesy of gameofthrones.wikia.com

The Westerlands are neither the largest nor the most populous part of the Seven Kingdoms, nor do they have the most fertile lands, but they are the wealthiest due to a number of reasons.  Firstly, they have great natural resources in gold and silver, and while England does not share those traits with The Westerlands, they do share this.  The occupants of The Westerlands have made their region wealthy and powerful due to their ability to raise a strong military force both through an army and navy as well as their ruling house's cunning ability to grasp and maintain power.

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The Lannisters have been experts at using politics and their military to their advantage, much in the way the British have for centuries.  England is clearly not the largest, most populous, or fertile land in the world, but they managed to build both a superior army and navy to most nations and used their political and military power to colonize most of the earth.  The sun never sets on the British Empire, and in looking at this map of areas they colonized, it's remarkable how an island nation with such a small population could control most of the known world.  

THE RIVERLANDS - BENELUX (BELGIUM, THE NETHERLANDS, LUXEMBOURG)

This theory is a little tougher to follow, but I think there's still ample evidence for The Riverlands being mostly a reference to the BENELUX countries.  The Riverlands are a very prosperous region with arable land for crops and a bustling economy.  There is a large amount of commerce in this region, and the fertile lands as well as the use of the rivers as highways by the merchants make this nation ideal for prosperity.  The BENELUX countries also have traditionally had bustling economies along with fertile lands based on much of the terrain being around sea level, especially in Holland.  If you look at modern day cities like Rotterdam, Holland which sits on a river and is considered the largest port in Europe, it could be argued that is an inspiration for Riverrun, while Loevestein Castle, which itself sits on a point where two rivers converge and was used to exact tolls on merchants was the inspiration for The Twins controlled by the Freys.  

                                                     Courtesy of wikipedia.com

Additionally, the BENELUX countries have had a history of feuding lords and countries as do The Riverlands, though usually the bigger issue is the invading forces outside The Riverlands or BENELUX.  If you look at the history of armed conflict in Game of Thrones, every time there is a major conflict, Robert's Rebellion, War of the 5 Kings, etc. The Riverlands just gets hammered by larger forces from other countries, as they're caught in the middle of warring factions.

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The same could also be said for BENELUX throughout the Middle Ages, as they were conquered by Germany, France, Austria-Hungary, Spain, and the Vikings.  Even looking forward to the First and Second World Wars, some of the bloodiest fighting occurred in the BENELUX countries in regions like the Ardennes Forest and Arnehm.  Overall, when you look at the topography, along with the political system, and economy, it's not a stretch to see why The Riverlands look a lot like Belgium, The Netherlands, and Luxembourg.  

                                              Courtesy of westeroscraft.wikia.com

THE VALE - SWITZERLAND

This reference is fairly simplistic, so I won't spend a ton of time on it.   The Vale's geography and topography are what largely make it comparable to Switzerland.  The Vale is largely independent in geography from the rest of Westeros due to it's nearly impassible mountains that protect its people from invasion.  If you watch the scene where Arya and The Hound attempt to enter the gates of The Eyrie with knights watching them on both sides, it's readily apparent why this region has withstood invasion for so long.  The passes and narrow roads make conquering the region, without air support, almost impossible. 

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Additionally, The Vale is known to have harsh winters which make many of it's roads unusable during the winter months, and there are numerous parts of Switzerland which remain impassible outside of the few months during the summer.   The Vale is also known to produce excellent crops of wheat, corn, and barley, despite it's harsh climate and terrain, and the same can be said for the Alpine region which despite it's difficult mountain passes and cold winters still produces crops at a sustainable level.  

                                                 Courtesy of newlyswissed.com

Politically speaking, The Vale's population are fiercely independent, with a strong reverence for honor and tradition, and until recently they remained largely neutral after the death of Robert Baratheon.  Switzerland is famous for it's neutrality in recent years, and based on their terrain and the fact the vast majority of the Swiss population has been trained militarily for combat, it's not wise to attack a country that could likely be defended by a handful of trained snipers.

