168 replies to this topic

[Sun]

This deserves its own post.

David Nutter is, to my money, the best director GOT has had so far - yes, even better than Alan Taylor. I hope they keep him for the 3rd season.

[OzorxOron]

Would have been a good 8 from me, that was until the ending.

I'd give it a 9.

[The Third Reed]

I'll go through my usual pros and cons. Just a disclaimer first. Some of the rating will be based on the fact that until I see changes enacted in a positive way, they are considered slightly negative, enough to take off roughly a point.

Pros:

Acting. All round it was almost uniformally good.Minus (IMO) Emilia Clarke. Special shout out to Nikolai Coster-Walder. He IS Jaime. Likewise I doff my hat to Ygritte.

All the scenes round Robb's camp. Today that storyline finally became worthwhile. Karstark placed in very well. It also now gives us a reason for Robb being away from the camp (and Catelyn) when he hears of Bran and Rickon's "deaths", and subsequently falling into Jeyne's arms. Though they did say he was coming back at dawn, so that might be delayed an episode. Either way, it was good. The death of Alton Lannister was also very surprising. I didn't expect it.

Generally most of the other storylines were good, minus a couple that I shall discuss imminently. I'm also adding an extra mark for that shot of Harrenhall. Great great shot.

Cons:

Jon Snow is semi-incompetent. This annoys me. He is a future lord commander and he keeps on getting bettered. Admittedly I get the feeling he may escape next week (and as such can reunite with the Halfhand in a satisfactory way), but still. It vexes me. Also, how did Ygritte ever get the attention of the Wildlings that surrounded Jon?

Qarth. I don't necessarily mind the Dragons being stolen, but Pyat Pree has become some fucking superman, and the murder of the rest of the Thirteen makes no logical sense. Also Emilia Clarke's acting. I'm genuinely torn as to whether she is purposely trying to make Daenerys the whiny moron she becomes now or whether it's just simple bad acting.

I hope it does end up that Bran et al return to the Crypt. I want Theon to have been properly outfoxed, and not just missed them via bad luck. Also, not a con so much as yet to be confirmed, but I hope that Luwin knows about the bodies the same as he does in the book.

Yara is back next week.

So I shall give it an 8 overall.

[kailelizabeth]

9/10 Really great episode, the last few episodes have been great as well but this one really hit it out of the park.

I would have given it a 10/10 but Dany's scenes really blew it for me. Granted I don't like her much in the books, but they're really dragging her story out this season. And it really doesn't help that Emilia shouts almost every one of her lines, makes me roll my eyes when she shouts "I'M THE MOTHER OF THE DRAGONS!" For the love of God, we know.

But other than that everything was perfect. Especially the Winterfell scenes, Alfie Allen is doing a great job. I didn't think much of him in season 1, but he's blown me away this season.

[TC_Chaos]

I gave this episode a 10. All the pieces are starting to fall in place for the last 3 episodes. And hearing Igrytte say, "You know nothing, Jon Snow." reminded me so much of the books.

[ipsuel]

I gave it an 8 based on tv entertainment value. I don't like what they did with Jaime, fast-forwarded thru Dany (hated her in the books, too though) and I still don't like the Jeyne-posing-as-another bit -- seems unnecessary. Actually a lot of the changes seem silly to me.  

But I love Theon's portrayal, love the Tywin/Arya combo, and like Ygritte. I'm worried about certain arcs, but I've decided that if I want to enjoy the show, I simply can't expect to see the real book-based story come to life. It's not gonna happen.

So I'm taking the show as a based-in-Westeros drama, and leaving it at that. It gave me a good hour, so I gave it a solid 8 :-)

[Jamie Lannister]

8/10. Jaime's storyline could've been expanded a little, and that brutal killing of Alton was just... well. The Kingslayer was accursed in the eyes of the righteous, but the kinslayer...

The ending was harrowing, even knowing what I know.

