Girls Gone Canon Cast - ASOIAF Episode 141 - ASOS Catelyn VI

Episode Date: October 15, 2021

In the penultimate Catelyn episode, the waters are rising as the Starks arrive at the Twins... Wait: why is the bride-to-be weeping?  --- Eliana's twitter: https://twitter.com/arhythmetric Eliana's ...reddit account: https://www.reddit.com/user/glass_table_girl] Eliana's blog: https://themanyfacedblog.wordpress.com/ Chloe's twitter: https://twitter.com/liesandarbor Chloe's blog: www.liesandarborgold.com Intro by Anton Langhage

Transcript
Discussion (0)
Starting point is 00:00:00 Hello and welcome to Girls Gone Canon Read A Song of Ice and Fire, episode 141, Catalin 6, In a Storm of Swords. I'm one of your hosts, Chloe. And I am another one of your hosts, Eliana. And, oh my god, oh my god, big news about today's episode, in terms of our history, our canon. It's our 200th episode, our 200th published episode total so not 200th a swath hold your applause but 200th total including his dark materials and other random episodes you'll find yeah yeah um i guess with patron we we technically hit that before then. But this is 200 public published episodes. Raise the roof.
Starting point is 00:01:07 Hooray. My God. Hooray. Thanks for listening. Yeah. We're mostly morally obnoxious, and you've stuck around. And I like that about you all.
Starting point is 00:01:19 I do. That's what I like about you. Yes. Thank you, everyone. Yeah. For being with us on this journey after many months. That's what I like about you. Yes, thank you everyone, yeah, for being with us on this journey after many months and, you know, getting ready to start it over with us again. We're going to do Kat,
Starting point is 00:01:32 we're going to do Ned next, and then we're going to do Sansa again. No, I'm joking, we're not doing that. No, a whole lot of honor in the next chapters. No, I'm just kidding. Yeah, by that she means we're doing Jaime again. Oh my god.
Starting point is 00:01:48 Well, don't want to be dishonorable about it, but we do have a new POV. We can't do Catelyn forever. Unlike Jace and Malister. No, I'm just kidding. We can't. We have to move on someday. Even Death couldn't have Catelyn forever, so. Who are we?
Starting point is 00:02:03 Who are we to... Okay, but you know who we do get next week, right? We have a really special guest coming on. Yes. So if any of you were wondering, long, long ago when we first started doing the Catelyn chapters, we read a wonderful letter from our good friend Alex, and we teased and promised long ago that Alex would join us yeah and I do have to say Alex they sent us so many wonderful emails about cat that we had to
Starting point is 00:02:33 cut them off just for a little because I mean I wanted to hear more about it from them on our episode in Catalan 7 and they're so fun they are are a huge Overwatch player and fan. We're friends on PS4, and they're always playing some video game. I love looking at what trophies they have, that's probably weird, but they have had some great, just some really great takes and thoughts and kind of just an analysis on gender studies, which they're really fluent and strong in, and kind of Cat's place in all of the things in a song of ice and fire and what makes it a song of ice and fire so bringing them on to get their point of view on catalan especially as we say goodbye to catalan which is going to be really hard as if this hasn't
Starting point is 00:03:15 been hard enough yeah but actually actually alex has guested on the podcast already briefly briefly for catalan uh during our king in the north speech if i'm not mistaken alex was lord karstark they played lord karstark right yes alex gave such a great performance as lord karstark when we sent out the casting call to all of the patrons for being in the king in the north episode which was a blast alex sent in some great files, and I thought it was going to be like, I didn't think that Karstark was going to be it. I thought it was going to be Grey John. I was like, I bet Grey John. But when I heard their Karstark, it was so, it was haunting.
Starting point is 00:03:59 It was like very sad, very, like you could tell that Karstark just lost their kids. Alex really made that abundantly clear it made that pain clear so maybe that affected my analysis during this pov maybe just because that pain alex brought to it i was like oh god lord karstark you're sad interesting i when i heard like there was like a like them channeling kind of like the there was a sinister undertone not not the sadness and i was like interesting like that they they wove that in and and i mean obviously that's a lot of what we attribute to carstark's storyline within rob's chapters but i think you know again we have found ourselves being sympathetic to sides we did not think we would be throughout this read-through and and i
Starting point is 00:04:42 think that's been really surprising for me on this journey. And I mean for every POV, right? Like, that's something that I'm always surprised about. 200 episodes later of all of these, I hadn't... How I... Not just the characters change, I change. Well, I for one
Starting point is 00:05:02 cannot wait. I can wait, but I also cannot wait to end catalyn's chapters they're gonna be sad it's gonna be intense can't wait to have alex on to help us break it down but we have some other really exciting things going on this month like our patreon episode not only is it you know october crisp autumn days but we're to get into some crisp, creepy autumn nights. And I'm really excited to talk about the creatures and spirits of His Dark Materials this month. We're going to do an overview of, as you said, the creatures and spirits in His Dark Materials. And really talk about where Pullman gets some of that inspiration
Starting point is 00:05:45 and you know what it's like, how he draws that into his own world and story. Yeah, I'm excited to look at some of the structure, especially as we get further into the Amber Spyglass, the third book in the main His Dark Materials trilogy that we cover. We put out an episode a month on that. That comes out usually the last Friday of the month. Lately, we apologize. We've been off our schedule. We're working on it.
Starting point is 00:06:13 We're working on it. Life's going back to a little normal, but you can look for that at the end of the month. Both things, both the patron episode for the Stranger tier, $5 tier and above at patreon.com slash girlsgonecanon. And of course, not only is that something you can find on Patreon, but everyone that's in our Thunder tier, $10 and above over at Patreon, has access to Discord. They have our access to a very private
Starting point is 00:06:39 Discord forum where we do a lot of shit posting, we have a good time uh there's a lot of hot d house of the dragon action going on actually in our bad show forum but october 30th we're hosting a little shindig right aliana we are hosting a little shindig on the discord once a month we do a brunch slash happy hour and this month i think we've got a pretty straightforward theme usually uh we have other themes but this month it's halloween that is the theme yeah costumes highly encouraged it's a costume party a halloween party usually it's just games and giveaways and get to know yous we do have some fun jackbox games i think there's a monster dating simulator game, actually,
Starting point is 00:07:25 that I think we're going to master. I think this is the month. We do some giveaways of some prizes. We might even have some trivia this month. Who knows? So please come if you are in the Thunder tier and above over at our Discord at patreon.com slash girlsgonecanon. October 30th, 1 to 3 p.m.
Starting point is 00:07:47 Eliana Standard Time. I mean, Eliana standard time i mean eliana savings time maybe even eliana savings time yeah and uh we're gonna party i'm gonna get drunk and wear a costume that's kind of my goal yeah well as we said we're gonna get into this catlin chapter and next week is of course our last Catlin chapter unless we were joking we're like what if we just push back and like delay the inevitable with Cat and talk about Succession instead since Chloe has gotten me
Starting point is 00:08:16 into watching Succession as the new season is premiering this coming Sunday yeah season 3 will be starting this Sunday and actually Al, season three will be starting this Sunday, and actually, Aliana and I will be together for this great sacrament. We will be spending some time together
Starting point is 00:08:31 watching the succession, drinking some champagne, taking down big media corporations. No, I'm just kidding. We're not doing that. But we might talk about it. We haven't confirmed yet, but we might talk about it. You might hear about you know, we haven't confirmed yet, but we might talk about it. You might hear about it.
Starting point is 00:08:46 So check your feeds. You never know. Absolutely. So, yeah, we're figuring things out. Well, we're not doing any emails and tweets of note this week. But as we near the end of Catelyn's Storm of Swords arc, and by that we mean her life. Let's go into our lightning round. Jesus.
Starting point is 00:09:09 Get it? Lightning? Storms? Good job, babe. Well, A Storm's Sword's lightning round. Samwell 3. Sam slays another. Arya 9. The Hound and Arya antagonize one another. Sandor plans to ransom aria at the twins
Starting point is 00:09:27 good plan john 6 john begins to evacuate mole's town when he returns to the wall he learns the fate of lord commander mormont bran and rickon damn or does he yeah Yeah, true, true, true. And that brings us over to A Storm of Swords, Catelyn VI. As the Stark company arrives at the Twins, they get filled in on what they missed. Theon's fate is brought to the forefront. Walder Frey gives the Starks
Starting point is 00:09:58 bread and salt. And it means fucking nothing. It's a paper shield. I know a paper shield they should ask for butter salted butter butter means everything some carry gold just slick it on
Starting point is 00:10:15 oh my god that takes us to cat 6 in a storm of swords they heard the green fork before they saw it an endless cicurrus, like the growl of some great beast. The river was a boiling torrent, half again as wide as it had been last year,
Starting point is 00:10:33 when Rob had divided his army here, and vowed to take a fray to Bride as the price of his crossing. He needed Lord Walder and his bridge then, and he needs them even more now yeah things are bad right it's still raining things are bad things are bad i do love this is really telling us where we are that rob's fucked the last time he divided his army here you know yes there was hope now there's not it's bad and this line we have to point this out.
Starting point is 00:11:07 Last week, we were joined by Lady Gwyn from Radio Westeros for Cat 5 and A Storm of Swords. And she made very clear to us that we had to pay attention to Ciceras. I can't stop thinking about it since she said this. But it means whispering, murmuring, rustling, a humming, a whispering. it since she said this but it means whispering murmuring rustling a humming a whispering it's borrowed from latin and it's a reduplication of imitative proto-indo-european swer which is to buzz hmm i found that interesting it's a very fancy weird word it sounds like i don't know wheat growing in a field and moving in the wind i still think it sounds like a dinosaur but okay that too that too and speaking i guess of great beasts like the the line here is that the sorcerer is kind of like
Starting point is 00:11:53 is reminiscent of the growl of some great beast and i thought that was funny because we do get a couple of growls from a great beast this chapter not that anyone pays it any mind, but just now when you pointed out the timing of how Rob had divided his army here last year. Yeah. And now his army is divided again, but amongst themselves. And he doesn't quite know that yet. Things are bad and still raining. We're going to a wedding and it's gonna be great.