                                                    Courtesy of gameofthrones.wikia.com

THE CROWNLANDS- ITALY

While not really a separate nation, it does hold the seat of the Seven Kingdoms, King's Landing, which rules over all the rest of Westeros.  King's Landing being the political and religious seat for most of the Seven Kingdoms would most closely resemble Rome, being that the political and religious power during the medieval period came from Rome and the Pope.  More than once you hear that "The Crown and the Faith are one," and this appears to be Martin's homage to the Holy Roman Empire and the Pope both ruling together.

                                                    Courtesy of gameofthrones.wikia.com

King's Landing is a diverse metropolis with artisans, laborers, politicians, and common folk from all across the known world converging throughout the city.  The Crownlands is seen as an amalgamation of almost every trade and profession from fishing and farming to skilled craftsman work.  It's fair to assess that these descriptions warrant a reference to the Renaissance era of Florence and Rome during the end of the Middle Ages. 

                                          Courtesy of elegantwaster.deviantart.com

The geographical make up of The Crownlands with it's peninsula and surrounding waters clearly resemble that of the Italian peninsula, along with the Island of Dragonstone being an island with a volcano just off the coast, similar to Mount Etna, being further evidence of their Italian connection.  The King's Road leads to King's Landing and travels throughout the Seven Kingdoms, and the Romans were well known for their ability to build roads and encourage travel throughout their borders.

                                                      Courtesy of gameofthrones.wikia.com

THE STORMLANDS - GERMANY  

The Stormlands share a long border with The Reach, which we'll get to in a minute, but based on that border, you'll see why the two countries are often characterized the way they are.  On the coast of The Stormlands are some of the worst storms on the continent, and the German coast is known to experience harsh storms from the North Sea.  To the south, the Red Mountains of Dorne close off the southern edge of The Stormlands similar in the way The Alps close off Germany's southern border.  

                                            Courtesy of world-placez.blogspot.com

The Stormlands are known for their extensive forests, similar to Germany's Black Forest region, and are excellent grounds for hunting, but it is not the most fertile region.  Additionally, the Stormlands have been in conflict with The Riverlands and The Reach on multiple occasions, which is consistent with Germany's history and conflict with it's neighboring countries.

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Lastly, the conflict between the two Baratheon brothers, Stannis and Renly could be an analogy for the conflict amongst German rival states during medieval times.  Germany didn't officially become a unified country until the 1800s, so during the Middle Ages it was still a myriad of city states and rival kingdoms, each with it's own ruler and claimant.  This prevented Germany from becoming a major political powerhouse on par with England and France until it was unified.  

                                                Courtesy of ironthronerp.wikia.com

THE REACH - FRANCE

Again, it's pretty hard to dispute the argument that The Reach is France.  It's know for it's wonderful climate, ideal for growing a number of crops, which has made it the breadbasket of Westeros, and it is the region most known for feeding the citizens throughout the other kingdoms.  It's also well known for having the best wine in Westeros and fields of flowers growing throughout it's landscape.  The fitting symbol of the ruling house, House Tyrell, is a rose, while France is often associated with it's own flower, the fleur de lis.  

                                                     Courtesy of wikipedia.org

The symbol above was the coat of Arms for the Kingdom of France during the Middle Ages, but even after English King Henry IV took holdings in significant portions of France, he adopted the fleur de lis into his own crests along with the English golden lions.  

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France was often seen as the most chivalrous and romantic of the regions during the Middle Ages and this is evidenced by the description of Ser Loras Tyrell, The Knight of Flowers, who is seen as one of the best knights in the Seven Kingdoms.  

