Daenerys

9, right up there with Blackwater IMO. Easily the two best episodes of the season were the last two for me. I love the books, but I really don't give a fig if they stay completely true to them, in fact I think the show gets better the more they feel free to depart from them. Hopefully next season they will really rethink it as the original production it deserves to be. Especially Daenerys' story, which quite frankly is a very long, drawn out bore in the books already and is really showing the strain on television. All I ask is that they keep the spirit of the books, most of the central themes, and keep the focus on the main characters. Overall I give this season a 7, but at least it ended on a strong note (or notes).

I was pretty hard on last week's episode (and a lot of this season on the whole), but this was a pretty satisfying episode, I really enjoyed it. I love that Martin was able to change a few things up from his own writing in the books, I can imagine that'd be a hard thing to do. Overall I still think this series could be a lot better if they free themselves up from the letter of the books more (in other words, keep the spirit of the books and the main characters intact, but shuffle it up to tighten up the plot and pacing), but for the second season in a row, Episode 9 rocks.

Easily the worst episode of the season for me, I gave it a 5. It's just frankly getting boring to the point where I'm not even that excited when Sunday rolls around each week. And it's making me realize just how flawed the books are in terms of moving all the storylines forward. That bothered me reading the books but for some reason it's bothering me even more with the tv series. You can see them painfully trying to stretch and fill in scenes just to give certain characters something to do, like Robb, Jon, and Daenerys. Love Maise Williams but her character has also gotten boring. They've basically done nothing (or at least the same thing) for the entire season. I really wish the show runners would depart even more radically from the books in order to form a tight, cohesive plot for all the characters because it is just not working for me. Yes, I know Blackwater is here, there will be more things happening this week, but it's been a disappointing season for me on the whole, with some good bits along the way.

I actually liked Lorch falling at Tywin's feet, that was great. But I agree about Arya taking the message, it doesn't make any sense. She's already read the message, Tywin has already seen the message, there is no need for her to take it with her, especially grasping it in her hand in public.

Really loved most of this episode because they're finally starting to feel more comfortable deviating from the books to tell a better story. Also a lot of long character-driven scenes that help this episode feel less rushed and random than many others. Really hope they do more and more of this as time goes on because the reality is a word for word slavish translation of the book to screen just won't work. Only scene I wasn't crazy about was Dany with the spice master. Meh. I give it a solid 8+, close to a 9.

They did?? It wasn't clear to me who the orders came from. And considering Cersei had just been interacting with Slynt, if anything it seems more attributable to her. And the scene with Littlefinger shows they aren't softening her ruthlessness that much. Or did I miss something where the source was revealed?

Episode poll ratings (minimum 100 votes, top and bottom 5% thrown out): Epi | Title | Rating | 6.........7.........8.........9.........10 ----|-----------------------------------------|--------|------------------------------------------- 101 | "Winter Is Coming" | 7.9 | ******************** 102 | "The Kingsroad" | 8.2 | *********************** 103 | "Lord Snow" | 7.9 | ******************** 104 | "Cripples, Bastards, and Broken Things" | 8.2 | *********************** 105 | "The Wolf and the Lion" | 8.8 | ***************************** 106 | "A Golden Crown" | 8.8 | ***************************** 107 | "You Win or You Die" | 8.2 | *********************** 108 | "The Pointy End" | 9.2 | ********************************* 109 | "Baelor" | 8.9 | ****************************** 110 | "Fire and Blood" | 9.2 | ********************************* Overall series average - 8.5 So, a definite upward trend as the season progressed. Weakest episodes, tied, 101 "Winter Is Coming" and 103 "Lord Snow" Strongest episodes,tied, 108 "The Pointy End" and 110 "Fire and Blood"

