It's been a week and now the Diggity Doc and Wildcard have had time enough to ponder all the drama of the season six finale of Game of Thrones. So they had a good old chat about it all.

CLICK HERE FOR TNC's S06E10 REVIEW

Diggity Doc: El Wildcardo, you may not be the North's king. You may not have barrels of wildfire at your disposal. You may not have dragons and a dwarf by your side. You may not be able to cook quite like Arya, but you're a nice bloke. How's ya first week without GoT been? Mine exploded on Saturday when I encountered a dear friend and we unleashed our pent up GoT angst after letting it simmer for a week.

Wildcard: Haha, to be honest I was the opposite, Doc. I was starting to get tired of it, it finished at the right time for me. Strange, that - because I was reading all these reviews talking that episode up as one of the best they've ever done and I just didn't feel it that way. Call it GoT fatigue or something. What are these pent up angsty things, just the usual finale cliffhangers or deep theories or anything? Anything I might learn from?

DD: Not the episode, more that the season had finished. I see my dear friend once a week, a Saturday morning and so there were just things to discuss ya know. We still have no real idea where this is all heading so that is the basis of any post-season discussion. We think we know, we think we know that Dany is gonna pop up with her dragons and take Westeros. This season left things more uncertain in my mind than I thought it would.

WC: Really? To me it felt like they paved the path for dragon warfare clearer than ever but then I guess the trick there is that all of a sudden we're getting to this point where things are converging and lines are being drawn in the sand and some of our favourites might not necessarily be on the same side here. Dany made a hint a few episodes ago lumping the Starks in with the Lannisters as usurpers and she probably doesn't see the King in the North as any less of an enemy than the Queen in the South. Although if they did get chummy, we know dragonglass does wonders in killing White Walkers but imagine the damage dragonfire would do! Problem is, again, things aren't exactly falling into place that way. As for Cersei, that gig as queen is about as ill-timed as it gets. That's a tougher job even than Sean Marks as GM of the Brooklyn Nets.

DD: Dragon warfare is coming yeah, sure. In earlier seasons I was pretty smug with the dragons as I thought they'd be the joker that would generally fuck everything up. This season has pushed some far more dangerous and stranger forces forward and I certainly don't think that Dany will steamroll through Westeros - as it appears. I mean, there's some joker who worships the ocean and is in hot pursuit of Yara, Theon and Dany for starters. Right now, I'm barely confident that Dany will safely land on Westerosi soil with her whole army intact, let alone hop on the steamroller.

WC: She does now have the forces of the Tyrell and Martell families behind her. Why exactly the Sand Snakes are now the bosses of Dorne is beyond my knowledge, illegitimate daughters and all, but then Dorne never made sense and on that line of logic, Cersei has no claim to the throne that she's sitting on either. All weirdness there, I guess the answer is that the throne belongs to the person who takes it. Queue Daenerys Stormborn. Who's stopping her though? Maybe Winter throws in a few curveballs for those tropical dragons? Euron is an interesting one too, for a story as elemental as this one, water > fire after all. It's your standard Pokemon dilemma. You pick Charmander and the other bastard picks Squirtle just to mess with you.

DD: You’re talking about humans there mate and this is precisely what I mean. Humans are engaged in a power struggle that comes in front of a backdrop of magic and that's what this season was about for me. It started with Jon Snow being revived, through magic in the first episode and then in the season finale we were given more, from Uncle Benjen dropping knowledge about magic at the wall which stops the White Walkers from climbing it to that Qyburn guy and Cersei unleashing some wildfire. Heck, even the Citadel's library was amazing and there's definitely some funk at play there. Point being that if you look at the various human elements, everything seems fairly simple. The writers obviously won't stay down a simple/obvious lane for starters and then there's the presence of some larger forces that will ensure that next season, plain sailing won't be the case.

WC: Maybe they'll run into a taniwha on the way or something. I think a kraken is the spirit animal of the Greyjoys too. You're right though, this was the first season where the more psychic and magical elements came through fully - all a bit dramatic really. I don't know if I'm completely cool with that because it sort of cheapens some aspects of the story when you can just be like: well, it was magic. But Thrones balanced that stuff great when it was hinted at in the past and it isn't like Jon Snow is the only revived person we've seen. Are you one of the people who reckon season six was as good as any they've ever done?

