echidna

I really like what D&D are doing with the series. They have to deal with GRRM's very slow writing style and know they'll have to adapt an unwritten final book. I think they're partially taking different paths so that we won't know what plot points are a final book spoiler and what's their invention. Also, I like what they've done with Stannis from the point of view of showing his frustration with the situations he finds himself in. And how he appeared to be The Villain in season two because Disney fantasy movies have brainwashed us to believe anyone using blood magic is evillllll - especially if its the new King's uncle. (Insert cliche Evil Uncle laugh here.) Now, thanks to the atrocities of the Boltons, the Thenns and the Red Wedding etc, that cliche is being soundly squished

10 Such a good episode. They've obviously changed the format of the series a bit. I think episode 9 is still a high point, but so was 8 and so will be 10.

I really liked the way Sansa blossomed into Margery-style-Sansa as soon as she had nobles that supported her. Lord Royce had even been at Winterfell and The Vales nobles all said they hate Lannisters. A quick adjustment of Aunty Lysa's clothes and some 'hide the Tully look' hairdye and she a new person. Or closer to the person she would have been without being a victim. Go Sansa!

There could be a disconnect. But I suspect that Stannis considers M and her magic to be a weapon in his arsenal and doesn't completely buy into it. Stannis is very militaristic and as soon as a weapon works he'll use it. Mellisandre was all for killing Gendry to get enough blood to take the Iron Throne quickly, so Stannis can make up for Blackwater. But Stannis is a 'charge straight in and squash the enemy' kind of person. So if he makes a decision he acts on it Now. Or at leasr that's what he seems to want Mellisandre and Davos believe. I suspect that Stannis has 2 or 3 ideas about what to do nextand manipulates the conversations with Mellisandre and Davos to get them to push him a particular way, so Davos blames Mellisandre and Mellisandre blames Davos for various decisions being made by Stannis. And Stannis isn't blamed by Mellisandre and potentially fried by her.

Its probably already been mentioned, but just in case it hasn't... the many, many references to Imperial China. A Great Wall keeping the country safe, a Forbidden City style Red Keep, a royal/imperial guard that do not marry, even a eunuch courtier

I gave it a 9 as it did a very good job of recovering the momentum and some of the positiveness of the series

I wish they'd ended with the Stannis scene, it would have had more impact than Dany's dragons. Also, I suspect a scene was held over from ep 9, which is why 9 was short and 10 long. Arya will be interesting on her trip with Uncle Hound. She is valuable but she also won't co-operate with anyone as she's rarely done that so far