Stimulated Boredom

About a week after the series finale of Game of Thrones, the dust started to settle on the ending we were given, and the conclusion we all hoped for. Much of this afterthought is decidedly different than the initial reactions on the last podcast and predominantly plagued with disappointment.   Share in our chagrin as we contemplate what could have happened, and what probably should have happened. The problem of the Three-Eyed Raven Sansa would have been a more interesting ruler John deserved far better Cersei deserved far worse Jumping the Night shark, and subsequent opportunities missed Tyrion was so much smarter before With great power comes great responsibility The Double D greed and rushing the end Juggernaut effect on the actors The Night King is just a guy The costumes and visuals are still the best of the best Thanks to the excellent costume and set designers!  Game of Thrones may be over, but Stimulated Boredom is not. Stay tuned for more Dana, Pete, and V in your earholes just as soon as Dana negotiates his contract with baby Olivia.  In the meantime, we’re accepting topic suggestions in the comments.  Talk soon!

Game of Thrones is a fantastic journey through the multitude perspectives of its characters, and the series finale meant to resolve that journey somehow. After eight years, it’s hard to let go, and maybe it’s even painful to celebrate the resolutions that we did get shoe-horned into that 80 minutes. However you may feel about Bran the Broken, the birth of democracy in Westeros, or the obliteration of the Iron Throne and our silver-haired Khaleesi with it, the visuals in the episode took the throne. The series finale is beautiful. Jon passing Drogon in the ash. The red Targareyan sigil hanging on the ruin of King’s Landing. Arya and her wolf mast ship. Dany and the Drogon’s dragon wings! We can ostensibly celebrate in its visual grandeur and crowning costume moments. We do that and explore a spectrum of thoughts and feelings about the narrative. Also, welcome regular listener and commenter to the show, Devan! Devan and Pete make Dana and Vanessa look like n00bs while we figure out if we liked the episode or not. So many charred bodies That tension between Jon and Greyworm, woah Arya sneaks up on Jon, again Hope is the death of duty. Duty is the death of love. The table shrouded in destruction, then the table is “rebuilt”/0 The unpolished Small Council Tyrion’s face, in all of the scenes Jon and Dany, they don’t get to choose Awkward for Edmure THE NORTH SECEDES! #sansa4eva The spin-off is definitely Jon, Ghost, and Tormund Guys, the Starks rule the world! Thanks for tuning in with us for the last few seasons, we really appreciate it. It’s been a blast spending countless hours discussing every theory and listener comment, and we hope you’ll tune in for our next podcast series. Speaking of which, what should that be? Let us know in the comments! Follow Dana on Twitter Follow Vanessa on Twitter Follow Pete on Twitter Follow Devan on Twitter

It’s happening. It’s all happening. The Bells rang, and we have mixed feelings. The farewells in this episode are emotionally satisfying, we see the Hound and Arya make peace, Tyrion bids adieu to his treacherous, yet an entirely correct friend, Varys, and then Tyrion frees Jamie and they bro all the way out. It’s sweet. Back to that bit about Varys being correct. We have the unfortunate realization that our fiery female protagonist, built over the last seven years, is turned into a one-note antagonist with unearned ease. It’s not great. Is this really what the Song of Fire and Ice has been about? Or did they just HBO the damn thing? With only one episode left, is the last conflict going to be to take down the Mad Queen? I must warn you; this week’s episode is also wrought with blasphemy as we had to discuss some critical plot realizations without Pete. Dana and I do our best to cope: Ruining Dracarys Tyrion is a clever fool Varys dies in this strange land The Golden who? Euron got too much screen time I thought the Dothraki were dead One dragon is all you really need Caches of wildfire Cersei got lucky Where’s Arya going? Jon and Davos, buddy cop spin-off? Does the Iron Throne still matter? Thanks for tuning in and be sure to leave your predictions for the final episode in the comments. We’ve only got a handful of characters left. Who will live? Who will die? Which one of you nerds has this all figured out? We look forward to reading your comments on the show! Follow Dana on Twitter Follow Vanessa on Twitter Follow Pete on Twitter