                                                   Courtesy of gameofthrones.wikia.com

Geographically, The Reach shares a border with the Westerlands (England), a long undecided border with The Stormlands (Germany), The Crownlands (Italy), the Riverlands (BENELUX) and Dorne, which we'll get to next.  France maintains all of those borders today, though the border with England is a maritime border.  Based on these borders, the Tyrells and The Reach have often conflicted with their neighbors.  

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Finally, Oldtown is located in The Reach.  It is the oldest city in Westeros, and essentially is the center of knowledge to the known world.  It's not difficult to compare Oldtown to Paris, as Paris is a very old city with a wealth of culture, history, and knowledge, and is often viewed, like Oldtown, as the epicenter of art and learning.  

 Courtesy of powderoom.kinja.com

DORNE - SPAIN

Our last country, again is not difficult to distinguish, as Dorne is clearly Spain.  Dorne, like Spain, is probably the one region in Westeroes more ethnically, geographically, and culturally different from the rest of the continent, so let's examine each of these.

                                                       Courtesy of sea.ign.com

Ethnically, the people of Dorne are made up of Rhoyne refugees from a region similar to the Nile Delta in Egypt, who then intermarried with the local population of Andals and First Men.  Due to their unique heritage they remained fiercely independent from Westeros for some time, even after the other Seven Kingdoms were unified.  Based on these origins, the people of Dorne have more of a cultural relationship to Essos, similar to how Spain has more of a cultural and ethnic tie to North Africa based on the Moorish influence during the Middle Ages.

                                          Courtesy of watchersonthewall.com

As for the geography, Dorne has an arid climate, and the only desert on the continent.   It is also known for it's spices, citrus fruits, and wine.  Spain is a very unique country, because you can be in a lush mountainous region and an hour later be in an arid flat plain that resembles North Africa.   The region around Zaragoza, Spain looks more like Morocco than Europe and you can clearly see the Moorish influences based not just on the religion, but the architecture and food throughout the country.   

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Alright, so that brings us to a close on the Busch Gardens tour of Westeros.  I may do some more historical comparisons in the future of different characters and scenes throughout the show, as Martin and the producers of the show have done a wonderful job of using historical events as the basis for political drama.  Season 7 can't get here fast enough.  Cheers!

Was Last Week's Season Finale The Best Game of Thrones Episode Ever?

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Well, if it wasn't, it was damn close.  Cheers to Miguel Sopachnik, because I didn't think he could top himself after "Hardhome" and then "The Battle of the Bastards," but he went out and did just that.  Whatever it costs HBO to have him direct every episode, it is worth it, because this man knows how to make a television show look like a full length feature film.  This episode was jaw-dropping from start to finish; so let's take a look at "The Winds of Winter."

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As the episode opens, people wondered if The Flayed Man banner of House Bolton would be replaced by the Stark's Direwolf banner, as the opening credits pan to Wintefell, and we were not disappointed.  The first scene then cuts to the Great Sept of Baelor as it overlooks King's Landing, and this scene is some of the best publicity Dubrovnik, Croatia could ever get, because it looks absolutely breathtaking.  Obviously, there's a lot of CGI that goes into this, but the city still looks stunning.  Cersei overlooks the Sept while King Tommen and Queen Margery are attended to by their servants, and The High Sparrow puts on his usual designer potato sack.  

                                                      Courtesy of thedailymail.co.uk

The Sept is slowly filled with King's Landing's most notable people, and the piano music that accompanies this scene is both creepy and simultaneously beautiful.  Ser Loras Tyrell is put on trial for his crimes, where he immediately confesses as he simply wants the punishment to be quick and stern, just to escape the torture he's been undergoing since he was arrested.  The High Sparrow lectures the crowd on the differences between the gods, namely The Warrior (who punishes) and The Mother (who shows mercy).  It clearly appears as if The High Sparrow is extremely arbitrary in his ruling; however, the look on Margery's face throughout the scene looks like this was an orchestrated plea bargain.  She does not seem surprised by Ser Loras's renouncement of his title and claims on Highgarden; though it's also abundantly clear, his father Mace Tyrell did not have any idea this was coming, as he's completely shocked that his only male heir cannot inherit his title and lands.