Like almost every episode, this one gets an 8 from me, maybe 8+. The Pycelle scene was a waste. Maybe interesting to show he was just another guy in KL who is "playing the game" and maybe not what they seem, but that would have been a lot more effective several episodes ago, shortly after Ned arrives. We're rushing to the climax here in the last episode of the season, it just really slowed it down for me while not adding much. Also, although I love me some Littlefinger and Varys, the scene seemed poorly written to me and, again, a waste. Do we really need to have them discussing Varys' balls AGAIN? And a gash? Eh... Could have been a lot more interesting, or cut shorter (pun intended!). Wasn't Marillion supposed to be this superstar bard? His song sucked, sorry, I would not hire the dude for my kid's birthday party in KL. And Dany should have lost her hair (see my avatar), On the plus side, the dragons didn't look half bad at all (I was worried), seeing Shaggydog was cool (if random), Robb and Catelyn had some nice scenes, Sansa didn't bother me as much as she usually does, and I loved The Old Bear's speech (even though Jon still seems a bit unreadable to me). Overall I think they did a pretty good job getting people re-invested in the series after Ned's shocking death, which is pretty impressive in 1 hour with some wasted fluff.

Episode poll ratings (minimum 100 votes, top and bottom 5% thrown out): Epi | Title | Rating | 6.........7.........8.........9.........10 ----|-----------------------------------------|--------|------------------------------------------- 101 | "Winter Is Coming" | 7.9 | ******************** 102 | "The Kingsroad" | 8.2 | *********************** 103 | "Lord Snow" | 7.9 | ******************** 104 | "Cripples, Bastards, and Broken Things" | 8.2 | *********************** 105 | "The Wolf and the Lion" | 8.8 | ***************************** 106 | "A Golden Crown" | 8.8 | ***************************** 107 | "You Win or You Die" | 8.2 | *********************** 108 | "The Pointy End" | 9.2 | ********************************* 109 | "Baelor" | 8.9 | ****************************** Overall series average - 8.5 EDIT: Ratings went up slightly, I adjusted.

Getting tired of saying this, but it's yet another 8 for me (although closer to 9 than 7). I thought all the warring/battle/strategy parts felt rushed and muddled. Initially I was upset about them cutting out the battles entirely, but on later reflection I'm OK with it. No question there's where the budget and 10 episode limit comes to bite you, and the time and money can be probably better used elsewhere. Frankly I'd rather see no battle scene than a cheesy, empty, under-budgeted one, and it's the characters in the books that hook me much more than the action sequences. I do think they could have found a way to show a bit of Jaime's capture in the Whispering Woods without breaking the budget, it doesn't need huge armies in it to be effective, and it could have been a great scene. I thought Aemon did a great job with his reveal speech, Walder Frey was just about perfect, and Ned's death was handled well. And just enough nudity to not be distracting, bravo on that.

Episode poll ratings (minimum 100 votes, top and bottom 5% thrown out): Epi | Title | Rating | 6.........7.........8.........9.........10 ----|-----------------------------------------|--------|------------------------------------------- 101 | "Winter Is Coming" | 7.9 | ******************** 102 | "The Kingsroad" | 8.2 | *********************** 103 | "Lord Snow" | 7.9 | ******************** 104 | "Cripples, Bastards, and Broken Things" | 8.2 | *********************** 105 | "The Wolf and the Lion" | 8.8 | ***************************** 106 | "A Golden Crown" | 8.8 | ***************************** 107 | "You Win or You Die" | 8.2 | *********************** 108 | "The Pointy End" | 9.2 | ********************************* Overall series average - 8.4

I was also disappointed with Arya's first kill, but another scene that was disappointing was Sandor's interaction with Sansa. Now I'm not a "San-San" supporter or anything like that, but I just think Sandor is a great character that's being wasted. And I'm not asking for a long scene there, I just thought something more than "Why do you think they sent me?" would be nice. Does anyone who hasn't read the books even know who Sandor is at this point so late in the season? I wonder because for the most part he's been muzzled and relegated to the background. He seems like a minor character more along the lines of a Meryn Trant or Kevan Lannister (characters you might notice but wouldn't really lose much if you didn't) than the major character he should be. I guess what I'm saying is there's a lot of scenes in the show that seem to, for whatever reason, lack the impact they deserve and had in the books. Robert's death, Arya's first kill, the wight attack on the Old Bear, anything with Sandor, Dany's wedding (without horse ride), Jon's NW oaths, the KL tournament, most of the direwolf scenes (or lack thereof)...