What could possibly cause as much panic as the Army of the Dead bearing down on Winterfell? Cersei Lannister gently touching Missendei’s arm and saying, “If you have any last words, now is the time.” The story of the Great War will be kept alive in memory for generations to come, and so will the legend of Cersei’s ruthlessness and brutality. It’s about the only thing we can count on in the game of thrones. And as Dany continues to take egregious losses, that Targaryen wildfire is on the precipice of igniting.  The stakes can (apparently) get even higher. Let’s panic and ponder together, nerds. Brienne gets some Jon’s a mean dog dad Will someone put some armor on those dragons? Arya’s not a lady Unfinished business Let’s talk about that list Cersei, Jaime, and the prophecy The dragon is out of the bag How DO they feel about incest in the North? Bronn is bery, bery sneaky Varys is loyal to the realm Jon? Dany? Cersei? Sansa? Lots of meandering theories of what is to come, because all bets are off And we finally read your comments! Thanks for tuning in, and be sure to leave your comments, questions, and predictions for the season in the comment section below for inclusion and discussion on the next episode. Only two episodes left! Follow Dana on Twitter Follow Vanessa on Twitter Follow Pete on Twitter

The longest part of The Long Night was that panic-inducing, nail-biting, palm-sweating, 14-minute opening scene until the Army of the Dead extinguished the Dothraki in UNDER. A. MINUTE.  After that, it’s a bone-crushing, catastrophic clusterfuck for all. Thank the Lord of Light for Arya. My new Monday get-hype motto is going to be, “Stick ‘em with the pointy end.” Speaking of ends, a handful of third-tier protagonists, one sidekick and a big bad meet the God of Death. But let’s all pour out a little rosé for the giant-killer, Lady Mormont.  Also discussed: Grey Worm is slippery SO much Dragonfire, but not quite enough The Night King smiles? So, is Arya Azhor Ahai Those goddamn crypts Shipping Sansa + Tyrion Arya jumped ALL the way over the shark Davos is confused Theon earns his honor, finally Beric Dondarrion serves the Starks Melisandre served her purpose Jorah serves his Queen Dany and Jon are not that special So, is Arya Azor Ahai? And More! Thanks for tuning in, and be sure to leave your comments, questions, and predictions for the season in the comment section below for inclusion and discussion on the next episode.  Follow Dana on Twitter Follow Vanessa on Twitter Follow Pete on Twitter 

The Stimulated Boredom: ‘Game of Thrones Edition’ podcast crew returns this week to bask in the low lights of Winterfell’s last night before the Army of the Dead arrives. We’re short our Fearless Leader this episode – so Pete and I do our best to serenade you with minute Westerosi details and frantic what-if theories of who might get resurrected (after they definitely die). Also discussed on A Knight in the Seven Kingdoms: Dany’s Paranoia Sansa’s Dress The Big Woman Miserable Old Shits Arya’s Elevator Looks Winterfell is a Racist Shithole The Origin of Giantsbane Sword Fights & Sword Exchanges Fuck Tradition Beric’s Got One Life Left And More! Thanks for tuning in, and be sure to leave your comments, questions, and predictions for the season in the comment section below for inclusion and discussion on the next episode. Follow Dana on Twitter Follow Vanessa on Twitter Follow Pete on Twitter

The Stimulated Boredom: 'Game of Thrones Edition' podcast crew of Dana, Vanessa, and Peter are back for the final season, and we will be recapping each and every battle and backstab immediately following each episode! This week we jump into the premiere episode of Season 8:  Homecoming Back in King's Landing How to Train Your Dragon Drogon Likes to Watch Jon Knows Cersei Loves Elephants Reunions Galore Jaime Sees Bran...Awkward Sansa and the Stinkeye My Name is Samwell Tarley, You Killed My Father, Prepare to Die And a Ton More! We also cast our votes in the Death Pool, discussing who we think will survive, who we think will die, and who will win the Game of Thrones! Thanks for tuning in, and be sure to visit stimulatedboredom.com, and/or follow each of us online. Dana on Twitter Vanessa on Twitter Peter on Twitter      

Join us for 90 minutes of exploring the ins and outs of becoming independent of cable, including the different available streaming services and devices.  For your convenience, you can view our super simple process and service options below. Happy listening! Step 1: Explore your Internet options with your local providers. The average household will need a 75 Mbps Internet connection to stream without interference, especially with multiple devices. Find the most cost-effective solution. Step 2: Explore streaming services and devices. There are lots, and they all have different content offerings and user interfaces. Keep in mind your current technology ecosystem. For example, if you own Apple devices, then Apple TV will likely be the easiest transition. Whatever you choose, get your devices set-up before you cut the cord. Step 3: BINGE WATCH IT ALL!!! There will be an adjustment to how you interact with your content and devices, but hopefully, it will be an improved experience at a lower cost. Services DIRECTV Now Sling TV Playstation Vue YouTube TV Hulu & Hulu Live Amazon Prime Video & Prime Channels Netflix Devices Fire TV Roku AppleTV Android TV Chromecast & Chromecast Ultra HD Antennas Burger King Net Neutrality Video referenced in the episode.

