How would you rate episode 208?

[CrypticWeirwood]

What? When did I say that Robb and Talisa was not significant? All I said was that the scenes were awful and go against everything we know about ASOIAF. Jeyne was just a plot device in the books, and whilst I prefer Talisa by far, I'm not exactly impressed that these awful scenes are taking air-time from other scenes I'd rather be watching.

I read you as saying you’d rather watch cheezy SanSan fanfic than Robb. If that’s not what you meant, then fine.

[PatrickStormborn]

I read you as saying you’d rather watch cheezy SanSan fanfic than Robb. If that’s not what you meant, then fine.

Well it would hardly be fic, would it? SanSan scenes are actually, you know, in the book. Robb and Talisa's scenes are the only "cheezy fanfic" in the show (although the whitewashing of Tyrion is pretty much fanfiction at this point).

[BlackTalon]

Nice. And welcome to the poohberty channel. Now, where was that adults-only forum when you need it?

I apologize for my remark not being "uplifting" enough for you ... :laugh: and with you already so beset by the lack of "upliftingness" in ASOIAF ...

Edited May 21, 2012 by BlackTalon

[Chelly]

It was a good episode, but not as good as some of the other ones this season even though this episode did have some great moments.

Jaime/Brienne - great casting, great chemistry. Jaime's snarky, rude comments were perfectly delivered, as was Brienne's "I'm too mature to retaliate but you're really pissing me off" vibe.

Davos/Stannis - Stannis deadpan about eating on the animals at the siege on Storm's End had me rolling. Him declaring that he plans to make Davos his Hand was such a lovely moment between the two.

Asha/Theon - I like Asha shedding some of her tough, badass exterior because she really does care and does not want to see Theon die. I think it adds some depth to her.

I was disappointed about the lack of Dany time too. I just don't want the HoTU to be rushed, That's all.

[White Raven]

8/10

Finally screen time for Varys again, woohoo!

Scenes I like:

Tyrion/Bronn/Varys and Maester Chabaladooshie (or whatever his name was)

Tyrion/Varys

Arya/Jaqen

Arya/Gendry/Hot Pie

Theon/Asha

Jaime/Brienne

Stannis/Davos

Osha and Maester Luwin in the crypts (I hope they will not kill Maester Luwin in the show)

Edited May 21, 2012 by White Raven

[Mulled Wino]

I gave it a 5, probably one of my least favorite episodes.

Tyrion/Cersei is getting old. Everyone is so nonchalant for Stannis' arrival.

I didn't like that Tywin singled out his cupbearer in front of his generals, c'mon she's a freakin servant.

Catelyn letting Jamie go without at least some recognition of the vows she made him say BEFORE she heard about Bran and Rickon is just too much.

The lack of airtime to display the importance of the direwolves is astounding. Why even show them at all? Where is Grey wind, where the $(#^U&P%$!!! is Ghost?

[Giskard Reventlov]

Yet again I gave it an 8. And yet again it is 8-9 as TV show GoT and 5-6 as a book adaptation. Anyway, quality of the show is pretty even which is good.

As the show progresses I am more and more pissed that they stuffed the book in 10 episodes . Even the titles of the episodes have no meaning - Prince of Winterfell...wyeah right...and we see Winterfell for about 2 minutes (ok its a couple more but you know what I mean)

Now I kind of get it why they hooked Robb with this Volantis chick instead of Jane Westerling..so the TV audience can see him falling for her..etc BTW they have casted the actress quite good...good looking but not to lose kingdom for. But her back-story is dumb.

However, this girl in the tv show looks like a character who would stop Robb from giving up his kingdom and breaking his word to Freys.

While Robb in the books could never leave Jane Wetserling from poor but noble house after he "defiled her :) "

Yet again I had to endure Asha/Yara Greyjoy. and it was excruciating. Instead of fierce, charming warrior character we got this dumb bully of a character. I laughed when she yelled and....silence filled the room....I mean..who is scared of big bad Yara ?

[TheRiderThatMounts]

I give it a 1 for the scene where Rickard Karstark swears by the Father!

p.s. Too bad for the Iron coin - Valar Morghulis part.