Starting point is 00:12:24 This reminds me of your saying I don't know if it was last or the other you're like a bummer for all a bummer for all indeed and there is one last thing I want to call out from the opening to this chapter which is it's a boiling torrent
Starting point is 00:12:40 the river was a boiling torrent that doesn't sound good, does it? It sounds bad. Sounds like everything's about to boil over soon. Like a frog in a pot. Yeah, actually, but frogs aren't here yet, alas. Cat is sure that they cannot ford the waters, but it could be a month before they can even try again, so they need the frays. Reynold carries the banners, and as they near the twins, Rob put on
Starting point is 00:13:13 his floppy ears and calls for Kat and Edmure to flank him as they arrive. The gatehouse towers emerged from the rain like ghosts. Hazy gray apparitions that grew more solid the closer they rode i love this imagery it reminds me a lot of ned's wraiths from his fever dreams right of his past the ghosts that he saw wraithed in gray and soon these towers right here they're gonna be full of ghosts too yeah they are i mean because everyone died except like two i mean like
Starting point is 00:13:50 damn walter frame must just he just mustn't be very superstitious right for him to be like if i murdered all these people under my own roof and broke oaths or broke as we're gonna talk about i mean i think he gets off on it because because this is probably when he conceives his kid with his wife, his current wife. That's a theory. Jot it down, our Aeswath. So the Freys are very famed for their two mirror image castles linked by a great bridge. As we approach, the water tower rises in the center with the river below. The moats that surround the river have overflowed, turning into shallow lakes. Thousands of men camp around the eastern castle,
Starting point is 00:14:35 and their banners, as George decides to note, no foreshadowing, look like drowned cats. Hmm. God damn it, George. Catalin thinks that it's impossible to tell who was who. Most of them look gray, but everything looked gray in this weather. Yes. So, you pointed out the drowned cats thing.
Starting point is 00:14:56 And I just think there's so much language throughout this chapter that hammers home, really, this idea of the rising waters and the rain. And it makes me feel like it's too warm, right, for the snow of the Starks. It's melting, just like their campaign, and they are drowning in that melting snow. And on a reread, I think you can really feel how suffocating everything is. You know where it all leads, and how it feels, again, like the stark campaign is just being flooded and in some ways that's what the red wedding is it is a flood it washes away the stark forces in the rain but also in blood you know the the whole red will run later and and the rain of course just really adds to that sense of despair i mean i think everyone kind of understands that rain just like feels fucking sad and and it like gives that sensation of weeping like roslyn's tears and also
Starting point is 00:15:51 again like catlin's bloody tears as she rakes her fingers down her face the next chapter and the rains are also i mean the rains of castam. That's like the name of the song, right? The music playing as the Stark camp is drowned, but also the music is drowning out the cries from the hall. And then you also get it again, like repeated with, oh, where are Rob and Catelyn placed? They're put into the water tower. Yeah. I mean, even looking back as far as the veil, right?
Starting point is 00:16:24 Alyssa's tears, Liza's tears liza's tears yes it's all coming back and you know even the imagery you're making me think of the imagery and just like how dreary and cold it is you think of a rain and you think of a warm rain and how it feels good yeah you know like a warm rain coming down and your face feels warm like a mother's touch you know like a cat licking you i don't know like you think of that and it just feels warm, like a mother's touch, you know, like a cat licking you. I don't know. Like you think of that and it just feels good, but you think of a cold rain and it soaks you to the very bones and puts the very fear of everything within you and despair,
Starting point is 00:16:54 just despair. It's the, it's that like Drury autumn rain, right? As you, as the seasons change into winter, as you know, Rob is finding himself leaving the summer the spring of
Starting point is 00:17:08 his youth he never quite gets to the winter of it because he he dies and oh oh but as opposed to right like because rain can also symbolize hopefulness it can symbolize that transformation into life because that's what spring showers are about in in this area apparently not everywhere not everywhere not everyone knows the saying of april showers bring may flowers so a dream of spring flowers i mean i think about it i mean listen listen what i'm saying is april tiva brings may adas oh my god i hope but like that's actually better than i can hope we're in april anyways but i kind of thought it was fun to see catelyn again musing upon such a large military camp and thinking looking at the colors of all the tents and what this camp looks like because the last time she really stopped and thought about that and i think the text called it out was when she came upon renly's camp and there it was banners of all
Starting point is 00:18:10 sorts of different colors and it looked like beautiful like flowery mushrooms and stuff and and like a garden right and here here it it looks like drowned cats it's very sad it's mostly gray it's drab but each time when catelyn thinks about oh looking at the camp like when the king set up this huge military camp right interestingly a king dies and i think that's the biggest part right is that catelyn looks at these and she sees gray drowned. She can't tell enemies from friends. None of them can. Yes. It's all blurring together here. And again, that camp divided, but they don't really, really know or understand that yet. They'll get it next chapter for sure, though.
Starting point is 00:19:04 I hope so. Well, in that meantime, Cat warns Rob to tread lightly. And Rob does say he'll be sweet as a septum. She advises him to take Frey's refreshment if they're offered it. And if not, make sure he asks for bread, cheese, and wine. And Rob's like, Mom, I'm not hungry right now. You know, like you're being weird. And Cat's like, no, you have guessed right. The law of hospitality protects you beneath this roof. He's skeptical, claiming his army will protect him.
Starting point is 00:19:29 Bread and salt will not. Okay, Rob, your army's also going to be out on the banks. You're about to learn. Rob says, But if it pleases Lord Walder to serve me stewed crow smothered in maggots, I'll eat it and ask for a second bowl. Me, the anime man gesturing in a butterfly is the stude crow smothered in maggots who gets a second bowl life is this john or cat but she's not a crow no that's true yours is more one one that's true yours is more 1-1 that's true and
Starting point is 00:20:06 so I wanted to call out this reaction that Rob has because the way that he responds to this question speaks to part of like how did Rob get into this very difficult position he's in and he says like
Starting point is 00:20:22 you know he has his army to protect him but sure fine he'll fucking eat whatever and again rob is just relying on his army to protect him and as we've discussed in previous chapters and in our rob episode his army is kind of the only thing that he's been relying on and investing any thought into just his military strategy and the battlefield and part of it is he hasn't really been doing any of this kind of politicking really it's hard to learn it's hard to understand people and like what they want and how to meet those needs but also every time the situation is kind of asked for it rather than him doing that sort of treating and politicking, he sent Catelyn to do that diplomacy. And I mean, there was good rationale behind it, right? So first of all, it's not uncommon. Many of the
Starting point is 00:21:13 other kings and queens, right? They're not the ones who are always doing the traveling for negotiations. They can't be everywhere at once and they got to keep things running. An example, of course, is Stannis sending Davos to treat with people. But also part of the reason why Catelyn was doing some of it was to protect Rob, of course. But the first time going through the twins, Rob doesn't even really show the courtesy of treating directly with Walder Frey. He doesn't speak to him directly necessarily when he accepts that marriage oath or that vow. And then
Starting point is 00:21:52 he breaks them. And while, yeah, Walder Frey was kind of shooting his shot real high, you know, I believe people should shoot their shot, but it was a little too high for sure and not only was the price high he ends up getting a better deal out of it later on
Starting point is 00:22:11 as rob becomes king rob still treats that kind of politicking and appeasement of his lords as an afterthought rather than a crucial part of his strategy and that is counter to to ned's lessons because ned i think learned a good bit of that kind of diplomacy and politicking from john aaron john aaron understood like all right if we're gonna win this war it can't just be like military strategy we need the alliances and we need them secure and that was part of how they built such a strong coalition for rob robert's rebellion but also you know he he had to mend the kingdom together right and ned had to very much do that as well and we see that he he establishes strong relationships with his vassals but rob again despite idolizing his father's honor he might be a little bit more like brandon and all of this yeah i honestly from the start i didn't think about that with john coming back to life
Starting point is 00:23:12 and but you're not like far off at all as far as rob's military reliance right rob has not dealt with the politicking and there's almost this kind of thing going on that you think it's rob that's gonna blow it right like he's been hot-headed before he's made rash decisions prior to now yeah just a few you know heartfelt raw emotionally based decisions oh my god that is basically it okay oh my god uh That's what he did. So you think it's going to be him that blows it, but just it turns out they were fucking fucked from the start, right? Bummer for all, you know, as we've said. Bummer for all. For all.
Starting point is 00:23:56 There's another thing that this did remind me of, which is the rat cook. Specifically coming back to Rob saying that he would have a second bowl if asked. Like, I'll eat a second bowl if I have to, because the rat cook killed the prince in revenge for a wrong that the king supposedly did to him. The king's unaware of this as he ate and praised and asked for a second piece of the pie. The gods were pissed, not because the cook murdered, not because he made the king a cannibal but because the cook had slain a guest beneath his roof they cursed the cook and transformed into into a massive rat who was doomed to be unable to eat anything but his own young looking at you
Starting point is 00:24:37 walder uh with bran for so soon right around the corner i mean the night fort this is so pointed here that rob says i'll eat a second bowl if i have to yes yes i love that you've tied it back to brand storyline because yeah absolutely with all of that and i mean this is this is a big part right of some of that stuff that lady Gwyn was talking about last chapter in terms of the GNC or the Grand Northern Conspiracy. Of course, the Manderley and Radcook stuff plays into
Starting point is 00:25:14 it, but also Bran. I mean, we see a lot, and Bran actually has had a little bit of experience, right, in some of that politicking to compare it to Rob's storyline and also compare it to Jon's. Jon has learned very, very much especially in A Dance of Dragons
Starting point is 00:25:30 that there are a lot of things in terms of leadership that are not just winning fights. It's a lot of dealing with people and that's sucking. And for as good as he was at the battles, as he said himself, I'm losing the war. And I think some of it is an escape, right?
Starting point is 00:25:49 It is an escape to throw yourself deep within the confines of, like, the one thing you're good at. And if you're good at, like, strategizing. But politics is part of strategy. Yeah, it is. And unfortunately, he doesn't live long enough to learn that. Yeah, he's lapped by everyone right like the lannisters the frays everyone is lapping him on their political strategy they're also like older it's not fair yeah like tywin's arch nemesis is a 16 year old boy it's a lot to live up to it is well for phrase meet rob at the gate sir ryman the heir to the twins he's fleshy broad and stupid the other three are his sons aka also walder's great grandsons
Starting point is 00:26:35 and edmure confirms edwin the eldest pale and constipated how does he know he's constipated black walder wiry and nasty and then peter pimple. Peter's only a couple years older than Rob, but Walder had married him off to a woman three times his age. Yeah, he was married off at age 10 to Mylinda Caron, yes, of the Marcher Lords in the Stormlands. She was 30 at the time. And even worse, marital troubles are afoot we learn in the epilogue if you recall that little chapter peter is possibly sleeping with sex workers because my lenda is fucking black walder and moon boy for all i know uh yes that is when peter gets caught and hanged by the brotherhood and stoned heart not too far after ryman is hanged
Starting point is 00:27:25 by stoneheart near fair market but truly who isn't fucking black walder that's like a big question like black walder is cucking almost all of his brothers the rumor is he fucked edwin's wife janiece hunter my linda karen and then his cousin fair walda and gatehouse amy that's he's busy is he that good he must have like at least decent enough okay real talk he must have decent enough dick and you know he throws him around in bed that's my thought but just enough you know like i don't know is peter pimple doing it for you eliana definitely not i mean none of them are that's the thing that's why i'm like interesting that blackwalder has such a game that anyone has game of thrones well that said i will say that's like half of the group and like i don't know i suspect edwin and blackwalder are
Starting point is 00:28:20 gonna die at stoneheart's hands probably if. If not, maybe Arya's or something crazy. Who knows? Yeah. Probably. Probably. And you have to laugh because Edmure is like, as talking about them, he's like, gods, I hope Rosalind doesn't take after him about Peter. Oh, well.
