[Re-Watch Project] The House of Black and White Discussion

I loved this episode!

Lots of my favorite scenes are in it:
1. When the initial HOBAW guy changed to Jaqen H'ghar (I know this wasn't in the books, but I loved it - so much better than 'just' The Kindly Man)
2. When a wrong dwarf's head is presented to Cersei, and she instructs her men to take it away, and dear, wonderful, ever so creepy (!) Qyburn says, "I would take it, if you don't mind, your Grace. It could prove useful for my work."
3. When Drogon came after that last Meereen scene, where it was obvious at so many points that Dany was really torn about executing the man who disobeyed her and murdered the SOTH. That was the scene that made me misty-eyed, that Drogon could sense what she was feeling and came.
4. When Thorne and Jon are tied for LC, and Maester Aemon stands, feels the shape of the tokens, then puts his with Jon's to tip the scale. (Not so favorite are the two shots of Ollie chapping and cheering for Jon.)
5.  Also in the LC election scene when Sam stood up and spoke for Jon and told how Janos Slynt cowered in the cellar with a woman and a baby, and that when he found them, he found Janos sitting "in a puddle of his own making"

katjushka , you reminded me of still another I should have listed - when Jon was reading Lyanna Mormont's letter. (That whole scene was wonderful.) And, I also loved when you pointed out:
Another ironic point is at the beginning of the Sansa/LF tavern scene, that Sansa mentioned the scroll LF had gotten and noted that her mother always said, "Dark Wings, Dark Words", which LF dismissed as "inaccurate in this case". One of those times I wanted to yell, "Sansa, trust your gut!"

Always nice to have a light Bronn scene inserted. Lollys is just great, whining to Bronn that her older sister "hates me. She pulls my hair when Mother isn't looking." Poor baby.

Fear comes up in this episode a lot. When Greyworm tells Daario that the Unsullied fear nothing and Daario replies that "fearing nothing is a mistake. He who forgets fear has forgotten how to hide," then tears through the wall where the SOTH was hiding. And Stannis tells Jon that his bravery [in killing Mance] made him look weak: "If you show too much kindness, men won't fear you. If they don't fear you, they won't follow you."  Although fear isn't mentioned per se, I loved that Cersei sauntered into the Small Council, equipped to make them all fear her - it was working until Kevin (not so weak in this episode) stood up and put her nicely in her place.  And when Barristan was talking to Danerys about her father, how he ruled by instilling fear into his subjects, which made him feel more powerful "until the very end." 

I'd forgotten how desolate and forbidding the HOBAW looked as the sea captain rowed Arya up to it.  I wish there'd been more of Arya and HOBAW, (as always, I'm such a huge Arya fan), but I thought the parts that were there were all excellent ones.  It did show the fear with which the HOBAW was regarded, gave us a recounting of Arya's 'prayer list' - much shorter than in the books, of course, but it gives us a guideline to watch for in the show -- by the end of S6 we know

Much too much to write - sorry!  But so many great scenes!

That was kinda the point though, no? I think this one was the strongest Meereen episode the show had done to date.

Such solid story lines, except for The Road to Dorne, starring Jamie and Bronn. It's still my least favorite adventure, and that's saying a lot as I love this series.

As always, love Sam's speech, "..he's the Commander we turned to when the night was darkest..." Yes Sam, he was and shall be.

Dany hand as she reaches out to Drogon, after having been chastised by her other two children, so needing his love at that moment only to see him fly off. At that moment she is truly alone.

@nictarion, I did think this Meereen episode was very strong but never thought of comparing it to the others, but I agree entirely! (I also liked your reaction too, katjushka ). It really did show just how much Dany is up against in Meereen and how she was completely in a 'damned if you do, damned if you don't' situation - something Dany has not been used to. It also provided the opportunity for Ser Barristan to underscore just how cruel Aerys became, and I think also sets the stage for the later contrast Barristan provides of Rhaegar to Aerys. alcasinoroyale , I had never connected Drogon's flying off with Dany not being strong enough yet - thank you for that insight!

Another excellent insight that I'd never thought about, never connected the Dragon scene with the Viserion/Rhaegal scene - thank you, Lady Sansa's Direwolf .

trying to catch up on the rewatch

loved dany this episode. emilia's acting in the final scene with drogon was great, especially taking into account she's acting against nothing.

loved cersei this episode. her flipping out on jaime was awesome.

dorne. ugh.

the wall was great. loved stannis and jon's convo, the lyanna mormont foreshadowing, and the election. maester aemon 

arya. nice.

i like the sequence between brienne, lf, and sansa, and the resulting fight.

i think this is the best mereen episode I can remember. The execution scene is really great.