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Ser Loras then has The Faith Militant give him their Inglorious Basterds branding, which will mark him as a member of the Faith until death, and as the music begins again, we see that might not be so long after all.  King Tommen begins to make his way toward the Sept and is stopped by The Mountain, and it's pretty apparent that Cersei does not want him in that hall with the others.  

                                                   Courtesy of businessinsider.sg

Cersei chooses not the attend her own trial, which apparently you can do, instead remaining in The Red Keep sipping on her favorite wine.  Lancel exits the Sept and sees a child running out of the hall, and follows him.  Here's some free advice, if you see a poor beggar child running away from a room full of very important people, odds are something really bad is about to happen.  The episode then cuts to Grand Maester Pycelle as he is led to a dark room, where he finds Maester Qyburn and a room full of children with knives.  The children quickly execute him in brutal fashion in a scene that could easily be titled The Revenge of Santa's Naughty List. 

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Lancel is wandering in the area beneath the Sept, when he's stabbed by one of Qyburn's little birds and crumbles to the ground.  One quick point here, Arya, a teenage girl, gets stabbed multiple times in the abdomen and is able to jump off a bridge, swim to shore, and walk through the streets of Braavos.  Lancel, an adult male, is stabbed one time in what appears to be a quick strike and release and is unable to walk.  If that doesn't show you how terrifying teenage girls are, I don't know what will.  

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Margery clearly knows something is wrong, as both Cersei and Tommen aren't in the Sept.  She's been playing the part of a convert to try and escape punishment, but she fully breaks character and explains to The High Sparrow, "The Trial can wait." Look, we all need to leave or we're going to die.  The scene cuts back to Lancel as struggles to drag himself toward the light, at which point he sees what looks like a completely massive supply of the most toxic Mountain Dew ever made.  

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At this point, everyone who isn't a religious zealot realizes what is happening and makes a break for the exit, but they are blocked by The Faith Militant in an effort to maintain some kind of order and stability in a room full of chaos.  Margery stares back at The High Sparrow and both of them likely realize their plans, whatever they may be, are completely ruined based on their own hubris and belief they could control the situation.  

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The Wildfire ignites just before Lancel can reach the timer candle and the area under the Sept is engulfed in flames, immediately incinerating him.   The inferno rages through the open space, and the floor of the Sept begins to shake just before the Wildfire erupts into the hall killing everyone inside instantly.  

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Ummm, the collateral damage from this explosion is not minimal.  Multiple bystanders become casualties, as the Wildfire rips through what appears to be several city blocks.  Cersei was clearly not looking for a calculated tactical strike, but rather appears to favor the "Firebombing of Dresden" method of warfare.  Despite its brutality, this scene was exquisite to watch.  The way the music keyed up with the timing of the explosion, the use of the candle timer, and the cinematography of the city being overrun by green flames were EXTREMELY well done.

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Cersei looks on with joy, as a slow smile crawls across her face while sipping her wine, knowing she's eliminated, Margery, The High Sparrow, The Hand of The King, and The Faith Militant all with one swift blow.  Tommen's reaction however, isn't as positive as he watches his wife, his religion, his city, and his reign as king all turn to ash thanks to his mother.  

                                                   Courtesy of betches.com

Despite her flaws, and there are clearly more than a few, this next scene with Cersei was fantastic.  She ends up wineboarding Septa Unella, who you might remember from the 50 thousand Shame memes we were treated to last season.  Cersei confesses to the Septa that she drinks, killed Robert Baratheon (via having Lancel get him too drunk to properly hunt), sleeps with her brother and lies about it, and killed The High Sparrow and The Faith Militant all because it felt good.  She promises that Septa Unella won't die today, and she then exits the room leaving Unella alone with the horrors of The Mountain.  

