WinterWarrior

I gave it an 8. I thought it was a good finale but really missed Lady Stoneheart and news of just where the Blackfish is. Maybe they will start season 4 with that. I liked the Sam/Bran scene and figure that Coldhands will meet Bran and company on the other side of the gate. I wanted the gate to be the one in the book, through the mouth of the heart tree but I guess that was too difficult to do for some reason. The open gate through the wall made no sense. The wildlings can just pass through that one...... Also, where is Gendry going? I hope Arya finds Needle and loved her scene. And I really liked what they did with Yara/Asha...I love the fact that she is going to go try to save Theon. I like it when HBO gives us a better story then in the books. I think this is a better Asha/Theon story....than what we get in Book 5. I like the fact that they made the battle against the Others, wights and that which controls them above the wall so important to the story line of this episode. That sets us up for where we are going. I miss it already...we have to wait until April again. Sigh, why are the seasons so short?

A total 10. Michelle Fairly was amazing.

Great episode, I gave it a 9. I thought it all hung together well and was very excited at the end when Sam the Slayer did his thing. I thought it was going to be the Cold Hands event but maybe that will come later. Daario is FANTASTIC. What a hottie! I really think the Dany arc this season has been the best. Every Dany scene in every episode has been great. Creepy what Mel did to Gendry. I guess she gets the leeches and the shadowbaby in a matter of minutes. At least our beloved Davos is out of the slammer. I liked the reference to the "battle in the snow"..... and thank goodness there were no Theon torture scenes! Really fabulous.

Not too impressed but any GOT episode is great as far as I am concerned. 1) I cannot stand much more of the Theon torture. It is really too much. Please make him just go away like the books did and resurface later. If we have to go through scenes of that in every episode I will really not want to watch. 2) Dany's scenes are the best this season - the sets rock and the dragons are fabulous. I really think her story line is being handled the best this season. 3) What did everyone think of Talisa saying she was pregnant? Does that mean that Jeyne is? Or will Talisa go to the RW and be killed, along with the pregnancy? 4) The Reeds are so important in the books and seem to be so diminished in the series.... I love Margaery and am glad they got an actress to play her who is perfect for the role. The Purple Wedding can't come soon enough. Oh, I guess we have to wait another year for that.

I was out of the country the past week and just had the opportunity to watch the episode on HBO Go. I am surprised there is so much negativity in the thread. I thought it was excellent and gave it a 9. I thought the Theon scenes were the worst, I do not like watching torture. I like the way Gendry is now becoming a critical part of the plot. And the whole Melissandre/Arya confrontation. Not sure where they are going with Loras being the only Tyrell male and all. LF is certainly more evil then he appears in the books. As much as I disliked the Roz character that was just gruesome. Too bad we need to wait till next season to get rid of Joff. Loved the Wall scenes....and the Riverrun scenes.....thought it was a great episode.

Ian McDiarmid as the Kindly Man. I saw him in Chicago as Timon of Athens and just kept thinking through the whole play "the Kindly Man, the Kindly Man........"

I thought this was a great episode and gave it a 9. 1) Maise was wonderful as Arya and we see the first romantic/affection struggle between Gendry and Arya...with her really not understanding her feelings and him having a better grip on the situation. 2) Selyse was creepy and those fetuses were disgusting, but the whole thing effective. I wonder why they are making Stannis and his situation so bizarre? Stannis is very different in the HBO series. 3) I loved Shireen and her friendship with Davos. I wonder how Davos is going to get in good standing with Stannis again. Will the HOB series have Stannis coming to the aid of the north? Don't see how. 4) Bath scene was great. I thought it was great when Brienne stood up. 5) Last scene with Tywin was amazing. This episode followed story lines from the book better even though characters were changed (Loras instead of Willis, etc...). I will watch it again about 4 times this week as I seem to be doing each week.....

10/10 from me as well. I have been on a business trip all week and watched it in my hotel every night it was on. I LOVE the ending, and particularly tuned in the last 15 minutes or so. Dany came into her own in this episode. I have always loved her and not understood the criticism of her on these boards....and was thrilled to see her finally become be the Queen Conquerer she is. I thought the final shots with her leading the Unsullied out of Astapor were just amazing - epic. Love it! Can't wait for Sunday!

