Apologies, curses for browsing on my iPhone and missing that 
No. The Iron Bank is based in Braavos, on Essos (the continent across the sea from Westeros). The crown is now heavily in debt to that bank. Since the Lannister gold mines are empty, it’s going to be harder for them to come up with the money they owe- and it probably doesn’t help that the Lannisters were also lending money to the crown. If the ruling family can’t pay its debts, the bank will make a deal with an enemy who has more money and put them in position to take the throne. That’s why the alliance with the Tyrells is so important: the Tyrells still have a steady source of income, and the Lannisters want access to that money.
Remind me where the Tyrells get their moola?
Fertile lands. They have actual, productive wealth - not just mining shiny stuff. Maybe there’s other stuff like valuable trade cities and harbors, but it’s made clear that the reach is rich in productive soil and manpower.
Specifically,the Reach feeds the most of the southern kingdoms and King’s Landing. The are kind of the midwest USA/southern Canada breadbasket area of Westeros
You don’t know… it could’ve been young Angela Lansbury, who has developed Ser Candidate of Manchurios to take Tomnen out at the key moment…
Something I wanted to mention here when I saw it on the show and then totally forgot: Sansa defending Tyrion to Lysa and her wetboy (thank the 7 we didn’t have to see another shot of that large boy suckling). That surprised me.
Maybe he’s a Targaryen true believer. I like that idea, but I think I preferred thinking him as one of the few good guys (I took him at his word, although I really shouldn’t have). Where is he nowadays, anyway?
Game of Thrones doesn’t have a clean dividing line between “good guys” and “bad guys”. It’s entirely possible that Varys is simultaneously a Targaryen true believer AND someone who generally will do things to promote the welfare of the common people of Westeros AND someone who will occasionally do horrible things in aid of his goals. We don’t really know much about him.
He’s around. I’m 99% sure we saw him in the audience at Tommen’s coronation.
I remember him at Joffrey’s wedding, but not Tommen’s coronation.
I think he’s as close to a good guy as it gets for a King’s Landing lifer but I still wouldn’t go so far as to call him a “good guy”. Tyrion is my benchmark and there are precious few in Westeros that would be considered more moral men than he. Catelyn Stark for instance, would not pass.
Did Joffrey idolize Robert?
I don’t remember him doing anything that would lead me to think that and IIRC Robert made some less than flattering comments about his son to Ned and remember the whole “you let yourself be disarmed by this little girl” incident.
That didn’t surprise me at all. A teenager is bound to make friends on some level with someone she’s locked up with nightly, and who seems to respect her on some level, and also doesn’t rape her nightly as he has the right to do in that world.
Perhaps the inherited nanites have some mitichlorian-like properties. 
I read your post before the quoted part and thought the conversation was still about Gendry/Arya.
Varys was in line behind Maester Pycelle of those ascending the stairs to pay homage to the newly crowned Tommen sitting on the Iron Throne. It appeared as though he spoke with Tommen but the words were not shared with the audience, or I’m going deaf, which might be more likely.
You talking about the bald fat guy? Def saw him at both weddings - as immediately above, he was in the line and spoke to Tommen. We saw that at distance; his lady admirer was left of frame and mid-distance, the throne and people were right of frame at distance.
Sorry. I assumed someone already posted it by now and I just didn’t see it.
Game of Thrones on Facebook S4E5
The Hound shared Star Wars Kid.
I disliked Lyssa’s exposition scene. Was there really no other way to reveal that? It also strikes me as something GRRM might have thought of later rather than really planning from the start.
Poor bloody Sansa. I know lots of people hate her for not being proactive, but there’s really not a lot she can do since she’s always surrounded by multiple enemies.
I wonder how Hodor is going to take being treated like an animal and used for killing? Not well, I think.
The Cersei/Oberyn scene went on far longer than necessary.
Overall, the pacing is totally shot and I’m starting to get a little bored. Threads like this keep me interested more than the show itself.
Only if they had arrows made of dragon…fire? Stone? Bane? Whatever that sword was made from that Sam killed the White Walker thing with. Dragons aren’t just big flying lizards, they’re magic, and they can’t be killed that easily even when they’re small. People have tried, remember?
I think he kinda wants her to do well, preferably without him dying, and he was disappointed that she tried something that was so obvious to fail.
I don’t think so. Everyone thinks Sansa’s brothers are all dead, so she’s considered the heir of Winterfell. She can’t rule in her own right (or perhaps she could if she pushed for it, but she’s Sansa), but her husband can rule for her and her children would be the heirs. If it were male-only then a nephew or first cousin once removed of Ned’s would be the heir.
Varys could never be King anyway, due to being a eunuch (remember, Jaime can’t be Tywin’s heir due to his oath that means he [Jamie] can’t have legal heirs; Varys also can’t have legal heirs). I think he genuinely does have the realm’s best interests at heart, but that doesn’t mean he has the “good guys”’ best interests at heart.
I think littlefinger wants a revenge on life. I believe that having been snubded in his youth because he was of relatively humble origin (in particular too lowly to marry someone like Catelyn Stark), he will want to have a spot in the light, above all those mighty lords. Hence become king of the seven kingdoms.