Starting point is 00:28:40 That's mean, Edmure. That's mean. Yeah. He's really just dreading this whole thing Grey Wind edges forward, watching the men approach, he's also feeling a little bit of dread, because he growls once they're close enough, almost one
Starting point is 00:28:54 with the rushing river, and then Rob looks startled and calls Grey Wind to me but Grey Wind ignores him leaping forward and snarling the horses freak out except for Blackwalderter who reaches for the hilt of his sword and then i i thought this was interesting that catelyn's the one who spurs between the horses she puts herself between gray wind and the phrase and black walter then shouts
Starting point is 00:29:15 with the naked steel in his hand is this how a start makes amends a poor greeting to set your wolf upon us yeah catelyn being the one between them, it kind of reminds me of a couple things, like her interference with Peter and Brandon during their fight. Speaking of a Peter, right? Wow. Peter Pimple. Mm-hmm.
Starting point is 00:29:37 And also, it's kind of what she does at the end end for herself, right? Like she puts herself between them and causes a diversion yes yeah she's uh she's quite a mom that mother of ours catelyn stark yeah very much mama wolf there's a lot happening during this i wanted to point out the use of the word amends i i was just kind of bored on a search of ice and fire and i was like when has amends been used in the series in the first three books to make amends or amends it's used primarily in catalan 2 a storm of swords there are other chapters but i found that interesting that there are 16 total mentions of amends in the book and in any of the books. Nine of them are in
Starting point is 00:30:27 Catalan chapters, so amends becomes such a big theme of making amends, making amends for your issues, and all of them are regarding breaking oaths, being insubordinate to the bigger plan for the north, etc. So in Catalan 2 we have, if my heart led me into folly I'd gladly make whatever amends I can to Lord Karstark and yourself and Karstark in return asks if Catalin's amends will warm Torrin and Eddard's dead bodies later Robb says if they had Sir Steverin who's dead he may have been able to make amends and Edmure after he does this whole battle of the Fords shindig, he says, you must let me make amends. I will lead the van in the next battle.
Starting point is 00:31:13 So there's this really big focus just on making amends throughout Catelyn 2 through Catelyn 6 here. I just thought it was interesting that he really introduced that in that plot and wanted to hone in on what making amends really means because we know it's like there are some different ideas going on in westeros of what making amends means you could say definitely and i think it's just like an interesting idea to run through caitlyn's storyline because you know i'm always talking about i think forgiveness and mercy and the idea of being able to make amends speaks to this idea
Starting point is 00:31:52 of like can things be set right which is i think also a big question when it comes to vengeance right and also like is forgiveness like what warrants forgiveness and again i think forgiveness is it's tied with mercy right and and that that is part of the lead-up to becoming mother merciless yeah and kind of where that line ends right of mercy when does it end when do we no longer give mercy and why yeah i think this chapter really precipitates on that idea of what's vengeance what's justice what's mercy it displays some of these different things very lightly that you just don't get to see in the next chapter it's like oh you weren't listening to that of the skin of a man just here of a boy skin just laying out. Is that vengeance, justice or mercy?
Starting point is 00:32:48 Yeah. You don't get a chance to care about what that is because you're all going to die. Yeah, it's it's a bummer. For all. For all. But that said. After Grey Wynn kind of, you know, freaks out the horses off horses, Ryman and Peter, they get to their feet unhurt but muddy and Rob tells them he's come to make apology and see his uncle wed house fray. They're pretty pissed, right? They're not very kind to Rob. And this is something interesting. And it should have kind of been the first warning, not just that Grey Wind was upset, which we already see as the biggest red flag, but the bare steel. Ryman immediately bared his
Starting point is 00:33:28 steel, and as we know from Rob's chapters, from what Roderick taught Rob, his sword was bare across his knees, steel bare for all the world to see, even Bran knew what it meant to greet a guest with an unsheathed sword.
Starting point is 00:33:47 And later, like what Rob says to greet a guest with an unsheathed sword and later like what rob says to the great john my lord father taught me it was death to bear steel against your liege lord but doubtless you only meant to cut my meat obviously their alliance is broken ish at this point and they're trying to repair it but a guest coming to your door and you took out your sword that easily that that was very significant on this read-through to me i was like oh you just you bear your steel at a doggo yeah what's wrong with you you're the worst kind of person you're bigger than him it almost yeah almost i mean grayman could probably still win but yes absolutely it is it's's a huge red flag that it happens so easily. And I think that's such a great call out. And, you know, all of that, like, goes to show how much they're antagonizing Rob. And they also like quickly just like turned it on him. Right. It's very, very obviously manipulative that they're like, is this how you greet people? It's like, no, fucking no. Dogs are just like that, alright? Wolves are just like that. Random ass dogs on the street are sometimes like that, alright?
Starting point is 00:34:50 And it's a wolf. Do you just randomly start a murder plot against people? Yeah. How about that phrase? Animals are just like that. There's a reason we bred and tamed them into dogs and we don't actually all have pet wolves. Alright?
Starting point is 00:35:07 I don't know about you, but I... No, I'm just kidding. I don't. I don't. I wish I did. I know. It would eat me, though. It would totally eat me.
Starting point is 00:35:17 Yeah, that's what happens when you have a pet wolf. Well, Ryman further manipulates them. He's like, like, you came late and rob's like i literally sent you a dm dude like i told you we were coming late i sent a bird and ryman ignores that and says i don't see the woman which of course everyone knows to mean queen jane catalan puts her best foot forward she's like queen jane was very weary after travel and she's pleased to visit when times are settled and walder's like my grandfather will be displeased he sheathes his sword finally and he says walder wanted to behold her with his own eyes edwin interrupts telling them their arrangements
Starting point is 00:35:58 are in the water tower their lord's bannermen are welcome to shelter under their roof and partake of the feast, but Rob's host is too big, you know, just too big. They don't have enough room. They don't have enough food. They barely have enough food for their own levies. But those men will not be neglected. A tent is set up for them with wine and ale, as well as, you know, shelter from the rain. Edmure asks when he will meet his betrothed, and Edmund promises him inside, and is all like, you will forgive her if she seems shy, I know. She's been waiting to stay
Starting point is 00:36:33 most anxiously, poor maid. They follow him in, out of the rain, and Edmure complains to Catelyn that Lord Frey didn't meet them in person. Cat reminds him that, well, you know what? When you're 90, you can come back out and tell her how you feel about coming out in the rain to greet people. But internally she's like, I don't know. Ed and your mogu right though.
Starting point is 00:36:59 And she's like, Walter does always travel in a covered litter anyway. So she's wondering, is this a deliberate slight, and is it the first of many to come? to answer that question yes, and yes
Starting point is 00:37:14 it is. It is both, it can be both it's actually not the first though, of many to come this is totally the last Tyrion chapter, right? the last Tyrion chapter, Tyrion was sent to meet Dorian, Dorne's leading prince, but instead he received Oberyn, the dangerous viper. So it's kind of reversed, right?
Starting point is 00:37:33 The Freys are owed a great debt due to this broken oath, and they wanted Rob, the wolf, but instead they're giving the slippery floppy fish Edmure. And I think that's such a great comparison because I was actually thinking about the same thing, especially because as you said, it's like in the last few chapters in this book. And I think that what I found so surprising rereading this chapter is I felt that there was a lot of Walder that kind of reminds me of Doran Martell. Like some of the ways that all of this is set up and that even Walder
Starting point is 00:38:06 is described is kind of like a dark Doran Martell. Yeah, he's even described as Gaudi in this chapter. That really stood out. Because I do think Doran has a good reason
Starting point is 00:38:21 for wanting vengeance against the Lannisters and the lannister regime while walder's desire for vengeance it is kind of more about his pride but like both uh the these are all born out of feelings that have been nursed over decades in both of them right for for walder it's all those uh you know little petty slights and and never feeling good enough and for doran it's you know that a bunch of his family members were killed and he had to bow then to them to those murderers you know it's not really equivalent but they also you know both invite these royals into their home and then they're they're seeking to have those debts repaid.
Starting point is 00:39:06 God. I guess it's not technically. Well, I mean, Marcella is a royal, but they're nice to Marcella because that'd be mean to not be. But Bael and Swan, you know. I mean, they're kind of nice to her. She's missing an ear. That's not their fault. Well, I mean, it's their fault that they didn't do that.
Starting point is 00:39:22 You know, they were. It was Darkstar. Listen, consequences come from your actions. it's their fault that they didn't do that you know they were it was dark star listen consequences come from your actions i'm just saying that there are some fingers that could be pointed in some places on some child care problems there yeah that's true they were they weren't neglectful babysitters would not when they fucking like murder tommy and murder marcella in the winds of winter you can come back and talk to me about this, okay? I would leave them a bad Yelp review for their daycare. When they get to the gatehouse, Grey Wind hobbles at the portcullis,
Starting point is 00:39:56 freaking out, baring his teeth. Catalan thinks he does not like this place. Rob speaks softly to him, talking him down. Walder Rivers and Lame L lothar come up in this time saying ah he fears the water beasts know to avoid the river in flood that was interesting to me because in just like four days time cadeline gets pulled out of the river by namaria right by aria's wolf which shows a couple things beasts know to avoid the river and flood they hate the river
Starting point is 00:40:27 that's either a lie or it's Arya warging Nymeria to get her cat out her mom is the cat three days passed I mean the waters are probably still high right from the flooding but yet Nymeria drags cat out so it's a lie
Starting point is 00:40:44 is what I'm saying. They're lying. They are lying. There's a lot. I mean, as you said, not the first, not the last. They offer to put Grey Wind in the kennel with their master of dogs, but Rob refuses and instead has Ser Raynald stay with Grey Wind before he enters the twins. Catlin thinks that this is all very deftly done to keep both the Westerling and the wolf away from gouty old Walder Frey,
Starting point is 00:41:12 and I'm like, I guess, kind of, but it kind of is like, the bar's kind of low right there, right? It's a little too little too late. And they find Walder in his high seat, made of black oak carved to resemble two massive towers, and it turns Walter into looking like a grotesque child. Yes, the human embodiment of a 90-year-old ballsack. He's wrinkly, pink-necked, scrawny, bald, age-spotted.
