Game of Thrones season 6 episode 5 - as it happened

This live blog is now concluded

03.31: Anyway that's enough from me for one night. To sum up, a vast improvement on previous episodes in my mind, especially the play in Braavos and the action-packed finale.

Still, all of Westeros will feel a great loss tonight, so I propose we all lift an imaginary glass before hitting the hay.

All together, in one voice, let's say the one word that will sing our prince to his sleep.

"Hodor!"

See you next week.

03.27: Here's a fun bit of trivia - the guy playing the human sacrificed into being the first White Walker looks to be the same actor who plays the Night's King, so presumably he's supposed to be the first of his kind.

03.21: If you can bear it, there's also a video from Hodor himself (aka actor/DJ Kristian Nairn) about the end of his character. Snff.

03.19: The trailer for next week's episode is here, and it looks like Bran and Meera aren't out of the WOODS yet, eh? (eagled-eyed readers may recognise that joke from my first live blog. Memories).

Also, the Lannisters take on the High Sparrow, Sam has an swkward family dinner and Daenerys sits on a horse. All looks good for next Monday!

03.14: Also, it is totally your fault for trying to surf the weirwood net without putting up you firewall. Summer, Hodor and the 3ER's deaths are on your conscience, buddy.

03.12: Sorry Bran, but we don't think he'll ever be Hodor-ing again :'(

03.10: Think that might be one of the saddest character deaths yet. Naturally, the internet is already all over it.

03.07: In fact, after Shaggydog week before last and Summer now, it's safe to say these guys are even more endangered than the Starks.

03.05: And yes, that's another death of a returning, long-established character. David Benioff and DB Weiss have REALLY been cleaning house this year. Not to mention poor Summer! Nasty way to go for one of the last direwolves.

03.04: Kind of tragic - Bran brain damaged him and ruined his entire life, only so he could give it decades later getting him out of harm's way. But does this mean Hodor could come back as a wight? Not sure I could take that...

03.03: Wow. That was a terrific end to the episode really, good episode overall. Poor Hodor! We'll always remember him though, all those great moments.

03.02: Hold the door = Hold the door. Makes sense. So he's basically been a big ol' spoiler alert for his entire life?

03.01: No, you can't kill Hodor right after Summer! No!

03.01: Wait, did Bran just warg Hodor while inside a vision? Wargception! Wow, he's messing him up though.

03.00: Quick! God, those wights are so horrible.

02.59: Oh no, the Three-eyed Raven is dead! Wow Bran, your little greenseeing expedition really screwed up.

02.58: Hey, that White Walker armour does have a purpose! If they wore proper helmets (blocking head/neck shots like the one Meera's dragonglass spear killed that guy with) they'd be in business.

02.57: Hodor...ACTIVATE!

02.57: Hodor is not great in a crisis.

02.56: Argh, I hate the boney zombies, they're so horrid. Bran, stop learning about your grandfather and help out!

02.55: Yup, Bran and the Raven are just getting a bit more backstory. Time and a place, guys.

02.54: Oh no, icy Darth Maul is here!

02.54: What are Bran and the 3ER up to? Just warging for fun?

02.53: Oh yes, another Tormund leer! Come on, leer more, chicks dig the leer.

02.52: "I like the wolf bit" - Jon is me whenever anyone asks me for clothing advice.

02.51: Go on Brienne, you know you secretly love that Wildling fellow with the beard.

02.50: Hmm, why is Sansa lying to Jon? Probably just didn't want Jon to know she met with uncle creepy Peter.

02.49: Davos, laying some truth on Sansa there. No regrets on turning down that massive Vale army now?

TBF, any army of Littlefinger's would come with strings attached.

02.48: Oh dear, that was scary. And now Bran has his mark! That's what I call...

02.47: aaaah

02.46: The Kids are All Wight - alternative episode title.

02.45: Oh God, Bran just crashed a zombie party.

02.44: Back with Bran, going stir crazy. What's he been doing in his spare time, doesn't he even have any magazines or something?

02.42: Quite enjoying this week's episode, though it could do with more Tormund/Brienne. Pretty low on that front so far.

02.38: Ooh, first Littlefinger now Varys - all the arch-schemers on the back foot this week. Think this is literally the first time I've ever seen Varys look rattled.

02.36: "Burn, burn the non-believers!"

"Or you know, just knock up a few posters..."

02.35: So this lady (Kinvara I think) is basically Melisandre if she worked in PR?

02.33: Is there any danger that Jorah's horse might catch his greyscale? Will nobody think of the animals?

02.32: Aw, he finally said "I love you!" Ser Friendzone is now...Lord Friendzone! Off to find a good ointment for his stony arm.

Nice to see a softer side to Dany after last week though

02.31: Not sure where Yara and Theon have gone, but now we're back with Dany, Daario and Stone Jorah. Here's a handy guide.

Jorah has NOT educated himself about his condition.

02.29: Do the Ironborn nearly drown all their Kings? No wonder they keep losing wars - all their leaders probably have brain damage.

