TheCasualObserver

It was good, but it felt like a sop to the audience in anticipation of what was to come. It didn't require much insight or political acumen to tell Myranda to sod off and she is just a servant after all. But small bits of characterization are better than none at all.

True, but it felt like modern sensibilities intruding on a world that is supposed to take place in a medieval setting. In our society mentioning someone's intimate birthmark might well be seen as a sign of a relationship (or that you are very active on tinder) but in Westeros there is ample precedence that a squire or a servant helps his master dress, undress and bathe. Therefore mentioning a birthmark on the buttock shouldn't have raised so much as an eyebrow. Ironically it would likely be more evidence of a relationship if a female knew about the birthmark than a male. The fact that neither Loras, Margery or Olenna even tried to bring this up is a huge oversight and the only excuse is that the plot needed it to happen. Performances remain as strong as ever though, which is why I didn't rate even lower. The writing for the whole season has been decidedly sub-par.

Perhaps a 4 or even a 3. The Sand snakes scene was ludicrous, Olyvar's evidence was incredibly flimsy and Sansa's scenes should be self explanatory. The worst part is that as the season goes on I'm increasingly struggling to view the world presented as an authentic one. Each moment of action or dialogue between characters when I should be invested is instead spent wondering why the showrunners made these decisions. I can't get out of the mindset.