DD: Mate, I can barely remember the start of season six let alone previous seasons. I also refuse to deal in 'this episode/season was the best' talk because each episode for example serves its purpose. Each season has a purpose in exploring different stories and setting up the next storylines, plus each season has a different budget so we get the best CGI and camera work in the latest season. You know I love job-doers, so this season did its job. It set up the narrative that we've all been waiting for very well and it wrapped up characters who were speed-bumps like Ramsay Bolton in entertaining fashion too. To kinda sum up my feelings, this season reminded me of what I loved about earlier seasons with the castles and the wheelin'/dealin' between Houses. I haven't always been a fan of the magical elements, so I definitely liked bits of other seasons more than this season. The thing with this season was that it brought everything together, all the different elements that make up GoT into a pot and it's currently simmering away.

WC: Yeah, that's a good answer. The reason I asked is because I think this was my least favourite season, and it's a feeling that's slowly grown on me as it went along. The further they go from the books, the more rudderless it seems and the Battle of the Bastards, as technically astounding as it was, also happened to be entirely predictable in a way that the books never quite are. It's not that I didn't thoroughly enjoy it all, it's more that it wasn't as rewarding as it usually was. With George RR Martin it's like even the tiniest details served a purpose moving forward in the story and with the show now it's like the small details aren't really there anymore. The stuff that is serves a purpose too, but not in the story going forward, rather in the story as is. They're answering questions and streamlining the show, killing people at a quicker rate than they're introducing new folk. I know this is as much to do with there only being 13 episodes left or whatever the number is but as much as anything else this season has made me more hyped for the next book to see how different that one is. Thrones is slowly becoming more TV-ised. To be fair, six seasons is a long time and most shows don't stay relevant much longer than that while this one is as big as ever. Maybe I'm just being a pretentious book reader though, unhappy because my big advantage has been taken away...

DD: You are definitely a pretentious book reader as this is exactly what TV is these days, hence I don't watch TV unless it's sports related. However, it's funny because as you've come around to that way of thinking, I've also found myself wanting to read the books, or more specifically the new book now. I never really had that urge until now and I don't really know why, maybe it's because I crave those little bits of extra information, greater detail and what not that the TV show lacks. We started from different positions, but we are both excited to read the next book for a similar reason which may not be the best endorsement of the show right?

WC: Haha, cheers. But that's the thing, the show didn't always lack that stuff. There wasn't the same character consciousness that the book gets at by being told chapter by chapter from character's perspectives but they always had a nod or a wink and that's not really there anymore. It's not the best endorsement, I agree. You can tell there are two different types of TV shows out there: those that are intricately planned out from the start and those that make it up as they go along. Neither is right or wrong or good or bad, necessarily. But Thrones is strangely transitioning from one to another, at least in my eyes. Tell ya what, Doc. I know GRRM has had endless talks with the showrunners about future plot stuff but this actually makes me wonder now if he's maybe holding a few details back for himself. Sneaky bugger that he is. It must be weird to be handing over the reins to your story like that - even if it's only temporary until his next book is released.

DD: That's part of the reason I want to read the books as there'll definitely be some differences in the story between GRRM and the showrunners. Whether it's GRRM intentionally holding things back or whatever, I trust GRRM more and I want his version of events straight from his mouth ... I mean pen. But we've got this show for now mate. I'll stay clear of theories like that kraken/taniwha upsetting Dany's journey or the chance that there's more wildfire in King's Landing ... surely Jamie won't let Cersei rule King's Landing given the similarities between her and the 'Mad King'?

WC: Ooh, matey, right into the darkness there. You and I both acknowledged the weird look they gave each other when he returned to her on the Throne. Even after he praised her for having the courage/capacity to burn cities to the ground - his words not mine - for her kids, it wasn't exactly a look of true love's devotion, now was it? He slayed the Mad King for threatening to do the same thing and now this. Plus Cersei's actions may have been for the perceived good of her kids in the past but the last one just fell out of a window on purpose and now she's just straight unhinged. Literal scorched earth. Mate, I'd kill her if I had the chance. But it seems to be foretold that maybe possibly Jaime will kill her - there was that prophecy that we saw from when she was a girl I think the start of last season it was, where some old crone said she'd had three kids and they'd all die before her and then some younger brother would strangle her. She assumed that meant Tyrion... but she's a few minutes older than Jaime, hint hint. Although, if he doesn't then somebody else will. Pretty much everybody else is against her now.

DD: There was a discussion between Jamie and Cersei - before Jamie was sent on his merry way out of King's Landing - regarding prophecies and what not right? I think I remember Jamie saying 'fuck the prophecy'? That would be an interesting little twist, if Jamie then seals the prophecy.

WC: And peak Thrones has always been about interesting little twists. I know I made a song and dance before about the diversions from the book being a bad thing but even if the groundwork was patchy, I do still trust them to stick the landing. It'll all come together in those ways. I was convinced a while back that Jaime wouldn't survive the season and I was wrong. Now I'm convinced that he'll murder his love for the good of the land. I could be wrong again. But I was right to hitch my wagon to the ol' R+L=J theory, by the looks of it. Did that Tower of Joy scene move you like it moved me, there Doc?