It's a 7 for me, actually matching my lowest rating of the season. Despite some really badass moments (Barristan, Drogo, Syrio, ravens flying from Winterfell). Just felt a little flat and uneven to me, and a pretty lame ending. Again, nothing so horrible I can call it bad, overall it's quite good, but it left me wanting in way that episodes 5-7 did not. Nice to see Rickon and he even speaks! But I am getting worried that Robb and Sansa are not going to be able to carry it when they have to, frankly. I'm already missing Robert's presence.

True, but I wouldn't worry about that, 95%+ of the book's fans are going to continue watching/subscribing regardless (unless it's really, really horrible, which is not likely given the talented cast and crew). I agree with Lokhtar that diverging even more while maintaining a base of the spirit of the books would not necessarily be a bad thing. I'm not saying change basic plot points like who lives or dies, or the basic nature of the characters, but adding additional characterization scenes and cutting out some clunky dialogue or even whole scenes that don't work as well on screen would be fine. I would even cut some entire characters and locations (for example perhaps Euron and Victarion) to keep the pace moving better and allow more time for main characters. I'd also shift around a lot of the timeline to give a better flow and not have characters disappear for long stretches (sometimes entire books). The POV nature of the books demands some changes as it is, but I'd go even further. You can see in the Harry Potter movies where slavish devotion to the written page has bad consequences.

In general I agree with this sentiment, I just thought this particular scene went way over the line and became distracting. Some of the Dany-Drogo, Cersei-Jaime, or Theon-Ros sex scenes didn't bother me, there was a reason for them. The scene with Viserys and Doreah in the tub didn't bother me at all. Technically, they didn't have to be naked or engaged in sex to have that conversation, but it seemed natural. I did like what Littlefinger was saying in the scene, it is good character information for him, it was just hard to concentrate and absorb that with "play with her ass" sprinkled into the dialogue. I also don't like how Littlefinger is pretty much being portrayed as a straight up pimp in the tv series. From the books I got the idea he has his hands into lots of things and one small part of that had to do with owning some whorehouses. And he does it not just for the revenue, but because of the information he can gain through that (what he really makes his living on). But in the tv series it seems like that's all he does except sit in on the occasional small council meeting. Anyway, it's not a big deal, doesn't ruin the series for me, I just think they are getting caught in the trap of having to show obligatory sex scenes whether they make sense or not. Which makes it feel cheapened, like Starz instead of HBO.

Episode poll ratings (minimum 100 votes, top and bottom 5% thrown out): Epi | Title | Rating | 6.........7.........8.........9.........10 ----|-----------------------------------------|--------|------------------------------------------- 101 | "Winter Is Coming" | 7.9 | ******************** 102 | "The Kingsroad" | 8.2 | *********************** 103 | "Lord Snow" | 7.9 | ******************** 104 | "Cripples, Bastards, and Broken Things" | 8.2 | *********************** 105 | "The Wolf and the Lion" | 8.8 | ***************************** 106 | "A Golden Crown" | 8.8 | ***************************** 107 | "You Win or You Die" | 8.2 | *********************** Overall series average - 8.3 I'm a little surprised, actually, because this episode was very good for the most part. But I think the Littlefinger scene really hurt episode 7, it gets an almost universal strong negative reaction (from reviewers on the forums, bloggers, and print, it doesn't matter). I personally ranked it down a point just for that, it really was that bad and that distracting. If I had recommended to a friend or family member they watch the show and they saw this episode, frankly I would be embarrassed, and they probably would have stopped watching right there. Hopefully HBO learns a lesson from this. This show is good enough to stand on the strength of the story and the acting, it doesn't need gimmicks.