Winter is finally here. “The Dragon and the Wolf” is everything we imagined it could be. Yet somewhere in the midst of Viserion’s magical blue fire destroying the wall and the Night King playing jockey, it felt like it sold its soul to convenience and a Disney score.

On this week's 'Game of Thrones' discussion: Two living Targaryens. Two sad Dragons. Two damaged Starks. Two blue eyes. One Night King. One episode remains. 

This Week on the Podcast: All of our hopes of a Jaime hostage situation are for naught. He made it back to his evil sister, fraught from watching his men die, and with dragon breath still in his hair. We all love to love Jaime, but he is an utter fool when it comes to Cersei. He is also terrified of her. We all should be. All is not a soul-crushing Lannister make-out session, we still get a (convenient) Tyrion and Jaime reunion. The two negotiated an armistice, because of course they did. Politically due North, Littlefinger is playing our darling Arya like a fiddle. It’s sad really. The Stark girls don’t understand how much their own house means to one another. If they did, their alliance could be ice solid. Except, they don’t know what we know. It’s maddening. What is also frustrating is how Samwell, our faithful informant at the Citadel, emotionally glazes over a High Septon’s diary entry about performing an annulment for Rhaegar, and marrying him to someone else at the same time in a secret ceremony in Dorne. You guys. This means Lyanna and Rhaegar were wed. Jon Snow is legitimate AF.

Missendai does everything. Arya learned from no one. Jon sees Dany’s good heart. The Queen is gone. Chaos is a ladder. Lanister BBQ, anyone? 

This Week on the Podcast: Ice and Fire. Dying in a strange country. Out-of-the-closet twincest. Trigger warning by the Godswood. The long game of justice. Olenna plays her final card.

The second episode, Stormborn, kicked the door down with swift elaboration on Azor Ahai.   Wut?   That’s the Song of Fire and Ice’s version of Jesus that is going to send the Night King and his army of the dead to somewhere very, very warm. This is huge in the theory land of book fandom, like R+L = J big. At some point soon, Dany and John will meet. Fangirl hearts are pitter pattering everywhere, this episode of the podcast included.   Just as high as the episode takes us, it also thoroughly grosses us out. Thanks again Citadel and your witchy ways. Then when you think you’re going to vomit, it washes you over with joy and sorrow when we see Nymeria again. Yes. That’s her.   We frequently imagine that we have somehow built up a tolerance to the reckless highs and lows to Game of Thrones, and that’s the narrative’s magic if there ever was one – because we haven’t.   Now it’s time to listen to us get all up in our feelings about all these things, too:   Verys and Dany confrontation Red Priestess and her dangerous prophecy Jaime & Tarly Balerion the Dread, Cersei and her mad scientist Olenna and clever men Greyworm & Missendai 4eva ARYA KNOWS ABOUT JON! AND SHE WENT HOME! Greyscale is gross AF Sansa is finally queen, but somehow, we end up down one Fucking Theon     As always, let us know your thoughts in the comments section and we will discuss on the next podcast.

It’s the beginning of the end, and it feels like it. For Game of Thrones, that’s a good thing because the middle was really hard. We’ve been punished enough, and now it’s time for some payoff. Arya seems to be our one-way ticket to instant gratification picking up her murder tour left off and killing every fucking Frey in the house. It’s great. Here’s to hoping our favorite Stark keeps the upper hand.   Beric Dondarrion, Thoros of Myr and the Hound talk of resurrection. They really dig into the details. BUT FOR WHAT!? If Arya is exacting some kind of analog for Lady Stoneheart’s revenge, then why do they keep on about coming back from the dead? What does it mean, nerds?   Our other lone lady wolf, Sansa is as strategic as ever and without apology. Her agency is a stark contrast to seasons past (you see what I did there?), and it is refreshing. As the clans in the North come together to battle Winter and the Night King, Sansa is still playing the game of thrones. Let’s hope the twisted ways of Kings Landing don’t pollute the Stark family reunion. Still, we get my favorite line of the episode as Sansa interrupts Littlefinger’s continued attempts at manipulation.   Alas, the shiniest North star continues to be Lady Mormont as she turns gruff, filthy, violent men into submissive toddlers. I am pretty sure she is the one with all the magic. Yo, Night King, come at her, bro!   We also got to see…   The book thief Euron Greyjoy channeling his best Douche Tormund’s twinkle eyes Blackberry wine & Ed Sheeran Logs burning and zombies walking "Wun Wun" Walkers Blood on the pages, guts on the table A bald cunt and a top knot That Catspaw dagger Mothafuckin' Dragonstone   We’re so happy to have the band back together and we hope you are too. What did we miss? What do you hope to see this season? Tell us your great theories for the future of Westeros! We’ll respond to your comments and questions on the next show.