DD: I wouldn't say it moved me no, for a few reasons. We had that hinted at us a few episodes back and it was pretty strange how that vision of Bran's came to be as Benjen basically just dropped him off, said do your best and next thing ya know, Bran's plugging himself into a tree. I had an interesting thought now that the R+L=J theory is all but confirmed as now Jon is on a path to go up against either his brother or ... lemme do my GoT family tree math here ... his aunty? That's how I see it as Jon, King of the North will have to fight or make a tough decision against one of his family members at some stage.

WC: The way I see it is that Jon and Dany end up married and uniting Westeros. He's half Stark either way, and half Targaryen if Rhaegar is indeed his father. Say what you will about Jaime and Cersei but the Targaryens were pretty notorious for inbreeding themselves. Plus they're only half-related, and at least in most countries marrying your cousin is legal - if not exactly encouraged. Ruined Jerry Lee Lewis' career now that you mention it. They're not cousins, he's her nephew as you say, but it's sort of the same degree of separation. Then again Sansa is supposed to be the leader of the north (why did Jon set up the master bedroom for her and then steal her title?) and right now only Bran knows that nugget of info and has no way of transmitting it... that we know of yet. He is the Three Eyed Raven now, after all.

DD: How do you see Bran's storyline looking, maybe not so much what he's going to see but do you actually think he's going to make it past the wall? If so, that could grant the White Walkers a nice easy passage through/over the wall given how funky the magic is and what not. Right now he's plugged into that tree and it kinda felt like that's where he'll be forever, that's where he'll truly become the Three Eyed Raven. Possibly making him a sitting duck.

WC: Yeah... I have no idea how any of that magic is supposed to work. Bran's strange because he's physically superior to every other human and physically weaker. How he's supposed to use that power is beyond me, other than for gathering information such as long held fan theories about the parentage of heroes. The secret must be with the hints that he can affect the people in his visions, even across space and time. The Wall thing is weird because they never explained why his getting touched in a vision allowed the Night King into the Raven's tree but if he goes the other side of the Wall then is he at risk of the same thing? Dammit, I don't know. Coz if the Wall comes down then it won't only be him a sitting duck. Somebody tell him that there's a weirwood tree in Winterfell that he's now welcome to use - or maybe he's like my laptop and he'll crash if he goes more than two hours without being plugged in now.

DD: Probably time for Meera to abandon ship? Nah, she's ride or die but it really is hard to see how staying with Bran on that side of the Wall is going to be beneficial. As for Fatboy Sam, there are a few key learnings he can take away from his time at the Citadel, most notably a bit of history and general education about the White Walkers/Winter. You still got high hopes for Sammy? He'd better get a wiggle on because things are going to get pretty hectic fairly soon and that's a massive library they've got there.

WC: Oh, you just reminded me of something. I know where Bran needs to go: to Meera's place. Her dad was the one that survived with Ned Stark at the Tower of Joy battle - presumably he was there waiting outside. He's probably the only other living person that knows about Jon Snow's parents. Howland Reed is his name, they reckon he's a bit looney but who wouldn't be carrying a bombshell like that? Fatboy Not-So-Slim is the same as Bran in some ways. Physically ungifted and intellectually brilliant. Their knowledges are the literal secrets that can save the world. It makes no sense that he'd embark on a multi-year maester's apprenticeship at the brink of winter but then neither did Arya's apprenticeship and we know how that ended up. My guess is Sam finds something crucial about dragonstone or White Walkers and baddabing-baddaboom. He's one of the most consistently underestimated characters out there and I reckon there's definitely more to come from him. Very high hopes, mate. Very high... though yeah, I hope he knows how to skim read. Or, to put it another way, I hope he can read pages quicker than Mr Martin can write them.

DD: Shout out to the minds in GoT as well. Sam isn't a warrior, he's a mind and we've seen how influential the brain-power of Varys and Tyrion can be as well. We get caught up in the violence, the best swordsmen and all but the presence of such cunning folk is crucial to any form of success. Speaking of Varys, am I right in remembering that his little news-hounds in King's Landing are the same kiddies who ended up doing Cersei's dirty business along with Qyburn? If so, that puts Varys still on the Cersei/King's Landing team kinda, right? And he's heading to attack King's Landing ... ?

