S5EP1: Cups in the Air, Everybody!

A little late but sometimes life gets in the way of Thrones right? WRONG! Life should revolve around Thrones and now the biggest question for all fans is: Should I download the leaked episodes? The quick answer is “of course” but after that knee jerk reaction, the correct answer is “no, wait for the real episodes to come out.” After all, half the fun of GoT fandom is experiencing the episodes alongside your fellow obsessives, and jumping ahead would take away from the experience. Agree, disagree?

[Spoilers Ahead]

Let’s talk about S5EP1. There’s amazing recaps everywhere — I can’t recommend the Grantland GoT articles/podcasts enough — so let’s just dive into the episode from a fantasy perspective. Right from the start we have our first scoring controversy. As the rules state(d), "Drinking (DRK):+ 6 points for every scene their character is seen drinking.” However, that was meant to be interpreted as accumulating points per drink/sip.

No fantasy league is complete without a few rules debates and interpretations, and it’s always a process to clean up the wordage and set the record straight. At the end of the day, we acquiese to our commissioner and allow him to set the rules. So moving forward the rule is: "Drinking: +6 for drinking (per cup) unless you are Ser Dontos.” Drunks about to score some major points!

With that tweak in mind, Cersei and Tyrion racked up the DRK points for their two and three cups imbibed, respectively. But that wasn’t all they scored, as both characters were quick with the tongue as well, with Cersei racking up an incredible seven insults for +42 points. So yeah, if you drafted either Cersei or Tyrion, you’re swimming in points and likely leading your league. But don't celebrate too much, as we all know GoT championships aren't won in week one.

As for the rest of the cast, insults paid off big as Brienne and Lord Varys also got their fair share of verbal potshots in. Heck, even kindly Daenerys threw an insult of her own — although she didn’t accrue any points for her off-screen sexing. That's another rule tweak, as the scoring for sex is now: +8 points for getting down," with the "shown or implied, judged by the scorekeeper" appendage now removed for clarity's sake. A character has to be having sex on-screen to receive SEX points.

And let's give a big hand to Daario and Loras for both baring their backsides and balancing out the female nudity that is sure to come in later episodes. We like that the GoT directors are making an effort to please all genders with gratuitous nudity for everyone.

So, what to look for in EP2? Well, we’re pretty sure Arya is going to make her first appearance as she was M.I.A. during the first episode, and we’re curious if Tyrion will curb the drinking now that he’s been made aware of the real reason Varys saved him. After all, a drunken dwarf will never be the savior of the Seven Kingdoms, right?

Last thing, R.I.P. Mance Rayder, who went out in horrible fashion, and I hope you didn’t listen to my draft advice and roll the dice by drafting Mance early due to his purported dark horse status. As usual, don’t listen to me… my name is Jon and I know nothing! Trivia: Ciaran Hinds, aka Mance, played Aberforth Dumbledore, Albus' younger brother, in the last Harry Potter movie. Did everyone else know that already? What?!