So here are my thoughts on the episode:

1.  Since Baelish believes Sansa will be liberated by Stannis’ army (if they ever get there) he obviously trusts her to navigate the snakepit of Winterfell under the Boltons.  So he clearly doesn’t know about Ramsey’s…well, everything.  Most unlike him.  I really do wonder if they’re setting up more of Sansa’s ruthlessness as she’s left alone to take revenge on the Boltons.  Will she kill Ramsey?  Will Theon/Reek kill Ramsey?

2.  Cersei is playing with fire now with the Faith Militant and I think the show’s writers are setting up her downfall just beautifully.  Imprisoning Ser Loras for immorality, sending Lord Tyrell away so he can’t interfere, proabably accusing Margarey of adultery…just wait until Fortune’s wheel spins again, Cersei!  One minute you’re on top, the next you’re being crushed on the bottom.

3.  Poor Ser Loras.

4.  Poor people of King’s Landing for that matter.  No booze, no brothels…whatever are they going to do?

5.  Yay, we finally get to see the Sand Snakes!  They’re just as wonderfully ruthless as I pictured them and I can’t wait to see them in action.  So far I’m really liking Nymeria.

6.  How the heck did Melisandre know about “You know nothing, Jon Snow”?  I think she suspects that R + L = J and that Jon may very well not be Ned Stark’s son at all.  There’s power in king’s blood, after all…

7.  That was a really touching moment between Shireen and Stannis when he explained how she got greyscale.  Unfortunately, I think that and Melisandre’s “the Lord needs her” comments are setting up her death, but it was still sweet.

8.  No, Ser Barristan!  You poor, honourable fool.  I wish they hadn’t cut him out of the show yet because I like his character, but I guess it was not to be.  I wonder how Daenerys is going to take his death after their quite touching scene together.

9.  Well, poor Grey Worm.  I think he’s wounded at this point, not dead because of the scene where Missandei kisses him in the season’s trailer.

10.  Jaime and Bronn are awesome road trip buddies.  I suspect they’re going to run into a lot of trouble down the road.

11.  Poor Ser Jorah, poor Tyrion.  They’re really not getting along at all at the moment.

Well, what did you guys think?  Are you as disappointed as I am at Ser Barristan’s death?  What did you think of the hints at Jon Snow’s real parentage dropped throughout the episode?