Bud RR Martin

4 The episode was 'edge of the seat' while watching, but it fell apart when I turned my brain back on. Killing what should have been the primary antagonist in a single episode was a tremendous let down. Cersei and the elephant-less Golden Company don't appeal to me.

There is too much uproar about this Stannis stuff. I was not shocked at all. I am not upset about the act, but the flimsy reason for the sacrifice. We all knew it was coming. I am confident GRRM will make it more necessary and interesting than the show runners. I've always believed one family in the story will be the Reynes of Castamere. The Starks were on their way, and the Lannisters seem likely at times, but I believe the killing of Shireen means the Baratheons will be eliminated by the story's end.

You complain of the show's characterization of women, yet use the word "honey"?

A citizen of the United States of the Offended.

My thought exactly. Members of this forum have been discussing the scene since the season began. I don't understand why anyone would be "shocked".

I wasn't a member of the forum during season 1-3. Were the reactions to the most recent scene similar to the reactions of Drogo/Daeny, or Edmure/Roslin?

I've also tried to figure out why Olyvar would confess guilt for the same "crime". Wouldn't he be in a cell next to Loras?

I'm not sure. I think you may find the answer in the 31 pages of comments though.

Off duty? Selmy doesn't work at the Gap. He a knight, a queen's guard. Knights wear armor. Try all you like to explain it away, but a Queensguard out for a stroll, unarmored, in a city in turmoil doesn't make sense to me. He had a sword didn't he?

That's right. Armor is very heavy. Only a man that stood for hours a day protecting a king for several decades could be used to the weight, not Old feeble Selmy!

Yes, highly trained, shielded, and spear armed soldiers will always lose to dagger yielding former slave masters.

The Sand Snakes couldn't act themselves into a community theatre production of "Our Town". I miss Tyrion talking to Varys in a box. Tyrion talking to Jorah in a boat wasn't as good. Varys is now off to join The Blackfish, The Brotherhood, and Gendry. Unsullied aren't the warriors they've been advertised to be. My initial reaction after the episode was "What did I just watch?" Therefore, the rating can't be higher than a 4. I'm considering now whether it was better or worse than episode 2.

"Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that." -- George Carlin

On par with the first two episodes, with this one slightly better than "bad". Even my unsullied wife doesn't understand why Littlefinger is showing off Sansa "The Suspected King Slayer" to the world. Cersei would have LF, Sansa, AND probably the Boltons after removing them as Wardens of the North. Furthermore, anyone with half a brain would now see Tyrion probably wasn't the guilty party. We're all stuck in a gapping plot hole. I'm also bothered that every character seems to know everything else. Arya easily removes the dead from her list, Davos can recite TKW vows, and the entire world seems to know Tywin Lannister is dead.

Since everyone seems to know everything, how long until word gets back to KL that Sansa is in the north with LF and will marry a Bolton? Has she been forgiven already?

I did a re-watch yesterday. Does anyone remember where Pod was during the Purple Wedding? He was the one that identified Sansa and Littlefinger in the Westeros Applebees.

7. He fell into a massive plot hole

I thought Tyrion's travels were the most interesting in book 5. Stonemen, time travel, slavers!

A question: Why would Ramsay turn on the crown? The crown is the reason he his Bolton now and his father is Warden of the North.

This is the worst episode of 4.2 seasons. I fear it will be the first of many on the wrong side of the bell curve. Episode 2 was rushed, even to the point of being senseless. The show is clearly missing GRRM's input. Brienne's portion was almost comical.