Season 8 Episode 4 gave us a standoff between Cersei and Daenerys, a farewell between Jon Snow and Ghost, a funeral for the fallen, and whispers between Tyrion and Varys. But listener mail mostly was about one thing: How the hell is the North so bad at stuff?

We scoured more than 200 emails and voicemails after "The Last of The Starks," and we chose the best for this edition of the "Game of Thrones" Small Council. Hear other listeners' takes on the new Scorpion design, whether King's Landing will fall, Jaime's and Brienne's romance, female disempowerment, and who ultimately will sit on the Iron Throne.

Other topics in this edition:

• Missandei's execution is the death of diplomacy
• Dany isn't mad. She's just angry.
• How does Euron always know where to be?
• Canadian wrath
• Gendry's path to the throne
• Vary's secret aspirations
• Tom from Chicago's SWOT analysis of the war to come
• and much, much more!

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• Theme Song - "Seven Nation Army (Epic Orchestral Cover)" - Ciaran Burch 

"The Last of The Starks," brought back the political struggles, shocking developments, and complex conversations of earlier seasons without losing the massive scale and sprawling tales of Season 8.

Episode 4's breakneck race to the "Game of Thrones" finish line might seem like sloppy writing and impatience, but Gene and Dick believe there's a method to the madness. Hear about that as we weigh the strengths and weaknesses of the two remaining factions: Team Cersei and Team Daenerys. 

Speaking of Dany, Big D lays out an impressive argument pointing to the Breaker of Chains as the next Mad Queen. Gene predictably plays devil's advocate and defends Dany as a born ruler who has suffered from being too lenient.

Wondering how the hell Euron knew the good guys were sailing toward Dragonstone? We'll dive deep into the lightning speed of information in Westeros and examine whether there's a spy in Dany's camp.

And of course we'll preview this season's last remaining bit of dazzle: The Golden Company. Who are they, and why might they be the key to defeating Cersei?

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• Theme Song - "Seven Nation Army (Epic Orchestral Cover)" - Ciaran Burch

"The Last of The Starks" mixed Game of Thrones Season 8's huge scale and intimate conversation with something we haven't seen in a while: cutthroat political jockeying and deep questions of identity.

What does family mean? Who is best to take the throne? At what point does savior become tyrant? When did the show turn into Scorpion City?

Find out what drinking games taught us, why Sansa told Tyrion the secret that's not really a secret anymore, and who's where on the map as we head into Episode 5.

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• Theme Song - "Seven Nation Army (Epic Orchestral Cover)" - Ciaran Burch

"The Long Night" didn't mark the end of mankind, and it didn't kill half the cast, but this 82-minute TV milestone whisked us from fear, to hope, to dread, to triumph. Was it Game of Thrones' crowning achievement or a sign HBO has lost its nerve? Listeners wrote in and called in to argue both sides.

We read through more than 180 emails and listened to more than a dozen calls to curate this expanded edition of the Small Council listener mail pod. Game of Thrones fans debate plot armor, Arya's destiny, what will happen next, Lyanna Mormont's death, Mellisandre's refusal to pop more smoke monsters, Jon's intelligence, whether Tyrion and Sansa will rule, and much more.

Plus, get a full Battle of Winterfell report from an actual fighter pilot (he even awarded medals) and hear from our podcast's first sponsor: Listwak & Listwak - Fantasy Lawyers.

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Read Full: THE BATTLE OF WINTERFELL: A TACTICAL ANALYSIShttps://www.wired.com/story/game-of-thrones-winterfell-battle-tactical-analysis/

Read Full: Game Of Thrones The Siege Of Winterfell: A Military Strategist Takes A Lookhttps://www.forces.net/military-life/fun/game-thrones-siege-winterfell-military-strategist-takes-look

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• Theme Song - "Seven Nation Army (Epic Orchestral Cover)" - Ciaran Burch

"The Long Night," Game of Thrones' third episode of Season 8, delivered the longest battle scene ever filmed and forever changed the landscape of Westeros. For every fan of the action and drama, there was an equal fan asking important questions about convenience, strategy, and faithfulness to the world of George R.R. Martin created.

Put on your scuba suits, Deep Divers, we're plunging to depths we've never attempted before as Dick Ebert uses his combat engineer experience to compare Jon Snow's military tactics to U.S. Army Field Manual recommendations. Find out where the trebuchets should have been placed, why the trench was a disaster, and how paint could have protected Rhaegal and Drogon.