There's a lot of irony WRT the sex scenes. HBO likes to boast about how they have the "freedom" to show the explicit sex, full frontal nudity, male nudity, rape, incest, what have you (as well as violence like decapitating a horse or lingering on blood spurting from a guy's neck for 15 seconds). Yet at the same time they seem trapped and beholden by those same freedoms, the scenes becoming obligatory and shoehorned in whether they fit or not, or are necessary or not. I'm disappointed that HBO doesn't have the guts to be better than Starz in this regard, where I expect it (Camelot). If they want to be the elite storytellers, they should be able to rely on that without forced gimmicks. Nothing wrong with a sex scene if it really makes sense, but it's getting ridiculous, it's like someone has a sex and violence checklist for each episode. Won't ruin Thrones for me, but it is distracting.

Another solid 8 from me. Agree with others that the porn is just way too over the top, drawn out, and distracting. And also agree Robert's death was lacking resonance (and man am I going to miss Mark Addy, he was just fantastic from start to finish). Did love the mournful sound of the bells of Baelor in the background though. One thing that seemed odd to me was Littlefinger actually holding a knife to Ned's throat. Was that really in the book? Seemed to out of character for me, Littlefinger is a guy who makes his living behind the scenes and disguising his loyalties. He schemes, but he's hands off when it comes to fighting. I think he'd feel that was not only beneath him but not wise to stick his neck out like that for all to see. Well another very good episode overall that just missed the mark in a few places to keep it from touching me deeply. Missing Arya and Tyrion already :(

Episode poll ratings (minimum 100 votes, top and bottom 5% thrown out): Epi | Title | Rating | 6.........7.........8.........9.........10 ----|-----------------------------------------|--------|------------------------------------------- 101 | "Winter Is Coming" | 7.8 | ******************* 102 | "The Kingsroad" | 8.2 | *********************** 103 | "Lord Snow" | 7.9 | ******************** 104 | "Cripples, Bastards, and Broken Things" | 8.2 | *********************** 105 | "The Wolf and the Lion" | 8.8 | ***************************** 106 | "A Golden Crown" | 8.8 | ***************************** Overall series average - 8.3

I agree, I'm almost finding myself rooting for Theon. First of all, he may be a bit of a cocky wanker, but at least he's got a personality, and some humor. Compare to Robb who seems to have the personality of a cardboard box. Second, all the Starks treat him like shit, seemingly for no reason. That's not the impression I got from the books. Yes, he's a Greyjoy and his family tried to rebel, but he was obviously a child at the time and should not be held accountable for that. The only scenes in the tv series where he seems a part of the Stark family is when he's joking around with the Stark boys when they get haircuts, and when he's present when Cat tells the small Winterfell group about the treachery of the Lannisters. Other than they, why wouldn't he hate the Starks? I actually loved it when Robb asked him where Bran is he said "It's not my house." and stalked off (and even there he STILL came back and saved their asses). So yeah, it's not going to have the same surprise or impact when he...you know...

8+. Didn't like the hunt scene, every scene Sansa is in still sucks, Ros (as good as she is) is getting WAY too much screen time, and again...no direwolves! But, Viserys' coronation and the Bronn-Egan battle were even more awesome than how I pictured it in the book. Everything else was pretty good to great.

Oh, admittedly, most of those things are nitpicky, and most, in the end, didn't interfere with my enjoyment of the episode, I did love it. But as they always say it's the details that make the difference between good and great, or between functional and "art", or however you want to put it. Things like the lighting and atmosphere of a scene (for example) are really important for pushing something into that sublime level where it soars, captures your imagination, and leaves a lasting impact. Doesn't mean it doesn't still work without it, but maybe it doesn't quite reach that extra level that makes it memorable and sets it apart from everything else. In the same way that Robert Jordan's books are very good, but (in my case anyway) leave a little something wanting that is found when reading Martin.