Listen via the player below, subscribe for free on iTunes or through these other options, includingthe official mobile apps. In an exquisitely orchestrated series of unexpected events, we are left sated and curious. Who knew Game of Thrones could still surprise us? And even after reading fan theory upon fan theory, (sound, thorough theories) the show still managed to take us into uncharted territory while confirming the most popular GoT theory of all… R+L=J. I think we all knew that to be true, but it certainly feels validating to see it on screen. A Song of Fire and Ice surely has more than one meaning, but the key players are Dany and Jon. Sidenote, baby Jon is just as brooding as resurrected Jon. Cute. Jon’s parentage is an important reveal, but the true twist of the episode is the face-off at Riverrun as Arya Stark fed Walder Frey his sons, looked him square in his dispicable face, and killed him exactly how her mother was killed. And then she smiled. I am forced to face the reality that Lady Stoneheart was a heavy-handed Red Herring that gave us her psychopath second daughter to exact the revenge we know is due. I didn’t expect it, but I am at peace with that turn of events. I have long-loved Arya, and this feels good. That does not make me any less wrong. So, you know what that means, right? Yeah, I sing Justin Bieber on this episode because watching Firefly would have been way harder. I am sorry. Listeners of past episodes understand why this had to happen. Beyond the giant elephants of Jon and Arya, the finale served up… • The greatest costume Cersei has ever worn • Scary little birds • Wineboarding • Confessions of a mad queen • A library to end all libraries • The reflecting pool at Dorne • Unnerving passages of time • Sansa’s impeccable evolution • Lady Mormont is the best campaign manager EVAR The Winds of Winter was a phenomenal episode, and gave us much to discuss. I hope you stick around for the entire show as we recap the episode, recall moments that led up to these, and conject about what’s to come. Oh, and you know we read all of your comments, too. Now that the season is over, our magical nerd trinity wants to hear from you about what you’d like us to cover next. BUT, not before you sound off about the Winds of Winter in the comments. Thanks for listening, talk at you soon… you beautiful nerds. _________ Follow Dana on Twitter Find Vanessa at: Girls Gone Geek Follow Pete on Twitter You can listen to the full episode via the embedded player on this page, or simply subscribe for free on iTunes or through your favorite podcatcher app. Also Available On: iOS, Android, Windows Phone, iTunes, Direct Download or through your favorite podcatcher app.

The face-off between Jon Snow and Ramsay Bolton, after a series of unequivocal gut punches in favor of the bad guys, filled my heart with kind of hope and anticipation typically reserved for child birth. So, when HBO Now decided to fucking crash at 9:00 pm EST on Sunday night, I (and the entire Twitterverse) had a Cersei-sized tantrum. I cleared my cache. Logged out. Logged back in. Rebooted my device. Rebooted my wireless router. Uninstalled. Reinstalled. Refreshed. To no avail. HBO Now was down for over two hours, and as much of a First World Problem as that is, I was goddamn pissed off. All I could do was tweet my nerd rage. I also had to tell Dana and Peter that I couldn’t record the podcast that night. We collectively apologize for the podcast being up a bit later than usual. Blame HBO Now. As a consolation prize, here are some hilarious tweets. #ichooseviolence I did finally get to watch the episode at about midnight, and OMFG! Historically, Game of Thrones saves the best bits of its seasons for last. In this case, the creators of the show outdid themselves. Battle of the Bastards may be the most well-crafted episode of the series to date. I was blown away. • There is some serious lady power on the rise: Dany, Yara and Sansa are on FIRE! • Who else is shipping Dany and Yara, btw? • Can we talk about Lady Mormont’s exquisite resting bitch face? • Poor Davos • Tormund and Smalljon, though • Piles and piles of bodies • Jon Snow is a killing machine • Ramsay does one, last incredibly shitty thing • Sansa’s smile made it all worth it There is only one thing that could make this season better, and her name is Lady Stoneheart. Let’s all pray to the Seven Gods and the Lord of Light for her ghastly reveal in the season finale or else I might actually quit the show. OK. Maybe I won’t quit the show, but there better not be any wildfire laying around if she doesn’t show up. #burnthemall Thanks for tuning in, and be sure to leave your comments, questions or fan theories in the comment section below – and we will respond to them on the next show.  See you next week, nerds! _________ Follow Dana on Twitter Find Vanessa at: Girls Gone Geek Follow Pete on Twitter You can listen to the full episode via the embedded player on this page, or simply subscribe for free on iTunes or through your favorite podcatcher app.  