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Tommen stares out the window as King Landing burns and his aid leaves him.  He removes his crown, out of what is a clear respect for the office, and the camera lingers in silence on the window as Tommen climbs to the ledge and throws himself to his death.  This feels like a sad end to a teenage boy who wanted to do the right thing, but was clearly caught up in a game between too many forces.  The way this is filmed though is exceptional, you can hear Walder Frey's voice immediately after Tommen exits the frame toasting, "For House Lannister" and the camera cuts to The Twins, the ancestral home of The Freys.

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Walder Frey finishes his toast by saying, "The Freys and the Lannister send their regards," an obvious homage to The Red Wedding, also held at The Twins.  Jaime Lannister and Bronn flirt with some of the servant girls at the feast, and as Bronn wanders off, Walder Frey approaches Jaime and attempts to find common ground by comparing himself to Jaime, as both are kingslayers.  He takes pride in claiming defeat over his enemies, when Jaime reminds him that the Freys are only victors thanks to the Lannisters.  Jaime exits the table rather abruptly notating to Lord Frey that if they have to keep coming to the Riverlands every time the inept Freys need their help, that maybe this alliance is not mutually beneficial.  

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Cersei and Qyburn stand over the body of Tommen, and Cersei orders that his body be burned and his ashes buried where the Sept once stood. She's somewhat distraught, but based on the prophecy, she clearly knows this is coming.  The scene cuts to Old Town as Sam and Gilly make their way to The Citadel.  Upon entering, it's pretty clear that The Citadel's records aren't exactly updated in real time.  "Hey, how's Stannis doing?" "Ned Stark still The Hand of The King?"   Sam is permitted to use the library, and his reaction upon initially viewing this hearth of knowledge is spectacular.  The armillary sphere (I didn't know it was called that until this week either) that we see at the beginning of each episode is present in the library, and it is engraved with the story of Westeros.

                                                 Courtesy of wikiofthrones.com

A white raven heads to Winterfell as Jon meets with Melisandre.  Ser Davos enters and confronts the Red Woman about the death of Shireen, to which Melisandre readily admits to burning alive.  Davos breaks down and you can hear the anger and sadness in his voice, and to be quite honest this is some of the best acting in the entire series.  Bravo to Liam Cunningham for going all out in this clip.  Davos and Melisandre verbally spar over the significance of Shireen's death, with Davos pointing out it was meaningless as all Stannis's forces died anyway, and Melisandre arguing she can only do what her god commands her to do, and that because of him Jon Snow is alive and they are standing in Winterfell.  Davos asks permission from Jon to execute Melisandre, and Jon Snow banishes her from The North.  It's a difficult decision, as he can't let her go unpunished, but also can't execute her as he knows she's the reason he's alive.  As she exits, Davos stops Melisandre and tells her that if she returns, he'll execute her personally.  Sansa joins Jon on the wall as Melisandre rides away.  Sansa apologizes for not telling Jon about the Knights of the Vale, and admits only a fool would trust Littlefinger.  The white raven that we saw in the beginning of the scene we learn was from The Citadel, and carries a message that Summer is over and Winter has come.  

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Cut to Dorne (only took 9 episodes), and we see Lady Olenna dressed in all black, mourning the loss of her entire family, and unquestionably carrying this scene by telling anyone who's not Ellaria Sand to shut their damn mouth and let the grown women talk.  Olenna explains that Cersei stole the future from her, and she's not after survival but vengeance and justice in the name of Fire & Blood as Varys appears to architect a new alliance between Dorne, Highgarden, the Greyjoys, and Daeny.  