[Thunderfist]

I gave the episode a 3, I liked the Theon scenes and the scenes with Sansa/Shae/The Hound, I disliked the rest

[The Monkey]

Good episode, 8/10

The Winterfell scenes were great, the ending was sufficiently powerful. I wonder if non-readers will be fooled by Bran and Rickon's supposed deaths. The Harrenhall scenes were great as always, glad that Tywin is showing some ability to see through Arya's lies. I like the humanization of Cersei, great acting from Lena Headey.

Two points off for the drawn out scenes beyond the Wall (although I do love the actress playing Ygritte), and the seemingly omnipotence of Pyat Pree.

[boojam]

Pretty much condenses what needed it, and restructured what needed it, for a visual drama.

I will have to watch it again, because I couldn't understand what Osha said as she and the Bran crew disappeared.
The whole walnut-Theon-Cleftjaw interchange left me scratching my head, as if they were on the trail, and they decided , 'O well, we will forget about the boys and display a dead Bran and Rickon'. Huh?

Figuring that Nikolaj has gotten so little screen time this season they had to get something from his salary.
That sequence must have timed out at one of the longest of the season.

With really only two episodes to make some kind of closure, where the heck are they going with Oona Chaplin ?

Rose Leslie is really good! D&D really lucked out with their casting department.
The Jon and Ygritte bit plays well for the time being. It looks as if the story will play out as in the book, and George can really improvise on the page for the reader's enjoyment, but the 'rest of this story' does not make a lick of sense for me.
It is what it is.

Well ... wondered how D&D were gonna fix George's rather travelog-eee Qarth.
Looks like its showdown time at the OK Corral , err... I mean House of the Undying.
Did care for how over dramatic they made the coup d'état at the '13 chambers' , especially considering the fireworks for Dany in Storm of Swords. (I hope in seasons 3 and 4 they can get that all in.)
I think we have had interviews with three different actors on the show about lets not overuse the the dragons, ...., well uh how about under using them!? I think they have been on screen for a total of 30 seconds. Since E9 may be all taken up with one story, sure are gonna be a lot a dragons in E8 and E10, I guess!

(Unknown Dothraki warrior shows up for a third time.)

Edited by boojam, 14 May 2012 - 06:43 AM.

[rmanoj]

I'm normally one to complain about big changes from the books, but I actually liked this episode - 8/10. I've come to believe that the more sympathetic Cersei is an improvement over the ridiculous book character (I hope they never mention Maggy the Frog), and her descent into madness come Season 4/5 will be more effective this way. The only points that really annoy me are:
- Casual kinslaying Jaime. You can't really compare it with Lancel (or Bran). "Alton" had done nothing to offend him and posed no threat to him, and the escape plan was foolish and never likely to work in the first place. As people have been saying, this will really make his redemption harder to swallow.
- Jon is still portrayed as far too incompetent and gormless, although Ygritte was done well.
- Dany was annoying as usual (but I don't really pay much attention to her stuff anyway).

Edited by rmanoj, 14 May 2012 - 07:05 AM.

[WinterWarrior]

I thought this espisode was ok, I gave it a 7. I really felt it was in some ways a "tranisition" or "set up" episode for things to come. The Theon scenes were well done, but I really missed having the Bran/Rickon/Osha/Hodor group hiding in the crypts. I am almost positive now they will encounter the Reeds on the road.

Also the scenes with Jamie were long and somewhat boring but they have to do this to set up the future story line of Jaimie and Brienne, to show how awful a person he is and how he begins to change....and I am not sure what the point of Arya/Tywin is since they did not speak even once in the book! Why is it important to show this relationship developing on the TV show? I can't figure out where that story line is going.

Also - are there only 9 episodes this season? HBO said only 2 episodes to go...I thought there were 10 this season.

I like the Sandor/Sansa focus and that makes me optimistic that San/San will continue to be a story line in future books as well as on tv.

Edited by WinterWarrior, 14 May 2012 - 07:13 AM.

