A Scene of Ice and Fire

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Ep. 69: The 10-Year Anniversary Special Apr 23, 2021

Show notes

It's been a minute, hasn't it? Andrew and Manu are back on the podcast airwaves for the first since, well, a pandemic began to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the premiere of "Game of Thrones" on HBO.

Personal lives have prevented the podcast from returning in full (though we still hope to eventually!), but we had a lot of fun taking 75 minutes to look back on how we first got into "Thrones," and many more topics -- favorite moments, episodes, and castings & characters. We also took some time to discuss how we've reckoned with the most frustrating aspects of the end of the series, and how we hope that audiences don't dismiss so many good memories from the show just because of its conclusion. Not everything's about "sticking the landing."

At the end, we look toward the future and all the prequel possibilities in the works, most notably "House of the Dragon," which will come to a Home Box Office near you in 2022. Wherever there be dragons (or even just Westerosi lore), we will follow.

Manu has a new Metal Gear Solid podcast, Podcast Sans Frontieres!
Manu on the Not a Podcast's "Clash of Kings" finale, Bran VII
Manu's Twitter thread of top 30 "Thrones" moments
Andrew's baseball writing, and Disney blog that's running through the Disney Animated Classics in order
Just because: Jaime fookin' Lannister (since we both love the bath confession scene so much)
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Ep. 68: Joffrey Did a Super Bad Thing Sep 16, 2019

Show notes

It's a King's Landing party for the latest podcast, as Andrew and Manu continue the season 2 premiere. Tyrion and Shae discuss the dangers of King's Landing, Cersei asserts her power over Littlefinger in trying to locate Arya, and Joffrey subsequently turns the tables on Cersei by threatening her after she smacks him for a rude comment about Robert's affairs.

The worst part comes at the end of the episode, when Joffrey has all of Robert's bastards brutally executed (unlike in the books, where Cersei does it; more on that in the podcast), save for one smith's apprentice, who happens to be traveling with Arya on the way to The Wall. Wuddya know!

Don't worry, Stannis Crew, we have a special episode coming very soon on everything surrounding his introduction to the series.

Ep. 67: Robb the King Sep 02, 2019

Show notes

"The North Remembers" continues with the two eldest remaining Stark men (not counting the AWOL Benjen). Jon and the Night's Watch have arrived at Craster's Keep, and it turns out that dude is a real incestuous shithead! You hate to see it. He gets a tough lesson from Jeor Mormont about why they're working with such a detestable dude, but it leaves us plenty of room to critique.

Further south, Robb and his Northern army are deciding their next best course of action. He sends the Lannister cousin Alton back to King's Landing to give Joffrey & Cersei his terms, which are understandably steep. Then, much to Catelyn's chagrin, he listens to Theon's suggestion of sending him to try to align with his father, Balon Greyjoy. This will not end well.

There are some great nuggets in here about Robb and Jon (to a lesser extent) asserting themselves in leadership roles. Tune in.

Ep. 66: Follow the Red Comet Road Aug 26, 2019

Show notes

Andrew and Manu roll along in their second podcast on "The North Remembers," where the red comet that tracks everyone throughout the episode first seen over Bran, who is presiding as acting lord of Winterfell with Luwin and Osha close by. We see how he's growing and dealing with the new responsibilities, as well as his first exposure to wolf dreams.

A world away, Daenerys and the Dothraki also hover under the red comet, but it's just about the furthest thing from their minds. Survival in the Red Waste is proving to be an arduous task, but an intriguing podcast topic (#congrats to us, I guess). Starvation is a brutal enemy. Dany sends her bloodriders off in different directions to find some hope.

Emilia Clarke's New Yorker piece on battling brain aneurysms throughout season 2 filming; she is tougher than all of us combined
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Ep. 65: "There is Work to be Done" Aug 19, 2019

Show notes

At long last, it's come time for Andrew and Manu to hit the books on Game of Thrones season 2. Expectations were high on the show following a breathtaking initial run that ended in shock with the death of Ned Stark. The sophomore season shows the aftermath of this turn of events, as kings rise and fall throughout the Seven Kingdoms while trying to truly take control of Westeros. The second book of the series is called "A Clash of Kings" for a reason.

We begin in King's Landing, where Joffrey is sadistically enjoying his name day with some casual violence and we see how the captive Sansa to trying to maintain her dignity in this tough situation. Joffrey's smiles turn to unease when Tyrion marches in with Bronn and the Hill Tribes, and he quickly takes the leading seat of the Small Council as Acting Hand of the King, much to Cersei's chagrin.

Thus begins Peter Dinklage's absolute tour de force of this season of Game of Thrones. To paraphrase Michael Jordan, "we're back."