Things that irked me: -- Didn't like Sandor keeping his fist raised with Loras. I don't remember that being in the book, I feel like Book Sandor would have scowled, spit (at Loras, not the king), and stalked away, angry at having been forced into a conflict not of his own making, for this creampuff knight who he wouldn't respect. -- Loras is bad. He's not nearly as beautiful as he's supposed to be in the books (making Sansa's swooning a little hard to believe), but the dude has an uncut toothpick body, I don't see how he's a master swordsman or can even hold up the jousting lance. Frankly, he looks ridiculous as a "great knight" in his armor. Again, I think he should look more like this. -- Renly too small and weak, not charismatic or confident enough. -- Scene between Varys and Littlefinger went on too long and set them up as much more outwardly confrontational than in the book. Could be an interesting take on it, but I don't think it's needed to show it that way. I feel like they both work behind the scenes and wouldn't want to give away any information they didn't have to (including knowledge about each other). -- Didn't like the lighting when Arya was hiding int he dragon skull. Scene should have been darker (mostly torchlight) but at the same time I thought the skull was not at all obviously a dragon skull, even in HD. Would people who haven't read the books even recognize it as such? -- Ned-Jaime fight should have been in the dark and in the rain, not yet another sunny palm-tree day in King's Landing. Yeah, plot-wise it doesn't really change anything horribly, I just thought they missed an opportunity to set a great mood there. Think about the fight between Rutger Hauer and Harrison Ford at the end of Blade Runner. Would that scene have had the same impact in sunny, dry daylight? "The Storm" has started with this fight, this is where it all really starts going downhill, they should have had the environment play a role in reinforcing that. -- The long shot of the Eyrie. Kind of cool, but I always pictured it carved into the side of a cliff instead of as a freestanding structure. Not sure why the Moon Door should be a hole in the floor (for one thing, it's a waste of space, just doesn't seem as practical as an actual door in the wall). -- The tournament still looks terribly small and cheap. I guess it's over now? Can't tell. Like Episode 4, they didn't really give many clues as to where we're at with it (people advancing, being officially crowned as champion, etc.). We visit it randomly a couple times to fit in some key scenes, but that's it, it seems forced in. -- Bran-Luwin scene (Game of Thrones: The Board Game!) seemed a little off and unnecessary. I get that they were trying to lay out the land/map/families for people unfamiliar with the world, but it was clumsy and boring for me. -- What was the point of Ned going to see the other Robert bastard (the baby)? He already knows about Gendry, isn't that enough? OK, he saw the baby, fine, it doesn't really prove anything more than he already knew (even if the baby actually is Robert's, it's the word of a whore after all, and you can't really see that it looks like Robert). And he did this while he must have known his family would be in increasing danger with each passing minute (he has his daughters isolated in their rooms and posted his best guards there). Feels like Ned visiting the whorehouse again was a lazy excuse to set him up for the Jaime fight, not brought on by true motivations. Things I liked: -- Everything else was completely awesome! I just wish they would think about each scene and try to think "What simple things could we do to make this more dramatic or clear?" or "Is this scene even necessary?" There are small things that could be changed or added that would improve scenes, but it seems like they just didn't take the time to ask those questions in every case. Still, great episode overall.

I absolutely loved that scene! First of all, it really humanizes both of them, while allowing that they both have faults. Secondly, it gives you a good sense of just how long they've been enduring one another and how things could have grown so cold between them. Thirdly, it spells out exactly why the Dothraki invading would be such a dangerous scenario, something I actually wondered about previously. Great episode, best yet. I give it a solid 9. Slightly off-topic question: why is Dany's child considered so dangerous when there's already an existing, more direct, Targaryen heir in Viserys? Is it because they all know Veserys is so weak he wouldn't be a serious threat? I never understood that from the books and I never got it from the tv series either.

I think part of the problem is they made it feel so small. They didn't make a big deal about starting it, so perhaps it ends just as quietly? Anyway, it's not worth worrying about as it will soon be made clear that there is more to come.