Rhollo

I'm not giving a rating, since I only watched bits an pieces of the previous episodes, so I can't speak to how well it was really set up. But the finale felt quite lazy to me, because it was mostly just Peter Dinklage monologuing the plot into the camera. This is a series where the conflicting motivations of dozens of characters was always the driving factor and in the end, one dude comes up with the solution to everything and everyone else is just going along with him. No one at the election council felt like a character except for Edmure, who did what I would have expected from eveyone: Making a case why they should rule or what they want. But no, he gets shut down after 10 seconds as a quick joke. Stupid Edmure, this is the Tyrion show, sit down and listen.

No problem, thanks for the correction. So, actually even less pro Jons legitimacy here

Good points but even if Bran proved his abilities beyond a doubt, people who just don't want Jon as king could still make a pretty good case that Bran is simply lying about Jons parentage to put his brother on the throne. And iirc the diary from the citadel only mentions a wedding (which should also be heavily questioned as illegal) between Rhaegar and Lyanna, not that they had a child.

The gray area is getting the Lords of Westeros to actually (wanting to) believe that Jon is a Targ and even a legitimate one. As pointed out in the show, all his proof comes from his brother and his best friend, which is rather weak. So Jon being a man is certainly a selling point in this society, especially when it comes to the Iron Throne where inheritance is even more unfavorable towards women after the Dance of Dragons.

You are assuming that everyones rating is (or should be) in comparison to other TV shows. Which is not the case.

Because the Tyrells aren't good fighters, according to Olenna. It's a pretty stupid explanation, but it's the one the writers gave us.

Maybe the episode wasn't so bad in itself but more the straw that broke the camels back for me, because it included so many things that have become annoying about the show and made me like it less and less over the last few seasons: - The culmination of a 2 season long plot that did absolutely not justify itself because of the lack of consequences and the resolution being ridicolously quick and easy (Jorahs greyscale) - A lazy rehash of an previous scene (Ellaria, Yara and Tyene doing a "walk of shame") - REVELING in violence topped of with a villain monologue (Cersei in the dungeons) - Euron, who has quickly replaced the Sand Snakes as the shows most irritating, out of place character (the SS felt like straight out of a campy Conan adaption, Euron would be fitting as ... I don't know ... leader of some space bandits in a Firefly-knockoff?) - The ongoing assassination of Jamie's character - Talk about fingering bums - An incredibly underwhelming Stark reunion - Littlefinger spouting pseudo-clever nonsense - Not even trying to make the logistics of war seem remotely plausible. Armies just pop up where and when they are needed.

1/10 This was the worst episode in the series history. A boring, B-movie level, melodramatic soap-opera, that can't even be saved anymore by actors that are way to good for this. Can't even make fun of this anymore, I am done with watching.

Yara, Stannis, Ramsay, Tyrion in Meereen, the Freys at Riverrun, ...

3/10 Didn't hate any of it, it was just a lot of filler and setup. Everything falls into place a bit too easy, but at least most of it kinda makes sense and the dialogue wasn't full of non seqiturs and obvious exposition. Lowlight of the episode was Jorahs greyscale thing. The whole arc is just beyond ridiculous. I suspect he'll be fully cured and swinging a sword around within the next 3-4 episodes although he should be in constant agony for missing half his skin. Cersei not getting any backlash from the Reach lords for calling out Dany on her cruelties was odd, given she herself is a terrorist. They could be reasonably afraid to speak out, of course, but they seemed to be totally on board, not even a few suspicious looks. The Kraken Bowl looked nice and all, but just wasn't exciting. I didn't care for either side and Euron winning was a foregone conclusion, because team Kelly C. needed a setback. Highlight: Direwolf

It was pretty much "20 good men" all over again. There is no way to make the logistics behind all of it seem plausible (even if we just accept Arya has full FM powers), so they just skip right to the final step.

Arya's FM abilities definitely seem overpowered and unearned. Her education consisted of failing her two entry missions at the HOBAW and dropping out, so why would she be any way close to a fully skilled FM ? I could kind of overlook it, if we just assume she has stolen a few faces from the hall and they come prepared with all the "magic" necessary to use. But since she was able to disguise herself as Walder, that doesn't work anymore. Given what we have seen of her at the Twins, Arya really should randomly pop up disguised as one of Cerseis servents to kill her or at least get close enough to poison her food/wine in the next episode. If she doesn't, we have to ask why she is failing.

A lot of recapping/set-up. A bit clumsily written at times, too. Like Cersei explaining the political situation to Jamie as the audience avatar or Arya!Walder retelling the RW to "his" sons. But there was nothing jarringly stupid, so given the standard the show has set with the recent seasons, it was decent. I give it a 6.

btw. I am incredibly impressed with the guy carving perfectly shaped seven-pointed stars into peoples foreheads free-hand. I couldn't draw circles and angles that steady on a flat piece of paper. He has some practice by now of course and I imagine there are dozens of early sparrows wearing basecaps all the time.

True, the cock jokes on 2BG are funnier.