Starting point is 00:41:43 He looks like a vulture, but more like a weasel he has loose skin runny eyes a toothless mouth his eighth wife stays beside his seat and at his feet a younger version of himself a man of 50 with a crown and collar ornamented with brass bells caddler remembers this one who has always been hidden away did he always wear a fool's crown, or is that further mockery, she thinks. I must say, I am totally reminded of another fool, right, who has some prophecies about the Red Wedding here. Indeed. Indeed. Patch face. Patch face, patch face, patch face. Patch face. You're right, there is that fool thing running through both.
Starting point is 00:42:26 And well, I mean, as you said, Patch Faces is about this. You know, people wear that fool's crown right before they get murdered. We saw the prologue, okay? Well. So Frey children, grandchildren, husbands and wife all begin to fill the hall. But it's Walder who speaks first. And he says, Rob will forgive him for not kneeling it's not a request as his legs suck but he still fucks obviously he mentions you know gesturing at his wife and then he eyes rob's crown and calls it
Starting point is 00:42:58 poor he says a poor king crowns himself with bronze rob answers bronze and iron are stronger than gold and silver and the kings of winter wore a similar sword crown as well walder comments small good it did them when dragons came i'm just like what was the point of that sentence walder like are you telling me that you think you're a dragon right Right, like, he can't possibly know dragons came. Yeah, I'm just like, especially with, like, this with Jingle Ball being named Aegon, I'm like, that's a...
Starting point is 00:43:33 shooting a little high there again, Walder. And you have the other one, too, right? There is also one named Rhaegar somewhere there, too. Oh, Rhaegar, that's what it is. Suck-ups. I mean, he has it all throughout right his family and we will see there's like a cersei fray there too somewhere but it does feel really significant that he's like he's not gonna kneel right he blames it on the knees but obviously
Starting point is 00:43:57 as we know from all of the marketing from the hit award-winning hbo television show that these books are based off of bending the knee it's pretty it's a pretty big deal that's why they also made a beer as part of the promos named after it bend the knee and it does hearken back to what lady gwynn was saying last episode right of, of Walder being like, yeah, I mean, I joined you and I agreed to be chaotic for a little bit, but I wasn't here to just straight up secede. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:44:35 It is kind of like you said, chaotic. Chaotic. Like, that's what he wanted. He wanted to disrupt the system. You know, piss off a Lannister or two. That's not what he got. He got a rebellion. Yeah. A full-ass rebellion.
Starting point is 00:44:48 He's like, I'm not this kind of messy. He's like, I hate drama, yet the drama follows him anyway. Walder frays like, I am an uncouth bitch and I love, no wait, I hate, but I love drama. Yeah. Jingle Bell is pleased by Walder's heh that he gives. Jinglebell bobs around, and Walder asks Rob to forgive Agen his noise.
Starting point is 00:45:12 He has less wits than a Cranogman, one of Stevern's sons. Oh, good, another slight towards the north. Rob smiles at Agen and says, Your father was a brave man. Jinglebell jingles, smiling. Walder says, Save your royal breath.
Starting point is 00:45:29 And then addresses Lady Catelyn in Lord Tully's return. The fifth Lord Tully he's ever known. He's outlived the other four. He makes sure that they know. Hmm. Interesting. Not at all ominous. No reason, just saying no reason to say i've outlived them okay well is that a threat
Starting point is 00:45:53 he might not outlive edmure though walder supposes that edmure wants to look at his bride and says, All right, you will have it, but clothed. He's not going to see her naked till the bedding, which soon enough, soon enough. He calls for Rosalind to be fetched and asks Rob, Where's Queen Jane is? Rob tells him he left her at Riverrun because she was too weary for travel. This makes Mulder grievous sad and says he had wanted to look upon her with his eyes, asking his lady wife, isn't that so?
Starting point is 00:46:27 And nervously, the lady phrase says that, yeah, we had all wanted to pay homage to Queen Jane. Who must be fair to look upon? And Rob says icily, she is. Cat then is reminded of Ned's coldness, but Walder either just like didn't hear it or ignored it. Yeah, he knew. I mean there's no reason to beat around the bush he knew otherwise there's no way
Starting point is 00:46:50 he says you know there's no way Rob could have forgotten his very solemn promise if she wasn't beautiful with his dick um I'm worried about Lady Frey yeah I just want to put that out there yeah she's later in feast we
Starting point is 00:47:08 find out she's pregnant with walder's kid so that's too bad right like that's too bad because whether it's stoneheart or the brotherhood or aa or other Freys. Like, there are other Freys that would rip that child out of her stomach. That baby's not long for this world. And it's even worse, right? Like, it's kind of sad. She's an Arrynferd whose liege is House Frey. Her name's Joyous.
Starting point is 00:47:39 Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha. Joyous. Sad. It puts her in such a powerless position. Like, she was married off and told marry your liege lord and give him kids and as the rat cook's tale goes the rat cook ends up doomed to eat his young yeah that house is about to just cannibalize itself it's gonna be real rough it's gonna be wild it's too bad for her too bad for all the ladyfrees to be honest yes and by that i mean specifically walter's wives well rob gives his
Starting point is 00:48:17 first apology no words can set that right i know but i have come to make my apologies for the wrong I did your house, and to beg for your forgiveness, my lord. So, Walder gets his digs in, saying the young remember nothing when they see a pretty face and a nice set of titties. But it's not him that he should apologize to, it's his maiden girls.
Starting point is 00:48:40 Arwen, a girl of fourteen, whose name, I mean, who knows? Who knows what influenced that name? Sheree, his, see, I know these references. Sheree, his youngest true-born daughter. Amy and Marianne, though
Starting point is 00:48:56 Amy is once written. Circe, who they call Little Bee, from her Beesbury mother. Sounds like a name from, like, I don't know, from Gossip Girl or something. Little B. Oh my god.
Starting point is 00:49:10 Walda, and then Mary, his granddaughters. Tida, his daughter. Another Walda, an Alex, a Marissa, a Sarah, and Sarah, which are kind of like those left and right twins. Sir Eamon's Walda, who he then kicks off the stage because she's a bastard son,
Starting point is 00:49:29 and he comments, the king in the north has no interest in base stock. Interesting. I kind of think that's a slight too, for a couple reasons. Not even knowing that A, Rob just signed his will with john snow as the heir right like he doesn't know that but he does know that rob married a woman overnight a young lady overnight and he does know ned had a bastard and he does know that cadeline was brought up in a family
Starting point is 00:50:00 that he thinks is stuck up so it is i mean they are it's they are until these are i mean that's just it is what it is i mean so let alone realizing all the rob stuff the king in the north has no interest in base stock obviously because he had a shotgun wedding but on the other hand not obviously because he just chose his heir as a bastard yes it's a there's a lot there's a lot of complexity there right with that decision that was made and i think that's a really really great point of the layers within that dig which i mean props props to walter frey for that then you know like yeah it's a it's a layered it's a layered insult and he's petty i mean i just gotta say he's the king of petty in this book he doesn't nobody nobody outpetties him he doesn't he doesn't know
Starting point is 00:50:54 that i guess john's the heir but and i guess you know that's the thing right he can't seem to rob's heart that it's not that rob doesn't think that baseborn children or bastard children have no value or worth it's that as as we've discussed previously he grew up in a household where he saw that constantly demeaned and didn't wish to subject jane nor a potential child to that it wasn't out of it wasn't out of honor in that way so much was again love for john and and it's a it was a valiant heroism it's just like that same thing right like the price the price of it all yeah and to that same extent, like, Walder could never also understand what's going on there, because for him, they're a dime a dozen. He pops, you know, the kids in, they pop out, and they ask for things. He does his best. He doesn't give a shit. I mean, he's kicking them off stages going, you're not a real kid in this family. I think I just am constantly reminded of my father.
Starting point is 00:52:06 Like my dad, my stepdad has eight siblings. And, you know, he talked as a kid about how sometimes you had to just like fight for the scraps you got, you know, in that household, whether it was attention, whether it was food, love, you had to fight for that. And Walder quite obviously has never offered that love from his heart to all the kids. Maybe it's because he stretched so thin and weaselly in that twin chair. He's just never had to worry about giving that kind of love and never has. And it shows how his legacy is going to burn down. Yeah. And I don't even think it's that he's stretched thin.
Starting point is 00:52:38 He just, I think he just doesn't care. And you're right. He couldn't understand why Rob did it, which is out of love. You're right, he couldn't understand why Rob did it, which is out of love, because... I mean, he treats his true-born children basically the way Catlin treated John. Yeah. Yeah, you're not wrong. He's like, this is... that's normal, this is how you treat people. Listen, you piece of shit, get the fuck off my table. He just treats everyone like that.
Starting point is 00:53:05 Next comes Rob's next apology. My ladies, Rob looked desperately uncomfortable, but he had known this moment must come, and he faced it without flinching. All men should keep their word, kings most of all. I was pledged to marry one of you, and I broke that vow. The fault is not in you. What I did was not done to slight you, but because I loved another. No words can set it right. I know, yet I come before you to ask forgiveness that the frays of the crossing
Starting point is 00:53:41 and the starks of Winterfell may once again be friends. The smaller girls fidgeted anxiously. Their older sisters waited for Lord Walder on his black oak throne. Jingle bell rocked back and forth, bells chiming on collar and crown. Good. That was very good, Your Grace. No words can say it right. Well said. Well said. At the wedding feast, I hope
Starting point is 00:54:10 you will not refuse to dance with my daughters. It would please an old man's heart. So, Rob addressing the room of maiden girls. This is like the worst season of the bachelor i guess he's not a bachelor now but whatever i mean what is this your love island show yes i
Starting point is 00:54:35 haven't started on the bachelor yet but everyone talks about it so i'm like maybe i should just maybe i should just go all in i should just go all in what are should just go all in. What are we going to do with you? I don't know. Oh my god, it's time you take up knitting. Well. Finally, Sir Benfrey, Rosalind's brother, brings her in. They're both Rosbys, children of the Sixth Lady Frey. Small for her years, white as if she had risen from a milk bath.