Warning: This podcast contains spoilers for the Game of Thrones episode, “No One.” Last night’s Game of Thrones episode – entitled, “No One” – did little by way of providing many surprises, but did do a lot to delight fans. After the awful and hate-inducing fifth season, which was spoiled by — in descending order of offensiveness — misogyny, nihilism and brooding, this season (so far) has been largely about making the show actually fun to watch again. Go figure. The sins of the past are not yet forgiven, but “No One” was another step in the right direction, as we see:   The triumphant return of Daenerys and Drogon…and in just the nick of time Arya regain her name, identity an purpose The Faith lose their heads…literally The Hound get revenge for losing his bestie Tyrion launches a new comedy troupe with Grey Worm and Missandei Of course most of the season has been leading up to the main event, which will be next week’s episode – appropriately nicknamed “The Bastard Bowl” – in which we’ll finally see Jon Snow and Ramsay Bolton face off over the fate of Winterfell. With only 2 episodes remaining in Season 6, the weekly podcast crew of Dana, Vanessa and Peter return to wax poetic on all things Game of Thrones.  Thanks for tuning in, and be sure to send your comments, questions or fan theories to dana (at) stimulated boredom (dot) com – or leave them in the comment section below – and we will respond to them on the next show! Follow Dana on Twitter Find Vanessa at: Girls Gone Geek Follow Pete on Twitter You can listen to the full episode via the embedded player on this page, or simply subscribe for free on iTunes or through your favorite podcatcher app.  

Warning: This podcast contains spoilers for the Game of Thrones episode, “The Broken Man.” Well, it was bound to happen. In a fast-paced season in which we’ve enjoyed some incredibly satisfying episodes, we were given a slower and somewhat lighter episode of Game of Thronesthis week with, “The Broken Man.” Not to say that Arya getting her stomach aerated and the Hound returning from the “dead” weren’t notable, it’s just that comparatively speaking there just wasn’t a lot of story movement this week. We were introduced to some compelling new characters – and had one of them taken away almost as quickly as they were introduced. Jon builds an army. Cersei get’s dissed, hard, and Sansa has to ask for help from the one person she doesn’t want to. I’m a bit under the weather this week, so I’ll leave all of the fascinating discussion of “The Broken Man” episode to the podcast, as we continue to dissect every Game of Thrones episode this season within moments of their airing, including comparison to the books, online fan theories, and our own speculation about where the season is headed. Thanks for tuning in, and be sure to send your comments, questions or fan theories to dana (at) stimulated boredom (dot) com – or leave them in the comment section below – and we will respond to them on the next show! Follow Dana on Twitter Find Vanessa at: Girls Gone Geek Follow Pete on Twitter You can listen to the full episode via the embedded player on this page, or simply subscribe for free on iTunes or through your favorite podcatcher app.

Warning: This podcast contains spoilers for the Game of Thrones episode, “Blood of my Blood.” For a Game of Thrones episode titled “Blood of My Blood,” there was surprisingly little blood. We saw the return of Benjen Stark (aka: Cold Hands), and caught a glimpse of the Mad King’s death. We also witnessed some sneaky political maneuvers by the High Sparrow, who seemingly check-mated the Lannisters and Tyrells. Arya Stark remembers her name – and where she buried her sword, Needle; and we meet Samwell Tarly’s dad, who won’t be winning any “Father of the Year” awards anytime soon. “Oh, and have you met my dragon?” – Daenerys to the Dothraki “Blood Of My Blood” represents a number of turning points for the season – especially for Dany and Bran – as we begin to step into new and uncharted territory for the series. The Game of Thrones podcast crew of Dana, Vanessa and Peter dig deep into the fan theories that turned out to be true, and speculate about where the remainder of Season 6 is heading. However, we all agree that it was yet another great episode this season, and (thankfully) not as traumatic as last week’s. Also Discussed: We’re reminded that Walder Frey is still alive and needs to be killed, violently Edmure is also alive and being used as a pawn…but to what end? Jaime and Brienne are headed to the Riverlands – and Vanessa is positively giddy over the prospect of Lady Stoneheart’s possible arrival onto the show Sam grows a pair and steals a Valyrian steel blade from his prick of a father Arya is seemingly out of that spooky death cult and is, hopefully, going to make her way back to Westeros with her list of names and trusty Needle in hand Thanks for tuning in, and be sure to send your comments, questions or fan theories to dana (at) stimulated boredom (dot) com, and we will respond to your email on the next show! Follow Dana on Twitter Find Vanessa at: Girls Gone Geek and on Twitter Follow Pete on Twitter You can listen to the full epsode via the embedded pliayer on this page, or simply subscribe for free on iTunes or through your favorite podcatcher app.