[bikie]

I enjoyed the episode but didn't think it was one of the stronger ones of the season. the bran and rickon cliffhanger was too telegraphed and I haven't spoken to a non-book reader that thinks they are dead yet... like renly's death, I think it should have had a bigger impact on the audience and was not handled properly...

dany is just as annoying to me in the show now as she was in the books and I didn't feel that way in season one at all. as someone pointed out, I can't tell if that is the actress' method with this character or she is showing some limitations on how to handle dany this season.

ygritte is fantastic, better than I expected from her character though I agree with some others that they are making jon snow way too incompetent

while I enjoy the chemistry of arya and tywin immensely, I just wonder if that storyline will yield anything significant to the story other than two actors having a great dynamic together...

I've really enjoyed the season but with everything that happened in book 2, I would have expected a faster pace rather than the character development path they have chosen....

[Chelly]

8/10. I liked the episode a lot, I just didn't love it as much as last episode. Still great, though. The charred little boy bodies of "Bran" and "Rickon" was disturbing. You think after the bastard massacre in the season premiere, I'd be a little less shocked by some of the horrible things that happen to children on this show, but that visual still disturbed me.

More Jaime! More Brienne! I love Brienne telling dudes off and having Cat's back.

"and GAG HIM!" I was like lol. Catelyn is so badass.

Ygritte was too funny. "And then he said turn around." Another lol moment.

The Cersei and Sansa exchange was very good. "You won't love the king, but you will love his children."

The women were on point this episode for me. I even liked Shae helping Sansa out and threatening the other handmaid at knife point to not to the queen about Sansa getting her period.

[Lord of Cheese]

Yes, Bran's lines were a dead giveaway that they would not be killed. Very very poor execution (no pun intended). It should have had teh same impact on tv as it did in the books. Werent we supposed to have the Bastard of Bolton in this one???

I thought the books had a little too much 'soldier leading the captive'. Now the tv series found a way to add Jon and Ygritte to that mix. *sigh*.

But, it was an ok episode overall as i didnt feel like raging as much.

Edited by Lord of Cheese, 14 May 2012 - 07:35 AM.

[Wun Wun Greyjoy]

I loved the changes to Qarth. The crying was really annoying to me in the story and if the series Xaro cried that much I'd laugh. Making Pyat Pree a BAMF was awesome, he did creepy so well.

Arya/Tywin I can't say anything different, their dialogue is so fantastic it has been a great change... and Harrenhall is so visually fantastic.

I still do not like the changes to Jon, I feel that the love story is being pushed too quickly.

[White Raven]

7/10 I really liked the Winterfell and Harrenhall scenes, creepy Pyat Pree and the Kin(g)slayer but all in all last week's episode was better.

[Oberyn King]

Great acting, a good episode overall, but the changes in Jon's storyline kinda make him look like an idiot.

[A Redeemed Hound]

I give it a solid 9.  One of my favorite episodes.  Although not a ton happened, I loved the character development in this one.  And the back stories for the non readers.  I don't care anymore about the changes from the book.

Jon was captured and I believe they will already have or will capture halfhand as well and then he and Jon can make their agreement.  I also love Ygrette.  She is great.  A bit too pretty and clean but she nails the role.

Love the Arya/Tywin scenes.  He is babbling and she is thinking of stabbing him in the neck.  Love it.  Also the Jaime/Brienne chemistry is already beginning.  Loved that too.

Qarth scenes were good.  Love Quathe.  Hope she is in more of the series too since she must give Dany her warnings and prophesies.

But how are there only 2 episodes left?  I thought there were 10 for the season?  2 would be 9.  There is too much to do!  Blackwater, Reek, Winterfell, House of the Undying, Weasel Soup, etc.  WTF!?!?!?!?!?

[Reposado]

The best of the last few definitely, but mostly because of how spectacular every jamie scene was. jon's plotline is backfiring and really, I don't see how he can like Ygritte the way they have done her character