WC: Yup, those would be the same little buggers. But they aren't working for Varys anymore, Qyburn bribed them with lollies, remember? Somehow he figured out how Varys was getting all the whispers and he took that trick for himself, even turning the poor beggars to murder. Although to be fair, Varys did the same thing with them in the last book. Nah, Varys is 100% on Team Dany now. Kinda weird how to of the slyest, most mischievous and devious characters out there in he and Littlefinger are now so blatantly playing poker with all their cards on the table. Another example of a lack of subtlety creeping into the show, I s'pose. But I have enjoyed the Varys/Tyrion bromance, to be fair.

DD: Ah I see, good stuff. I feel like we are going to be dragged along with that Sansa/Littlefinger struggle for much of next season. From that finale though, Sansa definitely appears as though she's comfy with her powerful position over Littlefinger and I view his antics as nothing more than scrambling. He'll try drive that wedge between Sansa and Jon, which stems from Jon being King of the North while Sansa is the true Stark etc. Does Littlefinger know of the impending doom?

WC: Dragged in is a good way of putting it, I'm not sure they've done enough to sell me on why exactly Sansa would ever side with Littlefinger over Jon. A little jealousy is easily solved with a quick chat and she's learning to play the game as well as anyone - hard to see her not seeing through his motives. But then Sansa also has a powerful man on a string there, so she may wanna drag him along too. I'd wager Littlefinger has heard all the stories about the far north but doesn't really believe them. It's hard to sell said impending doom without seeing it, right? Yeah, so there are these ice zombies, bro, and they like... rise from the dead and kill people. And their leaders are made of actual ice, at least it looks that way, and you can only kill them with dragonglass. Tough sell, to be honest. But I do remember a line about Littlefinger going way back a few seasons and how he'd burn the world to the ground if he could rule over the ashes. Just wait until he uses The Others and that imminent threat to swing something his way - if he didn't have another power move in him the show woulda killed him off by now. Hey... am I a bad person for laughing when Tommen killed himself? I mean, it was just so funny.

DD: Nah mate, I didn't quite let out a chuckle but I certainly didn't feel any sense of sadness. Like you, I consider myself to be a pretty wholesome human being, the type who views reckless violence as being preeeetty dumb and this is why I found any sort of shock or sorrow regarding Cersei's actions, effectively causing Tommen to jump out that window rather funny. Cersei is a cold-blooded demon, she doesn't give a fuck about nothing and if Tommen had to go, he had to go. I think part of the reason Tommen's little re-enactment of Bran's moment of paralysis was kinda cool in a strange way was how it was shot. A funky little background tune, one camera that stayed still as Tommen left and re-entered the shot and a casual popping out the window. It was all kinda comical right? Compare that to Cersei's ceremony to take the throne which was about as doom and gloom as you can get. One involved suicide and was kinda merry, the other involved a lady finally sitting on the throne and it was nothing short of depressing. Weird, funny and creepy.

WC: Have you seen the clip of Bran being pushed out the window again recently? Man, the quality of production is so tiny compared to the CGI dragons we're getting now. Looks like there's an old fashioned painted background out the window, it's crazy. And the cyclical nature of that is not something that I missed either, I'm all on board with that circle of life stuff in this tale, probably why I love the hinted stuff towards the past generation, Ned's comrades and all that. Think why Bran was pushed out of the window. He discovered a secret that inhibited Lannister success. Think why Tommen took his leap of faithlessness. A gutsy move that caused great success Lannister success. And now Bran is the king of hidden information. By 'gutsy move' I mean 'act of terrorism', by the way. Ultimately, Tommen was expendable and he was getting in the way of Cersei completing her course in becoming the show's main villain. So he fell out a window.

DD: What's on your agenda for the off-season? Like you, I'm fairly happy it's all wrapped up because it takes up far too much harddrive space in my brain. And it brings us closer to this book coming out.

WC: I'm gambling on the book coming out before the next season but there's no assurances to go on there. If it does though, well... the last one took me a couple months to read so that'll take up plenty of the off-season. Other than that I guess I'll be doing the usual off-season stuff. Get a bit of a break, make sure I keep eating right and stay fit for a big effort next year. Like I tell my Football Manager team after every season, look, we had a good run, we achieved what we wanted to achieve so everyone get a good break and return refreshed because we're going to win the league next time.

DD: And with that, may the off-season begin mate. I've got a few training camps so I'll hit you up when I'm back in town and we can run through a few plays. Until then, keep that Valyrian steel polished.

WC: Sure thing, champ. I've got a couple niggling injuries to work through so I'm gonna sit out that pre-season tour to Dorne, but I'll be reading up on the playbook that whole time. Might even submit a few variations to Coach Martin and see if he writes them into the next one. Catch you up when Winter hits hard in Westeros.