RAddichio

I gave ep 9 a 3 - only because Jorah was finally redeemed in Khaleesi's eyes and the on edge moments as she was surrounded by the blood thirsty harpies. The monstrous burning of Shireen proves IMO that the story has lost most of it's heart, and especially it's soul, now that GRRM's writing is no longer reflected in it.

I gave ep 1 an 8. For someone who often wishes the fantasy aspect was not present, thoroughly enjoyed the instant fish kabob dragon trick. As always, Ser Jorah never fails to give a performance with powerful impact. That's one of the reasons I'll never understand why he wasn't included in the pre-season 3 posters along with the other cast members. Surely Iain Glen's role is large enough to warrant one?? Non? My other favorite scenes were Tyrion's with Tywin and also with Cersei. It's fascinating to see Joffrey finally acting like a human being with his crush on Margaery, while his mommy dearest constantly shoots eye daggers at her little boys object of affection.

Very much enjoyed Cat keeping her cool with Jaime - after first inflicting some slight justice for Ned's death. The scene with her & Robb was very touching. Satisfying to see Tyrion finally receive some positive feedback from his father. And Roz again proved to be the one size fits all girl about town. Although the dragons are cute -- really would enjoy the show even more without the fantasy aspect. All in all I found the entire first season to be very entertaining and for the most part remained faithful to grrm's writing.

I gave ep 7 a 9...notice most people so far gave it an 8. I'm not usually easy to please, so wonder why an 8 for tonight episode? Plenty of time at The Wall, which made the man watching with me very happy -- those are his fav scenes. Lord Baelish was brilliantly sinister as always and managed to surprise in the last few frames, even though I knew what to expect from him. The actor is simply brilliant in that role..fits him like a glove. As Drogo gave his Dothraki campaign speech we uttered "Vote for Me!" :rolleyes:

Game of Thrones in general is lightyears in quality ahead of almost everything else available on TV. Starz new series 'Camelot' is another quality show, although admittedly Arthur's ancient legend has a difficult time competing with eloquent imps, talking ravens and the seven gods of Westeros. Still, having a new episode each week, for two brilliant series, is a dream come true. Tried The Borgias for 3eps and the interminable poisoning horrors, without any other redemptive qualities, triggered cancellation of our new SHO subscription. HBO's however will remain intact to the very last moment of GoT. Isn't our individual ratings of each episode afterall a very subjective thing? Someone earlier said they found the throne room dialogue between Ned and Jaime to be boring, while I found it one of the most stunning scenes so far - both visually and emotionally. The Jaime character's rationalization for his king slaying was clearly revealed with the actor's intense delivery of the line "It felt like justice to me!" During that particular scene, the stunningly designed throne room itself helped give non-readers a tantalizing taste of Martin's richly described world of Westeros.

I gave ep4 a 9, rather than the 10 for ep3, due to a certain lack of Tyrion screentime. The imp played by Peter Dinklage electrifies every scene in which he appears. The rather long scene between Benjen, Tyrion and the recruiting officer was especially entertaining in last week's show. Best lines: "I think he's beginning to like me" from ep3, while Ned Stark's "War is easier than daughters" gets that tribute this week. Characters gaining more oomph than in the book, due to a strong performance, for me are Petyr Baelish, Samwell and Jaime. Another reason ep4 scored slightly less, IMHO, is due to the dragged out dragon eggs expository scene. The fantasy aspect of Game of Thrones plays best when exposed least. Many new HBO subscribers were lured by the historical drama theme - those viewers in particular will remain enthusiastic for the series as long as dragons and whitewalkers are kept to a minimum.

Gave ep4 a 9. Last week's ep was my fav so far. I didn't understand why Ghost appeared for a split second tonight, after not seeing him anywhere other than the 1st ep when Jon discovered him as a pup? Tournament was exciting and rather gruesome..as written.