You're going to have a really hard time making that case. You might say, "They are irrelevant to me," and that would be fine. But even then you have to acknowledge that you are an extreme rarity. There is a reason that production companies spend millions of dollars on effects, set, and costumes and it's not because it makes them happy. They do it because it is a huge aid in suspension of disbelief and carrying the story. Heck this very forum blew up after episode 9 because people thought the scene of Dany riding Drogon away from the fighting pit looked fake. So obviously even amongst show snobs special effects are an issue. Likewise you hear professional critics discussing these aspects of film, theater and TV all the time. And "good acting should be a factor"? That's it, just a factor? So good writing is the ONLY thing that can be legitimately judged when reviewing a television show? Let me ask you a question then: if all that time and money spent is truly wasted on you, how enjoyable would this show be if they used puppets for the dragons instead of spectacular CGI? If the armor were all very obvious plastic and cloth mockups and the weapons were obviously wooden swords with tinfoil, would that not take you out of the moment just a tad? And if acting is only a factor, could you imagine Jason Statham playing Stannis, or Megan Fox playing Catelyn Stark? Of course good acting matters. It's almost absurd to suggest otherwise. I get that people are assed out over some of the dialogue and even some of the storylines. Absolutely they could have been improved. My rating was an 8 because of exactly that. But to rate it a 1 - essentially saying it was as bad as it could possibly be - is just weird. Have none of you ever seen truly awful television? Spend 20 minutes watching Toddlers and Tiaras and get back to me about how bad the acting in Dorne was.
