I don't remember that anyone knows about that except Ned and Catlin.

Catlin somehow figured it out by finding a blond hair at the scene. I always thought that was very weak. Also Ned figuring out that Cetsei's children were not Robert's because they are blond. Also weak storytelling.

I actually think it has improved each season. I am now on season 5 which many didnt like so we shall see.....

@Invidia said:

don't remember that anyone knows about that except Ned and Catlin

So WHY would they know?

Who told them?

How did they find out about it?

If their SON told them, then why wouldn't he have also told his siblings about it?

That's the problem with this show, is how they introduce a story, but then JUMP to another story without ever resolving the other issues they've introduced.

If he'd told his family about what he'd seen, one would also assume NONE of the rest of what happens needed to happen.

But since SANSA refused to believe the other story about the Butcher's son, perhaps she'd also have chosen to believe the story about CERSEI having sex with her brother was a LIE as well??? Bran doesn't remember. It was catkin who foun it out. Even if bran did remember every one left besides Robb & Rickon before he came out of his coma.

"He betray Ned Stark in the throne room in front of hundreds of witnesses and it would strike me as odd that not a hint of it ever reached Sansa during all the time she was there."

I went back and watched that episode. Cersei tore up Robert's pronouncement making Ned the regent; the Lannisters don't want that news leaking out and must have threatened everybody there to keep their mouths shut about the details of what happened. Sansa and Arya didn't know what was going on until the Lannisters tried to arrest them. To Arya, Joffrey was a little twerp and Littlefinger looked like a wimp, she was much more likely to blame Cersei.

"Also Ned figuring out that Cetsei's children were not Robert's because they are blond. Also weak storytelling."

Back when monarchy was all the rage, there were always stories floating around that royal sons were bastards and vice versa.

Henry V claimed that the Dauphin in France was illegitimate so he could claim the French throne.

Richard III claimed that his nephew was illegitimate so he could claim the English throne.

Henry VIII's marriages and annulments messed things up so much that all his children were accusing each other of being bastards. (Parliament decided to treat them all as legitimate, and they all became kings/queens in turn)

After Charles II's death, his illegitmate son Monmoth claimed he was legitimate. Less than five years later, there were silly rumors that the King has smuggled a baby into his wife's bedroom so he would have an heir.

Most likely, the blonde/brunette thing GAVE NED THE IDEA that something was odd, and Stannis probably gave him more "evidence".

@CharlesTheBold Plausible enough theory about Ned and Stannis. If that were true, I just don't remember it being shown. Season 1 was a long time ago. I have not read the books.

@Invidia said:

There's way too many characters in the story.

What would have been nice is if they'd kept the MAIN FOCUS upon the STARK vs the LANNISTER families.

That's probably also why S1 felt like it was the best one, because they also mainly concentrated upon those 2 families in that season.

I agree that the Starks and especially the Lannisters are the best storylines. I don't like the night's watch or Dorne storylines. Danny's has been up and down. I have liked hers better since Vaerys and Tyrion LANNISTER joined her. Any scene with at least two of the Lannisters is always golden. I really miss Tywin.

@Invidia I think you are referring to Lady Olenna and Brienne? Love them both. Didn't like Brienne at first, but she has really grown on me, especially after her bath with Jamie and her fight with the Hound.

I would see Brienne continuing to serve Sansa and Arya Stark. Or Jon.

Kinda miss Brienne - don't think she's had lines yet this season? Just reaction shots from Winterfell meetings. Loved her during Adventures with Jamie. And when the wildling is staring at her..hot!

I hope Brienne and the Wilding hook up. She deserves something for herself.

"Yet no one ever talks about or addresses matters like this"

Yes, even the Maesters. In fact, what do the Maesters ever DO, except act as servants to the nobility and bullying novices like Samwell?

Back in the 1970s, Ursula LeGuin wrote a short novel called PLANET OF EXILE, about a world with 15-year long seasons. She works out the astronomy that would cause this, and describes how the inhabitants of the world have adapted culturally and physically to the situation. In GAME OF THRONES Martin simply took the idea that "Winter is Coming" and didn't develop or explain it any further.

PLANET OF EXILE is not really a good story; I just cited it because of the way she carefully worked out the idea of years-long winters.

The Westerosi's inability to plan for Winter may explain why they're stuck in the Middle Ages for thousands of years.

Ideally the Maesters, the closest thing that Westeros has to an educated class, should be organizing everybody for the deprivations of Winter. Instead the Maesters are treated as servants of the lords, and sometimes, like poor Maester Luwin, get caught in the crossfire when the lords feud with each other. Compare their status to the midieval church, which was often corrupt but at least acted as a check on the powers of kings and lords.

Westeros is ant interesting place to watch but I'd certainly hate to live there.

Concerning the midieval Church, there was a lot of variety in its relationship with the kings over the centuries.

The Pope locked Emperor Henry IV out of his castle during a snowstorm.

Philip IV of France actually had Pope Benedict IX kidnapped.

After Henry II of England was implicated in Becket's murder, the Pope gave him a choice of being excommunicated or being flogged. Henry chose to be flogged.

The Magna Carta was written by the Archbishop of Canterbury. Although the barons were just interested in their own status, the Archbishop put in a lot of extra stuff about the rights of the common people. (The barons were probably too illiterate to realize what he did).