[BoldAsYouPlease]

# lol, man, you will never be happy. Just stick to the books and stop watching. I honestly don't understand people who pick and pull at the episode like you. I am just happy this adaption is being made at all.

I guess people who pick and pull at the episode are similar to football fans like Martin - I assume he'll be rooting for the Jets this year, though they produced an 8-8 mediocrity of a season last year. We're fans of the story, we're interested in the show, we see good things and bad things, and we want them to do better - but calling them good when they're bad is sort of like calling the Jets good last year, or pretending Mark Sanchez was a quality QB, etc. Being a fan doesn't mean being uncritical or blind to what's glaringly bad - and there was a lot of glaringly bad in this episode for me.

In turn, I'm not sure why some who love the performance of the show have difficulty accepting the views of those who don't.

[kephv]

7. Might've given it an 8 if the Harrenhal escape hadn't been so lackluster or the Robb and Talisa scenes so terrible. I really wish they would've limited Robb a lot more this season like in the books, using the time to focus on more important characters. Seems the only time we see Robb was to have him slapping hands with his soldiers or carrying on his sappy romance with Talisa.

Also, Jon is a moron and his storyline stretches the limits of believability beyond a breaking point. I also hate how they ruined Stannis making Davos hand. In the books it was a powerful scene (Davos: Your lords will never obey me. Stannis: Then we'll make new lords), but here it's just sort of a offhand remark, a sort of "by the way, you're going to be my hand if we get through this."

The dialogue between Jaqen and Arya was great (Maisie needs an Emmy), for the most part, but I missed some good lines they didn't include. Tyrion and Bronn and Varys was a great dynamic as well, though Tyrion's another character whose intelligence has taken a hit. Jaime/Brienne made off to a good start - he better call her wench sometime soon, though. I did like the little bit between Yara and Theon; it was a great scene between those two. The added bit about her wanting to strangle him as a baby was a nice addition. The look on Theon's face and his reaction to her words there were great -- Alfie Allen continues to impress. Since this was basically just the set up episode for the BW, hopefully next week's episode delivers greatly.

[Aemon Stark]

I thought this episode dragged a bit (oddly mostly in some of the Tyrion scenes), but still gave it an 8.

I'm continuing to love every moment of Theon's ill-conceived conquest of Winterfell. The Asha scenes worked very well - "Yara" or not, I think they've captured the character well as someone who both exudes authority and charisma while not quite having the "iron" heart of some of her family members.

As for Robb, I remain convinced that Talisa is Jeyne, her story about Volantis notwithstanding (as a side note, I really loved Volantis as a setting in Dance, so it was cool to hear some exposition about it here). At this point, Robb has merely had sex with her - breaking the marriage pact isn't really effected by having an affair. And Jaime and Brienne!!

But somehow that first scene with Tyrion and Bronn dragged. I'm not sure why - maybe it was the directing or just the speed of the dialogue, but it felt too long. Ditto for the Tyrion/Cersei scene. Generally speaking these scenes have been among the most effective, so I'm not sure what happened this week.

Dany/Jorah was okay, but I'd be fine if they just left her aside for an episode rather than a token appearance. Onward to the Houses of the Undying.

Arya's "third name" was pretty good, and I expect that the last episode title indicates that we haven't yet seen the last of Jaqen. Tywin's remark about her is something of a re-working of what Bolton says when he makes her his cupbearer. I just read the Weasel soup chapter the other day - it's good, but I honestly don't understand why everyone seems so worked up about that change.

Stannis and Davos are great as ever. Looking forward to next week!

Lastly, if I could make one change from the book, I'd spare Maester Luwin. I always felt his death before and if it happens this time it will be much worse I fear. :(

[CrypticWeirwood]

p.s. Too bad for the Iron coin - Valar Morghulis part.

Yeah, and too bad it wasn’t in episode three, too.

So? What’s your point?

The reveal of Jaqen as a facechanger is absolutely a final episode thing, not an antepenultimate episode thing.

[The Ragged Man]

I gave it an 8 - 6 for the episode, +1 for Talisa, and +1 for Roz.