                                                          Courtesy of bustle.com

In Mereen, Daeny is forced to tell Daario he won't be coming on her journey to Westeros, but will instead be staying behind in Mereen to govern the city.  Daario doesn't take the news well at first, but eventually capitulates, because ummm what else is he going to do.  Daeny then meets with Tyrion and he explains to her she's in the great game now, and the great game is terrifying.  It's a fantastic line.  Daeny names him Hand of the Queen and places an exact replica of the Westerosi Hand of the King brooch on Tyrion.  He's clearly moved by the gesture and kneels before Daeny, albeit on a step, but it's touching to see someone finally treat Tyrion's counsel and advice with merit.

                                                   Courtesy of ign.com

Back in The Twins, Walder Frey sits alone drinking his wine, as a servant girl seen earlier staring at Jaime Lannister and Bronn approaches with pie.  Walder does not recognize her, as he claims she's too pretty to be one of his girls.  He asks where his sons are as they're late, when the servant girl explains, "They're here my Lord."  Walder looks around confused, when the servant girl lifts up the pie he's been eating to reveal a finger.  She explains they weren't easy to carve especially Black Walder, at which point Walder realizes his sons have been baked into the pie he's been eating.  

 

                                                         Courtesy of usathebiglead.com

Arya takes off the face she's been wearing and fully reveals herself, name and all, to Walder Frey, and explains she wants him to know who she is, and that the last thing he's ever going to see is a Stark smiling down at him as he dies.  Walder tries to move away, but Arya grabs him by the head and slits his throat.  He dies horrifically as she stands over him smiling, avenging her family for The Red Wedding.  

                  Courtesy of melty.com

At the conclusion of this scene we learn several things.  Firstly, the servant girl wasn't flirting with Jaime Lannister, she was Arya Stark and she was doing reconnaissance on him and Walder Frey. Secondly, she desecrated the Frey's bodies in remembrance for how her family's bodies were desecrated, as Robb was beheaded and Cately was thrown into the river, by baking the Walder's sons into a pie.  Lastly, Arya murders Walder in the exact same way Black Walder and the Freys murdered her family at the Red Wedding, by taking advantage while he is drunk at a celebratory feast, and slitting his throat the same way Black Walder killed her mother.  It's poetic and a fitting end for the leader of an incompetent family of glorified toll booth operators.  

                                                 Courtesy of ebooks-for-free.com

This was a brilliant job by the writers of mixing in portions of Shakespeare's Titus Andronicus play into their story.  In the play, Titus angered by the savage acts of two of the sons of his rival against his family member, murders the men and bakes them into a pie and then serves them to his rival.  After telling the rival that their sons were baked into the pie they'd just been eating, Titus immediately murders his rival.  

                                             Courtesy of winteriscoming.net

Back at Winterfell, Littlefinger approaches Sansa and explains that every time he makes a decision he pictures if that decision will end with him sitting on the Iron Throne with Sansa at his side.  Sansa rebuffs him, saying that's a pretty picture, and despite his claims that he's declaring for House Stark, he's done so with other houses before.  Littlefinger ends his courting by suggesting she should be the true ruler of Winterfell and not a motherless bastard born in the south.

                       

                                               Courtesy of linkrandom.blogspot.com

North of the Wall, Uncle Benjen explains that The Wall isn't just ice and stone, but it's made of magic and as long as it's standing the dead cannot pass.  So, The Wall is definitely coming down next season.  He drops Bran off his horse and bids them farewell, and I realize he can't go past The Wall, but how about maybe helping Meera build a sled or something else to carry Bran around in?  I mean can you go to the gates of Castle Black and knock on the door, and let them go through?  How far is she going to be able to carry him out of those woods?  

                                                  Courtesy of thenypost.com

Bran accepts his responsibility as The Three Eyed Raven and goes back to The Tower of Joy.  Ned climbs the stairs to find his sister, Lyanna, dying, covered in a blood after having given birth.  She makes Ned promise to protect her child, because if Robert (Baratheon) finds out who the father is he'll kill him.  Ned promises, and the show reveals that R+L=J as it cuts to a full grown Jon.  It's not a complete revelation to the viewers, but it's about as close as you can get without coming right out and saying this is Rhaegar Targaryen's child.  Imagine for a second if you started reading these books when they first came out 20 years ago, and you'd been waiting 20 years to find out if this theory is true, and the show finally confirmed that Jon is in fact a Targaryen and based on his parents is Fire and Ice.  For those book readers, it's a major affirmation of the most popular GOT theory.