Read Full: THE BATTLE OF WINTERFELL: A TACTICAL ANALYSIS

https://www.wired.com/story/game-of-thrones-winterfell-battle-tactical-analysis/

Read Full: Game Of Thrones The Siege Of Winterfell: A Military Strategist Takes A Look

https://www.forces.net/military-life/fun/game-thrones-siege-winterfell-military-strategist-takes-look

Meanwhile, Gene Lyons goes full fanboy as he defends "Game of Thrones" against the naysayers, reports from behind the scenes at HBO, and explains how his Macbook is the real Lord of Light.

This is the podcast for anyone who thought "The Long Night" was visually tough to follow, championed the wrong hero, was overly simple, suffered from military blunders, or provided too much plot armor for beloved characters. Join us for that conversation.

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• Theme Song - "Seven Nation Army (Epic Orchestral Cover)" - Ciaran Burch

We survived the Battle of Winterfell ... well, most of us. As flames illuminated the darkness, we cheered. As heroes turned to one another for help, we cried. "The Long Night" was dynamic, exciting, dizzying, and maybe a touch too convenient. 

"Game of Thrones" Season 8 Episode 3 shifted effortlessly from action, to drama, to horror, to parable. Hear our immediate thoughts while we prepare for Tuesday's Deep Dive. VALAR DOHAERIS!

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• Theme Song - "Seven Nation Army (Epic Orchestral Cover)" - Ciaran Burch

"A Knight of The Seven Kingdoms" touched our hearts and inspired listener mail about Winterfell's crypts, Daenerys' ability to lead, "Jenny of Oldstones" lyrics, Cersei's pregnancy, Brienne's knighting, and Bran's greensight.

But mostly, y'all just wanted to talk about Arya's sex scene. 

This expanded edition of the Small Council listener mail pod packs more than double the email and voicemail we received after Game of Thrones' Season 8 debut. Plus, you might even hear the voice of the Night King for the first time.

Listener mail also covers Arya's weapon, Sansa's wisdom, HBO's reluctance to kill major characters, and a pronunciation lesson from Gene Lyons and the late Roy Dotrice.

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• Theme Song - "Seven Nation Army (Epic Orchestral Cover)" - Ciaran Burch

"A Knight of The Seven Kingdoms," Game of Thrones' second episode of Season 8, mastered the herculean feat of bringing all our favorite characters together inside Winterfell's walls and reminding us how much we have invested in the battle to come. 

Along the way, Episode 2 gave us laughs, heartfelt moments, and one particularly steamy scene. This intersection of all the lives still living beautifully illustrated just who our on-screen friends had become over 8 seasons. Sansa Stark went from princess to prime minister. Jon Snow from bastard to badass. Arya from tomboy to terror. Daenerys from property to powerhouse. 

We'll take a Deep Dive into Podrick's song, "Jenny of Oldstones," and what it says about Jon's and Daenerys' Targaryen romance. This tragic ballad has rich roots, and Big D is following them far into the past.

Big D also uses his expert eyesight and keen military awareness (plus just reading the script) to answer a terrifying question: Just how many White Walkers are there? 

Spoiler alert: way too many.

Plus, catch a lightning round of Time to Guess, where we roll the dice and try to predict what Episode 3 will reveal.

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• Theme Song - "Seven Nation Army (Epic Orchestral Cover)" - Ciaran Burch

Two episodes and no major battles? No major deaths? It's true, and it's glorious. "Game of Thrones" is playing the long game on a short season, showing that HBO has grown and evolved to always show the audience something better than they knew they wanted.

Season 8 Episode 2 made us throw away our notebooks and just feel along with these characters, reminding us of how much we've grown to love them over the years and how much their wholesale deaths are going to hurt.

But it wasn't all gloom and doom. Arya's secret weapon was revealed. And then ARYA was revealed, leaving us all feeling a little bit like we just watching our niece disrobe.

Ghost showed up. Jon revealed his true name to Dany, and the Night King was conspicuously absent to his own party. Plus we saw the abbreviated trial of Jaime Lannister, the knighting of Brienne, and discovered why they call Tormound "Giantsbane."

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• Theme Song - "Seven Nation Army (Epic Orchestral Cover)" - Ciaran Burch

What's on viewers' minds after the powerful debut of Game of Thrones Season 8? Why Dany and Jon must die, why the dragon riding scene was important, Cersei's baby, over-reliance on Bran, and whether the Night King will skip Winterfell and go straight for King's Landing. Plus why is everyone letting Bran be a cryptic weirdo, why Dany is the only royal fit to rule, why Dany is unfit to rule, the timing of Sam's big talk with Jon, Smalljon Umber vs Ned Umber, and casual misogyny. With more than 60 emails and voicemails submitted for this episode, it's a power-packed edition of On The Throne.

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• Theme Song - "Seven Nation Army (Epic Orchestral Cover)" - Ciaran Burch