Or, as this reddit user put it:

"Ironborn are confirmed as muppets in this episode. They literally drown their king as a coronation, and then just magically hope he gets better. How many great kings didn't make it (though I guess that explains why they are run by morons if the number one criteria for high office is 'not drown'."

02.27: Nice to see Theon more himself, and hey - a good vocabulary is nothing to be ashamed of.

God, these Ironborn are gullible. He only spoke for 5 minutes and they switched from chanting Yara's name to his.

02.25: Sorry, been ignoring the Iron Islands Kingsmoot (like most viewers, ZING), but funny that absolutely everyone knows about Theon's castration. Balon Greyjoy must have been an incorrigible gossip before he died.

02.23: That's crazy! Though it kind of makes sense, nice that they didn't come out of nowhere.

That said, I've been hanging out with the Children and I feel fi...

WAIT A MINUTE...

02.21: Wait, did the Children of the Forest create the White Walkers? And then they went rogue, like icy Skynet?

02.20: Oh cool, more of Bran's expositional flashbacks...I mean weirwood greenseeing.

02.19: Hopefully we see more plays from this lot in the future. Beats the Hollow Crown for me any day (not nearly enough fart jokes in Henry VI pt 2), and not just because Tyrion's Joffrey slap from season 2 has somehow entered into international Westerosi folklore (given that these actors included it in their play).

02.16: Here's something that troubles me - Jaqen acts like he works for some sort of greater cause, but he needs to get off his high horse. The Faceless Men are just bloody hitmen, who kill anyone as long as they're paid enough money!

It's not some great mystical thing, no matter how they dress it up - the Many-faced god didn't choose their victims, whoever slipped them a few gold coins did.

02.15: Ha, refreshing bit of male nudity there, as well as Richard E Grant! This whole play thing is a lot of fun. Also VERY like an episode of Avatar: The Last Airbender called The Fire Island players, if anyone's interested...

02.13: A certain Stark right now:

02.12: Haha, loving this whole play, especially Kevin Eldon as Ned Stark. More of this show should be in rhyme, if you ask me.

Also, two episodes in this series have had fart jokes. Just putting that out there.

02.10: Looks like that's the end of Arya and Jaqen's...

02.09: Jeez, Jaqen is such a downer these days. Remember when he was a bit of a sexy cool Jesus back in season 2? I miss those days.

02.08: Arya was a better fighter when she had the blaster shield down and just used the force.

02.07: Ooh, Littlefinger trying to sow discord here? Don't listen Sansa, Jon is nice.

02.05: This is Littlefinger on the back foot as much as we've ever seen, and Sansa properly empowered. Quite a difference from their relationship last season and the one before.

02.03: Check out Sansa's skills - what a crafty sew-and-sew!

(Sorry, I didn't have a pun picture made up for that one).

Anyway, now she's here to kick some Littleass.

02.02: I kinda miss they days when we'd have new locations in the map every now and again. Just me?

02.00: Either way, we'll be finding out any moment - valar morghulis, it's starting!

01.55: Alternatively, all that will be completely wrong and everyone will decide to put their differences aside and embrace friendship as the one true god.

"Turns out that love was the real Game of Thrones all along," Jon winked at Daenerys as they strode off, hand-in-hand.

01.48: Top prediction for tonight: a character will die, probably from being surprise stabbed by Ramsay Snow. Also, Daenerys will list her titles pointlessly.

01.39: Any moment...

01.34: Not long now...

01.25: To cheer up, let's have some more Tormund/Brienne moments.

(And yeah, I'm filtering out the more explicit fanart).

01.14: But then again, maybe I'm just getting as mopey as a pre-death Jon Snow. People have been telling me that I've started to have that kind of look...

01.10: Enough of the videos, now though - time for some real talk. How are we feeling about this series so far? I can't help but think it's lost its way a little bit since departing the novels. Seems a little bit more formulaic, and the "cull" of an old character every episode (literally so far) smacks of an attempt to streamline the story as we approach the end. Not very Game of Thrones.

01.02: Right, time for my Littlefinger impression. Ready?

https://vine.co/v/iEUXQEVJrtJ/watch?v=simple

11.58: Of course, last week's biggest talking point was when 58,000 Dothraki felt the Bern (sorry, burn) as they watched Daenerys set fire to their leaders and emerge unscathed.

Some have said her continuing asbestos powers contradict George RR Martin's source novels (though to be honest from my perspective it makes more sense for her to always be fireproof); others say that the Dothraki huts are an absolute deathtrap when accompanied by slowly falling lamps.

All I know is, I love T-800 Dany and want her to stay.

11.50: Greetings one and all, and welcome to our fifth Game of Thrones live blog! Tonight we'll be following along with all the developments n' death n' such in the HBO fantasy series as it's aired on Sky Atlantic at 2am, but in the two hours until then we'll be reflecting on what we learned last week and what we want to see in the new episode.

Sound good? Great. On we go...