Starting point is 00:55:03 A comely face, small chin, delicate nose, and big brown eyes. Her thick chestnut hair fell in loose waves to her tiny waist. She kneels to Lord Edmure and says she hopes she's not a disappointment to him. Far from it, thought Catelyn. Her brother's face had lit up at the sight of her. You're a delight to me, my lady, and ever will be. I know. So sad. This is the one little spot of hope. You know, I do love this.
Starting point is 00:55:31 Yeah. That Admir just complained for like half a fucking book about having to marry a fray girl. And like, of course, he's fucking happy. It's this petite shrimp chick that's adorable. And it's like, ooh, I love you, Lord Admir. And he's like, of course you do. I'm'm the man and they can go be happy except sad together because everything's awful it's gonna be real sad i mean she's already sad and yeah yeah i think he he didn't get to choose so obviously he's very relieved but i also am like i mean obviously walder chose that for
Starting point is 00:56:05 interesting reason for for a good reason for his plans but i'm like in general right why are they all like shitting like statistically some of them have to be hot there's like enough when you have so many yeah if there's enough of them statistically you get a couple odd ones no i'm just kidding jesus eliana anyways cat thinks that rosalind's pretty enough again catlin's standards very high but the rosbys were never robust she had preferred some of the older girls in the halls with a crake hall look walter's third wife she's like i don't care if they're hot they got them childbearing hips and big breasts and there's some strong arms to carry them caitlin's like thick thighs save lives basically dude should have married a mormont is what i'm saying like
Starting point is 00:56:55 you want that you want some childbearing look like the mormonts daisy's like right there. But Daisy was into Rob. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, Daisy is kind of his Brienne, right? In a way. Yeah. Hmm. Hmm. Hmm. Interesting. Edmure draws Rosalind to her feet and calls her beautiful.
Starting point is 00:57:15 And then it's like, wait, why are you crying? For joy, Rosalind said. I weep for joy, my lord. Enough! You may weep and whisper after your wed. You know, so Roslyn is from the Rosby side of the family, right? Which is like one of two parts of this family that are actually sane. Yes.
Starting point is 00:57:36 Or somewhat sane. One of two parts of the family that has a conscience. And interestingly enough, I feel like the Rosby inheritance is kind of a big debated about topic in the fandom you know we're at this point in the books as of a dance with dragons that we don't know who's going to inherit at rosby guiles rosby has died he put forth his ward we have obviously braun thinking he might be able to take it and also we have kind of some Freys that might have a good claim from the Frey Rosbys we don't know Bethany's relation
Starting point is 00:58:10 to the main branch but it's boldly clear the current claimants don't have shit it kind of makes me think that Edmure's child might get a claim on Rosby in that same line of thinking but in the meantime maybe we'll see a Frey take it like Perwin or Olivar.
Starting point is 00:58:26 If they live. Haha. Hopefully. Hopefully. And interestingly enough, in Brienne's chapters in A Feast for Crows, she goes through there, right? So it makes me think since Brienne and Jaime's chapters are almost an answer to Kat's disappearing plot, that that feels connected. It does feel connected. I think it will be important at some point that's why people are always talking about it that rosby area that rosby
Starting point is 00:58:53 dairy air asses get it oh yes yes absolutely apparently apparently it's too small though cat was like that girl does not have an ass. No dairy are there. Walder orders Benfree to take Rosalind to her chambers. She has a wedding and a bedding to prepare for, but for now he declares we'll have music. Such sweet music and wine. The red will
Starting point is 00:59:21 run. We'll put some rungs right. Fuck off, Walder Frey. You know, I know that I've apologized for his poor actions before, and I do think there is some level of apology
Starting point is 00:59:38 that, like, you can look at this character and see them as a complex character. However, however, on my mother C and toly's grave fuck walter fray she doesn't have a grave yet yeah true true true like she's still out there she's coming for you she also is like fuck off walter fray and agreed i mean yeah it's like he's just he's just enjoying this too much right like? What is he really going to get out of it? He doesn't really get out of the whole thing what he wanted.
Starting point is 01:00:10 He wanted to be respected, I guess. If you can't beat him, kill him. I mean, what can he do with vengeance, right? Is vengeance going to sleep with him in bed and nurse him or whatever? No, it's just going to make everyone be like, wow, what a slimy piece of shit. Yeah, but I mean, he can just buy another. Yeah, that's true.
Starting point is 01:00:32 Another vengeance. Yeah, another vengeance. Another wife. We'll have one vengeance, please. Make it a double. Anyway, for now, the Stark camps, they're all gross. They're weary and wet.
Starting point is 01:00:44 So he sends them off for baths, fires, and hot mulled wine. And Rob says he needs to see his men across the river first. But Walder's like, no, you don't. It's fine. We can wait. They won't get lost. They crossed once before. He was all like, you wanted a crossing and I gave it to you.
Starting point is 01:01:03 And you never said mayhaps. But suit yourself. Oof, don't like that word being brought up by a fray of the crossing. Mayhaps. A quick refresh back to Bran chapters. Two mayhaps just happened here, one for Rob and there's another that happens for Kat. In Bran's chapters, the way the game between the Walders and Bran is played, you laid the log across the water and one player stood in the middle with the stick. He was Lord of the Crossing and when others came up, he'd say, I'm Lord of the Crossing,
Starting point is 01:01:39 who goes there? The other player had to make a speech about who they were and why they should be allowed to cross. The Lord could make them swear oaths and answer questions. They didn't have to tell the truth, but the oaths were binding unless they said mayhaps. The trick was to say mayhaps so the Lord of the Crossing didn't notice you slipped it in. Then you could try and knock the Lord into the water and you got to be Lord of the Crossing, but only if you say mayhaps. Otherwise you could try and knock the Lord into the water and you got to be Lord of the Crossing, but only if you say mayhaps. Otherwise you're out and the Lord would knock you in the water anytime he wants. And he's the only one who gets to use a stick. So this is the physical manifestation, right? Walder says, you never said mayhaps. Rob here in just a moment makes a speech
Starting point is 01:02:23 about why he should be allowed to pass apologizing to the girls, but he never says mayhaps. Simon Yeah, I... I thought it was interesting. It might actually be inspired by Simon Says. I think it is. I think Mayhaps is literally just Simon Says. You're welcome. Yeah, I forgot that game. I completely forgot that game. I completely forgot that game.
Starting point is 01:02:46 Simon never said. Yeah, and I guess they just played that very specific version there, Lord of the Crossing, and I'm also just like, I don't know, Walder Frey, not everyone played your weird, very indie game. Bore on the floor. It's fucking bore on the floor.
Starting point is 01:03:01 It literally is bore on the floor. It actually is though and yeah and I think it's funny like in this quote that you've reminded us of in terms of the rules of mayhaps that idea they get to knock anyone in the
Starting point is 01:03:17 water anytime because it comes back to that idea again of drowning in the flood oh fun fun we love drowning in the flood we love drowning so much fun look at all the fun we're having i love that line look at all the fun we're having cat through all this remembers the guest right law of hospitality out of nowhere she's like oh shit hospitality and she's like please feed us we've ridden many leagues. Walder is like, hmm, a loaf of bread, a bite of cheese, mayhaps a sausage. Rob adds wine and salt to wash it all down.
Starting point is 01:03:52 The servants whisk it all out, and Walder raises a glass to the Starks as the servants bring it, saying, Welcome to my honored guests beneath my roof and table. Rob, Edmure, and all the men echo their thanks for hospitality drinking eating feeling much safer catalan thinks now we should be safe oh cat you're such a good human you're just like your husband right this is a paper shield this is just a food shield it's not real i love that comparison it's it's such a it's such a perfect like 101 of thinking that yeah these rules are going to protect you society is going to protect me they thought but it didn't society has shit on you since you were born because they got lucky right society is protected
Starting point is 01:04:38 well except for the part where you know robert's rebellion but for a lot of it like society protected them yeah thus far. Well, in the tower, their provisions are actually really nice. The bridal chamber is richly appointed with tully red and blue drapings and a carved bed that looks like the twins. Sweet carpets, shuttered windows. Then Catelyn's room is smaller but handsomely furnished with a fire burning. And, I mean, like, they're they're getting like really weird hot and cold mixed messages from the phrase like them being like very salty and rude but then giving them amazing amenities or like fucking sour patch kids but like that's the point right like it was a sign they're trying to lull
Starting point is 01:05:20 them into comfort they're like gonna get their little jabs in and then and then they give them a nice room a nice wife yeah especially because like again that's what walder thinks he'll be able to fool her with yes right like oh the daughter of host or tully and sure enough rob sweet was promised to be fit for a king they said if you need anything tell the guards lame loather helped them hook them up with the provisions. Don't trust that motherfucker. He limps away heavily and Catelyn immediately is telling her brother, we need to post our own guards. It's obviously, again, too little, too late. While the audience with the phrase hadn't been as bad as they thought,
Starting point is 01:05:59 she just wants it all to be done, right? Like, in a few days time, she's gonna take her depressed ass out to seaguard to be a glorified hostage and then she hears horses below and she goes to watch the host pass through the window edmure asks her what she thought of rosalyn and in her head she's like childbirth is gonna suck for that little girl but instead she says she's sweet edmure asks why was she crying and cat's like you know that's expected Liza cried on her wedding day she weeped lakes the morning of our wedding but she still managed to look radiant when John swept his cloak around her I do have to say I know that she's
Starting point is 01:06:38 saying this to make Edmure feel better right like to to just calm his nerves but liza crying the morning of her wedding lakes you know like lisa's tears eliza's tears eliza's tears uh that lake of tears she cried that was kind of a red flag right yeah that liza was sobbing like these were red flags cat remember you just learned the story of why right your sister was in the deep end because of all the trauma she surpassed like we just went through this so you're willfully ignoring it to say that's normal that's a normal thing that girls cry at their wedding right she's like completely divorcing it from the context of like that was not joy i feel like people can you can you can tell when someone's crying from joy and that was not it that was nerves and anxiety and freaking out because
Starting point is 01:07:30 your fucking family's about to murder a huge amount of people anyways yeah that was red flags and also like maybe i guess her i mean something's going on with her siblings right they're not there yes not present yep it's pretty weird it is a red flag and and muir says that she's prettier than he dared to hope pausing then to like ward off like all right all right shut up kathlyn with your septa sermon and then saying did you see some of those other phrase the twitch the shaking sickness but rosalind seemed gentle and fair why would the old weasel refuse to let me choose unless he meant to voice off someone hideous and cat says like maybe walter wants you to be happy with your bride that can't be it that cannot again red flag cannot be it yeah but she also thinks like maybe he didn't
Starting point is 01:08:23 want you upsetting his plans which is is, yes, true, true. The plans are just significantly more intricate than anyone could have expected. Who knew Walder Frey played 4D chess? No one knew. I mean, that's what the mayhap Simon says. That is some 4D chess shit. Four buttons and Simon says. Bop it.
