Kajjo

Could you elaborate on what you didn't like?

10/10 -- I really liked this episode. Great. By the way, I gave E1 only a 5/10 because everything was so hastened and I missed emotions. I couldn't savor the scenes, they just rushed by. Maybe I should have given it a 7/10 for the content, but I was disappointed directly afterwards and my emotional response is maybe the best indicator for how good an episode is. I watch it for emotions of all kind. But E2 fulfilled my expectations! Full of emotions! + Jamie's trial, Brienne vouching for Jamie, later Jamie giving knighthood to Brienne, all their talking in the hall witht he fireplace... this time they took the necessary time to create emotions and let us savor them + Samwell and Jorah... so emotional, so great how they did this scene. Perfect. The short intro with Jorah/Lyanna was nice, too, and fit the characters. + Arya and Gendry... well done... in the forgerys Gendry still not taking her really serious, she demonstrating the knife throwing, he re-considering, all the flirtatious tension lying in the air.. Arya playing the faceless men's game with Gendy and detecting his lies and truth, wanting a night a desire and lust before her last day. Believable. Arya human and teenage-like again. I liked the eyes of Gendry when seeing her naked body with all the scars and realising she had done her fair share of fighting and surviving. These mixed emotions of lust and realisation. Well played. + Sansa and Daenerys having a talk. Well performed, they took enough time for the scene. Both getting closer, Sansa talking about Jon is loving Daenerys, then the smoldering conflict "What about the North?". I like it that Sansa is not just giving in to Daenerys' clever move, but holds her ground. Two strong women fighting for power. Sansa would be fine with only the North. The stakes are clear now. But they talked with each other, reasonably, moderate temperature, well executed. + Jamie and Bran.. "Things we do for love" what a great hidden announcement of Bran during the trial, but keeping silent about the meaning. later Jamie saying sorry and Bran accepting. + Jon and Daenerys in the crypts... they build up the tension nicely with Jon avoiding Daenerys, avoiding touch or contact... Daenerys finally looking for him and finding him in the Crypts of Winterfell. Jon's revelation nicely done, straight-forward, but emotional, all the implications hanging in the air. Daenerys reaction very good, conflicting emotions well played. Perfect revelation scene for me. + cliffhanger scene with WW arriving ... E3 will have the battle. A lot White walkers... more than expected. We know the Nightking has 100.000 wights but he has several dozens or more White Walkers, too. Wow, that'll be difficult. In summary, E2 was drastically better than E1.

I ranked 5/10. Overall, I liked the episode. In summary, however, the episode was too short and too little happened. I had wished for more content, more emotions and was expecting more than 51 min. REUNIONS Some of the reunions could have been more emotional. On the other side, have you ever lived through a real reunion after seven years not seeing each other and having developed significantly? It's always a strange feeling in the beginning, old emotions but new facts. + I liked the Arya/Jon reunion, it was sort of realistically. Starting somehow cold, but getting warmer in seconds. She still sees him as family, they hugged closely, smiled. It's fine for me. + The reunion of Sansa and Tyrion was very good. Distanced as expected, some common ground but a lot of discrepancies, her last sentence about him being not so smart after all in still believing Cersei was great. + I really liked the Sam/Jon reunion with all its conflicting emotions, but instantly being close to each other again. They were not separated for so long and they bond again more easily. That is realistic. I liked that Sam told him about his parentage. + The Bran/Jamie cold stare whether unsure glance was great, but some words could have been exchanged. Anyway, great scene. + Arya and the Hound... again, somewhat realistically, not any faked emotions, but I had wished for a bit more. + Arya and Gendry... very well done. They were even flirting with each other, banter each other a bit. What could you expect more than that? Personally, I am not a fan of an Arya/Gendry romance, but the reunion was done nicely. STORYLINE + The North was unhappy with Jon Snow bending the knee. Realistic. They don't give up too easily. They're suspicious and disappointed. They show the tensions, but the dialogues of these scenes are mediocre. Lyanna Mormont this time shallow, Tyrions speech not really igniting the fire. - What I don't like is that Daenerys expects Jon to be able to ride a dragon. Aren't only Valyrians or Targaryens supposed to do so? Does she know more about him? Or can anyone ride a dragon? This appears to be inconsistent. The dragon ride scenes themselves were poorly made in my opinion. Unspectacular, on the border to boring. - Sansa is presented as smart now. I don't really feel this development. She was so naive and dumb, and now she is smart and courageous? That was too absupt in S7 and still is in S8. But we have to accept that she is supposed to have mellowed, smartened, developed. Strange, but the way it is. They even need Arya to state that Sansa is smart. Crazy. Just because Sansa thinks of feeding the people or putting leather in armor? This is not smart, but basic. + I like the Umber scene with the symbol. Well done. Good effect. Again shows us that there is some reasoning, planning, some culture in the White Walkers. Not just dumb ice creatures coming to kill, but a species with an agenda. - I didn't like that they set up Bronn to kill Jamie and Tyrion. That's too simple and Bronn should be beyond the point of trusting Cersei or just going for money. He's supposed to be a smart man. - I like sex scenes, but the Bronn scene lacked enthusiam. Not up to the high standards we are used to. In summary, the episode was too short, too little happened. I had wished for more and was expecting more than 51 min.

No, we didn't see Sansa training and it appears to be inappropriate for her to do so. She is not the fighting kind of lady. She will focus on leading her people and running Winterfell. What was established about his hammer? Can you eleborate on this? Gendry just said he is not a trained swordsman and prefers a hammer. Simple as that. Fitting for a smith, somehow. I don't think the hammer has any deeper meaning here. We know three significant things about Gendry: He is the last living Baratheon bastard. Might become important; Jon/Gendry might resemble Eddard/Robert. He is a well-trained smith who learned his craft from one of the few smith masters able to reforge Valyrian steel. Might be important for the storyline. He knows Arya from the Night Watch caravan ("we could be family"). I don't believe in any romantic relation, but the two knowing and trusting each other can be important anyway.

Lyanna: "His name is Aegon Targaryen. If Robert finds out, he'll kill him. You know he will. You have to protect him. Promise me, Ned. Promise me."

I gave episode 7-1 a rating of 7 -- in parts great, in total entertaining and fulfilling, however in parts missing important points. I liked Arya finishing of the Freys, but the logistics and time-frame behind it should have been explained at least a little bit. However, it was a fulminant start of 7-1. I very much missed Jaime questioning Cersei wirh regards to blowing up the Baelor. He is the kingslayer, having earned this name by trying to avoid the Mad King performing a quite similar action. Jaime should have been outraged. Very bad and illogical is Euron with 1000 ships. Where from? From his treeless islands? 10.000s of soldiers on the ships from where? Built in some months time?! The time-frame simply doesn't fit and his later deed of destroying the Dorne fleet could have been made possible with both fleets a lot smaller. This armada was stupid eye candy. The Ed Sheeran scene was absolutely unnecessary and empty. Who wants to see popstars in a GoT? Me not. The Hound scene was great. The Sansa/Jon difficulties a bit tedious and not so well plotted. Overall, not much sexual attractive scenes which made GoT so popular. It's a pity they are turning into pure mainstream now. With dialogues, with sex, with violence. Just harmless mainstream.