I gave it a 9, I thought it was excellent and certainly the best of the season so far. I loved the Dany scenes and the "we are not men" response to Valar Morghulis. I also liked the way she put Mormont and Selmy in their places about disagreeing with her in front of others. Can't wait to see Dacharys! I do not know where the Theon story is going, but it certainly is different from the books. I guess they want to keep him front and center for the viewers. And Millesandre's story - it looks like she will end up with the Brotherhood and that Gendry will take Edric Storm's place. I wonder how that will play out with Arya since her brother is a king she has king's blood too. But if the Hound takes her first then she will be gone..... I am usually not a fan of scenes added that are not in the book, but I loved the Pod sequences, I could even stand Roz for a few seconds because it was about Pod. I really like his character. All in all, a great episode. I will watch it a few more times this week I am sure!

As an addendum to my previous post. No one portrays the Queen of Thorns as well as Roy Dotrice does in the audiobooks. Even an actress as amazing as Diana Rigg, who did an excellent job and is perfect for the role, is not as good as Roy Dotrice in the audiobooks. Maybe they should have dressed him in drag for the role. My not so humble opinion. Dotrice is a master.

I gave it a 7, and I am usually much more upbeat about the episodes. For some reason this one did not hang together well in my opinion. Too many story lines, I am really glad I have read the books multiple times or I would have had a difficult time following it. I think the Cat scene was to keep Jon Snow front and center. HBO is focused on Jon and Dany which is good in my opinion. I am wondering how they will do the scene where she argues against Robb making Jon his heir after this scene. Maybe Robb will do it and she will agree. The actor who plays Bran has grown up so much over one year it was startling! His deep voice. I love the Reeds but not sure if I liked the way they were written in last night. They were sort of creepy and in the book they are warm and supportive. Also, what happened to Rickon? I am sure they did not have him go off with Shaggy Dog....he better show up later. I can see a split happening though, with Osha and Rickon going off as they do in the book. Too much time wasted on Shae and Tyrion...I think the Shae story line will play out much differently in the HBO series. I think she will be hung. Margaery is excellent, as was Olenna. I hate Joff but the actor is amazing. And I love the Hound.

I have already rated the episode in an early post (a 9) but had to mention that the continuation of the Ros character makes no sense to me as well, unless she has something to do with Sansa's escape since Dontos has not been seen again. And how does the Varys/Ros scene from Ep.10 of season 2 factor into things with Ros and LF? Also, I forgot to mention that I missed seeing Dalla and Val in Mance Rayder's tent. I wonder when they will be introduced. Val at least has to come on the scene eventually, and the baby.

I gave it a 9 and really liked it. It was great for a first episode, getting the stage set for things to come. And I really liked the introduction of Selmy, they got right to the point. Sometimes I think the books just take too long to get where they are going (that plane needs to land.... instead of circling and circling) and I like that Selmy came on the scene, saved Dany, said who he was and asked for forgiveness all at once. That got rid of a lot of unnecessary pages of text right there. And I liked the tension in Cersei over Margaery already instead of waiting to see it all the way down in the 5th book. I am not sure what Robb was doing at Harrenhal....and of course I really want to see Arya....and I wish Ghost was with Jon. But somehow I think Ghost will do more to help the Nights Watch then he would have done with Jon. And maybe he will be at Castle Black when Jon gets there. Love this show....will watch it again tonight.

I can't stand the Ironborn. If Victarion survives and Selmy dies that is it for me. Selmy has to last until Dany gets back to Westeros. Cersei needs to see him next to Dany and she needs to pay dearly for what she did to him. I am tired of all of these chapters coming out dribble drabble and all of us trying to figure out where things lead. FINISH THE FREAKING BOOK ALREADY!!!!!

All in all I thought they did a great job this season. I gave this episode a 7 because of the HoTU, I thought that was lame. Otherwise I thought the episode was good, I loved Brienne and Jaqen Hagar. I also like the way they had Hagar say that he was a Faceless Man instead of that being subtle like in the books, and LF telling Sansa right out that he would rescue her instead of the Dontos story line and surprise at the end. Since the visions in the HoTU were not in the book....I have to assume we are being set up for Dany to be at the Wall at some point which we had all figured out would happen eventually. Also, it looks like she will be in Westeros during winter in the tv series at least. So maybe she will get heck out of Meereen! I think the writers and producers have done a great job with this TV series. I have been able to separate it from the books and appreciate it for what it is. But the HoTU was a real letdown. I do think all in all the series is excellent and hope it wins tons of Emmys.