Starting point is 01:08:43 Twist it. Pull it. Twist it. it four buttons and simon says pop it twist it pull it twist it um look instead she changes what she says because and this is sad right that she like knows she doesn't want to hurt him or separate from him any further than she has to she's already been kind of a bit cold to him during the journey she knows she has to be delicate with poor delicate Edmure she says maybe Rosalyn is his favorite child the lord of Riverrun is a much better match than he can hope for Edmure still seems uncertain yes this Edmure who just chapters ago was hooting and hollering and saying I'm the
Starting point is 01:09:17 man he seems uncertain and he wonders could Rosalyn be barren Kat's like again the grandson would inherit Riverrun so no i doubt that that would be the gift admir that he would give us walder's a peevish man not a stupid one still concerned admir's like i don't know and cat's like it's a possibility maybe she can't conceive but there's no reason to believe it she looks around and she's like admir this could all be going way worse and he laughs and he agrees and he's like yeah he's practically being courteous to us down there i expected the old weasel to piss in our wine and make us praise the vintage yeah funny it's a funny phrase it
Starting point is 01:09:59 reminds me of how stannis thinks people acted towards ro. And yeah, I mean, it makes sense. Walder Frey obviously wants them to have a child. Like once they have a child, right? They don't fucking need Edmure. Well, anyway, the joke, this specific joke, kind of like weirds Catelyn out for some reason. And she takes leave to go change, and she had brought her chest of clothes from Riverrun
Starting point is 01:10:28 and chooses a warm wool dress of tully red and blue. She washes her hair, she lets it dry, and goes downstairs to search for the frays. Walder's throne is empty, but when she enters the hall, his sons are drinking by the fire. Lothar rises clumsily and asks if he can help her. She asks if these are his brothers and he comments, half-brothers, also brothers and nephews. Raymond is his half-brother through his mother. Lucius Viprin is his half-sister's husband and Sir Damon is their son.
Starting point is 01:11:00 Hostine is his half-brother and Leslyn, Hague, and his sons, Harrys and Donnell, are here as well. I don't know if, like, anyone absorbed anything that I just said there. Like, that was really difficult. I did, though. I actually really kind of, again, apologia for the phrase. I really love this little clip because it just, like, shows you how many there are. There's just so fucking many of them. And it's obvious we just walked in on a mini war council now. Like retroactively. You know that Lothar, not only is he clumsily rising because of his foot, but he's also rising like, oh, can I help you, Lady Stark?
Starting point is 01:11:39 What can I do for you to get you away from us who are planning murder right now? Yeah, like when you walk into a room and it's like, we weren't talking about you. They weren't talking about you. Exactly. And they're all pretty shocked to see her there in that room. And, you know, in the Andal War that killed Christopher Mudd that we talked about last week, Vorian Vipron was one of the lords that attacked the Riverlands. Hmm, interesting.
Starting point is 01:12:02 So bringing the Viprons here, yeah, a little bit of history. The Viprons are definitely pro-attacking the riverlands interesting so bringing the vipers here yeah a little bit of history the vipers are definitely pro attacking the riverlands catalan shows them courtesy though in the face of this awkward moment and she's like is sir perwin here he escorted me to storm's end to meet with runley i hope to see him he's away loather says but he shall give him her regards. Boo. Boo. Seems suspicious. Yeah. Very strange.
Starting point is 01:12:32 And she's surprised, too. She's like, he's not going to come in time to see his sister be wed. And Lothar's like, the rain's delaying him. I think you saw that, you know. Your delay came from the rain, if you remember. He's very, yeah, again, very petty, very petty things happening here. And there is something to be said, something being played on here with the phrase, not dissimilar to the Tyrells thwarting Cersei's plans, but that by not expanding and making alliances out of his old war pals, Hoster was limiting the growth and expansion of House Tully. alliances out of his old war pals, Hoster was limiting the growth and expansion of House Tully. And the way Raymond introduces his half-brothers, his cousins, his nephews, and regards them kind of almost proudly in a way, it does show kind of a certain sense of unity and pride of
Starting point is 01:13:16 these family members that they're willing to murder the fuck out of the Starks together. This is bonding. This is family bonding. And this is a threat. Like bonding and this is a threat like this introduction is a threat right like this is introducing the arsenal the freyas have overdone it and they're incurring their own infighting but there's this movie i watched just a bit ago i wonder if any of the people listening at home have seen it uh it's got diane lane and kevin costner it came out 2020 i watched it at christmas with my parents and with my husband it's called let him go and this older couple goes on a journey to get their grandson back their son died and the mother of the grandson marries into this kind of creepy kooky fake crazy family who lives in the middle of nowhere and leslie manville is the mother so she's just like wild she's so
Starting point is 01:14:03 good in it she's crazy but it's like you walked into a crazy ass uncouth lion's den that they like their eyes. They're staring at you with their eyes and they're saying with their smiles, hello, wonderful to meet you. But their eyes don't meet those smiles and their eyes are literally feasting on their bones and planning how to chop their asses up, you know. And that's like the whole vibe of this scene. This scene is exactly that, like, oh, hello, Catelyn, nice to meet you, smile, but, like, that's not, they're not smiling inside. There's no smiles in there.
Starting point is 01:14:37 Yeah, and if they're smiling, it's for the wrong reasons. It's for something bad for you. And that's a great point point that this is bonding because i mean the fray is right they do suffer from a lot of infighting so what better way to bond them than giving them a common enemy yeah one last hurrah before my god before they all kill each other yeah uh civil fray war the frays are closer to civil war than the starks i think that's that's a big deal i think people people yeah for sure fray civil war it's already happening in the north for the walders and perhaps even a civil war civil spicer oh my Catelyn asks them for guidance
Starting point is 01:15:26 to find Maester Brennit. The Maester and Lothar graciously escorts her across the hall. Hastin asks if she had been unwell, and she calls it a woman's complaint. She goes to find Maester Brennit in the top turret, and she half expects him to be afraid. But he doesn't look like
Starting point is 01:15:42 them, not at all. He's fat, bald, not very clean, but he's very kind and very you know sweet she tells him edmure's concern of rosalind's fertility and he chuckles while she's small and narrow her mother was the same and lady bethany gave walder a child every year five had survived past infancy perwin benfree ma Williman, who serves Lord Hunter in the Vale, Olivar, who squared for Rob, and Roslyn, the youngest. Four boys, one girl. Edmure will have more sons than he knows what to do with. Yeah, I don't think that's how, like, that works, but thanks, Maester.
Starting point is 01:16:20 So, I am surprised that Catelyn, like, went to see the maester and took Edmure's complaints to heart. I don't know why, but it also, I think, really exposes the biases that the Tullys have. And, I mean, turns out they are not wrong to have these suspicions, we find out. She was just looking in all the wrong places. The anxiety about Roslyn being fertile is very loaded like again liza hangs above the story especially as catelyn brings her into memory again and then you know she's comparing as we discussed earlier her to rosalind in terms of like their two years before the wedding which that was again not good and as we know general, Liza's story is very much entangled with difficulty conceiving.
Starting point is 01:17:07 And maybe it's, like, even more prominent, it becomes more prominent that they need to confirm her fertility, considering that they couldn't do so with Jane Westerling. Because,
Starting point is 01:17:21 like, obviously now more than ever, Rob needed an heir, and maybe Jane is fertile fertile we don't know but as we learned later her mother was non-consensually giving her contraception which is again reminiscent of hoster's sins but it was just too late for them to do a background check on jane and so they decided to trust her i guess because rob did and they're like it's too late now but you know part of the tragedy it's that they're looking in all the wrong places for all the wrong things i never considered that maybe she was trying to also secure their line you know and offer another heir just in case oh yeah for you know through admir absolutely interesting even somebody of their blood yeah because i mean she thinks there's a lot less of them than there are
Starting point is 01:18:14 yeah oh mama cat you've got a lot of kids still there you won't know probably you might find out but i don't think you will who knows maybe'll hear word. I think she'll hear word. Slash Arya. Slash Arya's sword, which is also word. Anyway. After leaving the maester, Kat goes to find Rob sitting in a war council with Robin Flint, Wendell Manderly, the Great John, and Small John. Everyone is damp, and another wetter man is standing at the fire in a pale pink cloak
Starting point is 01:18:46 looking fashionable. The ruse is loose once more in our chapters. Yes, she greets Lord Bolton who says it's a pleasure to look upon her in these times and I'm like no, Bruce Bolton, you do not get to check out Catelyn. You do not deserve
Starting point is 01:19:02 to check out Catelyn. And she can feel the gloom in the room though, and she asks what's up. There are Lannisters on the Trident. Interesting. Willis Manderly was taken, and Bolton has brought further word from Riverrun. Clay Kerwin and Leobold Tallhard
Starting point is 01:19:18 had been slain, as well as Roderick. And Clay had only been a boy. Yeah. He was like 14, 14 man he was a kid and i'm sure when we get to brandon stark's chapters we'll talk more about it but his death in theon in clash of kings it's almost certainly a mini mirror to rob's death? He follows a very similar trajectory, but his life ends shortly before Robb's. Clay's father is taken prisoner at Harrenhal. Clay comes to the Harvest Feast in lieu of his father, bringing two dozen lances and Stannis' word of Cersei's incest. Not too different, right? He becomes Lord Kerwin when his father dies at Harrenhal and later brings a force of 300 men
Starting point is 01:20:03 to help relieve Torrin Square from the Ironborn, where Ramsay's force betrays the Northmen and Ironborn alike. Clay is then survived by his elder sister, who becomes Lady of the House, Jonel. The language in that chapter when this does happen too is heart-wrenching. It's very parallel to what's going to happen at the Red Wedding, so let's relive it. We don't have enough to be sad about you know these days the boy lord had taken an arrow in the eye and sir roderick had lost his left arm at the elbow maester lewin gave a wordless cry of dismay turned away from the battlements and fell to his knees sick clay kirwin's death is also at this time probably symbolic for catalan knowing this is almost certainly how her sons were killed by the ironborn which is of course how bolton frames this
Starting point is 01:20:53 when catalan asks is it all true then all dead winter fell gone yeah the death of Clay is very, very loaded. And the phrasing of that last question, you know, really comes back to that idea of tragedy because, I mean, like, I'm not sure why, but the construction of it, like the repetition of the word all and the short fragmented questions, the structure of it and the language, it just me of mcduff learning that mcbeth yes i said it has killed his whole family that line of all my pretty ones did you say all oh hell okay all what all my pretty chickens and their dam at one fell swoop and that that kind of feels like the incredulity that they are still feeling in terms of Winterfell and their family being gone and that pain and that home and to your enemies, right?