[tripleseq]

Sort of boring. Much of this season seems to be waiting for something to happen.

Yes, there's so much quality in the book that they've left out it makes you wonder why they felt compelled to put so much filler in. Also, they've rearranged the narrative to no benefit in some way that make the character's confusing, and less real.

For example, in the books Catelyn releases Jamie and Robb has his affair both while the are in shock over the news of the death of Bran and Rickon at Theon's hands. So, in effect they both betray the war effort in the desperation of grief.

Instead, in the show Catelyn does it out of some desperate gamble and Robb out of pure lust. I don't see why they had to make that plot/character change.

[TheRiderThatMounts]

Yeah, and too bad it wasn’t in episode three, too.

So? What’s your point?

The reveal of Jaqen as a facechanger is absolutely a final episode thing, not an antepenultimate episode thing.

You're lying to yourself if you think you'll ever see Jaquen again this season!

[summer_stark]

where the $(#^U&P%$!!! is Ghost?

a thousand times THIS.

[Ser Hippie]

You're lying to yourself if you think you'll ever see Jaquen again this season!

I suggest you read the description of Episode 10 closely.

[TheRiderThatMounts]

I suggest you read the description of Episode 10 closely.

Valar Morghulis is not tied to Arya.

But let's just say Jaquen turns back after Arya, to give her the coin, to tell her the words. Wouldn't this be stupid?!

Why would he do that? Why would he care? He paid his debt, he owes her nothing. What? Is he in love with her? Does he feel the need to protect her? Why would he return?

If he does feel the need to protect her, why not take her home or to her brother? Why just give her a coin and tell her 2 words?

It makes no sense that he would do that.

Ofcourse, now that I think about it, you may be right. Seeing as how Greatjon Umber shouts in the first season loud and clear for everyone to hear that "even their gods are wrong" and Rickard Karstark tells us now that he would cut his heart out and give it to the Father, the deity Greatjon said was wrong, it makes absolute sense that Jaquen would return.

It hurts my brain to know that the Karstarks, descendents of Starks and of the first men, lords of Karhold, a really NORTHERN castle, bow down to the Seven and not the Old Gods.

p.s. The taking of Harrenhall by lord Bolton's men was one of my favourite scenes in the books.

It showed how Arya evolved, going from child to grownup.

When she first asked Jaquen to kill the first 2 guys, she acted like a child. She could have asked him to kill lord Tywin and some other 2 important dudes and end the war. But she acted like a child and gave in to her rage, didn't think clear and gave the wrong orders.

And that's about her last mistake in the books. From that point on, Arya becomes an extremely interesting character, very badass, very complex. When I read the fith book and found out how she killed that guy she was supposed to kill, it made me extremely happy. That act alone was more "kill the boy and let the man be born" than anything Jon ever did. Now Arya is a smart, mature, extremely dangerous character.

She is the biggest threat to every character in the book.

It's just my oppinion. You may not agree.

Edited May 21, 2012 by TheRiderThatMounts

[kephv]

You're lying to yourself if you think you'll ever see Jaquen again this season!

He'll be in the last episode titled Valar Morghulis. The description for it states that Jaqen gives Arya a gift.

[Davos55]

I gave it a 7. This was a "calm before the storm" episode that had some great moments, and some missteps in my opinion.

Pros:

-Theon's storyline continues to impress, and Asha/Yara was great this episode..a considerable improvement over earlier in the season for sure

-Tyrion and Cersei's conversation was very well done, and Ros actually had a very relevant scene which I can't even complain about..I had a feeling she would be the one that Cersei would get to..but it was still a good scene

-Varys returned finally..and Hot Pie

-Roose Bolton is great

-I was glad to see Stannis and Davos back, and enjoyed the exposition and background info here for the Onion Knight..but I didn't care for Stannis asking Davos to be his hand in that situation

Cons:

- Jon's changed storyline still pales in comparison to the novel in my eyes

-The romance between Robb and what's her face is just too cheesy for me and took up way too much time this episode

-Dany's scene was not really necessary..I would like to see her start to develop more

Decent episode..I can't wait for Sunday though!

Edited May 21, 2012 by Davos55