Ep. 64.6: A Time for Wolves May 21, 2019

Show notes

Andrew and Manu reach the end of road of one part of their journey. "Game of Thrones" aired its finale, "The Iron Throne" on Sunday, and offered a glimpse at the new future of Westeros. This is definitely a time to reflect on how fascinating characters like Arya, Daenerys, Sansa, Tyrion, Jon, Brienne, and more wrapped up their arcs.

We touched on pretty much every major plot point of the finale before offering some last thoughts. Of course, you're not done with us just yet. (At least we hope you're not!) Soon, we'll jump back in time and begin our normal scene-by-scene coverage of season 2.

We can't wait and we can't thank you enough for joining us in our journeys through the final season.

Sean Collins and Joanna Robinson on the comparisons between the Iron Throne and the One Ring
Kim Renfro on Sansa's remarkably detailed Queen in the North coronation dress
Register with the discount code "Manu" for Con of Thrones (Nashville, July 12-14)
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Ep. 64.5: Burn Them All May 14, 2019

Show notes

Thrones is almost at an end, and the most recent installment, "The Bells," felt more like a cinematic blockbuster to Andrew and Manu than an episode of television. There are definite positives to that in terms of directing, set design, cinematography, and more!

Unfortunately, we also get some questionable storytelling choices, resulting in huge moments like Dany's heel turn on the innocents of King's Landing feeling rushed. But between that, the Jaime/Cersei storyline, Cleganebowl, Arya's wanderings, and the last stand of Varys, there's so much to talk about!

Next week's finale will be something to behold.

Lindsey Romain's Nerdist post on the white horse symbolism
Bookshelfstud's referenced episode recap
Nathalie Emmanuel's EW interview about Missandei's death and GoT's larger diversity issues
This GIF of the Cleganebowl step staredown with Drogon in the background is just an incredible shot
Andrew's post about "Last of the Starks," the previous season 8 episode which we did not have time to podcast about
Register with the discount code "Manu" for Con of Thrones (Nashville, July 12-14)
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Ep. 64.3: Starks in the Dark Apr 30, 2019

Show notes

Andrew and Manu talk about "The Long Night," where the Battle of Winterfell spans the entire episode. It's visually stunning with unbelievably cool effects! But unless you have top-quality streaming, it's hard to see. It has bold plot decisions with incredible character beats from the likes of Arya, Melisandre, and Theon! But some of its decisions are very strange.

The fandom seems split on this episode, and we fall somewhere in the middle, though we like talking about its positives more. Join us! Thoughts gather, and our watch begins.

Please note: The initial recording of the section where we briefly recapped the episode was disjointed at parts, so Andrew went back and recorded it solo. The sound quality will briefly be different, and then soon go back to normal.

Joanna Robinson on some of what into the lighting issues of this episode
Manu's "Girls Gone Canon" appearance for Patreon discussing the pilot, "Winter is Coming"
Manu's Avengers: Endgame review at Screenfellows
Register with the discount code "Manu" for Con of Thrones (Nashville, July 12-14)
iTunes link
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Ep. 64.2: Curtain Call Apr 23, 2019

Show notes

So, "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms," huh? The show knocked it out of the park with a tremendous battle prep episode. Andrew and Manu talk about their favorite parts, particularly Jaime's trial, the warm hearth scenes with Jaime knighting Brienne and Podrick's moving rendition of "Jenny's Song," the vast war council, Theon's return to Sansa's side at Winterfell, and much more.

And yes, we do sigh heavily a lot because boy oh boy are so many of our most beloved characters gonna fall next week.

Manu's instant reaction live stream to the episode on Sunday with Joe Magician
"Girls Gone Canon," where Manu will soon be making a guest appearance on a Patreon-only episode
Joanna Robinson on why the Arya-Gendry hookup makes sense (also see her corresponding "Still Watching" podcast)
"Lord of the Rings" references abound! Theoden's "Where is the Horse and the Rider?" speech before the Battle of Helm's Deep, and Pippin's bittersweet "Edge of Night" song as Faramir led a doomed attempt to retake Osgiliath
Register with the discount code "Manu" for Con of Thrones (Nashville, July 12-14)
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Ep. 64.1: Sam the Slayer of Feelings Apr 16, 2019

Show notes

Andrew and Manu (and everyone else) have finally been able to watch the first episode of the final season of "Game of Thrones." That is truly something in it of itself.

So, it's back to our full episode reviews, like we did in season 7. This was a great place-setting episode that did a little extra to make it an even better season opener than normal. Everything at Winterfell alone would be enough to make it memorable, and talking about it is over half the podcast. But we do also touch on everything at King's Landing, on the Greyjoy ships, and the horror-filled craziness of Last Hearth.

RIP Ned Umber. You were a good lad.

Joanna Robinson on, well, everything!
Joe Magician on the Night King & white walkers' use of symbols
Lauren Sarner on the weapon Arya asked Gendry to make
Register with the discount code "Manu" for Con of Thrones (Nashville, July 12-14)
iTunes link
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