Starting point is 01:21:54 Of course, but Kat she doesn't realize she's speaking to her enemies here. Yeah, all the banners look gray. All of them. Gotta get some, except for those pink ones they're red flags they are that's why they're pink they're red flags the bold and sigils are pink and red flags literally lit rally wow uh ruse bolton confirms the iron men burnt both the castle and winter town and that his bastard
Starting point is 01:22:26 ramsey had been gracious enough to take some of the people to the dreadfort catalan reminds ruse his bastard was accused of murder rape and worse expelled and he says yes his blood is tainted but he's a good cunning fighter when the iron men slayed their men, Ramsey led the battle. He swore he shall not sheathe his sword as long as a Greyjoy is in the north. He says, perhaps my bastard is atoning for his sins, or not. When the war's done, his grace may judge him. And by then, I'll have a true-born son by Lady Walda. Rob demands to know if there was word of Theon Greyjoy, and Bolton begins to whip out a letter
Starting point is 01:23:05 from his belt but actually it's not a letter it's skin this is too goth wendell turns away flint and small john exchange a look like what a fucking weirdo and then gray john snorts like a bull the skin of Theon's little finger his left hand his literally little finger like you've been saying his left hand man
Starting point is 01:23:34 his betrayer his Judas God yes the skin from the little finger of Theon Greyjoy's left hand my son is cruel I confess it and yet what is a little skin against the lives of two young princes what a bastardization of that line right what is the life of one bastard boy against a kingdom everything but here ruse trades it ruse like, what's a little skin against your two sons being killed? This is, like Roose says, a small token of revenge.
Starting point is 01:24:09 And in a closer look, that skin is actually kind of worth a lot, right? Because it shows Theon's not actually gone as a character. He's not completely broken. He was still unable to kill his quote-unquote kin pran and rickon though not really great for the miller's boys but us readers that skin also symbolizes what the north is losing has lost and is about to lose in just another cat chapter and what is a little skin right against the life of those two young princes i feel like this is an exact question that's going to be answered as we get into the Winds of Winter and a Dream of Spring someday, right?
Starting point is 01:24:48 For Theon's arc. What's a little skin? How is he going to change what Roose just said? Yeah. It's a very, very interesting loaded scene. And Roose offers Catelyn this small token of revenge and part of her actually wants to clutch it to her heart but she resists asking him to put it away and rob says that flaying theon won't bring his brothers back he wants theon's head not his skin and like speaking
Starting point is 01:25:21 of of as you were pointing out those interesting developments of turns of phrase, like, Rob's language in question here remind me of Kat again saying that revenge would not bring back Ned, or Elia wondering about whether a skull will replace Oberyn, or as you reminded us earlier of the Karstark being like, are amends gonna bring my son back? No. But here it is Rob saying that pain or flaying is not an equivalent substitute for the deaths of his brothers. He wants Theon dead, not tortured or alive. And I also read this as a question about the proportionality of justice and then of vengeance, right? And the difference between the two and rob here seems to be saying that the torture might be excessive but also it's just like not what he wants he wants fucking the ungrateful dead and the idea of proportionality and vengeance is i think really important and interesting considering that i mean hey what's going to happen in these two chapters? But, you know, to come back to Doran, I think that him wanting the deaths of the Lannisters, it does feel kind of like understandable and warranted. Maybe even proportional when it comes to the losses of Elia and her children and later Oberyn.
Starting point is 01:26:39 But, I mean, that was also kind of Oberyn's fault. He volunteered to do that out of his own volition. I mean, that was also kind of Oberyn's fault. He volunteered to do that out of his own volition. But, I mean, even wanting heads for Ned's death, like, that might warrant vengeance. But not the deaths of innocents like Willem and Theon. That's not quite the same. But that does ask, you know, what is equivalence in vengeance? Does it even exist? If there is equival then is it justice instead so i don't know anyway anyway after all of these questions the point is whereas like you know while while we've discussed sympathizing and like mildly dabbling into being walder apologist for a moment you know like because he has accrued a lot of like slights throughout his life like Red Wedding as vengeance or as an action to right wrongs
Starting point is 01:27:29 that Walder is talking about the Red Wedding is vastly disproportional to the wrong done on an enormous scale considering how many people died thousands of thousands many people died.
Starting point is 01:27:47 Thousands of thousands of people died. Yeah, plus Rob. I don't know that it's like a kill someone for a breakup or something. Yeah. And no, that divergence of what justice means and what vengeance means, right, for the North. It really is significantly pointed out in this chapter that Roose is presenting, this is vengeance. And Rob's saying, well, I don't want vengeance. That's not what I want. Yeah.
Starting point is 01:28:18 Next, Roose even reminds them of Theon's being an heir, being the rightful king of the Iron Islands, which, first of all, you know no king but king in the North, Roose. So that kind of seemed like a little thing that I didn't think about until now. Good point. You think he's the rightful king? There's no other kings, bro. He says a captive king
Starting point is 01:28:40 has great value as a hostage to them. Hmm. That seems like a red flag. Yeah, once more, that's not what he actually plans for Rob, and the phrase, do not have that planned,
Starting point is 01:28:53 though for Kat and Edmure, the goal was to take them hostage. It's like that Simpsons meme, I'm in danger. I'm in danger. But this does negate, right, the idea of justice versus vengeance, like keeping a king captive, is that justice or is that vengeance for what you're doing?
Starting point is 01:29:10 And that divergence, especially with Beyond Skin disgusting Rob, kind of shows that the northern vibes going on are going to turn to vengeance. And the wrongs that are going to happen to them, to the north, for those that come back to life or are still living, will turn to vengeance. And the wrongs that are going to happen to them to the north, for those that come back to life or are still living, will turn to vengeance, they will absolutely turn to vengeance. And I've been doing a little reading lately, Eliana, as you know, I do a lot of late night reading, lots of Greek mythology reading. And I've been reading a lot about Horkos, the god of oaths and the personification of oath-taking. So Greek society and in myths, if you took an oath, if you made a promise and broke it, bad things would start happening to you. And you'd know Horkos came for his vengeance. They saw taking an oath
Starting point is 01:29:57 as signing a three-way contract between you, the person you're promising, and the gods. That made it divine, right? Something you could only do in name of the gods. Breaking an oath was a violation and insult directly to the gods, which is very bad. We know that's bad. Much like Catelyn, when she comes back from the dead, Horkos doesn't care why you broke your oath. He's not concerned with intent, only oaths. If you didn't keep your promise, he'd retaliate. Aesop often did fables including Horkos, like one where there's a fable where a man sneaks around his rules and Horkos snatches him and throws him off a cliff immediately.
Starting point is 01:30:38 Even Hesiod claimed Horkos does more damage than any other to earthly men when anyone of his knowledge swears a false oath. There's another story that I really like from Mythos about Glaucus, who journeys to Delphi to question the oracle. He asks the oracle, should I steal money that's under my current care that I took an oath to keep and give back? I swore to return it. The oracle, a priestess, tells him seizing the money and forsaking the oath would be more advantageous, but if you do that, death awaits you. You can't outrun Horkos or Horkos's son, who is nameless and pursues his father's enemies until he destroys their family and house. So the priestess tells Glaucos if you were to
Starting point is 01:31:26 swear true your line would be better off glaucos apologizes and he begs for forgiveness from the gods and from horcos for what he said but the priestess then answers him and says to tempt god and to do the deed have the same effect so he's doomed even for considering it so i thought there was something interesting in that that like the frays are doing that now right like they are playing god about it and later stoneheart comes back with some of the same kind of key vengeance but two wrongs like you were saying don't make a right yeah right like you can't you can't just be like i'm going to erase your entire line because you pissed me off and killed a couple people in my family and a couple thousand of my army
Starting point is 01:32:10 you can and that is what happens i'm sure later in this story but uh it's not black and white right like the phrase seeking retribution is not unlike the god of oath breakers seeking retribution for someone even imagined a slight against them especially in war like these oaths aren't black and white they're not fluid obviously uh but they aren't black and white it's also like what oath right and like how you keep it and how you break it and as we've seen to some extent people you saying they're not black and white I think that the Night's Watch is a fantastic exploration of that
Starting point is 01:32:49 because it's a long ass oath with a lot of different parts and people find different ways to skirt around it right like they're like Molestown is a loophole maybe they're not holding any lands but interestingly you know perhaps there's some power to be held depending on who you are, etc., etc.
Starting point is 01:33:11 So there's a lot of, I think, interesting things that you're raising right now in terms of like the oath. And I mean, yeah, oath breaking shouldn't have meant death. But it's interesting to think of the phrase as some like really crazy cool badass greek alternate universe greek greek god but i'm like it's interesting because i don't see them that way at all but i mean the idea of a nameless son right that's practically what all of walder's sons are that's interesting well and i even think that the nameless son to me that reminds me of aria oh that's the nameless son coming back to seek retribution yeah that's probably way more way more apt than me being like
Starting point is 01:33:49 walter doesn't know his kids names yeah i mean it's true so the word hostage raised caitlin's eyebrows and she says i hope you aren't suggesting we free the man that killed my sons Catelyn Stark, who freed Jamie Lannan anyways well, Roose Bolton merely reiterates you know, even in chains, his claim is better than his uncle's hold him, demand concessions from Ironborn as the price of his execution
Starting point is 01:34:22 and Rob reluctantly agrees. Keep him alive for the present. Hold him secure at the Dreadford until they have taken the north. Cat comes back to the conversation, asking about, Okay, so the Lannister's on the Trident. Rue says, Ah, I blame myself. He delayed too long, leaving Harrenhal, Aenys Frey,
Starting point is 01:34:40 having crossed days before him without difficulty. But when they left, the river was a torrent. They ferried across in small boats, and then the Lannisters attacked those who were waiting to cross on the other side. And then we lost Nori, and Locke, and Burleigh, and Wylus Manderly, because, you know, he was on the wrong
Starting point is 01:34:58 side of the trident, powerless to help, and you know what? You should blame yourself. It is your fault. It is his fault, but he gives such a dramatic performance right and he's very conveniently lying throughout this whole thing like everything with this bastard he says you know ramsey sent out and helped uh but ramsey actually murdered the ironborn and then the northman and used confusing tactics much like Bruce is using to get away with murder in this book every time you turn the page
Starting point is 01:35:29 yeah I also don't think he's a good fighter he's even lying about him being a good fighter shit and you know some of these lies and the people that he's left behind for the Lannisters to pick off I do wonder if that'll come back around to bite him because
Starting point is 01:35:45 as we know already, the Manderlys are making moves, but are the Noris, the Loks, and the Burlys also aware of this sort of betrayal because and I just think of it because we have seen like Lord Brandon Nori, right? The jawn at the wall.