                                             Courtesy of sheknows.com


The Knights of the Vale, The Wildlings, and the remaining houses of the North bicker and argue over how best to rule The North now that the Boltons are dead.  When...cue Lady Mormont!  The Lady of Bear Island calls out 3 of the ruling Lords of the North, for basically being cowards and refusing their call to arms.  She tells them House Mormont remembers.  She pledges allegiance to Jon as The King In The North, and the rest of the Northern lords fall in line proclaiming Jon The King In The North!  For reference, that didn't work out so well the last time someone was proclaimed The King In The North.  The scene ends with a foretelling look between Sansa and Littlefinger.  She initially smiles at Jon being named The King In The North, but after sharing a glance in which Littlefinger clearly sees this as an obstacle to his ultimate goal of sitting on the Iron Throne, Sansa's face drops.  It should be interesting to see what happens next season in regards to that plot development.

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Jaime, Bronn, and the rest of the Lannister forces return to King's Landing, with the city still smoldering after the Sept of Baelor was blown to smithereens by Cersei.  He's shocked, but not as shocked as when he enters the throne room, to find out their son is dead, and Cersei has essentially proclaimed herself Queen of the Seven Kingdoms.  Jaime watches from the gallery, which coincidentally, is where the ladies of the court usually stand.  The look Jaime and Cersei share is one of intensity.  While Jaime does love Cersei, this is everyone's, him included, worst nightmare come to fruition.  The only real redeeming quality Cersei had was the love for her children, and that's been taken from her.  The prophecy of Maggie the Frog has had another box checked off, and now Cersei has nothing to stop her from ruling with an iron/gold fist.  Maester Qyburn is named the new Hand of the Queen, and the scared populace repeat "Long may she reign," which brings us to our final scene.  

                                                      Courtesy of dorkly.com

Daeny's forces just got a whole lot stronger.  The season finale ends with Daeny and her allies sailing towards what we can only presume is Westeros to take back the Iron Throne, which Daario feels confident she'll accomplish.  Her current allies are the Dothraki, Unsullied, Tyrells, Dorne, and a significant portion of the Greyjoys, as they leave Mereen to sail towards Westeros.  It's pretty evident the laws of physics and time aren't adhered to very often in this show, but hey it's a fantasy world they can do what they want I guess.  Varys makes his way from Mereen to Dorne, and then back to Mereen fairly quickly as he's on Daeny's ship heading toward Westeros with Tyrion and Missandei.  Are they headed for King's Landing, or stopping off somewhere else first?  Is Euron Greyjoy going to show up for a naval battle before they reach Westeros?  Will Daeny and Jon square off in a final battle of who is more Targaryen?

                                                     Courtesy of nerdist.com

In summation, this episode was pretty top notch from cradle to grave, awful pun definitely intended.  A swift separation of Church and State was made, by basically eliminating the church portion.  We got an insight that Sam is likely going to learn something pretty important at The Citadel.  Daeny is not afraid to make alliances, despite her claims she's going to break the wheel.  The Red Wedding was most certainly avenged with the Boltons and Freys both meeting harsh ends this season.  R+L=J was definitely confirmed, and lastly, the reign of Queen Cersei the First looks like it's going to be a fairly short one.  The North just seceded without much dissent from the Vale, who clearly don't back the Lannisters; Dorne and Highgarden are in open rebellion; half of the Iron Islands are supplying their ships for war against the crown; and the Lannisters only remaining allies, the Freys just got decimated by a teenage assassin.  Season 7 should be fun.  Cheers!