Starting point is 01:36:02 Yeah, and I mean we do actually, I want to say we do have some locks in action right sybil lock is captive at deepwood by asha and lord andrew's lock banners are actually at barrow hall when bolton goes there right and they follow ruse to winterfell for his wedding for the wedding of ramsay to aa and that seems significant considering that if Sibyl's at Deepwood right that's connected to the Robet Glover shit
Starting point is 01:36:31 that is also happening here. And to that same thing Wyman also doesn't think that they're going to stay aligned with Roose Wyman thinks they're going to join in with the North and I mean he's in contact right with Robet. Yeah absolutely yeah and I mean like they're planning to join in with the North. And I mean, he's in contact, right, with Robat? Yeah, absolutely. Yeah, and I mean, they're planning shit together with Davos, so they got...
Starting point is 01:36:51 Things are happening. Moves are being made. Oh my god. Post Duskendale fiasco. Back at the river with the recap of what happened. Ruth says that Gregor attacked with heavy horse, drowning them down the river, cutting them down. More fled, most were taken captive.
Starting point is 01:37:10 But, Bruce says, never fear, I left 600 men at the ford, so no one should be afraid of Gregor. Spearmen from the rills, the mountains, and the white knife. A hundred hornwood longbows. Free riders, hedge knights, all backed by Stout and Kerwin men. Kyle Condon, the late Kerwin's right hand, has command as well as Ronald Stout. He reminds them, lions swim no better than wolves, and Gregor won't cross. Gregor's a dog.
Starting point is 01:37:38 Okay, anyway. Rob praises what he did, but Roos says he suffered grievous losses on the Green Fork, and Glover and Tallheart made it worse at Duskendale. Duskendale. Rob made the word a curse. I bet Glover will answer for that when I see him. I promise you. A folly. But Glover was heedless after he learned that Deepwood Mott had fallen
Starting point is 01:38:06 grief and fear will do that to a man yes they will yes they will and the man who should be answering is right here alright he's right here you are looking at him right now
Starting point is 01:38:23 and anyway this idea of grief and fear will do that to a man it's an interesting line considering that rob and cat are finally you know really really accepting that winterfell has fallen it also feels like a pointed insult considering that grief and fear are what drove catlin to release jamie while grief drove rob into this marriage but i don't know if they really get that if they understand human emotions that way yeah and i mean no you're right and i think that's the thing is like ruse understands it to an extent he just doesn't have them he understands it enough to
Starting point is 01:38:59 manipulate them yeah yeah he understands being able to exploit emotions it's what he did with ramsay's mom yeah yeah and it's what ramsay did with dumb eric yep and the theon yes katelyn is not worried about the past though she asks all right so tell us then ruse how many men have you brought for rob and bolton says about 500 horses, 3,000 foot. They're Dreadfort men. And also, you know, some of them are from Carhold, which is fine. Though there are not many, and they should keep those men close with their whole loyalty issue. Yeah.
Starting point is 01:39:40 Red flags. How many men have you brought, Bolton? Hesitation. Oh, only 3,500. Isn't that a little short from the original 6K? Like if my boss was like, hey, do your numbers align? And I'm like, no, I'm short. He'd be like, why? But Ruth talks himself way out of it. And I do want to say, he seems to have taken a little bit of influence
Starting point is 01:40:04 maybe from the black water especially with what the tyrells did of attacking from behind while people are distracted in the front right that is obvious that him and ramsey they have both been doing that with the north and with the north men on the way home send them scattering in one direction and then get them from behind which is actually kind of what Rob was planning to do, right, with Moat Cailin. That's a really good point. But he's doing it against his
Starting point is 01:40:32 own Northmen. Yeah. I mean, again, the pink flags, they are red. They are red flags. Also the whole, like, we are keeping the Carholdmen close. I'm like, no, that's suspicious that's weird rob rob yeah it's it's too little too late and i mean like the grief and fear right like
Starting point is 01:40:57 causing people to do strange things i the grief and the fear and like the the loss of hope and like catelyn being distracted about where where she's gonna go next that i mean she again she's missing all of these same as how she missed the clues about liza being the culprit when it came to john aaron and like all of how everything wasn't adding up but there it was because you know things kept getting interrupted like oh no a bell happened or something else like cut in but here it is it's all staring her in the face but she's just too tired to see it anymore yeah well as we close the chapter Rob says that this should be enough that bolton will have command of his rear guard and he means to start for the neck as soon as edmure is wedded and bedded
Starting point is 01:41:53 we're going home it's so triumphant and i'm so sad because it doesn't happen at all and you know i have to add the chapter right before this the john chapter its ending is actually much more realistic to what is going to happen so it's kind of interesting that this ends on kind of a fake positive note especially because the chapter itself has strong parallels john learns of winterfell's fall and destruction his brother's death as well as lord commander mormont being slain under guest right by his own allies right it's a really rough year for the starks really bad so from john's last chapter they can't be dead theon would never do that and winterfell gray granite oak and iron
Starting point is 01:42:42 crows wheeling around the towers, steam rising off the hot pools in the godswood, the stone kings sitting on their thrones. How could Winterfell be gone? When the dreams took him, he found himself back home once more, splashing in the hot pools beneath a huge white weirwood that had his father's face. Ygritte was with him, laughing at him, shutting her skins till she was naked as her name day, trying to kiss him. But he couldn't, not with his father watching. He was the blood of Winterfell,
Starting point is 01:43:13 a man of the Night's Watch. I will not father a bastard, he told her. I will not, I will not. You know nothing, Jon Snow, she whispered, her skin dissolving in the hot water, the flesh beneath sloughing off her bones, until only skull and skeleton remained, and the pool bubbled thick and red. Which is exactly how the trident will bubble when they shove Kat's body into it. Wow. Yep.
Starting point is 01:43:40 wow yep I feel like I had kind of made it through this chapter you know I was like I'm dealing with it and then you like brought this in and I was like wow everything's real sad again holy shit bastards and shit except for that brief moment of joy when I was like
Starting point is 01:43:58 oh my god the John voice that was exciting yeah I did that just for you to make you happy because I knew I was about to ruin your life it was a pleasant surprise unlike all these other terrible things that are happening right now it was an intended slight Eliana
Starting point is 01:44:12 I don't feel slight should I be suspicious? why would she bring me this nice thing? is it sterile? is it poisoned? yes it is poisoned El. It is poisoned, Eliana. It is poisoned.
Starting point is 01:44:28 No, I'm just kidding. It's not. I'm, uh, yeah, I think that did fuck me up a little bit, too. You're not alone. Yeah. Kind of sad. Kind of real sad, you know? I'm, uh... It's a bummer what happens next week. I'm excited for our friend Alex to join us.
Starting point is 01:44:45 That's gonna be the one yeah redeeming part about next week and i'm sure we're gonna laugh inappropriately when we shouldn't you know but that said man it's gonna suck i have really enjoyed talking about catalan to this extent with you same i mean I mean, talking about everything with you. 200 episodes, Chloe. You know, you're not too shabby, Eliana. I don't care what they all say about you. Yeah, you know, I... my hips are okay,
Starting point is 01:45:15 I guess. I'm not too shabby. You should have married a crake hall. I don't know what I was thinking. You should have married, yeah, thick thighs, same lives. That's what she thought. I mean, think about Lyle Crakehall, right? Isn't he like a boar? A boar?
Starting point is 01:45:33 The strong boar. Sir Lyle Crakehall is called the strong boar, so he's boar on the floor. He's thick as fuck, you know? Why is everything coming back to boar on the floor? I will say... It's a fun game. It's a fun game. Regarding other fun game regarding other fray fray families
Starting point is 01:45:47 you know the sub families amongst the vipers that's where the one of the eliana's in the story is eliana viper yes and it seems she comes from bad stock fuck well that about wraps us up for Catelyn 6 and a storm of swords yeah we're just shoving our feelings down
Starting point is 01:46:13 it's fine this is normal banter banter that's a word that they say a lot on Love Island and if you have thoughts about this episode, or about what happens to Kat, or literally anything, or animals to
Starting point is 01:46:29 send us, you can find us on social media. Send us a tweet or DM at girlsgonecanon, C-A-N-O-N. Or you can shoot us an email at girlsgonecanon at gmail.com. Yeah, we're gonna need some emotional support emails for sure. So if you just need to, you know, cry for a while, we feel you.
Starting point is 01:46:49 We're here. We feel you. Of course, make sure you're subscribed to us on a platform near you where you stream podcasts like Google Podcasts, iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, Acast, Audible, Pandora, you name it, we're there. You know, I started this because I was like, yeah, I got it, I corrected the order, and then I was like, wait, no, I didn't.
Starting point is 01:47:15 I was like, I'm going to save Chloe from doing this, but anyway. It's okay. So, somewhere else that you can find us is also on our Patreon, where you can find all of our episodes and patrons get a special RSS feed. And also, once a month, a bonus episode for patrons $5 and up in the Stranger tier and above. Yes, this month will be a very creepy spirits and creatures in His Dark materials episode and i'm hyped about that and that's not the only halloween thing we got happening this month we always are talking
Starting point is 01:47:52 about spooky fun stuff in the discord but this month again for our brunch slash happy hour we are doing halloween yes come trick or treat or both with us at the discord that is again patreon.com slash girls gone canon as always i have been one of your hosts chloe and i have been another one of your hosts eliana i guess we'll be back next week i mean 200's a good ending point, you know? We could stop and Catelyn doesn't die, Rob doesn't die, they go home. Everybody lives. Just this once.
Starting point is 01:48:33 Just this once. Alas, that ain't that ain't it. We'll see you next week. Bring your tissues. Goodbye.

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